The airship set sail once more above the vast sea of clouds.
Its destination was the waters around Marine Headquarters. First, to send Kuzan back to work as planned; second, to exchange Golden Lion's corpse for an enormous bounty.
But unlike on the way there, the atmosphere inside the cabin had become tense and subtle.
Hancock lounged lazily against the sofa, one extraordinarily long leg casually crossed over the other.
Her ivory-white calves showed beneath the hem of her cheongsam, their taut curves rising and falling faintly, full of strength without losing their beauty.
Hancock's posture was far from elegant, yet it carried an irresistible charm, like a queen looking down from on high.
Opposite Hancock, the two young girls, Nami and Vivi, sat together like twin lotus blossoms, sizing up Hancock with wary, united hostility.
But Hancock paid no attention whatsoever to the provocation of these two underage girls, only occasionally returning an arrogant glance with careless indifference.
After merely a moment of eye contact, Nami and Vivi's momentum would be utterly crushed. Faced with Hancock's overwhelming charm that appealed to both men and women, they even began to feel somewhat inferior.
After a long standoff, Nami finally gathered enough nerve to question Hancock.
"Why are you on our ship?!"
Vivi nodded as well, secretly backing Nami up with a fierce glare.
Hancock lightly brushed aside the long hair hanging over her shoulder, then snorted disdainfully.
"Why am I here? Hmph."
"Shouldn't you be asking your captain that?"
Nami's resentful gaze shifted to Garen, who was seated off to the side.
"Come to think of it..."
Robin, who had been calmly staying out of the matter, quietly put down her book and said to Garen with a meaningful smile,
"Boss, you really do like recruiting beautiful female crew members