Moonlight spilled into the luxurious room through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. The thin, gauzy curtains billowed gently in the cool night breeze, and the entire room was filled with an enchanting atmosphere.
Takero, shirtless, sat on the huge round bed, a bed large enough for seven or eight people. The flickering orange firelight from the fireplace cast shadows that outlined the perfect, powerful lines of his robust body, making him look like an ancient sculpture. His broad shoulders, firm chest, and defined eight-pack abs all hinted at the terrifying, world-destroying power contained within his young frame. His eyes held an undisguised, beast-like aggression as he stared intensely at the "prey" who had invited herself in.
However, Charlotte Smoothie was no ordinary woman.
With her arms crossed, she boldly scrutinized Takero's perfect body from head to toe, her eyes filled with pride and assessment. Finally, her gaze settled on a certain spot below his waist. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. She licked her full, crimson lips and complimented him, "Your physique… isn't bad at all."
A playful smile flashed in Takero's eyes. "Cut the chatter," he said. "You're not scared, are you?"
"Me? Scared?" Smoothie sounded as if she had just heard the world's biggest joke. Her pride was instantly ignited. She hooked a slender finger on the zipper of her black bodysuit and slowly pulled it down. The garment slid down her smooth, wheat-colored skin like a snake, revealing a perfect physique full of wildness and power, enough to drive any man crazy.
"Little man," she said, striding toward the edge of the bed with her impossibly long legs. She looked down at Takero from above, a queen-like smile full of confidence on her face. "Later… don't be the one who can't bear it and begs for mercy, alright?"
With that, Smoothie pounced like a predatory leopardess. She wanted to teach this man a good lesson and make him personally experience her true prowess. She would make him understand that she, Charlotte Smoothie, was not someone to be taken lightly. As a renowned swordswoman, her personality was straightforward and sharp. She didn't bother with flashy tactics; from the very beginning, she launched the fiercest charge imaginable.
Her offensive was relentless, like a storm. After a while, Smoothie looked down at the seemingly unresponsive man beneath her, a charming and smug smile on her face.
"How about it, little man?" she teased. "If you're willing to beg for mercy now, I might consider going a little easier on you."
However, to her surprise, Takero didn't even bother to open his eyes. He merely let out a faint snort, a sound filled with pure disdain. "…Is that all?"
Smoothie was instantly enraged. From those two simple words, she heard undisguised mockery and disappointment, enough to completely shatter her queenly pride. She was a core member of the Big Mom Pirates, one of her mother's strongest daughters. How could she endure such humiliation?
"Very well!" Her eyes narrowed. She decided it was time to get serious. "I was planning to let you off easy, but now it seems… you leave me no choice!"
She exerted a sudden force with her long legs, and the power of her Paramecia-type Squeeze-Squeeze Fruit erupted. "Taste this!"
Smoothie transformed into a valkyrie, launching several waves of even more rapid and violent charges. However, no matter what kind of offensive she used, no matter how she pushed the power of her Devil Fruit to its limits, Takero remained as unmoving as a mountain forged from diamond.
As time went on, even Smoothie, whose physique far surpassed that of ordinary people, began to feel her stamina waning. She could feel that Takero, on the other hand, was still full of energy, even showing signs of becoming more terrifying. For the first time in her life, a feeling of powerlessness washed over her.
Finally, unwilling but helpless, she stopped her offensive. "It seems your strength is indeed unfathomable," she panted. "I'm tired for now. We'll fight again when we next meet."
Saying that, Smoothie was about to get up and leave. She planned to go back and train harder, then return to reclaim her pride. But just as she moved, a large hand, like an iron pincer, suddenly grabbed her ankle, blocking her retreat.
Smoothie turned her head, a little confused. "What's wrong?"
Takero slowly sat up. His black eyes, which usually held a hint of playfulness, were now burning with hot, aggressive flames, like molten lava.
"What's wrong?" he said proudly. "Right now… I'm very fired up. You think you can come and go as you please? It's not that easy."
Smoothie instantly panicked. For the first time, she felt a truly dangerous aura from this man—an aura that felt like it could completely devour her. "You… what do you want to do?!" she stammered.
Takero smiled wickedly. "I want you… to help me 'cultivate'!"
With that, a dark red aura erupted from his body. His power level, at that moment, skyrocketed. Now, it was his turn to take the lead. He roughly pulled Smoothie toward him. His offensive was swift and intense. Under his storm-like counterattack, Smoothie, who had been so arrogant before, was simply unable to resist.
But she still refused to admit defeat verbally. "Don't… don't get cocky… huff… I… I haven't…"
Her stubborn, broken words were cut off as Takero interrupted her in a more forceful, unreasonable way. Another violent attack was delivered, completely shattering her proud defenses.
"Oh oh oh oh—!!!!"
…
Just as the two were engaged in their intense 'cultivation,' neither of them noticed that the heavy wooden door to the room now had a small crack. Through that crack, Monet's emerald-green eyes were fixed on the two figures battling inside, her eyes wide with fury. She bit her pink lips tightly, her expression a mixture of jealousy, unwillingness, and grievance.
'That… that damn woman!'
'Clearly… clearly I was here first!'
'I also… I also want Master's 'guided cultivation'!!!'
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