Author's Note: And, so, Heathcliffe's quest begins. I decided to change this arc around so it's about Heathcliffe sneaking Aki (and a potential new crew mate) off of the island so the arc villain doesn't find out that Aki disobeyed her.
Disclaimer: Eichiiro Oda owns One Piece.
Ch. 33: "The Lone Journey Begins."
A few minutes later, Heathcliffe was getting dressed in a tuxedo, since we was going to pose as a butler in order to rescue Aki.
"Need any help?" Kartik asked Heathcliffe as he poked his head in.
"Yeah... I just need help with my tie," Heathcliffe anwsered. Kartik walked over and tied his tie correctly.
"You know, you don't have to go at this alone. A few of us can come with you to make sure anything doesn't go wrong," Kartik reminded Heathcliffe as he finished up tying Heathcliffe's tie.
"It's okay, Kartik, I can do it alone. I want her handsome knight in shining armor – me – to come and rescue her, no matter what the cost," Heathcliffe explained has he put on his suit jacket.
"Is Isabella going?" Kartik asked Heathcliffe.
"Nope. Not even Isabella will come," Heathcliffe said. "Wait... She will, but, she'll be in my scythe for most of the time."
"That's pretty bold of you to go alone without any of us," Kartik remarked.
"I know," Heathcliffe said with a nervous laugh as he attempted to comb back his spiky, greasy, shaggy, messy hair.
"Before you go, take these. They will help disguise you," Kartik said before handing a pair of glasses to Heathcliffe, who put them on.
"Are these –" Heathcliffe asked before Kartik cut him off.
"Oh, these are a spare pair. You'll see fine," Kartik explained.
"Well, i'm off," Heathcliffe said.
"Good luck. We'll be rooting for you to get Aki back," Kartik said as Heathcliffe walked onto the deck.
"Oh, my gosh! Heathcliffe, you look so handsome!" Matsu said.
"Well, it's part of what I have to do. After all, I am quite the handsome ladykiller," Heathcliffe said with a wink. Only a few of the females blushed.
"Bro, stop embarassing yourself," Soren told Heathcliffe.
"I'm not, Soren. I'm trying to get into character as a suave and sexually appealing butler," Heathcliffe explained.
"You seem so dedicated to this disguise, Heathcliffe. Can I please join you as a maid?" Yuki-Rin asked Heathcliffe.
"I dunno. It may be too dangerous out there. This is a big place, and we can't get seperated," Heathcliffe explained before Ajax flew onto his shoulder.
"That's it! Ajax will serve as a go-between for us in case we need it," Heathcliffe said. "Ajax, circle the island, since you need a good flight. If I need you, I will call for you, okay?"
"Coo, coo!" Ajax anwsered with a salute of his wing.
"Good. I'll see you all soon. Aki will be back with us faster than you can sing "Bink's Saké"," Heathcliffe explained before he left the ship.
"Good luck out there!" Hana called out.
"We're counting on you, bro!" Holden and Soren called out. Heathcliffe turned back to wave at the crew as he passed under the same threshold Aki got stopped by that butler.
"Excuse me, what is your business on this island?" A sheriff asked Heathcliffe.
"Well, I have come to bring my mistress to her groom's house. They are to be married soon, and having my mistress be brought to her new home by her favorite butler will cheer her up very much," Heathcliffe explained.
"Where does she live?" The sheriff asked Heathcliffe.
"I belive she lives with a... What was her name? Ah, yes, a Mrs. Shinohara," Heathcliffe anwsered. The shreiff looked at his records of who came and left the island.
"According to my records, Sheena Shinohara is leaving the island today to take care of some business on our sister island, and she won't be back until next week," The sheriff explained. "But, it takes a few hours to even a day to get from here to the Shinohara Chateau, so, I suggest you pace yourself."
"Thank you, good sir. Have a nice day," Heathcliffe said before walking off.
"You too," The sheriff called out to Heathcliffe.
"If i'm going to rescue Aki, I better buy some supplies for the long road ahead. Maybe I should buy some stuff for Aki to keep her in good spirits," Heathcliffe thought to himself as he entered a small store.
"Welcome to the Ensoleillé Town market! How may we serve you today?" The shopkeeper asked Heathcliffe.
"Yes, I would a loaf of bread, a bar of soap, some cheese, some ham, a pack of matches, some pork buns, some juice and a bag of cookies. Oh, and I want two of your finest chocolate bars, a dozen cream puffs, some strawberries, some whipped cream, some chocolate syrup, and a dozen roses, all in a seperate bag," Heathcliffe anwsered.
"You're buying a lot of stuff there. Are you going to impress anybody?" The shopkeeper asked Heathcliffe as he bagged his purchases.
"Well... Yes, I am," Heathcliffe anwsered.
"Is there anything else I can get you?" The shopkeeper asked Heathcliffe.
"Please get me to the directions to the Shinohara Chateau. That's where my girlfriend is," Heathcliffe is.
"You're going to have to go to La Ville de Gaieté, our neighboring village a few hours north of here. The Shinohara Chateau is in that village, and it's the large, stone chateau outside of the town," The shopkeeper explained. Heathcliffe put some money on the counter and grabbed his bags.
"Keep the change. I need to get to the woman I love," Heathcliffe said before he exited the store.
Meanwhile, at the Shinohara Chateau in La Ville de Gaieté, Aki was sitting down on a couch in an ornate living room, when her Aunt Sheena entered. She had very short, icy-blue hair, black eyes, and purple-reddish lips. She wore a black corset, a dark red, denim jacket, black skinny jeans, and black, high-heeled boots.
"Aki, I am going over to Sakurai Island for the week to oversee the wedding preperations. While I am gone, you are to entertain and get to know your future husband. I expect you to be on friendly terms with him by the time you get to Sakurai Island next week. Is that clear?" Sheena asked Aki.
"Yes, auntie," Aki said with a nod.
"Now then, I will see you on your wedding day. Remember to be a proper lady and remember to be nice to your future husband," Sheena reminded Aki before she left. Aki sighed as a maid entered.
"Mistress Aki, I made some green tea for you and your husband," The maid said as she put a pot of tea and two cups onto the table.
"Thank you, ma'am," Aki said before the maid left. Aki poured herself a cup of tea and sighed.
"I remember... Mother loved green tea... I wish she were here right now," Aki thought to herself. "Okay, both mother AND Sarutobi-kun."
"Aki, your fianceé is here!"
The entrance of the maid and Aki's fianceé snapped Aki out of her thoughts. Aki's fianceé had blue, chin-lengh hair, and black eyes. He wore a white T-shirt under a long, unbuttoned, green coat, blue jeans, and black shoes. Aki grimaced a bit, seeing as this man wasn't the suave, lecherous bachelor Aki was assuming her fianceé was.
"Mistress Aki, this is Gareth Archer, your fianceé," The maid introduced Gareth to Aki. Gareth smirked.
"Hello, Aki. It is a pleasure to meet you," Gareth greeted. Aki gulped. Was this going to be a sadistic and cruel man?
Ending Note: Uh-oh! Heathcliffe might want to hurry up and get to Aki!
Review if you Heathcliffe x Aki fans want Heathcliffe and Aki to re-unite.