The sun began to dip down. On the Calm Belt, the Miss Love Duck powered through and arrived at Amazon Lily. The ship's sleek hull glided toward the island's cove. There was a massive red door which started to open.
On the deck, the women of the Love Pirates gathered to see the door open.
"So, this is it," Nojiko said as she leaned against the railing. "The island of women," she added.
Robin smiled. "Our Captain must have either charmed the Empress or charmed the entire island," she remarked. "Knowing him, it's likely both," she added.
"He is such a charmer," Mikita remarked as she smiled. "They don't stand much of a chance," she added.
"Like a certain someone," Zala teased back as she winked at Mikita
"Alvida smiled. "My love would have always won over the 'most beautiful woman in the world,' and everyone else," Alvida said. "There was no doubt in that," she added.
"I just hope there's a clinic," Kaya whispered as she clutched her medical bag to her chest. "Ben went in alone. If he's hurt," Kaya said.
"Someone is worried," Nojiko teased as she winked at her.
"Ben seems to know how to take care of himself," Uta chirped as she hopped onto the edge of the railing with effortless balance. "He is the Demon King," she added with a smile on her face.
Vivi looked ahead. "I heard that the Kuja are a proud tribe and very isolated," Vivi remarked. "If they're letting us dock at their harbor then Ben has done something truly miraculous. We need to be on our best behavior," she added.
"Well, we are usually on our best behaviour," Maya said.
"It is more Ben," Raki chuckled. "He can never keep it in his pants," she added.
The girls nodded.
Mikita smirked. "Ben said they all know Haki," Mikita remarked. "This might be a good opportunity to pick up a tip or two," she added.
"I just want to sit in the shade," Marianne muttered as she was already pulling out her palette and brushes. "The colors on this island are intense," she added.
"How is the new painting coming along?" Robin questioned.
"It is almost done," Marianne responded.
Saphir and Ashivra stood ready near the gangplank. Saphir checked her new spear and smiled while Ashivra admired her battle axe.
"How is the spear? Ashivra questioned.
"It is perfect," Saphir responded as she held the handle. "Ben knows the best," she added.
Ashivra smiled. "He does," she remarked as she held her battle axe.
Cons looked around. "It's so beautiful here," she whispered, her wings fluttering slightly in the tropical breeze as she stood next to Raki. "It feels like Skypiea, but heavier," she added.
"It must be the strange ocean here," Raki explained.
Perona giggled. ""Horo-horo-horo, should I send some Negative Hollow?" she asked as she floated a few inches off the deck.
"Please don't," Maya requested.
"We don`t want to make Ben`s life harder," Conis added.
"They will have a negative impression of us," Vivi remarked.
Perona smiled. I was just kidding," she added.
Kalifa jumped down. She landed on the deck and adjusted her glasses. "We are close to docking and I can see Ben coming towards us," she said.
"Oh," Honey smiled. "We should welcome him," she added.
As the gangplank touched the stone of the harbor, the women of the Miss Love Duck were met with the Kuja tribe. The women on the dock were all red and looked like they were recovering from a fever.
Kikyo stood at the front, her hand still resting on the hilt of her sword, though her usual stern expression was fighting a losing battle against a deep, lingering flush. Beside her stood Ran, Daisy, Rindo, and Cosmo, all of them looking remarkably dazed.
Ran watched the ship dock. "So this is the man ship. I've never seen a man transform like that," she remarked.
"It was terrifying," Daisy added as her face turned an even brighter shade of pink. "When he reached twenty-eight feet, I thought my heart was going to stop. But then did any of you feel that? It was so attractive. In a scary way," she added.
"We all felt it, Daisy. Don't make it weirder than it is," Rindo muttered, though she was puffing on her pipe much faster than usual to hide her own blushing face. "That energy was primal. It made every bone in my body want to either run away or stay exactly where I was," she added.
"I've never seen anyone stand up to the Gorgon sisters like that," Cosmo whispered.
Kikyo cleared her throat, trying to regain her authority. "Enough. We have our orders. It is unprecedented to let a foreign pirate ship dock, especially one with a man but the orders come directly from the Pirate Empress herself. She was very insistent," she said.
"It is strange," Ran mused as she looked at the sleek, feminine design of the Miss Love Duck. "Snake Princess never shows mercy to men. But for him, she's opened the palace gates," she remarked.
Vivi and Nojiko looked down. "Hi there!" Vivi called out with a diplomatic smile. "This is a beautiful island you have here," she said.
The other girls giggled. "Such a princess," Nojiko whispered.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses and looked at the blushing Kuja. "Your heart rates seem elevated," she said.
Ran stepped forward, trying to keep her gaze steady. "Welcome to Amazon Lily. I am Ran. The Pirate Empress has sent word, you are all invited to the palace for dinner tonight. As guests of the state," she said.
Robin tilted her head. Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "A dinner invitation from the Empress? Ben certainly moves quickly. We would be honored to accept," Robin said.
At that moment, Ben came flying down and landed on the deck of the Miss Love Duck. All the women on the Miss Love Duck looked at Ben and smiled.
Ben looked down towards the Kuja women. "Thank you for welcoming us all," Ben said. I want to have a quick chat with my crew and then we will come for dinner if that is fine?" Ben asked
Ram, Daisy, Rindo,Cosmo all looked stunned and blushed at him.
Kikyo cleared her throat. "As you wish," Kikyo said. "Please try not to wander off. The city isn't used to guests," she said.
Ben nodded. "Okay, let's have a quick chat," Ben said. The Love Pirates headed into the Dining Room and sat down.
"Okay, we don't want to keep them waiting so I will keep this short," Ben said. "I had a conversation and did something today," Ben remarked. "The Gorgon sisters, they carried a brand of shame. I used my power to overwrite it as HQ suggested," he said.
"So it worked?" Zala asked. She smiled.
"Yes, the tattoo from the celestial dragon had changed into something else and disappeared," Ben explained. "I felt a connection to them," Ben said. "Well the connection was much much stronger towards Hancock," he added. He thought Sandersonia was strong as well and then Marigold.
Alvida leaned back. A sultry smile playing on her lips as she traced a slow finger over her stomach. "I thought as much, my love," she purred. "I've felt a strange warmth right here, a tether pulling me towards you," she added.
Honey nodded in agreement. "I have felt the same thing, Ben. Like I'm always under your wing," she added. She thought her stomach had been feeling warm from time to time.
The room erupted. Mikita slammed her hands on the table. "That is totally unfair! Why don't I get the connection?" she questioned. She thought back to when they first met and she wanted to be claimed by him completely and did everything possible to. Her heart raced at the thought of being 'connected' to Ben.
"Someone is eager," Zala remarked. "But this connection sounds alluring," she added as she licked her lips.
"Yes," Marianne agreed as she nodded.
Nojiko let out a low whistle. Her eyes danced with mischief. "A spiritual connection, huh? Sounds like a permanent way to make sure we never lose track of you, or you of us. I'm in," she said .
"I don't like the idea of 'marking' you all," Ben said as he shook his head. "It feels too much," he added. He thought what would be the difference between him and the celestial dragon
Zala narrowed her eyes. "It's not about ownership, Ben but deeper," she said. "We want to feel your strength even when you aren't in the room," she argued.
Beside her, Marianne chewed on her brush, her face bright red as she imagined the colors of a mark on her own skin. "I've already sketched how it would look on me," she whispered to herself.
Robin tilted her head, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "A mark that binds the soul, how fascinatingly dark. I wonder what kind of secrets it would whisper to me," she remarked as her pulse quickened.
"The Goddess has talked about the Mark of Love," Maya responded.
"The Mark of Love?" Saphir questioned as she looked at Maya.
"What is it?" Conis asked as she titled her head.
"The Book she had left behind talked about if the love is so strong, a mark will be shown to symbolise the love," Maya responded.
"There are different names for it," HQ said.
The girls all smiled. "That sounds beautiful," Conis replied.
Saphir smiled. Her cheeks tinged pink. "I want it too," she stated.
"Me too," Ashivra said as her eyes fixed on Ben with a fierce, hungry devotion.
"Fine," Ben sighed. "Althought I am not sure, if I can do it," Ben said.
"You need a volunteer," Robin said as then every eye turned toward Vivi.
Vivi was silently thinking of Mark of Love. She thought that sounded beautiful. "What? Me?" Vivi stammered as her face turned bright red.
"See she even agreed," Robin teased.
"She is brave," Conis remarked.
"She looked like she was going to faint," Perona remarked as her face was red. She thought Mark of Love. She wondered if it was cute.
Kalifa adjusted her glasses while her own face glowed. "Sexual harassment," she remarked.
"I bet she's secretly thrilled," Raki remarked as her wings slightly fluttered.
"Go for it, Vivi! Be the pioneer! I want to see if it makes your heart sing like Ben's does." Uta said.
Kaya watched and smiled. "Pervert," she whispered as her hands trembled slightly.
Vivi pouted. "Okay," she responded. She moved her blue cape slightly and showed her bare shoulder.
"Are you sure?" Ben asked as he looked at her. Their eyes met.
"I am," Vivi stated. She thought she was going to get the Mark of Love. She thought it felt natural.
"How cute," Nojiko remarked.
"Nojiko," Vivi said as she blushed.
The other girls giggled.
Ben placed his hand on her skin. He waited. Ten seconds had passed. Then thirty had passed and nothing happened.
"It's not working," Ben said. "It was instant before," he added.
HQ spoke up. "Master, the Marks on the Gorgon sisters reacted because conditions were met. Here the conditions have not been met," she added. "The Mark of the Succubus or the Mark of Love, requires a peak of emotional resonance and 'physical intensity," she explained.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Maya gasped. Her face turned the color of a ripe tomato. "The Goddess had mentioned it," she remarked.
"Physical intensity?" Perona questioned.
"Oh that intensity," Zala remarked.
Saphir had a wide smile on her face. "Intensity, I can do intensity," she remarked.
Vivi's face exploded into a crimson hue. "Why didn't you tell us that earlier?" she shouted as she hid her face in her hands.However she opened her fingers slightly and smiled. She thought it felt right.
"The Mark of Love is more than bonding, it goes deeper," NT remarked.
The entire lounge burst into laughter and heated whispers. As Ben tried to explain himself, he saw pairs of eyes looking at him with a very different, very "intense" kind of hunger.
At that moment, they heard a knock on the cabin door. "Who is it?" Conis asked.
"It is me Marguerite, I have come to see Ben," Marguerite replied.
"Come in," Ben said.
Marguerite opened the door and looked around the room. Her eyes wide with wonder at the sheer number of beautiful, powerful women gathered in one place.
"Another one," Perona remarked.
"Our Captain works fast," Saphir said with a giggle.
She stepped forward and bowed deeply toward Ben. "Ben," she said. "I came to thank you. For everything. For saving my life," she said.
"There is no need to bow," Ben said. "I am glad you are here," Ben said. "Have you thought about it?" Ben questioned.
"To join you?" Marguerite asked.
"Yes," Ben replied with a smile on her face. "But you don't need to decide now, if you don't want to, we are going to be here for a few days," he added. "Maybe longer," he remarked.
"Pervert," Kaya remarked softly.
The girls giggled, "What man would want to leave this paradise?" Mikita joked.
"Luffy," Ben replied.
The girls giggled and thought that was true.
Alvida walked towards Marguerite. "Welcome, we can have our sister talk soon," Alvida remarked.
"But I have not joined," Marguerite replied.
"Yet," Alvida teased.
Marguerite blushed at the sudden attention from the crew. "I have a message. The Snake Princess, she is ready to talk. She is waiting for you," she remarked.
Ben nodded. "Okay," Ben responded.
"My love, you didn't think you were going to have a private 'talk' with the most beautiful woman in the world without us, did you?" Alvida asked.
"As a Princess, I should be there for the diplomatic side of things," Vivi remarked as she went red.
"That sounds like a good plan," Robin commented.
"It does make sense," Conis agreed as she nodded.
"Although the princess just wants to be closer to Captain," Robin remarked.
"Hey," Vivi said.
The other girls giggled.
Ben looked at the two of them and smiled. He thought the more the merrier.