Deep within the highest tower of Nine Snakes City — the forbidden inner sanctum of the Tenshu Pavilion.
This was the most restricted area on all of Amazon Lily.
No one, not even Hancock’s royal sisters, could enter without permission.
A faint orchid fragrance filled the air.
Thick, heavy curtains covered the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing only dim slivers of light to filter through.
Water splashed gently.
Inside the enormous white jade bath — large enough for twenty people — strange white mist rose continuously.
The mist wasn’t from hot water, but from the violent evaporation caused by ice-cold spring water meeting an extremely high-temperature object.
“Sizzle… sizzle…”
A massive black serpent coiled at the bottom of the pool.
Its originally ink-black scales now glowed with an eerie dark red, like volcanic rock on the verge of eruption.
The pool water had turned reddish — the result of medicinal herbs being scalded by extreme heat.
“So hot… Night, your body is so hot…”
Boa Hancock had already discarded her regal qipao.
She wore only a thin, white silk slip that clung transparently to her flawless curves after being soaked.
She immersed herself fully in the freezing medicinal water, ignoring the bone-chilling cold.
Her snow-white arms were wrapped tightly around Zane’s thick neck, her breathtakingly beautiful face pressed firmly against his scorching scales.
Even as a powerful Haki user, the direct contact with such intense heat left her delicate skin flushed bright red.
Yet she refused to let go.
Zane, trapped in a half-conscious state, felt as if he had fallen into a hell of ice and fire.
Inside, raging flames burned through his organs.
Outside, a soothing cool source constantly calmed his frantic nerves.
“Hiss… (I’m burning alive…)”
Zane groaned weakly.
His body instinctively sought more of that cooling relief.
His massive snake head rubbed unconsciously, rough scales scraping against Hancock’s tender, sensitive skin and sending shivers through her.
“Mmm…” Hancock let out a suppressed, husky moan.
Her usually proud and untouchable face was now flushed crimson, almost bleeding with heat.
Her eyes shimmered with distress and an indescribable burning desire as she gazed at the suffering python in her arms.
“Endure it, Night…” she whispered softly, burying her face into the crook of his neck, voice trembling.
“The doctor said this is energy overload.
We must use the ancient ice spring water to suppress it.”
She clung even tighter.
“If you die… I won’t live alone either.”
At that moment, Zane’s consciousness finally clawed its way halfway out of the haze.
Wait.
This sensation was wrong.
Soft?
Fragrant?
And that voice… Hancock?
Zane forced his heavy eyelids open.
What greeted him was a blood-pumping sight of snow-white, flawless skin and seductive curves.
Through the swirling mist, the woman known as the “Most Beautiful Woman in the World” was wrapped around him like an octopus.
Her soaked silk slip had become almost completely see-through, clinging to her full breasts and hourglass figure…
“Holy shit…”
Zane instantly snapped awake.
Even the fire poison inside him seemed to retreat a few degrees in shock.
Am I dreaming?
Or did the system accidentally send me a wife as a reward?
[Ding!
Warning!
Host heart rate excessively high!
Blood flow accelerated!
Thermal energy conversion efficiency dropping!] [Suggestion: Calm your mind and focus on the final digestion phase of Gluttony!]
“Calm my mind?
You try it!” Zane cursed internally.
“Who the hell could stay calm right now?!
If I were human right now, this story would get banned!”
But he was currently a snake.
A snake fighting for his life.
The fire energy inside him didn’t dissipate with time.
Instead, the external cold stimulation drove it deeper into his marrow and genes.
The pain was excruciating, like his bones were being scraped clean.
“Hiss!!!”
Zane’s entire body tensed violently.
His massive tail thrashed wildly in the water, sending waves several meters high.
“Night!
What’s wrong?!” Hancock was startled but hugged him even tighter.
“Don’t be afraid… I’m here.
I’ll cool you down…”
She closed the already minimal distance completely, pressing her entire soft, voluptuous body against him, trying to share her own body heat to ease his scorching torment.
You crazy woman!
You’ll get burned!
Zane panicked inwardly.
Even though he was cold-blooded, his current surface temperature was several hundred degrees.
He wanted to push her away, but his body was locked in rigid spasm and wouldn’t obey.
[Ding!
Detected high-level Haki user sharing life force externally!] [Energy neutralization success rate increased to 99%!] [Initiating genetic recombination… Impurities being purged… New scales forming…]
With the system’s prompts, the burning sensation inside Zane changed.
It was no longer pure destruction — it became an itchy, renewing sensation.
Crack!
A crisp splitting sound echoed sharply in the quiet bath.
Hancock’s beautiful eyes widened.
She watched as the hardest scale on top of Zane’s head cracked open.
The fissure spread rapidly down his spine with a series of dense popping sounds.
“This is…” Hancock gasped.
As Empress of Amazon Lily, she knew exactly what this was.
Molting.
The most important moment in a snake’s life.
Every molt meant rebirth and a leap in strength.
But normal snakes took days or weeks, rubbing against rocks.
None did it like this — exploding directly.
“Roar—!”
Zane let out a deep, resonant roar.
It no longer sounded like a simple hiss — it carried a heavy metallic tone, faintly resembling the majestic cry of a dragon.
The old black skin peeled off like shattered armor, revealing the newborn body beneath.
No longer pure black.
The new scales shimmered with a deep, dark-gold luster.
Each scale’s edges were traced with fine purple-red patterns, as if magma flowed within.
His size hadn’t increased — instead, it had compressed from over fifteen meters down to seven or eight meters.
However, the muscle density and fluid lines had improved dramatically.
His originally triangular head became sharper and more defined.
Two small bulges had formed on either side of his crown, as if something wanted to break through.
[Ding!
Evolution Complete!] [Race Changed: From Variant Black Mamba → Hellfire Black Python (Juvenile Stage)!] [New Traits Acquired: High-grade Fire Venom Resistance, Thermal Energy Perception, Scale Hardness +300%!]
[New Talent Skill Unlocked: Mimicry · Partial Enhancement (Can harden or enlarge any body part at will, no longer restricted by full Gigantification cooldown)!]