They Are My Family

On the other side, Hancock walked straight to the prison, waving away the guards as she always did.

"What is it?"

Hancock looked at Bai Ina in the cell with an arrogant expression and said, "I heard you had something to say to me, brat?"

"Do you think that's even possible?"

Bai Ina replied expressionlessly. He truly could not understand what this Warlord of the Sea was thinking; for the past month, she had come here every single day to ask questions of no substance.

This was driving Bai Ina to the brink of madness, and naturally, he had no pleasant look to spare for the Pirate Empress.

"Why wouldn't it be possible!"

Hancock didn't mind his tone, turning instead to ask, "Brat, how was the curry for breakfast? I had it specially prepared for you, a prisoner."

"What exactly are you trying to do?"

Bai Ina swore that in all his lives, he had never encountered such a troublesome woman. If she wanted to kill him, she should just do it; why come here every day to ask such pointless questions?

Could it be that this warrior tribe had some execution tradition where they had to know everything about the condemned?

And why did a prisoner get fresh water to wash his face every day, along with fresh oranges?

Eating curry rice every day?

A final meal before the end?

Or was this just the standard treatment for prisoners on Amazon Lily?

"What do you want me to do!"

Bai Ina's expression grew colder as he stared directly into the Empress's eyes and said coldly, "What will it take for you to let my subordinates' warship leave? My homeland is in urgent need of these supplies."

"What does their life or death have to do with me!"

Hancock scoffed at his words, looking at Bai Ina with interest as she said, "Besides, I am a pirate. Have you ever seen a pirate return something they've already gotten their hands on?"

"You..."

Bai Ina was instantly choked with anger.

Seeing this, Hancock gave a charming smile, kicked off her high heels once more, and gently dangled them in front of Bai Ina with a strange, eerie smile: "Of course, if you were to kneel down like a dog..."

"I will!"

"..."

The entire prison fell into a sudden silence. Hancock's foot froze in mid-air, and she stared blankly at Bai Ina's expressionless face.

"You... you... what did you say?"

After a long while, Hancock stammered.

Bai Ina looked at Hancock with a cold expression and said coldly, "I said I agree!"

He could not wait any longer. There were only two months left of the six-month deadline. If he didn't get the supplies back, the campaign in the Goa Kingdom was destined to fall into a disadvantageous position.

He had no other choice left. Every day delayed meant countless members of the Revolutionary Army would meet their deaths. Under such circumstances, he could cast aside his pride.

"I can stay here and let you torture me, but I hope you will let my subordinates take those supplies back."

Hancock frowned at his words, then pursed her lips, a cold look appearing on her face: "Are those people really that important to you? Important enough to make someone as proud as you beg me like a dog?"

"They are very important."

Bai Ina nodded without hesitation, a look of nostalgia flashing across his face: "People only realize the value of something after they lose it. After my teacher passed away, I don't know why, but I kept resisting their existence. Even though I don't understand why, I... I really do care about them. To me, they are my family, my most important family!"

"..."

Hancock remained silent for a long time. She slowly put her fair, delicate foot back into her shoe, glanced at Bai Ina, and walked out of the prison without looking back.

"Sigh!"

Seeing Hancock leave, Bai Ina let out a heavy sigh, his face full of a bitter smile: "I suppose it was a no-go after all. But then again, although I don't know why that woman is keeping me, it's likely just to keep me around for slow torture. How could she possibly give away supplies she's already seized just because of a prisoner?"

"Sister..."

Just as she stepped out of the prison, Hancock saw Elder Nyon and the Boa sisters waiting outside.

"Sister... your health?"

Sonya looked at Hancock, who was rosy-cheeked and showed no signs of illness, her expression filled with disbelief.

Hancock was stunned for a moment, only then remembering that she had been bedridden with illness earlier. She asked Elder Nyon, who was standing to the side, with some confusion: "Elder Nyon, what kind of illness did I have? You said it before, didn't you? That all the previous empresses, except for you, died because of this condition."

"Lovesickness!"

Elder Nyon pondered for a moment before saying, "You have fallen in love with that man in the prison. Because the expedition meant you would be unable to see the one you long for for half a year, it caused you to fall into a state of melancholy, which is why you collapsed."

"Fall... fall in love with that man?"

Hancock's pretty face flushed red at these words. She turned to look back at the prison and muttered to herself, "So this is what love is?"

"Then what should I do now?"

Elder Nyon replied without hesitation, "Keep him. I absolutely cannot let you repeat the history of the previous empresses."

"That's right, keep that bas... that man here. We absolutely cannot let him leave." Sonya and Goldie spoke without a moment's hesitation. Although Amazon Lily strictly forbade the entry of men, that rule only held true so long as it didn't involve Hancock.

If forced to choose between Hancock's death and breaking tradition, the entire population of Amazon Lily would choose to break tradition without a second thought.

Such was the charisma of the woman hailed as the world's most beautiful, the Pirate Empress Hancock.

Upon hearing this, a flash of hesitation crossed Hancock's face, and she slowly shook her head: "This Concubine cannot do it."

"What?"

The three of them were shocked in unison. Elder Nyon spoke up urgently: "Why? Even if he is unwilling to stay, you can force him to remain. With your charm, I believe any man would fall in love with you!"

"He is different!"

Hancock shook her head slowly: "There is simply no place for this Concubine in his heart. Furthermore, this Concubine does not wish to see him... looking sad. Bai Ina is truly worried about his companions back home, and this Concubine does not want to cause him grief or pain."

"How is that possible!" Disbelief was written across all three of their faces; they could not imagine what kind of man could ignore Hancock's charm and not fall in love with her.

"But..."

"There are no 'buts.' This Concubine has already decided to let him leave." Hancock gritted her teeth, interrupting Elder Nyon's persuasion with a firm tone.

The expressions of the three women changed instantly, but looking at Hancock's resolute demeanor, they did not know how to persuade her further.

"Ah, perhaps I have a way to make that man fall in love with Big Sister!"

Goldie suddenly cried out in pleasant surprise.

"What method?"

Everyone, including Hancock, looked at Goldie with expectant faces.

Seeing this, Goldie didn't keep them in suspense. She took a bottle filled with a pink liquid from her bosom and said: "I seized this during our last expedition from that pirate crew made entirely of women. They said back then that as long as you feed a man you like just a drop of this potion, he will fall madly in love with you." As she spoke, she scratched her head in embarrassment: "At the time, I thought it was amazing, so I kept it. I never expected it would actually come in handy."

"Is it true?"

PS: There is one more chapter, uploading immediately.

PS: Thanks to 'Lost Shadow's Return', 'Kong Nuo', 'Light Dust', 'Snowy Goose Tracks', and 'Acropolis Soldier' for the tips. Thank you very much!

PS: Recommending a friend's book [Marvel: Naruto Drifting Chronicles], struggling to survive in Marvel with a Naruto system.

PS: Xiao Jiao knows this is very cliché... please don't scold me... Also, high-energy warning for the next chapter, non-combatants please evacuate immediately... It is absolutely super high-energy, the kind that explodes off the charts...