Stussy chuckled, not taking Shakky's anger seriously.
"Wait a minute, where did the wine you're drinking come from?" Shakky's eyes widened when she saw the wine bottle in Stussy's hand. "That's the famous wine I had hidden away in my store!"
Stussy calmly slapped a wad of money on the table.
Shakky's anger filled her head, but she had nowhere to vent it. She glared at Stussy, took a few deep breaths, and managed to suppress her emotions.
"What do you want?" Shakky asked as she walked into the bathroom to wash her face.
Stussy didn't answer, continuing to sip her wine.
"Speak!" Shakky demanded as she emerged, her attention suddenly caught by something on the small table next to her. She turned her head, eyes widening as she stared at a glass bottle.
Inside the bottle was a bright red flower, thirty centimeters long, with a prickly root. The flower was in full bloom, its color as vibrant as fire. But strangely, it emitted an elegant fragrance rather than a strong one.
"Da…tu…ra.." Shakky spoke the name with difficulty. Her face turned pale, and her breathing seemed to stop.
"What do you mean?" Shakky asked Stussy, trembling. "Where did this disgusting thing come from?"
"Didn't you guess, Shakky?" Stussy smiled softly. "You know very well who cultivated this delicate and beautiful datura flower with her body for three days and three nights, don't you?"
Shakky stumbled backward as if struck by lightning. Her face was full of despair, and she couldn't bear to look at the Datura flower.
"You're a discerning person. Look at the stem. It takes three days and three nights of nourishment to reach this length. Look at the color. It only takes enough nourishment to get this rich, luxuriant hue. Smell the scent. It must be nourished day and night before it can spread its fragrance." Stussy smiled. "Calculate the time. Last night was exactly three days and three nights, and it was the perfect time to pick it."
"Shut up!!" Shakky yelled, closing her eyes in pain.
She knew it very well. When she saw Hancock with half of the datura bloomed yesterday, she knew it was time to pick it last night. She also knew what would happen during the picking process. Many women who tried it were left frightened and pale by the mere mention of the Datura flower.
"Haha, why are you angry?" Stussy said with a smile. "You should have expected it, right? You saw the Datura flower in Hancock yesterday, so you should have known what would happen."
"By the way, let me tell you some good news. Hancock survived. She didn't collapse, but as a result, she might become a girl full of misery in the future."
Of course, this was false, but Stussy deliberately said some embarrassing words to stimulate Shakky and observe the thoughts and attitudes of this former empress.
"I told you to shut up!" Shakky fell to the ground weakly and closed her eyes. She was so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe. Her heart seemed to be torn in half, causing severe pain.
'Yeah, I've expected it,' Shakky thought painfully, her eyes welling up with tears. 'I know what will happen to Hancock, and I can't face it. I've been drinking hard these past days, trying to numb myself with alcohol.'
However, Stussy's arrival brutally destroyed her escape, forcing her to face the harsh reality.
"Oh, why are you crying?"
Stussy smiled evilly, pretending to comfort her. "Are you too shocked? It's my fault, it's my fault. I shouldn't have brought you the flowers she cultivated. I'll take it away right now, lest you see things and miss people, and think of sad things."
Stussy put down her wine glass and pretended to take the vase away.
Whoosh!
Shakky rushed out like a leopard, grabbed the vase, held it in her arms, and glared at Stussy fiercely. "Don't take it away. This thing belongs to me!"
"Ah!" Stussy pretended to be surprised, covering her mouth with her hand.
"You came here with the Datura flowers, didn't you just want to stimulate me?"
Shakky said with a ferocious expression. "You succeeded, But you can't take this thing away either!!"
"Uh, I'm afraid..." Regret flashed across Stussy's face. It seemed she had lost her temper and let Shakky get something important.
"I said it's mine." Shakky shouted. "No one can take it away!!"
Stussy's expression became even more hesitant. Seeing this, Shakky felt relieved. She finally found a chance to suppress the other party. She had been led by Stussy before.
"Oh, it's not impossible for you to want Datura flowers, but I may not have made it clear."
Stussy suddenly became shy, pointing to the vase that Shakky was holding tightly in her arms. "This flower is actually mine. Hancock's flower is in her own place."
Boom!
Shakky's expression turned dull, as if struck by lightning. She lowered her head stiffly, looking at the bright Datura flower in her arms, smelling the faint fragrance it emitted, and feeling the liquid flowing on its roots. A strong feeling of nausea overcame her.
"Vomit!!" Shakky threw the vase away and retched violently.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Stussy ran out in a hurry, carefully catching the vase, and complained, "They are all Datura flowers. Can't mine work? Do they have to be Hancock's? Let me tell you, I also have a nice butt. The smell of the grown flowers is as good as Hancock's!"
Vomit!!!
Shakky vomited even more. When she thought about what she was holding just now—a flower pulled out from Stussy's back, seemingly unwashed and original—she felt unwell all over, and her skin was covered in goosebumps.
"Smell it. Doesn't it smell good?"
Stussy put the vase in front of Shakky with a fox-like smile. Suddenly, I don't know if it was the fragrance of flowers or syrup, but it hit my nostrils.
Vomit!!
Shakky rolled her eyes and fainted.
"Ah, can't bear it anymore?"
Stussy looked surprised, shaking her head. "The will is too fragile, not worth mentioning. It seems this woman can rest assured."
Stussy said, putting the vase aside, discarding it like a broken shoe. Her expression turned cold. She took out a piece of paper, wrote a few lines, threw it to Shakky, and then turned and left.
After a long time, Shakky woke up from her faintness and opened her eyes in confusion. The first thing she saw was the Datura flower in front of her. She suddenly became excited, held her arms in fear, and retreated to the corner.
During this period, a piece of paper fell. Shakky was stunned for a moment, rubbing her arms and grabbing the paper. She looked down and saw a few lines written on it:
-Idiot, I lied to you, that is a fake Datura flower.
-The taste and appearance are fake. If you don't believe me, touch it yourself!
-How could you just take the flowers out casually? Don't you have any common sense?
-But Hancock's flowers were indeed picked.
Kaka!
Shakky clenched her fist, making a cracking sound. She took a deep breath, looked deeply at the Datura flower in front of her, turned around, and took out a long mixing stick from the counter.
"I won't touch it!"
Shakky snorted, afraid of being deceived by Stussy again. She didn't dare to do it directly, but used the stirring stick to lightly touch the Datura flower.
Snapped–
The sound was very soft, and the touch felt strange. Shakky frowned, touched the root again, and her brows gradually relaxed. After some inspection, she confirmed it was a fake Datura flower. The feel and quality were just not right.
"Phew..." Shakky was relieved. But when she looked at the paper again and saw the last line of words, she clenched her fists again, furious.
"Asshole!"
Shakky cursed under her breath. But after cursing, she felt a strong sense of emptiness and confusion. She was completely toyed with by a CP0 in the midst of applause. How could such a weak person have the right to rescue Hancock and her two sisters?
Shakky's mood suddenly dropped, and she looked gloomy. She sat at the counter and continued to drink sadly.
The next day, it was discovered that the bar was closed. It seemed the owner was no longer doing business and had gone back to her hometown.
Inside the Celestial Dragon's hotel,
Rayleigh looked calm, as if the Lakeman's incident had nothing to do with him. Even the fact that the Celestial Dragons appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago did not affect his emotions.
It wasn't until he heard the news of Hancock that he drank a little wine in his spare time, smiled, and shook his head, not feeling angry at the Celestial Dragons.
At his age, with his experience and insight, he had long stopped being a young man with a hot-blooded temper. Only the moon at night and the glass of wine could make him feel some emotions of the past.
However, when he heard that Shakky's bar was closed, a rare look of surprise flashed across Rayleigh's face. When he finished his work, he left the shipyard and walked towards the bar.
In the shipyard, Rayleigh had changed his attitude from running away in a hurry to calmly directing the other shipwrights to paint the finished ship.
He wasn't a fool; he was already aware that Saint Lakeman, who bought him, had come specifically for him.
In this case, there was no point in leaving. He needed to figure out the reasons behind it.
'Is it Lakeman himself, the Celestial Dragons, or the World Government who has ideas about me?' Rayleigh had been pondering this issue for days. 'I have retired, so there is no point in disturbing me.'
While he was deep in thought, Lakeman appeared, leisurely leaving his residence and heading to the shipyard. He was only accompanied by guards and housekeepers, no one else.
'That little girl named Hancock isn't here?' Rayleigh observed, thinking to himself.
Lakeman didn't bring Hancock along, telling her to rest instead. Hancock couldn't help with binding Rayleigh, but her two younger sisters practiced daily, rain or shine. Occasionally, Kizaru would come forward to give advice.
"Hello, the famous Silvers Rayleigh, nice to meet you meet you," Lakeman said, walking over and getting straight to the point with a smile.
The housekeeper had reported on Rayleigh's behavior and attitude, and Lakeman, having read the report, knew that Rayleigh had guessed something.
Everyone's time was precious, so there was no need for pretentiousness.
"Hello, Saint Lakeman," Rayleigh responded with a smile, remaining calm and showing no special attitude toward Lakeman due to his identity.
"Are you looking for me? I should tell you first that I have retired and have no interest in fighting," Rayleigh said, stopping his pretense and sitting casually on a piece of wood nearby.
"It's just that I personally want to get to know Pluton Rayleigh," Lakeman said with a light smile, glancing at the system prompts without any trace.
[Current progress: 5.24%...]
[Current progress: 5.43%...]
[Current progress: 5.67%...]
As they spoke at a closer distance, the progress of the binding began to increase.
"Just getting to know each other?" Rayleigh asked suspiciously, not believing it.
The Celestial Dragon in front of him made Sengoku and Tsuru nervous enough to inquire directly if he intended to cause trouble.
"In addition to getting to know each other, I also hope to ask Mr. Rayleigh to guide some of my subordinates in their cultivation," Lakeman added with a smile.
Rayleigh still didn't believe this answer, but seeing that Lakeman had no intention of revealing the truth, he gave up asking.
"Just giving advice?" he asked.
"Of course," Lakeman nodded.
"Okay, I'll treat it as a reward for the feast I've received these days," Rayleigh agreed. "I'll give your subordinates one month's time, and I'll leave when the time is up."
"Okay," Lakeman agreed with a smile. It didn't matter whether Rayleigh guided them or not. The important thing was to contact Rayleigh and establish a binding.
"Where are your men?" Rayleigh asked impatiently, not wanting to stay with a Celestial Dragon for too long. It made him uncomfortable and could cause unnecessary vigilance from the World Government and Marine.
"Starting in two days," Lakeman replied.
"Two days?" Rayleigh mumbled, "Okay, just two days later."
From a distance, Kizaru observed the scene. He had been ordered by Sengoku and Tsuru to monitor the contact between Rayleigh and Lakeman, ensuring that Rayleigh did not harm Lakeman. Almost moving in, he kept a close eye on Rayleigh at the shipyard.
"Advice again?" Kizaru touched his chin in confusion and murmured, "It was me more than a month ago, and now it's Rayleigh? The people who gave the advice couldn't be those three little girls again, right?"
"Saint Lakeman also likes Hancock so much. He actually asked the deputy of the Pirate King to teach her how to practice. It's a really generous move." Kizaru couldn't help but shake his head, thinking he had never seen a Celestial Dragon treat their slaves so well.
"I almost want to be a slave," he pouted quietly. After seeing Lakeman leave, he turned around and called Sengoku to report the incident.
At the Naval Headquarters, in the marshal's office:
"Well, I understand," Sengoku said, hanging up the phone, looking solemn. "He, as we expected, Saint Lakeman knows Rayleigh's identity."
"That's true," Tsuru nodded vigorously.
"It's just a little strange that he asked Rayleigh to teach the slaves in his hand how to practice," Sengoku said, frowning.
Tsuru was stunned upon hearing this. She looked at Sengoku in surprise and said in disbelief, "Are you kidding me?"
"No," Sengoku shook his head. "This is a proven record. When Kizaru was escorting, he was asked by Saint Lakeman to guide the practice of the slaves in his hands."
"Hiss, is he really a Celestial Dragon?" Tsuru took a breath. 'How could Celestial Dragons care about slaves?'
"So, this Saint Lakeman is very strange," Sengoku said. "This may be an excuse. The purpose is the same as before, to inspect Rayleigh for some reason."
"That makes sense," Tsuru nodded, her prejudice deepening.
Two days later, in the hotel, an empty training ground:
"Are these three little girls?" Rayleigh looked at the individuals he was to instruct, his expression dull.
'Aren't these the three Boa sisters?' Shakky had mentioned them to him. 'No, that wasn't the point! The current status of these three sisters is that they are slaves, right?'
"This Celestial Dragon actually asked me to teach three slaves how to practice?" Rayleigh was filled with astonishment. It wasn't that he looked down on the three Boa sisters, but he was surprised by Lakeman's actions.
He had never seen any Celestial Dragon treat their slaves so well, asking a powerful deputy of the Pirate King to give them special guidance in practice. No one would believe it.
"Please, Mr. Rayleigh," Lakeman said, stopping at a sun lounger in the distance, drinking iced tea leisurely and saluting them with attention.
"All right," Rayleigh sighed, deciding not to dwell on the internal twists and turns. Anyway, after one month, he would leave directly.
'And I can also take care of Hancock for Shakky,' Rayleigh thought to himself. 'For specific rescue operations, we need to consult Shakky before planning. Rescuing slaves from a Celestial Dragon, no matter how big or small, requires caution. Rayleigh himself was certainly not afraid, but Nine Snake Island could not bear the revenge of the World Government. He did not dare to act without authorization.'
"Tell me what you have learned," Rayleigh quickly entered teaching mode and asked Hancock and her two sisters.
The three sisters answered in turn.
At the same time, Lakeman looked at the system prompts and smiled.
[Current progress: 7.01%...]
[Current progress: 7.25%...]
[Current progress: 7.48%...]
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