Chapter 144 The Empress is lovesick, Luffy suddenly appearsThe very next day, a group of unfortunate pirates were attacked by the Kuja Pirates as soon as they emerged from the entrance to Fish-Man Island. In the fierce battle, the Kuja Pirates, desperate to save their lives, offered the shocking secret of Luffy's three beatings of Celestial Dragons and even his killing of CP0 as leverage, attempting to obtain the forgiveness of Boa Hancock, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea directly under the World Government.
The result was predictable: those talkative pirates were now frozen stone statues, sunk to the bottom of the ocean abyss.
But from that day on, Boa Hancock began a frantic search for all the deeds of this man named Monkey D. Luffy.
She discovered that this man seemed to have deliberately defied the World Government, fearlessly destroying lawless areas, utterly annihilating the human auction house that had once auctioned him off, and even completely disregarding the Celestial Dragons, daring to attack them.
The ironclad rule that no one dared to defy the Celestial Dragons, after many years, was once again shattered by this man himself.
As Boa Hancock's understanding of Luffy deepened, she, who had lived under the nightmare of the Celestial Dragons since childhood, fell hopelessly infatuated with this man she had never met. Ultimately, her lovesickness took its toll, and she collapsed on her return journey.
"Granny New! What kind of curse is this?! Wasn't that Gorgon Curse we made up just a bunch of lies?"
Santa Sonia stamped her feet in frustration, loudly questioning Granny New.
Granny New slumped to the ground, sighing deeply, "This is just fate playing tricks on us!"
Granny New slowly walked to the groaning Boa Hancock and tentatively uttered a single word: "Meng!"
"Ah!" Boa Hancock immediately let out a low groan of pain.
"Luffy!"
Boa Hancock's groans grew even more miserable and painful.
"Granny New, don't play such a joke!"
The officers, seeing the Snake Princess's condition worsening, quickly stopped Granny New's test.
"I'm not joking with you!"
Grandma New's expression turned solemn, then she clutched her forehead in anguish. "How could this have happened? This wretched, heartless curse! Or more accurately, it's a virus called 'love'!"
"A virus?"
Everyone looked at Grandma New with puzzled expressions. "You've already found a cure?"
At this moment, Boa Hancock struggled to open her eyes. Looking at the king who had once saved the country, she pleaded like a helpless little girl, "Grandma New, I feel so terrible. Am I going to die?"
Grandma New was silent for a moment, then finally nodded cruelly. "That's right. If you don't get treatment, you will die."
"What?!"
"What nonsense are you talking about! Don't make such a frightening joke!"
Santasonia and Marigold shouted at Grandma New, completely incredulous.
However, Granny New said with a serious expression, "The previous emperor died from this strange disease!"
Everyone looked at Granny New in panic, and chaos ensued.
Granny New then dropped another bombshell: "As far as I know, the emperor before that also suffered from the same disease. In fact, I also had the same illness, which is why I chose to leave the country back then, and that's how I survived."
Granny New, her face grave, said, "Marigold, go contact the Navy outside right now. Tell them it's not impossible for Boa Hancock to join the battle, but Monkey D. Luffy must come and greet her personally!"
"What? Granny New, are you out of your mind?!"
"My sister's already this sick!"
However, before the two finished speaking, Boa Hancock sprang from her sickbed with a "whoosh," as if her previous serious illness was all an act: "Quickly, get ready! I need to bathe and change!"
However, the unnatural blush on her face betrayed the turmoil within her.
Granny New, watching Boa Hancock's swift and decisive movements, was filled with disbelief: "Monkey D. Luffy, you've really struck gold! You, a complete stranger, managed to melt this eternal iceberg!"
Seeing Boa Hancock's miraculous recovery, Marigold and the others beamed with joy: "Quick, ring the alarm! The whole city on alert! Sister's getting ready for a bath!"
Instantly, deafening gongs resounded throughout the royal city.
All the residents of the city frantically fled towards the outskirts. Thick fences completely blocked the castle, and the officials sat outside with their backs to the fences, guarding against anyone who might try to enter the bathhouse.
Soon, the vast royal city was deserted except for the three Boa Hancock sisters. Marigold helped undress the Empress, and Boa Hancock, splashing water, slowly stepped into the steaming bath.
"Will Luffy really come to a place like this?"
Boa Hancock buried her chin in her chest, thinking anxiously, "He's a Marine Vice Admiral, will he look down on me for my lowly status as a pirate?"
Suddenly, Boa Hancock remembered the shameful Celestial Dragon hoof mark on her back, and despair instantly filled her beautiful face: "Yes, I'm a filthy person marked as a slave, he, as a righteous Marine, will definitely despise me from the bottom of his heart!"
The more Boa Hancock thought about it, the more heartbroken she became, her mind automatically conjuring up a melodramatic, tragic love story.
A feverish flush returned to her face, and as she felt an ever-growing chasm between herself and Luffy, her blood rushed to her head, and she was on the verge of fainting again.
Just then, a strange, transparent door suddenly opened in the air above the bath.
Luffy stepped out of the invisible door.
"Yoshi, finally Boa Hancock is taking a bath! Now all I have to do is go through the motions of the original story, and the most beautiful human in this pirate world, second only to Shirahoshi, will be mine!"
Luffy looked up smugly, his gaze fixed intently on the bath.
Just as he was rubbing his hands together, preparing to perfectly reenact the original Luffy's scene, he suddenly felt a warm, soft body rush towards him.
Boa Hancock's weak yet alluring voice reached Luffy's ears clearly: "Even if it's an illusion, I'm satisfied..."
"Huh?!"
"Huh?! Wait a minute! Ugh... Ugh!!"
Two hours later…
Luffy slumped onto a luxurious sofa, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, staring at Boa Hancock sleeping peacefully in his arms, and began to seriously question his existence.
Was he dreaming?
Did he accidentally unlock some hidden speedrun mode?
Why is Boa Hancock completely unpredictable?
Then what was the point of all that effort I put into memorizing those lines?
Looking at the glaring Celestial Dragon hoofprint on Boa Hancock's smooth back, Luffy gathered his spiritual pressure in his palm, and the green light used for healing in Kido instantly shone.
He slowly placed his palm on Boa Hancock's back, and the Celestial Dragon mark, representing endless shame, faded and disappeared rapidly before his eyes.
Although Toshiro Hitsugaya isn't a dedicated medical squad Shinigami, he's still proficient in one of the three essential Shinigami techniques: Kido, Binding, and Resurrection. Resurrection, a basic skill, is a piece of cake for him; removing a scar is child's play.
Just then, Boa Hancock, who had been sleeping, trembled slightly and slowly opened her beautiful eyes: "Am I still dreaming?"
Then she forcefully closed her eyes and then abruptly opened them again.
Boa Hancock: "..."