The Lord's Control (continued)

"..."

The Empress snapped out of her daze, her eyes filled with complex emotions. She said nothing, but obediently extended her arm out from behind the curtain.

The veins were clearly visible on the fair arm. Dimon walked over with the lancet, grasped the other person's wrist with one hand, and skillfully inserted the needle into the vein with the other.

In that instant, the Empress made her move.

Her right hand, holding the red wine, suddenly loosened its grip on the stem of the glass, and at the same moment the glass fell naturally, her delicate fingers lashed out at Dimon's face.

To be precise, it's a mask on the face.

The sudden and unexpected situation, coupled with the close proximity, left Dimon with no time to react. By the time he realized what the Empress was about to do, it was too late to dodge.

In a flash, the mask was removed by the Empress.

When she saw the face beneath the mask, she was stunned for a moment.

"You..."

The mask slipped from his hand and fell to the ground with a thud.

"Interesting, you're the first person to try and take off my mask."

Dimon slowly bent down, picked up the mask from the ground, then looked up at the Empress, his tone indifferent:

"Let me guess what you're thinking... Take off my mask, see my true face, and use it as leverage."

I know the secrets of your body, and you want to uncover the hidden side of me; we both restrain and control each other.

That way, you can break free from our control.

Is that so?

That's right!

Hancock had conceived of this idea during their first meeting, and she put it into action right then and there.

She successfully removed the other person's mask, but the result was beyond her expectations.

"Why don't you have any facial features?!" she asked incredulously.

In her vision, the man before her had no eyes, nose, ears, mouth... nothing at all, only skin, skin as smooth and delicate as a baby's.

"Hehehe... a naive idea."

On that uneven yet smooth face, where the mouth should have been, there was a slight movement, from which a disdainful chuckle escaped.

The Empress looked bewildered. How could someone speak without a mouth?

Is this guy even human?

Dimon slowly put the mask back on his face:

"Why would you think I shouldn't take any precautions when a mask is something that's so easy to fall off? You're so naive and childish."

The Empress gritted her teeth in anger.

This guy is definitely a Devil Fruit User, using his ability to hide his facial features.

How can people be so cautious?

Wearing a mask wasn't enough; they even hid their facial features!

"The more something is tried to hide, the more important it must be... I'm even more curious about your appearance now!"

The Empress remained stubborn and showed no sign of yielding.

Dimon smiled.

In fact, he simply used the power of the Smooth-Smooth Fruit to make his facial features smooth the moment his opponent made a move, thus achieving the effect of concealment.

The Smooth-Smooth Fruit's power is more than just zero friction...

This fruit was originally eaten by the fat woman Alvida. After eating it, not only did she become slender and thin, but even the freckles on her face were removed.

Dimon did something similar, but his development of the fruit far surpassed Alvida's, and he was able to do it much more thoroughly.

"Dishonest woman, have you thought about what punishment you'll accept?"

The instant the mask was fastened, Dimon struck with Inazuma speed.

His right hand, wreathed in Conqueror's Haki, lunged forward, grabbed Hancock by the neck, and pinned her to the soft bed.

Hancock's expression changed slightly as she felt the pressure on her neck, and she blurted out:

"Conqueror's Haki Entanglement!?"

"You want to use the power of the Love-Love Fruit to petrify me? If you can, go ahead and try."

Faced with the provocation, Empress Hancock decisively activated her ability.

Where their skin touched, a layer of stone-like color gradually stained their palms.

The petrification spread rapidly, reaching close to the wrist in the blink of an eye.

Hancock's almond-shaped eyes were full of provocation:

"Grab me like this, and then turn me to stone!"

Sizzle! Sizzle!

Crimson lightning crackled between his palms, and the Conqueror's Haki Haki suppressed the petrifying power, causing his petrified hands to begin to regain flesh and blood.

The Empress's pupils contracted slightly, and her defiant gaze froze completely.

This guy's Conqueror's Haki is so strong that it can counteract her petrification...!?

The two faced each other, Big Eye. One used his Devil Fruit power, while the other unleashed a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki, engaging in a fierce battle within a small area.

Just then, a commotion came from outside.

"Snake Princess! Snake Princess!"

"Wait, wait Granny Nyon... Sister is resting."

Bang!

As the door to the Empress's boudoir was kicked open, three figures appeared in the doorway.

Sandersonia and Marigold were pulling on a short, elderly woman, but they didn't dare to really use their strength.

The old woman, holding a snake-shaped cane, rushed into the room with a look of anxiety on her face.

When the three of them saw the scene on the bed, they were all petrified.

"Sister... Big Sister?"

"Man!?"

Granny Nyon cried out in surprise.

How dare that Snake Princess bring a man into Amazon Lily?

What are these two going to do?

I can't even imagine!

Dimon glanced at the door out of the corner of his eye, still maintaining his Conqueror's Haki, his five fingers gripping the Empress tightly, not daring to relax.

If he lets his guard down, the power of the Love-Love Fruit will instantly petrify him.

The Empress dared not stop, fearing that if she did, she would be strangled to death.

The situation reached a stalemate.

A full three seconds later...

It was only after a moment's realization that Sandersonia suddenly understood—this wasn't her older sister doing something with a man, but rather...

"Let go of my sister!"

She immediately wanted to help.

"Tsk... what a hassle."

Dimon's gaze sharpened, a glint of electricity flashing in his eyes.

A crimson, Conqueror's Haki instantly swept towards the people outside the door.

Boom!!

A terrifying force suddenly stirred up a typhoon, causing the entire palace to tremble slightly.

Sandersonia paused in her forward motion, suddenly feeling a mountain-like force surge into her body.

With a thud, she involuntarily knelt down.

"That kind of Conqueror's Haki...!"

The Granny Nyon gasped.

She had only ever seen this level of Conqueror's Haki in Rocks before.

The next moment, on the Empress's soft bed, a golden light outlined a magic circle beneath the two of them.

In the blink of an eye, a brilliant golden light shone, and then the two of them disappeared from the room.

"Oh no! My sister has been kidnapped!"

Kuja Castle a primeval forest.

Deep within a wild beast's cave, a dim pentagram magic circle suddenly shone with golden light.

The next moment, two figures appeared simultaneously.

The moment she appeared, Dimon grabbed the Empress and slammed her against the cave wall.

You really cause me trouble.

"Cough..."

A trickle of blood escaped from the Empress's lips; in the intense confrontation, she gradually succumbed to defeat.

However, a charming smile appeared on her face.

Are you going to kill me?

"Hehehe... You think I won't kill you? There's one method I haven't tried yet, I'll test it on you."

Dimon immediately activated the mark on his palm.

A ray of golden light traced an intricate mark on the Empress's chest, deeply imprinting it on her body.

After completing this step, Dimon withdrew his right hand.

With her Conqueror's Haki's Haki gone, the Empress finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat down in a duck-like position.

With a heavy breath, she lifted her collar and looked down at her chest, where a golden brand had appeared.

What did you do to me?

"This is the Lord's Mark. In the past, its function was simply to locate me, allowing me to always be aware of your position."

At this point, Dimon recalled his trip to Elbaf.

At that time, he found a black pentagram magic circle in the ruins of the giants' palace. To prevent Imu from descending through this magic circle, he Animation it.

The Animation magic circle merged with the original palm print.

"Now, it has an extra function that I haven't tested on anyone else yet. Since you've stumbled upon this yourself, I'll use you as a guinea pig."

Dimon looked down at the Empress and smiled gently.

"Now, kneel down."

The moment the command reached her ears, Hancock's delicate body trembled slightly. A strong will compelled her to obey the other party's orders.

This mark can control my body... Hancock gritted her teeth and tried her best to resist, but in the end she could not resist this will, and she changed from sitting on her knees to sitting on her knees.

"Reach out your hand."

Hancock's face was full of humiliation, but her body language betrayed her by reaching out her hand.

"The other one."