One Piece: I am the Empress, and the more sycophants I have, the stronger I become.

The perfume cruise ship of Kuja is about to enter the edge of the calm zone.

The sea surface was eerily calm, a stark contrast to the turbulent waves of the Grand Line.

Just as Hancock was enjoying the tranquility and contemplating her trip to the East China Sea, a small black dot on the sea ahead caught her attention.

As the distance closed, the outline of the black dot became clearer.

It was a small boat shaped like a coffin, with only one solitary figure on board.

A black top hat, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's.

"Djokovic Mihawk?"

Hancock raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting to encounter this lone-wolf fellow Shichibukai here.

Why is he out here on the edge of the doldrums instead of enjoying wine at his castle on the island of Kraigana?

However, what happened next left even the well-informed Empress speechless.

The world's greatest swordsman seemed to have confirmed that no one was around.

He was actually... he was standing on the edge of his little raft with his back to them.

He unzipped his pants and began to... release water onto the calm sea.

Hancock: "..."

Arya and the Kuja warriors: "!!!"

Just as everything was silent and the scene seemed to freeze, a cacophony of noise and shrill laughter suddenly erupted from the other side.

A sizable pirate ship appeared out of nowhere, with a group of arrogant pirates standing at its bow.

The one in the lead, wearing golden armor and a metal hood, was none other than "Admiral" Krieg!

"Hahaha! Look! What's that guy doing?!"

"Peeing at sea? What kind of weird fetish is that?!"

"Hey! You, man! Where's your sword? Are you using it as a stick to stir up trouble?!"

The members of the Krieg Pirates clearly didn't recognize Mihawk, or rather, they simply didn't believe that the legendary Hawkeye would appear in this place in this way.

They laughed without restraint.

Mihawk froze.

Even from a distance, Hancock could clearly sense it.

A terrifying killing intent suddenly rose from that small raft, almost freezing the air!

The murderous aura was cold and sharp, as if even the surrounding light had dimmed.

Mihawk turned around slowly, extremely slowly.

His face was as black as the bottom of a pot, and his eagle-like eyes...

What burns at this moment is a fury powerful enough to incinerate everything and... an endless killing intent after the death of the company!

"Oh no!"

Hancock silently recited to himself.

She instantly understood why Hawkeye had chased Krieg all the way from the Grand Line to the East Blue in the original story!

This is simply... reaping what you sow!

"You...you're asking for it!"

Mihawk's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a chilling, metallic quality.

He didn't even have time to pay attention to the conspicuous Kuja pirate ship not far away; the Black Blade Night had already appeared in his hand.

A massive green sword aura, like a crescent moon tearing through the sky, roared as it slashed toward Krieg's flagship!

"boom--!!"

Creek's imposing flagship, along with several of its escort ships.

It was as fragile as paper before this sword energy, instantly cleaved in two, and the explosion was deafening!

The pirates who were just moments ago laughing maniacally are now left only with terrified screams and desperate wails.

Creek himself was terrified. He finally realized what kind of being he had provoked and hurriedly directed the remaining ships.

"Quick! Run!! Scatter and escape!! Head to the East China Sea!!"

At that moment, he had only one thought: to get as far away from this terrifying "Hawkeye" as possible!

Mihawk clearly wasn't going to let them off the hook, and steered the small raft.

They pursued them at a leisurely pace, like the Grim Reaper, clearly intending to wipe them out completely.

And at that moment, perhaps it was just a casual glance during the chase.

Mihawk's gaze swept over the perfume cruise ship of Kuja, and then over the stunningly beautiful figure at the bow that could not be ignored.

Eyes facing each other.

Time seemed to freeze once again.

Mihawk's eyes, which had been cold and sharp with rage.

When she met Hancock's calm gaze, which held a hint of amusement, a hint of understanding, and yet seemed to see nothing at all, a rare... panic appeared on her face?

He almost instinctively looked away, his bronze cheeks...

A very faint, but undeniably present, blush appeared!

Being seen by a scumbag like Krieg is one thing, but being seen by Hancock, who is also a Shichibukai and the "world's most beautiful woman," is a completely different matter!

Even with Eagle Eye's composure, he felt an indescribable embarrassment and humiliation at this moment.

But he quickly adjusted his mindset.

Hancock took in his reaction and found it somewhat amusing.

She remained expressionless, as if she hadn't seen or seen anything, or that nothing had happened.

He spoke from afar in a perfectly measured tone, tinged with surprise and politeness between colleagues.

"Mihawk, what a coincidence. Are you... cleaning up the small fry?"

Mihawk: "..."

He gripped the black sword Night tightly, feeling more embarrassed than ever before in his life.

He wasn't sure if the Empress had seen it or not.

He forced down the turmoil in his heart and tried his best to make his voice sound calm and even.

"What a coincidence... um. Some newbies who don't know the rules."

He simply couldn't talk much about this topic, especially with Hancock.

He could feel his heart beating faster than usual, not because of fighting or admiration.

It was not because of the unspeakable embarrassment and the shock of being "witnessed" that it happened.

He couldn't help but glance once more at the stunningly beautiful woman at the bow of the ship.

The sunlight shone on her, as if coating her with a halo.

"Damn it..."

He cursed under his breath, unsure whether he was cursing Creek or the damned coincidence.

He never imagined that his image as the world's greatest swordsman would one day crumble like this, especially in front of her.

Hancock looked at his slightly stiff posture and the blush that had not yet completely faded, and thought to herself.

"It seems that even the world's greatest swordsman can lose his composure under certain circumstances."

She gained a more direct understanding of her own charm, something that someone like Creek would never dare to "see" in the same light.

They would probably have been turned into stone or statues long ago by her fragrant feet or the arrows of her captives.

"In that case, I won't disturb your 'cleaning' any longer."

Hancock nodded gracefully, signaling the helmsman to continue.

"We also need to go to the East China Sea to take care of some things."

Mihawk watched as the Nine Serpents' ships slowly passed by, opened his mouth, but ultimately only responded in a deep voice.

"……Um."

Only after the Nine Serpents' ship had sailed far away did Mihawk exhale a long breath, forcibly suppressing the inexplicable turmoil in his heart.

He once again cast his cold gaze in the direction Crick had fled, his killing intent growing even stronger.

"Krick...you're dead!"