"Ye Chen, are you all right? Did the search go smoothly?"
Ye Chen had barely stepped out of the search room when Hannibal hurried over with a fawning smile. The man buzzed around like a fly, unpleasant to look at and irritating to hear.
Still, Ye Chen was pleased to have found someone so obedient in the grim depths of Impel Down. The moment he nodded, Hannibal offered him a cigar.
Ye Chen nodded approvingly. After Hannibal lit it, he blew out a smoke ring and smiled. "You know how to treat a man."
Hannibal smiled back, but inwardly he cursed. Hmph. Look at him putting on airs. Does he think I want to do this? Just wait. If you ever fall into my hands, I'll make you pay.
"Hannibal, do you think someone's grinding his teeth over me right now, wondering how to do me in?"
Ye Chen's smile remained as warm as a spring breeze, but something sharp lurked beneath it. A chill ran down Hannibal's spine.
Hannibal flinched so badly he nearly collapsed. Faced with Ye Chen's piercing stare, he hastily looked away and shook his head. "How could that be?"
A thunderclap seemed to go off in Hannibal's mind. How does he know what I'm thinking? This man is terrifying. He's a monster.
"Heh. Some people might think I'm a monster, but I'd rather they call me Ghost Hand Ye Chen—the man who charms countless girls, furthers the Pirate cause, stirs up the seas, and shakes the New World." Ye Chen grinned at Hannibal, deliberately teasing him.
Hannibal scoffed inwardly at Ye Chen's shameless boasting. Yet he feared him even more now. He had only just thought the word monster, and Ye Chen had said it aloud.
Guessing someone's thoughts once or twice might be coincidence.