It seemed he might have pushed a little too far.
After finally arriving at Amazon Lily, Ozz had no intention of leaving the same day. There were still several days before the Summit War.
"You seem very afraid of me."
The question had lingered in his mind ever since that first Den Den Mushi conversation after Hancock escaped the Holy Land.
He had come to Amazon Lily partly to see this Warlord in person.
But more than that, he wanted to understand.
Why did his former little maid react to him like that?
"N no…"
Hancock no longer carried her usual imperial arrogance. She looked like a startled young girl, long black hair falling over her shoulders and chest. Her figure was flawless, kneeling sideways on the carpet, posture elegant yet fragile.
Inside the palace at night, the lighting was dim.
Sandersonia and Marigold were nowhere to be seen.
Neither was Gloriosa.
The air felt thick, heavy with faint incense.
"Interesting…"
Nothing here could escape Ozz's Observation Haki.
Still, in the shadowed intimacy of a private chamber, the most beautiful woman of this era gazing at him with trembling eyes carried a different kind of temptation.
Outside the palace, Gloriosa stood with her hands behind her back, descending the steps with an uneasy heart.
"A new era is coming. Even a man as strong as Whitebeard faces destruction."
"This is all for Amazon Lily…"
Inside the room, Ozz had seen far greater storms. A man tempered by Kuma's ability and endless battles was not easily shaken.
He appeared on the sofa and beckoned.
Hancock's body trembled. Her long legs carried her forward.
Silken black hair. Long pale legs that seemed to stretch forever. A face of devastating beauty. A crimson dress hugging her curves.
Even Ozz had to admit.
Of all the women who had ever stood close to him, she was perfection.
In terms of the world's aesthetic standards, a young Shakuyaku might have been legendary.
But in this era, Hancock was unmatched.
"Your heart is racing."
Ozz stood over three meters tall, towering over Hancock's already impressive height.
Unlike Luffy, he did not lack presence.
When he drew her into his arms, he could feel through his Haki that she was nearly suffocating.
What was that emotion?
Fear.
Awe toward strength.
Submission.
And something else.
Excitement.
"Massage my shoulders."
With a snap of his fingers, his upper garment vanished.
Whatever tangled emotions his former maid carried, Ozz did not dwell on them.
If she had once belonged to him, then that bond had not changed.
Hancock's cheeks burned red.
Yet the faint pressure of Ozz's Conqueror's Haki kept her painfully aware, unable to faint.
She covered her face but peeked through trembling fingers.
Perfect musculature. A faint cross shaped scar. A face handsome and casually confident.
Hancock, who had never been this close to a man before, felt her strength leaving her limbs.
Lifted effortlessly into his embrace, she finally understood why past Empresses had fallen to this so called illness.
What she felt now was no longer just reverence and fear toward a master.
It had deepened.
Ozz was in high spirits.
Hancock was no powerless ornament. She was an Empress, a formidable warrior.
And conquering strength was a different thrill.
Ozz had always admired powerful women.
Once, in his youth, he had even briefly felt something stir for Charlotte Linlin in her younger days.
But once he learned she had already borne children, that thought had died.
Hancock, however, strong and unmarked by such history, stirred that interest again.
He felt the warmth of her body pressed against him.
One hand supporting her leg. The other around her waist.
"Tell me. Why are you so nervous in front of me?"
He whispered near her ear.
Hancock could no longer maintain composure.
Blushing deeply, she leaned against his chest.
"Since childhood, CP0 educated us…"
"Saint Ozz is one of the most exalted beings in the world. The most perfect man. Even the leaders of the Celestial Dragons must yield."
"You broke through Marine Headquarters in your youth."
"The Emperors of the Sea have fallen before you."
"You control the underworld at will."
"Mr. Lip taught us that you cannot be defeated. That you are one of the architects of the world's rules."
As those teachings resurfaced, admiration slowly drowned out fear.
"Your strength commands our reverence."
"Strength? You mean combat power?"
"Is there something else?"
"There are other ways to be strong."
As Ozz stood, Hancock felt the world tilt.
The scene shifted into shadows and warmth.
The details need not be spelled out.
Before dawn, the palace finally fell quiet.
Ozz leaned back against the bed, a cigarette between his fingers.
Hancock lay against his chest, her eyes misty, mind drifting toward impossible fantasies of marriage and children.
He had taken complete possession of her heart.
She felt entirely under his control, helpless yet floating.
That sensation of being overwhelmed, then lifted beyond herself…
In Hancock's eyes, faint heart shapes seemed to flicker into existence.
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The tides are shifting, and secrets linger in the dark... Step into the shadows early on P@treon, where the next chapter awaits before the world sees it.
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