Hancock started in shock, but under Grimm's gaze, she gritted her teeth and stepped onto the arena.
"Holy Light, please protect me!" Boa Hancock prayed silently in her heart.
At only twelve or thirteen years old, Hancock looked tiny next to the Mink warrior — the difference in height was like that between an adult and an infant!
"My, my… still fond of tormenting little girls as always, are we? But you sent a child out there just to lose on purpose, didn't you, my friend?" Saint Garbatia sneered, seeing that Grimm had sent a young maid to fight.
"Hey! Saint Epthelm, why doesn't your slave wear a collar?" Saint Rosward asked, his attention fixed on Hancock's neck.
"This is Mary Geoise. Do you really think she could ever do anything out of line?" Grimm replied with a faint smile.
It wasn't unusual for some slaves to go without collars. In the eyes of those present, it was only a matter of time before that little girl was killed by the Mink.
To be executed in such a way… it was truly tragic.
"YA!"
The tiger‑like creature — powerful and upright like a man yet feral like a beast — roared and charged straight at Hancock, lightning crackling around its fist.
Lady Hediya covered her mouth with her fan as usual and said, "Seeing as how you gave us such a wonderful idea to catch so many fine fish‑men, I'll just say this match doesn't count for money, alright?"
But the very next second after she spoke, Hancock dodged the tiger‑man's attack, bent low, and swept her leg out.
Because of her height, her foot only connected with his knee — yet it still knocked his massive body crashing to the ground.
Even Hancock herself was stunned. "I feel it… the power of the Holy Light!"
And indeed — Grimm had cast three blessings on her: Blessing of Might, Blessing of Wisdom, and Blessing of Sanctuary!
"Ah…!"
Lady Hediya's fan was still pressed to her mouth, but from her wide, bulging eyes, anyone could guess how far her jaw had dropped behind it.
Grimm fanned the flames from the sidelines. "Thank you for the 500 million Berries, Lady Hediya~"
Behind him, Marie and Sonia clenched their fists, silently cheering. "Sister is the strongest of her generation!"
"That Mink was already exhausted! That doesn't count for anything!"
"It… it isn't over yet!" Lady Hediya completely lost her composure in an instant and shrieked, "The wager ends only when one is dead! Until then, the outcome isn't decided!"
"Oh…? You want to play for keeps, then?" Grimm chuckled softly, then spoke directly into her mind using his spiritual sense: "Purify him. Send him to hell."
"Has he been abandoned by the Holy Light?" Hancock thought silently. She still didn't fully understand what the Holy Light was, but she had already felt the strength it gave her — the power of Grimm's blessings!
As the tiger‑man rose and attacked again, a faint golden glow — invisible to the Celestial Dragons — wrapped around Hancock's foot. She leaped high and drove her heel straight into his heart.
She was a pirate by trade; she had taken lives long before this day.
Seeing the tiger‑man lie still, Grimm repeated cheerfully: "Thank you for the 500 million Berries, Lady Hediya!"
"Dammit! Dammit! How dare you humiliate me! Curse it all!"
Furious and humiliated, Lady Hediya pulled a remote control from her robes — exactly like Saint Rosward had done earlier when he lost.
"Sister! Get back!"
Sonia and Marie cried out from the stands — they knew exactly what was about to happen to the collar around the tiger‑man's neck!
Hancock instantly retreated. Seconds later, the collar exploded with a loud blast. Bits of flesh splattered against her clothes, making a look of pure disgust cross her face.
"No need to be so touchy. It's only 500 million Berries. It's just what you won from me earlier coming back around," Rosward mocked — enjoying the chance to get back at her for beating him moments ago.
Lady Hediya forced herself to calm down, realizing she'd lost her dignity. "Of course… of course… it's merely 500 million Berries. I can afford it easily. Consider it yours."
"Now — I'm going to bring out the best fish‑man we caught from Fish‑Man Island. I only hope that little girl doesn't die too messily!"
She signaled her attendants behind her with her fan. They nodded and hurried away, returning shortly leading a tall fish‑man with silver‑blue skin and a long, sharp, sword‑like nose.
"A Sword‑Nosed Marlin breed, isn't it?" Grimm asked, eyeing the collar around the creature's neck and the chains binding its hands.
Lady Hediya gloated. "This is the strongest of the ten I captured! He'll run that girl through and feed her body to the fish!"
"Is that so? I look forward to it. Let's begin then!" Grimm said with a smile, appearing not to care whether Hancock lived or died. But in truth, he knew this level of fish‑man was no match for her at all!
"The rule here is simple: Kill, or be killed!" a guard warned, unlocking the marlin‑man's shackles.
The fish‑man's expression twisted in conflict, but in the end, his resolve hardened. He decided he would have to kill this girl — barely twelve or thirteen years old — if he wanted to survive.
The next round began. Just as the bell rang, Grimm spoke up: "Shall we raise the stakes to 1 billion Berries?"
Even for Celestial Dragons, throwing away a billion in one go was considered reckless.
"You have that much faith in that girl?" Lady Hediya glanced sideways at him.
"I like to play big," Grimm replied in the arrogant tone natural to a Celestial Dragon.
The result proved him right. Though this fish‑man was indeed powerful — strong enough to be prized by nobles — Hancock, though young, had already mastered basic Armament Haki.
Her strength alone was already on par with pirates worth 30 million Berries during Luffy's era!
Even so, they fought for over twenty rounds before it ended.
When the marlin‑man finally collapsed, Hancock staggered, leaning heavily against a stone pillar at the edge of the arena, looking as if she would faint at any moment.
"Take your billion! But mark my words — I will beat you next time!" Lady Hediya was humiliated yet again.
If Hancock were her slave, she would have shot her dead on the spot — but she wasn't. She had to play by the rules.
After four straight victories, Hancock had earned over 4 billion Berries for Grimm. But her stamina was completely spent.
By the end of the fourth fight, her small, slender body slumped against the wall, eyes half‑closed and unfocused.
She was exhausted to the point where even an ordinary person could have overpowered her right then and there.
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