This commotion finally startled Hancock.
She suddenly opened her eyes and, seeing Granny Zaz's dazed expression, screamed sharply, then, both ashamed and angry, threw the nearby lamp over:
"Guloliuosa! How dare you! Who allowed you to intrude into my bedchamber on your own?"
With her other hand, she hastily tried to hide the newspaper behind her, but due to her large movements, the newspaper accidentally slipped from her hands and fell to the ground.
Granny Zaz reflexively looked down.
Dominating much of the front page was a picture of a young man with black hair looking condescendingly at the world. He was undeniably handsome, even Granny Zaz, who had weathered countless storms with Rocks, had to acknowledge.
But.
Why is the head in this photo covered in lipstick marks???
Beside it, there were childish scribbles like "Hancock♡Lord Shano."
This, this, this, when exactly...
"Get out!!!"
Hancock was at her limit, angrily kicking Granny Zaz out the window, then slammed the window shut heavily, leaning against it with her chest heaving.
Covering her burning cheeks, she slowly slid to the ground, her eyes unconsciously falling again on the newspaper.
"Honestly, what am I even doing..."
Hancock murmured softly, but her fingers uncontrollably brushed Shano's face in the photograph, her gaze turning dreamy again.
"Oh my, Lord Shano♡~"
If only Lord Shano could suddenly appear, and kick her a few times like she kicked the old lady, wouldn't that be great...
————
Fishman Island, Dragon Palace Kingdom.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
In the Dragon Palace City's grand hall, the Left Minister rushed in, holding the latest newspaper, "Big news! Huge news!"
King Neptune was entertaining guests, and upon hearing this, looked up in surprise: "What's got you so flustered?"
"Look at this!" The Left Minister tremblingly presented the newspaper.
"This..." King Neptune barely glanced before jumping up in shock, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Lord Shano's courage is truly immense?
Could it be...
That my old suspicion, my conjecture about Joyboy, is true?
The guest across also took the newspaper, read it, felt equally shocked, but remained silent for a long time.
"Jinbe?"
King Neptune finally recovered, noticing the other's odd reaction, couldn't help asking, "What's gotten into you?"
Indeed.
The guest in Dragon Palace was none other than Jinbe, one of the current Seven Warlords of the Sea, "Sea Hero" Jinbe.
"I..."
Jinbe opened his mouth, his adam's apple bobbing before speaking with a complex expression, "Your Majesty, there's something I've never disclosed to you, when the Endgame passed Fishman Island, I was actually secluded in the Sea Forest, aware of the Endgame's arrival, yet I kept hiding, avoiding them."
King Neptune was taken aback: "You were on Fishman Island at that time? Why were you avoiding them?"
"This is a long story."
Jinbe clenched his fists tightly, sighed deeply, "Back then, in a moment of folly, considering kinship and comradeship, I agreed to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea as a condition for the Navy to release Ah Long from Impel Down."
"After parting ways with me, Ah Long wreaked havoc in the East Sea, according to my investigations, several towns on the Konomi Islands were destroyed at his hands, many citizens suffered deaths and injuries, enduring undue pain."
"Coincidentally, Lord Shano, not only was born in the East Sea, his hometown is right around the Konomi Islands..."
Ah Long, ultimately, indeed met his end at Shano's hands.
But at the time, the boy was only thirteen or fourteen, wasn't he?
At first, surely, he couldn't compare to Ah Long, who knows how much suffering he endured seeing friends and family pass away before him, the pain to protect his home, protect his family, eventually led him to succeed.
The origin of everything...
It's all because I freed the demon!
Jinbe's gaze darkened, even though it happened many years ago, the guilt and regret still felt like a thorn stuck in his heart, impossible to remove.
When the boy arrived at Fishman Island.
He wanted to apologize in person, but felt too ashamed to face him, thinking he wasn't even worthy of apologizing, also fearing that if the cause was revealed, the boy's resentment might spread to all of Fishman Island...
"Is that so?"
After listening, King Neptune pondered a moment, suddenly burst into laughter: "Jinbe, oh Jinbe, you're underestimating Lord Shano too much!"
"Your Majesty?"
Jinbe looked up in confusion.
"Do you think that Lord Shano would bear such old grudges and then target the fishmen?"
King Neptune snorted, pointing at the newspaper headline, "This is a man who dared to kill a Heavenly Celestial Dragon, dared to openly declare war on the World Government, what spirit! How would he care about a mere Ah Long? And how could he direct his anger at Fishman Island? If he truly hated the fishmen, when he passed by, he would have easily wiped out Dragon Palace City!"
"Exactly, Jinbe."
The Left Minister also leaned in quietly:
"From what I've heard, among the highest officials of the Endgame, there's a fishman named Jack, if Lord Shano were really like those racial discriminators, harboring hatred for us, how could he utilize them so profoundly? Ah Long's actions were his own fault, why keep associating it with yourself!"
Having high moral standards is exhausting in this world!
"..."
Jinbe looked at the newspaper, remaining silent for a long time.
Suddenly he stood up, bowed to King Neptune and the Left Minister: "Thank you, Your Majesty, and Minister for enlightenment, indeed I judged him by my own inferior standards."
"However, Lord Shano may not mind, but I must overcome this hurdle in my heart."
He raised his head, took a deep breath, gazed towards the direction outside the hall:
"I will set off now, to the Endgame territory, to apologize personally to Lord Shano, also if he doesn't despise it, the Sun Pirates under my command are willing to join the ranks of Endgame, contributing to his cause."
It's good to move forward, that's how it should be.
King Neptune chuckled, stroking his beard.
——————
Time flew by and seven days had passed since the Heavenly Celestial Dragon execution event on Shampodi Islands.
Seven days.
Neither too long nor too short.
But enough to leave the sound of shattered chains in the hearts of thousands, and enough to crack the divine authority walls built over eight hundred years in the Holy Land, starting from the base.
Even though the World Government tried their best to suppress public opinion.
But without a doubt, that slash in Shampodi has successfully cut open a rift into this ocean.
Its influence far exceeds everyone's expectations.
The blood of the old order is flowing, the fire of the new generation is burning.
Everyone knows, no matter where the future leads, this ocean, in the days to come, will never be calm again...
——————
"Damn, damn, damn!"
Bartolomeo knelt on the ground, slapping his face furiously, crying bitterly with a swollen, red face, yet continued relentlessly, the more he cried the more heartbroken:
"I'm such a fool! A super fool! I missed the live broadcast of Lord Shano executing the Heavenly Celestial Dragon!"
All because seven days ago, he drank himself stupid at that barbecue restaurant!
Resulting in being caught on the spot by the Navy's so-called Peacekeepers.
Though his underlings managed to rescue him, by the time he woke it was already the second morning.
Thus perfectly missing that world-shaking grand performance, and missing the chance to join Endgame at that moment.
What kind of excuse is this!
Only you, this fool, could've missed it!