Hancock's gaze met Karl's, and her heartbeat began to quicken.
In her eyes, his features were sharp and striking—handsome, refined, and undeniably commanding. Without exaggeration, he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. There was no second.
The black suit fit him perfectly. Though nothing was exposed, she could still sense the solid, powerful physique hidden beneath the fabric.
Her eyes finally settled on his gaze.
What kind of eyes were those?
Clear. Bright. Calm.
There was no disgust.
No contempt.
No hint of revulsion because of her past as a slave.
And then—within Karl's pupils—she saw what she had been desperately hoping to see.
It wasn't crystal clear, not entirely… but it was enough.
Her expression lit up with pure joy. A crushing weight, heavy as a mountain, vanished in an instant.
At that moment, there was no more fear of the past.
No more inferiority.
Only a profound sense of release.
"How… did you do this?" she asked softly.
Karl glanced at the faint holy light still lingering in his palm.
"This is my ability. As long as I have enough stamina, I can heal any injury."
Hancock froze.
Heal… any injury.
Yes. She had been healed. Completely.
As she stared at Karl's face, her thoughts slowly drifted. Her heart raced. Her body grew warm.
"Hancock? Hancock?"
Karl's voice pulled her back to reality.
When she met his eyes again, her cheeks flushed crimson, legs going weak beneath her.
Karl, meanwhile, was completely caught off guard by this 180-degree attitude shift.
Just moments ago, she had been arrogant, tyrannical, and unbearable—now she was…
Wait… don't tell me she's going to cling to me now?
Then again—what's there to fear?
Bring it on.
Straight up. Head-on.
No matter how deep the water is, I can handle it.
"Just call me Hancock," she said softly. "Karl… Major General."
Karl nodded, stood up from the deck, and adjusted his collar.
"Hancock. Since your… er—Gorgon Curse has been lifted, you won't have to live in fear anymore."
"Thank you… Karl," Hancock suddenly broke down.
"Thank you… truly…"
She threw her arms around him, burying her face against his shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably.
Karl smiled, gently patting her back.
"From now on… just call me Karl."
After a moment, Hancock finally realized something.
Aside from Karl's Justice cloak, she was practically bare from the waist up—and she had been hugging him like that for several whole minutes.
So this… is a man's embrace?
Warm… reassuring…
Just—why does his sword hilt keep poking me?
"Hancock," Karl said calmly, "you should go put some clothes on first. We'll talk about the Seven Warlords summons later. Oh—and you turned my soldiers into stone. Please undo that."
Blushing fiercely, Hancock nodded.
"I'll release the petrification immediately."
She gestured lightly, the effect lifting at once. After pretending to walk calmly past Karl, she covered her burning cheeks—so flustered she could barely breathe.
On the Marine Warship
The petrified Marines gradually regained consciousness, completely unaware of what had happened while they were stone. Their last memory was cheering wildly for the Pirate Empress… and then nothing.
Ain was the first to wake up. Her expression darkened instantly.
She had fallen for that woman's trick.
But the moment she saw Karl step onto the deck, her expression flipped like a switch.
"Well?" she asked quickly. "How did it go?"
Karl flashed an OK gesture.
"Relax. I've handled it."
Ain finally exhaled in relief—mission success was all that mattered. Still, she frowned when she noticed the damage left from the fight.
"Y-you fought her?"
Karl patted Ain's shoulder and smiled.
"Don't worry. She's agreed to go to Marine Headquarters with us. Just wait."
Then—his expression shifted instantly.
He turned to the utterly confused Marines and said coldly:
"You've disappointed me."
"As Marines, your willpower is this weak? Honestly…"
Nelson's face flushed red. He immediately bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry, Major General! I—I don't even know how it happened… I volunteer for punishment!"
The rest of the soldiers lowered their heads in shame.
"Yes, sir! We volunteer for punishment!"
Mission accomplished.
Karl nodded in satisfaction.
"Knowing your mistake is the first step to correcting it. From now on, I want you to devote yourselves even more seriously to fighting crime and pirates."
"Can you do that?"
"Yes!!!" the Marines roared in unison.
"Good. Then move it! Clean up the deck!"
"Yes, sir!"
Aboard the Kuja Ship
"Snake Princess! Are you alright?"
"Did that Marine bully you? That bastard—!"
"Silence!" Hancock snapped sharply.
"Marigold. Sandersonia. Come with me."
"Big Sister… what happened just now?"
Smiling gently, Hancock turned her back to them without hesitation.
Seeing her flawless, unmarred skin, both sisters froze—mouths hanging open.
"W-What…?!"
"Sister—how?!"
"It's thanks to Karl," Hancock said softly.
"He used his ability to erase that disgraceful mark."
"Karl? The Marine from earlier?"
Hancock smiled sweetly.
"Yes. Him."
The sisters embraced her, tears streaming down their faces.
"That's wonderful!"
"You don't have to live in fear anymore…!"
But another thought quickly surfaced in their hearts.
If Karl could do this for their sister… then what about them?
"Don't worry," Hancock said firmly.
"I'll ask Karl to remove your marks as well."
A short while later, the Pirate Empress boarded the Marine warship once more—this time dressed in a purple cheongsam.
The arrogance and willfulness were gone.
In their place—shyness and unmistakable affection.
Ain looked at Hancock's lovestruck expression, then at Karl's perfectly normal face.
Something was very wrong.
A woman's intuition screamed at her—
These two definitely have something going on.
"What exactly happened just now?" Ain demanded.
Karl glanced at her and chuckled.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't. Didn't Vice Admiral Tsuru teach you that?"
"Hmph."
Hancock stepped gracefully up to Karl, eyes shimmering.
"Karl… I am willing to accept the Seven Warlords summons. However, there are things I wish to discuss with you in private."
"If possible… would you be willing to visit Amazon Lily?"
Karl stroked his chin, already guessing what she wanted to say.
He turned toward the bridge and called out,
"Nelson. Bring the ship to port."
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