Arrogant Showdown (Seeking Recommendation Tickets)

"As if that were a joke! Even if this Empress left her room open for you, you'd need the nerve and the ability to dare take one wrong step inside!" Hancock did not even blink as she stared down Norse with overwhelming force. She truly deserved her title as the Empress of an entire nation.

Yet no one knew that, the moment she said those words, Hancock's heart had suddenly fallen into complete turmoil. Even she found it strange, unable to understand why this was happening.

It seemed she needed the experienced old woman Zha Mi to take a look. And there was also that strange incident where she woke up in the middle of the night, only to inexplicably leave her own room. She had to figure out what all of this meant.

Hancock made up her mind in silence.

"Tsk, tsk. You think I don't have the ability or the guts? Then again, you really don't take me, Norse, seriously at all, do you? At a time like this, you can still let your mind wander. Or do you regret what you just said?"

With his arms folded, Norse paced around as he looked Hancock over.

He remembered noticing three years ago that this girl's figure had been nothing worth looking at. Who would have thought that after three years, her body would become so full and developed?

Did girls who had passed puberty all grow this fast?

"Your arrogance, in this Empress's eyes, is nothing more than something built upon shamelessness, roguishness, and vulgarity. If you were not still somewhat useful, this Empress would have thrown you back into the water long ago and left you to fend for yourself!" Hancock's expression was utterly cold.

Yet for some reason, she kept feeling strange inside. Especially when Norse openly looked her body up and down, her heart would panic beyond her control, and her heartbeat clearly quickened!

"Hahaha..."

Norse suddenly laughed. He had actually noticed that both of Hancock's earlobes had turned red. That blush was so obvious—wasn't it plain enough?

"What are you laughing at?" Hancock asked with a frown.

"I'm laughing because you're saying one thing and meaning another. Don't tell me you've fallen for me? Then let me make this clear: don't dream about it. I'm not interested in you!" Norse looked straight into Hancock's eyes, and sure enough, he once again saw that unnatural evasiveness in them. His suspicion was now even more confirmed.

When Hancock heard that, she nearly fainted from anger. Gritting her pearly teeth, she said, "You truly are a self-obsessed and shameless man. If this Empress had known three years ago that you were such a pervert, then even if I had mistakenly saved you, I would have killed you on the spot!"

"You're saying one thing and meaning another again. I have the Sun Fruit inside me. In the pirate world, I am the sun. To you, I'm now your only source of hope. After all, three months ago..."

Norse had intended to say that Fisher Tiger had died three months ago, and that he was now the only sun upon the seas. But Hancock flew into such a rage that she immediately cut him off.

"Shut that filthy mouth of yours! What right do you have to know anything?"

Hancock was thoroughly enraged, her tone freezing and piercing.

A tyrannical aura abruptly erupted from her, sweeping through the forest. Countless fallen leaves whirled about chaotically, as if gusts of sinister wind had risen, sending sand and stones skittering across the ground.

It was an invisible pressure.

It was the power of Conqueror's Haki that Hancock had awakened three months ago. If anyone else had been present, they would surely have felt an incomparably heavy weight bearing down on them, as though they could barely breathe—perhaps even passing out on the spot!

"Since you're completely angry now, let's take this chance to lay everything out today."

Standing amid the howling wind, Norse looked down arrogantly at the cold and proud woman before him. "Today, I'm taking something from you. You may be the captain of the Kuja Pirates, but I, Norse, must be the vice-captain. I'm stronger than you."

"If you have the ability, then come and take it from this Empress—your freedom, your rights, even the life that rests in my hands!" Hancock said coldly.

Norse wanting to become the vice-captain of the Kuja Pirates was simply wishful thinking.

For the past three years, he had still been nothing more than a lowly errand runner aboard the ship, utterly hopeless and incapable of improvement. She had given him countless chances, yet not once had he satisfied her!

But this time, for some reason—

Hancock actually found herself looking forward to seeing what Norse could take from her.

She also knew that ever since Norse boarded her ship, he had always stubbornly concealed his strength. It could even be said that he had accomplished absolutely nothing.

He spent every day slacking off and sleeping. Sometimes, they would not even see him for days.

"Slave Arrow!"

Hancock did not underestimate Norse because of this, nor did she waste any time. She immediately used her strongest petrification ability.

"This is a new ability that this Empress developed after awakening Conqueror's Haki. If you can withstand it—or even successfully counterattack—then this Empress will give you what you want today and acknowledge that you have the right to be arrogant before me. But your life will ultimately remain this Empress's. Only this Empress is permitted to be the most arrogant sun upon the seas!"

"That's my business."

"I only agreed to board the ship and join you in destroying the rule of the Celestial Dragons. You have no right whatsoever to interfere with or decide anything else concerning me!" Norse feared no Slave Arrow. At worst, he would be petrified.

But so what?

Arrows at that speed could never keep up with someone who possessed near-light-speed.

"Very well. Then pray that this Empress does not petrify you. Otherwise, the consequences will be severe—you'll be locked in an iron cage and paraded through the streets!" Hancock said mercilessly.

Her finger lightly touched her lips, and a massive pink heart-shaped substance had already formed. She pulled it back like a bowstring, then fired a barrage of pink arrows directly at Norse.

"Phantom Sun-Chasing."

Norse activated Phantom Sun-Chasing where he stood, entering a semi-light state. His entire body became hazy and insubstantial, like a mirage over the sea that could vanish at any moment.

At the same time, he moved with incredible speed.

In the blink of an eye, he had already evaded the countless arrows.

Even more incredible was that, although they watched countless arrows pierce through his ethereal body, there was no sign of petrification. It was as though the power of the arrows had been nullified.

"H-How is that possible?"

The two sisters watching from the side were instantly dumbfounded.

Even if Norse was a Logia Devil Fruit user capable of ignoring ordinary physical attacks, their sister's attack was far from ordinary. Not only was it empowered by Haki, but by the power of Conqueror's Haki at that. How could it possibly fail to petrify a Logia user?

"Could Norse really be moving so fast that even our level of Observation Haki can no longer keep up with him?"

"But how did he suddenly become so powerful? Every day, he's either slacking off and sleeping or sleeping while slacking off. I thought he was only a little stronger than the two of us!"

The two sisters were completely shocked by the portion of Norse's strength that he had displayed.

They thought of how their sister's strongest attack could petrify the moment those arrows struck the soil or the trees. In other words, it was no longer necessary for the target to be charmed by their sister in order to be petrified.

Wasn't that already getting closer and closer to being invincible?!