The atmosphere in the Kuja prison didn't just feel cold; it felt 'Frozen'. Boa Hancock's presence was a physical weight, a 'Pressure-Wave' that made the very air vibrate with her absolute authority. Behind her, the two Gorgon sisters, Marigold and Sandersonia, loomed like ancient titans.
"You... a mere man... claim to know the secret of our past?" Hancock's voice was like velvet wrapped around a razor blade. She tilted her head back in her signature pose of extreme arrogance, looking down her nose so far she was practically looking at the ceiling. "Do you have any idea how many 'Bugs' I have crushed for less than a whisper of such lies?"
Amine felt a bead of sweat roll down his temple. His Golden Stylus was a grey, lifeless stick in his belt, but his brain was still 'Processing' at maximum speed.
"It's not a lie, Empress," Amine said, his voice raspy but steady. He looked her straight in the eyes—a move that made the surrounding Kuja warriors gasp in horror. "I don't just know the 'Mark'. I know the 'Log-Files' of the day it was burned into your skin. I know the fire of Marijois. I know the man who saved you... Fisher Tiger."
CRACK!
The stone floor beneath Hancock's high heels splintered. Her calm, arrogant mask shattered into a million pieces of raw, primal fear and rage.
"Silence!" she shrieked, her hand glowing with the pink light of the Mero Mero no Mi. "I will turn your very soul into dust!"
"Wait, Sister!" Sandersonia stepped forward, her snake-like tongue flickering. "If he knows of the Sun Pirates... he might be a spy from the World Government. Or worse... a 'Source' we can't ignore."
Amine took a deep breath. This was the 'Glitch' he needed. "I'm no spy. I'm a Scholar of the Void. I see the world as it truly is—a series of 'Events' and 'Errors'. And right now, Hancock, your 'System' is failing because of fear. But I can 'Rewrite' it."
He struggled to stand up, his chains rattling. "I can't remove the physical scar yet... my 'Tools' are broken. But I can give you a 'Firewall'. I can teach you how to mask your 'Signature' so that no Celestial Dragon can ever track you again."
Hancock paused. Her eyes, usually filled with disdain, were now searching Amine's face. She didn't see a man looking at her with lust—which was the 'Default-Setting' for 99% of the world. She saw a man looking at her like a 'Complex-Problem' he was determined to solve.
"You speak in riddles, Scholar," Hancock whispered, stepping closer. The scent of jasmine and danger filled Amine's nose. "But your eyes... they don't turn to stone. Why?"
Amine managed a weak, bloody grin. [INTERNAL NOTIFICATION: Logic-Shield at 1%.]
"Because I've already seen the 'Ending' of this world, Empress," Amine replied. "And in that ending... you aren't a slave. You're the 'Admin' of your own fate."
Hancock stood silent for a long moment. Then, she turned to her sisters. "Take him to the 'Peak-Infirmary'. Give him the finest medicines of the Kuja. If he heals and proves his words... he lives. If he fails..."
She leaned down, her lips inches from Amine's ear. "...I will make sure your 'Deletion' is the most painful event in the history of the Grand Line."
[NOTIFICATION: REPUTATION WITH 'BOA HANCOCK' – LEVEL: UNSTABLE.]
[OBJECTIVE UPDATED: REPAIR THE GOLDEN STYLUS.]