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Thirty-seven Celestial Dragons…
Hancock's red lips parted slightly as she stared at Noir, dumbfounded by his audacious claim.
He must be bluffing. Kidnapping thirty-seven Celestial Dragons and living to tell the tale?
Hancock's expression turned cold. Noir, sensing her disbelief, shrugged. "It's understandable that you wouldn't believe me."
Such a claim would sound preposterous to any sane person.
With time to spare, Noir gestured for his crew to bring tea and calmly explained the events that had transpired.
It wasn't a secret, after all. Only citizens and cowards treated it as taboo.
As Noir recounted his exploits in Mary Geoise, Hancock's expression shifted from indifference to fascination, and finally, to utter astonishment.
Devil Noir had replicated Fisher Tiger's legendary feat, liberating a significant portion of Mary Geoise's slaves!
No, in some ways, Noir's actions surpassed even Tiger's.
Mary Geoise wasn't the same as it had been years ago. Its defenses were far stronger, the reinforcements much quicker. It wasn't something achievable through sheer brute force and righteous fury.
Yet, Noir had escaped. He'd escaped from two Admirals. Even Hancock herself couldn't have pulled that off.
Devil Noir… he’s powerful, Hancock thought, awed by his strength.
Noir, however, felt a twinge of embarrassment. Surviving a confrontation with two Admirals wasn't easy, but Kizaru had barely lifted a finger, and Aokiji's powers were countered by his Amaterasu.
Even then, their escape had been a harrowing experience. Those overpowered protagonists from isekai stories would probably laugh at him…
Hancock looked at Puff, who was standing next to Noir, and asked hesitantly, "So, he... and the rest of your crew are also…?"
Noir nodded, readily admitting the truth. "Yes, they were once slaves. But now, they've left their past behind and placed themselves under my protection."
Hancock's body trembled involuntarily at the word "slaves."
It was the word she and her sisters hated most, a constant reminder of their past trauma. The very idea of slavery had become a deep-seated fear, a wound that wouldn't heal.
Noir, noticing Hancock's reaction, asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Hancock's usually radiant face was now clouded with a mix of emotions. "I'm fine…" she murmured.
Puff frowned. Hancock's reaction to the word "slaves" reminded him of the people Noir had rescued.
Could it be that the world's most beautiful woman was once a…?
Puff's heart skipped a beat. He stepped forward and whispered in Noir's ear,
"Captain, something seems to be troubling Hancock. Perhaps you should speak with her privately?"
The Empress hadn't come to see Noir just to ask about Mary Geoise. Considering her reaction, Puff was certain that the ensuing conversation wasn't meant for his ears.
Noir understood. He softened his voice and addressed Hancock gently. "Boa, could we speak privately?"
Hancock looked up, surprised. "What did you just call me?"
Noir felt a wave of awkwardness wash over him. He scratched his head. "Boa. Do you mind if I call you that?"
Back in his previous life, when chatting with his friends about One Piece, he'd often referred to Hancock by her last name. It felt more… familiar.
He used to hold his Hancock figurine and declare, "This is my wife! Don't look at Boa! I'll turn you to stone!"
Recalling his past chuunibyou behavior made him want to curl up in a ball and flush himself down the toilet.
Now, seeing Hancock in person, he didn't feel so much attracted to her as mortified by his past actions.
However, to Hancock, Noir's behavior seemed like that of a shy young man. His gaze, while not entirely innocent, was at least… genuine.
Hancock, who usually detested men, felt no such aversion towards Noir. Instead, she experienced a strange, unfamiliar emotion.
It was a sort of… budding admiration?
Perhaps it was because Noir had saved slaves, defied the World Government, and even killed Celestial Dragons – all things she had longed to do but never did.
A faint smile played on Hancock's lips. "It's fine," she said softly. "You can call me that."
Noir nodded happily. He'd always thought Hancock had a rather volatile temper, judging by the anime, but she seemed surprisingly gentle in person.
Though, for a woman, she had a rather imposing presence.
Just then, the System's voice startled him.
"Important character encountered. Reward issued: Bewitching Eyes, 1 x Universal Talent Replication Card."
Wasn't the System supposed to be offline for an upgrade? How can it still issue rewards?
Noir tried to access the System, but there was no response.
It seemed the System's offline state only affected the replication function. Other features could still be passively activated.
Noir nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention to the rewards.
Bewitching Eyes. Noir cringed internally. The name sounded incredibly cheesy…
But when he saw the ability's description, his opinion changed instantly.
"Bewitching Eyes: The user's eyes can activate a 'Bewitching Gaze.' Any enemy who makes eye contact with the user and feels even the slightest attraction will be instantly trapped in an illusion.
A word of caution: the content of the illusion is not under the user's control, and… interesting things may occur. Experience it for yourself."
Noir ignored the System's cryptic warning. The ability itself was incredibly powerful!
With Puff constantly enhancing his appearance and charm, and now this Bewitching Gaze… he wasn't sure about the effect on men, but…
Its influence on women would be undeniable. One look, and they'd be lost in an illusion!
The Bewitching Gaze shared a similar activation condition with Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi: the target needed to feel at least a flicker of attraction towards him.
For people, this ability might be useless, but for Hancock, a woman of unparalleled beauty, activating it would be child's play.
As for the "interesting things" that might occur…
The System hadn't mentioned any danger, so it shouldn't be anything too bad… right?
Despite a nagging sense of foreboding, Noir couldn't imagine anything going terribly wrong.
He'd have to test it out on someone later. It was best not to experiment with this new ability on Robin or the others.
Right, Tashigi and Ain. They're enemies, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'll try it out on them someday…
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