In all his years, Klyde had never seen a woman so beautiful. He stared at Hancock, eyes glazed and mouth watering. His heart hammered so hard he could barely breathe.
The sight of Klyde's revolting expression made Hancock's skin crawl. Her brows drew together, her face turned frosty, and the air around her seemed to grow colder.
Klyde swallowed hard. His whole body felt as if it were on fire. Even angry, Hancock was dazzling. He wanted to drop to his knees before her at once; he would even lick her toes if she let him.
"Snake Princess..."
Before long, the women of the Kuja Pirates arrived too.
"Hmph..."
Hancock gave a soft snort. She was about to ask where Ye Chen was when a thunderous rumble shook the ground. Even the sand beneath her feet began to jump.
Hancock's eyes lit up with a lover's shy delight. Ignoring Klyde, she sprang into the air, turned several graceful somersaults, and landed beyond him. "I'll leave these people to you." Before the words had faded, she rushed into the Nine-Layer Demon Tower.
"Huh?"
Hancock's sudden departure seemed to take Klyde's soul with her. He scratched at his head, desperate to chase after her, but Linton held him back. Linton took out a Den Den Mushi. "Master, this is serious. Who would have thought the Pirate Empress would show up? We must tell the Celestial Dragons at once."
"Right, right, right..."
Klyde snapped out of it and nodded. He had barely taken the Den Den Mushi when an arrow whistled through the air straight at him. Startled, he rolled aside. A demon behind him was too slow. Thud! The arrow pierced his chest, drove him back more than ten meters, and pinned him to a tree.
"Hee-hee-hee..."
Daisy had fired the shot.