Night.
Hancock slowly opened her eyes, first flashing with vigilance before gazing at Ryan beside her under the moonlight. His breathing was even, his chest rising and falling rhythmically—clearly deep asleep. The physiologically discomforting aura emanating from him made her nauseous.
"Ryan?"
Suppressing the churning disgust in her stomach, Hancock tentatively called out twice softly. Only steady breathing responded, allowing her slightly anxious heart to settle. She reached out and gently pushed away the hand resting on her chest, careful not to wake the person beside her.
But just as she was about to slip out of bed, her legs suddenly went weak. She staggered, nearly colliding with the bed frame.
"Damn it!" Hancock's heart leaped in alarm as she swiftly turned to look at Ryan. Seeing him still with closed eyes, not even a furrowed brow, she relaxed slightly, though her cheeks uncontrollably flushed red. She gritted her teeth inwardly, cursing.
"This beast! How can he not be tired after all that? What is his body even made of!"
But now wasn't the time to dwell on such things. Hancock steadied herself, bent down to pick up the light gray linen shirt scattered on the floor, quickly slipped it on, and smoothed her disheveled long hair. Treading lightly, she inched step by step toward the door. Her hand had just touched the doorknob when she glanced back once more to confirm Ryan's sleeping posture. Then, she gently pulled the door open, slipped out, and carefully left it slightly ajar.
The corridor was dim, illuminated only by the faint glow of wall lamps. Hancock scanned her surroundings, confirming no one was there, before heading toward the agreed-upon corner. Halfway there, a head peeked out from around the bend—it was Absalom.
"Empress!" Absalom whispered, waving her over.
Hancock hurried toward him, but before she could speak, Absalom's gaze fell upon her neck. His pupils abruptly contracted, followed by an expression of deep distress. "How could Captain Ryan treat you like this!"
Staring at the distinct red marks on Hancock's neck, Absalom frowned in heartache. "A perfect woman like you deserves to be cherished tenderly, not handled so roughly!"
"Never mind that," Hancock replied, her voice tinged with urgency, having no patience for such concerns. "Did you get the key?"
"Yes, yes!" Absalom quickly pulled a small copper key from his pocket, presenting it like a treasure. "I sneaked into the storage compartment during the crew's shift change tonight. I guarantee it'll work!"
Hancock's eyes fixed on the key, her heart racing uncontrollably. She urgently extended her hand, urging, "Hurry, help me remove this!"
Once these handcuffs were off, she could regain her Devil Fruit ability and Haki. Then, she would break free from Ryan's control and seek revenge!
Absalom gripped the key, cautiously approaching the Seastone handcuffs on Hancock's wrist. Beads of cold sweat instantly formed on his forehead as he trembled, "Empress, th-this is Seastone. If I touch it, I'll lose all strength. I have to go slowly..."
Hancock's impatience grew, but remembering the handcuffs weren't yet unlocked, she forced down her anger and said with strained patience, "Hurry up, don't waste time!"
Absalom nodded, took a deep breath, and raised the key again, slowly inserting it toward the keyhole. Just as the key was about to reach the lock, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, firmly gripping his wrist.
"Who?!" Absalom jolted his head up, his face instantly turning deathly pale upon recognizing the newcomer. The keys in his hand clattered to the floor as his legs gave way, and he collapsed with a thud, his voice trembling. "C-Captain... H-How are you awake?"
Following Absalom's gaze, Hancock saw Ryan standing there with a mocking smile playing on his lips, his teasing eyes sending chills down her spine. She instinctively took a step back.
They were so close! How could they have been discovered?
Ryan leisurely stepped forward, bent down to pick up the keys, swept his gaze over Hancock's pale face, then looked at Absalom still slumped on the floor. His voice was laced with sarcasm. "Since when did my ship allow anyone to sneak around and make moves behind my back?"
"C-Captain, I... I was just..." Absalom opened his mouth to explain, but the words died in his throat when he met Ryan's icy stare.
"Get out."
Few could resist the Pirate Empress's charm, so it was natural for Absalom to fall under her spell. Besides, he was just an insignificant pawn—keeping him here would only be an eyesore and disrupt the game between Ryan and Hancock.
Rather than bothering with a minor underling's intentions, Ryan was more interested in seeing what expression this "Empress" would wear after her plan fell through.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Absalom shuddered, scrambling to his feet. Whatever lust he'd felt for Hancock earlier had been completely washed away by the terror of death. Not daring to even glance at Hancock, he kept his head down and stumbled toward the end of the corridor, vanishing around the corner in the blink of an eye.
The hallway fell into silence, leaving only Ryan and Hancock. Ryan toyed with the keys in his hand, his eyes fixed on Hancock's tense shoulders, his tone growing even more mocking. "It seems your 'helper' wasn't very useful, Empress."
Hancock's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly, but she quickly steadied herself. She raised a hand to gently sweep the black hair from her shoulder, her fingers moving through the strands with their usual elegance, as if the earlier panic over her failed plan had never occurred.
"When did you find out?" When she looked up again, her deep blue eyes had regained their customary cool composure, though a faint tension still lingered in her voice.
Watching Hancock's "forced calm" act, Ryan's smile deepened. He continued playing with the keys, speaking slowly. "This ship is my territory. Every rustle of the wind, every blade of grass—nothing escapes my notice."
He took a step closer, meeting Hancock's deep blue eyes, and enunciated each word clearly. "The moment Absalom started sneaking around, I knew my 'Pirate Empress' was up to something."
Hancock's face abruptly changed. Clenching her teeth, her voice brimming with suppressed fury, her eyes swirling with humiliation and resentment, she snarled, "You were toying with me!"
"Of course!" Ryan didn't deny it. He shook the keys in his hand, teasing, "I just love watching your plans crumble. After all, only then will you remember clearly who owns this ship, and who holds the power over you."
The ship was filled with either CP9 elites or former Baroque Works assassins, all experts in covert operations and intelligence gathering. The moment Absalom's clumsy intentions surfaced, someone had already reported it.
Hancock stood frozen in place, her face deathly pale as she bit her lower lip so hard she tasted the faint metallic tang of blood.
So from beginning to end, she had been nothing but a puppet on strings. Every struggle and scheme of hers had been under their control all along. They deliberately waited until the final moment to strike, just to deliver the heaviest blow when she was closest to "freedom".
"Don't torment yourself like this. It'd be a shame if you got hurt." Ryan stepped forward, gently wiping the blood from Hancock's lips with deliberate tenderness, though his tone remained domineering. "You belong to me."
"I surrender!" Hancock jerked her head away, avoiding Ryan's touch. Her eyes burned with fury and resentment, yet her voice carried a hoarse, defeated quality. "Do whatever you want with me!"
It wasn't like she hadn't been tormented before—she had nothing left to lose anyway.
Ryan chuckled lowly, ignoring her words as his hand moved behind her, fingertips trailing slowly down her spine with teasing lightness. "You made my subordinate betray me and schemed to escape. Naturally, I have to properly 'return the favor' and let you taste the feeling of being 'betrayed'."
"You—!" Hancock's body stiffened abruptly, her cheeks flushing crimson with shame and anger. Trembling, she glared at him. "If you have any guts, just kill me! Don't use these despicable methods!"
No sooner had she spoken than Ryan forcefully turned her around. Her body thudded against the wall, making her gasp in pain. Before she could react, he stepped forward, caging her between his arms against the wall in an inescapable prison that left her unable to move.
Sensing the fierce aura emanating from the man behind her, Hancock's panic swiftly overwhelmed her anger. A note of pleading entered her voice. "Not here... take this inside the room..."
Since there was no escape anyway, at least grant her this last shred of dignity—not in a corridor where anyone might pass by at any moment.
"That's not for you to decide." Ryan leaned in close, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Hancock wanted to retort, but the words died on her lips as her body suddenly jolted. An involuntary moan escaped her, and she clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she cursed, "Bastard, let me go—"
But her protests soon shifted in tone, laced with a tremor she herself refused to acknowledge. Fragmented sounds echoed softly in the empty corridor, only to be quickly swallowed by deeper gasps.