One Piece (CH32) (Patreon)

Jack and Paula stood on the deck, watching the island grow smaller in the distance. For a good while, tension was thick in the air, with them being unsure if Crocodile would change his mind or not. In the end, he didn't. They could finally relax, heaving quiet sighs of relief, signaling Miki that all was well.

Jack turned to Paula, giving her a weird look. "So you did him a 'favor', huh...?" He asked. "Must've been a big one."

"It's not what you're thinking." She said, meeting his gaze. Her expression was unamused. "I don't appreciate your mind going there automatically, by the way."

Jack waved his hand back and forth. "Wait a moment—I didn't say anything."

"Your face was saying plenty."

Her accusation left him scratching his cheek awkwardly. Thinking about it, he didn't think Paula was lying. If she and Crocodile had some kind of relationship, he doubted 'Mr. Zero' would be so willing to watch her leave with another man. Still, he couldn't help tilting his head, staring at her intently.

Paula sighed, curling a lock of curly hair around her finger. "What is it now? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"It's..." Jack's mouth opened and closed, not knowing how to say it. He was just realizing that, unlike in the manga, Paula wasn't a flat, two-dimensional character. She had her own past, perhaps no less interesting than his. Of course, if he did say that, he'd sound like he didn't have a brain. "...nothing. I was just realizing you aren't just a pretty face."

She rolled her eyes. "If you don't want to say it, then don't. But don't make up stories-..."

Still in the middle of her sentence, she was suddenly interrupted by a door swinging open, exposing a certain bubbly blonde's figure. Ms. Valentine strode toward them, a big grin on her face. "Phew, that was exciting. I'm surprised we made it out—more so that you came with us in the end." The latter part was directed to Paula, Ms. Valentine coming to stand in front of her friend and hugging her.

The other woman huffed, though she did return the embrace. "I was getting tired of working for that... man. Besides, I can't leave you alone. You won't survive without me."

Ms. Valentine stiffened. Judging by her expression, she didn't exactly appreciate being viewed as helpless. "Ugh... I'm not a little kid anymore. You're so-... forget it, it's useless to argue with you." Sighing, she turned toward Jack. "Well captain, where are we going now?"

Her form of address caused Jack's eyes to widen. He twisted his hands uncomfortably in his pockets. "Please don't call me that. It sounds far too... organized. I don't have any kind of coherent plan."

Paula glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Then what reason did you have for following after Miki? Why did you board this ship?"

"...well, I wanted to leave the island. She proposed this plan, and if she was really going to follow through, I didn't want her to get into trouble by herself."

The blue-haired bombshell held her cheek, looking from him to her friend. "Wow, you really did turn him good, Miki—if he was even willing to go that far for you, not knowing if it'd work out or not."

Ms. Valentine snorted. "Don't say stuff like that." She said. "You're overthinking it. He's a real strong guy; I know that from experience. He'd have been fine."

Paula wagged her eyebrows. "Hmm... that's true. You do know from experience. In fact, I heard you 'experiencing' it from next door-..."

Jack felt his face heating up. Usually, he was the one offending others with his raunchiness, but for some reason, when it came to these women, he found himself at a loss. "How about we have a short party on deck to celebrate the start of our voyage? I haven't eaten anything all day." He said, trying to change the subject.

The girls looked at each other, then back at him. "We already ate. But I'm sure neither of us would mind keeping you company."

"I'd appreciate it." Jack said, smiling. Even though this relationship was based on... less than pure feelings, it felt good to have this type of organic development—naturally growing closer. Ultimately, the conflicted feelings he experienced after leaving the Straw Hats hadn't appeared out of nowhere, but had bubbled under the surface. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Robin and the rest still to come—Luffy had fought for all of them, to have them be part of his crew. The only exception was himself, because he had forced himself onto them, like shoving a round peg in a square hole.

He was stubborn, not stupid—it had taken Ace making it clear he really didn't want Jack around to drive the point home. The reasons for that, well... they were ultimately irrelevant, weren't they? The end result was him going back to how he used to do things—by himself, and for himself.

Though, that wasn't entirely the case this time around, and he was glad for it.

"What are you standing around for? I found this in the ship's pantry! The alcohol content is low, so we should be able to have a drink or two—even though it's still early in the day." Ms. Valentine held up what looked like a bottle of sparkling wine.

Paula giggled. "We'll have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't overdo it. I don't mind another heart-to-heart, but I know men sometimes feel embarrassed, sharing their feelings." Walking over to Jack, she took his arm, leading him to a small table on the upper deck. It had a nice view, overlooking the ocean for miles around.

Ms. Valentine sat down on his other side, pouring him a small glass of champagne. "Cut it out, Paula. You're not funny. Jack, drink this and ignore her."

Sandwiched between two beautiful girls, Jack did as he was told. The taste was excellent—refreshingly fruity in the warm sunlight. Draping his arms over Paula and Miki—the latter not exactly looking happy about her friend being included, though not saying anything—he relaxed in his chair, enjoying the moment. He could already feel his gloom from earlier in the morning fading away.

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After a while, Jack set his empty glass on the table. Leaning on his elbows, he rested his chin in his hands. The girls had gotten up at some point and were now sunning themselves on the deck, stripped down to their respective green and blue bikinis. Paula's figure was somehow even more incredible than he imagined, her 'assets' even more impressive Miki's own. Still, she somehow managed to look perfectly proportioned despite having such long limbs and a slender waist.

Feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he was forced to look away, turning his head to stare at the sky instead. He was finding it difficult to control himself. "...I've been thinking. I might have a few ideas about what I want to do next." He said, his voice a little hoarse.

Somewhere to his right, Miki hummed noncommittally, signaling she'd heard him.

Jack continued. "It might still be a good idea to go to Jaya. We can't keep sailing around in a marine ship forever. It's basically asking for trouble. At least, I know there are some guys who can help us give this thing a makeover."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blonde propping herself up, flashing a stretch of cleavage.

"What do you mean 'it might still be a good idea'? I thought you didn't have any plans." Ms. Valentine said.

Jack cleared his throat. "Well, the Straw Hats are headed there."

Ms. Valentine lowered her shades, staring provocatively at him. His gaze automatically went to hers, managing to actually look her in the eyes.

It was a moment before she spoke, her tone sounding a little unhappy. "You want to reunite with your crew?"

"No... like I said, this is purely for practicality. After a short pitstop, we'll go our own way."

"Hmm..." Not exactly sounding convinced, Ms. Valentine laid down again. "And where exactly will we be going? Have you thought of that yet?"

Jack coughed. "To be honest, I do have some thoughts, but they're pretty... selfish. That's why I don't think it's that great of an idea to have me as the ship's captain. I'm not exactly predisposed to putting the crew's interests first."

When he finished speaking, he saw Paula sitting up somewhere to his right. Stretching herself, she laughed, showing off her gorgeous, fair-skinned figure. "Wow, you really are too cute—I just want to eat you up." Standing, she circled around to behind Jack, rubbing his shoulders. "What do you think a pirate captain does? They have something they want, and they go after it. Kind-hearted as that Straw Hat Luffy might be, I doubt he was any different."

Jack blinked, letting her message him, her fingers digging into the muscles of his shoulders and neck. "I guess... when you put it that way." He said, drawing his words out. "But are you alright with it? It may be the generally accepted way of doing things, but that doesn't mean its optimal."

This time, it was Ms. Valentine who spoke, rolling her eyes. "I left with you, didn't I? I'm clearly ok with it, and she feels the same way. Actually, I haven't told you yet, but Paula was the one who suggested leaving with you in the first place. We discussed it over breakfast."

Surprised, Jack turned his head, looking over his shoulder, meeting a pair of deep, brown eyes. "You-... I don't get it. If you wanted to leave the organization, I can't imagine you'd choose piracy as your new career. Isn't it basically the same as what you were doing?" He thought of something, hesitating. "Weren't you in charge of that café? Wouldn't you have preferred going back to that?"

Paula raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you knew about the café? That was just a cover for our operations in Alabasta."

"But you enjoyed it, didn't you?"

"You're very perceptive..." She said, looking at him somewhat suspiciously. "I don't know how you'd even be aware of that unless you visited at some point. I'm sure I never saw you, but even then..." Paula trailed off, tilting her head while looking at him.

Jack certainly couldn't tell the truth—that he knew from reading the manga—so he came up with an excuse on the spot. "I might've noticed you from afar. I couldn't miss such a striking lady. Your eyes were glittering then, even though your face was a mask. I just felt you were having fun."

"Is that so...?" Paula said, tapping a finger against her cheek. Her gaze grew warmer. "I already told you, if you don't want to tell the truth, then don't. But save the made-up excuses for someone who will fall for them..." She leaned down, kissing his cheek. "...but it's a nice lie in any case. You don't have to worry about me running off to start a café. If Miki was willing to be my waitress, it'd be a different story, but without her, I doubt we'll attract many customers." She said, sending a playful glance toward her friend.

Ms. Valentine rolled her eyes, though she didn't quite manage to stop herself from looking pleased. "Okay, okay. Enough of that. Just tell us what you're planning. If it sounds like a terrible idea, I promise we'll let you know."

Jack looked at each of the girls in turn before nodding slowly. "Well... I'm planning to head to Fishman Island. There's no rush, but I want to get to the New World eventually."

The blonde seemed somewhat surprised, with her friend being more calm. "Heh. I knew you were an ambitious guy the first time I saw you." Ms. Valentine said eventually. "Planning to contend for the role of pirate king like your old captain?"

Shaking his head, Jack raised a finger. "No. I'm planning to become the world's strongest creature instead."

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