Chapter 90: Trouble (1)
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Being caught cheating was a new experience for Hashirama.
Though he tasted female pleasure in his last life, he never loved anyone, so even when he spent the day with one lady and the night with another, it was never cheating. In his new life, too, when he slept around a bit in his little depression arc caused by Robin's backstabbing, none of them were a relationship either. So it too wasn't cheating.
With Mikita, however, he did cheat by definition. Since he was actually dating Vivi.
Now, all of a sudden, he was caught by Vivi – stuck in this peculiar position with Mikita pinned under him, as she was wrapping her legs around his waist.
"Hashirama? Mikita?"
"...."
'Goddammit, she is using the full name.' Both of the cheaters thought at the same time.
Vivi's confused expression and look of denial distorted and she teared up while clenching her jaw. "Y-you two... No, this guy! Hashirama Senju! Get off her this instant! You bastard, I will kill you!"
The two cheaters shared a moment of silence as the Princess of Alabasta stared at them. Hashirama could only sigh as the princess got mad and rushed at him.
He jumped, dodging the attack, but due to his earlier position, he couldn't counter when she attacked again. The kick hit on his solar plexus and threw him out of the window of the kitchen, flying far and nearly into the calm sea.
Hashirama's debauchery was finally caught.
* * *
For the general population, this situation would seem outrageous – given Hashirama was cheating on a Princess with a former thief.
It was a stupid situation, in retrospect.
The commotion drew the attention of Robin, who was reading a book, while Nami was awakened from her sleep. Karoo too came rushing to see the situation, and she sided with Vivi; who rushed after Hashirama to continue attacking him.
Not that any of her next attacks landed, he was too good at dodging and using the ship's structure to flank around her. Princess Vivi's pale face was red in anger, incomparable to anything before.
"Die, die, die, die!"
At one point, Robin rushed between the two of them and stopped Vivi. She was a little anxious if the girl could even be stopped, but luckily Vivi retained enough rationality to not attack Robin as well.
"R-robin... t-this guy! This bastard!"
Robin hugged the girl and pulled her face to her chest, patting her head, as the princess began to sniff loudly. She sighed and gently consoled her.
"Calm down, it's okay. Let me handle this, all right?"
Then with a deadly frown, she turned her head to shoot a glare in Hashirama's direction.
"You. What did you do this time?"
Hashirama, who was finally relieved from the barrage of attacks, sighed and rubbed the back of his head. By then everyone on the ship was present nearby, including Mikita, and they were watching the situation unfold.
"Uh. Well... Vivi walked in."
Nami may have needed a few seconds to interpret the situation based on that vague sentence, but Robin caught on immediately. She blinked and then sighed deeply. Her frown lessened, though still there, and she shot him a look saying – 'I warned you'.
With another deep sigh, she looked at Vivi, then at Mikita. She turned her head toward the sky as if asking the world what sin she had done to be pulled into this mess.
A moment later, realizing the intensity of this situation, Robin decided she had to play the devil's advocate and help solve this situation somehow.
"All right, everyone. Gather on the front deck. Let us discuss this properly."
* * *
Amidst them all, it was Nami who was the most stunned. In truth, she had seen how Hashirama and Mikita interacted sometimes when Vivi wasn't around – but she never knew it was this bad.
To think that he was a cheater...
'Honestly, I should have seen this coming. He was with the Princess even before he came to recruit me, yet he behaved the way he did with Nojiko.'
To think her captain was a cheater, Nami was shocked.
However, unknowingly, she had a bright feeling inside her. She found this amusing, but she still felt bad for Vivi.
Nami did have a crush on him. He was the man of her dreams, her hero. Her only male fantasy as a girl was that of a hero coming in and saving her, she didn't have the luxury to fantasize about anything else. It was not wonder that he was her crush, but sadly she thought he was taken. Now, if this situation made him break up with Vivi, then perhaps...
Nami quickly shook her head. She shouldn't be fantasizing about such an outcome. It wasn't good for the crew, and if the crew was disbanded she would probably never see him again.
There was another opportunity though, but she didn't notice this thought process that took place deep within her subconscious. This situation implied that he was open to... other choices, even when he had a girlfriend. That gave Nami an idea, an impulse, that perhaps... could she dethrone the princess and take the position of his Queen? If she acted on it, Nami was confident she could pull it off.
Not that she would admit this thought process consciously, even within her head, until a long time after this.
'Anyway, it's starting.'
Nami ignored her thoughts. She shook her head and looked at the people around her.
The entire crew was gathered, sitting on the floor of the deck in silence, as they waited for Nico Robin to begin speaking.
* * *
Robin sighed in her head while keeping a stoic outer appearance. She was sitting with Vivi right by her side, as the younger girl's head rested on her shoulders; the blue-haired girl glared at Hashirama – who sat opposite her.
Robin sat like a judge, with Vivi clinging to her left arm. Nami was sitting a bit farther away from Vivi, while on Robin's right side, Hashirama and Mikita were sitting. Karoo sat opposite Robin, forming a circle.
"Vivi. I will start with you. Tell me what you saw."
Robin gently patted the young girl and nudged her to speak. Vivi wasn't crying anymore, she was just mad. She didn't stop glaring as she spoke.
"I woke up and was walking here. Then I heard some weird sound come from the kitchen... I went to check in, and found these two... sprawled one above the other. It didn't look like an accident."
"I see."
Robin gave a sharp nod. No, there was no excuse out of this. She had seen it all and she didn't believe it was a false call.
They couldn't lie their way out of this.
Today they had to explain whatever was going on to her, and that... might as well break the crew apart. Perhaps it won't break right away, but it would be the first crack in the glass. Personally she didn't see any way out of this that ended well.
With a sigh, Robin proceeded with the meeting.
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