"Boss, I..."
"Someone, Kuma, escort him back to the-"
"Let go! I'm letting go right now!"
"Speak."
Mock released his grip with an ingratiating smirk. Dante sat back down. He noticed Viola walking through the door and ignored his subordinate entirely, fixing his gaze on the operative.
"Never mind, you tell me. How did he get released, Viola?"
They had been ready to smash ships, and the prisoner was just let go? That was a 2.5 billion berry bounty walking freely through his door.
"Boss, that's Hancock showing her gratitude." Viola offered a pointed look and a bemused smile. "To thank you, the captain heard the East Blue Overlord had a beef with us and just handed him over to me."
She was shocked herself. She never expected that after Hancock returned from Romance Dawn, she would release a massive bounty without a second thought. When Viola met Mock earlier, neither of them knew what to say. In the end, they pretended not to know each other, and she had Mock escorted straight back.
Viola smiled in resignation and shook her head, looking at Dante with blatant curiosity. "So, what's the secret? What did Lilith do? Can you tell me?"
"Didn't you look?"
"Because you said it was a secret, I didn't look."
"That's her secret. Since you didn't see it, forget it." Dante mused for a moment, firmly refusing to reveal the truth. Spreading it around wouldn't be right.
"So... to show her gratitude, she just gave him to me? How does she act like a proper captain? That's a 2.5 billion berry bounty."
"Is Boss feeling sorry for her? True, she is the Most Beautiful Woman." Viola looked at Dante with a teasing expression. "What about me? I've worked so hard for so long, and I don't make you feel as bad for me as she did on her first day?"
"No." Dante spread his hands, ignoring Viola's teasing. "The East Blue Overlord is in our hands now. Do we release him, or do we cut him down?"
The room fell into a heavy silence.
"Boss..." Mock looked up with a pitiful expression. "I'm still right here."
Scratching his head in embarrassment, Mock added, "Oh, right, um... those snake women... especially the green one, she seems to doubt my strength. What should I do now?"
"That's normal. With a bounty that high, getting captured instantly, anyone would doubt you."
"Boss~"
"Alright, he's released. We'll solve the other problems later. Vegapunk is preparing to upgrade your armor anyway." Dante waved his hand, dismissing Mock's whining. "Consider these next few days a vacation."
"Awesome! I haven't had a day off in days. Romance Dawn..."
"By the way, keep your head down. Don't go to Romance Dawn for now. The Kuja Pirates are right here."
Mock's excited face instantly fell, and he stared at his Boss in sheer despair.
He couldn't go anymore?
Seeing that crestfallen look made Dante's heart ache just a little, so he forced himself to look away. He turned to Kuro and Kuma, preparing to officially announce the end of the rescue operation.
"By the way, Boss," Viola interrupted smoothly, a knowing smile on her lips. "Hancock said she will come to thank you in person tomorrow."
"Big Sister, why did you hand the East Blue Overlord over to them?" Marigold looked at her sister, who sat on Salome's coils propping her chin with her right hand. "That is a 2.5 billion berry bounty. And Sandersonia is right, even if we don't want him, we can't just give him away. No matter what, Rayleigh is our savior."
"That's right, Sister," Sandersonia agreed.
Hearing her sisters, a brief flash of conflict crossed Hancock's face.
"I heard that the East Blue Overlord has a huge grudge against Dante," Sandersonia continued. "If Rayleigh finds out we gave his captive to Dante, he will probably be furious. Furthermore, Mock is the Pirate King's orphan, so this could also provoke the wrath of the Pirate King's remaining crew."
"Big Sister!"
Only the three sisters occupied the private quarters, allowing Marigold and Sandersonia to speak much more freely than they would before the rest of the crew. But their noisy chatter grated on Hancock's nerves.
"Shut up."
The sharp snap of Hancock's voice tore through the room. She fixed her two younger sisters with an impatient glare. "Are you questioning my decision?"
The two immediately recoiled.
"No." They shook their heads quickly, faces twisted in bitter regret. After exchanging a nervous glance, they hurriedly insisted they held no dissatisfaction.
"Enough. I have made my decision. If that old coot Rayleigh comes asking, I will explain it to him myself." Hancock waved a dismissive hand. A brief silence followed before she looked at them again. "Tomorrow, both of you will go to Romance Dawn for me. I will negotiate with Dante in person."
Negotiate what?
Marigold and Sandersonia stared at their older sister in confusion. Marigold, having already visited Romance Dawn, looked even more bewildered.
"Sister, what are we going there for? Sleeping there is worse than sleeping on the ship. And they charge ten million berries just for a simple night's sleep, it's a total rip-off."
"Ten million berries for a night's sleep?" Sandersonia asked.
"Sandersonia, you didn't go, so you don't know. They claimed it was free, but they actually charged us ten million in the end. There's really nothing special there, just a foot soak. It was so boring," Marigold complained. "They even said our foot soak was free, but because Big Sister got a beauty treatment and used some secret skincare product, they charged us that much. Big Sister is clearly so beautiful, why would she need that kind of thing? That man must be scamming..."
"Shut your mouth."
Hancock's face turned icy as she cut Marigold off. "Dante did not scam me. I did use it."
Ignoring her utterly bewildered siblings, Hancock waved her hand impatiently. "I order you to go tomorrow. Now both of you leave. I am tired."
"Big Sister... yes."
Facing their sister's sharp gaze, the two quickly lowered their heads. They accepted the strict order and respectfully withdrew from the room.
Once the heavy door closed, Marigold muttered with a deeply resentful expression, "Damn it, what did that bastard say to Big Sister?"
Hancock had clearly hated him so much in the beginning, so why had her attitude shifted so drastically?
Back inside the quiet room, Hancock looked towards the ceiling. 'So, how did you find out my secret?'
Dante had been busy all night and woke late the next morning. By the time he reached the reception room, the Kuja Pirates were already waiting. Perhaps he was tardy, or perhaps these pirates simply despised men, but the crew glared the moment he walked in.
The stout, brown-haired Marigold shot him furious looks, as if he had personally swindled her captain. The heavily built Sandersonia merely scrutinized him with a deep frown.
Conversely, Hancock showed a noticeable shift in attitude today. Even though her crew's demeanor was hostile, Dante smiled apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, I'm a bit late. Last night, a weird sound came out of nowhere and startled me."
"You actually showed up this late? Do you know Big Sister waited,-"
Before Marigold could finish, Hancock interrupted coldly. "Shut up."
She waved her hand, dismissing the rest of the crew and keeping only her two sisters by her side. She looked at Dante, a faint smile gracing her lips. "I have not been here for long myself."
Hearing that he had not lied to her, she felt a strange trace of joy. "I heard that sound last night as well. Did a Sea King wander into these waters? Do you require my assistance?"
"Ah, I've already found out what happened." Dante refused politely. "It's nothing major, no need."
Where did a sound come from? It was definitely Zephyr eating the artificial Mythical Zoan fruit. How was the old man doing after eating it? Was he pink too? Dante kind of wanted to see.
"That, I..." Hancock looked at Dante, fell silent for a moment, and then said softly, "I wish to purchase two more... spa packages."
"Oh, the spa package?" Dante snapped back to reality. Seeming to realize something, he looked at the two sisters beside her. "Is it for your sisters?"
Hancock blinked, then frowned, her dark eyes locking onto his. "How do you know about my sisters..."
"...That's not the point." Dante's eyes widened. He cut her off, ignoring Robin and Viola, who were watching with keen curiosity nearby. A sigh escaped him. "Sure enough... even though you seem cold and arrogant, you're still a very gentle and caring older sister."
Sandersonia and Marigold's expressions stiffened instantly. Sandersonia frowned, while Marigold watched with barely hidden satisfaction. As younger siblings, they knew full well that, for various reasons, Hancock absolutely hated being called gentle to her face. She was the Empress of Amazon Lily, and a Empress only needed to be ruthless. Marigold smirked, clearly entertained. This man was in serious trouble.
"I, I..." Hancock's cheeks flushed bright red, but she gave a stiff nod. "Because I am the older sister."
This unprecedented reaction left Sandersonia and Marigold completely dumbfounded. Big Sister, what is going on with you?
"Big Sister, you..."
"Shut up!"
Big Sister was truly Big Sister. Ignoring her stunned siblings, Hancock scolded Marigold, then looked back at Dante. She seemed to regain her cold, empress-like demeanor. She hesitated a moment before saying, "That beauty spa..."
===============
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