Chapter 488: I'm Not Called 'Hey', I'm Perona
Just as Boa Hancock was venting her myriad dissatisfactions, a small, elderly woman scurried into the room. She stopped short, startled by the sight of the three sisters, before crying out in a terrified voice, "Snake Princess?! Where have you been?!"
Sandersonia and Marigold were about to warn her not to provoke their sister when Hancock's sharp voice cut through the air. "How did you get here?! And what business do you have with this empress?!"
"Snake Princess! You... huh?!" The old woman's eyes widened, her gaze fixed on the backs of the two younger sisters. "Sandersonia! Marigold! Your... your brands?!"
After Sandersonia calmly explained everything, the old woman stared in utter disbelief. "I can't believe it... The shop that Rayleigh and Shakky mentioned actually exists. If I didn't know your situation firsthand, I would never believe such a tale was true!"
"Old Hag! Are you suggesting that Mr. Ren is some kind of fabrication?!" Hancock snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously.
Sandersonia and Marigold both covered their faces with their hands, a sense of weary resignation washing over them. They had seen this coming.
The old woman frantically waved her hands. "I have always believed in the existence of that shop! But we can talk about that later! Sandersonia, Marigold, that man... he has woken up!"
"Huh?!" the two sisters exclaimed in unison.
Hancock, however, was merely startled. She asked with a confused tilt of her head, "What man? A man has infiltrated this empress's country?!"
Once Sandersonia recounted the circumstances, Hancock scoffed dismissively. "Then simply deal with him according to our laws. Does such a trivial matter truly need to be reported to me?!"
Marigold quickly interjected, "Sister-sama! But... Elder Nyon, why have you come all this way?"
Elder Nyon held up a newspaper, slapping it for emphasis. "Because I believe that you, Snake Princess, will not wish to punish this particular man. He is the one who struck a Celestial Dragon on the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Even so... huh?" Hancock's tirade stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes narrowed. "He struck a Celestial Dragon?"
Elder Nyon nodded grimly.
A thoughtful silence descended. After a moment, Hancock asked, a flicker of curiosity in her voice, "What is his name?"
"Monkey D. Luffy!"
Hancock mulled over the name, her brow furrowed. "Luffy... Luffy... Could it be Nami's captain?! Bring him here at once!"
"Right away," Sandersonia replied, turning to make the arrangements.
Before long, a young man covered in scars was escorted into the chamber. Hancock's gaze swept over him once, and she let out a faint, almost imperceptible sigh. 'As expected,'she thought,'he is nowhere near as handsome as Mr. Ren.'
"Are you Luffy?" she asked aloud, her tone regal.
Luffy nodded, a wide, guileless smile spreading across his face. "Yeah! Who are you?"
"This empress is the ruler of Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock. Before you speak further, I ask you this: was it you who struck a Celestial Dragon on the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Luffy's smile didn't falter. "Yeah! That Celestial Dragon was bullying my friend, so I hit him!"
"There truly are such fools in this world..." Hancock murmured, a strange mix of disbelief and something else in her voice. "What happened next? Continue."
Luffy tilted his head, recalling the event. An annoyed expression crossed his face. "Then I got surrounded by the Marines and was sent flying all the way here. Is there a problem?"
"You... do you know a woman named Nami?"
At the mention of the name, Luffy's entire demeanor changed. His eyes lit up with surprise and then sheer joy. "Of course I know her! Nami's my navigator! She got sent flying, too. Before that, she was always spacing out when we were talking, I don't know what she was thinking about. Do you know where she is?!"
Hancock let out another soft sigh. "This empress naturally knows of her whereabouts. Rest assured, Nami is in a very safe place. She will return when your crew gathers once more."
"Really?! That's great!" Luffy beamed, his relief genuine and overwhelming.
Hancock tilted her head, her gaze appraising him. "Since you struck a Celestial Dragon, and you are also Nami's captain... you may remain on this island to recover from your injuries before you depart."
"Mhm, mhm! That's awesome! I thought I'd have to keep running!"
"Sandersonia, Marigold, please make the arrangements."
"Yes, Sister-sama!"
As Sandersonia approached, Luffy looked at her and tilted his head. "I remember you. You're really amazing!"
Sandersonia sighed internally. He truly was a simpleton. Still, she found that such a hot-blooded fool was not an entirely bad person.
Suddenly, a thought struck Luffy, and his expression turned to one of confusion. "Eh? That mark on your back from before..."
Sandersonia turned around, presenting her unblemished back. Luffy stared, his head cocked in puzzlement. There was nothing there.
A gentle smile touched Sandersonia's lips. "That was just an imprint left by something pressing against my skin for too long."
"Eh?! Hahaha! You can get an imprint like that? That's really something! But," he added, scratching his head, "that mark looked a lot like the one on my friend's head."
"Your friend?"
After Luffy explained, Hancock let out a long, weary sigh. "What a coincidence indeed. That is the mark of the Sun Pirates. Very well. This empress is tired and wishes to rest. Sandersonia, Marigold, take him to a guest room and see to his needs."
Once they had all departed, Hancock snatched a nearby pillow, her knuckles white as she gripped it. "Damn it all!" she hissed through gritted teeth. "This empress wants to stay there too! Those enviable women! It's infuriating!"
On the other side of the world, Zoro had also woken up long ago, only to find himself being relentlessly tormented by a young girl. He was on his knees, his face a mask of humiliation. This woman was cheating!
He could still remember the moment he came to. As he tried to move, he saw the girl floating beside him. After a series of heated arguments, Zoro finally growled in frustration, "Where is this place?"
"This is the old castle on Kuraigana Island!" she chirped.
"Hey, woman. So, where is this?"
"What do you mean, 'woman'?!" she shrieked, stamping her foot in the air. "My name is Perona! Perona! Not 'hey'and not'woman'!"
Zoro rolled his eyes. "No difference. So where is this?"
"I said it's Kuraigana Island! Are you deaf or just stupid?!"
"I don't know where that is!" he roared back.
"Hmph..." Perona took a deep, theatrical breath. "This is..."
She was about to speak when Zoro cut her off. "This is your castle?"
"Of course not! Who would live in a dreary place with no soft beds and no cute plushies?! Don't interrupt! This is Hawk-Eyes' island! This castle is also Hawk-Eyes' castle!"
"Oh... Eh?! Hawk-Eyes?!"
Perona sighed dramatically. "That's right. I was also sent here by Kuma. Hey! You! What's wrong?! Why are you running again?!"
"To find Hawk-Eyes!" Zoro shouted over his shoulder.
"He's not here!" she yelled back.
Zoro skidded to a halt, turning to glare at her. "You could have said that all at once!"
"You didn't ask!" she retorted, sticking her tongue out.
Zoro took a steadying breath. "In that case, then I'll..."
"Hawk-Eyes told me to tell you," Perona interrupted, floating closer. "Once you woke up, you're not to go anywhere. Just wait here. The reason... seemed to be something about... Ren..."
Zoro froze. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face. "Ah! It's Shopkeeper Ren! In that case, I'll wait. But Nami should have already gone to the shop, right? If one month here is one day there... Hmm! I can get some good rest!"
"What one month and one day? What Shopkeeper Ren?" Perona demanded, her curiosity piqued. "What are you and Hawk-Eyes talking about?"
"That's not something you need to know right now," Zoro said dismissively, settling down to meditate.
"Damn it! And I even saved you! You two are so annoying!" she screeched, her face contorting with frustration as she pointed a finger at him. "Negative Hollow!"
As the ghost flew towards him, she let out one last, piercing cry of indignation.
"I'm not called 'hey'! I'm Perona!"
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