#345 - Chapter 345 Can I Return the Goods?

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Jin An finally emerged from his secluded room.

During this time, he not only healed all his injuries but also used this opportunity to recuperate and carefully study the mysterious power Im left within his body.

As his research deepened, his strength improved significantly, and he even faintly felt that he had stepped into a new realm.

However, as soon as he pushed open the door, he was blocked at the entrance.

"Jin An, you're finally out!"

A crisp but somewhat dissatisfied voice came from the doorway.

Jin An looked up and saw Hancock standing in front of him, arms akimbo, glaring at him angrily.

She was wearing a navy lieutenant commander's uniform, the crisp uniform highlighting her heroic spirit, but her beautiful face was now filled with questioning and dissatisfaction.

For the past two months, she had come to block the door whenever she had time, with a clear purpose—to get a reasonable explanation from Jin An.

As the captain of the Kuja Pirates, she should have been a free queen of the sea, but now, she was wearing a navy uniform and had become a member of the navy.

She naturally couldn't easily accept this change in identity, especially after learning that she had inexplicably become a navy lieutenant commander, which only fueled her anger.

She didn't believe that Jin An wasn't behind this 'mischief'; he was never an easygoing person.

"Explain to me clearly, why am I wearing this uniform now?"

Hancock questioned with a serious face, her hands on her hips, as if she would stick to him if Jin An didn't give her a satisfactory answer.

Jin An looked at Hancock in front of him and couldn't help but marvel.

She wore the military uniform convincingly, and coupled with her unique temperament, it had a unique attraction.

Compared to her usual self, Hancock now had more heroism and majesty, and less of a pirate's rebellious spirit.

"I didn't, don't slander me."

Jin An raised his hands, looking innocent, a slight smile on his lips, his eyes twinkling with teasing light.

"But this uniform suits you very well."

Hancock was slightly stunned, although she was used to Jin An's teasing tone, his expression at the moment made her a little annoyed.

The anger and dissatisfaction in her heart surged up, and her beautiful eyes seemed to burn with anger.

"Suits me?" Hancock snorted coldly, her tone tinged with sarcasm, "I am the Empress of Kuja! I should be freely roaming the seas, but now I've become a member of the navy, isn't this your 'conspiracy'?"

Jin An smiled slightly and shook his head gently.

He had already anticipated Hancock's reaction, but he was not in a hurry to explain, but looked at her calmly, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes.

"This is not a conspiracy."

Jin An spoke slowly, his voice low and magnetic.

"You've also seen that during this time, the world situation has been changing rapidly, with various forces intertwined and colliding, and the line between pirates and the navy is becoming increasingly blurred. Now that you are in the navy, you can enjoy freedom and gain some protection. Isn't this the best of both worlds?"

Hancock frowned and pondered. Although Jin An's words did not completely convince her, she had to admit that in the past two months, she had indeed felt the convenience and resources brought by her navy status.

Moreover, she knew deep down that Jin An would not do anything that would harm her.

She calmed down for a moment, and finally put down the anger in her heart, but still said dissatisfiedly:

"Even so, I still hope you can tell me earlier, instead of letting me accept this identity inexplicably."

Jin An chuckled, stepped forward and patted her on the shoulder, his tone tinged with comfort:

"Don't worry, whether you are a pirate or a navy, you are still that arrogant Empress. Identity is just a tool, what matters is how you use it."

Hancock looked at him, a complex emotion flashing in her eyes, and finally nodded gently, seemingly temporarily accepting all this.

She knew that Jin An always had his reasons, and she could only choose to believe him now.

"Okay, I'll believe you this time." Hancock curled her lips and turned to leave, "However, you owe me an explanation, I'll remember this debt."

"Also, congratulations on becoming a substitute admiral!"

Watching her gradually receding figure, Jin An smiled helplessly, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

This strong woman had finally accepted the status quo, and he could finally continue to advance his plan.

He stood at the door, watching Hancock's figure disappear into the distance.

"Wait... Substitute admiral?"

"I don't want it!"

"Can I return it!"

Jin An suspected that this was the reason why Hancock blocked the door, to tell Jin An the good news that he is now an admiral.

However, being a lieutenant general is much better than being an admiral!

......

Bannorick Redfield stood in a dark corner, his eyes narrowed, coldly watching the scene before him.

He had been a member of this emerging organization that opposed the World Government for some time.

As someone who had possessed powerful Observation Haki since childhood, he had long been accustomed to seeing through people's hearts.

However, with age, this ability had also become the source of his deepest pain.

He had tried to use this power to understand others, but every time he delved into the hearts of others, all he saw was ugliness, greed, selfishness, and endless darkness.

This gradually made him lose faith in humanity, and also made him become more and more isolated, even somewhat cynical.

This time, Redfield tried hard to suppress the disgust and rejection in his heart, and chose to join this emerging organization that claimed to serve the common people.

For him, this was his last attempt to believe in human nature, trying to find a glimmer of hope, no matter how slim.

However, reality ruthlessly shattered his fantasy again.

Over time, Redfield used his powerful Observation Haki to gradually figure out the true face of this organization.

On the surface, this organization claimed to be resisting the World Government and protecting the weak and the common people, but in reality, it was just a large pirate group, a group of plunderers in disguise.

They simply used the reputation of that mysterious person who attacked Mary Geoise to attract a large number of people dissatisfied with the World Government, and then used this as a cover to continue their dirty deeds.

A strong sense of disappointment and disgust welled up in Redfield's heart.

He had thought that this organization might be different, might really be able to bring some change to this corrupt world, but the fact proved that everything was false.

These so-called revolutionaries were no different from the greedy pirates he had seen, even more hypocritical.

In the past, he wanted to become the Pirate King, but he was just tired of this hypocritical world.

He wanted to make his own rules.

It's just that this dream was put down after seeing the strength of Roger and Whitebeard.

He finally wanted to believe in an organization that would change the world, but he was still disappointed.

...