"Besides you, does anyone else have the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon?"
Yami didn't comfort the venting Hancock. Instead, he looked at Sandersonia and Marigold and asked, already knowing the answer.
"I... I have one too."
Sandersonia was the first to come to her senses and spoke up with mustered courage.
"Okay. Are they all on your backs?"
Yami walked over from Hancock's side to stand behind Sandersonia and asked.
"...Yes!"
Sandersonia's voice also trembled as she nodded.
But unlike the fear from before, her tone now suppressed a sense of ecstasy and excitement.
Rip!
Yami lifted Sandersonia's long green hair and used the scalpel to cut open her clothes, revealing the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon underneath.
Then, with practiced movements, Yami removed the skin, used gamma rays to clear away the dead cells, and then used an electric current to promote cell regeneration.
A short while later, Sandersonia's back was also restored to its normal state.
"Wuuu..."
Gazing at the piece of skin with the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon branded on it floating before her, Sandersonia couldn't help but cover her mouth and weep silently.
Soon, Marigold joined in.
The three sisters were all venting the emotions that had been suppressed for many years.
After they finished crying, they could walk out of the shadows, completely shed their former identities as slaves, and start a new life with their own names.
"Th... Thank you!"
Sandersonia was the first to finish venting. Looking at Yami, there was no longer anger or fear in her eyes, only deep gratitude.
However, in response to Sandersonia's thanks, Yami grinned and said, "No need to thank me. This isn't for free."
After speaking, Yami swiftly took Sandersonia's and Marigold's hearts.
Having lost their hearts, Sandersonia and Marigold also temporarily lost their strength. Fortunately, their upper bodies were floating in the air, so they didn't collapse.
"ROOM—Shambles!"
After taking their hearts, Yami teleported their lower bodies over and reattached the three Hancock sisters' bodies.
At the same time, Hancock's qipao appeared out of thin air in front of her.
Looking at the floating qipao, Hancock slowly stood up, then took it and put it on right in front of Yami.
Pinching the piece of skin with the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon that was also floating before her, a pink light flashed from Hancock's hand.
Immediately, the piece of skin turned into a thin slice of stone.
Crack!
With a firm squeeze from Hancock, the stone slice shattered like glass hitting the floor.
Shattering along with the stone slice were the nightmares that had often startled Hancock from her sleep over the years.
From this moment on, she was no longer a branded slave, an inferior human. She was the Empress of Amazon Lily, the captain of the Kuja Pirates... the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
At this moment, Hancock's aura changed.
Yami was the first to notice this change.
So much so that Yami, who feared no one, felt a rare tension in his nerves, ready at any moment to crush the hearts or use Dark Water and teleport.
It couldn't be helped. Just as Blackbeard was wary of Hancock, Yami, whose Haki was not yet strong enough, was also wary of Hancock's petrification ability.
Crack! Crack!
Hancock was unaware of Yami's thoughts.
After petrifying and crushing Sandersonia's and Marigold's skin as well, her bloodshot beautiful eyes looked at Yami, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Let's go talk outside."
After speaking, Hancock walked out of the bathhouse with bare feet.
Yami followed behind her, still maintaining his vigilance.
Sandersonia and Marigold walked behind Yami, sizing up the man's back, filled with curiosity about his identity and his ability to remove the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon.
Hancock did not take Yami to the palace's main hall or reception room, but to her private chambers.
"Please, sit."
Hancock pointed to a cushion on the tatami mat. She herself sat on the chair formed by her pet snake, Salome, and habitually crossed her long, fair legs, which were over a meter long. She got straight to the point and asked, "What do you need me to do for you?"
Hancock didn't ask what she needed to do to get her heart back; she directly asked what Yami needed her to do.
From this, it was clear that she was also filled with gratitude towards Yami.
It was just that in front of her younger sisters, or perhaps due to her personality, Hancock couldn't bring herself to say "thank you" just yet.
Hearing Hancock's words, Yami thought, "I want you, and the Amazon Lily Kingdom." But Yami also knew that if he said those words, the favor he had just gained would instantly plummet.
Hancock might agree to and fulfill any other request, but she could not betray her country or harm her family.
That was her bottom line, at least before he completely won her over.
And so, Yami stated his request: "I have long heard that the Amazon Lily Kingdom is a world-renowned nation of powerful Haki users, and that the successive Kuja Empresses have been among the strongest women on the seas. They must have mastered the training methods for high-level Haki, or the secrets to its advanced applications."
"Therefore, I would like my maids to come to Amazon Lily for a few years of advanced training, to learn Kuja Haki and the advanced applications of Haki."
"No problem."
Hancock agreed without hesitation, a slight smile even appearing on her beautiful face.
She liked Yami's opening praise, especially the part about the successive Kuja Empresses being among the strongest women on the seas. It made Hancock feel joyful, as if she had received recognition from someone she cared about.
Yami was unaware of Hancock's thoughts; otherwise, he would have definitely laid it on thicker.
As expected of the world's most innocent, self-giving Empress. In the world of One Piece, she was the most difficult to win over, and at the same time, the easiest.
But Hancock's smile did make Yami completely lower his guard. A smile appeared on his face as well, and he praised her, "How straightforward. As expected of the Pirate Empress who possesses the qualities of a king. I trust you wouldn't deign to lie or deceive me, so I'll give you your hearts back in advance... ROOM!"
After he spoke, Yami opened his surgical domain. Three hearts, encased in cubes, immediately appeared out of thin air in front of the three Hancock sisters, then flew back into the diamond-shaped holes in their left chests, slowly returning to their original state.
"That..."
Hancock, having witnessed her heart fly out and return, didn't ask about Yami's ability. Her beautiful eyes looked at Yami with a hint of timidity. After hesitating for a moment, she feigned composure and asked, "Now that you know about that thing... will you... look down on me?"
On the last sentence, Hancock's voice trembled slightly.
"I won't. Let me tell you a secret..."
Faced with this giveaway question, Yami immediately gave his answer, the corners of his mouth curving up as he joked, "Actually, back in the bathhouse, I was holding onto your heart the whole time, completely on guard... because a scoundrel like me would definitely be petrified."
"..."
Hancock's red lips parted slightly as she stared blankly at Yami.
Her sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, had the same reaction.
Evidently, none of the three Hancock sisters had expected Yami to give such an answer.
"Pfft..."
Hancock couldn't help but let out a laugh. Her beautiful eyes curved into crescents as she covered her lips and giggled, "Hehe... How honest. I'm quite fond of people who are so direct."
Yeah, right, Yami thought to himself. As long as someone wins your heart, you'd love them even if they were the most evil person in the world. You'd even be willing to go against the world for them.
And it's exactly that kind of personality that makes my heart flutter!
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