The Empress was drenched in sweat. As the battle unfolded, she gradually realized the gap in strength between them. Yet, despite everything, the fact that she had once been a Celestial Dragon's slave could not be revealed.
At the same time, she felt powerless against this man, which made her increasingly impatient. She wasn't strong enough, and if things continued this way, she could end up with leverage in his hands.
"Forget it. No more fighting. It's pointless… I feel like I'm bullying you," the Empress muttered. Perhaps even she didn't notice the growing tears in her eyes, born from frustration and humiliation, as she failed to overpower Rosen.
Rosen probably understood that keeping this secret was critical for the Empress, but he hadn't expected to push her to such a state. If it continued, she might spiral into a desperate rage. Just one glance had caused such serious consequences.
"Shut up." The Empress' attacks intensified—Aromatic Foot, Kiss Gun, Sweet Wind—her petrifying abilities were used relentlessly.
"I told you, I won't reveal anything," Rosen said, covering his hand with Haki. After deflecting several attacks, he created sand whips on the ground, quickly entangling the Empress.
But her Melee and Haki were exceptional. The bindings were soon shattered by her sheer force.
"If you keep fighting, I'll expose your identity immediately," Rosen thought suddenly. He hated the idea but with the chaos escalating, avoiding Navy Headquarters' attention seemed impossible.
Taking down the enraged Empress in a short time was unrealistic.
Hiss! The Empress abruptly braked mid-run, her predatory gaze locking onto Rosen. As expected, this man was trying to use the threat to manipulate her—despicable!
"You knew what that was," the Empress hissed at him.
"So what if I know? That's a past identity. Maybe it only matters to you. Those above probably don't even remember it. I'm no Celestial Dragon lackey—what benefit would exposing it bring me?" Rosen replied.
"You both okay?" Hathaway and the Empress' two sisters ran up from a nearby street.
"Hmph…" The Empress arrogantly lifted her head at Rosen, displeased but helpless. If he truly wanted to leave, she had no means to stop him.
She didn't know what to do.
"Don't worry. He won't say anything," Hathaway reassured, giving the Empress some comfort. After her rage, she remembered that Hathaway also bore a slave mark.
"Wait, does that mean Hathaway, sister, you were coerced into joining his pirate crew?!" The Empress' imagination ran wild, her expression darkening.
"???" Hathaway and Rosen were both stunned. How did her mind jump so quickly?
"Don't worry. If we work together, we can take him down," the Empress said earnestly to Hathaway.
"No, he wouldn't, he won't use that to threaten you," Hathaway quickly said, hoping to prevent more trouble.
The Empress listened but still looked at Rosen skeptically. Since it was Hathaway speaking, it carried some credibility, though verification was needed—perhaps Hathaway had other concerns that required clarification.
Rosen said nothing.
"Let's have dinner together," Hathaway suggested, trying to ease the tension.
"Eat with him? No," the Empress replied, turning away.
"That's best. Let's go," Rosen agreed. Even if the Empress offered benefits, her personality wasn't easy to handle. Without Hathaway here, calling her temper harsh wouldn't be an exaggeration.
"I'm coming," the Empress said, realizing Hathaway would be alone with this man, and she wanted to go too.
"Can't you take a stand?" Rosen asked, watching her act as if it were obvious.
"I don't follow anyone's orders," the Empress replied, calming slightly but finding it hard to maintain her usual arrogance around Rosen, who knew too much.
Sandasonia and her sister exchanged a glance. Though they didn't know the details, it was enough that things hadn't worsened further.
…
"Here, sister, eat some vegetables, some meat…" Later, they dined at the most famous restaurant in the park. The Empress attentively served food into Hathaway ' bowl.
"You can serve, but must you always take the two dishes in front of me? Are you going to take from my bowl next?" Rosen said, chewing slowly.
These two women—would there be anything going on? They'd just met, yet got along so fast. Could it be love at first sight?
"Shut up, rude one. This is my treat. I can eat whatever I want," the Empress snapped.
"Fair enough. Then, waiter, ten times more of this meal, and a case of your finest wine," Rosen said. Since the pirate Empress insisted on treating, let her do it. No need to fuss over small details.
"You—" The Empress nearly twisted her head back in anger, initially just wanting to scorn Rosen.
"Nice clothes," Rosen mumbled, and still managed not to burst her top.
"Oh, by the way, does Kuja Island have training methods for Haki?" Rosen suddenly asked.
In Hancock's nation, many understood Haki, though only at a basic level, likely forming the foundation of the kingdom.
When Luffy was chased, many warriors fired Haki-infused arrows. Now, while some on Rosen's ship were learning Haki, mastery was still far off.
Though Hathaway occasionally shared insights, her path had largely been self-discovered, and not all explanations were easy to grasp.
In short, Haki wasn't yet fully accessible.
The Empress glanced at Rosen, unwilling to answer. If she could, she might even steal his food to prevent him from eating.
Rosen looked at Hathaway . "You two discuss among yourselves."
"Haki isn't hard to control, but for some reason, when teaching, their comprehension is low," Hathaway explained to the Empress. She raised her hand, and expert-level Armament Haki covered her entire arm, distorting even the surrounding air.
"This is extremely advanced Armament Haki!" the Empress gasped. She was half a step from this level herself.
Kuja Island, in a calm zone, had successive kings enhancing the kingdom's military. First, all citizens trained; second, Armament Haki was guided from human potential.
Yet even within Kuja Island, or the Amazon Lily Kingdom, no one had mastered such extraordinary Haki—not even the Empress.
"You also have Conqueror's Haki?!" the Empress asked uncertainly. Hathaway' natural dominance resembled Conqueror's Haki.
Most people could only sense Conqueror's Haki through intimidation, but the Empress' expertise and possession allowed her to detect subtleties.
"Yes. And he has it too," Hathaway said, seeing no reason to hide it.
"What?!" The Empress and her sisters froze. Both had Conqueror potential—and it seemed hierarchical? Could Conqueror's Haki have become so common? Out of five people here, three possessed it!
(End of Chapter)