Hancock, I'm leaving!"
Hearing Yami's words, Hancock's delicate body trembled, and her entire demeanor changed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A moment ago, she was lost in her own thoughts, a shy expression on her face, her body seemingly emitting a pink glow filled with countless tiny hearts.
When Yami's words landed, not only did the special effects around Hancock vanish instantly, but her blushing, shy expression also became pale and colorless.
This single sentence made the World's Most Beautiful Woman's mood plummet from heaven into the abyss. If any other man had seen this, they would have undoubtedly wanted to tear Yami to shreds and take his place.
"...You're leaving?" Hancock asked, her voice trembling.
"Mm." Yami nodded, pretending not to see Hancock's emotional shift. He poured her a cup of black tea and smiled, "Thank you for your care during this time. But all good things must come to an end. I must eventually return to the embrace of the sea."
"...Is that so?" Hancock stared blankly at the tea on the table, her mind a blank, unable to utter any words to make him stay.
After a moment, she forced a smile and said, "Then... then when do you plan to leave?"
Her voice trembling, Hancock, for the first time in over half a year, once again felt that heart-wrenching pain, that difficulty breathing. Yami hadn't even left, yet her lovesickness was already showing signs of erupting.
Looking at Hancock, her eyes welling with mist, tears threatening to fall at any second, Yami knew it was time.
Yami suddenly grabbed Hancock's small hand, his expression serious as he said, "Hancock, you come and leave with me too!"
"Eh!!!"
Yami's words, like a full-power King's Punch shot at the sky, instantly shattered the dark clouds in Hancock's heart, causing the World's Most Beautiful Woman, who had lost her glow, to once again radiate a brilliant light.
Her dejected, forced smile was instantly replaced by joy and shyness.
Hancock's heart suddenly began to pound. Her face turned visibly crimson, and she averted her gaze, not daring to meet Yami's eyes at all.
Immediately, Hancock uttered a word that nearly derailed Yami's train of thought: "El... Elope?!"
"Ahem..." Yami was momentarily stunned by the pure goddess's train of thought. He couldn't help but cough a few times before continuing seriously, "Not elope. Come out to sea with me. Become my maid and my family, Hancock!"
"Maid? Like Carina?" Hancock was slightly stunned, but her mood didn't plummet. Instead, memories from the past six months immediately surfaced in her mind.
Scenes of Carina and the other girls in their maid outfits, justifiably sharing all kinds of intimate moments with Yami.
When they served Yami, he was always extremely gentle with them, just as he had been when he received Carina's call and brought her back without hesitation.
If I also become Yami's maid, can I be like them? Will Yami also be... so gentle with me?
At this thought, Hancock's heart suddenly raced.
Just as Hancock was about to agree, she seemed to remember something, and her soaring emotions plummeted once more.
She shook her head, "No... I can't. I am the Kuja Empress. I... cannot leave with you."
Although she refused, her expression and tone were filled with deep reluctance and conflict.
Yami's tone also softened as he asked gently, "Is it because of Amazon Lily that you are unwilling? Are you not unwilling to be my maid, just unwilling to leave with me?"
"No... That's not it. I am willing," Hancock quickly explained, her expression firm. "If I were not the Kuja Empress, I would be willing to be your maid and leave with you, but..."
"As long as you are willing, that's enough." Before Hancock could finish, Yami gripped her small hand tightly and said forcefully, "If you were unwilling to leave with me, I would not disturb your life. But since you are willing, then Amazon Lily is not an obstacle between us."
After speaking, Yami declared domineeringly, "From now on, Amazon Lily is my affiliated territory."
"If you don't agree, then let's have a pirate battle!"
"So... so domineering!" The love-struck Hancock, far from being angry, gazed at Yami with infatuation. She then looked down at her small hand, held tightly by Yami, and whispered, "...I... I surrender."
"Then from now on, you are my maid," Yami squeezed Hancock's small hand and said with a smile.
"...Mm," Hancock responded in a mosquito-quiet whisper, her head almost buried in her stunning bosom.
But from her bright red ears, it was clear just how shy the World's Most Beautiful Woman was right now.
At the same time, however, Hancock also felt extremely happy and excited.
Just as Hancock had said, she was, of course, willing to be Yami's maid and leave with him.
But she couldn't do so, because she was the Kuja Empress, carrying the hopes and future of this country.
She couldn't abandon her people for the sake of love.
Therefore, Hancock needed an excuse, and she only needed one!
Yami's forcefulness and dominance gave Hancock the perfect reason to no longer refuse.
It couldn't be helped; she was no match for Yami!
For the sake of her people, she could only choose to become Yami's maid.
And so, following Shirahoshi, Yami's pirate crew gained another member.
Once Shirahoshi is fully grown, Yami's Maid Corps will have two maids on the level of the World's Most Beautiful Woman.
When this news gets out, it's believed that all the men in the world will be filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred for Yami.
Yami will also become the public enemy of all men!
That day should not be too far away.
Carina and Nami's strength had greatly increased, Hancock had joined the Maid Corps, and Amazon Lily was about to become Yami's affiliated territory.
For Yami, who possessed eight Devil Fruit abilities, it was time to begin the path of conquest and let the entire world feel the inescapability and terror of a multi-Devil Fruit user!
As an empress possessing the disposition of a king, Hancock was a decisive person.
Having decided to go to sea with Yami, she immediately announced that the Amazon Lily kingdom would be relocating.
The moment this news was announced, it immediately caused a huge sensation on Amazon Lily.
Miraculously, whether it was the Kuja warriors or the ordinary citizens, not only did no one object, but they all cheered collectively.
One, the Empress was a supreme existence in their hearts, the hope and future of the country. No matter what decision the Empress made, they just needed to follow her.
Two, these women living in the Calm Belt were, in fact, all very curious about the outside world.
The reason they trained hard in Haki was not only to follow their Empress, but also to go out and see the world.
Especially after hearing the Kuja warriors who returned from expeditions frequently exaggerate the wonders of the outside world, these women became even more curious.
So, when they heard Amazon Lily would be moving to the outside world, they all raised their hands in approval.
The only ones with any concerns were the elderly who had been to sea and seen the cruelty of the outside world, like Gloriosa.
But she also knew that she couldn't stop Hancock's decision.
If she objected, she would have to face the following situations:
One: Hancock gives up on leaving with Yami and dies on Amazon Lily from Lovesickness.
Two: Hancock is allowed to leave alone with Yami, and the position of Empress of Amazon Lily is temporarily left vacant.
Both one and two could bring disaster upon Amazon Lily.
The consequence of one: If Hancock dies, an enraged Yami might directly destroy Amazon Lily or enslave the entire island.
The consequence of two: The World Government might revoke Hancock's Shichibukai title. Without their Empress, Amazon Lily might be coveted by the World Government. After all, the current navy ships possess the technology to cross the Calm Belt. This technology makes Amazon Lily lose its geographical advantage in the Calm Belt.
Letting Amazon Lily move away from the Calm Belt and gain the protection of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi user might actually be a good thing.
Therefore, although Gloriosa had her concerns, she likewise did not object.
Thus, Amazon Lily smoothly became Yami's affiliated territory.
"That's great, Sister Hancock, welcome!"
"Sister Hancock, please take care of us from now on."
"Welcome to the crew, Hancock."
Learning Hancock was joining, Carina and Nami immediately raised their hands and cheered.
After getting along for more than half a year, and with Hancock's unreserved teaching, Carina and Nami had long since accepted this innocent big sister.
Not just them, Robin and the other girls felt the same.
"Mhm... Please take care of me."
Over the past half-year, Hancock had likewise accepted Robin and the other girls, and the hostility she felt when they first met was long gone.
It was precisely because she accepted them that Hancock had no aversion or anger towards becoming Yami's maid.
Yami's plan was extremely successful.
He had only spent just over half a year and managed to gain both people and wealth.
Obtaining two maids on the level of the World's Most Beautiful Woman in one day, Yami was in an extremely pleasant mood.
Thus, a welcome banquet was held for Hancock and Shirahoshi on the Pegasus.
Hancock, in her capacity as Empress, also ordered the entire city to hold a grand banquet to celebrate Amazon Lily's relocation.
All the supplies brought back from expeditions were taken out and completely consumed.
After Amazon Lily relocated, these items, which were rare and expensive because they were brought back from the outside world, would be easily obtainable.
Therefore, this day was truly a day of national celebration on Amazon Lily.
The next day, Yami, who had gained both people and wealth, officially used his Fuwa Fuwa no Mi ability, levitating the "spoils of war" that was Amazon Lily, and flew towards the New World.
"Master, we have an affiliated territory now. Shouldn't our next step be to occupy a place as our headquarters to expand our influence?"
On the deck of the Pegasus, Carina looked at Yami and said, "The theme of the first half of the Grand Line is adventure. In the second half, because everyone can't find the legendary Laugh Tale, they've started carving up the New World's resources. The theme is conquest."
"Should we continue adventuring, or 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'?"
"Of course, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do'." Yami's mouth lifted in a slight, meaningful smile. "Get ready. It will soon be time to test your growth."
"Master, we're not... going to challenge one of the Four Emperor crews, are we?"
Seeing Yami's smile, Nami had a bad feeling.
To this, Yami just smiled without speaking, which made Carina and Nami feel both immense pressure and a strange sense of anticipation.
After more than half a year, they were actually also curious about what level their strength was at in the New World, this sea of the strongest.
"No matter who Master's enemy is, I will crush them all."
Unlike Carina and Nami who were under great pressure, Hancock, who had changed into a maid outfit, began to use her new privilege, hugging Yami's arm with an infatuated look on her face.
Her form of address had also changed from "Yami" to "Master," a very natural switch.
All this time, she had been envious of Carina and Nami, who could hug Yami's arms, one on the left and one on the right. She thought this kind of intimate action was one of the privileges of a maid.
Now, it was finally her turn!
To this, Carina and Nami automatically ignored this infatuated big sister.
This infatuated woman, who only had eyes and heart for Master, was hopeless.
However, Yami quite liked Hancock's affection.
Unlike Robin, who needed to maintain her image and thus couldn't be as open in front of Carina and the girls, Hancock's innocence regarding matters of love was, in its own way, a form of boldness.
This kind of boldness was something that neither Robin, Carina, nor the other girls would likely ever possess.
Two days passed.
Amazon Lily had long since flown out of the Calm Belt and was flying towards the direction indicated by a certain Eternal Pose.
Along the way, countless people also saw this flying island.
This world-shocking spectacle immediately made people think of a certain ability, and a certain bounty poster.
Thus, those who saw the flying island all began to discuss "Black Hole" Yami.
Some smart people even used cameras or Visual Den Den Mushi to record this scene and sell it to the World Economic Journal.
Coincidentally, Nami's top-tier Observation Haki happened to intercept the voices of these people.
Especially when she heard them chatting about Yami's bounty poster, Nami's jaw dropped. She looked at Yami and stammered, "M... Master... when was your secret exposed? When did your bounty skyrocket to 3,046,000,000 Beri?"
"Nani?!"
"Th... Three billion forty-six million Beri?"
"That bounty... is too exaggerated!"
Carina and the other girls all widened their beautiful eyes, staring at Yami in shock.