You Really Are a Madman

"Pfft—"

The tremendous impact sent blood spraying from Bai Ina's mouth again. As his petrified arm shattered completely, feeling returned to it, and blood spurted from the stump.

"Ahhh..."

The agony of breaking bone and tearing flesh hit all at once. Even Bai Ina's vision went black, and a scream tore from his throat.

The Pirate Empress grabbed Bai Ina by the hair and lifted him again, her expression icy. "You're the first person ever to treat me like this. After doing something so vile to me, do you really think you can stay alive?"

Bai Ina looked at her beautiful face, so close to his, and suddenly managed a weak smile.

The Pirate Empress furrowed her brow and said coldly, "What's so funny?"

"I couldn't see death, so I held on to a little hope. And now, I can see that hope!" A flicker of hesitation passed through Bai Ina's eyes. He was deeply ashamed of what he was about to do, but as long as he could survive, he could... resort to anything.

"..."

Bai Ina's lips moved a few times. His voice was faint as a mosquito's buzz, but to the Pirate Empress it sounded like a thunderclap on a clear day. He had said a few words—words she would rather die than let anyone else know.

Hoofprint of the Nine Heavens Soaring Dragon!!!

"Slap—"

The Pirate Empress's hand went slack, and Bai Ina, drenched in blood, fell to the ground.

"Hiss—" The impact aggravated the stump of his left arm, and Bai Ina drew in a sharp breath, his face twisted with pain. But there was a hint of joy in his eyes.

As expected, the truth about her past as a Celestial Dragon slave had stirred something in the Pirate Empress.

"You... what do you mean?" Panic filled the Pirate Empress's voice. She stared at Bai Ina in alarm and shouted, "Who are you? How do you know about that?"

But she received no answer. The moment his taut nerves relaxed, Bai Ina had already passed out. The severe injuries and blood loss had pushed him past his limits long ago.

The Pirate Empress hesitated when she saw him.

"Sandersonia!"

"Yes, Sister!" Sandersonia and Marigold stepped forward, brimming with killing intent. Their glares at Bai Ina were venomous. "We'll tear this filthy man limb from limb!"

The Pirate Empress shook her head slightly. "Have the ship's doctor treat him. Don't let him die. Then lock him in the ship's prison. We're going home!" With that, she headed straight for the palace.

"What?"

Everyone froze, wondering if they had misheard. They had never seen Snake Princess so furious before, so they had all assumed she would kill the man in the most brutal way possible.

But just now, Snake Princess had ordered them to have the ship's doctor treat this audacious man.

"Sister must want to keep him alive so he can suffer the most terrifying torture imaginable!"

"Right. That must be it."

"I knew it. How could she let a bastard who dared to treat Snake Princess like that live?"

"Where's the ship's doctor? Go treat him. Just make sure he doesn't die."

"..."

By the time Bai Ina woke from his unconsciousness, three days had passed. He slowly opened his eyes and instinctively reached for his sword. But the instant he moved, pain shot through him, making him furrow his brow.

Then Bai Ina tried to push himself up with both hands and look around, but he felt the ground beneath only his right hand. His memories from before passing out came flooding back, and a bitter smile spread across his face.

"Right. I don't have a left arm anymore!"

The sudden loss of his left arm left Bai Ina feeling profoundly unbalanced. He let out a long breath, dispelling the negative emotions in his heart. Then, with effort, he pushed himself upright with one hand and surveyed his surroundings.

He wasn't aboard a ship. He was in a prison that looked like a cave, with several female guards holding weapons standing beyond the bars.

"Amazon Lily?"

Bai Ina furrowed his brow and sighed inwardly. If he were on the Kuja Pirate Ship, he might have had a chance to escape. But in this nation of female warriors, where everyone knew Haki, escape was all but impossible.

"That man's awake!"

One of the guards glanced back and noticed Bai Ina had woken up.

"He's awake?"

"Ah, he really is! That man's awake!"

"Everyone, be careful. The Kuja Pirates said he's dangerous."

"So this is what a man looks like? He doesn't seem all that different from us."

"He doesn't have breasts!"

"How could he not? Look how young he is—he's only a teenager. How could he have breasts?"

"Oh, right. He's quite pretty. He'll definitely have breasts when he grows up."

"..."

How could he have breasts...

Bai Ina's face darkened. He knew that apart from the Kuja Pirates, no one on Amazon Lily had ever seen a man, but he hadn't expected these women to be so ignorant...

And the way they stared at him, like he was a great ape at the zoo, was even more maddening.

"What are you doing?"

Just then, a cool voice came from outside the prison, and Hancock's tall figure slowly entered.

"Snake Princess!"

At the sound of Hancock's voice, the female guards immediately turned away from Bai Ina and faced her, their expressions fervent as they bowed respectfully.

"Mm. You may leave. No one is to come in without my permission." Hancock glanced at Bai Ina in the prison, then turned to the guards.

"Yes, Snake Princess!"

The guards showed no concern about Hancock being alone in here. After all, Snake Princess was the strongest person on Amazon Lily, and this tiny man could never hurt her.

"What did you mean by what you said before you passed out?"

Once the guards had left, Hancock's dignified, beautiful eyes fixed on Bai Ina, and an invisible wave of Haki filled the prison.

Bai Ina's expression turned grave. He stared coldly at Hancock, but there was no hatred in his eyes, only bone-deep chill.

That was right: Bai Ina didn't resent the Pirate Empress. He did feel some grievance, since she had taken one of his arms, but it was nowhere near hatred. As far as he was concerned, he had ended up in this state because he was too weak.

In a world where the strong ruled, being weak was a mistake.

If Bai Ina had been able to kill the Pirate Empress, he would have done so without hesitation, just as she had. In their earlier fight, he had seized the moment Hancock lost focus and attacked without hesitation. If he had been able to kill her then, he wouldn't have felt guilty about it.

So neither of them was right or wrong, and there was no such thing as resentment. He had been the one foolish enough to try to kill Hancock, so if she had killed him, he could only have blamed himself. That had always been Bai Ina's way of looking at life.

"It didn't mean anything."

After a moment's thought, Bai Ina replied, "I just knew what you used to be, so I wanted to shake you and make you hesitate. That way, I could stay alive for the moment, then look for a chance to escape. But don't worry. I have no interest in spreading the word about your past."

"Hmm?"

Hancock paused, looking at Bai Ina strangely. "You're telling me now. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

"What would being afraid change?"

Bai Ina shook his head. "I thought I'd wake up on the Kuja Pirate Ship, where I could look for a chance to escape. But..." Bai Ina looked up at the bars around him, a bitter smile appearing on his face. "Does it even matter now? Even if I got out of this cell, I doubt I could escape this warrior nation."

Ever since he discovered he'd been taken to Amazon Lily, Bai Ina had given up on escaping. Just as he'd said, even if Hancock and the Kuja Pirates didn't lift a finger, he still couldn't get out of this country.

As for using Hancock's past to threaten her, that would never work. There was only one reason: the Pirate Empress was too powerful.

When someone became strong enough, she might be shaken, but she would never give in. With her power, she could simply eliminate everyone who knew the truth. Besides, Bai Ina had no other leverage.

Bai Ina could do anything to survive, but when there was no hope of survival at all, he took it better than anyone. It was just like when he had met that cloaked man at the dojo.

Hancock pondered for a long time. In the end, she gave Bai Ina's character a fitting description.

"You really are a madman!"

p.s. Thanks to reader 161216093812533 for the tip. Thanks for your support.

p.s. Well, I spent the whole day visiting relatives, then had a big drinking session with guests in the evening. I'm still groggy, and even my writing's muddled, so I'll only post one chapter today. I'll make it up later. Good night!

p.s.2. Whew, I really wasn't trying to vilify the Pirate Empress. I've never thought she was a kind woman, nor have I ever thought she was a lovesick fool.

What I want to write is a true Pirate Empress: the ruler's nature, the spoiled little girl, the wounds and insecurity buried deep within, the imagined tragic-comedy bride, and the gentle, charming empress.

Not the kind of Pirate Empress in some fanfiction who is nothing but lovestruck and kind. Anyway, if you've read the original carefully, I don't think anyone would believe the Pirate Empress is a kind woman. Because of her own caprice, she could petrify an entire Marine warship without hesitation when she didn't want to take part in the Summit War but didn't want to lose her Shichibukai title either.

Of course, that doesn't mean the Pirate Empress has no kindness or tenderness. You can see it in how she resolutely became one of the Shichibukai under the World Government, an organization she hated, to protect her country.

So if you want to read about a Pirate Empress who is nothing but lovestruck and kind... I can't write that!