82 Hot springs!
Jackson POV
The sun rose once again to shine on Red Sea City. Today is the 4th day since we arrived on this island and it's also the day of our departure.
Walking down the street to the remains of the port while everyone we came across ran or cowered in fear wasn't exactly what I would call 'cool' and it kinda sucks that they think we would kill them if they look wrongly at us.
'We aren't even that scary! I mean just look at Bepo! Look at the girls! Look at... why do they look like they want to murder someone?!'
Sadly there is no way to just tell them that right? After all the cities on this island, were the kind of places where you had to expect everyone to have a knife with your name on it, hidden behind their backs.
But not everything was bad nor was everyone here scared of us.
"Hey Kench. Aren't those the kids from yesterday?" (Bepo)
At the port, some kids could be seen pacing around nervously. According to Bepo these boys and girls averaging 9 years of age, were ones that Kench apparently knew.
"Hoho, indeed. We met each other by chance yesterday evening but surprisingly they weren't scared of my looks. In the end I shared a meal with them."
Kench told us the short story with an almost benign looking smile on his face. The kids noticed us after we stepped onto the remains of the port.
Out of the 8 boys and girls that had come to the port, 2 started walking towards us stiffly. The boy that walked up had dark short hair and big green eyes with a small beauty mark beneath his left eye.
The girl was blonde and had bright blue eyes flowing just past her shoulders in a straight manner. They were both kinda cute given how they look at us so shyly.
"Uh- Uhm...excuse me."
The boy quietly called out to us. Something seems to make them nervous since they were talking so quietly, almost mumbling.
"What is it?"
Law's usual annoyed voice made them flinch and stutter even more.
"Eh- we.. you see, we- we-"
"Please let us join your crew!"
"Nope! Not a chance!"
Instant rejection! After the boy stumbled with his words for some time, his blonde friend shouted what they wanted to ask but there is no way I would take in all these brats after just raising the others to a level where I don't have to babysit them.
"Please let us join!"
"No."
"We are strong!"
"Still no."
"We can work! Cooking and cleaning is nothing to us!"
"Not a fan of child labor, answer is still no."
So far the girl has shown quite the spirit but now she is pouting cutely while looking up at me with her big teary eyes.
"Cute but still no. Was that all you wanted to say?"
Augur stepped in and asked them for their reason to be doing this though the answer was a bit unexpected.
"Turns out we got ourselves some fans here."
"Yeah! It was so cool when you appeared and defeated everyone with just a few people! And the newspapers called you an emperor! We want to join and be strong pirates like you!"
The dark haired boy seemed to have finally found his voice as he excitedly answered but it didn't change the outcome.
In the end they left dejectedly after being told of by their admired people.
'I would have maybe changed my mind if one of them said something like Luffy though.'
Anyways, it's finally time to leave! Getting on our ship we sailed out to the sea, leaving Red Sea City behind us.
Unbeknownst to us at this point in time, a huge ship would arrive hours after our departure, with the people that came on this ship, asking questions about us and in which direction we departed.
***
"The weather isn't getting any more creative with it's attempts to sink us either."
It's been almost a week since our departure, in which we struggled against the forces of nature to our best but at some point it got repetitive and boring.
Just storms, lightning rain, huge waves and things like that, nothing really original.
"You know captain, I'd rather have it stay uncreative than getting killed off because you are bored by the reoccurring same natural catastrophes."
"I am on Law's side regarding this. If you are so bored why not come and play cards with us?"
Enel invited me to play with him, Sachi, Penguin, and Sabo but Augur interrupted us.
"Captain, I can see an island ahead of us. According to Bepo this is most likely the unnamed island with the natural hot springs on it."
"Hot Springs!"
"Hot Springs!"
Penguin and Sachi were the ones who rejoiced the most after hearing Augur say that. Honestly it eluded me at first but after thinking for a bit, their enthusiasm for the hot springs became obvious.
'They want to peek at Robin and Kuina!'
Well I better wish them good luck with that cause in case they get caught their days as men are counted for.
"Your plans are obvious, so I'll warn you beforehand. If you get caught your days as men are counted for." (Augur)
OH! Augur saw through their plans as well! To think he would say the same thing I just thought...
'Kinda weird coincidence.'
Upon reaching the island the first thing everyone did was pack some things and walk towards the center, where the hot springs are said to be.
During our walk, Kench mentioned the order, referring to whether we should let the girl go first, though it turned out that there was no need for an order.
It wasn't just one spring but many that happened to be scattered across a relatively wide area.
That being the case, Robin and Kuina went together to search for a place away from prying eyes leaving us 9 men behind.
"...Hey. Should we perhaps take the risk and follow them?" (Penguin)
"...I wish we could, I really do but I like my manhood to much to risk it for a quick peek." (Sachi)
"Get your heads out of your asses and your asses in a spring already!"
With a strong pat to their backs, Law got them moving. We split and got into 2 separate springs and damn did it feel good. Like all the accumulated fatigue you weren't aware of was being washed away.
"I wish we had some sake and light snacks to go with."
But sadly my wish remained unfulfilled since no one thought of preparing that. After some time I left the hot spring and decided to walk around the island...of course out of curiosity and not to peep or anything. After all I could coincidentally find the gir- cough! I mean a lost treasure or something like that.
"Hey Captain, are you going to look for 'the others'?" (Penguin)
"Unfair! Take us with you!" (Sachi)
"Bullshit! I wont do something like that! I'll just walk around the island for a bit!"
Is what I said but somehow I still managed to stumble on a beautiful naked woman in a hot spring even after I went to a far end area from the others and that too in just half an hour after leaving.
'Dafuq?! Is this a rom-com? Ecchi? Should I just start using observation haki all the time before going anywhere? This has to be god meddling in my life!'
A dark haired woman in front looked back over the left shoulder, with her back facing me. The perfect figure, enticing skin, big blue eyes and that mark on her back gave her identity away even before we exchanged any words.
"..."
"..."
"Ehm...So...Hey. How have you been?"
"Melo Melo Mellow!"
'Fuck!'
Her devil fruit powers will turn everybody to stone, who is attracted to her or has lustful thoughts about her!
Luffy is a total rubber brain for not being affected after seeing her bath, like for real this is beyond the realm of a human!
Quickly dodging her attacks a few times didn't make the situation better but what can I do? It's like this damn fruit was made for Hancock, given her appearance. Knocking her out would definitely seal the deal and mark me as an enemy.
Since she is here, the two sisters must be nearby too, and I am sure they will soon notice this commotion.
'It's not like I can jus- hey wait a moment I indeed can?'
Instead of dodging continuously I just appeared next to her before she could react and immobilize her.
'Shit, if looks could kill...'
"Can you stop attacking me!"
"You saw it didn't you?! You... You... It's YOU?!"
'Oh boy she just now recognized me...'
Is what I thought but she proved that it didn't matter by trying to kick me even after having recognized who I am.
"Release me! I would rather die than let anyone see what you saw on my back!"
"Can't you calm down first! So what if I saw it, why should you throw your life for something others did to you?!"
She stopped attacking me for now but her eyes continued to throwing death itself on me. Still, we should continue after I release her which I did.
"Don't ask stupid questions when you can't understand it. What it symbolizes to have this cursed mark on my ba-"
Having moved out of the water, I picked her towel from the side and threw it on her head, not caring whether she has finished talking.
This of course earned me a resentful glare but she at least didn't attack again. Anime and manga were my only teachers when it came to dealing with a trauma but how effective would that be when you are not the main character? At least I should give it a try.
"You already know what I think about that. Did you know? I actually met a celestial dragon who tried to enslave me 6 years ago."
"You what? How come you... Wait! Then that incident on Sabaody... what did you do?!"
"I was about to kill her but she got away with a beating."
...
And now she is completely silent. Only from time to time there would be mumbling something about it being unbelievable but honestly, to me it's more unbelievable that no one else did it.
Afraid of an admiral coming after you? Just run before one arrives! The marines and guards will hold you back? Do it stealthily or while wearing a disguise or some other shit.
Shouldn't at least some of the slaves have tried to blow them up using the exploding collars in a suicide attack? Whatever, to her it seems like something absolutely unbelievable.
'Damn, if only I remembered what exactly Luffy said to make her calm down.'
My thoughts were interrupted by Hancock continuing to talk but the atmosphere was a lot calmer now than it was before.
"Did you really attack a celestial dragon? Couldn't you have just ran away?"
"Yes and yes to both. That celestial bitch was just too hateful. Blergh! Wish I could hit her again."
"...You...you...how can you..."
"How can I what!? Hit that waste of space and air? Quite easy! You can do it too! Even with that mark you are no longer a slave. You are Boa Hancock, captain of the Kuja-Pirates and ruler of Amazon-Lily as well as the world's most beautiful woman!"
Sadly there was no reaction to my little speech. She just turned around giving me the time needed to get lost after staying still for a while. It was already incredible to have met her here but for the Kuja-Pirates and her sisters to not have noticed all that commotion...
"Damn 1 in a 1.000.000 chances, I'll never enter an Island ever again, before I don't sense the surroundings with my haki."
Mumbling what came to my mind, I returned to the ship. The crew took a break for one day before continuing the journey the next morning.
At this point I neither knew about the effect my little meeting with Boa Hancock had, nor how soon we would meet again.
(AN: Hey everyone! Another sudden meeting on an island! Jackson sure doesn't have it easy with someone meddling in his life all the time, right? I read a comment about how he could suddenly find whitebeard here, who is just chilling with his crew and it made me laugh a bit. It would surely be cool to suddenly stumble over a boss like that but in the end I decided to have him meet Hancock. I hope you enjoy reading the ff!)
