"Hmph, Hina does not understand what you are saying," she replied coldly, without averting her gaze.
Hina was not going to let the words of the Snake Empress affect her.
"However... do you intend to intervene to protect him? Even though you hold the title of Shichibukai, you have no right to interfere in Marine affairs."
She would not tolerate interference, not even from a woman like the one standing before her.
'Ah... what a pathetic woman.'
"Heh, what a foolish woman. You should be jealous that Tiberion-sama has set his eyes on you. But... what can you do? Tiberion-sama is simply too magnificent. If you are here as well, it will be easier for my sister and me to take care of him."
She was doing her a favor... and she could not even see it.
Hancock let out a faint snort of disdain.
With just this brief exchange, she had already discovered that this colonel was not only foolish, but also ungrateful.
How blind... as if Tiberion were a man that could be controlled.
Could she not see it?
Could she not understand that a man like him, with such presence, with such strength... with such overwhelming masculine beauty, was not someone who could simply be "held back"?
He was a king, and the women around him had to be worthy of serving him.
Missing this opportunity would be an unforgivable sin.
With a slight click of her tongue, Hancock looked at her coldly.
"Tsk tsk..." Hina clicked her tongue, wearing an icy smile.
"So... the unparalleled Empress also prefers this kind of man. Hmph. It seems your tastes are quite heavy." Her tone was perfectly neutral, but irony laced every word.
"Or perhaps... did he forcefully subdue you until you ended up like this?"
Hina doubted it.
She carefully observed Hancock's body language, her gaze, and the way she spoke of Tiberion with such reverence.
No... this was not forced submission, it was voluntary surrender.
Hmph. Pathetic.
For a long time, she had thought that the famous Snake Empress was a serious woman, a woman of great pride. But now, seeing her words and her behavior...
She had never imagined she burned so intensely inside.
How disappointing...
But contrary to her thoughts, Hancock did not care. A delicate smile curved her lips as her eyes seemed to gaze right through Hina's soul.
"Hehe... the charm of Tiberion-sama..." she pronounced the name with absolute reverence, "... is something you could never comprehend, no matter how hard you tried."
Her fingers began to lazily play with a strand of her long dark hair as her words continued to flow.
"There does not exist... nor will there ever exist... a woman in this world that Tiberion-sama desires... and cannot obtain."
A statement as absolute as her love for him.
"In any case... I sincerely hope that after having had the honor of living and interacting with Tiberion-sama, you will still be able to speak with as much confidence as you do now."
"That you will be able to do so... without your waist... or your legs aching."
Her soft laughter echoed, leaving behind a provocation impossible to ignore, and after delivering this final jab, Hancock, with a sigh of satisfaction, allowed her body—exhausted yet fulfilled—to recline once again in her chair.
She needed rest after these intense days.
But the weariness she felt was not bitter, far from it, but rather delicious, and as she gently closed her eyes, a thought settled in her mind:
'Everything... absolutely everything... was worth it.'
'Truly... I was not wrong in choosing this man.'
'Tiberion-sama is worthy of me. And I will be worthy of him.'
Upon seeing the calm on Hancock's face, Hina involuntarily snapped her head toward the gigantic sphere of chains that still imprisoned the monster.
!
But the moment her gaze landed on it, a shiver ran through her body.
And then it happened.
From within the chains, dense white smoke began to pour out, thick with suffocating heat.
It was obvious that this was no ordinary steam; it was a scalding vapor that distorted the air with its waves.
The deck around the sphere was already crackling, the moisture in the area evaporating, and the chains were trembling.
Hina felt the chill of fear grip her body... something was about to appear!
The surviving marines around her were no less affected; they lost any trace of courage in an instant. Without waiting for any orders, they began retreating step by step.
"T-the chains...!" one murmured, "...they're going to explode...!"
But they were wrong.
What happened next was far worse than any explosion.
The vapor, which until then had spread in irregular shapes, began to condense. In the blink of an eye, the smoke gathered, contracting and spinning in a silent vortex.
And in the midst of the white whirlwind... a silhouette appeared.
First, an enormous shadow.
Then, defined outlines: a gigantic human figure that seemed to bring back the fear they had felt.
And the colonel was the worst off—Hina felt her legs weaken.
Just a few meters from her, in the middle of the chains that now seemed insignificant, the ghostly image of Tiberion Hanma emerged.
His colossal body, far more muscular than any man should be, stood still.
His eyes, two blazing pits, opened slowly within the figure, locking onto Hina with such intensity that her heart gave a brutal lurch.
And the aura surrounding him was no mere visual effect. It was a REAL oppression, NOT FAKE.
IT WAS AS IF THEY WERE FACING THE REAL TIBERION HANMA!
The marines who had not yet fled dropped to their knees under the sheer weight of that presence.
Swish
Without warning, Tiberion's figure vanished.
And his second action was a simple flick of the wrist.
But that flick unleashed a downward swipe that swept away three marines as if they were dolls.
The impact didn't just send them flying: the brutal blow made their bones crunch audibly in midair, their bodies twisting before being flung out toward the sea.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH–!!!" one of the marines screamed upon seeing this, but his voice was barely an echo before Tiberion intercepted him with a stomp.
The vaporous foot—yet terrifyingly solid—came down on the marine's chest, crushing him mercilessly.
!
The man's torso burst like a balloon, blood splattering across the deck in all directions.
The remaining marines lost whatever shadow of courage they still had and began to flee.
But Tiberion's figure was far too fast.
With a single movement, he intercepted another group trying to escape toward the stern and extended both arms.
Bang
The first two marines took a solid blow to the face: their skulls cracked instantly under the enormous fists. Their bodies were sent flying backward, one of them crashing into the mast with such force that the sound of the impact echoed across the entire ship.
The last one of that group didn't even have time to scream. A gigantic hand grabbed him by the head, and with one swift motion, smashed him against the deck until the wood was stained a deep, dark red.
In less than a breath, the entire deck was drenched in crimson.
And in the midst of the bloodbath, only one figure still remained standing—panting, her face drenched in sweat: Colonel Hina.
Gathering all her officer's resolve, she summoned her skill.
!
Extending her arms, she unleashed her chains, but when the thick metal bands shot toward the vapor figure... nothing happened.
The Tiberion made of smoke didn't even look at them. The chains simply passed through his body, wrapping around it for an instant before hissing away into mist.
"W-what kind of ability is this...?!" Hina whispered, her lips trembling.
And it took a long time before she got an answer to her question.
The vapor Tiberion appeared right in front of her, his fist flying toward her.
Hina tried to raise her guard, but the figure's speed was impossible to follow.
In the next instant, it felt as though a cannonball had struck her in the stomach.
"GA-AAAH!"
The blow lifted her off the ground, making her spit blood, and before her feet could touch the deck again, a massive hand closed around her neck.
!
Those fingers, more real than the ship itself, clenched around her throat.
Her feet now dangled in the air as her hands struggled uselessly against that immovable grip.
And Tiberion's face—formed entirely of vapor—was mere centimeters from hers, a sneer of contempt drawn across his lips.
But at that moment, when the air was already leaving her lungs and her vision began to blur, just as her fingers were losing their strength to resist—
BOOM
An explosion rocked the entire deck, erupting from the center of the chain sphere.
The thick chains shattered instantly, flying in all directions like shrapnel.
From within the ruined sphere, Tiberion Hanma emerged, walking slowly.
His silhouette, wrapped in dense clouds of searing vapor, became visible step by step— and yes, he still wore his unbreakable red slip.
That small piece of fabric, seemingly indestructible, clung shamelessly to his titanic hips, the only thing covering his monstrously large member.
The heat radiating from his body warped the air around him, creating a ghostly shimmer that made it nearly impossible to look at him directly.
Tiberion shifted his gaze and locked eyes with the figure that had created him. His lips curved into a faint smile, full of pride.
That vapor figure wasn't an illusion or just any ordinary ability. It was the result of the advancement of his brain—the external manifestation of the Demon Brain, now operating at 67% of its true potential.
In the past, when his mental power hadn't yet reached exceptional levels, the Demon Brain had merely been a simulation tool. But now, thanks to the brutal growth of his brain capacity and spiritual strength, his mastery over it had reached a new level.
He no longer needed to imagine.
Now, he could condense what he visualized—materialize his thoughts into reality— and the most terrifying part was that everything he created with his mind was real, tangible, and carried the power of what it represented.
If he wished to create a version of Whitebeard, and if his mind and spirit were strong enough, that copy would have strength equivalent to the real one.
And while he had been "trapped," there was no need to create someone else.
He had imagined himself.
"..."
Hina watched it all in terror, each breath becoming harder and harder to take.
And yet, her eyes remained open, fixed on the figure that had just emerged from the chain sphere.
She couldn't believe it!
But what truly paralyzed her wasn't just that image.
It was the fact that, right there in front of her, there was already a "Tiberion" holding her by the neck. A figure of vapor, yet tangible, that had just massacred her marines without mercy.
There were two monsters!
Her mind tried to rationalize it, to find some logical explanation amidst the chaos.
!
Then a light sparked in her eyes.
Could it be the ability of a Devil Fruit?
It had to be.
And if this figure was made of smoke and vapor… could it be the Smoke Fruit?
Yes, that made sense… partly. Because Smoker was the wielder of that fruit, and she knew it firsthand.
It couldn't be the same ability.
Then... what the hell was this?!
After stepping out, Tiberion advanced across the deck littered with corpses.
That's when his gaze caught a glimmer amidst it all.
Between a pair of corpses, stained with blood, there was a pair of Kairoseki handcuffs.
"..."
Tiberion paused for a moment.
The peculiar shine of the cuffs reflected the idea that crossed his mind.
Calmly, he crouched down and picked up the cuffs with one hand.
He held them in front of his face for a moment and smiled.
Though he knew that Hina wasn't particularly powerful in terms of brute strength, her ability was certainly annoying. If she were allowed to act freely, she could become a nuisance in his future plans.
Besides… who the hell would want to end up with chains piercing their body in the middle of a "fight"?
Being impaled by her chains in a vital spot would be, at the very least, an unnecessary hassle.
Better to be prepared.
While Tiberion toyed with the handcuffs, the vapor figure still holding Hina by the neck remained completely motionless. And it was then that Hina noticed.
Her eyes widened as soon as she recognized the distinctive gleam of those cuffs.
Kairoseki!
An involuntary shiver ran through her entire body.
What is he planning to do to me with those?!
But what left her even more paralyzed wasn't the fact that he held them in his hands... it was the fact that he didn't show even the slightest sign of weakness.
Neither him, nor his vapor figure.
?
And that left her in a state of total bewilderment.
Wasn't Tiberion a Devil Fruit user?
All the evidence pointed to it. And considering the nature of the figure before her, it was a logical assumption.
Then why wasn't the Kairoseki affecting him?!
!
Could it be... that his body was so monstrously resistant that Kairoseki handcuffs could no longer harm him?
Had he surpassed the physical limits just like other users had?
Perhaps only direct contact with seawater could affect him now...
While she remained trapped in this chaotic web of thoughts, the real Tiberion approached. And when he was barely a meter away from the vapor figure, his eyes flashed with a spark of determination.
Without needing to utter a word, he deactivated the Demon Brain.
Immediately, the vapor figure began to fade like mist in the wind, leaving a gasping Hina who collapsed to her knees on the floor.
But she had no time to recover—Tiberion was already in front of her.
Without hesitation, he crouched down, grabbed both of Hina's wrists, and swiftly snapped the Kairoseki cuffs around them.
Clak
The sharp click of the lock echoed like thunder in Hina's ears.
The power of the Kairoseki instantly invaded her body, draining her strength and making her legs tremble involuntarily. Her lungs now felt even heavier than when she had been gripped by the neck, and when she finally looked up—there he was, up close.
The real Tiberion.
He was standing right in front of her, barely a step away.
She had never been this close to him...
His gigantic body, pure muscle mass, completely dwarfed her. It was like standing before a mountain.
"..."
Then, she involuntarily stepped back.
Her mind was screaming that she must stand her ground, that she must not give an inch. But her body wouldn't obey. Her body knew the abyss that separated her from this monster.
Rising quickly, she stumbled backward three steps, her movements clumsy, her eyes never leaving the monster before her.
And as she did, the words Hancock had spoken echoed through her mind:
"There does not exist… nor will there ever exist… a woman in this world that Tiberion-sama desires… and cannot obtain."
Now she understood—and felt—the meaning of those words firsthand.
How could anyone withstand such a presence...?
Even so, swallowing the fear that choked her, she forced her voice out.
"Tiberion Hanma, don't get cocky!"
"I'm a Marine Colonel... NOT JUST ANY WOMAN YOU CAN CATCH SO EASILY!"
But those words, instead of lessening the danger, only fueled Tiberion's excitement even more.
His gaze, fierce and burning, slowly traced over Hina's body. Her defiant stance, her disheveled uniform clinging to her sweaty skin, her ragged breathing, her cheeks flushed from humiliation and exertion… all of it formed an image that only stirred his urges further.
And for him, repressing those urges was unnatural.
He had never done so.
Because holding back was harmful to him. It built frustration, and when his mind became blocked by such thoughts, his urge to destroy and overturn the world became uncontrollable.
His breathing grew deeper. His entire body was releasing an overwhelming amount of pheromones—an aura that saturated the air between them.
He felt the urge to possess her, to mark her, to make it clear that in front of him, no one… ABSOLUTELY NO ONE COULD SAVE HER.
And if he didn't act now, his very nature would drive him to become even more brutal.
Without taking his devouring gaze off her, he spoke with an almost animalistic intensity:
"Colonel Hina, you don't want the seas to be thrown into chaos... do you?"
And before Hina could even begin to form a response, he moved.
His arm slid like a serpent and wrapped around Hina's waist.
With a single motion, he lifted her and threw her over his shoulder.
Hina's feet barely had time to flail in the air before Tiberion bent his legs.
Boom
With a leap, he soared over the ship's railing, landing heavily on the deck of his own vessel.
The pirates watching the spectacle didn't dare look at him—they acted as if no one had just landed on the ship.
And without missing a beat, Tiberion marched straight toward the interior of his cabin, while Hina's body trembled over his shoulder.
Upon witnessing this, Hancock, lying on the deck, couldn't help but feel a slight blush tint her cheeks. However, she let out a soft sigh of relief.
'Good… finally, I'll be able to relax a little.'
Beside her, still unaware of everything that had happened, Shirahoshi remained sound asleep in her space chair.
Boom
With a sharp thud, Tiberion shut the cabin door, and from that moment on, no other sound came from within for quite a while.
On the first day, after some time, screams were heard. Absolute screams of rage, denial, the pride of someone still refusing to break. Hina fought with everything she had left.
But by the second day... the screams turned into moans, helpless sobs that no longer carried any strength.
And on the third day, the inevitable happened.
Among the sounds escaping from the cabin, desperate and pleading cries echoed in the ears of those outside.
Colonel Hina had ended up begging for mercy through sobs!
Hancock and Shirahoshi, resting on the deck, couldn't help but sharpen their ears when they heard it.
The days without feeling Tiberion inside them had left an immense void, an unbearable longing that only grew stronger with each sound that escaped from the cabin.
And now, hearing another woman breaking down inside... their bodies began to react involuntarily, with a mix of expectation and desire.
It was impossible not to want it—they needed it.
...
Behind the imposing warship where Tiberion now stood, another smaller vessel was following closely.
It was a Marine ship, commanded by Colonel Smoker.
It had all begun days earlier, when, one by one, the soldiers from Hina's original ship were thrown into the sea by Tiberion. Their drowned screams and desperate splashes had been swallowed by the waters.
Only a small number managed to survive. It was Smoker himself who, upon reaching the area, rescued those few marines.
The few marines they managed to pull onto the deck were exhausted, wounded, and above all... broken inside.
And the words that slipped from their lips between gasps only served to fuel the fire burning in Smoker's chest even more.
Tiberion Hanma had captured Hina.
But not only that.
What he heard afterward was what finally shattered his apparent calm.
According to the survivors, that monster was not just a beast of muscle, but one with an insatiable appetite for beautiful women.
They themselves had witnessed how he had crushed her will and now... Hina, their proud colonel, was in the hands of that monster.
"He's a... a damn pervert... a man who won't stop until he's made the women he desires his own," they had told him.
Every word that came from their mouths felt like a dagger to Smoker.
But what truly chilled the air was another warning.
"If that monster finds out that among us is Petty Officer Tashigi, he'll take her without hesitation. Just like he did with the colonel."
Upon hearing this, Tashigi's beautiful face immediately turned pale, and her entire body tensed imperceptibly. The image of her superior falling into the hands of this beast of a man made her feel unbearable dread. And now she knew her own freedom hung by a thread.
Smoker struggled to contain his fury.
He knew all too well that launching an attack would be suicidal. The marines' accounts were clear—Tiberion Hanma was a force that could not be contained with their current strength.
A direct confrontation would only bring about an even greater disaster and expose Tashigi, just as they feared.
But even so... could he really allow himself to simply keep watching, powerless, while Hina was being violated by that monster?!
His frustration was a poison building up in his chest.
He had urgently requested orders from Headquarters.
But the Fleet Admiral's response was blunt: "Do not act recklessly."
Forced to obey, Smoker had no choice but to keep tracking the enemy ship, like a predator that knows it cannot strike.
However, the days went by.
And the news coming from the other ship only drove the dagger deeper into his heart.
When he heard that Hina—his only friend, the one who had saved him in many situations—had ended up crying and begging, the image of her completely broken filled him with a dull hatred and an unbearable sense of helplessness.
HOW MUCH LONGER COULD HE KEEP HOLDING BACK?!
"Tashigi."
The young woman looked up, her face still pale, but her eyes steady, trying not to show the trembling that still ran through her body.
"Take all the wounded and leave on the evacuation vessel," he ordered, without taking his eyes off Tiberion Hanma's ship.
For an instant, Tashigi hesitated.
She didn't want to leave. She didn't want to abandon her colonel, nor leave Smoker to face that monster alone.
"...Colonel Smoker…" she murmured with a trembling voice. "I'm not afraid to die."
"..."
The silence hung heavy for a second.
But before she could say more, Smoker abruptly turned his head, leaving no room for discussion.
He was not about to let her fall into that monster's hands too.
"No!"
"That's an order! You must obey!"
Tashigi pressed her lips together, holding back the knot that was forming in her throat.
She knew that when he gave an order like this, it wasn't just about discipline. It was because he wanted to protect her.
"...Yes!" Her lips trembled. Tears filled her eyes, but even so, she lifted her head, gave a formal salute, and turned on her heels.
Meanwhile, Smoker fixed his gaze forward again.
When he saw that Tashigi and the wounded soldiers were boarding the evacuation ship, only then did his body seem to release some of the tension it held.
There was no turning back now.
Without wasting a second, he muttered through clenched teeth as the thick smoke from his cigars swirled around his face.
"Full speed ahead!" he growled with determination. "We're going to ram them with everything we've got! No matter the cost, we must rescue Hina!"
The entire bridge trembled with the echo of his command.
"Y-Yes!" the marines replied, though the tremble in their voices did not go unnoticed.
Many swallowed hard, their sweaty hands gripping the levers and wheels.
They knew perfectly well what they were charging into.
This wasn't a battle. It was practically a suicide mission.
But at that moment, there was no choice.
________
Time: If you're craving more (and I know you are!), I have just what you need. On my Patreon, you'll find exclusive chapters. Join our community and be the first to discover what happens next!
👉 [patreon.com/Athome790]
Your support fuels me. Thank you for the support! 💖