"System! Save me!!"
That was right! He still had his system!
This was the most perilous situation Drake had faced since arriving in the world of One Piece. He couldn't mobilize a single shred of his strength. This had never happened before, and his first thought was that there was something deeply wrong with this woman's ability. In Drake's memory, no such powerhouse existed in the One Piece world. And she was an absolute beauty, to boot.
No, she was a demon!
In such a critical moment, Drake's final line of defense was to plead with his system.
"My, why the silence?" Mitian raised an elegant brow. Sensing a profound threat from Ace earlier, she had resorted to this deceptive tactic. However, acting was one of her specialties. Lo and behold, she had managed to escort Drake out into the open with absolute ease.
Mitian slowly knelt down and gently patted Drake's heavily swollen "fat face." Leaning close to his ear, she murmured softly, "Do you know why I was looking for you?"
Drake's pupils constricted, his eyes turning ice-cold. This woman hadn't held back at all, yet she hadn't delivered a fatal blow either. Clearly, she felt he was still useful and couldn't let him die just yet.
"What else would a Marine want with me?" Drake twisted his head to the side, ignoring her.
Meanwhile, his mind was screaming desperately. System, get out here! I'm practically dead... Ah! If you don't show up right now, I'm really a goner.
Drake was truly panicking now. This woman was a literal demon, and he didn't want to spend another second in her presence. She was too terrifying.
Drake silently swore that once his strength returned, he would teach this woman a brutal lesson. He couldn't recall ever being beaten this miserably by anyone. A gentleman always pays his debts!
"Oh? Quite the personality. I like it..." A soft smile gradually bloomed on Mitian's stunning face.
Drake cursed inwardly. You like it? Pui! What kind of witch is she? Since when did the Marines gain a figure like this? Her strength is easily on par with an Admiral.
As his mind raced, a cool, jade-like hand clamped onto Drake's right ear. Drake's heart jumped, a wave of panic washing over him. This woman didn't follow standard protocol; she wasn't planning to rip his ear off as a side dish for her drinks, was she?
Hiss!
The mere thought sent cold sweat pouring down Drake's forehead, his heart rate spiking involuntarily.
"Are you afraid?" Mitian asked, noting his tense expression.
"Bullst! Who's afraid? Is there anything in this world that could scare Vale D. Drake?" Drake's mouth twitched, stubbornly refusing to admit it. Like hell he'd admit to being afraid of a woman. Where would his dignity go?
"Stop, stop, stop..." A sharp, agonizing pain suddenly shot from his ear. Drake gritted his teeth, glaring at a radiant, smiling Mitian. This woman was actually pinching and pulling his ear! This was completely unacceptable!
"Hehehe..." Mitian ignored his glare entirely, gradually increasing the pressure in her grip.
Drake stared death at Mitian without making a sound. Mitian's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly as she pulled even harder. Just as Mitian began to feel a sliver of unease—somewhat unsettled by Drake's unyielding stare and preparing to let go first—Drake forced a smile across his unrecognizable face.
Calling his face "ugly" at this point would be an insult to the word. His features were a complete mess; his nose, eyes, and cheeks were entirely distorted. The smile he forced out was enough to make a child weep from sheer terror.
"Big sis! Beautiful lady! I'm seriously not that Drake guy. You've got the wrong person."
Drake's shocking display left even Mitian utterly dumbfounded. But he had no choice. Just a moment ago, his final saving grace—the system—had flatly rejected him with a two-word notification:
[Tch! Beat it!]
That useless system was completely unreliable when the chips were down. He had to save himself.
"You... what did you say? You're not Vale D. Drake?" Mitian looked suspicious. In truth, she had found it rather strange as well. From the very beginning, this man hadn't fought back at all, looking completely devoid of strength. Was this truly the formidable pirate she was looking for?
Then, she noticed Drake's eyes darting frantically. Her mouth twitched slightly as she calmly watched him spout whatever nonsense came to mind. She was absolutely certain this man was Drake, but she hadn't expected him to be so utterly shameless. He didn't care about his dignity at all.
To think that such a man was actually her...
The thought ignited a fresh wave of irritation within her, and the light in her beautiful eyes grew increasingly frigid.
Spoutting his frantic excuses, Drake suddenly felt a primal chill run down his spine. Looking at Mitian's text-book hostile expression, he secretly screamed in alarm. He had blundered; in his haste to sever any association, he had completely failed to read her face. He had clearly stepped on a landmine.
"You are Vale D. Drake!" Mitian stated flatly.
"Ah?" Drake opened his mouth, staring at the freezing Mitian, before wisely choosing to shut up.
Suddenly, Drake's eyes lit up. He had just detected a faint ripple of spatial energy, meaning his power was finally returning. Suppressing his explosive excitement, he maintained a perfectly nonchalant facade. He was still wary; he needed to test his spatial abilities first to ensure they were fully functional. Incurring the wrath of this demoness without a backup plan would be catastrophic.
Twitching his finger slightly, an invisible ripple of space materialized behind him. To a man whose spatial perception was refined to the absolute apex, the microsecond that ripple appeared, he knew.
His strength was indeed fully restored!
Hahaha! You little wench! Let's see how I discipline you now. I'll make sure you learn your lesson!
"Husband, what exactly are you trying to do?" Mitian suddenly leaned in close to his face.
An exquisite fragrance drifted from her crimson lips, causing Drake's mind to briefly waver.
"I... you..." Drake's thoughts immediately spun into chaos, inwardly cursing the demoness for being an absolute temptress. The instant he snapped back to his senses, he threw a heavy punch forward, unleashing a massive spatial tremor.
The ground fractured violently as a volley of debris erupted into the air. With a single punch, everything in Drake's immediate path was instantly annihilated. Space collapsed layer by layer.
Invigorating!
At this moment, Drake wanted to throw his head back and roar at the heavens. The preceding events had been entirely too humiliating—getting brutally disciplined by a woman without rhyme or reason was an absolute stain on his pride. He had to eliminate this demoness right here! This embarrassing incident had to be buried forever, never to be known by another living soul!
What Drake didn't know was that from the exact microsecond the red-clothed woman had carried him away, his plight had already become the ultimate, unified topic of gossip back on Onigashima. And the alliance fighters were growing increasingly enthusiastic with every detail they discussed.
Dignity? His face was already completely gone.
In front of Drake, a single crimson feather drifted lazily through the air as a localized column of red light flared. That all-too-familiar, slender silhouette gradually solidified back into reality...