"Finally back here again..."
Looking at the island before them, a trace of emotion appeared on Luffy's face.
Last time they had been forced to flee from the Marine Admiral's pursuit, but this time... their Straw Hat Pirates no longer needed to worry about so-called Marine Admirals!
He had truly become strong now!
Meiser smiled upon hearing Luffy's words, then turned to Hancock and said, "Hancock, we're leaving."
Although there was currently no one along this coastline, staying too long might invite unexpected complications, so it was better to go ashore with Luffy quickly.
"Alright..."
"Mm."
After nodding to Hancock, Meiser grabbed the disguised Luffy and leaped from the ship in a single bound!
"Whoosh—thud!"
They landed precisely on the coastline!
Then, Meiser turned around and waved the Den Den Mushi, indicating she should call if she needed him.
Seeing this, Hancock nodded seriously to show she understood.
She then stood at the ship's bow, watching Meiser's retreating figure until he had completely left the area before finally looking away.
"Sister, brother-in-law has left," Sandersonia said softly.
"Yes, I know."
Hancock nodded, then closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment.
After a brief pause, she opened her eyes and said, "Let's go, return to Kuja Island!"
"Huh?"
Marigold was taken aback, then asked in confusion, "Sister, aren't we waiting until brother-in-law sets sail before we leave?"
"Meiser asked me to return immediately after dropping him off," Hancock shook her head.
This was to avoid any unnecessary trouble.
"Well... alright then."
Marigold nodded, then turned to the Navigator and said, "Set sail, back to Kuja Island!"
"Aye!"
Soon, under the crew's operation, the Kuja Ship turned around and headed toward the distant sea.
However, after sailing several nautical miles, they encountered a pirate ship.
"Ahahahaha!!"
Seeing the Kuja Ship flying the flag of the Kuja Pirates , everyone on the pirate ship revealed wolf-like eyes.
"Men!" the pirate captain shouted excitedly. "It's the Kuja Pirates !"
"Capture them, and everyone on that ship will be ours!"
"Aye!!"
The crew, following their captain's orders, immediately began roaring with excitement.
Subsequently, the pirate ship charged toward the Kuja Ship.
Hancock: ???
Watching this reckless pirate ship charging toward them, Hancock's head instantly sprouted several question marks.
How had they encountered another fool with a death wish?
Could it be that because she hadn't sailed the seas for two years, people had forgotten how terrifying she was?
"Sister, how should we handle this?" Marigold inquired.
Hancock fell silent for a moment before replying coldly, "Leave none alive!"
"Yes!"
"The captain has ordered—leave none alive!"
"ROAR!!!"
"What?!"
Upon hearing Shakky's account, Sanji exclaimed in shock, "That idiot swordsman Moss Head was the first to arrive here?!"
"H-How is that possible?!"
That guy's sense of direction is terrible!
Absolutely terrible!
How could someone with no sense of direction be the first to arrive?
Understanding Sanji's reaction, Shakky chuckled and said, "But he really was the first to arrive."
Sanji: —
At these words, Sanji was rendered completely speechless.
After a moment, Sanji rubbed his temples and sighed, "This is such a headache."
He could already imagine how that bastard Moss Head would mock him.
Just thinking about it made Sanji's head spin.
Shakky smiled and continued, "The second to arrive was Franky. He reached the island the day after Zoro."
"After greeting us, he immediately went to check on the Thousand Sunny."
Regaining his composure, Sanji smiled and said, "That sounds just like him..."
It was exactly the kind of thing their shipwright Franky would do.
Then Sanji asked, "Is the ship alright?"
"The ship is perfectly fine!" Rayleigh replied. "I've already coated it, so you can set sail whenever you're ready."
"That's a relief..." Sanji said with a sigh.
As long as the ship was safe, they could...
Wait.
Hold on—
"Why is our ship completely unharmed?" Sanji's eyes widened as he realized something. "Didn't anyone attack our ship?"
Forget about the reputation of the Straw Hat Pirates—just considering what Meiser had done should have...
At the thought of Meiser, a trace of unease appeared in Sanji's eyes.
Please don't tell me that guy...
"Because the pirate ship was taken away by Merry two years ago," Rayleigh explained.
"So Merry did it..."
Recalling Merry's abilities, Sanji nodded, then asked anxiously, "What about... that guy Meiser..."
"Don't worry, he's alive and well," Rayleigh said with a laugh.
"That's good... that's really good..." Sanji sighed in relief.
Although he had believed Meiser was still alive, he couldn't help feeling uneasy until he heard confirmation.
But before he could say anything else, Rayleigh continued, "Right now... Meiser should be arriving here soon."
"Mhmm."
Shakky nodded. "Traveling on Hancock's ship, he should arrive within a week."
Sanji: ???
"Wait, hold on a second!"
As if grasping some crucial information, Sanji suddenly stood up, his eyes turning red as he exclaimed, "Are you talking about that Hancock? The legendary most beautiful woman in the world, the Pirate Empress—Boa Hancock?"
"That's right, her," Rayleigh confirmed with a nod.
Sanji:
"What's wrong with you?"
Seeing Sanji rendered completely speechless again, Rayleigh tilted his head in confusion, wondering what had happened.
"You don't actually think Meiser used his ability to control Hancock, do you?" Shakky, who had seen that newspaper, calmly said, "I can tell you very clearly that you're overthinking it."
"Meiser never controlled Hancock from the very beginning. They were just acting together."
Sanji froze for a moment before saying, "So... you mean he and the world's most beautiful woman are mutually in love?"
"Exactly."
Crack—At that moment, Sanji felt as if a string inside him had snapped.
"He really deserves to die," Sanji gritted his teeth and said.
He had spent two years in hell with a bunch of okamas, while that bastard Meiser got to be with the world's most beautiful woman?
At this thought, flames seemed to ignite in Sanji's eyes.
Just then, a flash of lightning struck Sanji's mind.
"Wait a minute!"
Sanji suddenly looked up and said, "That Pirate Empress is the ruler of the Island of Women, right?"
"Correct."
"So... that bastard Meiser spent these two years on the Island of Women?"
"Exactly."
Sanji: !!!
Crack!
Boom!!
"Are you kidding me, you bastard!!" Sanji shouted angrily, "This is way too unfair!"
At that moment, Sanji seemed about to burst into flames, stunning both Shakky and Rayleigh.
"Did he eat a Devil Fruit?" Shakky exclaimed in surprise, "Why do I feel like he's about to transform?"
"Not sure," Rayleigh shook his head.
Who knew whether this kid had eaten a Devil Fruit or not.
Just then, the tavern door suddenly swung open, and two people walked in one after another.
"Ara"
"If it isn't Xiao Meiser and Little Straw Hat, you've arrived~"
Seeing that it was Luffy and a dramatically changed Meiser who entered, Shakky's face immediately broke into a smile.
"Long time no see"
Taking off his sunglasses and tucking them into his coat, Meiser said with some emotion, "It has been a while."
"Wow, it's Sanji!"
Noticing Sanji, Luffy excitedly rushed over saying, "Long time no see!"
"Ah, long time no see..."
Sanji responded instinctively before fixing his gaze on Meiser.
The longer he looked... the more twisted his expression became!
Meiser: ???
What's going on?
"You're Meiser, right?" Sanji stood up from his stool and walked step by step toward Meiser, saying, "Have you been living the high life these past two years?"
"Ah, not bad"
Recalling memories from the past two years, a smile appeared on Meiser's face.
Gotta admit, mature women are just wonderful.
"Not bad..."
Looking at the expression on Meiser's face, Sanji fell silent for a moment before suddenly charging at Meiser, opening his shark-like mouth to roar: "Such an amazing life and you call it just 'not bad'?!"
Meiser: ???
Meiser looked at Sanji with confusion, wondering why this guy was so angry when he hadn't provoked him at all.
"What's wrong with you?"
Luffy also looked puzzled at Sanji, not understanding why he suddenly exploded.
"Do you have any idea what I've been through these past two years?!" Sanji said, his body trembling.
"What have you been through?"
"I came from hell!" Sanji exclaimed, his eyes blazing as if spitting fire. "I was hunted for two whole years in hell!"
Meiser: ???
Luffy: ???
So what exactly is Sanji talking about?
"You must have lived quite luxuriously with the world's most beautiful woman by your side," Sanji said through gritted teeth, glaring at Meiser. "But I was hunted by Okama's for two years in the Okama Kingdom, you bastard!"
By the end of his sentence, Sanji had even started crying.
"Pfft!"
"Ahem..."
Hearing Sanji's words, Rayleigh couldn't hold back and spat out the wine in his mouth, then started coughing uncontrollably.
Shakky looked at Sanji with shock, never expecting that he had spent two years in the Okama Kingdom.
Then, a trace of pity appeared in Shakky's eyes.
'This kid has had it too hard...'
"Wait, you..."
Looking at Sanji who was crying bitterly, Meiser didn't know what to say.
It didn't feel right to comfort him, but not comforting him didn't feel right either.
This...
"Okama Kingdom?" Luffy looked at Sanji. "Is that little Ivan's country?"
Back in Impel Down, the other party had mentioned this matter.
"That's right, it's that bastard's country!"
Just recalling Ivankov's face made Sanji's anger level skyrocket.
That bastard had been really ruthless with him!
Although his strength had improved quite rapidly, but... that memory was truly hellish, damn it!!!
As if recalling certain scenes, Sanji directly lay down on the ground and began to pound the floor.
"Ahhh!!!"
Meiser: —
"Poor kid." Shakky shook her head.
Although she held no prejudice against Okama's, she knew how painful it would be for a normal man to live in that environment for two years.
Probably... worse than death.
If forced to wear little skirts or something...
Yikes!
Glancing at the floor-pounding Sanji, the pity in Shakky's eyes grew even stronger.
At that moment, Sanji sprang up from the ground, saying with a furious expression: "Damn you, Meiser, I'm going to fight you!"
Looking at Sanji whose face was twisted with rage, Meiser twitched his mouth and said: "Wait, this isn't my fault. It's not like I was the one who sent you there."
This matter was ultimately Kuma's responsibility anyway, it had nothing to do with me!
But unfortunately, Sanji didn't want to hear what Meiser had to say. Right now, he only wanted to fight Meiser and make this bastard taste the strength he had learned from hell!
And so, the two started fighting ping-pong-pong in the bar.
However, neither used Haki, simply exchanging blows with pure fists and kicks.
Ignoring the two fighting each other, Luffy turned to Shakky and asked: "Have the others arrived?"
"Everyone has arrived except Nico Robin, who we have no news from," Shakky said.
"Only Robin left then..."
Luffy thought for a moment, then shook his head: "Then let's wait for her on this island."
After everyone gathered, they would set off for the New World together!
"Brook's situation is also quite special," Shakky added. "So you should mentally prepare yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"He's currently the rising star of the music world, famous across the entire globe." Shakky tapped her cigarette ash as she spoke: "So..."
Understanding her implication, Luffy declared without hesitation: "No, Brook will definitely come!"
As captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy trusted his crewmates!
This time, Shakky just smiled and shook her head slightly, saying nothing more.
Just then, the tavern door suddenly swung open and two familiar figures casually walked in.
"Huh?"
Nami, who had spotted two figures wrestling inside, froze momentarily before frowning.
"One of them is Sanji, and the other is...
Wait, those crimson eyes... This guy is Meiser!!
The change is way too drastic, I almost didn't recognize him!!"
After a brief silence, Nami flashed between the two combatants.
"Stop this right now!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
One punch each sent both figures sprawling on the floor.
Sanji: !!!
Yes, this was that familiar feeling!
It was dear Nami!
Meiser:
So why did he have to get beaten up too?
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