Kaguya brushed away the messy hair, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. Delicate brows, an elegant queen-like face, exquisitely refined features, and smooth, fair skin—she looked as flawless as cherry blossoms in March. Her tall, curvy figure with long legs and a well-shaped figure was on full display.
If Kaguya wasn't mistaken, this girl was Hancock.
Just then, with a soft groan, the girl bound by ropes slowly opened her beautiful eyes. When she saw Kaguya, she froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth and growled, "No matter how much you torture us, we won't yield, you bastard!"
"Is that so?" Kaguya's hand, which was about to untie her, paused. She stared at her with amusement. "Those who say things like that often haven't experienced true suffering. That's why they can cling to such naive ideas."
"Oh? So the torture isn't enough for you? Want to try something worse?" Hancock snapped back, baring her teeth.
"You could put it that way," Kaguya replied, gripping Hancock's chin and smirking. "You know, true pain isn't physical. It's mental. Psychological torment is the hardest to endure."
"You think your threats will make me surrender?" Hancock shouted angrily.
"Not a threat. Just presenting a possibility," Kaguya said, letting go of her and walking over to the other two girls bound nearby. She spoke playfully, "Tell me, what would happen if I killed your sisters right now?"
Hancock's pupils contracted. She clenched her jaw, eyes filled with fury. "Despicable!"
"Despicable?" Kaguya chuckled. "Survival of the fittest. The weak are prey to the strong. That's just how the world works. Is a lion despicable for eating a gazelle?"
"That's just your twisted justification," Hancock spat.
"Maybe so," Kaguya said. "But remember this—history is written by the victors. The weak don't get a voice."
"If you're trying to make me yield through cowardly means, then forget it!" Hancock barked defiantly.
Kaguya raised an eyebrow with interest. "Why would I want you to yield?"
Hancock blinked, momentarily stunned.
Kaguya approached again, gripping Hancock's chin. "Isn't it more fun to toy with a girl who refuses to break?"
"You pervert!" Hancock snarled through gritted teeth.
Off to the side, Shalria's eyes sparkled with excitement. She wanted to take notes. She'd never realized there could be such creative ways to conduct interrogation. Compared to Kaguya's methods, hers were embarrassingly crude.
Would Kaguya try this on her too?
Blushing, Shalria found herself staring at Kaguya with misty eyes.
Kaguya, meanwhile, casually gripped the throat of the green-haired girl beside her. "Such a slender neck. It would be a shame to snap it, wouldn't it?"
"Stop!" Hancock cried out.
"Relax," Kaguya let go and smiled. "I was only joking."
Hancock gasped for air, sweat beading on her forehead.
"Slaves are a master's property. Even killing them is considered acceptable," Kaguya said. "But I'm giving you all a chance. There's only one condition."
"What do you want from us?" Hancock asked, lips pressed into a firm line.
"It's simple," Kaguya smiled. "Get stronger. You hate me, don't you? Then come find me. Take your revenge."
Hancock was stunned.
What kind of bizarre request was this? It was so strange that Hancock wondered if she'd heard it wrong.
"I'll give you five years to train. If, within five years, you still can't defeat me, then I'm sorry," Kaguya said with a gentle smile. "Amazon Lily will be completely wiped out—along with everyone on it."
Hancock's pupils shrank, and she shouted in desperation, "You monster! Why would you do this? What could you possibly gain?"
"Of course there's something to gain," Kaguya replied warmly. "It's one of my few sources of entertainment."
"You're willing to kill an entire island's people for some twisted amusement?" Hancock asked in disbelief.
"So work hard, girl," Kaguya said. "The fate of Amazon Lily is in your hands. Of course, you could always run—hide away in some desolate place and live a pitiful life. But then, you'd never see your homeland again."
"Demon," Hancock spat, clenching her teeth.
"Thanks for the compliment. But before we begin, let me give you a gift," Kaguya said as she turned her hand over, revealing three intricately patterned Devil Fruits. She walked toward Hancock.
"What are you doing?" Hancock suddenly felt an ominous chill.
"Nothing much," Kaguya smiled. "You'll find out soon."
She grabbed Hancock's chin and forced her mouth open. Ignoring her resistance, she shoved a large, strawberry-shaped Devil Fruit into her mouth.
"Cough! Cough!"
Hancock choked violently after swallowing the Devil Fruit.
"All done," Kaguya said as she wiped her hands with a pristine white handkerchief, tossing it aside casually. She turned and walked toward the dungeon exit. "Release them. Put them on a Navy ship and send them back."
Hancock looked up. "You're really letting us go?"
Kaguya paused, then turned with a smile. "We made a deal, didn't we?"
Hancock bit her lip and shouted, "I won't let you get away with this!"
"Oh? I'll be waiting," Kaguya replied.
Outside the dungeon, Shalria hesitated before asking, "Master, why did you do that? Weren't you going to release them anyway?"
"Everyone must pay for their own mistakes," Kaguya said. "They were careless. That's how they ended up captured by slavers. This is just the consequence of their actions."
Shalria blinked. "So this was punishment for their mistake?"
"Exactly. Pain is the best teacher," Kaguya replied.
"Oh... I see," Shalria nodded in understanding.
"Besides," Kaguya added, "don't you think it's fun this way?"
"Wait... You didn't do all this just because it was fun, did you?"
"Of course I did. What's wrong with that?"
"..."
Shalria stared blankly at Kaguya's gradually disappearing figure.
Punishment...
She blinked her large, beautiful eyes, and suddenly remembered something, her cheeks flushing red.
Having successfully redirected Hancock's hatred, Kaguya didn't stay long in Mary Geoise. She quickly boarded a Navy ship and set out again.
She was still quite interested in artificial Devil Fruits, and by now, Vegapunk had likely already developed them.
Speaking of Vegapunk, Kaguya truly wished she could meet this legendary scientist. He was more monstrous than Nikola Tesla in the real world.
Known as a man 500 years ahead of human intelligence, Vegapunk was the World Government's top scientist. From Devil Fruits to mechanical engineering, there was nothing he wasn't a master of—a true genius.
Though Caesar Clown constantly tried to rival him, he was never able to match Vegapunk's level.
A genius like that, naturally, was under the protection—or rather control—of the World Government. To date, only a few outside his team of researchers had ever met him in person. Even Kaguya didn't know exactly where he was hidden, only that he might be on a certain remote island.
Since getting artificial Devil Fruits directly from Vegapunk wasn't an option, Kaguya decided to take a step back and target Caesar instead.
If her guess was right, Caesar was already in league with Doflamingo.
And her destination this time was none other than Doflamingo in Dressrosa.
At the same time, in Dressrosa—
Doflamingo sat in his chair, resting his chin in his hand. A sudden chill ran down his spine, and his expression changed.
Something felt wrong, like something bad was about to happen. Was it just his imagination?
At that moment, Trebol entered the room, his snot trailing as usual. "Doffy, it's almost time to hand over the goods to Kaido."
"Mm," Doflamingo nodded. "Is everything ready?"
"Ready. Twelve Devil Fruits in total," Trebol replied. "But Doffy, giving Kaido this many Devil Fruits is going to hurt our profits."
"You have to spend to earn," Doflamingo said coldly. "Kaido is like an umbrella that shields us from unnecessary trouble. As long as he's backing us, no one will dare get in our way."
Trebol sighed. "Too bad Caesar's research isn't finished yet. If it were, our costs would drop significantly."
"How is Dressrosa doing lately?" Doflamingo asked.
"The rebel forces have been suppressed. It won't be long before they're wiped out," Trebol replied.
A vein bulged on Doflamingo's forehead. He growled, "Damn it. If I had the Hobby-Hobby Fruit right now, I wouldn't be on the defensive. Dressrosa would already be fully under my control."
Years ago, Doflamingo had discovered the Hobby-Hobby Fruit's potential and crafted a plan to seize power using its ability. But fate had other ideas—just as he was about to act, he ran into a disaster named Kaguya.
Not only were he and his team badly beaten and thrown into the sea, even the treasures on their ship were looted—including the Hobby-Hobby Fruit and the Snow-Snow Fruit that Doflamingo had painstakingly acquired.
After losing those two powerful Devil Fruits, Doflamingo's plan to usurp the throne suffered a major setback. Especially after seizing control of Dressrosa, he lacked an effective method to suppress and control the country, which directly led to the rise of rebel forces and revolutionaries.
Although Doflamingo managed to suppress them with sheer power, it still disrupted his overall plan significantly.
That was one of the reasons Doflamingo harbored such hatred toward Kaguya.
The sky was blue, clouds drifted lazily, and warm sunlight bathed the lively city in a serene and peaceful glow. But the arrival of several Navy warships shattered Dressrosa's tranquility.
"The World Government inspector is here!"
"Is it that woman known as the strongest in the world?"
"Yes! The most beautiful woman on in the world!"
"I wish I could just get a glimpse of her."
"But why would the inspector come here?"
"Could it be about the rebels?"
"Hey, don't say that out loud! Do you have a death wish?!"
"Ah, sorry."
A crowd of curious citizens had gathered at the port, but before they could catch a glimpse of anyone disembarking, Dressrosa's soldiers arrived to drive them back.
As Kaguya stepped off the warship, she immediately spotted a flamboyant man in red-feathered cloak and narrow glasses waiting ahead. It was none other than Doflamingo.
Kaguya approached with a radiant smile. "I didn't expect the great King of Dressrosa to welcome me in person. I'm truly honored."
Surprisingly, Doflamingo showed no hostility. Instead, he greeted her warmly. "It is only proper for a king to welcome the World Government's inspector. It is my utmost honor."
"Is that so?" Kaguya gave a playful smirk. "But your country doesn't seem all that peaceful."
Doflamingo paused for a moment before smiling. "Every nation has its dissenters. That's normal. But rest assured, Inspector. I've already dealt with them. It won't be long before they're completely wiped out."
"Let's hope so," Kaguya said with a smile, not giving a definitive response.
Upon entering the royal palace, Doflamingo graciously hosted Kaguya and her entourage. He wore a pleasant smile throughout, showing none of his usual arrogance, nor any sign that he had once been viciously beaten by Kaguya and nearly killed.
Yet no one would guess that just half an hour earlier, upon hearing of Kaguya's arrival, Doflamingo had smashed a cup in rage, his face twisted with shock and fury.
Once everyone was seated inside the palace, Doflamingo asked with a smile, "May I ask what brings the Inspector to Dressrosa this time?"
"Nothing too serious," Kaguya replied, sipping her tea. "Just a routine investigation."
"Investigation?" Doflamingo's eyes narrowed.
"That's right," Kaguya turned toward him with a brilliant smile. "I'm here to investigate your collusion with Kaido."
Doflamingo's pupils shrank.
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