One Piece Gunslinger

"Hmm?" However, Storobelli noticed this in an instant, as if sensing something, and turned to look in Li Ang's direction.

"Is it an illusion?" But what I saw was an endless sea.

Even so, Storoberry remained convinced of his earlier feeling: "No! There must have been someone there. All troops, listen up! Head in that direction and search the sea. They're underwater."

At Storoberry's command, numerous navy personnel immediately sprang into action, dispatching several small wooden boats to the location where Leon had been.

"This time it's really over. If I survive, I'll never take this kind of job again. It's not the god-like opponents I'm afraid of, it's the pig-like teammates." Although Li Ang had tried his best to swim outwards, once he attracted the attention of the Navy, there was no way to stop him. He would definitely be discovered when he took a breath next time.

There was nothing they could do. Li Ang was already thinking about how to escape if he was captured, and Hancock was probably beyond saving.

Just then, the entire sea suddenly became turbulent. The sky was instantly filled with dark clouds, and a violent storm descended upon the area.

"How is this possible?! This isn't the New World, how did a storm suddenly come?" In this unexpected storm, Storoberry could only hold tightly to the mast and urge the navy to quickly furl the sails.

Meanwhile, Leon was also thrown off balance by the sudden waves underwater. Staying underwater during such a storm was far too dangerous. He immediately grabbed Hancock and struggled to swim towards the surface.

However, before he could exert much force, he was pulled out of the sea by a force.

"How about that? I arrived just in time, didn't I?"

Chapter 296 Redemption

Upon hearing this, Li Ang desperately wanted to protect the newcomer. This was a true teammate, a god-like teammate!

"Perfect timing! Just in time!" Li Ang exclaimed excitedly.

The person who came to the rescue, capable of causing such a storm, could only be the commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army. Li Ang never expected that it would be Long himself who made the trip.

Actually, Dragon only learned that the naval vice admirals escorting them were Chaton and Strawberry after Leon had already taken the one-eyed Tyr hostage. Dragon immediately tried to contact Leon via Den Den Mushi, but couldn't get through. He immediately realized that Leon had probably already begun his operation, and then switched his son to Do Not Disturb mode.

There's no way you could answer a call then; the whole process is all about secrecy, so how could you possibly have a chance to answer a phone call?

So after discovering this problem, Long figured Li Ang might be in trouble, so he quickly dropped everything and rushed to rescue Li Ang. Just then, the navy was searching for Li Ang and his companion, which led to a huge uproar.

"Now is not the time to fight the navy, let's get out of here quickly." However, Li Ang was not blinded by joy and quickly calmed down. "Oh dear, you shouldn't have come."

Although the Celestial Dragons were defeated this time, the Dragons' outburst and their signature abilities made it clear to even the most naive person that this was the work of the Revolutionary Army. However, in Li Ang's plan, it was actually unwise to provoke the World Government any further during this period. If the provocation was too great, and the World Government were to fight back with its resources severely depleted, it would be a truly disastrous situation.

Thinking of this, the previous excitement subsided, and Long instantly fell from his god-like teammate to his pedestal, complaining that Long was not cautious enough.

"You're just too anxious about gains and losses. Sometimes you don't need to consider the consequences. The point of living is to enjoy yourself. Just like when I first established the Revolutionary Army, it was all for the sake of enjoyment. Besides, the death of two Celestial Dragons isn't enough to really provoke them. Furthermore, if I don't show off my skills, they'll forget I even exist."

After rescuing the two, Long didn't linger with the marines and flew away with them.

"Tch, they'd be lucky to forget you. As long as you're alive, they won't be able to sleep or eat in peace. Just keep acting recklessly. If something really goes wrong, don't blame me for calling you a terrible teammate." Li Ang said sullenly, "Even if you hadn't come to save me, I could have found a way to escape. Anyway, they don't know I'm a member of the Revolutionary Army."

Dragon chuckled upon hearing this, not refuting Li Ang's words, but instead teasingly said, "Yes, yes, but even if you can escape, can your girlfriend escape too? She's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. If this operation is exposed, she'll definitely suffer a terrible fate given her status. Can you really bear to watch your little girlfriend die at the hands of the World Government?"

"Wait a minute." To prevent the situation from escalating further and to avoid Hancock going berserk again, Leon quickly said, "Are you mistaken? Why would you have such an idea, hey!"

"Hey, is there any other possibility? If it weren't for this, would you have bothered to create trouble at this time and provoke the Celestial Dragons? You called me a terrible teammate, but it's obvious that you prioritize romance over friendship, which is why my Revolutionary Army has provoked the World Government again." Dragon's words were quite clever, and he also shifted the blame for provoking the World Government onto Li Ang.

However, even the usually silent Hancock spoke up at this moment: "Don't you accept my feelings, my husband?"

"Pfft." Upon hearing the word "husband," Long nearly tumbled off the sky with the three of them. She then gave Li Ang an incredulous look, as if to say, "This relationship has developed way too fast! No wonder she's not your girlfriend, but already your husband?"

Li Ang hadn't expected this either, and why was Hancock, who usually spoke in such an arrogant tone, suddenly speaking so softly? This gentle voice was not something Hancock could produce; perhaps it had been switched.

However, Li Ang also remembered that Hancock had this same voice when she was lost in romantic fantasies in the original work. Could it be that she really liked him? He thought he had only done a little bit of work, so how could he have won Hancock's heart? He wasn't like Luffy, whose brainless aura made everyone lose their intelligence and only revolve around him.

Even without his idiotic aura, all the things he did, the times they spent alone together, and all the plans and sacrifices he made for Hancock—all of this was etched in her memory. This accumulation of small acts led to a qualitative change, enough to make Hancock fall for him.

As the first man to confront Hancock directly, and unlike those who were infatuated with her beauty, Leon was different from her sweet and charming demeanor. This already left an impression.

Of course, this wasn't a good impression; in fact, it made Hancock dislike Leon. Hancock had enjoyed a smooth and successful life for over a decade thanks to her beauty and strength, with the whole world making way for her. Suddenly encountering someone who didn't respect her and wasn't afraid of her abilities naturally displeased her.

So, during the subsequent negotiations, Hancock deliberately set an impossible task for Leon, intending to make him back down. A direct refusal would alienate both sides and put her in a difficult position. Therefore, she intentionally made things difficult for Leon.

Taking down a Celestial Dragon isn't difficult. If it were Hancock, she could even use her status as a Shichibukai to deliberately approach him and then suddenly attack and kill him. But how she would escape afterward is another matter.

As it turned out, Li Ang was also thinking the same thing at the time, so he agreed to Hancock's request.

After Hancock was taken away by Li Ang, she never thought that Li Ang would actually help her with this task; she was just waiting to see Li Ang make a fool of himself.

However, Leon sought intelligence from the Revolutionary Army regarding her situation, which could potentially lead to further losses for the Revolutionary Army. He did it anyway, even apologizing afterwards. And as expected, this action indeed provoked the World Government.

Afterwards, against her will, she concealed her beauty and changed into coarse clothes. But it was through this that she saw some of the beautiful things in the world.

By now, Hancock no longer harbored any ill will towards Leon, and even felt a tiny bit of goodwill towards him. Of course, her goodwill level was extremely low at this point; if the maximum value was 100, it would only be two or three points, not even enough to qualify him as a friend. But at least it was a positive number.

What followed was an exceptional suspension bridge effect; Li Ang's actions were textbook-perfect. This caused that little bit of goodwill to inflate instantly.

When she finally killed her enemy and successfully eliminated the nightmare that had haunted her for years, Li Ang's image in her mind suddenly rose, and she herself was just a hindrance, even having to rely on Li Ang to buy her time at the last moment.

All the credit should go to Li Ang. In fact, Hancock knew that Li Ang could have done even better on his own without her.

That tiny bit of goodwill, fermented through illusion, and then infused with a great deal of gratitude, makes it perfectly reasonable for Hancock to fall in love with Leon.

Li Ang hadn't anticipated the suspension bridge effect, and thought he was already doing well to earn Hancock's gratitude after completing all this work.

Li Ang wanted to say something, but Long slapped him on the shoulder and glared at him fiercely, meaning: "She has already called you husband, do you still want to deny it? The most beautiful empress in the world, how is she not good enough for you?"

Li Ang glanced at Hancock, who was still blushing as she spoke her mind for the first time, and mentally slapped himself. He thought, "Hancock, the most beautiful woman in legend, how could I possibly resist? If I were like Luffy, I'd be too clueless about romance. Besides..."

Furthermore, Li Ang also reflected on his experiences with his nephew Hancock, and from these little moments, he understood his own feelings.

"I'm such an idiot. I should have realized it the moment I was swayed by Sweet Wind. The instant Hancock pried open the valve, I was already infatuated with her. I was even willing to do such a thing for her. As for all those messy reasons, they were just self-deception. It seems that whether you're a man or a woman, you'll suffer a blow to your intelligence when you're in love. I'm not even as clear-headed as a dragon."

Yes, even when Leon thought Hancock was a terrible teammate, he never gave up. Instead, he continued to diligently clean up the trouble Hancock caused. Whether it was something small, like cooking for Hancock in town, or something big, like stopping Chaton for Hancock, or even thinking of ways to rescue her when they were about to be discovered.

All of this was Leon deceiving himself with that fabricated reason. In reality, aside from the fact that a mentally challenged or blind person could not possibly fail to seduce Hancock, he had already become Hancock's captive.

This is a journey of mutual redemption. Leon pulls Hancock out of the shadow of the Celestial Dragons, and Hancock also breaks the shackles on Leon.

With that in mind, Li Ang didn't hesitate any longer and gave Long a signal.

Long showed an "I understand" look, pretending to be enlightened, and closed the distance between the two. At the same time, he floated to the front, ignoring what the two behind him were doing.

Li Ang took Hancock's hand and gently touched her cheek with his other hand. Looking at her makeup, which had become extremely ugly from being soaked in water again, he exclaimed, "I think people were right. Hancock, you really are the most beautiful person in the world."

Li Ang wasn't flattering him; even with this makeup, as he touched the uneven disguise material on Hancock's face, he could still feel the beauty hidden behind it.

Having experienced all that, Hancock was still, in terms of her emotional maturity, a young girl just beginning to experience love. Seeing Li Ang's face drawing closer, she could only close her eyes.

Chapter 297 Marriage

"Pah, pah!" Li Ang spat out the sand in his mouth and cursed, "This guy must be feeling resentful. Absolutely."

The dragon had indeed been fed a huge amount of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), and it had been doing so the whole way. No wonder it didn't give a pleasant look in the end, nor did it descend slowly; instead, it simply tossed the two of them down from the sky. As a result, Li Ang swallowed a mouthful of sand and almost suffered a herniated disc from the fall.

However, with Leon as her shield, Hancock was unharmed. This was not due to the dragon's kindness, but rather because Leon adjusted his landing posture mid-air to protect Hancock.

Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if he hadn't protected her. Hancock was slightly better than Leon in combat; she'd be fine, and she wouldn't even get sand in her mouth. But having awakened his wife-protecting maniac tendencies, how could he just watch Hancock fall? He had to forcefully protect her.

Fortunately, the dragon was left on this deserted beach; otherwise, the people of Snake Island wouldn't have recognized the two of them, and it would have caused a lot of trouble.

"Here, these, these, and these, you can change them all back." After getting up from the ground, Li Ang took out the clothes and jewelry that Hancock had stored in his bag.

"Hmm." Hancock responded with a "hmm," and prepared to take off her shirt on the spot.

"Hey, hey." Li Ang quickly tossed what he was holding over, then turned around and said, "Why didn't you wait for me to turn around?"

Hancock scoffed and said, "So what? It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"That needs to be a gradual process, okay? It can't be that fast." That bitch is so pretentious, she's absolutely right. She was clearly looking forward to it, but Li Ang held back, what's with this "gradual process" nonsense.

After a while, Hancock changed her clothes and washed off her makeup, seemingly transforming back into the aloof and charming empress. However, the next second, Hancock put on a shy expression and said, "My lord, let me take you to the palace."

This ability to switch between delicate and aloof is perhaps what makes Hancock so captivating.

"Um, I'm not used to being called 'husband,' so please just call me Li Ang, and I'll call you Hancock." Li Ang still didn't feel comfortable with the title "husband," and it always felt a bit strange.

"Okay, if that's what you want."

Seeing Hancock's sudden change in demeanor, Leon wondered if he had done something wrong. He quickly changed the subject: "Let's go back and talk about it."

Then Li Ang experienced what it meant to be treated like a giant panda.

Damn it, I should have thought of that earlier. Would Hancock lead him down a side path? Or does Hancock even know what a side path is? There must be a main road leading straight to the palace.

"Lady Snake Princess is back!"

"Lady Snake Princess is still so beautiful (heart eyes)."

"Ahhh, my beloved Snake Princess."

Hancock's popularity in China is off the charts; she can attract a crowd just by walking a few steps down the street. It's even more terrifying than some big stars; only Hancock could achieve that.

Of course, Leon, who was following behind Hancock, also received special treatment. Words such as "Who is this person?", "He looks so strange", and "I've never seen this outfit before" kept floating into Leon's ears.

Hancock was used to being surrounded by people, but Leon felt extremely uncomfortable, as if these people's gazes weren't ordinary gazes, but rather a bunch of laser eyes. The main problem was that because the road was packed with people layer upon layer, their movement was incredibly slow; at this rate, they probably wouldn't get back until sunset.

With such a grand display, Granny and Hancock's two sisters in the palace naturally received the news. They also learned that the man had returned as well.

This is incredible! No man has ever been to Amazon Lily before. Even the empresses of each generation have never broken through its defenses. I never expected Hancock to bring Leon back.

Grandma immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. Fortunately, ordinary citizens didn't know what a man looked like; only the Kuja Pirates had seen him at sea. As long as the news could be kept under wraps, they could barely manage to fool everyone. And since the Kuja Pirates were mostly Hancock's personal guards, doing so wouldn't be too difficult.

"Quickly, let's bring them back first."

Upon receiving the order, the Kuja Pirates crew immediately set off, clearing the way for the two, and soon returned to the palace.

"This is the entire country I have prepared for you. Are you satisfied?"

Dissatisfied, extremely dissatisfied, Li Ang didn't want to go through that panda-like ordeal again. But Li Ang couldn't say it directly, so he could only mumble "uh-huh" to brush it off.

"Wait, Lady Snake Princess, what did you mean by that?" Granny Za sensed something was wrong and spoke up before Li Ang could, "What happened while you were out?"

After listening, Hancock didn't explain anything, but said in a cool voice, "Go and prepare a wedding cake."

Everyone present jumped up. Since there were records, there had never been such a thing as a wedding cake on Amazon Lily. Moreover, Hancock's words meant that she wanted to marry Leon.

Everyone immediately focused their attention on Li Ang, and instantly, Hancock's personal guards and her two sisters all tensed up.

As a result, Li Ang did not expect that Hancock would prepare to get married as soon as she returned, catching him off guard and leaving him still in a daze.

Seeing that Li Ang was also confused, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the Empress had just suddenly lost her mind, or perhaps she just wanted to eat cake.

Then Li Ang's next words shattered their illusions: "Hey Hancock, this is moving way too fast. We just confirmed our relationship today, and you're already planning to get married. Shouldn't we at least cultivate our feelings for each other first?"

As soon as Li Ang finished speaking, two of his guards fainted from shock, and two others grabbed spears and were about to fight him to the death. Even though they were reasonably held back by others, they kept shouting.

"You wicked man, what methods did you use to bewitch our Snake Princess?"