Almost Drained Dry (Vote for recommendations, and the updates will be more powerful)

At dusk.

A setting sun emerged over the sea, crimson and beautiful.

Within the dense forest east of Kuja Island, three young women lay quietly amid an unusually thick patch of grass.

A battle had taken place here not long ago, yet there was no trace of it now. Everything brimmed with life.

It was like an unbelievable dream.

"What... was done to me?"

Hancock felt as though she had awakened from a sweet, long dream. She looked down in confusion and saw how disheveled her clothes were!

Her pink bandeau had come loose from the back and slipped to the front. The moment she sat up slightly, a large expanse of snow-white skin was exposed, and even the covering over her chest nearly fell to the ground entirely.

"It was Norse!!! He actually dared do something so utterly deranged to this Empress! He must be torn to pieces!"

In an instant, Hancock remembered everything that had happened.

Her crimson cheeks looked tender enough to burst at a touch, yet they were also filled with boundless shame and fury, as though sweet red blood might immediately seep from them. Flames blazed in her bright, lively eyes.

Her sharply raised brows were like icy sword blades.

She looked toward the depths of the forest.

She could sense that the shameless Norse had only left recently. Fleeing from the Empress's wrath, he had foolishly headed deeper into the woods.

"Damn Norse! You'll never escape this Empress's grasp! This is the Land of Lilies, within the Calm Belt!"

Hancock gritted her teeth in fury. That bastard had taken advantage of her helpless state far too much.

And from another perspective...

What had Norse taken her, the dignified Empress of an entire nation, for?

A plaything?

He played with her, enjoyed himself, and then wanted to run away?

Where were his conscience and sense of responsibility?

"Snore..."

Off to the side.

Hancock unexpectedly saw that Gorud and Sonia had somehow been released from their petrified state.

And at a time like this, they were sleeping even more soundly than pigs, snoring away with strings of drool hanging from their mouths.

"Fortunately, their clothes are still intact. They probably weren't violated by Norse."

Hancock let out a long breath.

But then, that strange feeling returned.

It was as if... a trace of selfish possessiveness had suddenly risen in her heart.

"This is truly strange. This should be an unbearably shameful matter. Norse defiled and humiliated this Empress—it should even be difficult to speak of. Yet the anger in this Empress's heart is actually wavering at this moment, as weak and soft as thin cotton!"

Hancock wrapped herself tightly in her scarlet python-patterned robe and rubbed her temples with both hands. Thinking about it was already giving her a terrible headache.

She simply could not understand this strange phenomenon.

Why was it that a woman as cold and proud as herself would feel such peculiar inner conflict and hesitation whenever Norse—or his actions—were involved?

Hancock forced herself not to think about those questions.

The most urgent matter now was to get dressed immediately. Gorud and Sonia absolutely could not find out that Norse had stripped every piece of clothing from her upper body.

"Huh? Sister, is your battle with Norse over? But Sister, you don't seem to look very well."

"Yeah, Sister, I think so too. You look really strange. By the way, where's that Norse guy? Did you beat him and send him running?"

After Hancock woke Sonia and Gorud, the two rubbed their sleep-heavy eyes.

When they saw their sister, they happily climbed up from the ground, even thinking that perhaps their sister had won in the end.

"Hehe... Norse really was no match for Sister."

"Sonia, isn't that obvious? As long as Sister gets serious, even Norse would find it hard to resist the charm of her ultimate beauty.

In the end, he was either petrified or fled off somewhere to lick his wounds alone. After all, he's such an arrogant man. It'll probably take him some time to heal emotionally."

Listening to her sisters' delighted words, Hancock found them deeply ironic, and her heart felt terribly bitter.

They did not understand, but Hancock understood perfectly.

Norse's strength and shamelessness had long exceeded her expectations.

Yet whenever she thought of Norse stripping her upper body bare, her smooth little face flushed so hotly that she could not control it.

Hancock hurriedly turned around, facing away from them, and said with utmost seriousness, "What do you two know? This Empress actually never had the chance to release you from petrification... and Norse has already become strong enough to ignore this Empress's powers. Therefore, from this day onward, he will be the vice-captain of the Kuja Pirates."

Even Hancock herself found those words unbelievable.

She had actually acknowledged Norse as the vice-captain of the Kuja Pirates. That bastard had knocked her unconscious and done such shameless, despicable things to her!

This debt would not be easy to erase!

"Ah?! ...Oh!"

Gorud and Sonia swallowed nervously in terror. Their elder sister had been defeated by the unassuming Norse!

In the end, the two exchanged glances. The meaning was obvious, and they both fell silent.

They thought that since even their elder sister had lost, she must be in a bad mood. It would be best not to bring up Norse again now.

"Let's go. Once we return, prepare my bath and clothes as quickly as possible!"

"Yes, Elder Sister."

After returning to the palace, Gorud and Sonia methodically arranged Hancock's bath.

All citizens within the inner city had to temporarily evacuate outside the city, while heavily armed guards were stationed at every entrance and exit, forbidding anyone from freely entering or leaving while the Pirate Empress bathed.

This was an issue concerning the curse of lies borne by the three Hancock sisters.

Long ago, the sinful and filthy hands of the Celestial Dragons had left them with an unbearable childhood, along with certain corrupt institutions within Amazon Lily itself.

Thus, they had no choice but to do this.

Fortunately, Hancock's peerless beauty had long conquered every citizen here. Therefore, even if everyone was required to leave the inner city during her baths, the citizens did so willingly and without complaint.

They even felt deep sympathy for Hancock's cursed body, along with fierce condemnation.

Some elders even felt a sense of guilt over it. Why had they failed to protect the Pirate Empress, such a promising talent, in the past?

Meanwhile, deep within the eastern forest, a blond young man dressed in a white jacket and trousers had just risen from the ground.

This youth, over six feet tall, was none other than Norse.

He looked around. Many wild beasts were eyeing him hungrily, yet not a single one dared step forward to attack him.

Whether while he had been unconscious or now that he had awakened, none had dared approach him.

"I have to admit, those three sisters were really hard to deal with. Today, they almost drained me completely. It feels awful."

Norse shook his head. It was his first time ever using such a massive output!

Actually, Norse felt rather lucky. The captain girl had actually held herself back and not come to seize him on the spot. Otherwise, if Hancock had captured him after he passed out, she definitely would have taken revenge on him in her furious state.

"Although what I did to her may seem like an unforgivable crime, Hancock must either be furious or moved right now!" Norse thought to himself, unable to stop himself from smiling.

"Whatever. I think it's about time I went back and lay in bed, right?"

Norse stretched lazily, ignored the beasts around him, and rose into the air, flying straight toward the palace on Kuja Island.

Before long, he disappeared into the darkness without a trace.