Empress, you wouldn't want...

"Empress, this deal benefits us far more than it costs us—you should consider it..."

Granny Niu stretched her small frame as far as it would go, trying to lean close to the Empress's ear and whisper words of persuasion.

"Shut up. You're the great-great-great-grand empress of Kuja Island, but you have no right to command me. I am the empress of Kuja Island."

With that, the Empress ordered her subordinates to toss Granny Niu out.

She was not allowed anywhere near this place again.

"Fine. I will do what I've promised you. Settle down in this area from now on, and I won't let the warriors of the Kuja Tribe harass you.

But as for teaching you Haki—as long as I am here, don't even think about it!"

The Empress flatly refused Yoru's third proposal for cooperation.

"Sigh. Wouldn't it be better to cooperate for mutual gain? Why force me to play the villain?"

Hearing the Empress's refusal, Yoru shook his head helplessly and murmured to himself.

His third exchange proposal had already shown plenty of sincerity, with enough benefits for both sides.

The Golden Binding Technique couldn't control Sea Kings.

But in critical moments, it could use genjutsu to freeze them in place, which would still be a great help to the Kuja Tribe's warriors.

If the Empress agreed to this deal, it would be a win-win for everyone. So why refuse?

Why force him to resort to his final option?!

"Hmph. What, do you want to keep fighting? Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

The Empress caught Yoru's muttered words, and the frost on her exquisite face deepened. Her Haki remained hidden, unspent, yet it pressed down with an even heavier weight.

Uchiha Yoru lifted his head. The trace of helplessness on his face had vanished, replaced by a deep, calm stillness.

His gaze locked onto Hancock, and he spoke slowly. His voice wasn't loud, but every word reached her ears with crystal clarity:

"Mary Geoise. Tiger. Little girl. The brand."

He deliberately slowed his pace, each syllable enunciated with unnatural precision.

!!!

The moment the words fell, Boa Hancock's body jolted violently, as if struck by an invisible thunderbolt!

The pride, anger, and disdain on her face—every expression—froze instantly, then shattered like broken porcelain, flaking away piece by piece.

All that remained was boundless shock, terror, and a pallor born from the deepest scar being torn open!

Behind her, Sandersonia and Marigold's faces twisted in horror. They instinctively covered their own backs, their eyes filled with panic and disbelief.

This secret was the darkest, most painful nightmare buried by the three sisters.

It was the past they would sacrifice anything to hide!

He knows. He definitely knows!

This man... how could he know the secret hidden in their hearts?!

"You... you..."

Hancock pointed at Uchiha Yoru, her fingers trembling slightly. Her red lips parted and closed, but no sound came out.

The words "How do you know?" stuck in her throat, impossible to voice.

A wave of immense fear and humiliation crashed over her, nearly suffocating her.

The surrounding Kuja warriors, though clueless about what was happening, saw their revered Empress in such a state.

They sensed the strange, heavy atmosphere and fell silent, casting uneasy glances at their Empress.

Uchiha Yoru looked at the Empress's instantly pale face and the undisguised terror in her eyes. He felt little satisfaction—only a complicated ache.

He knew this was the most effective yet the most despicable method, striking at her deepest wound.

But he had no choice. For the sake of Uchiha's future, he had to let his clan learn Haki as soon as possible.

Meeting the Empress's murderous glare, Yoru softened his tone slightly, but his resolve remained unshaken:

"Empress, you wouldn't want..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but the threat in his voice was unmistakable.

He wasn't a saint. He was the clan head of the Uchiha. To give his people the strength to survive, this clan head didn't mind being a little despicable.

"Enough. I agree to your third deal. I'll send people to teach them Haki."

The Empress's voice carried a barely perceptible tremor as she cut off Yoru's unfinished threat.

It seemed she had used every ounce of strength to force those words out. Her proud head dipped slightly, and she bit her lower lip hard.

In her beautiful eyes, anger and humiliation swirled together, and deeper still lay unspeakable pain and fear.

This secret was the heaviest chain binding her, and now it had become a handle for someone else to exploit.

"Empress, my deepest thanks."

Uchiha Yoru watched as the Empress, who had just radiated an overwhelming edge, suddenly seemed fragile before him.

The weight of guilt in his heart grew heavier.

He suppressed every trace of emotion that might provoke her, his tone becoming unusually calm and solemn:

"Empress, please believe me—I bring this up not to humiliate you or to wield it as an eternal threat.

On the contrary..."

His gaze swept over Sandersonia and Marigold, whose faces were equally pale, and his voice rang out clear and firm:

"I want to tell you that the darkness of that past is not your shame—it is the crime of those who inflicted it!"

His words struck like a stone thrown into a still lake, rippling through the deadened hearts of the three Hancock sisters.

They jerked their heads up, staring at Uchiha Yoru in disbelief.

No one... no one had ever spoken to them like this before.

Everyone saw it as an indelible stain—even they themselves were mired in self-loathing and fear.

Meeting their shocked gazes, Uchiha Yoru continued in a low, steady voice:

"Those who survive bearing pain and hatred have done nothing wrong. True ugliness and evil are what cannot be forgiven."

He paused, then made a vow heavier than any trade promise:

"I, Uchiha Yoru, swear here and now: once our Uchiha Clan has established a foothold in this world and possesses sufficient strength—

Today, our clan receives the grace of your Haki teachings. In the future, we will repay it with all our might and make those perpetrators pay the price they deserve!

This is my promise to you, in the name of the Uchiha Clan Head."

This was not a bargaining chip, but a declaration from the heart, carrying an unyielding resolve.

Hancock stared blankly at Uchiha Yoru, at the earnestness in his eyes that seemed no mere act. The storm within her could not be calmed.

Anger and humiliation still lingered.

But a faint, fragile sprout—one called understanding and hope—began to stir beneath the ice.

He... they... could it be that they too...?

She did not voice the question, but the hostility and pure fear in her eyes had finally faded somewhat.

Replaced by an emotion far too complex to put into words.

"...Remember your words."

After a long silence, Hancock's voice was still low, but the trembling that had teetered on the edge of collapse was finally gone.

She did not look at Uchiha Yoru again. Instead, she turned sharply and said quietly to her sisters and the warriors behind her:

"Let's go."