Originally, Hancock hadn't possessed this kind of personality. After being rescued by Naruto, she had once displayed quite a fanatical obsession toward him.
She had even reached the point where no matter what Naruto said, she would only mindlessly respond with "yes."
If it were someone else dealing with such a stunning beauty obeying their every word, they might have orchestrated some rather inappropriate scenes.
But Naruto was different.
He could clearly sense that beneath Hancock's fanatical "love," there lurked deep unease and escapism regarding her past trauma.
It represented a complete denial of her own experiences.
She desperately needed to establish some form of "spiritual support" to temporarily flee from the nightmare of being enslaved by Celestial Dragons.
As the famous psychologist Dr. Richardson once observed: when encountering severe mental illness, sometimes shock therapy proves most effective.
After that realization, Naruto had deliberately increased Hancock's training intensity, once pushing her to complete physical exhaustion.
In her state of utter depletion, Hancock gradually relaxed her emotional suppression mechanisms.
Even under Naruto's intentional guidance, she finally revealed the deep inferiority and terror hidden behind her facade of "pride" and "love." It was after that pivotal day that Hancock completely accepted her past self.
She no longer deliberately concealed the shame those experiences had brought her. It was precisely this courage to face reality head-on that allowed her originally powerful Conqueror's Haki to reach unprecedented heights.
Of course, the only downside was that Hancock, who had previously been completely obedient, let herself go entirely when around Naruto.
She had charged headfirst from one extreme to another without looking back.
Originally, her "fanatical love" for Naruto had been an illusion caused by gratitude and internal psychological damage. But after resolving her mental issues, she had truly and genuinely fallen in love with Naruto through their extended interactions.
"I still have important matters to discuss with Naruto. Why are you following us, woman?"
Returning to the present moment, Hancock made absolutely no attempt to hide her hostile attitude toward Stussy.
"Hehe, this is Linlin's territory. The Empress wouldn't restrict people's freedom of movement, would she?" Stussy's fearful performance was deliberately clumsy, as if she were intentionally trying to provoke Hancock's temper.
With her CPO agent training, this kind of emotional manipulation was as effortless as breathing.
Hancock simply stared at her for several long moments, then turned her head away with obvious disdain.
She clearly wasn't as easily provoked as her reputation might suggest.
Such transparent tactics were child's play for someone of Hancock's intelligence to see through.
She also believed these methods couldn't possibly fool Naruto either.
On the contrary, if she flew into a rage over such petty manipulations, it would only provide Naruto with the perfect opportunity to escape.
After their brief exchange, both women had taken each other's measure with professional precision.
Looking at Naruto's behavior, he seemed completely oblivious to this underlying tension, focusing entirely on locating a suitable tavern.
Gin Town certainly didn't lack drinking establishments.
However, due to the "Drinking God Arena Competition" Naruto had participated in earlier, many taverns had completely exhausted their alcohol reserves.
Glancing around, ninety-nine percent of the roadside establishments had hung "Temporarily Closed" signs across their entrances.
Fortunately, persistence eventually paid off. After walking a considerable distance with two stunning beauties in tow, Naruto finally detected familiar alcohol aromas wafting through the evening air.
After consuming three full barrels of craft beer, Naruto finally noticed something peculiar.
The Munch-Munch Fruit appeared to have dramatically enhanced his alcohol tolerance.
He hadn't realized this during the arena competition, but now that he specifically needed to achieve intoxication, the limitation became glaringly obvious.
"Troublesome..." he muttered under his breath.
Seeing Naruto preparing to continue his drinking marathon, Hancock beside him couldn't tolerate it any longer.
She still remained unaware of Naruto's unique ability to "travel through dimensions when intoxicated," assuming instead that his alcohol addiction was simply acting up again.
A wine cup suddenly slammed down on the table directly in front of Naruto with sharp finality.
He looked toward the sound and met Hancock's determined gaze.
"How can drinking alone possibly be enjoyable? Naruto, I'll drink with you!"
After making this declaration, Hancock gulped down all the wine in her cup without hesitation.
Her reasoning was refreshingly straightforward.
By joining the drinking session, as long as she became intoxicated alongside him, Naruto's personality would never allow him to simply abandon her in that vulnerable state.
This strategy would simultaneously reduce his alcohol consumption while creating opportunities for intimate contact.
Killing two birds with one stone.
Click.
At that precise moment, another wine cup was also delicately placed on the wooden table.
Stussy smiled without speaking, though her intentions were crystal clear.
She elegantly yet quickly drained that cup of wine as well.
When setting down the empty vessel, she even extended her tongue to lightly lick her increasingly flushed lips.
Witnessing this display, before Naruto could even process what was happening, Hancock's composure shattered completely.
She seemed to forget her original purpose for joining the drinking contest. Without waiting for Naruto to serve more wine, she grabbed another cup herself and drained it in a single gulp.
On Stussy's side, she appeared to have developed some form of competitive understanding, equally unwilling to concede defeat.
A completely meaningless alternative battle commenced within this modest tavern.
The two extraordinary beauties went cup for cup, with neither paying attention to Naruto seated between them anymore.
Both Naruto and the bartender stared in amazement as two heroic women effortlessly finished an entire barrel of wine each.
Right.
He had forgotten about this crucial detail.
Whether it was Stussy as an enhanced clone or the naturally gifted Hancock, both possessed remarkably formidable physical capabilities.
Although neither could compare to a monster like Naruto, a mere barrel of wine represented no challenge whatsoever for them.
Naruto sat stunned for several moments before reacting and grabbing his own wine cup to begin drinking in earnest.
Not for any romantic reasons.
This tavern possessed limited wine reserves, and he couldn't guarantee successfully entering a "drunken state" before their supplies were completely consumed.
Naruto's drinking speed far exceeded both ladies' pace.
Having a proportionally large mouth provided distinct advantages.
After several rounds, Stussy noticeably slowed her consumption rate, as if gracefully admitting defeat.
She even began actively pouring wine for both Hancock and Naruto with apparent generosity.
Hancock smiled disdainfully at this seeming surrender, then clinked glasses with Naruto in celebration.
Naruto clearly observed Stussy sprinkling some fine powder into Hancock's wine cup.
Upon seeing her subtle trick discovered by Naruto, Stussy showed no nervousness whatsoever. She even made a playful "shush" gesture toward him while Hancock was tilting her head back to drink.
Naruto's enhanced senses analyzed the substance immediately.
Hmm... just some fast-acting sleep-inducing drugs with no harmful components.
He had assumed she wasn't planning to compete honestly and wanted to employ underhanded tactics to gain an advantage.
But Naruto didn't particularly mind this development.
Rather, he felt pleased with this turn of events. If Hancock fell asleep, he could safely entrust her to the Kuja Pirates waiting nearby the tavern.
Though avoidance might be shameful, it was undeniably effective.
However, Naruto failed to notice one crucial detail.
While "blatantly" drugging Hancock's wine cup, Stussy's fingernail had also inadvertently scratched across the wine she served Naruto.
A colorless, tasteless, and supposedly harmless substance specially created by Dr. Vegapunk seeped from Stussy's fingertip directly into his drink.
Naruto consumed it without the slightest awareness.
His constitution was indeed extraordinarily resilient, but even the strongest defenses could be overwhelmed through accumulated dosage.
Soon, Naruto felt everything in his field of vision beginning to sway unpredictably.
He didn't suspect any foul play, assuming instead that he had finally achieved the desired level of intoxication.
Nearby, both Hancock and Stussy had long since collapsed face-down on the table, appearing completely unconscious.
Hiss... why is it so hot?
Naruto uncomfortably loosened his collar, then chugged another full barrel of wine before feeling somewhat refreshed.
Stussy, despite lying motionless on the table, quietly smiled with satisfaction.