One Piece Gunslinger

Therefore, Li Ang did not show any impatience. Not only equality, but respect is also a fundamental principle. Hancock gave him equality, so he could give Hancock respect in return.

“Alright, now you know everything you wanted to know,” Li Ang continued. “Then I believe you’ve also guessed my purpose this time.”

"Is it to try and recruit us to fight against the World Government and the Celestial Dragons?"

Hancock continued, "But according to what you've said, your strength is far too weak to deal with the Celestial Dragons. I don't want to do something like throwing an egg against a rock. Besides, I've gotten used to my current life, and I don't care about the Celestial Dragons anymore."

The green-haired second sister, Sandersonia, chimed in, "Yeah, we don't care about the Celestial Dragons or anything like that. If you want to die, go ahead, but don't drag us Amazon Lily people into it."

Li Ang didn't even need to think to know that these two were lying. So what prompted him to say such a contrary thing?

Li Ang remained silent for a while, and could only think of one reason: fear. The Celestial Dragons' poison and the World Government's influence were still too deep, so much so that the three Boa sisters harbored hatred while simultaneously holding onto that fear in their hearts.

However, the depth of fear corresponds to the depth of hatred. Li Ang is not discouraged at all; on the contrary, he feels even more confident.

"Heh, I didn't expect the famous Empress to be so weak, she was actually afraid."

"Hmph, what a joke. I've never been afraid of anyone!" Hancock said, then adopted a contemptuous and arrogant attitude.

But when someone tries to deny their own fears, it proves that they are actually terrified inside. This is similar to saying "I'm not bragging" before bragging—it's all a subconscious way of deceiving oneself.

Li Ang certainly understood this principle, but the hardest people to wake up are those who are pretending to be asleep. Directly pointing this out would be a thankless task and might even have the opposite effect.

So Li Ang changed direction and looked for other breakthroughs, saying, "Fisher Tiger, a mere fishman, was able to climb the Red Line with his bare hands, doing things that no one before him dared to think of or do, rescuing a large number of slaves, and forcing the World Government to strengthen the defenses of Mary Geoise. I think you should all be very clear about these things even if I don't say them."

"Our Revolutionary Army, when it was first founded, consisted of just one ship and a few people. Compared to the giant World Government, it was nothing more than a sneeze that could solve the problem. Yet our forces have continued to grow, with more and more people joining our ranks."

Today, we have grown into a little giant, successfully becoming a major thorn in the side of the world government, and even gaining the upper hand in our struggles with the world government.

Of course, we know our own insignificance; everyone understands they are but a grain of sand. But we also know that houses are built brick by brick, ships are pieced together from wood, and even the ocean is formed from drops of water. The longest journey is made step by step.

Having said that, Li Ang stopped listening; there was no need to finish his sentence. He believed that Hancock, with her intelligence, already understood his meaning. He also believed that Hancock would eventually give him an answer, regardless of whether it would work out. In any case, he had done all he could.

And so, a rare silence fell over the room. Hancock remained silent, and neither did the others.

After a long while, Hancock finally stood up from her pet chair and continued in her haughty tone, "What you just said was all nonsense. I already know that, and it's not your place to tell me these things."

Seeing that Hancock was still the same as before, Leon sighed inwardly, "Sigh, in the end, I still couldn't overcome this terrible personality?"

To everyone's surprise, Hancock made a complete turnaround: "However, for the sake of this emblem, I'll still cooperate with you for now. I can't let people think I'm an ungrateful person."

Chapter 283 A Request

"You're really not being honest!"

However, Li Ang only dared to say this in his heart; he wouldn't dare to utter the truth out loud. If he embarrassed Hancock and she ended up ruining the whole thing in a fit of anger, he would have nowhere to turn for help.

What's this about repaying a debt of gratitude? If you want to repay a debt of gratitude, why go through all this trouble? If you're going to repay a debt of gratitude, why did you refuse in the first place? This is clearly a standard statement from someone trying to take advantage of another's kindness.

This is clearly a way for him to save face; you can practically smell his smugness even through the screen.

But upon closer reflection, Hancock's actions are understandable. After all, her arrogant, narcissistic personality, her tendency to resort to violence at the slightest provocation, and her various unreasonable behaviors are all manifestations of her willfulness.

This willful behavior also demonstrates that she is still a child at heart. She had a miserable childhood with the Celestial Dragons, but later enjoyed a happy one after being adopted. She went through two childhoods before finally experiencing her own. So, even though she's in her twenties now, she's still a young girl at heart.

"By the way," Grandma Za knew perfectly well that Hancock's behavior was clearly due to her overly arrogant personality, so to avoid embarrassment, she quickly changed the subject.

"You've been talking for so long, and you seem to know us a lot, but we don't know you at all."

Grandma Za finally got to the crucial point: judging from Li Ang's skills and words, he couldn't possibly be a low-ranking soldier in the revolutionary army; he must be one of the top cadres. The only question was his exact position within the revolutionary army.

"Since you've asked so sincerely, I'll mercifully tell you."

Although he really wanted to say that, the sentence flashed through Li Ang's mind for only a second before he dismissed it, as it would clearly ruin the atmosphere in this setting.

"To be honest, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Li Ang, and I am the chief of staff of the revolutionary army." That was Li Ang's answer.

Originally, Grandma only asked the question to change the subject, but she was the most surprised when she heard Li Ang's answer.

"You're the chief of staff of the revolutionary army?"

As she spoke, she circled around Li Ang, scrutinizing him closely from head to toe, as if trying to see right through him. Li Ang felt extremely uncomfortable under her gaze.

"What, is the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff that powerful?" Hancock asked curiously when she saw Grandma Zagi making such a gesture.

Grandma nodded and said, "When the World Government contacted you using a Den Den Mushi a while ago, did you go?"

"Is that so?" Hancock asked doubtfully. After a long pause, she realized, "You mean back then?"

“That’s right.” Grandma nodded. “You were lying in a chair sunbathing at the time. The World Government originally intended to inform you of the recent events, but I accepted the information on your behalf.”

Then Grandma Za excitedly recounted what she had heard from the Den Den Mushi. Li Ang was happy to have someone explain things to him, and he only slightly corrected some of the places where the World Government distorted the facts.

"So all those things were planned by one person, and even the things that happened in the past few years were all the work of the person in front of us."

After hearing what Grandma Za said, Li Ang quickly added, "You flatter me, you flatter me. I only did some minor work. Most of the work was done by the soldiers of the Revolutionary Army. Please don't put all the credit on me."

Upon hearing this, Hancock formed a basic impression of the person before her. Li Ang noticed a glint in his eyes, as if he were deep in thought, before finally asking thoughtfully, "So you're quite intelligent?"

Upon hearing this question, Li Ang immediately became alert. He was all too familiar with this feeling; if he gave an affirmative answer at this moment, he would inevitably face great trouble.

Li Ang immediately admitted defeat: "Oh, it's nothing, it's just good luck."

However, this clumsy performance failed to fool Hancock at all. She snorted and said, "Shouldn't we talk about how we should cooperate in detail next?"

“Uh…” Li Ang already felt the pressure.

……

"Why should I ride in your little shabby boat? Why don't we ride in my big boat?"

"Isn't that obvious? If we take your big ship, we'll expose our position, and then we won't be able to clean up the mess." Li Ang could only patiently explain again, but he had said this several times already, and it was to no avail.

That's right, Leon and Hancock are currently sitting on his little rickety boat, and it's just the two of them. As for Hancock's original vehicle, it has already been driven back to Amazon Lily.

As for why Hancock appeared on his small boat, that goes back to what happened in the previous cooperation.

Actually, the entire cooperation negotiation wasn't conducted with Hancock, but with Granny Za. After all, matters of state were never Hancock's concern, and in terms of governing experience, Granny Za was far superior to Hancock. It was precisely because Li Ang was negotiating with such a normal person as Granny Za that the process proceeded smoothly without any major problems.

Just when everything seemed to be on track and Amazon Lily was about to formally establish a close partnership with the Revolutionary Army, Hancock made a small request.

The problem lies in this requirement.

The request was for Li Ang to help her accomplish one thing—to personally kill a Celestial Dragon.

Upon hearing this request, Li Ang nearly choked on his own wits. Were Celestial Dragons so easy to kill? And this request required him to kill them with his own hands! This was simply outrageous. He should have stopped his mother-in-law's mutual flattery earlier.

The result of this hype was that Hancock was completely convinced that Leon could definitely help her with this matter. So she took the opportunity to make this impossible request, adopting an attitude that if he couldn't do it, he was just trying to gain fame; if he couldn't do it, he had been lying to her all along; and if he couldn't do it, they could say goodbye.

When Hancock's mother-in-law and her two sisters heard about Hancock's request, they were all taken aback and quickly tried to persuade her, saying that three women make a drama.

However, despite their best efforts and a lot of talking, they couldn't change Hancock's mind. Finally, Hancock got annoyed by their noise and unleashed a burst of Conqueror's Haki, knocking out the entire group surrounding her.

Even the Amazon warriors outside were affected, and the only two people left conscious on the ship were the two of them.

Li Ang immediately felt like he was being deliberately provoked. Why wasn't he dizzy? This was the only time he didn't want to become this strong; it would have been so much better to just faint. At least he wouldn't have to worry about this complicated problem. Even the Revolutionary Army, with its immense power and influence, didn't dare attempt to take down the Celestial Dragons; it was practically an impossible task.

If it were anyone else, Li Ang would have already reasoned with them, appealing to their emotions and persuading them little by little to give up this unrealistic dream and be more down-to-earth.

Then they'll paint a rosy picture, promising plenty of opportunities in the future. The Celestial Dragons will have their turn. As long as they can overthrow the World Government and resolve all sorts of problems, then any future issues can be solved. Their current patience is temporary and worthwhile.

However, thanks to Hancock's capriciousness, these attempts at persuasion and reasoning were completely ineffective. She didn't even give Li Ang a chance to actually draw up any grand promises.

After unleashing her Conqueror's Haki, Hancock looked down at Li Ang with an oppressive gaze. Li Ang felt that if he didn't agree, something even worse might happen.

Under pressure from the Empress, Leon chose to yield. In the end, he agreed to Hancock's "small" request.

He agreed, but as for how to do it, he certainly couldn't let Hancock do whatever she wanted anymore. Leon had to do some research first.

So Li Ang made a request: he was willing to personally kill a Celestial Dragon, but in order to achieve this, she had to follow his orders the entire way and obey his every command. Otherwise, he wouldn't care. This was Li Ang's bottom line; if Hancock didn't agree, then it would be a regrettable failure to reach an agreement.

However, Hancock hesitated for a while, perhaps because her strong desire for revenge overcame her past willfulness, and finally gritted her teeth and agreed to the request.

Later, Li Ang left a letter for Granny Zha and her two sisters on the ship, telling them about his decision and that they didn't need to worry, that Hancock would be fine with him, and that they would return after they finished their business.

Although the whole book is full of boasts and even nonsense, such as "Leave it to me", "Don't worry, nothing will happen", "My plan is foolproof", "There's nothing to be afraid of", "Hancock is not alone", "We'll be back soon after we've dealt with them", "I guarantee it in the name of the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army", etc.

If a modern person saw this screen full of "fg" characters, they would definitely feel quite uneasy. But for them, it's a somewhat reassuring text.

Actually, Li Ang himself wasn't at ease. He still hadn't come up with a good solution and was racking his brains trying to figure out what to do next. He had no clue what to do.

After finishing all that, Leon set off with Hancock, and that was all he took. He didn't even bring her pet snake, Salome, the chair snake, as that would easily expose them. Regardless of the circumstances, this kind of thing definitely had to be done discreetly, and being careful to stay hidden was always the best course of action.

Then the scene from before unfolded: the conversation between Leon and Hancock on the small, wrecked boat.

Chapter 284 Intelligence

As is well known, Li Ang is not a reckless person; on the contrary, he possesses a strong sense of composure and acts only after careful consideration. Moreover, what principles has Li Ang consistently adhered to?

Not making a profit is equivalent to losing money!

So there's only one reason why Li Ang agreed—it's profitable! So even though Li Ang hasn't come up with any specific solutions yet, he still has to take on this arduous task first.

The reason was the hope that Hancock brought to Leon. In Leon's view, this was of paramount importance.

Leon had already made up his mind not only to establish a cooperative relationship, but also to take it a step further and make it more intimate. Only with enough trust could Leon feel comfortable sharing secrets with Hancock. And only with greater trust could Leon feel comfortable entrusting his life to her and letting her use her abilities to unlock the floodgates of Leon's emotions.

Hancock's request this time is an opportunity. It might even be a once-in-a-lifetime chance. After that, once the alliance is repaired, there's no possibility of taking it any further.

Beauty and the Devil Fruit are both indispensable. Together, they are the key to the safe deposit box in Li Ang's heart. Therefore, Li Ang cannot use the method of killing Hancock to retrieve the Devil Fruit and then rely on other trusted people, such as Nami and Carina, to help him solve this problem.

Because their beauty paled in comparison to Hancock, the most beautiful woman in the world, Leon dared not gamble; losing would mean true despair. That feeling of seeing hope shattered could drive him mad.

Therefore, for his own selfish reasons, Li Ang had to agree to the request when he found that Hancock's attitude was firm and unyielding, and he had to force himself to come up with a solution.

Fortunately, Hancock agreed to his request in order to kill the Celestial Dragons herself. As long as Hancock wasn't willful or a useless teammate, at least she could give him room to maneuver.

……

"Wind?" Hancock asked. "We're already out of the Calm Belt? I didn't expect you to row so fast. But where are we going now that we're out of the Calm Belt?"

Li Ang rolled his eyes at her. Of course, Li Ang's little motor was fast, but he didn't need to explain that to her. As for where he was going, Li Ang had no idea yet. But he definitely needed to get the boat out of the calm zone as soon as possible, otherwise who knew when a sea monster would suddenly emerge from under him and knock him into the sea. Li Ang could swim, but Hancock couldn't; that would be troublesome.

After rowing the small boat out of the calm zone, Li Ang first took out his "son" from his pocket, the Den Den Mushi that ate the snail Devil Fruit.

"Hey, wake up. Son, help me contact Long."

Since the decision has been made to eliminate the Celestial Dragons, such a complex undertaking must be supported by ample intelligence. Only with intelligence can a plan be formulated.

Hancock had never seen anyone use a Den Den Mushi like this before, directly giving it orders instead of contacting it via phone number.

Seeing Hancock's curious gaze, Li Ang explained first, "I'm a Den Den Mushi that ate a Devil Fruit, so I can understand human speech and am just as intelligent as a normal human... Hello, Dragon, it's me, Li Ang, I'm here to say hello to you from the Calm Belt."

It turns out that the explanation was only halfway through when the dragon figured it out. But that was enough for Hancock to understand what was going on.