The meeting concluded swiftly.
Its sole purpose was to gauge the attitudes of the Shichibukai and to emphasize a few points to remember.
"Fufufufu! Boring!"
The tall, thin figure strode out of the conference room, his eyes fixed on Esdeath; he had his sights set on this woman.
"Look at me again and I'll gouge out your eyeballs!" Hancock, witnessing this, immediately kicked out.
Evidently, Doflamingo, having learned his lesson from last time, easily dodged the kick; his Observation Haki was not to be underestimated.
"Fufufu"
He chuckled twice, his eyes glancing at the two women, then he raised his hand to the sky and soared upwards.
"Skywalk!"
"I hope you're still this arrogant next time we meet!"
Before leaving, he didn't forget to leave Hancock with a harsh remark.
"Hmph!"
Just a mere man, Hancock snorted, always confident in her strength.
Following this, everyone departed from Marineford; Hawkeye even glanced at Esdeath's waist as he left.
He hadn't expected to find someone else who used a Western sword besides Shanks; it seemed he could pay attention to this woman in the future.
For now… it was too soon!
Just a Rear Admiral, not worth too much of his effort.
Boarding his small boat, a flying slash was unleashed, and the boat, propelled by immense force, vanished rapidly into the sea horizon.
"So that's how it is…"
Esdeath, watching this scene, also solved a past life mystery; no wonder Hawkeye could navigate the seas with just a small wooden boat.
It had no engine; it turned out he used slashes for propulsion.
"That's quite similar to rowing with a Rasengan!"
"But Naruto has plenty of chakra and doesn't fear wasting it, so wouldn't Hawkeye get exhausted?"
As Esdeath was pondering, she felt a tug on her clothes; Hancock, biting her sleeve, said beside her, "Esdeath, you said you'd go on a date with me, are you still doing it?"
Her eyes, hazy, held three parts anticipation, three parts plea, three parts innocence, and one part shyness.
"We're going to eat, not on a date. Let's go." Taking Hancock's other hand, Esdeath led Hancock away from the dock.
Even without using her abilities, Hancock could cause a huge commotion, let alone with Esdeath accompanying her.
Basically, wherever they went, it was packed with people.
Only Hancock remained incredibly engrossed in the warmth of Esdeath's palm, letting Esdeath pull her around aimlessly, completely unaware of the massive stir they were causing!
She was completely stunned.
Her body couldn't help but feel a little weak.
"Is this what love feels like?!"
Wrapped in happiness and immersed in her own world, Hancock was completely unaware of how much of a headache Esdeath was having right now.
"This is troublesome!"
Esdeath glanced at Hancock, speechless; when she went to eat before, she didn't see so many people watching.
Now, wherever she took Hancock, it was packed with people; what should she do?
"Have you heard? The Celestial Dragons are coming to Marineford tomorrow!"
"Shh! Watch your words!"
A man covered the other man's mouth, cautiously looking left and right, and only when he saw that not many people were paying attention to them did he say, "Do you have a death wish?!"
"My mistake, my mistake!"
The man apologized profusely; if the Marines had heard that, he'd probably be dragged out and whipped!
"Celestial Dragons are coming? Since when?"
Such small movements naturally couldn't escape Esdeath's notice; she heard everything clearly.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, her hand trembled; turning her head, Hancock seemed to have fallen into a daze, trembling slightly.
It was as if she was terrified of something.
"Oh no!"
If Hancock hadn't suddenly acted this way, Esdeath would have completely forgotten about this.
Hancock was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons; even though she had escaped their grasp, the psychological trauma was irreparable!
She grabbed Hancock's hand, pulled her into her embrace, lifted Hancock's body with both hands, pushed off the ground with her legs, and leaped onto the rooftop.
"The Marines also allotted a house; let's go there."
Looking down at Hancock, who was still trembling with fear in her arms, Esdeath couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.
To be honest, if Esdeath hadn't read the original story, even with such a long period of contact, she would never have imagined Hancock was a former slave.
She was the ruler of a nation!
She should possess unparalleled Haki and outstanding strength, and coincidentally, heaven had also blessed her with beauty.
She was arrogant, looked down on the world, and didn't put anyone in her eyes; everyone felt admiration and awe towards her, yet no one thought to understand her.
In many people's eyes, the Empress was perfect, even a goddess, seemingly without flaws except for her bad temper.
But it was merely to conceal the inferiority from her childhood memories and her past identity.
Hancock, trembling in her arms, no longer had any of the domineering aura of the Pirate Empress; she was just a frightened girl.
Carrying Hancock in a princess carry back to her assigned house, she held Hancock, who was still trembling, with one hand and gently comforted her, "It's alright, be good!"
Her hand stroked Hancock's long hair, patting her back as if coaxing a child to sleep.
"Sleep, you'll be fine when you wake up."
Her trembling body slowly stilled, and her breathing gradually became steady.
A smile on her lips, like a pure maiden, she unconsciously tightened her grip on Esdeath's hand.
...…
"Mmm…"
"Did I fall asleep?"
It was already late, and Hancock felt a strange sadness; the feeling she had in her dream just now was gone forever!
It was like being in her mother's embrace as a child; this was the most comfortable night she had slept since returning to Daughter Island.
Half-asleep, half-awake, she seemed to hear someone coaxing her to sleep.
Opening her eyes, she looked around but saw no one; the ceiling was unfamiliar.
"I remember Esdeath-sama pulling me, and then…"
"Celestial Dragons!"
Suddenly remembering something, Hancock sat up, instantly alert; this wasn't her room, and she had never seen it before.
Unpleasant memories instantly flooded her mind!
Even Hancock's delicate face turned somewhat gloomy; could it be that Esdeath had sold her out?!
Creak!
The sound of the door opening came, and Hancock formed a heart shape with her hands, aiming it at the doorway.
"You're awake!"
Esdeath looked at Hancock's strange pose, a little surprised; why was she making a heart shape at her as soon as she woke up?
Is this the legendary persecution complex?
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