Provoked by Robin's taunt, Hancock immediately got up, ready to challenge her to a fight.
But before she could move, two arms suddenly sprouted from her waist and started tickling her most sensitive spots.
In an instant, Hancock's proud and dignified demeanor shattered. She collapsed onto the sofa, her limbs flailing as uncontrollable laughter burst out of her mouth.
"Hahaha~ You bastard—hahaha~ I won't forgive you, haha~!!"
Watching the once-mighty Pirate Empress rendered powerless in mere seconds, everyone present had black lines on their foreheads.
Hina sighed, covering her face in embarrassment.
"You're a disgrace to all of us. How could you have such a weak spot?"
Koala, witnessing Hancock's suffering, gulped and glanced warily at Robin, who was still smiling as if nothing had happened.
She shivered slightly, leaned closer to Nami, and whispered cautiously,
"See? Sister Robin is definitely the scariest among us.
Even Hancock doesn't stand a chance—so what does that say about the rest of us?"
Nami nodded in agreement.
Before they could continue their hushed conversation, Robin's voice suddenly chimed in.
"Koala, what are you whispering about?"
Koala froze like a deer caught in headlights, her body trembling. Without hesitation, she shrank behind Nami, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible.
After casting a brief warning glance at the now visibly terrified Koala, Robin finally released Hancock from her grasp.
She gracefully walked over to where Ain and Hina were seated, settling down beside them.
Ignoring the piercing glare from a certain Empress, she swept her gaze across the room and casually remarked,
"Everyone looks so relaxed… but did you all forget? Kaido has just formed an alliance with Big Mom.
Aren't you even a little worried they might come knocking on our door?"
Her words instantly wiped away the playful atmosphere.
The women exchanged glances before gradually sitting up straight.
Luffy furrowed his brows and leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his chin in thought.
"I didn't expect Kaido to go crawling to Whole Cake Island…
A stray dog who's lost his territory still has the guts to seek out another Emperor?
This just proves how much he refuses to accept his defeat.
Even at the cost of his dignity, he'd rather seek an alliance than let this humiliation go unavenged."
Robin chuckled softly, and the teasing look on her face made Luffy want to pin her down and spank her for being so infuriating.
Feigning surprise, Robin smirked and said,
"Oh my, so you do have some thoughts in that head of yours, Vice Admiral. I assumed you were too busy expanding your harem to care about your own survival."
Luffy rolled his eyes in exasperation.
"What kind of image do you have of me? Just because I don't look worried doesn't mean I'm not taking precautions. I've already made preparations in secret—I'm not that reckless."
"Haha~"
Ain, the eldest among them, finally spoke up.
"So? What preparations have you made behind our backs? Care to share with the rest of us?"
Luffy nodded, then casually reached for the teapot, pouring himself a cup of tea.
Under everyone's expectant gazes, he took a slow sip before finally answering.
"I asked the Fleet Admiral for reinforcements."
The room fell into silence.
Kalifa blinked. "…That's it?"
Luffy set his teacup down, shrugged, and spread his hands nonchalantly.
"What else? Isn't it enough to call for backup from headquarters?
The rest is up to the Fleet Admiral to decide."
Another moment of silence.
Then—
"THAT'S IT?!"
Nami's frustrated scream shattered the quiet. She lunged forward, wrapped her arms around Luffy's neck from behind, and shook him violently.
"You mean to tell me you just tossed our lives into headquarters' hands and called it a day?!
Bastard! Where's your sense of responsibility?! Our lives and wealth are in your hands!!!"
As Nami yelled in his ear, Luffy turned his head slightly and suddenly felt something soft press against the back of his head.
Unable to resist, he clicked his tongue and made a suicidal remark.
"Nami… you still haven't grown much. You're way too flat."
Nami: "…#&%$@#!!!"
"You bastard! You dare say that to my face?!"
Fury erupted inside Nami as she immediately began pummeling Luffy with her fists, unleashing all her pent-up rage.
At 15 years old, she had already started developing rapidly, but compared to the other women in the room—Olivia, Hancock, Hina—she was still lagging far behind.
And that was exactly why she hated people mentioning it.
Luffy, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed by her assault.
Instead, he grinned and added fuel to the fire.
"It's fine, small ones are cute too. I like them just as much~"
Nami: "AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
At that moment, Nami seemed to undergo a terrifying transformation—her hair stood on end, and a dark, ominous aura began emanating from her entire body.
In an instant, the room plunged into chaos once more.
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