Drip… drip… drip…
Puff… sploosh… sploosh…
Then, suddenly—
"HUhh—!!!"
Linlin jolted awake.
She had been sprawled across the bed, fast asleep, but now her body trembled as she sucked in ragged breaths. Her chest rose and fell rapidly while she sat upright, panting as she struggled to steady herself.
"Haaah… haaah… w-what… what was that?" she gasped, disoriented and trying to understand what had just happened.
She felt confused and uncertain about what had just happened. Her memories were hazy, and the effort to piece them together only made her head ache slightly.
"R-right… I… I saw… a-a dream?" she murmured to herself, trying to recall it.
She wasn't even sure if it had really been a dream.
Most of the details slipped through her mind the moment she tried to grasp them. But that wasn't surprising. Dreams were always like that, blurry, fragmented, moving too quickly for the mind to fully hold onto. No one ever remembered everything. People only kept scattered fragments, vague impressions of what they had experienced.
And that was exactly what Linlin had left as well.
Bits and pieces.
Yet even though the memories remained faint and incomplete, she still had a lingering sense of what kind of dream she had just seen.
"It was a… wet dream?" she murmured.
A blush crept across her face as fragments of the dream surfaced in her memory. The things she had done… the things she had felt…
What made the situation even more absurd was that whatever had happened in the dream hadn't remained confined to her mind. She could clearly feel the physical aftermath lingering in her body.
Her entire body was damp with sweat, her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her skin. As for her panties… There was hardly any point in mentioning them. They were completely soaked, so much so that the bed beneath her was damp, several small puddles spreading across the sheets with a faint, womanly scent lingering in the air.
If someone were to walk in at that moment, they might assume she had wet the bed in her sleep.
But Linlin knew perfectly well that it wasn't that kind of wetting. The bed had indeed become soaked, but not with urine. It was her own arousal that had drenched the sheets.
This was the result of the heat and desire that had overwhelmed her body in her dream.
The dampness of her panties, along with the lingering warmth and faint twitching deep in her core, made her painfully aware of what her body had released during the dream.
'Damn it… How could I?' she thought, her face flushing even deeper in shame.
She buried her face into the pillow in embarrassment while her hand drifted down between her thighs, brushing against the lingering warmth and slickness there, 'I really did, didn't I? But… it was the result of—!!!'
Suddenly, she froze as more fragments of the dream resurfaced in her mind. "I saw… Zechs, didn't I?" she murmured softly.
But then another thought followed close behind. "…But was that really Zechs?"
Once again, doubt crept into her mind as she questioned whether the man she had seen in her dream had truly been Zechs, or if it had simply been something her mind created, an illusion born from her refusal to accept the possibility that he might be dead, a hallucination she could cling to so she could believe he was still alive.
What troubled her even more was that she also didn't remember the entire conversation she had with Zechs.
While she clearly remembered seeing him and being intimate with him, as for the conversation that they had, she only remembered the bits and pieces, and that alone was not enough to be certain whether he was truly alive.
Bit her lip, she softly murmured to herself, "Zechs… you… You're alive, right?"
She desperately wanted to believe that he was alive, that somehow he had reached her through that dream. After all, only he… only he could make her feel this way, right?
'Yes… You… You must be alive…!' she told herself again.
Unfortunately, there was no way for her to confirm the truth right now.
All she could do was wait… wait for him to return to her.
She didn't even know whether simply waiting would truly bring him back. But at this point, there was nothing else she could do. Giving up was not something she was willing to consider. So instead of surrendering to despair, she chose to believe in the faint possibility that he was still alive.
'Yes… I just have to wait… very soon, he'll return to me…'
With that thought in mind, she pushed herself up from the bed. She had already slept enough, and despite the faint exhaustion lingering in her body after the dream, sleep refused to return. There was no point staying in bed any longer.
Instead of lying there and sinking into gloomy thoughts, it was better to get up, clean herself, and step outside. A bit of fresh air would help clear her head, and she still had things to sort out with the crew and figure out a place to lay low.
As she tidied both herself and the room, another thought quietly surfaced in her mind.
'Will I see that kind of dream again?'
'If Zechs is really alive… then he'll contact me again… right?'
Even though she couldn't be certain, the possibility alone made her look forward to it. To the moment he might reach out to her again.
'I… hope so… this way… I can be more certain that I am not going insane… that he really is out there somewhere…'
With that in mind, she stepped out of the cabin, bolted the door behind her, and headed toward the main deck.
…
When Linlin stepped onto the main deck, the atmosphere immediately grew tense. The crew members stiffened, their expressions turning nervous.
The reason wasn't surprising. Over the past few days, Linlin had been in a terrible mood, and the entire crew had been on edge because of it. Now that she had appeared on the deck, everyone wondered what she would say next, or worse, which Marine warship or base she would order them to attack.
The mere thought made several pirates groan inwardly. None of them wanted to provoke the Marines again; it would only attract even more trouble. Quietly, they prayed she wouldn't give such an order.
Fortunately, their prayers seemed to be answered.
Linlin turned to the crew's navigator and said, "Bard… is there an island where we can lay low for a while?"
"Lay… low?" Bard murmured, clearly surprised by Linlin's question. He wasn't a foolish man; he understood exactly what she meant. His eyes lit up as he asked cautiously, "Ane-san… you mean…?"
Around him, several other crew members' eyes brightened as well, each of them hoping to hear the same answer.
Linlin noticed the sudden change across the deck and felt conflicted. 'They're all such cowards…' she thought bitterly. The idea that her entire crew feared conflict so openly displeased. Still, they cared about her, and she cared about them as well. Because of that, she couldn't bring herself to scold them, even if their timid reaction made her uncomfortable.
Sighing inwardly, she finally nodded. "We're done searching for that bastard Zechs. We're pulling out."
After a brief pause, she continued, "I want to return to Totto Land, but that guy Kong has been trying to lay siege there. It's better if we avoid going back for now. Find somewhere else we can lie low for a while, an island that won't attract much attention from the Marines."
"I understand, Ane-san. Leave it to me," the navigator replied immediately. Clearly excited, he hurried off to examine their maps and determine which island would be best for them to disappear to for a time.
Several members of the crew looked excited at the thought of finally avoiding trouble. Still, they remained somewhat concerned about Zechs' fate and asked, "Ane-san… are we really going to stop searching for Aniki?"
Asmodeus Zechs was their Ane-san's man. The two of them had even planned to marry. And now, suddenly, the search was being abandoned. It naturally raised questions, whether Zechs had died or whether their Ane-san had simply decided to give up on him.
Linlin remained silent for a moment before answering, "There's no point in continuing the search."
She didn't say anything about the possibility that he might still be alive or that they might meet again in the near future. The truth was, she wasn't even certain herself.
Besides, what could she possibly tell them? That she might have seen him in a dream and drawn her conclusion from that? It would sound ridiculous. They might even think she had lost her mind.
It was better to keep quiet and wait.
When Zechs resurfaced on the seas again, she would meet him then.
"I see…" the crewmen nodded, choosing not to ask further. As long as things returned to how they had been before, they were satisfied.
While the crew felt relieved, Linlin couldn't help but complain inwardly, 'At this rate… how am I supposed to become the Queen of the Seas?'
To achieve that goal, she needed more than just loyal subordinates. She needed followers who were both strong and brave. Yet the people under her command were neither powerful enough nor courageous enough. They were useful, yes, they kept the ship running and allowed her to travel wherever she wished without too much trouble, but expecting more from them was pointless.
She knew that.
Even so, the desire to become the Queen of the Seas still burned within her.
'I need stronger and more capable subordinates,' she thought. But the idea left her feeling somewhat helpless. Where was she supposed to find such people? Truly powerful individuals rarely choose to follow others.
She had already experienced this firsthand with Zechs. He is strong, perhaps even as strong as she is, and clearly, he didn't agree to submit to her.
She had originally planned to keep him by her side as her husband and slowly persuade him to submit to her over time. But that plan clearly wasn't going to work. Instead of him becoming helpless before her, she was the one who ended up feeling powerless in front of him.
Moreover, he seemed to have his own intentions; she could sense it clearly. Zechs wanted her to submit to him instead.
Others like him would likely behave the same way, which left her feeling somewhat helpless.
'No… that can't be acceptable. If I can't even make Zechs submit to me, then what kind of Queen of the Seas would I be?' she thought, shaking her head.
'If Zechs is still alive… then I really need to figure out a way to make him submit to me.'
But that once again presented the previous problem. The problem of 'how'?
Zechs… like her is a conqueror, and as a conqueror, is not the type who would submit easily.
"Direct combat definitely won't work. Even if I defeat him in a fight, he wouldn't agree to serve me," she thought. Besides, the idea of fighting her future husband like that made her somewhat reluctant. 'Umm… what was it he said? Domestic violence isn't conducive to a successful, long-term marriage… something like that, right?'
So violence was definitely out of the question.
'Should it be settled through… sex?' she wondered, considering another possibility. But she quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea almost immediately. 'No… It's hard to say if I could even match him in that regard…'
Sex was Zechs' domain.
And although she was reluctant to admit it, she might not actually be able to beat him when it came to that.
'If I want him to submit to me, it has to be through some other method… something that isn't direct confrontation or battle of sex… maybe something related to piracy itself…'
She couldn't help but rack her brain, searching for a way to make it happen.
While she was ragging her brain, the news that the ship was putting a stop to the search operation and was sailing away from these waters reached other ears on the ship as well…
…
In the kitchen area
Streusen, wearing his green chef's hat, looked pale and unsteady. His body still trembled from weakness and exhaustion. But the moment he heard the news, his eyes lit up.
"We're stopping the search for Asmodeus Zechs and sailing away from these waters?" he asked.
"Yes," one of the cooks replied with a nod. "Those are Linlin's orders."
Hearing that, Streusen's exhausted body seemed to fill with energy at once. Inside, he cheered with relief.
'Damn right… she's finally accepted that Asmodeus Zechs is dead and decided to move forward. Just as I expected from the Linlin I raised. She wouldn't remain hung up on a man she had only known for two days…'
He was the happiest person on the ship to hear this news. If his legs weren't still trembling so badly, he might have started dancing on the spot.
While Streusen celebrated internally, one of the other cooks glanced at the tray he had prepared.
"Lord Streusen… what is this dish?" the cook asked curiously.
His eyes lingered on a small bowl filled with a white sauce. It looked somewhat like butter, though it carried a faintly fishy smell. Curious, the cook slowly reached out a finger, intending to taste it.
Streusen's face twisted in horror. He immediately snapped out of his thoughts and smacked the reaching hand away.
"Don't touch it…!!!"
"Ouch! What's wrong with you? I was just trying to taste it…" the cook complained.
"Don't even think about it!!!" Streusen barked, his face turning fierce as he stepped in front of the tray and spread his arms protectively. "It's for Linlin, and only for her!!!"
The mere thought that another man might taste that special sauce made his face turn green with disgust.
"This is Linlin's favorite," he added sharply. "Are you trying to eat her favorite dish?"
"N-no…" the cook stammered, turning pale as he quickly stepped back and shook his head.
"Humph!" Streusen snorted.
He then turned back to the tray with a wide grin, picked it up carefully, and began heading out of the kitchen. As he left, he called back to the other cooks.
"Clean up the mess here. I'll take Linlin her snacks. She hasn't been eating well lately… but today, I'm sure she'll happily eat what I've prepared for her."
He was not only full of anticipation but also excited to personally deliver the special sauce he had prepared. He had poured all his effort into it and was eager to see her reaction.
She would definitely like it.
And once she liked it, she would surely want more.
At that thought, Streusen trembled slightly, a faint trace of worry crossing his haggard face. After all, preparing the key ingredient for that sauce required considerable effort on his part, and producing it in large quantities for Linlin's appetite would be exhausting.
But still…
'Don't worry, Perospero… Compote… for the sake of the two of you being born, I'm willing to work hard,' he thought.
With that determination, Streusen carried the tray out of the kitchen and headed toward the main deck.
…
Elsewhere on the ship—
Streusen wasn't the only one who had heard the news that Linlin was abandoning the search and sailing away from these waters to lie low.
Rob, who could be considered the second-in-command of Zechs' crew, also received the news. He had been woken up by several of his crewmates, who informed him of what was happening.
"She's giving up the search for the captain?" he asked with a frown.
"Yes…" The crewmembers nodded.
One of them asked anxiously, "What should we do now, Rob-san? Are we really going to give up on the Captain?"
The thought didn't sit well with them, and many looked deeply troubled.
After all, they had sailed with Asmodeus Zechs for years. The bond they had built during that time wasn't something that could be forgotten after just a month.
Another member of the crew spoke up hesitantly. "But… we've been searching for an entire month and still haven't found a single trace of the Captain. At this point… do we even know if he's still alive…?"
The room fell silent.
Several of them wanted to scold him for even asking such a thing. How could he say that about their captain? Yet, despite how unpleasant the thought was, it remained a genuine question.
An entire month had passed. They had poured enormous effort into searching for Zechs, but there had been no results. Worse still, Zechs hadn't contacted them even once.
The possibility that lingered in everyone's mind was difficult to face.
Unable to accept the situation yet equally unsure of what to do, most of them turned their eyes toward Rob. At this moment, only he could decide their next move.
Rob remained silent for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Everyone… I know this is hard to accept, but we can't forget something important," he said. "This isn't our ship. We don't get to make the decisions here. Whatever happens on this vessel is ultimately up to its captain."
"But… what about the Captain?" someone asked hesitantly.
Rob paused before answering, "I'll speak with Linlin-san. Later, we can try to leave the ship and continue searching for him ourselves."
Hearing Rob's words, the others exchanged uneasy glances. There was hesitation and even some fear, but no one openly refused. Even those who had begun to suspect that Zechs might already be dead chose to go along with the plan.
"…Alright," they finally agreed.
With that decision made, Rob stood up and prepared to speak with Linlin about the matter.
…
When Rob arrived on the main deck, he saw Linlin sitting in a chair. Nearby, Streusen stood beside a table, having just placed a tray in front of her.
"Linlin… here, try this," Streusen said, urging her gently. "I made it specially for you. I'm sure you'll like it."
Rob's expression immediately changed when he saw the dish Streusen was offering.
'That guy…'
Unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind, along with the words Streusen had muttered back then. And now, seeing the white sauce being presented to Linlin, Rob instantly realized what Streusen was trying to feed her.
'That bastard…!!!'
Panic surged through him, and he rushed forward to stop Linlin. She had already lifted a spoonful and was bringing it toward her lips.
Rob feared that his captain's fiancée was really going to eat it… and he, who owes so much to Zechs, can't let that happen… how could he let his captain get a green hat?
But just as he had taken two steps—
Crash! Clank, clank!
A loud crash echoed across the deck, followed by the sharp sound of crockery shattering and its contents spilling across the floor.
"What the—?!!!"
The sudden noise made everyone freeze and turn toward the source.
And the source…
…was Linlin, who was on her feet, her face blazing with anger and her fists clenched. In one swift motion, she grabbed Streusen by the neck, the culprit responsible for angering her, and slammed him against the wall.
Bang!
Blood leaked from Streusen's head… but Linlin didn't care about that at the moment. Rather, she demanded indignantly, "Streusen… what's the meaning of this?"
"Linlin… this… I… I was just… just…" Streusen stammered, his lips trembling and his body shaking as he struggled to explain himself.
But how could he possibly explain it?
"Just… what? What the hell do you think you were trying to feed me?!" Linlin roared, her fury exploding.
Of course, she had already realized what he was trying to feed her. She understood it without even tasting it, just from the smell alone.
Although the scent of the sauce wasn't exactly the same as Zechs' cum, and it most definitely didn't smell addictive, it was still close enough for her to recognize what it was at once with a brief glance and a sniff.
Her instincts as a woman told her exactly what it was.
The realization filled her with instant disgust and revulsion. A wave of anger quickly followed, burning even stronger when she thought about the person responsible. Of all people, Streusen had dared to try feeding her something like that.
For a moment, she could hardly believe it. Part of her wondered if she was still trapped in some horrible dream.
But the nauseating thought lingered. "Ugh… just thinking about it makes me want to vomit…!"
Beyond the waves of disgust and nausea, Linlin felt something even worse.
Betrayal.
Streusen was supposed to be someone like a foster father to her, someone she trusted. And yet…
"Even though I… even though I…" she murmured, her voice trembling as her body shook.
The feeling left her deeply unsettled, almost as if she had been violated.
Streusen tried to explain himself. "Linlin… I… listen to me…"
"Shut up!" she snapped immediately, refusing to hear another word.
What was there left to listen to anyway? His intentions toward her were already clear. If she was honest with herself, it wasn't as though she had been completely unaware of them before. She had simply chosen to ignore it. After all, Streusen had raised her and had always remained by her side.
But now…
Now she couldn't even stand the thought of him looking at her.
The mere feeling of his gaze falling on her made her skin crawl, as if she were being violated and humiliated.
"Tch… I ought to rip those eyes out first before killing you…" she muttered coldly, her voice low with anger as she moved as if ready to do exactly that.
Streusen panicked instantly. "Linlin… forgive me! I only did this because I was worried about you!" he cried hurriedly. "You haven't been eating for days. I overheard something between you and Asmodeus Zechs, and I thought… I thought this might cheer you up. Maybe it would even help you forget him. I did it for you… I swear!"
His voice shook as he continued. "I've only ever cared about you… from the day I found you as a little girl until now. Everything I've done has been for you… I have…"
His desperate words made Linlin hesitate.
He was playing on her emotions, and right now, her emotions were already in turmoil.
She is not one hundred percent certain whether Zechs is really alive or not, and with the uncertainty gnawing at her mind, she felt shaken and conflicted.
And after possibly losing Zechs…
She didn't want to lose someone else again.
Although Linlin felt deep disgust toward Streusen, it was also true that he was the closest thing she had to family.
And the thought of ripping out his eyes, or even killing someone she considered family, was something she simply couldn't bring herself to do.
The idea of taking Streusen's life stirred another memory as well. It reminded her of something she refused to acknowledge… something that had happened twelve years ago. The day Mother Carmel and the other children from the Sheep's House disappeared.
That memory made her tremble.
She quickly shook her head, as if trying to force the thought away—as though she didn't remember what had happened that day at all.
As far as she was concerned, Mother Carmel and the other children from the Sheep's House had simply, but mysteriously… disappeared.
'Right… haah… they disappeared… and all I need to do is create a nation where everyone can be equal. Once I do that… Mother Carmel… and everyone else… they'll return,' she told herself.
Gradually calming down, she looked at Streusen again. For a brief moment, a trace of killing intent flashed in her eyes, only to fade just as quickly.
As expected…
She simply couldn't bring herself to kill him, and that only made her angrier.
"Tch… damn it!!!"
With a sharp motion, she shoved him away. He stumbled and fell forward, his face landing directly in the very sauce he had been trying to feed her.
Streusen trembled as he struggled to push himself up, his face still smeared with the white sauce.
"Linlin… I—"
"Silence."
Her voice cut him off before he could say another word.
Linlin didn't even look at him. She stood there breathing heavily, as if forcing herself to make a decision.
Although she couldn't bring herself to kill him, that didn't mean she was ready to forgive him either. Fury still burned inside her, mixed with deep disgust. At that moment, all she wanted was for Streusen to disappear from her sight.
After a moment of hesitation, she spoke again without glancing at him, "Just get lost."
"!!!"
The crew seemed to freeze the moment they heard Linlin's words. Everyone clearly understood what they meant.
One man, who didn't fully grasp the situation or what Streusen had done, tried to speak up, "Ane-san… isn't that going a bit too—"
He never finished the sentence.
Linlin shot him a glare, and the fury in her eyes made him immediately fall silent.
The others who might have wanted to say something also kept quiet, none of them daring to speak. The atmosphere on the deck grew heavy.
"Don't make me repeat myself," Linlin said coldly.
Then she addressed Streusen directly.
"Leave. Leave this ship and never show your face in front of me again…!!! If you appear before me again, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself… and I might really kill you."
Having made her decision, she didn't remain on the deck any longer. Her mood was foul, and standing there wouldn't change anything.
Without another word, she turned and walked away, heading back toward her cabin.
…
A few minutes later, a small boat was lowered from Linlin's pirate ship. Streusen sat alone inside it. Once the boat touched the water, the pirate ship did not slow down or wait. It simply continued sailing away, leaving the small craft drifting behind.
Standing on the deck, one of Zechs' crew members watched the boat grow smaller in the distance and muttered quietly, "What exactly happened earlier?"
He was still completely confused about the situation.
The crewmate who had been silenced earlier shrugged. "Beats me."
After a moment, he glanced toward the shrinking boat with a complicated expression, 'Streusen… what exactly were you trying to do to Ane-san earlier?'
But even if he asked, no one really knew the answer. Perhaps only Streusen and Linlin understood what had happened. Now Streusen was gone, and Linlin clearly had no intention of explaining anything.
So the truth would likely remain a mystery.
At the same time, Rob, perhaps the only other person who actually understood the situation, remained silent. He simply watched the distant boat drift farther and farther away.
One of Zechs' crew members leaned closer and whispered, "Rob-san… what about talking to Linlin-san about asking the captain…?"
Rob exhaled quietly, "Yeah… about that… It's best not to bring it up for a while."
He decided it would be wiser to wait until Linlin's mood had calmed down a little.
While Linlin's crew slowly tried to move past the incident, watching their ship drift farther and farther away from the small boat, the man left behind on that boat was far from calm.
Streusen lay there, his face twisted with pure hatred.
"That bitch… that ungrateful bitch…" he hissed.
"Linlin… you ungrateful bitch. Don't think this is over." His eyes burned with resentment as he clenched his fists.
"I'll have my revenge on you… I swear I will. I'll trample you beneath me, mock you, and humiliate you the same way you humiliated me today—no… even worse."
His voice grew harsher as he spat the words into the empty sea.
"Just wait… YOU FUCKING UNGRATEFUL CANNIBALISTIC BITCH!!!"
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Of course, if the readers wish, they can certainly read up to 25 advanced Chapters on p-a-t-r-e-o-n: Knockturn_Alley