"Big sister..."
Marigold and Sandersonia were about to say something when the Empress stopped them.
"Extremely happy to."
Seeing the hopeful look in her eyes, Cifer agreed without hesitation. Since she was being so kind, he naturally couldn't refuse her.
"Then you all stay here for a while, I'm going with the Empress."
After casually instructing his companions, Cifer followed behind the Empress, and the two slowly walked towards the palace.
The others followed behind Hancock's two sisters toward the place where the grand banquet would be held, and the people began to turn their attention to them.
"That's a man, isn't it?!"
After Luffy's antics, they had gained some basic understanding of men and looked at Enel and the others with curiosity.
"Those gazes are really intense..."
Robin felt a little embarrassed, but Nolan's thoughts were completely different from hers.
"That empress is going to meet with Captain Cifer alone, could it be that she's planning something inappropriate for children?! I really want to go see, Robin- nee~"
She clung to Robin's arm, her face flushed, as if she had already immersed herself in some indescribable scene.
"Idiot, if she wants to talk to Cifer alone, she definitely doesn't want us to hear what she has to say~"
Robin gently tapped Nolan's little head, and the latter stuck out his tongue and finally pouted.
Enel listened to their conversation without paying any attention, because his Mantra had already covered the entire island.
Inside the palace, in Hancock's bedroom.
"So, is there something you want to say to me that you specifically called me here?"
The White Snake went first, arriving at the Empress's bed. She coiled herself into a chair for her to sit on, while Cifer casually sat down on the floor in front of her.
"I greatly admire Cifer; his strength, his elegance, and his fearlessness..."
Hancock spoke, seemingly addressing Cifer, yet she herself appeared to be caught up in some painful memory.
The days of being trampled and beaten by the Celestial Dragons, and having a brand burned on my back, are long gone, but they still haunt me like a nightmare.
Even now, as one of the Shichibukai and known as the Pirate Empress, the damage inflicted on her by that painful time has not disappeared.
I've been startled awake from my dreams more than once. When I wake up and see everything around me, even though I keep telling myself it's all over, I still break out in a cold sweat and can't help but want to cry.
Until the advent of Cifer.
This man did what he wanted to do but never dared to do: he trampled the so-called "descendants of God" under his feet.
He defeated the world's strongest fighter, slapped those demons hard across the face, and told the whole world that the Celestial Dragons were nothing special.
They are human too; they can be powerless, and they can die!
She hasn't had nightmares since.
The devil is not beside you, but in your heart.
With a good man in your heart, even the deepest abyss can be leveled.
"You don't seem to be feeling well. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Cifer knew how tragic Hancock's childhood was, and seeing the sweat constantly dripping from her face, he couldn't help but speak up.
"Big Sister!"
Just then, Marigold and Sandersonia, having arranged everything, returned to the scene and heard about Cifer's question.
They couldn't help but feel nervous. It was a pain that the sisters couldn't shake off, but now, the older sister chose to face it.
"I believe him."
Hancock waved her hand, interrupting her sisters.
"I have something to tell Cifer, a secret that my sisters and I never wanted anyone to know, even until our deaths..."
As she spoke, Hancock slowly removed her shirt, revealing her flawless, jade-like skin to Cifer's incredulous gaze.
This was the first time Cifer had witnessed such a scene, and he felt a slight tremor in his heart, but it disappeared after a moment.
Because he knew that what awaited him was the Empress's tragic period.
"I... was once a slave of the Celestial Dragons!"
Hancock turned around, tossed her hair back, and revealed a conspicuous brand on her smooth back, which made Qi feel extremely uncomfortable.
It is the symbol of the Celestial Dragons' slaves—the "Celestial Dragon's Hoof".
"Big sister~"
The two younger sisters burst into tears the moment they saw the brand.
The atmosphere suddenly turned somber, Cifer didn't know how to begin.
"Would Cifer... look down on me, who was once a slave?"
Hancock asked the question she had always wanted to know, her voice trembling, and her two sisters shuddered at the same time.
She is now trying to stop fearing the past and the demons.
But what sustains her courage is the man in front of her.
Therefore, she both longed for and feared getting an answer.
"Won't."
The answer, though only two words long, brought a sense of relief to the Pirate Empress. As she smiled, a single tear slid down her cheek.
"This world is distorted. What I want to create is New World where there are no slaves and no scumbags."
His tone was calm, yet it made Hancock's heart flutter.
At this moment, in her eyes, this towering figure gradually overlapped with the figure that had liberated her from Mary Geoise many years ago.
She was redeemed once again.
When Marigold and Sandersonia saw their sister's long-lost genuine smile, their sadness and fear seemed to lessen somewhat.
"No wonder he's the man whose second Bounty is higher than that Whitebeard man's!"
Elder Nyon had been eavesdropping outside the door until Cifer gave Hancock an answer that satisfied her, and only then did she come out with peace of mind.
At the same time, she saw ambition in Cifer, an ambition quite different from Captain Rocks'.
Rocks wanted to seize the entire world and put it under his own control.
But this man wants to take the whole world away and then give it back to everyone in the world.
She finally understood why the World Government was so wary of him.
"Elder Nyon, what brings you here too?"
Unlike Cifer and Hancock, the two younger sisters were not powerful enough to unconsciously perceive their surroundings, and were somewhat surprised by the old woman's arrival.
"I'm just worried about you sisters, after all, this man is the world's most ruthless criminal!"
My Elder Nyon is being hypocritical.
For several years, she had thought Hancock had become an unshakeable Iceberg, and she had been worried about it. She never expected that there would be signs of melting today.
"I don't need a weak and helpless old woman to worry about me. Throw her down!"
Hancock seemed to have transformed back into the aloof Pirate Empress, standing up, her slender fingers pointing towards Elder Nyon, her head tilted back high.
The sudden exposure of springtime light made Cifer feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Receive!"
The two younger sisters lifted their Elder Nyon up and walked to the window. They then gently tossed her down, and she fell from the sky, landing smoothly and easily.
"I was once a valiant warrior of the Kuja, and the former, former, former emperor of Amazon Lily!"
Elder Nyon smiled dismissively, dusted herself off, and left contentedly.
"I'll find a way to remove the marks on your bodies!"
After all, it didn't look very aesthetically pleasing, Cifer felt quite unhappy about it.
"Also, it's not really appropriate for a girl to be naked in front of others."
At that moment, Cifer stood up, took off his coat, and covered Hancock with it.
"I'm going to their place first. Those gluttons will eat my portion in no time."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cifer's figure disappeared into the palace.
Hancock held the warm coat to her chest, her already pitiful face flushed even more from her tears.
"I think I'm starting to like that man."