Some of the people Wood freed chose to leave immediately after trying the keys to unlock their chains.
However, many others, after stepping out of their cells, did not rush to leave. Instead, they stayed close to Wood.
Those who left quickly were concerned that the chaos outside wouldn't last long, so they wanted to seize more time to escape.
The ones who stayed had a different reasoning. They knew they lacked the ability to escape on their own, so instead of facing uncertainty and danger alone, they preferred to rely on Wood, who was evidently strong.
Wood's daring rescue proved he was a good person, and his ability to move freely within the Holy Land Mariejois demonstrated his immense strength.
So, those who left were mostly strong young men and individuals from exceptional races.
Those who stayed were mostly beautiful women and children with little combat ability.
When Wood reached the cell of Hancock and her sisters and slashed open the bars as he had done before, Hancock immediately recognized the so-called Fish-Man in front of her as the man she had previously deemed a scoundrel.
"Wood... brother."
Wood had interacted with Hancock and her sisters the most, and since his disguise was far from perfect, the sisters recognized him as soon as he appeared in front of them.
As Mary recognized Wood and was about to happily call out his name, Hancock quickly covered her mouth.
At twelve years old, Hancock was no longer a child. She understood that Wood had disguised himself as a Fish-Man to conceal his true identity.
Although the other slaves brought along with them didn't know who Wood was, calling out his name here would undoubtedly leave a trace and create risks for him.
"Just as I promised, I've come to save you, Mary, and Sonia."
The not-so-attractive Fish-Man face managed to pull off a somewhat awkward smile, but the two little girls in front of him didn't mind at all. They immediately wrapped their arms around Wood's neck in a tight hug.
To Mary and Sonia, Wood was nothing short of an angel or a prince.
During the past two days, they had not only been starved but also whipped daily. The only thing keeping them from breaking down was Wood's earlier promise.
Every night before going to sleep, Mary and Sonia would often ask their sister when Wood would come to save them.
Hancock wanted to tell her two sisters that the man was only deceiving them, that no one would dare to offend the World Nobles for the sake of a few children.
But Hancock also knew that saying so would shatter the last bit of hope in her sisters' hearts.
And deep down, even Hancock herself held onto a sliver of hope that Wood would appear like a hero before them.
After ruffling Mary and Sonia's hair and calming them down, Wood proceeded to unlock the chains on their hands and feet.
When it was Hancock's turn, Wood noticed her awkward demeanor and couldn't resist teasing her. "So, do you still think I'm a despicable liar? I told you I would bring you back to your island, and I've never broken a promise to children."
As her hopes were realized and the man truly appeared like a hero when she was most desperate, Hancock's heart was undeniably touched.
Hearing Wood's words, Hancock's cheeks quickly flushed red. Trying hard not to appear defeated, she turned her head away and said, "You're so annoying! I didn't ask you to save me. Besides, you promised Mary and Sonia, not me."
Hancock's words made Wood pause for a moment while unlocking her ankle chains. Just as he was reflecting on how difficult it was to earn the Empress's favor, Mary suddenly spoke up from the side, "Sister is just shy..."
"Shut up, Mary! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll leave you here!"
But instead of being frightened by Hancock's threat, Mary clung even tighter to Wood's neck and said, "If sister doesn't care about me, big brother will take me home."
Seeing how Mary was siding with Wood, Hancock was about to discipline the little one when Wood intervened, saying they needed to hurry and rescue the others before making their escape.
As he set Mary down, Wood glanced at Hancock, whose ears were still red with embarrassment. He couldn't help but feel reassured, believing that he had managed to raise her favorability somewhat.
"Hancock, to make up for not promising to rescue you earlier, let me give you another gift."
Hearing Wood's words, Hancock instinctively wanted to reject the offer out of pride, but she found herself unable to speak.
She realized that a part of her was eager to see what gift Wood had prepared.
He had been so kind to her two sisters while only mocking her, but now that he was offering a gift as compensation, she couldn't help but be curious, even though she was reluctant to admit it. She decided she would accept it, given how thoughtful he was being.
Wood had no idea how complicated Hancock's thoughts were at that moment. He just knew that this power rightfully belonged to Hancock.
And with this power, Hancock would one day become the stunning Pirate Empress.
"This isn't a Devil Fruit, is it? Do you want to turn me into a landlubber?"
As she watched Wood take out the pink fruit with strange patterns, Hancock recognized it immediately.
Amazon Lily, after all, was an island on the Grand Line. Most of its inhabitants had mastered Haki, and it even had its own pirate crew, the Kuja Pirates.
Although still young, Hancock and her sisters were sharp enough to recognize the mysterious fruit as the Devil Fruit, a treasure of the sea.
Eating a Devil Fruit would grant the consumer strange powers but would also make them unable to swim.
Many people would willingly give up their ability to swim for powerful abilities. However, the catch was that there were countless types of Devil Fruits, each with its own unique abilities. No one could tell what power they would gain until after eating the fruit.
Though there were Devil Fruit encyclopedias in existence, they weren't easy to come by.
Moreover, those books only listed fruits that had been consumed before, leaving most Devil Fruits' appearances and abilities as a mystery.