When Yami heard Hancock say the words "quite fond of," he knew the Pirate Empress's affection for him was very close to its maximum.
Just as he had assessed, the difficulty of winning this woman over was definitely at the highest level in the world of One Piece, but at the same time, she was also the easiest woman to win over.
If she hadn't been a slave, Hancock would have been an impregnable fortress. If Luffy had fallen onto Amazon Lily under those circumstances, he would have almost certainly died, unless he had mentioned knowing Shakky in time. Perhaps out of respect for the empress from two generations ago, Hancock might have chosen to spare his life, but she would have also driven him out of Amazon Lily. Without the dark experience of being a slave, one would have to be stronger than Hancock, meet her aesthetic standards, and slowly melt the iceberg to conquer her.
But a Hancock who had been a slave was even more difficult to approach.
Because of her dark past, she was filled with a loathing for men. She would resort to violence at the slightest disagreement; at best, one would be turned to stone, and at worst, petrified and then shattered, dying on the spot.
However, this version of Hancock had a weakness that the former did not.
As long as one prescribed the right medicine, there were two methods to quickly gain her affection, and even capture her heart.
The first method was to punch a Celestial Dragon, making Hancock see you in a new light, even developing a sense of admiration.
The second, like what Yami did, was to help the three Hancock sisters remove the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon, shedding the brand of a slave and an inferior human, and giving them the courage to walk out of the shadows and embrace a new life.
By doing so, she would be filled with gratitude.
In Yami's view, the latter was more effective than the former.
The former would only earn Hancock's respect, but she would still continuously test one's character until they passed.
The latter, however, would directly earn her gratitude and affection.
As long as this affection was transformed into romantic love, one could easily win the Pirate Empress's heart.
Because... Hancock was too innocent in matters of love.
Not just Hancock, but most of the women on Amazon Lily were just as innocent.
In the original story, after Hancock transformed from an iceberg into a dorky goddess, she was clearly clueless about romantic love. She was so innocent that just having someone call her by name or smile at her would make her fall over in excitement, with her most blush-inducing fantasy being marriage.
From this, one could also tell that Hancock had not lost her purity while she was a slave.
If she had, even if she had never been in a relationship, she couldn't possibly be so innocent.
When such a man-hating yet incredibly innocent woman falls in love with someone, her loyalty to that love would be deeply moving.
The man she loved would also be the happiest man in the world.
Because once she fell in love, she would become a perfect woman who only had eyes for one man, disdaining all others. At any time and in any situation, she would be completely obedient to you, satisfying your masculine pride. Whether you were a good person or a bad one, she would become good or bad with you, face any enemy with you, and even be willing to die for you.
To put it simply, her heart was small; it could only fit one person.
Even if you didn't want her in the end, she would remain chaste for you, growing old alone.
Does this persona seem familiar?
That's right. This archetype is the same as Hinata from the Naruto world next door. Hancock is essentially a Yamato Nadeshiko type of woman, just like Hinata.
It was precisely for this reason that Yami had dismissed the idea of using force.
By winning over Hancock, he would not only gain a perfect helpmate hailed as the world's most beautiful woman, but her country would naturally become his as well.
After confirming Hancock's affection, Yami completely let down his guard against the three sisters and began to chat and laugh with Hancock as if they were friends.
"...Yami, the ability you used to remove that thing, is it also from the Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit?"
After chatting for a while, Hancock, realizing Yami was not a difficult person to get along with, finally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
Sandersonia and Marigold, who had been silently watching their sister and their benefactor converse, also turned their gazes to Yami.
Hancock had recognized Yami in the bathhouse, and after calming down, Sandersonia and Marigold also recalled information about him.
Black Hole Yami, whose initial bounty was as high as 546 million Beli. If they remembered correctly, he was a Logia-type Dark-Dark Fruit user.
Weren't Logia Devil Fruits all about the power of natural elements?
That light shield and those bizarre abilities were clearly not elemental powers!
Yami's next words instantly shattered the worldview of the three Hancock sisters.
"That's the ability of the Paramecia-type Op-Op Fruit."
Yami grinned, not hiding it at all. "I'm a multiple Devil Fruit user!"
"A mul... multiple Devil Fruit user... Do they... really exist?"
Sandersonia and Marigold's mouths fell open in shock. The former's voice even trembled as she stuttered.
"Everyone can only eat one Devil Fruit... isn't that common sense?" Marigold said blankly.
Just like Robin and Perona when they first learned Yami's secret, only a Devil Fruit user could truly understand what being a multiple Devil Fruit user meant.
It was the fantasy of all Devil Fruit users, an illusory existence they only dared to imagine in their dreams!
Now, that fantasy had manifested in the real world. It was no wonder Sandersonia and Marigold reacted this way.
Hancock was also so shocked that her red lips parted slightly. Then, as if realizing something, she asked tentatively, "Could... could it be... that you're also the new user of the Float-Float Fruit?"
"That's right. You guessed it," Yami said with a smile and a nod.
"Hiss..."
Hearing this, Sandersonia and Marigold immediately reacted just like Carina and Nami, unable to help but suck in a sharp breath of cold air, doing their part for global warming.
Their faces were filled with shock.
After coming to their senses, they both realized what a massive impact the existence of a multiple Devil Fruit user would have on the seas.
Right now, the whole world was being kept in the dark by Yami. But once his identity as a multiple Devil Fruit user was exposed, the entire world would be shaken by this man.
At that time, this man would instantly become the most dazzling, and also the most terrifying, existence on the seas.
Because... no one knew how many abilities he possessed!
When multiple abilities were concentrated in one person, what level would that person's combat power reach?
At this moment, Sandersonia and Marigold understood why their seemingly invincible older sister had been defeated in an instant.
Faced with a monster like Yami who broke the rules of the world, anyone would be at a disadvantage due to a lack of information. Being instantly defeated was a matter of course.
Hancock was also relieved, and her gaze towards Yami was filled with a gentle light.
This gentle look wasn't because Yami was unique, nor was it born of admiration.
It was because... Yami had revealed such a world-shaking secret to someone he had just met.
This kind of boldness had won over Hancock, who possessed the qualities of a king.
Her already extremely high affection level seemed to ding with a "+1" notification.
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