It turns out that Galette isn't limited to that cold, expressionless face.
When her emotions rise, she reveals a certain peculiar expression—proof that beneath her icy exterior lies an intensely rich inner world and a deep hunger for affection.
Clearly, that expression is something only Vane gets to enjoy.
Already experienced and equipped with mind-reading abilities, no matter how much she protested verbally and told him to stop, Vane could read her true thoughts and continue his advance.
And Vane also discovered something—Galette seemed to have a slight masochistic tendency.
Perhaps it stemmed from being overlooked and isolated since childhood. Now that someone was treating her well, even pain-laced affection was something she cherished deeply.
With this discovery, Vane felt even more confident in his conquest.
He intended to shape both Galette's body and heart into his own form.
...
The next morning.
The rising sun slowly shifted across the sky, its rays slipping into the room and gradually changing position until the light finally reached Galette's eyes.
"Mm…"
Her eyelashes fluttered twice. Unable to bear the sunlight shining directly into her eyes, she tried to raise a hand to block it—instinctively attempting to use her dominant right hand, only to realize she couldn't move it at all.
Vane had her wrapped in his arms.
Beneath the soft blanket, neither of them wore anything. When she had been asleep, she hadn't felt much. But now that she was fully conscious, Galette felt her body growing hotter and hotter.
"Awake?"
With recovery speed that likely outpaced his stamina consumption, Vane had already been awake for some time. Normally, he might have gone out early to spar and train with Fujitora.
But today was different.
He had already decided to make Galette one of his own. That meant there should be a honeymoon period. Disappearing right after putting his pants back on was something he would avoid.
"I want to sleep a little longer. Last night was a bit too crazy… You never listen to what people say."
Vane chuckled.
"That's because you never meant what you said."
This set of sheets had already been changed once last night. The previous ones had practically been soaked through like they'd been submerged in water.
Since they were already lying there, Vane wasn't in a rush to get up. He chatted with Galette for a long while.
One of the key topics was how many other women Vane had besides her.
No woman in this world could easily accept sharing her man with others.
Unless his status was something she could only aspire to reach… or she truly couldn't endure his "discipline" alone.
As it happened, Vane possessed both conditions.
Galette showed clear dissatisfaction.
Vane directly used his body to teach her reality—she couldn't handle him alone. She needed help.
...
By lunchtime, the two of them had finally cleaned up and stepped out of the room.
During the meal, Baccarat or Monet would brief him on the day's work progress or any matters requiring reports. Some decisions needed his final approval; others were simply for his awareness.
"Oh, by the way, during sparring today, Miss Hancock went a bit heavy-handed. Burgess and Dice both suffered minor injuries."
Members of Rocket Team often sparred with one another internally. Ability users like Hancock, Burgess, and Dice usually refrained from using their Devil Fruit powers during training, focusing instead on honing their physical combat skills.
The Snake Princess's Devil Fruit ability was powerful, and her martial prowess was equally formidable. She had built a solid foundation early on in the martial culture of Amazon Lily and had experienced numerous life-and-death battles in Mary Geoise.
Moreover, she had mastered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki.
Without using Devil Fruit powers, those two brutes—Burgess and Dice—would only get beaten badly in a one-on-one fight against Hancock.
If they used their Devil Fruit abilities, it would be even worse—they'd likely be instantly defeated by the Snake Princess's powers.
More than a decade later, she would possess the strength to petrify two of Blackbeard's Captains, a Vice Admiral, and a large group of Marines in one go—power that even Blackbeard himself would be wary of.
Before Fujitora arrived, she was undoubtedly the most promising and strongest subordinate under Vane.
"Was she that angry today?"
Baccarat leaned closer to Vane, her warm breath brushing against his ear.
"Vane-sama, I think you should look for the reason within yourself…"
There was no need to guess—it was definitely because of Galette.
The daughters of the Charlotte Family merely suffered from romantic idealism.
The women of Amazon Lily were far more extreme. For them, love was a sickness. If they truly fell for someone and couldn't obtain that love, they would wither away and die.
Not modern clinical depression—real, fatal heartbreak.
Shakky's object of affection should be Rayleigh. She never married him, but as long as she stayed by his side, she showed no symptoms.
Hancock's situation was likely similar. As long as she remained near Vane, she wouldn't "fall ill." But seeing three other women around him still made her furious.
Monet and Baccarat were positioned as secretary-lovers. They had to rely on him, and he didn't need to invest excessive emotional value in them.
Galette was a political marriage.
Being with Hancock, on the other hand, felt more like actual dating—the kind where the girl would throw little tantrums.
"By the way, has the site for the martial arena been finalized?"
Vane had decided to build a large martial arena on Sleeping Island, primarily for Rocket Team members to spar.
In the future, once traffic to Sleeping Island increased, they could even host martial arts tournaments.
"It's been decided. Right here."
Baccarat pointed to a location on the map of Sleeping Island.
"For now, it seems like Sleeping Island still has plenty of usable land… but we need to think long-term."
Land reclamation in the world of pirates was hardly impossible.
There were many abilities capable of altering terrain. The Stone-Stone Fruit and the Island-Island Fruit could probably extract rock and soil from underground with ease—though that might create hollow ground beneath.
The Float-Float Fruit of the Golden Lion would be ideal. Bringing over uninhabited islands would effortlessly expand territory.
As for the Press-Press Fruit… it would likely be difficult to achieve the same effect as the Float-Float Fruit. Lifting an entire island would be far more challenging due to differences in how the abilities functioned.
However, the Press-Press Fruit could pull down meteors.
That meant an unlimited supply of off-world materials for land reclamation. With enough effort, Fujitora could theoretically create an entire continent.
"Building land with meteors… not a bad idea. Though meteors wouldn't be suitable for farming."
Meteor material was virtually inexhaustible—a tremendous resource.
The only drawback was that such land would need a layer of soil added later; otherwise, it wouldn't support agriculture.
A minor flaw, really.
The benefits of pulling down meteors far outweighed the disadvantages.