This Isn't Taking Advantage

"Mmm, slept so well." Waking up early in the morning, Kaiser Lynn stretched comfortably, facing the direction of the rising sun, her expression utterly blissful.

"Hey, what's with those looks? Why are you staring at me like that?" After venting her feelings, Kaiser Lynn noticed Shirakawa and the other two looking at her with strange expressions, as if she were some kind of oddity.

"Are you okay?" Shirakawa walked up to her, placing his hand on her forehead to check if she had a fever.

"What are you doing?" Feeling the alluring scent radiating from Shirakawa and the warm touch on her forehead, Kaiser Lynn's face visibly flushed, whether from shyness or irritation unclear.

"No fever, so how did you sleep that long? Your body didn't mutate, did it?" Shirakawa muttered to himself, his hands wandering over Kaiser Lynn's body. If not for his serious expression, he could easily be mistaken for a perverted creep.

"Enough, what exactly are you trying to do? What happened?" Kaiser Lynn felt like she might moan involuntarily, quickly stopping Shirakawa's movements and questioning him with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Do you know how long you slept?" Shirakawa leaned his face close to Kaiser Lynn's.

"How long?" Kaiser Lynn instinctively stepped back.

"Fifteen or sixteen hours. You really can sleep. I'm thinking of bestowing the title of Sleep God upon you now."

"Fifteen or sixteen hours? How could I sleep that long? Am I a pig?"

"But that's the fact. You might really be an old sow. Haha." As he said it, even Shirakawa found it funny and burst out laughing, his laughter infectious enough to get Buggy and Shanks chuckling too.

"So what exactly happened? How did I sleep so long?" Kaiser Lynn lowered her head in thought. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she jerked her head up, her expression turning terrified, and she spoke in a shocked tone: "What about that Rogue? We weren't killed by him, were we? This isn't hell, is it?"

A barrage of questions came tumbling out of Kaiser Lynn's mouth, leaving no time for Shirakawa to answer.

"Relax, Rogue is dead. Someone else saved us." Shirakawa pressed down on Kaiser Lynn's shoulders, patting them firmly a couple of times to ease her tension.

"What did you just say?" Kaiser Lynn seemed as if she hadn't heard Shirakawa clearly, or rather, she simply couldn't believe his words were true.

"I mean, Rogue has been killed. We're safe now."

"How is that possible? How could Rogue be killed? He was the strongest person."

"The strongest? Don't joke. He was only the strongest on this island. Outside it, people stronger than him are everywhere." This came from Buggy, who sneered at Kaiser Lynn calling Rogue the strongest. He admitted Rogue was strong, but he was just Rogue, not Roger. If someone called Roger the world's strongest, Buggy wouldn't argue.

"Really?" Kaiser Lynn still couldn't quite believe it. She turned her gaze to Shirakawa, her words questioning but her tone hoping for confirmation.

"Of course it's true. Our comrade saved us. Rogue really is dead." Hearing this, Kaiser Lynn suddenly covered her face and sobbed, "Wah, wah."

"What's wrong? Why are you crying? Rogue dying is a good thing, isn't it?" Seeing Kaiser Lynn cry, the three inexperienced guys were at a loss, especially Shanks and Buggy, who had no idea how to comfort a girl. They instinctively stepped back, leaving space for Shirakawa.

Shirakawa hugged her, gently patting her back to console her. Feeling Shirakawa's embrace, Kaiser Lynn hugged him back, burying her face in his chest and crying her heart out.

"Alright, alright. What happened to you? Don't cry, okay?" "Wah~ wah~" But Shirakawa's words had no effect; instead, Kaiser Lynn cried even harder. At this point, Shirakawa had no choice but to let his clothes serve as tissues for tears and snot.

After a long while, Kaiser Lynn's sobbing finally quieted down.

"So, can you tell me now why you were crying?"

"Rogue was our family's greatest enemy. My dearest older brother died at his hands."

"Then we avenged you. You should be happy."

"I know. I'm crying tears of joy. But whenever I think of my brother killed by Rogue, I get so sad I can't control my tears." As she spoke, Kaiser Lynn's eyes welled up again.

"Alright, alright. Then let's not think about it. Think of something happy, like how you'll be home soon." Shirakawa hugged Kaiser Lynn again, comforting her.

"Mm." Buried in Shirakawa's chest, Kaiser Lynn let out a muffled sound.

"Ew~ I don't know why, but seeing this scene makes me feel so uncomfortable. What about you, Shanks?" Watching the two embrace, Shanks got goosebumps.

"Same. This scene feels way too inappropriate for kids." Since they hadn't moved far, their words reached Kaiser Lynn's ears clearly. She immediately pushed Shirakawa away, turned around, and acted shy and flustered.

"Those two really know how to ruin a good thing." Though Shirakawa didn't plan to deepen his relationship with Kaiser Lynn, taking advantage of the moment was still nice.

"Gurr-gurr..." At that moment, Kaiser Lynn's stomach suddenly growled, making her already flushed face turn even redder.

"You're hungry. After sleeping for fifteen or sixteen hours, your stomach should be empty. And you cried for so long too. Let's get ready to eat."

"Mm."

Kaiser Lynn's voice was very soft, like a mosquito's buzz. If Shirakawa's hearing weren't so sharp, he might not have been able to make out what she said at all.

After bustling around in the stronghold's kitchen for a while, everyone ate their fill. Kaiser Lynn in particular consumed more than three times her usual amount.

"So... is this really the Kaiser Lynn we know?"

Shanks and Buggy exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing.

"Alright, let's get ready to set out. We'll be out of this country's borders in a few more days."

"Mm."

Before leaving, Shirakawa and the others set the stronghold ablaze, burning it down along with the corpses. The stronghold that had terrorized the area for decades vanished into smoke and ashes.

This humble author humbly begs for votes. Thank you all, please, please!