One Piece : Start As Celestial Dragon And Take Down Hancock-Chapter 174: Her Lips, His Chains — The Price of a Devil Fruit.
The words hung in the air, fragile and desperate.
Mirana’s smile faded, replaced with something almost pitying. "You always did like to pretend, brother. As if the world’s filth could be washed clean by a child’s dream."
Lakeman finally chuckled, low and slow, breaking the silence. "So that’s your truth. You admit your ties, your bargains, your deceit... and still dress it in righteousness."
He stepped closer, his aura pressing harder against the ground until Shanks’ arms trembled from the strain. "You never change — always believing your lies are noble."
Shanks lifted his gaze to meet Lakeman’s. The two locked eyes — one blazing with defiance, the other glinting with cold amusement.
"Believe what you want," Shanks said, voice raw. "But if you touch them again..."
He forced his head up, haki crackling like distant thunder around him. "...even if I die here, I’ll drag you down to hell with me."
Lakeman only smiled wider.
The ground cracked again beneath the weight of their wills. Makino could barely breathe under the tension; her mind was a whirl of shock, anger, and something she could no longer name.
’Who’s lying? Who’s telling the truth? Or are they both monsters in different skins?’
Her body trembled as she turned her gaze away, unable to bear either of their faces anymore.
And above them, the sky — once golden with sunset — had deepened into a bruised red, as though even the heavens couldn’t decide which of them was right.
Lakeman’s quiet laugh broke the silence again.
"So that’s it," he said, voice smooth, measured. "All your talk about freedom, about protecting the boy..."
He tilted his head slightly, red eyes gleaming.
"Isn’t that just a nice way of saying: ’Luffy is my tool, and he just needs enough time and space to grow into Nika — to fulfill my and my captain’s unfinished wishes’?"
The words hit like thunder.
Makino’s breath caught. Her gaze darted from Shanks to Lakeman, confusion and revulsion twisting together in her chest.
’Tool...? Is that what he really sees Luffy as?’
Shanks’ head snapped up. "No. That’s not—!" His voice cracked with fury, but the denial felt hollow even to him. He had told himself it was destiny, Roger’s will, the dawn of a new age — but hearing it stripped bare like this, he couldn’t find the words to defend it.
Lakeman’s smile widened faintly, a cold amusement behind it.
"You speak of ideals," he murmured, "but what I hear is ownership. A man who chose a child to carry his burden. You pretend it’s ’freedom’... but you’ve chained him to your dream before he could even walk."
Shanks’ breathing quickened.
’He’s twisting it. He’s twisting everything. Roger wanted... no, Luffy wanted—’
But doubt bled through his thoughts. He remembered Luffy’s eager grin, his promise to become Pirate King, and the weight of Roger’s hat resting on that boy’s head.
For the first time, Shanks felt the awful question rise: Had he ever given the boy a real choice?
Makino stared at him, tears slipping silently down her cheeks. Her voice trembled.
"Is that true, Shanks? Did you... choose him because of that fruit? Because he could be what Roger wanted?"
Shanks shut his eyes, his voice hoarse. "No. I... I believed in him."
Lakeman’s low chuckle cut through the air. "Of course you did. You Celestial Dragons always believe — in fate, in bloodlines, in destiny. It’s what lets you sleep at night."
He turned slightly, letting the dying sunlight catch the edge of his smile.
"Tell me, Shanks. When the boy awakens as Nika, will you celebrate his freedom... or claim him as your legacy?"
The question hung unanswered in the crimson light.
Even the air seemed to still, heavy with the realization that in this battle of words, every truth was another kind of weapon — and Lakeman was winning.
Mirana’s heel dug into the earth as she looked down at Shanks, her voice low and venom-smooth.
"Master, why waste breath on this trash? One strike and it’s over."
Lakeman’s crimson eyes glinted with faint amusement. "Patience, Mirana. Before death, there must be truth. Let this woman—and the poor child deceived by him—see what sort of man their hero truly is."
His hand traced along Makino’s trembling waist, fingers sinking into the softness of her ass as if molding her fate itself.
"Now that they’ve heard everything," he murmured, his tone almost tender, "where were we? Ah yes—compensation for the Devil Fruit that little brat devoured."
He drew her closer. Makino gasped when her chest met his; the warmth of his breath brushed her ear.
"Tell me, Miss Makino," he whispered, the words dark silk, "are you ready to pay the price for that boy’s life?"
For a heartbeat, silence hung heavy between them—broken only by the ragged breathing of those crushed under Lakeman’s Haki.
Makino turned toward Luffy, unconscious and pale, then toward Shanks and his men pinned to the ground like broken dolls. The hatred in her eyes burned hotter than tears.
"Yes... Saint Lakeman," she breathed. "I’ll pay whatever price it takes—so long as Luffy lives."
Lakeman’s lips curved into a quiet smile. His hands slid lower, gripping her ass as if claiming his due. Lifting her effortlessly, he held her against him and strode toward the tavern.
Around them, patrons lay scattered and senseless, felled by the lingering wave of his Conqueror’s Haki.
He paused at the doorway and gave Mirana a single look.
Without a word, she understood—her eyes flashing coldly as she dragged the unconscious bodies outside, tossing them into the dust.
Shanks tried to move. His fingers clawed at the ground; veins bulged against his temples.
"Makino..." he rasped, blood on his lips. But Lakeman’s haki surged again—an invisible mountain crashing down. The earth split, and Shanks’ body slammed flat, bones groaning under the weight.
The weaker pirates didn’t even scream. They simply burst, their bodies crushed into crimson paste beneath the pressure.
Lakeman didn’t bother to look back. The air shimmered faintly as he siphoned their remaining life force—their time, their very essence—leaving only drifting ash. Still holding Makino, he ascended the tavern stairs with calm steps, the world dimming in his wake.
Only four figures still clung to life: Shanks, Ben Beckman, Lucky Roux, and Yasopp. They lay half-buried in the dirt, gasping like dying beasts. The weight of despair pressed down heavier than Lakeman’s Haki itself.
Upstairs, in Makino’s dimly lit bedroom, the air was heavy with silence and dread.
Lakeman didn’t devour her right away.
Instead, he guided her to the window, his hand firm around her waist. Below, she could see the chaos—Luffy unconscious on the ground, while Mirana calmly directed the female Cipher Pol spies to drag away the fainted villagers.
Then Lakeman’s haki thickened.
The pressure around the room grew suffocating as his gaze fell upon Shanks’ remaining crewmates. One by one, they convulsed and screamed, their bodies twisting under invisible weight until they crumbled into ash.
Only Shanks remained—blood dripping from his eyes, a guttural roar escaping his throat as grief and rage tore through him. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Lakeman absorbed the drifting essence like a dark god feeding on life itself.
Makino trembled in his arms, her body tense against his chest.
Fear clawed at her heart, yet no pity stirred within. Under Lakeman’s influence, her mind had shifted—Shanks and his men no longer seemed like heroes of old, but filthy pirates deserving ruin.
Lakeman sat on the windowsill, pulling her onto his lap. Her soft breasts pressed against his hardened body, the friction making her breath catch. He cupped her face, forcing her to meet his eyes.
"Thinking I’m cruel, sweet Makino?" His voice was low, dangerous, yet almost teasing.
Makino quickly shook her head, panic flashing through her eyes before she steadied herself. "They’re pirates," she whispered. "They deserve death."
"Well said, my Makino." His lips curved into a thin, approving smile. "Pirates who burn, loot, and rape... no amount of pain or death is too cruel for them."
He turned his gaze toward Shanks, his voice rising, sharp as a blade. "Tell me, Shanks—do you regret it now? Oh, how foolish of me to ask. You never truly saw them as companions, did you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have hidden your Celestial Dragon blood from them."
He eased the crushing pressure slightly, just enough for Shanks to breathe.
"I’ll kill you... kill you..." Shanks rasped, his voice broken and hollow. Blood dripped from his mouth as his spirit faltered.
Lakeman’s lips curved into a cold smile. He leaned closer to Makino, his voice dropping to a whisper against her ear. "What do you think will happen to Luffy if, in the future, all his friends and partners die in front of him because he chooses to become a pirate?"
His warm breath brushed her skin, making her shiver. "Do you still pity this bastard who tried to lead him down that same path?"
As he spoke, his teeth grazed her earlobe, a soft bite that sent a shiver of fear and something darker through her body.
Panic welled in her chest—but so did a consuming hatred for Shanks, and a desperate fear for Luffy’s fate. Lakeman’s words sank deep, reshaping the turmoil inside her into a twisted devotion.
He didn’t give her a chance to reply before capturing her soft, juicy lips with his own.
He spread her legs apart and pulled her closer, her breasts pressing tightly against his chest as he chewed gently on her lips. Makino blushed deeply, soft moans escaping her as this was her first kiss.
"mmhh"
He kept kissing her passionately, and her innocent expression—those flushed cheeks and watery eyes—only aroused him further.
His hand slid down to her ass, squeezing it repeatedly, while his other hand held the back of her head, guiding her as he kissed her harder. His tongue slipped inside when she parted her pearly white teeth with a trembling moan.
Lakeman continued kissing her, their tongues intertwining, nibbling, and biting at each other’s lips until she was breathless.
When he finally pulled back, a thin bridge of saliva connected their lips. Makino panted softly, trying to catch her breath, her face glowing with dazed bliss.
While Lakeman was indulging upstairs, below them, Shanks was enduring the worst torture of his life.
Makino’s occasional moans drifted down to him.
Already broken, the sounds only deepened his torment. All his crewmates were dead, and the woman he once adored now belonged to his enemy.
In that moment, it felt as if the entire world was filled with malice toward him.
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