Somaz strode quickly toward the place where Shakky was being held.
Along the way, the Marines he encountered lowered their heads nervously.
He swept his gaze over them and asked in an unfriendly tone:
"Have you transferred Shakky somewhere else?"
Hearing this, the Marines stammered, not daring to meet his eyes.
Only one of them gathered the courage to respond:
"Saint Somaz, the situation is—"
Somaz impatiently waved him off.
"Enough! I'll go check myself!"
From their reactions alone, he could tell something was wrong.
Without stopping, he headed straight for Shakky's holding area.
After some time—
He arrived at a heavy iron door.
Pushing it open, the scene inside made him freeze.
Marine soldiers lay scattered across the floor, all unconscious.
And amidst the mess—
A woman stood proudly.
Her hands were bound in Seastone cuffs, yet she looked at him coldly.
Somaz's face twisted with anger.
"What kind of joke is this?! You useless trash couldn't even handle a bound woman?!"
His voice was full of disgust.
Trusting these lowly Marines was an insult in itself.
Such a simple task—
And he had to clean up their mess personally.
Shakky looked at him calmly, unsurprised.
"The pirates are causing chaos, aren't they?"
Somaz clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
"What an irritating attitude."
"You seem to understand your own value quite well. A woman like you…"
He stepped closer, examining her.
"Not cute at all."
As he finished speaking—
He suddenly raised his hand to slap her.
Bang!
But that wasn't the sound of a slap.
His hand was stopped midair—
By a sharp kick.
Somaz's face filled with shock as he turned.
A woman stood there.
She wore a cheongsam similar to that of the Kuja rulers.
Though conservative—
It couldn't hide her breathtaking beauty.
A flash of greed appeared in Somaz's eyes.
"What a beautiful woman… not inferior to Shakky at all."
He immediately changed his mind.
"Don't know where you came from—"
"But Shakky already belongs to Saint Garling."
"As for you—"
"You'll be my personal slave."
Where she came from didn't matter.
If he saw her—
She was his.
At that moment—
A mocking voice sounded from the side.
"Not much to look at, but your imagination's impressive."
Leno walked forward—
And without hesitation, threw a punch at Somaz.
Sensing the terrifying power behind it—
Somaz's expression changed drastically.
He quickly raised his thorn-covered mace—formed from his Thorn-Thorn Fruit—to block.
Boom!
Though he blocked it—
The impact sent him flying backward.
His body carved a deep trench across the ground.
It all happened in mere moments.
The sudden turn of events stunned Somaz, Shakky, and the surrounding Marines.
No one expected such a group to appear out of nowhere.
And they clearly weren't from the Rocks Pirates—
Nor the Roger Pirates.
Instead—
It was a man accompanied by someone who looked like the Kuja Empress—
And several unfamiliar faces.
There was no such person among the well-known figures of the sea.
Shakky was equally confused.
Not just about the man's strength—
But also…
She looked at Hancock, who was unlocking her Seastone cuffs.
"Who are you?"
"With strength like yours, someone from Amazon Lily… I should know you."
Hancock found her confusion amusing.
It wasn't often she saw Shakky like this.
But now wasn't the time for reminiscing.
She smiled gently.
"I am the future Empress of Amazon Lily—"
"Boa Hancock."
Hearing this—
Shakky's pupils shrank.
Others might not understand—
But she did.
She knew exactly how many rulers Amazon Lily had.
Meanwhile—
Somaz didn't understand any of it.
He only noticed more people arriving behind them.
When he saw clearly—
He shouted in shock:
"Lady Maffi?! Why the hell are you here?!"
But as soon as he said it—
He realized something was wrong.
Maffi's posture…
She looked like a prisoner.
That realization only made him angrier.
He raised his thorn mace and pointed it at Leno's group.
"You bastards! Lowly scum!"
"How dare you lay hands on a member of the God's Knights?!"
His face burned with rage.
Everyone assumed he would attack immediately.
And he did—
He cast a Thorn Barrier—
And then…
He turned around and ran.
"I'm not retreating! I'm delivering critical information!"
He justified it in his mind—
And sped up even more.
He knew his own strength.
It wasn't much different from Maffi's.
If she had been captured—
He'd likely end up the same.
He wasn't afraid of death.
But being captured?
That was worse than death for a God's Knight.
Seeing this—
Even Leno was stunned.
He blinked, then turned to Maffi.
"You guys really recruit people like that?"
Maffi's lips twitched.
She said nothing.
What could she say?
The evidence was right there.
Somaz had utterly humiliated them.
Shakky flexed her stiff wrists, finally free.
She observed the group that had rescued her.
Though not who she expected—
They were even more mysterious than Rayleigh.
Everyone knew—
The "hero saves the beauty" trope was old.
But effective.
And now—
Rayleigh had lost his chance.
Whether he could win her over now…
Was another question.
Shakky herself didn't even realize—
Her mindset was subtly changing.
Her gaze lingered on Hancock and Leno.
One—
The future Pirate Empress.
The other—
The man beside her.
She studied Hancock first and nodded in approval.
Strong.
Flawless beauty.
Equal to herself.
But she was even more curious about Leno.
She stepped closer—
Getting a better look.
"You're Hancock's man?"
As she spoke—
She casually ran her hand over his body.
"Mm… not bad."
At that exact moment—
A certain someone finally arrived.
Roger, who had deliberately held back—
And Rayleigh, who had taken the opportunity—
Had finally reached the scene.
But—
Before he could even act—
He was already "defeated."
"Shakky, I came to—"
From his perspective—
He saw Shakky smiling in satisfaction—
Looking at another man—
Even touching him.
For any man—
The damage of that sight…
Was immeasurable.
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60+ chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/CanonBreaker