78 [78] The Boin Archipelago (2)
Chapter 78: The Boin Archipelago (2)
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The wind was gentle around this archipelago, and Hashirama even noted rain on one of the islands in the back.
As his ship moved closer to the island, he noticed something unusual. There was already a ship docked near the island, in the shadow of one of the flower petals that formed the island. It was a surprising sight to Hashirama due to its design, which followed a very elaborate Chinese theme, and it even had a wooden dragon sculpture in front of it.
"From the looks of it, nobody is currently inside."
"Wanna go and loot it?"
"Shouldn't you guys have any shame? Seriously, looting people is not good!"
Nami, Mikita, and Vivi exchanged words, while Hashirama and Robin stared at the pirate flag. Their jolly-roger was similar to Big Mom's, kind of, but that was it.
"Do you recognize it?" asked Hashirama. "Say you do."
"...I don't."
"You should be ashamed."
What sort of archeologist was she? Just knowing the past wouldn't do; knowing the present also required knowledge.
Hashirama didn't recognize the ship either, though it did spark a bit of his memory he couldn't exactly put a finger on. However, he recalled Don Chinjao's clan had a little Chinese theme going on – so this might be one of their ships. Not that any of that mattered. He was going into the islands, and if his group came across theirs – he would beat them up and loot their stuff.
"Hashirama, tell them to stop wanting to loot people- keh!"
Vivi turned around to complain to Hashirama, but when she saw his wicked expression, as he was thinking about looting too, she gasped and stepped away. Hashirama quickly fixed his expression and looked at the island. His eyes squinted in search of looking for a way up; however, he couldn't make out a path. He soon made the outline of a rope that hung from up there; it seemed that the pirates of this ship had used that rope to climb up.
"We can't use it. Pirates often leave such traps, so that if another group came behind them, they would get caught in the trap. It's most likely a trap."
"Makes sense."
Hashirama acted as if he took Robin's advice in one ear and let it out with another. He kicked the ground and rose in the air, two wooden sticks poking out of his back, and then forming a wooden skeletal wing – that soon filled up with leaves to form a pair of wings.
– Fwahh!
Hashirama flew upwards and reached the end of the rope. However, unlike what Robin had said, it wasn't any trap. It was an intact rope. Hashirama couldn't sense any people around, however.
"All right. It's safe here. Robin, come on."
Hashirama reached out a hand and stood as Robin stared at him. There were at least a hundred meters between their positions.
Robin sighed at last and raised her arm – her arm that multiplied at a rapid pace, as it stretched, and then touched hands with Hashirama. Hashirama yanked his arm, and she came flying towards him, her extra arms getting absorbed into her as she cut the distance between herself and Hashirama.
There was a "boing!" sound as she landed on Hashirama's arms, her chest pressing down on his, and his arms wrapping around her ass for a brief moment. Robin paused and blushed, but before she could call him out on it, he put her down on her feet.
"That was perfectly done, nine out of ten."
Robin decided to distract herself by thinking about how 9/10 was perfect, while he jumped off from his spot and went back to the ship. Robin blinked and frowned when she saw him return with Vivi in his arms, while Mikita and Nami came flying with their personal powers, as did Karoo the duck.
Hashirama put Vivi down on her feet, while she was happy being carried, and Robin yanked him by his arm to whisper in his ears.
"This is not fair."
"I would say the touching was minimal compared to if I had carried you. So unless you're admitting you wanted to be touched by me, this should be fair enough."
"…I can't with you. Can you stop being an assailant?"
Robin released an elaborate sigh and backed off, her last line not exactly a question but a statement.
Hashirama ignored Robin and turned to the other girls. He smiled as he started to say something. Just then, his expression changed, and he snapped back to Robin, yanking her by the waist and pulling her closer.
"Ugh, hey, what now again-"
– Shiiing!
A glossy black figure flashed across the spot Robin was standing on a moment earlier.
"Ah…"
The crew immediately went on high alert and turned their attention toward the giant beetle that had attacked them. It was a beetle the size of a one-story building, and it had sharp fangs capable of tearing steel.
Nami was the least panicking member of the group, aside from Hashirama, and she was about to dive in. Since she overcame her biggest fear in this timeline, she was a lot different from her canon counterpart – dangers didn't scare her.
However, Hashirama moved before her. Putting Robin behind him, he kicked the ground and appeared right under the beetle's chin, his forearms blackened.
– Ooommph!
The sound of a thunderclap deafened the area, and then the sound of the earth cracking followed suit. The thick black armor of the beetle shattered like an eggshell, and the meat and blood under it splashed like thick juice in a gush of waves.
Hashirama's wings were still there, so they came over his head to spread in a cocoon to cover against the blood rain.
When the wave passed away, and the cocoon revealed Hashirama, his dark and serious expression was gone as he ran towards Robin with a smile.
"It doesn't seem like you're hurt, are you?"
"…I am fine."
"That's good."
The other girls around them, and Karoo, looked at the destruction behind him and then at his smiling face. Nami, in particular, looked the most taken aback, witnessing his physical powers for the first time.
"Ah, your face got a little bit of blood."
Hashirama said and raised his hand towards her cheeks, his hand made a dry leaf, and he wiped it across her face, wiping the blood. Robin shook a little, but didn't say anything. She seemed to be in deep thought as she stared at him, her 6'2" form a match with his as she stared right at him.
"Ahem."
Vivi cleared her throat from the side, frowning a little, as she looked at the two of them and changed the subject.
"This island seems dangerous. The crew who came before we may be dead already. Should we continue moving in, or should we leave?"
The crew took her words to heart and thought it over for a moment, before their eyes inevitably turned to the captain. Hashirama tilted his head and then looked in one particular direction, at one interesting tree.
"I had a hunch when I saw the giant beetle, but seeing that tree confirms it."
Hashirama walked over to the tree, as the crew followed him with their eyes, and he reached a hand up to pluck one of its fruit. Though more than a fruit, it was a cupcake. A real cupcake.
"It tastes real too."
Hashirama took a bite and was surprised by the taste. Then he touched the trunk of the tree and poured his chakra into it – scanning the tree, and then backing off.
"Guys,"
Hashirama raised his palm like the statue of a deity and smiled.
"It looks like we have to roam around this entire island. Because-"
[Cupcake Cannon!]
Hashirama's raised palm shifted with chakra, as bullets of cupcakes rushed out and hit the girls, one by another, right on their faces, as cakes filled their mouths while Hashirama laughed aloud.
The Boin Archipelago. He wondered why the shape of the island sparked memories in his mind. Now he remembered it. This was the island where Usopp was locked in for two years.
Besides carnivorous plants who ate everything, this forest included trees that held ordinary wild food such as plum trees and corn stalks, but it also had things like meat and cakes growing on trees. Heck, there was a river of already prepared ramen in this forest.
The archipelago itself, its flower shape, was actually a giant carnivorous plant on its own – scientifically known as "Stomach Baron", that eats overweight animals that grow overweight from the food found in the island.
The 'islands' hosted a large variety of unique plant species known as Pop Greens. The further one delved into the islands, the greater the variant of Pop Greens one could find. However, the further one may go in, the more difficult it would get to escape, so it's not wise to do so. A group of giant beetles guard the edges of the flower shape, so it's hard to leave on your own.
If Mariejois was the heaven for humans of this world in general, then the Boin Archipelago was the heaven for Hashirama and his powers.
Sure, he could create fruits and whatnot as he was right now, but literal meat? Cakes? Chocolates? After scanning the entire island, it wouldn't be short to say he would be nearing the fictional status of a God of Creation.
While the girls choked on cakes, and Karoo happily gulped it all down, Hashirama started to laugh maniacally as more beetles came to attack him. The crew decided to explore the island, knowing that they might gain something valuable from this strange place. As they ventured deeper into the archipelago, they remained cautious, ready to face any new dangers that might appear. But the promise of newfound power and resources drove them forward, excited for the challenges that lay ahead.
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Master4thWall Note: Finally an exploration island arc, and we will even see a new character, from the pirate ship outside the island. Hint – It's someone who was mentioned in the few "In Search of a Ginger" chapters.
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