88 [88] The New Belt (2)
Chapter 88: The New Belt (2)
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"The Senju Pirates, it says."
Tsunade couldn't help but scoff and grumble as she saw the stupid newspaper.
"What is that stupid bastard doing, calling his crew that?"
Tsunade's warship was sailing across the sea of Paradise, and she was standing near the edge of the deck, a cigarette on her lips as she read the news.
This was stupid. The first thing he did after coming out of a two-month seclusion, was to free several stranded islanders. It was a good thing, a great thing actually since there were even royalties within the people he saved. This could help his case and get him enrolled in the Marines without any punishments.
However, he just had to introduce himself as Hashirama Senju, the captain of the Senju Pirates, to all the people. So when all those grateful people reached their homes, the name of his crew rose to high peaks, his reputation growing.
It wasn't that bad, to be honest, but still, now he had the label of "Pirate" to his name. More so, aligning with the infamous Senju Pirates of the pre-Pirate-King-era. That wasn't a good thing. It would be hard to get him rolled into the Marines if people knew he was the grandchild of the ruthless Tobirama Senju. They wouldn't trust the Marines.
"Well, he can always become a Warlord, right? It seems like a simple solution."
Tsunade turned to the side and found Marianne standing beside her. However, it wasn't Marianne who spoke. It was the girl beside Marianne, Marine Captain Kujaku. She was the granddaughter of Vice-Admiral Tsuru.
Amidst the trio: Garp, Senkogu, and Tsuru, only the last managed to discipline their grandchildren enough to not give in to Piracy. Despite joining the Marines not that long ago, she was already a Captain and moving up fast.
She was stationed under Tsunade just recently, as Tsuru deemed it fitter than to keep her under herself.
"True. However, neither I nor he likes Warlords. We have bad blood with them."
Tsunade took her time and replied. She turned her head back to the newspaper and sighed.
"He was seen on an island near the calm belt a few days ago. We are approaching it fast, but at this rate, I am pretty sure he is gone."
"If I had to guess, I would say he is trying to get into the Calm Belt. He did vanish last time, and it's guessed that he was in the other Calm Belt within his seclusion period. The question is how does he survive in the Belts, and why does he even visit them?"
Tsunde looked at Marianne who spoke and thought over her reply. A moment later, she shared her guess.
"He has… wood powers. In a wooden ship, he is nearly invisible even if a dozen sea kings attack him from under the water. That's how he survives if I have to guess. As for why he is visiting the Belts, I am as clueless as you."
Kujaku smiled and said: "You're saying your brother is not only handsome but mysterious too? What a fascinating little boy you have, Vice-Admiral."
"Watch what you say, Kujaku."
Tsunade tilted her head to the side, causing the smoke of her cigarette to cover her face.
"He is off-limits. Then again, it would be rather amusing to see your whip against him. I will bet my money on him, though."
Kujaku giggled. "You nearly had me scared there, Vice-Admiral. But you must be joking to say a little boy would come out on top, against a Devil-Fruit user that makes her sadistic. I suppose we will see."
"We will."
Tsunade turned her head back to the sea and took a big puff of her smoke.
As the smoke rose in the air, vanishing into the clouds, a day passed when the Warship finally reached the island.
* * *
Just as Tsunade expected, no Hashirama was waiting for her on the island. She did find traces of him, however, and that was the closest she had reached him until now.
Tsunade felt annoyed. He was slipping away from her grip so narrowly. With no trail to where he was heading next, she had to move by her guess. She had to take her ship into the Calm Belt.
This was a little problematic. All Marine Warships were indeed equipped with an idea formulated by Dr. Vegapunk, basically using sea stones to layer the ship's bottom, to make the sea creatures mistake the ship for another part of the ocean. However, that wasn't full-proof. From time to time, sea kings would attack the ship.
It wasn't exactly dangerous, since Tsunade was here, but it was annoying nonetheless.
However, for this case in particular, she could look past the annoyance – for her brother. She ventured into the most dangerous sea of Paradise.
Then, out of the blue, when they were a day into sailing, they came across another ship.
"Is that him?!"
From afar, Tsunade thought it was him. Even if it wasn't, it wasn't sailing a marine flag and clearly seemed to be a Pirate's ship. They couldn't see the flag, but Tsunade didn't care any longer – she ordered cannon balls to be launched right away.
A few cannonballs hit the ship, causing it to catch fire, as it turned around. The fire was being put off, and Tsunade ordered the cannons to be stopped. It was a fluke attack anyway, to make the enemies scared.
However, she grumbled in annoyance as the other ship turned around and closed the distance, its features becoming clearer, and its flag much more so.
Sailing a red flag, with two giant serpents on the front of the ship, it was the Kuja Pirates — under the Warlord, Boa Hancock the Snake Empress.
"This is not good. They're approaching us."
Marianne sounded panicked as Tsunade began to sweat little.
Of course, this was dangerously close to Amazon Lily. Why didn't she expect that the ship may be someone else's?!
Tsunade's record wasn't going too well recently. To kill off a Vice-Admiral, and subsequently draw the attention of an aggressive Warlord Doflamingo – who had apparently demanded her to visit Dressrosa already, but was rejected by Sengoku, it was true that she was in a tight spot right now.
"Don't mess with any other big names for a while. More so, the Warlords. Do not engage any of them." – was the warning she received.
But dammit.
As the marines waited, with Tsunade a little nervous for once, the ship of the Pirate Empress closed the distance. Soon they could see the world's most beautiful woman standing in the front of her ship, glaring at them with her head held high.
"You marines dare!"
The woman with the most lustrous black hair and deepest blue eyes, with a frown of contempt glaring at them, yelled furiously.
"Has the Government lost its mind? Are you trying to wage war against Amazon Lily? No matter. Whatever the case, I will deal with you lots first."
Tsunade frowned as the woman raised both her hands in front of her. In a corny motion, she formed a heart shape with her hands, and Tsunade panicked.
She hadn't seen that power in action before, but she heard enough about it to panic. A glance across her ship told her that, despite it being full of women, no one here would be spared from the incoming attack.
Why were these girls so thirsty?!
Why were they admiring her beauty, blushing even?!
"Stupid bitches, control yourself!"
"[Love-Love Beam]!"
Along with her chant, bubbles of pink hearts leaped out of her hands, and rushed toward the Marine Warship. None tried to dodge, except for Tsunade, but then a bunch of them rushed at her specifically.
That was the Pirate Empress' signature technique. Those heart-shaped beams would turn anyone into a stone statue if they bore "impure thoughts" about her. The affected person's body can be destroyed – shattered since it became stone.
Tsunade crossed her arms, coating herself with Haki, and closed her eyes. She was sure she would be petrified, but when the beam went through her, and she still landed back on her feet, she opened her eyes in surprise.
Tsunade looked around. All her girls were turned into stones. Even Marianne and Kujaku were statues now.
"Why am I not…"
Tsunade was questioning herself before she blinked. Well, she did try to get on with girls before, when nothing was working out and her forbidden feelings for her brother were growing. It was from back when she was trying to distract herself by getting dates. None of those attempts worked, of course.
At this point, there was only one person in this world for whom she felt lust. She thought this power worked based on who found the Pirate Empress beautiful; which Tsunade did. That woman was gorgeous. She looked divine. But it seemed she made a wrong guess, and the use condition was more restricting.
Essentially, that made her one of the few who could resist the Pirate Empress' beams.
"Ah."
Hancock blinked and stared at Tsunade. She didn't do her usual arrogant pose, shocked at the display.
Tsunade smiled softly and stood up.
"Pirate Empress! I apologize for the earlier attack, it was purely a misunderstanding. Rather, I was here to warn you about a Pirate, someone who is invading your territory. May you free my girls?"
Boa Hancock frowned and stared at her. The two women with parted bangs, proud faces, and well-trained body figures, were a strange spectacle for the Amazonian women on the other ship.
After a lengthy minute, Boa Hancock smiled. "Come over and explain the situation better. After that, I may free them if your story is convincing enough."
Tsunade wasn't expecting an immediate agreement, so she nodded. She kicked the wood of the deck and shot flying through the air, using her wind powers. She landed before the woman, their height a perfect match too somehow, at a whopping 6"3' foot.
"It's Vice-Admiral Tsunade, nice to meet you."
"Follow me."
After staring eye to eye at her for a moment, Hancock smiled again and turned around. She walked away as her cape fluttered behind her.
To Tsunade's surprise, she was invited for tea. As the sun set in the western sky, two of the strongest women this world had to offer sat down for tea and biscuits.
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