The Shepherd family was incredibly powerful.
From what Black knew alone, they had one of the Gorosei and a member of the God's Knights.
But no matter how great their influence, Celestial Dragons were, in principle, equal in status.
And although the various Celestial Dragon families were not completely unified, there was no true internal strife.
Let alone a minor dispute over a slave even if they openly fought, the Shepherd family would not pursue the matter with Black.
Grothius's face darkened as he spat at Blood Axe's corpse:
"Useless trash!"
Then he turned and left the banquet hall without a second glance.
Black clicked his tongue:
"So petty, leaving already. I was hoping he'd bring out another slave so I could win a few more Devil Fruits off him."
If Black hadn't appeared, the Boa sisters would most likely have ended up in Grothius's hands.
And in that case, the Mero Mero no Mi would likely have fallen into his possession as well.
Although Black would have preferred Hancock to consume something like the Goro Goro no Mi or a Devil Fruit that greatly enhanced physical combat
If the Mero Mero no Mi remained with Grothius, who knew? He might eventually feed it to some mediocre slave.
Wouldn't that be a complete waste?
Only by placing it in his own hands could its value truly be realized.
But clearly, there was no opportunity for that now.
He could only wait for the next time.
Just as he was thinking this, Rosward had already sashayed over, covering his mouth as he laughed softly:
"Congratulations, Saint Black. These three rare slaves now belong to you."
Black came back to his senses, suppressing the disgust in his heart as he nodded:
"Then thank you, Rosward… Palace."
After a perfunctory exchange, Black left Rosward's manor with Mandy and the Boa sisters.
Once outside, he let out a long breath:
"What a torment. I keep wanting to punch that guy in the face."
Mandy's eyelid twitched slightly, but she said nothing.
Behind them, Hancock led her two sisters, following closely.
By the time they returned to the manor, it was already late at night.
Black handed the three over to Stella for arrangements before returning to his room with Mandy.
As always, there was no rush when dealing with new slaves.
Given time, their resistance would naturally erode.
The next morning, after breakfast, Black lounged in the courtyard, basking in the sun, while the Boa sisters stood neatly at his side.
They clearly hadn't rested well their expressions were slightly haggard.
Black glanced at them, raised his hand, and pointed at Sandersonia:
"I don't like you. You're far less attractive than your sisters."
"By the way, are you really related? How can there be such a big difference?"
Robin, reading nearby, pressed her lips together, long since accustomed to Black's blatant bias.
Hearing his words, the three sisters stiffened, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
They had already seen how Celestial Dragons treated slaves.
An unwanted slave could be discarded at any moment.
Black smiled faintly and beckoned Hancock forward.
Hancock gritted her teeth, gently pried her sisters' hands from her clothes, stepped forward, and lowered her head.
Black raised his hand
Under the terrified gazes of Sandersonia and Marigold
He gently stroked Hancock's silky hair.
"Whether it's you or Marigold, I quite like both of you. I just don't like her."
"What do you think I should do?"
Hancock lifted her head slightly, biting her lip. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke:
"Your Highness… please spare my sister."
Black rested his hand atop her head, idly stroking it as though petting a cat:
"Hmm… then tell Rami later to send her somewhere far away. Don't let her appear before me too often."
"Otherwise, it might affect my mood."
Hancock exhaled in relief, the tension in her body easing:
"Thank you for Your Highness's mercy!"
Her gratitude was sincere.
At least in that moment, Hancock truly believed Black was kind.
And in a sense, it was a form of psychological conditioning.
First, overwhelm the target with fear until their thinking collapses
Then offer a way out.
At that point, they stop questioning the source of their fear and instead cling to the lifeline, developing gratitude.
Following Black's words, Hancock would inevitably reach a conclusion
Sandersonia should have died, but she didn't.
Therefore, Black had shown them mercy.
A distorted, yet effective conclusion.
After the three sisters withdrew, Black took out a white Den Den Mushi and contacted Aramaki, asking about the progress of his subordinates' training.
The fastest improvements came from Enel and Lafitte.
Lafitte had successfully awakened both Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku Haki, and his combat techniques were becoming increasingly refined.
Enel was no longer the frail, skeletal figure from before— his physique had improved greatly, and he had also awakened Kenbunshoku Haki.
Capone Bege, however, was a different case.
An ambitious man like him would submit to strength, but never wholeheartedly.
He had always harbored hidden disloyalty.
Aramaki hadn't even bothered teaching him Haki, instead assigning him to use his intelligence network in West Blue to monitor the Revolutionary Army.
Hawkins was still too young.
For now, his focus remained on building his physical foundation.
After listening, Black nodded and said:
"You handled Bege well."
"Enel behaves now because your strength surpasses his."
"But if he ever grows stronger than you, his attitude will change."
"So maintain pressure. Make him fear you. Make him tremble at the mere mention of your name."
"As for Lafitte and Hawkins they're smart enough to understand the situation. Just train them normally."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Aramaki acknowledged, then continued:
"Your Highness, I have already located the Revolutionary Army's base in West Blue."
"Oh?"
Black raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
The current Revolutionary Army really wasn't doing well if Aramaki could track them so easily.
Then Aramaki revealed the location
"Your Highness, their base is in Degalt, the Giant Kingdom near Reverse Mountain."
Black froze for a moment.
He distinctly remembered using Kenbunshoku Haki when he had been in Degalt.
Yet he hadn't sensed anything unusual.
Then realization dawned.
After Akainu's pursuit, they must have abandoned their previous base and relocated there.
Mori, the West Blue commander of the Revolutionary Army, originally hailed from Degalt.
Combined with the nearby whirlpool currents, it was indeed an ideal hiding place.
Just as Black was about to order continued surveillance, Aramaki added:
"Your Highness, while observing one of their transport ships, I overheard something."
"The Revolutionary Army's East Blue commander is heading to West Blue."
"It seems he intends to help them establish an anti-surveillance communication system."
Hearing this, Black's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I remember… the Revolutionary Army's East Blue commander should be…"