"That woman is catching up," Kuina said, glancing behind them.
Everyone turned around and saw the Perfume Snake speeding toward them. With those two massive sea snakes pulling it, there probably wasn't a ship in the world that could outrun it.
"She got… treated like that by Ryuen, and she's still chasing after us? What does she want?" Anya frowned in confusion.
"Got addicted?" Nami said with a strange expression.
"Ryuen once said this woman might have some scary trait… Could that actually be true?" Daisy said, almost in disbelief.
As soon as she said that, the expressions of the Dream Crew became even weirder.
"What's going on?"
At that moment, Ryuen stepped out of the cabin. After some time, he had finally managed to calm himself down.
"Hey~~~ that woman is catching up. Think she's looking for you?" Nojiko said, motioning toward the back of the ship.
Ryuen looked toward the stern and sure enough, he saw the Perfume Snake struggling to catch up with them. Boa Hancock was standing at the bow, looking shy.
"No, stop talking nonsense! There's nothing between me and her!" Ryuen instantly denied it three times in a row, then ran straight into the cabin.
"He..."
"I don't know about anything else, but I'm sure Robin is right—he's definitely scared!" Kuina said decisively before Hog could even finish his sentence.
"Um... I want to see your captain." Boa Hancock tried to maintain her dignity as she spoke.
"He probably doesn't dare to see you. I'm his sister, so whatever you need to say, you can tell me instead." Nojiko looked at Boa Hancock with a strange expression.
"Huh???"
"So... so... you're his sister?" Boa Hancock suddenly seemed flustered.
Her reaction left both the Kuja Pirates and the Dream Exploration Team stunned.
"Big sister," Sandersonia gently tugged at the Empress's sleeve and whispered a reminder.
Boa Hancock quickly came back to her senses, but after calming down, she realized she had embarrassed herself in front of Ryuen's family. That thought made her feel shy again.
"This woman... gets embarrassed so easily..." Daisy said as if she had just witnessed something rare.
"With her looks and Devil Fruit ability, she's definitely troublesome to deal with!" Nojiko watched Boa Hancock warily.
"Um... I have a feeling that something of mine might have fallen onto your ship..." Boa Hancock said hesitantly.
"Something fell onto our ship?" Robin looked puzzled.
The rest of the Dream Crew exchanged glances. Was there something on their ship that didn't belong to them?
"Yes, I had this strong feeling when you left. But I can't say exactly what it is right now," Boa Hancock said, slowly regaining her composure.
"She has no reason to lie to us, but there's nothing on our ship that belongs to them..." Hog said seriously.
At that moment, Ryuen walked out, looking at Boa Hancock with a strange expression. He had overheard the conversation. So she really didn't just chase after them for him?
"Ryuen, everything I just said is true. I really feel like something of mine is on your ship," Boa Hancock said excitedly as soon as she saw him.
"Ryuen, did you take something from their ship while you were inside?" Nami asked, looking at him.
Everyone suddenly realized—if Boa Hancock was telling the truth, then whatever it was had to be with Ryuen. After all, he was the only one who had been inside the Perfume Snake's cabin.
"What? No way! All I did was teach her a lesson and then leave. How could I have taken anything?" Ryuen said, exasperated.
But the next second, when he saw Boa Hancock making that expression again, he instantly bolted back into the cabin. He really couldn't handle seeing that look on her face.
"What's wrong with him?" Daisy asked, confused.
"No idea, but it's definitely because of that woman," Nami said coldly.
Everyone turned to look at the Perfume Snake and saw Boa Hancock striking all sorts of strange, shy poses.
Just then, Ryuen came back up again.
"What's with you?" Nami asked, frowning.
"I think... I just remembered something," Ryuen said, looking at Boa Hancock as if he finally understood what she meant.
"What is it?" Nami asked, confused.
"A long time ago, when we were in the Calm Belt, did you guys find a really strange fruit?" Ryuen asked.
"Yeah, I kept that fruit, and it still hasn't rotted," Nami replied.
"I wasn't sure back then, but now I think I figured it out. That huge fruit might actually be a Devil Fruit. It was just too big and looked too weird, so even I didn't recognize it at the time," Ryuen said softly to everyone.
"A Devil Fruit?"
The Dream Crew gasped.
"But... that's impossible. The surface had some scale-like patterns, but it was way too big..." Daisy was doubtful.
Back then, that giant snake with the bulging head—she had cut off its head in the end.
"Nami, take it out and let's have a look..." Ryuen said quietly.
Nami nodded, opened a portal, and took out the massive "Devil Fruit."
The moment it appeared, Boa Hancock's eyes locked onto it. She was certain—this was exactly what she had been looking for!
The rest of the Dream Crew saw her reaction, and without needing an explanation, they immediately understood—she wanted that "Devil Fruit."
"Boa Hancock, do you want this Devil Fruit?" Ryuen looked at her, asking for confirmation.
Boa Hancock took a deep breath, her chest slowly rising and falling before she spoke seriously, "Yes. I can feel it—this is what I've been searching for. As long as you give it to me, I'm willing to pay any price!"
"But haven't you already eaten a Devil Fruit?" Nojiko asked, confused.
"I can't believe it... it's actually true..." Ryuen muttered in shock.
The Empress's Mero Mero no Mi really could allow someone to eat a second Devil Fruit...
The tension was reaching its peak~~~