Chapter 496: Hancock's Glaring Double Standard
The sky was beginning to pale; the long night was finally drawing to a close. Even Yakumo Ran found herself breathing a quiet sigh of relief, struck by just how truly endless the night had felt.
Yakumo Yukari mused with a hint of emotion, "This entire night has been a parade of people from your world, Nami. It's quite remarkable, really. A full-blown pirate gathering... wait... a Marine showed up... Eh? Could that Marine be a pirate, too? An undercover agent, perhaps?"
Ace's mouth twitched. "An Admiral going undercover? Just what kind of organization would be powerful enough to warrant that?"
Yakumo Yukari nodded in agreement, her curiosity then shifting. "What did Shopkeeper Ren give you to read? You're completely absorbed."
"A manga!" Ace exclaimed, his eyes still glued to the pages. "And let me tell you, this author is incredible! I never saw a development like this coming!"
Lucifer glanced over, then leaned closer to Ren, whispering conspiratorially, "Is that the one where the main heroine dies, and the protagonist immediately falls for that promiscuous second female lead?"
Ren gave a subtle nod. Lucifer's lips tightened into a thin line. "Then it's the one... Looks like Ace is single. And at this rate, he probably won't be finding a girlfriend anytime soon."
Ren chuckled softly. Nami, overhearing their hushed conversation, looked up from her drink. "What book are you guys talking about?"
Lucifer leaned in and whispered a quick summary into Nami's ear. A look of pure disgust immediately crossed Nami's face. "The heroine must have been blind, and the hero is clearly sick in the head. Isn't that just nauseating? Any woman who chooses a man like that is setting herself up for a lifetime of misery."
"As expected of Nami! Well said!" Lucifer nodded in vigorous agreement.
"Speaking of which," Nami added, a thoughtful frown creasing her brow, "what's Zoro doing? He still hasn't shown up. You don't think he got injured and passed out somewhere, do you?"
Lucifer tilted her head. "You don't sound very worried."
"I'm not," Nami said with a dismissive wave. "Zoro's the type who could bleed out completely and still not die, so there's no point in worrying. I was just thinking that I won't be able to come here during the day. If I have to wait for him, a whole day will pass here, which means a month will have gone by back home."
"Then just stay here," Lucifer suggested casually. "Anyway, we're almost at twelve people. Once the time is synchronized, you won't have to deal with such an absurd time difference anymore."
"That's true... Huh?! Is it getting bright again?!"
At Nami's exclamation, everyone turned their heads toward the entrance—everyone except Ace, who was at a critical point in his manga, completely invested in the fate of the questionable hero.
Ren turned, and before a word could leave his lips, his gaze was caught by a single, impossibly long leg stepping over the threshold. The sight made everyone's mouth twitch in unison. A moment later, Boa Hancock strode into the tavern as if she owned it.
Lucifer tilted her head, a deadpan expression on her face. "So, should I say 'see you in a few hours'or'see you in a few days'?"
Hancock paid her no mind. A radiant smile bloomed on her face as her eyes locked onto the shopkeeper. "Mr. Ren! This concubine has returned! Though we have been apart for a few days, this concubine has missed you terribly!"
Just as Ren was about to respond, he saw a man follow Hancock inside. The moment he laid eyes on the newcomer, Ren paused, a flicker of recognition in his eyes, before a warm smile spread across his face. "Mr. Rayleigh. It seems time has certainly left its mark on you."
The man, the Dark King Rayleigh, let out a hearty laugh. "Shopkeeper Ren, it's been many years! Hahaha! Ha... Ace?!"
Rayleigh's sudden exclamation made everyone, including Hancock, freeze. The Pirate Empress glanced over, her eyes widening in disbelief. "Ace? The man the entire world has been frantically searching for is here with Mr. Ren?! Has Mr. Ren saved someone else again? How magnificent!"
A collective twitch ran through the room, Ren included. In the short time she'd been gone, Hancock's fawning seemed to have reached new heights of absurdity.
Rayleigh saw Ace hunched over a book, his expression a mask of pure, tense concentration. He walked over and gave the boy a light rap on the head. "You brat! The whole world is going mad looking for you, and you're just sitting here reading a book?!"
Startled, Ace looked up and saw Rayleigh. Before he could form a sentence, the old pirate let out a heavy sigh. "Fortunately, you're alright. But how do you plan on getting back? If you show your face out there now, your next stop will be Impel Down."
After Ace quickly recounted the events that had led him here, Rayleigh fell silent. He trusted Shakky's sixth sense, and he had a deep-seated trust in Ren as well. Even if a passage between worlds were to open, it wasn't something just anyone could stumble through, so he had no reason to fear.
Hancock, on the other hand, was practically vibrating with excitement. "Is it true?! After the worlds connect, will Mr. Ren be able to come to this concubine's side as well?! Oh, that is wonderful!"
Lucifer rolled her eyes so hard they nearly got stuck. "What are you so excited about?"
"That way, this concubine can come see Mr. Ren anytime, and Mr. Ren can also come see this concubine anytime!" Hancock declared, her cheeks flushed. "It is simply wonderful! This concubine will always be ready to welcome you!"
Her words left everyone, even Ren, momentarily stunned. She really is a strange one.
Rayleigh breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear. Luffy is currently on Hancock's island. Ace, you and I will head back together in a bit. As for Nami... you should probably stay here for now."
"Eh?! Why?!" Nami protested.
"Because, if all goes as planned, I'm going to be training Luffy. You all should take this time to rest and learn a few new things as well."
Nami nodded slowly. Just as he'd mentioned before, it was now coming to pass. She turned to Ren, her expression pleading for refuge.
Ren smiled reassuringly. "There's plenty of space upstairs. I'll help you pick out a room during the day."
Compared to Nami's relief, Hancock looked as if she'd just been sentenced to death. She clenched her fists, glaring daggers at Nami while gritting her teeth. Damn it! It's not fair! I want to stay, too!
Rayleigh chuckled. "Enough of that. It's almost morning. Shopkeeper Ren, could I just get some simple dishes to go with my sake? And a few bottles of that fine stuff, if you please."
"Of course," Ren replied, then turned his gaze to Hancock. "And what would you like to eat, little girl?"
"Little girl?" Hancock repeated, tilting her head.
Rayleigh shot her a strange look, but before he could comment, Hancock's head whipped around, her adoring expression vanishing, replaced by a glacial mask of contempt. Her voice, once sweet as honey, dripped with venom. "Rayleigh! Only Mr. Ren is permitted to call me that! If you dare say it again, see if this concubine doesn't kick you to death!"
Rayleigh chuckled awkwardly, wisely choosing to say nothing more. Hancock immediately turned back to Ren, her face once again a perfect picture of demure affection. "As long as it is a dish made by Mr. Ren, this concubine will eat anything at all!"
"Alright," Ren said with a nod. "Then you all find a place to sit."
Hancock nodded eagerly, obediently finding a seat at a nearby table before falling silent. Rayleigh glanced at her, and just as he was about to speak, he was cut off by her sharp command.
"Rayleigh! Go away!"
His mouth twitched. "I wasn't planning on sitting at your table anyway... But Hancock, you really are..."
"Hmph?! Is there a problem?!" she snapped, her eyes flashing with menace.
"No, no..." he surrendered, backing away.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]