Chapter 198: Boa Hancock and bounty
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"Big sister?"
Sandasonia and Marigold quickly noticed something was wrong with Hancock, and a sense of tension grew between them. Although they'd escaped from Mary Geoise, they still couldn't shake off the feeling of being unsafe, especially in a place so close to both Navy Headquarters and Mary Geoise, where it was common to see Celestial Dragons.
Hancock seemed frozen, her eyes fixed on someone in the shadows.
Sandasonia and Marigold followed her gaze, and there, a familiar figure came into view. They were stunned to silence.
Noticing they'd recognized him, Aoki stepped forward. "So we meet again! Congratulations on regaining your freedom."
He knew that nearly every Celestial Dragon kept slaves close, and although he'd killed the Celestial Dragons and their guards, he hadn't gone out of his way to help the slaves escape. He simply hadn't had the capacity then. Even in his "ultimate form," it had taken all he had to protect himself amidst the chaos. These girls had somehow braved all odds, making it from Mary Geoise to the Sabaody Archipelago on their own.
"Thank you," Hancock said, her voice trembling slightly, betraying a mix of relief and respect.
Observing their ragged state, Aoki thought for a moment. "You probably have nowhere to go. If you're willing, come with me."
He had no reason to leave an "acquaintance" behind, and beyond that, allowing them to stay with him might avoid unwanted attention.
Without a hint of hesitation, Hancock stepped forward to follow. Trust was rare for her now, but Aoki was an exception. Sandasonia and Marigold, following Hancock's lead, moved forward too.
As they walked, Aoki asked, "So, what are your names? Where's home, and how did you end up captured in Mary Geoise?"
"My name is Boa Hancock..." she began, but Aoki cut her off.
"Wait!"
He stopped and turned to look at the girl. She was weary and scared, her gaze reflecting lingering anxiety, like a deer constantly on alert. Hancock? Could this really be the Boa Hancock, the future Pirate Empress herself?
Despite her disheveled appearance, he could see she was breathtakingly beautiful if he looked closely enough, with flawless features.
He quickly calculated. Fisher Tiger's legendary climb up the Red Line, the one that would cause chaos in Mary Geoise, wasn't due until next year. It made perfect sense that at this moment, Hancock would still be a captive there.
"What's wrong?" she asked, confused by his reaction.
"Nothing. Go on," Aoki replied, keeping his revelation to himself.
After a moment's hesitation, Hancock continued, "These are my sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold. We're from Amazon Lily. We were captured three years ago and sold to the Celestial Dragons."
Talking about the experience rekindled a powerful mixture of hatred and fear in her eyes.
"Life's strange," Aoki mused quietly, though he quickly changed the topic, unwilling to dwell on their painful memories.
He led them to a market, bought each of them fresh clothes, and took them to a nearby hotel.
"Boss, I'd like the best room available," Aoki said as he entered.
The manager lazily looked up, then replied, "20,000 berries."
Aoki pulled out a small wad of bills, separated two, and held them out. But as the manager reached to take them, his hand jerked back as if burned, retracting instantly.
Aoki narrowed his eyes, "Something wrong?"
Cold sweat gathered on the manager's brow as he stammered, "I… I'm terribly sorry, sir. I was blinded by greed. Please, go on in. Your room is ready."
"Do you… know who I am?" Aoki asked, studying the manager's nervous face.
The boss said, "Know you? No, I don't. I know nothing. Don't worry; I would never reveal your whereabouts!" Aoki was about to say something when he suddenly noticed a newspaper lying on the table, with a picture printed in the center. It was an image of him, transformed into a dragon man.
"Could I have this newspaper, boss?" Aoki asked.
The boss quickly replied, "Sure, of course! You can take it!"
Aoki placed down the money, picked up the newspaper, and took the three Hancock sisters upstairs.
The hotel was incredibly luxurious, the most upscale one on this street. After letting the three sisters go wash up, Aoki sat down on the sofa and opened the newspaper.
The front-page headline displayed a shocking title: The Dragon King Wreaks Havoc in Mary Geoise, Bringing Sorrow to the World's Nobility.
His eyes lingered on the title for a couple of seconds before he began reading it carefully.
The news article was straightforward, recounting the events that had unfolded in Mary Geoise the day before. It even specifically mentioned that over ten Celestial Dragons had perished during the chaos.
"This is meant to stir up hatred toward me. But Morgans is quite bold to report this—doesn't he fear that the Celestial Dragons will retaliate?" Aoki thought, a smile spreading across his face.
He knew he was about to become famous. And he didn't mind it. Fame was something intangible yet incredibly useful.
Hadn't Buggy, after all, climbed to the throne of the Four Emperors through nothing but his false reputation? There were certainly many challenges in being an enemy of the Celestial Dragons, but there would also be numerous benefits.
In this world, most ordinary people hated the Celestial Dragons.
After putting down the newspaper, Aoki picked up a piece of paper lying beside him—a wanted poster. In the middle of it was a half-length portrait of him, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised and a smile that seemed a bit cold.
Beneath the portrait was a long string of numbers, starting with a "5" and followed by nine "0"s.
Aoki counted twice to be sure.
That's right.
It was indeed five billion!
For his first time on the wanted list, the bounty had reached five billion. Who else had ever achieved that? However, he wasn't particularly surprised by it—in fact, he felt it was a bit low.
A bounty wasn't directly linked to one's strength but rather to the perceived threat one posed to the World Government. His strength might not yet be unrivaled, but his actions had undoubtedly crossed the bottom line of both the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.
He had expected them to assign a massive bounty, and five billion was reasonable, practically on par with several Sea Emperors.
Aoki felt generally satisfied with the bounty, though he had some significant objections to the title they'd given him.
"Dragon King?" Aoki's mouth twitched. "Who came up with that title? Can't they just use my name?"
With a half-smirk at the cold expression on his wanted poster, he could barely hold back a laugh.
Just then, the door opened with a creak.
Aoki looked up.
The three girls had come out.
Aoki turned his head to look, and a look of admiration appeared on his face.
Hancock wore a red dress, her hair left loose, framing a face of flawless, fair skin. Though only fifteen, she already possessed a striking beauty.
Aoki had traveled through four worlds and seen countless beautiful women, but in terms of pure appearance, none could compare to Hancock.
The Mero Mero No Mi had originally been just an paramecia type fruit. If it had been particularly precious, the Celestial Dragons wouldn't have gifted it to her purely for their own amusement.
Yet, enhanced by Hancock's incredible beauty, the Mera Mera No Mi had surpassed its original limitations.
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