"Wait a moment. Let me make a call and ask."
Dante pulled out a Den Den Mushi, dialed, and barked into the receiver, "Get Lilith on the line."
A moment later, the snail's shell shifted. Short, choppy orange hair sprouted from the top, and the creature grinned playfully.
"Hey, Boss! What do you need? Let's get one thing straight: I still don't want to set sail and become a pirate right now~"
"We're talking serious business here," Dante snapped, ignoring the scientist's teasing. "Do you still have that secret medicine from yesterday?"
"Yeah. Made quite a bit of it. What's up? Did you get leverage on another pretty female pirate?"
Dante scowled at the snail in his hand. Could she watch her mouth? Didn't she see Hancock's two sisters glaring at him, their eyes radiating danger?
"Do you still want your funding or not? Someone is standing right next to me," Dante warned, his jaw tight. "Act professional."
"Yes, sir." Sensing the shift in his tone, Lilith instantly sobered up. "Boss, what are your orders? Please go ahead."
"Two clients came by, Hancock's younger sisters."
"Sorry, Boss, I misunderstood you. Got it, I'm free anytime," Lilith added after a brief sigh of disappointment. "The usual?"
"The usual. Get ready to take clients right now. And behave yourself."
Without waiting for a reply, he hung up. He turned back to Hancock with an easy smile.
"Don't mind Technician 02 being a bit unreliable, her skills are top-notch."
Before Hancock could respond, Dante continued, "It'll probably take a little while. Once she's ready, she'll call back. Of course, if you're in a hurry, your two sisters can head over early and wait. Rest assured, it's still free. Also, our side would like to discuss some cooperation with the Amazon Lily Kingdom."
He didn't mention the Kuja Pirates, he specifically said cooperation with the nation.
Hancock frowned slightly. "Cooperation?"
Dante pulled a document from his drawer, placed it in front of her, and smiled. "We heard that Amazon Lily possesses its own secret Haki technique. So, we'd like to hire a few instructors to teach our trainees."
Sandersonia and Marigold tensed immediately. Marigold glared at him in outright anger.
"You've got some nerve. Of course you have ulterior motives. The audacity to covet Amazon Lily's secret technique, knowing full well that is the very foundation of our nation."
Amazon Lily had maintained its stability in these chaotic seas not merely because of its geographical advantage and the strength of every Empress, but also because of their exclusive Haki training method. Every single warrior in the country possessed Armament Haki. Although the new Marine warships were gradually stripping away their geographical advantage, Marine HQ still wouldn't dare make a move against them without absolute certainty.
"Big Sister, he..."
"Shut up," Hancock snapped coldly.
"But Big Sister..."
"I said, shut your mouth. I am the Empress of Amazon Lily. Are you preparing to make decisions for me?"
"I... sorry."
"You and Sandersonia go wait over there now." Hancock waved her hand impatiently. "I have my own plans."
At her strict command, Sandersonia and Marigold bowed their heads. Worry gnawed at them, yet they obeyed.
Just outside the main doors, the sisters exchanged a deeply resigned glance.
"Big Sister, what is going on?" Marigold asked, her eyes wide with worry. "Does he really have something on her?"
"Don't talk about Sister behind her back. We must trust her," Sandersonia scolded gently. "Sister is our Empress."
"I know, but... fine. I should believe her." Marigold sighed heavily. "Let's go to that Romance Dawn... and see what this secret is."
Back in the reception room, silence descended once they left. Dante rubbed his chin, sighing inwardly.
'Sure enough... Was it too direct?'
He debated mentioning the economic advantages of their cooperation. Suddenly, Hancock spoke.
"I can agree to your terms."
Dante paused, caught entirely off guard. Before he could respond, she continued.
"I just want to ask you one question." Her voice trembled, layered with deep conflict. "I hope... you won't deceive me."
"What question?"
"How did you know about my..." Hancock glanced at the others present. She fell silent for a moment before forcing the word out. "Secret."
She stared at Dante, earnest and fearful, waiting for his answer.
"Secret?" Dante frowned in genuine confusion. "What secret?"
Hancock's face froze. Then, an unbidden, joyful smile broke across her delicate features. She signed her name directly on the document.
"There really is no secret. I... thank you." She resumed her haughty expression and stood smoothly. "I agree to the cooperation. Rest assured, after I return to my country, I will arrange for obedient subordinates to come over. You can make any requests to me then. Now, I must leave to handle some private matters."
She turned toward the doors. Just as she reached for the handle, his voice stopped her cold.
"The brand on your body has been removed. I hope the brand in your heart can be removed too, Hancock."
Hancock's footsteps stalled. The corners of her mouth curled upward into a genuine smile. "You're right. There is no brand."
With that, she swayed her graceful figure, reclaiming her proud, regal demeanor, and walked out.
Only after she left did Dante pick up his hot tea and take a sip.
"It seems... the cooperation is a success."
"That was unexpectedly smooth. Boss, what leverage do you actually have over her?" Viola asked.
"What leverage? This is entirely based on my sincere cooperation."
"Alright. I have seen Boss's sincerity." Though curious, Robin did not press further. She smiled warmly. "By the way, Zephyr-sensei came looking for you specifically this morning. He seemed very angry and told you to go to him immediately. I wonder if Boss's 'sincerity' can calm his anger?"
After hearing Robin's warning, Dante had initially planned to hide for a few days. On second thought, though, if he ran now, wouldn't that tell Zephyr he'd known about the fruit's problem from the start? And if Zephyr found out, wouldn't he get a brutal beating?
So, he decided not to hide.
Since he'd heard the old man had gone to Laboratory Island, probably to ask Vegapunk if he could change the color, Dante headed straight there. He had just used his facial scan to unlock the heavy laboratory doors. The moment he stepped inside, he caught Zephyr's irritated voice and Vegapunk's somewhat helpless reply.
"Can you really not change the color? Didn't you create this fruit?"
"Sorry, this was a failed product to begin with, so I never handed it over to the World Government. I didn't expect you to actually eat it."
"Is there really no way?"
"Just think about it... even if it's a failed product, the color is quite nice, isn't it?"
"This color... I'm an old man, I cannot lose respect."
While the two talked, Dante casually called out from behind them.
"What color? Zephyr-sensei, what color is making you lose respect?"
The moment the words left his lips, Zephyr froze. Hearing that familiar voice while seeking Vegapunk's help, the old man spun around. An embarrassed, furious glare locked onto his former student.
"You damn brat, finally out,-"
"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Dante asked, his expression perfectly tense as he stared at his mentor. "After hearing from Robin that you had a problem, I rushed right over. Zephyr-sensei, what exactly is the issue? Can Vegapunk fix it? Last night I heard a dragon's roar, could it be that something went wrong after you ate that artificial fruit? Ah!"
He slapped his thigh hard, his voice ringing with exaggerated regret.
"I knew it. There might be something wrong with this fruit. I really should have stopped you, Sensei."
He looked at Zephyr with deep worry, speaking anxiously. "What is the problem? Can it be solved? Don't worry, you don't have to be afraid. I will definitely help you find a way. If it really comes down to it, I'll get Trafalgar Law back here, and we'll directly swap out the problematic part."
That anxious tone and tense look made Zephyr fall silent. He had been fully prepared to settle the score with Dante. But seeing the kid's worried face, his original irritation vanished in an instant. A slight warmth touched his hardened heart.
He sighed, patting Dante's shoulder heavily. "Don't be nervous. There's no problem, it's just a minor issue."
Thinking about it, it was indeed his own choice back then. No one else had eaten this artificial fruit, so how could Dante have known there would be a problem? He really shouldn't blame the kid. At this thought, Zephyr felt even more guilty. He was an old man, how could he let these kids worry about him?
And speaking of which, apart from the stability being slightly off and the color having a few issues, this Devil Fruit was actually incredible in other ways. After eating it, he could clearly feel his vitality had massively improved.
"Sorry for making you worry."
"Is it really no problem, Sensei?" Dante still looked at him with wide-eyed worry. "If there is a problem, don't hide it from me. Just say it directly, it's good for us to figure it out together."
"No problem, no problem, you don't need to worry! Hahaha, it's my fault for making you worry."
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