Pirate: I'm not the King of the Sea, so don't mess with me.

"Are you so unhappy to see me?"

"No, not really!"

"come over!"

"Well, let's forget it! I'm fine here."

"So you still hate me!"

"……I don't!"

The woman squatting in the corner of the coffin boat stood up suddenly, shouting no, but her feet made no move at all.

With his long legs crossed, the man sitting under the sail looked at her quietly.

Zenia looked away guiltily.

It wasn't that she didn't dare to go there, it was just that she always felt... once she walked over, it would be as if she had to compromise on something.

In my ears, a sigh suddenly came: "Forget it!"

Listening to this tone that seemed to give up something, Zheniya's heart trembled for no reason.

She looked sharply in Mihawk's direction.

She saw that Mihawk had already closed his eyes, leaning on the mast behind him, no longer looking at her.

An inexplicable guilt and the pain of losing something surged into my heart.

I was screaming in my heart that I couldn't compromise.

But at the same time, I want to confirm what happened to the other party?

As she wavered, Zheniya's tangled little face twisted.

The silent atmosphere where no one spoke was a bit suffocating.

You have to say something, right?

Can't we remain in such a stalemate?

Even if it can't be that kind of relationship, it can't continue to be so rigid, right?

Zenia always felt like she should say something.

So she said it.

"Well... we can still be friends, right?"

No one answered.

"I...I don't know when you started to like me..."

"But me, I'm a bit messy..."

The deteriorated friendship overloaded Zheniya's mind, and her beautiful red eyes turned into mosquito coils.

She squatted in the corner with her head in her hands, curled up like a helpless little quail.

Mihawk opened his eyes at some point and looked at the little woman who was struggling alone.

"Give me some time to relax, Mihawk..."

"I didn't know it would turn out like this!"

"If I had known earlier..." If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have come to see you! ???

Are you starting to run away again?

Mihawk slowly narrowed his eyes, listening to scattered thoughts in his ears, but in his mind he was thinking about the correctness of the decision of "deliberate neglect".

After all, Yaya's character is the type where the more time you give her, the less likely she is to think.

Even if you give her enough time, she will procrastinate until she dies.

So...it seems like we can't sit still and wait for death.

Recalling the interactions between the two.

The thinking man quickly found her weakness.

Soft-hearted...?

Then try another way!

"...I think we all need some quiet time..."

"Sorry Yaya!"

The woman's sweet and slightly panicked thoughts suddenly stopped.

The little quail, which was holding its head, finally raised its neck and looked at the man who had been sitting there.

Mihawk's face was expressionless, but there was some unbearable emotion flashing in his eyes.

"I thought I had made it obvious."

"Sorry, I didn't give you enough hints."

"I've actually cared about you since a long time ago."

He lowered his eyes, and the sharp and shining double-ringed golden eyes in the past seemed to dim: "...That was probably the first time I pursued something other than the way of the sword."

"...If you feel that this kind of relationship bothers or troubles you, I don't have to bother you."

He raised his eyes. Although his expression was still emotionless, it gave people the feeling that he was letting go and sad.

"Just pretend that nothing happened! It might be a lot easier this way."

Looking at the man in front of her who kept giving in to take care of her emotions.

Many memories with Mihawk suddenly flashed through Zenia's mind.

Every time Mihawk came to him for a discussion, the emotion in his eyes was happiness and tenderness.

Every time I send a gift, the tone in the letter, although straightforward, is always very detailed.

Every time I heard that she was sick, I would call Chong to say hello. There was well-hidden worry in his tone.

Every time she comes to him, he can't hide the surprise and smile in his eyes...

It seems that... this cold and silent man has always been paying attention to himself silently.

His love is not as doting and tolerant as Rayleigh's, nor as public and enthusiastic as Polu's, nor as gentle and delicate as Kuzan's, but it has its own attentive and considerate personality.

He is a man who does not express his love verbally, but he shows his love in every way.

Mihawk was right.

Zenia's biggest 'weakness' is her soft heart.

She couldn't bear to reject someone who was kind to her.

Whether this request is 'excessive' or not.

So Zenia couldn't help but move.

She stood in front of Mihawk at a loss: "Mihawk... I... I'm really sorry, I'm right, I've always been slow to feelings."

So I don’t know your attention and love all the time.

She looked at his face carefully: "...We can continue to do...ah~"

Before she could finish her words, the man stretched out his hand and pulled her into his arms.

She lay on Mihawk's chest, warm breath came from above her head, and there was a hint of pain in his low and hoarse voice: "Do you think we can still be friends?"

"...Yaya, it's hard to take back what you say. I think you should understand."

Zenia raised her head and ran into those golden eyes flashing with determined emotion.

"I have no retreat."

"Either leave me completely, or accept my love!"

He slowly lowered his head, his two faces very close to each other.

He said: "I have always given you the opportunity to choose. Some feelings do not mean that you can just give in and pretend that nothing happened..."

Zheniya looked at him helplessly, and only she knew the inner struggle.

She has always been the type who doesn't want to lose.

This is related to her experience in another world.

Every emotion is hard-won and precious to her, so she is often reluctant to give it up.

But now Mihawk told her:

"You can make a choice!"

"I only give you ten seconds."

"Leave me completely, leave here, and never come back. Or stay, hug me, and accept my feelings..."

The hand holding her quietly let go.

It was as if the eagle had finally loosened its claws and was willing to let go of its prey.

Zheniya subconsciously raised her head and looked at Mihawk, her whole body staying in place.

Facing those dark and unclear eyes, which were a bit expectant but also a bit disappointed, she... didn't know what choice to make.

Maybe God is helping?

Just when Zheniya was hesitant, the sound of shelling suddenly came from the distance.

With a bang.

The shell exploded into a spray of water several meters high near the coffin boat.

The small coffin boat shook violently.

Zenia's body became unstable and she fell back into Mihawk's arms.

what's the situation?

The little nose hurt from being hit by the hard chest muscles.

Zenia thought with tears in her eyes.

Why is there a boat near here?

Turning around, he saw a pirate ship with a flying black flag approaching.

You can still vaguely hear the cheers coming from above.

Zheniya listened for a few times, and it probably meant that the shot just missed, and everyone was cheering and competing to see who could sink the boat first.

It's just... life-threatening.

Just as she was thinking about it, the man holding her tightly stood up suddenly.

The buzzing sound when the black knife was pulled out filled my ears.

The green slash cut through the sea and split the ship in half that had just heard cheers.

Amid screams and panic, the pirate ship sank straight into the sea.

Zenia: ...I knew this was the result.

"You have no chance to escape again Yaya!"

Zenia:?

The man lowered his head and placed a kiss on the top of her hair.

He continued with a smile in his voice: "Ten seconds have passed, you stayed!"

Zenia:! ! !