Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or chapter 937.
Slight Spoilers about chapter 936: I was kind of happy of how Oda made Robin and Nami the first Strawhats that Hawkins met. Just because I had written in my story that the first Strawhats Hawkins met were Robin and Nami. Go back to my Chapter 28 towards the end.
It kind of makes me glad to see that what I had written actually come true later on albeit that's a stretch and a very small minor part.
I also want to take the time to say thank you to the reviews, favs, and follows I've received. Your support does mean a lot and I hope that you guys continue to enjoy the ride that I have planned out.
Onward to the story.
Two Year Training Part 3
Day 136
Chopper had gotten along with his Beast Point, naming him Crusher.
They would talk when Chopper used rumble balls. Chopper was also becoming conscious of the outside world when he was in Beast Point Form. He wasn't in control, but he knew what was going on.
Chopper was teaching Crusher how to speak properly. If later on, Chopper planned to teach him medicine if he was interested. But Crusher seemed slow.
From Chopper's of view, whenever Crusher was in control, he wanted to find someone to play with. Of course, with that size and strength, it was hard to find someone to play with. Crusher was also conscious to realize that a lot of times people wanted to hurt him.
It seemed that Crusher was a manifestation of his feelings of loneliness back in Drum Island. Crusher seemed to be fully conscious around Sabaody. Chopper tried to explain to him that he wasn't lonely anymore. They had each other now and the crew. However, Crusher remembered a fox masked man and an orange haired girl sending him to the ocean and seemed skeptical about the crew.
Chopper reflected what Yuuto mentioned whenever he practiced his martial arts. There needed to be peace in his being.
He now understood what Yuuto meant by his internal conflict.
Chopper sighed. He was hoping to see his crew soon so Crusher could meet the crew and become friends with them.
Talking to Crusher was literally talking to himself.
He hoped there was a way for all of the crew to also be able to talk to Crusher. Chopper could only talk to Crusher in his mind so there was no physical friends. Unless he went to Beast Point.
He wondered how the rest were doing.
He kept the remains of the watch Franky made for them. It had gotten broken when Chopper transformed to his Beast Point.
If only he could talk to them right now.
In the meantime, he'd settle for the inhabitants at Torino Kingdom. Maybe they could become friends with Crusher. [1]
Day 147
Nami had trained with Kilik for 3 months before they dropped him off. There was nothing more that he could teach her. He was also a wanderer. The next time they would meet, Kilik promised that they would duel to see how far she's grown.
Her master Kilik had shown her all of his techniques and passed down the Ling-Sheng Su scrolls down for her to review. He had shown her how to do some specific techniques; she just needed to execute them faster so it would become muscle memory. Kililk praised her that she had a good foundation.
However, Kilik admitted to Nami that his style of bojutsu wasn't suited to her natural ability. Kilik's brute force and agility in his techniques were nothing like Nami's natural flexibility and trickery.
Nami sighed hearing that but understood. However, Kilik also explained to her that she had a different staff better suited for her. She would have a different destructive potential than he could ever match. His style was better suited one on one while she was better suited to take down groups of enemies. Nami smiled realizing that her crew would worry about the one on one fights more often.
Still, Kilik advised that in order to protect herself in those situations where she has to fight one on one. She agreed with that wholeheartedly. She remembered she had to fight Miss Doublefinger and Kalifa by herself.
He warned her that he would come back one day before the two years to challenge her.
As she had finished her physical workout and was preparing to go to bed, she felt something was off. She examined herself in the mirror to see what it was and noticed her hair was a little longer now, reaching her shoulder. She debated whether she should cut it or wear a ponytail while she trained.
Personally, she liked seeing herself with longer hair. She could already imagine Sanji praising her beauty when they all came back.
She smiled realizing what was wrong,
It was too quiet. It was too quiet at Weatheria.
If she was at the Thousand Sunny right now, she would be going to sleep after working on her map of the world.
However, in the meantime, she could imagine hear Franky tinkering with some new invention that exploded as she tried. Maybe Brook would be playing music right now and hopefully not asking her for her panties. Zoro and Yuuto would be training. Robin would be silently reading in the library. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper would be playing around on the deck. Those three would be playing a game of tag that somehow got everyone in the crew involved except her and Robin.
Sanji would be yelling for her and Robin to join them whenever he was it. It was just an excuse so he could touch them.
She smiled. She missed yelling at the crew.
No, she corrected as she touched the watch she kept near her desk. She missed each and every single one of them.
Yuuto and Robin would be the only responsible ones who would try and calm her down.
As she was preparing to go back to sleep, she wondered if Luffy would notice how her hair looked when they reunited.
She sighed remembering that she should focus on her dream and helping his dream. That's why they were all training to accomplish their dreams. She wasn't some lovesick girl.
Day 150
Yuuto woke up in the middle of the night. Hancock had been in his dreams again. He had moved back to the castle the last two weeks at all three Boa's sisters' insistence. He only agreed because they said that he could train faster that way.
He sighed. This dream now happened at most twice a week causing him to wake up between 4 and 5 AM. He was lucky though. Whatever those scientists did, he could function normally with about three hours of sleep. Maybe he should only sleep 3 hours a day from now on instead of his normal 6 hours.
He got dressed and planned to work on his physical conditioning. Just because he was using a bow most of the time, he couldn't neglect the physical training in the marital arts. He also started learning Bajiquan from the scrolls he received from Hancock. He felt that he needed to learn a new fighting style especially with going into the New World. Most of the styles he knew were focused on grappling and breaking the opponents bones to immobilize them. Unfortunately, that styles required a lot of energy; he wasn't sure how many people he would have to fight.
He remembered that the Black Lion, the best fighter of all the Chasers of all time and the zombie he fought, liked to used Bajiquan. That fighting style would preserve energy to fight more opponents.
Still, he had a bigger problem. On one hand, he could use Armament Haki with the arrows about 42% of the time. However, he felt he wasn't growing stronger fast enough. He felt frustrated because he was a martial artist and he couldn't use Armament Haki on his arms or his body.
He groaned. Luffy could use Armament Haki at least 70% of the time last he checked and was close to using Observation Haki consistently. Why was he struggling so much with this?
His feelings for Hancock weren't exactly helping. If Hancock was helping him train, he would sometimes feel pressured.
Still, thinking about his earlier dreams, he couldn't help but smile. At least, now that he was awake, he looked forward to at least spending some real life time with her.
He shook his head focusing on his goal. The goal was to become stronger within the next year and a half. If he was lucky, maybe Hancock would genuinely forgive him as a Chaser. He had no time to fool around over a crush that was going to be unrequited. He wasn't dumb. As he left the room, he sensed around the castle.
The one who plagued his mind constantly was awake with her snake and left her room walking toward a balcony.
Still, Yuuto was going to train regardless. It was just a coincidence. He had a lot of work to be done. The entrance toward the balcony happened to be along the exit he normally used. He would walk past her and ignore her. Simple as that. He wouldn't even talk to her.
He was a man of self control and would not act like some teenager hung over some crush. He had principles and responsibilities to take care of that were more important than her.
As he walked along, he made sure he wouldn't look in. He even turned his head away from the door. He wouldn't be tempted to spy on her. He was a proper man who wouldn't take advantage of a woman.
However, he should have closed his ears. He heard a faint sound of tears as he had successfully walked past the door.
Two steps away from the stairs, he changed directions and walked into the balcony as if a magnet attracted him. He had forgotten his focus to train, completely worried about why she was crying.
When he saw Hancock, she was looking at the moon while wiping away some of her tears. She turned around as she sensed him. "You." She pointed as if she was caught guilty of doing something she shouldn't have done. Yuuto immediately put his hand up. "Don't tell anyone what you saw." Salome looked tired but stared at him threateningly.
He nodded but was unsure of what was the secret. "I won't." Maybe it wasn't his place to know. He looked up at the night sky and paused. "Why are you up in the middle of the night?" Seeing that she didn't respond. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
She sighed. "I had a bad dream." She didn't ask about him because everyone in the castle knew that Yuuto woke up early.
Yuuto froze a little, slightly understanding. It was similar to why he was awake but he had a good dream. He just decided to train after it. He chose his next actions carefully; he couldn't let her know about them. "Well, it's just a dream. Not like it could happen in real life." He offered logically to convince himself as well.
She shook her head thinking about what she dreamed. She was still hesitating. Yuuto had seen this and his body moved closer. Just as he was about to touch her, he froze realizing that would send the wrong message to her. She hadn't noticed and he backed away. He sighed wondering how and why he got himself in this situation. "Why don't you tell me about it?" He offered not knowing what to say.
She shook her head no, but her tears were about to fall. He calmly touched her shoulder to cause her to turn to him. She didn't make a comment about his touch. "Please." He wanted to know.
"I had nightmares about..." She gave him a look, decided not to say anymore, and turned away.
Yuuto let go and also turned away. He knew exactly what she was referring to with those eyes.
Mary Geoise. Slave.
He breathed out. That was quite a problem; if she or her sisters were found out, they would go back. He didn't have comfortable memories about Mary Geoise as well. He never experienced the hell that Hancock went through for four years, but he was fully aware of it.
"I'm sorry." He said to which Hancock looked surprised. He wasn't the one who caused her misfortune directly but maybe he brought up memories for Hancock. This was the first time he noticed that she had nightmares, but he knew that she always lived under that constant pressure.
He secretly looked at her when she wasn't looking. It was those moments she had a sense of weariness, as if she could never afford to let her guard down.
Until now.
He then bowed to make his apology. "I wish I didn't have to be a reminder of what you lived like."
"Yuuto." Hancock started and motioned for him to get up. He was still not used to her calling his name. "It's not your fault." She tried comforting him. "Besides you gave us fruit and water by sneaking it every morning. That was always nice." She paused and gave a small friendly smile to him. "I loved the apples you gave."
He had to control whatever he was thinking because she looked cute. "Still." He started. It didn't make up what how many people he enslaved.
"You know." Hancock started. "You must have been really brave if you were 9 to help us. I'm sure you knew the consequences." Yuuto looked surprised at her praise and her change in mood. Wasn't he trying to comfort her? How was he the one being comforted? That was also the first time he heard her compliment him directly.
He laughed bitterly. Being younger was easier. "I couldn't stand for what the World Nobles did. That's why I helped in whatever way I could by giving every slave food and water." He then turned away ashamed. "However, that all changed once I became a Chaser." It was his so called family honor to serve them.
"But you're not that person anymore."
Hearing that from her meant a lot to him. Even if she would never like him romantically.
"At least, you don't have the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon. You don't have to be controlled ever again." She started crying while he looked at her sympathetically. It was his job to hunt those marked to bring them back to the World Nobles. "I will always be a slave." A pause. She then turned away to look out the railing while Salome looked on fully aware of her insecurities. Hancock continued to open up. "I'm scared to let my guard down."
Yuuto looked surprised. Here she was letting her guard down before him.
It was strangely attractive to him.
"I'm afraid of the day that may come when people find out who I am. I'll be forced to leave my home and live again as a slave." She spilled one of her fears.
Immediately hearing that and without thinking, Yuuto immediately said. "I'll protect you if that ever happens." A Chaser protecting a slave from the World Nobles. How ironic.
Just as she looked at him when he said that, he blushed. That wasn't something she really wanted to hear he thought. He added quickly. "And Luffy." That would help her more. "Luffy will protect you as well."
Hearing about Luffy, she looked crestfallen at that. "But why would he do that? He doesn't love me. Who could love a slave like me?" She asked sorrowfully and wiped her tears that were falling out.
After those words, before he could refute that, Yuuto paused.
Realizing what he was about to say, the Strawhat's Bodyguard knew he had fallen in love with the Pirate Empress.
He broke an unspoken rule about being a Chaser, not that he took pride in being one.
It was why he looked forward to spending time with her. It was why he was happy whenever he woke up from his dreams. It was why he was almost constantly distracted by her. It was why he couldn't help but smile whenever he saw her act so cute and shy whenever she thought of Luffy. Why he dropped his training just to hear what was wrong with her.
Even though he thought she did deserve the title of being the World's Most Beautiful Woman, it wasn't just a physical attraction anymore. He had fallen in love with Hancock's personality even if she acted like a snob sometimes. Even with her secret despair that he just accidentally saw.
That was what she didn't want others to know about. Her vulnerability. Her self-doubt that he empathized with because he lived with it.
He fell in love with her tragic but pure history. They were both broken by their pasts involving the World Nobles.
He prepared himself realizing how hopelessly in love he was with her.
"You are beautiful you know that. Others would fall in love with you." He confessed to her and she looked at him in shock at that. She remembered he had called her ugly before. She wondered what changed his mind. He took a breath before continuing. "It's just that Luffy's not the type to look for physical appearance in a girl."
He mentally apologized to Nami before saying the next part.
"If you're that worried about Luffy not loving you, I'll help you become his dream girl."
At that moment, Hancock stopped in surprise. "Come again?" Did she hear wrong? She had asked him so many times and he always refused.
Yuuto smiled at her sorrowfully knowing he was hurting not only Nami but also himself.
He was giving himself up. Although he wanted to be the one to make Hancock happy, he knew that was impossible. She wouldn't ever love him as a Chaser and she would be happier with Luffy. He had seen her brilliant smiles whenever she thought of Luffy. He repeated what he said earlier. "I'll help you become Luffy's dream girl."
This was Yuuto's way of redemption to Hancock. Making a slave happy was the best way for him to properly forgive himself. The decision for him to help her win Luffy and ruin Nami's chances also showed how much he loved her.
He hoped that Nami wouldn't kill him for this if she found out.
Maybe he should give her a peace offering.
His face paled. He would have to give at least 1.5 billion berris to her. That was her "reasonable" amount. How many banks and ships was he going to have to steal from to get that money?
Don't forget something about her interest rate.
Hancock squealed happily, breaking his train of thought, which made him smile a little bit. It felt good to be the one who made her happy albeit temporarily. "Thank you Yuuto-sensei." She called him.
He didn't want her to call him that but accepted it. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I'll start training by myself. When you wake up, we can get started about Luffy."
Hancock was about to protest but then yawned. Salome also nodded as if that was a good idea. "I will." She then took another look at the sky remembering a Kuja tradition she heard when she was young. She stared at the moon to appreciate what the symbol of hope it brought to her culture. It had been a long time since she appreciated a full moon. "Wait. Let me look at the night sky more. The moon looks beautiful tonight."
It was a Kuja tradition to praise the full moon for its beauty for the next lunar cycle. Praising the moon for its beauty would bring in good luck.
"Good night" Yuuto called out before leaving the balcony.
He thought of two things as he left.
The moon was the second most beautiful thing he saw at the balcony.
Most importantly, he realized that Hancock was the same slave girl he had a crush on back when he was 9.
[2]
Day 157
"Luffy-kun! We're here!" Hancock shouted. "I brought your favorite meat!"
Yuuto sighed. Yuuto had warned Hancock not to be super obvious with her affection for Luffy. Make Luffy fall in love with who she was. Luffy wasn't a guy who liked being told what to do. He was like a kid who wanted to do the opposite of whatever you wanted him to do.
That had gone out the window when he saw her sit next to Luffy. Salome had also followed over.
Some things never change. He walked over to Rayleigh who looked curious. "There's something different about this." Rayleigh pointed out.
He sighed. "I can use Armament Haki about 54% of the time now with a bow." The past week, he improved on it.
Rayleigh nodded. "Has Hancock been helping with that?"
He paused with that unsure how to answer. "Yes." He left it at that. Ever since he realized his love for Hancock and started coaching her, he wondered if he was a masochist sometimes. It pained him a lot to do that.
Truth be told, he spent about 15% of his time teaching Hancock about Luffy. That was still a lot now that he was awake 21 hours a day.
As if on cue, Hancock was about to demonstrate what she learned from his class. "You know Luffy. I'm very adventurous and I care about my friends." She then batted her eyebrows at him. Yuuto shook his head; she was trying to flirt with him. "I'm also strong so I'm ready to face any dangers in our time together."
Yuuto smiled at what he had told her. Those were what he thought Luffy would look for in a woman.
Well there was one more thing too.
A loud burp echoed the forest.
No it wasn't a lack of manners.
"You know. This meat tastes better than last time. Did you make it Hammock?"
Yuuto sighed. Luffy needed to get her name right; that would be a sign that he considered her important. He told Hancock that was not a nickname for couples. Seeing her blush right now, he sighed knowing that she still thought it was a nickname.
Well, Hancock just had to lie to say she made it.
"No."
Yuuto raised his head in shock. That wasn't part of what they agreed with. "Yuuto-sensei did." Yuuto quickly gave a look at Hancock which she ignored.
Hancock couldn't lie to Luffy when he called her Hammock. She sighed dreamily.
Hancock remembered that Yuuto told her that Luffy's dream woman had to be able to cook lots and lots of meat.
Still to her, Luffy was the epitome of honesty. She couldn't lie to him.
She needed to be honest just as Luffy was honest.
Luffy gulped. "That makes sense. You know. I never called him Yuuto-sensei even though he tried teaching me Haki." He then gave a louder burp than before. "Rayleigh's a better teacher than you. You know that!"
Yuuto chuckled. Then again, Luffy was honest and blunt. Maybe Hancock was trying that too. She would win Luffy's heart fairly.
"What's he teaching you?" Luffy asked.
Hancock blushed and was about to answer. Yuuto quickly interrupted. "How to cook." They had stared at each other. He was mentally signaling to her it was kind of true. Hancock gave in to that.
Luffy then smiled. "That's great. I'm happy to know that you guys are getting along now."
"We're not dating Luffy!" Hancock quickly shouted while Yuuto turned away while shaking his head. He knew his face was little red hearing that denial.
As much as he would like that to happen, he had to remind himself of reality. He should teach Hancock more about man's culture while he's at it. She kept having these unnecessary mixed signals, and Luffy wasn't accusing them of anything. Yuuto kept quiet.
Day 162
Usopp had an idea. Maybe he could put one of the plants inside his new Kuro Kabuto.
He'd have a living trap inside his weapon. He smiled at the thought. He looked at the plants growing nearby.
"Heracles sensei?" He needed his expert opinion.
"Yes Usoppu." Heracles landed nearby.
"Which plant do you think would be best to live in my Kuro Kabuto? Easiest to control." Usopp wasn't being overly ambitious here. He didn't want to bite off more than he can chew.
"The Chomping grass. They just need water."
Usopp smiled. That would work best. He could use them to feed on nearby rocks to fire them.
"Any others?"
"Well I think you could also use that." Heracles pointed.
Usopp gulped. "I think I can use that." It was dangerous but could be used.
"Just make sure you separate the two." Usopp nodded. He would have to make another Kuro Kabuto.
Usopp couldn't wait to show his friends his new weapons.
Day 163
The last couple weeks, Mihawk had been dueling with Zoro, perfecting Zoro's sword techniques.
Zoro smiled when he saw Mihawk use an actual sword this time. It was a sign that he had gotten stronger from the time Mihawk used a dagger.
Still, he knew his place. Mihawk always beat him just right. Enough for him to stop training for the day but not too much that he couldn't train the next day.
"Zoro. We'll work on your Ittoryu for today." Mihawk drew out a sword.
Zoro nodded and only unsheathed his Wado Ichimonji.
They both stared at each other and planned the battle in their mind.
Simultaneously, they both slashed the air sending a projectile of compressed air at each other.
Yakkodori
Kokuto Issen
Mihawk's attack overpowered Zoro's attack but it gave enough time for Zoro to move out the way.
Mihawk anticipated the move and had aimed a faster but weaker Kokuto Issen where he was going.
Zoro took the cut while Mihawk rushed toward him. Zoro clashed his sword against him. Surprised by Mihawk's unusual aggressiveness.
Most of their duels Zoro was the one who was aggressive. Then again Mihawk seemed to be trying something new every time they fought.
"Focus Zoro." Zoro quickly had to dodge a downward stab from the air. He didn't notice Mihawk was in the air.
"Tch. You almost got me." Zoro panted out.
"If I didn't warn you."
They clashed again with Zoro parrying every slash.
After a some blocks, Mihawk pushed his sword forward against Zoro."Fix your right shoulder. That gives me an opening."
Mihawk then continued attacking to show where the opening was. Zoro stumbled. As he tried to get up, he felt Mihawk's sword by his neck. He felt the intent there. This was the closest that Mihawk threatened his life since they started training.
Mihawk sighed and lowered the sword. "Again."
Zoro could only smile, happy to go another round. They were to repeat this exercise until he got the correct posture or he actually got cut because of his carelessness.
Day 165
Hancock slammed the knife in frustration. Yuuto was slightly scared at her outburst and her handling the knife like that. That grip was best used to stab someone in the heart. He gulped. He was the only one close by that she might consider killing. He was sure he didn't piss her off. He couldn't remember the last time she was angry at him other than the fight they had in the beginning.
"I'll never be able to cook right for Luffy." She finally let out. She had messed up cutting beef and hadn't felt her cooking skills improved. She was trying a new recipe and thought she was making a mess.
Yuuto could only sigh noticing how her cute but frustrated pout.
Hancock was frustrated after tasting her own food. Yuuto noted that she wasn't a terrible cook. Her cutting skills had improved. The food presented looked nice; it just smelled bland not that he ever tasted it.
"You'll get it right." He comforted. He had watched the entire process not sure how she messed up. She followed his orders and put in the correct amount of seasoning. So why did the food smell like nothing?
"How do you know that?" She sounded like she was about to give up.
Yuuto had an answer prepared. "Are you Boa Hancock, the Pirate Empress?"
"Yes." She meekly answered.
"Really. I don't think the World's Most Beautiful Woman, the future wife of the future Pirate King, would sound like that." Yuuto was playing a little bit to her pride.
"Yes!" She nodded affirmatively while straightening up to show confidence.
"That's right. The Hancock I know wouldn't give up." He said as she blushed at that. "Anyways. You're not alone. I'll be by your side helping you. We'll keep practicing until you win Luffy."
At that moment, Hancock turned red a little and asked. "What do you mean?" She wanted clarification on what that meant. She misunderstood too many things and Yuuto had helped her through that.
Yuuto answered again. It was hard for him to repeat it again. "Helping you until you win Luffy's heart."
Hancock paused for a moment before understanding what he meant.
"Good. Let's try this recipe instead." He pointed to another recipe in the cookbook. "Beef noodle soup. Soups typically end up being easier to make."
Encouraged, she started over. Yuuto would stay and watch to offer some pointers as well. After an hour, she finished making beef noodle soup. She motioned him to try it.
When Yuuto took a spoon out to taste it, he smiled; this was the first time he would actually taste her cooking. It had slightly more flavor than what he smelled previously. "It's better than I expected."
Immediately hearing that, Hancock was ecstatic. She quickly hugged him for a second, freezing him. She then let go and tasted the soup herself.
Meanwhile, Yuuto replayed that hug in his mind. That hug was just a friendly hug he reminded himself. He had just explained that hugs can be friendly yesterday. She remembered that. Friends could hug each other. She was just really happy about what he said.
Yuuto was trying to recompose himself. It was hard when he could remember that her boobs were soft pressing onto his body and she still smelled like lilies. He sighed.
If Hancock used her power on him, he was sure he would turn to stone now.
Speaking of that, he needed to hide or block her from seeing his lower body in case she knew. He quickly sat on a chair and crossed his legs.
After a couple moments, she said something bringing him back to reality. "It's not that good." She looked disappointed as if he had lied to her.
He wouldn't lie to her. Yuuto, trying to forget how she felt in his embrace, mumbled quietly. "It's better than what you made earlier. You're improving." He gave a weak laugh and refused to look at her thinking about anything to distract himself. He was embarrassed that he was acting how Hancock acted whenever she thought of Luffy.
Curse his body for acting that way.
He was unaware of Hancock's smile toward him at his encouragement.
Day 166
Yuuto woke up. "Damn it!" He whispered loudly. He was sure he had a slight nosebleed because of his dream.
He wanted to hit a dummy but didn't want to out of courtesy. It would be too loud. It was probably 4 AM. He looked at the clock. It was actually 2 AM.
He facepalmed; he only slept one hour. He wanted to go back to sleep but didn't want to. He was afraid of what he would dream next.
He cursed his body for reacting that way.
It remembered how Hancock's body felt and that had been part of his dream.
"Damn it!" He almost yelled that time. He needed to take a cold shower and think of a way to keep his body's urges in check.
Day 171
After 3 days of both heaven and hell for Yuuto, his prayers were finally answered. Hancock was called away on mandatory Shichibukai duty. This time, she couldn't bring Salome with her because Salome was sick.
So on the second day day when Hancock had left, even though Salome was trusted to other caregivers, Yuuto had come over to check up on Salome who had recovered from her illness.
Salome was surprised to see Yuuto. She figured out that Yuuto liked Hancock since their last visit to Luffy. It became more obvious that Yuuto wanted to mate with her with the hormones he constantly released. Pity, that Salome couldn't tell anyone. Not that anyone understood her if she tried. Hancock sometimes did but she got it wrong sometimes.
Salome hissed at Yuuto who had his hands up. She had nothing in common with Yuuto. Yuuto looked a little confused before thinking.
"To be honest, I don't know why I'm here."
Salome stared back as if to tell him to just leave.
"Alright fine. It's just because I missed her ok." Yuuto confessed even though he wanted her gone a couple days ago. Salome gave a blank look that she didn't believe him. "You won't tell her right?" He asked worriedly.
Salome gave a smirk. This made for some blackmail. She was also surprised Yuuto gave that away freely. While training, she had noticed how Yuuto was secretive from other humans. He always trained in a secluded area and used to wear a mask while training.
Wait. Was he letting his guard down because she was a snake? She suddenly hissed loudly. She had some pride.
"Alright. I get it. You don't like me very much." He sighed. That wasn't it. Salome was ok with him. "I just thought you might like some company like I do. I thought you might miss her too."
Salome softened hearing that. Yuuto came to see her because he thought she missed Hancock as well. This was the longest time she's been away from Hancock. Maybe, they did have something in common. Yuuto cared for her in a deeper way and sought her out because he understood her close relationship with Hancock.
She was Hancock's closest confidant after all.
"Sorry." He walked away. She quickly slithered and hissed loudly to stop him from going. He looked back. "Huh?" She caught up to him and blocked his way. She gave him a look analyzing him one more time. She slithered around him to get a 360° view of him. Yuuto could only ponder what was going on.
Could Salome trust this man? All the men Salome ever met except Luffy always seemed after Hancock for her looks. Was this man different?
Luffy passed her test seeing how dense he was. The fact that he could stretch and twirl his body like a snake was also kind of cool.
This man before her was different from what she was first told. He wasn't the scary vicious ruthless monster Hancock had described. She closed her eyes thinking about if anything he did was special.
She remembered how Luffy and Yuuto first heard about Hancock being a slave. Luffy didn't seem to understand it and blindly accepted her. That had healed her heart and caused her to fall in love with him.
What about Yuuto? Although Salome was tired that night, she remembered Yuuto, on the other hand, fully understood and accepted Hancock for who she was. Not only that but he said he would protect her without hesitation. To go against the World Nobles. She remembered the look on Hancock's face hearing that. It was a look of hope and happiness hearing that.
Most importantly, Yuuto supported Hancock's dream of falling in love.
Salome was sure she smelled Yuuto's hormones; he seemed to secrete more of them when he was with Hancock.
Humans are confusing. Why didn't they just act on their urges?
She opened her eyes and saw Yuuto still looking curiously at what she was doing.
She smiled at him which he felt a chill go through his bones.
Wouldn't he make a better mate than Luffy would?
"Am I ok to stay here?" He was unsure what was going on. The more he looked at her, the more he was intimidated by her.
She nodded. At least, this potential mate was a lot smarter and a lot less clueless.
"So. How do we talk? Do you want to walk around?"
Salome sighed. This was going to take a while. She was a snake; it was hard for her to "walk" around.
Day 172
Robin sighed. She was busy decoding some messages from Bourgeois Kingdom. Some revolutionaries had uncovered them from a town. They had come back too early because a Shichibukai was reported to be coming into that town. Rumors were that it was Boa Hancock coming.
The historian enjoyed the work given even though it was tedious sometimes. It seemed that the some members of Bourgeois Kingdom wanted to join the World Revolutionaries. A particular secret message she found reminded her about her crew.
She smiled remembering each one of them and what they had done for her. To fight the World Government just for her.
Never did she think they would change her this much. This was the first crew or organization that she actually missed. She had been missing them for the last couple months and was thankful to talk about them to Sabo and Koala about them. Everyone else was curious about Luffy.
Someone knocked on her door. "Robin! It's time for some Haki training."
"Coming Koala!" She told her.
As she packed her things, she touched her watch, before setting it away. She couldn't wait to meet with them again.
But first, she would learn how to utilize Haki. Then, she could help fight for them.
So far, she only honed her skills as a spy and her devil fruit powers.
Day 175
"You know. I'm surprised how well Salome gets along with you now." Hancock noted. "She lets you pet her."
Hancock had returned on this day and was trying out new clothes she had gotten.
Yuuto was unsure how he got in this situation.
Hancock had just come back and asked him for his opinion about what new clothes she should wear to show Luffy and grab his attention. Yuuto shook his head no, but Hancock was oblivious to the problem it showed.
He should have done the sensible thing and left while he was waiting. The only problem was every time he moved away, Salome would hiss at him causing Hancock to be worried for her.
He obediently waited, not moving outside behind curtains as Hancock was changing her outfits.
Did she have no sense of shame? Was this thing normal in her culture? This wasn't normal for him.
Again many would kill to be in this situation, but Yuuto was in hell because of his emotions.
He pretended to be focused on the martial art scroll he was reading. It was hard when his mind sometimes wandered to imagine how Hancock was temporarily naked behind the curtain.
"I don't know if we get along." He said. They had spent time together the last couple days. Salome would order him around and he just went with it. He looked at Salome who was guarding the curtain as if he would peak in (which he probably would if he didn't have as much self control). It seemed that Salome enjoyed making him squirm.
"Well she likes you. You know. She's the one who suggested that you come too. I thought about it and thought it was a good idea" He heard her voice from the curtain.
Yuuto looked confused as Salome nodded to confirm that. "How did you know that?" Yuuto asked over the curtain. He shook her head no. He gave a look to Salome as if to tell the snake that if she liked him she shouldn't have made him come. Was Salome trying to turn him to stone? Did Salome just treat him as some toy?
"I just do. Anyways I just had this idea that Luffy will pay more attention to me if I changed what I was wearing."
Yuuto admitted that would normally work. However, this was a terrible idea. Yuuto gulped as he was probably going to be turned to stone for once.
Salome thought this was a great idea. She was doing him a favor. Seeing that humans were not like snakes, maybe they were more like its relatives the lizards. Female lizards were attracted to male lizards pheromones.
This was the perfect opportunity for him to secrete plenty of pheromones. Maybe Hancock would be attracted his scent.
As Salome finished that thought, Hancock poked at her. Salome smiled at that. She was ready.
As the curtains were pulled back by Salome, Yuuto almost forgot to breathe. He covered his nose to make sure his nose wasn't bleeding.
It was a very provocative outfit. Her boots went all the way to her knees. Her thighs were completely exposed showcasing how long and pale they were. She was barely covering her torso only having a piece of underwear and a belt around her waist. He wanted to cover that up with hands. As he made his way up, he saw her exposed bellybutton at which he gulped. He then saw her shirt slightly exposing her breasts. They were held tantalizingly by a knot that was being asked to be untied so her chest could flow more freely. Her arms were bare showcasing how pale she was. To top it off, Hancock was wearing a standard pirate's hat with a normal jolly roger.
Yuuto could only stare in silence as Hancock asked him. "Well?" Salome smiled at the silence. It seemed that her plan was going great so far. He was definitely releasing more pheromones.
"I think it would look better in black or blue, but I don't think Luffy would like it." He answered truthfully. He didn't admit that he liked it though.
Hancock pouted. "But I like this one. I thought it makes me look adventurous." She twirled around for him to look at.
Yuuto tried not to twist what she said around and knew what she just did his body took a mental picture and video. He just knew that outfit was going to haunt him in his dreams. His daydreams were going to include that as a particular slideshow. His fantasies were going to become more lewd.
"Try a different one." Yuuto quickly crossed his legs. He hoped the next outfit wouldn't cause his mind to wander.
As soon as Hancock went back in the curtain, he tried to move from his seat to leave. Only to be stopped by a hissing sound pushing him to stay.
Yuuto glared at the snake trying to kill him. He was just grateful that Hancock hadn't used her mero mero power on him. That outfit for sure would have gotten him killed.
"What's wrong Salome?" He heard.
Damn that voice even sounded more attractive than normal. He thought of what to do to calm himself.
He breathed and tried to practice his katas. Maybe doing something physical would help him be ready for the next one.
After practicing his katas six consecutive times, the curtains rolled back and his mouth opened wide. He froze as if he was a stone statue.
Meanwhile, Salome wondered if it was normal for men to eat a fly. A fly just went in his mouth.
He gulped. Salome thought that answered her earlier question. Interesting. So man is more like a frog than a lizard. She would try to find out a frog's mating habits for next time if this way didn't work.
"You said try a black outfit." Hancock confessed. It seemed that this reaction was no good. She was poking her fingers tentatively.
"I didn't mean that. I meant the previous one would look better in black. I mean." Yuuto tried to correct himself and decided not to bother with it anymore. It was a trap no matter what he said. "Just try another one. How about something that doesn't show too much skin." Yuuto turned away not wanting to think about it. He wasn't sure whether he could take this anymore. Seeing so much of her flawless skin was doing a lot to his body.
Even when he closed his eyes, he could remember every detail of what she just wore. She had worn black leather shorts that showed off her thighs, a black leather corset (that he couldn't help but want to take off) with matching black leather boots that ran to her knees again. She looked like a dominatrix.
He didn't want that in his dreams too. He was going to sleep really well tonight or not sleep at all. What else was going to happen?
It took every ounce of his will power not to go behind the curtain right now and ravish her. Force his way on her.
It would be despicable of him to take advantage of a woman. Especially a slave considering his former position.
"So no swimsuits?" She asked while behind the curtain.
"No swimsuits." He almost yelled. If he saw a swimsuit, he would probably turn to stone without her using her powers. That was a miracle in itself that he hadn't turned to stone yet. "Something that covers most of your body." He almost couldn't take this anymore.
"90% of these outfits reveal skin then." She cried. "Should I throw them away then?"
"No!" Yuuto yelled. He mentally slapped his perverted side for saying that. "I mean. Keep them for Luffy." He recovered. His own body was betraying him.
"Why?" Hancock sounded confused. She thought Yuuto didn't like them.
"Just trust me on that." He let out truthfully. He was wondering how Luffy could not be attracted to Hancock one bit. He was a guy. All guys have these urges. ALL OF THEM.
He sighed at the prospect of never seeing her wear those outfits. He shook his head.
He wasn't sure how much he could function with only 3 hours of sleep and this ordeal he was going through.
It must be the three hours of sleep. He needed more sleep.
"Here's one." She finally found one before started to try it on.
Yuuto then prepared himself one more time.
This time, when she came out, he actually kept his calm and could approach her. It wasn't revealing. He walked around her.
She was wearing a simple white shirt, jeans, a black leather jacket, and black leather boots. She blushed at his inspection.
Yuuto thought that this was less revealing than the other outfits so that's why he could keep his composure this time around. Still, it was something he could appreciate.
He really liked this black leather jacket she was wearing. It made her look tough but at the same time maintained her elegant look.
Her shirt showed some cleavage and some skin particularly her bellybutton but not a lot. It didn't make him too crazy.
The jeans and the boots hid her perfect legs, but that was fine. Too much of Hancock's skin and he was going to go crazy.
"I think Luffy would like you wearing this one." He said truthfully. He wasn't 100% sure, but he knew he liked this outfit the best so far. He could actually be a normal human being around her.
She poked her fingers around happily at that compliment. "You think so." She finally found an outfit that met his approval.
"It's great. It's casual. Making it great for dates." Yuuto answered truthfully. Salome nodded encouragingly in the background. Yuuto wasn't sure that Luffy would like this outfit, but he knows he did.
She smiled at that and hugged him thankfully. "Thank you! I'll wear this when we go visit him."
Yuuto smiled back. Only to realize how her body felt along his body.
He then quickly realized something seeing that her body was probably the final blow to all the excitement his body received. "Sorry. I really need to go to the bathroom now." He rushed out before she noticed.
Hancock looked confused while Salome sighed.
This human wasn't as smart as she thought. She thought he would finally give in. Still, it seemed the human had a lot of self control and respect for Hancock.
Salome would put in a good word for him if Hancock talked to her again about her feelings [3].
Day 175
"Why do I feel like I missed a great peeping opportunity?" Sanji sobbed as he was being chased by okamas.
He mentally cried. Nami! Robin! How he missed them and their angelic voices.
And his crew members. He'd hate to admit it. Their voices weren't as annoying as the okamas.
The guys would never run after him like this.
Just as one okama caught him by surprise, he kicked him almost instinctively and continued running not wanting to stop.
As he continued running, he saw that there was a blockade of okamas waiting for him.
He frowned not wanting to skywalk because some of them had figured out the basics of skywalking. The more he showed it to them, the more they seemed to understanding how it worked.
He could only hope to beat them. As they leaped on him, he kicked them away noticing how his legs felt warmer than usual.
It was as if he was using Diable Jambe. This time, he didn't need to spin.
"Get back you dirty okamas!"
As he beat them and piles of okamas piled up, he sweated before seeing what was before him. His cigarette would have dropped.
Hordes of okamas were just waiting. There was also a giant okama.
"Damn this hell! Just how many okamas are there?" He yelled as he stared at them.
"Fuhahaha! What are you staring at? Do you have a crush on me?" The giant questioned.
"Like hell I do!" Sanji was a man who would always love the ladies. He gave a yell as he charged into battle.
Day 177
"Not now Luffy. You're disrupting my training." Zoro instinctively shouted. He had just started his fourth set of 1000 forward stabs.
"I'm not even Luffy. I only asked if you wanted to play with me." Perona slammed her feet in the air frustration.
Zoro didn't even pause or give a look. She had been bugging him. "No." He went back to training. "I don't have time to waste playing childish games." He knew it was Perona from her aura.
As she floated away, he maintained his focus. He had no time to waste if there were few people as strong as Mihawk. He needed to become the World's Strongest Swordsman.
It wasn't only just for his sake. It was also for Luffy's sake.
Still, he knew that if it was really Luffy and the crew who disrupted his training, he might have joined them. He missed them enough that he would stop training for a moment to spend time with them.
Hell, he'd put up with Swirly Brow Cook antics.
Day 182
Sure enough Hancock did wear the outfit Yuuto had advised to show to Luffy. It just went differently than planned.
Luffy made no comment about her outfit. It seemed that he didn't even notice Hancock changed outfits.
Just as Hancock was about to cry from disappointment, Luffy had tasted the new dish she decided to try out after Yuuto suggested it. Hainan chicken rice. It was the first time Luffy said that it tasted good.
When she said she cooked it, Luffy hugged her for the first time which shocked her and made her feel happy.
Yuuto could only silently glare briefly at his captain seeing him hug her. Hancock always had a special smile thinking about Luffy. He was jealous that it worked this time.
He mentally corrected himself. Envious.
He couldn't be jealous when he would never have Hancock's affection. He could only be envious over something he didn't have.
Rayleigh interrupted his thinking. "Have you considered yet?"
"What?" Yuuto asked as if he heard wrong. He hadn't been paying attention to what Rayleigh said.
Rayleigh sighed. He pretended not to notice that he ignored him. "Have you considered what to do if you can't use Armament Haki as your main fighting technique?" Yuuto still had trouble incorporating it with his martial arts.
Yuuto sighed. "At least, I can use it with weapons. I just have to become a better archer." Yuuto didn't know what to say. He could use Armament Haki about 84% of the time with a bow which was good enough. "It's a good thing this area has places for me to practice archery." Maybe the crew needed more long range fighters. It was really just Nami, Usopp, Robin, and Franky. Even then only Usopp could attack from a distance more than 200 meters.
Rayleigh smiled. "You know Hancock is the best archer around here. It's one of the reasons why she's the Empress." Yuuto groaned. He already spent enough time with her already. He probably spent more time with her than he did with some of his own crew members total if he tried calculating it. "You could ask her to teach you." It seemed that he was going to have to spend even more time with her after finishing the Haki training.
Just as he was about to protest, he caught her looking at his general direction. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that Luffy was no longer hugging her. He couldn't read what she was thinking about, but she seemed lovestruck because she was looking past him.
It was probably Luffy who put her in that state.
He then smiled at her seeing her like that before focusing his conversation with Rayleigh.
"I guess." He would be happy to spend more time he could get with her before she eventually won Luffy's heart. He then engaged in a conversation with Rayleigh again.
Earlier, after Luffy finished hugging her, Hancock took a couple breaths. She didn't know what was going on with her.
She thought she would feel super dizzy like the last time Luffy hugged her back at Marineford. Her heart raced at 130 km/ hour backed then. This one that Luffy just gave was only at 90 km/hour.
Her heart was still racing but not as much as before. It was not the same as before.
She was slightly disappointed. She really enjoyed the high that previous hug gave.
Luffy then asked her. "Hancock, what's wrong?" She shook her head not knowing what to say.
"Nothing's wrong." She was happy to hear that Luffy asked her how she was doing.
Luffy gave a look that told her she didn't believe him. "Well. If you don't want to tell me, you could try telling Yuuto." He swallowed. "He's a good listener and he's smart."
Before Hancock could respond, she noticed her heart beat faster hearing Yuuto's name. It was just as fast as how she used to think of Luffy. Maybe faster.
That couldn't be right.
"We're not really dating!" She told him slightly angry though not as loud as she did before. Luffy hadn't heard her and went back to eating.
Just as she was about to deny it one more time to get his attention, she looked between the two.
Both of them made her heart race. It was hard to tell which one made her stomach feel like there were thousands of butterflies in her stomach.
How was this possible? She thought she could only love one person at a time. Was it possible to love two?
No. There had to be sorcery involved.
She looked at Luffy who was ignoring her. Right when she was about to say something, she looked at Yuuto.
Not long after, Yuuto looked back at her and smiled. Hancock felt that she was blushing at that.
Did Yuuto do something to her? She tried to remember when she felt this way and for how long.
Flashback Day 165
"I'll be by your side helping you. We'll keep practicing until you win Luffy."
"What do you mean?"
"Helping you until you win Luffy's heart."
Hancock paused for a moment before misunderstanding what he meant.
Yuuto was going to be by her side so that he would look like her boyfriend. They'll keep practicing together. Maybe that would make Luffy jealous. She actually smiled at the thought.
Now Luffy would know how she felt when she heard about Nami and Robin.
She smiled at the thought realizing that she looked forward to the idea of Yuuto pretending to be her boyfriend.
She nodded as if she really understood him.
"Good. Let's try this recipe. Beef noodle soup. Soups typically end up being easier to make."
Encouraged, she tried again. She made sure she cut the beef delicately and the noodles were washed carefully. Yuuto had offered some pointers as she put the ingredients together. After an hour, it was done and she was slightly proud of what she had done. She motioned him to try it.
As he brought his spoon to taste, she couldn't help but feel her heart beat a little faster in anticipation. She was hoping that she would hear him say that it tasted delicious. That would mean a lot to her.
Her rational mind reminded her that it was just because Luffy would also say it was delicious.
When Yuuto took a spoon out to taste it, he smiled at her. She couldn't believe it; did she succeed? "It's better than I expected."
Inwardly screaming at hearing the good news, Hancock was excited. That was also good enough. She hugged him too happy about the improvement.
That hug felt like an eternity to her. It was enough time for her to realize that he had a well defined body underneath the baggy clothes he liked to wear. That hug made her feel both safe and warm. Just as she was about to smell him, she quickly let go realizing that behavior was not appropriate for someone of her stature. She didn't mention anything about it. Yuuto had mentioned to her that friends could give each other friendly hugs as well.
It was just a friendly hug. She meant it as friendly hug.
She quickly went to taste the soup herself. After a couple moments, she admitted. "It's not that good." It had some flavor to it. However, her body or the soup was too warm to properly enjoy it.
She looked at him and noticed they made eye contact. He broke it first and then replied. "Like I said it's better than I expected. You're improving." She was about to fire something back when she thought she heard a slight insult at her cooking skills.
She paused when she saw him act a little cute by not looking at her directly. She smiled at that and didn't notice that her heart made a different flutter compared to the ones she experienced before.
End Flashback
How could she have been so naive? This pretend boyfriend only served as a trap for her.
What was worse was she was comparing hugs between Yuuto and Luffy. Both first hugs were amazing. She couldn't remember whether Luffy's hug made her feel safe. Only warm.
But when did she even start having these feelings for Yuuto? Was it when he first touched her?
Then again, ever since he taught her how to use a knife, she realized how effective it was. She also didn't think of him any different back then. She was still annoyed at him but saw past that.
As she recalled how he held her hand gently as if he didn't want to hurt her, her heart now sped up recalling that touch.
It couldn't have been that. Her heart didn't pound like that at all back then and she was slightly angry at him back then. Was it when she asked him for his opinion about his clothes?
The reason why she let him watch the outfits she changed into was because she had read in a book that boyfriends were allowed to do that. It was also normal for the Kuja women to change in front of each other. She remembered how embarrassed she felt when Yuuto didn't like the first two outfits she wore. She actually liked those outfits,
She also remembered hugging him and smelling him at that moment. He smelled like grass and trees.
No wait. That event happened after she cooked for him. It seemed that she had already liked him back then.
So when did her affections first change?
Hancock was angry at herself. How could she let herself trust and even more dangerously fall for another man so easily?
That wouldn't be good to become Luffy's wife if she was unfaithful.
Yuuto mentioned how Luffy was always faithful to his friends and the ones who treated him nicely. Hancock sighed at that. It was one of the reasons she found herself loving Luffy more.
She would have to be careful around Yuuto. She didn't want to love someone else. Only Luffy.
Maybe she should read some books she got from those cities to understand these tumultuous feelings. [4]
[1]
I really wanted to keep the name that kind of sounded similar to Chopper and sounded big. I went with Crusher instead. If anyone has a better name, let me know. I'll gladly edit it.
[2]
This is something I hinted and planned for a long time. I first mentioned this crush back in chapter 1.
Whether Yuuto will end up with Hancock or how it happens. Read and find out.
[3] Ladies and gentlemen, we've heard of wingman.
But have you ever heard of the wingsnake!
Joking aside, I am tempted to write a bunch of silly light hearted one shots where Salome is actually trying to help these two get together. That's a slight AU.
That would make the story longer and take too long. I would also have to change the story's genre as romance. I need to get back to the main plot which will start again in Chapter 39 (I'm planning that as the chapter the Strawhats reunite).
If you're wondering which outfits Boa Hancock is wearing, they're based off the figurines.
The first one is Flag Diamond ship Banopresto
The second one is Flag Diamond Ship Code B.
The third one is Jean Freak.
[4]
I hope I made it believable enough that Hancock actually starts crushing on someone else as well.
I think if the Kuja was exposed to the outside world, that would have been helpful.
That's one of Hancock's gags misunderstanding the situation. Yeah it's a stretch, but I kind of like the idea I had.
Keep in mind that Yuuto is actually seriously training during this entire time. He's awake for 21 hours a day now starting Day 152. He will be both a martial artist and archer; I just felt that he needed a farther range attack.
[5] If you noticed and remembered, the watches that I mentioned for Chopper, Nami, and Robin, were the watches that Franky made for their communication device.
Please leave a review about what you guys liked or enjoyed or any theories you think I'll be going with some of the crew members.