Author's Note: I have no idea why I included the scene toward the end where Heathcliffe is bathed by the maids and butlers. It appears to be exposition for the readers to see what was going on with Heathcliffe.
Or, it was outright fanservice. I mean, some of us picture Heathcliffe as a hot guy, okay? I mean, how do YOU picture Heathcliffe?
Disclaimer: One Piece is the property of Eichiiro Oda. Please support the official release, as usual.
Ch. 71: "We Meet Again, Father."
The next thing Aki knew was that somebody slapped her hard across her face.
"Xiaojiang, you should be ashamed of yourself! You've come all the way from your mother's home in the East Blue, and the first thing you do is make love to a common boy who is not of your standing?"
Aki looked up, and she saw her own father. Aki's father had black, slicked-back hair, a cheesy, yet manical-looking grin, and a mole below his left eye. He wore a white suit with a black tie and white shoes.
"F-Father!" Aki stuttered out. Heathcliffe then put himself between Aki and her father.
"DO NOT lay a finger on Aki! All she wanted was to be loved and to move on from her past. But, I guess… That's not happening?" Heathcliffe said with his voice wavering. Aki's father glared at them.
"The both of you, come with me. I am very disappointed in you, Xiaojiang," Aki's father said before he grabbed Aki by the wrist. Heathcliffe followed suit.
"What's up with your father? He keeps calling you 'Xiaojiang'," Heathcliffe whispered to Aki.
"I'll explain later. Now's not the time, Sarutobi-kun," Aki whispered back, her voice cracking out of sadness and fear. A few minutes later, the three arrived at a large, elegant mansion.
"The both of you, sit down," Aki's father commanded. Aki and Heathcliffe sat down on the couch facing Aki's father. "Now tell me, Xiaojiang, who is this man and what business do you have with him?"
Aki gulped.
"His name is Heathcliffe, father. Heathcliffe is my –" Aki explained before Heathcliffe cut her off.
"I'm her butler, sir. I came all the way from the East Blue with Aki to bring her here," Heathcliffe explained confidently. Aki's father lifted Heathcliffe off of the couch and looked over him. "What the fuck does this think he's doing to me? Am I… Going to be – No, no. I don't think he'd do that. But, I have no clue what's going to happen to Aki."
"Hmm…" Aki's father commented as he inspected Heathcliffe's hands, face, hair, and general appearance. "Your hands and fingers are too clean and smooth to imply that you are a butler, your face is too boyish to suggest hard work, your hair is too thick for it to fall out under the stresses of everyday work, and your appearance is too handsome and vibrant to be a working man. Tell me, Heathcliffe, how old are you?"
"I'm seventeen," Heathcliffe answered. Aki's father took one last look at Heathcliffe before he grabbed the two lovers.
"The both of you, come with me," Aki's father demanded before he dragged Heathcliffe and Aki down the hall. Aki kept a firm grip on her spear and on Heathcliffe's hand.
"Aki, what are you doing? You could get killed!" Heathcliffe whispered to Aki.
"I… I need something to defend myself, Sarutobi-kun. I'm scared," Aki explained. Aki's father stopped in his tracks.
"Xiaojiang, what do you have here?" Aki's father asked as he turned around to face his daughter. Aki gulped.
"It's… It's a spear, father. I carry it with me for self-defense," Aki nervously explained. Her father stuck out his hand.
"Give it to me, Xiaojiang," Aki's father requested.
"No," Aki said defiantly. Without a word, Aki's father took the spear from her and broke it in half. Aki felt her mouth drop, because her father had just broke her only means of fighting.
"A woman doesn't need to fight in self-defense. Women need to be in the kitchen or in the sitting room with proper ladies in order to stay out of danger," Aki's father explained. "Now, then, I'll be right back. The both of you, do not move from this spot."
Aki's father walked away. When he was out of sight, Aki picked up her broken spear from the ground.
"That was harsh…" Heathcliffe commented. Aki sniffed.
"Yes, it was." Was all Aki said. Heathcliffe sighed.
"So, why doesn't your dad call you 'Aki'? He was the one who helped put you on this Earth," Heathcliffe asked Aki, who sighed.
"My real name – or, at least my birth name – isn't Aki Chung-Feng. It's Xiaojiang Chung-Feng. When I was born, my mother named me 'Aki'. But, my father absolutely hated that name, so he gave me the name 'Xiaojiang', which he felt was more fitting of a girl who was wealthy, beautiful, and pure. When my mother and I left him, she legally changed my name to 'Aki' just so she could spite him. Well, two years ago, we visited my father for a week. My mother slipped up and called me 'Aki' and not 'Xiaojiang', and my father beat my mother up for it. That was one of the worst weeks of my life," Aki explained. The hall grew silent for a few moments.
"So… Do I have to call you 'Xiaojiang' now?" Heathcliffe asked Aki.
"Don't call me that, Sarutobi-kun. That name just reminds me of a lot of bad things in the world that happened to me and my parents – Death, rape, torture, abuse of power and money. It's… Heartbreaking," Aki explained, holding back tears. Aki's father then approached Heathcliffe and Aki.
"Xiaojiang, go to your room, NOW," Aki's father said before he pushed Aki into a bedroom and locked the door behind her. Aki then went over to the vanity in the corner. After a few minutes of searching through the drawers, Aki pulled out a bright pink ribbon and tied the broken ends of her spear together.
"There… Nobody can hurt me now. I'm safe," Aki whispered before she broke down crying.
Down the hall, Aki's father was dragging Heathcliffe by his hair.
"Just where do you think you're taking me?" Heathcliffe cried. Aki's father dragged him outside and into a guest house, where many maids and butlers were doing chores such as washing dishes and mending clothes.
"If you're a butler, then you'd better work like one in the Chung-Feng household!" Aki's father told Heathcliffe before he turned to the maids and butlers. "Clean this boy up and show him to his room! If he is not bathed and in proper attire by tomorrow, you will all get ten lashes and no dinner."
Aki's father then left, leaving the maids and butlers to look over Heathcliffe.
"Are you… A new butler?"
Heathcliffe nodded, suddenly feeling too shy and vulnerable to say anything.
"Good, good. Now, please strip down for your bath."
Heathcliffe's face turned red.
"Can I… Can I at least have some privacy?" Heathcliffe asked. Two maids standing by a wooden basin nodded as they held up a huge towel. Heathcliffe stepped behind the towel and began to undress.
"This is fucking humiliating. I hope to God that Aki isn't going through the same thing," Heathcliffe thought to himself as he undressed. Right when he finished undressing, Heathcliffe sat down in the tub. Despite initial appearances, the water was freezing cold. "Brr! This water's freezing! Don't you guys have any hot water?"
"We can't use hot water. Only the people who live in the mansion can use hot water," A maid sadly explained before she repeatedly shoved Heathcliffe into the water.
"Hey! Cut that out! If I drown, somebody's going to get sued!" Heathcliffe yelled as the maid grabbed a bar of soap and scrubbed Heathcliffe's hair and back in a rapid manner. Two maids then looked at Heathcliffe's hands as a third washed his hair and a fourth washed his back.
"You look like you're in no condition to be a butler. What are your motives?"
Heathcliffe swallowed.
"I want to protect Mistress Ak – Xiaojiang. She's a fragile girl who's seen enough stuff from her father," Heathcliffe explained. "But, you guys should go easier on me. It feels like you're washing my hair with lye and I think I can feel the skin of my back peeling off."
The maids shrugged as they dunked Heathcliffe into the water.
"Hey! I told you to stop!" Heathcliffe snarled as he clawed at the maids, who wrapped a towel around his waist and shoved Heathcliffe into a small room with no furniture.
"This is your bedroom. You must be awake by five a.m. in order to begin your household duties," The maid explained before she left. Heathcliffe sat up and shivered.
"If only they gave me a blanket or something…" Heathcliffe thought to himself as his eyes trailed to his butler uniform hanging on the door. With a sigh, Heathcliffe grabbed the blazer and draped it around his shoulders. "I want to go back to the Hyperion. Aki's dad is a sadistic bastard."
Ending Note: Review if you want to see some more HeathAki.