One Piece Gunslinger

This only shows that the narcissistic Hancock has become somewhat idealistic and irrational.

In contrast, Li Ang was overjoyed.

According to his calculations, the rowing event would take about half an hour to reach Snake Island, but now, thanks to the intimidation of the two serpents, the sea kings behind them have been driven away.

Not only did it end the match early, giving Li Ang a much-needed breather, but it also allowed him to bypass the numerous difficulties of entering the island and directly reach the final step he wanted: meeting Empress Hancock.

Otherwise, it would be troublesome. If we don't meet here, we'll have to wait for Hancock to return before we can see her when Leon arrives at Amazon Lily. Nobody knows how many days that wait will take.

What puzzled Li Ang was why Yahancock's expression seemed so gloomy. Had she encountered something troublesome?

Whatever the reason, Li Ang understood that from now on, he would face a series of continuous troubles. This was bound to be the most severe challenge he had faced since leaving Fengfeng Village.

Li Ang's prediction was correct. Just as he rowed his small, dilapidated boat toward the Empress's carriage, preparing to reveal his identity and purpose, the Empress's angry voice reached his ears first: "Sweet Sweet Wind!"

Chapter 281 Village Internet Access

It's necessary to bring up this issue again. Hancock's temper is indeed not very good. This is not only due to her experience as a child slave, but also because of her smooth sailing as a Shichibukai and leader of Amazon Lily.

No matter who it is, when they think the whole world revolves around them, that's when they become arrogant.

So when she met the culprit who had "tricked" her, she immediately decided to turn Li Ang into a stone statue.

Li Ang was still preparing his words, ready to state his purpose and identity, when before he could even utter a sound, he was attacked by rings of heart-shaped rays of light. He was completely unprepared, and by the time he reacted and tried to dodge, it was too late. The rings of light simply passed through Li Ang's body.

"What!?"

However, after the light faded, Leon did not turn into a stone statue, but stood firmly on the small boat. Not only the others on the boat, but even Empress Hancock herself couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Li Ang's surprise was no less than Empress Hancock's; the effect of being struck by Sweet Sweet Breeze had greatly exceeded his expectations. It even sparked more ideas in him, extending beyond mere cooperation.

This "Sweet Breeze" attack isn't without its countermeasures; not everyone hit by it will turn to stone. To turn someone to stone, the person affected must be captivated by Empress Hancock's beauty.

In Li Ang's memory, three people successfully avoided being petrified by this move.

The first person to do this was Luffy. Of course, his method is not applicable to everyone; he simply relied on having an empty mind, devoid of any feeling for anything other than fighting, adventure, or eating. This allowed him to avoid the attack. Alas, this is an innate flaw (or perhaps an innate advantage?), something only certain people can do, and it can't be learned.

The second example is the fish-man in the special episode "3D2Y Across Ace's Death," who is blind and never saw Hancock's face. Therefore, he wasn't charmed by her. Of course, this isn't a universally applicable analogy; Leon is not Fujitora.

The third person is the role model Li Ang learned from in avoiding petrification: Vice Admiral Mole in the Navy. When faced with this attack, Vice Admiral Mole stabbed himself in the thigh with a dagger, using the pain to wake himself up and divert his attention from his infatuation with Hancock, thus successfully avoiding being petrified.

Li Ang, however, was not as ruthless as Lieutenant General Mole. He simply twisted his arm and successfully broke free from the attack.

In fact, Li Ang originally thought that he should be considered in the first case, like Luffy, who could directly ignore the charm of the Empress and the influence of Sweet Sweet Wind.

After all, ever since he first activated the system in Maple Village many years ago, he had been in a state of forced calm. No matter what he encountered, he would quickly calm down, and it could even be said that he had almost no emotions left. He usually wore a mask when interacting with the Revolutionary Army.

This helped him on many occasions, such as when he first carried out a mission as a revolutionary, rescuing shipyard workers in Stonehenge, and confronting the threat of King Charles.

But it also caused Li Ang to lose much of his motivation as a "human being".

This is why Li Ang became a workaholic, devoting everything to the cause of the revolutionary army in order to occasionally find solace and temporary emotional relief.

They even devised a plan for that stimulus point two years later.

Since that's the case, Li Ang naturally categorized himself as the first type of person, just like Luffy. He had never been moved by any woman, and no one could stir any waves in his calm and hardened inner world.

Therefore, he naturally assumed that even Hancock, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the world, could not do it.

Therefore, Hancock's Devil Fruit ability would cause minimal damage to herself. Aside from some close-range attacks and easily dodgeable moves, petrifying her would be impossible. Furthermore, her close-range combat ability has been tested by Sabo, so it's undoubtedly sufficient for a fight. Thus, her safety is assured.

But reality slapped him hard in the face. The instant the ray of light shone on him, Li Ang felt a strange, unprecedented sensation. It almost stirred his heart, which was as hard as steel, once again.

As a result, I even felt my body stiffen, as if I was slowly petrifying.

Li Ang quickly twisted his arm, and since he wasn't as deeply entangled as Lieutenant General Mole, he was able to break free relatively easily.

But that was a good slap in the face! It felt so good to Li Ang. He had never felt so good about being slapped in the face before. He almost became addicted to the feeling, completely absorbed in it.

This was of great significance to Li Ang, as it meant he had finally found a way to break free from the emotional constraints imposed by the system. He had found hope of starting anew.

Boa Hancock, like a darling of the world, possesses the most beautiful appearance in the entire universe—almost at the rule level. Add to that the Sweet-Sweet Fruit, which maximizes her beauty, and her allure that can seduce hearts and souls. She easily captivated Li Ang's heart. Even the system, which Li Ang revered as a god, couldn't resist her.

"Very good, no wonder they can look down on heaven, earth, and even the air. The combined power of these two can even defy the system. In that case, I can't be satisfied with just establishing cooperation. At the very least, both sides need to reach a level of trust." Li Ang thought to himself.

Leon had almost forgotten his own name, his only thought being to use Hancock's abilities to break free from the forced calm that had been binding him. This required a sufficient level of trust between them; otherwise, Leon wouldn't dare easily entrust his life to Hancock's control.

"How did you do that?!" Boa Hancock asked in a deep voice.

At this point, Hancock had not yet met the three people mentioned earlier, and Leon was the first person to survive her abilities.

Although the series of thoughts he had just processed was quite informative, it only lasted a few seconds in Li Ang's mind. Hancock's question, however, brought him back to reality once again.

“How did I do it? Since you can tell, why ask me? I’m just a bit more determined than the average person and I used some methods to distract myself,” Li Ang explained.

While these words didn't appease Boa Hancock or end their hostility, they at least gave Leon a chance to speak. At least he could reveal his identity, preventing a more intense conflict.

Li Ang continued, "Let's stop that pointless fighting. I'm here to negotiate on behalf of the Revolutionary Army."

Li Ang thought that as long as he could reveal his identity, the Empress would at least give him some face, and the battle could be resolved, allowing Li Ang to enter the verbal battle, which he excelled at.

As it turned out, Li Ang underestimated the Empress's arrogance. She didn't care about Li Ang's identity at all, and jumped down, kicking him hard on the head with her high heels.

"What the hell? Is this some kind of unreasonable argument?"

Li Ang, standing on the small boat, had little room to dodge and could only take a slight step back. This changed the attack, originally intended to kick his head, into a kick to his chest. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest, channeled his Armament Haki, and received the blow.

"clang!"

The clash between the two produced a metallic clang, demonstrating Hancock's powerful and deadly attack, clearly intended to kill Leon.

Hancock also used her Devil Fruit powers in this move. If Leon hadn't blocked it with his Haki, his hands would have been turned into stone and shattered by the kick.

Hancock, having missed her first attack, flipped herself onto the ship, standing on one end alongside Leon, ready for the next strike.

Hancock now considers Leon a formidable enemy. Not only did he "trick" her before, but he also showed no fear of her Devil Fruit ability. Hancock will not allow such a person to exist in this world.

Only then did an excited voice rang out on the ship: "Wait, Lady Snake Princess, stop fighting! He's a revolutionary!"

Li Ang looked up slightly and saw a short old woman standing by the side of the boat, leaning on a cane. However, the cane was made of a coiled blue snake.

Li Ang recognized the person at a glance by his unique appearance. This person was none other than Gloriosa, the previous queen of Amazon Lily, who took the three Boa sisters from Fisher-Teg and adopted them.

This name isn't commonly used; everyone calls her "Grandma Za".

What is a revolutionary army?

Hancock asked the question so matter-of-factly that it made Li Ang question his existence.

"Did your village just get internet? Pfft, I mean, just get a phone line? You don't even know about the Revolutionary Army, the Revolutionary Army that caused such a big commotion before?" Li Ang felt an urge to complain.

However, Amazon Lily is not much different from a newly connected internet. Due to its location deep in the Calm Belt, even birds don't fly there, making it difficult to obtain newspapers, so information is naturally quite unreliable. Even the Revolutionary Army's major operation was something Amazon Lily was unaware of.

Not to mention Hancock's personality. The Revolutionary Army wasn't well-known in Amazon Lily to begin with. Although her grandmother had mentioned it to Hancock before, she had forgotten about it immediately.

That's why this question came about, making Li Ang and his mother-in-law a little embarrassed.

"That revolutionary army is..." Grandma had no choice but to explain what she had said before again.

As expected of Li Ang, he quickly cut to the chase and said, "There's no need to explain those things. Just know that the Revolutionary Army is a group of people who will kill the Celestial Dragons in the future!"

Actually, all those messy introductions are unnecessary. For Hancock, there aren't many things that can provoke her, and "Celestial Dragons" is the most effective word.

Chapter 282 Repaying Kindness

Li Ang was also grateful that his mother-in-law had come along this time and helped him out of the predicament; otherwise, he didn't know how much more trouble would have followed.

Despite Grandma's seemingly lowly status and being bossed around by Hancock, her words actually carry weight. When she said to stop, Hancock genuinely did temporarily halt her attack.

However, upon hearing Li Ang's blunt explanation, Hancock's expression not only didn't improve, but became even more gloomy.

Li Ang's seemingly random statement, along with his earlier talk of seeking cooperation, can only mean one thing: he knows about the Boa sisters' background. That's why he said those things. Since Li Ang is a member of the Revolutionary Army, his knowledge means the Revolutionary Army knows, so this matter might slowly spread.

This is precisely the fact they are trying so hard to cover up; they cannot allow this situation to occur.

Of course, Granny was also a little worried after hearing what Li Ang said. Ever since she took the three Boa sisters back from the Sun Pirates and adopted them, she had kept the news about it very well hidden. Even the World Government did not know about it. How come the Revolutionary Army knew about it now?

Seeing the two women's expressions change, Li Ang knew they had misunderstood. However, he took action and immediately pulled out a sun emblem from his pocket, tossing it to Hancock, who was not far away.

"Look, do you still recognize this?"

Hancock quickly grabbed it. How could she not recognize it? Li Ang recognized it the moment he took it out. This was a special mark forged by many slaves at the beginning of the Sun Pirates. There was only one in the world, and it should be carried by the captain.

The many freed slaves secretly vowed that if they ever needed anything from the Sun Pirates, they would never delay in doing so.

However, this mark was later entrusted to Jinbe along with the Sun Pirates. Now, for some reason, it has fallen into Leon's hands.

"So, now we can finally have a proper talk?" Leon said, spreading his hands as Hancock accepted the insignia. He had never worried that Hancock wouldn't recognize the mark, or that she would be unforgiving and show no respect.

No matter how narcissistic Hancock is, she couldn't possibly be ungrateful. Like Granny, although Hancock often expressed disdain for Granny's uselessness, she still entrusted her with all the power. Therefore, Granny is the de facto empress of Amazon Lily, handling all domestic affairs. Hancock is merely a spiritual leader, using the title of Shichibukai to repay the place that adopted her.

As Li Ang had predicted, Hancock's expression softened considerably after receiving the emblem.

"Humph!"

Hancock didn't say much; after putting away the insignia, she tilted her head, then leaped high into the air and jumped back onto the ship.

Li Ang had no good way to deal with this temper. In his understanding, as long as Hancock didn't continue to attack, it meant she agreed. This action should also be a signal for Li Ang to follow.

What if you guess wrong? If you guess wrong, you guess wrong, so Li Ang could only shrug and jump up as well.

Then, amidst the curious gazes of the many Amazon warriors on the ship, Leon followed Hancock into the captain's cabin.

"Oh, so everyone's here." Li Ang was the last to enter, and the three Bo Ya sisters and Grandma Za were already in the room.

Since everyone was present, Li Ang understood the situation and knew that the rest of the matter should not be known to others, so he closed the door.

"Tell me quickly, how did you obtain this emblem? And how do you know these things?" Hancock remained as arrogant and disdainful as ever, as if none of the previous events had ever occurred.

Upon hearing Hancock's tone, Grandma couldn't help but quietly tug at Hancock's clothes from behind.

This child used to be so cute and obedient. How did he become like this? This tone wasn't just directed at the Navy; it was applied to the Revolutionary Army as well. If they were to offend the Revolutionary Army, there would be serious problems later.

Fortunately, Li Ang had anticipated this situation and wasn't angry. Instead of directly answering Hancock's question, he calmly found a seat and sat down under the intense gazes of Hancock and her two sisters.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but first, you need to understand some other things.” Li Angping looked at Hancock sitting on her pet and said, “I am not your servant, nor your subordinate. You cannot order me around. Although I came here seeking cooperation, it does not mean that I can abandon my position and dignity. Equality is the foundation of friendship.”

Li Ang could only explain his friendly relationship with Jinbe, stating that the insignia was given to him by Jinbe when he learned that he was going to Amazon Lily, and that he did not obtain it through any force or other underhanded means.

As for how he knew these things, it's hard to explain. Every time Li Ang encountered this kind of problem, he had to put in some effort to make up some stories. However, Li Ang had some expectations for this, so he didn't have to come up with a reason on the spot.

After much explanation, Li Ang, his throat dry and parched, finally managed to dispel everyone's suspicions. The main problem was that the three sisters kept asking strange questions during the explanation, constantly interrupting him, and sometimes even leading to further questions. Some of these were just minor details, things Li Ang hadn't even realized were so perplexing.

Li Ang could understand the suspicion and tension of the crowd. After all, the issue of the Celestial Dragons was indeed their biggest concern. Moreover, the childhood trauma stemming from the Celestial Dragons was too heavy, and the impact would only be eliminated after the Celestial Dragons were completely wiped out.