Darian sat bored in the crow's nest. Bathed in the moonlight, he gazed out at the calm surface of the sea.
Having expended his pent-up energy upon Carmen's fiery, yielding body earlier that night, Darian was currently experiencing the profound, philosophical clarity of "sage mode." He gazed up at the moon and couldn't help but feel a faint twinge of melancholy.
While sneaking around in the dark for illicit trysts was certainly thrilling, the inability to share a single bed with all his lovers at once remained a source of deep regret.
Darian's ultimate, shameless wish right now was to gather every woman he desired into a single, massive master cabin and enjoy a grand feast without having to hide.
"Sigh..."
But reality is often cruel. The social dynamics of a ship filled with strong-willed, jealous women were complex. Darian couldn't help but let out another sigh.
However, he quickly rallied his spirits. Work hard! he told himself. Only by becoming overwhelmingly powerful and wealthy could he build the empire necessary to achieve his ultimate goals.
Clenching his fists, Darian could feel that his baseline physical strength had increased by a few more points following his passionate "Dual Cultivation" session with the chef. As he threw a test punch into the air, he felt a surge of raw force that made the very wind whistle around his knuckles.
Thinking about the power he had gained from these encounters, Darian actually felt a sharp pang of guilt. In less than a month, I've taken the innocence of four different girls. Nami, Kaya, Nojiko, and now Carmen. I'm a scoundrel. Truly shameful.
He might have been saying "shameful" in his head, but he couldn't wipe the thoroughly satisfied grin off his face.
While Darian was lost in his various fantasies, dawn broke before he even realized it.
It had been a rough night for Robin. Her cabin was permeated with the faint, lingering scent of sweat, arousal, and Carmen's heavy perfume—a scent so intense and suggestive it had nearly made Robin lose her famously cool composure, leaving her wide awake and frustrated the entire night.
Daylight arrived, and the sun rose from the sea.
Nami, who had woken up early and was wondering where Darian had gone, stepped out onto the deck just in time to see him returning from the galley, his arms full of paper bags and covered trays.
"Good morning, Nami!" Darian greeted her with a bright smile.
"What are you doing up so early?" Nami asked curiously, eyeing the trays Darian was carrying. "And what is all that?"
"Miss Carmen mentioned she wasn't feeling well this morning, so I took the liberty of throwing together breakfast for everyone," Darian replied smoothly. His expression was completely unblushing, his heartbeat steady.
Hearing this, Nami frowned with concern. "Is she alright? Did she catch a bug from the island?"
"She's fine," Darian lied effortlessly. "She just said she was exhausted and that some extra rest would do her good."
As he spoke, Darian handed Nami a covered plate. It contained a simple breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast—edible, but a far cry from the culinary masterpieces Carmen usually prepared.
Taking the plate, Nami muttered softly to herself, "Strange... is Robin sick too? She hasn't gotten out of bed yet either."
Darian, of course, knew exactly what lay behind Nami's confusion. To distract her from connecting the dots, he leaned down and planted a quick peck on her cherry-red lips.
Ever since her period had started three days ago, Nami had kept Darian at arm's length to avoid tempting his voracious appetite. Now, caught off guard by his sneak attack, she gave him an annoyed punch on the shoulder.
"You dummy! I haven't even washed my face yet!" Nami scolded, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Sensing that Nami was worried about morning breath, Darian grinned. "It's fine. You always taste sweet to me."
As he spoke, Darian leaned in, intending to plant another playful bite on Nami's neck.
"Cut it out!" Nami grumbled, pushing his face away. "I'm not exactly in a condition to be fooling around right now."
Thump... thump...
Footsteps echoed up from the lower deck. Nami hurriedly put some distance between herself and Darian just as Princess Vivi came into view.
"Good morning, Your Highness!" Darian greeted her with a polite smile.
Vivi—her light blue hair now tied back in a simple ponytail—politely returned the greeting. "Good morning, Mr. Darian."
Although she looked physically well, the worried expression on her face regarding Alabasta's civil war was obvious. Darian decided to lighten the mood with a bit of theatrical chivalry.
"Our ship's master cook has fallen ill and is unable to prepare a feast for you this morning, Your Highness," Darian said smoothly. "Consequently, I took the liberty of cooking some humble fare myself. Please, give it a try."
As he spoke, Darian bowed deeply like a true knight and presented Vivi with a plate identical to Nami's.
Hearing Darian speak to her in such a formal manner, Vivi's face instantly flushed crimson. Overcome with embarrassment, she hurriedly waved her hands. "Mr. Darian, please don't be so formal! Just calling me Vivi is fine."
Seeing her face turn bright red with shyness, Darian smiled. "That's much better! Don't look so worried all the time, Vivi. Everything will be fine. When it comes to dealing with Crocodile, you've got us to back you up. We'll set sail right after breakfast."
The way Darian had just paid his respects to Vivi—treating her with such deference—had made Nami feel a sudden, sharp twinge of jealousy, despite the fact that Vivi was an actual princess.
Not wanting to be left out, Nami quickly chimed in to offer her own support. "That's right, Vivi! We can head out as soon as we finish eating."
"Thank you both," Vivi smiled warmly. "I'll be fine."
Eventually, the rest of the crew trickled onto the deck.
Robin had to be specifically called to the table before she finally emerged from her cabin. After she sat down, Darian noticed something odd. Despite having watched him with such rapt, breathless attention the night before, Robin now seemed to be—very intentionally—keeping her distance from him, avoiding his gaze entirely.
The young girl, Marianne (Miss Goldenweek), had truly been terrified by Darian the previous day. Just as she had done the night before, she kept her distance from him during breakfast, looking as if she feared Darian might subject her to another round of "electrotherapy" at any moment if she spoke out of turn.
Catching sight of the little girl, Darian couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. He had acted impulsively yesterday. In a fit of anger over his damaged ship, he had ended up squandering Mr. 3's Wax-Wax Fruit and Mr. 5's Bomb-Bomb Fruit. He needed to be more calculating in the future.
As they ate, the mood was slightly subdued. It wasn't just Darian; everyone's palates had already become incredibly spoiled. They had only eaten a few meals prepared by Carmen, yet after tasting her culinary masterpieces, Darian's bachelor-style cooking now seemed severely lacking in flavor by comparison.
With breakfast finished, Nami took the helm, and the Little Fish slowly pulled away from the dock, setting sail toward Alabasta.
No sooner had Darian and his crew departed than a tourist on the beach of Summer Solstice Island—lounging in a deck chair and appearing to enjoy a sunbath—pulled a baby Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed a secure frequency.
Buruburu... Buruburu!
Inside a command center aboard a massive Marine warship, a Den Den Mushi began to ring. A communications officer picked up the receiver.
"Moshi moshi? This is Navy Warship Black Cage. Please state your code."
The Den Den Mushi mimicked the cautious voice on the other end. "This is Agent 2144. The 'White Emperor' Pirates have departed from Summer Solstice Island. They are currently sailing along the magnetic path toward the Kingdom of Alabasta."
"Understood. Good work. The message has been received."
After offering a brief word of reassurance, the communications officer hung up and turned to look at the beautiful, pink-haired woman sitting on a nearby sofa. She wore a crimson burgundy suit, dark gloves, and sat with her long legs crossed, sunglasses perched atop her head.
Captain Hina, the "Black Cage."
The Den Den Mushi had been on speakerphone, so Hina had heard every word.
Darian had tried to keep a low profile when entering the Grand Line, but the World Government's intelligence network was vast. Consequently, Darian's movements were almost entirely within the Navy's surveillance net.
After a moment's thought, the pink-haired beauty issued her orders. "Excellent. Call off the pursuit squad. We'll simply wait for the White Emperor to deliver himself right into Hina's net."
"Yes, Ma'am!" After saluting in acknowledgment, the communications officer turned and left the room.
Hina, with a slim cigarette dangling from her lips, glanced over at the silver-haired man sitting on the adjacent couch. He had his boots kicked up on a table and three thick cigars clenched between his teeth.
"So," Hina remarked, exhaling a plume of smoke. "You really did get knocked into the sea by a rookie."
At this, Captain Smoker's expression darkened into a furious scowl. "I was ambushed!"
"Hina says... Hina isn't an idiot, Smoker," she replied with evident displeasure. "You're a Logia user. Don't try to tell me a rookie from the East Blue without Haki actually ambushed you."
Smoker's face grew even darker. He really had been caught off guard by the lightning ionization—how many times did he have to explain the physics of it before they would finally believe him?!
Frustrated, Smoker slammed his fist on the table. "As long as I'm breathing, I absolutely won't let that bastard Hakumen reach the New World!"
...
Darian—who typically stayed active at night and slept during the day—remained blissfully unaware that a Marine ambush was already lying in wait for them further down the line.
Night fell, and Darian once again sat in the captain's chair, beginning his nocturnal watch.
Just as he assumed he was in for yet another boring, solitary night, the cabin door opened.
"Nami?" Darian asked, a hint of genuine confusion in his voice. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Nami stepped out onto the deck. She was clad only in a thin, cotton nightgown that clung to her curves in the sea breeze.
Darian usually wore a confident, lecherous smirk around her, but seeing him look genuinely surprised this time, Nami blushed slightly.
She walked over to his chair, looking down at her bare feet. "Are you... feeling uncomfortable?"
"Huh?" Darian replied, completely puzzled.
Seeing Darian's utterly clueless reaction—as if asking, 'What on earth are you talking about?'—Nami was so annoyed she nearly turned around and stormed back to bed. However, out of consideration for the fact that Darian had been holding back for three whole days (as far as she knew), she swallowed her pride and pressed on.
"Didn't you say you were missing me?" Nami mumbled, refusing to meet his eyes.
Hearing those words—and seeing Nami looking so incredibly bashful and fidgety—Darian instantly caught on.
Having spent a long, intense night with Carmen just the night before, Darian's physical urges weren't actually all that overwhelming this evening. Yet, the moment Nami offered herself up like that, his body reacted instantly. He was suddenly wide awake.
Although he was certainly tempted, Darian felt a rush of genuine affection for her. He reached out and gently pulled her onto his lap.
"Nami, you don't have to," Darian said softly, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Isn't it... that time of the month for you? I know you're not feeling well."
Nami shifted awkwardly on his lap. "Well... if you're feeling really uncomfortable... I could always use my hands to help you out."
As she spoke, her face turned a deep, burning shade of crimson.
Nami was well aware of Darian's insane constitution. During the first few weeks of their relationship, he had wanted her practically every single day, sometimes multiple times a day. Based on her own calculations, Nami figured that by now—after three days of forced abstinence—Darian must be suffering terribly. She wanted to take care of him.
"Nami..." Darian whispered, deeply touched. He knew she hated feeling subservient, yet here she was, offering to service him just to make him feel better.
He pulled her into a tight embrace and planted a deep, loving kiss on her lips. "You're amazing, you know that?"
Sensing the burning heat pressing against her lower abdomen—and seeing right through his feigned reluctance—Nami rolled her eyes affectionately.
Breaking free from his hold, she gently pushed him back against the leather cushions of the captain's chair. She slipped off his lap and knelt down on the wooden deck between his parted knees.
With practiced, loving ease, Nami reached down and unbuckled his trousers.
She cupped his heavy member in her small, cool hands. She applied a gentle downward pressure, sliding back the skin to fully expose the head.
She parted her lips, her eyes flicking up to meet his for a brief second, and took him inside.
The warm, moist enclosure—punctuated by the occasional, teasing brush of her teeth and the stimulating glide of her tongue—sent jolts of intense, familiar pleasure through Darian. He let out a sharp, ragged gasp, his head falling back against the chair.
Caressing Nami's orange hair, Darian realized just how skilled she had become. She wasn't just doing this out of obligation; she was slowly but surely molding herself to fit his every need, learning his body as well as she knew her sea charts.
As he stroked the young navigator's soft hair—watching her head bob up and down with earnest effort, her lips working in a rhythmic, dedicated motion—Darian felt a renewed pang of guilt over his own infidelity.
I really need to treat her better, Darian vowed to himself, staring up at the moon. She's the best thing that ever happened to me in this world.
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