Chapter 87: The New Belt (1)
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It's been three days since the Senju crew dealt with their situation in the Boin Archipelago.
They sent the formerly stranded people off to multiple destinations, utilizing the twelve large ships the Clone-ramas had created for them.
When done with that, the Crux Pirates and the Senju Pirates had a dinner party. It was to solidify the friendship that they had just formed; also for their crewmates to get to know one another.
"I guess you'll be leaving then?!"
When the moon seemed to be floating in the sea, Beidou stood in her ship and yelled at Hashirama who was on the deck of his own ship.
"Yes, it's about time! We will catch up later!"
Beidou and Hashirama shared their goodbyes, and then the Senju Pirates finally continued their journey.
Three days since then, they were in a town located right outside the Calm Belt. This was their last stop before they would venture into the dead sea, so the crew decided to drop by to buy some utensils.
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Over the years, the people stranded in the Boin Archipelago saved up a lot of treasures. Since a big number of people died there, all their possessions were left behind for others to claim.
While Hashirama helped the people out of this island, giving them a lift even, he took these big and small possessions as his fees. Though it was worth noting he didn't take everything, he only grabbed the things he found fanciful. Such as this stretchy dark metal hair band supposedly belonging to an ancient Samurai warrior.
Hashirama took it because he found the Haki within it fanciful. He knew black blades were a thing, but it was his first time coming across a metal headband that had so much Haki that it had turned black. So he was wearing it now.
As he was the savior of those hundreds of people, it was natural that his name was a little more famous now. So on this island he dropped to, Hashirama decided to make a change to his usual attire for the first time. He didn't want to be late by being recognised and entering another unskippable scene.
He exchanged his black leather jacket and pants for a rich turquoise green shirt with rolled-up sleeves, and white pants. He also wore a belt made out of roots. He replaced his ponytail with a high hair bun, while locks of hair fell by his chin, creating a sharp look.
"Add a beard and you will look like a perfect hobo."
Sitting at a bar, where Hashirama was gulping down gallons of alcohol, the blue-haired princess sitting on his side, wearing casual clothes, said to his face.
The other girls weren't present in the bar, they were outside, checking out the new town, and buying stuff.
Hashirama poured a barrel of booze down his throat, releasing a loud gasp, and wiped his lips. From his standing position, towering over the sitting Vivi, he looked down at her with a smile.
"Shut it, princess. You have no fashion sense. All of your wardrobes were done by maidservants until now, you don't get to talk."
"Tch, tch, are you attacking me again? How rude. Even though I stayed behind to accompany you?"
"Attacking you? No. This is my way of showing affection. I'm glad you stayed."
Hashirama and Vivi chatted as they walked to the cashier, handing the payment, and continued flirting. The largely built guy accepted Hashirama's money as Vivi continued.
"Right. Anyway, you think they're done by now?"
"Not sure. Girls and their shopping time isn't something I can predict."
"True, no point asking you. You won't get it since you're a guy. Learn to read a lady when?"
People in the bar stared at them, with gazes of admiration at Vivi, while also jealousy set towards Hashirama. The couple didn't even acknowledge them and walked out of the bar.
Hashirama and Vivi wandered the town, roaming the streets, eating whatever they wished to eat, buying all the small things that fancied them, and having a fun time in general.
When the sun began to set, they finally noticed the girls returning. Karoo was with Robin this time, while the other two girls followed by the side.
The girls had bags they were carrying, though most were with Karoo. The bags looked heavy, and with a simple burst of Observation Haki told Hashirama just how expensive the contents were.
Hashirama paused.
"...First off, how much cash is left?"
As the girls closed in, that was the first question he threw at them. Nami sighed with a painful expression and answered right away.
"Only a few hundred thousand berries. We spent millions on these things. I feel like my soul has dried..."
Nami truly looked as if she had all her juice sucked out of her body. While Robin didn't show much of a reaction, Mikita looked rather happy though.
'Crazy bitches.'
Hashirama's fingers twitched.
'All my money...'
Suddenly he was broke! How could he accept this?
Though, he just noticed an interesting thing about Mikita and Nami. Although both girls were obsessed with money, jewels and gold, Mikita liked spending them lavishly, while the younger girl felt like shit with every big purchase.
Back to the point, he felt pained as he lost millions of berries, all spent on these crazy girls. It was a little unbelievable, they were like a bottomless well.
Then he remembered something that his master used to say, "They say the world is money, and money is power. I agree, however, if this was a magical world, where the word power would have had a more literal sense, money isn't important. What the hell will a billion dollars do, in the face of a continent-buster punch? So you may use money in any way you'd like; don't leave any regrets. Enjoy life, and let your closed ones enjoy it with you. Be sure to make memories, because wealth is just metal and papers at the end of the day."
Remembering that Hashirama lifted his mood and looked at the girls. The girls looked a little anxious then, noticing that he had been silent since they told him about the money.
Seeing their reaction, Hashirama sighed in his head and shrugged.
"Oh well, it's fine as long as you like the stuff you bought. Anything you got for me? I will be disappointed if you don't."
"I do! Well, it's for the entire crew, but I am sure you'll like it the most."
Nami cheerfully replied to forget the money topic. Beyond that, she did seem quite happy about it as she grinned and slipped her hand into the bag by her side. She went through the contents, frowning as she searched, and that frown soon broke out into a smile when she found the thing.
"Look!"
Nami put the bag down. She gently held the item in both her hands, raising it high. The dark colored cloth stretched to flutter in the air, as Hashirama paused. A moment later, he smiled with a laugh.
"That looks magnificent."
"Of course, because I drew it. Well, I got the inspiration from a shop that sold flags, where I saw a similar design, but this one's original. I drew it and the shop printed it for us."
"Hey, I helped you draw it too! Stop taking all the credit, thief."
"And I chose the color scheme, don't leave me out of it."
Nami, Mikita, and surprisingly, even Robin fought for the credit of the flag in Nami's hand. It was a cloth with a slight blue and purple hue, which had a skull made out of a tree – shaped like the Yggdrasil – engraved within it. The legendary god tree was surrounded by extraordinary designs, marking this artistic creation.
[Image Here]
"Oh, oh, I see. Since we have been officially named the Senju Pirates finally, it's about time we sail a flag in our name!"
Vivi cheerfully interjected the situation, happy at the sight of the flag. After freeing hundreds of people from the archipelago, Hashirama's name gained more fame. At the same time, the name Senju Pirates also became prominent. The Marines hadn't officially dubbed the crew's name until now, but when so many people came calling them the name, it stuck and the Marines had no choice but to go along with the flow.
So now that they had an official name, it was time they had an official flag too. Hashirama looked at it and couldn't help but admit how beautiful it was.
"Let's go. We should get moving already."
Happy, Hashirama led his crew back to the ship, where a clone was camping, keeping watch, and then they began to move towards and into the Calm Belt. This side, Hashirama noted, he might find something if luck did him good.
...A few weeks later, Hashirama would look back to this thought and realize how underwhelming he made all this seem.
Something good?
No, this was a treasure. This was lucky.
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