Chapter 105: Hancock is a Tsundere
A squad of guards sprinted toward another lavish Celestial Dragon estate in the distance. Their boots pounded across marble and stone, then gradually faded until they disappeared from sight.
In a nearby mansion of similar extravagance, a narrow slit opened in a side door. Roy, still gripping little Hancock's hand, peeked out at the departing guards, then quickly pulled her along. The three Boa sisters and several female slaves followed in a tight cluster as he led them toward the slave cells.
His guess had been right. The commotion earlier had already drawn attention. Someone in Mary Geoise had noticed something wrong and sent their guards to investigate.
They would soon have much bigger problems.
Just before that, Roy had slipped into another Celestial Dragon residence, quietly slaughtered the owner and his personal guard, and then…
He had tossed the torch in his hand into the courtyard behind him. The flaming brand spun through the air, sparks scattering in a glittering arc.
An instant later, it smashed into a set of heavy curtains. The flames caught immediately and began to spread.
"Move," Roy said.
He squeezed Hancock's small hand, pushed the door open, and led everyone out at a run.
They cut through corners and back alleys, doing their best to stay unseen while moving as fast as their legs would carry them.
In truth, not every Celestial Dragon was guarded by CP0. Only a handful with special status received that level of protection. CP0 were the personal hounds and shield of the Celestial Dragons, but even they had limits.
Most of the so called "gods" were watched over by regular CP agents or large detachments of standard guards. Ornamental divinities with ornamental security.
Those did not worry Roy.
What concerned him were the true heavy hitters that might be stationed in Mary Geoise.
"Huff… huff…"
Hancock gasped for breath as she ran. She had shown brilliant talent even as a child and had always been praised back on Amazon Lily, but she was still just a young girl.
People in this world were tough, sturdy by default, but aside from monsters like Linlin, most children were still relatively normal.
Hancock was no exception. If she had been stronger, she would not have been caught by traffickers in the first place.
Now she was being dragged along by the hand, her feet struggling to keep up. The boy in front of her never slowed, his grip firm and steady. She stared at his back in disbelief.
What an amazing older brother. He was not even that old, yet he had already beaten CP agents and hunted down Celestial Dragon guards.
His body was like steel. His defense was unreal. His strength was enough to crush most CP agents and soldiers in a straight clash.
Every time they met him head on, the CP units and guards lost out in the first exchange. Their intelligence, however, had yet to catch up.
No one in Mary Geoise would ever think to link this red haired boy to the prodigy who had vanished decades ago. It had been far too long. There were no immortality operations left from the Ope Ope Fruit, no pure gold in circulation. No one alive would believe a human could stay this age forever.
Hancock blinked, her dark blue eyes shining with a strange light as she kept sneaking glances at him.
He looks… pretty good…
That was what ran through her head.
Roy led the way without looking back, but he could feel Hancock's gaze on him.
Hancock was an extremely difficult person to win over, both by nature and by the things that would happen to her in the original flow of history.
Unfortunately for that history, his entrance had been too overwhelming.
In some ways, it was similar to how Luffy had won her heart. The method, however, was entirely different.
Roy had dropped from the sky with overwhelming force, landing right in the middle of Hancock's darkest moment.
He had killed the Celestial Dragon who meant to humiliate her.
Then he had taken her hand and dragged her away from that nightmare.
Killing a Celestial Dragon without hesitation and rescuing her from chains. Those two acts alone tore a crack into the wall around young Hancock's heart.
Was it domineering?
A boy falling from the heavens, beating CP0 and cutting down a Celestial Dragon. That was domineering enough for anyone.
And Hancock liked that approach very much.
Roy's ruthless entrance and the way he cut down the Celestial Dragon without a word made her feel an intense, confused fondness.
She also discovered that she did not hate this boy at all. She might say that she did, but that was just her mouth talking.
Her heart did not agree.
It had been that way for others around Roy too. Aside from Tsuru, every time he appeared, it was to save someone. That made their affection for him skyrocket at terrifying speed.
Linlin had appeared in his life when he was abandoned by his own parents. The one who should have been rescued had ended up caring for her instead. Because of that, he would always be the single most important person in Linlin's heart, far above any nun.
And Toki… she was not so different from Hancock.
Amatsuki Toki had also been abducted by traffickers, only to be saved by Roy on the road.
Saving a life might sound like a cliché, but it worked. Every time.
Roy listened to the steady string of mental prompts in his head.
Friendship with Boa Hancock, plus one, plus one, plus one…
He was still tense as they fled through Mary Geoise, but deep down, he was thrilled.
"The slave cells are just ahead," Hancock whispered. "But there are so many guards. How are we supposed to get through?"
They huddled behind a corner. Roy leaned out slightly to look ahead. Hancock did the same. Marigold leaned closer to her sister and murmured something.
Roy turned back toward Hancock. She immediately jerked her head away and ducked behind the wall again, wary and prickly.
Why are you looking at me?
Hancock puffed her cheeks and glared at him.
"I am not looking at you," Roy said calmly. "I am looking behind you."
Hancock froze.
Her quick mind made the leap, and she turned around.
The rows of gleaming Celestial Dragon mansions behind them were wreathed in fire. Flames roared from rooftop to rooftop, licking at carved stone and gold lined balconies. Thick black smoke twisted upward into the sky.
The fire Roy had started earlier had taken hold. The homes of these so called gods were crammed with luxuries, most of them flammable, and built far too close together. It only took a spark.
Now Mary Geoise was burning.
The blaze spread like a living thing, lashing outward from one estate to the next.
Guards were suddenly very busy. In one direction, they had discovered the bodies of a Celestial Dragon, CP0, and a pile of dead soldiers. In another, an inferno was raging out of control.
Even the other CP branches had been forced to move, scrambling to evacuate their masters while also trying to contain the disaster.
"Move! Move! Get that fire out! You useless idiots!"
At the gate of the slave cell compound, a guard captain roared at his men. Many were pulled away to help fight the fire.
More were dispatched toward the estate of the dead Celestial Dragon to investigate and begin a sweep of Mary Geoise for the intruder.
In front of the blocks of prison cells, only a single squad remained.
"You all stay hidden. I will take care of that squad, then we run," Roy said.
He released Hancock's hand and glanced at them.
The instant he let go, Hancock clasped her hands behind her back.
Finally. Let go already, so annoying…
"Be careful," she muttered, eyes glued to him.
"Relax. They are not a problem," Roy replied.
That is not what I meant, hmph.
What I mean is, do not let any of them get away. I do not want to be dragged back here.
Roy laughed softly when he saw her expression.
So the future Empress had a tsundere side too.
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