Chapter 179: The First Night!!
Cool moonlight flowed through the window like silver water, outlining two overlapping silhouettes on the large bed in the center of the room.
Luffy lay on his back, resting his head on his rubber arm, eyes wide open in the darkness.
Sleep was nowhere in sight.
The brief yet strangely harmonious scene from dinner replayed over and over in his mind.
Hancock's face, lighting up instantly like the sky clearing after a storm…
Yamato's carefree, radiant smile…
Luffy turned over with a soft creak from the mattress.
If this had been the Luffy from Alabasta, he would've simply stared blankly and then gone straight to… eating!
He wouldn't have gotten dragged into something this complicated at all.
"Sigh… love…"
Luffy muttered quietly.
"It's a really scary thing."
Unlike an enemy's punch, it wasn't something you could just knock away.
Unlike the puzzles of adventure, it wasn't something you could solve with instinct.
It was more like the softest yet most persistent fog on the sea—silently wrapping around him.
Leaving him with a strange kind of trouble that couldn't be solved with fighting or feasting.
"…Whatever. I'm not thinking about it anymore. Time to sleep!"
Luffy shook his head vigorously, as if trying to fling all those messy thoughts out of his brain.
Then he pulled the blanket over himself and firmly shut his eyes.
But just as he finally settled into position—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A crisp yet abrupt sound shattered the stillness of the night.
"…Who is it?"
Luffy frowned, reluctantly throwing off the blanket and stepping barefoot onto the cool floor.
At this hour, there were only two people who might knock on his door.
And he didn't need to guess who.
He wasn't like Katakuri, someone who kept Observation Haki running twenty-four hours a day like breathing.
Sure, that kind of constant awareness was great for training Haki.
But Luffy always felt that living in such a hyper-aware state—where every tiny detail and even glimpses of the future were visible—might eventually mess with your head.
Besides, what normal person kept their "radar" on even inside their own home?
That was just…
Grumbling internally, he twisted the doorknob.
"Who is it? In the middle of the n—"
"Mmph!"
The question never finished.
A soft, warm body carrying a sweet fragrance suddenly rushed into his arms.
At the same time—
Soft lips sealed his mouth.
Luffy's eyes widened instantly in the darkness.
The touch was unbelievably gentle, cool like night dew at first—
then sweet, intoxicating, like ripe fruit melting on his tongue.
His body reacted before his brain could process anything.
His arm wrapped tightly around the slender waist in his arms, holding the delicate figure firmly against him.
With a small shift of his footing, he guided the person back against the wall beside the door.
"Mm…"
A faint whimper was swallowed by the deepening kiss.
After the initial shock came a stronger response.
Luffy lowered his head, instinctively returning the kiss.
Their lips tangled, the sudden intensity igniting the quiet night.
Moonlight poured through the open door and window, outlining their intertwined figures in silver.
Ten seconds.
Maybe longer.
Only when his lungs began to burn did Luffy finally pull back slightly.
Pop.
The soft sound echoed faintly in the quiet room.
A thin thread of moisture stretched briefly between their lips in the moonlight before breaking.
Breathing slightly heavier now, Luffy squinted in the pale light.
Then he finally recognized the breathtaking face pinned gently against the wall.
His grip loosened slightly in surprise.
"H-Hancock?!"
The Pirate Empress in his arms looked completely different from usual.
Her long hair was slightly messy.
Her proud and untouchable expression had melted away into a deep blush.
Those mesmerizing eyes shimmered like water under moonlight.
Shy.
Bold.
And faintly triumphant.
Beautiful enough to make one's heart skip.
"Hancock! Jumping on someone like that in the middle of the night is scary!"
Luffy snapped back to his senses.
Her soft body was practically melting against him, and he instinctively steadied her swaying figure.
She felt boneless, like soft cotton.
Her dark hair brushed against his arm, carrying a sweet floral scent.
Luffy gently lifted her in his arms—one hand under her knees, the other supporting her back.
His movements were careful, as if afraid she might break.
Did she have something important to say?
Luffy rolled his eyes internally.
If she really had urgent business, would she be sneaking into his room in the middle of the night looking completely dazed?
More likely she had a nightmare and wandered over half-asleep.
"L-Luffy…"
Hancock's voice trembled slightly.
She raised her head.
The arrogance and charm that usually filled her eyes were gone.
What remained was burning sincerity.
"I love you… so much that even risking my life… I want you to know it!"
Her voice carried a desperate determination.
She leaned closer, almost touching his chin with her nose.
Luffy's heart softened.
He gently brushed her messy hair aside, his fingers lightly touching the edge of her ear.
"I know."
He said softly.
"Did you have a bad dream or something? It's okay now."
In his mind, the proud empress was simply being vulnerable.
"No—you don't understand!"
Hancock shook her head sharply.
Her eyes filled with tears, though she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
She clenched the front of Luffy's shirt tightly.
"What I want… was never just 'understanding'!"
Before Luffy could respond—
she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck.
Her legs locked around his waist.
Her body pressed tightly against him.
The sudden closeness made Luffy freeze.
He could feel her warm breath against his lips.
Her racing heartbeat through the thin fabric between them.
"I want you…"
Hancock whispered breathlessly.
"To become my husband."
Luffy jerked back slightly in panic.
"I-I've never… done anything like this before!"
For him, romance between men and women had always been distant and unfamiliar.
Faced with Hancock's straightforward confession, his mind buzzed and his limbs didn't know where to go.
"It's okay."
Her voice softened.
"We can learn… slowly."
She gently tugged the ribbon at her waist.
The sash slipped free.
Her robe loosened slightly, sliding down her shoulders.
Moonlight streamed through the window, bathing her figure in a soft silver glow.
Luffy's eyes widened in shock.
He immediately shut them, his face turning bright red.
"H-Hancock, wait—!"
Before he could finish, she lightly pushed him.
Caught off guard, Luffy stumbled backward onto the soft bed.
The mattress dipped beneath his weight.
A moment later—
her warm body followed.
Her hair cascaded over his chest like dark silk.
Her eyes, usually proud and distant, now burned with determination.
"No matter what tomorrow brings…"
Hancock whispered.
"Even if you sail to the farthest seas…"
She leaned down until their foreheads nearly touched.
"Tonight…"
"I want to become a true woman—"
"Your woman."
Then she kissed him again.
This time the kiss was clumsy, inexperienced.
Yet filled with passion.
As if she were pouring every ounce of love she had held inside her heart into this moment.
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