22 A Proposal

"It's simply really. Brilliant, even." Chinjao said, seeming quite proud of himself.

"You just need to marry one of my grandsons, Sai or Boo. Then you'll be part of the family and there will be no problems teaching you Hasshoken." Chinjao nodded to himself.

Cherry wasn't keen on the idea, but she had to admit that it made a lot of sense. Such things were very common in her previous life.

She couldn't just give up on Hasshoken. It was one of this world's most powerful martial arts and she would be able to use it freely without leaking her own secrets.

Backing out now would also be very dangerous. However polite or honorable they seemed, they were still pirates. If she wouldn't give them something they want so desperately, they will try to take it by force.

'Neither Sai or Boo are kicking up a fuss over having their marriage arranged for them, so I can't use their reluctance as a bargaining chip. And of course they wouldn't, I'm a smoking hot babe, a genius, a great talent with unique skills, and last but not least... a smoking hot babe!' Cherry appraised herself, with no bias or narcissism whatsoever.

There was only one good option, she'd just have to go through with it. She'll play the shy little house wife to avoid anything unpleasant and when she's learned enough about Hasshoken... she'll run away!

Cherry straightened her posture and looked Chinjao in the eye.

"Hell no." Cherry let slip.

'Whoops, I spoke my mind by accident. Oh well, hehe.' She thought.

"What?! What's wrong with my grandsons?!" Thundered Chinjao, his beard flowing in an invisible wind as the pressure built inside the room.

Sai and Boo rushed to hold him back. "Calm down, old man! I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it!" Sai consoled.

"Of course there's something wrong with them." Cherry doubled down. "They're men! How could I marry a man?!"

Cherry just decided to be honest. Let whatever happens, happen.

Surprisingly Chinjao did seem to calm down a bit after hearing her words.

"So you don't like men, not that you dislike my grandsons specifically? Hmm, that does make things difficult..." Chinjao sat back onto his chair.

"I don't have any other grandchildren, though, let alone a granddaughter..." He stroked his beard.

"Old man, we don't have to make things complicated. Let's just let her learn Hasshoken. It's just us three left in the family anyways, we can make this decision ourselves." Boo suggested.

"Boo is right, old man. Cherry is trustworthy, she's also doing us a great favor." Sai seconded.

Chinjao looked at his two beloved grandsons. He didn't want to go against the wishes of his ancestors, but he also didn't want to leave his grandsons with nothing when he died. They were the future of this family, weren't they?

"Haaah, alright then. We'll teach you Hasshoken, Miss Harpin. However you must swear to never teach it to others. If you do, then regardless of the favor you are doing me, you will be my enemy forever!" Chinjao decided.

"I swear to never teach Hasshoken to anyone outside your family without the explicit permission of your family." Cherry promised sincerely.

Hearing this while observing Cherry, the men nodded with satisfaction. They believed those words were spoken true.

...

*6 months later*

The treatments have gradually gotten much more bearable for Chinjao. Cherry rambled something about 'adaptation' that didn't make a bit of sense to him.

"Okay, all done!" Cherry said, giving Chinjao's head a light slap.

"Same time tomorrow, then?" He asked.

"No, this time we're really done. Your skull is back to its former glory, whole and complete." Cherry said, smiling widely.

Chinjao could hardly believe his ears. Certainly it had looked and felt finished since about a month ago, but Cherry had insisted that was only in shape, not in structural integrity.

Chinjao rushed out of the room, he'd been waiting for this for so long, too long.

He disembarked from his ship and walked over to an object he had commissioned and had brought to the docks. It was a large quarried stone renowned for its hardness, then was plated with 6 inches of steel.

Chinjao stood before the stone and shouted. He pierced his head towards the steel plated block and pierced through with ease.

"Hiyahohoho!" Chinjao was delighted! He didn't even have to use Hasshoken or Haki!

Sai and Boo approached, hearing the commotion. They watched their grandfather's figure that had regained his confidence with emotion filling their eyes.

Cherry approached from the ship. "So you'll teach me personally now, right? Sai might be talented, but he's a terrible teacher..." Cherry lamented.

"Hiyahohoho! Alright, alright. I'll teach you personally along with Sai and Boo. You've been pestering me for 3 months now." Chinjao spoke cheerfully.

"I need to visit the Jewel Ice Sheet soon, though. I can't wait any longer. It's time to retrieve what's rightfully ours." He spoke meaningfully.

Cherry knew why he wanted to go to the Jewel Ice Sheet and understood his sense of urgency. Chinjao's treasure hoard was sort of an open secret, so she was bound to learn about it having spent half a year here.

It didn't matter to them if she knew, from their perspective the treasure was impossible to reach. Not even Garp's fist would be able to reach it since he just didn't have the penetrative power necessary, even if his raw force was greater than Chinjao's.

"Hmm, I can't bring you there with me, though, Miss Harpin. The New World is far too dangerous for you. When word gets out that I've entered the Grand Line and that my head is restored, everyone will know I going after my treasure. I may not be able to protect you while facing the powerful foes that will try to rob me." Chinjao struggled with indecision.

He sighed. "I'll teach you for another half a year. By then, based on your current progress, you'll have learned enough from training and need to go obtain real battle experience. At that time, we'll part ways."

Cherry accepted this, she really wasn't ready to enter the Grand Line. Plus she wanted to explore it at her own pace, not to be carried through by people much stronger than herself.

...

The next 6 months flew by quickly and it was finally time to part ways.

Cherry sent off the Happo Navy with a smile and another rejection of an arranged marriage proposal from Chinjao.

After finishing her goodbyes she reviewed what she had learned in the past year.

The Hasshoken martial art was simply incredible in her opinion. It was the first time she witnessed a mortal technique that utilized one's vital energy. Granted it wasn't direct control, but rather forcing the vital energy into a funnel by flexing the muscles in a very precise manner.

This allowed Cherry to directly use Hasshoken even without proper technique if she wanted to. Though it would be considerably more powerful if she used it in the original way and her own way simultaneously.

It honestly felt like cheating, which is why she only did it the original way with the Chinjao family. Even with that handicap, they still saw her as a genius though.

'I want to test my metal against a real opponent, but most pirates in the four blues are too weak to be of any use...' She lamented her struggles that would make other grind their teeth with jealousy.

*SLAP*

A bounty poster flying on the wind smacked Cherry in the face while she was lost in thought.

She peeled it off and read it. A sinister smile creeped onto her face.

A pirate wanted alive or dead, for 43,000,000 Beri. Perfect timing.