One Piece (CH34) (Patreon)

Sorry about this. Job hunting and relationship drama have been keeping me busy. I'll try to write the next one a little faster.

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"So that's it..." Ms. Valentine said, looking at Jack strangely. From her expression, she seemed to be trying to understand him. "...but there's still one thing I don't get. Why do you even care? I'm not insulting you, but let's be real—you're not a goody-two-shoes."

Listening off to the side, Paula laughed, glancing from her friend to Jack. "Don't try to fool her. If you didn't have some 'bad boy energy', this girl wouldn't have shown any interest." Miki gave her friend a look, as if telling her to stop talking, but Paula continued. "And just to clear out the air, because if I don't, this is going to linger between you two for who knows how long—her high-standards in that area, as well as others, kept Miki mostly single. I know she tried to act experienced, but she really isn't."

Jack scratched his cheek. "Uh... well, it's fine. I understand people have lives outside of myself. That's her business-..."

"Don't act like it didn't bother you." Paula said, cutting him off abruptly. "She told me about the chat you guys had before you had sex."

"Damn it, you bitch, shut up!" Miki yelled.

Paula smirked. "I know it bothered her too. She always talks to me if there's something-..."

"I'm changing the topic..." Jack said suddenly, awkwardly tugging on his shirt. He felt about ready to die from embarrassment. Still... it did make him feel better, knowing he wasn't the latest in a long line of conquests. He'd no doubt Ms. Valentine could've been a real heart-breaker if she wanted. And he was aware of the irony of him, of all people*, feeling that way. "...to answer your question, Ace is kind of important. If he dies, well, it'll cause a lot of trouble."

Ms. Valentine shook her head. "No, that doesn't answer my question. So what if it causes a lot of trouble? How exactly does that affect you?"

"I-..." Jack started, hesitating. She wasn't wrong. Even if the world was thrown into chaos, he could just separate himself from it. It wasn't like he had to get involved.

Paula extended a hand, running her hands through his hair. Her nails trailed across his scalp. "Alright, you don't have to explain it. Tell me—do you still want to help him?"

"No." Jack said eventually, having thought it over. "He's made his decision to fight Blackbeard alone. I'm not going to keep insisting. But the Straw Hats are on Jaya island, and I don't want them to die there." He said, feeling a pang of guilt in his chest. The first time around, Blackbeard hadn't shown much interest in Luffy, but what if he knew from the beginning Ace and he were brothers? If he decided to go after the Straw Hats, it would end in disaster. The crew stood no chance as they were, even with Ace's help.

"So you are still thinking about your crew... well, I guess it's just going to be that way. In any case, this Blackbeard—if I recall, he used to be a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, but got kicked out." Ms. Valentine said, interrupting Jack's thoughts.

He looked at her, tilting his head. "That's true, but what are you getting at?"

"I'm just thinking I don't know much about him. He's not some infamous, notorious figure. However, you seem to be really cautious of this guy."

Jack pursed his lips, feeling a little vexed. He didn't think his abnormal knowledge was that obvious, but somehow, people kept noticing it. However, after a moment's thinking, he came up with a suitable excuse. "Actually, Blackbeard attracted my attention because of something you guys might struggle to believe... He's found a way to steal people's devil fruits."

The moment he said that, the room went silent. Ms. Valentine and Paula looked at him with wide-eyes, clearly disbelieving.

"Wait, are you sure? I've never heard about anything like that—if it was a thing, wouldn't the secret have been revealed by now? It's just... too big. There'd be no way to hide it if people were randomly gaining devil-fruit abilities left and right."

Jack shook his head. "How would you know? If the person wanted to hide it, they could just say they'd eaten a devil-fruit. There'd be no way to tell."

Paula looked from him to Miki, who'd spoken before. "Wait a moment, dear. We'd have to hear what this secret method is first. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Can you tell us, captain?"

"Jeez, stop calling me captain..." Jack said. However, seeing their unrelenting expressions, he simply sighed. "...whatever. I won't keep insisting, but don't blame me when something happens. I already said I'm not suitable for the role." He took a breath before continuing. "Anyway, I don't know exactly what the method is, but I'm almost certain you can't just 'steal' the ability. For it to work, the original wielder needs to... die first. You have to kill them, I mean."

Paula looked down at her nails, idly fiddling with them. "I see... and there's a fruit you want, I assume? I suppose you could be planning to hunt them down and sell them on the black market, but that doesn't seem like you."

"There is..." Jack said, nodding. "...or there was, but I'm feeling unsure about it. Gol D. Roger conquered the Grand Line, defeating countless fruit-users without being one himself. One might say he managed it despite not having any abilities, but I somehow feel that's not the case." He thought about it before shaking his head. "Never mind. First, I'd like to stop by Jaya. I don't have to decide how to handle that issue right now."

There was a moment's silence before Ms. Valentine stood, walking to the door and opening it. "Since this conversation is finished, I'll check on that marine captain. We can't have her escaping while our attention is elsewhere."

Paula followed her lead. "I have a few things to do as well. Let's talk again later."

Watching them leave, Jack rested his chin on his palm. He had a lot to think about, the coming conflict not least among them.

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A certain ship, flying a straw hat wearing Jolly-Roger was docked at an island. The crew had already disembarked, with only two people remaining on deck, keeping an eye on the ship.

"Robin-chwan~..." Balancing a tray on one hand, Sanji floated toward a small wooden table, setting a bowl and steaming cup on the surface. "...your chocolate cake and coffee, brewed to perfection."

Robin glanced at him over the rim of her newspaper. "I appreciate you looking after me Sanji-san, but shouldn't you be doing the shopping? The pantry is looking rather empty. I can look after the ship on my own—I doubt we'll see any trouble."

Sanji wagged a finger back and forth. "That won't do, mademoiselle. This island is infested with pirates! I'm sure their heads are filled with filthy thoughts—who knows what they'll do when they see a beautiful lady all by herself?"

Humming noncommittally, Robin brought the cup to her lips, blowing on her coffee. "Well, in that case, I'll thank you in advance."

Their conversation lulled, silence returning to the ship. Sanji went back to the kitchen, washing this morning's dishes while Robin read her newspaper in comfort. It was one of those perfect spring days, cool enough to be wearing a sweater, but nice and warm in the sun.

Eventually, having spotted a blip growing larger on the horizon, Robin raised her head. Feeling it was somewhat familiar, she squinted, her eyes widening when she realized who it was. "Hey, Sanji-san, isn't that...?"

In the process of fawning over her from a distance, Sanji's slightly-glazed look disappeared. He followed her gaze. "Did you see a cute little bird, Robin-swan~...? Don't worry, I'll grill it for you-..."

He was still talking when a subdued explosion sounded, followed by a burst of flame. Under their surprised gazes, a tiny little boat shot over the waves, leaving a trail of fire in the air.

"Yo! Fancy seeing you guys here!"

Drawing closer, Ace grinned widely, lifting his hat as a form of salute. He waved it at Robin and Sanji.

"You're... Luffy's brother!" Sanji said, his cigarette hanging from the corner of his open mouth. Next to him, Robin stood up, leaning on the railing. She was similarly disbelieving.

"...wow, I guess it happened twice." Ace said, scratching his head embarrassedly. "I've said goodbye before, then again, now I'm running into you for the third time. I almost can't believe it."

Sanji nodded slowly, his expression turning a little serious. "Right, right... Sorry, but I can't help wondering what happened to that bastard? He was with you, wasn't he? Where is he now?"

"Ah..." Ace started, looking somewhat awkward. "...we split up. My business is a little... risky. There's no need for him to get involved. In fact..." He started stroking his chin, giving them a serious look. "...it's better if you go find that troublesome kid brother of mine. You guys should leave this island. It's a little dangerous for you."

Sanji and Robin exchanged glances, mutual understanding in their eyes. "I'll stay here..." Robin said. "...you, please tell them, Sanji-san."

The cook grunted in affirmation, the levity having disappeared from his expression. "I don't think you're the type to joke about something like this, right Ace? You didn't even blink when we went up against Crocodile, so if you're being careful, it must be a big deal. I'm sure Luffy would insist on helping out, but we might end up being more of a burden than anything else. I'll go get them." He finished, swinging his legs over the edge.

Robin watched him leave, turning her head to look at Ace. "You're hunting Blackbeard D. Teach?"

"I am." He said, leaping onto the deck. He stared out over the town, crossing his arms.

She looked at him expressionlessly. "And you're confident in dealing with him alone? I've heard a few things about this man. He's not as straight-forward as he seems."

Ace laughed. "Of course. Jeez, I don't know why everyone keeps doubting me. I'm pretty strong, you know?" Apparently not finding what he was looking for, he hummed, jumping off the other side onto the peer. "See ya later. And make sure to get your friends out of here." Without waiting for a reply, he walked off, soon disappearing behind a building.

Robin sighed, folding her newspaper and getting up. "It seems things are about to get interesting..."

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That night, Jack was asleep in the captain's bed, a certain blonde laying in his arms. Despite her being clad only in her bra and panties, they actually hadn't done anything, being a little tired after an eventful day. However, he was suddenly woken up when the blanket next to him was lifted up, another person sliding into bed next to him. They wrapped their arms around his chest, pressing their body flush against his back. The person didn't have a stitch of clothing on.

Jack's eyes opened, his boxers immediately feeling a size to small. "Hmm... I feel like I can recognize those anywhere. Even though I haven't touched them before."

Paula's voice laughed into his ear. "Then why don't you turn around and try it?" She asked, her lips brushing against his ear.

"I would..." Jack whispered, not wanting to wake Miki. He doubted she'd be too happy about this. "...if you two weren't holding on to me so tightly."

She ran one hand up his chest, the other stroking his abs, moving lower. "Then I guess we'll just have to sleep like this. Or we can do something a little more fun..." She trailed off, her slim fingers tugging on the hem of his boxers.

"Better not." Jack said. "If she wakes up, this is gonna turn messy."

Paula snorted softly. "I'm not so sure. But I suppose we're all a little tired. Let's talk again tomorrow."

Jack hummed, closing his eyes. He didn't think he had any chance of sleeping—not with the absolutely amazing feeling of a naked Paula pressed against his back. However, his mind soon drifted toward the upcoming troubles. The very idea of everything they'd need to go through caused a wave of weariness to wash over him. Soon, he was fast asleep.

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