"Oh? So even the mighty Dragon God is still a man..." remarked Hancock, her expression gaining a hint of vanity as she noticed Vahn's gaze wander to her crossed legs.
"So, what did you want to discuss...?" asked Vahn, squaring his head and closing his eyes. Hancock was unquestionably a world-class beauty, but he wasn't exactly starving for attention or the opportunity to admire even greater, less temperamental beauties.
"Hmm...you are more resilient than most..." noted Hancock, narrowing her eyes before adding, "Very well, I will get straight to the point. I want the Pavilion to guarantee the autonomy of Amazon Lily. Furthermore, you will grant my people access to your palace, its facilities, and its men. The Kuja are an all-female tribe of warriors, so we require external assistance from the men of other lands to sustain our population."
"I can ensure the autonomy of the Kuja people as long as they don't go out of their way to antagonize other groups, but access to the palace and its facilities requires payment..." countered Vahn, offering, "As far as your access to our men is concerned, I can allow you to open a private lounge or something similar to market specialty good and accept donations. This isn't your world, and I don't particularly care for a culture that subsists off of rape, murder, plunder, and the ceremonial sacrifice of its male offspring to non-existent snake deities..."
"Hmph, such boldness to lecture me, the Pirate Empress, on the ways of the Kuja..." hummed Hancock, a naturally seductive smile playing across her lips as she acknowledged, "Certainly, you are not like other men. Tell me more about this lounge you speak of. There is also the matter of price. Though my beauty warrants all that I ask for, I am aware that the Pavilion is primarily comprised of women. It baffles me how a man is able to stand at the pinnacle of such an organization, but I have been told that if we are unable to reach an agreement, one will not occur."
"As long as the Kuja are willing to abide by the Pavilion's statutes, they will be entitled to the same opportunities and protections as any of our affiliated groups," stated Vahn, causing Hancock's brows to crease as he appended, "A woman's attractiveness indisputably gives their words and actions greater weight, but it won't afford you or your people concessions without offering your own. If you insist that the Kuja's ways of conducting themselves are without fault, then you can deal with the consequences of that belief to the end. The Pavilion will not shield you so that you can prey upon others..."
'Such a biting stance and tone...it's as if he isn't swayed by my beauty or afraid that I might simply get up and walk away...' noted Hancock, feeling a peculiar sense of anticipation swelling within her bosom. And when she reached up to touch her chest, she noticed that her heart was beating at a steadily accelerating rhythm.
Noticing that Vahn still had his eyes closed, Hancock's eyes glistened as she internally concluded, 'No...it isn't that he's impervious to my charms. He's deliberately avoiding looking at me because he knows that if he were to address me directly, he wouldn't be able to avoid giving ground. What a clever, albeit cowardly, man...'
Confident in her conclusions, Hancock stood up, stepped onto the table separating her and Vahn's sofas, and confidently stepped down next to his. When Vahn opened his eyes to stare at her with a slightly raised right brow, Hancock raised her chin and grinned smugly before declaring, "You can consider yourself very fortunate. I have seen through your ploy, but in acknowledgement of your poise till now, this Empress shall present you a reward befitting your achievements..."
Somewhat curious, Vahn watched as Hancock made a slight adjustment to her pareo, fully exposing her left leg and part of her shapely bottom before she sat next to him, creating space for herself by shifting his hips aside with her own and placing her left hand on his abdomen. Then, with a triumphant, smug, and seductive look, she raised her chin, stared down at him, and hummed, "Now, I believe we were discussing how the Pavilion would accommodate my people's needs without infringing upon our rights and beliefs..."
"I have made my position clear..." countered Vahn, closing his eyes and relaxing the muscles in his neck as he firmly asserted, "The Pavilion will not support a group that actively victimizes others."
Barely registering Vahn's response, Hancock, feeling her heart racing even faster than previously, asked herself, 'What is this...this discomfort? I deigned to sit next to him and even rewarded him with my touch, but it's as if he doesn't care...'
"Look at me..." muttered Hancock, uncharacteristically tilting her head down to stare directly at Vahn as he opened his eyes to meet her gaze, looking more annoyed than enraptured by her beauty. This continued for several seconds before Hancock realized she wasn't breathing, a feeling of faintness washing over her as she found herself inexplicably avoiding Vahn's gaze and covering her mouth with the hand she had placed upon him.
Detecting Vahn's aroma on her hand, a tidal wave of confusion washed over Hancock as she felt her cheeks abruptly becoming hot to the touch and her becoming moist with sweat. She initially thought she was feeling nauseous, but instead of the urge to retch, she felt a fluttery sensation in her chest and a faint tingling in her temples.
"Hey, you good...?" asked Vahn, his casual, deep, and reverberating tone sending a wave of chills through and along the center of Hancock's body, compelling her to close her eyes, suck in, and bite her bottom lip.
'This isn't what I think it is, is it...?' Vahn asked him, his mildly annoyed deadpan transforming into a cramped smile as anyone familiar with One Piece would recognize what was happening.
Seeing Vahn smile and hearing him exhibit concern for her, Hancock all but confirmed the former's suspicions by swooning, her cheeks flushed red as she fell off the sofa and plopped onto the cold marble floor. She was clearly suffering from Love Sickness, but since he had primarily just been lying down and not-so-subtly lambasting her people, Vahn couldn't help but wonder if there was something genuinely wrong with the raven-haired Empress's internal wiring...
'Well, she and her sisters did go through a lot when they were younger...' noted Vahn, exhaling in faint exasperation from his nose as he appended to himself, 'Even if the only reason they were captured and enslaved was because they had gone out to sea to learn how to raid and pillage foreign ports...'
While internally acknowledging that actions, no matter how small, had consequences, Vahn sat up and caused Hancock to briefly jolt, her dark blue eyes widening to their limits as he placed his hand on her head and caressed it gently, his voice low and coaxing as he said, "Come on. Deep breaths...breathe in...hold it...now out..."
Though she had previously sworn to herself that she would never obey another person—especially if that person were a man—Hancock found herself following Vahn's instructions. As she did, a feeling of warmth and comfort permeated her body from her chest, and though she should have slapped it away immediately, she found herself closed-eyed, enjoying the feeling of Vahn's caress, courtesy of his S-Rank Petting.
"Hey..." muttered Vahn, gently transitioning his hand from the top to the back of Hancock's head, prompting her to tilt it back and meet his gaze with parted eyes and a naturally seductive look as he said, "I don't want to see your people starve or your culture be extinguished. Work with us, and we'll teach you how you can be proud warriors without preying on or victimizing the innocent..."
Seeing Vahn staring down at her with a gentle, patient, almost fatherly expression, Hancock opened her mouth to respond, but no words came to mind. The only other man who had looked at her with such consideration was the former First Mate of the Pirate King, Silvers Rayleigh. His motives eluded her, but shortly after she and her sisters managed to flee from the Holy Land, he had appeared almost like a phantom to shelter, protect, and see them safely back to Amazon Lily. When she had asked him why at the end of their return journey, Hancock couldn't remember his response, but she distinctly recalled the pain in his eyes when he smiled at her. Then he was gone...
'Why am I remembering all of this now...?' Hancock asked herself, unable to tear her gaze from Vahn's face and his mesmerizingly aquamarine eyes. She somehow hadn't noticed it before, but his fair brown skin was without blemish, and the structure of his face and eyes was simultaneously noble, piercing, and gentle. He had the look of a man who could split the sea and sky, but instead of violence and exerting his dominion over others through force, he chose compassion. And now he was asking her to do the same...
"Fine..." muttered Hancock, breaking a lengthy, increasingly tense silence as she closed her eyes and rested her head against Vahn's palm, stating, "It is clear that my world is entering into a new era. If I do not wish to be the last Empress of the Kuja peoples, I will need to lead them in changing our ways..."
"With that sentiment alone, you've already set your people on the path to a prosperous life..." affirmed Vahn, nodding approvingly. Then, instead of remaining on the sofa while Hancock sat on the marbled floor, he caused her brows to crease slightly as he removed his hand from her head. When he sat next to her, however, her pout was replaced by a look of confusion and then timid, cheek-burning embarrassment when he met her gaze with his natural smolder and remarked, "I can see why you decided to sit here. The floor is nice and cool, isn't it...?"
"Indeed..." responded Hancock, her voice low as she stared ahead and hugged herself rather than confidently crossing her arms under her very prominent breasts. Her swooning had nearly caused them to slip free of her top, but she didn't notice until Vahn hooked his right arm behind her on the sofa and casually reached over to adjust her blouse with his left hand, personally ensuring she was properly covered. Hancock typically wouldn't react even to being seen naked, especially after the tattoo that denoted her status as a former slave had miraculously vanished, but the casual yet intimate act of Vahn covering her nipples caused them to turn rigid and her cheeks to feel as though they were burning.
"Does my choice of attire bother you...?" asked Hancock, doing her best to appear calm and unobthered as she took advantage of the position of Vahn's right arm to nestle closer to him.
"Not particularly..." responded Vahn, noticing the longing in Hancock's sultry gaze and the slight parting and licking of her lips as he stated, "But if you were to join my harem and become my woman, I wouldn't want you wearing them in public. Beauty is something to be admired by all, but you should only show your most sensitive...most intimate side and features to the person you've chosen to spend the rest of your life with..."
"I see...if that's the case..." muttered Hancock, drawing progressively closer to Vahn's face as she reached up and promptly unveiled her right breast with her right hand. She still didn't fully understand everything that she was feeling, but her instincts as a Kuja warrior were telling her that if she didn't take action, she would regret it.
Fortunately for Hancock, the thought of rehabilitating both her and her people had entered his mind the moment he recognized that his actions had triggered her Love Sickness. In the One Piece canon, she was willing to do just about anything to have Luffy simply acknowledge her. With that in mind, getting her to change her people's laws and customs should be a simple matter if he gave her considerably more...
Seeing Vahn tilt his head to the side and lean in to meet her, Hancock felt like a series of cannons had been fired within her as their lips met and his tongue skillfully intertwined with her own. His subsequent grabbing of her right breast with his left hand caused her already overheating body to feel even hotter, but at the same time, his gentle circling of her nipple with his thumb sent a chill up her back and gave her goose bumps...
'How mysterious...' Hancock mused, finding the reactions of her body as strange as they were fascinating. At the same time, as Snake Empress of the Kuja, her pride didn't allow her to be passive. As such, she slipped her right hand into the gap between Vahn's yukata, sliding her palm along his inner right thigh in search of her prize...
...
..
.