That night, Hancock did not come out of Source Mountain.
At first, no one noticed. Only Hancock's two younger sisters found it a little strange, but they did not think too much of it. Being able to spend more time with Captain Vane was a good thing for their elder sister… Although the women of Amazon were all rather fierce, when it came to physiological knowledge, they were practically blank slates.
In truth, this was the strangest thing about the Amazon women. Even though they bore the title of a nation of women, there was no river on the island that could make someone pregnant.
They might possess the constitution to give birth to daughters, but they still required a man's help. So had the successive Empresses of Amazon Lily also taken on the part-time role of matchmakers? Finding men for the women on their ship, then bringing them back to the island after they became pregnant.
...
Inside an ice house at the top of Source Mountain.
Indeed, last night the rain had been sparse but the wind fierce; deep sleep could not dispel the lingering intoxication.
What did it mean to be a future Empress? Vane now fully understood.
Of course, to put it properly, last night he gave Hancock an intensive lesson on the physiological knowledge adults should understand! In the world of pirates—essentially a place filled with feudal nations—sixteen meant adulthood, sometimes even fifteen.
And this "student" Hancock had given this "teacher" Vane ample repayment.
The tenth Ice Fragment he desired.
He truly had Hancock assist him in cultivation; it was not purely out of lust for her beauty.
He had refrained from touching her before out of concern for possible negative repercussions. She was an exceptionally capable subordinate, and he needed her. It was not like with Galette, where using force would not matter. He could not allow himself to act rashly out of desire.
Another reason was that half a year ago, when Vane rescued Hancock from Mary Geoise, she could only be considered pretty—not stunning.
She was even inferior to Baccarat and Monet.
But half a year was enough to change many things.
In the pirate world, anything was possible. If Alvida could transform from a fat woman into a beauty in less than half a month because of the Slip-Slip Fruit,
Then Koby transforming from a short, scrawny nobody into a tall, handsome youth in about three months—like being reforged entirely—was enough to explain many things.
After half a year of recuperation, with proper nutrition, the painful marks fading away, and the support of the Love-Love Fruit,
Her beauty increased by one hundred percent, her figure improved by one hundred percent, her temperament elevated by eighty percent.
If Gloriosa were to see Hancock now, she would certainly do everything in her power to bring her back to Amazon Lily to become Empress.
Unfortunately, after today, Gloriosa would never have another chance.
"Hancock, are you awake?"
"No, Hancock is not awake."
Such an obvious lie—classic Amazon thinking. They desperately wanted to be with the one they loved, yet once something truly happened, their bodies could hardly withstand the stimulation.
"If you're still not awake, then I'm going to crawl back under the covers."
That forced Hancock to wake up. Last night had taken place under cover of darkness, and she had barely managed to suppress her urge to flee.
But in daylight, it was far too stimulating. She was afraid she might get so flustered she would kick the entire ice house down.
Watching the flustered Hancock, Vane felt thoroughly satisfied. Because of the ghost blood within him, he could see clearly even in pitch darkness. Yet appreciating the Empress's perfect figure under normal lighting was a different kind of charm altogether.
"Shall we cultivate together again today?"
"No need, I—I'll be leaving first, Vane-sama!"
"I meant proper cultivation…"
He truly meant proper cultivation, but Hancock's thoughts were clearly in chaos. With a whoosh, she dashed out of the ice house. Soon he heard the sound of Crystal Onix sliding—she had evidently "fled" Source Mountain.
Being with Hancock was always like this. No matter how far their relationship progressed, whenever they were together, she always gave him the feeling of a first love—utterly shy.
"How wonderful."
Vane clenched the tenth Ice Fragment in his palm and began absorbing the energy within.
...
New World, Hachinosu Island.
Bang! The sound of a heavy palm slamming onto the table.
"That newcomer has gone too far! Planting his flag next to mine without even a greeting is one thing—but he's brazenly stealing my business! Stealing my population!"
The one speaking was the Corrupt King Pizarro.
The setting was the largest banquet table on Hachinosu Island.
Seated around it were pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million Belly. Among them, the highest bounty belonged to the pirate sitting at the head of the table—the King of Hachinosu Island, the great pirate Ochoku.
Ochoku—wanted by the World Government for 2.4 billion Belly. Among currently active pirates, he ranked only below Whitebeard, Kaido of the Beasts, and Big Mom Charlotte Linlin.
If one included certain hidden old monsters, he might not rank so highly. Golden Lion, Dark King Rayleigh, and Scopper Gaban were merely retired or semi-retired, not dead—their bounties still hung there. They had simply faded from public memory due to years of inactivity.
It did not matter if he could not compare to those legendary figures. Ochoku himself was a semi-legendary character. Like most of the powerful pirates of today, he was a remnant of the Rocks Pirates.
He had also inherited Hachinosu Island, a place steeped in chaos, commanding the largest and most diverse group of pirate subordinates… Any pirate who came to Hachinosu Island was considered his subordinate by default.
In a losing battle, it was hard to say how things would go. But in a favorable situation, he was absolutely the type who could rally a hundred responses with a single call.
Pizarro, with a bounty exceeding 400 million Belly, ranked relatively high among Ochoku's "subordinates." His words warranted attention.
Ochoku slowly spoke, "What happened, Pizarro? What newcomer is giving you such a headache?"
A female pirate with an ugly face sneered, "Next to his Carnival Island is a Sleeping Island. It used to be empty. Now it's become that Nation-Slayer's territory."
"More than half the business on his Carnival Island has vanished. Even that fellow, the Shipping King, moved his transit warehouse away! What's even funnier is that Nation-Slayer's men are going onto Carnival Island and snatching population."
The female pirate who spoke was Crescent Moon Hunter Catarina Devon. Like Pizarro, she would later become one of Blackbeard's crew and escape from Impel Down in the future.
At present, her bounty was just over 300 million Belly—lower than Pizarro's, yet the highest among the female pirates present.
Logically, someone like her should have been a role model for female crew members. In reality, however, Crescent Moon Hunter was loathed by all female pirates.
Because of her own ugly appearance, she envied beautiful women. No matter who they were, if a beautiful woman fell into her hands, she would subject them to brutal torture and slaughter.
Some female pirates considered themselves attractive, and naturally wanted nothing to do with Crescent Moon Hunter. Associating with her would imply they were not beautiful—and no one was willing to admit that.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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