The bathroom in this luxurious residential area was as spacious as a public bathhouse.
It stood over thirty ters high, with a length and width of hundreds of ters.
At its center was a sunken swimming pool, flanked by shower installations.
To the right of the bathroom was a massive mirror wall, polished from a special tal rather than glass, exuding unparalleled grandeur.
Hancock walked over with her head lowered, her gaze drifting uncertainly at her feet, too afraid to lift her eyes towards the reflection.
The "Celestial Dragon's Hoofprint" was a mark branded onto slaves by the World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons.
Legend had it that eight hundred years ago, the Celestial Dragons had invented a pignt that could be permanently seared deep into the flesh in a single imprint.
Whether human, fish-man, giant, or even cyborg—once branded with this mark, it could never be washed away.
The only way to remove it was to carve out the entire chunk of flesh.
Fisher Tiger, the hero of the fish-n, once scaled the holy land of Mary Geoise with his bare hands and freed countless slaves.
Hancock and her two sisters were among them.
For years, this slave mark had haunted Hancock like a nightmare, tornting her every waking mont.
In the bathhouses, pools and even the palace chambers of Amazon Lily, she had banned all reflective surfaces—mirrors included—out of sheer terror and loathing for the Celestial Dragon's Hoofprint.
Every ti she bathed, she wished she could scrub her back raw, desperate to erase the agonizing mark.
She had sworn countless tis that she would give anything to be rid of it.
But today... could this wish truly co true?
And the one who might fulfill this long-held desire... was the very man she had wanted to kill—the man who had hurt Luffy.
Hancock's mind was in turmoil.
She lingered alone in the bathroom for a long ti before finally mustering the courage to look at the mirror on the wall.
She turned sideways, her breathtaking curves fully displayed in the polished reflection.
When her trembling fingers brushed aside the black hair covering her back, the smooth skin beneath was dotted with crimson droplets, like blood seeping from beneath the surface.
But where the Celestial Dragon's Hoofprint should have been... there was nothing.
Only flawless, unblemished skin remain.
Thud.
Hancock's legs gave way and she collapsed to her knees, staring dazedly at her reflection.
She swept her long black hair aside again and again, terrified this might be a dream.
"It's real... Hah... It's really gone. The Celestial Dragon's Hoofprint... is gone."
A delirious laugh escaped her lips, but soon her vision blurred, tears spilling uncontrollably.
"Ugh... Uuu..."
She buried her face in her chest, shoulders shaking as she wept in the bathroom.
The nightmare... seed to have vanished in this mont.
Light began to shine on the path ahead.
The slave mark was gone.
She no longer had to fear her secret being exposed.
No longer had to barricade the entire palace every ti she bathed.
No longer had to harden her heart and petrify innocent citizens who accidentally glimpsed at her back, even as her own heart bled.
She could finally bathe openly, install exquisite mirrors in her bedroom and bathroom, and admire her peerless beauty.
It had been over ten years since she last looked in a mirror.
Laughing and crying, Hancock stayed alone in the bathroom for a long ti.
Glancing at the pool of water before her, she hesitated for a mont before finally stepping under the showerhead to rinse herself off.
Watching the dark red pignt wash away at her feet, tears stread down Hancock's face once more.
Though her wrists were bound by handcuffs, it was this dark pignt that had been the true shackles in her heart, imprisoning her for over a decade.
Now, under the scalding hot water, she washed away those restraints, feeling an unparalleled sense of freedom and liberation—no longer forced to feign arrogance and aloofness.
After showering, Hancock found a towel in the bathroom, wrapped it around herself and walked towards the door.
As she passed the mirror, she paused as if compelled by so unseen force, smoothing her long black hair before it.
Gazing at the breathtakingly beautiful reflection—her own peerless figure—Hancock's lips curled into a captivating smile.
But when she stepped out of the bathroom, she found the spacious bedroom empty.
Caesar and Linlin were nowhere to be seen.
Bewildered, she approached the large bed and suddenly noticed a single key resting on the bedside table.
Puzzled, Hancock picked it up and inserted it into the lock of her handcuffs.
With a click, the seastone cuffs fell open.
Staring blankly at the vacant room, Hancock felt no joy in her regained freedom.
Instead, an inexplicable sense of loss welled up in her heart.
"Caesar..."
*****
At a restaurant on the top floor of Donut Island, Caesar, Kaido and the others sat around a table, eating and drinking.
The newly recruited Kuzan was also present, his expression indifferent, standing out amidst the lively clinking of glasses.
He simply ate and drank quietly by himself.
Beside him sat a ten-year-old girl, who occasionally glared at him with her dark, round eyes, her cheeks puffed in irritation, as if furious that Kuzan had taken the seat next to her.
"Caesar, I never thought you'd let that woman go. Hehe, when did you learn to be so tenderhearted?"
Linlin leaned in, whispering into Caesar's ear.
Caesar raised his glass, clinking it with Queen before murmuring, "Linlin, you know how much I despise the Celestial Dragons. I originally wanted to take her as a concubine or sothing, but who would've thought she bore the Mark of the Celestial Dragon? A renowned powerhouse of the seas, yet she was once a slave to those so-called nobles. Those filthy maggots make sick."
Linlin chuckled softly. "That's just how the world is. Aren't we all the sa? Kaido was sold to the Marines by his kingdom as a child. I was adopted by Mother Carl, but she was just going to sell to the Marines too. And you—we're all the sa. That's why I've always wanted to build my own kingdom. Isn't it all about security?"
Caesar gently squeezed Linlin's hand.
"Just wait. In three to five years, I'll make sure there are no more high-and-mighty nobles lording over these seas."
"I believe in you."
The two shared a knowing smile.
Caesar raised his wine glass, "Everyone, the day before yesterday, we lost a family mber—my and Linlin's second son, Oven, who was tragically killed on Oven Island. His murderer was a pirate under the command of Buggy: Edward Weevil. Although this Weevil has already been slain by my hand, this is far from enough. We must make a statent to the entire world, and that is—"
"Harm my family, and you die!"
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