Pirate: This Marine has two Rinnegan.

Who would have thought that the famous pirate empress would fall into such an embarrassing situation?

Chiga quickly pressed Hancock's shoulders down, making her lie down properly on the bed. He then looked at Hancock, feeling a mix of emotions.

He finally understood why Hancock, despite being so seriously ill, wouldn't let her grandmother tell the Navy Headquarters about her illness.

She was afraid that her identity as a pirate would affect her position in the Navy, so even when she was so sick that she could hardly hold on, she still did not have the slightest thought of informing herself.

When Chiga was on Earth, she once complained that Hancock was a typical love-struck person. Why would she make herself so silly for a man? She was not like the proud empress at all.

But now, Hancock's object of affection has become herself, and the feeling is completely different. Chiga looked at Hancock lying on the hospital bed, staring at him intently, and felt her heart tremble.

To put it bluntly, Hancock's behavior is what you'd call sycophantic behavior on Earth, but isn't it also a form of deep affection? Besides, the object of her affection is herself!

Chiga stroked Hancock's cheek, his voice trembling slightly, a tremor he himself didn't even realize.

"How can you be so stupid? You're a Shichibukai, a legitimate pirate under the Navy. What's wrong with reporting something that's so dangerous?"

"But it seems that Lord Chiga doesn't like the Seven Warlords of the Sea. I think that would bother you. Besides, even if you are a Marine, Lord Chiga's status doesn't warrant him coming in person... um..."

Before Hancock could finish speaking, her lips were sealed by Chiga's. Seeing this, the old woman turned into a small stone statue.

It's no exaggeration, she really did turn into a real stone statue!

The two, caught up in their entanglement, didn't notice Grandma's condition. After they separated, Chiga looked directly into Hancock's vacant eyes and said, word by word,

"The Seven Warlords of the Sea belong to the Navy, but you belong to me, Uchiha Chika. From now on, no matter what happens to you, I will be by your side. Do you understand?!"

Hearing Chiga's domineering words, Hancock nodded mechanically. She felt as if she were in a dreamlike cloud, like a kite with a broken string, drifting up and down in it.

Chiga didn't let Hancock remain in a daze any longer. He cupped Hancock's pretty face in his hands, making her face him directly, and then his Rinnegan narrowed slightly before he released his power.

Like rain after a long drought, a cool energy flowed through Hancock's body like a stream, and she couldn't help but let out a cute little moan.

Realizing what had happened, Hancock's pretty face flushed bright red, but this time it wasn't a sickly red, but a healthy rosy glow.

She dared not look into Qianhe's eyes again, but lowered her head and helplessly rubbed the corner of the quilt with her hands, looking like a shy young wife.

Chiga was relieved to see that Hancock had recovered, but he still told her to rest well and not to get out of bed for the time being.

Because his stone only repaired Hancock's body, which was damaged by lovesickness, but the mental torment caused by the illness was even more severe, it would be better for her to rest for a while.

However, with him as the "catalyst," it is believed that Hancock will soon fully recover and once again become the proud pirate empress, just like a peacock.

Chiga sat down on the edge of Hancock's bed, put an arm around Hancock's shoulder, and let her head rest on his shoulder. The two sat there quietly, enjoying this rare moment.

After an unknown amount of time, Hancock, leaning on Chiga's shoulder, suddenly asked softly,

"Lord Chiga, have you seen Granny? Why isn't she moving?"

Chapter 169 The Imminent Anti-Aging Surgery

Chiga and Hancock finally discovered Granny, who had been a stone statue for a long time.

Looking at the shocked statue of Granny Za, Qianhe asked curiously,

"Hancock, did you use your ability just now?"

Hancock looked puzzled as well. She shook her head and said,

"No, I did not use any abilities."

Chiga got out of bed, went to the stone statue of Granny Za, and gently tapped Granny Za's head twice with a finger, making two thuds.

Judging from the feel of it just now, the stone statue is of good quality; at least its hardness is not a problem.

Hancock leaned against the headboard, amused by Chiga's actions, and said softly,

"Lord Chiga, please move Grandma Za to my bedside so I can see what's going on."

"Ah."

Chiga did not move the statue of Granny. Instead, she returned to Hancock's side and sat down. Then, she released the power of the Deva Path, which made Granny float up and slowly draw the statue to Hancock's face.

Taking advantage of the time it took for Granny to float over, Hancock rested her head on Chiga's shoulder again; she really didn't want to leave Chiga for even a moment longer.

She reached out and touched Grandma Za's stone statue, then gently tapped it with her finger. A series of pink heart-shaped ripples spread out, and Grandma Za returned to her original state as a stone statue.

Grandma was still in the same expression she had before she turned into a stone statue. As soon as she recovered, she floated in the air and danced around. Hancock frowned slightly at the sight and even wanted to throw her out the window like she used to.

She had finally managed to have such wonderful time with her beloved Chiga-sama, and she didn't want this old woman to ruin it.

But with Qianhe right beside her, she felt it best to maintain her composure, so she only verbally reprimanded him.

"Can you please be quiet? You're disturbing Lord Chiga!"

Chika squeezed Hancock's little hand, signaling her not to be so cold to her grandmother; he didn't care.

Hancock's pretty face turned bright red, and she buried her head in Chiga's arms, burying her head in the sand like an ostrich.

Grandma, floating in the air, wasn't angry at Hancock's attitude; she was used to it.

Now she looked at Hancock and Chiga with a maternal smile. In her eyes, the handsome man and beautiful woman were an exceptionally well-matched couple.

Moreover, Chiga is a highly sought-after admiral in the Navy, and possibly the strongest man in the world. With his protection, Amazon Lily is safer than ever.

Thinking of this, Grandma's expression became very strange. She cupped her large face in her hands and sighed.

"Love is so wonderful! I, too, once had a sweet love affair!"

"..."

Chiga was speechless at Granny Za's tone. Looking at Granny Za's short stature and wrinkled face, he sighed at this quirky and humorous setting in the world of One Piece.

That is, in the world of One Piece, no matter how beautiful a woman is when she is young, once she gets older, she will undergo a complete 180-degree transformation from her previous image, becoming as ugly as can be.

Lieutenant General Tsuru was alright, but the other elderly women looked absolutely terrible, like Dadan, the mermaid grandmother on the sea train, the Four Emperors' Big Mom, and the old woman in front of them.

She was, after all, the former, former, former emperor of the Women's Kingdom, so her appearance couldn't be bad, and she certainly wouldn't be this short.

But as they got older, not only did their appearance become extremely exaggerated, but their body size also seemed to shrink, becoming so short.

There's a saying on Earth, "Time never defeats a beauty," but that doesn't apply here at all. Here, the more beautiful a woman is, the more she is defeated—utterly defeated!

Chiga couldn't help but think of the women around her. Would they also become like her mother-in-law in a few decades?

He wouldn't look down on them, but his body had already entered the Otsutsuki state, meaning his lifespan would be much longer than that of ordinary humans, and his aging process would be greatly slowed down.

I can't possibly look incredibly young while all the women around me have turned into old ladies like my mother-in-law, can I?

Thinking of that scene, Chiga shivered involuntarily. Hancock, who was in her arms, thought that Chiga was cold and quickly put the blanket she was covering herself on Chiga.

Chiga gently stroked Hancock's long, black hair, gazing at her stunning profile. He secretly vowed that he would never let that happen!

He raised his hand and placed it on his right Rinnegan, where one of the tomoe held the power of the Ope Ope no Mi (Operation Fruit), which would grant him the power to change everything.

Awakening a Devil Fruit is incredibly difficult for others, but for Chiga, it's as easy as eating and drinking.

He has already awakened the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Cat-Torna Fruit, and the Asura Fruit, so awakening the Op-Op Fruit shouldn't be too difficult.

The reason he hasn't awakened yet is because he doesn't have absolute confidence in avoiding the so-called life-for-life exchange that is the anti-aging surgery.

Although he possesses the eye technique "Stone Long-Handed Bitter Sale," which has absolute restorative power, the release of "Stone Long-Handed Bitter Sale" requires him to at least retain a sliver of consciousness.

If that life-for-life exchange involves instantly surrendering one's own life, then things could get really messed up. He's not yet a fully realized Six Paths Body, and he can't achieve the same level of physical regeneration as Madara Uchiha.

Thinking of this, Chiga narrowed his eyes slightly. His left eye was only three Devil Fruits away from being completely filled, at which point his body would definitely evolve again.

He refused to believe that the aging surgery from a mere surgical fruit could take his life.

Chiga stared intently at Granny Za, who was floating in the air, his expression shifting between light and dark. Granny Za didn't dare to breathe, thinking she had offended this naval admiral.

Seeing that Chiga hadn't reacted for a while, Hancock reluctantly got up from Chiga's arms, gently pushed him, and said,

"Lord Chiga, what's wrong?"

With Hancock's push, Chiga stopped thinking about the anti-aging surgery. He looked at Hancock, who was watching him somewhat uneasily, and playfully hooked her nose with a finger, smiling as he said...

"I'm fine, I'm just thinking about how I can keep you all by my side."

"us?"

Hancock keenly noticed the "them" in Chiga's words, and she remembered seeing Kalifa and Ain when she went to Marine Headquarters.

The two women were also very beautiful, and they were always by Lord Chiga's side. Lord Chiga must be referring to them.

As expected, such an outstanding Chiga-sama cannot belong to her alone. Although that's what she thought, Hancock couldn't help but feel a little wronged.

Even Hancock herself didn't notice that, as her emotions fluctuated, her long, jet-black hair suddenly started moving on its own without any wind.

Chapter 170 Medusa Fruit

Chiga noticed the unusual movement in Hancock's hair, and not only him, but even Granny was staring at Hancock's hair in surprise.

Her thick, long black hair gradually split into nine strands, resembling nine long black snakes.

Qianhe frowned as he looked at the nine snake-shaped black hairs. He couldn't figure out what was going on for a moment, but he sensed a familiar fluctuation from the nine black snakes.

Hancock didn't seem to notice the change in her hair. When she saw Chiga suddenly frown, she thought that Chiga had noticed her little mood and made him unhappy.

This terrified Hancock. She was completely focused on Chiga right now, and if this caused Chiga to develop a dislike for her, it would be worse than death.

The image of Chiga looking at her with disgust flashed through Hancock's mind, and she felt a strong sense of suffocation. Her face immediately turned ashen.

As expected of Hancock, the genius of imagination, Chiga's simple expression change was enough for her to immediately conjure up the ending in her mind.

Chiga was also startled by Hancock's change. She was fine just a moment ago, how come she suddenly looks like she's back to being seriously ill?

He quickly placed his hands on Hancock's shoulders and shook them twice, asking,

"Hancock! You look terrible. Are you feeling unwell again?"

Hancock stared blankly at Chiga's face, looking very strange, like a soulless puppet, muttering to herself.

"Lord Chiga, please don't despise me. It's my fault..."

These words really confused Chiga. When did she say she disliked her?

Chiga couldn't understand Hancock's thought process at all. Just as she was about to speak, Hancock's nine separate, flowing snake-like hairs suddenly changed again.

The nine long black hairs transformed into deep purple, and their shape was no longer limited to snakes, but completely transformed into nine small deep purple snakes, with the characteristic hissing sound of snakes emanating from their mouths.

Not only her hair is changing, but Hancock's appearance is also gradually changing.

A golden, crown-like headband appeared on her smooth forehead, and her pupils turned into deep purple vertical shapes, making her look exceptionally sinister.