"Sandersonia, Marigold, we're heading back to the ship right now!" Boa Hancock said as she quickly walked toward the shore.
"Big sister…" Sandersonia looked confused but still hurried to follow.
The other members of the Kuja Pirates were also puzzled. This was the first time they had seen Hancock with such an expression.
After the Kuja Pirates left, Daisy got back onto the rear seat of the bubble bike. "Let's go, Ryuen."
"What did you just give her?" Ryuen seemed to have an idea of what was in the three bottles but wanted to confirm it.
"I remember you told me that those three sisters were once slaves of the Celestial Dragons. That means they should have the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon mark on them. Those three bottles of medicine can erase that scar," Daisy explained softly.
"No wonder… That's why she was crying just now…" Ryuen muttered before pedaling the bubble bike forward again.
Someone as proud as Hancock… If people found out she had once been a slave…
Shaking the thought away, Ryuen kept cycling, carrying Daisy, and soon arrived near the entrance of the Rip-Off Bar.
"This is the Rip-Off Bar?" Daisy exclaimed.
Right outside the bar, a dozen pirates were lying unconscious, eyes rolled back. Just then, another pirate was thrown out from inside.
Following that, Shakky walked out, cigarette in her mouth.
"Oh?"
"Ryuen, what brings you here?" Shakky looked a little surprised to see him.
She had known about the Dream Exploration Team arriving on the island four days ago but hadn't monitored them like she did half a year ago.
Mainly because… too many of her spiders had been eaten.
"Well, I haven't seen Rayleigh in a while, so I thought I'd stop by and catch up. What about you?" Ryuen glanced at the knocked-out pirates on the ground.
"Rayleigh hasn't been back for nearly half a year. He's probably at the casino or a hotel right now. As for these guys… they're just a bunch of clueless, bounty-less pirates." Shakky spoke lightly before heading back inside the bar.
"No wonder you just threw them out instead of chopping off their heads for a bounty. Daisy, let's go in." Ryuen parked the bubble bike at the entrance and walked into the bar with Daisy.
Inside, the floor was littered with broken bottles, glasses, and smashed tables.
"Shakky, you really took a loss on this one, huh?" Ryuen teased, looking at the mess.
"They had about 700,000 Berries total on them. After subtracting my losses, I still made a profit of 700,000," Shakky said casually as she cleaned up.
Ryuen's mouth twitched. The floor was covered in broken bottles, yet she still managed to make a profit…
"Well… I guess that's not really a loss…" Ryuen said, then helped clean up along with Daisy.
————
The three of them quickly finished tidying up, and the bar looked clean again. Ryuen and Daisy sat at the counter while Shakky mixed drinks for them.
These drinks were clearly different from the ones the pirates had been drinking earlier.
"Back in Sabaody Archipelago after six months… I take it you've completed the sea charts for the first half of the Grand Line?" Shakky placed the drinks in front of them.
"Of course! We love the kind of dreams that we can accomplish step by step," Ryuen said proudly.
Daisy stared at Shakky for a while, curious about how she maintained her youthful appearance.
"This young lady…" Shakky looked puzzled.
"Oh~"
"She's Daisy, our ship's doctor. She's really interested in the human body and loves dissections…" Ryuen explained.
"Shakky, how do you keep your skin looking like this?" Daisy asked curiously.
"Fufufu~"
"I was wondering why you kept staring at me since you walked in. It's the effect of my Devil Fruit ability, not some secret to staying young~" Shakky laughed.
"That kind of ability would definitely make some women jealous…" Ryuen wasn't sure how to respond.
A spider demon in her fifties?
Just as Shakky was about to say something else, she suddenly stopped and turned toward the door. Ryuen and Daisy did the same.
"Why are they here…" Shakky frowned in confusion.
"Ryuen, I'm here!"
Suddenly, Boa Hancock appeared at the entrance of the bar. Unlike before, she had changed into a different cheongsam.
This woman… She was truly stunning. Even Ryuen couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.
Noticing Hancock's expression, Shakky's face showed a hint of surprise.
She glanced at Hancock, then at Ryuen, as if she had just discovered something shocking…
At that moment, Ryuen felt a sharp pain in his waist, snapping him back to reality.
"Uh… (°ー°〃)"
"So… Hancock, is there something else you need?" Ryuen asked, then shot a glare at Daisy.
Daisy glared back, unwilling to back down.
At the doorway, Hancock was overjoyed when Ryuen called her by name. But when she heard the rest of his words, her smile froze.
A tiny version of her, deep inside her heart, sulked in disappointment. *Why does this man always ask such unromantic questions…?*
Still, she quickly regained her composure. With an indifferent expression, she stepped into the bar. As she walked in, she unfastened her cloak, deliberately revealing her smooth, flawless back.
The rest of the Kuja Pirates didn't enter—Hancock's two sisters remained outside, standing by the door.
*Clink…*
A sake cup slipped from Shakky's hand and landed on the bar counter. She was completely stunned by Hancock's bare back.
"Hancock, your…" Shakky's voice was filled with disbelief.
The mark on Hancock's back… had vanished!
"That's right. That shameful thing is gone now—all thanks to Ryuen!" Hancock looked at Ryuen with deep emotion.
Even though it was Daisy who gave her the medicine, she had already decided in her heart that it was because of Ryuen's orders!
"Well… actually, it wasn't really me—"
"That's right!"
"It was Ryuen who told me to give you the medicine!" Daisy interrupted before Ryuen could finish.
"Hey…"
"What are you up to?" Ryuen frowned, lowering his voice as he questioned Daisy.
"Don't worry about it. This is women's business," Daisy whispered back.
Boa Hancock felt a bit frustrated.
This was the first time she had worn such a revealing outfit. She had always believed that her beauty was unmatched.
But… Ryuen didn't seem very interested.
*Ryuen's thoughts:* *It's just that I've seen way too many women in bikinis…*
"So, Hancock, did you come to Sabaody Archipelago to buy supplies?" Shakky asked, sensing the awkward atmosphere and changing the subject.
"Yes."
"But there's no need for you, the former captain, to worry about it. I have already taken care of all the necessary supplies," Hancock said coolly, putting aside her earlier emotions.
"Oh, I see~"
"As long as everything's taken care of, that's all that matters," Shakky replied, unfazed by Hancock's tone.
"By the way, Shakky, do you know that Roger had a son?" Ryuen suddenly asked.
"Roger's son?"
"He should've died before he was even born, right? That purge lasted for a long time…"
Hearing Ryuen's question, Shakky immediately recalled a certain event that had taken place in the South Blue years ago.
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