Water Seven. West Coast.
Hancock gleaned several pieces of information from Konan's words. The first was that Hawkeye was defeated and had retreated. The second was that the Akatsuki Organization was likely to become the bane of the World Government, clinging to it like maggots to bone.
The third piece of information was that the Akatsuki Organization did not wish to create unnecessary complications, causing needless casualties and making new enemies.
After some thought, Hancock was about to answer Konan's question when her second sister, Boa Sandersonia, approached her with a Den Den Mushi.
Looking at the Den Den Mushi's expression, Hancock already knew it was Akainu calling.
Over the phone, Akainu issued his latest directive: assist CP0 in taking away Water 7 Mayor Iceberg and the foremen of his company's shipyards.
Hancock hung up the phone without a word after hearing the order, her mind racing.
"What should I do…?"
"The Akatsuki Organization being able to repel Hawkeye shows their formidable strength. If I were to fight, I would surely be defeated, but retreating without a fight would definitely incur the World Government's wrath…"
"The World Government has already surrounded our homeland…"
"What if…"
After a brief period of thought, Hancock finally made a decision.
"I was forced to go to sea and become your enemy…"
"The World Government's Marine has already surrounded our country. If we retreat without a fight, the World Government will surely vent its anger on my family…"
"After careful consideration, I believe that even if it's just for show, we must fight a battle. This way, if I am defeated, I will have a reason to retreat."
"And by the way, I'll give you a piece of information…"
"The World Government has already dispatched CP0 to take away Mayor Iceberg and the head foreman of his shipyard…"
"As for why…"
"I do not know…"
"I only know that I am required to assist in completing the mission."
"Your appearance is just in time; I won't have to make another trip."
Hancock had decided to fight the Akatsuki Organization and, while she was at it, give them some information to annoy the World Government, otherwise, she would feel stifled.
After all, Hancock believed: I am so beautiful, anything I do will be forgiven!
But unfortunately, the hardliner Akainu was in power, and Hancock's actions completely enraged Akainu.
Akainu ordered a Buster Call to destroy the Kuja Kingdom during Hancock's return voyage. When Hancock returned, all she saw was devastation.
Konan and Pain already understood Hancock's attitude, and their objective for this trip was largely achieved. Pain told Konan to stay and fight Hancock.
Pain then used the Projecting Image Technique to inform Reno, instructing Reno and Golden Lion to stop CP0 from taking Iceberg. Pain would follow shortly.
Pain, accompanied by Five Paths, quickly made his way to Iceberg's Mansion, leaving Konan and Hancock facing each other. Konan broke the silence.
"Are you planning to fight me on the ship…?"
After Konan spoke, she flew into the distance, with Hancock following close behind.
The two younger sisters exchanged glances and also followed behind Hancock, preparing to watch the battle.
"Make your move." Konan was unsure of Hancock's strength and decided to wait for her opponent to act first.
"In that case, I won't hold back!"
"Mero Mero Mellow!"
Hancock formed a heart shape with her thumbs up and index fingers curved down, and pink heart-shaped beams flew out from it, heading towards Konan.
Konan remained expressionless, unaffected by the hearts' allure. The attack quickly reached Konan, but it hit countless pieces of paper and vanished.
The heart-shaped light beams released by Hancock in her heart pose instantly petrify those attracted by her "beauty" when struck by the light.
However, it is ineffective against people whose attention is not on Hancock or who ignore her beauty.
Konan only had Pain in her heart. In Konan's eyes, people in this world, regardless of whether they were handsome, beautiful, or ugly, were all the same—just passersby.
In Konan's mind, there were only concepts of strong and weak, or good and evil.
Seeing her first move was ineffective, Hancock launched her second attack at Konan.
Hancock lightly touched her lips, creating a small pink heart-shaped substance, then used it as a bullet, aiming at Konan with her finger as a gun barrel and shooting.
After releasing her "Pistol Kiss," she didn't care if it hit the target, then quickly moved closer to Konan, initiating her "Perfume Femur" kick to engage Konan in close combat.
Perfume Femur can instantly petrify and shatter parts of an opponent's body upon impact, and like "Slave Arrow," it is effective against matter.
The objects can be non-living (such as stones, cannonballs, or machinery, all of which can be petrified by this move).
It can petrify the opponent regardless of whether they harbor feelings of admiration.
Konan blocked the Pistol Kiss with a paper shield. The paper shield was instantly petrified by the Pistol Kiss and fell to the sandy beach, shattering into pieces.
Konan inwardly thought the opponent's attack was too bizarre and had already decided not to let Hancock get close.
Konan looked at Hancock, who was continuously and rapidly attacking, and with a thought, Hancock was directly enveloped by a bubble, interrupting her Perfume Femur offensive.
Konan immediately followed with an "Illusion Bubble" that enveloped the battlefield, then "Paper Dance" further enveloped Hancock in a wide area, with a circle of paper walls surrounding both Hancock and Konan.
Konan quickly ascended, and dense paper arrow rain continuously shot down from her paper wings towards Hancock. Once Hancock was controlled by the illusion, she would instantly be riddled with arrows like a beehive.
Hancock's Perfume Femur, which was about to kick Konan, was directly interrupted by a bubble that appeared out of nowhere. Hancock, enveloped by the bubble, inwardly thought something was amiss.
Hancock felt weak all over inside the bubble, her strength draining away.
The Perfume Femur, originally intended for Konan, kicked the bubble instead. The bubble instantly petrified and was shattered by Hancock's kick.
Just as Hancock was about to counterattack, she suddenly experienced an illusion. The person before her was Luffy. Her eyes immediately turned into hearts as she looked at Konan, softly murmuring,
"Luffy…"
The two sisters watching the battle saw their elder sister fall into a lovesick state and about to be pierced by the arrow rain. Unable to stop it in time, the two sisters cried out in alarm and horror to stop it.
"Stop!"
Konan had not expected the illusion to be so effective on Hancock.
To avoid harming Hancock, she hastily stopped her attack and simultaneously formed a paper shield in front of Hancock, blocking the attacks she had previously launched.
Konan was still a little worried that she couldn't block it, so while creating the paper shield, she dispelled the Illusion Bubble to allow Hancock to react calmly.
Hancock's obsession with Luffy was simply too deep, otherwise, with her strength, she wouldn't have fallen for the trick so easily.
When Konan's Illusion Bubble was dispelled, Luffy disappeared from Hancock's eyes.
In the illusion, Hancock had seen Luffy's proposal, and seeing Luffy disappear during the proposal, she felt a great sense of loss.
At this moment, what appeared in Hancock's eyes was a paper shield diagonally above, blocking the dense rain of paper arrows.
Her senses returned to normal, and her Observation Haki predicted the arrows that leaked through. Hancock, as if dancing, kicked all these paper arrows, turning them into petrified dust that fell to the ground.
The two sisters watching the battle breathed a sigh of relief when they saw their older sister out of danger. At the same time, they inwardly blamed their sister for being too careless and lovesick during a fight.
If it weren't for the opponent showing mercy, perhaps… the two sisters dared not imagine the outcome.
After regaining consciousness, Hancock also knew that she had fallen into the enemy's trap and into a strange illusion. Although the imagery in the illusion was what Hancock had hoped for, the sober Hancock looked at the ground covered in petrified dust and felt a wave of lingering fear.
"Your strength is indeed formidable…"
"I surrender…"
"Although you showed mercy in the battle just now, I understand that anything I do will be forgiven."
Hancock had already conceded defeat in her heart, but her expression was still too tsundere. After saying this, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned to leave gracefully.
The two sisters watching the battle looked at their tsundere sister with embarrassed expressions.
"After all, she really did show mercy, didn't she?"
Thoughts aside, the two sisters bowed slightly to Konan and then turned to follow Hancock away.
"Are you interested in fighting the World Government with us?"
Seeing Hancock and her sisters about to leave, Konan quickly spoke up to recruit them.
Hancock stopped in her tracks upon hearing Konan's words and slightly tilted her head to glance at Konan.
"We are different from you. We have citizens behind us who need protection…"
"If there ever comes a day when I am not bound by my country, I would consider going to sea with you to see Luffy…"
"But for now…"
"Goodbye!"
"No, I hope we never meet again!"
Hancock said this very earnestly this time, seriously rejecting Konan's invitation before gracefully leaving with her sisters.
Konan understood that this would be the outcome, but she still held a glimmer of hope.
After all… everyone's enemy was the World Government.
To be continued…