This guy was clearly overthinking things…
Takumi had initially planned to take a more indirect route to deal with Hancock.
Now, he regretted it.
"Hey, Takumi," Granny Gloriosa asked with a serious expression, "Did you accidentally kill the Celestial Dragon?"
At her words, Hancock surprisingly found herself agreeing. For once, she stood on the same side as Granny Gloriosa, her face regaining its usual cold demeanor as she sneered, "Even though I despise the World Government, I have to admit, when they get serious, no matter how powerful you are, it's hard to escape their pursuit. Deep down, you're probably trembling with fear, aren't you?"
The Seven Warlords of the Sea were the World Government's recognized pirates, chosen for their strength and influence. Only the most notorious or powerful pirates were given the title of Warlord.
One of the reasons Hancock agreed to become a Warlord was to protect Amazon Lily from being attacked by the Navy. Though her rule was often tyrannical, without her, Amazon Lily might have been conquered long ago.
"Afraid?" Takumi laughed, "There's nothing in this world that scares me."
Hancock frowned deeply. "Hmph, arrogant fool. Keep pretending."
Granny Gloriosa raised her hand to signal Hancock to stop speaking. She studied Takumi for a moment and asked, "Why did you kill that Celestial Dragon?"
"That's none of your business," Takumi replied coldly.
Granny Gloriosa unfolded the newspaper in front of him, the one featuring Takumi's bounty. "The article doesn't provide much detail, but your bounty is set at 1.4 billion, and even your companions have 80 million. This is the first time I've seen a 15-year-old boy with such a high bounty. Clearly, you've angered the Celestial Dragons."
1.4 billion?
Takumi's brows furrowed slightly.
He had expected a bounty, but 1.4 billion right from the start? That Celestial Dragon's life really was "valuable" trash.
Well, it didn't matter. He needed to deal with the present situation first and worry about the future later.
With that thought, Takumi glanced at Hancock before using Flash Step and disappearing.
Hancock and the others looked confused, having no idea what he was up to.
A few seconds later, Takumi reappeared, carrying the petrified bodies of Enel and Kaku.
He wasn't about to reveal his system's storage abilities, so he had to keep up appearances with a little trickery[smirk].
"So fast!" Sandersonia gasped in surprise.
Takumi smirked coldly and turned back to Hancock. "Undo their petrification."
Hancock sneered in response, "Are you giving me orders?"
"Yes," Takumi replied with a cold tone.
Hancock: "…"
"Hmph!" Hancock suddenly acted coy again, gently covering her lips with her hand and whispering, "Even if I don't undo their petrification, you'll forgive me, right?"
Although her previous attempt at flirting had failed, Hancock was stubborn. She refused to believe it wouldn't work and decided to try again!
Takumi, expressionless, started walking toward her.
Hancock thought her plan had worked and was mentally mocking Takumi for being so easily swayed when…
Smack!
Takumi jumped up and slapped her right on the forehead.
[At 5'1" (155 cm), Takumi still looked tiny in front of the 6'2" (190 cm) Empress.]
Hancock stumbled back half a step, her face filled with disbelief.
Even her two sisters and Granny Gloriosa were shocked.
Takumi hadn't used Armament Haki, so the slap didn't hurt Hancock much physically.
"Snap out of it," Takumi said coldly.
Hancock stared at him, completely stunned. Her mind was in turmoil.
"No way, no way!" Hancock shook her head, "No one can resist me! No man or woman can refuse my beauty! You're… you're not even human!"
Takumi: "…"
If it weren't for the fact that he needed Hancock's approval to complete his mission, he would've already dealt with her more harshly.
The reason he hadn't resorted to violence was because Hancock's situation was unique. As a child, she had been sold to the Celestial Dragons and endured unimaginable torment. Simply defeating her with brute force wouldn't gain her respect. If anything, it would make her hate him more.
And that would make his mission impossible to complete.
Sure, there was no penalty for failing, but without finishing this mission, he wouldn't be able to unlock the next island's mission. That would be a real headache…
Yet, he didn't want to remain stuck like this either…
As Takumi was pondering his next move, Hancock seized the opportunity and kicked toward him.
But just as her foot was about to make contact, Takumi grabbed her ankle, stopping her mid-kick.
He looked up coldly at Hancock, not bothering to say a word, and with a firm grip, he yanked her backward.
Hancock let out a sharp cry as she fell flat on her back, embarrassed and humiliated.
Takumi released her foot, standing there with a cold expression.
Hancock's two sisters quickly rushed to her side, panicked.
"Sister, are you okay?"
"Damn him! How dare he hurt you, Sister! I'll avenge you!"
The two sisters glared at Takumi in anger.
Granny Gloriosa, exasperated, jumped in front of Takumi, facing the three sisters. "You've all experienced his Conqueror's Haki. If he wanted you dead, you'd already be dead. That's enough. Let's stop this nonsense."
"But…"
Marigold was about to protest when Hancock interrupted her.
"Enough, Marigold." Using her hands to push herself up from the ground, Hancock was visibly calmer than before. "Takumi, you're the first person in years who's dared to lay a hand on me—and succeeded. Your Conqueror's Haki is stronger than mine, my powers are useless against you, and you know my secret. What do you really want here on Amazon Lily?"
"Wait, what? He knows your secret?" Granny Gloriosa asked in surprise.
Hancock ignored her, keeping her gaze fixed on Takumi.
She hated men, but the current situation didn't allow her to be stubborn anymore. She didn't want to die, nor did she want Amazon Lily to be destroyed. While that thought might seem dramatic, given that this man had already killed a Celestial Dragon, wiping out an island wasn't impossible for him.
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