One Piece: I am the Empress, and the more sycophants I have, the stronger I become.

Seeing the Empress and her warriors, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, who were slumped on the ground, were filled with deep regret.

His face was ashen, and his clothes were soaked with cold sweat.

"It's over...it's all over..."

Mr. 5 muttered to himself, his body still trembling slightly with fear.

He recalled Weiwei's previous advice and wished he could turn back time. How could he have been so foolish as to provoke those people?

Who would have thought that a random group of people you bump into would turn out to be backed by the infamous "Pirate Empress"!

Miss. looked miserable and cried on Valentine's Day.

"One hundred million Berries... We couldn't raise that much money even if we sold both of us! Boss... the boss will kill us!"

Hancock's Observation Haki allowed her to hear their whispers and despair clearly.

She didn't stop walking, but her cold voice pierced their ears like an ice pick:

"I don't want to repeat myself. One hundred million Berries, or..."

She turned her head slightly, glancing at the two people whose faces were ashen.

"Leave your lives behind, and I won't mind having a couple more decorations. Or, I could turn you into stones and place you in my garden; that would be quite unique."

Turning into stone?!

The two were terrified, as they had long heard of the Empress's Love-Love Fruit abilities!

That's even more terrifying than killing them outright!

"No! Don't! We'll contact them! We'll contact the boss right now!"

Mr. 5 practically scrambled to his feet, trembling as he pulled a special Den Den Mushi from his pocket.

Miss. Valentine's Day also rushed over, and the two of them clung to each other like a lifeline.

The Den Den Mushi was connected, making a "buzzing" sound.

It simulates a gloomy profile of someone wearing an ornate ring and smoking a cigar.

"What is it?"

A deep, magnetic voice came through, tinged with a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.

Mr. 5 and Miss. on Valentine's Day, as if grasping at a last straw, cried incoherently to the Den Den Mushi.

"Boss! Help!"

"We...we accidentally provoked...we provoked the Kuja Pirates! It's the Empress! Empress Boa Hancock!"

"She...she demands 100 million Berries in compensation! Otherwise, she'll kill us and turn us to stone!"

"Boss, please help us!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, as if they were also processing this unexpected news.

Just then, Hancock turned around and walked back without anyone noticing.

She stretched out her slender fingers and took the Den Den Mushi directly from Mr. 5's trembling hand.

She held the Den Den Mushi to her ear and spoke in her distinctive, languid, and arrogant voice, as if greeting an old friend.

"Shasibulida, Crocodile. I never expected to run into your men in this remote and impoverished place."

The Den Den Mushi's simulated expression clearly froze for a moment, then its signature low chuckle came through.

"Fufufufu... Boa Hancock? What a rare guest. What's so special about our sandy land, with its endless yellow sands, that attracts you? Or have you changed your mind and decided to come and be my guest?"

Crocodile's voice carried a hint of probing and his usual insincere politeness.

"No need to be a guest."

Hancock interrupted him abruptly, her tone turning cold.

"I have no interest in the desert. It's just that your men were blind and offended me. One hundred million Berries is compensation for emotional distress and wasted time. Get it ready now."

"What does it matter to me if my men offended you?"

Crocodile's voice still carried a hint of laughter, yet it was tinged with a cold indifference.

"They brought this trouble upon themselves, so they should bear the consequences. If you think two stone statues turned into this by my men look rather unique in your garden... then go ahead and make them into decorations. Fufufufu..."

His laughter came through the Den Den Mushi, making Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave, their bodies turning ice-cold.

Only now did they truly realize that their boss, the mastermind behind Baroque Works, was none other than Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!

What made them even more desperate was that their boss abandoned them so easily, even with a hint of mockery.

Hancock was not surprised by Crocodile's answer.

This man is cold-blooded and selfish; he cares about nothing but his own ambition.

The lives of two high-ranking agents are probably less valuable to him than a case of fresh water.

She didn't really expect to extort 100 million Berries from a miserly man; it was more of a gesture and a test.

"It seems that your men aren't even worth a hundred million Berries in your eyes."

Hancock scoffed, her tone laced with undisguised sarcasm.

"In that case, I'll get rid of these two eyesores for you."

After saying that, she didn't give Crocodile a chance to speak again.

With a "click," the Den Den Mushi was disconnected.

He casually tossed the Den Den Mushi back to Mr. 5, who was nearly fainting.

Hancock's gaze swept over their desperate faces as if they were two lambs to the slaughter.

"It seems your boss doesn't care whether you live or die."

She spoke softly, and a pinkish light seemed to begin to shimmer at her fingertips.

Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine were terrified, tears streaming down their faces, desperately kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"Your Majesty, spare us! Spare us! We're willing to serve you like slaves! Please don't turn us into stones!"

Vivi, watching this scene from the side, felt extremely conflicted.

She hated the Baroque Works agents, felt a pang of sadness for their plight, and was chilled by Crocodile's cold-bloodedness.

Hancock looked at the two people making a fool of themselves at her feet, and then glanced at Vivi, who was pale-faced. Suddenly, she changed her mind.

Killing or petrifying these two small fry would only serve to vent your frustration, and wouldn't make much difference.

Perhaps... it would be more interesting to keep them, or to use them for something else?

The light faded from her fingertips, but her tone remained icy.