The Demon Emperor Of The East

by NellanaSylveon

Summary:

A royal ball is a boring and tiresome event when your presence is only required to show your future worth as a political asset. As a princess, though, you don't complain out loud and smile politely to the various guests.

That is, until a bloodthirsty man and his army crash the party to take the power from your family.

Oh, and small little detail, he wants to offer you to one of the Four Demon Emperors to gain more power.

(Special Halloween OS that got away from me)

Notes:

Look, I have no idea what happened to my brain, I just thought of this idea today and decided that I might as well write it and post it, so... welp, here we go.
In my defense, the idea of Demon Shanks makes me very, very weak at the knees.

Chapter 1: First Meeting

The kingdom of Delka was not the best place to be. Granted, it was not the worst either, and as its princess, you actually had it better than most. In fact, since you had given up on your father ever acknowledging you as something more than a decoration to be used as a bargaining argument in political negotiations, you had even achieved some relative peace of mind.

Had you been anything else than the only child of the royal couple, you would have probably joined your uncle Kyros in Dressrosa. The warrior had forfeited all claim to the throne when you were three, and exiled himself to the neighbouring kingdom that your parents looked at with thinly veiled disdain. But as crown princess, your hopes to escape an arranged marriage were about as high as your chances to fly if you jumped from your balcony.

Your only saving grace so far had been your father's relentless desire to stay on the throne, and the fact that his position as ruler would be weakened if he married you off to a decent party. As such, the longer you remained unmarried – and under strict surveillance to ensure your so-called royal purity remained untouched – the longer your father was assured to stay in power. Win-win, as far as you were concerned.

"Such a waste of money," the maid doing your hair mumbled under her breath.

While it was highly improper for her to criticise a royal event, especially in front of a member of the royal family, you privately agreed with her. The Halloween Ball was a show of luxury and extravaganza at a time where people should prepare for winter, but your father insisted on having it every year nonetheless.

You were wearing a crimson and black gown, with seams of gold sewn into various portions of the dress to make it look even more luxurious. Black gloves up to your elbows and jewellery consisting exclusively of gold and rubies completed your look, and when you stood up to look at yourself in the mirror, you barely refrained a bittersweet smile at the result.

Your reflection could only make you think of a pretty ornament for a royal party. Something shiny to show off, look at, inspect, assess, judge, anything but think of as an actual human being with a personality. Not for the first time, you wondered if you could get away with only sending a portrait of yourself instead of going. The result would certainly be similar, and the scandal might even be amusing enough to keep you entertained for a while. It would not be worth the punishment, though.

So you made your way to the ball, your heels clicking on the marbled floor of the palace, and waited to be announced.

"Her Royal Highness, Crown Princess Y/N !"

You made your entrance at the top of the stairs, curtsied with all the grace you had been taught to convey your respect to the king and queen, and made your way inside under the hundreds of judgemental whispers and looks.

You picked a flute from a tray with a discreet nod of thanks to the waiter, and brought it to your lips with a practiced expression of fake amusement and real detachment to the world around you. Despite your poised attitude and apparent composure, however, you could not wait for the party to be over.

As a first group of nobles approached you, however, the ballroom doors slammed open and a powerful bust of wind extinguished all the artistically displayed candles. Before anyone could do more than gasp, the entire room was plunged into darkness, with the silver rays of the full moon flowing through the windows as the only source of light.

Countless soldiers in heavy armor and brandishing swords or spears ran inside, until every window and door was guarded with no hope of escape.

"Greetings, worthless nobles of… Diamante, what's this kingdom's name, again ? Oh nevermind, it's not like it matters anyway."

The man who had talked was tall, very tall. With your eyes quickly acclimating to the moonlight, and since you were not far from the entrance, you could discern short blond hair, a thin mask hiding his eyes, and a massive pink feathercoat. But mostly, it was the smile on his face that had your blood run cold at the very sight of him. You had seen enough bloodthirsty smiles in your life to recognise one when you saw it, and this man's delighted yet threatening expression promised two things.

Violence.

And how much he would enjoy it.

"How DARE you-" the king stood up from the throne, clearly incensed by the interruption.

He had not even made a full step when his head fell on the ground, cut clean off by an invisible force. There was a second of absolute silence in the ballroom, then someone screamed in horror.

You could only stay frozen in place, your eyes glued to the grotesque sight of your father's crowned head stumbling on the white marble of the floor, dripping blood as it rolled and ultimately stopped, glassy open eyes fixing the ceiling. You felt both completely numb and shocked to death at the same time. Your entire body felt like it had been turned to stone, and you were completely unable to make so much as a single movement or sound.

"Don't interrupt me," the blond man said as he wiggled his fingers. "Now, as I said, greetings ! I bring good news, this kingdom is mine now, you won't have to endure this useless and incompetent fool anymore. Feel free to applause," he added with a huge smile that somehow felt even more dangerous.

Weak claps echoed in the room, until more joined in. Soon enough, close to every person in attendance applauded the man who had just beheaded a king with the kind of magic only a contract with a demon could grant.

You finally managed to detach your gaze from your father's head, and sent a horrified look to your mother, who was still prostrated on her own throne and staring in shock at the king's beheaded body.

The intruder raised a hand, silencing the room immediately, and started walking through the ballroom. There was an eclectic group of people walking behind him, who were blabbering about how big the castle was, asking their leader about their new place to live, and calling him Doffy.

"Please don't kill me," the queen begged as she joined her hands under her chin, all dignity abandoned as she pleaded for her life with tears in her eyes.

"Me ? Killing such a beautiful queen ? What could possibly make you think I would do such a thing, fufufufufu," the man chuckled, though it contained no warmth.

"Neh, neh, Doffy, you said we had to kill them all !" one of the men behind him stated right as your mother had started to lower her hands and show hope in her face.

"Oh, silly me, I had forgotten that little detail ! Thank you for reminding me, Trebol," the man laughed at your mother's crestfallen expression.

"Ple-"

Her head was cut so fast it actually jumped into the crowd, provoking shrieks and a mass movement among the nobles to avoid it.

You slapped a hand on your mouth to avoid screaming, your mind unable to process this second shock right after the first.

"Well," the blond man said as he carelessly pushed the body aside and sat on the king's throne, "I think that settles it. Now bring me the princess. And before you think of hiding her, I'll kill one person in this room every minute she fails to appear before me."

Everyone around you turned to you with scared expressions, and you knew instantly what would happen next. A royal court was a cutthroat and little more than every man for himself on the best of days, and in these circumstances ? You would become dog's food in less than a minute.

A weird part of your brain rationalised that a quick and clean beheading was actually a rather painless way to die, so there was at least that to be reassured about. You put your hand away from your mouth, took a deep breath and squared your shoulders. Since you were going to die tonight, you might as well do it with the elegance befitting your station.

You raised your chin, plastered a composed expression on your face to hide your resignation to your fate and hopefully keep the fear at bay, then walked confidently through the crowd to appear on the main alley.

"Almost a minu… my my my, would you look at that," the blond man said with a lecherous grin when he noticed you. "You are princess Y/N, my dear ?"

"I am," you confirmed shortly, and considered it a small miracle your voice did not shake as you spoke. "May I ask for the name of my parents' murderer ?" you added in a flash of bravery – or insanity, at that point you were not sure there was a visible distinction between the two.

"Fufufufufufu ! What a daring little bird. My name is Donquixote Doflamingo, though for everyone here, it's your Majesty now."

You clenched your jaw as you recognised the name of an old royal bloodline who had fallen into disgrace at least six generations ago. Still, as everyone in the ballroom bowed to that Doflamingo, you refused to do the same. You may be as terrified of him as you had been of spiders when you were a child, especially with the pulsing thrum of demonic power under the moonlight, but you were determined to leave this world with some sort of pride.

"Now I must say, I wasn't expecting you to look so… ravishing," the man continued as he licked his lips. "And if the rumours are true, you have yet to be touched by a man, correct ?"

A feeling of dread curled into your chest. If your options were limited to death or belonging to that man, you would choose death a hundred times over.

"I fail to see the point of your question," you replied instead, avoiding the subject altogether without technically being impolite.

"Smart little bird," Doflamingo hummed like he was pleased, then tapped his chin knowingly. "Smart, ravishing, untouched… yes, you are far too precious to just be killed, it would be an absolute waste."

"What are you going to do with her, Doffy ?" one of his men asked.

The smirk stretching the man's lips was nothing short of dreadful.

"Vergo, draw a pentacle. I want you to make a new contract with Kaido for me."

-o-oOo-o-

An hour later, your wrists were bound in front of you, your gloves the only protection between your skin and the sturdy rope. The man named Vergo was done with his work, and in the process of dragging you in the middle of a pentacle covered in intricate runes and symbols you had never seen in your life. Some runes had been drawn with charcoal, over ingraved in the marble floor, and all looked positively terrifying.

"Stop struggling," the tall man with black hair and a teaspoon stuck on his cheek told you sternly.

You tried to resist, but all you managed to do was step on your dress and slip on the fabric, which unbalanced you for a second. The man used it to throw you in the inner circle, and before you could stand up or get out, he had jumped back and pronounced a word in a language you did not recognise.

Gold light immediately burst from the lines of the pentacle to the ceiling, effectively trapping you inside.

"Let me out !" you shouted desperately, and tried to free your wrists at least.

"Not happening, little bird," Doflamingo sing-sang, his pink silhouette tainted gold from the magic barrier separating you from him. "You're a prime offering for a Demon Emperor, now. Be good to him and he might even keep you alive for a little while."

And on those haunting words, he left the room with a laugh.

You looked around you in the vain hope of an escape or even some help, but all the nobles had been thrown out of the ballroom during the preparation for the ritual that would summon one of the four Demon Emperors to the Human World. All that was left now was you, a dozen of guards making sure no one would get in or out, the man named Vergo, and a glowing pentacle trapping you like a birdcage.

The man started his invocation and the gold light soon turned more vibrant. It was almost humming with powers beyond your comprehension, and you truly started to panic, royal etiquette be damned. You did not know what kind of fate was destined to those offered to demons, but you could hazard a guess and you would sacrifice almost anything to avoid it.

The chanting started to get louder, and the walls trembled as the gold emanating from the pentacle took another shade. However, the colour strangely seemed to flicker between purple and crimson for several minutes, as if two powers were in conflict.

Then at the last word of the incantation, the crimson seemed to prevail and there was a burst of energy throwing you against the inner wall of the pentacle. The physical shock dazed you, and you had to blink and breathe deeply a couple times before you could finally see what had happened.

Or rather, who had appeared.

Taller than a regular human, a pair of black bat wings in his back, an equally black tail ending in a spike, two horns nested among deep crimson hair, piercing eyes who could either be black or brown in the dark red light of the summoning circle, black shirt and pants with a crimson sash around his waist, the demon was exuding power and raising a dubious eyebrow at his surroundings.

"Been a while since someone wanted to speak to me," he ultimately stated and stretched, which was when you noticed the three parallel scars over his left eye.

That kind of injury could only mean the creature in front of you was a warrior. And a dangerously strong one if he had survived that kind of attack.

"You are not the Demon Emperor I summoned," Vergo said, and though his tone was as flat as it had been so far, you could discern some confusion in his voice.

"Should've checked your runes before starting, you wrote Demon Emperor of the Est. I had to take it out with Kaido to decide whether the West or East would answer the call," the demon shrugged, his wings moving with him as he put his hands in the pockets of his pants. "Anyway, what do yo- well, hello there," he interrupted himself as he noticed you.

You gulped in fear, realising what had happened in a flash. When you had slipped on your dress, the fabric must have erased a portion of the charcoal runes, thus changing the entire ritual. Which meant this terrifying and powerful being you were trapped with while your hands were bound was not the demon they had tried to summon. Though you knew it was futile, you still tried to push yourself further away from him.

The demon looked at you, then seemed to inhale deeply, and a wide smile stretched his lips. Strangely, it felt more appreciative and less psychopathic than the one Doflamingo had directed at you earlier.

"You really are the whole package, darling," the Demon Emperor smiled knowingly.

You had no idea whether to be flattered or offended by his comment, but before you could decide on a response, the man outside the circle seemed to make his own decision.

"You have accepted princess Y/N as a valuable offering, the deal will therefore happen."

At his words, the demon's gaze teared away from you and turned to Vergo, and he seemed a bit more annoyed than he had been when he was assessing you.

"You have accepted the call, and manifested your acceptance of the offering," Vergo repeated. "My Master, Donquixote Doflamingo, will receive in exchange the power of a hundred men and complete control of this kingdom."

"Yeah, I don't think so. I don't make deals with tyrants, they leave a bad taste in my mouth," the Demon Emperor replied casually, and put a hand – by the stars, there were claws on his fingers – on the barrier to test its strength.

"You cannot leave until you make a deal," Vergo countered. "Such is the immuable law between the Demon Realm and the Human World."

A slight frown marred the forehead of the creature who was apparently trapped inside the pentacle with you, and his carefree expression darkened. You could not tell how much time you had before his annoyance would turn into full-blow anger, but you knew a demon of his calibre would not spare your life in his attempt to break free.

An insane idea suddenly flashed in your mind, and your next breath caught in your throat. It was completely crazy, but the more you thought about it, the more it looked like your only way out of this hellish situation. You stood up and took a step closer to the creature sharing the center of the pentacle with you.

"Demon Emperor of the East," you called with as clear a voice as you could, immediately gaining the attention of everyone in the room. "I offer you a deal. The lives of the men in this room, in exchange for your protection."

The demon's eyes went wide, then a grin took place on his face and he started laughing wildly, head thrown back and hands clutching his midriff as his wings flapped and his tail batted against the barrier.

"NO !" Vergo shouted, with the most emotion you had heard so far. "You cannot do such a thing !"

"Actually, she can," the Demon Emperor stated as he recovered from his hilarity, and came closer to you.

He brought a clawed hand near your wrists, and in one sharp movement, the rope snapped, thus freeing your gloved hands. Then his knuckles went under your chin and tilted your head upward, until your eyes were caught in his gaze.

"Their lives for my protection, mmh ?" he whispered as his eyes glanced briefly down to your lips, and despite his demonic appearance, something hot flickered in your belly at the sudden hunger in his eyes. "Even if you have to seal that deal with a kiss ?"

"Yes," you replied breathlessly.

Giving your first kiss to a demon was not something you had ever planned to do, but if it meant you would survive the night and said demon would protect you against Doflamingo and his men, well. Beggars could not be choosers, and as far as otherworldy creatures went, you supposed this one was rather handsome.

You blinked and wondered where that last thought had come from.

"Then we have a deal, princess," he murmured as he lowered his head in your direction.

You closed your eyes and tilted your head to the side right before his lips touched yours. The instant they did, however, you felt both a burst of magic run through your veins and something powerful take a hold of you. The contact was soft and kinder than you had thought a demon warrior capable of as he explored your lips gently, but when he ran his tongue over your lower lips and you gasped, the Emperor took it as an invitation and his tongue dived into your mouth greedily. You moaned at the intimate and sensual invasion, even put your hands on his chest and around his neck to bring him closer to you. He took complete control of the kiss, and you could only moan and whine as desire ran through you, a fire igniting at the way he expertly explored your mouth and exploited all the sensitive parts he could find.

When the need for air began to be too great to keep going, he slowly retreated, and you were left a panting mess plastered against his surprisingly warm body. You were completely out of breath, and your cheeks were aflame with both desire and shame to have enjoyed such a forbidden act so much.

Meanwhile, the Demon Emperor chuckled, and even traced your bottom lip with his thumb while being mindful of his claw. When you looked up, you could see a deep satisfaction in his eyes, and sparkles of gold among the darkness of his pupils. You tried to step away from him, but his other hand kept you firmly against him as he lowered his head to murmur a few words in your ear.

"Close your eyes, princess."

You did as you were told, and felt a wave of magic surge from him, quickly followed by screams of pain, then absolute silence.

"Now for the protection part," the demon hummed, and you could hear the grin in his voice.

There was a flash of light so intense that you felt it despite your closed eyes, a disorienting sensation, and then you felt the ground and air be different from those of the palace.

"You can look now."

You cautiously opened your eyes.

At first, all you could see was the black shirt of the Demon Emperor, which was now turning to white and appeared to only be half-buttoned, so you quickly adverted your gaze. And then, you finally managed to truly see the place you were in.

The nightsky was similar to the one above your castle, but the constellations were completely different. The ground was made of red dirt and flat grey stones, there was a beach and a vast body of water that may even be a sea in walking distance on your left, and a huge castle, way bigger than the one you had grown in, on your right.

Dread filled you in a heartbeat as you realised what such a different landscape had to mean.

"You brought me to your castle ?" you asked weakly, your legs trembling under the terrifying possibility.

"No place safer than my own home for my contractee," he replied in a deep rumble behind you.

You felt close to tears when you realised your own words had condemned you to exile in the worst possible way, instead of saving you and your people from the monsters who had taken your kingdom by force after murdering your parents.

While you remained unable to say a word, and barely able to contain tears of despair at bay, clawed hands softly caressed your arms until they reached your hands, and grabbed your fingers.

"Welcome to the Demon Realm, princess Y/N," the Emperor you were now bonded to by a contract whispered in your ear, a faint stubble grazing your skin. "You can call me Shanks."

Notes:

Hope you liked it, I left the ending like this in case I ever want to come back and write more about this AU x)

Now, a little note for those of you who might have read my other SHanksXReader fic, I'm about to post a second (already entirely written) multichaptered story with that pairing starting tomorrow ! And here's a bit of teasing, it's going to beeeeeee... a fix-it ! :D

In the meantime, take care of yourself and Happy Halloween ! <3

Edit : I did come back to write more about it x)

Chapter 2: Another Cage

Notes:

Hello lovelies !

IMPORTANT : I changed things in the first chapter, so if you only read it when I posted it last Halloween, please go back to it before you start this one !

Reader pov

A tray full of food appeared on the coffee table in front of the fireplace, and you glanced minutely at the warm array prepared for you. You did not leave your place by the window, though, as you attempted to find some spark of hope in the rather hopeless situation you had unwillingly thrown yourself in.

After bringing you to the Demon Realm, the Emperor – Shanks, as he had introduced himself – had brought you inside his castle, where the rest of his crew, as he called it, was waiting for him. You could tell they were not thrilled by your presence in the first place, but after their Emperor had introduced you as his contractee and told them you had "pulled one hell of a crafty trick" you realised barely-contained hostility was the only thing you would get from them.

Apparently, they were all fiercely loyal to their leader, and twice as protective. In their eyes, you had trapped him in a contract that could only hinder him, and as such, you were a parasite at best, a threat at worst. Yet, the Emperor himself had remained blissfully unaware of their hateful glares, and showed you to your new bedchambers.

Granted, it was a spacious room, well-furnished, with all the luxury you were accustomed to and then some.

It still felt like a cage.

You barely got any sleep that night, the shock of losing your parents, your kingdom, even your world and your freedom finally hitting you. Ultimately, you cried yourself to sleep and managed to get a few hours of fitful rest. You woke up the next morning with puffy eyes, a headache from all the sobbing you had done, and a feeling of dread sticking to your skin to the point you doubted any flower-scented soap could ever get it out.

You still bathed, then picked one of the high-end gowns waiting for you in the wardrobe. A quick glance had revealed elaborated dresses were the only kind of clothes it contained, aside from undergarnments and nightgowns. You rationalized that at least it gave away some of the expectations placed on you in your new residence. Once again, you were supposed to be a pretty thing to look at and probably nothing more. Since you were alone, you did not bother to refrain a sigh as your hopes for comfortable clothing went through the window, and put on an elegant black and gold gown.

A knock on your door startled you out of your thoughts on clothes, and you went to open it, only to be faced with a grey-haired demon holding a cigarette. You immediately remembered him being introduced as Benn Beckman, the Emperor's right-hand man – or well, demon.

"Hello, how can I-"

"Cut the bullshit," he interrupted you, and you recoiled at his clear disdain.

His eyes were burning with something that was not exactly anger, and not exactly hatred, but still felt extremely dangerous.

"I don't know how you managed to trap Shanks into a contract. But you're not getting anything more from him," he continued, and took a drag of his cigarette while looking you straight in the eyes. "If you give me one reason to think you're taking advantage of my friend, I'll find a way to break the contract and then your neck. So unless no one else is available for whatever a spoiled little princess like you might want, you stay away from him. Am I clear ?"

Any hope you had to perhaps be happier in this castle than you had been in yours vanished with the smoke he blew into your face. You nodded with the most neutral expression you could muster, and hoped it would be enough to hide your crushed expectations, as low as they had been.

"Crystal, sir," you murmured.

Without any other word, the man turned away from you, and you were left to close the door and try to keep fresh tears at bay. A princess does not cry, after all. Not in public, at least.

Another knock on your door had you straightening your back in reflex, and you went to open again, this time to be faced with another member of the Emperor's inner circle. You did not get a word in before he informed you he could shoot a fly across a field and would not hesitate a single second to demonstrate the full range of his talent as a sniper, with you as a target if you so much as talked to Shanks without supervision.

Then it was the castle's cook, who reminded you he was in charge of your meals and would hate for anything bad happening to his boss.

Then the doctor, to inform you he would gladly ensure you would stay in a coma until your natural death if you proved to be a threat to the Emperor's wellbeing.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

By the end of the day, you were convinced everyone in the palace had stopped by your chambers to threaten you and make sure you would not try anything against their beloved leader. And since the details of a contract between a demon and a human could not be discussed once it had been sealed, you could not even try to defend yourself or explain there was not much you could actually ask from him.

And so there you were, looking at the waves washing on the beach from your window, wondering whether you would ever leave this place where you were about as wanted as a ghost – arguably less than – and what you could do in the meantime to survive.

It was only when you went to bed again that the words of the Emperor's second in command came back to you, and gave you a glimmer of hope. He had said he would find a way to break the contract if he thought you were trying to abuse the situation.

As you pulled the black sheets over your red nightgown – two of the preponderous colours in your new wardrobe – you felt a flicker of determination settle cautiously in your chest. Maybe you could beat him to it and find a way to break the deal yourself.

Sleep came a little easier to you that night.

-o-oOo-o-

It took you the better part of the next day to figure out the location of the library, but when you did, you felt impressed at its sheer size and the amount of volumes in the seemingly never-ending rows of shelves. Determination filled your mind anew. One way or another, you would find a solution to get out of the contract binding you to the Demon Emperor of the East and figure a way to go back to the Human World.

And then what ?

You pushed the question away for the moment, since there was no point thinking so far ahead when you did not know if the prior conditions were achievable in the first place.

"And what brings a pretty princess like you in this dusty old place ?" a voice asked from your left.

You turned your head and were met with the sight of a tall and seemingly old gentleman, with a lazy grin and white hair held back by glasses, though his carefree expression was betrayed by the guarded look in his eyes. You offered him a short curtsy anyway, and opted for a reply that would hopefully keep you out of trouble.

"Books, actually. I was hoping to learn more about the Demon Realm, since I am to live in it for the foreseeable future."

The man raised an eyebrow, as if he could tell this was not the full truth, but motioned you to follow him between the alleys, until you arrived to a section that did not look any different from the others.

"You'll find the history books and the few textbooks there are on our customs in these shelves. Now of course, if you're looking for something else, feel free to ask me first. This library is pretty much my domain and I know where everything is."

So there was no use in pretending to search for any kind of knowledge and then try to snoop around to get what you really wanted without him noticing it, you translated in your mind. You nodded politely and walked between the shelves, thinking to yourself that you might as well start with getting to know your new environment better anyway. Maybe you would even be lucky and one of those books would mention another case of a human being brought here and managing to leave.

"Do you know where I can find supplies to take notes on ?" you asked politely.

The old man raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that you did not appear to be disappointed by your inability to snoop through the various volumes under his watch.

"Sure. Go all the way to the end of the main alley and you'll find a space with chairs and tables. I always leave pens and papers there, you can use whatever you need."

"Thank you for your help," you replied with another short curtsy.

The old man nodded and made to turn away, then gave you an odd look and spoke again.

"I'm Silvers Rayleigh, by the way."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," you answered and found that you mostly meant it, since he had been the first person in this castle to not threaten you with bodily harm. "My name is Y/N."

"So I've heard," the man – Rayleigh – hummed. "I'll leave you to your reading."

And on those words, he left you to browse at your rhythm, and you immediately went to pick the closest thing you could find to a compact version of the Demon Realm History, so whatever event you researched later, you would at least have an idea of when it had happened.

-o-oOo-o-

There was a pile of books on the table by your right side, several pages' worth of notes in front of you, two more volumes open on your left side, and you were focusing on the time chart you had more or less managed to create so far to make sure you had the various events right.

"So this battle happened in God Valley… two centuries ago ? Or three ?" you mumbled to yourself, then checked the records and the dates mentioned, then did the maths again in your head and almost groaned in frustration. "Of course I forgot to take into account when this tome was written, so that should add up to… almost four centuries ago ? Probably. Now if I could just find who exactly was fighting ther-"

You heard a cough behind you and raised your head just in time to meet Rayleigh's slightly amused, slightly befuddled expression.

"It's past dinner time," the old gentleman informed you, and you immediately stood up from your chair.

"My apologies, I had not realised how much time had passed," you said with a brief bow, then glanced at the table you had used and how everything was still spread out. "I can help put it all back-"

"Don't bother, you can just leave it like this until you come back," Rayleigh shrugged goodheartedly. "It's not like any of the brats would ever come here anyway. Not out of their own free will, at least," he added with a wink and a conspiratory grin.

You chuckled at his joke before you could help yourself.

"I'll be back tomorrow then, if that is fine by you ?"

"You're welcome anytime. Those books are getting bored with my old bones for sole company, I'm sure they're happy to share their knowledge with someone younger for once," he grinned, and you smiled back.

"You can't be that old."

"Wanna bet ?"

"I have a feeling this is not a gamble I should take," you laughed freely as you walked back to the door, relishing an interaction that was free of threats for once.

"Smart decision," Rayleigh approved with the same lazy smirk he had greeted you with, but this time it looked more relaxed. "Well, I bid you goodnight, princess."

"Y/N," you corrected as you walked through the doors, and explained yourself at his surprised expression. "Please. I would like for at least one person in this castle to use my name instead of my former title."

Rayleigh frowned briefly at the word former, but nodded anyway.

"Very well. Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight, sir- Rayleigh," you corrected when he looked at you with a raised eyebrow again.

You walked back to your room, managing to not get lost and avoid all members of the Emperor's crew somehow, and quickly ate your now-cold dinner before getting ready to bed.

You spared a glance in direction of the moon reflected on the waves outside, and a small, hopeful smile stretched your lips. It was a meagre start, but you still had found a place with knowledge and one person who treated you like an actual living being with a personality instead of a suspicious pest. Even if the old gentleman that was this Silvers Rayleigh only acted friendly toward you with a hidden purpose in mind, at the moment, you would take it.

-o-oOo-o-

Time passed, and you settled into an easy routine. Which was to say, you spent your entire days in the library trying to learn the history of the Realm you now lived in, and only left it for your room, where you still took all your meals alone. At least, no one in the Emperor's crew could accuse you of taking up too much of their leader's time or energy.

The red-haired demon – and it was strange to see him without his demonic features – had come to see you once, right after you had finished your dinner. His second in command and doctor were standing behind him as he had offered you to join them at the party happening the same evening.

You had not even needed to look at the two other demons to know your presence was in fact very much not wanted, and quickly made up an excuse about being too tired to attend. Which was not even entirely a lie, your work in the library as you tried to establish a proper time chart to sum up the history of the Demon Realm was tiresome, and you went to bed every night feeling quite exhausted.

"Next time then," the Emperor had told you with a wink and a slow once-over.

You maintained a neutral expression on your face and resolved to not wear that particular red dress ever again, then curtsied and wished him a pleasant evening without answering his offer. If your contractor truly wanted you to attend a party full of demons who despised you and were eagerly waiting for an excuse to end your life, he would have to make it an explicit order.

-o-oOo-o-

Rayleigh pov

Rayleigh observed the young woman taking notes with the precision of a scholar and the focus of an expert, and wondered once again what the history was behind her deal with his red-haired brat. Shanks' claim that she had pulled a clever trick on him during a ritual was worrisome, even if he did not appear to think so himself. Shanks rarely took these kind of dangers seriously though, so it was no wonder everyone else had taken it upon themselves to protect him.

Anyone who could trick a Demon Emperor into a contract so binding that said Emperor would have to take them to their own home in the Demon Realm had to be extremely dangerous.

And yet.

Rayleigh had observed the behaviour of the princess from the shadows, and it simply did not add up. Her composure was impeccable, clearly befitting a young woman born and raised in royalty, but there was no mistaking the dimming hope and growing despair in her eyes as every member of Shanks' crew threatened her the day after her arrival.

However, instead of complaining to the powerful demon she was bound to by a contract, she had remained silent and obeyed his crew's demands of staying clear of his path.

When she had popped up in the library, Rayleigh had thought he finally got her. Books were where the knowledge was, after all, and with knowledge came power. So he had warned her in a subtle way, something she had clearly picked up on but did not appear to be bothered by in the slightest.

And since then, she had been compiling several centuries' worth of history to create a time chart of impressive precision and accuracy of the Demon Realm. Rayleigh personally checked her work every night after she left, wondering whether there was something more she was trying to achieve or hide with all this, so far in vain.

The only amusing fact he had found was a side note mentioning his name and whether he was related to the Silvers Rayleigh who had been second in command to the former King of the Demon Realm. It had been almost a week ago, and Rayleigh was wondering when she would gather the guts to ask him directly.

But more than anything, what had troubled Rayleigh the most was how expressive she had become as soon as he had spoken to her. A simple joke had her smiling and laughing, and the barest exchange of pleasantries had her eyes shining with grateful happiness.

That reaction was worrisome in a completely different way.

And her comment about calling her by name rather than a former title did nothing to alleviate Rayleigh's concerns.

The following days had confirmed his first impression. Y/N was a kind and smart girl, very polite, clearly not after Shanks' power despite their contract, and so deprived of positive interactions that any show of basic decency made her face light up like stars on a moonless night. Though it had been discreet at first, she had opened up pretty quickly and now talked and showed her emotions freely around him.

"Done !" she exclaimed suddenly with a proud smile. "I finally have an accurate timeline of the Demon Realm over the past two millenia."

Rayleigh walked up to her, pushed aside the last books she had been perusing, and raised an eyebrow.

"May I ?"

"Oh, certainly," she replied immediately and handed him her notes.

Rayleigh took the notebook she had been using and speedread through it, feeling more impressed at each page. He had followed the progress of her work, of course, but the final result was worthy of admiration. Perhaps even of publishing, with how rare unbiased compilations of historical events were in the Demon Realm.

"Impressive," he readily admitted. "Now, are you finally going to ask me your question ?"

She blushed delicately, then sighed and an amused smile tilted her lips upward.

"Fine. Are you related to the Silvers Rayleigh who fought by the former King's side ?"

"Not exactly," Rayleigh replied with a grin.

"What do you mean, not exactly ?" she asked with a confused frown.

"Well, it's not so much related to as it is being the same person."

She blinked. Rayleigh put the notebook back on the table and grinned as she watched her fall a little on her seat.

"The same person ?" she asked faintly.

"Mh-hm."

"As in, you are the Silvers Rayleigh who was second in command to the King of the Demon Realm half a millenia ago ?"

"Indeed."

"The one they call the Dark King ?"

"The very one."

"Oh my god."

"Demon, actually."

She sent him a half-hearted glare and Rayleigh gave her a shit-eating grin, then laughed heartily at her obvious astoundishment. But then she seemed to realise something else and raised her head in cautious curiosity.

"Wait, so you've known the Emperor since he was a child ?"

Rayleigh's good cheer disappeared, and he wondered if he had not lowered his guard too soon in front of the very clever act of an apparent damsel in distress. He observed her closely for a minute, then decided to see where she was going with that question.

"Why do you ask ?"

She bit her lips, obviously conflicted with something. But after a few seconds, she sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped.

"If… if I told you I wanted to find a way to break the contract I have made with him and go back to the Human World, would you help me find the information I need in order to do so ?" she asked in a vulnerable, almost scared voice.

For the first time in centuries, Rayleigh was left speechless.

What in Roger's name is going on with this girl ?

Still, the various pieces of the puzzle started to add up and place themselves in his mind, until Rayleigh thought he was finally able to catch a glimpse of the full picture. If his intuition was correct, not only did it not make for a pretty sight, but every single demon in this castle – save for Shanks and himself – had been behaving like an absolute asshole to a victim of circumstances.

"You didn't want this contract in the first place, did you ?"

The smile on her face was so sad, so full of pain and grief that Rayleigh could have guessed the answer even without her next words.

"If I had seen another option to survive at the time, I would have taken it."

Despite their inability to go into details or discuss what the contract actually entailed, the old demon did not need to hear more to be reasonably confident about what had happened.

Here was a former princess who had only made a deal with a demon in order to survive, and was now searching for ways to get out of the deal and out of the Demon Realm. Rayleigh had seen enough human kingdoms fall to recognise the signs when he saw them.

The human girl sitting in front of him in an old and almost abandoned library was not a spoiled princess who had tricked a Demon Emperor into being her servant.

She was a scared young woman who had done her best to survive in the middle of a tragedy, and wanted nothing from the demon she was now bound to.

Rayleigh sighed deeply. His old heart was getting soft with the years, it seemed. He looked back at the princess, who still appeared to be afraid of what he would do after the risk she had taken by admitting to the truth, and gave her a warm smile.

"Come on, let's get those books back on their shelves and then I'll show you the ones on demonic laws and contracts."

She got out of her seat like a spring had uncoiled under her, and stared at him with slack jaw and wide eyes.

"You- you're helping me ? Just like that ?"

"It would be a win for everyone involved," Rayleigh smiled good-heartedly and shrugged. "You get to go home and my brat is free. I'll see if I can find a few things about strategy too, if you want to get your kingdom back."

The smile she adressed him was nothing short of blinding with gratefulness and hope.

"Thank you so much, Rayleigh."

Notes:

Well I hope you're all enjoying it so far ^^
Unless something happens, the update schedule for this story will be as such : one chapter every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.

So I wish you all a Happy New Year and I hope I'll see you tomorrow ! <3

Chapter 3: Friendship Matters

Reader pov

A month had gone by since you had made a deal with the Demon Emperor of the East and been brought into the Demon Realm. You had seen your contractor a grand total of two times since that night, which suited you just fine. Every single member of his crew still glared at you when you crossed path in the corridors, but none of them insulted you where you could hear them, which was as good as it could probably get.

Rayleigh was treating you with respect, he even helped you search through all the tomes in the library to find a way to break the contract between you and Shanks, and that was enough for you. The old demon was kind, almost fatherly in his attitude, and possessed a devious sense of humour that you appreciated a lot. The tentative friendship you were slowly building with him was a breath of fresh air in the golden cage you were trapped in.

It almost made up for your repeated failures to find a way out of the deal you had made with the Emperor.

You were walking in the corridor on a late morning, going back to your room for lunch and thinking about the possible loophole left in the interpretation of a complex law volume you had started in the morning, when a call startled you.

"Hey princess ! Long time no see !" the joyful voice of the red-haired demon you were trying to get free from greeted you.

"Your Majesty," you said with a formal curtsy.

"Come on, none of that stiffy stuff between us, darling," he almost pouted. "How are you doing ?"

"I have no complaints, your Majesty," you replied carefully.

You straightened your back, and started walking in direction of your room again in the hope he would take it as the blatant sign it was that you had no desire for the conversation to continue. Unfortunately, he started walking by your side instead.

"Can you drop the majesty thing ?" the Emperor insisted with a grumble.

As much as you did not want to admit it, you found his complete lack of manners and bold attitude pretty charming, in a completely different way than the suave magnetism he had shown during the summoning back in your castle. The powerful demon simply acted and spoke as he pleased, uncaring of etiquette or expectations, and a huge part of you envied the freedom he radiated like sunshine. It made you lower your barriers the tiniest bit to display a small but genuine smile, as you replied with the barest hint of mischief in your voice.

"I most certainly can… your Majesty."

"You- wait, was that a joke ?" the Emperor asked you with wide eyes, right before a big grin stretched his face.

"Maybe," you conceded as your own smile got a tad bigger.

The demon laughed freely then, and both his wings and tail suddenly popped in existence. You stared in surprise at the unexpected appearance of his demonic features. Now that you thought of it, almost none of the demons you had seen so far seemed to display any kind of horns, tail, wings, or claws, which you had believed to be staples of demonic nature. As you arrived at your door, you figured you could perhaps ask him why that was. Surely it was a harmless enough question that no one would fault you for it.

"Say," you started as the Emperor's laugh slowly came down to a chuckle and he looked at you again with shining eyes full of curiosity, "if you don't mind me asking-"

"He does," someone cut in.

The stern figure of Benn Beckman came into view, and all the easyness left the conversation at once. You immediately put your mask of polite neutrality back in place and curtsied to the grey-haired demon glaring at you.

"Of course," you backtracked at once with your eyes on the floor. "Forgive my rudeness, your Majesty."

"Hey, don't say that !" the Emperor protested. "Beck, what-"

"Hawkeyes is at the door, he's making a surprise visit," his second in command interrupted him, which seemed to make the red-haired demon forget everything else.

"Really !? Awesome, let's throw a party !"

And just like that, he spread his wings wide and flew away, leaving you alone with a demon who looked like he wished he could just dispose of you already.

"I thought we were clear," he told you sternly, a warning and a threat all in one.

"We are, and I apologise," you said and raised your head slowly in order to look the demon in the eyes and convey your sincerity. "I will endeavour to not let my curiosity get the best of me again in his presence."

"Right," he said with sarcasm dripping from his voice, then let the silence stretch to a frankly uncomfortable length.

"If you'll excuse me," you murmured before taking your leave.

You stepped into your room and closed the door behind you, then finally let a shaky exhale leave your throat. By the stars, there really was no scenario in which you did not lose in this place. You had well and truly been found guilty before the trial even began, and everything you could do or say was only ever going to be interpreted in this light.

No safer place than his own home for his contractee, your royal ass.

-o-oOo-o-

The next morning, you were back in the library and trying to decipher the exact meaning of the twelve-line sentence found in one of the legal volumes devoted to contracts not sealed in blood. There was a dictionary open next to the book on the table, another notebook full of notes, and you were standing with both hands put on the table as you attempted to make sense of it.

Rayleigh had left to get something to drink a while ago, after stating that he was not putting himself through that level of mind-fuckery without alcohol. You had grimaced in agreement, but opted not to ask whether he could bring you something as well.

Your hand flew to get to the next legal definition of a specific word, but as you lowered your head to read it, there was a sudden metallic sound echoing in the library and the sharp edge of a massive sword was put under your chin, making you freeze immediately.

"So you are the one who managed to trap my best friend into a contract."

You very carefully did not move, and took a cautious breathe as your eyes glanced to your right. From your peripheric vision, you could see a male demon with pale skin, jet-black hair, a well-trimmed goatee, and whose golden eyes were piercing you with unadultered contempt.

No matter what he looked like, though, it seemed he was another person who had decided to hate you on principle. You sighed tiredly and slowly turned your head, mindful of the blade on your skin.

"I am the Emperor's contractee, yes. I assume you are here to threaten me with the worst things you can think of should I attempt to take advantage of him, talk to him, look at him, or exist in his general vicinity. If it's not too much to ask, I would request that you avoid spilling my blood on the books while you deliver your threats."

The demon frowned minutely, then tilted his head a fraction to the right.

"You-"

The next instant, his blade had left your neck to parry the sword aiming for him, and you gasped as you watched Rayleigh smile lazingly at the demon, his own weapon drawn and pointed at the newcommer.

"Now, that's no way to treat a young lady, Mihawk," he reproached him with fake casualness.

"Rayleigh," he greeted and sheathed his massive black sword on his back, as if there was no reason to keep it drawn anymore.

"Y/N, are you fine ?" Rayleigh asked you as he sheathed his sword as well.

You put a hand on your throat, found no blood, and nodded briefly. As far as first meetings went, this was not the worst you had gone through since you had arrived in the Demon Realm. Benn Beckman was still comfortably sitting on top of that list.

"If you do not mind, this gentleman was about to tell me what he would do to me if I were to hurt or hinder the Emperor in any way, shape, or form. I thought we might as well get it over with," you replied serenely.

"Not on my watch," Rayleigh retorted just as casually.

"I assure you, it cannot be worse than what I have already heard from literally everyone in this castle save for you and the Emperor," you reminded him with a resigned smile.

You then turned to the demon apparently named Mihawk to wait for his speech. The swordsman, however, appeared to be growing more confused with each word you spoke. After a long moment of silence, he turned to Rayleigh.

"You protect her," he stated in a way that sounded like a question and an accusation all at once.

Rayleigh raised an eyebrow in what looked a lot like a challenge, then gestured to the books open on the table in front of you.

"Take a look. What does it tell you ?"

The demon walked closer, and spent a few minutes perusing your time chart, the pile of books on the corner, the volume currently open, the dictionary nearby, and the notebook with all your remarks so far. After a while, he raised his head to look straight at you again, this time with clear confusion in his eyes.

"You are looking for a way to break the contract you made with him ?"

"And go back to the Human World. Perhaps even a way to claim my kingdom back, or at least get rid of-" you cut yourself, took a deep breath to steady your voice, then finished your sentence. "Get rid of my parents' murderer."

The demon's golden eyes widened, stared at you for a moment, then glanced at Rayleigh who gave him a brief nod in response. The swordsman ultimately bowed respectfully to you.

"I apologise for my hasty judgment and my previous actions, your Highness. I should not have assumed the worst without hearing your side of the story."

"You care for your friend," you replied with a tired smile. "I'm used to people seeing what they want to see and nothing more when they look at me. I accept your apology, and offer you my gratitude for giving me a chance to explain my situation."

"You should not offer me your gratitude for something so small," he retorted with a frown.

"What is a small gesture to you is more than I have received from anyone in this castle aside from Rayleigh," you added with a shrug, which was blocked half-way by your gown, and you tsked. "Damn these dresses," you muttered.

In your short time of adjusting the elaborated garnment, you missed the short exchange of looks and the silent but meaningful conversation happening between the two demons.

"I've been meaning to ask," Rayleigh said lightly, clearly jumping on the chance to change the subject, "why do you keep wearing ballgowns ?"

You turned a baffled expression to the former Dark King, wondering for a second if he was really serious. He could not possibly think you would willingly wear ballgowns on a daily basis by choice, even less so when you spent most of your time in a library filled with some very dusty books and high shelves.

"Believe me, if I had been given anything more practical to wear, I would wear it."

The old white-haired demon facepalmed.

"The brat filled your closet with gowns and nothing else ?" he groaned.

"Unless you count underwear and nightwear, yes," you replied.

"Of course he did," Rayleigh mumbled, and took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I may be able to be of assistance in this matter," the other demon intervened. "I happen to live in a castle whose previous inhabitants departed from in great haste, leaving most of their belongings behind, including clothes. It would not be any trouble to adjust some dresses to fit your figure, and I dare say they would be more comfortable for your day-to-day life."

You blinked, taken aback by the generous yet completely unexpected offer.

"Moreso, I have quite the experience in contracts, and would gladly lend you my expertise to make up for my previous rudeness."

Your jaw went slack at the even more unexpected offer, and you hastily raised both hands in front of you.

"There is no need for you to waste your time or efforts on me, your apology-"

"Is not nearly enough to properly make amends for my attitude," the demon cut you off with a gentle but firm voice. "I insist, your Highness. If anything, breaking the contract binding you to my friend would also benefit him, after all. Please, allow me to assist you in this endeavour."

You stammered for a few seconds, properly stunned by the revirement of situation, but ultimately sighed and ran a hand through your hair in a very un-royal way. You smiled timidly at the demon, and extended your hand.

"Then I gladly accept your help and am grateful for your generous offers. It would mean a lot to me if you called me by my name instead of my former title."

"I would be honoured, Y/N," the black-haired demon said as he took your hand and briefly kissed your knuckles. "My name is Dracule Mihawk, but most call me Hawkeyes. You may address me as either Hawkeyes or Mihawk, whichever you prefer."

-o-oOo-o-

Mihawk pov

The Greatest Sworsdman of the Demon Realm was nursing a drink during what had to be the fifteenth party thrown by his best friend in three weeks, and calmly observed his surroundings.

Shanks was already drunk off his ass, and had stopped by his side five times so far to tell him how happy he was that Hawkeyes had decided to stay a few months instead of a few days for a change. He had also blabbed about his gorgeous contractee for a solid fifteen minutes and how lucky he was to have such a beautiful princess staying in his home. Though no one had stopped Shanks while he was all but waxing poetry about the young woman, the atmosphere had changed the second he had left for a bathroom break.

Mihawk prided himself on his composure and patient nature, but he had to admit the talks around him were putting even his legendary unflappable temper to the test. Every single demon on Shanks' crew had assumed – correctly, to their defense – that the swordsman was extending his stay because of Y/N's presence. But every comment thrown at her when Shanks could not hear it had Mihawk's blood boil with righteous anger.

"Arrogant," they said.

She smiled brighter than the moon when I brought a chest of simple dresses to her chambers, and thanked me profusely for it. She did not mind in the slightest that I was giving her secondhand clothes, something any member of a royal family would be well within their right to take as an insult.

"Spoiled beyond measure," they said.

She never hesitates to take dusty volumes in her hands or help us put them back on their shelves, no matter the stains on her dresses. Not to mention I have yet to see her wear so much as a single piece of jewellery, or hear about a maid or help be assigned to her, the absence of which she has never once complained about either.

"Condescending as fuck," they said.

I have lost count of the times she thanked me or Rayleigh for our help, and her grateful smile has yet to lose its genuineness for even the simplest acts of kindness. She freely praises my knowledge of the demon laws, and even if her mind is sharper than Yoru, she never brags about it.

"Never worked a day in her life," they said.

She explores every option every morning and every afternoon, until well after the sun has set, and takes incredibly well-organised notes. As far as I can tell, Y/N has devoted all her energy to the search of a way out of her situation, and has spent every day since her arrival working relentlessly toward her goal.

"Just waiting to take advantage of Shanks," they said.

I have listened to her explain how she calculated the best times to walk from the library to her room in order to avoid people in general, and Shanks in particular after Beckman's threats. She may be unable to confirm it due the sealing magic of the deal, but I have no doubt the only thing she asked from him was his protection against the people who attacked her kingdom and killed her parents.

"Schrewd and vicious," they said.

She has such a hard time asking for help that I had to present it as an equal bargain for her to accept mine, and she puts all her energy into finding a solution to free both herself and Shanks from a deal she did not even want in the first place. When the possibility of ending the deal by killing the demon came up, she immediately discarded it and qualified the idea as unacceptable.

"No better than a leech," they said.

Mihawk had left the party after that last one. There was only so much undeserved slander he could handle being thrown at a kind soul behind her back. To think he had been blind enough to take those words at face value when he had arrived.

-o-oOo-o-

A few days later, they were in the library, each of them reading a different treaty in the hopes of finding a way to break a contract only Y/N knew the exact content of.

"Look !" she exclaimed suddenly, and the urgency in her voice had both Mihawk and Rayleigh raise their head. "I think I might have found something."

The two sordsmen exchanged a glance and stood up to join her around the table she was now standing in front of, and she turned the book toward them so they could read the paragraph that had caught her attention.

"It says here that in case a subjective concept is used in the terms of a contract between a demon and a human, any ambiguity about its clear meaning has to be lifted by the party having brought up the subjective concept in order to consider the deal completed, or in case either party wishes to call the deal off," she explained briefly with her index pointing at the specific segment.

"So if one party asks for freedom," Mihawk translated with ease, "the completion of the deal depends on their personal interpretation of the concept of freedom during the context of the deal."

"Precisely," she smiled with blinding hope.

"So, hypothetically of course," Rayleigh smirked knowingly. "If you had used a subjective concept in your contract with the brat, let's say… safety or protection, for example. You would be able to call the deal off if what you meant by that term was no longer relevant."

"Hypothetically, yes," she replied with the same knowing grin as they danced around the words to discuss her contract without explicitely stating its terms. "Though I'm unsure how to exploit it, this is the first loophole I've found that might be applicable to the situation we're trying to solve."

Mihawk barely refrained a triumphant smile. This particular loophole was the edge all three of them had been looking for, and while the young princess may be unsure as to how exploit it, the Demon Realm's Greatest Swordsman did not need to look at the Dark King to know they were thinking the same thing. If what she had asked of Shanks was protection or safety, all they needed to make the contract void was for her to become strong enough to face her enemies alone. Something which, while difficult, still remained achievable when her opponents were only humans.

"Well, the obvious option would be for you to be in capacity to ensure your own safety or protection," Mihawk stated confidently, and a devilish smirk stretched his lips as Y/N's slightly apprehensive expression turned to him. "Which means we just need to get you some training gear and get to work."

"Should I be worried ?" she asked with a light chuckle barely hiding her nervous reaction at his smirk and words.

"Of course not," Rayleigh replied with a similar devilish grin. "Learning under us is a privilege most demons would beg for."

There was a second of silence, then Y/N chuckled and looked at them with a knowing sparkle in her eyes.

"I have no idea whether to be beyond grateful or completely terrified that you're going to teach me how to fight."

"Both would be considered reasonable reactions," Mihawk confirmed, and found himself looking forward to their sparring sessions in a way he had not felt in years.

Notes:

Bit of trivia here because I couldn't put it in the fic at any point, but demons in this AU have a lifespan of human x 10. They become fully adult around 30-40 years, then age more slowly and can live up to a thousand or so.

Take care and see you on Tuesday <3

Chapter 4: The Right Fit

Reader pov

You glared at the pants laying on your bed like they had personally insulted every single one of your ancestors. The black fabric remained unfased, and you glared harder. Never in your entire life had you ever worn pants. Pants were unbefitting of a princess.

Unfortunately, you would have to wear the kind of outfit befitting a warrior if you were to break free of that blasted contract and go back to the world you belonged to.

Will I still belong when my people try to burn me at the stake for consorting with demons ?

You chose to ignore the question for the time being, and picked the clothes laid out on your bed with a heavy sigh. Mihawk knocked on your door ten minutes after you put on the stupidly close-to-skin garment, and you opened with red cheeks.

"I look ridiculous," you mumbled.

"You look ready for your first lesson," he replied neutrally, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. "Now follow me, we only have a couple hours before the first members of Shanks' crew will wake up."

You refrained from any comment and followed the swordsman, aware that he was right and the time you had to train was limited to one or two hours a day around sunrise. At your request, both Rayleigh and Mihawk had agreed to keep your research, studies, and training secret. You did not want either of them to get in trouble, or risk their standing with the Emperor's crew by publicly associating themselves with you.

The two demons had become the closest thing you had to allies in this realm, and you did not want to do anything to jeopardize your budging friendship with them. You were not sure you could stand to lose either of them at this point. Your status as crown princess had not allowed you to keep many friends before your exile, and the kind attitude both demons were showing you was not something you could afford to do without. At least, not if you were to keep some kind of hope in the Demon Realm.

You followed Mihawk to what looked like an abandoned ground behind the castle, a small piece of land only visible through one window, with the sea on one side and a wild forest starting right after the beach, leaving only a small patch between the stone wall and the trees. Even with your extremely limited knowledge of training grounds, you were fairly confident no one in their right mind would use this as a place to actually train. There were weeds, rocks, uneven spaces, sand patches, and frankly, it appeared to have been pretty much forgotten by everyone and everything.

Though the presence of the Dark King himself, arms crossed on his chest and a confident grin on his face, quickly made you reconsider your first impression. You had a feeling this demon could make any place feel like a training ground if he put his mind to it.

"Punctual," Rayleigh commented approvingly as he saw you approach, and offered you his usual lazy grin as the first lights of the day started to appear on the horizon. "Let's see if you can keep up the good work."

"I'll try my best," you said with a little smile, feeling woefully unprepared for whatever both demons had in store for you.

-o-oOo-o-

Three weeks later, the two swordsmen training you had to face a truth none of you had been ready for, especially with your determination, their skill as teachers, and the quick progress you had made in the study of the runes required for demon magic during your time in the library.

You were the shittiest fighter they had ever seen.

"Fighting stance, again," Rayleigh grumbled. "It's not a pentacle, for Roger's sake !"

"Obviously it's not," you grumbled under your breath and tried to get into the correct position again. "I understand the logic of pentacles."

Mihawk swayed your feet from under you for what had to be the fortieth time this morning, and your back fell on the sand, again. At this point, and with the rain falling on the three of you since you had started, you were feeling drenched, stupid, hopeless, and the worst swordwielder to ever live in both the Human World and the Demon Realm.

Mihawk sighed, his wooden sword in hand as he looked at you with empathetic pity.

"I must admit, I cannot figure how you fail to recreate even the simplest forms."

"I'm trying, okay !?" you burst out, the exhaustion of the past weeks finally wearing you out. "I'm trying," you repeated with tears in your eyes. "I just… I can't help it. It's like everything I have ever learned as a princess goes against your lessons, and I try, I promise I'm trying as hard as I can to let go of it, but-"

"Wait," Rayleigh stopped you gently, and gave you a hand to help you stand back up. "Maybe that's where the problem is."

"What do you mean ?" Mihawk frowned.

"I think we've been going at it the wrong way," Rayleigh hummed as he took the wooden sword from your hand and made a couple moves with it, "I say we go to the armory and see if a weapon feels more natural to you, then work our way up from there. Both of us are swordsmen, and so is Shanks, but there are a lot more options available."

You tilted your head, puzzled at the minute difference a change of weapon would make, but Mihawk seemed to understand immediately what the old demon meant and nodded in agreement.

"Of course. Imposing our fighting style on you was doomed to fail since our lifestyles and upbringings differ so much. We need to find something you feel comfortable wielding and nurture it, rather than force you into a mold that is clearly not the right fit for you."

You blinked, a bit unsure what they meant by this, but since they appeared to agree on something, you merely sighed dubiously.

"Very well," you agreed. "We can go to the armory and see if something feels more adapted to me."

"Not so fast, young lady," Rayleigh grinned. "Just because we're not doing any more sword training today doesn't mean you're done with practice. You're going to work on your cardio and strength in the meantime."

You made a face, mumbled something possibly very inapproriate about tyranical demon trainers, but still put yourself in position as both demons chuckled at your reaction.

-o-oOo-o-

Rayleigh pov

Rayleigh had to be honest, no matter how he looked at it, Y/N was his worst student so far. She could not see the sword as an extension of her arm, could barely fathom the weapon as part of her stance, and held it as if it might bite her anytime. As sharp and precise as she was when it came to finding loopholes in contracts, the Dark King was starting to think they might be better off trying to look out for another legal option to exploit.

At least, the party of the previous night ensured that when the sun rose, no one save for the three of them would be in the armory, or even awake with how plastered all the brats had to be. That meant Y/N had the time to look at all her options until she – hopefully, if a miracle happened – found a weapon she would be comfortable using.

Mihawk showed her pistols and axes. Rayleigh suggested her to take a look at spears and daggers. She looked as comfortable holding all of those as a duck before hunting season.

An hour in their desperate quest, she put a katana back and sighed hopelessly as she turned around. There was a defeated expression on her face that Rayleigh was unsure he would be able to lift with a joke this time.

"Maybe I'm just not meant to- wait," she frowned suddenly. "Why do you keep fans in an armory ?"

Rayleigh followed her sight, and found a shelf supporting nothing but cleaning supplies for the various weapons stored in the armory. He exchanged a brief puzzled glance with Mihawk, who took it upon himself to answer her.

"There are no fans kept in here, not to my knowledge at least."

To Rayleigh's surprise, she walked straight to a pair of short black sticks almost hidden on the left side of the shelf. Those particular items were ones Rayleigh knew for a fact had been used to somewhat bully new recruits since his time in Roger's crew. Their impractical form and short size ensured no one could get a proper handle on them, much less use them as functional weapons.

As far as he knew, the traditional rookie welcome was the only reason those sticks had been kept in the armory for so long. Shanks had certainly grumbled a lot after his own experience with them when he was a kid, and Rayleigh was pretty sure his brat had kept them for nostalgia's sake more than anything else, even if he had probably forgotten their existence during the past decades.

"Look, I will admit I'm not an expert in weaponry, but I know a pair of twin fans when I see one," she affirmed with absolute confidence, and to Rayleigh's growing befuddlement, took the short sticks in her hands.

She flicked her wrists and both sticks suddenly unfolded, revealing beautiful fans crafted in black steel. Each of them displayed the elaborated design of a majestic silvery white griffin spreading its wings and creating powerful busts of winds.

Rayleigh's jaw dropped when he realised what she held in her hands.

An Eternal Weapon. She has just awakened an Eternal Weapon. How the fuck did no one ever notice those sticks were an Eternal Weapon !?

"Perfect alignment," she commented with the appreciative tone of an expert, then flicked her wrists again and closed the fans. In the blink of an eye, she twirled them around her fingers and put them horizontally on her right and left index.

"Impeccable balance," she added with a knowing smile. "I wonder if…"

Before either Rayleigh or Mihawk had the chance to process what was going on, the princess opened the fans again, raised her hands above her head to throw the no doubt razor-sharp weapons in the air, twirled twice on herself with her eyes closed, and spread her arms back just in time to catch both fans by the appropriate end. She then opened her eyes again with a happy smile.

"My goodness," she said with a chuckle, and closed the weapons with a casual flick of her hands, "I've never seen fans made out of metal before, but those are the most amazing ones I have ever hold in my life ! Whoever created such an exceptional piece must have been a master of their art !"

Rayleigh's jaw was probably on the floor by then and he was ready to bet Mihawk's was too.

Through the entirety of Demon History, few blacksmiths had earned the title of masters of their craft. Fewer had managed to forge weapons inbued with pure demonic power, thus creating objects so powerful they had gained the ability to last through eternity, developp a power of their own, and choose their master.

The last known Eternal Weapon to be awakened had been Yoru, a little over three centuries ago. The huge black sword had revealed itself out of its shealth when Mihawk had reached such a mastery of sworsdmanship that even the legendary weapon had bowed to his skill, and acknowledged him as its owner.

Gryphon, Shanks' own sword, was an Eternal Weapon as well. And so, apparently, were the fans a human princess was currently appraising, completely oblivious to the feat she had realised by awakening them or the exceptional power she now had at her disposal.

"We have to tell her," Mihawk whispered beside him.

"Don't you fucking dare," Rayleigh retorted immediately through his teeth, then coughed and attempted to regain some composure. "Well, it looks like you've found your match," he stated for Y/N's benefit.

She turned a surprised expression toward them, then looked back at the fans in her hands with uncertainty.

"Are you sure ? I mean, they feel right, but… is it even possible to use fans as a weapon ? I've never heard of anything like that."

"You don't say," Hawkeyes huffed under his breath, then spoke a bit louder. "Just because it has never been done before does not mean it cannot be done. We will simply have to get creative in your training."

"Though you seem to know your way around them already," Rayleigh added with a raised eyebrow, and was rewarded with a light chuckle and a spark of excitement in the young woman's eyes.

"Well, as crown princess, I had to learn my way around fans early on. You know, how to hold them, fold them, unfold them, display them correctly to convey different meanings, and so on," she stated with a smile and a good-hearted roll of her eyes. "When I was a child, I even used to throw the ones I was allowed to keep in my room so they would fly in circles and catch them, or come up with all sorts of tricks to do since I was not allowed to keep toys. Only when I was alone, of course, since it would have been highly improper to perform such frivolous acts in public or in front of my preceptors," she added with an amused expression.

Rayleigh tried to not show his anger too obviously at the casualness with which she mentioned what sounded like a very lonely childhood. It seemed the princess had grown up with no toys, probably very few friends if any at all, and lessons that would turn her into nothing more than a pretty doll. It certainly explained why she was getting over her parents' death much faster than Rayleigh had expected, they probably not had been much of parents to her to begin with.

Instead, the Dark King tried to focus on the fact that she already had a considerable amount of experience with fans, and was perfectly comfortable manipulating them, even if this particular pair was not in a material she was familiar with. Rayleigh exchanged a quick glance with Mihawk, and it was pretty obvious they were sharing the same thought.

I can work with that.

Granted, Rayleigh had no idea how to use fans as weapons – as a matter of fact, he was confident no one in the Demon Realm had ever thought of it outside of whoever had forged this pair – but he was confident he could come up with an idea or two.

Parrying would require agility and flexibility, but with the appropriate reflexes, it would become child's play to block and redirect almost all kinds of blades or even projectiles. And with the sharp edges, there were definitely parallels to be drawn with daggers. And if she could adequately throw them at targets, it might even do for both close-range and mid-range fighting. And that was not even taking into account the special properties the fans had yet to reveal, since the particularity of Eternal Weapons also laid in their own source of power granting them unique abilities.

Rayleigh grinned wildly as more and more ideas came up to him, the versatility of Y/N's newfound weapon unveiling itself a little more to him with each passing second.

Oh, I can definitely work with that.

"Well, I hope you enjoyed your day off practice, Y/N, because tomorrow we're going to make up for it."

She looked at him and paled a bit, which gave Rayleigh a good enough idea of how delighted and manic he probably looked at the moment. He almost felt guilty about it for a second, but well. He was an old demon presented with an exciting challenge and the prospect of a promising student, he deserved a pass.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

To both your greatest joy and absolute horror, Rayleigh made good on his promise. The old demon appeared the next morning with several pages of techniques to try out – when he had compiled all those, you had no idea – to pile on top of your training to gain stamina and strength.

"Your flexibility and balance are already remarkable," Mihawk stated flatly when you asked about other areas you might need to work on as well. "There is no use working further on them for now, maintaining your current level while we bring the rest of your physical abilities up to par is perfectly satisfying."

"I guess all those years of dance lessons were useful in the end," you laughed, but felt flattered nonetheless.

To your surprise though, Rayleigh zeroed in on you with a spark in his eyes as you spoke those words.

"Of course," he grinned as if he had realised something of great importance. "You've been adopting the postures of ballroom dances this entire time."

"Erm, I suppose ?" you replied curiously, though you felt a little apprehensive at the borderline manic enthusiasm in the old demon's gaze.

"Tell me, what are the main rules of ballroom dancing for a lady ?" he asked you with the same wild grin.

You blinked, unsure as to where he was going with such a question, but replied nonetheless.

"Well, you have to stay in tempo, use the exact movements needed for the type of dance happening, keep your balance at all time, be attentive to your partner's every move so you can anticipate his next steps and adapt your own accordingly, and of course it's imperative to be mindful of the environment to avoid any and all potential obstacles- oh," you cut yourself off with wide eyes as you understood where Rayleigh was heading. "You think I can apply my experience of ballroom dances to our training ?"

"Precisely."

"What an interesting take on it," Mihawk said, his own eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Now that you mention it, the parallel is surprisingly obvious. We are going to spar again, but this time, you will try to think of it as a variation of one of the dances you know."

You looked at the two demons, and noticed how both of them looked elated to a worrying extent at the idea of merging two different disciplines to create an entirely new way to fight. You huffed, then sighed goodheartedly and smiled. With how disastrous your attempts at learning the traditional way had been, you supposed there truly was no harm in trying something different.

"Let's give it a try. It's not like I can get any worse, anyway," you laughed, then took the folded fans in your hands and placed yourself as you would at the beginning of a waltz, an easy and familiar position. Mihawk took the wooden sword he had been using in all your lessons so far, and Rayleigh stepped back until he could monitor the exchange closely but still give you enough room to spar.

"Go," the old demon said, and Mihawk launched himself at you.

You pictured him as your dance partner rather than your opponent, and quickly sidestepped in order to glide along his side, accompanying his movement and swiftly folding a fan to push him in the back. The added momentum sent him where you had stood a second ago, and you twirled on yourself to face his back while adopting the same resting posture you had at the beginning.

When he turned around to look at you, Mihawk's eyes were slightly widened, but also shining with something that looked a lot like pride, and you could hardly believe his suggestion had worked.

"Looks like we finally found the trick," Rayleigh laughed from the side. "Come on, keep sparring, we have to assess how wide your range is ! I want to see how many dances we can adapt into a fighting style !"

You tried your best to contain your grimace at the idea of the sore muscles you were going to be sporting by the end of the lesson. Even one full hour of training at this intensity would be enough to send you into an early grave. Or at least, into your bed for the rest of the morning.

Notes:

Bit of trivia again, Devil Fruits exist in this world but are only found in the Demon Realm, so humans can only get one by making a deal with a demon (so yes Doflamingo has eaten one after a previous deal with Kaido)

Take care and see you on Thursday <3

Chapter 5: Time To Heal

Hongo pov

Hongo rarely brought it up with the rest of the crew, but being a doctor came with quite a lot of perks. Chief among them, he could make his own hangover cures in advance and stock them for whenever a party would get particularly intense.

Also, he could tell even Shanks and Beckman to shut up and do as he said when it came to health-related measures. That particular treat almost made up for all the whining he had to endure from absolutely everyone when he reminded them that yes, he knew best, and yes, their injuries needed to be disinfected and bandaged every time.

Point remained, Hongo was currently thanking his past self for putting the pills in his pocket before the party, as he woke up to the far end of a corridor no one usually wandered in, with no idea how he had even ended up there. The first rays of the sunrise were flooding through the window behind him, and the blond demon groaned at the invasive light on his sensitive eyes. He swallowed both pills without even bothering to move and get some water, and waited for them to take effect with his eyes closed.

When a few minutes had gone by and the doctor felt like he could stand without risking the content of his stomach, he cautiously put himself back up with the help of the wall, and wondered whether it would be better to check on everyone or just go to his room to sleep off the rest of his hangover.

Then a flash of light caught his eye through the window, and he squinted to check what was outside that could have caused a reflection so early in the day, when everyone else was most likely still too wasted to even be awake.

The sight waiting for him had the doctor's jaw drop to the floor in shock, immediately followed by a thorough rubbing of his eyes. When he stopped and looked again, however, the view remained unchanged.

"No fucking way," he cursed with a raspy but mostly incredulous voice.

The next second, Hongo was running to the nearest set of stairs with little care for his throbbing head, determined to go outside as fast as he could and dissipate the absurd hallucination his hangover must have created.

Because there was no way, no absolute fucking way in the Realm, that Hawkeyes and the Dark King were training the haughty bitch who had trapped Shanks in a contract. Those two were even closer to Shanks than Beckman was despite not being crew. They would never willingly help a prissy human princess who already held way too much power over the Emperor.

Hongo ran outside, managed not to fall as he reached the back of the palace where the sounds of training could be heard in the cold air of a winter morning, and stopped himself right before he turned the last corner. Since she was manipulating them, or using her charms, or whatever, he needed more information before he took the matter to Beckman. Not Shanks, obviously, since the boss was so stupidly enamoured with the girl that they needed to take turns to ensure he would be distracted whenever he thought of going to see her.

The sound of weapons clashing echoed in the air for a couple more minutes, until there was the unmistakable noise of someone falling on the ground with a groan.

"Damn it," a feminine voice – which hold none of the regal uppity edge Hongo was expecting – cursed. "I thought I had you for a second."

Then Hongo felt even more astoundished as he heard Hawkeyes chuckle, a sound even Shanks had trouble getting out of him.

"I have centuries of experience," the Greatest Swordsman in the Demon Realm replied with clear amusement in his tone. "You have only been training for a month."

"But you're improving quickly," the encouraging voice of Rayleigh commented, as if this entire situation was not surreal enough as it was. "At this rate, I think a couple years might be enough for you to reach the point where you no longer need the brat's protection."

Wait, what ?

"That's still a long time from now. I'm scared of what might happen to the people of my kingdom in two or three years under the reign of the man who killed my parents," she retorted with worry lacing her voice, and Hongo was thrown off anew by the conversation.

What in the absolute fuck is going on ?

"Y/N, listen to me. You're already doing everything you can and then some," Rayleigh told her gently, and Hongo risked a glance over the wall, just in time to see the Dark King put a comforting hand on the princess' shoulder. "You found a loophole to break the contract you had to make with Shanks in order to survive, you're learning how to fight, you're even learning demon magic to ensure you'll have a way to go back to your world once you're free. Don't be so hard on yourself, young lady."

While Hongo could not see the princess' expression since her back was turned to him, he could see her put some sort of short stick under her arm so her own hand could cover Rayleigh's. The words pronounced by the Dark King slowly registered in the doctor's tired but adrenaline-infused brain, though, and Hongo started feeling like he might need to sit down for a while after this mindshattering amount of information.

"I still wish I could just break the deal already and go back to the Human World," she said dejectedly. "Even if I'm not guaranteed a warm welcome once I'm back."

"You will come back as a princess freeing her people from the tyrant who took their kingdom over by force and tried to offer you to a demon for more power. If they do not honour you as a hero, they are fools," Hawkeyes retorted and again, what the fuck- until Hongo remembered Shanks had needed to fight Kaido to decide who would answer that summoning, which meant the girl… was probably supposed to be an offering for Kaido in the first place. The doctor took a series of deep breathes to fight the nausea creeping up on him at the sickening realisation.

"I will also be returning as a witch who consorted with demons and became a warrior using demon magic, instead of the delicate princess supposed to stay silent and pretty until she could be sold off to a man and turned into a baby factory," she huffed with a solid dose of irony. "I'll be lucky if they don't try to burn me at the stake after I get rid of the usurper."

"They would be left without a rightful heir to the throne if they did," Rayleigh countered calmly, though to anyone who knew the Dark King, the undercurrent of fury was clear in his voice.

"Not really, my uncle on my mother's side is still alive. He married one of the princesses of the neighbouring kingdom, and they have a daughter," she retorted with what sounded like a heavy sigh. "I thought about it, and there truly is only one solution that will work out on the long term. I will take the throne just long enough to transfer the crown to my cousin, then I'll abdicate and she will be able to merge both kingdoms into one during her reign."

"And then what will you do ?" Hawkeyes asked, with the same echo of anger in his tone.

"After that ?" she asked in surprise, as if she had not thought that far away. "I… well, I'll have to exile myself somewhere remote enough that people won't recognise my face, obviously, and then I'll spend the rest of my days trying to live a normal life, I suppose."

Yep, that was it, Hongo hid again behind the corner and let himself fall against the wall, both hands roaming on his face as he took deep breathes and his stomach churned in protest. The clashes started again, indicating Y/N and Hawkeyes were back to their sparring session. Hongo stayed there for a few more minutes, slowly processing the amount of game-changing information he had just learned about the princess, and thinking back on the way everyone had treated her since her arrival.

Fuck, what have we done ?

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

 You came back to your room one evening, feeling completely exhausted and trying to ignore the massive bruise on your right shoulder. Mihawk and Rayleigh could claim you were making tremendous progress all they liked, it still did not feel like it when you left every practice with the imprints of your teachers' training swords on your skin.

But they were the experts there, and you trusted them to know what they were doing. At the very least, you were starting to feel the difference during the afternoons when you needed to lift heavy books on demon magic and pentacles. When your muscles were not sore to hell and back, that was.

Unfortunately, your only options to alleviate the effects of training were warm baths and the stretches both demons had showed you early on and instructed you to do every evening. Though neither of them had outright mentioned it, you knew they did not want to push your training further because the risk of getting hurt was higher. Unfortunately, going to the doctor was not an option when said doctor had made it clear he would rather put you in a coma than heal your injuries.

Thus, warm baths and careful stretches it was.

You made sure both fans were still in the drawer you kept them in outside of your lessons – Mihawk had made very clear how crucial it was that no one saw you with them – and walked toward the bathroom to draw yourself a bath.

A knock on the door stopped you in your tracks, and your mind speedran through a list of people who might want to see you so late in the evening. You spent your days with Mihawk and Rayleigh, so if they had something to tell you, it could likely wait until the next morning.

The Emperor barely seemed to remember your existence anymore and had only come to see you once in the past two months, with three members of his crew who had reminded him of something he needed to do before the conversation could go further than a couple of superficial sentences. All the other demons living in the castle still avoided you like the plague or glared at you in a manner that made it clear you were not wanted within those walls.

You carefully went to open the door, and blinked as you took in the sight on the other side. The doctor of the castle was standing there, looking a bit awkward, and holding a steaming mug in his hand.

"Can I come in ?" he asked.

You were not sure what was going on with him or why he was being polite all of a sudden. Especially when your only interactions so far had consisted of him threatening to put you into permanent unconsciousness until you died, or glaring you down from behind the Emperor's back.

"Of course," you replied with your most polite expression in hopes it would be enough to hide your apprehension, and took a couple steps back in order to let him walk in.

When he was inside and the door closed again, the blond-haired demon looked around for a minute, then sighed and handed you the mug.

"Thought you might need that."

Fear took ahold of you at the idea of the hundred different poisons he could have put in the beverage, and how he was effectively leaving you with no other choice than to drink it anyway. You tried to keep your hands steady as you picked up the offered mug, and bought yourself some time by blowing softly on it.

"It'll help with the sore muscles after training, I also brought you a salve for bruises-"

The mug slipped through your fingers and crashed on the floor, while all you could do was stare in absolute terror at the demon casually revealing he knew about your practice with Rayleigh and Mihawk.

The doctor startled at the broken shards of ceramic flying everywhere, and cursed loudly before interrupting himself to look at you.

"Please let me explain," you whispered faintly, knowing tears were not far away. "I promise I'm not doing anything to hurt him or-"

"Fuck- No I meant- Damn it, it's not-" the demon groaned as he walked closer to you, and you flinched when he extended a hand.

His face fell, and he took a couple steps back, until he let himself fall on one of the chairs near the fireplace with both hands hiding his face. Meanwhile you were still frozen in shock and close to hyperventilating.

"I heard your conversation with Hawkeyes and the Dark King the other day," he ultimately said, and you faltered back until your hands managed to grip the edge of the bedframe behind you. "About how you found a way to break the contract with the boss, and how you wanted to go back to your world to kill the guy who killed your parents, even if it means your people won't accept you as their queen after you spent time in the Demon Realm learning how to fight and use demon magic."

The only thing managing to get past your dried lips was a weak oh, and you had no idea what this revelation meant for you in the immediate future. Maybe he planned to-

"I'm sorry," he said while looking you in the eyes, and despite the flickering light of the fire near him, you thought you could see what looked like genuine remorse in his gaze.

The apology shocked you to the core, but before you could even start to comprehend what was happening, the demon was talking again.

"We've all been huge pricks to you since day one, me more than most, and I have no idea if you'll ever be able to forgive me for being a major douchebag when you were just trying to survive through shitty circumstances, but I thought… shit, I thought maybe I could try to make up for it by helping you with the health part of your training. You know, heal your cuts and bruises and stuff. If you'll accept my help, that is, but frankly, I'll understand if you don't want me anywhere near you after all the shit I threatened you with."

You felt like the entire content of the armory had been dropped on your head while the floor had simultaneously disappeared from under your feet.

"I think I need to sit down," you mumbled weakly and barely managed to walk around your bed and let yourself half-fall in a sitting position on the covers, then attempted to focus on your breathing to put your mind back together and make some sense of the conversation.

After a minute, you slowly raised your head again and looked in the direction of the doctor, who was still staring at you with nothing but guilt in his eyes.

"You… don't hate me anymore ?" you asked cautiously.

A snort was your first reply, quickly followed by an unexpectedly kind smile.

"Understatement of the century. I spent the past four days thinking about what you did since the boss brought you here, and I can't believe every single demon in the crew has been such a blind moron, myself included," the doctor stated and shook his head.

"What do you mean ?" you asked with a confused frown and a light tilt of your head as your panic slowly receded. "You all vowed to protect your Emperor and acted accordingly when you saw an unknown variable appear with all the signs pointing to a threat."

The demon stared at you for a moment, then groaned and roamed a hand over his face again.

"That. That's exactly what I mean. You've been doing literally everything we asked you even though you had no reason to ! If you truly were just a bitchy princess tricking a Demon Emperor in a contract for his power, you would have gone to the boss the second we threatened you, instead of trying to make yourself invisible," he explained.

"I suppose that's one way to look at it," you answered carefully.

The doctor sighed, looked at you for a moment longer, then moved his hands and mumbled a few words, until a burst of red magic created a small circle and cleaned the broken mug and spilled water off the floor. He then took a small jar out of his pocket, and put it on the corner of the coffee table as he stood up.

"This is to apply on bruises, it'll make them go away faster. I'm not expecting you to trust me or forgive me anytime soon, but if you need my help as a doctor at any point, I'll be there. Goodnight, your Highness."

And he walked out of your chambers, closing the door behind him and leaving you completely flabbergasted at what had just happened. You could not wrap your mind around the fact that the doctor, who had been so adamant and downright scary in his promise to make you pay should you so much as breathe in the Emperor's direction, had apparently apologised for his behaviour and offered to heal you after your training.

You glanced a the inconspicuous brown jar on your coffee table like it was a puzzle box, and carefully decided not to touch it for the moment. You went back to the bathroom to soothe your body in the same way you had been doing for the past months, and resolved to talk about this conversation to Mihawk and Rayleigh on the morning. Hopefully, your teachers would be willing to shed some light on whatever was going on with the doctor, and whether you could trust his sudden change of heart or not.

-o-oOo-o-

Mihawk pov

Mihawk walked calmly to the medbay after his usual morning training session with Y/N and Rayleigh, Yoru resting on his back and ready to be used if Hongo proved to be a threat to his student. The young woman had been distressed and confused as she told them about her late encounter with the doctor, and had asked for their opinion on the matter. Rayleigh had offered to check the salve after their lesson, just in case, and Mihawk had opted to have a little discussion with Shanks' physician.

He pushed the door of the infirmary open without bothering to knock, and only made sure no one else was in the room before staring the blond demon down with one of his patented glares.

"I heard you talked to my student."

Hongo's face lost a few colours at his cold demeanour, but he immediately put his clipboard back on the table and stood up.

"Yeah, I went to see her last night. She okay ?"

"She fails to understand why you suddenly claimed you wished to help her when you have spent the past three months making your disdain and hatred so painfully clear," Mihawk stated without bothering to sugarcoat the facts.

Heavy guilt appeared on the doctor's expression, and he sat on the nearest bed with both hands joined between the knees.

"Look," he sighed, "I know I've been a complete idiot and a real dick to her. I mean, we've all been, but-"

"Rayleigh has not. And I realised my own mistake in minutes," Hawkeyes cut him off.

It seemed to make the blond demon feel even more miserable, but Mihawk did not feel any kind of remorse. This was but a ounce of the well overdue payback for the slander Mihawk had been forced to put up with when it came to his student.

"Yeah, we've got no excuse, you're right. I tried to tell the others that we might be wrong about her, and no one believed that she could be anything else than a manipulating bitch. Did you know that no one in the crew has spoken a single fucking word to her since the day we threatened her ? If it weren't for you and Rayleigh, the only interactions she would have had in three months would have been death threats and maybe four minutes total of empty chatter with Shanks," the doctor admitted with his fists clenched. "If any of us had taken just five minutes to talk to her like I did last night, we would've seen how scared she really was. Still is."

Silence reigned for a moment, without either demon needing to say anything more on the matter. It was the truth, and they both knew it.

"Are you truly sincere in your desire to help her ?" Hawkeyes eventually asked, his gaze scrutinizing Hongo for any kind of deceit.

"Fuck yes," the doctor replied instantly. "That's the least I can do after treating her like shit."

"Very well," Mihawk nodded. "I will see what I can do to make her trust you enough to let you heal her."

"Wait, for real ? I thought you'd be more protective of her. No offense," Hongo added quickly when Mihawk glared him down for his comment.

Then the swordsman smirked, and reveled in the way it made the doctor uncomfortable in a matter of seconds.

"She will be ready to start training more intensely soon, and both Rayleigh and I will feel better with a medical professional on standby. Mastering an Eternal Weapon rarely comes without injuries, after all."

Hongo's jaw dropped and his eyes widened to a degree some might think concerning, but that Mihawk found a certain amusement in.

"Wait, come again ? I thought I heard you say-"

"She has awakened a pair of Eternal Weapons," Mihawk repeated with barely refrained smugness as he finally got an occasion to brag – subtly, of course – about his student's exceptional talent.

"She fucking what !?"

"We are also creating an entirely new fighting style based on her pre-existing dancing skills and experience. In order to prevent injuries, it is probably for the best that you attend at least a few lessons to see what kind of training she does. Be at the back of the palace tomorrow by sunrise, you will understand," the swordsman ordered and turned around, satisfied with the stunned doctor he left behind him in the medbay.

Now he just needed to reassure his student with his own certainty that Hongo was genuine in his offer, and inform both her and Rayleigh they would have one more demon with them during their future sessions.

Notes:

Bit of trivia again : the colour of a demon's hair/eyes, of their magic, and of their demonic features can be different (though all their demonic features will be of the same colour), which allows for a vast range of colour combinations all over the Demon Realm.

Take care and see you on Saturday <3

Chapter 6: Evening Visitors

Reader pov

It took you around three weeks to get used to Hongo's occasional presence during your training sessions, but with both Rayleigh and Mihawk assuring you the doctor was sincere in both his remorse and his decision to help you, you gradually came to believe his change of mind. Granted, the fact that his advices and remedies to sore muscles, bruises, and cuts, were actually helping you get better after practice had also done a lot to convince you of the truthfulness of his claims.

You had planned to err on the side of caution for a little longer just in case, but after he casually redirected Benn Beckman's angry attention away from you when you unfortunately crossed paths in the corridors around lunch one day, you started to feel ready to trust him.

One month in, as the doctor brought you a new batch of salve and herbal tea at the end of the day, he even stayed a little longer and told you a few things your teachers had apparently not felt comfortable enough to reveal to you yet. More specifically, he told you the fans you were learning to use were some kind of special weapon belonging to a legendary category in the Demon Realm.

"I think they didn't want to throw this on top of everything else you're already piling up on your shoulders," the doctor explained over a warm cup of tea. "It's been centuries since anyone has awakened an Eternal Weapon, it's bound to come with expectations and pressure, and you already have to deal with a shitton of each."

"I'm used to high expectations and crushing pressure," you replied honestly as you sipped from your own cup. "Thank you for telling me, though, I appreciate it."

To your surprise, however, the doctor seemed to feel awkward for a few seconds, then groaned and hid his face behind the hand not holding his cup.

"You, uh, you should also know something else. About fighting, I mean."

"What is it ?" you asked, confused by whatever could have the experienced and laid-back demon looking so obviously uncomfortable.

"Well… you see, in the Demon Realm, it's… fuck, how do I say that," he grumbled.

"If I may, you might as well say it plainly," you offered with genuine amusement in your voice.

After all the unadultered bluntness you had been subjected to since that blasted Halloween Ball, you would rather be told frankly of any other peculiarity typical of demon culture. After the contract laws and the Eternal Weapons, the intense training and the focused research, the constant swearing and the weird runes, you were fairly confident there was not much left that could surprise you.

"All matters related to fighting are very, very strongly linked to seduction in the Demon Realm. It means being a skilled fighter is considered very attractive by demon standards," the doctor blurted out while avoiding your gaze. "Using a rare or unique weapon or a style no one else can master only adds to the allure. So, with you currently learning both, it's, erm, it means, well, not that I would make a move on you, obviously, but you see-"

You almost choked on your beverage, and blushed beet red as the implications instantly dawned on you. You put the cup on the coffee table and opted to turn your gaze to the fireplace as the doctor ultimately renounced to finish his sentence.

"Tha- ahem, thanks for telling me," you coughed without looking at him. "Even though I don't think anyone in this castle could fathom these ideas being applicable to me."

"Just thought you might want to be aware of it," the demon replied quickly.

"Of course. Thank you, doctor."

An awkward silence followed, until the demon stood up and started walking toward the door of your bedchambers.

"I'll let you get your sleep. By the way, you can call me Hongo if you want, you know ? I'd rather not have a friend call me doctor all the time."

You blinked, then thought about everything that had happened during the past month, the various proofs of his change of heart, and how relieved he always looked whenever you acted a little less guarded in his presence. You looked at the fireplace as you heard the door open, then decided to take a leap of faith.

"Very well, Hongo. Then you can call me Y/N, if you'd like."

Silence reigned for a second, then the doctor- no, Hongo replied with a smile so obvious in his voice that you did not need to see his face in order to know it was present.

"Thank you, Y/N. Goodnight."

You went to bed with a soothed mind that night, as if another source of stress had left you. It seemed your future was looking a little brighter with one more friend willing to assist you in your quest of breaking your contract and going back to the Human World.

-o-oOo-o-

No matter how many herbal teas and salves Hongo gave you, a hot bath truly was the way to end a day of intense training and studying, as far as you were concerned. So sue you, you were born into royalty and had grown up used to the luxury of being able to take a bath whenever you wanted to. Since your transfer to the Demon Realm had not changed this fact, you had no desire to lose this specific habit.

Granted, maybe you should, given that after going back to your kingdom with the use of demon magic, killing your parents' murderer with weapons forged by demons, and putting your cousin on the throne through possibly dubious legal ways, you were unlikely to be granted a royal pension and a lofty place.

However, a much bigger part of your personality was arguing that you might as well enjoy the luxury while you had access to it. And since you had to train up to two hours everyday at sunrise on top of spending your waking hours studying runes and pentacles, you felt like a warm bath was a reward you wholeheartedly deserved.

Even if it meant taking one in the morning after your fighting lesson, and sometimes a second one in the evening after your studying session. You had never denied being at least somewhat the spoiled princess so many demons in the Emperor's crew accused you to be, after all.

You finished putting on your dark red nightgown, then pushed the bedroom's door open with the firm intention to go to bed and get enough sleep to restore your strength.

The sight of a man waiting silently in the dark, however, activated your panic instincts and you screamed in fear.

Before you could go back into the bathroom and hide, the silhouette jumped from his spot near the window and put his hands on your cheeks.

"Calm down princess, it's me," a soothing voice told you.

You gasped, but identified the voice at the same time the light of the full moon allowed you to recognise the Emperor's characteristic hair and face. You closed your eyes and put a hand on your heart in an attempt to calm its frantic beating.

"You scared me," you whispered after a few moments. "What are you doing in my room so late, your Majesty ?"

You heard the demon grumble at your words, and your eyes finally adjusted enough to allow you to identify his almost sulking expression.

"I told you to drop the majesty thing."

"I suppose you did," you acknowledged readily.

"Then why do you keep using it ?"

"Because it is the proper way to address you."

"What if I told you the proper way to address me was to use my name ?" he countered with clear mischief sparkling in his eyes.

You remained silent, then pushed yourself away from the Emperor so his hands would no longer be touching your face, and turned your back on him to check on the fireplace, where only a few embers remained. You could not exactly tell him that calling him by name, on top of being improper given the difference of rank between you, would be a display of familiarity his second in command would happily kill you for as soon as he heard about it.

"Is it the reason of your presence tonight ?" you asked instead.

You heard movement behind you, then a hand slowly touched your forearm before it could reach the poker, and brought it back closer to your body. The Emperor then snapped his fingers and your fireplace lit up anew with a spark of crimson magic. You tensed, back straight and posture rigid, but he gently grabbed your hand to turn you around and make you face him.

His expression was soft and gentle, but you kept your walls up.

"I realised I haven't spent much time with you since you got here, and I wanted to change that."

You blinked slowly, and kept a blank expression as you wondered where that particular statement had come from. It had been your understanding so far that he was perfectly satisfied with ignoring your existence entirely.

"I never asked for your time," you reminded him as you took your hand away from his and stepped back. "You have no obligation to interact with me in any way."

He took a step forward in the firelight to close the distance you had managed to put back, his eyes never leaving yours as he grinned seductively and even winked at you.

"You are my contractee. Of course I want to interact with you."

"As emphasized by the amount of time you have spent with me so far," you retorted plainly, then turned around once more and started walking in direction of your bed, feeling grateful that your winter nightgown covered your legs and arms and allowed you some modicum of modesty. "Now if you'll excuse me, I was getting ready to sleep."

"Wait," he called and caught your wrist. "I thought we could talk a bit, and get to know each oth-"

"I am tired, your Majesty," you interrupted him with a firm voice, and this time, you allowed some of your annoyance to slip through your mask as you turned to face him. "Whatever it is you wish to talk about, I am certain it can wait."

Emperor or not, he was rudely keeping you awake – on top of coming uninvited in the private chambers of an unmarried woman well after sunset – when you were exhausted by your day.

You watched the demon's confidence falter for a second, and his smile lessened. He glanced at your window, then turned his gaze back to you.

"Just five minutes," he asked softly. "It's finally cold enough outside to make the sea crystallize, I'd like to show you how beautiful it is when the sky is as clear as tonight."

Now that was something you were not expecting. You glanced toward your window, where the full moon was indeed claiming the dark velvet of the nightsky for herself. You were not sure what the Emperor meant exactly by the sea crystallizing, but a part of you did feel curious about it.

"I'm afraid a nightgown is not the ideal garment for a walk during a winter night."

Your relatively weak protest made the Emperor smile wider, with a playful sparkle in his eyes as his wings suddenly appeared.

"Who said anything about walking ? And I'll keep you warm the entire time we're outside, promise."

By all accounts, it was a stupid idea. You were assuredly going to catch a cold, be uncomfortable, and find yourself on the receiving end of his crew's fury for daring to do any kind of activity with the Emperor. But you could also tell he was not going to leave until you agreed to spend some amount of time with him tonight, and you did not want to lose more sleep because of his stubborness.

"Very well," you agreed with a sigh, then made your way to the door.

"Where do you think you're going, princess ?" a chuckle rumbled beside you.

Before you could frown or ask what he meant by that, you suddenly found yourself in the Emperor's arms, who was effectively holding you up in a princess carry and seemed absolutely delighted to do so.

"What on- put me down this instant !" you protested.

"Mmh, I don't think so," he grinned as he walked to the window and somehow opened it despite both his hands being on you, which confused you until you realised his tail had appeared as well.

But then you realised what he likely had in mind and paled. You were on the third story, surely he did not plan to just take flight from that height.

"Hold on tight," the Emperor whispered against your ear.

And he jumped outside.

You closed your eyes immediately as you failed to refrain an undignified squeak. Your hands shot to  grab his shirt to secure yourself somehow, as you felt the wind and cold bite your body for less than a second. However, the movement stopped quickly and you guessed the Emperor had found a place in the air he was happy with. The flapping of his wings and the calm rush of the waves were soon the only things you could hear, but you were still clinging to him for dear life.

The little part of your mind focused on somthing other than not falling, however, noticed that you were not cold, and had not been since that first initial rush when he had jumped from the window.

"Open your eyes," the Emperor's voice murmured against your hair.

You cautiously blinked your eyes open, only to realise it was giving you a direct view on the tanned skin of his muscular chest, since he seemed to wear all his shirts half-buttoned at best. You averted your eyes at once, which could only direct your gaze to the sea, and your next breath left you in a gasp.

The dark blue of the waves was covered by an almost transparent mist, in which the moonlight was reflected in what looked like thousands of glittering stars twinkling in and out of existence. Where the waves gently brushed the shore, you could see the foam crystallize and leave a delicate trail of shimmering frost behind, while the rest of the beach appeared to shine silver under the rays of the full moon.

You remained speechless in front of such an exceptional view.

"I've never seen anything like this," you whispered reverently after a while, afraid the fragile splendor of the scene would break if you dared to speak any louder. "It's beautiful."

"I know," the Emperor replied just as softly, but you did not turn toward him, too captivated by the sight under you.

He kept you both in the air for a few more minutes, and you progressively relaxed in his hold as your eyes drank in the unique beauty displayed before you by the nature of the Demon Realm. At some point, though, tiredness made itself known again and a discreet yawn escaped you.

"Let's get you to bed, shall we ?" the Emperor chuckled, and flew back to your window.

You were expecting him to let you go as soon as you were inside, but to your surprise and growing embarrassment, the red-haired demon literally put you on your bed, and even brought the covers up as you lowered yourself on the pillows.

"Thank you for showing me this," you mumbled as you felt sleep slowly get a hold of you.

"Believe me, it was my pleasure," the Emperor replied warmly as he walked to the door. "Goodnight, princess."

You were barely able to do more than hum in response, as your eyes closed and you fell into a peaceful slumber.

-o-oOo-o-

To your profound astonishment, the Emperor came back to see you again three days later, once again late enough that you were down with washing yourself and ready to go to bed. This time, you managed not to scream when you saw his broad silhouette leaning near the window in the dark of the room, but it still took you by surprise.

"I forgot to tell you last time, but you look good in red," he told you with an appreciative smile.

You plastered a neutral expression on your face and refrained from reminding him that he had not exactly given you a lot of options when it came to the colour theme of your wardrobe.

"May I ask what you are doing in my chambers so late for the second time in less than a week, your Majesty ?" you asked politely, while doing your best to keep your tone neutral instead of annoyed.

"I told you I wanted to spend more time with you."

"And I told you I never asked for such a thing," you replied immediately.

"You make it sound like you don't want to see me at all, princess," he joked with a grin.

You remained completely silent, your face the picture of impassivity. After a few seconds, the Emperor seemed to understand that you were not going to deny this statement, and his grin dimmed considerably.

"Also, you never asked me your question," he said after a few more  moments spent in complete silence.

You frowned, and felt confused by the unexpected and rather weak attempt to rekindle a discussion that could and should have ended with your previous silence.

"My question ? What are you talking about ?"

"When Beck interrupted us in the corridor to tell me Mihawk was there, you were going to ask me something."

Your back straightened in reflex at the mention of the grey-haired demon, but you soon had to search for your memories of a fleeting conversation that had happened months ago. You wondered for a moment if the fact that he remembered such an insignificant detail was linked to your contract somehow. Truth be told, you had completely forgotten about the subject of the brief talk you had had with the Emperor, especially since his second in command's threats had been much more striking to you.

"I can't remember," you replied after a minute, and shrugged it off dismissively. "I doubt it was important anyway, I don't think we were talking about anything meaningful."

And if it had been important, no doubt you would have asked Rayleigh or Mihawk, or even Hongo about it by now. From the corner of your eyes, you noticed the demon's expression losing some of its confidence and idly wondered why that was. Hopefully, this would close the conversation for good and he would let you sleep.

"Well if you ever remember, I'll be happy to answer it," the Emperor said with a cheer you could easily recognised as a bit forced.

You took it as a sign he had no wish to pursue the discussion any longer, which suited you perfectly. You nodded in silent acknowledgment of his offer, and made your way through the room.

"So, I was wondering, what do you do with your days here ?" he asked you with renewed interest.

You used the fact that he could not see your face to glare at the wall in front of you. Seriously, how impolite did you need to be for the Emperor to take the hint that you had no desire to interact with him whatsoever.

"I keep myself busy, your Majesty," you deadpaned without bothering to turn around and face him.

"Playing the mystery card with me, princess ?" he retorted playfully.

"I would hardly call my daily activities a mystery, your Majesty," you answered with all the warmth of an iceberg. "I merely fail to see how it can be any of your concern as long as it doesn't affect my safety."

"I just want to learn more about you," he said softly after a couple seconds.

You almost scoffed at the claim. It had not convinced you the last time, it was not going to convince you this time, no matter how genuine his voice sounded. You had trusted his words once before, and it had resulted in being transported to another world while your parents' murderer could run your kingdom unopposed.

"Then you will be happy to learn that I am currently tired and wish to sleep. Goodnight, your Majesty."

In a gesture of rudeness you would never have dared to pull in front of royalty before, you got into bed and turned your back to the Emperor as you brought the covers up. A couple of seconds passed without a sound in the room, then you heard a heavy sigh and footsteps toward your door indicating he was finally leaving.

"Goodnight, princess."

You did not like how long it took you to fall asleep that night.

Chapter 7: Friends And Rivals

Notes:

I hope you're all ready for explanations of Shanks' change of behaviour... and his first pov !

Reader pov

Your left hand sent the fan flying in a wide arc over the training ground, just as you twirled on yourself to avoid Mihawk's attack. You quickly folded your second fan and attempted to use its blunt edge to hit on his elbow, but the demon adjusted his stance faster than you could reach for him and parried your hit.

You jumped backward the next instant with a leg down behind you, kept your left hand hidden behind your back and unfolded the fan in your right hand as a visual distraction. The swordsman slashed the air in your direction, but noticed your left fan flying back straight toward his arm and changed the direction of his attack to avoid being touched by the razor-sharp blade, forcing his sword to hit the ground instead of you.

You caught the fan in flight and positioned yourself back into your initial posture, which was close to one befitting a paso doble. You had realised early on this dance was more useful to match Mihawk's flamboyant style, while Rayleigh's strong-paced rhythm required you to adopt the same kind of measured and powerful steps you would use in a tango.

For a fleeting instant, an image of the Emperor flashed in your mind and you wondered what kind of dance would be the most appropriate to adopt if you were to spar against him.

The next second, Mihawk had aimed for your knee and unbalanced you enough to make you slip up on a frost patch and fall on your ass, the tip of his wooden sword resting above your heart.

"You are distracted," he stated matter-of-factly.

You sighed, but did not deny it. There was no point in trying to lie to your teachers, they were both extremely observant when it came to your practice.

"Sorry," you said as you slowly got up and took both folded fans in one hand to brush your pants and get the dirt and frost off them.

"That's already the third time this morning you get lost in your mind, what's going on ?" Rayleigh asked you as he walked closer.

You averted your eyes at that, but you knew what the answer was. The Emperor had come to your chambers the previous evening, for the third time in a week, and had tried to make conversation again no matter how clear you had made it that you only wanted him to leave you alone. His sudden change in behaviour confused you to no end, and the stress to keep your walls up at a time of day you were supposed to relax did not make for restful nights.

It appeared whatever expression you made was enough for the old demon to read your mind, though, and he raised an eyebrow.

"What did the brat do this time ?"

It seemed you would not resume training until they would have an answer, so you sighed but resigned yourself to just say what was troubling you. You had learned early on that you would not win a contest of stubborness against your mentors.

"I don't understand what game he's playing with me" you admitted. "He seemed to have completely forgotten my existence, then out of nowhere, he showed up in my room late at night three times in the past week claiming he wanted to spend time with me, learn more about me, this kind of nonsense. I just don't get it."

To your surprise, Rayleigh facepalmed and Mihawk pinched the bridge of his nose, then both of them sighed heavily in a very judgemental manner.

"Of course he did," the white-haired demon grumbled, then huffed a laugh. "Don't worry about the brat, he's just finally able to act on it."

"Act on what ?" you asked with a frown and a tilt of your head as you put both fans back in the makeshift holsters in your belt.

"Shanks has wanted to spend time with you since the moment he brought you here," Mihawk explained patiently. "As a matter of fact, he talks about you all the time, to everyone who will listen and even to those who would rather not."

What ?

"What are you talking about ?"

"You can ask Hongo about it, I have no doubt he will confirm Shanks has talked everyone's ears off about his contractee," Mihawk huffed with the little lilt of amusement you had learned to notice on the corner of his lips.

"Even then," you replied, no matter how difficult it was to wrap your mind around that absurd possibility, "that doesn't explain why he would ignore me for months and then suddenly try to force me to spend time with him after nightfall."

"Because the rest of his crew has been taking turns to distract him everytime he thought about going to see you," Rayleigh told you with a knowing grin. "Beckman even put a roster in place to make sure there is no way he will meet you alone or more than once a month for a few minutes."

Your jaw dropped in a very undignified display of shock and your eyes widened.

"But now that Hongo is no longer convinced he needs to keep Shanks away from you at all costs," Mihawk continued with an amused voice despite his impassive expression, "he likely did the contrary and subtly reminded or encouraged his Emperor to actually go see you, preferably at a time where no one could distract him."

Your mind started reeling about this new information. This was not a possibility you had considered. It was not even one that had come to your mind, not with how utterly ridiculous it sounded. But there was no reason for Mihawk and Rayleigh to lie to you about that. As you quickly went back over your most recent interactions with the Emperor, you had to admit his behaviour made a lot more sense with this explanation.

"I think we can stop the training here for today," Rayleigh chuckled knowingly. "You've got a lot to think about."

"Go back inside and warm yourself up," Mihawk added with his own subtle amusement.

"Yes, that's… probably for the best," you admitted numbly, then started walking to the castle and turned midway with an apologetic expression. "I don't think I'll go to the library today, it's-"

"A day off will do you good," Mihawk nodded.

"Go get some rest, Y/N," Rayleigh added, his lazy grin on full display.

You had the strange impression both of them were extremely amused by your astonishment, but since you were too busy trying to make sense of what you had just learned, you did not dwell on it and made your way back to your bedchambers.

-o-oOo-o-

After getting cleaned up and changing into one of the warmer dresses Mihawk had given you, you sat in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, and made yourself a cup of tea. You would have enjoyed a mug of cocoa a little more, but you were nowhere near crazy enough to ask the castle's cook for something like that – or for anything at all, really. Around mid-morning, you realised it had started to snow outside, and you lost yourself in the contemplation of the little snowflakes dancing their way down to the ground.

After a while though, you gave up, put your now empty cup down, and decided to take a risk by going to the medbay in order to ask Hongo about what Rayleigh and Mihawk had told you. You still had a hard time believing their claims were not at least partially exaggerated.

You walked through the corridors as silently as you could, and tried to be extremely attentive to any kind of noise that might indicate another presence. Much to your relief, you managed to make your way to the infirmary without crossing paths with anyone. You knocked politely on the door, and waited for a reply before coming in and closing the door behind yourself.

The doctor had his back to you and was writing something on a clipboard, but before you could say a word, he spoke in a curt voice.

"You better not have fallen on your own staff again."

You blinked, then bit your lips to hold back a chuckle and a small smile.

"I'm afraid you have mistaken me for someone else," you said, and watched as the doctor turned on himself in a flash to look at you with wide eyes.

"What the- what are you doing here ? Are you hurt ?"

"I'm fine," you replied with a hand raised soothingly in front of you. "Just a few cuts and bruises from this morning, nothing more alarming than usual."

"Good," he nodded with a more relaxed expression and put his clipboard aside. "For a second I thought you might be seriously injured. Do you need more salve ?"

"I'm all set, thank you," you answered. "I came because of something Rayleigh and Mihawk said this morning, which troubled me. I was hoping you might be able to tell me whether their claims were accurate or exaggerated."

"Sure, I'll help clear it out if I can," the doctor said nonchalantly as he crossed his arms on his chest and leaned on the bed behind him. "What's the matter ?"

You opened your mouth, closed it, bit your lips, then ultimately sighed and averted your eyes to a cabinet on your left and the various supplies it contained.

"They say the Emperor talks about me quite a lot, and the reason he never came to see me was because everyone else was keeping him away from me on purpose. Are they wrong ?" you asked and tried not to sound too foolish despite your words.

"Nope, that's exactly it," the doctor replied without missing a beat. "The boss won't shut up about you and that's a big part of why everyone has been trying as hard as possible to limit the time you two spend together. There's even a roster to keep him distracted, it was Beckman's idea. That's why there's almost always someone in the area near your room."

"So the reason the Emperor's coming to see me now…" you trailed.

"I might have made him realise that for someone who talks about you all the fucking time, he could still count on one hand the amount of interactions you had shared so far," Hongo grinned.

"Why did you do that ?" you asked with worry in your voice as he did not seem to realise his intervention, no matter how well-meant, could only lead to a disaster. "You know what will happen to me if the others-"

The door suddenly slammed open behind you to let someone come in loudly, and you jumped to the side.

"Doc, I need help !" the Emperor's voice called as he came in. "I don't know wha-"

The red-haired demon stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed your presence, and for a couple of seconds, everyone in the medbay remained frozen where they stood.

You were feeling very much not ready to talk to the person currently confusing you to hell and back. Still, you recovered from the shock in a blink, plastered as composed an expression as you could on your face, and curtsied.

"Your Majesty," you greeted him, then turned toward Hongo. "It appears you have a more urgent patient than me, doctor," you commented, and started walking toward the door.

As you made to reach the handle, however, the Emperor moved to face you. His expression was filled with concern as his hand raised in your direction, then stopped mid-movement. It looked like he wanted to touch you but was unsure whether he would hurt you if he did.

"Wait, are you sick ? Injured ? How come I didn't-"

"Just a minor cut after a little accident with something sharp," Hongo intervened with casual confidence. "It's already treated, she's fine."

The Emperor still kept his gaze on you as if he wanted to assess your health himself, and you kept your expression as impassive as you could.

"I assure you I am in perfect health, your Majesty. Now if you'll excuse me."

Without waiting any longer, you walked through the door and took a silent but deep breath once it was closed behind you. Then you straightened your back and walked to your room as fast as you could without giving the impression that you were running away. Thankfully, you soon reached the relative safety of your chambers, just in time for your meal to appear on the coffee table.

You ate while looking at the snow still falling outside, and tried to decide not only what it meant that the Emperor might actually be sincere in his intention to know you, but also what you wanted to do about it. To your considerable disappointment, the snowflakes were not of any help with either question.

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

Shanks watched his contractee leave the room in a flurry of silver and purple as the fabric of her dress disappeared behind her. Every fiber of his being yearned to go after her, to make sure she was alright, to talk to her, to promise he would keep her safe. Instead, he flopped face first on the nearest bed.

"She fucking hates me," he mumbled desperately against the mattress.

"Pretty sure she doesn't," Hongo replied, but Shanks could hear him going back to work on whatever it was he had been doing earlier and not truly paying attention to his hopeless situation.

"She does. The first time we really talked after I brought her here, she smiled and even made a joke and she was going to ask me something and it was fun and easy and nice, and now it's like she's turning into an ice wall everytime she sees me," the Emperor sighed sadly.

He really had thought things were going well. His beautiful, smart, creative contractee was safe and sound in his home, he had made sure all her needs were taken care of, so he had figured all she needed after that was a bit of time to get used to the Demon Realm.

And sure, she never came to their parties even when he invited her to join, she disappeared all day everyday and only went back to her room late in the evening, and Shanks had yet to see her spend time with anyone in the castle or even talk to someone, but things were going well. They had to be going well. She would have told him if something was wrong, after all.

Except that Hongo had pointed out a few days ago that he had not even spoken to her once in the past month. Shanks had easily dismissed the remark at first. She was always on his mind, after all, everyone in his crew knew it with how often he talked about her.

And then he had tried to remember when was the last time he had spoken to her as a perfect counter argument, only to realise with growing horror that Hongo was right. Somehow, he had all but ignored his contractee since he had brought her to the Demon Realm.

So of course, he had decided to correct it as soon as he could, and had gone to spend some time alone with his princess so they could get to know each other a little better. Especially since she was bound to stay in his home, safe and protected, for the rest of her life. Shanks had even made sure he would have something special ready to show her, as an apology for being a tad distracted so far.

And then he had been met with a fortress of ice no amount of flirting or soft words could seem to thaw. She had liked the view of the sea crystallizing under the night frost, that had clearly been a win, but when it came to him… she clammed up faster than a literal clam.

"I just want to know her better," Shanks complained into the mattress.

Hongo did not reply, but Shanks was used to it by then and kept going anyway.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. I miss her smile. D'you know I only saw her smile once ? It was like looking at the stars on a moonless night. You never notice how beautiful they are until you're faced with it but after you do, it's the only thing you can think about. And there was such a fire in her eyes the night I met her. I miss that too. How do I make it come back ?"

Hongo suddenly let out a long-suffering sigh and looked up at the ceiling, which, rude, but then he turned to him with a serious expression and Shanks perked up in hope.

"Boss, put yourself in her fucking shoes for a moment. You brought her here after sealing a contract, then ignored her for months, then suddenly you go see her at night and claim you want to know her. Of course she's going to be confused and suspicious about it."

Shanks pouted and pushed himself until he could sit on the bed. When his doctor phrased it like that, it really sounded bad.

"But she's my contractee-"

"She's her own person, boss," Hongo cut him off with a glare. "She'll decide whether she gives you a chance or not, but in the meantime, go bother someone else, I have work to do here."

Shanks grumbled about the lack of respect but left the infirmary anyway. As soon as he was out, he wondered if he was still on time to catch her in her room before she disappeared again for the afternoon. Just to ask her how she had managed to injure herself in a way that had not triggered the mark of their contract on him. As her protector, he was supposed to know when she was feeling in danger. That was pretty much the entire point of their contract. He had a seal magically inked on his left shoulder blade to prove it, damn it.

It had tingled a few times since she had arrived in the Demon Realm, with one major peak the entire day after he had brought her to his home, but Shanks had easily dismissed it since she was likely just frightened by the past night and the sudden change of environment. It was not like there was any threat to her well-being in his own home, after all.

Shanks was getting close to the part of the castle where her room was when he ran into Beckman, who raised an eyebrow.

"What's up, boss ?"

"Just going to see if I could chat a moment with Y/N," Shanks smiled happily.

He knew Beckman was not the biggest fan of his pretty princess, but with how utterly harmless she was, the protectiveness of his first mate was ridiculous to the point of becoming downright hilarious.

"Thought you might want to use the snowfall to spar with Hawkeyes," Beckman shrugged, and the Emperor's eyes widened.

Damn it, it was snowing and no one had told him ? Doubly so when his best friend had finally agreed to stay for longer than a few days and they could hardly find a time to spar anyway because Mihawk was a recluse hermit no matter where he lived ?

"Oh hell yes. You know where he is ?"

"Kitchen, I think."

Shanks spread his wings and flew to where his favourite sword buddy was at the moment, with a huge grin splitting his face. It had been far too long since Mimi and him had faced each other in the snow.

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks smiled wildly as he kept clashing swords with his rival. Mihawk appeared to be in an even greater form than usual, and Shanks was of the opinion that the bigger the challenge, the funnier the spar. That was why Mimi was his favourite sword buddy.

They inevitably came to another draw, since Shanks' inner demonic power could more than compensate the edge Mihawk had in pure swordsmanship and they were both wielding an Eternal Weapon. The Emperor laughed as the two of them lowered their sword to take a break, with the snowflakes still falling on top of them and the snow covering the beach showing the marks of their duel.

"Damn it's been too long !"

"I agree. You seem to have lacked suitable sparring partners in my absence, if your stance is anything to go by," Mihawk replied in his neutral-but-I'm-definitely-trashtalking-you voice.

"Like you haven't missed your favourite sword buddy," Shanks taunted right back.

"I have not. I happen to have stumbled into a rather… unusual sparring partner recently," Mihawk retorted with a touch of smugness.

Shanks' eyebrows raised in surprise. It was rare for his best friend to compliment any of his opponents. And in Mimi's talk, unusual was very much a compliment.

"He can't be better than me," Shanks protested anyway.

"Not yet, no. But with a few more years of training ? I dare say even you might have a hard time," Hawkeyes retorted calmly.

"You'll have to send him my way if he survives long enough to get that good," Shanks laughed happily.

To his surprise, however, Mihawk's casual expression turned somber, and he put Yoru on his back in what was a clear sign he was done with sparring. Then he glanced to the castle, his gaze softened minutely, and he nodded briefly to whoever was at one of the windows allowing a view of the beach.

Shanks followed his best friend's gaze just in time to see Y/N nod back at him from the window of her room, a mug in her hand and a little smile on her lips as she appeared to have been watching them for a while. Her smile, as small as it was, filled the Emperor with want and a powerful desire to have it directed at him instead of-

The realisation that his contractee was watching them and smiling at Hawkeyes hit Shanks like a ton of bricks.

"Wait a minute, you knew she was watching ? Is that why you wanted to spar here ? How did you- she's never in her room !"

"She mentioned earlier that she intended to stay in her chambers today. I figured a woman of her standing would appreciate the show, since she has so few distractions befitting her rank in this place," Mihawk replied casually, but the small knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips made Shanks' blood boil with immediate fury, deep protectiveness, and a profound despair he could not explain. The next instant, Gryphon was pointed on his best friend's throat.

"Don't you fucking dare play with my contractee," the Emperor growled lowly.

"Spare me the protective act, Shanks. We both know there is nothing you can do to stop me from courting her if I decide to do so."

The words stabbed the Emperor right through the heart. He could use his role as her contractor to remove or punish anyone trying to play with her heart, but courting was serious business in the Demon Realm and he would be powerless to stop it. Not even one of the Four Demon Emperors could forbid a courtship if both parties agreed to it.

Notes:

I'll explain what a courtship entails in the Demon Realm in Tuesday's chapter ;)

Take care <3

Chapter 8: Courtship

Reader pov

You may or may not have spent most of your afternoon watching in absolute awe your teacher and the Emperor spar in the snow, with several mugs of herbal tea in your hands. At this point, you were considering asking one of your three friends – and wasn't that number a bit dizzying – for another blend of tea in hopes to switch flavours from time to time.

However, you had to admit the Emperor's suddenly eager, then crestfallen, then furious expression had left you somehow more confused than you had been before the spar. Surely he could not be so angry simply because you had nodded at his friend. It was only a small polite nod, there was no way it could be considered a cardinal sin in the Demon Realm to show basic courtesy to your host's eminent guest.

Though according to the Emperor's burning glare, there very much was such a way.

You had swiftly left your spot in the window to go back to your favourite chair near the fireplace, if only to remove yourself from any outside view. Hopefully it would solve whatever the problem was. You only went pick a few supplies from your desk half an hour later, carefully, so as not to be visible from the outside. Then you started drawing a few basic pentacles, with the necessary runes to make them work on a different piece of paper.

Of course, you were still nowhere near knowledgeable or skilled enough to draw something that could create a path to the Human World, transport you there, and close cleanly after you were done. That was why you were practicing drawing the simpler ones without infusing them with power. It had been a suggestion from the three demons you could count as allies in your quest to leave this wretched place. While not specialists of demon magic, they were all able to tell whether your beginner's attempts would hypothetically work or not.

-o-oOo-o-

Mihawk pov

"Do you actually plan to court Y/N ?" Rayleigh asked out of the blue that same evening in the library.

"Absolutely not," Mihawk replied evenly. "She is a woman I hold in great esteem, but I cannot see us in a harmonious relationship. Besides, I have no romantic interest in her, and even if I had, she is too guarded for us to work out."

"More like you're too inexpressive for her and you need a partner who will challenge you more openly," Rayleigh grinned without taking his eyes off the book he was pretending to read.

"My point remains just as valid. We would not work out and I believe she knows it as much as I do," Mihawk countered peacefully without addressing the old demon's second point. "I would gladly count her as a friend, though, which I believe suits her just fine."

"Mmh, she certainly only sees you as a teacher and a friend as well."

"Indeed."

Silence reigned for a few minutes, then Rayleigh spoke again, with his lazy grin more than obvious in his voice.

"The brat seemed pretty shocked to hear that you might court her."

"Was he now ?"

"Mh-hm. I dare say the look on his face was close to devastated."

"You make it sound like he might resort to desperate measures in order to make his own interest known," Mihawk hummed as he turned a page.

"That would be an awfully dramatic move to make," the old demon commented, "and on the first woman to not fall over herself to please him, to boot."

"I must say, I cannot fathom where you are trying to go with this discussion, Dark King," Mihawk replied with as neutral a tone as he could maintain, his eyes still on his own book as well even if he had not read a single word of it during the last minutes.

"Only the wild imagination of an old demon, Hawkeyes," Rayleigh retorted with a wide grin, his silver horns suddenly showing up in the glittering light of the fireplace.

Mihawk hid his own smirk behind the volume he was pretending to peruse, as his own black horns appeared on his head in a silent agreement. Shanks tended to be blinder than a bat when it came to matters of the heart, and Y/N had clearly been through one too many deceptions to accept genuine affection at face value.

If Shanks did not screw up the royal opportunity Mihawk had laid out for him, there was even a chance they might all be presented with the despicable humans who had wronged Y/N in the morning. A nice execution, then everyone would realise the princess had actually been in the position of the victim and managed to thrive despite the odds. Cue an actual courtship offer, the rest of Shanks' crew apologising on their knees, and a happy ending for everyone involved.

If Shanks managed to prove himself worthy of the royal opportunity he had been offered, that was.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You hummed a little melody as you walked out of the bathroom. The delicate scent of the winter jasmine essential oil you had used in your bath had been following you since you left the water, and it made you feel pretty enough to boost your mood. However, your smile and cozy feeling disappeared as soon as you saw the Emperor in your chambers. He was leaning on the same wall near the window he had leaned on the past three times he had come to see you, and you straightened your back again.

"Your Majesty," you greeted him with a curtsy. "I was not expecting your presence in my room again."

"Do you hate me ?" he asked you with no preamble.

You blinked at the blunt question, then walked toward the fireplace to stoke the fire and buy yourself some time before you would have to answer that. Your back remained turned to him so you would only have to look at the flames, a much safer view as far as you were concerned.

Truth be told, you did not think you hated the Emperor. He had technically respected the terms of your deal, after all, and seemed to genuinely have your safety and well-being at heart. However, there was no denying you had felt betrayed by his interpretation of your request for protection, and disappointed in how either blind or complacent he was when it came to his crew's hostile attitude toward you.

"I see," the Emperor murmured dejectedly after you stayed silent for too long, and you turned to face him as you realised he seemed to have gotten the wrong idea.

"I do not hate you," you stated with a measured voice.

You watched as his eyes widened and he seemed to lose some of the tension in his shoulders, a smile finding its way back to his lips.

"Was that all, your Majesty ?" you asked politely.

"No, there's something I need to ask you. As your contractor, I mean."

He walked closer to the fireplace and sat in one of the chairs, motioning you to join him with a gesture of his hand and an encouraging smile, and you obeyed with a guarded expression. Once you were both seated and able to see each other in the firelight, the Emperor spoke again, more carefully this time.

"Would you consider accepting a courtship offer from a demon ?"

"I beg your pardon ?" you instantly asked back with your eyes wide.

"Courtship. It's a magical contract that lasts around a year during which both parties vow to be faithful to each other, until they either break the contract or get married. There's also the possibility to make a bonding contract later on, but that's much more intimate, it's about merging powers, being more attuned to each other's emotions, that kind of things, and it's much more difficult to break," the Emperor explained with both hands clasped tightly in front of him as he laid back on the chair. "When it comes to courtship, I think the closest human equivalent is a betrothal. Is it something you'd be open to ?"

"I genuinely doubt even a single demon here would consider courting me," you replied without even bothering to hide how the question had you well and truly baffled. Not to mention you did not plan to stay in the Demon Realm long enough for a long-term relationship to be conceivable, even if – as absurd as it sounded – you were to find a potential suitor. "But to answer your question, no, I would not accept a courtship offer from a demon."

Your reply seemed to both reassure and disappoint the Emperor somehow.

"Well I guess that settles it," he mumbled.

You both fell into an awkward silence for a few seconds.

Usually, this was when you would make a comment about wanting to be left alone to sleep. This time, though, after what your mentors had told you in the morning, and what Hongo had confirmed to be true, you found yourself hesitating. Of course, the threats of the rest of his crew were still hanging over you, but you felt bad shutting him off every time he tried to get closer to you now that you knew what was really going on.

"I should probably apologise for disrupting your sparring session with Mihawk this afternoon," you offered cautiously. "You are both excellent swordsmen and it was a very impressive display of skills."

The Emperor looked at you in surprise for a second, then smiled brightly.

"Nothing to apologise for, you're not the first one to enjoy the show," he told you, and his posture in the chair turned much more relaxed as he put an elbow on the armrest and rested his head on his hand. "Out of curiosity, who do you think is the best between the two of us ?"

The question caught you a little off guard, and you put a hand on your chin as you thought about it. You had realised early on that Mihawk was holding back during your lessons, so watching him use of the full range of his mastery had been properly stunning. On the other side, the Emperor's style had seemed to be more focused on powerful attacks at first, but after a few minutes, it had become obvious he was making a lot of smaller movements in every second of the duel, and the precision of his steps and strikes had been astonishing.

"It's hard to tell," you admitted honestly after a moment of intense reflection. "As far as I could see, you were evenly matched. Although your styles differed greatly, so I suppose depending on the circumstances and environment, either of you could find a minute advantage and get the upper hand."

"I didn't know princesses were so well-versed in swordsmanship in the Human World," the Emperor grinned with an appreciative look. "I was expecting you to go for the flattering angle."

"A princess worthy of her title only resorts to flattery when there are no actual competences to compliment," you countered with absentminded habit. "My expertise may lay in ballroom dances rather than swordsmanship, but I recognise skill when I see it."

"Did you just compare swordsmanship to ballroom dances?" the Emperor asked you incredulously.

A small amused smile found its way to your lips when you thought back at the similar reaction you had displayed when Rayleigh had made the parallel the first time.

"Well, both disciplines require focus, stamina, balance, precision, and keen awareness of oneself, one's partner, and their environment," you laid out. "Not to mention the years of practice required in order to become highly skilled at it."

The Emperor stared at you with a clearly astonished expression, and you chuckled. After a few more seconds spent in silence, he stood up and walked to your seat to offer you his hand.

"Then would you do me the honour of a dance, princess ?" he asked you with a seductive voice.

You stared speechless at the Demon Emperor casually asking you for a dance in the middle of your bedchambers, at night, while you were in your nightgown. You were not sure it could get more improper than that.

"What- You mean right now ?" you asked anyway. "There's not really room for that here and-"

"We can go outside. I'll keep you warm," he added with a dashing smile and a smoldering look.

You took a deep breath, then composed yourself and reminded your treacherous mind that you were still on the fence about getting to know the red-haired demon you had made a deal with. Not to mention that the confident smile on his lips was one you had seen a thousand times before, on a hundred different faces, all certain of the positive response it would earn them and persuaded you would be swayed by their charms in the blink of an eye.

"Maybe another time," you stated firmly in the best non-answer to ever exist in the perfect etiquette textbook, and stood up as well but immediately turned around and walked to your bed. "It's getting quite late now, and I would like to sleep. Goodnight, your Majesty."

You did not see what expression he made at your polite rejection of his offer, but his footsteps seemed to indicate he was taking his leave anyway and you exhaled a discreet relieved sigh.

"Goodnight, princess," he told you softly before the door opened and closed.

You laid on your bed with your eyes fixed on the window, your mind replaying the discussion you had just shared with the Emperor. You could see the snowflakes falling on the other side of the glass since you had not bothered to draw the curtains, and their chaotic dance prevented you from forgetting his bold offer. Despite that, you had to admit the conversation had been weird and a little stilted, but far from unpleasant. You might not even be averse to repeat the experience in the future.

-o-oOo-o-

Rayleigh pov

For the first time in months, Rayleigh let his student work alone in the library. While he usually tried to help her, Y/N was now at a point where she had a perfect understanding of the basic knowledge required for the study of demon magic, and did not need the constant presence of someone to answer her questions.

In the meantime, Rayleigh planned to find Mihawk and discuss with him of a topic that had been on his mind for quite a while now when it came to the princess. Especially since – to their silent but shared disappointment – the morning had not brought any exceptional news and Y/N had been as punctual as usual to practice.

Teaching her how to fight in the snow had turned out to be interesting, especially with the intricate lines her fans had created on the white ground. The snowflakes had also swirled a bit more strongly than they should have after some of her attacks, which had made Rayleigh wonder whether the hidden power of her Eternal Weapon had to do with air and wind. His student was progressing quickly, and he was confident that in a month or two, she would have gained enough muscle and skill to unlock the special ability hidden within her fans.

Though before that would happen, Rayleigh had a swordsman to find.

He ultimately did find Mihawk – who was nursing a glass of wine despite the clock not being even close to midday – sitting in a plushed chair in one of the living rooms. The black-haired demon appeared to be half-listening to his best friend, who was both sprawled on a sofa like an upside-down starfish and in the middle of a passionate one-sided conversation.

"… and she chuckled, can you imagine ? I made her laugh, and fuck, that's my favourite sound in the Realm now. It's like she was surprised but amused, I think she didn't even realise she was laughing for a moment, and she looked so fucking stunning. I want to see her smile and make her laugh again. It's like watching the stars shining at their brightest, she's just glowing when she's happy like that, I mean not happy-happy exactly, but it's the happiest I've ever seen her be and I've never seen anything more beautiful in my life. And she's so observant and smart, you should have heard her when she said-"

"Sounds like you had a nice evening, brat," Rayleigh grinned.

"Ray !" Shanks exclaimed with a beaming smile. "You'll never guess-"

"You spent fifteen minutes with your contractee last night and she didn't completely shut down on you, I know," the old demon chuckled. "I'm going to borrow your guest for a moment."

"But I wasn't done telling Mimi about it !" Shanks protested and even pouted.

"You can go tell someone else about the progress you made with her. I think Hongo was only doing an inventory this morning," Mihawk suggested neutrally, but there was a vicious gleam in his eyes as he stood up.

They both watched Shanks jump from the sofa and promise to tell them everything else that had happened when he would be done informing the doctor of the wonderful news. As soon as he was out of ear range, Rayleigh smirked.

"How long ?"

"I have been subjected to his lovesick retelling of the last evening for the past two hours," Mihawk replied calmly, and emptied the content of his glass. "If I never hear another comparison to the stars, it will be too soon."

Rayleigh let his lazy but very amused smirk stretch his entire face. Their student's own retelling of her conversation with Shanks had been a short We talked and it was a bit weird at first, but overall fine, I suppose.

"He got over your provocation pretty quickly."

"Y/N told him she had no intention to accept a courtship offer from a demon," Mihawk replied carefully, and Rayleigh hummed understandingly. Given her intentions to leave the Demon Realm as soon as she could, that statement was not exactly surprising. Now of course, if the circumstances were to be different and her kingdom's fate not on the line, Shanks might have a chance with the princess. Emphasis on might.

 "That was to be expected," the Dark King murmured pensively. "On an unrelated note, I've been thinking about something else regarding her training."

"Appropriate gear ?" Mihawk guessed correctly. "I was planning on having something made for her soon in my territory, since I still have her measurements."

"I have a few designs in mind for the kind of holsters she'll need," Rayleigh added approvingly. "You got time to go over it while the brat's talking someone else's ear off and she's studying ?"

"Certainly."

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You supposed it was bound to happen at some point. Some things were just written in fate, and there was no use fighting destiny. Not even all your caution, all your willpower, all your efforts could change the inevitable. You knew you should have seen it coming, but maybe out of stubborness, you had remained in denial of the signs pointing toward one inescapable truth until you had no choice but to face it.

You had caught a cold.

It turned out rising before dawn everyday to spend two hours fighting in the snow and the freezing cold of winter were not recommended for your health, no matter how much you made sure to warm yourself up before and after your lessons. And so, you woke up one morning feeling both like you were freezing and like an inferno had been lit up under your bed with how sweaty you were. To top it off, your nose was running like there was no tomorrow and your throat was sore to the point no amount of water would clear it.

You tried to get out of bed, only to sway on your feet after a dizzy spell, and fell back on the mattress right away. Part of you was worried about missing practice and not even being able to inform your teachers, but most of your diminished brain capacities were simply wishing for it all to stop. And so you stayed under the covers where you felt somewhat warm.

Half an hour later, when you still felt like a mess of burning ice drowning in snot, there was a knock at your door that you almost failed to hear. You mumbled an invitation to come in at the best of your current vocal abilities, which was not much, but it seemed to be enough for the door to open on Rayleigh and Mihawk.

The old demon took one look at you and turned tail after saying he would be back with Hongo in a minute. Mihawk nodded briefly at his words, then walked closer to your bed and looked intently at you, which you were puzzled by until you realised he had probably no idea what to do.

"You look terrible," the swordsman ultimately stated in a plain tone.

You tried to laugh, and only managed to cough as you reached for another tissue.

"I feel terrible," you confirmed in a weak mumble after blowing your nose for what felt like the thousandth time.

No more words were exchanged until Hongo burst into the room with Rayleigh on his heels. The doctor looked barely more awake than you were, but immediately came to your side and put a hand on your forehead.

"You're burning up," he cursed, then grabbed your wrist to check your pulse. "A bit elevated but not worrying for now," he said after a moment then did a quick inventory of your visible symptoms. "Runny nose, cough, sweat-"

"It's just a cold," you mumbled tiredly.

"I agree, but it doesn't mean we're not going to take it seriously," Hongo retorted in a stern voice. "You're going to stay in bed the next two days, preferably three. I'm going to bring you medicine that you will take at the hours I tell you to take it, and you're going to stay hydrated. Water, herbal tea with honey, and soup until I say otherwise," he ordered with practiced ease. "Also, no training for at least ten days."

"But-" you protested at the last part.

"Nope," the doctor interrupted you. "I will tie you to the bed if I have to. Don't think I'm bluffing, I've done it before and I'll do it again."

You blinked as the threat slowly processed through your exhausted brain. Then you turned an incredulous glance toward Rayleigh, who nodded in confirmation with a wide grin, like Hongo's words had brought back extremely amusing memories.

"Fine," you conceded.

"Good. I'll bring you your medicine in a minute. Dark King, Hawkeyes, with all due respect, get out. She needs rest more than anything else at the moment," Hongo commanded.

The three demons walked out of your room and you wondered tiredly whether you could merge with your mattress or your covers until this thrice damned cold passed. Being sick was awful.

Notes:

Take care everyone <3

Chapter 9: Stay Away

Mihawk pov

Mihawk had genuinely believed Shanks could not possibly get any worse when it came to his contractee.

Mihawk had been wrong.

So very, terribly, awfully wrong.

There was one thing worse than a swooning Shanks.

It was a worried Shanks.

And no one had been ready to deal with that.

"But she's still not feeling better !" his best friend complained nervously. "I just want to make sure she's okay and tell her she'll be fine, because she will be fine, right ? She's going to be healed soon ? Maybe I should bring her something warm, wait no, Hongo said he got that covered, maybe just keep her company ? Though he said she needed to rest and not be stressed or distracted, and I'm not sure if-"

Mihawk attempted to tune out the Emperor who was trying to talk himself into braving Hongo's strict order of leaving the princess alone while she was on bed rest, at least until the worst of her cold had passed. The swordsman watched his best friend pace the room as if he was trying to make a hole in the floor, while spouting the stupidest conceivable excuses to go see Y/N.

To think this fool was one of the most powerful demons in the Realm, arguably the most powerful since he was the only Demon Emperor who did not rely on the abilities of a Devil Fruit to maintain his position. Mihawk let out a small disapproving sigh and poured himself another glass of wine.

"She is resting and taking her medicine," he reminded his best friend. "The only way you can help her is by letting her rest."

"I knooow," Shanks whined. "But I could just quickly pop in and see if there's something else I could do to help her heal faster or if she wants to talk for a little while or-"

Mihawk prided himself on being a patient demon, but he had to admit Shanks was getting dangerously close to establish a limit to his patience. And it was only half past two in the afternoon of the second day of Y/N being sick. Hongo had esteemed it would take around three days for the worst of her cold to go away, then two or three more days for her to really be fine again, and three or four more days on top of that before she would be completely back to full health and allowed to resume training.

Were he not worried for his student, the Greatest Swordsman of the Demon Realm might have considered going back to his own estate until the crisis was behind them.

As things were, he was still tempted to perform a strategic retreat into the library, where he knew Rayleigh was hiding staying as well, and wait until the worst had passed. But it would leave Hongo as the only line of defense between the princess and not only Shanks, but the rest of his crew. Though those last ones were mostly angry at the young woman for supposedly getting sick on purpose. At first, they had even tried to pretend she was faking it, but Hongo had put a hard stop to that claim by asking them all if they truly thought she could fool him when it came to health.

And so Mihawk had unwillingly volunteered to prevent at least the Emperor from seeing the sick princess, while Hongo would handle her recovery and make sure everyone else would stay away from her.

But by the stars, Hawkeyes could not wait until she was feeling better and he would no longer have to hear Shanks spout even more nonsense than before about his so-called delicate and fragile contractee.

If anything, it comforted Mihawk in his determination to turn her into the best warrior she could become. The mental image of the young woman wiping the floor with Shanks because he underestimated her was one of the few things allowing him to keep a grip on his sanity.

-o-oOo-o-

Hongo pov

Shanks was not supposed to go see his contractee while she was sick, and he knew it. Hongo had been unequivocally and even threateningly clear about the fact that the only things she needed were rest, medicine, and hydration. So Shanks really had no reason whatsoever to be in Y/N's room.

Which meant his boss better have one hell of a good excuse to explain his presence at her bedside when Hongo came to check in on his friend before he would turn in for the night. According to the nervous look Shanks was currently sporting, however, the doctor was fairly confident the Emperor had no such excuse ready.

Had the princess not been fast asleep, Hongo would not have hesitated to yell at Shanks to get the fuck out. But she was sleeping soundly and in obvious need of all the rest she could get, so he spoke in a normal voice instead.

"Get the fuck out, boss," Hongo said calmly.

"Can't," Shanks replied at once, with a stupidly besotted smile that was a lot of things but clearly not convincing. "She's holding my hand. She might wake up if I take it back."

Hongo facepalmed, exhaled in a long, tired sigh, and came closer to the bed, only to see that Y/N was indeed holding Shanks' hand in her own on a pillow near her head. Hongo was not sure how this arrangement had come to be, but he was confident the young woman must have been completely out of it when it had happened.

"How long has she been asleep ?" the doctor asked.

"About twenty minutes."

"And how long have you been here ?"

"About twenty-five minutes," Shanks replied proudly. "She asked me to leave unless I could help her fall asleep to make up for her lack of sleep last night."

"Of course she did," Hongo deadpaned.

"I gave her a head massage, she was out like a light in five minutes."

"Of course you did," he sighed heavily.

"You have no idea how soft her hair is," Shanks smiled dreamily as he looked at her with an adoring gaze. "And the way she relaxed was just amazing, like all the stress was leaving her body and she even made the sweetest little moans when I-"

"I don't need to know all the details, boss," Hongo cut him off before Shanks could fully start one of his endless swooning monologues about his contractee. "I'm just here to check on her."

Shanks pouted and opened his mouth for a retort, but then the princess moved and briefly grimaced in her sleep and he immediately snapped his mouth shut to avoid waking her up. Hongo refrained from commenting on it, and instead checked his patient's pulse and temperature before he put her next dose of medication on the nighstand.

"She can take it whenever she wakes up. And if she tells you to leave her alone, you leave the room the next second. Understood, boss ?"

"Loud and clear, doc," Shanks nodded as he looked at him with clear concern. "She's going to be fine, right ?"

"For the hundredth time, yes," Hongo replied with an eyeroll. "The worst of her symptoms should calm down during the night and she'll be back on her feet in a few days."

The Emperor's gaze softened as he went back to look worryingly at the princess, and he even started to make gentle circles with his thumb on the back of her hand.

"Good. Do you know how she got sick ? I don't want her to be in pain again."

Well she gets up every morning at the ass crack of dawn no matter the weather to spar against two of the strongest warriors in the Demon Realm in order to leave this place as soon as she can, so that might have something to do with it. And I'm pretty sure she's not going to stop, even if you ask nicely.

"Probably just spent too long outside for a walk or something," the doctor replied instead of voicing his sarcastic thoughts on the matter.

Shanks hummed and turned pensive – which Hongo decided he was not paid enough to worry about – but kept looking at the sick princess like she was the most precious sight he had ever seen. As the doctor closed the door behind him, he wondered when the Emperor would realise his behaviour and feelings went far beyond those of a demon for his contractee.

Hongo clenched his jaw as he tried to think of a way for this situation to end in something else than at least one broken heart. At the current rate, Shanks was only going to realise he was in love when she would break their contract and leave the Demon Realm forever. Not to mention the friendship both Rayleigh and Hawkeyes shared with her, and how her departure would affect them as well.

By the time she would go back to the Human World – where she's going to have to hide to survive instead of being celebrated like a hero, what the fuck is wrong with humans – Hongo was confident he would count her as a close friend too.

And they would all lose her no matter what, because her duty to her people came above all else and the rest of the crew treated her like crap.

Fuck, he needed a drink.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You blinked your eyes open tiredly, feeling the tiniest bit better after some much-needed rest. Your head was still killing you, but at this point, it was par for the course, and you were in the middle of a brief reprieve from your nose running constantly. It was dark enough outside your window to assure you at least several hours had passed, but to your surprise, the fire in your room was still going strong.

And then you noticed the red hair spilling on the covers where the Emperor was clearly asleep, his left arm extended toward you… and his hand held in yours on the pillow. You did not remember this happening before you fell asleep. Although to be fair, you could not remember a lot after the demon had started giving you a rather heavenly head massage. His fingers had soothed your pain and sent you to sleep in an impressively short amount of time.

Unfortunately, you were very much awake now, and one look at your nightstand revealed your next dose of medicine, that you definitely needed to take now unless you wished for the symptoms of your cold to come back with a vengeance. So you needed to free your hand and actually take the pills, preferably without waking up the demon who had stayed with you for who knew how long.

Your heart softened at the thought that he had kept watching over you for hours on end while you were sleeping. It was a sweet gesture from someone who had better things to do with his time, and undoubtedly much more comfortable sleeping arrangements in his own bedchambers.

Through some miracle – or maybe he was just a heavy sleeper – you managed to get your hand back and sit up on your bed to take your medicine without waking the demon. While waiting for the remedy to take effect, you studied what little you could see of the Emperor's face in the everchanging light of the fire.

His expression looked peaceful, but not very different from what he showed most of the time. There was a light goatee stubble on his sun-kissed skin, just enough to give him an air of maturity and confidence, and you thought it suited him. Had you met in different circumstances, and had you not witnessed his demonic features from up close, you would have readily admitted he was a particularly handsome man.

The thought suddenly reminded you of the question you had wanted to ask him months ago, and you realised that you had in fact never asked it to anyone. With how many – and much more important – matters you had on your plate, it was not very surprising.

Through a spur of the moment, your hand reached for his forehead and the spot where you remembered his black horns had been. His hair was falling over his eyes, and your fingers carefully brushed the red locks away from his face. They were softer than you would have thought, and you found yourself slowly caressing the Emperor's hair for a moment, fascinated by the way a demon so powerful could also possess such softness.

In fact, you were so mesmerised that you missed the moment where he woke up, and only noticed after a while that his eyes were open and staring at you. Your hand froze and you immediately tried to move it away, but his fingers caught your wrist and gently put it back on his head.

"Don't stop on my account," he told you with a smile, and even turned his head to rest more comfortably on his right elbow. "I like it."

You hesitated for a moment, then resumed your slow ministrations, and the Emperor sighed contentedly.

"I didn't mean to wake you," you apologised anyway.

"It's fine. How do you feel ?"

"Still tired," you replied honestly. "But I'll have to wait until the medicine makes my fever go down before I can hope to go back to sleep."

The Emperor hummed, then sat back up on his chair and stretched his arms, while you put both hands back on your lap.

"I can give you another head massage, if you want. The first one seemed to work pretty well," he offered you with a proud grin.

"Wouldn't you rather go back to sleep in your own room ?" you asked him cautiously.

"Do you want me to leave ?"

"No," you replied instantly. Damn it, you were too tired to keep up the proper etiquette behaviour required by your upbringing at the moment. You blamed the sickness and exhaustion for your next words. "I just don't want to force you to stay with me. You need rest too."

The red-head looked stunned for a second, and you dearly hoped he would not bring up how this was the first time that instead of dismissing him, you asked him to extend his stay. Then he beamed, and immediately put both elbows back up on your bed, his right hand supporting his face as he looked at you.

"You're not forcing me to do anything, princess."

There was such a genuine ring to his words that you could only reply with a tired but grateful smile. You let yourself fall slowly against the pillows arranged behind your back, and after a few seconds of peaceful silence, you spoke again.

"I remembered, by the way."

"Remembered what ?" the Emperor asked you curiously.

"The question I wanted to ask you months ago."

His entire face seemed to light up again at that, unless it was the fireplace creating a strange effect around him and your exhausted mind was hallucinating.

"Why do you all hide your demonic features ?" you asked. "You know, the horns, the wings, the claws, the tail, everything."

The question earned you a bright grin and a laugh from the Emperor.

"Because they get in the way of everything in our day-to-day life," he answered frankly. "They're mostly used as minor advantages during a fight, or when we want to show off. The more powerful the demon, the more features they possess out of the four that exist."

You blinked. You had not thought about that, but it did make a lot of sense. You could only imagine how impractical a pair of wings would be to deal with on a daily basis. Even just sitting on a chair or laying in a bed would become a challenge. Then the last part of his explanation registered in your mind, and you found yourself remembering how many features you had seen on him when he had appeared next to you in the pentacle.

"So you have them all," you mumbled before you could think about it.

"I'm a Demon Emperor, my darling princess, of course I have them all," he confirmed with a pleased grin at your correct guess. "Talking about being an Emperor, I'm the only one to have an inner demonic power so strong I didn't even need the boost of a Devil Fruit to secure my place at the top. And I don't know if anyone has told you about Eternal Weapons, but my sword is pretty special too."

"I heard about Gryphon," you replied with a tired but amused smile at his obvious bragging, and huffed a small chuckle at his surprised and then almost pouting expression. You coughed mid-way through your chuckle, though, and brought a hand in front of your mouth.

"Take it easy," the Emperor said as he came closer, and handed you a – somehow still warm – mug of honeyed tea when your cough subsided.

You took a few sips and sighed in relief as it soothed your throat for the time being. You closed your eyes for a moment, and only opened them again when you felt careful fingers take the mug from your hands to put it back on the nightstand.

"I can do it," you protested.

"Doesn't mean you should," he countered with a wink. "Come on princess, you're bound to one of the most powerful demons of the Realm and I practically have to beg you to let me help."

You addressed him a deadpan stare, which only ended up making him smile warmly and take your hands in his.

"I know that's not what our contract was for, but I still don't like that you fell sick in my home," he admitted softly. "You're supposed to be safe here."

The peaceful intimacy of the moment instantly shattered. His words reminded you at once of the unfortunate reality that you were far from being safe in this castle. Every second you spent with the Emperor increased the chance that one or several members of his crew would decide to search for a way to break your contract and kill you before you could leave on your own.

Not for the first time, you wondered whether you should try to tell his men – well, demons – what had happened the night leading to their Emperor being summonned to your castle, and what you were trying to accomplish by training and studying as much as you could now that you were here.

Stars knew Hongo, Mihawk, and Rayleigh had brought it up more than a few times each, stating that if they had been able to see and accept the truth, the others would as well.

But then you had asked your friends whether they genuinely believed everyone – especially the inner circle of the Emperor – would accept this explanation. Whether they truly thought the rest of the crew would not immediately jump to the conclusion that since you had managed to trick their leader, you would definitely have managed to corrupt, charm, or trick other equally powerful demons into protecting you as well.

The way all three of your friends had remained silent had been the only answer you needed. Even more so when Hongo had reluctantly admitted that it had been his first conclusion when he had accidentally caught sight of Mihawk and Rayleigh training you.

You were not safe within these walls, and you could not afford to get close to the Emperor. You had to keep him away from you, for your own safety if for nothing else, no matter how much you wanted to get to know him as well. No matter how much you wanted to find a friend and maybe even more in him.

"Right," you replied as neutrally as you could despite the exhaustion, then harshly took your hands back and layed down in your bed again. "I need to rest. You should go back to your chambers."

"I'm fine with stayi-"

"I'm asking you to leave, your Majesty," you cut him off and turned in your bed so your back would be to him, even at the risk of your nose starting to run again.

There were a few seconds of absolute silence behind you, then the Emperor spoke again with a broken voice.

"Did I say something wrong ?"

You closed your eyes and chose not to answer that question. His kindness and warm attempts to close the distance you were trying to keep between the two of you were too dangerous at the moment, when you were exhausted and vulnerable. It was too easy to like him, to enjoy his open affection, to lose yourself in the happiness of a fleeting and sheltered moment.

Too easy to forget what getting close to him would cost you.

The Emperor left your room without another word, and closed the door behind him. You tried to convince yourself the awful feeling in your chest was just another symptom of your cold, and willed yourself to sleep.

Chapter 10: Spread Wings

Reader pov

Days passed, until you were finally feeling better and ultimately received Hongo's approval to start training again. Winter was thankfully coming to an end, but both the doctor and your teachers instructed you to stay cautious since your human body was less sturdy than theirs.

You figured that was why your first couple of sessions were only about getting progressively back in shape, to see where you stood after your time being sick. However, you could also tell all three of your friends seem to be holding their horses, so to speak, like they were waiting for something.

And then one morning, instead of waiting for you to join them on the training ground, Rayleigh and Mihawk came to your bedchambers. To your curiousity and light apprehension, both of them were showing discreet yet unmistakable signs of pride and mischievousness. You let them inside and followed their lead toward the sitting area near the fireplace.

"We have something a bit special for you," Rayleigh grinned. "Figured you'd want it before we start today's lesson."

You blinked, unsure as to what he meant by that, then Hawkeyes pronounced a few runes and made a move to create a small purple pentacle, and a big black rectangular box appeared on top of your coffee table. There even was a silvery bow on top of it, and your eyes widened.

"Is this… a gift ?"

"From all of us," Mihawk confirmed with a small nod. "And a long overdue necessity."

"Just open it, Y/N," Rayleigh chuckled before you could even stutter a thank you.

You carefully put your hands on both sides of the box, wondering what it could hide. As a former crown princess, you were no stranger to gifts, but this would be the first time you would receive one coming from people you thought of as friends, and it felt a bit overwhelming.

Very exciting, but also overwhelming.

You lifted the upper part, but the second you moved your arms to put it aside and realised what was inside, you gasped and lost your grip on the cardbox. It fell on the floor as your hands shot up to cover your mouth in shock, and your eyes stared incredulously at the content for several seconds.

When you finally managed to un-glue your gaze from the gift, you looked up in sheer incredulity to your teachers.

"Is… is this… ?"

"Proper fighting gear for a proper fighter," Mihawk confirmed.

"Complete equipment suiting your needs and fitted to your exact measurements, a must-have for any warrior worthy of the name," Rayleigh completed with a knowing but warm smirk. "Go try it on."

You stood up from your seat like a spring had uncoiled under you and picked up the box, then looked at your teachers again.

"I… this is the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you both so much."

Both demons smiled and motioned you to go put on your new set of clothes, which you did and tried to hide the grateful tears pooling at the corners of your eyes. You went to the bathroom, and proceeded to carefully pick every item and put them out of the box to see the full set. There was a white flowy shirt with a low collar, a black supple leather waist corset with a silver griffin spreading its wings embroided at the center – the same pattern adorning your fans, a detail that nearly made you burst into tears for good – to put on top of the shirt, black supple leather pants, a black belt, and a pair of black knee-high boots.

Once you put everything on, you realised the belt actually possessed what looked like folded holdsters. You unfolded them, and realised that not only would they make for the perfect place to put your fans on either of your thighs, they could also be clipped on your pants in a way that would not hinder your movements but still maintain your weapons in place.

There was so much thoughtfulness put into your friends' gift.

Once you had put everything on, you looked at your reflection in the mirror and almost failed to recognised yourself.

You looked confident. Dangerous. Not just a princess anymore, but more than a warrior. Not really a demon, but clearly not a regular human woman. It was embodying the balance between both parts of the person you were slowly turning into, and it felt amazing.

You walked out of the bathroom in your new gear with a bright smile, and watched both demons' eyes widen minutely.

"Everything fits perfectly," you confirmed and even performed a little whirl on yourself before looking back at your mentors with a sincerely moved look at their incredible gesture. "I cannot even start to express how grateful I am for this gift. I've never received anything so thoughtful."

"It suits you better than I thought it would," Mihawk admitted. "And I had rather high expectations."

"Thank you," you replied with a warm smile. "The griffin on the corset is a wonderful attention, I love it."

"That was actually Hongo's idea," Mihawk informed you with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"I'll have to thank him in person, then," you chuckled. "But really, this whole outfit is amazing."

"Well, since you like it and it fits, there's only one thing left to do," Rayleigh declared with a dangerous grin. "Let's see how it handles training."

Your smile took a determined edge and you nodded. You were definitely going to do everything in your power to prove to your friends that such an incredible  gift had not been wasted on you.

-o-oOo-o-

Beckman pov

Beckman was smoking in the crisp evening air of early spring, and doing his absolute best to keep a tight leash on his emotions as he listened to Shanks despairing over his contractee. The demon he had pledged his loyalty to and vowed to follow centuries ago might be an air-headed fool ninety percent of the time, but he was also incredibly observant when he put his mind to it, which could happen at the most random moments.

Beckman's Emperor had already picked up on his dislike of the human princess, but so far, he seemed convinced it was lingering suspicion rather than the absolute distrust and borderline hatred it actually was. Since Shanks was unable to protect himself from that manipulating bitch, Beckman had needed to step up and do it for him. Protecting his friend when he could not protect himself was part of his job as his second in command, after all.

"I don't understand, Beck," Shanks sighed while he nursed his drink, his forearms slumped on the balcony's railing and his eyes lost in the forest spreading behind the castle. "It must have been something I said that night, but I can't figure out what made her snap ! We were finally getting close, she was opening up, everything was going so well, and she suddenly clammed up on me like I insulted her entire bloodline. And since then, everytime I try to go see her, she instantly asks me to leave her alone and if I try to coax her into maybe just talk to me for a minute, she goes to bed and pretends to sleep until I leave the room. I don't know what to do, Beck. She lives in my home, she's as close to me as I could get her to be, and she feels so fucking far away that she might as well be all the way back on the other side of the Human World."

"Humans are fickle," Beckman replied nonchalantly after a drag of his cigarette. "Don't sweat it."

"It's not that," Shanks instantly countered with a glare at the red-brown ground under the balcony and absolute certainty in his voice. "It's something else. I noticed it before. If I do the right thing, if I'm careful enough about what I say and how I act around her, she starts to open up and I get a glimpse of who she is, of that fiery and kind and playful and fucking amazing soul I tasted the night we met. But I always, always, al-fucking-ways mess up somehow at some point and I can fucking see her walls coming back up and she pushes me away again. And whatever I did this time, it's worse than the others because she won't even look at me anymore, and it's killing me. She's my contractee, she knows she can rely on me for anything, she's supposed to trust me more than anyone else here, and it's like she's doing everything she can to make it clear that she wants nothing to do with me."

Beckman tried to focus on things that calmed him. The scent of his cigarette. The laughs of the rest of the crew partying inside. The ocean breeze grazing his skin on the balcony. Anything to avoid thinking too long about the human bitch toying with his friend's heart.

Had it been anyone else, Beckman would have given them the benefit of the doubt. Shanks was an extremely charismatic demon, it was one of the reasons he had managed to become the youngest Demon Emperor in history. People were drawn to him like moths to a flame, be it in a platonic, romantic, or purely sexual way – the list of his conquests attested to the latter in particular. So Beckman would not have been surprised by a simple human girl failing from time to time as she tried to resist his charms.

But the fact that she was his contractee, combined to how clear it was that she could resist his charms even when Shanks was actively trying to endear himself to her, meant this human princess could only be playing some sick manipulating game on Shanks' heart, and it was making Beckman fucking livid just to think about it. She had already trapped a Demon Emperor in a contract, had tricked him to the point of forcing him to bring her to his home, and she was still not satisfied by that. She still felt the need to toy with his heart on top of it.

"Doubt it's anything you did. She probably just got her panties in a twist for nothing," Beckman replied in as honest an answer as he could give his friend without outright insulting that despicable leech of a woman.

"It has to be my fault somehow, Beck," Shanks sighed dejectedly, and emptied his drink in the next go before talking again. "She wouldn't act like that if I hadn't messed up big time at some point. I just wish I knew what I did wrong so I can correct it, and apologise, and do whatever she wants if it means she'll give me another chance."

That statement comforted Beckman in his certainty that he needed to both have another discussion with Shanks' contractee, and start to look into ways to break that blasted contract between them. He was fairly confident the Dark King would jump at the chance to free Shanks from this awful situation as well, if the old demon was not already looking into it.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You were back in your room for lunch one day, hopefully late enough to have avoided another attempt of the Emperor to talk to you – even if it meant eating your meal lukewarm rather than hot – when there was a knock on your door. You froze for a moment, clenched your jaw, but ultimately took a long breathe to compose yourself.

It was fine. You merely needed to be as unpleasant as you had been these past weeks and he would go away. No matter how much his – badly hidden – hurt expressions were slowly breaking your own heart, you had to hang on to your decision of distancing the two of you until you could ultimately break the contract and leave. It was the best option for both his well-being and your heart safety on the long-term.

So you schooled your face into a neutral yet slightly displeased attitude and opened the door, only to be faced with Benn Beckman's furious expression. You lost composure in absolute fear for a second before you managed to bring your neutral mask back on.

"Sir," you greeted him in a polite but brief way.

"You crossed the line."

Panic seized you at once, but you tried your best to stand your ground.

"I'm afraid I have-"

"I won't let your fucking twisted games hurt him any further. I told you what would happen if you tried to take advantage of him," the grey-haired demon all but growled.

For some reason, you felt a burst of confident bravery run through you – or maybe it was a sudden bout of madness, who knew at that point – and let your own frustrated anger flare up.

"So let me get this clear. If I agree to his requests to spend time with me, I'm at fault, and if I reject him, I'm at fault too. Is there any way for me to not be in the wrong in your eyes ?" you asked him defiantly in your first real act of rebellion against the crew since you had set foot in the castle.

The way his eyes widened in surprise for the barest instant made a brief sparkle of hope ignite in your chest. Maybe all was not as hopeless as you thought it was, maybe you could make him understand, maybe-

"You can set him free and go die far away from here," he replied with clear hatred in his eyes. "That would be the right thing to do if you had any kind of fucking morals."

The brief spark of hope you had felt was brutally trampled, and your shoulders slumped ever so slightly in defeat. Despite that, you could not prevent a small ironic smile to form on your lips as you looked at the floor and realised how close his demand was to your own objective.

As much as you wanted to survive your return to the Human World, there was no denying the possibility that you might die in your fight against Doflamingo and his men, after all. Or that your own people would manage to kill you before you could flee far enough from them after transfering the crown to your cousin.

"I see," you replied in a murmur, then raised your head once more and squared your shoulders, your face the picture of impassiveness. "I assume you've started looking for ways to break the contract between him and I ?"

"Rest assured that I'll kill you myself the second I find one."

"Then I doubt we have anything left to say to each other."

There was a second of tense silence between the two of you, then the grey-haired demon spoke again.

"Your days in this castle are numbered, princess," he told you, your title clearly pronounced like an insult.

You could not refrain a tired huff at the words, and made sure to look the Emperor's second in command in the eyes as you replied.

"So it would seem."

-o-oOo-o-

The next morning, one of your countering moves with a fan provoked a massive burst of wind that sent Mihawk flying back all the way to the treeline.

Rayleigh and Hongo instantly rushed to congratulate you on awakening the hidden ability of your Eternal Weapon so soon in your training. Mihawk was prompt to do the same in his quiet but obviously proud way right after he recovered from your attack.

You had no idea whether it was fate or a pure coincidence that it had happened the day after you had received a very clear death threat, but you were not going to complain.

After all, the clock was ticking whether you wanted it or not, and you were not going to be ungrateful for that kind of progress. When Mihawk went to grab Yoru's handle instead of his wooden training sword, you nodded and put yourself back into position with a flicker of pride and renewed determination.

You were not ready to go back yet.

You would likely not be ready for quite some time.

But the deadline had still been brought to a matter of months instead of a matter of years, and it meant your plans of survival and revenge were still going strong.

So you tried to summon whatever had triggered your fans' hidden power again.

To your surprise, a breeze rushed through your body. It was a strange feeling, something both warm, innocent, mischievous, and almost playful, yet cold, dangerous, fierce, and borderline devastating at the same time.

Fujin, two voices whispered at once in your mind.

-o-oOo-o-

Mihawk pov

Mihawk watched his student with baited breath as he put himself into position, Yoru almost pulsing with anticipation in his hold. Eternal Weapons, once fully awakened, were quick to make their name known to their owner, and after what had just happened, there was an extremely strong chance those fans would let Y/N hear their voice.

The Greatest Swordsman of the Demon Realm could still vividly remember the moment he had heard Yoru whisper its name to him. The full bonding to an Eternal Weapon was a magical moment, one that he dearly hoped he would get to witness in his student.

And indeed, the young human woman suddenly gasped in shock and put one knee down, her eyes wide with pure awe after receiving this unique and priceless gift.

Rayleigh walked to her, as did Hongo, but she raised her head and her gaze met Mihawk's, who let go of his usual impassive attitude to offer her a warm smile. Out of the three demons present, he was the only one able to truly relate to the significance of what had just happened to her.

Mihawk felt a bried pinch of sadness at the thought that Shanks had missed such a precious moment in Y/N's life, but tried not to dwell on it. His student had made her choice, and no matter how much the swordsman hoped she would reconsider it, he respected her reasons and decision.

But he still wished his best friend could have seen the woman he had fallen in love with when she fully awakened her Eternal Weapon.

"Would you do us the honour of telling us their name ?" Mihawk asked instead with the solemnity such a rare event deserved.

She closed her eyes for a second, and smiled like a warm blanket had protectively envelopped her before she opened them again, her gaze full of wonder.

"They are named Fujin," she said softly, with deliberate care. "And they're… they're… I don't even know how to describe it."

"Don't bother trying," Rayleigh told her with obvious pride in his voice, and a wide grin stretching his face. "This is their name and they are linked to you, nothing more needs to be said. Congratulations, Y/N. You have fully awakened your Eternal Weapon."

"This is amazing," the princess whispered with the most incredulous and emotional expression Mihawk had ever seen on her, and when she stood up again, she was still staring at her fans in sheer wonder.

"No shit," Hongo grinned widely at her words. "I can't believe you did it so fast."

"Indeed," Hawkeyes confirmed. "But it also means we are going to need to take our training a little bit further from here."

The princess blinked in obvious confusion as she slowly went back to the here and now after such a life-changing experience.

"What do you mean ?"

"You just awakened a Eternal Weapon bearing the name of an ancient wind deity, young lady," Rayleigh laughed. "Until you get some sort of control on it, it's better to not train with it near constructions or I guarantee everyone will notice the effects in no time at all."

She blinked, then blushed and quickly folded both fans before putting them back into their respective holdsters.

"I guess that makes sense," she mumbled embarrassingly. "Won't the distance shorten the time we have to train, though ?" she asked in clear worry.

Mihawk smirked, Rayleigh grinned so widely it looked manic, and Hongo groaned loudly as he clearly guessed what was going to happen next.

"My dear student," Rayleigh replied one more time, "you just unlocked wind abilities. What made you think your next lesson was going to be anything other than learning how to fly ?"

Chapter 11: Status Quo

Shanks pov

Shanks was not a hopeless fool.

He was not.

He was one of the former Demon King's children, even if by adoption.

He was the youngest Demon Emperor in the entire history of the Demon Realm.

His inner demonic power was so strong he had not even needed a Devil Fruit to affirm his status as one of the major players in the Demon Realm's chessboard.

The list of arrogant demons who had challenged him and lost was almost as long as the list of ambitious humans who had tried to trap him in a contract and died.

And yet here he was, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed on his chest, trying to look relaxed and confident despite actually being ten seconds away from begging a human princess for scraps of her attention.

His contractee was done with her bath, humming a lovely, adorable, gentle little melody, and mere moments away from stepping out of her ensuite bathroom with the most peaceful expression on her face and the soft perfume of jasmine mixed with her already bewitching inner scent.

She would lose that peaceful expression and turn into an impenetrable fortress the second she saw him in her bedchambers.

Shanks knew it.

He knew it as surely as he knew the sun would rise in the morning.

He also knew how much stress he caused her by doing this so often, how poorer her sleep became everytime he went to see her.

But he could not bring himself to stop.

These few precious fractions of seconds where he caught her unaware, when he could get a few glimpses of her actual personality, were his only chance to see the woman he was bound to.

A woman he had sworn to protect, brought to his home so no harm would ever befall her, ensured would never want for anything, yet had still suddenly started to act like he was the last person she ever wanted to talk to or even see.

The doors opened, and Shanks' entire focus turned to the human princess walking out of it.

Her eyes were closed. Her face was entirely relaxed. Her lips – he knew what they tasted like, could remember their softness perfectly – were lightly pouting as she hummed a more playful part of her melody. Her hands were slowly raising from behind her neck, bringing her barely-damp hair up in the air with them. Her right foot had stepped first and she was pushing her hip the barest way forward, as if she was dancing in her mind.

Shanks would probably give up his title if it meant he was the one granted the chance of being her imaginary partner.

Her eyes opened, and the magic vanished like a bust of wind had flown through the room to replace gentle warmth by harsh ice.

"Your Majesty," she said with a perfect cursty, the frost of winter instantly replacing the softness of spring. "I am about to sleep, please leave my room."

Shanks knew it was futile to even try. He knew it. He had suggested just about everything he could think of, at this point. But he still held hope that something, someday, would convince her to grant him even a minute of her time.

"The roses have started blooming again, I thought maybe you would like to see them. With the kind of clear sky there is tonight, they glow like they're made of starlight instead of petals," he said and tried to resist adding how much the flowers reminded him of her, with their strong will wrapped in delicate beauty.

"No, thank you. Goodnight, your Majesty."

She walked straight to her bed, not even giving him a second glance after the one noticing her presence. Shanks had no idea how he managed to stay upright when all he wanted to do was run to her, fall on his knees, and beg her to give him a chance to redeem himself for whatever fault he had committed in her eyes.

He spent a couple seconds watching her get into bed and turn her back to him, then made his way to the door and put his hand on the handle.

"Goodnight, princess."

Shanks made his way out, thinking of how much he wanted to say my princess instead, how much he wished she would one day call him by his name, maybe even allow him to use her name instead of her title.

The Emperor closed the door behind him, then leaned against it as the smile he had forced himself to keep on in her presence finally fell, and he turned his gaze to the ceiling. He tried as hard as he could to convince himself that a human lifespan meant she might come to think of him as a tolerable acquaintance within the next decade, perhaps less if he was as lucky as Roger used to tell him he was.

Time was the last thing he had going for him, at this point.

-o-oOo-o-

Rayleigh pov

Rayleigh stared at the grey-haired demon answering to Benn Beckman. This was his brat's second in command, his most trusted crewmember, and yet Rayleigh felt an uncommon surge of murderous rage run through him, a violent urge to hurt and punish that he barely managed to conceal before it could be noticeable in his expression.

"You told the princess that her days in the castle were numbered," the Dark King repeated slowly.

Said princess was currently on the other side of the library, studying the specific branch of demon magic allowing someone to transfer objects from one place in the Demon Realm to another, a critical step to master before trying her hand at transfering living beings. Rayleigh's student was working as hard as ever, though he had noted an increase in her determination during the last week, and he might have finally figured out why.

Fear could be an insanely powerful motivator, after all.

"Shanks is one night away from depression, and he still thinks he can fix whatever is wrong between them by making that spoiled bitch like him," Beckman growled. "She's got him right where she wants to and I'm not gonna wait for my friend to give everything he's ever fought for to a girl who's nothing but a leech in human skin."

Rayleigh willed himself to remain very, very calm. Shanks' second in command was only trying to protect his Emperor, after all. And he clearly had no idea how wrong he was. Or that he was insulting the Dark King's daughter personal student, who also happened to be a young woman worthy of more respect than at least ninety-five percent of the shitheads walking the ground of the Demon Realm. And that number was Rayleigh being generous with his own kind.

"Wait here, I'll get the volumes about demonic law and you can take them with you."

And by that, the Dark King very much meant "Wait here, I'll get the most outdated and irrelevant volumes I can find, and then you better get the fuck away from my daughter student."

Shanks' second looked like he was going to ask for more help, but Rayleigh raised an eyebrow and the demon stayed quiet. The reputation associated to the Dark King did come with a few perks, after all. By the time Beckman would be done reading – or rather deciphering – those books, Rayleigh would have a couple more ready, just as useless as the first. The old demon was absolutely confident in his ability to buy Y/N at least two to three years' worth of time, which should be more than enough for her to reach the point where she would no longer need Shanks' protection.

Hopefully, with Mihawk and Hongo's assistance, Rayleigh would also manage to find a solution to the awful situation currently happening before she reached that point. Shanks was close to heartbreak because she kept pushing him away, and Y/N was… close to heartbreak because she hated herself for hurting him.

And that was happening while neither of them had realised their feelings for the other. The only difference between them at the moment was that she genuinely believed she was doing them both a favour by shutting off their relationship before it could get any stronger.

Which, to her credit, might have worked if Shanks had not started to fall for her on the night they had met, and had not kept digging his own grave with foolish enthusiasm since then.

Without even realising it.

Because Rayleigh's brat could be dumb and blind like that.

And there was still the matter of finding a way to solve her kingdom's issues from afar to prevent her from leaving the Demon Realm. Rayleigh had even thought about trying to convince her to come back once she would be done freeing her people, killing her enemies, and transfering the crown. In theory, it was a brilliant idea that could solve most of their issues, but in practice, there were two major problems about it.

First, the amount of power required to bring a human to the Demon Realm, even with a contract stating so to help the transfer, was phenomenal. To a point where as things were, only a handful of demons could manage such a feat, mostly the Emperors. Rayleigh himself would have been able to do it two or three centuries ago, but not anymore.

And second, while Shanks would undoubtedly jump at the opportunity to bring her back, the chances that she would ask him to do so or even summon him were close to non-existent. They had already been slim before, even with her admission that she was reluctant to lose the friendships she had made in the Demon Realm, but now that Beckman had outright stated his intention to kill her as soon as he could ?

It was clear they could wave that idea goodbye.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

Spring came and left, and both of your teachers decided to use the advantage of the warmth of early summer nights to advance the time of your lessons so you would have more time to practice fighting in both night, day, and the changing lights of sunrise.

It was at the very beginning of the summer that you first succeeded in drawing a pentacle able to transfer living beings from one place to another in the Demon Realm. The realisation stunned both you and your friends, but they were quick to congratulate you on your progress.

You were also getting better at controlling the different kinds of wind your fans could create, and had even managed to include this newfound skill into your fighting style, at least for a few moves. And both Rayleigh and Mihawk had made good on their promise to teach you how to fly.

Even if their idea of training your wind abilities had been to make you jump from a cliff and stop your fall with your fans, with only Mihawk and Rayleigh flying near and Hongo at the bottom in case something went wrong. When you had expressed your doubts concerning this process, Rayleigh had told you your options were either jumping on your own or being thrown. The old demon's teaching methods were pretty ruthless at time, but you could not deny it gave pretty good results.

Although you would still argue that what you did was closer to create air currents strong enough to propulse you high up in the sky, and then send you toward the direction you wanted.

It was nowhere near as agile as what Rayleigh and Mihawk's wings allowed them to do, but it certainly did the trick when you needed to go from one place to another really fast without relying on the natural magic flow of the Demon Realm to make a pentacle. Slowly but surely, you were approaching the moment where you would be able to leave the Emperor's castle, despite the fact that it would mean saying farewell to the three friends you had made here.

Despite the fact that it would mean saying farewell to Shanks.

You knew how hard both of those things would be on your heart.

But your people needed you to return, and the Emperor's crew wanted you to leave. Or rather, they wanted you dead, but you figured breaking the contract with their leader and leaving the Demon Realm forever would be an acceptable compromise.

Which meant you had been right in your decision to remove yourself from the kind red-haired demon's life to the best of your ability.

Even if every single sweet and thoughtful offer he had made was carved into your mind. Even if it was getting harder and harder to send him away when he tried to reach out to you. Even if the pain in his eyes and voice every time you rejected him made you want to claw your own heart out. Even if your dreams were filled with endless what if's at night.

The cold hard truth remained that he could not save your kingdom anymore than you could change his crew's mind.

"We're going to ramp up your training," Rayleigh informed you, and you willed yourself back to the present.

"How so ?" you asked.

"You will fight both of us at once," Mihawk replied.

You blinked, then looked at your teachers. One of them had been one of the most powerful demons of his era, the second in command to the late Demon King, and was still a force to be reckoned with even centuries later. The other was the Greatest Swordsman of the Demon Realm, a title he had hold onto for the past three centuries, and was wielding an Eternal Weapon capable to both create and slice through darkness.

"That seems a little unfair," you stated carefully in what you were pretty sure was the understatement of the decade.

"Precisely," Mihawk confirmed while he took Yoru in his hand.

"If you can get to a point where you manage to last more than three minutes against the two of us, there is no way a few humans will stand a chance," Rayleigh explained as he unsheathed his own sword.

"Even with the powers of a Devil Fruit," Mihawk confirmed.

That certainly made sense.

But it also meant you were definitely going to end up injured at some point within your next lessons. You had managed to avoid anything more serious than bruises and cuts so far, with the exception of a couple strained muscles that had only required a day or two of rest to heal.

"Well then, let us begin," you nodded, and put yourself in position in the meadow you had taken to use as a training ground since you had awakened Fujin.

How long could three minutes be, after all.

-o-oOo-o-

It took two and a half week after that training session for you to get a more serious injury, which you thought was a rather impressive amount of time all things considered, especially since said injury was far from a life-threatening one. Although you would argue that even if not life-threatening, a sprained ankle was still a pain to deal with.

Rayleigh had needed to bring you back to your room in his arms, with your ankle swelled and your teeth clenched to avoid screaming, while Mihawk had left to wake up Hongo and bring him to your bedchambers. You had never felt as grateful for demon magic as you had been when Rayleigh used his own silver-coloured power to change your training attire to one of your summer dresses, and thus spared you the humiliating process of having to undress in the classic way in front of your mentor.

"You got lucky, there's no tearing of the ligament," Hongo informed you after a minute of careful examination. "You'll only need three days of absolute bed rest to ensure the worst will heal nicely, then two weeks of rest, and one more week of very light training with nothing susceptible to strain your ankle further."

You deflated at the news, but after the episode with your cold during the winter, you knew better than to try any kind of negotiation with the medical expert.

"Am I allowed to read and study in bed ?" you still asked.

"As long as someone else brings you the books, yes. And try to limit the amount of time you spend walking during the first week."

"Room to library for the morning, then back to room for lunch, then to library again for the afternoon, and back to room for the night," you listed with irony in your voice. "Does that sound reasonable, doctor ?"

"Definitely more reasonable than what most of my patients would try to ask for," the blond demon snickered, obviously amused by your retort, then summoned a blue bag and put in on your ankle, the cold soothing some of the pain almost instantly. Then he filled the glass of water with the pitcher left on your nighstand, and handed you a pill.

 "Make sure the ice pack stays on your leg, the painkiller should take effect pretty soon. Try to rest and take a nap. You'll be fine," the doctor assured you while you took the pill.

"Thank you, Hongo," you told him with a grateful smile before he left the room, and your friend's head turned back with a knowing grin.

"Just doing my job, and you're making it easier than everyone else in this castle."

You chuckled, and all three demons left the room. Then you yawned, and realised you were quite tired indeed. You briefly made sure your ankle was in a secured position, then closed your eyes. A nap would not go amiss after all these emotions.

-o-oOo-o-

You woke up to the sight of the Emperor sitting at your bedside, and stiffened immediately. The instinctive reflex unfortunately moved your ankle under the ice pack and you winced in pain, which attracted the demon's attention.

"Hey, it's fine, it's just-" he interrupted himself, and his face fell. "Right, it's me. I heard you got hurt."

"Just a sprained ankle," you said through gritted teeth as your leg became stable again and the pain receded. "It will be healed in a couple weeks. Nothing to worry about."

"I know. I just-" he cut himself off again, with hopelessness written all over his face, and by the stars did you hate yourself for putting it here. "I just needed to see for myself that you were fine."

You remained silent and avoided his gaze, choosing instead to focus on your ankle, which was thankfully back to an unmoving position under the ice pack.

"Look," the Emperor said after a moment, "our contract states that I have to protect you, and this is already the second time something serious happens to you without me knowing about it. I should be able to tell when you're feeling in danger, and somehow it's failing to work."

You froze at his words. You had no idea your deal meant he was supposed to have some sort of warning when you were feeling in danger. And you knew for a fact that while you had never felt threatened when you were training with your mentors – which explained why he could not tell how you had gotten injured or sick – you had very much felt in danger several times since he had brought you to his castle.

"Is that so," you said in a carefully controlled voice.

From the corner of your eyes, you could see the Emperor looking stunned that you had answered with something else than an immediate demand to leave your room, and he seemed to choose his next words with more care than he had initially planned to.

"Well… yes," he admitted. "There was a spike the day after you arrived, I figured you were still a bit afraid of being brought into the Demon Realm and needed time to get used to it. And there's been a few other moments since then, but nothing that matched the times you got injured or sick."

You stared blankly at the covers for a moment. At least, you supposed that was the answer to your question about whether he was blind or enabling his crew's attitude. The Emperor seemed to be genuinely unaware – and clearly unable to even contemplate the idea – that the demons under his command were being openly hostile toward you. Of course he would be confused about why you were feeling in danger at times where he thought you had no reason whatsoever to feel so, yet not giving any alarmed signals before you got hurt.

"The contract is working just fine," you informed him in what was the closest to a confession of the truth you would ever allow yourself to say, and tried to muster back your cold and uncaring attitude. "You can go. I would rather avoid spending time with you."

"Why ? Is it because I'm a demon ?"

"If I say yes, will you actually leave me alone for good ?" you asked back rather than answer his – frankly absurd – question, and watched from the corner of your eyes as the pain and hurt settled on his expression again before he spoke in a whisper.

"I just want to know why you keep pushing me away."

"Because it's the right thing to do for both of us," you replied instantly, the words rolling off of your tongue instinctively since it was the reason you had clung to from the moment you had decided to distance yourself from him. Then you realised how much that answer revealed and clenched your jaw in the vain hope he would not understood what your words truly meant.

Unfortunately, the sharp intake of breath coming from your side seemed to indicate the Emperor had very much caught on to what your statement implied.

"Princess, look at me."

In spite of your better judgement, you turned your head toward the red-haired demon, who was now looking at you with such raw hopefulness that it nearly broke your heart. He very slowly put a hand on top of yours, and when you let it happen, his relieved and grateful smile broke through the last of your defenses.

"All I'm asking for is a chance to spend a bit of time with you. It doesn't even have to be much, I'll be happy with a few minutes if that's all you're willing to give me. But for those few minutes, let me in. Give me a chance to see more of the woman I'm bound to."

Those sweet words, warm voice, and soft eyes were going to be your undoing, but your heart had reached the limits of what it could endure, and so you found yourself closing your eyes in defeat as you answered.

"One day, you will think back on this moment," you warned him, "and I hope you will remember that I tried to do right by you."

"What do you mean ?" he asked you with a puzzled expression.

"I am willing to give you fifteen minutes of my time every week," you replied instead as you opened your eyes. "And this conversation exceeded it, so I ask that you leave me alone now, your Majesty."

Despite your formal tone, the Emperor smiled brightly and briefly squeezed your hand before he stood up.

"Thank you, princess. I promise you won't regret it."

You waited until after he had closed the door to sigh heavily, already knowing that you would end up regretting it in the long run, especially when it would be time for you to leave the Demon Realm. You could only hope he would understand in time that you had genuinely tried as hard as you could to spare the two of you.

Notes:

Bit of trivia !

Humans returning to the Human World follow the law of nature, so it doesn't require much power. Humans can summon demons to the Human World, but they're basically borrowing the magic of the demon/Demon Realm to do so, and the demon can only stay as long as their contract allow them to (give or take a few hours depending on how powerful the demon is).

Since demons are magical creatures bound to the magic of the Demon Realm, they can't leave it for the Human World without an anchoring point on the other side (aka someone summoning them). And once they've left the realm, their presence in the Human World is like stretching a rubber band, it'll snap back in place at some point no matter what. But humans don't possess such a magical essence linking them to the Human World, so once they're in the Demon Realm, there's no such pull in place to magically bring them back.

Have a good weekend/early week everyone, I'll see you on Tuesday <3

Chapter 12: Getting Close

Mihawk pov

Mihawk was peacefully making his way to the library when the unmistakable sound of wings came from a nearby corridor, and the swordsman turned his head just in time to see a red-haired demon flying at top speed toward him.

"MIMI !"

So much excitement in Shanks' voice and expression could only mean that one, something good had happened to his best friend, and two, a very enthusiastic and possibly bone-crushing hug was coming his way.

Mihawk dodged, and felt the beginning of a smirk stretch a corner of his lips when Shanks crashed into the wall behind him. However, his best friend did not even seem to care about the impact, and only jumped back to his feet as his wings disappeared. Shanks then turned to him with the happiest, widest, most relieved smile to ever exist, and somehow managed to move fast enough to hug the swordsman for a brief but intense moment before jumping back to look at him in absolute glee.

"SHE DOESN'T HATE ME !"

With the longing looks his student was prone to have whenever someone mentioned something reminding her of Shanks, Mihawk felt entitled to an ironically raised eyebrow. Though he was curious to know what could possibly have happened during the last hour to make his best friend realise it as well. So far, the princess had been both quite adamant and impressively efficient in her determination to keep the red-head at length.

"I take it something happ-"

"She said she was pushing me away because she thought it was the right thing to do for us !! It's not because of something I did ! It's because she's the kindest soul at heart and she was trying to do what she thought was best for me and her !" Shanks beamed with the brightness of a thousand suns.

This explanation was indeed the one she had given them as well, though Mihawk was quite surprised that she had admitted it out loud in Shanks' presence.

"I think it's because our lifespans are different, so we don't have that much time together in the end," his best friend continued like a hyper-excited fool who would also be on a sugar rush. "Do you think it's too soon to offer to turn her into a demon ? Wait, no, definitely too soon, but I can hint at it and it'll be fine right ? I mean she only agreed to spend fifteen minutes a week with me so it's not like I have a lot of time to dive into that kind of subject, but- wait shit I need to plan something for next week to show her she didn't make a mistake when she agreed to spend time with me, it has to be something easy on her ankle and quick since I don't have much time but still so great there's no way she won't like it," the Emperor said with a suddenly focused expression.

"I wish you luck," Mihawk replied with an amused sparkle in his eyes.

"Thanks Mimi," Shanks grinned, then laughed as his wings and other demonic features appeared again. "I'm just so fucking happy !"

The Emperor took off to wherever he was headed next, and while Mihawk was glad to see his best friend back to his usual sunny disposition, he could not help the small feeling of dread creeping into him. It seemed Y/N's defenses had finally crumbled under Shanks' charms, which might seem encouraging in theory, but the iron will she possessed meant she would likely leave for the Human World no matter her own feelings.

If her progress in both fighting and demon magic kept going at their current rate, this situation was going to end with both Mihawk's best friend and his student suffering from a broken heart by the time the next Halloween rolled around.

-o-oOo-o-

Hongo pov

Summer settled in, and Hongo watched how Y/N kept improving in both demon magic and fighting skills, while slowly falling for his boss a little more with every week that passed. He also watched how Shanks was all but radiating happiness as she kept her word and revealed a little more of herself to him, fifteen minutes at a time. The doctor also watched how Mihawk and Rayleigh were trying to come up with ways to convince her to extend her stay in the Demon Realm without making it too obvious that they were buying time.

Especially since she did not even seem to be under the threat of Beckman ending her life anymore. Partly because Rayleigh had made sure to be as unhelpful in his search as he could get away with – which was a lot, because no one gave orders to the Dark King without having a death wish – and partly because Beckman had stopped looking furious and started looking confused instead.

Granted, the grey-haired demon had been extra irritated at first when the princess had agreed to spend time with Shanks. In Hongo's humble opinion, however, it had also led to the most amazing exchange he had ever heard.

It had happened on the day Y/N had sprained her ankle and agreed to the deal of fifteen minutes spent together every week with Shanks. Beckman had gone to her room as soon as he had heard about it, and Hongo had arrived just in time to watch him walk inside, though the doctor had opted to stay behind the door and eavesdrop on the conversation instead of walking in directly.

"I won't say it again. Stay the fuck away from him."

"I have three pretty good counter arguments to this request. First, the offer I made him will actually reduce the time he currently spends with me since he's been coming to my room at least every other night for the past months, so I fail to see why you would complain about that," she replied in a calm voice that held much less tremor than she had done when facing Beckman so far. "Second, it seems to me like you are asking me to not only go back on my word, but also hurt him again in doing so, which is something you have repeatedly and threateningly insisted that I avoid doing."

"And third ?"

"Third, I already know you plan to kill me as soon as you'll find a way to do so without endangering him. I also know the only reason you haven't tried to physically hurt me so far is because you don't want to risk him getting hurt at the same time. And you've already ensured that my life here would be as miserable as it can possibly be without him noticing it. So unless you've somehow found something new to threaten or punish me with, I stand by what I told you last time. There is nothing more we have to say to each other."

Hongo did not hear Beckman's reply for the very good reason that he was shaking with repressed laughter on the other side of the ajar door and trying his best to not reveal his presence.

It had to have been a least half a century since someone had dared to stand their ground like that against a pissed-off Benn Beckman, or managed to turn the tables on him, and it was absolutely glorious. Hongo had no idea whether it was the prospect of leaving soon or a side effect of fully awakening her Eternal Weapons that gave her this boost of confidence, but it was incredible.

Hongo recovered just in time to see his boss' second in command walk out in a fury, and managed to compose himself right before Beckman turned to him.

"You heard what that bitch had the gall to say ?"

That bitch is my friend, the bravest woman I've ever met, a perfect match for Shanks, and if you could open your eyes for even one fucking second I guarantee you'd see it too.

"Part of it, yeah," Hongo replied instead.

"We have to find a way to get rid of her before Shanks is too far gone."

As if he wasn't already. And don't worry, she's already working on getting far away from here as fast as she can, which is actually a very bad thing for everyone involved, especially the boss.

"About that… don't you think it's weird ?" the doctor asked carefully.

"What is weird ?" Beckman groaned and tiredly roamed a hand on his face.

She spent weeks calculating the best ways to avoid everyone in this castle, and she's been doing her best to resist Shanks' attempts at getting close to her despite being bound to him by a contract. Does that sound like something an entitled and selfish bitch would do, idiot ?

"I can't think of a single thing she's asked for since she arrived. You'd think a spoiled human princess holding a Demon Emperor under her thumb would have enjoyed treating everyone here like her servants, but I don't remember her asking the boss or any of us for so much as a drink or an extra blanket," Hongo explained with a casual shrug.

Beckman suddenly froze, as if that fact had only just dawned on him. He frowned, and Hongo could see the moment where his friend and superior officer started to realise how many things about Y/N's attitude did not match the mental image he had of her.

Please realise how wrong you've been before it's too late and we all lose her for good.

"Anyway, I need to check on her," the doctor said nonchalantly and walked inside the room, where Y/N's wary expression relaxed instantly when she recognised him.

Hongo knew he could not change her mind.

But he could try to change everyone else's.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

Weeks went by, marked by your preparations to leave the Demon Realm and the small moments you spent with Shanks the Emperor.

-o-O-o-

"What is that ?" you asked with no small amount of apprehension as Mihawk readied the complex machine in the meadow.

"An automated crossbow," your friend and teacher replied.

"Parrying and dodging blades is all well and good, but you need to be ready for projectiles as well. Don't worry, we'll start with padded ones," Rayleigh confirmed with the usual manic grin that meant he could not wait to see what happened next.

You sighed, then unfolded Fujin and nodded with determination. For better or for worse, you had started to feel more confident in yourself and your skills since you had awakened your Eternal Weapon. Though with the difference from what you were used to fight against, you could already tell the amount of bruises you would have to heal after your next lessons was going to increase again. You could only hope it would happen in areas you would be able to cover up with your dresses.

-o-O-o-

You watched the red-haired demon use a stick to draw a weird shape in the sand, and felt extremely confused by the result.

"Is that… a… erm… I don't know… a potato riding a horse ?" you tried awkwardly.

"Wha- Of course not ! It's a sea king !" he stuttered, and your eyes went wide.

"It's a what ?"

"A sea king. You know, huge aggressive sea monsters that attack everything on sight ?" the demon developped like that was supposed to clarify everything.

"Is… is that kind of beast common in the Demon Realm ?"

"Wait, you don't have sea kings in the Human World ?" he asked you with a baffled expression.

"Not that I know of," you admitted with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry cultural differences ruined your game."

"No it's- I mean- don't worry about it," the red-head reassured you instantly. "I should not have assumed both our worlds had those."

"It's fine," you smiled. "There are so many things that exist in both the Demon Realm and the Human World, I wouldn't expect you to keep track of every single difference between them."

There were a few moments of silence, then you all but felt the Emperor bracing himself before he spoke his next words.

"I know you only agreed to fifteen minutes and they're almost up, but… I can take you for a quick flight over the sea and show you what a sea king looks like, if you want ?"

You should tell him to keep it for the next time and just play one last round of that drawing game he had taught you. It would be the smart, reasonable thing to do.

"You just said they're huge and aggressive," you replied instead, your eyes firmly kept on the weird shape on the sand.

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't sure I could protect you from them," the demon's voice assured you hopefully.

"Well then," you sighed as you avoided his gaze and prayed you were not blushing as you offered your hand to him. "I suppose I can extend today's time a little bit."

-o-O-o-

You used one fan to parry Yoru and the other to create a small burst of air to propulse yourself over Rayleigh, then swirled around. With your next thought, Fujin answered your command and created a blast to send Rayleigh crashing into Mihawk.

Your teacher dodged by letting himself fall to the ground and glide before he could collide with the blade, and Mihawk used the momentum to slash the air toward you. You folded both fans and put a knee down as you raised your arms to deflect the sword above your body and bent your head backward to avoid the blow.

With a wide arc of your left leg, you turned on yourself in a classic paso doble step to stand back up, and hit Mihawk's open flank with one of your folded fans. Before you could press your advantage, however, Rayleigh was back in the fight and had unbalanced you.

Your back fell on the ground again and you let out a groan when a blade was on your throat by the next second. You had learned how to fall without hurting yourself by then, but it did not mean you enjoyed losing.

"How long ?" you asked as you sat down, and grabbed the cloth Hongo handed you to wipe the sweat on your forehead.

"Almost two minutes," the doctor informed you, and you smiled.

Even if you kept losing against your teachers and whatever devilish machine they brought to train you against various weapons, you were improving.

-o-O-o-

"I had no idea the trees of the Realm could grow flowers on their bark," you said with awe and carefully brushed a soft gold petal that almost glimmered under the moonlight.

"Only this species," the Emperor informed you from a few steps away, as he let you enjoy the beauty of the giant flowers covering the trees around you while giving you some space. "They bloom a couple times in the year, I thought you'd like to see them."

"I do," you replied warmly, then your eyes caught sight of multiple beady spheres reflecting the light from a little further in the woods. You tried to squint and get a better look, but then it suddenly started rushing toward you and you realised all the beady spheres were actually eyes belonged to a single horrifying creature.

You screamed in absolute terror and jumped back toward Shanks.

"Wha-"

"KILL THAT THING !!"

You heard a blast of power as a flash of crimson struck the air in the direction of the threat. Next thing you knew, you were high up in the air and secured in the red-haired demon's arms, shaking like a leaf after the nightmarish vision you had just watched crawling its massive way toward you on eight creepy hairy legs.

"I'm so sorry," he apologised, "I didn't think we'd run into-"

"I'll make it thirty minutes twice a week if you swear to me we'll never go to wherever that monstrosity lives ever again," you cut him off as you clinged to his shirt for dear life, your eyes still closed as you hid against his chest.

"Deal," your protector instantly agreed. "And don't worry, this one is dead now."

"Great. Can we go back to the castle ?"

"Sure. You want me to check your room for anything before I leave you for the night ?" the demon offered gently. "There shouldn't be spiders in my home, but since you got a pretty big fright, it might reassure you if I made a round. You know, just in case."

"Please do. And if you find one, burn it to ashes."

"Your wish is my command, princess."

-o-O-o-

The blindfold was making you feel more vulnerable than usual, but all three demons insisted it was unavoidable to develop your instincts and other senses in battle. You took a standard tango pose and waited in silence until your teachers would decide to start attacking you, since they were also adamant no enemy would give you a warning.

Which you had to admit was a more than valid argument.

You heard some movement behind you and spinned on your right, then unfold Fujin to parry whatever was creating the brief burst of air on your left. Your left fan connected with something, and you pushed forward to make a quick series of steps and line yourself against your opponent's side. You then crossed a leg above the one you could feel and bent your body backside above the waist to avoid the next attack coming your way.

You tried to hit the arm arcing above you with your folded fans but missed, and released your hold to get back-to-back with your teacher. Unfortunately, that was when a padded projectile hit you in the stomach and you fell to the ground with a gasp as all the air was pushed from you.

A wooden sword was put on your neck, and you groaned in defeat.

"Not bad for a first attempt," Rayleigh appraised next to you, which confirmed he had been your opponent this time. "Get back up, and try to focus more on the entire environment around you, not just the person you're fighting against."

"Noted," you said and stood up.

You were once again thankful to possess a good sense of balance, since the blindfold was making things a little more disorientating than usual.

The next attack came while you were still a little bit out of breath, and you barely dodged in time. Your teachers might be very competent, but you knew by now that their idea of bringing fun into training was not exactly the same as yours.

-o-O-o-

It was at the end of one of your dates bi-weekly moments with Shanks, when you were watching one of the last summer sunsets from your sitting spot on the beach, that he asked you a question you were not expecting.

"So tell me, is there any chance I'll ever get that dance I asked for, or was your maybe another time a proper royal way to actually say never ?"

You were taken aback for a moment, but then you raised an eybrow with a bit of mischief in your eyes.

"I suppose it depends."

"On what ?"

"Whether you even know how to dance," you said with an innocent look that might be a tad undermined by your teasing smile.

"Of course I can dance !" he replied with an expression that was between offended and pouting. "In fact, I'll have you know that I'm an expert in-"

"Waltz, I assume," you interrupted him.

"I- Yes," he confirmed with a completely astonished look. "How do you know that ?"

"The way you fight," you replied with a smile.

"What about it ?"

"At first glance, it's all about powerful strikes that attract the eye, just like the waltz appears to be all about impressive figures," you explained, and tried not to think about the fact that what you were doing, by openly admiring and analysing his skills as a fighter, might be considered a rather bold attempt to seduce him by demon standards. "But I noticed every major attack you deal is the result of the myriad of precise steps and moves you make during the entirety of a fight, to ensure you're always where you want to be and in the position you want to be. That kind of balance where you show off in a way that appears overly simple and effortless when you're actually discreetly building up to it the entire time is found in the waltz more than any other dance, so it would make sense for you to have an affinity with it."

Shanks stared at you with wide eyes and a slack jaw, an expression that made him look like he had just gone through a mindshattering revelation. You chuckled, then averted your gaze to look back at the sea for a moment. You were deeply hoping you were not blushing under his scrutiny, and ultimately stood up to leave since the sun was done disappearing below the horizon.

"I look forward to dancing with you, your Majesty."

Chapter 13: What If

Notes:

There's a scene with music in this chapter, you'll recognise when it starts. You're free to think of every melody that would fit, but I wrote it while listening to this ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6qIzKxmW8Y

Shanks pov

Everything had been going wonderfully, they had been chatting and watching the sunset with a few snacks on the beach, something simple and enjoyable to do together. So Shanks had decided to push his luck and ask for the dance she had denied him – without technically denying him – months ago.

She had said yes, and even guessed his favourite dance – something Rayleigh had insisted he learned at some point during his teenage years like the sadistic teacher he was – and Shanks had began to wonder whether she could actually read his mind. In a way, her answer had been worse than the mind-reading option, because Shanks could handle unexpected mind-reading powers showing up at random.

He could not handle her casual reply about watching him spar and not only complimenting his skills as a fighter, but also revealing she had paid enough attention to his swordsmanship to read through him.

If he had not been absolutely certain his contractee was unaware of the strong link between fighting and seducing in he Demon Realm, Shanks would have taken this as an obvious sign that his princess was boldly, blatantly flirting with him.

It would have worked.

As a matter of fact, it had worked.

To the point where Shanks had been shocked for a second that she had made a move on him like that. And then his second reaction had been an instant surge of delight and desire mixed together at the idea that she might want him as much as he wanted her.

Which meant he had suddenly realised he wanted her. And not in the usual way he wanted someone, when a night or two in bed would sate his lust and satisfy him aplenty. No, the storm unfolding inside his chest and shaking his very being demanded much, much more than that.

He wanted her to be his partner, his wife, his queen, everything she would agree to be. He wanted to go on a thousand more outings with her and call her by her name and all the silly couple nicknames in existence until he found the ones that would make her smile the widest. He wanted to be allowed to touch her, kiss her, learn every curve of her body and show her the true meaning of pleasure until she screamed his name in ecstasy. He wanted her lust and her love, and was ready to repay such priceless gifts with his own for the rest of his life.

Shanks was still half-lost in fantasies when she stood up and left with a few kind words about a dance, and he found himself instantly confused about it. Why would she leave after giving him such an opening to reciprocate her interest to the fullest ? And then it slammed back into his mind that his contractee was human. Which meant her words had absolutely not been said with the intention to flirt with him, but only to explain a reasonable conclusion she had reached.

Shanks let himself fall back on the blanket laid out on the sand, arms spread wide on either side of his body. He stayed like that for a moment, feeling like a complete and utter moron as he stared at the darkening sky above him and the pretty constellations filling it, one star at a time.

Of course he had misread the situation. When did he not, when it came to his princess. His beautiful, smart, kind-hearted, iron-willed princess, who was only his to the extent of the contract binding them together.

His princess who had told him months ago she would not accept a courtship offer from a demon, the Emperor remembered and groaned. Of course he would be the only demon in the entire Realm foolish enough to fall in love with the woman most unlikely to ever give him a chance.

The thought stopped him for another second, and sent his heart in a frenzy, until it was the only thing left in his mind.

I'm in love with her.

Those simple words kept going on repeat, until the realisation fully settled in his core and became as much of a fact of life as the sun rising every morning and water being wet. An undisputable truth that left Shanks feeling like he was both on top of the world and like the slightest bust of wind would undo him. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops and keep it to himself like a precious secret at the same time.

Though he had to admit he was rarely ever good at keeping secrets.

Shanks paled at the idea that she might notice his newly-realised feelings the next time they met, and push him away again because it would be too much too soon for her. He had barely managed to make it through the last time she had shut him off, and he had not been aware of his feelings back then. Shanks knew he would not survive losing her a second time. He had to find a way to keep it to himself somehow during their next-

Wait a minute.

The Demon Emperor of the East facepalmed and groaned in his hands.

Why had no one in his crew seen fit to inform him that he had been on courtship outings with his contractee for months !?

As Shanks finally stood up to walk back to his castle with the blanket thrown over his shoulder and the firm intention to get a drink or ten, he could not shake the feeling that Roger was laughing his ass off in the afterlife.

-o-oOo-o-

Beckman pov

Beckman had spent the entire summer thinking back on Hongo's words and scrutinizing the princess, and when autumn started to roll, he was no longer sure of anything. Mostly because the more he observed her, the less sense she made. He knew the rest of the crew had started to have second guesses as well, and it was slowly making everyone feel ill-at-ease.

Because the facts did not lie, and it was an absolute truth that she had not asked for anything since she had arrived, or given so much as a single order to anyone. Beckman was not petty enough to count the time she had told Shanks to kill one of the giant spiders in the forest as an order. Yasopp had observed the encounter – they always made sure at least one of them was watching their outings – and sworn the sheer terror on her face during the spider's attack had been genuine.

Shanks had been part furious the creature had ruined their moment, and part elated because it had somehow earned him significantly more time with his contractee in the future.

But other than this single occurrence where the princess had been scared out of her mind and had reacted out of fear, nothing. Not a single damned thing. Lucky had confirmed she had never even sent a request for a specific meal or beverage, or complained about what he prepared for her, not even once. And after some intense shadowing, it had turned out that she spent her days in the library, studying the history of the Demon Realm according to what the Dark King had said.

In short, she was not doing anything susceptible to harm Shanks, she was staying out of everyone's way at all time, and she was basically doing the opposite of what a spoiled and self-centered princess could be expected to do. Which made no sense whatsoever for someone who had tricked a demon of Shanks' calibre into a contract forcing him to bring her to the Demon Realm.

So Beckman was confused, on top of having a nagging feeling of dread and guilt creeping up in his mind with increasing regularity. Because if the princess was not an arrogant bitch toying with his friend's heart...

He could tell everyone else had begun to worry about that as well.

If.

If.

If they had misjudged her.

If she was not the awful person they had assumed she was.

If Shanks was not a blind dumbass falling for a manipulative bitch.

If they were the reason she had kept rejecting Shanks for as long as she had.

If they had been assholes to a human girl who was just trying to make do with the cards she had been dealt.

Beckman shook himself from the thoughts when he heard the door open on the other side of the ballroom. Not that it was ever used for anything else than parties, but exceptionally, Shanks had turned it back to what its initial purpose was. Beckman watched from his spot behind another door, using the small interstice to watch how their outing was going to go this time.

Yasopp, Limejuice, Snake and Bonk were there too, all of them watching attentively as the princess followed Shanks inside, in a glamorous crimson ballgown reminiscing the kind of dresses she had stopped wearing about a month into her stay.

"Got to admit she can pull it off," Limejuice whispered begrudgingly.

Beckman said nothing, but he agreed with the remark. In those moments, her natural elegance made it pretty obvious that she had been born and raised in royalty.

Shanks showed her something, that she seemed intrigued by, until music started to echo in the ballroom and she startled in surprise, meaning it had to have been a recording snail. She recovered quickly, though, and smiled as the piano and strings started playing a melody.

Shanks bowed to her with a hand extended in a formal invitation as he turned his clothes into his more impressive Demon Emperor outfit, and she put her fingers on his palm as she curtsied. They walked to the center of the room, then to Beckman's increasing astoundishment, got into a dancing position and started to waltz to the rhythm of the music.

"When did the boss learn to dance like that ?" Bonk whispered with a slack jaw.

"It's not just him, look at her," Yasopp pointed out in clear awe.

"She moves like she doesn't even need to think about her steps," Limejuice breathed like he could not believe what he was seeing.

"They look like they've been dancing together for years," Snake murmured incredulously.

Beckman could not even bring himself to comment on it. Shanks and Y/N were moving in perfect synchronisation, gliding and turning on the floor like they had performed this specific choreography a hundred times before. Each of their steps was in time with the music, and when they started to include figures, it looked like they barely even needed to communicate before it was executed flawlessly, be it lifting her up, making her twirl on the side before bringing her back into Shanks' arms, or dipping her.

She chuckled at some point, which was when Beckman realised that despite the grace and mastery she was displaying by following Shanks' lead seamlessly, this incredible demonstration was not even close to constitute a challenge for her skills. Her expression almost turned teasing for a moment as she said something, and the next instant, Shanks clearly ramped up the level of difficulty, which she followed effortlessly.

Shanks was grinning like he was having the time of his life, and when her face turned and became visible again, Beckman had to admit the happy glow in her eyes was not one that could possibly be faked. She was genuinely enjoying the moment as well, no doubt about that.

The music slowed down, indicating it was getting close to its end, and both dancers slowed down with it, until they were back to what Beckman assumed to be the basic steps of a waltz. She said a few words with a soft smile, and got closer to Shanks to finish the melody with her head and most of her upper body resting on his chest. Shanks looked shocked for a moment, then stared at the princess in his arms with the most loving and besotted look Beckman had ever seen.

The song ended and they stepped away from each other, Shanks bowing and Y/N making a cursty, but then a second melody started and Shanks winked as he spoke again. She chuckled at whatever it was – probably a request for another dance – and offered him her hand to take.

"I've seen enough," Beckman said abruptly and left. "Let me know if something happens."

As he made his way to one of the rooms where his favourite whisky was stored, Beckman lit up a cigarette and felt his concern and guilt reach a new level. Shanks had not been able to see it since she was hiding against his chest at the time, but the princess' expression had been one of hopeless longing, almost identical to what Shanks had looked like when he was trying and failing to reach out to her.

It was the expression of someone who was in love, but knew they could not have the person they wanted. And she had only displayed it when Shanks could not see her face, which meant there was no conceivable reason for her to fake it. Which in turn meant she had fallen for Shanks, while being persuaded he was out of her reach.

There was only so much suspicion Beckman could harbor without tangible proof to support it, and only so much facts he could ignore before he had to face the truth they pointed to. The grey-haired demon poured himself a glass, and emptied it in one go. He then took a long drag of his cigarette, and looked down at the bar. It seemed he had screwed up in the end, and big time at that.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

October settled in, which meant it was getting close to mark a year since Shanks had brought you to his Realm and his home. For once, you had opted to stay a little longer in your room after your sparring session, and made yourself a cup of tea as you watched the waves brush the shore.

This morning, you had managed to hold on against your teachers longer than ever before in a spar, and even put them in difficulty a couple times. The quick look they had exchanged at the end of the lesson had been quite telling about what they thought of your progress. Mihawk and Rayleigh had reluctantly admitted that you were pretty much ready to face almost any kind of foe that was not a Demon Emperor or their high-ranked officers.

And you had accumulated enough experience with transfering living being from one place to another to ensure that – coupled with the correct runes and designs – you would be able to successfully create a pentacle bringing you back to the Human World.

In short, you were ready to go, and after a few more days of perfectioning and preparations, all that would be left for you to do would be to break the contract binding you to the Emperor and leave the Demon Realm for good. As much as you had worked for it, however, the idea of leaving still created a hollow feeling in your chest.

You knew you would fiercely miss your friendships with Rayleigh, Mihawk, and Hongo.

And you also knew saying goodbye to Shanks forever would break you. This amazing, charming, seductive, funny, kind, imaginative, powerful, handsome demon had wormed his way past your defenses to steal your heart with a grin, and you had been powerless to stop him.

You knew you had lost this battle the day you danced together.

In all your years as crown princess, you had seldom had the pleasure to waltz with a partner as skilled as he was, and never once had so much fun dancing with someone. Shanks had risen to your challenge with his usual confidence, and dancing with him had been as easy as breathing.

There even had been a touch of mischief and playfulness since each of you had unexpectedly used specific moves to test the other's talent and expertise. He had asked for a second dance, that had turned into three, then more, until both of you forgot how many it had been or how much time had passed, and only stopped when the last melody ended and no more music followed.

The moment you had seen him pout at the fact that your dancing had come at an end, you had felt an immediate and powerful urge to get close to him and kiss his cheek with a promise to never let go of such an amazing partner. The next second, you had realised that not only would you have meant every word, but you also wanted him to be your partner in all the aspects of life he would consent to.

You wanted to dance again with him, to see more of the Demon Realm by his side, even spar against him. You wanted to freely touch and hug him until you forgot everything but his warmth and strength against you. You wanted to kiss him and explore the burning desire you had felt on the night you had met, learn every pleasure he enjoyed and explore your own. You wanted him to be yours as much as you wanted to be his, this time as equals instead of protector and protected.

The realisation had been mindblowing enough for you to curtsy on autopilot and pretext being tired in order to retire to your chambers, so you could attempt to calm the frantic beating of your heart and deal with this sudden awakening of your feelings.

And so you had postponed the date of your departure to Halloween, officially for a more dramatic effect when you would come back to your kingdom one year exactly after having disappeared. In truth, it was the only reason you had managed to come up with to buy yourself a little more time in the Demon Realm without feeling too guilty about it.

A knock on your door startled you out of your thoughts, and you went to answer, only to be faced with the castle's cook holding a tray with your breakfast on it.

"Thought you'd be awake by now," he told you. "It's pretty cold today, so I added hot cocoa. You like that, right ?"

"I do," you confirmed, and took the tray from his extended hands. "Thank you."

"No problem, princess."

And with that, he was on his way, leaving you to put down the tray before you could close the door, feeling just as confused as the first time it had happened.

For the past three weeks, the various members of the Emperor's crew had started to interact more with you in one way or another, mostly by taking turns to bring your meals to your chambers instead of using magic to make it appear on your coffee table. They almost always tried to exchange at least a few words with you as they did, but not the blatant threats or barely-veiled insults it had been so far.

Instead, it looked like they were trying to make polite conversation, which left you thoroughly confused. All three of your friends insisted it had just finally gotten through everyone's skull that their opinion of you was wrong, and that they all were trying to correct their behaviour in a way you would not instantly reject.

You thought the idea was ridiculous, and that was to avoid saying you thought it was the equivalent of an impressive amount of bovine dejections. Hongo had laughed for five minutes straight when he had realised it was your way to say you thought the idea was a load of bullshit. But there was no denying Shanks' crew was acting more accomodating to you, and it was weird. You were so accustomed to their indifference-to-hatred range of attitudes that it made it difficult for you to adjust to the change.

Even the Emperor's second in command was acting more warmly to you, in a way. The first time he had seen you in a corridor and simply nodded with a brief "princess" in greeting before continuing to walk toward wherever he was headed, the lack of animosity had nearly given you whiplash. You had stared at his retreating figure in absolute shock for a few seconds, eyes wide and steeled posture completely frozen.

Something strange was going on, but while you enjoyed your hot cocoa – there was a pinch of cinnamon in it, a nice touch – you reminded yourself that no matter the reason behind their change of behaviour, it would have no impact on your plans.

You would break your contract with Shanks and leave on Halloween's night no matter what.

-o-oOo-o-

Beckman pov

"How did it go ?" Beckman asked as soon as Lucky was back in the kitchen after delivering the princess' breakfast.

"Well… she likes hot cocoa, and she thanked me," Lucky replied before grabbing a pancake from the nearest plate. "That's it."

"She didn't ask for anything ?" Yasopp asked out of habit, even if by now everyone in the crew knew what the answer would be.

"Nope," Lucky confirmed.

"It's been three weeks, guys. I think it's safe to say the reason she hasn't given any orders to anyone is not the lack of opportunities," Limejuice said with irony.

Hongo came in when Limejuice was talking, and snorted when he understood what the conversation was about.

"You guys realise you're weirding her out, right ?" the doctor asked everyone as he grabbed a cup on the counter and poured coffee in it. "I told you a real upfront apology was the way to go."

Beckman took a drag of his cigarette, and stared at his friend with a touch of annoyance as he let his horns appear, a silent but clear reminder of who was in charge after Shanks. When they had all discussed the matter together, Hongo had been adamant that everyone needed to properly apologise to the princess at once, and even after being outvoted, he kept insisting on it.

"She almost panicked when I greeted her in passing," Beckman reminded him. "If we apologise to her now, she's gonna faint before we're done speaking. We need to give her some time and ease her into it. Don't forget she's just a human princess."

The doctor stared back, and even if he was sporting his usual laidback grin, there was something off about his expression, and a surprisingly dark look in his eyes. Beckman raised an eyebrow, daring him to show his demonic features as well and openly challenge him.

"Right," Hongo ultimately conceded, though his voice was still dripping with sarcasm. "Just a human princess. What was I thinking."

"Look Doc, you've seen her get injured and sick for no reason, you know firsthand how fragile she-" Yasopp started.

But Shanks walked into the kitchen with a yawn, and the conversations instantly changed to other subjects while the grey-haired demon made his  horns disappear. Despite Hongo's strong opinion on the matter, Beckman was confident the strategy they had adopted was the right one. They had to first get the princess used to them being civil to her over a long period of time, and when she would be more comfortable around them all, maybe in a few months, they would explain themselves and offer her a proper apology.

It was not like they were in a rush, after all.

Chapter 14: Tears On The Beach

Notes:

Yes the chapter title is a very bad pun based on a cocktail name, since, you know, alcohol and the red-haired pirates pair legendary well. No I'm not sorry, deal with my shitty puns x)

Reader pov

There was only one week left before Halloween, and you could feel the tension building progressively in your mind. You had worked relentlessly on the pentacle supposed to bring you back to the Human World, to the extent where you were fairly confident you could draw it in your sleep. Your gear was in perfect condition, your fans were as sharp as ever, and your training was now at a point where your teachers no longer held back against you.

On paper, you were more than ready to go.

But you only had two dates left with Shanks, and unfortunately, the Emperor had hinted at having planned something a bit special on Halloween night to celebrate your first year in the Demon Realm. Which meant you would likely have to leave before attending whatever he had prepared, and say goodbye to him through a letter.

So you had decided to enjoy to the fullest the last real moment you had with the demon who had stolen your heart.

He had taken you for a simple walk on the beach in the late afternoon, which a treacherous part of your mind wanted to believe was an excuse to bring you closer to him than usual in order to keep you warm. The sky was covered in dark clouds, a sure sign that a storm was approaching, and you wondered whether you would have to invite him for a tea – or something stronger for him given what you had learned about his own preferences – in your chambers if the rain cut your date short.

"Is there something on my face ?" Shanks suddenly asked you.

"No, why do you ask ?" you replied after looking at him thoroughly in case you had missed something.

"You've been staring," he told you, then winked. "Not that I don't like it when your eyes are on me, but you don't usually do it that much."

Damn, you had forgotten how observant he could be.

"Just lost in thoughts, that's all," you replied with a light shake of your head, before you turned your gaze toward the sea. "It looks like a storm is coming."

"Are you sure everything's fine ?" Shanks asked cautiously, and you could hear concern in his voice. "You've been acting weird today. Well, maybe not weird, but… different."

You kept your eyes on the waves, and carefully constructed your answer so it would be true without revealing anything about your intentions.

"It's almost been a year since that night. Memories are coming back, and most of them are not exactly pleasant," you admitted.

There was a moment of silence, then Shanks gently took your left hand in his own and came closer to you. In a matter of seconds, he was standing behind your back in a rather protective manner, only one breath away from hugging you.

"You never told me what happened before I was summoned," he prompted you softly. "You don't have to, obviously, but I'm here to listen if you want to share."

You clenched your jaw, and steeled your resolve. You could not give him too much information or he might guess you had planned to leave soon. You were not sure you would manage to go back to your kingdom if the demon you loved asked you to stay with him.

"I would rather not go into details, but it was… bad," you settled for in a rather lame manner, and Shanks snorted.

"Yeah, I figured as much when I saw you kneeling inside a pentacle with your wrists tied up," he said ironically.

You shuddered as the memories and sheer terror of that night came back at once, and the Emperor instantly backpedaled with guilt lacing his voice.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"BOSS !"

The voice interrupted him and you both turned around to see most of his crew speedwalking on the beach with determined expressions. As annoyed as you were that they would ruin your last date with Shanks, you had a feeling this was an urgent matter.

Although urgent or not, the red-haired demon looked as annoyed as you felt by the intrusion in your private time.

"I'm a little busy here, lads."

"Kaido sent this," his second in command handed him an opened letter. "He's already on the move and says he's willing to settle it without a fight if you hand her over."

You froze for a moment, not so much at the idea of being used as a pawn in a political game – that had been your life for as long as you remembered until Doflamingo's attack, after all – but at the thought that Shanks might get hurt because of you.

When you turned to look at the Emperor who was magically bound to protect you, his expression was furious and the letter was crampled in his fist.

"Not in a million years. Don't worry, princess," Shanks told you with a softer smile. "He won't lay a finger on you. Gear up, everyone, I want to be done with the fight before nightfall," he ordered to his crew.

You watched for a fleeting instant as they all started walking back to the castle, which was when you noticed Rayleigh and Mihawk were also there. Your mentors were watching you worriedly, just like Hongo who had yet to turn around and follow the rest of the crew.

You closed your eyes a brief instant, then decided your plan could suffer a last-minute alteration, even if it meant saying goodbye sooner than you wanted to. It was the only way you could think of to avoid Shanks getting hurt because of you, something you would never forgive yourself for when you held the power to avoid it.

So you adjusted your body to get in a perfect royal posture, squared your shoulders, raised your chin, and took a deep breath before speaking in a loud and clear manner.

"No."

-o-oOo-o-

Mihawk pov

A single word spoken in a commanding voice was enough to instantly stop an Emperor and his crew in their tracks, and Mihawk felt impressed. It was rare for Y/N to show the full aura of her royal bloodline, but it made it all the more striking when it happened. Especially with the sky and sea looking ready to unleash their fury in the background.

"Princess ? What do you mean, no ?" Shanks asked as he turned around, his crew staring at both him and the woman who looked much more intimidating now that she did three seconds before.

"It means I refuse to let you fight another Emperor because of me," she stated with the authority of a queen issuing a order.

Mihawk could guess what her plan was without even needing to hear the rest, and he knew Rayleigh and Hongo could as well. It seemed that in spite of their best efforts, she was going to leave, and even earlier than planned. Shanks looked at her in pure incredulity for a second, which made sense considering what their contract entailed.

"That's not exactly up to you," his best friend smiled like he was talking to a cute but misbehaving kitten.

Mihawk could have smacked the back of his head for that.

Though her frosty glare seemed to have a similar effect, according to the way Shanks' face fell. No doubt her closed-off expression reminded him of the months she had spent rejecting all his attempts at getting close to her.

"You're wrong," Y/N said, then closed her eyes an instant to prepare herself.

Mihawk clenched his fists just as he heard Rayleigh curse under his breath.

"Demon Emperor of the East," she stated in a clear voice, and Shanks paled. "I invoke the law regarding contracts between a human and a demon using a subjective concept. As the deciding party on the matter, I hereby claim it to no longer be relevant and declare our deal officially broken."

When the last word was spoken, a bright light burst out of both her and Shanks. Crimson runes started flying around them as if they were unrolling from their bodies, then rushed to meet in the middle, and formed a sphere that ultimately turned back to a golden colour before exploding.

Mihawk briefly closed his eyes in defeat. He had held onto the thin hope that maybe she was not yet at the point where she could do without Shanks' protection, but this was the undisputable proof that she very much was.

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

Shanks watched the runes sealing their contract vanish into thin air until the last sparkle of gold disappeared, unable to comprehend what had just happened. It felt both like the heavy weight of duty was suddenly lifted from his shoulders, and like the only piece of himself linked to the woman he loved had been brutally ripped from his chest. The Emperor remained motionless for a second, his mind failing to grasp what he had heard, seen, and felt.

"No," he mumbled in a daze, and reached for his left shoulder blade. "No, that's- no, it can't- you can't- no, no, this didn't- tell me it's still there," he pleaded and almost ripped his shirt to free his back. "Someone tell me it's still there !"

But when Shanks looked at his crew, none of them replied. They were all staring in shock at either him or-

Shanks' gaze turned back to his contractee.

His beautiful, amazing, smart, kind-hearted, vulnerable human princess who had just broken the only tangible link he had to her through some loophole Shanks had no idea even existed. Her face was completely impassive, and he felt like he was looking back at the ice fortress she had been for months. Like breaking their deal meant nothing to her.

Shanks' heart shattered in his chest and he fell on his knees.

"What have you done ?" he asked her in despair. "I thought-"

"I will leave for the Human World in an hour," she stated in a voice entirely devoid of emotion. "You can tell Kaido there is no human princess to hand over anymore, and no fighting will happen by my fault."

Shanks stared at her, unable to comprehend anything beyond the fact that she was leaving him forever. But then she turned a glare to his crew.

"While this is not the outcome you asked for, I assume freeing your leader and leaving this place for good is an acceptable alternative to my death," she stated with a look so cold it was a wonder no ice appeared in the air.

Shanks froze at her words, and somehow managed to stand back up as he processed her accusation.

"Wait, you- no, wait just a second, you can't be serious" he huffed, because as her words registered, he realised how utterly absurd that claim was. "Princess, you can't imply anyone in my crew would want you dead, that's ridiculous. Right lads ?" the red-head asked as he turned to his crew for confirmation.

Complete silence answered him, and not one of them was willing to meet his eyes. Shanks felt his world crumble. No, there was no way they could have done that. Not to his harmless and fragile contractee.

But Y/N chuckled, a broken sound that contained no joy, and Shanks turned back to her in a silent plea for her to say this was a lie, a bad joke, anything but the truth.

"I knew if it came down to my word against theirs, you would never believe me," she said with a smile that held nothing but pain, and a few tears fell from the corners of her eyes.

The sight broke Shanks' heart more than he thought was possible.

She wiped those away with her fingers, and took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Nevermind. It does not matter anymore. Though for what it is worth, the moments we spent together those past months have been the happiest of my life. Farewell, your Majesty."

By the time Shanks managed to realise she was walking away, Rayleigh had stepped forward and was covering her retreat to the castle to prevent anyone from going after her. There was a dark look on his face, one that Shanks had not seen in centuries.

"Mark my words, all of you," his father figure warned them. "You have royally fucked up. I will try to buy you time until you're back from your fight so you can apologise to her before she leaves, but you better pray this gem of a woman is more merciful than me. Roger knows I would not even grant you that much after what you put her through."

-o-oOo-o-

Beckman pov

Beckman watched the Dark King glare them all down one last time before he turned around to follow the princess inside, and felt the silence fall heavily during the next few seconds. It was only broken by the sound of thunder rolling over the sea as the sky kept turning darker with every moment.

Fucking up did not even begin to cover what they had done.

What he had done.

Shanks turned toward all of them, his gaze heavy with both accusation and a desperate plea to prove him wrong. Beckman wished he could give his friend and Emperor what he was looking for, the way he always had been able to in the past.

And then in the silence, Hongo started talking, his voice shaking with the anger he was obviously no longer bothering to hide from them.

"I told you. I fucking told you all to apologise to her ! But nooo, you all knew better, you all thought she was too fragile to handle apologies because she's fucking human, like she didn't fucking handle all of us threatening her on her FIRST FUCKING DAY HERE WHEN SHE WAS STILL MOURNING HER PARENTS' DEATH !" the doctor screamed, and Beckman paled at this completely new piece of information, but then Hongo started walking to the castle. "I'm gonna try to convince her to stay, but just so we're clear, if I lose my friend because you were a bunch of brainless shitheads, you better bet your treatments are gonna be as painful as I can make them for the next fucking centuries."

When Hongo disappeared, Shanks turned to Beckman, who was painfully aware he had nothing similar to offer.

"Beck, tell me that you didn't know."

Beckman stayed silent. He could not lie to his Emperor, not about that. Not anymore.

"Did not know ?" Hawkeyes intervened with a raised eyebrow, then walked forward and looked Beckman right in the eyes with a glare full of enough hatred that the grey-haired demon knew it was the result of months of concealed feelings. "The first time I met Y/N, I put Yoru on her throat and accused her of having trapped my best friend into a contract. And despite that, she still thinks of you as her worst first impression."

"You fucking what !?" Shanks burst out in shocked fury, then turned to Beckman with even more terrified eyes. "Beck, what did you do to her ? And what the fuck was that about her parents ?"

"Ah, right, none of you has the full story," Hawkeyes stated in what seemed to be calm but definitely was barely contained fury, and Beckman felt a major unease take hold of him on top of the heavy guilt blocking his throat. "I will give you a fair warning, though you do not deserve it. Whatever you might expect, the reality was worse. So I suggest you sit down."

The next second, Beckman had dropped his ass on the sand, not giving a shit about the first drops of water that were starting to fall on the beach, and everyone else had done the same. Only Shanks was still stubbornly standing, and Hawkeyes looked at him for a moment before shrugging, as if to say he would regret it soon enough.

"As you all know, Y/N is a princess. More specifically, she was crown princess of Delka, a kingdom of the Human World. On last year's Halloween night, a human who had previously made a pact with Kaido to obtain a Devil Fruit barged into the royal ball her parents were throwing. He beheaded the king and queen in front of the entire audience, which included Y/N, then claimed the throne for himself and asked for the crown princess to be brought to him, on threat of killing a person every minute she failed to appear."

Beckman was already feeling ill. Demon culture may be more ruthless than human culture, but even for them, there were moral standards to follow and that was very close to crossing it.

"Y/N chose to step forward before the first minute was up, and her main reason for doing so was her belief she would be swiftly beheaded as well and be granted a quick and mostly painless death," Hawkeyes stated with obvious anger in his voice.

"But she-" Shanks tried.

"But she was a beautiful virgin of royal blood, and proved in a matter of seconds that she possessed brains and dignity on top of that," Mihawk stated through gritted teeth. "Of course the man who was overthrowing her kingdom instantly saw how valuable she was. And so he decided to turn her into an offering to Kaido for more power."

Beckman felt nauseous. That was messed up to a level he had not even thought of. Human offerings were forbidden and borderline taboo in two out of the four Demon Empires for a reason. Even Big Mom only accepted human offerings of royal blood who were in age to marry or bond with her own children, and there were pretty strong conditions regarding consent in the contracts.

But Kaido had no such rules in place, and would gladly accept any human offering destined to please him. A woman like the princess Mihawk described would definitely had been enough for him to grant a lot of power, maybe another Devil Fruit, to whoever was asking for a deal.

"Wha- what happened ?" Yassop mumbled while looking a little green.

"She erased part of a rune by accident when she was dragged in the pentacle," Hawkeyes replied in a dark voice. "Luckily for her, it was the part marking the W of west."

"So the summoning for the Demon Emperor of the Est wasn't a mistake," Shanks whispered while looking whiter than a ghost. "It wa- it was-"

"A monumental stroke of luck on her part," Hawkeyes completed.

At least two members of the crew threw up for good, and Beckman knew he was not far from it. The princess had witnessed her parents' murder in a moment, had resigned herself to die only to be destined to a fate worse than that, and escaped it through nothing but sheer luck to instead be brought into a place full of demons openly hostile to her.

"And then you showed up," Hawkeyes said as he turned to Shanks. "Now that your contract is broken and you can discuss it, would you mind telling everyone what actually happened in that pentacle ?"

"The guy outside the circle asked me to give his master the strength of a hundred men and complete control of the kingdom in exchange for her," Shanks mumbled numbly, his eyes staring at the sand without seeing it. "And then she just stood up, wrists tied up and looking both terrified and like the bravest soul I've ever seen, and offered me the lives of all the men in the room in exchange for my protection. We sealed it with her first kiss and I brought her here because I thought it would be the safest place for her to be."

Protection.

Protection.

The only thing she had asked from Shanks was his protection.

If Beckman had not already been feeling like the dirtiest shit to ever be shat, this would have done it. By the stars, he had threatened, bullied, and isolated a grieving woman who had only asked to be protected after a traumatic event.

The grey-haired demon slowly stood up under the rain, and faced his Emperor. Shanks had been his closest friend for centuries, but his next words may very well shatter everything they had built in that time.

"When you brought her in and said she had pulled a clever trick, we all assumed she had tricked you," Beckman confessed. "We took turns the next day to threaten her and make sure she would not get close to you ever again in any way. I even made a roster to ensure there would always be someone to distract you whenever you thought of going to see her. I threatened to kill her myself if she did not stay away from you at least two more times after that. We only started to realise we might have been wrong about her two months ago."

Beckman saw the punch coming.

He did not try to stop it.

-o-oOo-o-

Mihawk pov

That punch was one of the most satisfying things Mihawk had ever seen in his entire life. Beckman was sent flying on the beach, his nose obviously broken and his jaw clearly having known better days as he stood back up, covered in wet sand and blood dripping on his face.

Thought the swordsman's satisfaction was cut short as soon as he glanced at his side. Shanks' face was covered in tears, to the point that not even the rain could hide them all. His best friend had never looked as miserable as he did in this instant.

"I trusted you," the red-head sobbed, his fist still clenched and his whole frame trembling as the thunder became louder over the angry waves of the sea. "I fucking trusted you, Beck."

"Shanks," Mihawk said and put his hand on his best friend's shoulder to calm him down. "We all misjudged her. And we all acted the way we did because we care about you."

"Don't you fucking dare excu-"

"I am not denying he fucked up," Mihawk deadpaned, his use of a curse shocking Shanks enough to stop him for an instant. "I am saying we all did to various extents, and that despite our actions, she is still trying to protect you."

"She- what-"

"By the stars, use your brains for once in your life !" Mihawk reproached him in one of his rare outbursts. "Why do you think she broke your contract now of all times ? She literally spelled it out to your face that it was to ensure you would not have to fight another Emperor for her !"

"But she- I failed- She just-"

Mihawk pinched his nose and took a deep breath. Not for the first time, he wondered how he had ended up with a demon like Shanks as his best friend.

"Rayleigh and Hongo will only buy you so much time before she actually leaves. I suggest you send Kaido back to his territory before that happens. I will do what I can as well to convince her to stay until you are done."

Shanks stared at him for a moment, then extended his hand with the most serious expression Mihawk had ever seen on him.

"Swear to me she will still be there when I come back."

"On our friendship," Mihawk vowed solemnly and clasped the hand back. "You will see her again before she leaves for the Human World."

Shanks looked at him in a way most would see as threatening, but Mihawk knew was actually a plea to not let him down. Not after what had happened. The Demon Realm's Greatest Swordsman nodded briefly, and Shanks turned back to his crew with a furious glare as his demonic features appeared.

"You all fucked up big time. And I'm nowhere near forgiving you for it. But Kaido wants my- wants her, and that's just not happening. So fucking gear up, we have asses to kick !"

Chapter 15: There Are Other Ways

Notes:

Hello my fellow Epic fans, how's the Ithaca saga been treating you and which song have you stuck on repeat in your mind ? ;)

Also, little explanation I couldn't include in the last chapter or this one :
Doflamingo made another minor contract with Kaido (or more likely one of the demons under him) for reasons you'll see soon enough. He used it to also ask what happened to the princess he offered, and what exactly angered Kaido to the point of killing his men. Obviously Kaido managed to connect the dots, and since he knows Shanks is very unlikely to have killed the princess, Kaido takes it as a perfect occasion to both have a great fight and get his toy back.

Reader pov

You were getting your gear on in the ensuite bathroom when Rayleigh's voice came through from the other side of the door.

"You're making a mistake, you know."

You clenched your teeth as you finished to put your pants on.

"I'm doing what's best."

"For you ?"

"For him !" You retorted immediately.

"The brat can handle Kaido and you know it."

"They weren't serious back then," you countered as you grabbed your white shirt. "It was only a summoning."

"Kaido doesn't give a shit about the reason behind a fight, it's all about the pride and bloodlust for him," Rayleigh snorted. "He'd back off just as fast if you stated you and Shanks were courting."

You froze mid-movement, which led to the shirt awkwardly gliding on you for a few seconds.

"E- Even if that were true, which it is not," you reminded your teacher while trying to convince yourself you had not stuttered. "I still have a duty to my people and my kingdom. I'm merely moving my plans forward, nothing more."

"And breaking two hearts in the process," Hongo's voice stated ironically as he joined Rayleigh on the other side of the door. "And that's just the romantic relationship, the toll gets way higher if you take friendships into account."

You stopped moving again with your corset in your hands, unsure that you had heard that last part correctly. Had Hongo truly said two hearts ?

"What do you mean ?"

"I hope you're not asking about the friendship part, young lady," Rayleigh huffed. "The three of us will miss you like crazy if you leave the Realm for good, I assumed you knew it."

"I'm going to miss you too," you admitted softly.

"Good. You should," Rayleigh deadpaned.

The dry irony of his tone startled a brief laugh out of you, but Hongo talked again while you were fastening your corset.

"Shanks will be miserable if you leave," Hongo declared.

"He'll manage. He's got an entire crew to-"

"A crew that lied to him," the doctor cut you off.

"With good intentions," you countered.

"Good intentions that still cost him the woman he fell in love with," Rayleigh hummed.

You blinked and swore your heart missed a beat at his words.

The woman Shanks what !?

"Wha- what are you talking about ?" you asked in a shaking voice as you grabbed your boots.

"Ah," Mihawk's voice echoed knowingly while he apparently entered your chambers as well, "it seems we are stating the obvious everywhere at once."

"Excuse me !?" you exclaimed from the bathroom.

"You are the only person in this castle who has failed to realise Shanks would lay the sky at your feet for a minute of your time," the swordsman stated matter-of-factly.

As soon as your boots were on and you were ready, you opened the door with none of the grace or restraint befitting your royal upbringing, your eyes wide as you looked at your friends leaning against various pieces of furniture. That could not be true. You had noticed Shanks held some affection for you, of course, but he was a very open and loving person in general, surely claiming he was in love with you was excessive.

Even if it sent your heart in a frenzy and made a desperate spark of hope ignite in your chest.

"He-" you started, failed to get the words out, took a deep breath, and tried again. "He loves me ?" you whispered.

"Desperately."

"Yes."

"More than anything."

The three replies came at the same time, but you understood the certainty in their voices anyway and the idea that Shanks might love you back took hold of your mind. You were already reluctant to leave when you thought you were the only one with those feelings, but now, you felt torn to the point where you no longer knew what to do. For some reason, your mother's first lesson about being a royal suddenly came back to your mind.

"Duty means doing the things your heart may well regret," you quoted in a mumble, wondering for the first time whether you would be able to follow it.

Hongo visibly clenched his fists at the words, then sighed in defeat and forced a grin back on his expression.

"Then at least I got to say goodbye. Any chance I can get a royal hug before I go back to the crew ?" he asked.

"I suppose I can make an exception to etiquette for this time," you replied with a forced smile as well, and opened your arms.

The doctor walked closer and gave you a brief but heartfelt hug, that you reciprocated by holding him tight. Then he left the room without another word.

-o-oOo-o-

Rayleigh pov

Rayleigh watched the princess' distraught expression after Hongo left, and he knew she had to be at her breaking point. Y/N looked like she was at a fork road and no longer sure which path she was going to take.

"Actually," Mihawk declared with his trademark impassivity, "you cannot leave yet."

"Excuse me ?" she asked in surprise, and Rayleigh raised an eyebrow in open curiosity.

"I gave my word to Shanks that he would see you again before you travelled back to the Human World. I would appreciate if you did not make me join the list of the people who betrayed his trust," the swordsman stated.

Rayleigh grinned. That was a low blow, but a smart one.

"Are you guilting me into staying longer ?" she translated with a baffled voice.

"Absolutely," Mihawk replied without an ounce of regret. "At least until he comes back from his fight against Kaido."

She froze entirely, and her next words were spoken in a voice that was barely above a whisper.

"Fight ? But there won't be a fight. He doesn't have to protect me anymore and I'm even leaving to avoid it."

"Do you really think so little of Shanks that you believe he would not protect you with everything he has, with or without a contract ?" Hawkeyes retorted with a frown.

She bit her lower lip in clear hesitation as she avoided Mihawk's gaze, and Rayleigh decided now was the time to play his cards as well.

"You know, the brat would be more than happy to bring you back here after you're done with your business in the Human World. You would just have to summon him and he would take you to the Demon Realm again, no questions asked," the old demon informed the young woman as casually as he could.

She took a step back in shock, as if the idea had not even come to her mind and she was now running a million thoughts a minute as she tried to take this possibility into account. Rayleigh could tell the spark of hope in her eyes, as small and frail as it was, meant she wanted to find a way to make this option work. Though she seemed to quickly stumble upon counter arguments.

"The rest of the crew-"

"Broke down when I explained what happened to you. I assure you they will all be on their knees the next time they see you, and grateful if you so much as listen to their apology," Mihawk cut her off. "If you choose to come back, I can guarantee they will spend at least the next century trying to make up for their mistake."

"Humans don't live that long, and our different lifespans-"

"The brat's wanted to offer to turn you into a demon for months," Rayleigh countered before she could finish her sentence. "You would live just as long as we do."

Her gaze focused on a point on the floor for a moment as she grasped the desk with one hand to steady herself. She was clearly re-thinking her entire future according to the new possibilities they had presented her with, and Rayleigh shared a brief glance with Mihawk. They had done everything they could, if that was not enough to change her mind, then nothing would.

Minutes passed in absolute silence, where Y/N was clearly torn between the different possibilities and going through as many possible outcomes as she could. When she eventually looked back up at them, there was still a bit of uncertainty in her eyes, but she seemed to have made her choice.

"Do you… do you really think everyone would accept me staying here forever if I came back after freeing my kingdom ?" she asked in a voice that held the same kind of vulnerability the Dark King remembered from the time she had first asked him if he would be willing to help her in her research.

"Absolutely," Rayleigh replied without a single ounce of doubt.

"And even on the improbable chance they did not, you would be welcome to stay in my own castle," Mihawk added as a last selling point. "I dare say it would be a more comfortable option than some shack in the Human World."

She smiled briefly at the offer, then her expression turned determined and her posture much more confident as she took a deep breathe.

"Then I guess I'm changing my plan again. I will go back to the Human World, do what I need to do there, and if Shanks agrees to it, I will summon him and ask to be brought back to the Demon Realm."

Rayleigh snorted at the if. His brat had been ready to beg her for a smile before he even knew he was in love, and she was still unsure whether he would agree to bring her back to him. The Dark King had no idea whether he wanted to see the day she would realise the power she held over Shanks, or if it was better for everyone that such a day never came.

"I have no doubt Shanks will be happy to hear the news when he comes back," Mihawk told her, an note of relief obvious in his voice.

The princess smiled in a way that felt dangerous for completely different reasons, and opened the drawer where she kept Fujin.

"Who said I was waiting for him to come back ?"

Rayleigh smirked wildly. He definitely could see the influence of his own lazy grin in his daughter personal student's expression.

Oh who am I kidding, this girl is basically my daughter by now, and she's going to be family as soon as she and Shanks make it official, anyway.

"Give me a second to get my sword, I'm not missing that."

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

Shanks parried another blow as the rain kept pouring on the battlefield, and tried to keep his mind on the fight despite clearly not being at his best. How could he be when he was about to lose the love of his life and had just learned his crew had lied to him and treated her horribly, all because of something he had said.

So many things made sense now that he had all the information. Of course she had felt in danger at odd times. Of course she would believe pushing him away was the right thing to do for them both.

And of course she would want to leave as soon as she could.

"Come on, red-hair, just hand over the princess already, you know she was supposed to be my toy !" Kaido told him.

Shanks glared at the flying trashcan facing him in the air. He may no longer have a right to call Y/N his, but he was not going to let that piece of shit get close to the princess.

"Stay away from her," he growled and used his wings to dodge another clawed paw.

Kaido's dragon form might be strong, but what he gained in strength and power, he lost in speed and agility.

"She's just a human, why do you even care ?" the dragon snorted.

Because I love her and I'd fucking rip my heart out of my chest with my own claws if she asked for it.

"She's under my protection," Shanks replied and slashed the air with Gryphon.

Kaido dodged his attack, but only just so, and seemed to get a little pissy before rushing back toward him at full speed.

"You're gonna have to try better than that, youngling !"

Shanks prepared himself to deflect the giant mouth with his sword, but then a powerful column of wind coming from the thundering clouds sent Kaido crashing down, his snout buried deep in the mud under the force of the impact. Yet all Shanks felt was a small breeze on his wings, and as he flew back to the gound with no trouble, he became thoroughly confused.

What the fuck was that ?

A feminine silhouette landed gracefully between him and Kaido's slowly changing form, her back turned to him and a hand on her hip.

"So you are the demon who gave a Devil Fruit to the man who murdered my parents," the newcomer stated in a voice that was awfully familiar, then turned toward the red-head.

Shanks' jaw dropped as Y/N revealed herself.

"Sorry I'm late, are you alright ?" she asked him softly, while the rain and wind under the stormy clouds were painting her as the most impossibly attractive apparition to ever exist in the Demon Realm.

The way those pants hugged her ass should be illegal, and that corset and shirt combination was either going to do Shanks in or make him cum in the next seconds. He knew she was beautiful, he had seen her in all kinds of elegant or even glamourous dresses before, but this ? This was beyond gorgeous. She looked like sex on legs.

"Uh," Shanks managed to reply, then Kaido stood up in the background and it kickstarted his brain somewhat. "Wait, what are you doing here ? Fuck, no time, just stay behind me and I'll-"

"What did you think I meant when I said I no longer needed your protection ?" she interrupted him with a raised eyebrow as she took two short sticks – wait, Shanks knew those things – from the holsters on her thighs.

"Wororororo ! Finally my offering is here !" Kaido laughed, then prepared for another attack. "Now let's have some fun !"

Before Shanks could get his fragile and vulnerable princess behind him, she twirled around, did something that turned the sticks into fans before she sharply crossed them in front of her, and two insanely strong blasts of wind sent Kaido flying to the other side of the battlefield and crash in his own troops.

Shanks' jaw dropped again.

She turned toward him with a smirk that had no right to look as sexy as it did and held both fans up so he could see the silver griffin spreading its wings on either of them, the same design that was embroided on her waist corset and emphasized the curve of her breasts.

"Do you remember when you asked me what I did with my days ?" she asked with a knowing smile. "Well, part of the answer is awakening an Eternal Weapon and applying my expertise in ballroom dances to fighting, until I reached the point where I could defend myself properly. My fans are named Fujin, by the way."

Shanks had never popped a hard-on on a battlefield before, but he was pretty sure he could not be blamed for the one suddenly stretching his pants. Not when he was faced with a vision he could not have conjured in his wildest wet dreams. He was unable to stop looking at her, until he finally realised something crucial and felt hope bloom uncontrollably in his chest.

"You're here," Shanks whispered.

Her gaze softened as she clearly understood everything he meant by that, and she took a step in his direction.

"Yes. I… I know I said I was leav-"

Shanks saw the blade going for her back and moved to stop it with his own sword before he even realised he was moving. The half-transformed asshole holding the saber seemed to realised his mistake half a second before Shanks disarmed him, pierced his stomach and slit his throat. The Emperor infused some of his inner demonic power into his sword for his next attack and sent the now lifeless body away from him. No one was going to hurt the woman he loved on his watch, not anymore.

"Sorry, what were you about to say ?" the Emperor asked her.

"Don't worry about it, I underst- oh come on !" she cursed in her annoyed-yet-polite manner, and Shanks turned his head just in time to see her dance her way between two demons belonging to Kaido's crew and redirect their weapons with her fans until her opponents injured each other and she twirled back into what looked a lot like a waltz position.

The next second, she had danced again around her next adversaries like she was nothing more than a breeze herself, like she was somehow still on a ballroom floor and demonstrating her absolute mastery in every step, in every flick of her wrist, in every arc of her back or turn of her head. A dozen demons fell around her in maybe one minute tops before there was a lull in the attacks. She used the opportunity to do something with her fans to flip herself above the bodies and landed back closer to Shanks in all her royal elegance and poise.

That's the hottest thing I've ever seen.

Her gaze snapped to his and she blushed, which made Shanks realise very quickly what had happened.

"I said that out loud ?"

"Yes," she replied in a rather embarrassed voice.

"Ah."

Kaido roared and came back into the fight half-transformed, and this time, Shanks almost thanked him for giving him an out to what would definitely have been an extremely awkward explanation. He took flight again in the rain, then rushed toward the Emperor with Gryphon ready to unleash hell on his enemy, and his sword clashed with Kaido's hassaikai in a thundering noise.

"You're not getting her," Shanks warned him with steel in his voice.

"You got attached to a human toy ? Wororororo !" Kaido laughed with obvious mockery. "That's pathetic !"

Now, Shanks rarely went all out during a battle. But the day had been more than trying already, and that overgrown lizard was insulting the love of his life to his face when the princess in question was there to see him fight.

Honestly, Kaido had it coming.

Shanks coated Gryphon with his inner demonic power, and called upon his sword's special ability. The reason Gryphon had chosen him was that the Eternal Weapon could stock demonic power and release it on command during a fight, which meant the sword could only be wielded by a demon possessing an unusually large amount of demonic power.

Shanks grinned darkly when crimson lightnings started to surround him and the air cracked with energy.

"DIVINE DEPARTURE !"

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You kept an eye on Shanks as he rushed to face the other Emperor, but still remained mostly focused on fighting off your own opponents. While the demons in Kaido's crew were extremely numerous, you felt surprised at how easy it was to defeat everyone coming at you. Granted, you were used to Rayleigh and Mihawk attacking you together, while Hongo used various kinds of guns or machines to add projectiles to the mix.

Maybe your fighting skills measurement scale was adjusted to a higher level than most people, even for the Demon Realm.

But then you suddenly felt the atmosphere change, and made a powerful arc with your fans as you turned gracefully on yourself. The blast of wind it created instantly freed a wide space around you, and bought you enough time to allow you to fully turn your head in Shanks and Kaido's direction. The air around Shanks was cracking with red lightnings, and you could feel raw power saturating everything on the battlefield already taken by a storm.

Then Shanks launched the most devastating attack you had ever seen and Kaido was propulsed insanely far at incredible speed, his blood splashing the air as he was dealt an undoubtedly serious if not fatal injury.

Shanks turned in all his Demon Emperor glory, his demonic features on full display under the dark clouds, the rain and wind tousling his hair and making his shirt flutter around his torso. His sword was still drawn as thunder rolled again, and he smirked challengingly with a raised eyebrow, which sent the entirety of Kaido's forces running away in a blink.

You felt a sudden rush of desire course through your veins at the sight, and merely took a moment to blame the influence of the Demon Realm for being aroused by such a violent demonstration of skill and power.

You flipped Fujin around your fingers to fold both fans and put them back into their holsters, then decided to ignore the storm making your hair stick to your face or how improper your behaviour could be. In a few seconds, you made your way to the red-haired Emperor, who was sheathing his sword and flying back toward you.

"Princess, wha- mmh !"

You barely waited for his feet to touch the ground before you grabbed him by the shirt and brought your lips together fiercely. Shanks instantly got on board with the program and started to devour you with a passion that set you aflame with lust. His tongue licked your lower lips and you moaned, which he immediately took as an invitation to heavily make out with you. You lost yourself completely in the games he was playing with your tongue and lips to drive you crazy with a maelstrom of teasing and pleasing sensations.

You had no idea how long the two of you kissed in the middle of a rainy battlefield like your life depended on it. When you stopped, you kept your eyes close for just a little longer in order to enjoy the last of it, and to somewhat compose yourself. You were panting, one of your hand was in his hair while the other had sneaked under his shirt to land on his pec, and you could feel his own hands resting respectively on your upper back and right above your ass.

Your etiquette preceptors would probably pass out at such a blatant offense to good manners, but you were riding a wave of desire and adrenaline and could not be bothered to care at the moment.

I'm in love with a demon, screw propriety.

You opened your eyes slowly, still feeling very much dazzled, and smiled at the Demon Emperor who was looking at you like he could not believe what had just happened.

"Please don't leave me," he blurted out suddenly.

You blinked.

Chapter 16: New Contract

Reader pov

You looked confusedly at Shanks for a second.

"Please stay," the Emperor begged you again. "I'll do whatever you want, anything at all, name it and it's yours, but please don't leave me. I won't- I can't think of a life without you anymore. I love you. Please stay with me, I swear I'll do everything in my power to make you happy for the rest of our lives. I'm sorry I didn't notice what happened with my crew, but I promise I will nev-"

You nearly gasped as he confessed his feelings in the middle of his declaration, and it took you a few more seconds to calm your heart enough to feel like you could reply with actual words, during which he kept talking.

"Shanks," you called softly.

You watched a full shudder run through him when you said his name, making even his wings and tail shiver and send water flying everywhere as he stopped mid-word to stare at you in shock.

"You- you used my name."

"I did," you confirmed with a smile, and gently put a hand on his face to wipe a few droplets left by his hair and the storm. "We need to talk about a certain number of things, but I would rather do it back at the castle."

"Yes, of course, no problem, we can go back right now," the Emperor instantly agreed.

You looked around you at the amount of wounded or dead demons everywhere, then looked back at Shanks with a dubious expression, which made him tilt his head curiously.

"Erm, are you really supposed to leave a battlefield just like that ?" you asked.

"Pretty much, yeah, each Emperor manages their own members however they want. Kaido's the kind of guy to think that if his followers aren't strong enough to come back on their own, they're not worthy of being in his crew," Shanks shrugged.

"That is unspeakably immoral and frankly illogical," you said with a frown and blinked when the rain almost sent a drop of water flying in your eyes. "Even the strongest fighters can get heavily injured in battle."

"I know, princess," the red-haired demon smiled.

"Y/N," you corrected him. "If I'm using your name, you might as well use mine."

Shanks' face lit up, and he took your hands in both of his before looking at you in absolute wonder.

"Thank you, Y/N."

You felt a shiver run down your spine as he said your name like the word itself was something precious, and gulped discreetly as you tried to regain your composure and prayed you were not blushing under the thundering sky. Maybe his reaction to you saying his name was not as exaggerated as you had initially thought it was.

"Your Highness," Shanks' second in command suddenly intervened.

Your head snapped to him with an apprehensive look, which was when you noticed the entire crew had come closer while Shanks and you were talking. Only Hongo was standing on the side with Mihawk and Rayleigh, and the three of them were clearly monitoring the group of demons closely.

To your surprise, all of them actually kneeled in front of you on the muddy ground of the battlefield, head down and looking at the drenched dirt and pebbles under them.

"We know words aren't enough to right our wrongs toward you," the grey-haired demon stated. "We misjudged you, threatened you, hurt you, and treated you awfully during the past year because of assumptions that turned out to be as far from the truth as they could be. We offer you our most sincere apologies, and if there is a way to earn your forgiveness, we swear to do whatever it will take to be worthy of it."

"But please don't leave the boss," the sniper added in a rush. "He really loves you and he had no idea we were being assholes to you behind his back."

You were pretty sure your jaw had at least slightly dropped in shock for a moment. Then you send a brief and incredulous glance at your friends. Hongo looked viciously smug, Rayleigh was raising a judgmental eyebrow like this was barely reaching what he was willing to consider acceptable, and Mihawk adressed you a little smirk and a brief tilt of his head in a silent but very obvious I-told-you-so.

You were mostly feeling confused, but you still sighed heavily before you talked. Years of training in diplomacy were kicking in, despite the rain, wind, cold, your very un-princess-y outfit, and the fact that you were still on a battlefield with a Demon Emperor standing by your side.

"I understand why you acted the way you did," you stated clearly so all members of the crew would hear your voice. "But you still made me feel miserable for months on end without even thinking there could be more to the situation than what you had assumed. I accept your apology, but I don't know whether I will be able to forgive you one day."

You saw most of the demons raise their head to look at you in surprise, as if they had been expecting you to instantly reject everything or insult them right away.

"That's more generous than what I would do," Rayleigh informed you.

"Or what I would do," Shanks grumbled just loud enough for you to hear him.

"Maybe so, but it's my decision," you affirmed, then turned to the Emperor. "Can we go back ? We still need to talk."

"Of course," Shanks instantly agreed, then looked at you with hope in his eyes. "Do you want a ride ?"

"If you're offering," you chuckled.

The next instant, the red-head was holding you in a princess carry – he had joked a substantial amount of times that he could not possibly hold you otherwise without breaking a major law of the universe – and your hands were around his neck.

"Hongo, make sure everyone is able to walk, then you can all come back to the castle," Shanks commanded as he took flight. "Ray, Mimi, you're in charge in my absence."

You waited until he had flown you far enough from the battlefield to comment cautiously on his orders.

"You really are mad at your second in command."

"More than you can even imagine," Shanks confirmed. "It's going to take a while before I can trust him again."

You did not reply to that, since you did not think there was much more to say on the matter. The rest of the flight was spent with the rain and wind as the only sounds, though he kept you warm the entire time. When you finally arrived at the castle, Shanks merely used a short burst of demon magic to dry you both as soon as you passed the doors. To your befuddlement, the red-haired demon kept you in his arms and continued flying inside until you were in front of your bedchambers.

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

It was probably obvious that he just wanted to feel her against him for as long as possible, but Shanks could not care less. He had already confessed his feelings for her and even if she had yet to respond, she had not looked repulsed or scared. And she had not left. Maybe he was a fool for hoping she had changed her mind after breaking their contract, but she had come to his help during a fight, she had used his name, she had allowed him to use hers, and she had even kissed him, so Shanks clung to the idea that those actions had to mean something.

She opened the door and walked inside, and put her fans – damn, Shanks still could not get over the fact that she had fully awakened an Eternal Weapon in less than a year, that was so hot – carefully on the desk before turning to sit at the coffee table and making a little gesture to indicate him to do the same.

"Where do I start," she mumbled after a few seconds of silence once they were both seated and enjoying the warmth of the fire and the sound of the rain against the window.

"The begining's usually a great choice," Shanks suggested playfully.

He was rewarded with a slightly reproachful look completely undermined by an amused smile, so he considered that a win.

"Right. Mihawk said he told everyone what had happened before you were summoned to the Human World last year."

Shanks' jaw clenched instantly at the reminder of what she had been through and what could have happened to her if not for sheer luck.

"He did. And I'm sorry for your parents."

"Thank you," she nodded in polite gratitude and briefly closed her eyes, which led Shanks to believe that either she was already over it, or she had never been close to her parents to begin with, maybe both. "The thing is, I have wanted to break our contract and go back to kill their murderer since you brought me here. Your second in command was the one who made me realise that was an actual possibility rather than wishful thinking, though I doubt that was the intended result of his phrasing," she said with irony.

So it was not just his crew driving her away from his home, it was something she had decided on from the begining. The news managed to alleviate a tiny bit of Shanks' own guilt about bringing her to a place supposedly safe for her, and turning out to be spectacularly wrong despite his good intentions.

"Long story short, Rayleigh and Mihawk took me under their wing when they realised I was not a spoiled bitch trying to take advantage of you, and Hongo joined them after accidentally spotting one of our fighting lessons one morning. So I spent the entire year training and studying demon magic with all three of them," she summed up briefly. "That's how I caught a cold and got injured, by the way."

"But you never felt in danger because you trusted them," Shanks understood instantly as more pieces clicked into place, then grinned knowingly. Training under both Rayleigh and Mihawk, with the bonus of Hongo's medical and projectile-related expertise, explained a lot about the level of skill she had displayed earlier. "No wonder you breezed through Kaido's crew."

She chuckled at his pun, then smiled almost shyly at his compliment, and Shanks wanted nothing more than to kiss her again.

"I suppose I got used to extremely skilled sparring partners," she admitted. "But if anything, today proved that I am ready to go back to the Human World and take my kingdom back."

Shanks' good cheer crumbled at her words. Any hope he had felt disappeared as soon as she announced that she was still planning to leave. He instantly stood up and went to kneel in front of her seat to take her hand in both of his.

"Please don't go. I'll find a way to make that guy pay, I promise you, but don't leave me-"

"Wait, I wasn't done !" she stopped him with worry in her beautiful eyes as she tried to make him stand up, but Shanks stubbornly stayed where he was, pride be damned. "I thought that- seriously, can you just stand up and sit back down on your chair ?"

"I can't when I don't know how much time I have left with you," he replied instantly.

She blushed and mumbled something under her breath that Shanks failed to catch, then sighed.

"What I was about to say is that Rayleigh suggested something I had not even thought of. Although to make this new version of my plan work, I'm going to need your help for-"

"Yes," Shanks agreed before she even finished her sentence. "Whatever you need me to do, consider it done."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask !" she protested.

"I don't care," the Emperor replied and kissed her knuckles, meaning every word. "You want it, I'll make it happen."

"You're impossible," she said, but there was a softness in both her voice and the way she looked at him that gave Shanks hope once more. "My new plan is to go back to the Human World, then claim my kingdom back after killing my parents' murderer and his closest allies. After that, I will abdicate and transfer the crown to my cousin since there's no way my people will accept a witch using demon weapons and magic as their queen."

Shanks was extremely tempted to tell her he would gladly slaughter anyone who would dare to insult her, and only refrained because he had a feeling she might not appreciate the offer. But those humans had a princess so devoted to their protection she was ready to fight her way back to their world, and it made the demon furious to think they would disrespect her. Even more so when Shanks would stop at nothing for a chance to make her his queen.

"What do you need me to do in all this ?" he asked anyway, since so far her plan did not seem to include him.

"I was hoping you would agree to let me summon you to bring me back to the Demon Realm after I'm done with everything. And, erm, once I'm back here for good, Rayleigh mentioned something about turning me into a demon so you and I would have the same lifespan ?"

Shanks' brain crashed.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

 You waited a few moments after explaining your plan, but Shanks remained completely silent. He was only staring blankly at you from his spot on the floor, his jaw slack and his eyes wide, and you were not sure what to think of this reaction. When almost a minute had gone with absolutely no change whatsoever, you started to worry and used your free hand to wave a couple times in front of his face.

"Shanks ?" you called him, feeling more concerned with each passing moment.

He blinked his eyes suddenly as you said his name, and seemed to come back to reality progressively.

"Sorry, can you repeat what you just said ? I'm pretty sure I heard it wrong."

You raised an eyebrow, but repeated the last part of your plan anyway.

"If you agree to it, I would summon you after transfering the crown to my cousin, and ask you to bring me back to the Demon Realm so I can spend the rest of my life here. And Rayleigh mentioned that I could be turned into a demon to ensure I would live as long as you do."

"You want me to bring you back here."

"If you're amenable to it," you reminded him.

"As in, here in my home, with me."

"That was the intended meaning, yes," you confirmed.

"And become a demon."

"If the option is available," you said with a smile.

"Okay, I need you to slap me right now."

"Excuse me ?" you asked him, completely shocked by his request. "I will certainly not !"

"Y/N, my love, I really need a confirmation that I'm not having a very vivid dream at the moment because this is clearly too good to be true," the Emperor told you with a strained smile. "Next thing I know, you're going to confess you've been desperately in love with me for months and I'll wake up in the middle of a passionate round of sex right before you scream my name."

You blushed beet red at the last part. You knew Shanks could be blunt with the expression of his emotions in general, but you had not anticipated a blatant statement of his sexual interest in you. You were not really sure how he had come to the conclusion that this could be a dream, nor where you willing to dwell on the fact that he apparently dreamed of you in such a manner often enough to predict at which point he would wake up.

"You're not going to get mad at me for slapping you ?" you asked cautiously.

"Darling, you could slap me while I'm tied up and naked on a bed and I'd fucking thank you for it and ask for more," Shanks smirked before kissing your hand once again, though this time his lips lingered a little more than necessary on your skin.

Your eyes widened at his casual description of such a perverted fantasy, and you were fairly confident the blush on your cheeks was now a permanent feature of your face. You also cursed your brain for instantly picturing the sight of this powerful and handsome demon tied up and naked in bed, and how insanely erotic it was.

"You're really that persuaded you're in a dream right now ?" you asked to hide your embarrassment.

"Pretty much, yeah," the Emperor grinned seductively. "So you can either slap me out of it, or I'm going to start telling you more about every fantasy I've had about you, and let me tell you that means we're going to be here for a long, long while. Even just in this room, I've thought about taking you on every piece of furniture and in every dress I've seen you wear, especially on the desk with that red gown that goes a little low on your shoulders and would be so easy to tie you in before I-"

A slap ! interrupted him before he could fluster you any further and you used his sudden shock to take your fingers back and hide your face behind both your hands, mortified at his sensual words and your own desire flaring up.

"Wait. I'm not dreaming," you heard him mumble incredulously. "Oh fuck. I'm not dreaming and I just told you I've been thinking of having increasingly kinky sex with you in every corner of this room."

You took a deep breathe in an attempt to at least steady your frantic heartbeat, since your blush was a lost cause, and slowly lowered your fingers to reveal your face, though you still averted your gaze to the fireplace.

"I don't-" you stopped yourself to cough, then spoke again in as composed a voice as you could muster. "I'm afraid I'm not as experienced as you are in these matters. I would rather start the, erm, physical aspect of our relationship with something a little more- I mean, a little less- uh," you stuttered and struggled to complete your sentence.

"Wait, did you just say relationship ?" Shanks interrupted your awkward rambling with a baffled voice.

"Yes ?" you replied cautiously, then remembered what you had learned about demon customs and corrected yourself. "I mean, as in a courtship ?"

"But… you said you wouldn't accept a courtship offer from a demon ?" the Emperor asked you from his place at your feet that he still had not moved from.

"Yes, but that was before I fell in love with you and realised there was a way for us to be together," you explained gently and his eyes went wide.

"Say it again," he whispered.

You frowned in confusion for a second, until you realised that in all the chaos of the fight and your discussion, you had never taken the time to properly tell him that you returned his feelings.

"I love you, Shanks."

The red-haired demon closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again to look at you with the most adoring gaze you could ever imagine, and shifted his position until he only had one knee down and he took both of your hands in his.

"Y/N, will you do me the honour of accepting my courtship ?"

"Yes," you replied immediately.

Shanks kissed the back of your hands and a maelstrom of crimson runes surrounded the two of you for a couple of seconds, until they disappeared inside each of you and you felt a warm feeling settle in your heart. The Emperor smiled brighter than the sun, then stood up and gently made you do the same, until you were standing face-to-face.

"I love you," he declared as he looked at you in wonder, then a spark of playfulness appeared back in his eyes. "But for the record, that's not how I had planned to propose."

"Please tell me that's not what you wanted to do on Halloween," you paled at the disaster that would have entailed. "I had planned to go back to the Human World that night before our date and leave a letter for you on my bed."

The Emperor's face lost about ten shades in one second, and the next thing you knew, he had engulfed you in a hug. Both of his arms were holding you tightly against him, as if you would vanish the next instant if he did not hold onto you as fiercely as he could. Even his wings were covering your back like he wanted to hide and protect you from all the dangers of the universe.

"I wanted to offer you the possibility to become a demon," he admitted with his face half-hidden in your hair. "So you wouldn't have to worry about the difference in lifespan between us or ever doubt that you belong here."

You inhaled sharply, then put your arms around him as best you could to hug him back tightly. The two of you remained silent for several moments, just reassuring yourselves you had avoided a scenario that would have left both of you heartbroken forever.

Then you disentangled yourself from your betrothed, just enough to look at him, and smiled.

"Well, I have nothing as romantic as that to suggest, but… would you like me to summon you early on into the Human World so we can punish the men who killed my family and stole my kingdom together ? Coming back one year exactly after my disappearance is already going to ensure a dramatic entrance, especially when I look like this, but it would be even more striking with a Demon Emperor by my side," you smiled innocently.

Shanks' pupils dilated instantly and you saw him bit his lower lip in an obvious attempt to conceal his lustful reaction at your offer.

"I'd love that, but romantically speaking, it's actually… erm, darling, you probably should know that-"

"That all matters related to fighting, especially when it has to do with unique or exceptional skills, are strongly linked to seduction and attractiveness in demon culture ?" you completed with a bit of mischief in your eyes.

"You knew that !?" he exclaimed incredulously.

"I learned about it months ago," you confirmed with a chuckle. "You have no idea how much I hoped you would not take my analysis of your fighting style as an attempt to seduce you."

"I thought that's what you were doing for a moment," Shanks replied bashfully. "That's when I realised I was in love with you."

Your eyes went wide in shock, but then you smiled and rested your head on his chest, the same way you had done weeks ago in the ballroom.

"I realised I was in love with you when we danced together and I didn't want it to end," you admitted in a whisper.

Shanks hugged you again, his embrace warm and protective with an ounce of possessiveness to it, and you were ready to let yourself drown in his love for the rest of eternity. You remained like this for a while, just basking in the pure happiness and peace of having finally found each other, until Shanks spoke again.

"I'm starting to think I should send Kaido a thank-you card," your intended said with a grin in his voice, and you laughed at the suggestion.

The Demon Realm definitely had a bad influence on you.

Chapter 17: Ready As I'll Ever Be

Rayleigh pov

Rayleigh had not been in charge of a large group since Roger had disbanded the Demon King's crew. As a matter of fact, Rayleigh had chosen to become a librarian precisely to avoid any kind of people-related responsability. But he had to admit it felt very satisfying to herd a bunch of sorry fools back to his brat's castle.

Or maybe it was just his sadistic tendancies showing up as he delighted in adding random training exercises on top of the running pace he had imposed. After all, he did have a year of restrained anger to finally act upon. And both Mihawk and Hongo's suggestions had been so well-thought, he simply had to include those as well.

Even if it meant making a loop or seven before he allowed his brat's crew to actually come back to the castle. Oh well, he was an old demon and his memory was bound to fail him at some point, no one could blame him for missing the right turn several times in a row.

And so Rayleigh came back to the castle well into the night with a satisfied grin, two viciously smug demons, and a panting and sweating crew barely able to stand up anymore.

They all collapsed in the main living room as soon as Mihawk told them they could rest, and Rayleigh smirked lazily.

"You look like Y/N during her first month of training."

"I disagree. Our student regained her composure and poise during and after her lessons before the end of her second week of training," Hawkeyes countered calmly, clearly bragging about the princess in his indirect way.

"I wasn't counting until after she found her fans," Rayleigh replied knowingly as he entered the bragging game with obvious delight. "That's when the real training began."

"Still, for a human princess who only had ballroom dances as previous physical training, you have to admit she took to sparring like a fish to water," Hongo joined in with the same detached-yet-haughty grin. "Just the fact that her worse training injury was a sprained ankle speaks volumes about her natural affinity with fighting."

"Very true," Mihawk conceded in absolute smugness.

Rayleigh was about to add to it, when he heard a specific sound closing in on him, and he turned just in time to catch his brat flying into his arms to hug him fiercely.

"RAY ! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyousomuch !!" Shanks exclaimed like he was in seventh heaven.

Rayleigh grinned and ruffled his son's hair before pushing him away.

"Come on, don't leave us hanging. What did she- wait. That magic…" Rayleigh prompted with his eyebrows rising up and a manic smile lighting up his face as he detected a very specific change in his brat's aura.

"She accepted my courtship !!" Shanks shouted happily and even did a looping in the room before doing a couple more flying tricks in pure delight. "We're courting ! And she even said she'd summon me right after her return to the Human World so we can avenge her family together before I bring her back home," his brat swooned like a lovesick youngling.

Hongo whistled impressively and Rayleigh grinned even wider. Now that was some serious flirting game his daughter had pulled out, and he was damn proud of her.

"Congratulations on your courtship," Hawkeyes said with a small knowing smile of his own.

Shanks landed back on the floor, still beaming like he was high on adrenaline, happiness, and sheer incredulity mixed together.

"Thanks Mimi," he said as he hugged his best friend, which Mihawk let happen and even somewhat reciprocated with a couple of heartfelt taps on his back. "Make sure you're free for my wedding and my bonding ceremony, alright ?"

"I would not miss it for the Realm," Mihawk confirmed. "Nor would I miss your first spar with my student."

"Our student," Rayleigh corrected with a lazy grin. "Not gonna lie, brat, I'm not sure you deserve that girl."

Shanks laughed wildly for a moment and turned to him with a happy smile.

"I sure as hell don't fucking deserve her," Shanks grinned like the sappiest fool to ever live.

"At least you're aware of it," Rayleigh laughed.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You woke up as early as usual, and got ready for your training session on autopilot before you fully woke up and remembered what had happened the previous day. The warm feeling of the courtship contract was still present in your chest, and you smiled.

Your smile turned into small chuckles when you wondered what reaction your parents would have had upon learning that you were engaged to a Demon Emperor. You were confident your mother would have fainted, either at the news or at the sight of Shanks, and your father would have had a conniption before outright refusing to give his blessing to your relationship. Though this could have been said for your warrior training and your studies of demon magic as well.

You finished to get ready and walked out of your chambers, wondering whether you still needed to go to the meadow, or if you could simply use one of the training grounds now that everyone was aware of… well, everything. Ultimately, though, you did not have to wonder about it very long since you crossed path with Mihawk.

"Congratulations on your engagement," your friend told you with the faint esquisse of a smile.

"Thank you," you replied with a light blush.

"We will spar on the beach today," he informed you after a short silence. "Rain and sand make for a rather treacherous fighting ground, make sure to be attentive to your footing."

"Noted," you agreed.

It would not be your first time fighting in the rain, but the change of ground was bound to bring a different type of challenge and you were excited to try it. Not to an extent where you would risk being injured, though, since you could not afford that three days before Halloween.

Even if you had a feeling Shanks would be more than fine with killing Doflamingo and his men for you while you watched.

Rayleigh was already on the beach when you arrived, and smiled lazily.

"Congratulations on your courtship, Y/N."

"Thank you," you smiled happily. "I'm really glad we found a way to make it work. I owe you for the idea."

"You don't owe me anything, young lady. Now get in position," he instructed and unsheathed his sword. "Yesterday's skirmish was not a real test of your skills and you know it."

"It's not exactly my fault if the battle was over before I could find a strong opponent," you chuckled.

"I disagree," Mihawk countered with a small smirk as he walked to the side. "Shanks decided to show off because you arrived on the battlefield looking like his wildest fantasies come to life."

You hid your blush with a quick unfolding of Fujin to place your fan in a proper concealing manner, but it was a rather futile attempt coming from years of habit more than anything else.

Thankfully, Rayleigh chose the next moment to attack, and you could devote your full focus to the spar instead of thinking of your intended trying to impress you with a dashing prowess in battle.

-o-oOo-o-

Hongo pov

Did Hongo really need to wake up the entire crew before dawn after what Rayleigh had put them through the previous night ? No, but he did it anyway.

Ironically enough, he only had to mention the princess was sparring with Hawkeyes and the Dark King on the beach to watch all of them jump out of bed and rush to the closest window with a view of the shore.

The doctor took the time to get some coffee for himself, and grinned as he looked at the demons gathered in groups of two or three at each window of the living room, most of them still wearing their pajamas. Almost no one in the crew had gotten the chance to watch her during the battle against Kaido, so this was the first time they could witness her actual fighting skills. In Hongo's not so humble opinion, it was hilarious – and damn satisfying – to see how flabbergasted the entire crew looked as they realised that yes, the delicate and fragile human princess could kick some serious ass.

Shanks was the only one still asleep, because Hongo had no doubt his boss would need a cold shower as soon as he caught sight of Y/N sparring, if he did not instantly decide to go spar with her. Knowing the horny red-head, the doctor esteemed it was about fifty-fifty.

"What's going on here ?" Shanks asked with a yawn as he arrived.

"Y/N's usual training session with her teachers," Hongo replied casually, and laughed when he watched in real time the words slowly register in Shanks' still sleepy mind.

When the information finally processed, though, the Emperor rushed to the nearest window, where both Yassop and Limejuice were staring at what was happening outside, though both demons immediately stepped aside to make room for him.

"Oh fuck me," Shanks almost moaned.

Hongo glanced at the beach, where Y/N was matching Rayleigh blow for blow in her unique dancefighting style, her steps confident and assured in what the doctor had learned to recognise as one of her main variations.

"They're taking it easy today," Hongo commented.

"Easy !?" Gab yelled from the window on their left. "She's fighting the Dark King and he's not holding back !"

"She usually fights both of them while I shoot at her," the doctor snorted. "So yes, they're taking it easy today. She's never fought on a beach before, so it's safer to start with only one dance until she's used to the ground."

"What do you mean one dance ?" Yasopp asked with a confused face.

"Y/N's an expert in like a dozen ballroom dances, so Hawkeyes and the Dark King used that to create an entirely new fighting style revolving around it. She observes the way her opponent fights, and decides which dance will be the best match for their rhythm," Hongo explained after a sip of his coffee. "She mostly uses tango against Rayleigh, but when she's facing Hawkeyes she switches to paso doble."

"So she needs to mix both dances when she's against the two of them ?" Beckman concluded from the window on the right, sounding appropriately impressed.

"Yep," the doctor confirmed. "It's pretty incredible to watch. Especially when she adds Fujin to the mix."

"Fujin ?" Lucky repeated with a waffle in his mouth.

"You see the fans she's using ?"

"Yeah ?"

"That's an Eternal Weapon. A fully awakened Eternal Weapon," Hongo precised with a smirk behind his mug.

"WHAT !?" everyone screamed.

"I need to spar with her," Shanks said as he finally seemed to regain some cognitive capacities, though his eyes were still glued to the sight of his courted dancefighting in the rain.

"Good luck, boss," Hongo grinned.

Shanks managed to tear himself from the view, and flew away in the corridor, probably to get his sword. The next minute, he was on the beach with Rayleigh and Y/N, who exchanged a few words with him before the Dark King joined Hawkeyes on the side.

"She can't win against him, right ?" Bonk asked worryingly.

Hongo snorted again.

"You really think he'll manage to stay focused on fighting for more than a minute when his mind's already deep in the gutter ?" the doctor asked with a dubious look.

As if to prove his point, the moment she unfolded her fans and gracefully moved into a different position, Shanks looked ready to drool. He still managed to draw Gryphon, but Hongo doubted the spar would last longer than a minute or two, tops.

They started fighting, however, and Gab whistled impressively when she sidestepped a blow and did an elegant dodging manœuvre redirecting the sword away from her with her left fan, in a style that was clearly different from the one she had used against Rayleigh. With a graceful movement of her wrist, she even created a small burst of wind that sent Shanks into the waves and drenched him up to the waist.

As soon as the Emperor turned around and rushed to her again, it became clear that her mischievous smile was making all his blood rush south since his attacks were much less precise than usual. On the other side, Y/N was gliding on the sand with perfect assurance, like she could anticipate every one of his steps and match them flawlessly.

"I see what you meant with the different dances," Limejuice admitted. "It's like she's entirely changed her style."

"What dance do you think this one is based on ?" Bonk asked.

"It looks like the time they danced together, so probably waltz," Snake noticed.

"Whatever it is, it's working," Yasopp indicated.

And indeed, Y/N managed to dance and twirl her way under Shanks' guard not even a minute later, though the boss was clearly too busy oggling the princess to really focus on stopping her. Within the next moments, she used one closed fan to push away the arm holding the sword while her other fan was wide open and set against the side of his throat.

Granted, she was also plastered on his chest, which seemed to be very distracting for the Emperor. Shanks grinned, then his free hand reached for her lower back so he could press her even harder against his body, and the next second, they were kissing.

"Told you," Hongo snorted, then turned around to go back to the infirmary.

He had no doubt things would be fine outside, and he still had work to do. Especially since he needed to get ready in case something went wrong in the Human World, prepare for any kind of problem that might arise when she would be turned into a demon, and make sure he had appropriate contraceptive methods for whenever she would feel ready to fall in bed with Shanks.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

The last days before Halloween were mostly spent practicing the summoning pentacle you would need to create in order to bring your intended into the Human World. Although this time, you were studying in one of the living rooms instead of holing yourself up in the library. Rayleigh had claimed it was because you no longer needed to hide from everyone, but you suspected it actually was to avoid dealing with Shanks' excited presence in his domain.

The Emperor delighted in being allowed to spend what felt like every minute of every day by your side, and you could not deny you were equally happy to finally see him as much as you wanted without needing to worry about repercussions.

"Aren't you going to bring a copy with you ?" Shanks asked on the last day before your travel.

You were writing the list of runes required to activate the summoning pentacle on a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard, to ensure you had it memorised perfectly. Shanks was on a seat a little further on your right, where he was enjoying a drink and not even bothering to pretend he was not watching you work. The rest of his crew was sitting and chatting around as well, though they were still acting cautiously around you and giving you space.

"Oh, I'm going to bring a copy just in case," you confirmed without taking your eyes off your work. "It will be my plan B."

"What's your plan A ?" the red-head asked you curiously.

"Memory."

There was a moment of pure silence in the living room, which you failed to notice since you had switched from writing the runes to pointing where each of them was supposed to go in the pentacle.

"Your plan A is creating and memorising a pentacle complex enough to summon a Demon Emperor in just three days ? That's insa-" someone further away asked incredulously, and you felt a burst of energy spread through the room like a warning before whoever had spoken abruptly shut up.

You finished your detailed list and grabbed another sheet from the side table to start drawing the pentacle itself, and raised your head for a second as you did so in order to reply calmly.

"Yes, this is exactly what I plan to do."

"Darling, I know you're smart, but don't you think that's a tiny bit too ambitious ?" Shanks asked you carefully, sounding more concerned than anything.

You rolled your eyes with an amused huff of laughter and went back to your drawing.

"Being raised a royal heiress means I have been trained to memorise the names and faces of entire family trees and their various relations to other families of the aristocracy, as well as the political history and significant cultural differences of all the kingdoms having any kind of diplomatic or trade exchange with Delka, until I was able to instantly know who I was being introduced to at a ball or in any kind of public event, how I was supposed to act toward them, and use the appropriate manners accordingly," you informed him. "And I have spent most of my waking hours during the past ten months studying demon magic and pentacles complex enough to bring me back to the Human World, which means most of the knowledge required to summon you relies heavily on runes and designs I have already committed to memory. So no, my love, I do not think that's a tiny bit too ambitious."

You finished your sentence with a light chuckle as you started working on the most intricate parts of the pentacle. You were quickly done with those as well, and picked both the drawing and the list to hand them to your intended.

"There, you can check for yourself if- Shanks ? Are you alright ?" you cut yourself off.

The Emperor was staring at you with a very intense gaze you were not sure what to think of.

"You have no idea how sexy you are when you say things like that," he ultimately told you with a hungry grin.

You tried to pretend his blunt compliment was not flustering you as much as it did, and waited for him to take the offered papers. Instead of doing that, however, your intended gently closed his fingers around your wrist and softly tugged in a silent but clear request to come closer to him, which you did.

You ultimately leaned until you were half-standing, half-sitting on the armrest of his chair, and he kissed the back of your hand briefly before looking at your work, still holding your hand in his as he did. You watched with amusement how his eyes became progressively wider as he checked your design, then your list, and then both at once as he clearly pictured how they would combine.

"So," you smiled innocently, "do I need to make adjustements ?"

"It's perfect and you know it," Shanks laughed incredulously. "You're freaking amazing, darling."

"Thank you," you replied and bent to press a kiss on his cheek, then started to stand back up. "I'm going to draw it a dozen more times to make sure I won't mess it up, and-"

"Y/N, you've been working for hours," Shanks interrupted you and hold your hand a little tighter to keep you by his side. "Take a break."

He was looking at you with soft eyes while his fingers started to gently caress your inner wrist, and you felt your resolve weaken.

"But I need to-"

"You can practice it again in a couple hours, and tomorrow before you leave," your intended countered again before you could even voice your argument. "Come on, love, you need to let that wonderful brain of yours rest."

You sighed in defeat, and smiled.

"Fine. I suppose I can take a small break."

Shanks grinned happily, and the next moment, he had made you all but fall on him until you were sitting in his lap and feeling absolutely appalled at that fact.

"Shanks ! That's- Let go of me, this is highly improper !"

Your betrothed only laughed against your hair, obviously very happy with himself.

"Sorry, your Highness," he told you as his arms trapped you in a hug, not sounding the slightest bit apologetic. "But in the Demon Realm, that's a perfectly decent way to show affection to the person you're courting."

"If that's decent behaviour, then I'm scared to ask what qualifies as inappropriate," you replied to hide your embarrassment, but a quick glance around you confirmed that you were the only one shocked by Shanks' action.

"If you two start fucking in front of us," his second in command informed you in a blank tone. "Short of that, pretty much anything goes."

You had no idea whether you paled or blushed at those words, since your body seemed unable to decide what the appropriate reaction was, but you turned to Shanks with a worried glance.

"He's joking, right ?"

"Nope, that's about it," Shanks grinned. "And for the record, I'm fine with everything. You can touch me, hug me, kiss me, do whatever you want wherever and whenever you want and I guarantee you I'll be on board with it."

"You're telling me that we could kiss right now, while I'm sitting on your lap, and it would be considered completely acceptable public behaviour by demon standards ? No one in this room would care ?" you asked in a bewildered voice as you looked around and only received nods and shrugs as answers.

"Is that a request ?" Shanks asked you with immediate interest and desire flaring up in his eyes.

By the stars, you had understood the Demon Realm's etiquette and protocol were much more relaxed than what you had grown up with in human high nobility, but this level of tolerance for public intimacy was blowing your mind.

You bit your lower lip in hesitation for a moment, and the way your intended's gaze instantly zeroed in on the action made you feel bold enough to put a hand on his face and get closer to him. After all, if you were to become a demon soon, you had to adopt their customs as well. And there was no time like the present to start getting more comfortable with showing your affection to the demon you loved.

When your lips touched Shanks' own, you could tell he was grinning happily.

Notes:

This weekend's chapters will be about flamingos and how to deal with invasive species x)
See you on Saturday !

Chapter 18: Back To The Human World

Reader pov

You waited until the sun was setting to start drawing the pentacle that would bring you back to the Human World. You had checked your design one last time before starting, and Shanks had double checked it just in case, even though he had admitted he fully trusted your skills and only needed to reassure himself.

You had to admit, you were quite surprised by the public watching as you worked. Your intended and friends' presence before your departure was something you had expected, but the rest of the crew's presence a little further away was unexpected. During the past three days, all the demons in Shanks' crew had kept a cautious and respectful distance, while reitering their apologies more personally for some of them.

Though Shanks' glare when someone else than Hongo, Mihawk, or Rayleigh tried to approach you had dissuaded most of his crew to make such an attempt. You had not asked what kind of punishment he had dealt for the way they had treated you, but with the dark glint of satisfaction in Rayleigh's expression, you were fairly confident you were better off not knowing.

You finished tracing the last rune on the ground and stood up to watch the result from above. When you were certain there was no mistake, you took a deep breath and turned back to where your Emperor and friends were watching you.

"I'm ready."

"Enjoy your revenge," Rayleigh told you with his lazy grin, while Mihawk silently nodded in approval.

"We'll keep the good stuff ready to celebrate when you're back," Hongo added.

Shanks stepped closer and put both hands on your face to kiss you deeply for a few moments.

"You promise to summon me as soon as you can ?" he asked against your lips, and you could hear the insecurity and fear of never seeing you again in his voice.

"I promise," you reassured him.

The Emperor let go of you, and stayed behind as you entered the circle and started the invocation required to activate the runes and send you back to the Human World. The pentacle instantly flared up in gold, then took a brief silvery glow as you got closer to the end, until it ultimately flashed brightly with the last word you pronounced.

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

Shanks watched his future queen princess activate the pentacle like an expert, and was shocked to see the golden shade of magic briefly take another colour at the end. This was something that only happened when the inner power of a demon was heavily involved in a ritual. He would not have been surprised to see hints of his own crimson, since she was bound to him by a courtship contract, but that silver hue was entirely different.

In fact, the only three demons he knew whose magic were of that colour were one of Whitebeard's commanders, Kaido's second in command, and Rayleigh. So Shanks turned to his father figure for an explanation, but the old demon beat him to it.

"Don't look at me, brat," Rayleigh told him with a shrug. "That had nothing to do with me."

"It was probably her Eternal Weapon giving her a little boost," Mihawk suggested.

"Makes sense," Hongo nodded.

Shanks relaxed at the explanation, and got ready for the summoning she was going to start in a matter of minutes, half an hour tops if she had trouble finding an appropriate location to draw the pentacle. Which meant he had thirty minutes to spend fighting the nagging voice in his head reminding him that courtship or not, she might not summon him in the end and choose to stay in the Human World forever.

 

 

An hour later, there was still nothing and Shanks was barely keeping his stress in check as he paced the uneven ground just to do something.

"What if she changed her mind and decided to stay there because it's her home and she feels better in her kingdom and I'm not good enough for her and-"

"You are being ridiculous," Mihawk told him bluntly. "It is more likely that something unplanned happened to delay her."

"That's worse !" Shanks burst out anxiously. "What if she's already fighting and whatever Devil Fruit that guy is using is too powerful for her ? Or, or- shit, what if she's injured ? What if they captured her ? Fuck, if she's in danger and I wasn't here to help her I'm never-"

Gold runes suddenly started to appear around him in the shape of a pentacle on the ground, and Shanks instantly calmed down. The red-head breathed in relief and changed his appearance to his full Demon Emperor regalia. He then let his own power mix with the magic to reach the person who was summoning him to the Human World, much faster than he usually answered those demands.

There was a flash of light, then Shanks found himself in the inner circle of a pentacle and trapped by the glowing crimson barriers of the magic. Instead of the castle roof Y/N had planned to summon him on, he was in the middle of a ballroom filled with dozens of humans looking absolutely terrified by his presence, and he could see a few corpses laying here and there on the ground.

But his princess was there, standing tall and proud, looking as composed and gorgeous as she always did when she showed off the full extent of her royal aura, and Shanks smiled.

"Demon Emperor of the East, I require your help to punish the people who attacked my family and took over my kingdom," she requested in a clear voice, and her entire attitude screamed that the plan had changed and she needed him to act as if this was their first meeting.

"Far be it from me to refuse a demand from such a beautiful lady, but that's going to cost you," Shanks grinned wider at her strict following of the contract protocol, and decided to have fun with playing strangers.

"State your price," she said solemnly as she played along, with only the glint in her eyes revealing her amusement.

"When your enemies are dealt with, you'll join me in the Demon Realm," the Emperor stated casually.

Multiple gasps and exclamations echoed in the room, and two men even jumped forward to fall on their knees, one with green hair and a ring in his nose, the other with blonde curls and a red rose clipped to his white clothes.

"Your Majesty, please don't do it ! There must be another way ! Don't sacrifice your soul for us !" the first one begged loudly with tears in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, you have already lost so much to the usurper, please reconsider your decision," the second one asked in a slightly more composed manner.

"I will lose even more if I wait," she retorted calmly, though Shanks started to realise there was an undercurrent of worry in her voice. "I will not let that monster do to Dressrosa what he did to us."

"But you don't have to sell yourself to a Demon Emperor for that ! Your Majesty, please, you found strength and power in your exile, you can-"

"Bartolomeo, I appreciate your concern, but my choice is made. Stand back. You as well, Cavendish," she ordered curtly. "I, Queen Y/N, hereby name my cousin, Princess Rebecca, as my rightful successor to the throne under the regency of her parents and grandparents until she will be of age to reign on both kingdoms. Let it be known that my departure from the Human World will not leave the kingdom of Delka heirless."

The two men looked crestfallen, but they stood up, bowed deeply, and stepped back into the crowd.

"Yes, your Majesty," the blond one mumbled.

"We'll make sure your sacrifice will never be forgotten," the green-haired guy sobbed loudly.

Shanks smirked at the clear misunderstanding going on, but he knew enough about politics to understand this was clearly the best public angle for his courted. By making her people believe this deal with him was a selfless sacrifice on her part, no one would question her family's right to rule, and she would be remembered as a figure of legend in the Human World instead of a dangerous witch. The Emperor had no idea how she had managed to pull that off in only an hour, but damn if her resourcefulness was not making him weak at the knees.

"Oh, and one last thing," Shanks said lightly as he decided to take full advantage of the situation. "If you accept this deal, we'll seal the contract with a kiss. So tell me, what's your decision ?"

"I accept your terms," she replied, and walked until she was inside the pentacle, where Shanks could reach her.

"Then we have a deal, my dear queen," Shanks stated as he put a hand on her lower back, and was delighted to see a light blush colour her cheeks as she clearly picked up on the genuine affection in his words.

Shanks did not lose time to kiss her passionately, and claimed her lips while the binding magic of their deal flew around them. She opened her mouth shyly to him and the demon pounced on the occasion to deepen their kiss. His tongue went to play with hers as the last runes were inked into his skin, at the same place the past seal had been. Shanks kept making out with her for a little longer, until the crimson light of the pentacle disappeared entirely and they no longer had an excuse to keep going in public without making it suspicious.

"So, where are the people I need to kill for you ?" Shanks asked playfully as he spread his wings for the show.

"I took care of those who were left here, but the main culprits are attacking Dressrosa as we speak," she replied with a dark look. "Can you bring me there in time to save my family ?"

"Your wish is my command, your Majesty," the Emperor winked, and took her in his arms.

As he started flying toward the main doors of the ballroom, an idea struck him, and he turned toward the still petrified crowd of human nobles. Shanks made sure his demonic features were on full display, and even let a small amount of his inner demonic power turn the air heavy with tension.

"Don't even think about bringing her back to the Human World once I've taken her to the Demon Realm. I'm pretty greedy, you know ? You won't like what I'll do if you try to take this lovely queen away from me."

He left right after that as chaos exploded in the ballroom. Shanks laughed for a moment as he flew out of the castle with his gorgeous lady in his arms, who was watching him with a disapproving look but a small smile.

"You didn't have to do that," Y/N said as she shook her head goodheartedly, but soon the worry was back in her gaze as she pointed toward a hill. "Dressrosa is in that direction, by the way, and we need to hurry. Doflamingo made his army leave early enough to get to the royal castle in time for Halloween."

"You think he's going to try the same thing again ?" Shanks asked as he picked up the speed since he could not risk a transporting pentacle to a place he did not know. "Don't worry, we'll get there before he can kill your uncle and cousin," he reassured her with a kiss on her cheek.

"You don't understand," she said in a clearly worried voice. "The men he left behind confirmed he planned to offer my cousin to Kaido since she's a virgin of royal blood as well and something clearly went wrong with me."

"Shit," Shanks cursed. "Okay, that's bad, but if your cousin's anything like you, I'm sure she'll find a way to buy time until we arrive."

"Shanks, Rebecca is only nine years old."

The Emperor's blood instantly boiled with rage at the information. This was turning a despicable practice into an unspeakable act.

"That piece of shit is going to offer a fucking child to Kaido !?"

"He plans to," she corrected. "If I have anything to say about it, he'll be dead long before he can lay a finger on her."

The Emperor smirked darkly. Now that was something he could not wait to see.

-o-oOo-o-

Kyros pov

It was a disaster.

Worse than a disaster.

This was Kyros' worst nightmare dialed up to eleven.

Dressrosa had been holding a ceremonial event for the anniversary of the death of the late royal family of their neighbouring kingdom, something simple and heartfelt to honour the memory of the king, queen, and crown princess.

Though he had never liked the haughty king of Delka, and always felt pretty distant to his much older and uptight sister, Kyros had always felt a great fondness for his niece. The single time the young woman, barely out of her teenage years, had met his daughter, she had shown the same kind heart and creative soul he had seen in her when she was a child.

The presents she had sent for every single one of Rebecca's birthdays had always been thoughtful as well, as had been all her letters to congratulate him on his victories in the Colosseum or his position as Head of the Royal Guard. Had Y/N not been the only heiress to the throne of Delka, Kyros would have offered her to join him in Dressrosa long ago.

But in the span of a single night, she had been killed with her parents.

What little information had circulated after that night claimed that while the king and queen had been beheaded with the use of demon magic, the crown princess had been all but annihilated in a terrifying ritual, to the point not even her body had been found in the afternath.

Kyros had mourned the loss of a sister he had never felt close to, but he had been devastated by the death of his niece. He could not help but think that maybe, if he had stayed in contact more, if he had been there, he could have saved at least her life.

But then a madman in a pink feathery coat had attacked Dressrosa during the ceremony, and no matter how hard Kyros and the old king Doldo had tried to fight him off with the guards, they had all failed to stop him.

Kyros had even taken the desperate decision to trust a mute blond man wearing a black feathered coat with a little boy clinging to his leg, and hoped he would lead his wife, daughter, and sister-in-law to safety.

But they had been captured as well, though the man's battered appearance showed he had tried to resist, and Kyros had had no hoice but to surrender along with king Doldo.

All the members of the royal family and the blond man with the little boy had been brought to the biggest room in the castle, now empty of the crowd it had contained a few hours ago, where the man wearing a pink feathery coat had made them line on their knees. Kyros had instantly put Scarlett and Rebecca behind him while Doldo protected Viola and the mute man hid the little boy behind his coat.

"Fufufufu, such noble behaviour," the man had chuckled, with the rest of his most trusted followers laughing behind him. "I wonder how long that will last when you face a Demon Emperor."

Kyros understood at once what the man was implying, and froze as he realised that he might have to kill his loved ones to spare them a fate worse than death itself.

There had to be another option.

Something.

Anything.

The doors of the room slammed open, and all eyes turned toward it as a vision Kyros could not have pictured in a million years walked in.

It was a young woman who looked exactly like his niece, wearing an outfit that seemed to be straight out of this world. To Kyros' shock, Y/N – if it was her, which the warrior could hardly believe – was wearing pants, and a shirt partially covered by a black corset showing a mythical silver creature spreading its wings. There were two short black sticks in the holsters on her legs, her hair was flowing freely around her face, and the expression on her face was one of unadultered fury.

Either Kyros was hallucinating, or the impossible had stepped back for the span of a night.

"You will not take anything more from me," Y/N's voice stated with the authority of a queen and the hatred of a vengeful spirit.

"Fufufufufu, and how do you plan to stop me, little bird ? You think whatever trick you pulled off last year will work again ?" the man laughed.

"Neh, neh, Doffy, how is she still alive ?" one of the men behind him said as he snotted all over the floor.

"Who cares," another with a mask stated sternly. "She will die tonight."

"Oh yeah, kill her Doffy !" a third one laughed happily.

"Of course this ravishing little bird will die… but only after I've made her sing for me," the man in a pink feathered coat stated as he licked his lips in a clear intent.

Kyros clenched his teeth as the immoral and awful threat, but he was still trying to hide Scarlett and Rebecca and was torn between protecting them or his niece from the despicable man. His daughter softly asked her mom who the amazing lady was, but then Kyros' niece spoke again.

"The only ones who will die tonight are you and your followers. Now step away from my family and their friends."

"Fufufufufufu," the man laughed wildly as he moved his fingers, and both Scarlett, Viola and the mute man started choking, "that's enough posturing, little bird. Now come to me or those precious people of yours will die."

"Strings," Y/N whispered suddenly, and Kyros' eyes widened in understanding.

Of course, the man was using the powers of a Devil Fruit linked to strings to play puppeteer. The warrior instantly stood up and slashed the air with his sword around his wife to free her from the demon magic the man had to be using, and after one strike, Scarlet suddenly gasped and fell back on the ground, panting but alive. Kyros was about to move forward to free Viola as well when he felt his arms and legs stop obeying him.

No.

He moved against his will and pointed his sword toward his wife and daughter, who looked stuck in their kneeling poses.

No, please no, not them. Don't make me harm them.

"Smart little bird," the man said with a smirk in his voice. "But you made a mistake when you came to face me alone."

As he was now, Kyros faced his niece, and tried to beg her with his eyes to not let him kill Scarlett and Rebecca, even if it meant he had to die.

But while he was desperately hoping for a miracle, Y/N's expression remained confident, like no matter what was going on, she held all the power at the moment. She smiled haughtily, regal and serene in the absolute knowledge that she was the one in command.

"And you made a mistake by assuming I came alone."

There was a single second of shock and uncertainty at her words, then a suffocating tension and heaviness saturated the room to the point Kyros had trouble breathing.

A bright crimson lightning tore through the pressure, blinding everyone in the room for a second.

When they opened their eyes again, someone had appeared where the lightning had struck, and it almost looked like they were leisurely leaning on nothing but thin air. It was a creature looking both human and distinctly other, with black wings, horns, claws, a black tail, crimson red hair, a sheathed sword in his sash, and a gaze dark enough to make hell itself shudder.

The male demon was looking in their direction with nothing but pure hatred in his eyes, and Kyros would have crumbled on his knees and begged for mercy if he had been able to move. The apparition took a few seconds to assess every person currently present in the room, then turned his head to Y/N.

"What do you need, my love ?" the demon asked in a sultry tone.

"Protect those on their knees and free the black-haired man held with strings," his niece replied.

The demon smirked and snapped his fingers, upon which a wave of energy flooded the room and Kyros suddenly felt himself free to move, a mere moment before he and his family – plus the mute man and his little boy – were brought right by Y/N's side, behind the terrifyingly powerful creature.

The demon took his niece's hand as she walked past him, and kissed it with clear romantic intent.

"Have fun, darling," he purred to her. "I'll be here if you want more of me."

Kyros watched his niece blush at the innuendo, and felt completely baffled. The warrior really hoped he would be given an explanation before the end of the night, because the hallucination theory was becoming more and more plausible with each second that passed.

Chapter 19: Queen Of Kings

Reader pov

You could tell Shanks was overdoing it for the show. He was laying it thick on the powerful and sensual demon act, but you could not deny his smoldering gaze was affecting you in a way that had no business to happen on a night like this one. Demon flirting customs truly were something else, and you were still a bit ashamed to admit they worked so well on you.

You turned away from your attractive intended and back toward a man you only felt deep hatred for. For some reason, he was still grinning wildly, and you raised an eyebrow in challenge, which had him laughing.

"Fufufufufu, you think selling yourself to some third-ranked demon will protect you ? I make deals with Emperors !"

You had not planned to respond to his taunts, but the second he insulted Shanks, you saw red. Fujin was in your hands and unfolded the next second, and you made a crossing movement in front of you in the next heartbeat.

All of Doflamingo's followers were blasted against the wall by a powerful gust of wind, and coughed blood or fell on the floor under the power of the blast. You then slashed the air two more times in Doflamingo's direction, which he only managed to protect himself from with thick string shields at the last minute.

"Don't you dare insult him," you warned the usurper.

"You're powerless against me," Doflamingo gritted through his teeth and spread his arms wide to send more strings toward you. "I am King ! Reigning is my Destiny !"

"You are a pathetic man holding upon delusions of grandeur," you replied and slashed the strings you felt coming as you kept walking toward him. As unusual as this kind of attack was, it had nothing on your teachers' skill and speed, and the strings' strength was no match for the sharpness of an Eternal Weapon.

"You're one to talk, whoring yourself for power ! You could have warmed my bed if you had begged me enough, but instead you let an entire crew of demons dick yo- AAAAARRRRRGHHH !"

Doflamingo's left hand was unexpectedly cut down at the wrist, and you turned an annoyed glance to Shanks, who was looking entirely unrepentant. He had Gryphon drawn in a position clearly showing he had been the one dealing the blow.

"You promised," you reminded him.

"There's only so much disrespect I can handle before I need to punish someone," Shanks told you with a tense smile and an obviously enraged gaze. "And I only took his hand."

And well, when he phrased it like that, you had to admit your betrothed's action had been rather reasonable. You nodded briefly in acceptance of his explanation, but kept a firm voice as you answered.

"I appreciate the intention, but this is my revenge. Don't interfere again unless I ask you."

"As you wish. But you better make him suffer."

You only winked at his request, and turned back to the man who had scared you so much only a year ago and was now trying to use his powers to stitch his stump and attempt to stop the bleeding.

"For the record," you informed him with a sickly sweet smile. "The demon you just insulted is an Emperor."

You watched the man in pink feathers clench his jaw, and a vein popped on his forehead.

"That changes nothing. I'm a King ! The World will bow to me ! I WAS BORN SUPERIOR !"

You turned and arched your back in a pure flamenco move to avoid his strings, then jumped forward before sharply clacking your heel on the floor and redirecting a flurry of string with a single wide arc of your unfolded left fan. You used the momentum to twirl on yourself, folded your fan as you did, then nailed his wrist between your left fan and the wall as your right feet blocked his bleeding wrist on the other side. You unfolded your right fan, showing off the griffin design on it, and made sure the usurper could see the razor-sharp steel it was made of.

"You may fancy yourself a king," you told him with obvious disdain, "but you were never more than a fool."

Before he could answer that, you sliced the usurper's intact arm at the elbow with your right fan, which made him scream in pain. Blood flooded out of his injury, and you felt Fujin thrum with power while you stared in contempt at the blond man kneeling and bringing both handless arms against his torso.

Doflamingo could have used the remaining glory attached to his bloodline to worm himself back into royal graces. In a couple generations, if he played his cards right, his family could have been back on the throne in at least one or two kingdoms. But he had been a greedy piece of shit, and had decided to cheat his way to power.

You took a step back, and watched the pathetic remnant of a man you had been utterly terrified by only a year ago for a few more seconds. You took the time to look on his left and right, and noted how his followers were prostrated in shock and fear against the wall. Then you turned around with the most disinterested royal expression you could muster.

"You're not even worth the effort of killing you myself," you stated as you folded your fans and put them back into their holsters.

Then you found Shanks' gaze, who was looking at you hungrily, and you felt yourself blush under the might of his desire. His eyes kept moving between you, the armless man behind you, and the other people who were clearly terrified of the fate expecting them now that their leader had been defeated. You made your way to the place where your demon was keeping your family safe, but as soon as you were in arm's length, Shanks sprung into action.

"Please tell me I can do it," the Emperor courting you begged as he took your offered hand, then started kissing your knuckles and kept going to kiss your entire arm above your shirt. "Just give me the word and I'll end their lives for you. I'll make it as slow and painful as you want, I swear you won't reg-"

"Shanks ?" you interrupted him, and watched as his eyes dive into yours, pupils blown out as he was almost panting with lust at your commanding tone. "Kill them all."

Your Emperor moaned loudly at your request, then smashed his mouth onto yours for a brief and intense kiss that left you dazzled with pleasure, until he broke it and grinned against your lips.

"You're spoiling me, darling," Shanks whispered with a breathless chuckle.

By the time you smiled back, your intended had flashed past you and was flying above the sorry array of arrogant fools who had believed themselves untouchable.

"I can offer you a better deal !" Doflamingo suddenly yelled. "If you give me my hands and power back, I'll give you anything you want. Virgins, gold, riches, anything a demon could wish for, it will be yours. You could have a thousand more whores for your pleasure instead of this fucking bitch !"

Shanks froze for a moment, then started laughing, in a way that everyone in the room could tell held no real mirth but was full of danger. When the Emperor calmed down, he was only looking at the blond man.

"You're really stupid, you know that ?" the red-haired demon replied as he slowly unsheathed his sword.

Doflamingo's smile disappeared.

"I'm courting this woman. You just insulted the future Demon Queen of the East," the Emperor stated with fury in his voice, and you hoped you were not blushing too hard at the claim that he was that confident in your relationship.

Gryphon was suddenly coated in a black and crimson energy, and Shanks slashed the air once on each side, cutting through flesh and stone alike to the point where all of Doflamingo's allies were sliced in two, and either howling in pain or instantly dying.

"You insulted my queen, you killed and threatened her family, attacked their kingdoms, and tried to offer them to another Demon Emperor," Shanks listed as he put the end of his sword on the man's throat. "I'd usually take my time with your kind, but luckily for you, my beloved Y/N only asked for your death and there are kids in the room."

Your eyes widened and you glanced behind you, just in time to see your uncle covering Rebecca's eyes and the blond man shaking his head as the little boy he protected watched the scene intensely.

The next instant, you turned your head back as Shanks' arm lowered slowly and Doflamingo screamed in agony while he was cut open by an Eternal Weapon. It took almost an entire minute before Shanks fully withdrew his sword and made one short movement to pierce the usurper's heart, and there were only a few garbled sounds following that before complete silence.

The Demon Emperor of the East cleaned his blade on the pink feathery coat before sheathing it. Then, he turned around and flew the small distance he needed to come back to you. He kissed your cheek lovingly and looked at you with a smile that was nothing short of adoring.

"Thank you, my love," you murmured and let yourself relax in the warm and safe embrace of his arms.

"Believe me, darling, it was my pleasure."

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

Shanks enjoyed the hug for a few more moments, still feeling a little horny giddy at the fact that Y/N had allowed him to deal the final blow on her enemies. Damn, he thought he was good at flirting, but he had to admit she was seriously outclassing him in this category so far.

"He's really dead ?" a child's voice asked suddenly, and Shanks turned his attention to a little human boy.

"Yep," the Emperor confirmed cheerfully.

"Thank you sir," the kid mumbled awkwardly, as if he was not used to say those words to anyone.

Shanks grinned, but then he felt two very distincts types of magic that he had not noticed until then, since the stench of a contract with Kaido had filled the room and his attention had been directed to his courted's enemies. He instantly moved to hide Y/N behind him and put a hand on his sword.

"Shanks ?" she asked him in a confused voice.

"The blond guy has made a deal with Whitebeard and the kid has eaten a Devil Fruit."

She gasped and her family turned toward the two humans in shock, while the blond man was frantically shaking his hands in front of him with a panicked look. However, the kid had both paled in obvious fear and jumped forward with his little arms spread wide as if he wanted to protect the much taller man behind him.

"Cora-san's nothing like Doflamingo !" he shouted. "And- and he made a deal with a demon to save me !"

Shanks' hold on his sword lessened by a hair. The blond man was now nodding as fast as humanly possible, though he still looked as terrified as he should.

"Explain," Shanks ordered.

"I was sick. Cora-san took me away from Doflamingo to find a cure, but no one wanted to heal me," the black-haired little boy explained defiantly despite his knees trembling, and Shanks admired the guts it took to stand his ground like that against him. "I was… dying," the boy mumbled, "and Cora-san decided to do something stupid. He could talk before he made a deal with the Demon Emperor of the North."

"And your Devil Fruit ?"

"It's called the Ope Ope no Mi. I'm going to use it to become the greatest doctor in the world and heal everyone who needs it !" the boy declared stubbornly.

Shanks' eyebrows raised up. He knew the old Emperor kept a few Devil Fruits in his territory, Shanks did as well just to avoid Big Mom and Kaido getting their hands on it. But to give one with so much power to that kid against something worth as little as a human's voice made no sense. That was simply not a fair trade, and there was no way Whitebeard would have granted so much power for so little in return, unless…

Shanks noticed the protective and fatherly worry on the mute human's face as he tried to calm the little boy, and smirked in understanding. Of course. Newgate would have lowered his price for an adoptive father ready to sacrifice everything to save his son. As an adoptive father himself, the old demon's heart could be swayed when he was faced with this kind of situation.

Shanks relaxed entirely and his hand left the pommel of his sword.

"I'll let him know you two are doing well next time I see him," he declared and stepped aside to let his courted come back into the group.

The shock in the kid's eyes and the instant relief and gratitude in the blond man's expression confirmed his intuition. Those two were no enemies of his future queen or her family.

Then the guy tried to bow, tripped on nothing, and somehow managed to fall and set himself on fire at the same time.

"Shanks !" Y/N shouted in reproach.

"That wasn't me !" the Emperor instantly protested.

But the kid had already put out the fire and helped the guy to sit down with a suffering groan.

"Cora-san's a klutz, always has been," the boy muttered.

Everyone blinked and stared at the mute man, who was now smiling apologetically in a rather awkward way, and Shanks snorted. No wonder the kid wanted to become a doctor, with a father like that. Silence reigned for a couple seconds, then the black-haired man dressed like a guard or warrior more than a prince stepped forward with hope written all other his face.

"Y/N ? Is it… is it really you ?"

Shanks watched his courted smile just as hopefully, and then give up on pretenses as she went to give the man a hug, that he reciprocated fiercely.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come back, uncle Kyros," she said with a voice that was shaking just the slightest bit from emotion.

"Don't apologise. I thought I'd lost you for good that night," her uncle replied with sobs in his voice and his head against her hair in what Shanks could tell was both a very protective and very loving manner. "How did you survive the attack ?"

"Sheer luck and a lot of stubborn cleverness," Shanks cheerfully replied in her stead. "By the way, darling, aren't you going to introduce me ?"

The two family members stepped away from each other and Y/N came back toward him with a smile, while her uncle clearly looked apprehensive and was still trying to put himself between Shanks and the rest of his family.

"Of course, where are my manners," Y/N chuckled. "Shanks, this is my remaining family. My uncle Kyros, his wife Scarlett, their daughter Rebecca," the little girl popped her head from behind her parents' legs curiously at her name, her pink braid swinging with the movement, "Scarlett's younger sister Viola, and their father, king Riku Doldo."

"Well, pleasure to meet you all," Shanks smiled and even winked for good measure, as he put his arm around Y/N's waist and kissed her cheek to make her blush lightly before she kept going.

"Everyone, meet the Demon Emperor of the East, Shanks, my… well, the equivalent of betrothed in the Demon Realm," she finished shyly.

"Betrothed !?" the old man and the women exclaimed at once.

"Is he-" her uncle started and Shanks did not like what his tone and frown implied.

"I'm not forced into anything," she cut him off, and instead got closer to Shanks, who delighted in putting both arms around her waist and hugging her from behind, much to the obvious shock of all the humans watching.

"Your amazing niece could have left the Demon Realm on her own and spend her entire life here without seeing me ever again. Which would have sucked, because I fell madly in love with her and it would've broken my heart to lose her," Shanks informed them, and peppered her neck in kisses. "I'm lucky she fell for my dashing charms too and accepted my courtship."

"Wait, but how can this work ?" her aunt asked with obvious concern. "Y/N, you're human, you belong here, and Delka needs a queen, how can you be engaged to a demon ?"

"She's not staying in the Human World," the younger one said with her eyes wide in understanding. "The Emperor, I mean, her betrothed said she would become the Demon Queen of the East."

"But who will rule the kingdom in that case ?" her uncle asked. "I renounced to the throne, and with you leaving-"

"Rebecca can inherit the crown," the old king interrupted and looked at Y/N. "That's your plan, isn't it ?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I named her as my successor before making a deal with Shanks and coming here. I added that her family would assure the regency until she comes of age. I was hoping it would give you enough time to prepare for a merging of the kingdoms."

There were a few seconds of silence, then the little girl stepped forward, determination written all over her face even if her lips were trembling a bit.

"I can be queen ! I'll take care of Dad and cousin Y/N's people ! But- but I also want to become a warrior like you and protect everyone !"

Shanks grinned brightly. Oh, he liked that little one already. It seemed a fierce spirit was a rather strongly inherited trait in his courted's family.

"You can totally be a queen and a warrior, kiddo," Shanks told the little girl. "Your cousin's going to be both in the Demon Realm as soon as we get married."

The pink-haired girl lit up at his words and looked at him with a big smile, then gasped and curtsied as if she had suddenly remembered her etiquette lessons, in a way that was both a little awkward and absolutely adorable.

"Thank you your Majesty, I hope you and my cousin will be very very happy together."

Shanks beamed and twirled his lovely courted around, so he could see her and point at the little human princess at the same time.

"Darling, look ! She's like a mini-you !"

"She's just showing good manners," Y/N grumbled with her cheeks red from embarrassment, then coughed and composed herself before kneeling to speak to the little girl and be at her level. "But thank you, Rebecca. I know you'll make a great queen and warrior one day."

The two hugged briefly under the warm gazes of the rest of their family, then the king coughed to get the attention on him.

"What about the people of Delka ? Do you think they will accept Rebecca despite your engagement to a Demon Emperor ? I mean no offense, your Majesty, but demons are not exactly well-regarded in the Human World, nor are those who trade with them."

"None taken, it's not like demons really value humans either," Shanks shrugged easily. "But talking about that, love, what did you do before you summoned me ?"

Y/N smirked knowingly, with a touch of smug confidence that made her look unfairly sexy, and crossed her arms on her chest in a way that forced Shanks to stare at her breasts for an extended perfectly reasonable amount of time.

"The official version of the facts is that I fled and went into exile after the attack of last year. I returned to claim my kingdom back once I had gained the skills required, but Doflamingo's attempted invasion of Dressrosa forced my hand and I had no choice but to summon a Demon Emperor to ensure his defeat. Unfortunately, the cost said Emperor demanded in exchange for his help was so high that I could only remain queen long enough to name Rebecca as my successor," she explained succintly, and Shanks felt ready to swoon at his amazing princess-but-technically-queen-for-now's masterful manipulation of public opinion without using a single lie.

"So you turned a display of demon magic and improper behaviour for a lady into an act of self-sacrifice for your people and your family," her aunt translated, then chuckled. "Your wits are just as impressive as Kyros always claimed they were."

"You should've seen her the night we met," Shanks bragged happily. "Just as the guy was trying to make me accept Y/N as an offering and force a contract on me, she stood up and made me another offer, one that she knew would be much more enticing."

"Offering you those men's lives for your protection was a flash of insanity fueled by despair and survival instincts," she countered with a light reproachful look.

"It was freaking brilliant and you know it, darling," Shanks replied and got closer to her again in order to kiss her cheek.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere with me," she retorted with a smile.

"An Emperor only resorts to flattery when there are no real competences to compliment," Shanks said with a wink, and watched her eyes go wide as she recognised her own words.

"You remember that ?" she whispered in surprise.

Shanks smiled, and put two fingers under her chin to tilt her head toward his, noting with interest how her eyes flicked to his lips.

"Everything about you is worth remembering, my love."

She closed the distance between them and put her hands on her torso as her soft lips reached his, and Shanks enjoyed the delicious taste of his courted once more. He put a hand on her hip, the other in her hair, and took his sweet time to build the lust of their kiss. When he let her go with a last little lick of her lower lip, her eyes were dark with desire and her breath a little short.

"Oh my," a woman's voice said beside them, and both Shanks and Y/N turned their head in time to see all the adults blushing or averting their gaze, while the kids looked respectively puzzled and grossed out.

His princess blushed beet red.

"I'm so sorry, it's just that, erm, in the Demon Realm, what is acceptable in public for a couple is-"

"Different from here," her uncle completed while looking supremely embarrassed, though he recovered quickly and looked solemnly at Shanks, who raised an eyebrow. "I can see how much you love each other. Please take care of my niece, your Majesty, and while I doubt demon customs demand the same thing we do in the Human World, I want you to know that as Y/N's oldest direct relative, I give my blessing to this union."

Shanks was not really sure what that meant – though he got the general idea that the man approved of him as Y/N's future husband – but apparently it was quite a big deal for humans because his intended gasped in shock and almost jumped to hug her uncle and express her gratitude.

A couple minutes later, after everyone was done hugging, congratulating, saying goodbye, and making plans for the mute man and his kid to stay in Dressrosa as personal guests of the royal family, Shanks started the pentacle who would brought himself and his courted back to his home. It was done in a minute, and he took his future queen's hand to get inside.

"Farewell, everyone. Be happy," she smiled as she hold his hand tightly in hers.

The next second, Shanks activated his magic and in a flash of crimson, they were back in front of his home in the Demon Realm.

Notes:

Okay I'm a bit mad at languages, because the sentence "You may fancy yourself a king, but you were never more than a fool." has an amazing double meaning in French as a chess metaphor.
You see, what is called the bishop in English is actually called the "fou" in French, which can be translated into madman or fool depending on the context. So yeah. It's one of the very rare moments in my writings when I was pissed I wasn't writing in my mothertongue x)

Chapter 20: Open Communication

Reader pov

As soon as you both appeared in the Demon Realm, a bright entanglement of crimson runes burst out of you and Shanks. This time, they flew above the two of you to create a smaller sphere that quickly turned to gold and vanished into a shower of sparkles. You felt a little lighter, and figured it meant the contract you had made with Shanks was considered fulfilled. It certainly felt much peaceful than the brutal ripping you had endured and painfully repressed when you had broken the previous one.

You took a moment to just stay where you were with your intended, and take in the feelings of having completed your year-long quest as well. It was weird to think that the goal you had worked so hard to achieve had been reached, and that the entire ordeal had ended in what was probably the best outcome.

"Can't believe you're finally staying here for good with me," Shanks sighed happily and turned around, his clothes back to his usual attire as he put both hands on your face and looked at you with an adoring gaze. "My lovely queen."

"Actually, I need to be turned into a demon and marry you before I can be called your queen," you reminded him with a little smile of your own.

"You're already a queen, and mine to love," Shanks retorted playfully before giving you a fleeting kiss on the lips.

"Former queen. I lost my title when I left the Human World with you, remember ?" you corrected as you tried not to chase after him too obviously.

"Detail," the Emperor grinned and kissed you again.

You sighed in a very unconvincing way, and took the time to enjoy the lips of your very affectionate intended before going inside to celebrate your success and your return to the Demon Realm.

-o-oOo-o-

A few days later, you found yourself in the infirmary to speak with Hongo. You were about two seconds away from successfully talking yourself out of it when your friend showed up.

"Hey Y/N, everything alright ?"

"Yes," you assured the doctor immediately, then forced yourself to say the words before you could cowardly leave and run away. "But I have… questions."

"Sure, go ahead," Hongo replied casually as he sat on a chair.

You averted your gaze and tried not to get too flustered, since you were after all here as a responsible person asking for medical advice. But by the stars, was it embarrassing.

"As a doctor," you started while looking intently at a point on the wall, "would you recommand that I wait until after I'm turned into a demon to be, erm, intimate with- with my intended ?"

"Ah," Hongo said as he stood up and walked to a cabinet, "so it's that conversation."

"Yes," you muttered as a confirmation.

"Look, as a doctor, I can tell you there's no reason you can't be intimate with Shanks when you're human, he just needs to keep in mind that your body is a bit more fragile than what he's used to," the doctor said as he picked a small box from a shelve. "If you choose to wait until after you're turned it's perfectly fine as well, just remember that it will take a while before you reach full control your demonic features and strong emotions can trigger their appearance."

You relaxed about the information, but you still felt more than a little awkward about discussing such a private subject with anyone, even if only for medical reasons.

"Now this," Hongo said as he handed you the box, "is a contraceptive, since I guess you're not gunning for kids right now. It's pretty hard for demons to have children, but humans reproduce like bunnies and going through the ritual while pregnant would definitely put the baby's health and possibly life at risk, which I'm pretty sure you'd rather avoid. Two teaspoons in a mug's worth of boiling water, let it steep ten minutes, then filter and drink. Take it once a week, preferably around the same time. The boss is on a contraceptive as well, but it's better if you're both careful with that. Got it ?"

"Got it," you confirmed while you took the box without looking at him, and tried to ignore the fact that you could feel your face turn red as you mustered your determination to ask the last question you had. "And, erm, I heard it's supposed to hurt the first time, is there something… ?"

"Nothing I can do about that, sorry."

"Oh," you replied and felt worry settle unpleasantly in your chest.

"But I can tell you the boss knows what he's doing in bed with a lady, and he'll do everything in his power to make it as painless as possible," Hongo grinned.

You remained glued to your spot for a second, feeling beyond mortified, until you managed to mumble a couple of words to express your thanks, then left with the box in your hands and your face burning with embarrassment. You almost rushed back to your chambers, happy to have finally gathered the courage to have this conversation but even happier at the fact that said conversation was over with.

Though you had to admit the last part was making you feel a strange mixture of relief and nervousness. You were relieved at the idea that you would spend your first time with someone who knew what they were doing and could guide you, obviously, no doubt about that. But there was no denying you were nervous in equal measure because Shanks was clearly used to more experienced partners in bed, and the thought of being disappointing was making insecurity rear its ugly head in your guts.

You knew how openly affectionate and lustful your intended was, and though he had made it clear he would wait as long as it took for you to be comfortable with more than kisses and casual touches, you did not want to spend your entire courtship in abstinence like it was done in human nobility.

And you could not deny you wanted to spend at least one night with him as the human you were now before being turned into a demon. You had suggested performing the ritual on the night of the winter solstice, since it was one of the most magically charged moments of the year in the Demon Realm. That was a little more than a month and a half away from the current day.

So all you needed to do before that was to figure out a way to convince yourself that your lack of experience would not ruin everything between you and the demon you loved. Piece of cake.

-o-oOo-o-

In the end, you only found the courage to somewhat bring up the subject around a week before the winter solstice. You were far from having overcome your worries about being good enough – your desire and lust for your intended were definitely not the issue here – but you could tell Shanks had noticed you were nervous about something.

Your betrothed had hinted a few times at being more than fine with postponing the ritual if you were not ready to become a demon yet, and affirmed he would love and support you no matter what choice you made. Which meant he had interpreted your anxiety in a completely different way, and you did not want to let it fester and cause both of you unnecessary pain.

After what had happened with his crew, it was pretty obvious neither of you would handle very well that kind of unspoken issue between you, especially when it was based on a misunderstanding that could easily be cleared with open communication. So you had decided to use one of your courtship outings, when it was just the two of you at the top of a cliff above the sea, to try and breach the subject.

"Shanks ?" you called softly while you were both sitting beside each other and there was a lull in your conversation, with only the sound of the waves to fill the silence.

"What's up, princess ?" your demon hummed back.

"I've been a bit anxious about… about something lately. I know you noticed," you said and bumped his arm lightly with your shoulder in what you had come to understand was a light gesture of teasing affection in demon culture.

A glance on the side told you Shanks' expression was slightly guilty at having been caught, but relieved that you were the one to bring it up.

"Didn't want to pressure you into talking to me about it. It's about being turned into a demon, right ?"

"No, though it's not entirely unrelated," you admitted, and watched your intended look at you in surprise, clearly not having expected that answer.

"Okay, then what's the matter ?"

I want to have sex with you but I'm terrified to disappoint you since I know absolutely nothing about it and then you'll break off our courtship because I'm boring in bed and you won't want to be with me anymore.

You very much could not say that out loud, not without dying of embarrassment on the spot. But for the life of you, you were unable to come up with a way to say it properly.

"Darling ?" Shanks prompted you softly. "You can just go ahead and say it, you know. Whatever it is that's bothering you, I'll help if I can."

"Alright," you mumbled, then took a deep breath and tried to convince yourself it was not that big a deal, and that you had contingency plans even if he ended up breaking things off with you. "You know I'm- I don't- I've never- ugh."

You hid your face behind your hands after those three miserably failed attempts.

"I'm going to need a little more than that, love," your Emperor stated in a voice that sounded more amused than anything.

"I want to have sex with you before I become a demon but I'm scared you'll be disappointed and break things off with me because I'm inexperienced and I'll probably be bad at it," you blurted out from behind your hands.

You remained mortifyingly hidden for the seven very long seconds it took for Shanks to apparently process what you had said in a rush. Then you heard a long exhale, and his fingers gently wrapped around your wrists to get them away from your face, though you kept your eyes fixed down on your lap.

But then Shanks took hold of your chin to turn your head toward him, until you begrudgingly ended up meeting his gaze. The second you met his eyes, you realised his irises were almost entirely drowned in black, with a few gold sparkles flashing like lightnings in it.

"I can't believe you don't realise how hot it is that you'll give me your first time," your intended whispered in a voice thick with lust.

"How can you say that ?" you protested instantly. "I- I have no idea what to do, I don't know what you like, what if I do something wrong and-"

"I get to pleasure you in a way you've never known," Shanks interrupted you hotly, "I get to see you drown in desire in a way no one ever has or ever will aside from me if I have a say about it, fuck, I even get to make you discover everything about sex, and the idea that you trust me enough for that ? Darling, I could cum just thinking about it. I have cummed just thinking about it."

Your jaw dropped.

"And for the full disclosure," he added a little more awkwardly with a crooked smile, "I was sure you didn't want to go further with me because frankly, I'm a horny slut, and since you're much, well, classier than that and human nobles aren't supposed to do anything until their wedding night, I thought you didn't want to lower yourself to sleep with me before we get married."

"Are you out of your mind ?" you blurted out without thinking. "I've thought you were handsome since the night we met ! And I've been wondering what it'd feel like to-to give myself to you for months ! And it's so much more reassuring to know that you know what you're doing and you'll be able to teach me since I'll be at a loss !"

Shanks stared at you in shocked silence for a moment and you could feel your face blush so hard it actually made you forget the cold. Then he gulped audibly and you could feel his hold on your waist and face turn a little tighter as his breath seemed to shorten.

He cursed, then closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and muttered what vaguely sounded like a series of okay, okay, stay calm, I can do this, I got this, but you were not really sure why he suddenly needed to repeat this to himself.

"So if I got this right," he summed up slowly as he opened his eyes and looked at you again, "I'm fine with your lack of experience in bed, and you're fine with my sexual past."

"Yes ?" you confirmed in a hesitant voice.

"And you're not nervous about becoming a demon."

"No," you affirmed more confidently.

"But you want to have sex with me before the ritual."

"Yes, but only if you want it too," you mumbled awkwardly again. "And, erm, I went to see Hongo and he gave me a contraceptive and told me you just needed to remember that I'm more fragile than your usual partners, and that you would do what you can to make it not too painful for me ?"

To your surprise, Shanks huffed a small laugh when you said those words.

"So that's why the Doc told me I shouldn't worry and that you'd tell me about what was bothering you when you're ready," he ultimately grinned and looked at you with a mischievous spark in his eyes. "That fucker knew why you were nervous."

"You asked him about it !?" you almost shrieked.

"My love, I could tell you were getting more anxious every day since we came back from the Human World, of course I've asked everyone if they knew what was going on," Shanks told you with a completely unrepentant expression.

You muttered a few unintelligible words under your breath and let your head fall against his chest for a moment, which made him chuckle and caress your hair in a gentle manner that made your heart melt. Somehow, that kind gesture strengthened your resolve more than the entire conversation had done.

"So… will you come to my room tonight ?" you whispered.

"On one condition," he replied, and you raised your head curiously until you could find his gaze again. "Promise me that if you change your mind at any point, you'll tell me. I don't care how far we go or what's happening at the moment, the second you want me to stop, you say it. I'll be just as happy spending the night kissing you and sleeping, or going back to my bed if that's what you want."

"But you-" you started.

"I can live with a bit of sexual frustration and going one step at a time," Shanks stopped you seriously to look you straight in the eyes. "But I can't live with the knowledge that I forced you into something you didn't want to do. So promise me that no matter when, no matter what, if you want to pause for a moment or stop entirely, you'll say it."

"I promise," you vowed honestly, though you inwardly had to admit such care for your well-being was cementing your certainty that you wanted him as your partner for your first time being intimate with someone.

Shanks smiled and kissed you briefly, then brought you against his chest again to hug you in a protective manner, while you tried to relax as well. Maybe you truly had no reason to be nervous and you could just learn through practice, the way you had done with ballroom dancing and fighting.

After all, sex was a physical skill just like any other. Allegedly. Maybe it would truly go well and you would both enjoy it and want to do it again together. The idea kickstarted a series of realisations that made you chuckle against Shanks' torso, who noticed the movement since he was making slow circles on your back with his hand.

"What's making you laugh, darling ?"

"I just realised I might only ever have one sexual partner just like a proper princess is supposed to," you admitted giddily. "But I'm not sure whether my ancestors would be more proud or appalled at the idea that said partner is a Demon Emperor."

Shanks burst out laughing at your words, and you spent the rest of your date in a much more relaxed spirit. Now that the air was cleared between the two of you, you were feeling more confident than nervous, and even a little excited at the prospect of the upcoming night.

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

Shanks was not nervous, thank you very much.

He had earned his reputation as a sex god over the years, and there was a reason he never had any trouble finding a partner for the night whenever he was out of his castle – and sometimes even when he stayed in it.

But fuck if the idea to have sex with his future queen had not him a teeny tiny maybe perhaps just a little bit anxious.

The trust she was willing to put in him with granting him her first time in bed so soon was making his head spin, doubly so when she was still human and fragile, on top of being the first time he would sleep with someone he loved more than he desired.

And that was without taking into account how significant and magically charged such an act was in the Realm. To willfully give a first sexual experience to someone was to give them a part of yourself that translated into a small increase of their inner demonic power, and to know that he might get to take all of her firsts if he was good enough to make her want more ?

Yeah, fine, Shanks was a nervous wreck, centuries of experience be damned.

But she trusted him to make her feel good and she had promised to ask him to stop if she ever felt uncomfortable – on top of Shanks' own promise to himself that he would be on the lookout for any sign of doubt or second guess in her at any point – so by the stars, he was going to prove himself worthy of it.

He made his way to her bedchambers, and for principle's sake, even leaned against the wall next to her window as he waited for her to be done in the bathroom, the way he had done countless times before. Some of his best and worst memories with her were linked to these moments, after all. She had both shyly let him in and brutally pushed him away, for reasons he had no idea of at the time but would have been so painfully obvious if only he had not been such a blind idiot.

A hummed melody, different from all the ones he had heard so far, echoed from behind the closed doors. It sounded romantic, longing, and powerful all at once, and Shanks felt helpless against it, entirely bewitched by the woman holding his heart in her palm. He smiled as he was reminded once again that he was way too whipped for his princess to deny anything she could ask of him.

She stepped out of the bathroom, and Shanks' mind broke.

Y/N's usual nightgowns covered her entirely – save for her forearms in the summer months – and left everything to the imagination. The most revealing clothes he had ever seen her wear outside of her more glamourous gowns were her fighting gear, and as close to her body as those were, they still covered her almost entirely.

The thing she was wearing at the moment was pretty much the opposite of that. It was a lacy black and crimson mini-dress hugging her body in all the right ways and barely covering her until mid-thigh, with a very plunging neckline and only thin straps over her shoulders.

Her gaze found his at once, and avoided it the next moment with a light blush colouring her cheeks.

"I wanted to try something in your colours that you might like," she admitted softly.

Shanks' hold on his biceps turned bruising and he gulped, his eyes still roaming over the delicious and tantalizing expanse of skin she was revealing.

Fuck. He wanted those legs wrapped around his neck now.

"Shanks ?" she called his name, and her voice snapped him back to the present. "Is everything okay ?"

"You look… fucking amazing," he managed to compliment her, and felt a rush of desire flood his veins when she smiled in return.

Stay calm, don't jump her, one step at a time, fuck is she even wearing something under that ? If she's not I'm going to fucking lose it.

"So… bed ?" she asked shyly as she came closer to him, and their height difference meant Shanks had a perfect view of her breasts.

Damn it he needed to keep it together. She was trusting him to guide her tonight, and that meant he had to keep his lust at least somewhat under control. Shanks breathed deeply, then smiled, and put a hand on her face to kiss her gently.

"Remember what you promised me ?" he asked her again, just to be sure.

"I will tell you if I change my mind, if I want to stop, or if I want to pause," she assured him with a smile and her hand covering his.

"Then yes, bed," Shanks confirmed with a wink.

Notes:

Fair warning, the next chapter will be spicy x)

Chapter 21: First Of Many

Notes:

Warning : smut. Like, entire chapter save for the last two paragraphs. You've been warned ;)

Reader pov

You could tell Shanks was tense, but he was still gentle as you both made your way to the bed and laid on the black sheets, his hungry gaze still roaming over your body as if he could not stop himself. Which you had to admit was very flattering, but only highlighted a startling difference between you at the moment.

So you put a hand on his chest, just at the limit between his skin and the shirt covering it, and looked into his eyes while gathering as much courage as you could.

"Could you remove that ? I want to see you too."

Within your next blink, the white shirt had been tossed away in the room and you were faced with a vast expanse of naked skin, his muscles sculpted like a statue's would and his natural tan giving his skin an almost golden hue under the firelight. You knew Shanks was fit, of course, but the clear lines of his pecs and abs were making you feel awfully weak at the knees.

You put both hands on his torso before you could stop yourself, slowly exploring the proof of centuries of training with your fingers.

"Like what you see, darling ?" Shanks almost purred against your ear.

"Yes," you instantly replied without thinking. "You're… really, really handsome."

You felt his grin against your hair, and as he let your hands explore his skin at your own rhythm, he started to do the same. Though he was supporting himself on his left elbow and only his right hand was caressing you, even if he kept it to the places he usually touched you, like your arm and back.

When you raised your head to look at him, he wasted no time in kissing you again, his lips parting yours and his tongue diving in your mouth to make you lose your senses with a sensuality you were not sure you would ever get used to.

As you made out, his hand guided yours lower on his chest, until you felt his abs clench as you caressed them, and he stopped the kiss just long enough to look at you.

"Do you want more ?" he whispered, and you could only nod with a gulp. "Then go for it, darling. Touch me all you like."

You bit your lips, but looked downward as you slowly lowered your left hand on his skin, until you reached his pants. You raised your head again, only to be met with an amused grin and a nod, so you slipped your hand under the stretchy fabric and were instantly rewarded with a sharp intake of breath.

Your fingers caressed the skin and little trail of hair you could feel, but then you found his member and immediately hid your face in Shanks' neck. Still, you curiously kept touching and palming the hot and soft skin under your hand, until you heard your demon gulp when you spread the little liquid you felt pearling all over the top, and you stopped moving immediately to look back at him.

"Did I do something wrong ?" you asked worryingly.

To your surprise, Shanks huffed a laugh, then brought his hand to your ass and you gasped when his fingers took a firm hold of your behind, though it was quickly turned into a moan as he used the opportunity to kiss your neck.

"You're doing great," he grinned against your skin, and a little gasp escaped you again when he lightly bit you.

You shivered when you felt his hand slowly reach for your bare thigh, then moved back to your ass and your waist, pulling up your short nightgown as he did so. Shanks kept his hand in this area, spreading warmth and making you wish he would touch you somewhere else, when his burning gaze found yours with a predatory grin.

"Nothing under it, mmh ? Looks like my sweet and proper princess is a little more naughty than I expected her to be."

 You blushed under the gentle tease, but you did not want to completely let him get away with it, so you started your caresses of his member again, just as you shimmied a bit on the bed to press your breasts on his chest and look at him through your eyelashes.

"And it looks like my devious demon likes it more than I thought he would," you murmured before kissing his throat.

His member jerked in your hand, and the next moment, Shanks was groaning.

"You're really testing my sanity, love," he ultimately laughed.

"In a good way or a bad way ?"

"In a way that makes me want to eat you out until you scream."

You blinked, unsure of what he meant by that.

"Eat me out… ?" you repeated cautiously.

Shanks gently took your wrist to bring your hand out of his pants, which he discarded quickly, and pushed you on your back as he kneeled between your slightly open legs. The vision was insanely erotic, even if the sight of his erect member made you wonder how in the Realm it was supposed to fit inside you.

"It means using my mouth between your legs," the demon grinned hungrily. "If you're okay with it, I'd be more than happy to make a demonstration."

You blinked, a little confused as to how exactly that was supposed to make either of you feel good, but the absolute certainty in his eyes was making you curious enough to try.

"Alright," you replied, and spread your legs a little wider to accomodate his large frame.

"Just relax and enjoy, darling," the red-head smirked as he lowered himself on the bed and pulled your nightgown above your waist before he put both arms around your thighs.

Shanks then brought his head closer to your folds, and you were stuck being hypnotised by the view while being impossibly flustered at the same time. But he gently kissed the inside of your right thigh, his lips soft and gentle as he repeated the motion several times, then did the same on your other leg, and you relaxed.

Then you suddenly felt something firm and wet drag slowly between your folds, and you gasped in surprise, the only thing preventing you from jerking your hips being your demon's arms holding you in place, his hands firm but gentle on your skin. He did it again a few times, and a little moan passed through your lips as you progressively came to enjoy the new sensation.

"Feels good," you hummed at some point, as much to express your feelings as to let him know you liked what he was doing.

His tongue became a little more insistent when it dragged between your folds, almost trying to go a little deeper, and you shuddered briefly when it pushed against your entrance. Your body seemed more than on board with it, but Shanks appeared to have other ideas.

The first flick of his tongue on your clit sent a spark of pure pleasure course through your body, which made your head roll back and your voice moan so loud that you instantly put a hand on your mouth in embarrassment at your own reaction. Before you could even take another breath, however, Shanks' tail grabbed your wrist and put it away from your face. When you looked down, it was to see your intended with his wings and horns having appeared as well, and he was staring at you with a hungry smirk.

"I want to hear you, love. Don't hide your reactions from me."

Before you could reply, his mouth was back on you and he was licking your clit again, each flick and movement of his tongue sending jolts of electric pleasure in your nerves. Then he started to alternate licking your folds, pushing for entrance, and teasing your clit in a maelstrom of wetness and precision that had you panting and moaning uncontrollably. You could feel the pleasure building higher with each pass of his tongue, each wet kiss of his lips, each obscene sound of lapping he made.

Your hands were spread on either side of your head, gripping the sheets as your back arched more and more often, and when he briefly sucked on your clit, you all but screamed at the burst of pleasure that almost sent you over the edge.

"Sha- Shanks, again, please, again," you panted.

Your demon moaned at your request, the vibration making you shake with desire, and he instantly sucked on your clit again, but this time he combined it with a few little twists of his tongue, and you lost it.

The knot of pleasure snapped and your entire body tensed under the pleasure washing over you in the best orgasm you had ever experienced, way better than any masturbation you had ever done. Shanks stayed between your thighs for a moment, his tongue gently lapping at you to prolong your high.

You came down slowly, your breath short after the scream that had escaped you during your climax.

Shanks rose on the bed until he was laying by your side, his demonic features still present as he stared at you with a smug smirk and eyes that looked almost sparkling. His chin still glistened softly with what you realised was the proof of your pleasure.

"You taste delicious," he told you with a wink and a lick of his lips.

Your eyes widened and you were sure your face was red as you processed his words, and he laughed at your reaction before carelessly wiping his chin with the back of his hand and kissing you on the cheek. Your body was still tingling with the afternath of your climax, but you wanted more.

"Can I…" you started, and bit your lips.

"Anything, sweetheart. I'll be happy to go down on you again if that's what you want, we can spend the night doing that," Shanks offered with his pupils dark with lust as he seemed really interested in this idea. You closed your eyes for a second, then put a hand on his chest as you averted your gaze.

"I want to touch you too. Taste you too," you said and brought your hand lower, until your fingers rested just above his member.

"You don't have to, darling, I promise I'm fine with-"

"I want to," you stopped Shanks and looked him in the eyes to convey your desire.

Your demon's eyes widened and he smirked widely before putting his thumb on your lower lip.

"Then go ahead, love."

You pushed yourself down on the bed, until you were kneeling between his legs. Shanks' demonic features disappeared so he could sit more easily against the pillows and watch you at the same time. Though you were more focused on the way his member was standing between his legs, big and still leaking that same translucent liquid you had felt when you had touched him earlier.

You carefully put your fingers around the soft skin, but Shanks stopped your wrist almost immediately.

"Wait, if you're going for a handjob, we're going to need lube."

"Oh," you said as you realised the caress on dry skin would be uncomfortable for him. While he mumbled something about having some in his room, you decided to go for the most logical option. You used your left hand to steady yourself on the mattress as you got on your knees, and brought your right hand between your legs, where you were still wet from your orgasm.

The feeling of your palm against your folds and gently caressing your clit made you hum in pleasure for a short moment, and when you figured your hand was sufficiently coated, you brought it back from under your nightgown and wrapped your fingers around the base of Shanks' member. You slowly gave it a few slow pumps to spread the wetness on his skin, and when it glided easily, you looked back up to Shanks.

The demon's jaw was slack and there was a little trail of drool falling from the corner of his lips.

"That works, right ?" you asked him and kept moving your fingers.

"Uh-huh," he replied, then gulped. "Yep, works great, you, uh- oh shit yes keep doing that," he instructed you when you started going a little faster. "Yeah, just a little tighter- fucking perfect, yeah keep going, just like that, that's good, very good, don't stop."

You followed what he told you, and watched both his expressions and your fingers moving up and down on his member, the silky texture of the skin gliding seamlessly with the improvised lubricant. But you always stopped right under the top, and you wondered if it would not feel better for him to also be touched there.

So you reached down with your head and gave the top of his member a slow lick with your tongue, until you could flick it over the little bead of liquid, which tasted just the tiniest bit bitter, but not in an unpleasant way, so you continued licking while you were still making pumping motions with your hand.

"Fuck- you're gonna kill me love, go on, do what you want, just no teeth and we're goooo-ngh yeah like that-fuck !" Shanks panted.

You tried to open your mouth and take the top of his member in as you kept moving your tongue around it, but after a few seconds, your hair came into your face and you raised your head.

"Wait no- I was almost- darling please-"

"Can you hold my hair ?" you asked him with an embarrassed smile.

The next second, his hand was keeping your hair away from your face and Shanks was looking at you with an amount of lust that made his eyes almost glow with the way the firelight was reflecting in his pupils.

"Please keep sucking me off," he asked you in a breathless voice. "And if you could touch my balls while you're doing it, that'd be perfect."

You were not sure how exactly you could do all that at the same time without losing your balance, but after a few moments adjusting your position, you found a way. Your right elbow was resting on his hip to hold his member in the easiest position for you to take into your mouth, and your left hand was free to caress the area under it.

So you wrapped your lips around his member, then started licking and bowing your head in a slow rhythm, trying to take a little more of him with every time.

"Yessssss- fuck you're doing great, go on, little more, perfect," Shanks encouraged you while his hand in your hair put a light pressure on your head to go lower with every pass.

You tried to stay focused on the soft skin gorged with blood in your mouth and relaxed your jaw to avoid a cramp, while following your demon's instructions. When you found a rhythm he liked, you took his sack in your free hand, just gently holding the tight balls in your fingers at first, then you started to massage them a little more firmly.

"Oh fuck, fuck, babe you need to- fuck I'm not going to- you-"

You suddenly remembered how good it had felt when he had moaned and sucked when he was pleasuring you, and decided to hum around his member when you were low on it, then suck a little to add the kind of pressure he had seemed to enjoy with your hand.

"FUCK !"

You did not get the time to fully raise your head before you felt rows of warm liquid shoot in your mouth, and to avoid making a mess on the sheets, you waited until he was done and even licked the top of his member within your mouth to clean it as best you could.

The liquid was thick, a little bitter, but you swallowed it anyway since he had clearly done the same with yours during your orgasm and it had not seemed to be a problem. Then you raised your head for good and put both hands back on the bed between his legs.

Shanks was panting and staring incredulously at you, which made you doubt again whether you had made a mistake at some point.

"Was that okay ?" you asked him worryingly. "I tried to- ah !"

You were suddenly brought on him, and by the time you realised what was happening, Shanks was kissing you deeply and moaning against your lips, his tongue exploring your mouth relentlessly and making most of your brain functions stop to be flooded with desire instead.

When he released you, Shanks still had a hand in your hair, and he laughed happily.

"That was fucking amazing, darling. Wasn't expecting you to blow me off and swallow like a pro," he grinned blissfully.

You blinked, your brain still fuzzy after that bone melting kiss.

"Was I not supposed to swallow ?" you asked in confusion.

"Not if you don't want to."

"Oh," you realised, then shrugged and kissed his cheek. "I didn't mind."

Shanks chuckled, then kissed you languidly again and you let yourself be taken for another moment of sensual pleasure, just enjoying his warm body under yours, though you could not deny his strong hands holding your ass and back against him made you want more. The light pressure of his muscles under your hips, even with the fabric between your skin and his, was making your desire flare up again.

"Seems like someone doesn't want to stop here," Shanks teased you after you tried to discreetly get some friction on him.

"Do you want to stop ?" you asked instantly back, worried that he might force himself to please you.

"I'm more than fine to keep going, babe," your demon grinned. "I just need you to tell me what you want."

It might have been the rush of pleasure still going in your veins, or the boost to your confidence after making your lover reach his own climax, but you opted to be more direct about your own desires.

"I want you to get that dress out of me, and I want to feel you in me" you said bluntly.

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

His dick was hardening again before she was done with the end of her request, and Shanks was seriously starting to think he was conditioned to get hard whenever she gave him anything close to an order.

"Your wish is my command, love," he replied with a wink.

He moved them around to put her on her back while he was above her, and made his claws appear just long enough to bring a finger between her breasts, and ripped the fabric from top to bottom.

She made a little pout, and Shanks grinned as he snapped the straps in a quick move as well.

"I'll get you others," he promised, and his brain stalled for a second at the thought of all the sexy lingerie she could put on for him in the future.

He still discarded the remnants of the cloth as she arched her back to make it easier, and the Emperor was faced with his very naked, very gorgeous future queen.

Shanks had no idea how he managed to avoid a nosebleed. From the soft curve of her breasts, to the lines of her waist giving way to her hips, and that delicious pussy he had tasted earlier, he wanted to kiss her all over and keep her in bed for the next decade at the very least.

He settled for giving a kiss to each of her nipples, gaining a soft gasp bordering on a little moan as he did, and went back on his knees to give a few more licks to her sweet pussy, just to check how wet she was after blowing him off. As he found her dripping, he moaned at the thought that she had enjoyed pleasuring him so much, and he gave a few little licks on her clit just for the selfish satisfaction of hearing her moan for him.

Then he went back up above her, supporting himself on his right forearm as his left hand dived between her legs and started to caress her between her folds, parting her lower lips gently, and giving a little flick to her clit every now and then.

"Shanks ?" she asked him softly between two harshed breaths.

"What do you want, love ?" he purred and kissed her neck, ready to give her anything she could ask for.

"I want- ah ! I want to see you," she said and briefly tensed when Shanks carefully pressed a finger against her entrance, though she relaxed instantly when he made sure to only do little movements without breaching her.

"You just need to keep your eyes open, princess," he grinned.

"No, I- I want to see the- mmh, the demon I fell in love with," she said with pleading eyes, and Shanks' eyes rolled to the back of his skull at the idea that she wanted him to fuck her with his demonic features on full display – minus the claws.

The next moment, his wings, horns, and tail were back on his body and Shanks pushed a first knuckle past her folds while she was distracted watching him, but she still clenched hard around the intrusion.

Fuck I'm never going to last if she does that around my dick.

"Shhh, breathe, my lovely queen, you're doing amazing," he soothed her with a slow kiss on her lips.

She instantly put her arms around his neck, and reciprocated the kiss with just as much desire, until she relaxed enough around his digit to allow Shanks to start moving in and out of her, her wetness ensuring he would enter her with ease. One kiss at a time, he kept pushing a little further, until his entire finger could fit into her.

"How does it feel ?" Shanks asked her gently during a pause in the kisses, while she was still trying to focus on her breathing and getting used to the stretch.

"A bit… weird," she admitted, "but good weird."

Shanks chuckled at her confused expression, and took it upon himself to kiss her neck again, then keep going lower to distract her as he started to cover his other fingers in her juices.

"Shanks ?" she asked him with a confused voice while he settled his head comfortably between her breasts.

"Just breathe, relax, and enjoy," he told her with a grin as he raised his chin, then moved to kiss the curve of her breast and kept going until he could get his mouth on her nipple again.

The gasped oh she breathed as he started lavishing the little bud with his tongue was all he needed to bring a second digit in her during his next pass in her folds. She briefly clenched, but relaxed much more quickly than she had done with the first. The moans she made while Shanks kept licking and sucking her tit were incredible, and he was thoroughly enjoying how the small bud was perking under his ministration and how her hands were grabbing at his hair to keep him where he was.

It seemed she was pretty sensitive there, and Shanks fully planned to abuse that newfound knowledge. Her mewls were just too sweet to make him stop, anyway, and as soon as she could take two fingers easily, he moved to her other tit to trick her again into accepting one more digit in her pussy by distracting her with pleasure.

"Fuck !" she cursed, and hearing her swear got Shanks' already hard dick leaking precum again. "Feels, ah, feels good," she moaned sweetly and her walls kept fluttering around his fingers.

Shanks was extremely tempted to make her cum on his fingers, but he was not sure she would be able to take anything more after a second orgasm. He spread his fingers a little more inside her, and carefully stopped pushing everytime he felt a light resistance inside her.

"You're doing so well," he praised her anyway after a last little lick on her nipple. "Do you want to cum like that ?"

Her panting breaths turned into pleading moans for a second, but her hands were still in his hair and when she talked, her voice was clear despite the wanton need dripping from it.

"I- I want more," she told him, which did not clarify much at first, until she freed one of her hands to caress his chest. "I want you in me, please."

His cock jerked at the sweet, sweet little plea she had made for him. Fuck, Shanks knew he was weak for her commands, but he was completely done for when she begged.

"Spread your legs a little wider for me, love," Shanks told her as he grabbed a pillow, and quickly put it under her hips. "Perfect, fuck you're beautiful like that."

And she truly was. All breathless and flushed, naked on a bed, her pussy drenched and ready for him as she looked at him with love and lust in her eyes, his courted was a sight to behold. Shanks took hold of his rock-hard dick and put the head against her cunt, waiting just long enough to align himself as he put one elbow back on the bed to stay above her.

"Just breath and relax, okay darling ?" he instructed her.

"Okay," she replied softly and smiled. "I trust you."

Shanks kissed her deeply, mouth open as she did the same and welcomed his tongue to let him taste her and the faint taste of himself, and pushed the very top of his dick inside her walls. She gasped in the kiss, but still relaxed quickly enough for him to push a little more and get the head inside, which made her clench strongly and broke their kiss with harsh pants.

So fucking tight, shit she's sucking me in, that pussy is so wet and soft, I want to fucking ruin her.

"S- so full," she said between two pants.

"Shh, breathe, you're doing great," Shanks reassured her with more kisses on her cheek and neck. "You feel amazing around me, take your time and relax, babe, you're doing so well."

It did not take long before she looked back at him and nodded, and Shanks kept his thrusts small to get her used to the intrusion in her pussy, until he felt a resistance against his dick. He hesitated a second about the best way to break through, knowing she would feel the pain for a little moment no matter how he did it, then got an idea and grinned.

The next moment, his head was back on her nipple as he brought his left hand on her clit, and he quickly overwhelmed her with sensations. A wanton moan escaped her, and Shanks used her sudden spike in pleasure to swiftly push his dick forward and tear up the barrier inside her.

She clenched around his cock like a vice with a little grimace, but Shanks was still watching her face and he could tell the pain had been mixed with pleasure and the brief moment of hurt was not enough to win against the constant stimulation of her sensitive zones. He stayed still inside her, just in case, and watched as she relaxed gradually.

"Wa- was that… ?" she asked him between harsh breaths, and Shanks grinned proudly.

"Yep," he confirmed and released her nipple after a kiss. "Didn't hurt too much, right ?"

"Mh-hm," she replied with a shake of her head and a grateful smile, just before Shanks could feel her inner muscles relax enough around his cock to allow him to move again. "You're amazing," she sighed and closed her eyes in bliss.

She still remained tight and fluttering around his dick, but her praise made Shanks lose control for a fleeting moment and he pushed the rest of his cock inside her at once, making her gasp and arc her back.

Shanks' eyes rolled to the back of his skull as his dick was fully settled in her wet warmth, all wrapped in her soft and eager pussy that pressed on him in all the best ways and sent a shiver of pleasure rush through his entire body.

"Fuck you feel incredible," he told her with a panted chuckle. "You okay there babe ?"

"Yeah, yeah I think," she replied with her hands clutching his shoulders like a lifeline, and a few strands of hair stuck to her forehead. "Just a lot."

"Want to stop ?" he offered her anyway.

"No !" she instantly said and clenched strongly on him at the same time her thighs locked around his waist, which had Shanks gasping and gulping at once. "I- I want to cum with you in me," she said with a fierce blush but a clear voice, and Shanks was gone.

His tail wrapped around her ankles to keep them joined behind his back, and he felt her nails scratching her back at the gentle restraint. He was lucky to be stronger than her, because it meant no matter the stronghold she had on him with her legs, he could still pull out easily. When only the head of his dick remained in her, Shanks realised that she was actually gushing on him, to the extent his balls and even his stomach were wet with the proof of her arousal and a little blood that would have worried him if it was anything but her first time.

"You're going to cum on my dick alright," Shanks told her, a promise and a surrender all in one, and he pushed back in the wet cunt that was basically sucking him in at this point. "You feel so fucking good," the demon moaned as he started a slow rhythm.

Under him, his beautiful, stunning courted was staring at him with her eyes half-lidded, her lips parted, unending pants and moans escaping her pretty mouth as he made love to her. Her skin was flushed and warm and sweaty, her breasts were bouncing gently with every thrust he made, and Shanks had never seen a sight more arousing in his life.

"So fucking beautiful," he praised as he picked up the rhythm a little and watched for signs of discomfort, only to be rewarded with a high-pitched moan and a pleading demand for more.

So Shanks complied, and as his dick started ramming into the sweet pussy that felt more and more like it had been made to take his cock, he watched her come undone and lose herself in the pleasure he was giving her. He bended forward to kiss her as they fucked, but it changed the angle of his penetration just a little bit and she suddenly screamed and threw her head back.

"Shaaaaanks ! There, please- oh fuck yes ! Yes, harder !" she screamed as Shanks grinned smugly and started pounding into her sweet spot.

Her nails were racking on his back and the slight edge of pain was turning him on and making it harder to focus on her pleasure. Shanks could tell that combined to the way she kept squeezing and gushing around his cock, she was going to send him over the edge soon, even with having cummed once before.

The soft skin of her legs was still wrapped around him, pushing him further and deeper into her like she wanted him to stay there forever. The sound of his balls slapping on her wet cunt was driving him crazy, and all Shanks wanted now was to fill her sweet little pussy with his sperm and claim her completely.

"I'm- oooh I- Shan- han, I'm-" she panted incoherently under him, but it was enough for Shanks to understand she was close.

He lowered himself almost entirely on her to both kiss her sloppily, feel her perked nipples graze his chest, and ensure her clit would rub on his pelvis during his next thrusts.

It only took a few more seconds for her to cum with a loud scream of his name, her nails digging harshly in his back and marking him as hers, and her pussy clenching hard as she all but locked him inside. The sight and feelings were so erotic that Shanks followed her almost instantly with a low groan, and his eyes rolled in bliss as a wave of pure pleasure washed over him and his dick spurted ropes of seed deep inside her.

It took Shanks a moment before he came back from his climax, and he could tell his lovely queen was still out of it with the way her eyes were unfocused and she was panting with a blissed-out expression on her face.

The Emperor smiled, feeling both proud and at least temporarily sated. He hid his demonic features once more to turn around and make her lay on him while he was still deep in her. She gasped in surprise but seemed to like their new position, so Shanks simply enjoyed the afterglow with her head resting in the crook of his neck and her body plastered on his.

Shanks caressed her hair to ground his courted again without overwhelming her in her overly sensitive state, and she hummed in delight. After a few moments of rest, when Shanks was about to ask whether she had enjoyed herself – not that he doubted she had, but he would rather check anyway – she raised her head with a determined expression.

"We're doing that every night from now on," she told him solemnly, her eyes dark with desire despite her obvious tiredness.

Shanks laughed happily at her demand, then grinned and winked at her.

"Fine by me, darling. There's about a thousand more things I want to do with you."

"Good," she approved with a smile of her own, then yawned and her head rested on him again. "I loved it."

"Mmh, so did I," Shanks told her with a kiss on her temple.

"So I wasn't disappointing ?" she asked against his skin, and the demon laughed immediately.

"You were amazing, love," he assured her and put both hands around her in a hug, which was when he noticed she was cooling down, so he tried to grab the covers to put them above her.

"Wait, we're all sweaty and- and gross !" she protested.

"So what ? I don't want you to be cold," Shanks shrugged.

"I'm not sleeping in dirty sheets," Y/N said and even scrunched her nose at the idea, which made Shanks chuckle.

"Then I'm going to pull out, then we'll take a bath, and we'll go to my room to sleep in my perfectly clean bed. How does that sound ?" he offered her.

She relaxed and even gave him a loving smile before kissing him softly.

"That sounds perfect."

 

 

Shanks was a little amused when he she realised her legs were too unsteady and she would have to let him carry her to the bathroom. The warm water made her relax incredibly fast, to the point where she even ended up falling asleep against him in the bath. Shanks carefully got her out of the bathtub and dried her with magic before pulling a bathrobe on her. He managed to put his pants on without waking her up, and made his way to his own bedchambers with his beautiful courted in his arms.

She was still sleeping soundly by the time he tucked her under the covers of his bed, her bathrobe discarded on a chair, and Shanks joined her as soon as his own pants were off as well. She hummed in her sleep and even shuffled closer to him, which made Shanks smile like a sap and wrap an arm around her to bring her completely against his body.

He fell asleep quickly after that, feeling happier than he had ever been.

Notes:

Hope you liked it ;)
This weekend I'll post the last chapter and the epilogue, so take care and I'll see you then !

Chapter 22: Just Another Tale

Beckman pov

When Beckman woke up and did not see Y/N and Rayleigh sparring on the beach, he frowned briefly but shrugged it off. Since she had come back from the Human World, it was not infrequent for her to train later in the day or on other training grounds, so there was nothing weird with her absence.

Though when more people started to come to the kitchen for breakfast and asked if anyone had seen the princess, a feeling of unease started to creep among the crew. They had all noticed she had looked a bit anxious during the past weeks, and Shanks had asked everyone if they knew what it was about.

There had been an implied yet very obvious threat in his voice that if any of them was making his courted feel unsafe in his home again, the punishment would be much more severe than the first one. And no one wanted to know what Shanks would do to top the thorough beating they had all received in a spar against him, the daily training under the Dark King for the next year, and the cleaning duties without magic for the next decade.

Only Hongo had been unbothered and told Shanks to not worry about it. The doctor had calmly stated that she would talk to him about what was on her mind when she would be ready. To some extent, his confidence on the matter had also reassured Beckman, since Hongo clearly no longer bothered to hide his friendship and clear protectiveness of the princess. He would definitely not have hesitated to throw a culprit to the wolves if there was one.

And so the rest of the crew had remained careful and attentive, while dearly hoping their doctor was right again. But when Lucky came back to the kitchen with the breakfast tray he had taken to Y/N's bedchambers and a clearly panicked look on his face, Beckman started to worry for good.

"She's not in her room !"

If the princess had disappeared less than a week before the ritual because of something they had done, Shanks was going to kill them all.

"Lucky, stay here in case she comes for her breakfast. Yasopp, go to the medbay, I'll check the library. Everyone else, search the castle," Beckman commanded.

With Hongo and Shanks still asleep, the Dark King in the library, and Hawkeyes back in his own estate until the winter solstice, the grey-haired demon was pretty much de facto back in charge.

"Shouldn't we warn the boss ?" Limejuice asked worryingly.

"Not until we know for sure she's missing," Beckman replied. "Everyone, report back here in fifteen minutes."

The entire crew jumped into action, and as Beckman made his way to the library, he dearly hoped the princess had just opted to spend an early morning with her adoptive father mentor for whatever reason.

Unfortunately, when he reached the place, he only found Silvers Rayleigh reading a volume and looking very much alone.

"What brings you here ?" the old demon asked without bothering to look up.

"Do you know where the princess is ?"

"No, and I doubt her whereabouts are any of your business," he retorted calmly.

"She's not in her room and no one has seen her since last night," Beckman explained, which finally made Rayleigh raise up his head, but only to look at him blankly.

"Then go ask Shanks and Hongo if they know where she is."

"They're sleeping."

"And they'll be mad if something happened to her because you chose not to wake them up," the Dark King replied casually, but his lazy grin contained a dark edge.

Beckman wisely decided not to insist and made his way back to the kitchen, where most members of the crew were coming back as well with no more luck than he had. When Yasopp confirmed she was not in the medbay either and Hongo had just sleepily groaned to go ask Shanks about it, the grey-haired demon sighed heavily, knowing he did not have any other options left.

"I'll wake him up."

Beckman left the kitchen with mumbled wishes for good luck, and huffed in derision as he walked to Shanks' quarters. Luck was not going to be enough if the princess truly was missing and Shanks had not been made aware of the reason. Hopefully, wherever she was, they would be able to find her quickly and bring her back to the castle safe and sound.

Beckman took a last drag of his cigarette as he arrived in front of his Emperor's door, used a brief bout of magic to make the end disappear, and pushed the door open without bothering to knock.

He froze with his hand still on the handle before he had opened it fully.

Shanks was sleeping soundly in his bed, but there was someone else with him. A feminine silhouette with Y/N's hair was asleep on his chest while the Emperor had a hand around her back to keep her body against his. The sheets were covering them both up to mid-chest, but it was still pretty obvious neither of them was wearing anything.

Beckman closed the door as silently as he could, and made his way back to the kitchen. He lit up another cigarette, thinking how they probably had the reason behind her nervousness during the past weeks, and how he was assured to die if Shanks ever learned he had seen them. His Emperor might not give a shit about people seeing him naked, but he would definitely not hesitate to brutally murder anyone who tried to get a peek at his future queen.

At least she's not missing.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

A week later, on the night of the winter solstice, you looked at the pentacle carved into the top of a mountain some distance away from the castle, then at the torches lighting up the place while the sun finished setting beyond the horizon, and took a deep breath.

Shanks looked at you with a bright expression, and you smiled back at him. Your friends were there as well, but Shanks had been adamant he would be the one performing the ritual turning you into a demon.

"You're still sure about this ?" the red-head asked you cautiously. "Once I start, there'll be no going back."

"I'm sure," you promised him with as much sincerity as you could and a serene smile. "I haven't changed my mind about spending the next centuries with you."

Shanks kissed you for a moment, his lips soft and hungry and his lust mixed with barely-refrained excitement.

"Then go in, darling."

-o-oOo-o-

Shanks pov

Shanks watched his beloved princess take off the warm coat she had put over a deliciously plain black dress that complimented her curves. She walked to the center of the pentacle he had finished making himself, and the Emperor felt his heart miss a beat.

They were really doing this. In a matter of minutes, the woman he loved would be turned into a demon just like him, and live as long as he would. Shanks could barely contain his excitement at the idea, and he had spent way too much time wondering what the colours of her features and her magic would be.

He had no doubt she would make an incredibly powerful demon herself and be more than worthy of her position as Demon Queen of the East. With how fast she had learned to fight and how easily she had awakened an Eternal Weapon, it was obvious she had always been destined to be part of the Demon Realm.

But Shanks was still curious to know what she would look like once she would be a demon. Aside from beautiful, of course.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second, then looked right into his eyes and nodded decisively.

"I'm ready."

Shanks smiled widely, then called upon both his inner demonic power and the magic of the Demon Realm to activate the pentacle.

The runes and lines instantly flashed with a mix of gold and crimson, and as Shanks started the required incantation, he felt the air turn heavy with power and the might of the ritual happening.

-o-oOo-o-

Mihawk pov

Mihawk could only stare in silent amazement as his best friend conducted the ritual turning his student and friend into one of them, ensuring that she would stay in the Demon Realm for the rest of her extended life. Unsurprisingly, everything was unfolding perfectly and Y/N soon started to float above the ground as gold and crimson lightnings surrounded her.

Her eyes were close and her arms resting loose at her sides, but there was no trace of pain on her face. Between the natural magic of the Realm thrumming more potently than usual because of the winter solstice and Shanks' absurdly strong demonic power, it was no wonder the change was going smoothly.

"I'm still betting on red," Hongo mumbled beside him, and Mihawk barely repressed a huff.

The three of them had a bet going on about what her colour would be once she was transformed. Hawkeyes was confident in his own assumption that like most demons, her demonic features would be black. Hongo was under the absurd certainty that she would be sporting red attributes, the second most common colour in the Demon Realm – there was a reason humans always depicted demons with either black or red features, after all.

"You're a fool," Rayleigh grinned as the ritual progressed.

While Mihawk agreed with that statement, he disagreed on the reason behind it. The Dark King had bet the young woman's colour would be the same as his own and prove to be silver, a shade rare enough among demons that the swordsman could count on a single hand the amount of times he had seen it.

"We will have an answer soon enough," Mihawk stated in a neutral voice.

And indeed, it seemed the part of the ritual consisting on strengthening her body was almost over, which meant she would soon be granted the various demonic features befitting the power she possessed.

-o-oOo-o-

Rayleigh pov

The old demon observed attentively as Shanks kept performing the ritual flawlessly – not that Rayleigh had needed to push him much to make him study that specific subject during the past week – and his daughter kept floating in the center of the pentacle. Though there was more magic surrounding her body now, and it was clear her features would appear any moment.

While it was not unheard of for demons to develop more features over the years if they grew more powerful, most still tended to be born or turned with what they would possess for the rest of their life. Rayleigh knew his brat's crew had discreetly set up a betting pool about how many demonic features she would get, and he had his own idea on the matter.

As far as he was concerned, this girl had been born in the wrong world and would either be granted all four demonic features as soon as she was turned, or gain the one she would lack within a decade at most.

Rayleigh would forever deny his breath had caught in his throat for a second when a pair of gold – for now – horns appeared on Y/N's head, quickly followed by claws on her fingers. Then a tail formed behind her, with the characteristic spike at the end.

And then the gold magic of the Demon Realm assembled on her back to start forming a pair of bat-like wings, and Rayleigh grinned widely.

"Knew it," he whispered.

The sight of his daughter bathed in the crimson light of Shanks' power and the gold magic of the Realm was going to be carved into his mind for the rest of his life.

Shanks finished his incantation and the world stilled for a moment, then the light turned a bright shade of silvery white in a flash that forced everyone to close their eyes.

When the Dark King opened them again and Y/N was back on the ground in the center of the no longer activated pentacle, Rayleigh grinned smugly at her new appearance.

"You two owe me a day of dusting in the library," the old demon reminded them, and walked forward to congratulate his daughter.

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You opened your eyes, and briefly were a bit disorientated by the difference you  could feel in your body. You could instinctively tell it was stronger and sturdier than it used to be.

Though the newest additions on your upper and lower back were not helping your balance, and you could feel both your hands and head had undergone a few changes as well. Before you could attempt to move anything, though, Shanks joined you and put his hands around your waist to hug you tightly.

"You look stunning, babe," he told you with adoration in his voice and love in his eyes.

"Thank you," you replied, and felt one of your newest additions reach for your intended's right leg without doing it consciously, which made him grin.

The next second, Shanks' own demonic features had appeared, and his tail grabbed yours to entwined them together. You looked down at the surprisingly sweet and intimate-feeling gesture, only to realise your tail was a bright silver and contrasted sharply with Shanks' deep black colour.

"Oh," you murmured, then tried to focus on the wings you could feel on your back to bring them in your eyesight, only to have the confirmation they were of the same colour. "It seems like we're not matching in the end, sorry," you chuckled.

"Are you kidding, we complement each other ! It's even better than matching," your demon grinned brightly. "And you're beautiful. I knew you'd have them all, darling."

You smiled at his compliment, and brought a hand between you so you could look at the claws replacing your nails. You were curious about your horns aswell, but you would need a mirror in order to see those.

"Congratulations, Y/N," Rayleigh told you proudly as he came closer.

Mihawk and Hongo offered you their congratulations as well, though they looked a little disgruntled for some reason. You suspected some sort of bet, since your old teacher looked particularly smug, and you opted to not dig further about it.

"How do you feel ?" Hongo asked you with a clipboard he had pulled from somewhere. "Any dizziness or pain ?"

"No," you replied honestly after a brief assessment of your body. "I feel… good. Different, but good. And not as cold as before, I think," you added with an afterthought.

"Demon bodies are more resistant to the heat and cold so that's normal," Hongo confirmed. "You'll get used to the change. Now let's just do a quick check-up of your new features and then we'll be good to go back."

In a matter of minutes, Hongo confirmed everything was fine, and told you to wait until the next week to start learning how to make your demonic features appear and disappear.

"You need to get used to them first, and since you weren't born with them, it's important that your mind fully acknowledges them as a part of your body. So for the next few months, I want you to spend most of your time with them on, understood ?"

"Understood," you confirmed, and your wings made a little flap as you nodded.

You heard Shanks make a sound that was awfully close to a coo, and you rolled your eyes good-heartedly.

"We're totally going to go fly together soon," your intended informed you with a borderline swooning expression.

"That sounds great," you smiled and took his hand while trying to be mindful of your claws, but then a yawn escaped you and you realised you were feeling pretty tired.

"We should head back to the castle," Mihawk suggested. "The ritual took a lot out of you and you need to rest."

You nodded briefly, and felt grateful the four demons opted for another pentacle rather than going back through the skies.

You did not stay long in the common room, only the time to receive congratulations from all the demons of Shanks' crew, along with various compliments on your features, their colour, and how many you had, before the Emperor whisked you away to his room.

"Shanks, are you sure it's a good idea to sleep in the same bed ?" you asked him with concern. "I don't want to hurt you during the night."

"Don't worry, you won't," Shanks assured you.

"How do you know that ?"

"I just do. And you're not spending your first night as a demon without me," he informed you with a kiss on your cheek.

You sighed heavily, but smiled and decided to trust your intended anyway. You had quickly gotten used to sleeping with him, and you were not very keen on going back to being alone in bed. And if your hopes for the future of your relationship proved to be right, you would never sleep alone again.

-o-oOo-o-

Whitebeard pov

The oldest Demon Emperor of the Demon Realm looked around him with an amused gaze as all his sons were trying to pretend they were not getting ready for another Emperor's visit and a possible fight. Newgate himself was not particularly worried, Roger's brat had always been an easy-going lad, after all. He was certainly less of a headache than Linlin or Kaido when it came to meetings.

But he had still risen to power extremely fast, and the fact that he had secured his place at the top so young and without the help of a Devil Fruit meant Whitebeard would never make the mistake of underestimating him.

Even less so after he had heard about the two fights Shanks had had against Kaido a few years years ago, though he had not been surprised to learn the young red-head had won both.

But the old Emperor had been intrigued by the rumours about the reason behind their fights. A major summoning on Halloween's night was something he could understand, but he was baffled at the idea that the two Emperors might have fought over a human.

And since then, even more rumours had starting to circulate, about Shanks courting that human, said human awakening an Eternal Weapon, and so on. Whitebeard had discarded those absurd stories with a good-hearted laugh, knowing how easily gossip tended to exaggerate the slightest anecdote out of proportions.

But when word had started to circulate that Shanks had turned the human into a demon and made her his queen, Newgate had decided it was time to extend an invitation and get the real story. He could somewhat picture two Emperors fighting over a human of all things, but he drew the line at Shanks getting married.

"Calm down, my sons, this is merely a courtesy visit," Whitebeard grinned.

"Shanks is still dangerous Pops-yoi," his first son replied seriously.

"Bah !" the old demon discarded the argument. "He's a good lad, and only coming to talk."

Marco badly hid his sigh, which only made Whitebeard grin wider. His first son was a worrywart at heart and very much worthy of his mother hen nickname. For a brief moment, the Emperor was reminded of the humans he had helped several years ago, since the adoptive father had clearly been a worrywart as well.

He should try to see if there was a way to get news about them from the Human World one of these days. Perhaps he could answer the next lesser summoning himself instead of letting his sons do it, to see if he could gather some information about those two.

"They're coming !" Ace exclaimed suddenly with little flames coming out of his body, since he was still learning to control his Devil Fruit.

Whitebeard turned his gaze to the East, and noticed two little silhouettes flying toward them. Since the warmth of the summer permitted it, they had decided to hold the meeting outside of the castle, which also allowed for fresh air and less damages if they ended up exchanging a few good-hearted blows.

"Wait, why is the Dark King coming with him ?" Thatch asked as he squinted.

The old Emperor frowned instantly, since as far as he knew, there was no reason for Rayleigh to join Shanks in a simple courtesy visit. But as the two silhouettes came closer and he could distinguish silver wings, Newgate had to admit he could not think of another explanation. That many demonic features of this specific colours was simply too rare a combination to belong to anyone else.

"Wait, that's not the Dark King," Izou said incredulously as he looked through a scope. "That's… that's a woman ?"

Whitebeard blinked.

In the next few moments, though, the two silhouettes had landed in the middle of the terrace, and the old Emperor had to do a double take.

Shanks looked pretty much the same, but there was a very distinctive change in his aura, something that only belonged to bonded demons, and he was grinning like a sappy fool. The woman by his side was emanating a similar bonded aura with a more serene expression, while looking beautiful and dangerous in equal measure.

Whitebeard was confident he had never seen that woman before, but the grace and poise she was displaying was something he had seen more times than he could count in humans born and raised in royalty.

They both made their way toward him, and Edward Newgate realised in suprise that the two of them were indeed a bonded pair. As utterly absurd as the rumour stating Shanks had taken a queen had sounded, it seemed to actually be founded.

"How're you doing, Newgate ?" Shanks greeted him. "Still getting older ?"

To the old demon's surprise, the woman sighed and turned a look heavy with reproach to the red-head.

"How did you remain an Emperor for so long with that kind of manners ?"

"Power and charms, darling," the brat retorted playfully and kissed her on the cheek.

She shook her head with a smile, then turned to Whitebeard and made a quick but graceful curtsy that somehow managed to look elegant despite the fact that she was wearing pants instead of a dress.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, your Majesty. I am Y/N, Demon Queen of the East," she introduced herself.

Several incredulous exclamations echoed all around as Whitebeard's sons clearly had a hard time believing what they had just heard, but the old Emperor laughed happily.

"Gurarararara ! Looks like a lot happened since the last time we met, brat ! And don't bother with formalities, young lady, you can just call me Newgate or Whitebeard like everyone else. Now tell me, are you really the human this one and Kaido fought over ?" he asked her curiously.

"I am," she confirmed with a nod and an amused smile, "but it's a rather long story."

"At my age, there's not much I enjoy more than stories," Whitebeard grinned, then turned to his children. "Oi, sons, get them a seat and something to drink !"

"Now we're talking," Shanks laughed and grabbed the offered bottle he was handed. "See darling ? That's what good manners are like in the Demon Realm."

"You're impossible," Y/N sighed with a smile. "Oh, before I forget," she said with a snap of her fingers as she turned back toward Newgate. "Do you remember a blond man you made a deal with a few years ago ?"

The old Emperor felt his eyebrows go high on his face at her words. He was quite surprised that she would mention something he had been thinking about mere moments before she arrived.

"I do. How do you know about him ?"

"Well, it will be part of the story, but I can assure you he is safe and living with my relatives in the kingdom of Dressrosa. His little boy survived and is determined to become the greatest doctor of the Human World," she said with a warm smile.

Edward Newgate felt his own smile soften and his mind find peace at the knowledge that the loving human father and his son were safe. He sat more comfortably in his chair while he grabbed a drink, and prepared himself to hear a good love story. If that woman was half as interesting as she appeared to be, he had a feeling the rumours might not have been exaggerated in the end.

Notes:

I hope I'll see you for the epilogue tomorrow <3

Chapter 23: Epilogue

Perona pov

Perona glared at the monster who was finishing ridiculous drawings on the ground around her.

"You are ugly and pathetic, let me go now !" she demanded as haughtily as she could while being tied up at the wrists and ankles.

The man with weird animal parts sewn on him only huffed and kept making weird symbols on the stone with charcoal, and while she would never admit it out loud, Perona was getting more terrified by the minute. She may not know who that man was and what he wanted exactly, but she knew the only reason someone could have to draw a pentacle was to summon a demon.

Like everyone else on the continent, the young duchess had heard the story of the last queen of Delka, who had made a deal with a Demon Emperor to save her people and family from a mad tyrant almost fifty years ago. The queen had been taken to the Demon Realm as soon as the usurper had been punished and her family saved.

No one knew what had happened to her after she disappeared, but every year since that day, there was a ceremony to honour her sacrifice on Halloween night in the united kingdoms of Delka and Dressrosa.

Perona did not want to suffer whatever horrible fate the legendary woman had succombed to at the hands of a ruthless demon.

"And done !" the man exclaimed. "Finally, after years of preparations, I am ready for her."

"Who are you talking about, you disgusting pervert ?"

"Silence ! You are an offering and nothing more !"

"I'm not going to shut up !" Perona protested. "You cannot order me to stay silent, I am a duchess, you are not even worthy to clean my shoes, or evempphh-"

"Much better," the gross piece of trash huffed after gagging her with a cloth Perona was not even sure was clean, which disgusted her enough to make her want to vomit.

The man started to read an incantation from a book and the drawings around Perona suddenly flashed with golden light, though it was flickering uncertainly. The young duchess started to panic as it progressively got stronger, until it suddenly went from gold to silver and grew in intensity. When the words stopped, there was a bright flash of light and energy that made Perona close her eyes and fall against the ground.

When she blinked her eyes open, she would have gasped at the creature who had appeared in the pentacle if not for the gag in her mouth.

It was a beautiful female demon with silver bat wings, tail, horns, and claws, wearing black pants and a white shirt under a black waist corset with a silver griffin embroided on it, and while she was thrumming with power and danger, Perona felt in awe of her elegance. Whoever that demon was, she held herself with the poise and grace all noble young women were told to aim for.

"Oh, great and sublime Demon Queen of the East," the man called to her as he was clearly drooling over her, "I, Absalom, offer you duchess Perona, a young noble virgin to give to the Demon Emperor of the East in your stead, in exchange for a night of mindblowing sex with me !"

Perona screamed around the clothe and instantly coughed around it, panic taking ahold of her at the idea that she would be used as a bargaining tool in an exchange of sexual favours. But the Demon Queen's expression went from politely curious to closed up in a second.

"I refuse," she stated plainly, with a touch of disdain in her voice that Perona felt jealous of. She had never managed to reach that level of subtle haughtiness.

"Wha- what ?" the man stuttered, looking flabbergasted. "But you can't ! You have to make a deal with me ! And- and I gave you an offering of great value ! The other demon I summon always says human offerings are the best and I picked this one especially for you !"

The Demon Queen's eyes widened briefly with fury, almost too quickly to be caught with the silver light of the magical barrier.

"Then that demon lied to you."

"Impossible !" the perverted piece of trash exclaimed. "Moria always accepts all the humans I give him as offerings ! He even stays here to use them and only brings the results of his experiments back to the Demon Realm, and- and he said he had to do that because only an Emperor or their consort are powerful enough to bring a full human alive back with them !"

"Moria, mmh ?" the demon whispered, anger clear in her voice before she erased it and talked again with perfect neutrality. "And what did he give you in exchange for these… offerings ?"

"He enhanced my body ! Look how magnificent I am now !" the man said and got rid of his shirt, which made Perona's nausea come back again with a vengeance.

The man looked like a mishmash of various animals mixed in a human body, and it was repulsive. The Demon Queen remained impassive, but the fury in her eyes seemed to ramp up a notch, and she took a discreet but deep breath.

"So you see, I am worthy of you !" the disgusting man exclaimed proudly. "And the Emperor won't miss you for a night since he will have a toy to warm his bed in your absence !"

The air inside the pentacle was suddenly saturated with power, and Perona felt close to passing out under the sheer rage she could feel emanating from the demon for a few seconds, before she calmed down and turned to her.

The female demon kneeled to get at her level, and Perona was astonished to see gentleness in her gaze after the pure fury from half a second ago.

"I'm not going to hurt you," the Demon Queen told her softly. "But I'm going to free you from those bindings."

A clawed hand came near her face and Perona closed her eyes, only to hear the sound of fabric being ripped, and when she cautiously opened her eyes again, the demon was smiling at her and taking the gag out of her mouth. The young duchess breathed deeply just as the ropes tying up her wrists and ankles were cut as well.

"Don't hurt me !" Perona shrieked as soon as he had enough air to do so, and tried to convince herself her voice was not shaking.

"I'm not going to," the Demon Queen repeated with an amused smile. "And rest assured that the Emperor will not touch you either. My husband and I are bonded on top of being married, and faifthul to each other."

"What !?" the monster yelled from the other side of the pentacle. "But that's impossible ! Demons are creatures of sin ! And- and you're a Demon Queen, so you're all about lust and you seduced the Emperor with your prowess in bed !"

"Absalom, was it ?" the female demon asked as she carefully took Perona's hands and helped her to her feet.

"Yes, my sublime creature of-"

"Shut up before I kill you."

The ice in her voice as she glared at him sent a chill in the entire room, and Perona started shaking despite the confidence she was trying to maintain.

"Y- you can't kill me ! You have to make a contract with me !" the pervert countered.

"I have to make a contract, it doesn't have to be with you," the Demon Queen corrected, and turned to Perona with a meaningful look.

Perona blinked, then gasped as she understood what the powerful female demon was implying.

"Demon Queen of the East, make a contract with me !" she exclaimed.

"NO !" the man screamed from the other side of the silver barrier. "YOU CAN'T DO THAT !"

"Of course she can," the demon smiled haughtily. "How do you think I survived my first encounter with the Demon Emperor of the East when I was still human ?"

Perona's mind reeled and she took a step back, her eyes wide as she studied the face of the Demon Queen more closely. She tried to picture her without the horns and wings and in a dress instead of her – so damn elegant for pants, damn it, why had Perona never gotten cute clothes like that ! – current outfit, and she suddenly realised she knew who that woman was, even if she had only ever seen portraits of her.

It was the last queen of Delka, the one who had sacrificed herself to a Demon Emperor in order to save two kingdoms and her family.

"You… you are Queen Y/N ?" Perona asked, feeling completely stunned.

"Indeed I am," the female demon replied with an amused smile.

"But- but you are dead !" she protested.

"As you can see, I am very much not."

"But the Demon Emperor took you !" the young duchess insisted.

"It's a long story," the Demon Queen dismissed lightly. "But the fact remains that at the moment, I need to make a contract with a human and the idea of touching that disgusting pervert makes me want to vomit. Since you have stated your intention to make a contract with me, I'm all ears. What do you want and what can you offer me in exchange ?"

"I want to be safe," Perona instantly demanded. "And far away from here. My dukedom is awful. I want to be somewhere safe where I won't be forced to marry someone !"

To her surprised, the Demon Queen smiled at her words, and even chuckled fondly.

"Well, doesn't that bring back memories. And what can you offer me in return ?" she asked.

Perona barely needed to think about it before she glanced at her abductor and decided her idea was at the very least worth suggesting.

"Can I offer you his life ?"

"NO !!" the man with a lion's jaw all but roared.

"You absolutely can," the female demon smirked.

"Then… that's it ?" Perona asked and scrunched her nose.

"This man's life, in exchange for bringing you to a place far away from here where you will be safe and not forced to marry," the Demon Queen repeated, then extended her hand. "If you accept those terms, we will seal the contract with a handshake."

Perona did not hesitate, and placed her hand in the demon's extended clawed one to shake it. As soon as they did, silver ribbons of magic flashed around them and took weird shapes until it came into both of them, and Perona gasped as she felt the weight of the magic settle in her chest.

She came back from the rush of power just in time to see her kidnapper rush inside the pentacle with a furious roar, and she screamed in fear.

Before the disgusting pervert could even take a step in the inner circle of the no-longer-glowing pentacle, however, the Demon Queen did something and he was sent crashing into the wall with a burst of wind that made Perona's pink curls fly behind her.

"You may want to close your eyes," Y/N warned her, and Perona hid behind the queen.

She heard the sharp sound of metal, then a scream, and then nothing, but she still stubbornly refused to watch what the demon had done.

"He's dead," Y/N's voice confirmed as she came back and took hold of her hands. "Now keep your eyes closed and give me a few seconds to focus, I need to reach for my bonded's power to be sure I'll have enough to bring you back with me."

"Wha-" Perona started asking as she opened her eyes, and instantly closed them again as a mix of silver and red lightnings started flashing around them and erased the drawings and symbols on the ground to create others instead.

Then there was the sound of thunder, and Perona suddenly felt like she was outside instead of inside some disgusting pervert's basement.

"You can open your eyes," the Demon Queen stated, and Perona cautiously did so, only to open them wide when she saw the sight in front of her.

The castle was dark and imposing, its architecture purely gothic and looking straight out of a horror story. It was almost gloomy under the dark clouds turning above it, and surrounded by woods so dark it seemed only monsters and ghosts would live in there.

Perona instantly fell in love with it.

"It's… it's so cuuuuuuuute !" she squealed happily, and turned toward the demon who had brought her here to take her hands in hers and smiled brightly. "Where are we ? This castle is perfect !"

"We are in the Demon Realm, and this castle is the residence of a dear friend of mine, who also happens to be a real gentleman," Y/N said with an amused smile and a glint in her eyes that Perona was not sure to understand the meaning of. "As a matter of facts, he was one of my teachers, and I would trust him with my life."

"A most flattering portrait, Y/N," a low voice stated blankly, though Perona thought she heard a hint of amusement in it.

She turned her head and her breath caught in her throat.

The dark-haired demon with golden eyes who was walking toward them was the most handsome man Perona had ever seen in her entire life. His pale complexion and impassive expression made her think of the vampires she had swooned over in countless novels.

"You know I never resort to flattery," the Demon Queen replied with a smile, and then to Perona's shock, went to give a brief but clearly heartfelt hug to the demon before stepping aside for a more formal introduction. "Perona, this is Dracule Mihawk, also known as Hawkeyes, the Greatest Swordsman of the Demon Realm. Mihawk, this is duchess Perona."

"A pleasure, milady," the demon said politely and took her hand to kiss it.

Perona did not blush, thank you very much. She was way above that.

"You're not too bad, I guess," she replied with a humpf instead.

As she averted her eyes, she missed the spark igniting in the demon's eyes and the amused grin of the queen.

"May I know why you brought this young lady to Kuraigana ?" the man, Mihawk, asked to the Demon Queen.

"Her circumstances were not unlike mine," Y/N replied in a neutral voice, as if it was enough an explanation for her friend to understand, and apparently, it was.

"I see. I assume you wish me to house her ?"

"If you're amenable t-"

A flash of crimson magic created a pentacle nearby and Perona shrieked in fear before hiding behind the Demon Queen, but neither she nor the handsome vampire-like demon seemed worried when another male demon with red hair appeared beside them.

"Y/N !" he shouted and ran to the queen to hug her in relief, which made Perona step away instantly. "You're alright," he said and put both hands on her face. "I thought something had gone wrong when you called for my power, what happened ? Are you injured ? Do I need to go there myself and kill someone ? I can- mmmh !"

Perona blushed when she watched the queen interrupt the red-haired demon with a kiss. It quickly turned into something completely inappropriate for a public display of affection, and that Perona had never dreamed of doing with a handsome, composed, charming man with maybe golden eyes and hair darker than night. Never. Not once.

The couple only stopped after a long moment, and they were both smiling to each other.

"I'm fine, my love. I merely wanted to be sure I would be able to bring Perona here with me without a hitch."

"Bring who ?" the red-haired demon who was apparently Y/N's husband, or bonded, or however it was called here, asked, then seemed to realise they were not alone and grinned. "Oh, hi there. And hey Mimi ! How's it going ?"

Perona put her hands on her hips and huffed.

"You're not cute at all ! And you're very disrespectful ! I don't know how you convinced Queen Y/N to marry you but you're definitely not worthy of her !" she exclaimed haughtily.

All three demons were momentarily stunned at her outburst, then to her surprise, Mihawk looked at her with what seemed to be approval.

"Miss Perona, you are welcome to stay in my home for as long as you wish. Y/N, you have my word that she will be treated well."

"Mimi !" the red-head protested with what look like an offended pout.

"Anyone who can describe you so aptly only a few seconds after meeting you is someone whose presence I can at the very least tolerate," the dark-haired demon stated in a neutral voice.

"Well you're cuter than him," Perona mumbled with a pout. "And your castle looks amazing. And since Queen Y/N says you're fine, I guess I'm fine staying here."

"Do you formally acknowledge that I held my end of the deal, then ?" the Demon Queen asked her.

Perona thought hard about it for a moment. The Demon Realm was far away from her dukedom, this castle looked incredible, her host seemed to be straight out of her wildest fantasies respectful, and she was clearly not going to be pressured into marrying anyone as long as she stayed there.

"It's satisfying," she nodded decisively. "You held your end of the deal."

The moment she said those words, a bright silver light burst from her and Y/N, only to rush in the space between them and turn gold before exploding.

The queen took a few seconds to put a hand on her chest, and her husband kept her close against him, but he clearly looked relieved that she was no longer bound by a contract.

"So what happened ?" he asked Y/N, whose demon features disappeared in a blink.

"A pervert wanted to offer her to me, so she could take my place in our bed while I stayed with him for the night," the queen replied.

"WHAT !?" the red-head demon roared, and crimson lightnings broke the air around him, saturating the atmosphere with so much power that Perona screamed and hid behind Mihawk with her hands on his – clearly muscled and strong – arm, and he let her do it without protesting.

"He's dead, I used the same trick that I did with you when we first met," the queen soothed her husband and the demon immediately calmed down. "Perona asked for a place safe, far away, and where she would not be forced to marry. I had an inkling Mihawk's castle would be a great fit."

"A pertinent assumption," Mihawk stated in a neutral voice, and turned toward Perona. "Do not worry, milady. Shanks is an overly emotional fool, but he is entirely devoted to Y/N and would never hurt one of her friends."

"Hey ! I mean, you're not wrong, my lovely queen is amazing," the red-head grumbled, "but I'm not that bad !"

"Of course not, my love," Y/N replied with a light chuckle and a kiss on his cheek. "But you tend to forget that a Demon Emperor getting angry can be pretty intimidating."

"Oh, right. Sorry miss," the Demon Emperor grinned brightly. "Don't mind me, I was just furious about the piece of shit who insulted my wonderful wife."

"Talking about him," Y/N replied before Perona could decide how to answer that, "It turned out the man had already made deals with another demon, who apparently accepted and even recommended human offerings. I managed to get his name, would you like to come with me to inform him of what the punishment is for this practice ?"

"A little punishing expedition just the two of us ?" the red-head smirked and looked at his wife with what Perona was pretty sure was lust. "You know I'll never say no to that, darling."

Y/N winked at him, then took his hand and gave a last glance in Perona and Mihawk's direction.

"Take the time to settle in, Perona. If you have any question, I'll be happy to come by for tea or reply to your letters. And thank you for doing this, Mihawk."

"You are welcome," the black-haired demon replied politely.

In the next moment, the royal couple had disappeared in another pentacle to go do whatever demons did as punishment and that Perona was sure she was not ready to know about.

"Their love for each other can be rather intense," Mihawk stated as he turned to her with what seemed to be his by default impassive expression, and he extended his hand to her. "Follow me inside, I will show you to your new bedchambers."

"I want a view of the forest !" Perona demanded instantly to hide how much the demon flustered her, especially when she put her hand in his and she could feel his slightly cold and rough-from-training skin. "And I need to change, this dress got all dirty !"

-o-oOo-o-

Reader pov

You cleaned Fujin on the coat of the now deceased Gecko Moria, former mad scientist of the Demon Realm, who had made the mistake of believing that living at the frontier of two Empires would be enough to protect him from repercussions if his experiments were found out.

As things were, all you had needed to do was sending a quick message to Charlotte Linlin, in which you had politely informed her that Shanks and you would come close to her territory to deal with someone who thought accepting human offerings and use them as guinea pigs for experiments was acceptable. The Demon Emperor of the South had replied just as quickly to assure you she had no problem whatsoever with it, and even wished you a nice date with your husband.

You had been understandably smug about it, and reminded Shanks that actual diplomatic skills gave great results. In less than fifty years, you had built very satisfying and borderline friendly relationships with two out of the three other Emperors. Whitebeard was inviting you about twice a year for a party or another, and Big Mom – while making you more uncomfortable with her sometimes vicious personality – was inviting you at least every other year for one of her tea parties.

Kaido was the only one you still adamantly refused to even talk to, a decision Shanks wholeheartedly supported and the other two Emperors thought was perfectly deserved.

"He was even more of a mad freak than I thought," your Emperor stated in a dark voice as he sheathed Gryphon as well.

"At least he won't hurt anyone else," you sighed. "I'm glad Perona could be spared."

"By the way, why didn't you bring her home ? You know she'd be safe there too, right ?" Shanks asked you curiously.

"I thought she would feel happier and safer with Mihawk," you replied innocently.

But the demon you were bonded to knew you a bit too well, and raised an eyebrow dubiously, until a wide smirk stretched his lips.

"You're playing matchmaker ?"

You grinned as you came closer to Shanks, and put your hands around him as you kissed in the middle of the destroyed laboratory for a moment, until you let go of his lips to look softly at the love of your life.

"He helped us getting together, after all. I'm merely returning the favour."

"That's never going to work with Mimi, darling" Shanks laughed.

"We'll see about that," you replied with a knowing smile.

After all, you knew first-hand how easy it was for a human woman raised in nobility to fall for a powerful demon welcoming you into his home. And the sparkles in both Perona and Mihawk's eyes when they had first laid eyes on each other did not lie.

Love was just another kind of magic, after all.

-o-oOo-o-

THE END

-o-oOo-o-

Notes:

And here's to another ShanksXReader story finished ! :D
Take care and maybe we'll meet again for another adventure ! <3