The Blushing Empress, the Bashful Maiden

Grandma Za looked tenderly at the three little ones who were crying loudly, thinking to herself, 'Cry it out... After this experience, perhaps the three of you will be able to get rid of the nightmare in your hearts.'

In that case... they can finally get a good night's sleep.

Looking at Hancock, who was crying loudly, Xi Yan asked in confusion, "What's wrong with her...?"

He only killed Celestial Dragons, why was she so agitated?

'etc...'

A startling thought flashed through Xi Yan's mind: Could it be that the other party had also been captured by the Celestial Dragons?!

If that's the case, then it explains why the other party reacted so strongly.

"Hancock, tell him," Grandma Za said with a sigh of relief. "His words... will be fine."

This man not only has impeccable character, but he also killed a high-ranking Celestial Dragons!

Therefore... there's nothing wrong with telling the other party the truth.

Once Hancock has told everyone everything, she can finally put down the burden on her heart.

In this way, after Xi Yan removes the mark on their backs, they can completely get rid of their past.

"This humble servant..."

Hearing her Grandma Za's words, Hancock wiped away her tears and tried to calm herself down.

Then, she looked at Xi Yan and said, "Very well, I will tell you the secret of this mark."

Xi Yan opened his mouth, but actually it didn't matter whether he told him or not, after all... he wasn't very interested in other people's secrets.

His main purpose in coming here was to obtain that Permanent Log Pointer.

But seeing Hancock's pitiful state, Xi Yan swallowed his words.

In any case, it's really not appropriate to say those kinds of things.

His mental state is indeed somewhat erratic, but that doesn't mean he's ignorant of human relationships.

Seeing that Xi Yan had made his decision, Hancock turned around and revealed the mark on her back so that Xi Yan could see it clearly.

"The hoofprints..." Xi Yan frowned and asked, "What does this mean?"

"This is the Flying Dragon's Hoof..." Hancock said, biting her lip. "It's the Celestial Dragons's emblem!!!"

"Heral codes?"

"Yes..."

"This is a brand placed on the bodies of those kept by the World Noble... a slave certificate that can never be erased for a lifetime..."

At this point, Hancock's body began to tremble violently, and her right hand unconsciously gripped her left arm, scratching it raw!

But Hancock was completely oblivious to this, as if... she couldn't feel any pain at all.

Or perhaps... she's using this method to alleviate the pain in her heart.

Then, trembling, she recounted that nightmarish experience.

"My two wives... were once slaves of the Celestial Dragons..."

"The Celestial Dragons '..."

Seeing the three sisters' pained expressions, Xi Yan opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Judging from their behavior, they... may have been through hell!

'Is this why they don't want people to see what's going on behind their backs?' Xi Yan murmured to himself.

Now Xi Yan can understand why the other party cares so much about that mark.

If this gets exposed, it might attract World Government crackdown.

At that time... the entire Amazon Lily could suffer.

"Nineteen years ago, I and two others set sail with the Kuja Pirates to experience... the life of pirates," Hancock said, bowing her head. "But unfortunately, we were kidnapped from the ship by human traffickers."

"After that, the three of us were sent to the Sabaody Archipelago, where we were sold into slavery and eventually became slaves of the Celestial Dragons..."

"After that, it was a nightmarish memory."

"During that tragic experience, I couldn't find a glimmer of hope; all I thought about every day was how to die..."

As if recalling the past, Hancock's face turned pale.

Sandersonia clutched her head and screamed in agony, lying on the bed and wailing loudly as if she had collapsed!

"Sister Sandersonia!!"

Marguerite looked at Sandersonia, trying hard to say something comforting, but with her face covered in tears, she couldn't utter a word.

Because at that moment, she was also in great pain.

"Don't force yourself." Xi Yan glanced at Sandersonia, then looked at Hancock and said, "For you, that memory..."

"Xi Yan," Hancock interrupted Xi Yan, "The memories will eventually return."

Xi Yan, interrupted, paused for a moment. Even in such pain... should she still speak?

After Xi Yan stopped speaking, Hancock continued to recount the past.

"Back then, we thought we might spend the rest of our lives in this hell."

"Until... four years later, a world-shaking event occurred!"

"A man climbed the Red Line with his bare hands and finally arrived at Mary Geoise," Hancock said. "To save his fellow Fish-Man Race, he single-handedly stormed the Celestial Dragons ' territory and successfully freed a large number of slaves!"

Hancock paused for a moment, then continued, "The Fish-Man Race deeply despise humans, but this man disregarded that and released thousands of people of various races."

"It was precisely because of this that we were able to escape."

"And this Fish-Man is called Fisher Tiger!"

If it weren't for that man, they would never have had the chance to escape from the Celestial Dragons ' territory.

After all... that's the World Government's territory!

"There really are such heroes?" Xi Yan said. "Truth to meet them."

A man who dares to single-handedly storm the Celestial Dragons ' territory... such a man deserves his thumbs up!

' Hancock said the other party went to Mary Geoise to save their fellow Fish-Man Race ...' Xi Yan thought to himself, 'Does that mean the other party is currently on Fish-Man Island?'

If that's the case, then you definitely have to get to know them after you go to Fish-Man Island!

That's impossible.

"Huh?"

Startled by the interruption, Xi Yan paused for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Why?"

"Because Fisher Tiger is dead."

"He's... already dead..."

Upon hearing Hancock's words, Xi Yan's expression became somewhat complicated.

If that's the case, then the World Government must have launched a frenzied retaliation after that.

"Yes, after that incident, this man rallied his fellow Fish-Man and established the Sun Pirates on the high seas to fight off potential pursuit," Hancock said. "Then... they faced a furious retaliation from the World Government."

Ultimately, the man died.

She didn't know what had happened at the time, nor did she know what kind of forces the World Government had sent to encircle and annihilate the enemy.

All she knew was that the Sun Pirates encountered an insurmountable enemy, and ultimately... Fisher Tiger died in battle.

And she learned this information from the newspaper.

Thinking of this, Hancock sighed silently.

"I see..." Xi Yan said with a complicated expression, "In any case, Fisher Tiger is a commendable hero."

Unfortunately, this man didn't live long.

Thinking of this, Xi Yan sighed.

After suppressing the thought in his mind, Xi Yan said, "The Sun Pirates... Speaking of which, a friend of mine has a sun symbol on his forehead."

Xi Yan recalled what Hatchan looked like; when this guy made Takoyaki for them, he didn't have that thing stuck on his forehead.

So he saw the mark on the other person's head clearly, and was a little curious at the time, wondering if it was a characteristic of the Fish-Man Race, something like a tattoo.

Now that I think about it... that was probably the symbol of Pirate Flag.

Is he Fish-Man Race?

"Yes, that's right." Xi Yan nodded and said, "He is an Fish-Man."

After speaking, Xi Yan paused for a moment, then asked, "Was he... also a slave?"

"That's not necessarily true." Sandersonia, having calmed down, lay on the ground looking at Xi Yan and said, "This mark was deliberately branded on to make it difficult to distinguish between slaves and ordinary people."

"As for whether the other party is a slave... we don't know either."

"But at least we can confirm that he is a member of the Sun Pirates."

They didn't know whether the mark of the Sun Pirates was that of Celestial Dragons.

"I see..." Xi Yan said, "I didn't expect Hatchan to have such an experience..."

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that Uncle Rayleigh did mention that Hatchan later joined the Sun Pirates.

"The friend you know must be from one of the Fish-Man Pirate Crew."

"Fish-Man Pirate Crew?"

Xi Yan looked at Grandma Za with a puzzled expression. How did this get involved with the Fish-Man Pirate Crew again?

"Yes, after Fisher Tiger died, the Sun Pirates split into several Fish-Man Pirate Crew," Grandma Za explained. "Your friend must be from one of them."

Listening to Grandma Za's words, Xi Yan fell into deep thought.

' The Fish-Man Pirate Crew...'

If you think about it carefully, Arlong, who wreaked havoc on Nami's hometown in the East Blue, is probably the captain of the Fish-Man Pirate Crew.

So, were they also members of the Sun Pirates in the past?

For Fisher Tiger to do such a thing... that's probably why the Sun Pirates split up.

' Fish-Man Race that utterly despises humans...'

Forget it, there's no need to think about that guy anymore; he's already been dealt with by the Navy.

After shaking off the thought, Xi Yan said, "I understand the general situation. Next, I will help you... remove the marks on your backs."

Although the number of people agreed upon has increased from one to three, it doesn't make much difference to Xi Yan.

"Um."

"Thank you so much..." Hancock said, "Now we don't have to continue deceiving this country with the curse."

"Curse?"

Xi Yan was taken aback. What was this strange thing?

"Yes, a curse..." Sandersonia sighed, "Because of this thing on our backs, no one can see our backs."

"So, my Older Sister Lord came up with a plan."

"What method?"

"Make up a story," Sandersonia said. "The three of us sisters slew the monster Gorgon at sea, but before it died, it cursed us, leaving eyes on our backs. Anyone who sees our backs will be petrified."

It is precisely because of this fabricated story that the three sisters have been able to live peacefully in this country until now.

"Petrification..."

Xi Yan immediately looked at Hancock, whose Devil Fruit ability could petrify others.

In other words... the other party relied on this Devil Fruit ability to cover up this lie, right?

"That's right, petrification," Hancock said with a self-deprecating laugh. "And ironically, this power comes from the Celestial Dragons."

"They forced us to eat the Mero Mero no Mi and the Hebi Hebi no Mi just for their own amusement..."

"And it is precisely by relying on this power that we have been able to deceive this country and keep this secret."

At this point, Hancock's body began to tremble again, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"If anyone discovers the marks on our backs, we won't be able to stay in this country any longer."

"Therefore... even if it means deceiving the entire nation, we women do not want anyone to know our past!!!"

In the end, Hancock hugged her legs and cried, tears streaming down her face.

This feeling of constantly being on guard against others is terrifying... She doesn't even dare to sleep too soundly, for fear that someone will see the marks on her back.

After all... once she's seen, it means her life is completely over.

And that kind of life lasted for more than ten years!!

Thinking of this, Hancock cried even harder.

"Older Sister Lord..."

With tears in their eyes, Marguerite and Sandersonia looked at Hancock, and finally the three sisters burst into tears together.

No one knows how much suffering they've endured over the years.

'Have I been trapped by this nightmare for over ten years...' Xi Yan thought to himself.

That's true. Even if they fabricated such a lie, they couldn't be sure if someone would sneak over to check things out, so they had to stay vigilant at all times.

But such a lifestyle would be extremely painful, just like... he was back then.

Back then, he was afraid that others would find out that he was Uchiha and Senju- Senju, so he never dared to easily reveal that he had the Sharinggan, for fear of being targeted by that old Danzo.

That feeling... was truly awful.

Now he could understand how those three women felt.

After the three women calmed down, Grandma Za walked forward with a smile and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen Snake Princess show her truest emotions."

"I thought Snake Princess had become completely aloof and cold~"

These words immediately made Hancock blush. Why would she say something like that?

Doesn't she have any pride?

Thinking of this, Hancock immediately stood up, looking at Grandma Za with shame and anger, and said, "Shut up, you traitor who betrayed the country!"

"You're the one who should shut up!" Grandma Za, stepping onto her Snake Cane, reached a high point, level with Hancock, and glared at Hancock, saying, "You little brat, have you forgotten how you got back to Amazon Lily?"

"If I hadn't been living overseas at the time, would you three desperate girls have been able to return to Amazon Lily?"

"You're actually saying this to me now?"

Hancock:...

Looking at her Grandma Za's glaring eyes, Hancock felt a little embarrassed, but it was obviously impossible to get her to back down.

Hancock turned her head, snorted, and said, "Hmph, showing off such a small favor."

Grandma Za?

"What did you say?"

Grandma Za became displeased, jumped up to grab Hancock, and said, "I've always cared for you like a mother, and now you're talking about such a small favor?"

"Snake Princess, you brat!!"

"Hey, Sandersonia, Marguerite, you two let go of me!" Grandma Za glanced at the two girls clinging to her and said, "I'm going to teach this brat a lesson."

"Grandma Za, please don't take it to heart by arguing with my Older Sister Lord," Sandersonia said helplessly.

My Older Sister Lord's personality isn't something that developed overnight.

Marguerite was also a little embarrassed; her Older Sister Lord was really...

"Hmph, that brat."

Grandma Za snorted, but didn't struggle anymore, letting the two girls hold her.

Hancock ignored the farce behind her and returned to her previous position.

Then, without turning her head, she said, "Xi... Xi Yan..."

"Ah?"

"Would you... look down on me, a concubine who was once a slave?"

As she spoke, Hancock's face was filled with apprehension, and her body began to tremble slightly uncontrollably.

If she doesn't get the answer she wants, what... what should she do?

Upon hearing this, Grandma Za glanced at Xi Yan's retreating figure, also wondering how Xi Yan would respond.

"Don't worry, I won't look at you differently, nor will I look down on you."

After saying that, Xi Yan paused for a moment, then continued, "After all... it's not your fault."

"Ultimately, this is also the Celestial Dragons ' problem; those guys deserve to die!!"

At this point, a cold glint flashed in Xi Yan's eyes.

If given the chance, he wouldn't mind killing a few more Celestial Dragons.

Those scum... they deserve to die!

"I see... well..."

Upon hearing this answer, Hancock stopped trembling, and her face gradually regained its color.

No... it should be said that her skin is even more rosy, just like a shy young girl.

"Call..."

Grandma Za breathed a sigh of relief. This boy... he really didn't disappoint her.

After this experience, these three girls should be able to let go of their burdens.

Thinking of this, Grandma Za smiled.

"Alright, don't worry about this too much," Xi Yan said with a smile. "I'll help you remove the marks from your backs, then you won't have to live in fear anymore."

"Thank you!!"

Sandersonia and Marguerite covered their faces and cried, "Thank you..."

After the marks are removed, they'll be able to get a good night's sleep.

"It's nothing, no need to be so polite," Xi Yan said with a smile.

Just then, Xi Yan noticed that Hancock had turned her head, and... the woman's expression looked a little off, like... a shy young girl.

Xi Yan:???

No, is this the same aloof queen from before?

Isn't this contrast a bit too stark?

"You want the Permanent Log Pointer to Navy Headquarters, right?" Hancock wiped away her tears and said, "I'll give it to you right now."

After saying that, Hancock turned around without hesitation and walked towards the cabinet on the side, and began to rummage through it.

A moment later, Hancock took a box out of it.

After taking out the Permanent Log Pointer, Hancock walked to Xi Yan's side.

"Hey~" Hancock looked at Xi Yan with a smile in her eyes and said, "This is the Permanent Log Pointer for going to Navy Headquarters!"

"With this, we can find the location of Navy Headquarters!"