Times Of Peace I

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Chapter 126: Times Of Peace I

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"Hmm, interesting," Yovan murmured, ignoring the screams of Niji as he complained to his father, his anger blinding him.

He focused solely on the pieces of paper in his hands, checking them carefully to make sure nothing is missing.

"Oh?" Yovan raised an eyebrow, "Now, that's fascinating... What will happen if my Gloom project succeeds?"

He halted his thoughts, knowing it was neither time nor place for it, "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

Yovan then turned around, ignoring the veins popping on Judge's forehead, the latter's face turning into wariness as Yovan stopped, turning around, "What?" He asked.

"What?" Yovan, in turn, asked, specifically eyeing Reiju.

"What?" Reiju asked with confusion.

"Don't know, I just felt like you wanted to talk to me... Did you?" Yovan explained.

"You felt it?" Reiju questioned with shock, giving Yovan the confirmation he needed.

"Yeah, stop hesitating and say what you have to say," Yovan said.

"I-I don't..." She was still hesitating, side-glancing at her father in fear.

"Too much of a coward to say it?" Yovan shrugged and turned around, walking away without hesitation.

"I want to go with you!" She overcame herself and said it, the words that'd make Yovan stop and glance at her.

"Then let's go," He continued walking around much to her dismay, his words taking a while for her brain to process. She didn't expect it to be so easy.

But her legs worked seemingly by instinct as she started walking away, from walking to running after him much to the absolute perplexity of Judge.

"Reiju!!!! Come back here!!!!" His screams fell on deaf ears. The Vinsmoke family was left confused, just what the fuck happened? Why did she leave? Did she just betray them?

"Mmm hmm mn, perfect," Laffitte nodded repeatedly as they reached Seizon No Hono, eyeing a place far away, "Well done, Cap! I fucking love you!"

"The price of hesitation," Yovan shrugged with a wide smile as he glanced at Reiju who didn't hesitate for too long.

Judge did hesitate for too long, allowing Yovan to unsheathe his blade entirely, swinging it just a little bit before Judge conceded to his demands.

However, that little swing was enough to release a slash of pure condensed Haki so strong it traveled through half of the moving Kingdom, reaching one of the snails.

And thus the Kingdom became of snot as the insides of the snail scattered about, including some gooey stuff.

The snail was colossal enough to paint a significant part of the Kingdom in its snob.

"Aghh, you two can be disgusting sometimes," Kalifa said with a facepalm.

"No hesitation?" Yovan asked Reiju as they jumped on board the Ship, and she instantly nodded with an expression that spoke with nothing but hesitation and apprehension.

She was hesitating, but she didn't want to show him her hesitation. She was afraid because she had nothing she never saw herself doing.

"Yahahahahaha! Then Strangers! Welcome another complete Stranger with us!" Yovan's easy nature at least put her at ease.

"Yoooo! The second one this week! Let's gooo!" Kaku was the first one to celebrate as he ran to his room, bringing out a small sculpture of Seizon No Hono, "Here, take this!"

"Welcome to the crew, just don't be useless... Well, you can be useless, just don't be an obstacle to the Captain." Kalifa said with a smile.

"Huh? What do mean you can be useless?" Laffitte eyed Kalifa with ridicule, turning his attention to an overwhelmed Reiju, "You've just consented to living in hell! Uselessness isn't allowed!!"

"Well said!" Yovan nodded as he patted Laffitte with newfound appreciation.

"I'll be your teacher! And I'll pass on to you all of my wisdom. How to dissect animals and beasts... Humans sometimes t... Ahhhhh," Laffitte found his head planted on the rough ground of the Ship.

"You really have a way of betraying my expectations," Yovan shook his head as he lightly patted Reiju, "Seriously though, welcome to hell."

'Have I made a mistake,' Reiju had to wonder, her head dizzy with perplexity.

"Aghh! Cap! Not fair! Why don't you respect my beliefs!? This is a free ship with lots of freedom of speech!" Laffitte complained like a little baby.

"Fuck off with your freedom of speech if it means training the minds of new crewmates!" Yovan yelled back, "In fact, what the fuck is freedom of speech? Do you know, Kalifa?"

"I think it's when you lightly torture people to get them to say what's on their minds?" Kalifa shrugged.

"Makes sense," Yovan nodded.

"Torture? Makes sense," Laffitte also agreed, his mood as fleeting as the wind.

'If this is a mistake, then it's a mistake I would make every time.' Watching their strange behavior, Reiju could think of that.

She was a bird in a case. they were the beasts that make the cages, just not for themselves.

She wanted to be like them in a way. She wanted to get rid of her cage and say whatever she wants whenever she wants, just like them.

Seizon No Hono sailed away, leaving the Kingdom of Germa far away, the cries of anger and madness from the remaining Vinsmokes heard by none, the promises of revenge falling on no ears.

"How come I didn't get a celebration like her?" Viola asked curiously, finally allowed out along with Bege.

There were, in fact, a bunch of individuals on the ship, Bege's trusted subordinates, all laughing and drinking in the middle of the night.

"Because you slapped the Captain," Arguably, the nicest of the Strangers Kaku, responded with a bit of coldness.

"I wanted to kill," Kalifa remarked as he took a tiny bite of meat, seated on Yovan's lap like always, "I still kinda do."

"Why did you slap him?" Reiju found the courage to ask, still very much not used to the atmosphere of the Strangers.

"He killed some of my people," Viola responded.

"Why?" Reiju asked, her curiosity finding a whole new world out there.

"Out of necessity." Yovan answered as he took a large bite of rich juicy meat, "Mm, not bad."

"Do you do that a lot?" Reiju asked with a frown.

"Yeah," Yovan nodded with a shrug.

"For power?" Reiju asked with apprehension because that'd be the same goal of power that led her father astray.

"No, survival." Yovan shook his head.

"Survival? You went out of your way to kill," Viola pointed out harshly.

"Hmm," Yovan blinked his eye as he stroked his chin, "I suddenly don't feel like explaining everything, so let's just say that I did it because I wanted to do it."

"Makes perfect sense!" Laffitte nodded, "I also feel urges sometimes to do things, so I do them. I don't know why my mom didn't understand that, I mean, I just tortured dad a bit. He did worse things to me."

Yovan's face couldn't help but twitch as he facepalmed, side-glancing at the speechless Reiju and Viola.

It took Reiju a while to regain her composure and ask, "Why did you accept me so easily? Into your crew? I'm not special in any way. I'm, like you said, a coward."

"Why did you want to join my crew?" Instead of an answer, she received a question from Yovan.

"I?" Reiju closed her eyes for a second before responding, "I-I don't really understand it? I was just envious of you. You said whatever you want. You did whatever you want. You were so bright and open... I want to become like that?"

"Such lovely words, music to my ears," Yovan appreciated her observations very much, "And the answer is in your words, I just felt like it."

Well, Reiju was speechless. She expected a deep answer than that, something more complex, but as she looked at the rest of the Strangers, she noticed their nonchalant attitude as if what he had just said was typical.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Yovan murmured, eyeing the dark sky, specifically the only source of light in the darkness of the night, the radiant moon.

Every time. Every night he sees the moon and he can't help himself. He can not help stroking his moon-like earring, the only keepsake he has left from his father.

And sometimes, he can not help but wonder, 'What would the old man think if he sees the monster that I have become?'

"It would be more beautiful broken, now it just looks weird," Laffitte commented, drawing a smile out of Yovan.

'He would think... You're having quite the adventure, eh? Don't fall off the cliff,' Yova mused with a smile, 'And I'd say, no worries, I can fly.'

"Yahahahahahah yahahahahaha!"

"Huh? Why is he laughing? Hey, share you stingy bitch!" Laffitte complained, but only heard more laughter, so, "Stop tickling me with your laughter Luahahahahahah!"

"DoHhahahahahaha!"

"Kahahahahaha, so stupid!"

"Hahehahahe, why are we laughing?" Even Kalifa joined.

"Pfftt Rihihahahha," Reiju shared a giggle, barely stopping herself out of embarrassment.

Only Viola didn't laugh. She wanted to, but couldn't, or didn't feel like she should. Her conscious wouldn't allow her, but even her conscious couldn't stop her from letting out a tiny smile as she murmured, "Weirdos."