Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 217 MY WIFE

Hancock learned how to control her aura much faster than I did. The process to push Nen into her was fairly simple, and once the aura nodes were opened she was able to force it all back into her body. I showed her how to focus it and gave some short examples. She was a quick study, having already learned Haki years ago. 

Focusing the Nen into her eyes she could see me use the Nen to cause major damage with simple hits. She became especially interested after talking about all the benefits. I didn’t mention the Water Divination trick, because we didn’t have enough time and to be honest I hadn’t perfected my own personal Enhancement style yet. 

After she knew the basics we continued on with our chakra training. She learned the Transformation Jutsu after a day, and we played a prank on the crew by switching places. 

Not able to change her voice with chakra like I could, she was forced to stay silent as I ordered the crew to hoist up the thing, batten down the whatsits, or got aft and starboard mixed up in my orders. I had never seen her laugh so much. It was rather creepy seeing her voice coming from my body, but it wasn’t long until we broke the jutsu. 

Then Luffy demanded we do him next. I turned into him, and Hancock turned into Ash. Both of us doing our best impression of the other, it was an innocent moment that I had been missing. Of all the worlds, One Piece was one of my favorites. Most of the time was spent goofing off. Very rare moments were serious. My wife and I sat on the deck every night. Simply watching the ocean as we talked about the future. 

I told Hancock the truth of the future I had seen. Fishman Island, that weird Smile Factory that I couldn’t remember much about, Fighting Doflamingo, Big Mom, Kaido. That was the first time I had seen her scared, but she sucked it up and trusted me. I wasn’t sure when I would see her or our kids again, so I enjoyed our time together. 

We talked of other futures. How many kids she wanted. Retiring on Amazon Lily or Leton, whichever we ended up with after I got my memories back. But we also talked about disappearing. Simply walking away from it all. Grabbing our kids and moving to East Blue or something. No one would find us. I had enough money for us to live the rest of our lives in comfort. 

A part of me wanted it. The part that had been happy on Earth. No drama, just a woman by my side. It was unfortunate that it was an impossible dream. I had Challenges coming up. If I didn’t want to die and disappear on her or our kids, I had to keep pushing. More quests, more training, more everything. 

6 days after picking up the Luffy and Ash we got to Sabaody Archipelago. I had been using my Search Quirk as we got closer. I focused on each of my crewmates one by one. Usopp was a ways away, so he wasn’t there yet. Sanji wasn’t either, he was further away than Usopp. I said a small prayer for the love sick man. I would need to cook him up something special to make sure he didn’t die from blood loss. Zoro, Brook, Franky, and Chopper were already there. 

Most important of all, Robin and Nami were already there too. I had really been dreading having the conversation, but after what Hancock had said I didn’t worry about it anymore. I was a pirate. Not some pansy ass simp that needed to check and recheck with people around me. Hancock accepted who I was, that was good enough for me. Robin and Nami could make their choice, but I knew it would be me. I was able to do things to them that no other man could hope to dream of. I only had to remind them of that and they would be mine. The duo had already accepted sharing me. I hadn’t kept the information about Hancock from them. I had nothing to be ashamed of. 

Yes, I was married and had kids, but this was what I wanted in life. I was already cheating on them with a dozen other girls in other lives of mine. Something I couldn’t begin to tell them about if I wanted to. So they would take it or leave it. I planned to make sure they would take it. I had been going easy on all of them. I had spent years training my chakra since I had seen them last. I had collapsed after fighting Angiea hundreds of times, but I always got back up. My skill with chakra had never been stronger. I didn’t like to make Hancock pass out too quickly, so I limited what I used on her. It was time to use the 3rd stage of my Chikyugi skills.    

“What do you think?” Ashley asked as we stared at the island. The trees were getting ever closer. 

“I think you would look great as a man,” I said. 

“Huh?” She asked but I formed the hand seals and poured chakra over her. Turning her into Ace. The black hair was shorter. I made her shirtless and got rid of her boobs. Making her face more angular he/she looked just like I remembered. “What did you do?!” 

“Hancock can’t be seen with the likes of us,” I said. I did my own hand seal and turned myself into Fabio from Earth. Chiseled jaw, long blonde hair, my shirt was gone as well. 

“Why am I a man?!” Ash yelled with a very girly voice. 

“Oh oh do me,” Luffy said excitedly. I thought about it for a moment then changed him into Sasuke. Laughing as the broody man wore a straw hat and huge smile on his face. 

“Why do I gotta be a dude, and he gets to be some hunk?” Ash asked, her fists turning into flames. 

“Hunk?” I asked. “I don’t see it.” 

“I’m handsome?” Luffy asked in a toothy grin, not matching the aesthetic at all. I loved it. Laughing as he started stretching his arms out as he played with the form. 

“You look good as a man,” Hancock said. “Husband,” she hissed. “Please drop the face. You are very…ugly now.” 

“Ugly?” I asked. “I’ll have you know that this is the creme de la creme of men I’ve seen,” I said in my best Fabio impression.

She sneered. “I much prefer your face.” 

“You’re Love Sick,” I said, sticking my tongue out. “Just till we get to the island, love.” She rolled her eyes but nodded. We were soon weighing anchor and helping them unload trading goods. 

Amazon Lily was rather reliant on outside trade. Hancock had tried to establish some more alliances for when the Shichibukai were disbanded, but had no luck. I hoped to handle Leton to potentially provide all the assistance she needed. Who knew when that would happen though? For now I needed to keep an eye on things. 

We made our way to Shakky’s bar and were dropping all the goods in the back storage. Shakky was the main contact for the Kuja pirates for selling less than savory goods. As a former Kuja pirate she took a small cut and sold everything on the bustling black market of the Archipelago. 

“What’s up, Shakky?” I asked as we came out the back. She eyed me as I dropped the jutsu. As I did so she put on a wide smile. 

“I was wondering when you lot would come by,” she said, eyeing Ash and Luffy in their hidden transformed selves. 

“Weston, drop this face,” Ash hissed. 

“Can’t, it’s got to wear off,” I said. “About 24 hours.”

“Cut the shit, I saw you end it just now.” 

“Fine,” I said, dropping it on her. She grabbed her boobs and let out a sigh. 

“Well good seeing you all, I’m out,” she said. 

“Wait, where are you going?” I asked. Luffy was still dressed as Sasuke, but was already eating a plate of food Shakky had placed in front of him.

“I’m going to go figure it out,” she said with a thought. 

“Try to keep your head on. Don’t want anybody chopping it off,” I told Ash. 

“That stopped being funny the first time you said it,” she said, but gave me a hug. “Thanks for sticking your neck out.” 

“Anytime,” I said, patting her back. “When next we meet, I hope it is our crew facing off against yours.”

“That’s right,” Luffy said, extending his arm and pulling her in for a hug. “We won’t go easy on you.” 

“Whoever loses is buying drinks,” Ash said. “Now to see if Marco dropped off my dinghy like he promised.” 

“I knew you were too manly not to have a dinghy,” I said. 

“A big one too, way bigger than yours,” she said, grabbing her crotch as she walked out of the bar. With a flourish she turned into fire and was flying away. The door slamming as she did. 

“Since when could she fly?” I asked. 

“A while,” Luffy admitted with his mouth full. It was too funny seeing Sasuke eat like that. “She set the island on fire at least once a day.”

Hancock sat next to me on a barstool. “Any news of the outside world?” She asked Shakky. My hand moved to her thigh as I poured some chakra into her. She kept her face normal, but I could tell she was in the mood again. 

“Not much,” Shakky said. “Some big bounties passed through. No major incidents.” Taking a drag from her cigarette she looked at me and Luffy. “Except for the fact that you both got here a week ago, anyway.” 

“We did?” I asked, confused. 

“Yep, these flyers were sent everywhere,” she said, passing me a sheet of paper. On it read: 

STRAW HAT PIRATES RECRUITING

FOR THE NEW WORLD. 

ALL APPLICANTS HEAD TO GROVE 46

The sheet didn’t show any pictures but did have bounty amounts of the crew. “Goddang it. Impostors?” I asked. I had forgotten about this part for some reason. Or hoped to skip it. 

“Yep,” Shakky said. 

“What is it?” Luffy asked through a mouthful of food. 

“Nothing, Cap. Just some people pretending to be us,” I said. “Anything else?” 

“Nope,” Shakky said. “Been seeing more marines lately. I’m guessing it’s because of that flier.” 

I nodded. Annoyed, I decided to leave it. “Hey, whatever happened to those 3 girls I brought here?” 

“Ask your wife,” Shakky said, pointing to Hancock. 

“Sorry, kind of forgot about them. Are they okay?” I asked. I had taken them from a Tenryuubito, and had hoped Hancock would take them in, but had forgotten about them. 

“They are fine. They live on Amazon Lily now,” Hancock said, her hand moving to my thigh. “They are very appreciative of what you did. All 3 wanted to train in our fighting arts.”

“Good,” I said, letting out a sigh. “How long are you here?” I asked her. 

“A day at most, then we must go,” Hancock said with a frown. 

“Care to go on a real date?” I asked, perking up. 

“A what?” She asked, a little flustered. 

“A date. You and me, do couple’s stuff,” I said. Hancock blushed deeply, nodding slowly as she tried to hide her smile. Though we were married she still turned into a giggling girl with the simple acts. 

“What about me?” Luffy asked. 

“Go have fun. Keep the face on. You should be fine,” I said, throwing him some Berries. Luffy didn’t need to be told more than once…when it came to fun stuff at least. Anything technical it was best to plan on explaining it 5 times, then give up and claim it was magic.  

“Guys, let’s go to the amusement park!” He yelled to the crewmen out back. The Kuja Pirates with us didn’t fight him hard and were soon on their way. 

“What has become of the Kuja while I was gone?” Shakky asked as she took a drag from her cigarette. 

“Progress,” I said standing up. Hancock ignored everything else as I extended my hand out. Her hand shaking she took it a little forcefully, but blushed more deeply as I walked us out of there. 

With the impostors in town I doubted I needed to change my face. I was a good 5 inches taller than 2 years ago, my black hair was longer and more unruly, and I wore a colorful shirt and pants that the Kuja Pirates had provided me. 

Hancock was quiet as I walked her away from the bar. The woman, a blushing school girl once more, I asked, “Never been on a date?” Hancock shook her head. “How did you end up with Ash? Or any other person you’ve been with?” 

“We shouldn’t talk about that,” she whispered. 

“Embarrassing?” I asked, a wide smile on my face. She blushed again. “Just doing what you do on a date, wife. Talk. You can say what you want, or change the subject.”

“What else do you do on a date?” She asked. 

“Hmm, I have to pay for everything. We get food, let you go anywhere you want to go, spend time together, just you and I.” 

Her hand moved to the crook of my elbow. “How did I get so lucky to have you?”

“You’re lucky? No, I am,” I admitted. “The most beautiful woman in the world? The Pirate Empress? Not everyday that you get puked on by such a famous person.”

“Will I never live that down?” She asked, frowning. 

“Oh no. I will be sure the kids know it when they are older. We can talk about how we met, and the first thing their mother did was puke on me,” I said with a laugh. 

She looked annoyed but soon chuckled. We quieted as we walked. The Archipelago was a perfect destination for a date. Bubbles would randomly rise up from the roots of the forest island. Greenery everywhere it wasn’t long until we were in a busy neighborhood. People ignored us as we walked. Simply letting our feet guide us around. 

“Typically I found someone attractive and slept with them,” Hancock admitted.

“What’s that?”

“You asked how I met other…lovers,” Hancock said. “Ash came to our island one day on that fire doohickey of hers. Wanted to meet the person called the Pirate Empress. I granted it to her since she was under Whitebeard at that point. I found her quite beautiful. Invited her into my bedroom.” 

“Sounds hot,” I admitted. Both were beautiful women. I didn’t feel too jealous talking about it. I had the same talk with my first wife in my old life. And I hated it. She talked about old boyfriends, I talked about old girlfriends and we never spoke of it again. For some reason I wasn’t too jealous when Hancock talked about girls she had been with. “How long did it last between you and Ash?” 

“A year?” She wondered. “We exchanged Vivre cards. And would find one another together every month or so, then it became every few weeks, then every week. She wanted to take it a step further…I did not.”

“Why didn’t you?” I asked. 

Hancock let out a sigh. “You know, you were the first man I have been with since I was freed, correct?” I nodded. I had assumed as much. “Back then it was…scary. I had nothing to my name. My life was someone else’s. They could have killed me without a thought.” She looked in the direction of the Red Line. “It is hard…being so close to there, sometimes.” We were next to Mariejois, where she had been a slave. I hit my forehead with my palm.

“I am so sorry,” I said, stopping us. “I-I didn’t think-” 

“No, Weston,” she said, putting her hand on my chest. “You are my peace. I told you I haven’t woken up screaming since I met you. Before I met you, I did. The dreams, they were bad,” she admitted. “But since meeting you, I haven’t had one. Always when we were out to sea I was scared. I was that young girl that was taken again. Only Amazon Lily made me feel safe,” she said, a few tears pooling on her eyelids. “But then you saved my life. I even tried to turn you to stone, but you didn’t see me as a piece of meat as these others do.” She turned to the people around us. More than one eyeing her, not as a deadly pirate, but a gorgeous woman. 

“You were the first man that didn’t turn to stone. You then turned around and helped us. Not asking anything in return. That day you came and dragged our boat home, I stayed up all night watching you work. I slept only a few hours, but didn’t have a nightmare. The next night I didn’t either. And I haven’t since. I don’t know why, but you helped me get past something I had been hung up on. You made me feel in ways I never had before. Something that I hadn’t felt for Ashley or any woman I have been with.” 

“So you decided to marry me because of it?” I asked as I pulled her along. 

“Ha!” She laughed. “You mentioned marriage first. I would have been simply happy being your girlfriend.” 

“What can I say? When you know, you know,” I said. I pulled her to a florist with a cart. Buying an ornate blue and teal flower I put it behind her ear. She smiled widely as she checked herself out in a mirror and we continued walking.

“I didn’t decide anything,” Hancock said. “My mind and body were yours long before we laid together. I decided to do whatever I had to do to keep you when you kept your promise.”

“Was it scary?” I asked. “Finding out you were pregnant?” 

“No,” Hancock said. “It happens, or else Amazon Lily would have died out long ago.” I hadn’t thought of that. My response had been in panic because of my old world standards. One Piece was more medieval. Parents weren’t always around, and kids got used to it. “Why did you ask me to marry you?” She asked slowly. 

“Do you really think I dragged your boat for nothing? I wanted to get in your good graces,”

I said, giving her a wink. “Besides, it felt right,” I admitted. It was like coming upon a group of girls with a flat tire on the side of the road. Of course I had to help. “I don’t think I was in love with you at that point. But it wasn’t long until I was. In all honesty, I’ve never met anyone like you, Hancock.” We locked eyes. “Not because of your beauty, but who you are as a person. I love every bit of you. Yes, I can’t get enough of you in the bedroom. But I also enjoy this. Learning about you. Doing something simple. I know that if we turned away from it all, we could be happy. But that is running away from the world and it’s problems. That is not something either of us wants to do.” 

She nodded and we were soon moving away from the hard conversations, to simpler things. Have you tried caramel? Let’s get some candy and see what your favorite is. Oh look, a jewelry shop. Let’s get you a nice snake ring to match your earrings. Dang, we have found ourselves in a dark alley, maybe we should take this opportunity to get to know one another again. 

We had an uneventful long walk through the island. Exactly what we needed. That was until we had the unlucky chance to run into some impostors. 

The Luffy impostor was a tall fat man. At least 8 feet tall he wore the red vest and a ratty straw hat. Zoro was a chubby man with a thick chin, and what looked like dyed green hair. Sanji was a skinny man that looked like he preferred heroin over cigarettes. Nami and Robin were butt ugly. But if you were really really drunk they could pass for their stunt doubles. Chopper was a dog. Franky was probably the closest, with a wave shaped blue head of hair he kind of looked like the cyborg.  

The best part was my impostor, or at least impostors. It was 3 men with shaved heads. Since I could make clones, that was supposedly all they needed to pose as me. They wore my patent-pending Hero Costume with poorly etched hearts in them. The group of them walked in the street with a cocky attitude. Hancock and I stayed in their way as they walked. Both annoyed by them. Fake-Luffy made the mistake of eyeing her. 

“Oy beautiful,” fat-Luffy said. “How about you come join a real cap-” He and his posse were knocked out by my Conqueror’s Haki. It was simple enough to direct my Haki only at them. Mine, far overpowering them they fainted without issue. 

“Weston,” Hancock chided. “That was unnecessary.”

“I know, dear,” I said with a sigh as people freaked out around us. They thought for sure the group was the Straw Hat Pirates. “What can I say? I don’t like others looking at you.”

“You were fine with others as we walked,” she said. Squeezing my elbow between her cleavage I could tell she liked my reaction. 

“Oh you did not notice me knock out a lot of them?” I asked. 

“I had simply thought they fell asleep,” she said, acting innocent. I laughed and we continued on…until I got a great idea at least. Pulling away I ran back to the lined up ‘Straw Hats’. A smile on my lips I gave them each a transformation jutsu. 

“Oh no,” Hancock said, her face splitting in a grin. “That will cause them problems.”

“Yep, let’s see how they like looking like the real things,” I said as we continued on our date.