Unmasking Him

Her breathing became rapid, and she lost her balance, falling from the height back to the square in front of the palace.

She'd been discovered! Where exactly was she exposed...? Hancock trembled with nervousness.

Her two younger sisters quickly came to her side, their faces filled with worry as they shielded her in the center.

Sandersonia raised her head and called out:

What exactly do you want to do?

Of course, it's a blood test, and one test won't be enough; at least five tests will be needed... Dimon didn't rush to state his purpose, but simply looked quietly at Hancock breathing was disordered.

After a brief moment of embarrassment, Hancock raised her hand, signaling her sisters to step back. She looked up at Dimon atop the dragon's head again, her tone no longer arrogant, but filled with weariness.

"Whatever you desire, I will grant it. Please come to my palace."

Having said that, she turned and walked toward the palace.

Seeing this, the two younger sisters glanced at the human and dragon in the sky, then at their own elder sister, and finally said something resentfully.

"Come with us!"

In the sky.

Sigma, unusually thoughtful, exclaimed, "There's definitely a trap!"

What kind of trap could there be...? Dimon shook his head. Sigma didn't understand this woman. The seemingly powerful Pirate Empress was actually just protecting herself; she was actually a love-struck idiot.

Let's go.

With that, Dimon leaped down from the dragon's head and followed the Boa Sisters into the palace.

Upon seeing this, Sigma immediately shrunk in size, and the thousand-meter-long dragon instantly transformed into a young dragon a little over one meter long, following behind Dimon.

Soon, the group arrived at a hall where distinguished guests were entertained.

Dimon casually found a chair and sat down, and Sandersonia brought him a cup of tea.

Please use...

Her tone was unfriendly and hostile.

"I'm afraid you'll poison it." Dimon put the tea aside.

"Hmph, despicable man! We would never do something so low!"

Sigma, without any hesitation, stuck out his tongue, licked a mouthful from the teacup, and immediately spat it out.

"Pah, it's too bitter!"

"I hope you suffer to death..." Sandersonia felt a sense of vengeful pleasure; those idiots still fell for it after all!

Childish... Dimon was speechless for a moment, so he simply pretended not to see it.

Soon, the Empress reappeared in a formal cheongsam, accompanied by her third sister, Marigold.

She first glanced at Sigma, who was sticking out his tongue, before lingering briefly on Dimon's mask.

"State your purpose, man! What I said before stands, whatever the conditions, I will agree to." Hancock walked to the head seat and sat down, speaking frankly, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on him.

"Don't be so nervous. As long as you follow orders, no one else will know the secret you care about."

The secret is actually quite simple.

When they were young, the three Hancock sisters went on a mission with the Kuja Pirates, but were unfortunately captured by human traffickers and eventually fell into the hands of the Celestial Dragons.

They became slaves, and their bodies were branded with the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon, a symbol of slavery.

Afterwards, a Fish-Man hero named Fisher Tiger climbed up the Red Line with his bare hands, started a fire in the Holy Land, and freed the slaves.

The three of them managed to escape, Hancock was only sixteen years old when she returned home.

To conceal this past, the three sisters, after becoming empresses, deceived the people, claiming that they had defeated the central monster Gorgon during an adventure, but were cursed by it, growing petrifying eyes on their backs that would petrify anyone who saw them.

And so, every time Hancock took a bath, she would dismiss everyone in the palace and forbid anyone from approaching.

In reality, her ability was only acquired when she was forcibly fed Devil Fruit by the Celestial Dragons during a variety show.

Paramecia Love-Love Fruit.

How did you learn this secret?

Hancock bit her thumbnail, her voice tense.

If the secret can be known by the Seven Deadly Sins, it could be known by many more people. She worries that after dealing with the Seven Deadly Sins, even more troublesome things might happen.

You can rest assured, no one else knows besides us.

Seeing her worry, Dimon offered some kind words of comfort, "As for my purpose..."

At this point, he held up two fingers.

"First, I will carve a mark of the Seven Deadly Sins on you so that I can find you in the future."

Upon hearing the word "mark, "Hancock reacted immediately, her Big Eye as she recalled being burned by a red-hot iron as a child.

"No... no! This is the only one I won't accept!" She shook her head, trembling, in refusal.

Is it that terrible? This is at the level of psychological trauma, a mental illness... Dimon has never experienced this, so he can't empathize.

"I think you need to see a therapist. The mark I applied is different from the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon, Sigma."

Upon hearing this, Sigma extended his claws.

The three sisters all turned their gazes toward him and saw a small golden mark on his paw.

"Its function is location tracking; no matter how far apart they are, those who possess the mark can be instantly teleported to the vicinity."

Upon hearing this, Hancock's expression grew even more bitter.

Once marked, wouldn't it be endless, and wouldn't one be unable to escape the Seven Deadly Sins forever?

I... I've become a slave once again?

Hancock pulled her legs up on the chair, buried her head between her knees, and clutched her chest in anguish.

She cried.

This scene stunned Dimon. Was it really that absurd? The famous Pirate Empress was so fragile that she cried in front of her enemy.

"Big Sister!"

Sandersonia and Marigold glared angrily at Dimon, their faces grim.

No, why are you looking at me? I didn't expect her to cry so easily... Dimon was a little speechless; he just wanted to draw blood.

"Alright, forget about the mark, just get to the second objective."

Dimon had no choice but to give up on leaving a mark on Hancock, but he could leave a hidden magic circle elsewhere in the Amazon Lily, with a similar effect.

"Stop crying, shut your mouth."

Hancock was startled, looked up at Dimon with the eyes of a weak, small animal, and asked incredulously:

"Is it... can I not use it?"

"Real."

"... Thank you." Hancock breathed a sigh of relief.

Dimon: "..."

That woman is an idiot; in the end, she has to thank him.

"Our goal is simple: we need your blood. From now on, you must provide at least 500cc of blood every month. We will notify you separately when the deadline is reached."

Losing 500cc of blood every month would cause various health problems for an Earthling, but it's nothing to people in the One Piece world; they certainly won't die.

"What do you want my sister's blood for?" Sandersonia asked, concerned.

"Of course it's a secret."

Dimon couldn't explain, but he remembered something else and, with a touch of goodwill, reminded him:

"The World Government has a project called 'Seraphim,' which will collect the Lineage Factors of your Shichibukai to create clones of you. You'd better be careful in the future."

Chapter 131 Unveiling the Mask

"Seraphim Project? Clones?"

Sandersonia and Marigold exchanged a glance, both filled with confusion.

"This is just a well-intentioned piece of advice. This project has not yet started; it's just a reminder to your sister not to have her Lineage Factors easily extracted."

The original intention Seraphim Project was that the Five Elders wanted a "Shichibukai" who would completely obey them, rather than a group of disobedient pirates.

The exact time when this plan began is unknown, but it was roughly two years after the Paramount War.

At this point in time, in the year 1536 of the Sea Circle Calendar, with three years until the Paramount War, this plan is most likely still just an idea in the minds of the Five Elders.

However, the act of collecting Lineage Factors from the Shichibukai must have begun much earlier.

Dimon only mentioned it casually, as some kind of "reward" for Hancock obediently providing blood.

He took out a blood-collecting needle from under his cloak, flicked his wrist, and the needle, along with a small blood bag, fell into Sandersonia's hand.

"Hurry up, we'll leave after the blood draw."

"You want to clone your older sister too?"

Sandersonia was quick-witted, and that was how she guessed the Seven Deadly Sins' purpose.

"Secret..." Dimon simply uttered the two words calmly.

"I understand! Humph, despicable man!"

Sandersonia glared at her angrily before walking towards Hancock, "Big Sister..."

"I understand."

Hancock bit her lip, enduring the humiliation and accepting it all.

Soon, a 500cc blood bag was filled. Given Hancock's constitution, the blood loss in a short period of time did not cause her any serious problems.

She got up, walked over to Dimon, and put down the blood bag she was holding.

"I have given you what you wanted. Leave now. My country does not welcome men."

Why are you suddenly so tough again? Who was crying before...? Dimon chuckled twice. The Empress's personality was quite amusing. Being able to easily manipulate her made him feel much happier.

"Watch your attitude, woman. Do you think I'll necessarily keep my word once the deal is done?"

"You...!" Hancock stared, her emotions fluctuating wildly.

"Of course we'll keep our promise," Dimon said slowly as he rose, "But you should show me the necessary respect. We'll be back in a month. Well then, farewell, Pirate Empress."

After saying that, he beckoned Sigma to walk towards the door.

Watching the man and the dragon swagger away, Hancock was seething with hatred, wishing she could strike now and turn those two bastards to stone.

Even after the two left the palace, she ultimately didn't dare to make a move.

"Big sister..." The younger sisters leaned closer, filled with worry.

"I'm fine."

Hancock sighed softly. It felt terrible to have someone catch you red-handed. She'd gotten through it for now, but what about a month from now?

The monthly blood supply wasn't a big problem, but the experience of being controlled by others made her very uncomfortable.

What are some ways to get out of this situation?

She recalled her brief encounters with the two members of the Seven Deadly Sins, and one thing in particular bothered her.

The pink dragon named Sigma, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, should theoretically hold a leadership position among the Seven Deadly Sins, yet he obeys the masked man, seemingly reversing their positions.

That man is no ordinary person! If we can find something on him, and we both hold each other's secrets...

Hancock's eyes gradually brightened, seeing a glimmer of hope for a future free from her control.

So first, we need to figure out how to remove that mask!

On the other side.

As Dimon walked out of the palace, the square outside was filled with unconscious women. They had been stunned by his Conqueror's Haki and wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.