"Now, are you feeling guilty?"
A cold voice came from behind.
Hancock managed to stop dry heaving, clutching her chest, and shamefully turned to look at the black-haired boy approaching step by step.
"Your back is exposed."
Shano glanced, "The Heavenly Celestial Dragon hoof mark, I see, you were a slave to the Heavenly Celestial Dragons?"
Hancock's pupils shrank, her body trembled violently, she hurriedly tugged at her torn collar trying to cover up, but due to panic, it had the opposite effect.
Snap!
With the sound of fabric tearing, the brand was completely exposed under the sunlight, for some reason, an intense burning pain emerged.
"Turn around... don't look!"
Inferiority, shame, anger... all kinds of emotions swirled in her mind, and she couldn't help but cry out.
"If your teeth leak air, speak less, I can't understand you. A slave of the Heavenly Celestial Dragons wandering outside is indeed rare... judging by your age, I estimate you were one of the slaves Fisher Tiger rescued back then."
Shano looked indifferently and said lightly:
"Tiger was an extraordinary hero, climbing Mary Geoise and liberating the slaves, in the entire Chronology of One Piece, few can match this feat. It's a pity though, his foresight was ultimately lacking."
Hearing her benefactor's name, Hancock was stunned:
"What... what do you mean?"
"What do you think!"
Shano looked at her coldly, "Tiger was willing to climb up the Red Earth Continent barehanded, risking his life to save you, but little did he know that rubbish had slipped in among you. Let me ask you, your current temperament, your usual habits, and behaviors, how do they differ from those sickening Heavenly Celestial Dragons?!"
"I... I..."
Hancock instinctively wanted to defend herself, but realized she seemed exactly as he described, unable to find a reason to refute.
"Perhaps you didn't know, Fisher Tiger was also a slave to the Heavenly Celestial Dragons, and it was precisely because he suffered the hellish torture from them that he intensely hated humans. Even when he was bleeding out and dying, he refused to accept human blood, which ultimately led to his death."
"But what if we set that aside?"
Shano sneered:
"What if what Tiger hated was not the entire human race, but just the Heavenly Celestial Dragons?"
"You were a slave saved by him personally, if you were by his side when he was dying, I think the outcome wouldn't change, he would rather die than accept blood from someone like you."
Hancock was struck as if by lightning, frozen in place.
"True beauty always lies in the soul, not the appearance, so despite Fisher Tiger being a Fishman and not matching my aesthetic, he must be an incredible stud."
"As for you? Hmph, your ugliness is simply nauseating."
Shano spat in contempt, and after leaving those words, he turned decisively and walked away.
"Let's go, mom, keep your eyes sharp, stay away from women like this in the future."
"Well, after hearing you, it does seem she's not worth much, got it."
"Haha, now that's my mom, I thought you would be like other old folks, deceived easily and getting stubbornly stuck..."
"Who are you calling old!" The woman who had felt guilty earlier suddenly became furious.
Bang!
"Ow, that hurt!"
Amidst the roar of the engine, the motorcycle gradually sped away.
Hancock looked blankly at the direction the motorcycle disappeared, not moving for a long time, then glanced around at the scattered citizens, the disarrayed pirate ship...
Her fingers unconsciously touched the brand on her back, the burning pain still lingering.
"Nauseating..."
Shano's words also echoed in her ears, like a sharp blade, piercing her heart.
"Snake Princess!"
At this moment, a few female warriors who barely regained consciousness staggered over, faces full of worry: "Are you alright? That man was really terrifying, we..."
"Shut up!"
Hancock suddenly raised her head, her eyes were bloodshot and her voice hoarse.
The female warriors immediately fell silent, intimidated.
Hancock slowly stood up, her torn robe fluttering in the wind.
"Return... return to Nine Serpents."
Hancock spoke hoarsely, as if using all her strength to force those few words through her clenched teeth.
"Eh? But weren't we going to..."
"I said, return to Nine Serpents!"
She roared in fury.
The female warriors had never seen the Snake Princess in such a state of disarray, for a moment, they were at a loss, looking at each other without knowing what to do.
Hancock ignored them, instead she staggered towards the cabin.
With each step, those words echoed in her mind again—
"How are you different from the Heavenly Celestial Dragons?"
"Your ugliness is nauseating!"
"Tiger would rather die than accept your blood!"
"Not worth much indeed..."
Endlessly, they wouldn't stop.
The more she walked, the more chaotic her steps became, her heart grew more confused, her mind couldn't hold anything else, only the face of the black-haired boy with that undisguised look of disdain like seeing garbage...
As she set foot in the cabin, the world spun around her.
"Snake Princess!"
Behind her came the panicked cries of the female warriors, but her hearing was already indistinct.
"I... I..."
She tried to grasp the door frame, but her fingers futilely brushed past it, and in the terrified gaze of everyone, she fell heavily to the ground.
In the last moment before her consciousness faded.
In a daze, she felt like she saw the blazing fire and the towering figure with crimson skin again... just like when she was struggling beneath the sea...
Was I wrong, Tiger...
...
...
The motorcycle continued racing swiftly along the Windless Zone.