Looking at Zechs coating his arm in Haki and preparing to clash with her, Linlin smirked, "Haha… finally, you're not running anymore?" Her expression darkened as she added, "Now you're dead, you bastard. Do you really think you're strong enough to take my attack?"
Her fist came down without slowing in the slightest.
"Fufu… I think you might be surprised by the result," Zechs chuckled.
He showed no intention of backing away.
Until two days ago, he would have been cautious about clashing with her directly. But now, things were different.
While his Haki might not match hers yet, in terms of raw strength and durability, the gap had narrowed. Now that he possessed her Steel Balloon physique as well, he could withstand a direct clash with her without much concern of getting punched to death.
With that in mind, he met her attack head-on.
BOOM!
An explosion that was even louder and more deafening than all previous explosions erupted. Thunderous shockwaves burst everywhere as their clash sent compressed air and flashes of lightning surging across the deck.
For a brief moment, it even seemed as if the clouds above might split apart. But eventually they didn't, because neither of them had infused their attacks with Conqueror's Haki. Of course, it's not that they didn't want to; it's more like neither of them was capable of doing that yet.
Even so, the impact and the shockwave shook everything around them, rattling both ships and sending powerful waves surging outward in all directions.
"Brace yourselves! Hold on to something and don't fall overboard!" voices rang out across both ships as the crew scrambled to steady themselves, gripping whatever they could.
When the shockwaves finally died down, everyone looked up and froze in shock, "!!!"
What they saw was that Zechs had blocked Linlin's punch, and that was really shocking.
"He actually stopped that attack?!"
"Aniki… blocked Ane-san's punch?"
For them, the sight was almost impossible to believe.
The one must stunned was definitely Linlin, "You—!"
"Fufu… Linlin, it's not wise to underestimate your future husband," Zechs said with a chuckle.
Although his arm trembled slightly, numb from the immense force behind her punch, he still firmly held onto her fist, showcasing that he wasn't someone who could be bullied like that.
"You… you really…!" Linlin was too stunned to finish, but she quickly clenched her teeth and shouted, "So what if you blocked one attack? I can see your arm trembling. A few more hits, and you'll definitely break!"
She tried to pull her fist back, but Zechs didn't release it.
"L-let go of me!" she snapped.
Zechs didn't release her immediately. Instead, he said calmly, "I'll let you go if you promise you won't attack me anymore, and act honestly, like a good wife."
"Okay… I promise," she replied at once, nodding. But the faint glint in her eyes betrayed her thoughts. 'The moment he lets go… I'll—'
Zechs shook his head slightly. "Why do I feel like you're not being honest?" He had clearly noticed the look in her eyes.
"Hah… I'm being honest," she insisted, trying to sound sincere.
But Zechs didn't trust her. Not only did he keep his grip firm, but he also tightened it further, giving her no chance to pull away.
"I can see it in your eyes, Linlin. The moment I let you go, you'll attack again. So I'm afraid I can't do that," he said evenly.
Realizing her intentions had been seen through, Linlin snorted. "Hmph! Even if you're holding my fist, do you think I don't have other ways to attack you?"
With that, she lifted her leg, preparing to follow up with a kick.
"I can't allow that either," Zechs said.
With a powerful beat of his wings, he suddenly pulled back, dragging her along
"You—what are you…?" Linlin's eyes widened. Her feet slipped off Zeus, and she was thrown off balance. The motion disrupted her footing, and her kick missed entirely.
"Fufu… now you can't attack me anymore," Zechs chuckled and held onto Linlin as she hung suspended in the air.
Pulled off of Zeus, she had nothing beneath her feet. Her body was lifted away from any support, and her legs kicked instinctively at empty space, unable to find footing or stabilize herself, leaving her momentarily unable to strike.
"Mama!" Zeus hurried after them, trying to move beneath her and give her something to stand on.
But Zechs flew faster and in unpredictable patterns, making it difficult for the cloud homie to position itself properly and catch up.
"Hey—hey! Let go of me, you bastard!" Linlin shouted, struggling to break free from his grip.
But without a proper footing, it was difficult for her to exert her full strength. She tried to use her other hand to pry herself loose, but Zechs had no intention of allowing that.
With a flick of movement, he manifested his Incubus tail. It wrapped around her wrist like a whip, then coiled firmly around her waist, pinning her arm tightly against her body.
Naturally, she tried to free herself from the tail, but the black, whip-like tail seemed to be made of something that didn't budge at all… Bound and suspended in midair, she found herself unable to exert any real strength and felt momentarily helpless.
"Well then, Linlin… do you still want to fight?" questioned Zechs with an amused smile.
He hadn't truly defeated her, but in a way, he had.
"If you've got the courage, then let me go," Linlin said darkly, unwilling to admit defeat. "Then you'll see whether I still want to fight or not."
"Hm… you still won't give up?" Zechs said, somewhat surprised by her refusal to back down. Then he asked, "Are you really that upset about losing to me?"
"You… you cheated! Otherwise, how could I have lost?" Linlin snapped, unwilling to admit defeat.
"Cheated?" Zechs raised a brow. "What are you talking about? Since when is there such a thing as cheating between pirates?"
His words left Linlin momentarily speechless, and she found herself unable to argue. After all, Fairness and piracy are incompatible from the beginning. Playing a game with a pirate and expecting him to play fair is like giving a striptease to a healthy guy and asking him not to get erect… obviously, that's impossible.
"Besides," he continued calmly, "I didn't cheat. I simply used my advantages, my knowledge, and experience. You didn't have those. That doesn't make it cheating."
Linlin fell again. She understood what he was saying, but she still refused to accept it. With a snort, she said stubbornly, "No. If I say you cheated, then you cheated. Nothing else matters."
Zechs could only stare at her, momentarily speechless at her sheer stubbornness.
But this was Charlotte Linlin, stubborn, selfish, wilful, and utterly unreasonable. If she didn't have these qualities, she wouldn't be Charlotte Linlin, who'd become the strongest woman on the seas and one of the Yonkō, ruling over much of the New World for several decades.
Knowing her stubbornness, he also understood that conquering her would never be easy.
'But… that's fine,' he thought.
Her attitude didn't bother him. No matter how difficult it was to make her submit, he didn't mind the challenge.
If anything, he found himself looking forward to it.
If conquering her was so easy, it wouldn't be interesting. After all, the real pleasure lay in the journey, not the destination.
"Well… if you're going to be unreasonable, then I suppose you won't mind if I act unscrupulously too, right?" he said.
Without waiting for her reply, he moved.
Maintaining a firm grip on her wrist, he tightened his tail's hold and pulled her closer. Then, with his free hand, he gently touched her cheek, a faint glint in his eyes.
"You… what are you doing?" Linlin reacted immediately. She realized his immoral intentions and tried to struggle.
But one arm remained trapped in his grip, the other pinned against her body by his tail. With no footing beneath her, she had no way to break free.
"Now, now… Linlin," he murmured softly. "Be a good wife and let your husband do what he wants with you."
Before she could react further, he subjected her to several of his racial traits, like charm, pheromones, and obsession, while leaning in and kissing her.
Chu~
"!!!" Linlin was dumbfounded, and her face turned red as a tomato.
She struggled at first and even tried to bite him. But Zechs moved with practiced ease and subtle control. Each time she tried to snap at him, he would pull back just enough for her to miss—and the moment her frustration showed, he would lean in again.
Chu… chu…
As the same exchange repeated, her resistance gradually weakened. Before long, she stopped trying to bite him and could only protest between breaths.
"You… chu… you beast… chuuu… g-get away… f.. mwwwhhhaa… meee…"
"Fufu… you say that," he murmured teasingly, "but your eyes are already misty, and your face is completely flushed."
Taking advantage of her wavering resistance, he deepened the kiss, drawing her closer.
The sweet and addictive taste of his saliva instantly made her feel hot and addictive and she began to obsessively wrestle her tongue with his, making the kiss even hotter.
Without caring for all the melon eaters below, Zechs continued to kiss her and sucked on her saliva.
…
In fact, most of the onlookers couldn't even see what was happening clearly. Zechs and Linlin were fighting high up in the sky, far beyond normal viewing distance.
But Pudding, with her sharp eyesight, could make out everything. She might not have any special vision ability, but her natural eyesight allowed her to see far enough to follow the scene.
As she watched Zechs restrain her mother and pull her close, her cheeks flushed. 'E-even Mama can't resist him?'
Along with the heat rising to her face, shock filled her heart.
She had never seen her mother in a helpless position before. After all, her mother was a Yonkō, someone who stood among the top few of the seas. And yet now, she was witnessing her being overwhelmed, restrained, and completely controlled by Zechs.
Seeing Linlin like that, Pudding suddenly understood her own situation. 'If even Mama is powerless in front of Zechs-sama… then it's not strange that I was taken advantage of…'
Although she still felt ashamed and embarrassed about being taken advantage of by her supposed stepfather, it now seemed somewhat understandable.
In fact, as she watched her Mama struggle without control, and being taken advantage of, Pudding didn't even realize that a faint sense of strange satisfaction had begun to rise within her.
And along with that strange satisfaction, there was also jealousy. 'How long is he going to keep doing that?'
Watching her mother kiss a man is supposed to be disgusting for a daughter.
And yet… when she noticed Zechs' tongue entwining with her Mama's, in a hot kiss, she felt charmed by his actions, her face flushed even more red, and she couldn't help but gulp, imagining herself in her Mama's position.
Her mouth became dry, and a little blood trickled out of her nose.
'No… no, Pudding… what are you even thinking?' Startled by her own thoughts, she quickly looked away, as if trying to escape them, and wiped the blood leaking out of her nose.
Then, as Pudding looked away from Zechs and Linlin, something on the distant horizon caught her attention, shapes moving across the sea, steadily drawing closer.
Her eyes widened in alarm. "Those are… Marine battleships!"
…
Chu… chu… mwaaahh…
After kissing Linlin for a while until her breathing turned uneven, Zechs finally pulled back.
A thin thread of saliva stretched between their lips, which he casually licked away before looking down at her with a faint smirk.
"Feeling better, Linlin?"
"You… haa… you…" Linlin gasped, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "I'll… Haaah.. I'll kill you, you bastard Zechs…!"
That was what she said, but the deep blush on her cheeks and the moisture in her eyes as her gaze lingered on his lips told a very different story.
"Let's talk about killing and violence after your breakfast," Zechs replied lightly, and then asked her, "Come on. You must be hungry. I'll feed you some white butter... It's your new favorite food, isn't it?"
She wanted to deny it, to say she didn't want any of that stinking white butter of his. But the memory of that strangely addictive taste made her throat tighten, and before she could stop herself, she felt her mouth grow slightly moist.
"O-okay…" she admitted quietly, giving a small, reluctant nod.
"Fufu… I knew you'd want it," he said, patting her cheek as he began descending.
"Hey… I… I can come down on my own," she protested, clearly wanting him to remove his tail from around her body.
Of course, there was also a faint glint in her eyes as she made that protest, though its meaning had changed. 'Once I'm free… I'll be sure to tie you up and then empty out all that butter from your nut sac…'
Zechs noticed the look and shook his head lightly. "My dear Linlin… let's talk about releasing you after you've finished yo—"
Before he could finish his sentence, the transponder snail in his pocket suddenly began to buzz.
Buruburu… Buruburu… Buruburu…
Zechs frowned. "What now?" he muttered, puzzled by the timing of the call. Turning slightly to Linlin, he said, "Wait a moment," and used his free hand to pull the transponder snail from his pocket.
The moment he saw the caller's face, his frown deepened.
Noticing his expression, Linlin also frowned. "What happened?"
"It's Rob—my navigator. I wonder why he's calling me," Zechs replied, glancing toward the ship.
From this distance, he couldn't see everything clearly on the deck, but he could see some movement. People were running about, clearly agitated.
'Is the ship sinking?' For a moment, he wondered if the earlier damage caused by Linlin had put the ship at risk of sinking, but the situation didn't quite look like that.
Unable to make sense of it from afar, he accepted the call. If Rob had contacted him at a time like this, it had to be important.
Kacha.
"Rob, what is it? Did something happen?" he questioned.
But the voice that came through wasn't Rob's. It was Pudding's, speaking urgently. "Zechs-sama… It's me. I borrowed the transponder snail from Rob-san. I need to report that Marine battleships are approaching!"
"Marine battleships?" Zechs' eyes widened, and beside him, Linlin's expression also sharpened, as she thought to herself, 'Marine… are they already here?'
Pudding continued, her voice tense. "Yes. From your position, they're approaching from roughly the three o'clock direction. I can see two battleships."
Zechs immediately looked that way. Narrowing his eyes, he soon spotted them, two warships cutting across the sea, heading straight toward their position.
But that wasn't all.
The voice on the other end changed. This time, it was Rob himself, and what he said next made Zechs' expression turn serious. "Captain… one of those warships belongs to one of the Admirals of Marine Headquarters."
"What?!" Zechs stiffened in surprise. "Admiral?"
Linlin's expression was solemn as well. "…Admiral?"
The title of Admiral carried immense authority on the seas, as the Admirals are known as the strongest Combat Power of the Marines. There were only three of them, but each possessed overwhelming, monstrous strength.
Both Zechs and Linlin understood exactly what that meant, and whatever 'tension' had existed between them moments ago vanished under the weight of that title, and their focus shifted entirely to the incoming threat.
"Linlin, let's put this matter aside for now." Zechs proposed.
"Yeah," she agreed without hesitation.
Once they reached that understanding, Zechs released her. Linlin immediately steadied herself atop Zeus, and the two of them descended toward Zechs' ship together.
…
As Zechs and Linlin landed on his ship, Rob immediately stepped forward and handed him a monocular.
"Captain…"
"Thanks," Zechs said, taking it. He raised the lens to his eye and focused on the approaching warships, intending to confirm whether the report was accurate.
While he observed through the monocular, Linlin's attention shifted to Pudding, who had been staring at her face.
"What?" Linlin raised a brow, wondering if this maid had anything to talk to her.
"N-nothing…" Pudding quickly looked away, realizing she had been staring too openly. She moved closer to Zechs and partially hid behind him, afraid Linlin might recognize her, though such a thing was impossible. Linlin had no way of knowing the future, or knowing that Pudding is, in fact, her daughter, but that didn't stop Pudding from feeling nervous and uneasy.
Noticing the way Pudding clung to Zechs while trying to stay out of sight, Linlin frowned slightly.
Moreover, looking at Pudding, Linlin seemed to instinctively feel something. Still, she chose not to dwell on it for now and turned her focus back to the approaching threat.
Pudding breathed a sigh of relief as Linlin looked away.
Meanwhile, Zechs lowered the monocular, his expression turning grim. "…Damn. It really is an Admiral."
"Which Admiral is it?" Linlin asked.
"Kong," Zechs replied.
The answer was unmistakable. The flagship's figurehead, a massive red monkey, left no room for doubt. That warship could only belong to Admiral Kong.
"Captain… what are we going to do?" Rob asked anxiously. The tension on deck was obvious; the rest of the crew looked just as uneasy.
The choice was clear: fight or flee. And everyone was hoping for the latter.
After all, even if there were only two battleships, the one leading them was an Admiral of the Marine Headquarters.
Zechs didn't respond right away, not because he was weighing the option of fighting or fleeing, but because Miss System had suddenly said something he never expected to hear. [Host… would you be interested in completing quests?]
'Huh? Quests?' Zechs was stunned by the sudden question. 'What do you mean, Miss System?'
[Just as I said, host. I can assign you quests. You'll need to complete them, and once you do, you'll receive corresponding rewards,] Miss System explained.
"Oh?" he thought, then frowned slightly. If you were capable of issuing quests, why didn't you give me any before?
He felt a little dissatisfied. He had been with Miss System for more than five years, and she was only mentioning this now. And it wasn't as if he had never asked; he had brought it up before, and she had denied having such a function. Yet now she was saying the opposite.
He was confused.
[Ahem, host… after your sexual encounter with a canon character (Charlotte Linlin), several features that I thought were previously unavailable were downloaded. The quest function was one of them. Now that it's downloaded, I can assign quests.] Miss System clarified.
'I see…' Zechs murmured inwardly.
If he had known that this feature could be unlocked that way, he would have tried to trigger it much earlier. But there was no point dwelling on it now. Better late than never, right?
'Alright, Miss System… what's the quest, and what reward will I receive if I complete it?' Zechs asked. Then he added two more important questions. 'And what happens if I fail? What if I refuse the quest altogether?'
[Whether you accept the quest or not is entirely up to you. There is no penalty for refusal. Only desperate systems bind their hosts like that,] Miss System replied, openly mocking some of her siblings bound to other hosts in different verses.
Then she added, [However, failure may still carry consequences, but those won't be imposed by the System. Any penalty would come naturally from the situation itself.]
'I see…' Zechs considered this and felt somewhat tempted. If he wasn't being forced into unreasonable tasks, and the System itself wouldn't punish him for failure, then it was worth taking seriously.
'Alright,' he said inwardly. 'Now tell me about the reward.'
[The reward will not be disclosed until the quest is successfully completed. The degree of completion will determine the final reward.] Miss System responded in a flat tone.
Zechs pouted, a bit unhappy to hear that the reward won't be revealed at the start. But accepted it anyway.
What confused him more was the second point.
'Miss System… what do you mean by degree of completion?' je asked.
[That is for the host to figure out,] Miss System replied, clearly unwilling to elaborate. The meaning wasn't difficult to grasp with a little thought, so she didn't bother explaining further. Instead, she asked, [Would you like to hear the quest?]
He nodded. 'Yeah… tell me.' After all, he could decide whether to accept it once he knew the details.
[Quest: Successfully escape the siege.
Objective 1: Do not die or get captured by Admiral Kong of Marine Headquarters.
Objective 2: Ensure Charlotte Linlin is neither captured nor killed.
Do you wish to undertake the quest?]
'Escape the siege? Is it really a siege?' Zechs wondered, his expression turning serious.
He had considered the possibility that this might be a coincidence, that Kong was simply passing through and they had crossed paths by chance. But Miss System had clearly defined the situation as a 'siege.'
That alone made the answer obvious.
This was no coincidence.
They were being hunted, or at least, one of them was.
'I haven't done anything serious enough lately for an Admiral to personally come after me,' Zechs thought. 'Which means… the target is probably Linlin.'
With that conclusion, he looked at her suspiciously. "Linlin… Admiral Kong's appearance… does this have something to do with you?"
Linlin flinched at the sudden question. "N-no," she replied quickly, looking away. Although internally she was wondering to herself, 'How come he suddenly asked this question?'
Linlin's hesitation was obvious to him. Zechs studied her for a moment before pressing further. "Really? Then look me in the eyes and repeat that."
She broke into a light sweat, and under his piercing gaze, she let out a long sigh.
"Alright… fine. There was a possibility. I just wasn't expecting it for sure. Besides… that idiot actually sent an Admiral. Who would've thought that bastard would deploy someone like Admiral Kong just because I ate his sweets?"
"Bastard? Sweets?" Zechs repeated, his tone sharpening. "Why don't you explain everything?"
Rob and Pudding also turned toward Linlin, waiting for an explanation. Under the focused stares of her fiancé and the others, Linlin had little choice but to speak. "Before I met you, I stopped at an island. I had heard that it was famous for a particular type of sweet, so I went ahead and ate all that they had in stock. By the time I finished, some World Government agents in black suits showed up. They attacked me and even tried to capture me as a slave. They did all that because the sweets were meant for some World Noble, apparently his favorites. But why should I care? They were delicious. How could I not eat them? They were practically begging to be eaten."
Her mouth watered slightly at the memory, but she quickly forced herself to continue. "Anyway… I defeated all the agents. One of them was fairly strong and managed to hold out for a while. While I was fighting him, another agent contacted his master and reported that I had eaten the sweets. That World Noble got furious and said he would dispatch an Admiral after me. So that's the situation. That man, Kong, was probably sent by that Celestial Dragon."
'…She really is Mama,' Pudding thought.
At the same time, another thought crossed her mind. 'But isn't Mama usually the one who causes trouble like this? How did she end up on the receiving end for once?'
In the canon, Linlin was usually the one who carried out this kind of operation. She demanded her favorite sweets from the islands under her rule. If an island failed to deliver, it would suffer the consequences. And if anyone interfered with her sweets, she would send her subordinates to hunt that person down.
Now, however, the situation had reversed. The one who was used to enforcing such demands was now the one being targeted over sweets.
Could this be called karma?
Or perhaps this was exactly the kind of experience that led her to develop her later obsession with punishing anyone who dared to touch her sweets.
But there was no time to dwell on it. What mattered now was the situation at hand.
"We'll have to deal with Kong," he said.
Linlin shook her head. "Not you, but me. He's most certainly after me," she said quietly. "You should leave."
She wasn't sure they would be able to escape. Still, for some reason, she didn't want Zechs to get dragged into trouble because of something she had done.
Zechs flicked her forehead without hesitation.
"Hey! What was that for?" Linlin pouted, clearly displeased. It hadn't hurt her, but being flicked like that was still irritating.
"That's your punishment," Zechs replied calmly. "For telling me to leave."
"But I was just—Mmmph—!"
Before she could finish, Zechs covered her mouth with his hand. Then he leaned in slightly and looked straight into her eyes, his expression turning unusually serious.
"Didn't you propose to me, and I agreed? That makes you my future wife," he said quietly. "Do you really think I'm the kind of man who would abandon his wife to defend herself and run away?"
If it had been someone else, he might have considered it. After all, the trouble wasn't originally his. But as someone aiming to become the Harem King, abandoning the woman he intended to keep by his side was out of the question.
Not to mention, there is also the matter of the Quest issued by the System. Zechs has certainly decided to accept it; thus, he must also ensure Linlin's safety. Of course, even if there was no Quest, he'd not have run away in this situation.
"You… trying to act all cool…" Linlin snorted… though she had a faint blush spread across her face. Hearing him say that stirred something warm inside her, and she couldn't help but think he looked rather cool just now.
Her man was trying to protect her; how could she not feel happy about it?
In her heart, his standing also rose a little higher.
Still, she didn't want to drag him into a battle that had nothing to do with him. After a brief moment of silence, she said, "Then let's try to lose him at sea."
Zechs considered it briefly before nodding. "It won't be easy, not against Marine warships… but let's try doing that."
Marine warships were among the most advanced vessels on the seas. Escaping from them was never easy, especially when an Admiral was on board.
Because of that, Zechs didn't hold much hope of outrunning them.
A confrontation was likely inevitable. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't try to avoid it. If there was even a chance to escape without a fight, he was willing to take it.
After all, if the quest could be completed with minimal effort, there was no reason not to try.
With that, they moved quickly. Linlin rode Zeus back to her own vessel to take command, while Zechs addressed everyone on the deck of his own ship. "Men, to your positions! We're running away!"
"Aye-aye, Captain!" the crew replied in unison as they rushed to their positions.
At the same time, most of the women who usually fawned around him hurried below deck, retreating to the cabins for safety. They had no fighting power, and hiding was certainly better for them.
The only one who remained on deck was Pudding. She stepped closer and tugged lightly at his sleeve. "Zechs-sama… w-what should I do?"
For Pudding, this was not only her first time sailing, but it was also her first time facing a naval battle. And on her very first experience, they were up against a Marine Admiral.
She felt nervous and uncertain, having no idea what she was supposed to do. At the same time, a strange excitement ran through her. The mix of anxiety and anticipation left her overwhelmed, unsure how to act.
That was why she turned to him to ask what she could do.
"You want to help?" Zechs asked, looking at Pudding with mild surprise.
She nodded. "I-if I can be useful…"
Zechs gave a small smile and turned to one of his subordinates. "Give her a gun. And extra magazines."
He knew that Pudding was skilled with firearms, so he decided that was the best role for her.
"Defend yourself," he told her. "That's what you should focus on."
"Got it," she replied, nodding. After taking the gun, she checked it carefully and steadied herself.
"Also… one more thing," Zechs called out.
"Hm? What is it?" Pudding asked, looking up.
"Come here," he said with a teasing smile. "Give me a kiss."
"W-what?" Pudding exclaimed immediately, her face flushing. "W-why a kiss?" Instead of moving closer, she instinctively took a small step back.
"A woman's kiss before a battle is said to bring good luck," Zechs explained calmly. "As my maid, you should give me a kiss in a moment like this." Then he added, watching her reaction, "Or… do you actually want me to die?"
"N-no… I don't want you to die… b-but…" she hesitated, clearly embarrassed. With so many people on deck, how could she possibly do something like that?
"Really? You won't do it, Pudding-chan?" Zechs asked, putting on a pitiful expression. "What if I die today? And if I do… it'll definitely be because you didn't give me a kiss."
Despite his words, there was a faint glint in his eyes.
Hearing that, Pudding grew even more conflicted. She bit her lower lip, struggling with herself for a moment before making up her mind.
'I-it's just for good luck… It's only for good luck… only for good luck…'
Repeating that to herself, she finally stepped closer. Rising slightly on her toes, she leaned in and, with a shy expression, gently pressed her lips against his.
Chu~
"Fufu…" Zechs grinned and returned the kiss.
Pudding was shy, but she didn't pull away, allowing him to do as he please as the moment to linger longer than she had intended.
A few whistles from the crew on deck immediately broke her composure. Flustered, she quickly stepped back. Her face turned bright red as she said hurriedly, "Th-this was only for good luck! Nothing else! Absolutely nothing else!"
"Yes, yes," Zechs replied with a nod and a playful wink. He gave her a light pat on the ass and added, "Alright, let's focus on getting out of this."
"You…!" Pudding glared at him for a moment, embarrassed by his casually touching her butt. But in the end, she said nothing. Lowering her head, she stood there quietly, her face still burning with shame and shyness.
At the same time, he spoke inwardly to Miss System. 'Miss System, I accept the quest.'
Miss System acknowledged the decision and replied, [Good luck, host.]
'A good-luck kiss would be even better, Miss System,' Zechs said lightly.
Miss System snorted, [You are too greedy, host.]
He has already taken a good-luck kiss from that innocent girl, Pudding. And he still wants one from her? Isn't that too much?
She rolled her eyes and chose not to respond at all, leaving Zechs pouting slightly.
After a moment, he shook his head, set the thought aside, and turned his attention back to the situation. Addressing the crew once more, Zechs gave the necessary orders as their attempt to shake off the Admiral's fleet began.
…
On Linlin's ship, her grip around the hilt of her sword tightened.
She had witnessed the moment between Zechs and Pudding, and for an instant, she froze before anger surged through her.
'That bastard… how dare he…!'
He had kissed another woman despite being her fiancé. That was something she simply could not accept.
The urge to fly over and punch him into the sea rose immediately. But she took a slow breath and forced herself to calm down.
'No… dealing with the Admiral comes first. Once we escape safely… I'll deal with that bastard Zechs properly.'
With that decision, she steadied her emotions and began issuing orders for her ship to move and break away from the approaching threat.
…
At the same time, aboard Admiral Kong's warship—
"Admiral, the two pirate ships have spotted us. They're trying to escape!"
"They won't get far," Kong replied calmly. "Not while I'm here. Full speed ahead… We'll sink their ships and capture the two captains."
With that order given, Kong readied himself for battle.
.
.
.
.
Unbelievable—simply unbelievable! We actually managed to reach today's Power Stone goal.
Yoshaaa!
I'm so happy I can barely put it into words… so instead of trying, I'll just save myself the trouble and bow respectfully while loudly shouting, 'Arigatō gozaimasu, Reader-san!'
At the same time, I would like to shamelessly request Power Stones for the next goal, which is 300 within the next 24 hours.
Please help me reach it.
And don't forget to leave comments and reviews to keep me motivated.
Of course, if the readers wish, they can certainly read up to 20 advanced Chapters on p-a-t-r-e-o-n: Knockturn_Alley