One Piece: Saving Hancock with the Batto Batto no Mi

Outside the open-air restaurant on Lovers' Lane, soft music still played, filled with the faint scent of flowers.

Sephiroth reached out and took the lemonade the waiter offered, sipping it slowly, feeling the refreshing contrast to the vexation in his heart. He took a napkin from the table and wiped the oily corner of his mouth. Staring at the now empty bento box—most of its contents consumed by him, while Scarlett had eaten only a small portion—thoughts raced through his mind.

By the way, if the two of them continued to develop like this, what would happen...?

Hmm!... In short, it would definitely be something extremely 'terrifying'!

So, here was the question! What were his feelings towards Scarlett, the Princess of Dressrosa, who was right beside him...?

The young woman was tall and graceful, with a voluptuous figure—a captivating form. Her waist-length pink hair was tied in a ponytail, swaying gently whenever she moved. Her skin was smooth and pristine white, flawless, and her watery eyes seemed to contain a kind of strong, alluring emotion. Scarlett's beautiful and elegant face glowed with a bright smile, and she exuded a faint floral scent, like the fragrance of nature itself. She was like a vibrant pink rose, beautiful and touching, yet pure and graceful.

In short... truly 'terrifying'!

Sephiroth wouldn't mind a casual relationship with her, one that didn't involve deep feelings. But... considering the women of the Dressrosa Kingdom were too devoted to love and possessed a bold attitude in both loving and hating—a trait that could be incredibly intense. If he were to do that, would his 'kidneys' be stabbed by Scarlett? Or even 'sparks'...!? Even though he wouldn't die under any circumstances thanks to his Devil Fruit ability, it would certainly leave deep psychological scars.

What about having deep and casual feelings?

Scarlett was not like Boa Hancock, who had eaten the Mero Mero no Mi, a Paramecia type, and possessed extraordinary natural charm, granting her a fatal attraction to normal men. Sephiroth dared to swear on his 'lustful' heart that he would definitely not get tired of Boa Hancock. Furthermore, he didn't think he would lack a woman who temporarily caught his eye. After all, such women were everywhere in the Red-Light District...

Therefore, he decided to first see how compatible the two of them were before making a decision—a pragmatic, yet cold approach.

"Thank you, Scarlett! You allowed me to enjoy a delicious and delightful lunch... Let me take you back to the Royal Palace!"

As he spoke, Sephiroth stood up, placed his right hand on the hilt of his Butcher's Blade, preparing to draw the Butcher's Blade from his waist to open a spatial door, leading directly to the Dressrosa Royal Palace.

"Wait! Before that, I want to stroll around first. Sephiroth, could you accompany me...?" Scarlett pleaded, her eyes full of anticipation.

"But I have to be responsible for guarding this street to prevent pirates from disguising themselves and sneaking in..." The silver-haired youth's expression was somewhat hesitant. If he left his post without permission, old man Zephyr would definitely swing his pot-sized fist to pound him...

Hearing this, Scarlett smiled sweetly and said in a cheerful tone: "We won't leave this street, we'll just wander around here."

"Eh!? ...Alright!" Having eaten someone else's meal, Sephiroth couldn't directly refuse, so he could only agree, succumbing to the Princess's charm.

Lovers' Lane was filled with couples, passionately intertwined lovers, making the air feel full of a sweet and, for Sephiroth, sometimes nauseating atmosphere. They even occasionally saw couples passionately embracing and kissing, completely oblivious to the gazes of passersby... Alright! You're unhappy, aren't you? Fine! Kiss your lover! What? You don't have one? Hehe! Then what are you doing here? Therefore, Sephiroth strongly suspected that Lovers' Lane should also be nicknamed "Singles' Torture Lane."

Sephiroth and Scarlett walked side by side on this street, and the atmosphere between them, influenced by the romantic surroundings, gradually warmed, slowly eroding Sephiroth's rigidity.

Unconsciously, the two arrived in front of an open-air performance stage. There stood a man dressed as a soldier and a woman dressed as a princess, ready to perform a love drama.

"Beautiful princess! From the moment I first saw you, I fell in love with you." The soldier said passionately.

"That won't do! Our statuses are too far apart; we can't possibly be together! Unless... you stand by my window every night, guarding me, and only leave after I turn off the lights and sleep. If you can persevere for a hundred days, I will agree to marry you!" The princess replied, setting an impossible condition.

"Alright! Princess, I will prove my love for you!" The soldier exclaimed, determination burning in his eyes.

On the stage, a story about a soldier falling in love with a princess was being performed—a classic love tale. After the soldier agreed to the princess's condition, day after day, two days, ten days, twenty days... The princess watched out every night, and the soldier still stood all night, wind and rain unable to deter him, waiting and waiting. On the 90th day, the soldier was pale and emaciated, tears flowing from his eyes, he couldn't hold on, he didn't even have the strength to sleep, and the princess kept watching him, her heart beginning to waver.

Finally, on the night of the 99th day, the soldier stood, he stared deeply at the window where the princess's light extinguished, he turned and left, he vanished...

On the hundredth day, the soldier did not come.

When the princess saw the soldier again, she asked: "Why did you leave when there was only one day left?"

The soldier smiled bitterly and said to the princess: "Because I hope you can find the person you love..."

"Encore!" shouts echoed among the moved audience. The two actors left the stage and slowly walked backstage, met with cheers.

Clap, clap, clap! Beneath the stage, thunderous applause surged like a tide, expressing their praise for the two actors.

By the way, stage drama performances are still quite underdeveloped these days! People's lives are truly monotonous and boring... Hmm!?... How about going back and discussing with Gildo Tesoro about making movies? This project should also be very profitable, and projections can even be broadcast via Den Den Mushi live, but copyright issues aren't guaranteed, which is a bit troublesome...

Sephiroth clapped his hands while carefully considering in his mind how to develop the film industry in this world and make a fortune from it—his brain working hard, focused on business opportunities.

"Sephiroth..." Scarlett turned to the silver-haired youth beside her, her eyes seemingly holding something back, a flash of determination.

"Hmm!?" Sephiroth responded subconsciously, his gaze still fixed on the stage, continuing to make rough plans in his mind, too engrossed in his own thoughts.

"I like you!" Scarlett said, her voice clear and firm.

"..." Hearing this, Sephiroth's clapping hands immediately stiffened, the movement of his thoughts abruptly halting. He had just been thinking about how to make money and hadn't reacted at all to what the other party was doing!

"Ahem! Uh... Scarlett, it's too noisy here, I didn't hear clearly what you just said..." The silver-haired youth put on a confused expression, turned his head, and prepared to evade, searching for an excuse.

The pink-haired young woman looked straight at him, gathering her courage again, and enunciated word by word in a slightly louder voice than before, determination burning in her eyes: "I Like You!"

"..."

It's over! How can this girl be so aggressive! I haven't even made a decision in my heart!

Sephiroth thought about it... Finally, he decided to try to confuse her again. He chuckled and said: "Hmm! Hmm! I also like you, Scarlett. Your cooking is really delicious." A cunning reply, changing the direction of the conversation.

The pink-haired young woman lowered her head, gripping the hem of her skirt with her right hand, and muttered to herself: "No... I didn't mean..."

With one effort, then declining, then exhaustion. Under Sephiroth's series of evasions and feigned ignorance, the emotions Scarlett had harbored while watching the stage drama instantly vanished—an awkward yet amusing failed confession.