OPRS: Chapter 2

"I'm a petit bourgeois, you know what that is?"

"It's like, you don't have to worry about food or drink, you live better than most people. You do some easy work every day, then read the news, complain about the government or things you don't like, whine and moan, never exploit others, nor be exploited. You just have a lot of stuff and time, wasting things others dream of."

His words made the Empress a little confused, but thinking about the wealthy lives of those in the Sabaody Archipelago, she understood a little. There were indeed such people in this world. Perhaps the officials of the World Government in Mariejois and the families of the Marines also lived this way.

"Then, I caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon." The man sitting on the floor casually pulled a cushion from the bed and placed it under his bottom, lifting himself off the cold floor. His casualness caused the Empress to frown slowly.

However, as she leaned back, a pink-striped serpent emerged from behind the curtain, forming a sofa with its body, allowing the Empress to sit comfortably.

His eyes widened. Though he knew about this snake from the manga, he never imagined it would be so fast, so large, almost twice his body length. He hadn't even seen it before it appeared behind the Empress.

The high-level combat strength of this world was even stronger than he imagined.

He chuckled, "As fellow slaves, you should know. There are always some slaves who are favored by their masters, like me, like you."

The Empress's expression turned cold. For her, the days of slavery were a taboo subject, something she absolutely refused to revisit. But this man seemed to have no fear of death, speaking without any hesitation.

Perhaps it was because they were both slaves, or perhaps because they were alone in this room, the Empress didn't speak. She simply listened to the man's words with a cold expression. Perhaps there was a sense of resonance within her, a shared feeling of suffering from their time in hell.

Though she never spoke of it, the feeling was real. She was letting this man speak for her.

"So, we were treated a little differently from other slaves."

"We were 'slightly' more free."

"This 'slightly' gave me many opportunities."

"I didn't dare eat Devil Fruit, because it's too easy to be countered. Not only would I be paralyzed by Seastone, but I wouldn't be able to escape by jumping into the sea."

"I obediently played the role of a favorite, and sometimes I even thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad to continue like this. After all, compared to ordinary people in the four seas, I didn't have to worry about pirate threats or corrupt Marines extorting me. I had no strength to begin with, so I didn't need to train. I really lived better than most people in this world. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to just continue like this."

The Empress scoffed in disdain. Though she was the most beautiful among the slaves, she had two sisters who weren't as beautiful. She knew all too well what happened to those who weren't favored by their masters. If it hadn't been for her protection and pleas, her two sisters would have been abandoned and separated by the Celestial Dragons long ago.

This kind of favoritism was incredibly fickle. Celestial Dragons were like children, their attention span shorter than that of ordinary children. Hancock was initially favored because she was cute, but then they got bored. To entertain themselves, they found three Devil Fruits and forced them on her and her sisters.

Then, they got bored again...

His thoughts were pathetically naive, just a way to deceive himself in hell.

Sure enough...

"But because of something, I lost their trust... Then..." His face contorted in pain, the veins on his hand bulged, clearly not a happy memory.

The Empress didn't gloat, because she remembered her own experience. Wasn't it blissful at first, when she was favored? Then, when she was no longer wanted, she was discarded like used trash.

His pain was fleeting, the feeling etched deep within him. More importantly, it shattered his foolish fantasy, making him fully determined to fight back.

"Then, I escaped. I don't know how, but I drifted to this island and met you." He looked up at the Empress, his eyes full of passion, unlike those of the men who lusted after her and were turned to stone. There was something different in his gaze.

"Shichibukai, what is it?" The Empress fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"Shichibukai, it's a system I heard the Celestial Dragons and the World Government talking about." The man with black hair smiled at her.

"Since the death of Gol D. Roger, the World Government has been unable to suppress the increasing number of pirates. So they came up with the idea of recruiting powerful pirates to be their enforcers and lapdogs, using pirates to fight pirates. It's their strategy." The black-haired man said something that made the Empress scoff. "Who would be a lapdog for the World Government? They've lost their minds!"

"But what if they offered you immunity from arrest, the right to plunder legally, and guaranteed legitimacy for your territory, preventing the Marines from attacking?" He propped his hand on his knee, his fingers extended. Just these few points caused the Empress's face to slowly change.

"So what? My Kuja Kingdom is in the Calm Belt, why would we fear the Marines' attacks? Their conditions hold no appeal for me!"

She crossed her arms, disdaining the Marines.

"But what if the World Government has developed ships that can navigate the Calm Belt?" The man extended his fourth finger, his smile widening. Since escaping from the Celestial Dragons, the taste of freedom was indeed intoxicating. More importantly, he could now act freely. His vast knowledge of information gave him an advantage in handling situations, such as dealing with the Empress before him.

She frowned, lost in thought. The Calm Belt was the foundation of the Kuja Pirates' existence. If the Marines acquired ships capable of traversing the Calm Belt, the pressure on Kuja Island would increase dramatically, and the Kuja Kingdom would have to choose between submission or death.

There was no third option.

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