In truth, Luo Xing didn't only want to shake the Pirate Empress's hand.
He wanted to pull her into his arms.
But he had no intention of being abrupt with such a beauty.
Hancock's childhood experiences had forged her into someone who appeared cold and unyielding on the surface, yet deep inside possessed an extremely fragile heart. Her pride, her restraint, her dignity—everything about her was exquisitely sensitive.
He couldn't rush things.
Otherwise, it would only backfire.
So—
Even while holding that soft, creamy-smooth hand of hers, Luo Xing merely gave it a light squeeze before letting go.
He said calmly,
"There are too many eyes here. Let's talk after we get on the island."
Hancock nodded obediently.
A faint blush spread across her flawless face, her heartbeat racing wildly.
Although this was the first time she had seen Luo Xing's true appearance, she was certain at a single glance—
This was the man from her dreams.
Her heart pounded like a startled deer, dizziness washing over her.
Only after biting her lower lip did she barely manage to calm herself.
She ordered the rest of the Kuja Pirates to remain on the ship, bringing only her two sisters, Marigold and Sandersonia.
Unlike the others—who were still shocked and full of confusion—the two sisters quickly pieced things together from Hancock's reactions, Luo Xing's voice, and the aura around him.
"So that's what the man beneath that demon mask really looks like…"
Almost simultaneously, the same thought arose in their minds:
"Big sister is completely doomed this time."
Their emotions were mixed.
They were glad—his strength, status, and appearance were more than worthy of their sister.
But they were also worried.
Because Luo Xing already had a wife.
And not just anyone—
The daughter of Kaido of the Beasts.
Luo Xing and Hancock walked side by side onto the island.
The onlookers along the shore were burning with curiosity about his identity.
But before anyone could dare approach him—
Several massive bolts of lightning suddenly crashed down from the sky.
Along with a mocking voice:
"You insignificant mortals dare offend the young master?"
It was Enel.
The crowd turned pale in terror.
Lightning—power that resembled divine punishment!
They never imagined that a mere subordinate beside this man possessed such horrifying strength.
No wonder the world's most beautiful woman treated him so intimately.
This man was absolutely someone extraordinary.
Fearfully, the crowd hurriedly retreated.
Three Cybertron giants descended, standing behind Luo Xing alongside Zoro and Enel.
Hancock's two sisters stared back and forth in shock—first at the mechanical giants, then at Zoro and Enel.
They were familiar with all the famous elites of the Beasts Pirates—the All-Stars, the Flying Six.
But these two clearly weren't among them.
From the lightning Enel had just unleashed, his strength was undoubtedly terrifying.
The Beasts Pirates truly hid dragons and tigers within.
And the man who commanded such monsters so effortlessly—
How terrifying must he be?
A troubling thought even crossed their minds.
Would their sister… suffer if she stayed with him?
That possibility alone made them uneasy.
A bizarre scene unfolded on the Sabaody Archipelago.
At the front walked a stunning man and woman shoulder to shoulder.
The man was handsome yet unfamiliar.
The woman—peerlessly beautiful and known to all—was none other than the world's most beautiful woman.
Behind them followed Hancock's two sisters and two towering men.
Those two men were equally strange in appearance.
One had green hair and carried three swords at his waist.
The other was pale gray all over, his expression arrogant, his gaze toward others resembling that of a god looking down upon mortals.
At the very back trailed three enormous machines.
Their pitch-black metal frames and gaping cannon barrels sent chills through anyone who looked at them.
Even on the ever-crowded, anything-goes Sabaody Archipelago—
Such a procession had never been seen before.
From hidden corners and upper balconies, countless curious gazes focused on them.
Whispers spread quietly.
"Who is that man? How can he walk so close to the world's most beautiful woman?"
"That green-haired one and the gray-skinned guy… their auras are terrifying."
"And those three machines—what are they supposed to be?"
Everyone was dying of curiosity.
Yet no one dared approach.
Because earlier, some fool had merely come within a hundred meters—
And was instantly roasted into charcoal by lightning from that gray-skinned man.
No one dared act recklessly again.
On the upper floor of a tall restaurant—
A pink-haired woman was stuffing her face with food at an astonishing pace.
Not far from her sat a middle-aged man in black, a cigar clenched between his teeth.
Staring out the window at the procession, he said,
"Want to follow them and take a look, Jewelry Bonney? That group isn't simple."
The woman was one of the Worst Generation—Big Eater Jewelry Bonney.
The man beside her was another supernova—Capone 'Gang' Bege.
Bonney snorted.
"What, even a scumbag like you has fallen for the world's most beautiful woman?"
Bege sneered.
"No. Compared to her beauty, I care more about the fact that she's a powerful Warlord."
"Besides… that man is the real key."
Bonney burst into laughter.
"Hah! That's exactly what I was thinking. Let's go see what kind of monsters they really are!"
With just a few words, the two supernovas formed a temporary alliance, quietly trailing far behind Luo Xing's group.
Elsewhere—on a rooftop—
Four supernovas stood together.
They were Scratchmen Apoo of the Longarm Tribe, the magician Basil Hawkins, the Sky Island monk Urouge, and former Marine rear admiral X. Drake.
Apoo laughed first.
"As expected of Sabaody—the mandatory stop before the New World. Warlords, mysterious men, giant machines… this is getting interesting!"
Urouge said calmly,
"You're interested in them? Then I advise you to drop that thought."
"That gray-skinned man—if I'm not mistaken—should be the god of the sky islands."
Urouge was himself from the sky.
Though not from the same island, he had traveled across many sky islands and had seen Enel's portrait—heard his infamous name.
Apoo's expression changed slightly.
"A god? That terrifying?"
"Then the man who made even a god submit… how terrifying must he be?"
"That's exactly why I'm telling you to stop," Urouge replied.
Unwilling to accept it, Apoo turned to Hawkins.
"Hey, Hawkins, you can tell fortunes, right? If we clash with them—what are our odds?"
Hawkins slowly rotated several tarot cards before him.
Suddenly, his pupils shrank.
Shock filled his face.
"Chance of victory: zero."
"That's impossible… Did I miscalculate?"
He recalculated again.
And again.
The result never changed.
At last, terror overtook his expression.
His voice turned hoarse.
"Victory rate: zero."
"Survival rate: zero."
"Escape probability… also zero."
The moment those words fell—
Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Three zeros.
That was far too terrifying.
Apoo forced an awkward laugh.
"H-Hey, Hawkins… you fortune-tellers aren't always accurate, right?"
While the others were shaken, X. Drake felt his heart pound violently.
A name surfaced in his mind.
The Beasts' Son-in-Law.
The Fifth Emperor—Luo Xing.
As a secret Marine agent, Drake knew far more classified intelligence.
He recognized those three Cybertronians—
The very same ones who had annihilated ten Pacifistas at Punk Hazard.
There was no doubt.
The man who had drawn the Pirate Empress close—
The man who made a sky god bow his head—
Was very likely the mysterious Fifth Emperor, Luo Xing.
Drake instantly realized—
This was a golden opportunity.
Luo Xing's bounty had already reached three billion Berries.
And the reward for capturing him alive was an astonishing five billion.
He stood alongside the Four Emperors and Dragon as the World Government's greatest enemy.
"Whether it's him or not, I must report this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"He needs to dispatch an admiral immediately."
Having made his decision, Drake moved without hesitation.
"Hey! Drake, where are you going?!" Apoo shouted from behind.
Drake didn't look back.
"I'm going to test those people myself."
"If you cowards are scared, then hurry up and run!"
He said it deliberately—to provoke them.
The Worst Generation were threats to the World Government as well.
If an admiral came and wiped them all out together, even better.
As expected, Apoo, Urouge, and Hawkins were all stirred by the provocation.
None of them wanted to be labeled cowards.
After a brief discussion, they decided—
"Let's observe things in Sabaody first."
"If the situation changes… we'll slip away."
Silently, the storm over Sabaody began to gather.
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