The word "slave" had far too great an impact on Hancock. It could be said that it was the deepest nightmare in her heart.
Very few people in the entire Pirate World knew this secret. To most people, Hancock was the beautiful and mysterious Pirate Empress.
Every man who saw her became infatuated with her, and her status as one of the powerful Seven Warlords only made her seem even more mysterious.
But no matter how beautiful or proud Hancock was, she could not conceal the fact that she had once been a slave.
And those who became captivated after merely looking at Hancock were nothing more than weaklings.
To true powerhouses, Hancock's beauty was of no use.
Besides, the title of the most beautiful woman in the Pirate World should belong to Shirahoshi, not Hancock.
The current situation had almost reached a dead end.
Ryokugyu did not care that much about the lives of the Marines. In other words, if he could successfully capture Hancock, the sacrifice of these Marine soldiers was acceptable to him.
The other Marine commanders might not agree with Ryokugyu's view, but he was the highest-ranking officer present.
Ryokugyu could already picture the future: handing Hancock over to the Celestial Dragons, earning their favor, and rising to the peak of power.
As a Marine, worshipping and getting close to the Celestial Dragons truly was the best way to advance.
However, not all Celestial Dragons were trash. Among them existed the so-called Holy Knights. The members of those knight orders were the true elite of the Celestial Dragons and the real rulers of this world.
During the standoff, Hashirama Senju and Tobirama arrived near Amazon Lily.
The moment they arrived, they saw the two sides fighting.
The tree men summoned by Ryokugyu greatly interested Hashirama Senju.