Right now, Hancock could be summed up as a bit willful, but still a pure-hearted, naive girl through and through.
She wasn't exactly gullible, but her guard was practically nonexistent. And it was precisely because of that that Vito couldn't rest easy.
"Hancock, I know your status on Amazon Lily is special, but I'm still a man. And the rule against men entering the island is a sacred law, right?
"If I'm discovered, no matter how forgiving the Empress is toward you, she might be forced to punish you due to pressure or other circumstances. It won't be so easily forgiven."
Seeing that Hancock was dead set on bringing him to Amazon Lily, Vito had no choice but to explain the risks upfront.
"Ugh! Vito, you're so annoying. What's the big deal? As long as no one finds out, it's fine! And besides, I'm so adorable, the Empress will definitely forgive me!"
Hancock's face was full of confidence. That nearly delusional level of self-assurance left Vito at a loss for how to argue.
"…Fine."
Vito gave in after thinking it through. He still needed strong opponents to continue his Haki training, and the three sisters were ideal. Not only were they proficient in Haki, but they were also powerful.
Vito summoned the tiger and dismissed it for now, leaving behind a small amount of his blood inside its body with its vitality suppressed.
As long as the tiger's life force dropped below the vitality of that blood, a healing effect would be triggered. Consider it a spare life in his pocket.
But figuring out how to sneak Vito onto the Kuja ship was a real challenge.
He was a whole head taller than Hancock, and she was already the tallest among the three sisters.
Eventually, they settled on a "classic" method, Hancock's idea, of course. This time with a twist: Vito carried Hancock in his arms while draped in a thick cloak, giving the appearance of a single person.
And so, the two of them huddled together awkwardly under one cloak, heading for the Kuja warship...
As the sun set on the coast, the Kuja warriors spotted Hancock and immediately swarmed around her in joy.
"Hancock! Really now, Lady Empress was worried sick about you!"
Naturally, Hancock's popularity was overwhelming. The moment she returned to the ship, the warriors rushed over with concern and admiration.
Hancock ignored them all, simply tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, enough to send the crowd into a frenzy.
"Waaah! Hancock is absolutely radiant today!"
"She's so beautiful! Truly worthy of being Hancock!"
Inside the cloak, Vito cringed hard enough to curl his toes through the ship's floor. Hugging Hancock tightly, he speed-walked up the gangplank as fast as he could.
Once they were gone, the warriors began whispering among themselves. Unsurprisingly, their focus was all on Hancock's beauty.
"…Hey, did Hancock get taller?"
"That's normal. Girls her age grow fast."
"Really? I thought maybe someone else snuck aboard…"
"Don't be ridiculous! That's Hancock we're talking about. If anyone could get that close to her, they'd have to be, ugh, I'm so jealous!"
…
Guided by Sandersonia and Marigold, Vito arrived at Hancock's quarters aboard the Kuja ship. Only then did he dare to crawl out from under the cloak.
"Phew… finally."
Relaxing a little, Vito immediately began suppressing his presence. He didn't want to get picked up by someone else's Observation Haki.
As the saying goes, "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." So Vito carefully adjusted his life force to match the average Kuja warrior's before finally letting his guard down.
Even if the current Empress used Observation Haki, she'd only sense two people in Hancock's room. Nothing suspicious.
Thankfully, the journey had gone smoothly, and Vito had officially infiltrated Amazon Lily, the all-female kingdom hidden within the Calm Belt.
Towering high above, covered in dense jungle, the island's tallest mountain had been hollowed out over generations to form a fortress-like capital. Through countless successions of the Snake Princess, it had become Amazon Lily's greatest stronghold.
Vito gazed at the mountain wall engraved with the words "Kuja" in Chinese characters and felt a strange sense of nostalgia. As the gates bearing the Kuja Pirates' insignia opened at the port, the ship sailed along a narrow canal leading deep inside the mountain to the inner city.
"Welcome back, Lady Empress!"
Lining both sides of the waterway were women of all shapes and sizes. Without exception, they raised their voices in cheers and waved madly at their returning ruler.
From Hancock's room, Vito peeked through the window at it all. This was his first time seeing the current Empress, Gloriosa.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Vito's spine.
He dove to the side, just as Gloriosa's gaze swept over the area.
"…Was that just my imagination?"
She'd felt like someone had been watching her. But after looking around and seeing nothing unusual, she dismissed it.
Meanwhile, a few experienced warriors boarded the ship to log their hunt's results.
The corpses of massive beasts were hoisted effortlessly onto their shoulders, as easy as grabbing chickens.
By sheer coincidence, Vito had ended up trapped inside Kuja City. Originally, he'd planned to hide out in the forests surrounding it.
"Looks like I'll need a way to sneak back out…"
He remembered how Luffy had escaped using the Rubber-Rubber Fruit's mobility, bounding over the cliffs.
Vito could theoretically climb the walls too, but it would definitely cause a ruckus and get him caught.
So he discussed his dilemma with Hancock.
"That's easy, just do it again," she said nonchalantly, kicking her feet lazily from the bed.
Since she didn't seem to care, Vito figured it probably was the best plan.
Knock knock knock…
Someone knocked on the door.
"Hancock? Are you, huh?"
Gloriosa pushed open the door and saw Hancock already tucked into bed, covers pulled up to her chin.
"Are you feeling unwell?"
Hancock's cheeks were slightly flushed. Gloriosa reached out and gently placed a hand on her forehead.
"You feel warm. I'll have Chrysanthemum send you some medicine later…"
At that moment, Vito was locked in a triangle choke under the blankets, his head pressed directly against Hancock's body.
It was a highly questionable position, one that would get a manga flagged R-18, but to Vito, all he could think was:
I can't breathe.
Still, to avoid causing trouble for Hancock, he clenched his jaw and endured, refusing to move a muscle.
"…Huh? Strange. Hancock, your face is getting redder."
Gloriosa frowned.
Panicking, Hancock instinctively tightened her leg lock.
"Crap. I really can't breathe, !"
Under the blanket, the two of them were in such intimate contact that Vito could practically taste the scent of the sea. His face turned from yellow to blue… and finally red, like some kind of face-changing Peking opera mask.
Yet even like this, Vito didn't move, doing his best not to get her in trouble.
//----------------------------------------------------//
//--- Add to Collection!
//--- 150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter