"...in your hand?"
As Hancock asked with a trembling voice, her eyes quivered as well.
In truth, she knew what it was; she just couldn't believe it, afraid it was a hallucination.
Link's next words told Hancock that it was no hallucination, causing the woman who hadn't shed a tear in years, who had always hidden behind the mask of a tyrant to conceal her inner self-loathing, to have a line of tears slide down her face.
Link waved the piece of skin in his hand and teased, "Don't you recognize it? It's the Hoof of the Celestial Dragon from your back."
"My... the mark on my back, is it... gone?"
Hancock asked excitedly, tears streaming down her face.
If she hadn't lost control of her body, Hancock would probably be touching her back with her hands right now.
Her deep blue eyes stared intently at Link, afraid he would say something like "I'm lying" or "I'm joking with you."
Link said nothing more and released the seal on Hancock's limbs.
With control of her body suddenly returned, Hancock quickly sat up and reached for her back with both hands.
Through the torn cheongsam, Hancock felt smooth skin, no longer the dead, branded flesh she had never dared to touch, not even daring to look at in a mirror.
Feeling the sensation on her palms, Hancock suddenly bit her lower lip hard, tears falling freely.
Before long, the tears soaked her cheongsam, making Hancock's assets—which surpassed Robin's and completely outshone Kalifa's, Vivi's, and Nami's—even more defined.
This faintly visible scenery, amplified by the passive effect of the Mero Mero no Mi, even affected Link, making his blood rush and almost causing him to make a fool of himself.
Fortunately, Hancock was silently venting her emotions and didn't notice Link's embarrassing moment.
Hancock wept silently for a long time until all her emotions were released, and only then did she come back to her senses.
Then, her face no longer held its previous arrogance but was filled with a heart-stirring vulnerability. She looked at Link and asked, "...What do you want me to do?"
There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.
Hancock, who had recently repaid her debt to Rayleigh and Shakky, understood this principle well.
Link had discovered her secret, but instead of using it to threaten her, he had helped her remove the mark. He must have a purpose.
This purpose was likely the reason he had intercepted her halfway.
Link's next words, however, greatly shocked Hancock.
Link extended his hand to Hancock and said, "Become my subordinate, Hancock."
"..."
Hancock's beautiful eyes widened. There was no anger on her face, only disbelief as she looked at Link. Suppressing some emotion, she asked in a trembling voice, "Since you know my secret, don't you... look down on me?"
At the same time, Hancock locked onto Link with her Kenbunshoku Haki, wanting to see if he was lying.
Little did she know, she had fallen right into Link's trap.
"Why would I look down on you?"
Link threw a straight ball, breaking open the heart that Hancock had sealed for years, striking it directly. "You're so beautiful and so strong. Anyone who could win you over must have saved the world in a past life."
This sentence from Link came entirely from the heart, without a trace of falsehood.
Hancock with her tyrant mask on was undoubtedly detestable.
Arrogant, spoiled, cold, and unreasonable...
Even the usually easy-going Luffy in the original story showed a menacing look because of Hancock's personality.
But if someone were to remove Hancock's mask, they would discover a treasure of a girl.
A treasure of a girl exclusively for them!
If the person who removed Hancock's mask was a man with a strong sense of masculinity, he might have obtained the world's ONE PIECE.
Just like how Hinata in the world of Naruto surpassed the female lead, Sakura Haruno, in popularity.
When a stunningly beautiful woman with a personality like a Yamato Nadeshiko has eyes only for one person, scorns all other men, would blindly follow him even against the world, and is even willing to die for him...
Any man with a normal sexual orientation would be unable to dislike such a woman.
Hinata in the world of Naruto, and Hancock in the world of One Piece, are such women.
They are difficult to win over, but once you do, their loyalty is maxed out, and they are eternally faithful.
If you don't like them, they will become the world's number one sycophant, exclusively for you.
From the moment he realized he had been transported to the world of One Piece, Link had his sights set on Hancock.
No one was more suitable to be his second-in-command, not even Nami or Kalifa!
Of course, Hancock didn't know Link's thoughts.
After hearing Link's words, Hancock, who had been using her Kenbunshoku Haki to sense if he was lying, looked into his sincere and unwavering eyes, and her heart suddenly began to beat uncontrollably faster.
A beautiful crimson blush, like a sunset, appeared on her stunning face, making her even more breathtakingly beautiful.
Hancock, who was usually filled with disgust for men, who was accustomed to leaning back and tilting her chin up high no matter who she faced, suddenly and involuntarily lowered her head, not daring to meet Link's gaze.
It was as if... there was electricity in Link's eyes.
Yet, Hancock raised her small hand and took Link's, responding in a small voice, "I... I accept!"
And just like that, Hancock surrendered.
If this scene were broadcast live, it would surely make jaws drop all over the world.
No one would have thought that the world's most beautiful woman could be won over so easily!
But in this world, it was not so strange.
Slaves in this world are at the bottom of society, animals without human rights.
Like the Fish-Men, slaves are also discriminated against, especially slaves of the Celestial Dragons.
Hancock, who had once been a slave, even looked down on herself.
So when someone helped her remove the slave mark and didn't mind her past, it was a critical hit.
Especially since Hancock, after removing her mask, was an incredibly innocent woman, it was a critical hit among critical hits.
In the original story, Hancock absurdly fell into the late stages of lovesickness in just one night.
This shows just how innocent Hancock truly was.
From the original story, it's clear that she was completely ignorant of love between men and women, getting so excited she nearly fainted just from her beloved calling her name, and her most embarrassing fantasy being marriage. It can be seen that Hancock was still pure and untouched.
And now, this world's most beautiful woman, the Kuja Empress, as pure as a blank sheet of paper, was Link's possession
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