Boa Hancock's eyes snapped open as she looked around and saw that Sengoku and Garp, like Tsur, were enveloped in a faint, white aura.
They gazed at her with expressions of hostility and anticipation, and seeing them, Hancock looked down at Luffy cradling a slumping Coby on the floor.
"You... I'll definitely learn how you resisted my ability one day!"
"After turning him into this mess, where do you think you're going?!"
With that, Boa Hancock said, and along with her subordinates, departed from the spot.
Luffy was about to run after her when Garp grabbed his shoulder and spoke.
"Quiet, Luffy! You couldn't even dodge that one attack—what are you proud of to be shouting so loud?!"
"Do you think I didn't notice you wouldn't help me just to test me, Grandpa?!"
"But if you were going to do that, you should've grabbed Coby from beside you and let him dodge—why leave him there?!"
"Isn't it better to test us both at once?"
"Wow... have you really not changed one bit since you were a kid?"
Just as Luffy heard Garp's words and slapped his hand away, Tsur, seated across the table, spoke up.
"It's okay, Luffy. Hancock's power will wear off soon."
"Ability? You mean she ate a Devil Fruit?"
"Yeah. The fruit she ate is the [Mero Mero Fruit], which turns anyone mesmerized by her into a puddle."
"The range of that charm power is huge. Even women can't resist—if your heart wavers even a bit at Hancock's beauty, you'll go soft and melt."
"It really will wear off soon? Right?"
"Yeah, it'll fade soon, so don't worry too much—and you don't need to be mad at Garp about it."
"Ah... okay."
Luffy looked over at Garp, who'd sat back down in his chair, arms crossed, wearing a mocking smile. While Luffy inwardly bristled, Tsur continued.
"Her older sister is beautiful too, but even I, a woman, feel a sense of awe at Hancock's beauty."
"Oh, so Coby said... younger sister? She has an older sister?"
"Yes. Her older sister is Marigold."
"Even though Marigold is her sister, the younger sister is the captain, and Hancock, as vice-captain, leads the crew under her younger sister's command."
"No, something's off... I feel like Hancock should be the eldest, and she should have a younger sister..."
"Well... Hancock has just turned twenty-something, but to me she looks young enough to be a teenager."
Something's off... but why do I feel this way?
Having come into this world remembering a manga called One Piece from his previous life, he felt the strangeness but couldn't grasp why.
The reason was that, in the original story, Hancock wasn't the youngest among her sisters—she wasn't the firstborn either—but here she was the youngest.
However, having forgotten his previous life's memories, when he learned about the differences from the original manga—like with this Boa Hancock he'd just met—he only felt it was strange but couldn't pinpoint the reason.
"Strange, huh... I'm more surprised that you're still in one piece, Luffy."
"Uh...?!"
"Even women melt at her beauty... could it be that you like men...?"
"N-No! I like women!"
"Then why didn't her ability affect you? Was there something you didn't like about her when you first saw her?"
"Ah, I thought she was really beautiful when I first saw her, though..."
After a moment's silence, Luffy spoke again.
"It's just that she was taller than me when we were right across from each other."
Tsur and Sengoku chuckled softly, while Garp doubled over, clutching his stomach, roaring with laughter.
"Why are you laughing, Grandpa? Some guys might not like a woman taller than them."
"Our grandson felt sorrow because he was short!"
"Sorrow? No, my interest just went cold."
Boa Hancock stood about 180 centimeters tall and wore shoes with roughly ten-centimeter heels.
Two years later, Luffy would grow to 190 centimeters, but at that time—just under 180—he clearly felt the height difference when facing Hancock up close.
Yeah, my heart raced when I first saw her.
But up close, seeing she was taller than me, how could my heart stay racing? It's just a matter of taste.
In the end, it's good—her pretty face makes it so much easier to accept her shattered personality.
"By the way, Tsur, is her power really so strong that the three of you have to surround yourselves with Haki?"
"I thought with your level of Haki, Tsur, you could neutralize most Devil Fruit abilities..."
"Haki is the power of will, so even a strong body can fail if the mind wavers. No matter how strong you are, if your conviction falters even for an instant, you'll be caught by her ability and go all limp."
"Even so, there should be limits if there's a power gap, right...?"
"That's what I thought too, until Kuzan faced her himself."
"Ah, that guy... he had it coming."
Luffy recalled a few days ago in the main hallway when Kuzan had spoken to a female Marine.
"Hey, pretty thing, I haven't seen you before... wanna go on a date after work?"
"Please stop that with your subordinates, Kuzan. This is workplace harassment."
"I'm not forcing it, Luffy!"
"Ever since that happened, even we get nervous around Hancock."
"It's like the perfect match for her ability ate the fruit."
"Here, I've approved all the papers, Luffy. Take them."
"Ah, thank you, Admiral. Got them."
"By the way... why are you wearing your coat like that?"
"What... is there something on it?"
"Why are your arms in the sleeves instead of wearing it over your shoulders?!"
"If you just wanted to drape it, you might as well use a cloak. Why make a coat if you're only going to hang it over your shoulders?"
"Our justice... will never fall!"
Sengoku turned, letting his coat flutter over his shoulder as he spoke.
"Who doesn't know there are buttons on the inside to secure it to your shoulders?"
"But... it's still cool, right?!"
While listening to Sengoku, Luffy tucked the paperwork into his chest and still had a melting Coby draped over his shoulder.
"Now that I've got the approved papers... what about you, Grandpa?"
"I'll hang around here a bit longer, so you go on ahead."
"I'm busy, Garp! So go bug someone else!"
"Then I'll leave before you, Admiral."
"And by the way, having your arms in the sleeves and letting it flutter is what makes a coat cool—it's a different vibe than a cloak."
With that, Luffy kicked aside the men in black suits who were still melting in the hallway at the door, just like Coby.
As he opened the door and pivoted, he let the edge of his coat billow vividly and walked out.
"That Luffy... wearing a straw hat instead of the Marine cap and mocking the justice coat..."
"What are you grumbling about? At your rank, Luffy, you're free to wear whatever hat you want."
"It's not just any hat, Tsur—it's the one he was given by Red-Haired Shanks."
"Garp, don't leave Luffy's training solely to Sakazuki. You need to make more effort as family to help Luffy become a proper Marine."
"Hmm... you have a point."
"That's not just a point—you should take that for granted..."
"Sengoku, maybe I should also start wearing my coat with my arms in the sleeves, like Luffy does?"
"Where did you hear that I said that!!!"
At that moment, Tsur smiled at her comrades' banter, while Luffy continued down the main corridor, still carrying Coby over his shoulder.
"You rotten brat! I can see exactly where you're hiding!"
"No point hiding—just clear out!"
From far down the corridor, Boa Hancock peeked out from behind a wall and called after him.
Behind her, several armed women crouched, and around them lay Marines still melting on the floor.
Ignoring her gaze, Luffy stepped forward to leave the main building.
"Now that you're outside, there's nowhere to hide! You'll have to come to your subordinates anyway, so just go!"
"This time you failed, but next time won't be like this! Everyone, let's go!"
"Yes!!!"
With that, Hancock charged straight ahead with her subordinates, and as she unleashed her ability, the nearby Marines melted and fell as collateral.
"What good is a pretty face if the personality's rotten... though hiding behind walls is kind of cute."
Watching Hancock's hiding posture and then her running charge, Luffy's hostility toward her waned just a little.
"Die... please die!!!"
"Kheeek... khek!"
Not long after they met again, Hancock had Luffy by the throat as he lay on a bed in a small room.
Luffy's eyes bulged with veins, his arms bound behind his head with thick rope, and Hancock, tears streaming down her face, gritted her teeth as she squeezed his throat.
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