(Seems I went a little overboard. Dear reviewer, please go easy on me.)
After finally arriving at Nine Snake Island,
Austin could not possibly come and leave on the same day. The Summit War was still a few days away anyway.
"You seem very afraid of me?"
Austin found it rather strange. This question had lingered in his mind ever since his first call with Hancock after she escaped the Holy Land.
He had taken the time to visit Nine Snake Island,
partly to see this Shichibukai member,
but also to get to the bottom of it.
Why did his former little maid react so strangely?
"N-No..."
Hancock no longer had her usual queenly arrogance and domineering presence. She was now like a frightened young girl, her long hair falling around her ears and across her chest.
Her exquisite figure was accentuated as she knelt sideways on the carpet.
Inside the palace at night,
Sondra and her sister, along with Gloriosa, were unusually absent.
The lighting was dim and flickering as well.
"Interesting..."
Although nothing could escape Austin's Observation Haki,
he had to admit that, in this darkened private chamber, the sight of a beauty like the Empress looking at him so vulnerably was indeed a rare temptation.
Especially with that peculiar incense scent lingering in the air.
Outside the palace,
Elder Nyon jumped down the steps with her hands behind her back, looking somewhat guilty.
"The New Era has arrived. Even a man as strong as Whitebeard cannot avoid the danger of being overthrown.
This is all for Amazon Lily..."
Inside the room,
Austin was, after all, someone who had seen great occasions, and a vigorous man whose energy had been tempered by Kuma's ability.
Naturally, he could not remain unaffected.
He appeared on the sofa and beckoned Hancock