A Fight in the Woods (Seeking Recommendation Votes)

"Isn't that so?"

Gorud retorted.

At the same time, as more memories of Norse surfaced in her mind, she seemed to gain enough confidence to continue:

"We saved you three years ago. Then, afraid that Big Sister would kill you in a fit of rage, you agreed to join our Kuja Pirates and promised to start from the bottom, doing odd jobs.

Who told you to be so arrogant all these years? You wouldn't do this, you looked down on that, and then you developed the bad habit of slacking off. Even now, you're still at the bottom of the crew. Aren't you ashamed?"

"Hey, you two are really going too far." Norse looked utterly depressed.

Even if he had refused Hancock back then, nothing would really have happened to him.

After revealing that he possessed the Sun Fruit, they had begun acting strangely sentimental. It was definitely because the fish-man adventurer Fisher Tiger had rescued them from the Celestial Dragons and later founded the Sun Pirates.

Sonia waved her hand smugly. "Well, you insulted our Big Sister..."

"That's right. We sisters are famous for protecting Big Sister. You brought this upon yourself!" Gorud, too, became utterly unreasonable.

Seeing the two of them looking so smug and absurd, Norse took a deep breath and said, "Fine. Since you don't want to live peaceful lives and insist on making me ride roughshod over you, then from today on, I, Norse, will speak with my strength!"

"Y-You... what are you going to do now?"

The two sisters immediately sensed that something was off about Norse's stance.

They were so frightened that they backed away with their arms crossed over their chests. They couldn't beat that freak Norse. They merely used Big Sister's name to put on airs in front of him from time to time.

"Heh! Don't get me wrong just because you're girls. Even if I'm going to ride roughshod over you, it doesn't mean I'm interested in your bodies. You know this already—the only person in the entire Land of Lilies who can barely match me, Norse, is your Big Sister, the Empress."

Norse was incomparably arrogant, even sounding utterly dismissive as he continued, "So, get Hancock to the woods for me. I'll use my strength to take back my status and authority in the Kuja Pirates from her!"

"Then we definitely won't help you!"

"Mm-hmm! You insulted our Big Sister. You're simply awful!"

"Are you helping me or not?"

"No. You're belittling Big Sister."

"How about this? One serving of grilled meat, with honey sauce!"

"Impossible. We won't immediately go back on our word just for a little food."

"Exactly. If you want to do it, go find Big Sister yourself. The two of us aren't going!"

"I'll cook you an adolescent Sea King. Think about it carefully. Besides, Hancock told me not to see her today, so only if she comes here can I do it!"

Norse tempted them. He refused to believe he couldn't win over two foodies. Otherwise, what was the point of his cooking skills that could dominate the entire sea?

"Norse, you're really putting us in a difficult position." Gorud hesitated. Cooking an entire Sea King—just thinking about it felt exciting. They would be able to feast to their hearts' content!

"Exactly. Besides, we aren't the kind of people with no backbone." Sonia swallowed. "Unless... you add a full deep-sea caviar banquet. Then maybe we can consider having Big Sister come over to deal with you."

"Sonia, what are you doing? Why are you blurting out the truth again?" Gorud was dumbfounded once more. She whispered, "You're satisfied with just that? If it were me, I'd definitely make him provide all our food, drink, and other needs for a whole month."

The moment Sonia heard that, she wanted to take back what she had just told Norse.

But Norse immediately forced out a few smiles and beat her to it. "Deal. Anything I, Norse, promise is guaranteed. One adult Sea King, plus a deep-sea caviar banquet—no problem at all!"

The two sisters looked at each other. For the Sea King he had yet to deliver and the deep-sea caviar feast, they both righteously urged themselves to leave quickly.

"Fine, just wait there for us. You'd better not move. We'll bring Big Sister over to deal with you very soon!"

"That's right, don't even think about backing out. We'll be quick!"

As the sun was about to set behind the western hills, the lingering glow at the horizon had turned patches of crimson, reflecting on the sea like blooming red plum blossoms, glimmering and flickering.

During that time, the two sisters had already met with Big Sister, delivered the message, and completed their task.

They felt guilty as hell.

"He really said that to you?" Boa Hancock furrowed her lovely brows.

Seeing her two sisters suddenly appear, she had originally been wondering where they had gone. She never expected them to have gone looking for Norse, and even brought up last night's embarrassing incident. And that bastard Norse had actually slandered her queenly image so shamelessly. How could he say that she had sneaked into his room last night with improper intentions?

Sneaking around like a thief?

This was absolutely unforgivable!

"Yes, Big Sister. Norse is terrible now. He even arrogantly challenged you to a fight in the woods, and righteously threatened that if you didn't go, there wouldn't be a single person on the entire Lily Archipelago worthy of matching him!"

"Lead the way. I shall turn him into a statue and hang it at the highest point of Kuja Island—no, I shall first lock him in a cage and parade him through the streets!"

How could Hancock tolerate such arrogant words?

What was more, the Land of Lilies was under her rule now. As the most beautiful Empress upon the seas, she believed not just anyone was qualified to be matched with her.

Norse was no exception.

Thus, before long, the two sisters led Hancock into the dense forest to the east.

"You finally came. I thought that because of what happened last night, you'd be too embarrassed to see me today!"

Norse looked at Hancock calmly.

Dressed in a crimson robe patterned with pythons, she wore the attire of an emperor. Clothes truly made the person—this girl was becoming more and more attractive.

"Shut your mouth, Emperor! I'll say it again: I entered the wrong room by accident!" Hancock's face was icy, her gaze cold, as though she wanted to freeze Norse solid with her eyes alone.

As for what happened last night, she truly had no idea why she had somehow ended up in Norse's room in the middle of the night. If it hadn't actually happened, if she hadn't felt guilty and ashamed, how could she have simply let it go?

But now things were different.

That bastard Norse actually wanted to bring it up again. Then he could not blame her for truly getting angry.

"Heh... by your logic, does that mean I can wander into the wrong room in the middle of the night next time too?" Norse did not back down in the slightest.

Call Norse stupid, or say he was single by his own ability—so what?

In Norse's eyes, Hancock did not know how to act cute, nor did she know how to please a man. Instead, she was often cold-faced and sharp-browed, as though the entire world was wrong in her eyes.

As a proud man with dignity, he simply could not accept any of that!

Therefore, Norse had always looked down on women like Hancock.

If not for the fact that she had once saved his life, a woman who dared to act so arrogantly before him would have long lost the right to maintain her lofty airs in his presence, because he was stronger than Hancock.