No matter what Hancock had imagined, it was Leno's words that left a deep mark on her heart:
You don't have to worry about being captured by Celestial Dragons anymore. You no longer need to kneel. You can be the Empress of Amazon Lily.
These words gave Hancock new hope, stabilizing her emotions. But no—it wasn't exactly normal. Leno could tell something wasn't quite right.
"Leno, what do you want to eat today?"
"Leno, do you need anything?"
"Leno, what do you like?"
Yes, Hancock had gone from one extreme to another. From fierce pride to almost obsessive devotion. Now, she'd lost her sense of self, completely yielding to Leno's will. She seemed to have put on a new mask—this time, one of total submission.
This behavior only revealed how deeply insecure Hancock was, constantly craving protection. When Leno shattered the mask she'd been hiding behind, her fear and awe for him only deepened. To her, Leno might as well be a Celestial Dragon. As long as she fawned over him, she believed she and Amazon Lily would remain safe.
Classic Stockholm syndrome—her mind had made Leno her protector under the weight of stress. Even Gloriosa and the other warriors of Amazon Lily were concerned about the shift, and it gave Leno a headache too. Anytime he raised his voice at Hancock, she would immediately blame herself and beg for forgiveness. If he let her off too easily, she'd kneel, terrified, pleading for him not to abandon her.
Still, this drastic change had some benefits. Now, no matter what Leno asked of her, Hancock complied without hesitation. If Leno told her to train, she trained. If he told her to learn, she studied. If he asked her to care for the people of Amazon Lily, she did it without question.
After discussing the situation with Gloriosa, Leno hoped they could guide Hancock toward a better path, slowly helping her regain her true self. Maybe, one day, she'd emerge from the shadow of her past.
"Damn it! That hurts!"
"Huh? Where is it?"
On a secluded part of the beach, ten warriors from the Kuja Pirates were helping Buggy with special training. They blindfolded him and, standing in various positions, threw stones at him, forcing him to rely on his senses to dodge.
Buggy's nose was bruised and swollen from the initial barrage. He'd gotten better at dodging stationary attacks, but he still struggled with moving targets. The training was similar to how Rayleigh once trained Luffy.
Meanwhile, Hancock was training her Haki under Leno's orders and studying with Gloriosa, though she wasn't too enthusiastic about the latter. After about half an hour, she was already dozing off—Gloriosa's lectures seemed to have that effect.
Leno, on the other hand, stood in the sea, facing the waves with his sword in hand, practicing his swings. He cut through the waves created by sea serpents, focusing on combining his Armament Haki with his swordsmanship. The repetitive motion was dull, but each swing was a step toward refining his technique.
It was a process that honed not just his Armament Haki, but also his Observation Haki, swordsmanship, and Conqueror's Haki. Leno aimed to blend his talents together, creating more powerful moves with greater precision.
Time flew by as Leno remained immersed in his training.
Ding! The talent of the Gluttonous Demon King has completed its fusion evolution!
Suddenly, Leno's entire body felt a strange surge, like a jolt of electricity coursing through his muscles and cells. The sensation came and went quickly, but Leno could feel the change. He swung his sword again, this time cleaving through the sea with a force reminiscent of one of Charlotte Linlin's powerful attacks.
Leno knew that, with his Gluttonous Demon King talent fully evolved, his strength was now comparable to Linlin's. He clenched his fists, sensing the vast potential in his body—potential he needed to master, or risk becoming a danger to others, just like Linlin had been in her youth.
"There are about 15 days left. That should be enough to fully adjust to my new body," Leno thought, glancing up at the sky before diving into the sea.
In the depths of the Calm Belt, undisturbed by humans, Leno roamed freely, picking out tonight's dinner. His enhanced body allowed him to resist the pressure of the deep sea, and his Underwater Breathing talent let him move with ease, like a fish-man.
Soon, Leno emerged from the sea, dragging a massive 100-meter-long turtle behind him.
"Master Leno, do you need a shower?" Hancock appeared suddenly, her face glowing with adoration.
"No, no need!" Leno, still adjusting to Hancock's extreme change in behavior, was reminded of Bartolomeo, the way Hancock idolized him.
Seeing Hancock's expression falter, Leno quickly added, "Hancock, can you help with the ingredients for tonight's meal?"
Her face lit up again. "Of course, President Leno!"
As Hancock and the others prepared the giant turtle, Leno wiped the sweat from his brow. Buggy, meanwhile, continued to endure his training, being pelted with stones by the Kuja warriors.
Buggy had two goals in this special training—mastering his Chop-Chop Fruit and awakening his Observation Haki. Rayleigh had left to return to Sabaody after teaching Leno the technique of Conqueror's Haki infusion, but he would return in five days to spar with Leno and check his progress.
After a shower and a change of clothes, Leno came outside to find the turtle meat roasting over a fire.
"President Leno, would you like to sit?" Hancock hurried over with a wooden stool.
Leno scratched his head. "Thanks, but Hancock, you're my friend. You don't have to go to such lengths."
Hancock's eyes welled with tears. "President Leno, do you not want me around anymore?"
Leno, bewildered by her line of thinking, shook his head.
Surely, I'll never understand the way a woman's mind works, he thought.
"Of course I want you around, Hancock. We're allies now, aren't we?"
"President Leno, thr Empress loves you!" Hancock's demeanor softened, her face transforming into a radiant smile.
Leno let out a sigh. Forget it, he thought. I'll have to teach her slowly.
It was a significant improvement now. In the beginning, Hank had served as the wooden stool for him. After Leno sat down, Hancock took her place beside him, adopting a cute, obedient manner.
The other Amazon Lily warriors looked on with furrowed brows but could only sigh in silence. They knew that if anyone dared show disrespect toward Leno or failed to speak properly to him, Hancock would deal with them swiftly.
Some Amazon Lily warrior had once spoken out of turn, and Hancock had left her with a wound for her troubles. Fortunately, Leno intervened in time to stop her from doing any more damage.
Some might believe that having the most beautiful woman in the world, who was utterly loyal, would feel like a privilege of the highest order. A gift fit for an emperor.
Leno can have anything he wants, they thought.
But Leno didn't feel that way at all. In fact, he found the situation quite uncomfortable.
Hancock's devotion was not born from love or respect—it was a response to power and fear. Leno could sense it. She feared him, treated him with reverence, but there was no real joy in her actions. She wasn't happy.
How should I handle this? Leno mused, casting a glance her way.
Hancock instinctively lowered her head, then, sensing his eyes on her, quickly lifted it again, smiling like a cat trying to please its master. Her smile was delicate but forced.
As Leno pondered what to do, Gloriosa entered the room, bringing fresh clothes and some news from the outside world.
It was now November. The Sea Circle Calendar marked the year 1511—turning back the pages of history. Recently, everything had been unusually quiet.
The Four Emperors of the New World, the Marine forces in the Grand Line, even the various nations of the world seemed to have entered a temporary lull. No significant news had broken in weeks.
Even the infamous Hunter's Guild, which had been causing a stir for over half a year, had gone silent without much explanation.
But everyone's attention was focused on one looming event: the duel at the top, set for the 15th of this month.
So far, the World Government and Marine had said nothing publicly about the fight. Their silence left much room for speculation.
The main subject of this speculation? The showdown between Leno, the rising star and President of the Hunter's Guild, and Kaido of the Beasts, one of the New World's Four Emperors.
Many believed the outcome was already decided—Kaido would win easily. Some even went so far as to mock Leno, labeling him as arrogant and brash, someone who had no real chance of victory.
They cited his previous victory against Kuzan, implying that Kuzan had lost intentionally. And now, these voices were growing louder.
To the arrogant elite of the Grand Line and New World, Leno was nothing more than a pretender, a weakling from East Blue daring to challenge one of the most fearsome beings in the world.
"Who gave you the courage?" they scoffed.
"If we don't dare face Kaido, how could someone from the weakest sea stand a chance? This is an insult to all of us!"
Newspapers fueled the flames, printing exaggerated stories of Kaido's power and East Blue's weakness. One even featured a cartoon of a group of ants baring their teeth at a massive dragon. The ants were labeled Hunter, and the dragon, Beasts. In the next panel, the dragon breathed fire, and the ants were reduced to ash.
Hancock, reading one such newspaper, was furious. "These people dare to insult President Leno! I want to kill them all!"
But Leno only laughed.
Hancock blinked in surprise. "President Leno…you're not angry?"
"Why should I be?" Leno asked, a grin playing on his lips.
"They're laughing at you!" she exclaimed, confused.
"Oh?" Leno's tone was calm. "Don't you think it's amusing?"
"Amusing?" Hancock echoed, bewildered.
"Yes, amusing," Leno repeated. "When I defeat Kaido, the look on these people's faces will be priceless."
"And the ones who mock me now? They'll be the ones praising me soon enough."
"That's the way of the world. When you're on top, they build altars, place crowns on your head, and worship you like a god. But when you fall, they'll be the first to smash the altar and push you into the abyss."
"So, let them laugh," Leno said. "The world belongs not to those who mock, but to those who endure the ridicule and continue moving forward."
Meanwhile, in the New World…
On a volcanic island shrouded in smoke, Kaido's fist crashed into a mountain, sending tremors through the island as the peak began to crumble.
"Whoa!" his subordinates exclaimed in awe.
"As expected of the Governor-General—he smashed a mountain with one punch!"
Kaido, towering at 710 cm, let out a huff of hot breath, wiping the sweat from his face after the intense training session. His black hair hung in a wild mane over his shoulders, his long, dragon-like horns and whiskers adding to his fearsome appearance.
His upper body was bare, revealing a massive dragon-scale tattoo on his left arm and a prominent scar across his abdomen, a reminder of his battle with Oden years ago.
Despite his incredible strength, Kaido was also preparing for the upcoming fight.
One of Kaido's men nervously approached. "Governor-General, do you really need to train so hard for an East Blue weakling?"
Kaido's eyes flashed dangerously as he swung his massive mace at the man, sending him and others flying with a single blow.
Back at the Red Hair Pirates' camp, Shanks and his crew stood somberly before a grave. The fiery sunset cast long shadows, and seabirds circled overhead. Their battle had been fierce, and though they had survived, one of their comrades had not.
Shanks looked down at the grave, wiping a tear from his eye. His crew, battered and bruised, stood around him, struggling with their grief.
"This is the price of battle," Shanks murmured, his voice steady. "Victory and defeat...both must be tasted."
Elsewhere, Edward Newgate, the legendary Whitebeard, looked at Marco and asked, "Shanks… ambushed, huh?"
Marco, holding the Den Den Mushi, nodded. "Yeah, but they made it out alive."
Whitebeard chuckled. "That brat's not so easy to take down. But forget Shanks for now. We have bigger things to worry about."
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+30 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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