Chapter 196: The Celestial Dragon's Mark

Chapter 196: The Celestial Dragon's Mark

The night was pleasant. A faint silver light scattered, making the sky under the moon as transparent as a cicada's wing.

The lights of a thousand homes on Kuja Island were lit, yet the palace was eerily quiet.

In the deep rear hall of the palace, the three sisters stared intently at the figure in the coffin-like wooden box, on the verge of death, its limbs pierced and nailed to the wooden board with daggers.

Hancock gritted her teeth, her face grim. Her five fingers gripped the snake pet beneath her so tightly that it couldn't help but show a pained expression, yet it dared not make a sound.

A trace of anger, terror, and extreme hatred showed in her eyes. She stared at the other for a long time before finally forcing out a few words from between her teeth.

"Close the lid!"

"Ah, yes."

The green-haired second daughter, Sandersonia, came back to her senses and hurriedly picked up the wooden lid of the long box, slamming it shut with a bang.

This had been brought over by the female warriors, who said it was a meeting gift from the Straw Hat crew. Out of curiosity, Hancock had taken a look.

But she had never expected that the so-called gift would be a living Celestial Dragon!

There was also a note attached, with only a few simple strokes, and no complimentary words.

'The World Government probably thinks he's already dead. You can do whatever you want with him; it won't implicate Kuja. If you don't like it, just give it back. Don't waste it.'

There wasn't even a signature, but from their meeting today, Hancock guessed it was Roronoa, because his cold demeanor seemed like that of someone who would say such things.

It was normal for her to guess wrong. Zoro was always very cold. Reiner was different, only relatively cold towards his enemies.

Hancock slowly stood up and walked outside in silence.

"Where are you going, sister?"

"Nami and the others are at the bathhouse, right?"

"Yes," Marigold replied, hurrying to catch up.

In the bathhouse, the Straw Hat crew and the members of the Kuja were getting along very well, talking and laughing about their respective adventures.

Usopp, who had been extremely shy at first, was also boldly boasting about his achievements.

"Let me tell you! At that time, Reiner was almost killed by Crocodile! At that critical moment, this great me fired the key shot that turned the tide of the battle!"

Usopp said with a smug expression, making a gun gesture with his hand and gesturing vividly, drawing countless admiring gazes from those around him.

A group of maids pushed several carts, successively bringing fruits, vegetables, and specialty foods.

At the edge of the hot spring, Reiner was soaking with most of his body in the water, leaning against the rough stone wall with Luffy, Chopper, and Brook, all ability users.

"Although my whole body is weak, it's really comfortable."

Brook had a folded towel on his forehead and was leaning his head back with a look of enjoyment. "My heart is about to melt in the hot spring. Although I am a skeleton and have no heart, yohohohoho~~."

"What a strange ability, to be able to live with just a skeleton."

Gentian sat in the hot spring next to Reiner, curiously sizing up Brook. Seeing the maids bringing food, she waved for them to push it over.

"Oh! There's good food to eat in the hot spring!"

Luffy's mouth opened wide in excitement, drool almost dripping out. "Sanji was right! This is simply paradise! Hahaha!"

Before the cart could even arrive, he couldn't wait and stretched out his hand to grab the food.

Before the surprised eyes of the maids, he stuffed a huge piece of Sea King steak into his mouth, puffing out his entire face.

Gentian watched with amazement. "Can all men stretch and shrink, getting bigger and smaller, like Lord Luffy?"

"Ahem, you're not wrong to say that, but it's limited to certain parts."

Reiner explained sheepishly, "Luffy is an exception. He's a rubber man who ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi."

"So that's how it is," Gentian said, curiously reaching out to pull Luffy's cheek and play with it for a bit.

She then took some food from the cart behind her and handed it over with a smile. "Lord Reiner should try some too. This is our Kuja specialty, Sea King cuisine."

Located in the Calm Belt, Kuja Island had almost no way to trade with the outside world due to its geographical location.

All kinds of resources were extremely scarce, and they could almost only rely on the pirate crew's plunder to supplement them. Only food was never in short supply here.

The valiant and battle-hardened women were all powerful warriors who had mastered Armament Haki. The Calm Belt, full of Sea Kings, was their natural hunting ground.

"Speaking of which, you guys are really amazing."

Even Zoro couldn't help but sigh. He had been deeply shocked when he learned that all the warriors here could use Haki.

"You are the ones who are truly admirable."

Gentian lit a cigarette and chuckled. "I didn't expect you to have just caused a ruckus in Impel Down. Are you going to Marineford next?"

"Of course!"

Luffy spoke with his mouth full of meat, his words muffled. "I will definitely save Ace!"

"Counting the time, we probably have to set off tomorrow afternoon."

Reiner looked up at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, then turned his head. "The clothes are in the changing room. Give me one."

"Mm, then you all should relax well tonight."

Gentian smiled and nodded. She subconsciously reached for her cigarette case and found it empty, then took the cigarette from her mouth and handed it over directly.

"You've also been to a sky island, right? Can you tell me what it's like there?"

"Me, me!"

Chopper hurriedly jumped onto Reiner's head, his hands waving excitedly as he shouted, "At that time, we went up on the Knock Up Stream! There were lots of amazing shells there..."

In the depths of the bathhouse, in a small hot spring surrounded by a screen, Nami and Perona were soaking with most of their bodies in the water.

Also leaning their backs against the stone wall to support their weak bodies from being submerged, Robin sat on the edge of the hot spring, wrapped in a bathrobe.

"It seems very lively outside," listening to the commotion outside, Nami sank down, leaving only her head above the water, and spoke faintly.

Seeing her expression, Robin smiled and asked tentatively, "Do you want me to help you see what they're doing?"

"No, I don't care about him," Nami turned her face away, feigning indifference.

"I said 'they'. Who did you say?"

Robin teased, making Nami's face turn red in an instant.

"Ojos Fleur!" (Eye Flower)

As Robin closed her eyes and activated her ability, a pair of eyes immediately grew outside the screen, taking in the entire scene of the bathhouse.

Sanji's eyes were heart-shaped, his face flushed red, surrounded by a group of girls. He looked completely infatuated and was already on the verge of fainting.

The others were basically leaning against the edge of the hot spring, talking and laughing with the Kuja people, but they were just chatting and eating.

"Quite unexpected."

Robin retracted her ability, looked down at Nami, and chuckled. "Confirmed safe."

"Don't do unnecessary things, Robin. I'm not that kind of person."

Nami spoke faintly, sinking her mouth below the water, leaving only the top half of her head exposed. Bubbles gurgled from the surface of the water in front of her.

Just then, several figures walked in from behind the screen. Robin looked over; it was the Hancock sisters.

"Hancock?"

Splash!

Seeing the newcomers, Nami was puzzled and stood up, revealing half of her body.

After all, the other was the empress of a country and had graciously hosted their crew. A bow was still necessary.

"Miss Nami, don't mind me. I'm just here to soak in the hot spring."

Hancock raised her hand to stop Nami. Before the shocked eyes of her two sisters behind her, she actually undressed without any hesitation, revealing her body.

Fair and smooth skin, a slender and almost perfect figure outlining that incomparably beautiful jade body. Even Robin and the others couldn't help but show a trace of a blush on their faces.

But the two sisters behind her had looks of terror!

"Sister?!"

"The mark will be!!"

"It's alright," Hancock said calmly, interrupting the two of them. Before the puzzled eyes of Nami and the others, she slowly walked down into the hot spring, submerging half of her body in the water.

"What's wrong?" Nami was a little confused. We're all women, we all have the same things. Is there a rule about this when soaking in a hot spring?

Hancock's tone was calm as she asked, "On the Sabaody Archipelago, you must have seen many slaves, right?"

"Ah, yes, we did."

Nami's expression darkened. They had indeed seen various slaves with explosive collars around their necks, being led by those of noble status. Hachi had also explained it to them.

"—Phew."

Hancock slowly turned around, her eyes tightly closed as she gritted her teeth. She reached up and lifted the black hair covering her back, saying in a low voice, "Have you ever seen this mark?"

"What is this?"

"The Hoof of the Soaring Dragon?"

Compared to Nami's confusion, Robin's pupils constricted. She had clearly recognized it at a glance. Her face was full of disbelief. "That's the mark branded on slaves by the Celestial Dragons."

"Mm. It's hard to imagine that I, the empress of a country, was once a slave, isn't it?"

Hancock let her hair down and slowly turned to look at them in silence.

The air suddenly fell into a quiet stillness. No one spoke.

No wonder she acted that way during the day, making an exception for Reiner and Zoro, who had killed Celestial Dragons, to enter the country.

Nami's mind was in turmoil. As if some dark memory had been stirred, she couldn't help but look down at the blue tattoo on her own arm.

The pattern was a pinwheel and an orange. The Arlong Pirates' mark had been scraped off with a knife and then tattooed over.

"That must be a painful memory," Nami murmured in a low voice.

Her and Robin's childhoods were also unfortunate. But luckily, they had met comrades who had redeemed their hearts.

She couldn't help but think back to when they were being chased by the Black Cat Pirates in the East Blue.

If that man hadn't jumped onto her boat at that time, what would have become of her now?

Reiner: I would have gone directly to Cocoyasi Village to find you. I was always heading for you. Didn't expect that, did you?

Looking up, Nami didn't offer any words of comfort, but just smiled faintly. "Hancock, do you want to hear our stories?"

"...I permit it."

Nami: "..."

When someone in a gathering of women opens their heart and starts talking, this night is destined not to end easily.

(End of chapter)

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