Exposed Again / Please Marry Me

'Call out--'

After speaking, Hancock lightly touched her lips with her slender finger, creating a tiny pink heart-shaped object. She then struck a graceful pose and made a shooting motion towards Arthur.

With a whooshing sound, the pink, heart-shaped substance shot out like a bullet.

The Pistol Kiss, imbued with Armament Haki, flew at an extremely fast speed.

'Thump--'

Arthur's figure vanished from the surface of the sea, the Pistol Kiss missed its mark, and the sound of a heavy object hitting the water echoed.

When he reappeared, Arthur was already on the large ship of the Kuja.

"The man is here, attack—"

"Stop!"

Arthur's 'surprise attack' alerted the crew of the Kuja Sea F, who raised their bows and arrows with hostility, ready to attack him.

At this moment, Hancock spoke up to stop them.

With an elegant and graceful figure, she walked towards Arthur with light steps, the pet clinging to her slowly sliding off.

"You all step aside, I will be his opponent." Hancock put one hand on her hip, her long, slender white legs extending from the slit in her cheongsam onto the deck. She leaned back, her large breasts rising high, her head tilted back, and pointed her other index finger at Arthur with an arrogant posture, speaking loudly.

"Here comes the Snake Princess's disdainful attitude!"

"So beautiful!!"

"..."

As Hancock struck this pose, shouts of admiration rang out once more.

"..." Even Arthur himself, who was being looked down upon, couldn't help but be slightly taken aback.

It's not that I'm captivated by Hancock, but you could also say I'm captivated by Hancock.

But it wasn't Hancock's charm that captivated me; rather, it was the pose she struck that drew my attention.

In Arthur's mind, Robin's figure was already exceptionally good, but compared to Hancock, she was still slightly inferior.

In particular, Hancock's long, straight black hair, her white cheongsam with the Kuja logo, her tall figure, her long legs revealed when she strikes a disdainful pose, and her naturally alluring charm can have a tremendous impact on people's hearts.

It's like an invisible toxin, making your heart beat faster involuntarily.

If you don't try to distract yourself, the more you admire it, the more you can't help but fall for it.

This is the combination of a stunningly beautiful face and the ability to charm the world, creating an aura that surpasses the sum of its parts.

For men, Hancock's aura is more lethal than Conqueror's Haki.

"Knight... remember not to hurt me later~" Just then, Hancock, who had been looking down on him, suddenly revealed a pitiful expression and whispered to Arthur, her cheeks flushed.

'Boom--!'

Arthur's pupils contracted slightly, and an extremely domineering aura suddenly erupted.

· ······Requesting flowers····· ··

'Sizzle sizzle...!!'

An invisible aura, like a storm, caused Hancock's clothes to flutter and her long, straight black hair to fly backward.

Suddenly, an aura of the same nature, not to be outdone, burst forth from Hancock.

The two Haki collided, causing the entire ship to sway slightly, and streaks of dark red Inazuma flashed in the air.

"A clash of... Conqueror's Haki!"

"Everyone back off. Anyone feeling unwell should move to the back of the boat."

Seeing the two staring at each other, their clothes fluttering in the wind, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold shouted in unison.

Upon hearing this, a large number of Kuja Sea F crew members fled in terror, clearing a spacious area on the deck.

Before long, only Arthur, Hancock, and the Boa sisters remained on the deck.

The two enormous sea serpents that were pulling the large ship from the bow also lost consciousness after the two men's Conqueror's Haki clashed.

"Drink--!"

The clash of Conqueror's Haki didn't last long. Hancock quickly met the aura with a shout, her graceful figure leaping into the air, tracing an arc, her long, white legs sweeping towards Arthur.

What appears to be an ordinary kick not only contains the Kuja Haki, but also possesses a deadly petrifying property.

If a person is kicked in any of the four limbs, the limb will not only turn to stone, but will also shatter due to Hancock's kick.

Even if Hancock recovers from the petrification effect later, she will still be crippled.

That's what makes Hancock so terrifying.

However, powerful as it may be.

However, this power is currently only aimed at those who lack Haki.

'Mana Burst (A)--'

'Armament Haki (A-)--'

'Bang! Sizzle...'

With the power systems of both worlds amplified, Arthur braced himself with his hands on the ground and launched a roundhouse kick to meet the attack.

The white boots and high heels collided, creating a burst of dark red Inazuma in the air once more.

Chapter 162 Exposed Again

'Sizzle sizzle...'

'Whoosh--'

Dark red Inazuma flashed all around.

Arthur braced himself on the ground, his gaze sweeping up at Hancock, following her straight, long legs, and even faintly catching a glimpse of her black safety shorts.

The clash between the two didn't last long before Hancock landed with a backflip, her graceful figure closing in again, her long, white legs unleashing a series of sweeping kicks at Arthur.

"I don't recall having any grudge against you. Are you like those others, here for my head?" Arthur shifted his feet, effortlessly dodging Hancock's kicks with Observation Haki A++ Future Sight, casually admiring the long, beautiful legs before him, and asked with a hint of doubt. "Six seven seven."

"Hmph! I'm not that foolish." Seeing Arthur's relaxed expression and dismissive attitude, Hancock, annoyed, snapped, "Perfume Femur!"

Her body spun in place and rose into the air. With her hands behind her head, Hancock's graceful figure spun like a top as she unleashed a whirlwind kick.

Calling it a whirlwind kick isn't quite an exaggeration; it's simply a series of kicks delivered using the momentum of strong airtime.

'Bang bang...!!'

"If it's not for my head, then why did you, as one of the Shichibukai, personally come to the New World to find me?" Arthur stared at Hancock dancing in the air, his hand moving like a blur, catching every single one of Hancock's attacks.

Holding those slender feet, feeling the smooth touch in his palm, Arthur asked in confusion, "I'm not a child, you're just a little girl!"

After he finished speaking, Arthur's expression changed slightly. Coincidentally, his ability to Future Sight allowed him to see a very ominous glimpse of what might happen in the future.

"Oh? Looks like you don't know anything yet." Sure enough, Hancock, who had been attacking with overwhelming force, suddenly stopped upon hearing this. She landed gracefully, a captivating smile playing on her stunningly beautiful face, "So, the World Government's Cipher Pol hasn't contacted you yet?"

"..." Arthur looked at Hancock silently, without saying a word.

His head was spinning rapidly, as if he was thinking about something.

"Aren't you going to use it yet? The power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!" Hancock's eyes lit up with delight at Arthur's expression, but she suppressed a glint in her eyes and shouted, "Slave Arrow!"

With a light touch of his finger to his lips, a huge peach-colored heart-shaped substance materialized, which was then drawn back like a bow, shooting a barrage of pink arrows at Arthur.

Numerous pink arrows formed a ribbon, cascading down like a waterfall.

"I see! It seems Blackbeard and his crew survived." Arthur suddenly realized, the doubts that had been nagging at him finally dispelled.

No wonder Hancock, the empress of the "Amazon Lily" who led the Kuja Sea Clan on expeditions in the first half of the Grand Line, suddenly appeared in the New World, and her target was him.

Boa Sandersonia's intriguing words, the fact that they looked at her without the slightest disgust, and the attacks that were devoid of any murderous intent, all became clear.

Aside from Franky, Arthur only revealed the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to Blackbeard Pirates and Kaido.

Franky would never betray him, and Kaido didn't even care that Arthur was a Devil Fruit user who could still go to sea, let alone announce to the world that Arthur possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability.

The only person whose abilities were revealed by Arthur Blackbeard Pirates, whose fate remains unknown after he wiped them all out.

It's been about two months since Blackbeard Pirates was wiped out.

That's plenty of time; enough for them to recover from their injuries and return to activity in the New World.

"Where did you get this information?" Arthur asked, his right foot flashing with blue and white lightning. He turned to the side and delivered an Inazuma Kick that shattered the rain of arrows.

The blue and white lightning transformed into beams of light, shooting towards the distant sea.

'Boom--!'

A deafening roar erupted from the sea a kilometer away, as powerful waves surged in, whipping Hancock's long, straight black hair into the air.

"It's you—" Seeing the electric current emanating from Arthur's right foot, Hancock's face suddenly lit up with excitement. Her eyes lost their previous fierceness and were filled with intense joy. She said in a trembling voice, "The black market's intelligence was indeed correct. You really are the Devil Fruit User the Rumble-Rumble Fruit!"

"The black market? No wonder!" Upon hearing this, Arthur suddenly realized.

Arthur had never paid attention to the black market.

Only the black market, a place rife with corruption and where credibility is 50/50, is truly suitable for manipulating public opinion.

No wonder Arthur didn't see any news about him in the newspapers.

Even Hancock was skeptical. In order to verify the truth, she traveled all the way to the New World to test him by fighting him.

Then let alone the suspicious World Government.

The "King of Knights" was crowned with the title of the World's Greatest Bounty Hunter. His brilliance in the Paramount War also led many who envied him to sarcastically call him an excellent lackey of the Navy.

Upon arriving in the New World, the 'King of Knights' swiftly annihilated countless sea monsters who attempted to defeat him.

While everyone's attention was focused on the 'King of Knights', the Navy was already secretly taking action.

For the Navy and the World Government, the 'King of Knights' is a very advantageous pawn.

At this time, there were countless people who wanted to smear the 'King of Knights'.

The murderer of the Celestial Dragons is a mysterious cloaked figure; it's entirely possible to fabricate such a story.

But if we're talking about the 'King of Knights' being the murderer, only a woman as persistent as Hancock would go to the New World specifically to verify such information.

Not only do ordinary people not believe it, but even the Navy and the World Government don't believe it.

Not to mention, to deliberately push this pawn to the opposite side based on such uncertain information.

Chapter 163 Please Marry Me

"So, you've confirmed that I possess the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and you want to take my head to curry favor with the World Government?" After regaining his senses, Arthur pretended not to know about Hancock's past and asked calmly.

"Of course not... How could I possibly do such a thing?!" Hancock, no longer displaying her previous spoiled demeanor, clutched her chest, her face flushed with excitement, and said, "Knight, please marry me!"

Arthur: "..."

"Ah~ I'm so embarrassed to say it..." As soon as the words left her mouth, Hancock covered her face shyly, peeking expectantly at Arthur through her fingers.

The stark contrast between his previous Haki demeanor and his current appearance left the two Boa sisters speechless.

Even Arthur was stunned for a moment.

"Sorry, I refuse!" After reacting, Arthur refused without saying another word.

I still haven't quite adjusted to Hancock's rapid transformation. Although I already knew that because of her childhood experiences, Hancock would easily gain the favor of Celestial Dragons, whether I fought or killed Celestial Dragons, making her the heroine of the "Sea of Waves" strategy.

But Arthur believed that this feeling was less like or love and more like worship.

Just like Bartolomeo's behavior towards Straw Hat Pirates, it's the kind of behavior typical of a die-hard fan.

These brainless fans, especially those as domineering as Hancock's, even setting aside the lack of emotional foundation, would have been very happy for Arthur before he was single, even if they were actually dating. But now he's not only over single life, he also has two women.