After dinner, Ethan sat on the sofa for a while, flipping through the day's newspaper. As always, it was filled with reports of towns raided by pirates, bounty announcements, and naval victories against criminal crews.
Only when the sound of water stopped in the bathroom did he finally set the paper aside, his gaze drifting expectantly toward the door.
A few more minutes passed before Hina emerged, still towel-drying her hair, her body fresh from the bath.
She had changed into a white slip dress that barely reached her upper thighs. The sheer fabric hugged her curves tightly, the bold contours of her figure leaving little to the imagination. Beneath the fabric, a flash of red hinted at something riper, drawing the eye like fruit in summer sun.
Her long legs, smooth and pale with a touch of ivory, were clad in thigh-high black stockings. They weren't quite as voluptuous as 2B's, but their taut, athletic grace carried a mature allure all their own.
Noticing Ethan's silent stare, Hina gave a playful smile. She walked toward the bed with practiced elegance, her every step a subtle ripple of invitation. Sitting down with a deliberate cross of her legs, she teased, "What? Cat got your tongue?"
"Can you blame me?" Ethan joined her on the edge of the bed, reaching out to gently towel her damp hair. "By day you're a commanding officer, proud and untouchable. But by night... dressed like this, you look like you're begging to be devoured. That contrast? Irresistible."
"Is that so?" Hina chuckled. "You're the first man who's ever dared to say that to my face."
"What, were you hoping I'd act like a gentleman? Bow and keep a respectful distance?" Ethan tossed the towel aside and pulled her into his arms, pinning her gently beneath him on the mattress. "Somehow, I don't think that's your style."
Hina wrapped her arms around his neck, her gaze locked on his with a strange heat. "Spending all day around rough men and blustering pirates... is it so strange that I sometimes want someone to treat me gently?"
"Gentleness? That can be arranged." Ethan softened his expression, letting go of his usual bravado. He looked into her eyes, admiring the sharp beauty of her features the proud bridge of her nose, the quiet strength in her lips.
As a blush crept across her cheeks, turning them as pink as her hair, he leaned in and kissed her. Slowly. Tenderly. This wasn't the hungry, possessive kiss from before. It was deliberate, almost reverent, like savoring something forbidden.
But tenderness didn't guarantee submission.
Before he could deepen the kiss, Hina suddenly flipped him over and straddled him. Her hands pinned his wrists above his head, and with a spark of her Devil Fruit power, snapped ethereal cuffs around them, binding him to the headboard.
Ethan blinked in surprise. "What are you doing?"
2B, who had remained seated silently nearby, stood up instantly, her senses sharpening. If Hina hurt Ethan, she would intervene without hesitation.
But Hina leaned down instead, pressing her lips against his throat with a gasp of breath. "You're too perfect like this. So soft. So unspoiled. It makes me want to... ruin you a little."
Clearly, the years spent battling pirates and barking orders had left Hina craving something different something she could control, something she could claim.
With no restraint, she tore open his shirt. His pale, unscarred skin glowed in the dim light, so flawless it seemed almost unreal.
In a world where every fighter bore some trace of violence a scar, a wound, a reminder of survival Ethan's unmarred body was a rarity. Even nobles rarely looked so pristine.
To Hina, it was irresistible.
She wanted to claim it.
She wanted to leave a mark.
She began to kiss him again, from the curve of his jaw to the ridges of his abdomen. Just as her fingers reached for his belt, she paused and glanced toward 2B, still standing by the window. With a wave of her hand, she pulled the curtains shut.
Of course, curtains meant little to 2B. Her visor wasn't her only sensor; she had scanning capability beyond the visible. If she wanted, she could observe every detail in this ship.
But she chose not to.
Respect, perhaps. Or restraint.
Still, even with the curtains drawn, the light cast faint silhouettes on the fabric. Two figures, locked together, their shadows dancing in delicate tension.
2B watched, expression unreadable. She saw Hina straddling Ethan, saw the rhythm shift and then the tables turn.
Ethan struck back, and Hina reeled from the surprise. Her head snapped sideways, and even through the curtain, the impact echoed faintly in the room.
Stunned, Hina froze for a second. Clearly confused. Weren't his hands still bound?
Before she could fully recover, she retaliated in her own way forceful, unrelenting. The two of them clashed again, neither yielding, their every movement framed in shadowplay.
Eventually, Hina sat back, breathless, her silhouette rising and falling in a slow, victorious rhythm. The outlines of her form waist, hips, shoulders moved with quiet pride.
2B, watching from the sidelines, tightened her fists.
Serves her right.
She hadn't liked the way Hina had pinned Ethan down at the start. Too rough. Too domineering. It wasn't about jealousy it was concern. Ethan was human. Fragile. Vulnerable. Unlike Hina, whose strength bordered on inhuman.
But the moment passed quickly.
Now Hina's silhouette shifted again. She rose, then dropped, over and over, each movement a soundless crash behind the curtain.
The shadows danced.
Outside, the branches of a tree swayed in the rain, casting flickering reflections across the thin fabric. It was like watching a puppet show figures moving in time with some unseen melody.
The storm outside began to build.
And within it, Hina moved like the one who called the rain.
She was more eager than Ethan. More ravenous.
Watching her, 2B couldn't help but wonder when Ethan had once taken her from behind beneath the full moon, had the moon trembled too?
She pressed her legs together slightly. Something stirred within her.
Then she remembered what Ethan had told her earlier
If you ever feel the urge... you can always join us.
Together?