One Piece: Saving Hancock with the Batto Batto no Mi

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 49.

As dusk began to creep in, the last vestiges of the setting sun illuminated the Yarukiman mangrove forest, and bubbles rising from the ground occasionally refracted the sunlight into dazzling rainbow-colored rays. Beneath the towering mangrove canopy, another world began to stir.

This was the Red-Light District.

A street filled with the scents of money and perfume, where every normal man would feel an irresistible urge to step inside and take a look. Under flickering colorful lights, on wide streets wet from recent rain, there were bars, hotels, clubs, casinos... Many scantily clad women came and went, some even sitting directly in glass storefronts, flaunting their beautiful, graceful curves. On the street, several men and women embraced, kissed, and touched, filling the air with arousing hormonal scents—a symphony of lust and desire.

Here, as long as you had money, you could enjoy god-like treatment.

The Red-Light District was essentially just a special area in the underworld that served as a gathering place for various entertainment industries. There were hundreds of places with the same name all over the world, both large and small. But in reality, the Red-Light District was an intelligence gathering point established by the World Government's intelligence department, the CP organization. A fact known only to a select few.

"No wonder Kaji comes here every week on his day off..." Sephiroth, wearing an open black leather jacket over a white T-shirt, black leather pants, and with his hands in his pockets, strolled down the street, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. Occasionally, he cast a critical eye towards the long legs, ample chests, and heavily made-up beautiful faces of the young women on the street.

Many curvaceous, scantily clad young women cast provocative glances at Sephiroth, seductive smiles playing on their lips. However, they weren't so much interested in Sephiroth's handsome and beautiful face as they were in figuring out how to drain his wallet and take every Berry he had. Money was king, this was the true face of the Red-Light District. Many men with thick wallets, full of lust and desire, came in here, but then lost their money and dignity, staggering out with empty wallets, a bitter lesson learned.

Sephiroth, who had been walking aimlessly, had his gaze drawn to the glass window of a shop. He quickened his pace, crossed his arms, and carefully admired the young woman pole dancing inside, her body moving lithely.

On the bustling street, three men walked side by side, their silhouettes attracting attention.

Walking on the left, a slovenly man in a blue cotton coat, holding a staff with a plum blossom symbol, wearing small black glasses, and with snot running from his nose, said with a chuckle: "I say, I say, the negotiations for that transaction should be handled by Diamante and Doflamingo! I want to go play on the street first, beh heh heh...!" That was Trebol, one of the Donquixote Family executives.

Hearing that, the man walking on the right, wearing a battered hat on his head, with two tattoos on his face, and a red cloak, immediately rebuked him: "Trebol, we didn't come here to play!" That was Diamante.

"Fufufufufu~! Forget it, we'll stay here for a night, and depart tomorrow morning... Trebol, if you want to go, go!" The speaker was a young blonde man wearing a flamboyant pink feather coat over shorts, with short blonde hair, black sunglasses, hands in his pockets, a cynical smile on his face, and walking with an arrogant stride... The leader of the North Blue mafia, the Donquixote Family, Donquixote Doflamingo!

Since the Umbrella Corporation also had business dealings with the Donquixote Family, Sephiroth had naturally seen Doflamingo's photo long ago. Therefore, he recognized the other party at first glance. As the three walked past Sephiroth, their conversation immediately piqued his interest, making him want to follow them and find out what was going on.

He casually pulled a ten thousand Berry banknote from his pocket and slipped it into the money box in the display glass window in front of him. The young woman pole dancing inside was truly pitiful, she couldn't even afford clothes and had to dance so hard... As an honest person, Sephiroth couldn't help but feel pity and instinctively tipped the young woman, hoping she could buy a piece of clothing to wear.

Sephiroth followed Doflamingo and Diamante unhurriedly, keeping his distance, preparing to see where they would go. As for Trebol... that man had already pulled out his wallet and walked into the shop where Sephiroth had just been watching the young woman dance, ready to engage in a brief, passionless romance for hours.

Soon, the two entered a luxurious five-story, European-style, ornately decorated club named "Joyous"—a name that contrasted sharply with the atmosphere outside. Sephiroth also followed closely behind the two, walking unhurriedly into the club's lobby, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Before long, an elderly woman wearing a black strapless evening gown, with long black hair reaching her waist and a charming face, approached, bringing with her a captivating fragrance. Her long dress had a deep V-cut at the chest, exposing a large area of snowy white skin to the air. Her figure was remarkably ample, a figure that couldn't see her toes when looking down, and she swayed as she walked, causing Sephiroth's gaze to involuntarily move up and down as well.

The long-haired elderly woman didn't care about his somewhat offensive gaze, and a professional smile appeared on her face: "Heh heh heh! Sir, are you here to meet someone by appointment?"

"What if I said... I came to see you, is that alright?" Sephiroth teased casually, a small smirk on his lips.

"Of course it's alright! As long as you have money, you are my god, and I am more than willing to serve you." As she spoke, the long-haired mature woman even provocatively stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked the corner of her mouth, clearly implying something.

A greedy woman! But... I like it! Sephiroth praised inwardly, intrigued by the woman's boldness.

"Could you tell me about the enjoyable spots here?"

"The first floor has the hot springs and bar, the second floor is the dining room and lounge area, the third floor is the casino area, and the fourth floor is the VIP area," the woman explained in a professional tone.

"What about the fifth floor?"

"That's a floor not open to the public!" she answered firmly, hinting at a secret.

"Oh!" Hearing this, Sephiroth's face showed a thoughtful expression. In his Kenbunshoku Haki perception, Doflamingo had already ascended to the fifth floor, and it seemed he couldn't follow directly.

Thinking this, he pretended to say: "I'm tired after a day of activity, I'll go soak in the hot springs first!"

"If sir doesn't mind, I can accompany you for a soak as well~!" the woman said provocatively, a playful smile back on her face.

Sephiroth had originally planned to use the Doa Doa no Mi to open a temporary alternate dimension inside a door to eavesdrop on Doflamingo's negotiations. But... He looked at the long-haired elderly woman before him, her skin as white as snow, her body graceful, exuding the charm of maturity, like a ripe peach, delicious and tempting.

Forget it, let the bat eavesdrop! Sephiroth decided. After all, the room Doflamingo was in was very close to the building's outer window, and the bat he created with his Batto Batto no Mi ability could completely eavesdrop and monitor the contents of the conversation without being detected.

Thinking this, Sephiroth extended his right hand, wrapped his arm around the mature, long-haired woman's slender waist beside him, walked to the lobby counter to pay the money, and opened a private hot spring room. On the way to the hot spring, he found an excuse to go to the toilet and casually released a black bat from the toilet window—the bat immediately flew towards the fifth floor, ready to be his eyes and ears.