Chapter 161: I'll Keep You Safe
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[Two Years Ago]
The Senji Pirate ship, adorned with three fearsome wooden dragon heads at its prow, submerged gracefully into the embrace of the ocean. A colossal bubble ensconced the ship and stopped water from crushing it into a flat sheet.
The bubble sphere shimmered with a translucent sheen, casting reflections that danced across the ship's timeworn planks. It was a magical work of Sabaody's unique shipwright, held firm against the crushing depths.
"Stay inside," Clone-rama said to the only other passenger of the ship, as he walked onto the deck. "There's a Kraken."
A titanic huge tentacle monster loomed in front of the ship a little distance away, and the beautiful scene of the underwater morphing to its horror. As the ship ventured deeper and closer, the sun's rays filtered through the water, transforming into a mosaic of light that bathed the ocean floor in a surreal glow. It helped illuminate the Kraken better, its red skin shining.
There was an unimaginable thing behind the Kraken, a waterfall that fell to the depths of the ocean. Different shapes and vibrant hues unfolded around the area, a sprawling garden in the heart of the sea. Schools of fish, their scales glinting like precious gems, wove between the corals, undisturbed by the intruding vessel above.
Until the Kraken whipped one of its long tentacles toward the ship.
Water current shifted, as a whirlpool was brought into existence, and the ship began to spin. The tentacle did not miss its target, however, as it began to curl around the bubble in an attempt to burst it.
Hashirama the Clone didn't want to waste his limited chakra, it was precious, only worth a month's existence, but that thing didn't want to budge.
— !!!!!!!!!
A wave of Conqueror's Haki burst out of Hashirama as he glared at the beast. The tentacle paused midway, but it did not stop for long. It would have been knocked out entirely if he went all out, but he didn't want to waste his energy. So Hashirama let out a sigh and took in a breath as he leaped forward, phasing through the bubble as a small bubble wrapped around him.
A dozen wooden hands erupted out of his back since he didn't want to waste his very limited chakra by making clones, as orbs of swirling orange chakra spun on the hand of all of them.
[Chakra Suns Bombardment]
A dozen balls of chakra rested on his hand as he appeared above the kraken, and then opened its mouth to attack back. But that was a mistake as Hashirama poured all the Rasengans into the beast's mouth.
– Boom!
– Bang... Boom-Boom!
A series of explosions filled the Kraken's head and the water grew dirty with thick blood. When it cleared, Hashirama noted the gore of the beast's cooked brain.
Many other eyes turned to look at the source of the blood, and Hashirama let out another burst of Conqueror's Haki to warn the fishes.
Then, he swam back to the ship.
"Let's speed up," he said as he landed on the deck. "The sea kings won't be scared for long."
A figure clad in black robes walked out of the inner chambers of the ship and gently lowered the cloth from her head to reveal her beautiful face. Beautiful she may be, but the dark circles under her eyes and the trails of tears made her look broken.
"Alright," Queen Titi said in a hoarse, yet soft voice. "Be careful though."
Hashirama the Clone stared at her for a moment and nodded.
He stood at the center of the ship and clasped his hands to take over the ship's control with his chakra. He poured very limited chakra into the ship as it began to speed up, treading through the water like a jet.
The further the ship sailed, the more enchanting the ocean revealed itself to be. Mang ancient sea creatures observed the bubble-wrapped intruder with curiosity and indifference.
The clone was looking forward to hearing something, but it turned out he didn't have the Voice of All Things. Too bad.
As the ship moved, jellyfish, like floating lanterns, pulsed gently in the water, their bioluminescent glow illuminating the path ahead. Hours passed and it was about then that the scenery began to transform as the ship approached a vibrant reef, teeming with life.
In the distance, the shadowy outline of an underwater island, the legendary Fish-Man Island began to emerge. He didn't know how to feel about it, but it certainly felt safer than anywhere on land after what he saw happen to Alabasta.
As they approached the city's lights, twinkling like stars beneath the luminous sea, he noticed Titi's stiff shoulders relax a little. She felt safer underwater too.
There was an entrance in the distance that was visible from here, and Hashirama led the ship toward it.
* * *
"Sorry, Aunty, we don't have enough cash to get a better place than this." Clone-rama closed the apartment door behind him as he and Queen Titi stared at the cheap hotel room.
"It's alright," the queen said gently as she walked over to the bed, her eyes pausing at the cheap sheets for a moment before she sat down. She looked at him and said, "For how long are we going to stay here?"
"Normally it'd have taken a day or two to reinforce the bubble coating to make sure it won't burst when we go out, and then we could have left. But..."
"But?"
"I'm thinking of staying here." He said as she frowned.
"What do you mean, Hashirama?" Queen Titi shot up and walked up to him. "We... we need to find your main body and crew as fast as possible. We can't stay here!"
She held his shoulder and shook him as she looked deep into his eyes. He nodded his head, "Exactly because of that is why I say we stay here. My chakra... it will run out in a month. If we're sailing the sea at that time, you'll be stranded. Worst, if we are in the middle of a pirate battle at that time, you'll be taken by the enemy pirates and who knows what'll they do to you. With all that in consideration, I think the best choice is to stay here."
"And how is here any safer than the sea?" She demanded with a deep frown.
"You're a Royal, aunty," he told her. "You told me last time that you met the Queen of Fishman, Otohime, when she attended the reverie a decade ago. You told me that you supported her, didn't you? I'm sure she told her husband, King Neptune, about it. You were an ally to them when they were at their desperate times. Now that you are in a dangerous position, I'm sure they'll let you hide in the palace. You'll be safe there, even if I'm gone."
"...."
"I don't think, if my guesses are right, that the main crew will be out anytime soon. It might take months or... years. I'm not sure about it," he said and watched her lower her head while her hands trembled on his shoulder.
She kept her head low for a long minute and Hashirama felt a pang of pain in his heart when he heard her tears fall to the floor. "...Aunty, are you crying-"
"Hashirama," she snapped her head up and looked into his eyes with a stream of tears trailing down her cheeks. "You... you can't leave me too... what'll I do if you go away?! I... I don't want to be alone... what if they come for me next?!"
"Aunty..." he felt pity at the state she was in. Once a strong-minded queen, rendered into a helpless woman. Who could blame her? She saw her husband burn, her home explode, and her entire country vanish.
Hashirama hesitated a little, unsure how she would appreciate his touch, and pulled her into his embrace. He held her tightly, closer to his chest, and kissed her head.
"I'll be here with you, then," he said, "I'll find a way... There must be a way to gain some extra chakra for me to stay here for longer. I won't leave you alone, Aunty."
She sniffled on his chest and slowly lifted her head to look him in the eye, "...You promise?"
"I do, yes." He put his forehead over hers as their nose touched. "I kept you safe from that horrible weapon, and I also protected you from the Kraken, right? So you can rest assured, I'll keep you safe until the full crew returns."
"No," she said. "Say forever."
"...Forever." he nodded. "Aunty, I'll keep you safe forever."
She nodded, her tears overflowing more, as she buried her face into his chest and pushed him into the bed. She laid over his chest, like a scared little girl, and he didn't even realize when she fell asleep.
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