The Pirate Empress Bears a Child
Hearing the Pirate Empress's words of gratitude, Ryōsuke reached out and grasped the area over her heart, smiling as he spoke.
"Then give your heart to me."
Feeling his large hand touching the area over her heart, transmitting a scorching heat, the Pirate Empress suddenly felt a bit shy. However, she did not break free. She was still incredibly grateful to this Emperor.
Despite her gratitude, her heart already belonged to someone else, so she could only tell him the truth.
"Since you have solved such a monumental problem for me, My Lord, giving you my heart would be perfectly fine. After all, you have granted me a new life."
"But unfortunately, my heart has already been given to another. I am afraid it would be very difficult to split it in half." Her face was filled with apology.
Ryōsuke naturally knew who the person in the Pirate Empress's heart was. Wasn't it Straw Hat Luffy? Naturally, Ryōsuke did not mind. This was entirely her unrequited love, or rather, it was nothing more than her own delusion. Luffy had never harbored such thoughts.
He smiled and said, "The person you are talking about should be Straw Hat Luffy, right? Unfortunately, he doesn't share those feelings. All of this is just your own delusion, so you should put an end to these fantasies."
"Don't waste your feelings on someone who couldn't care less."
The Pirate Empress wore an expression of disbelief. "How could this be my delusion? He clearly promised to marry me."
Ryōsuke laughed upon hearing her words. "Marry you?"
"If you don't believe me, you can go ask Straw Hat Luffy yourself. They are in the prison right now. I can take you there."
The Pirate Empress was shocked. This Lord had actually captured Luffy as well. Then again, it made sense; he had even captured Big Mom, let alone Luffy, who had not yet fully matured. Of course, even if he did mature, he could never possibly be a match for this Lord.
Right now, she wanted to confirm the truth of the matter more than anything else—whether she was truly just hallucinating or if Luffy had genuinely promised to marry her. This was extremely important.
"My Lord, I want to go see Luffy."
"Alright," Ryōsuke agreed.
It seemed he had already won half of the Pirate Empress's heart. Next, he just needed to make her realize that she was indeed living in a delusion. Which, of course, she absolutely was.
Opening a portal, he brought the Pirate Empress right outside the prison. He pointed at the cell door. "Push the door open and go in yourself."
He wasn't going to go in. It would save him the annoyance of seeing Luffy yelling and screaming.
The Pirate Empress hadn't expected this Lord to possess such abilities. After her initial astonishment, she steadied her mind, pushed open the prison door, and walked inside.
There, she saw Luffy and his crewmates, all currently bound by Seastone handcuffs and shackles.
Seeing Boa Hancock, Luffy's face filled with pleasant surprise. "Hancock, why are you here?"
"Oh right, can I ask you for a favor? Help me find the keys to these Seastone cuffs and let me out. I need to go save my crewmates."
Nami had already agreed to that guy's demands. He had to hurry and rescue her, or it might be too late.
The others also looked at the Pirate Empress expectantly, knowing full well that she liked their captain.
Sanji was especially envious. How could an idiot like Luffy have such great luck with women, while he had none? It was a shame that Nami and Robin had been snatched away by that evil man. *'Damn it!'*
Sitting in the prison, he couldn't come up with any ideas on how to defeat that man. He was truly a terrifying monster. That man's eyes were simply too horrifying.
Now that the Pirate Empress was here, perhaps they would have a chance to get out. But even so, that guy was still invincible. They had been knocked out before they could even launch an attack. It seemed a sneak attack was the only option; that was the only method he could think of.
The Pirate Empress looked at Luffy, her beloved, and sought confirmation. "Luffy, is it true what you said before about loving me and wanting to marry me?"
Luffy wore a look of utter confusion. "Hancock, what are you talking about? I never said anything like that."
"Hancock, please, find the keys and let us out."
His eyes were filled with anticipation. Hancock had helped him a lot in the past, even sneaking him into the Impel Down prison.
Hearing this, Hancock was stunned, her body trembling slightly. She understood now. It turned out that what the Lord had said was true. It turned out she had just been living in a delusion all along. Her eyes grew moist.
However, she returned to normal a moment later. This was for the best. This way, her heart and soul would belong entirely to that Lord. She turned and left without looking back.
Seeing Hancock leave, Luffy smiled. "Hancock, are you going to help find the keys? Thanks!"
Hancock turned her head and spoke coldly. "Why should I help you find the keys?" Then, she shut the door and left.
Luffy was dumbfounded. What was going on? Why did it feel like Hancock was different now?
Sanji spoke angrily. "Luffy, you jerk, you broke a lady's heart! Luffy, you really don't understand anything at all!"
He had already figured it out. Luffy had just explicitly rejected the Pirate Empress's intentions of marriage. This kid Luffy was truly an idiot, actually rejecting the most beautiful woman on the seas. If it were him, he would have agreed immediately.
The concepts of being a gentleman or romantic love simply did not exist in Luffy's brain.
Meanwhile, after the Pirate Empress stepped outside, Ryōsuke looked at her cold expression and immediately knew the result. "How was it?"
Hancock looked at the Lord before her, her face instantly filling with affection as she spoke with a helpless sigh. "I understand now. It turns out everything before was just my own delusion. From now on, my body and soul belong entirely to you, My Lord."
With that, she threw herself into Ryōsuke's embrace. She hadn't expected this Lord to smell so good. He was much better than Straw Hat Luffy. She couldn't understand why she had been so devoted to Straw Hat Luffy in the past. It seemed there really had been something wrong with her brain.
Ryōsuke was naturally very happy to hear this. He leaned close to Hancock's ear and asked, "Very good. Then, are you willing to bear my children?"
The Pirate Empress, resting against Ryōsuke, had eyes full of surprise. Was this Lord always so direct? She had only been thinking about marriage, yet this Lord was actually thinking about having children.
Blushing, she replied, "I am willing."
Although this was something that made her feel incredibly shy, it aligned perfectly with her desires. Marriage was not the end goal; having children was the true culmination.
Hearing this, Ryōsuke immediately scooped Hancock up into his arms, opened a portal, and left.
Hancock buried her face in Ryōsuke's chest, not daring to look at him. She had agreed, but she still felt a bit apprehensive, her heart pounding non-stop.