One Piece: Saving Hancock with the Batto Batto no Mi

Dressrosa Kingdom, Royal Palace, Kitchen.

Scarlett, dressed in a bright, light yellow long gown and an adorable pink apron, hummed a cheerful tune with a melodious voice, her fingers deftly preparing a delicious bento box. The sweet aroma of cooking wafted through the air, filling the space.

At the kitchen entrance, Violet, carefully peeking half her head in, stared at her sister with a surprised expression, her eyebrows raised. Just then, King Riku walked by in the corridor. The black-haired girl quickly pulled her Father to her side and whispered, "Look, Big Sister is actually cooking..." Her voice was full of astonishment. "What's gotten into her!"

Witnessing this scene, King Riku's face also showed surprise, and his tone carried a hint of inexplicable emotion—a mixture of happiness and bewilderment. It wasn't that Scarlett couldn't cook, or only made bad food... On the contrary, her cooking was delicious! However, because Scarlett had to learn various important royal etiquette and knowledge every day, she didn't have much free time. Plus, she disliked getting her clothes dirty or stained with oil, so she rarely cooked at all—a fact that made this moment so special. Even King Riku, as Scarlett's father, could count on one hand how many times he had eaten Scarlett's cooking in a year!

Driven by irresistible curiosity, Violet used her Giro Giro no Mi ability. She raised her right index finger and thumb, touching their tips to form an "OK gesture" circle, and a thin purple membrane instantly appeared, allowing her to read minds. The black-haired girl's right eye saw through the purple membrane, piercing into Scarlett's thoughts at that moment.

"To capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach..."

"This bento I made for Sephiroth will surely move him... Hmm? Should I fry two heart-shaped eggs too...?"

"But wouldn't that be too obvious?... Maybe a little more subtle?"

"But he'll leave after completing his mission. If I don't take the initiative, won't I lose my chance forever...?"

"Yes! Yes! This is it, be bold! You can do it, Scarlett..."

"Once he falls for me, we'll get married right away, then have two little babies..."

Suddenly! An indescribable scene abruptly flashed through Violet's mind, making her cheeks flush crimson with embarrassment as she lowered her right hand. Immediately after, she tugged on King Riku's robe. Her father understood the signal and knelt down, waiting for his daughter to speak.

"Big Sister has fallen for the Marine big brother who saved her yesterday, and..." Violet whispered, unable to continue her sentence.

Listening to his two daughters, King Riku's expression changed repeatedly, his emotions complicated and difficult to decipher, a mixture of joy and sorrow. He never expected his little treasure to be taken so quickly!? No! It was his daughter who wanted to pounce on him, and he didn't even know if he would agree... Thinking about this, King Riku felt increasingly frustrated!

In the kitchen, Scarlett turned to pack the bento box. Her gaze fell upon the two figures sneaking by the doorway. She tilted her head, appearing confused: "Huh!? Father, Big Sister, why are you at the door...?"

"Ah, ah, ah! We just happened to be passing by, just passing by... Hahaha!" King Riku scratched his head awkwardly, a dry laugh escaping his lips. He grabbed Violet's hand and promptly left the kitchen doorway, as fast as possible.

"How strange..." The pink-haired girl murmured softly to herself, her shoulders shrugging in confusion, then immediately packed her bento, a faint smile still gracing her face.

After parting ways with Violet, King Riku walked alone, feeling uneasy, towards the Royal Palace gardens. His gaze casually swept across the scene, and he saw the burly figure of Zephyr, his silhouette prominent. He stood beside a low garden wall, utilizing the height of the Royal Palace building to overlook all of Dressrosa, observing everything in the country with the keen eyes of a veteran.

King Riku cleared his throat and walked closer to Zephyr, saying: "Cough! General Zefa... I wanted to ask you... about Sephiroth..."

Hearing this, the purple-haired old man raised an eyebrow, appearing puzzled: "Hmm? Why are you suddenly asking about him?"

"No reason... I just wanted to understand him as a person."

"That brat Sephiroth!..." Zephyr began, his tone turning serious. "Among all the students I've ever taught, overall, he's still very commendable. He has high talent, his strength is also quite good, his mind is very flexible, and he works very hard..." Zephyr paused for a moment, letting out a sigh. "There's only one thing... that gives this old man a major headache!"

Hearing this, King Riku's body tensed, and he thought to himself: This is the crucial part! A person with so many merits, if they don't have one or two flaws, they would be too perfect!

"This brat, I just can't fathom him... His attitude towards pirates is a bit too indifferent!"

"Hmm!? General Zefa, what do you mean by that? Isn't your student Sephiroth someone who holds firmly to justice in his heart...?" King Riku frowned slightly, his tone unconsciously tinged with deep concern.

"Eh? This... I didn't explain it clearly. How should I put it!" Zephyr stroked his chin, searching for the right words. "I have a student named Sakazuki, the current Marine Vice Admiral. He adheres to absolute justice." He absolutely detests pirates. If it weren't for orders from above, not a single pirate would survive his hands—an uncompromising, absolute justice.

"Sephiroth's situation is very similar, but also different." Zephyr continued. "When he kills pirates, it feels like... how to describe that feeling?" Zephyr thought hard. "It feels as ordinary as eating and drinking water, as if it's a natural thing, appearing very commonplace. He can kill them, or he can choose not to, it all depends on whether he needs to..." Zephyr sighed again. "After much thought, I can only describe it as indifference."

King Riku frowned, pondering: "So, is that considered good or bad...?"

Hearing this, Zephyr gave a wry smile and shook his head, muttering to himself: "I don't know either, we'll see how Sephiroth performs in the future..."

Unknown to both of them, the reason Sephiroth was like this was purely because he had killed too many pirates during his time as a pirate hunter on the Sabaody Archipelago! After killing so many people, he had become numb—a chilling adaptation to violence. Sephiroth hadn't truly counted how many people he had killed, but at least two to three thousand! This terrifying number of kills had surpassed most Marines in Marineford—a grim record that shaped his psyche.

Scarlett, carrying a large bento box, had just walked a short distance from the Royal Palace when a burly man immediately followed her. As a result, the pink-haired girl instantly looked displeased. She turned and glared at Kyros, who was following behind her, her gaze sharp.

"Please don't come near me!" Scarlett ordered, her tone cold.

"But King Riku said I must stay by your side to protect your safety and prevent yesterday's incident from recurring..." Kyros explained, his voice slightly reluctant.

"Then please stay three meters away from me!" Scarlett said angrily, then turned her face away and continued walking towards the street in the distance, her shoulders stiff. She had never truly liked Kyros...

Ten years ago, Kyros was just a common thug from the slums, who loved to fight and roam the streets all day. Once, one of his thug friends was beaten to death in a fight! So, he picked up a spiked wooden club and beat the killer to death. Scarlett's father, King Riku, was also hit on the forehead with that club, leaving a ghastly scar—an incident that bound their fates.

However, King Riku didn't immediately execute Kyros, but instead imprisoned him in the Gladiator Colosseum and turned him into a captive gladiator. Furthermore, King Riku promised him that after acquiring 40 consecutive victories, he would regain his freedom. During that time, Scarlett also watched one of Kyros's matches. His ferocious, beast-like demeanor left a strong shadow in her young heart, an unforgettable trauma.

However... To everyone's surprise, after acquiring forty consecutive victories, this man didn't leave the arena but continued to stay there for 9 years, winning 3000 matches without a single defeat—an unrivaled record. Unbeknownst to her, as Kyros continued to win, he transformed from a murderer into a popular figure in the kingdom, a hero to the people.

Initially, Scarlett had always been indifferent to what kind of person he was. But... A year ago, Kyros somehow managed to join the Royal Army and became a captain, a surprising promotion. The psychological shadow from her childhood, coupled with the scar on King Riku's forehead, kept reminding Scarlett, making her wary of Kyros. She never liked him, believing that Kyros was merely concealing his true nature and harboring malicious intent, waiting for the opportune moment to show his true colors.

After being scolded, Kyros, bound by his duty, could only carefully follow three meters behind Scarlett, staying vigilant against potential dangers—an irony, as he was her most loyal, albeit unwanted, protector.