Seeing Sakazuki fall silent again, Sengoku shook his head. "Though we have to set them aside for now, we still need to stay vigilant. As for what comes next..."
He looked back down at a document concerning Marineford's reconstruction progress. The public execution had exposed a great many problems within Marine HQ. Because of this, the base would undergo large-scale renovations.
Take the inland river that led straight into the heart of the fortress, for example. If the Whitebeard Pirates hadn't suddenly surged up from the ocean floor, Marine HQ probably still wouldn't have realized they had such a critical vulnerability.
Marineford had only just begun to recover. Naturally, proposals to relocate the Headquarters surfaced entirely. Many argued that the base's flaws had been laid bare, and staying here no longer intimidated reckless pirates. But after deep contemplation, Sengoku refused. Maintaining the status quo was an achievement in itself, given the devastating losses they suffered. Intimidation was no longer the issue. Moreover, he would not remain in this position much longer. Rather than relocating now, it made more sense to wait for stability and let the next Fleet Admiral decide. Whether that successor maintained the status quo or chose to relocate, that was entirely up to them. For now, preserving the current situation mattered most.
Sengoku glanced down at a separate document from the World Government. A satisfied smile touched his lips, but it vanished instantly when his thoughts shifted to the intelligence delivered that morning.
"What is Hancock doing suddenly running off to the East Blue?"
--**--** A soft moan escaped her lips. Immediately, a cheerful voice echoed through the bright room.
"You're awake? Your surgery was a complete success!"
Hancock jolted wide awake. She snatched a loose bath towel, draping it over her curvaceous front, and glared with sharp vigilance toward the source of the voice.
Before she could demand an answer, the stranger spoke again.
"Still groggy? Please calm down. I was only just born, and I'd rather not drop dead so soon. Do you remember where you are?"
Though her words expressed fear, Lilith smirked, leaning right into the stunned pirate's personal space.
"Oh, right. Can you tell me what you dreamed about? You sounded like you were having a terrible nightmare."
A faint blush touched Hancock's delicate cheeks, but she suppressed it instantly, resuming her aloof demeanor.
"It was merely a boring dream."
"Why not tell me? I'm quite curious. Don't worry, once I get back, I'll delete this mem-... Eh, if you insist on refusing, then never mind."
Seeing danger flash in Hancock's eyes, Lilith hastily changed the subject. She pulled out a large mirror, angling it sideways so Hancock could see her own back even while turned.
"Your spa package is complete. Are you satisfied? This is a medicine formulated specifically for you. It penetrates deep into the skin to strengthen the foundation, rejuvenates the skin, enhances your skins softness, and elasticity. It leaves everything smooth and supple, with a completely natural feel. Of course, if you feel it's too clean and want a tattoo, I can do that for you too. The fee is quite reasonable."
Hancock ignored the rapid-fire sales pitch. She turned to look at her graceful back in the mirror and completely froze.
"What..."
Smooth and flawless, without a single mark. The natural feel made Hancock reach out, gently touching the spot on her back where the brand used to be.
Gone. It was truly gone.
She quickly covered her back again, falling silent as she stared at the scientist before her
"Th... thank you."
"Don't thank me. Are you satisfied?"
Hancock merely nodded.
"Looks like you are. In that case..." Lilith smiled brilliantly and made a polite gesture. "Can I get your payment?"
Hancock stared blankly. Payment for what?
"Visit again? Who'd ever come back to this rip-off joint! They actually charge ten million just for one night's sleep? Sister, why did you pay? Did he threaten you?"
"Shut up."
Hancock had already reached the doorway. She shot her youngest sister a cold glance. "I was not threatened," she stated flatly.
A mere ten million berries. That was all.
She had fully expected Dante to use the secret to threaten her, maybe even control her. If he had, she was prepared to turn him to stone and sink him to the seafloor, even if it meant dragging him down with her. Yet it only cost ten million berries.
Hancock found it entirely unbelievable. Being swindled like an ordinary tourist just left her deeply frustrated.
What kind of sick sense of humor did he have? If he were only after money, she definitely wouldn't have come. She clearly came because he subtly threatened her.
"What? Do I need your permission to spend my own money?"
"I, I... no, I don't!" Marigold's face flashed with panic, and she quickly lowered her head. "I was just worried about you, Snake Princess."
After all, her sister had acted incredibly strange ever since stepping onto this island and meeting Dante. Having grown up with her sister and experienced so much trauma together, Marigold knew exactly why Hancock put on the facade of an arrogant tyrant.
"I do not need your worry. I am the Empress of Amazon Lily. I do not need anyone's worry."
Hancock's expression softened slightly. She turned her head away, though her tone remained brisk. "Hurry up and move."
"Yes!"
At Hancock's command, the crew of the Kuja Pirates quickly fell in behind their captain, walking back toward the Perfume Yuda.
Nearby, Viola followed silently, keeping out of the pirates business now that her escort mission was complete. Based on what she had just seen, Kuro had already pulled out of his infiltration. After sneaking onto the Perfume Yuda and briefly observing the ship's layout and the prison, he made an immediate retreat upon spotting Sandersonia.
The middle sister was squatting right in front of Mock's cell. Even with Kuro's stealth skills, breaking Mock out silently right in front of a skilled Haki user was impossible. They couldn't just assassinate her, and besides, the Pirate Empress was heading back now.
Viola stared in quiet awe at the arrogant captain. Truly a magnificent woman, and a fearsome pirate to boot.
Just as Viola watched her, Hancock seemed to notice the scrutiny. As if recalling something, she stopped in her tracks, looked at the former assassin, and declared haughtily, "I heard your Boss has a grudge against the East Blue Overlord?"
"East Blue Overlord..." Viola blinked in surprise at the sudden question but quickly recovered her polite smile. "It's just a small disagreement, that's all."
"Is that so? East Blue Overlord..." Hancock paid no mind to her cautious answer. A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes before she made a decision, her face turning blank. "Is currently in my hands."
Viola maintained her smile, though her mind raced. What was she planning?
"Boss, it's done!"
"Good work."
"Not at all, Boss... about our funding?"
"Approved. Increased."
"Boss, you are far too generous! If I didn't want to stay in the laboratory to do my experiments, I would have jumped into the sea to become a pirate and repay you long ago."
"No, that won't be necessary."
Dante scowled, pointing at the doorway to wave off the nonsense-spouting scientist. Even if she was a clone, she was still Vegapunk. He didn't need her false gratitude.
Rejected by her boss, Lilith sighed in exaggerated disappointment before skipping happily out the door. Funding in hand, she headed straight for the laboratory.
"Oh, right!" Dante called after her. "Tell your main body that since the clones are finished, don't forget about the Institute of Science and Technology."
"I know!" Lilith threw back a casual response without turning her head, continuing on her way.
Dante shook his head in resignation. True to form for Vegapunk, as long as there was funding for research, nothing else mattered. They had agreed on the Academy of Science earlier, but back then, Vegapunk was only one person with zero free time. Now that there were five extra clones, sending one over occasionally to teach should work fine. He had entrusted the core teaching materials to Vegapunk a while ago as well.
Dante looked up at Kuro, who had just returned to the office. "How are things over there?"
"The situation is clear. As for Mock, aside from being a bit hungry, there are no other problems," Kuro reported smoothly. "But the Kuja Pirates are keeping an extremely tight guard on him. They even arranged for someone to watch over him personally. Sandersonia."
He shook his head, an edge of frustration in his tone. "Unless we assassinate everyone, there's no way I can quietly extract Mock."
"Is that so?" Dante rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Looks like we'll just have to smash the ship when the time comes."
Should they make a bigger hole? They could just place an order for a replacement ship at their dock while they were at it.
"Smashing the ship..." Kuro frowned. "On the seafloor... I might not be able to do that cleanly."
"Don't worry, I'll figure something out." Dante waved off his concern. "Anyway, the Kuja Pirates probably won't leave that fast. The negotiations aren't finished yet, there's no way they'd let Hancock run off so soon. It's just..."
He sighed. "Looks like Mock will just have to suffer a bit longer."
Before he could finish the thought, a familiar booming voice suddenly echoed from the doorway.
"Boss, I'm back!"
Immediately after, a burly figure charged right over and tightly wrapped his arms around Dante's waist.
Crying buckets of snot and tears, Mock wailed, "That scared me to death! Boss, that place was full of stone people! If that green-haired woman hadn't persuaded their Captain, I thought I'd never see you again! I really suffered, I feel like I've been terrified out of my mind! You have to give me one month off for this!"
Everyone in the room looked down, completely dumbfounded at the sobbing figure.
Wait... How was Mock back already? And what kind of stunt was Hancock pulling?
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