Blake's meticulous nurturing over the years had elevated his status in Hancock's heart to an extraordinary level.
She worried that her sudden display of power, if it caused trouble, would lead Blake to harbor resentment or even become distant towards her.
In Hancock's world now, others' opinions were insignificant; only Blake's reaction could make her so flustered.
Blake naturally wouldn't blame her for such a thing, and even took the opportunity to flirt a little.
After their conversation that day, the thin-skinned Hancock blushed and ran away for several days when facing Blake, even forgetting to compete with Kalifa for the spot beside Blake.
This left Kalifa utterly bewildered, but she was happy about it.
However, being knocked out by Hancock's Conqueror's Haki remained Kalifa's greatest humiliation to date.
Her training became even more rigorous in the following days, determined to get her revenge.
Even Alpha could only train with her sister, constantly complaining.
In this relaxed yet tense atmosphere, the sanctuary continued its slow voyage.
The scope of Paradise was not large compared to the shipbuilding and navigation technology of this world; after all, the protagonist's crew in the original story only took a few months to travel from the East Blue to the Sabaody Archipelago.
But Blake's travels usually lacked a strong objective; enjoying time on the sea and the unknown islands themselves was also a form of travel.
Moreover, Blake's ship wouldn't rush to its destination just because people were often chasing it.
Therefore, the sanctuary's sailing speed was significantly slower.
The sea breeze filled the sanctuary's sails, and the voyage was smooth and uneventful.
After nearly half a month, Rami, posing as a navigator, approached with a sea chart and logbook, stopping before Blake.
Since her recovery, this little girl had become increasingly fond of burdening herself.
It seemed she wanted to make up for all the time she had wasted due to her health over the years.
"Your Highness!"
She reported crisply:
"We are about to reach the port of the Bourgeois Kingdom."
"At our current speed, we should dock in about an hour."
Rami handed Blake the sea chart marked with the Bourgeois Kingdom:
"According to the itinerary, we will have a routine rest and resupply there."
"Bourgeois Kingdom, huh..."
Blake took the sea chart, his gaze lingering briefly on the name.
He felt the name sounded familiar, likely having appeared in the original story.
But it certainly wasn't a very important place, otherwise he wouldn't even remember the plot.
Soon, the outline of an island appeared in Blake's vision, a white kingdom built into the mountains gradually becoming clear.
Its most striking feature was the pure white that seemed to cascade down from the mountain peak.
From castles to residences, all buildings were covered in a layer of white rock, gleaming under the sun.
Blake couldn't help but squint his eyes.
As he developed the Vampire Fruit, Blake found that while sunlight didn't affect him, this dazzling light still made him feel a sense of discomfort.
Forcibly suppressing this emotion, the sanctuary slowly sailed into the port.
At the dock, the welcoming ceremony was extremely grand.
Led by the King, royal family members, civil and military officials, and nobles from all walks of life were almost all present.
The honor guard was neatly arrayed, the band played a welcoming tune, and streamers flew everywhere.
Blake was long accustomed to such displays, even somewhat bored by them.
The gangway lowered, and he slowly ascended the dock, carried by a Slave.
"Saint Blake, your esteemed presence truly brings glory to our humble nation!"
The King's voice trembled slightly with excitement, followed by a series of greetings and introductions.
Blake listened with one ear and let it out the other, not paying any attention.
In fact, if this wasn't the necessary etiquette for an allied nation facing a World Nobles, he would have even wanted to slap him.
It seemed the Celestial Dragons generally behaved very irascibly in various allied nations, and it might even be related to this tedious process.
It wasn't until a name appeared that Blake finally perked up slightly.
The King in front of him turned sideways and introduced a young noble behind him, who also had dazzling golden curly hair:
"This is my son, Cavendish."
"Welcome, esteemed Saint Blake."
Cavendish bowed slightly, performing an impeccable noble's Rei.
Seeing this handsome young boy standing behind the King, gracefully bowing, Blake finally remembered where he had heard of the Bourgeois Kingdom.
So this was Rommel's Kamaitachi, the Pirate Prince, Captain of the Beautiful Pirates, Captain of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet's First Ship, Hakuba Cavendish.
It was fortunate that the dock area was large enough, otherwise it might not have been able to accommodate so many people.
During his last journey, Blake had originally intended to bring as many of the future Supernovas of the Worst Generation under his wing as possible.
But plans change quickly; a series of events, plus the fact that most of those Supernovas were too young, meant Blake ultimately only collected a few of them.
Cavendish entered the New World a year earlier than the Worst Generation, so he could barely be considered part of the same period.
Thus, he was not old now, only 11 years old.
Blake thought for a moment and did not rush to recruit Cavendish.
After all, he didn't lack overt combat power; Aramaki could basically meet all his combat needs.
Even if there were troubles Aramaki couldn't solve, he could always add Mandy and Koala.
What Blake truly lacked were strong individuals like Eneru and Lafitte, who outwardly seemed to have no connection to him but could play a crucial role at critical moments.
After another banquet of toasts and clinking glasses, the sanctuary needed resupply, so Blake naturally chose to stay on the island for one night.
But he uncharacteristically did not have members of the maid corps accompany him, entering his room alone and taking out the white transponder snail.
Buruburu... Buruburu... The transponder snail was quickly connected, and Aramaki's voice came from the other end:
"Your Highness!"
"Hm."
Blake responded, his voice calm and unwavering:
"I am currently in the Bourgeois Kingdom on the Grand Line. The prince of this country, Cavendish, I need you to send someone to keep an eye on him."
"He will be exiled to the Rommel Kingdom in a few years; bring him back and train him then."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Aramaki was no stranger to such tasks and was naturally adept at the process.
However, the mission wasn't over; Blake continued to instruct:
"There's one more thing I need you to do."
"While completely concealing your identity, spread a message in the Blake market—"
"An Ope-Ope no Mi user, after awakening their ability, can perform the ultimate surgery that grants eternal life."
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