"Hancock, I'm leaving!"
Hearing Yami's words, Hancock's delicate body trembled, and her entire demeanor changed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A moment ago, she was lost in her own thoughts, a shy expression on her face, her body seemingly emitting a pink glow filled with countless tiny hearts.
When Yami's words landed, not only did the special effects around Hancock vanish instantly, but her blushing, shy expression also became pale and colorless.
This single sentence made the World's Most Beautiful Woman's mood plummet from heaven into the abyss. If any other man had seen this, they would have undoubtedly wanted to tear Yami to shreds and take his place.
"...You're leaving?" Hancock asked, her voice trembling.
"Mm." Yami nodded, pretending not to see Hancock's emotional shift. He poured her a cup of black tea and smiled, "Thank you for your care during this time. But all good things must come to an end. I must eventually return to the embrace of the sea."
"...Is that so?" Hancock stared blankly at the tea on the table, her mind a blank, unable to utter any words to make him stay.
After a moment, she forced a smile and said, "Then... then when do you plan to leave?"
Her voice trembling, Hancock, for the first time in over half a year, once again felt that heart-wrenching pain, that difficulty breathing. Yami hadn't even left, yet her lovesickness was already showing signs of erupting.
Looking at Hancock, her eyes welling with mist, tears threatening to fall at any second, Yami knew it was time.
Yami suddenly grabbed Hancock's small hand, his expression serious as he said, "Hancock, you come and leave with me too!"
"Eh!!!"
Yami's words, like a full-power King's Punch shot at the sky, instantly shattered the dark clouds in Hancock's heart, causing the World's Most Beautiful Woman, who had lost her glow, to once again radiate a brilliant light.
Her dejected, forced smile was instantly replaced by joy and shyness.
Hancock's heart suddenly began to pound. Her face turned visibly crimson, and she averted her gaze, not daring to meet Yami's eyes at all.
Immediately, Hancock uttered a word that nearly derailed Yami's train of thought: "El... Elope?!"
"Ahem..." Yami was momentarily stunned by the pure goddess's train of thought. He couldn't help but cough a few times before continuing seriously, "Not elope. Come out to sea with me. Become my maid and my family, Hancock!"
"Maid? Like Carina?" Hancock was slightly stunned, but her mood didn't plummet. Instead, memories from the past six months immediately surfaced in her mind.
Scenes of Carina and the other girls in their maid outfits, justifiably sharing all kinds of intimate moments with Yami.
When they served Yami, he was always extremely gentle with them, just as he had been when he received Carina's call and brought her back without hesitation.
If I also become Yami's maid, can I be like them? Will Yami also be... so gentle with me?
At this thought, Hancock's heart suddenly raced.
Just as Hancock was about to agree, she seemed to remember something, and her soaring emotions plummeted once more.
She shook her head, "No... I can't. I am the Kuja Empress. I... cannot leave with you."
Although she refused, her expression and tone were filled with deep reluctance and conflict.
Yami's tone also softened as he asked gently, "Is it because of Amazon Lily that you are unwilling? Are you not unwilling to be my maid, just unwilling to leave with me?"
"No... That's not it. I am willing," Hancock quickly explained, her expression firm. "If I were not the Kuja Empress, I would be willing to be your maid and leave with you, but..."
"As long as you are willing, that's enough." Before Hancock could finish, Yami gripped her small hand tightly and said forcefully, "If you were unwilling to leave with me, I would not disturb your life. But since you are willing, then Amazon Lily is not an obstacle between us."
After speaking, Yami declared domineeringly, "From now on, Amazon Lily is my affiliated territory."
"If you don't agree, then let's have a pirate battle!"
"So... so domineering!" The love-struck Hancock, far from being angry, gazed at Yami with infatuation. She then looked down at her small hand, held tightly by Yami, and whispered, "...I... I surrender."
"Then from now on, you are my maid," Yami squeezed Hancock's small hand and said with a smile.
"...Mm," Hancock responded in a mosquito-quiet whisper, her head almost buried in her stunning bosom.
But from her bright red ears, it was clear just how shy the World's Most Beautiful Woman was right now.
At the same time, however, Hancock also felt extremely happy and excited.
Just as Hancock had said, she was, of course, willing to be Yami's maid and leave with him.
But she couldn't do so, because she was the Kuja Empress, carrying the hopes and future of this country.
She couldn't abandon her people for the sake of love.
Therefore, Hancock needed an excuse, and she only needed one!
Yami's forcefulness and dominance gave Hancock the perfect reason to no longer refuse.
It couldn't be helped; she was no match for Yami!
For the sake of her people, she could only choose to become Yami's maid.
And so, following Shirahoshi, Yami's pirate crew gained another member.
Once Shirahoshi is fully grown, Yami's Maid Corps will have two maids on the level of the World's Most Beautiful Woman.
When this news gets out, it's believed that all the men in the world will be filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred for Yami.
Yami will also become the public enemy of all men!
That day should not be too far away.
Carina and Nami's strength had greatly increased, Hancock had joined the Maid Corps, and Amazon Lily was about to become Yami's affiliated territory.
For Yami, who possessed eight Devil Fruit abilities, it was time to begin the path of conquest and let the entire world feel the inescapability and terror of a multi-Devil Fruit user!
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