When the cherry blossoms fall to the ground...
And the scent of perfume fills the air...
The air sparkles with a new life and light...
As the gates of Whole Cake Academy open for the day...
The day they were rescued was the best day of the sister's lives.
After a long grueling day of pleasing the clientele of the orphanage, Hancock was at her wits end. She felt the pressure of the scummy eyes of every adult who walked through that door. The mark burned her back more than the actual event that occurred for her to receive. Sandersonia and Marigold were sitting on their beds when Hancock walked in and fell face-first onto her bed.
"Sister, you don't have to keep doing this for us." Sandersonia pleaded, going up to her side. "Every day and some nights, you have to entertain those older men and sleazy rich ones just to get some funds in the owner's pockets! How much longer do you have to suffer for all the children here?"
Hancock looked up at her sister with a weary smile. "I am the oldest, I have to do this to provide for you."
Marigold hugged her, tears running down her face. "Your body should not be used that way! Value yourself more Hancock, if not for us, then for yourself!"
No words were spoken between the trio as they all began to cry. Their lives were not perfect nor were they good. Nights like this were common between the three of them and most of the time they cried themselves to sleep. Hancock had to be strong for her sisters because that was the last promise to their parents. No matter what happened to her, as long as her sisters were safe, she was fine.
A loud sound shook the building, making them all pause. Shouts were heard down below as footsteps shook the shoddy hallways. The three of them backed away to the back wall since there were no windows in their room and only one door. The eldest of the sisters grabbed the knife she hid underneath her pillow and approached the door with caution. The door began to open slowly and made them all tense up.
Entering the room came a large man with slight pinkish skin, a thick dark beard, and a muscular build. He wore an open Hawaiian shirt, blue shorts, and sandals. A large sun tattoo was emblazoned on his chest. The girls stared up at him with shock on their faces as he looked down to see them.
"Those darn dragons locked these innocent girls in here?" He growled, turning around. "Get the rest of these kids out! We are burning this place down!"
"W-W-Who are you?" Hancock asked, her arms shaking as she aimed her knife at him. "Are you here to...use me?"
The man's face softened as he knelt in front of her. "I'm not here to do any horrible things to you miss. I am here to rescue a lot of you orphans from a life of slavery and debauchery."
"A-A-Are you serious?" Hancock whispered before lowering her arms down. "You're lying! We've heard these false promises before by men that were worse than you! All of them said that if I wanted to leave with them and leave this place is to follow them and never look back. I refused to leave without my sisters, and they got angry at me! What makes you so sure you are being honest?"
The man gave them a soft smile and patted her head. "I am being honest with you. You all have suffered so much here and didn't deserve all this abuse. If you trust me now, you will never have to come back here ever again."
The girls looked at each other before the two youngest gave their elder sister a nod. Hancock dropped the knife and began to bawl her eyes out. The strange man picked her up and guided her sisters to follow him. They saw all the other orphans being escorted by a group of adults who were giving them new clothes, a hot meal, and putting them in cars. Turns out the group was making sure every orphan had a home to go to with families that were approved by the government. The whole scene was surreal as the girls saw the owner of the orphanage that had tortured them for years be put in the back of a police car.
For the first time in her life, Hancock felt a weight be lifted off her chest. She felt like she could do anything.
"I CAN'T DO ANYTHING RIGHT!"
Elder Nyon sipped her tea as she watched her stories on the television with Ms. Shakky who had her cup. The two ladies were enjoying their dramas while the real drama was going on upstairs.
"So...she finally got a date with Straw Hat." Shakky took a long sip before chuckling. "You know, he's my godson."
"I've heard and she's been ripping through clothes like she's some frenzied Black Friday shopper!" Nyon huffed. "I swear, she's never acted interested in boys before she met that boy!"
"I think it's pretty cute. I'm glad she's found someone to like instead of condemning all boys to hell." Shakky gazed upwards when she heard another scream. "Sounds like she's having fun."
Contrary to that belief, Hancock was rummaging through a pile of clothes on the ground of her bedroom. She had only a few hours to find something presentable to wear for her date with Luffy and none of her clothes screamed "Future Wife of the Cutest Boy in School!" Not even her favorite leopard-printed leggings could comfort her right now, tossing them back into the pile. Nagarani smirked on her bed, legs kicking upwards as she flipped through the pages of a magazine.
"What do you think about me being the wife of Straw Hat, Auntie Boa?" Rani rolled on her back. "I would make the cutest wife! I could feed him, walk him, take him with me to the store..."
"My boyfriend is not a dog, you insensitive child! He is a very kind man with a big smile, a handsome face, and the butt of a"
"Woah! Auntie Boa, I don't need to hear the last part!" The girl blushed. "Not until the honeymoon."
Hancock growled, throwing a sequined shirt at her face. Nagarani squealed as she threw some more clothes at her. A clothes-throwing frenzy now occurred as both were not willing to give up. The door opened as Marigold and Sandersonia walked in, only to duck under a lacey pair of undies that was thrown on the hallway wall.
"Well, this is getting out of hand." Sandersonia laughed. "We should help out here."
"The girls are already in place at the spot Luffy chose. We just need to get these two into these new outfits." Marigold announced, making the girls pause in their tossing.
"You got us new clothes?" They both asked.
Marigold and Sandersonia held up bags from the popular clothes store in the mall. Just as quickly as they held them up, the bags were snatched and the door was shut in front of them.
"No thanks? They better be glad we're all family." Marigold huffed.
Sandersonia took out her phone and started texting. "Operation: Hancock in Love is a go."
Luffy squirmed as a comb raked through his hair.
"Hold still! You have to look good for your date Luffy." Sabo mused as he held down his squirming brother. "This is your first official date and this girl is one of the nicest-looking girls in your school according to Yamato."
Yamato huffed as she crossed her arms on the couch. "She's okay. Not that hot at all."
Ace snickered from the counter. "Isn't this the same Boa Hancock that runs the campus beautification club, won all those pageants, and has a gang of females at her beck and call?"
"The very same. Ugh, she thinks she's so much better than everyone and the hottest thing since the Sun God." Yamato continued, watching Luffy get ready. "Why are you even bothering going out with her?"
"She asked and I wanted to get to know her more." Luffy flinched a bit as Sabo tugged his shirt collar. "Plus, her friends are paying for our meal! Free food and a new friend, win-win!"
Ace shook his head. "Should've known food was involved. Where are you taking her?"
"I had to make a couple of calls, but I got us a table at the Baratie!"
Tama popped her head out from behind the couch with Komachiyo. "You'll be seeing Noodle Man! Can I come with you too?"
"Sorry Tama, but Luffy already has two girls he's taking out. You would be a third wheel." Ace joked, then saw the young girl pout. "Say, why don't we go out and enjoy the day together? We'll go see Speed and ride some horses."
"Yay! Horselina is so friendly!"
Sabo patted Luffy's shoulders before backing up. "I think he's ready."
Luffy's outfit was simple but clean. He wore a nice white buttoned shirt, brown slacks, and his usual sandals. His straw hat hung around his neck while a red windbreaker was wrapped around his waist. Sabo had done his best to tame his wild hair and it worked for the most part with some gel slicked back.
Yamato came over with her cheeks flushed red. "There's no shame if you want to just hang out here with me. I mean, we can still eat here and I can make us some nachos while we watch your favorite pirate movies."
Luffy nearly considered this. "Well..."
"NO WAY! YOU MADE A PROMISE!" His brothers exclaimed as they began to drag him out.
Yamato sweatdropped at this as Tama and Komachiyo laughed at his antics.
"Hebihime and Minihime are in position."
"Aww! They both look so nice!"
"Focus Sweet Pea! We are only here to monitor, not to fawn over how hot she looks!"
The Amazons were currently standing in different areas surrounding the restaurant, ready to assist and protect their leader and her niece from anything that could ruin the date. They were also there to make sure Luffy didn't harm or make her feel bad. If he even said the wrong thing, did the wrong move, or spoke out of term, they would be on him just as fast.
Hancock was walking side-by-side with Luffy and Nagarani skipped on his other side. The little girl was bolder than her auntie as she held onto his left hand tightly. Hancock looked as if she wanted to hold his hand, but was too nervous to even try.
The older Boa wore a nice outfit befitting of someone of her stature. Her sisters picked an outfit that was equal parts sexy and equal parts casual. She wore a high-waisted and belted light pink pencil skirt with a black top, an olive green oversized blazer, and matching green thigh-high boots. Her signature snake earrings were replaced with a set of black pearls and she had a black beaded necklace on her neck. To finish off her look, a red purse hung off her shoulder. Her perfume was a sweet vanilla spice.
The younger Boa wore an outfit that exemplified her cuteness factor. Her hair was pulled up into two ponytails, tied with pink ribbons. She wore a sleeved pink turtleneck, a poofy mint-green skirt, and red flats. A pink lily brooch was on her chest along with little pink rosebuds in her ears. On her back was a watermelon-colored backpack to match her outfit. She even wore her body spray that made her smell like the fruit too.
Luffy smiled at Hancock, who shyly darted her eyes away. Rani saw this and hugged his arm with a smile.
"I love this so much boyfriend~!" She said, batting her eyes. "Thanks for picking me and my auntie up today."
"No problem! I wanted to treat you all to a fine meal at a place where one of my close friends work." Luffy lowered the cherry blossom branch to allow Hancock to duck her head under.
"My, such a prince~!" Hancock complimented, giggling like a school girl.
The other Amazons squealed to themselves, blessed to have witnessed such a soft moment of their leader. Without delay, they entered the Baratie with a determined look in their eyes. The guests were startled by their appearance, but the chefs all came out to greet them.
"Your leader is on her way huh?" Head Chef Zeff asked, looking at the lead gorgon sisters.
"She is. Straw Hat is with her. If we recall, he was your cabin boy for a while." Sandersonia said.
"He was. A terrible one to be exact. Kept dropping my plates and eating the scraps. However, he got Sanji to get out more and helped him get his girl. I can do this favor for him."
"Thank you Chef Zeff. We Amazons will make sure your restaurant will be well guarded from rival gangs." Kikyo spoke prouldy.
"Bah! We can protect ourselves! No need for you lasses to give us protection."
Marguerite looked out the window and gasped. "They're coming! They're coming!"
The rest of the girls spread out throughout the restaurant just as Sanji came out. His eyes scanned the area before he saw an influx of females and squealed with happiness. Before he could do his usual flirting, his ear was yanked backwards as Pudding pouted at him. She dragged him back to the kitchen, ready to give him an earful for almost succumbing to his sexual desires.
Luffy entered the place with a big smile. He hadn't been there since the summer when he ate most of the food and had to repay his bill with service instead. He was the worst busboy ever, but he did get to meet Sanji and that turned out to be a fun time.
"Table for three please!" He said to the maitre'd. He turned back to the girls. "You guys feeling hungry?"
Hancock looked around in awe. "You got us reservations at the most fanciest spot in the East Blue district?"
"Are you a wealthy boyfriend Luffy? Shall we grow wealth together?" Rani asked, making Boa glare at her.
"Nah, I just worked here for a summer. I remember it was quite messy and Sanji would feed me during down times."
They made it to the table in a nice corner where they could see the ocean view. Rani's eyes sparkled at the scene in front of her. A white tablecloth, a little candle in a glass bowl, seats lined with red leather, and a fabulous ocean view. She had never seen such luxuries and opulence where she lived! All she saw were the gray walls of her room, the white walls of the training room, and the various colorful walls of the cafeteria. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that being the only girl in her schooling group made her long for more than what was given to her. The way the funny looking scientists always treated her so delicately while the boys got to handle rougher training always bugged her. While she was the cutest girl in the world, she was also pretty hardy herself. After all, she was raised to be just like her auntie!
Even if it meant taking her love interest as well.
Rani leaned against Luffy's arm with a content sigh. "Oh Luffy, I can't wait till we get married! You can treat me to dinners like this every week!"
Boa scoffed, flipping her hair. "Why I would treat my husband with homemade meals that I cook myself! He would never go hungry if he lived in my home."
"You cook Hammock?" Luffy asked curiously, handing the menus out to the girls.
"I do! I attend a finishing school that teaches one how to bake and cook for future guests and prospect husbands!" Her eyes narrowed towards a fuming Rani. "My specialties will be yours to sample if you wish to come over."
While the other girls fawned over Hancock's display of confidence, internally she was panicking and her heart was pounding. She was doing great, no fainting, no sputtering! A rising blush was forming on her face when Luffy accepted her offer to come over for a meal. This was her first step in proving she was a worthy wife! This date, her meal, her hand in marriage, her wedding, her first house, their first child….
"Hello, welcome to the Baratie, may I take-GAH! Are you alright mademoiselle?"
Boa snapped out of her daze as she saw Rani snickering at her, Luffy giving her a confused glance, and Sanji trying his hardest not to freak out due to her reddened face. The ravenette sat there, a bit flustered, as she waved her hand in front of her face.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to daze off!" She started to say before Luffy laughed.
"It's cool, I do the same thing in math class. Ms. Bellmére always hits me with her ruler whenever I start drooling and everyone laughs."
Hearing that made her laugh along with Rani. For a moment, while the Amazons spied on them, they saw a genuine smile on their leader's face.
"Okay, she did great during the appetizer and main course, so all she has to do is ace dessert!"
"The dessert is the most romantic part of the lunch or dinner date! They could share a sweet!"
"Come on Boa, get a shareable dessert!"
The girls were sitting at their own table in the back, exchanging binoculars to look at the date. Except for their tallest girl, who was happily munching on an apple tart made by the cute blonde's baker girlfriend. The other Amazons were treated with desserts due to them helping out with the prep work for the date and even cleaned the dishes for the chefs. Not only were they grateful, they noticed more customers came in to see the beautiful ladies. Of course they were hit on, but kindly informed the creeps that they were still in school. If they persisted, the staff allowed the girls to beat them up badly.
At the date table, Boa and Rani were impressed by the amount of food consumed by their crush. Not only did he even take some off their plates, but he finished about a dozen himself. The two females could only keep feeding him as they both knew the most important part of the date was coming.
I must share a dessert with him! Perhaps we can get the lava cake as a symbol of our love; fiery and passionate! Boa thought, playing with her fork as she stared at him.
Time to prove to Luffy that we belong together through a delicious treat! I'm thinking a strawberry shortcake to symbolize our love; short and sweet! Rani giggled, staring at Luffy as he finished his meal.
"Man, that hit the spot!" He sighed, patting his belly. "Guess we should order dessert now."
This is my chance!
"Luffy!"
"Boyfriend!"
"LET'S ORDER LAVA CAKE/STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!"
Both of them paused and glared at each other.
"Lava Cake!"
"Strawberry Shortcake!"
"LAVA CAKE!"
"STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!"
"Is everything alright over here ladies~?" Sanji asked, coming over to get their order.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Both of them yelled, making him fall backwards.
Luffy just smiled at them, motioning them to calm down. "Why don't we do both? I can enjoy two great desserts at once and you guys get what you want!"
This made both of them sigh happily at how understanding and kind he was. Sanji picked himself off the ground, took their orders, and scurried away from the table. Boa, in a rare display of bravery, made a motion to place her hand on his.
"We have contact! She is holding the hand!" Sandersonia grinned. "Go for the lips next, oneesan!"
"She's making him laugh! She's not stuttering!" Marigold turned to her sister. "This is going very well."
Rani noticed this and sneered at her auntie. This was not going her way at all! His eyes were on Boa, not her! This "date" was supposed to make him see how mature she was, how cuteness trumps over sexiness any day. This would not do, this would not do at all. From the corner of her eye, she saw the waiter coming with the desserts and got a devious idea.
Her leg shot out, tripping the waiter as the desserts flew out his hands and right onto Boa's head and outfit. Said girl shrieked, standing up abruptly as she the cream went down her face. The waiter frantically apologized while she stood there about to boil over in anger. Luffy got up and began to wipe her off before her head snapped over to the mocking face of Rani.
"YOU!" Boa pointed at the little girl. "You did this to me! Why did you do this to me?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about. The waiter clearly tripped." Rani said, batting her eyes.
"He tripped because you made him! I have had it with you trying to be me! You copy my look, you act so innocent, and now you are trying to ruin my chances with love! Do me a favor and stop being such a….pest!"
The Amazons saw Rani starting to shake herself, her eyes covered by her bangs. Instead of being cute or angry, her eyes were now full of tears. This stunned everyone since Rani never cried for anything or anyone, keeping her cutesy facade for all to see. Some tended to forget that this was still a child they were dealing with and not a teenager. Those tears went down her cheeks as her chest heaved a bit.
"I'm…" Her lip trembled as she got up and ran out the restaurant.
Luffy turned to Boa, who was still stunned by the rare display of emotion her niece shown. "Maybe you should go talk to her. She looks like she needs it."
Boa sniffled, wiping the strawberry sauce off her face. "I guess I should. I'm sorry that this date was a disaster! I just wanted to show off how I can be a great girlfriend to you and maybe even hold hands like the couples in the books. Stare at the sunset, sharing a dessert, you know, doing couple things. I even thought that after today we could be….friends."
The straw hat boy looked at her with a look of understanding. "Hammock, after spending time with you today and many days at school, I see you as one of my good friends. You don't have to date someone to be friends with them. And who knows, maybe someday, I might date someone special. If it happens to be you, I wouldn't mind it at all."
"Really? You truly mean that?"
"Sure! Just as long as the promise of a good meal is still in order. Now, go comfort your mini you there and we can all go out for ice cream instead." He tipped his hat. "This time, on me."
Her heart raced a bit as she silently cheered. Internally, she was over the moon with happiness at the prospect of dating Luffy in the future. They would start out slow, date through college, get jobs near each other, and then after the wedding…
Wait! She was drifting again! She had to go get Rani.
"I'll be right back!" Hastily, without warning, she hugged Luffy before running off red in the face.
Straw Hat simply laughed at this while the Amazons gave a cheer at their leader making the first move.
Boa walked out the restaurant to see Rani sitting on the bench outside.
The little girl had her arms around her head as she cried into her knees. Her back went up and down from her constant sniffles as more tears went down her leg. Boa took a deep breath before sitting down next to her. There was silence between the two before the younger of them spoke.
"I'm sorry for trying to ruin your date. I was just…jealous of you. You have everything that I want and more Auntie Boa. I feel like I am just a mirror image of you, a clone that was meant to copy all things Boa."
"You don't have to Rani, you are your own person. In fact, to be honest, I'm jealous of how confident and bold you are with men. I utterly despise all men except for my godfather and Luffy. You can talk with them so seamlessly and without a care in the world."
"That's because I am the only girl at a school full of boys. I have no choice while you get to be around so many cool girls. I wish I had a group of girls that were my friend and a crush as cool as straw hat."
"Guess we both felt envious of each other." Boa brought her in for a hug. "Maybe I should let you come to Whole Cake more often so that you can be around other females and learn from them."
"And maybe I can help you get more confident with talking with Luffy so that he sees you more than just a friend." Rani pulled her head up and smiled at her.
"It's a promise." Boa ruffled her hair. "Say, Luffy is treating us to some ice cream. Wanna use your cuteness to get him a discount?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Rani winked, giggling.
The Amazons could only beamed with pride as they watched Boa and Luffy swinging Rani between them, looking like a cute young couple with their kid.
"Guess we weren't needed after all." Marguerite sighed, shaking her head. "She did that all herself."
"I'm so happy for Hebihime!" Ran tearfully said.
"Shall we begin planning preparations for their wedding?" Kikyo asked, getting squeals from the others.
As the Amazons planned a future wedding, the budding relationship between Hancock and Luffy began to grow.
Next Time:
Luffy: I guess I'm sick this weekend!
A sick Luffy spends the weekend sick and needs to recover slowly.
?: Don't worry, I'll make sure you are taking care of.
A mysterious nurse takes care of him, feeding him medicine that gives him weird hallucinations.
Luffy: Huh? What is going on with everyone?
Will Luffy be able to handle his mind? Find out in our next adventure.
Sickly Straw Hat? Journey Into Luffy's Inner Mind!
?: I wish we could stay like this forever Luffy.
This was my longest chapter ever.
I guess my Boa bias is showing due to that.
I wanted to make this one of my best and I had to go through several rewrites to perfect it. I am happy to see how it all turned out and hopefully the next arc will be just as good.
I wonder who the nurse should be…
Please leave a like or review. I read them all and I appreciate the feedback!