"You… you shaved my fur?!"
Rocket stared at the bald stripe on his head in disbelief.
"Good… very good…"
With a furious motion, he yanked out a heavy energy rifle from behind his back—one nearly bigger than his entire body.
"Looks like you ladies don't know who Rocket the Great is!"
He jumped in front of Jessica's floating camera on purpose and shouted dramatically:
"Ladies and gentlemen watching the stream! Allow me to introduce these two lovely extraterrestrials!"
"They're not some cucumber alien and cyber-baldy!"
"They are the infamous assassins of the cosmos!"
"The adopted daughters of the Mad Titan—Thanos!"
"The Butcher of Worlds!"
"They've slaughtered countless civilizations!"
"They are the devil's daughters!"
Thanos.
Earth's population didn't yet understand what that name truly meant.
But across the universe, those three syllables represented death and extinction.
And for Gamora and Nebula, that name was the deepest scar of their lives.
"SHUT UP!!"
Both sisters roared at the same time.
"Don't say that name!" Nebula's eyes blazed with fury.
A blade snapped out from her wrist as she charged forward, ignoring her wounds.
"I'm going to rip your mouth off, rat!"
Gamora also drew her collapsible sword, her killing intent surging.
The two women split apart and moved in from both sides.
"Whoa! Is this what you call good parenting?"
Rocket talked big—but his body reacted honestly.
Facing two enraged elite assassins, he executed a smooth sliding dive and hid directly behind Antony's cape.
"Hey! Big celebrity!"
"Your turn!"
"This is your diplomatic moment!"
Rocket peeked out from behind him and shouted.
Antony sighed helplessly.
"Such troublesome companions."
"I'm just a livestream host."
He stepped forward with a gentle smile and raised a hand in a graceful stop gesture.
"Ladies, violence never solves problems—"
But the sisters had already reached him.
"Move aside, cape guy!"
Gamora was still boiling with rage.
Using the momentum of her sprint, she leapt high into the air.
Her long leg swung down in a devastating axe kick aimed directly at Antony's head.
"And we still need to settle the cucumber insult!"
"Out of the way!"
Nebula's dagger stabbed forward simultaneously.
Antony sighed again.
"If you insist on being so enthusiastic…"
He didn't dodge.
He simply shifted slightly.
WHOOSH—
Gamora's powerful kick swept past the tip of his nose.
Then he turned smoothly.
Nebula's blade sliced past his chest through empty air.
Under Jessica's ultra-clear camera feed, Antony looked as if he were dancing a graceful waltz.
"Striking women isn't very gentlemanly."
"But dancing…"
He extended both hands.
"...is acceptable."
His movements were lightning fast.
SMACK! SMACK!
Two soft sounds.
He caught Gamora's wrist in one hand.
And Nebula's wrist in the other.
"…I'd be happy to accompany you."
A mischievous smile curved on his lips.
With sudden force, Antony pivoted on his heel.
WHOOOSH—!
Both women instantly lifted off the ground.
He spun faster and faster.
Soon the two sisters became nothing but blurred streaks of color—like the blades of a giant windmill.
"AAAAHHH—PUT—ME—DOWN—!!"
Their screams stretched and broke apart in the rushing wind.
On Earth, viewers watching the stream were stunned for a moment—
Then erupted in laughter.
[That move was so dirty LMAO!!]
[The difference in strength is insane! Homelander is unstoppable!]
[Human windmill technique unlocked!]
[Those alien girls are definitely going to puke.]
Antony kept spinning them for a full minute.
Finally—
He slowed to a stop.
Then released them.
THUD! THUD!
The two galaxy-level assassins staggered like drunkards who had downed two barrels of whiskey.
They took a few unsteady steps…
Then collapsed onto the ground.
Nebula's eyes spun wildly.
Gamora covered her mouth, her face somehow greener than usual.
"Alright."
Antony crouched down with a warm, harmless smile.
"Now can we talk peacefully?"
He turned first to Gamora.
With two fingers, he gently tapped the edge of her sword and nudged it aside.
"Please forgive my earlier rudeness."
"On my planet, people tend to have… unpleasant stereotypes about aliens."
"But right now, what I see before me…"
"…is a strong warrior."
"A woman trying to control her own destiny in a brutal universe."
His gaze met hers.
It felt as if he could see directly into her heart.
"I know you're angry."
"But that anger isn't directed at Rocket."
"And it's not directed at me."
"It's pain."
"You're carrying sins that were never yours to bear."
He paused.
"And your skin color—if I may be honest…"
"On my world, it's the color worn by our strongest heroes."
Gamora froze.
Her sword remained suspended in midair.
No one had ever—
ever—
spoken to her like this.
Under Thanos, she had been a weapon.
In the Guardians of the Galaxy, Peter Quill loved her—but mostly just told awkward jokes and danced terribly.
But this man…
His eyes were sincere.
The feeling of being understood and admired was like warm water flowing through her chest.
"You…"
Gamora opened her mouth.
Her cold expression softened slightly.
She slowly lowered her sword.
Even brushing her hair back awkwardly.
"You're… pretty good with words."
One down.
Antony chuckled inwardly.
Then he turned toward Nebula.
The blue sister was even more starved for affection.
He walked toward her.
Nebula instinctively tried to crawl backward, masking her insecurity with a fierce expression.
"Don't move."
Antony's voice softened.
Instead of touching her intact skin—
His fingers gently traced along the metal implant on her face.
Nebula froze.
That was the part of her she hated most.
The proof of every failure.
"Did that man—Thanos—do this to you?"
Antony's voice carried quiet compassion.
"This isn't your fault, my dear."
"These scars are proof of the pain you endured."
"But they didn't break you."
"They made you stronger."
"Tougher."
He smiled gently.
"These aren't flaws."
"They're medals of honor."
"They make you unique in this entire galaxy."
He looked into her eyes.
"May I know your name, miss?"
Nebula was stunned.
All her life, Thanos had called her:
Useless.
Failure.
Needs repairs.
Gamora had only ever said:
"I want to save you."
Or—
"I'm sorry."
No one had ever looked at her like this.
No one had ever spoken to her this way.
Recognition.
Praise.
Respect.
The things she had desperately chased—even trying to kill her sister to obtain them—
Were now given freely by this stranger.
A strange sensation surged through her.
Stronger than any electrical surge in her cybernetics.
"N… Nebula."
Her voice trembled.
Antony smiled softly.
"What a beautiful name."
"Nebula."
--------------
T/N:
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