"Hey, you are Clover, come with me!" Shanks appeared beside Clover at this moment, grabbing his arm.
"What do you think you're doing!" Hancock shouted at Shanks, grabbing Clover's other arm.
"There's no time to explain. We need to leave this place quickly," Shanks told Hancock.
"You can't just take someone by force! I won't let you have him!" Hancock held onto Clover tightly, pulling him into her arms, where he felt a soft warmth.
"I'm gonna pass out... I can feel a nosebleed coming!" Clover was overwhelmed by the softness and scent in front of him, and even his good sense faltered for a moment.
"Shanks! What are you doing here?" Luffy shouted as he walked toward Clover and Shanks.
"Ah, Luffy, it's been a while. But I've got something really important to do right now. This isn't the time for a reunion, so I'll be leaving!" Shanks pulled Clover with greater force, and Yasopp quickly followed.
"Wait!" Hancock and her two sisters hurried after them.
"What's the rush..." Luffy looked confused as Clover was dragged away before he could react.
"Move!" Smoker knew he couldn't take on Shanks, so he waited for Shanks to leave before giving the order. A group of Marines quickly surrounded the square.
"Luffy, we need to go!" Zoro and Sanji rushed over, noticing the large group of Marines. They called out to Luffy.
"Alright!" Luffy ran toward Sanji and Zoro. "It's weird, I thought I saw Clover just now," he said, looking around, but Clover was nowhere in sight.
Meanwhile, Shanks had taken Clover to a secluded area with Hancock. Shanks pulled out Clover's 5 billion berry bounty poster and carefully compared it to Clover. After confirming it, he nodded. "It's really you."
"Are you trying to capture him for the bounty? I won't let you!" Hancock stood in front of Clover protectively.
'Being protected by a woman feels so strange,' Clover thought to himself as he stared at Hancock, who stood over 1.9 meters tall, towering over him.
Despite the complexity of the situation, Clover's thoughts were dominated by the fragrance and the sight of Hancock's long, white legs... His mind had wandered off entirely.
"Of course not," Shanks said immediately. "But why did you leave Amazon Lily?"
"I came to see my husband... I mean, I came to see Clover. What's it to you?" Hancock blushed, nearly letting the truth slip.
Shanks was puzzled by Hancock's behavior. Aside from Rayleigh, Shakky, and her two sisters, no one knew that Hancock had once been a slave to the Celestial Dragons. Shanks couldn't guess what her true intentions were.
"I get why she came for me, but why did you come for me?" Clover peeked out from behind Hancock and asked Shanks.
There was no real connection between Clover and Shanks.
"I want you to leave Luffy and his crew," Shanks said, explaining his purpose. "If we could find you, others will, too, and that'll put Luffy and the others in danger."
"I see." Clover nodded. "I've been thinking about leaving them before they reach the Grand Line, but I wasn't sure how to do it. With Luffy's personality, he won't sail off without me."
"I can help with that," said a new voice. Everyone turned to see a man in a green cloak step out from the shadows.
"Monkey D. Dragon... All the big shots are here today," Clover said, recognizing the Revolutionary leader. "Is this storm your doing?"
"Shanks and I have the same goal. I'll create a storm that will force their ship to leave," Dragon said, ignoring Clover's question.
"Even if they leave, Luffy will come back to Roguetown once he realizes I'm not with them," Clover pointed out.
"Then what's your plan?" Shanks asked, knowing Clover must have thought this through.
"Luffy won't change his mind easily. I'll have to talk to him directly and promise I'll come back when they're stronger. Otherwise, I'll be putting them in constant danger," Clover said. He had been pondering this all day and finally decided to be straightforward with Luffy.
"They seem to be in trouble now," Yasopp said from the rooftop, looking into the distance. "Without Haki, they don't stand a chance against Smoker."
"I'll handle this," Dragon said, vanishing before their eyes.
"Once you leave Luffy and the others, if you need a place to go, you're welcome to join my crew," Shanks offered.
"What nonsense! Clover will come with me!" Hancock retorted.
"If the World Government decides to target you, you won't be able to protect him," Shanks warned.
"I'm a Warlord of the Sea because I'm strong enough!" Hancock said confidently. After all, she was one of the few women in the world of One Piece capable of using Conqueror's Haki, and her presence was commanding.
"Alright, alright, stop fighting. I'll explain things to Luffy, and after that, I'll decide what to do. I still have the right to choose, don't I? You're both powerful, but don't think I'm so weak that you can control me," Clover said, stepping out from behind Hancock.
"I'll head to the port to meet them first. See you later." Clover then leaped away toward the port.
Meanwhile, Luffy had been rescued by Dragon and successfully made it back to the Merry Go.
"Let's go, everyone!" Luffy shouted once aboard.
"Wait! Where's Clover? He hasn't come back yet!" Nami yelled, looking anxious.
"Huh?" Luffy looked dumbfounded.