Three years slipped by like drifting petals on the wind.
Yet during that time, she received only two new rewards.
Had the mysterious system begun to slow?
Or had fate decided she had been granted enough?
Saint Roselith Seraphina could not know.
But she waited.
Always.
The first reward was Observation Haki (Kenbunshoku Haki).
A power that sharpened perception beyond ordinary senses.
It allowed the user to feel presences, detect hostile intent, sense emotional fluctuations, and with sufficient mastery,glimpse fragments of the immediate future.
For Seraphina…
It changed everything.
Even without sight, the world began to take shape.
Not through vision.
But through awareness.
Through presence.
Through "voices."
The second reward was far more tangible.
A matched pair of twin blades:
"Awakening of Insects" and "Winter Solstice."
Though still young, Seraphina instantly understood their extraordinary nature.
Their balance was flawless.
Their edges impossibly refined.
Their presence…
Heavy with promise.
They were said to rival the legendary Supreme Grade Swords (Saijō Ō Wazamono).
Weapons that could reshape destinies.
That afternoon, after lunch, Victor found himself thinking of his daughter.
An ache of affection stirred within him.
Unable to resist, he wandered through the manor halls until he reached the garden.
And there
He froze.
His precious daughter was walking alone along the stone path.
No attendants.
No guards.
No guiding hands.
"Oh! My beloved Seraphina! Careful, careful! Ros Ros!!"
Panic exploded from him.
He rushed forward, his heavy footsteps shaking the ground as he hurried to support her.
"Father," Seraphina said calmly, "I can walk by myself now. You don't need to help me."
Victor stared at her.
Her beautiful eyes remained gently closed, as always.
"What nonsense is this, my darling child? You mustn't risk falling! Ros Ros!"
"I'm telling the truth, Father."
She lifted one delicate hand.
Pointed.
"Over there is a red rose."
A pause.
"And beside it… a Chinese rose."
Victor's breath caught.
"How…?"
With Observation Haki and the Voice of All Things, Seraphina no longer relied on fragile physical strength or assistance.
She sensed life.
Shapes.
Movement.
Emotion.
The garden existed for her as a tapestry of presence.
Not darkness.
Each step she took alone was another step toward her dream.
To leave the manor.
To explore the world.
To truly live within it.
After Seraphina's heartfelt conversation with Victor years earlier, three new attendants had appeared in the household.
But they were not ordinary servants.
They were slaves.
Purchased.
Broken.
The elder sister was Boa Hancock.
Her younger sisters:
Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold.
Hancock was only a few years older than Seraphina.
Beautiful.
Proud.
Yet burdened by a quiet, unhealed terror.
Surely that foolish old man doesn't believe what I need are companions chosen by status rather than age…?
Seraphina thought bitterly.
She had overheard whispers.
They had been bought through human traffickers.
Taken from their homeland.
One evening, voices trembled behind closed doors.
"Sister… I miss Amazon Lily so much…"
Marigold's sobs shook the air as she buried her face into Hancock's chest.
Sandersonia clung silently, her fear unspoken but unmistakable.
"Just endure a little longer," Hancock whispered.
"When the chance comes… we'll escape together."
Hancock herself was only fourteen.
Still a child.
Yet forced into the role of protector.
A shield for her sisters.
A pillar against despair.
She knew the cruelty of the Celestial Dragons.
Had lived through their "entertainment."
Had endured humiliation beyond words.
Had been branded by suffering.
Hope was a fragile thing.
And hers had long since shattered.
Until the day she met the girl she had been ordered to accompany.
Saint Roselith Seraphina.
Up close, Seraphina appeared surreal.
Silver hair cascading like moonlight.
A transparent Celestial Dragon breathing bubble encasing her form.
Eyes forever closed.
Movements gentle.
Voice soft.
Strange.
Unlike any Celestial Dragon Hancock had ever encountered.
Most World Nobles radiated arrogance, cruelty, and detachment.
But Seraphina…
Was different.
Kind.
Soft-spoken.
Curious.
If not for her lineage…
Hancock might have dared to call her friend.
Months passed.
Barriers slowly eroded.
Fear gave way to cautious familiarity.
"Seraphina," Hancock laughed one afternoon, "you're really not like a Celestial Dragon."
Seraphina smiled faintly.
"Hancock… tell me about the outside world."
And Hancock did.
"An island surrounded by a natural calm belt…"
"Gigantic Sea Kings lurking beneath the waves…"
"Forests that breathe…"
"Skies that change color…"
"…A kingdom built upon a giant serpent?"
Seraphina asked, fascinated.
"Yes!" Hancock nodded enthusiastically.
"Amazon Lily."
Her hands moved animatedly as she described it.
Its warriors.
Its beauty.
Its freedom.
"Hancock…"
Seraphina hesitated.
"If possible… would you invite me there someday?"
"Of course"
The answer came instantly.
Then stopped.
Collapsed.
"…I can't go back."
Hancock's voice fell to a whisper.
Seraphina sensed it immediately.
The sorrow.
The fracture.
"Then I'll tell Father to free you."
"Don't!"
Hancock's response was sharp.
Desperate.
"But why?"
"…Because it's not safe yet."
Fear lingered like a shadow that refused to fade.
Hancock trusted Seraphina.
Only Seraphina.
But the world beyond remained merciless.
A year passed within the manor.
And Hancock made another discovery.
Seraphina was not a fragile noble child.
She was a swordswoman.
At first, Hancock refused to believe it.
Until Seraphina proved it.
During their sparring sessions, Hancock could not land a single strike.
Not once.
Not even brush Seraphina's sleeve.
Observation Haki.
Precision.
Instinct.
Control.
Overwhelming.
Thus began Hancock's training.
By day, they played and practiced combat.
By night, they read.
Studied history.
Geography.
The structure of the world.
"Hehe! You can't catch me!"
Hancock laughed, darting across the garden lawn.
"Don't get cocky," Sandersonia replied, blindfolded.
"You'll regret it when I catch you."
She stumbled forward
Then grabbed someone.
"Tch! Got you!"
She ripped off the blindfold.
"…Sister?"
Sandersonia blinked.
Confused.
Hancock burst into laughter.
"You caught the wrong person!"
She handed Sandersonia the blindfold.
"Your turn now!"
Seraphina covered her mouth, stifling a soft giggle.
For Hancock…
These moments were precious.
Here, she was not merely a slave.
Not merely a survivor.
She was a sister.
A student.
A friend.
Even Victor treated her differently.
Because Hancock made Seraphina smile.
And Seraphina's happiness was Victor's greatest treasure.
Seraphina's mother had died shortly after childbirth.
Frailty had claimed her life.
Thus Victor poured all his love…
All his obsession…
Into Seraphina.
Within this manor
Seraphina's will was absolute.
Not through tyranny.
But through affection.
Through respect.
Through quiet influence.
She was not feared.
She was cherished.
Even in a world drowning in darkness…
There remained light.
"Hancock…"
Seraphina murmured one evening.
"Hm?"
"I don't think you're wrong."
"…About what?"
"I'm not like other Celestial Dragons."
Hancock fell silent.
Hands still gently combing Seraphina's silver hair.
"Hancock…"
Seraphina continued softly.
"How about…"
A pause.
"…We change this world together?"
Hancock's breath hitched.
For a fleeting moment
Hope flickered.
"…Okay."
And for the first time in years…
Hancock smiled without fear.