Chapter 198 Hancock, Dragon King, 5 Billion
"Sister?"
Sandersonia and Marigold quickly noticed their sister's unusual behavior and immediately became tense.
Although they had escaped Mary Geoise, they still felt unsafe.
Moreover, this place was very close to Marine Headquarters and Mary Geoise, and they had heard that Celestial Dragons frequently appeared here.
Hancock seemed not to hear them.
Sandersonia and Marigold slowly turned their heads, and a familiar figure came into view, stunning them.
Knowing they recognized him, Aoki said, "We meet again! Congratulations on regaining your freedom!"
Almost every Celestial Dragon had several slaves with them. He had killed the Celestial Dragons and their bodyguards, but he hadn't harmed the slaves.
Of course,
he hadn't rescued them either.
Mainly because he didn't have the ability.
Even in his "Ultimate Form," he could only barely protect himself.
In such chaotic circumstances, it was extremely difficult for these three girls to overcome numerous difficulties, escape Mary Geoise, and arrive at the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Thank you,"
Hancock said, her expression somewhat excited.
Seeing their filthy appearance, Aoki thought for a moment and said, "You probably have nowhere else to go. If you'd like, come with me!"
They were, after all, "acquaintances," and since they'd run into each other, there was no reason to ignore them.
Besides, the three knew his identity; keeping them around would avoid unnecessary trouble.
Hancock followed without hesitation.
She didn't trust anyone now, except this man.
Sandersonia and Marigoldvi were completely subservient to her.
Aoki asked, "What are your names? Where do you live? How did you get captured and brought to Mary Geoise?"
"My name is Boa Hancock…"
"Wait!"
Aoki stopped abruptly upon hearing the name and looked at the girl beside him.
Wary and apprehensive, her face was full of unease, and she looked like a frightened fawn.
Hancock?
She was that proud and domineering pirate empress, Boa Hancock?
He hadn't recognized her at all before.
Although she was dirty, upon closer inspection, one could indeed see that she was extremely beautiful, with a flawless face.
Judging by the timeline, Fisher's ascent of the Red Line and his rampage in Mary Geoise shouldn't have happened until next year.
At this point, Hancock was indeed in Mary Geoise.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, please continue."
Although Hancock was somewhat puzzled, she didn't dwell on it: "These are my sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold. We are both from Amazon Lily. Three years ago, we were captured and sold to the Celestial Dragons."
Speaking of this experience, intense hatred and fear involuntarily flashed in Hancock's eyes.
"What a coincidence,"
Aoki thought to himself, then changed the subject, not wanting to provoke them further.
He first bought each of the three a change of clothes, then led them to the hotel.
"Boss, one room, I want the best one."
The boss lazily looked up: "Twenty thousand Berries."
Aoki took out a dish of money from his pocket, pulled out two bills, and handed them over.
The boss reached out to take them, but just as he touched the money, his hand suddenly trembled, as if burned, and he quickly withdrew it.
"Hmm?" Aoki looked at him.
The boss was covered in cold sweat and said cautiously, "I'm sorry, sir, I was blinded by greed. Please come in."
"You know me?"
Aoki looked at his expression.
The boss said, "I know you, no, I don't know you. I don't know anything about you. Don't worry, I will absolutely not reveal any information about your whereabouts!"
Just as Aoki was about to say something, he suddenly noticed the newspaper on the table, with a picture in the middle—himself in his dragon form.
"Can I have this newspaper, sir?"
The shopkeeper hurriedly replied, "Of course, of course! Please take it!"
Aoki tossed down the money, picked up the newspaper, and led the three Hancock sisters upstairs.
The hotel was luxurious.
It was the most upscale hotel on the street.
After letting the three sisters wash up, Aoki sat on the sofa and opened the newspaper.
The front page headline was a shocking one: "Dragon King Wreaks Havoc in Mary Geoise, A Tragedy for the World's Nobles. "
His gaze lingered on the headline for two seconds before he began to read carefully.
The news was simple: it was about what happened in Mary Geoise yesterday, even specifically mentioning that more than ten Celestial Dragons had died in the chaos.
"This is really trying to stir up trouble for me. But to report even this, Morgans is incredibly bold. Isn't he afraid of the Celestial Dragons coming after him?"
Aoki smiled.
He knew he was about to become famous.
He didn't mind.
Fame was something invisible and intangible, but extremely useful.
Haven't you seen how Buggy, relying on a false reputation, rose all the way to the position of one of the Four Emperors?
Being an enemy of the Celestial Dragons brings many troubles, but also many benefits.
Most ordinary people in this world deeply resent the Celestial Dragons.
Aoki put down his newspaper and picked up a piece of paper.
It was a wanted poster.
In the center was his half-body photo, a slight smirk playing on his lips, a somewhat cold smile.
Below was a long string of numbers, starting with a "5" followed by nine "0".
Aoki counted twice.
That's right.
It was indeed five billion!
A bounty of five billion on his first appearance on a wanted poster—who else could do that?
However, he wasn't surprised; in fact, he felt it was a bit low.
Bounties weren't linked to strength, but rather to the level of threat posed to the World Government.
His strength might not be that high yet, but what he had done had completely crossed the line for the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.
He had thought the World Government would just give him a massive bounty.
Of course, five billion was still pretty good, roughly equivalent to several of the Sea Emperors.
Aoki was generally satisfied with the bounty, but he had strong objections to the title.
"Dragon King?"
Aoki's lips twitched.
Who came up with this title?
If you don't know the name, you don't have to write it!
Especially considering his cold smile on the wanted poster, it made him almost lose his composure.
Creak.
The door opened.
Aoki looked up.
Three girls walked out.
Aoki turned to look, a look of admiration on his face.
Hancock wore a long red dress, her hair flowing freely, her fair face flawless.
Although she was only fifteen, she already possessed a beauty that could topple kingdoms.
Aoki had experienced four worlds together and seen countless beautiful women, but purely in terms of appearance, none could compare to Hancock.
The Love-Love Fruit was originally just an ordinary Paramecia-type Devil Fruit; if it were exceptionally rare, the Celestial Dragons wouldn't give it to her just for entertainment.
However, with Hancock's stunning beauty, the Love-Love Fruit surpassed its inherent limits.
(End of Chapter)