Black Maria: No One Has Ever Understood Me So Well

Kane and Black Maria had a great conversation—or at least, that was what he thought.

He had grounds for that judgment, because her favorability had risen quite a bit.

Seeing it gradually approach thirty, Kane decided to press on. Looking at Black Maria with utter sincerity, he said earnestly:

"So tell me, haven't I been good to you?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Black Maria shrank back slightly.

She secretly glanced at Hanafusa and Sasaki's corpses. The blood on them had already gone completely cold.

Meanwhile, she herself was completely uninjured and hadn't even been put in shackles, so she felt that Kane was right.

[Black Maria, Favorability: 22]

"So, all of this should be blamed on the person who tricked Kaido."

Kane continued planting the idea in Black Maria's mind.

"If it weren't for him, Kaido wouldn't have sent you here.

"If Kaido hadn't sent you here, you wouldn't have met me.

"If you hadn't met me, Sasaki and Hanafusa wouldn't have died. Isn't that right?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Black Maria nodded in agreement, feeling that it really did make sense.

She didn't like Sasaki. That guy was cold and arrogant, and he treated the girls in the courtesan house very roughly.

She didn't like Hanafusa either. He was a battle maniac—brutal, vicious, and rude.

Compared to them, Kane was much more pleasing to the eye. It was just a pity that he was an enemy.

Why did someone so pleasing have to be an enemy...?

She crouched beside Kane, resting her chin on her knees. Even so, she was still slightly taller than him.

As she breathed in the Mitarashi Dango scent drifting from Kane, the fear in her heart gradually faded, replaced by an oddly ill-timed sense of peace and comfort, as well as...

A faint, almost imperceptible sense of closeness.

Why had things turned out like this?

Confusion arose in Black Maria's heart. Looking back on everything that had just happened, it all felt especially strange.

After witnessing Sasaki and Hanafusa die in battle, Black Maria had desperately wanted to escape.

But before she could dispel Spiderweb Space, the icy giant Kane had become seized her by the neck and dragged her back onto the deck.

Knowing she was no match for Kane, Black Maria decisively admitted defeat and surrendered. Following his orders, she commanded Sasaki and Hanafusa's subordinates to gather around her.

Perhaps her tearful, pitiful appearance had moved him. She discovered that Kane did not make things difficult for her and genuinely began chatting with her instead.

What a strange man...

Right, he was a man!

Realizing that Kane truly bore her no ill will, Black Maria finally relaxed, and her thoughts gradually became more active.

She remembered that after she took charge of the courtesan house, the women there had taught her how to win control of a man's heart. So she decided to try it on Kane.

"Mr. Kane really is an amazing man, you know~"

"Is that so?"

"Of course!"

"You aren't just saying that to flatter me, are you?"

"Mr. Kane, that's so mean~ I'm clearly only telling the truth..."

"I don't believe you unless you tell me exactly what makes me amazing."

"Mr. Kane is so awful~ I just think that..."

Under Black Maria's deliberate guidance, the two of them gradually became more animated in their conversation.

But she had forgotten that she had become the manager of the courtesan house through her talent for battle and her Devil Fruit powers. When it came to affairs of romance, she was still a novice.

For a novice, manipulating people's hearts was a sharp double-edged sword. One careless mistake, and it could cut its wielder instead.

What was more, the person she faced was Kane, who had spent years surviving in the Pleasure District.

Thus, Kane noticed that Black Maria had begun clumsily using tricks on him, trying to influence his heart.

In his eyes, it was no different from a foolishly adorable little rabbit exposing its soft belly to a big bad wolf.

Faced with such easy prey delivered right to his door, Kane immediately began to counter. He became wise and witty, elegant and carefree, confident and compassionate.

Sometimes, a single casual remark from him could deeply resonate with the emotions Black Maria most desperately wanted others to understand.

Having grown up in Wano Country, Black Maria had never encountered someone like him. The men she had known in the past were either native-born Wano Country men or pirates from the Beasts Pirates.

The enormous body and combat talent bestowed upon her by fate had not made her popular. Instead, they had drawn the attention of Kaido, a battle-crazed man.

Her identity as a woman and her outstanding beauty had then led Kaido to naturally elevate her to the position of manager of the courtesan house, granting her tremendous authority.

But she had never wanted any of that.

She liked a peaceful, leisurely life. She liked wearing loose, comfortable clothes and lying on soft cushions while eating snacks without caring about her appearance.

When bored, she wanted to play her beloved shamisen. When lonely, she wanted to chat with people close to her, spending all her time in happiness and tranquility.

"Black Maria, you can play the shamisen, right?"

"...Huh?"

Kane's sudden question interrupted Black Maria's wandering thoughts, leaving her momentarily stunned.

"How did Mr. Kane know?"

"Because of your fingers."

Kane pointed at Black Maria's fingers and explained with a smile:

"There are marks on the fingertips of your left hand from pressing the shamisen strings, and marks on your right hand from gripping the plectrum. Those marks are deep. It looks like you've been playing since you were very young.

"You never abandoned this hobby after all these years, so you must really love playing the shamisen, right? I'd really like to hear it."

For a moment, Black Maria was too stunned to speak.

Ever since childhood, everyone she encountered had either looked at her with disgust and fear or fawned over her with flattery and sycophancy.

No one had ever observed her so carefully, much less said that they wanted to hear her play the shamisen. Not even Lord Kaido.

Black Maria felt something beating inside her chest, as if something was stirring restlessly.

"Mr. Kane... you really are such an attentive person..."

"I just wanted to know you a little better, so I couldn't help paying extra attention to certain details. I haven't made you uncomfortable, have I?"

"How could you~ I'm very happy~"

The smile on Black Maria's face came from the heart. After a brief pause, she asked with anticipation:

"Does Mr. Kane truly want to hear me play the shamisen?"

"Can I?!"

Delight appeared on Kane's face, only for him to look conflicted again. "If you don't want to, you don't have to force yourself..."

"I do want to! Please wait a moment, Mr. Kane."

Black Maria immediately stood up, quickly fetched a shamisen, adjusted her clothes, and sat properly before Kane.

Once she was ready, she nervously gave Kane a small nod. Her left fingers pressed against the shamisen custom-made for her by craftsmen, while her right hand held the plectrum and lightly plucked the strings.

Twng~

The plain, lingering note had barely sounded when Black Maria's plectrum began to move in rapid succession, and a pure, tranquil melody filled Spiderweb Space.

Kane closed his eyes and listened quietly, lightly tapping his palm to the rhythm, feeling utterly refreshed.

When Black Maria saw Kane's expression of absorbed appreciation, joy rose in her heart, and she played with even greater care.

No one knew how much time passed before Black Maria reluctantly plucked the final note. She put down the shamisen with some reluctance and bowed deeply to Kane.

Then she quickly raised her head to look at Kane, trying her best to suppress the anticipation in her heart as she asked:

"Mr. Kane, I hope my humble skill did not disappoint you."

"Disappoint me? No, no, no. This was heavenly music that should be played in paradise."

Kane's eyes shone with admiration as he looked intently at Black Maria. "If I had to say there was anything lacking..."

Kane paused, and Black Maria's heart rose with it, leaving her suddenly anxious.

Then Kane moved. He rose and walked to the broken giant mast, repeatedly drawing his sword to slice and carve it. In the blink of an eye, he had made two enormous wooden hairpins with unusual designs.

Black Maria suddenly realized something. Her breath caught, and she went completely still.

Kane picked up the wooden hairpins and walked to Black Maria's side, reaching toward the top of her head.

Two long-handled steel blades sat atop Black Maria's head, serving as hairpins to secure her coiffure and adding a sharp, murderous air to her beautiful golden hair.

As Kane moved, Black Maria lowered her head slightly as if possessed, allowing him to pull out the two long-handled steel blades.

In the next instant, her long golden hair silently cascaded down like a waterfall, spilling across Black Maria's back.

The uneasiness in Black Maria's heart grew stronger. She was a little expectant and a little nervous. She vaguely guessed what Kane intended to do, yet did not dare imagine it.

But Kane had already gathered Black Maria's golden hair in his hands and began carefully combing and winding it up.

Back in the Pleasure District, he had been thoroughly trained by others and forced to master skills such as styling and clothing. Arranging Black Maria's hair now came naturally to him.

Before long, Kane had combed Black Maria's hair smooth and neat, forming it into a beautiful lily-shaped bun atop her head.

When Kane used the hairpins to secure the bun, Black Maria could even feel the friction as the pins passed through her hair. A blush inevitably spread across her fair, lovely face.

Then footsteps moved from behind her to the front. Black Maria saw Kane standing close at hand and anxiously blinked.

"M-Mr. Kane, my hair..."

"Just wait a moment."

Kane smiled and raised one finger. He drew two loose strands down from Black Maria's hairline and gently brushed them beside her cheeks.

When Kane's fingers inadvertently grazed the skin at Black Maria's temple, her ears instantly turned red. Her gaze even shifted away, and she did not dare look into Kane's eyes.

[Black Maria's favorability has reached 35. The first ability replication can begin.]