CHAPTER 151 BLOWN AWAY

CHAPTER 151 BLOWN AWAY

“What about Hancock?” Shakky asked. I was the last one in the bar, the others had just stepped out.

“I will see her in a few days...I hope,” I said. “Don’t worry. I keep my word. Take care of the girls.” I said pointing to the 3 slave girls. They wore long sleeved clothes. I moved to step out but was stopped by a small voice.

“Wait,” she whispered. I looked over to see the young girl talking. I eyed her. “Thank you,” she whispered.

I smiled widely, a tear coming to my eye. “Of course. You’re free now, kid. Try to join some pirates and wreak havoc on those bastards that did that to you, alright?” I asked. She actually cracked a smile with that and I was out the door.

“What was that?” Nami asked.

“Shakky said I had to pay the bill,” I said.

“What? She said it was free,” Nami said.

“Guess she changed her mind,” I said. “Come on. I hear gunfire.” All around us it sounded like distant gunfire and cannons were being shot off.

“I’ll move your ship,” Rayleigh said from atop one of the Grove roots. We waved him off as he headed in the opposite direction, straight to Grove 41.

“Where should we hide out?” Usopp asked nervously as the gunfire became louder.

“I vote up in the canopy of the trees,” I said looking up. “Franky, could you make a giant tree house?”

“I bet I could,” Franky said looking up. “I’d need a lot of wood.”

“Yosh!” Luffy yelled excitedly as he started running down the stairs to the main floor of the island. “A tree house sounds exciting. Can we have campfires in it?”

“I’m sure there’s a way,” Zoro said.

“I can’t believe that there is what sounds like a war going on around us and you guys are talking about a tree house,” Nami grumbled.

“Nami, Nami, Nami,” Usopp said, shaking his head. “Tree houses are every man’s dream.”

“He’s not wrong there, Nami, Nami, Nami,” I added, shaking my head. “Picture it. We could have a maze of them. Our own city of tree houses. Connected with zip lines and rope bridges. Then we could have our own fights in the trees. The marines would never look up. I’ve heard they’re like dinosaurs. If you don’t move they can’t see you.” Cheêck out latest novels at novelhall.com

“They are!?” Luffy asked excitedly.

“Maybe, I’ve never tri-” I stopped as I saw the man approaching us. I thought I would be happy to see him, but it all came back to me. The pain in my still healing scars ached.

Bartholomew Kuma stood straight ahead from us. The black coat with the Gaelic cross symbol, the paw prints, the curly hair, the bear ears. Everything about him made intense pain move through my body as I stared at him.

“You” “No!” “Get away” The Straw Hats yelled.

“What’s wrong, Weston?” Luffy asked me worriedly. I looked down to my hands to see them shaking a little. Breathing in and out I tried to get past the feeling of fear but it wasn’t happening. “Are you trying to see if he can see you when you don’t move?” He asked innocently.

And that was all I needed. I laughed loudly looking into the captain’s eyes. Loudly and awkwardly, feeling it in my gut as the fear disappeared for a moment. I thought maybe my Conqueror’s Haki had reacted to all the emotions of the auction house. I guessed my emotions and thus Haki had been wound up since going through such intense pain. But Luffy made it better by making me laugh.

“Yes, captain,” I said, wiping sweat from my brow. “Think it’s working?”

“I don’t think so,” Luffy said. “He’s gotten closer.” I looked up to Kuma and nodded. The 20 foot tall man was much closer.

“Straw Hat Luffy!” A robotic voice said. We all looked up to the Kuma. Surprised since most of us had heard his real voice. “Submit now for extraction from Sabaody.”

“Oh shit,” I said, realizing. “That’s not Kuma. That’s a robot!” I yelled out. I totally forgot about them.

“A robot?” Franky asked inquisitively.

“A robot?!” Chopper and Luffy asked excitedly.

“A Pacifista, or something. Yeah, the real Kuma is an android, but this is a robot,” I said.

“What does that mean?” Nami asked worriedly.

“It means we need to kick it’s ass to proceed,” I said. “They are robots for the marines.” That was all the prompting the crew needed. I pulled out my Jitte, Zoro drew his swords, Luffy lifted his fists, Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, Nami twirled her Climatact bow staff, Usopp lifted his sling weapon, Brook drew his cane sword, Franky raised his hands, Chopper prepared a rumble ball. All of us ready to fight for our freedom.

“He uh, asked me if I could go anywhere, where would it be? I told him I wanted to learn Haki,” I said. “He bitch slapped me here.”

The woman looked me up and down again. Then barking a laugh she threw the javelin, but luckily not at me. Throwing it at the house it stuck into the thick wood with a thunk. “Sounds like Kuma,” she scoffed. “Sorry, I don’t teach humans. You can head that way. If you’re lucky you’ll make it to the nearest island.” She turned around and headed back into her house.

I stood there shocked for a minute. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She was supposed to take me in immediately. This lady wasn’t Mihawk. “What!? No!” I said as the door slammed. I ran up to it knocking. “I need your help, please,” I said. “My pirate friends and I keep getting our asses kicked on the Grand Line. I need training.”

“Not interested, I hate humans,” she said from inside the house.

“But why? I didn’t do anything to you,” I said.

“Don’t care, you all killed our queen,” she said.

“No we didn’t. Hordy Jones did that,” I blurted. She quieted with that. We hadn’t gone to Fishman Island yet, but I knew the story. Their queen was supposedly killed by a human, but it was really a fishman that hated humans with a passion. “Hordy Jones did it. Blamed a human. Humans aren’t that stupid...okay we are stupid, but not that stupid.”

“How can you know that?” She asked.

“I...heard it,” I said.

“Then how the hell have I not?” She asked through the door.

“I don’t know. Sometimes I know things, but the news will come out...eventually,” I said.

She hesitated, but still didn’t answer. I could tell that wasn’t enough for her. “Lady, I don’t know your name, but I have to go. But I need to come back for training.”

“That makes no sense!” She barked.

“I know. My pirate captain. His sister is about to be executed by the marines. I have to go save her at Impel Down. Her and...Jimbei, yeah Jimbei is there. I plan to save him too.”

“Jimbei?” She asked, opening the door. “What about him?”

“He is in Impel Down, right?” I asked. She handed me a paper showing that the Shichibukai Jimbei was arrested for trying to get Firefist Ash out of prison. Because she was a Whitebeard Pirate, Jimbei was appreciative of her and Whitebeard. “See, I need to save him and Firefist Ash.”

“What the hell, that’s the most unbelievable story I’ve ever heard,” she said. Frowning as she stared me up and down.

“Then it’s crazy, right? It will never happen? So if I can make it happen, you’ll train me?” I asked.

“You’re crazy, kid,” she said.

“You’ll train me on Haki, right? Lady, I need this. Please, I have to save Ash and Jimbei. If I do, you’ll train me?” I asked. She frowned, staring at me.

Rolling her eyes she said, “An autograph.”

“What?”

“Get me Jimbei’s autograph too and you got yourself a deal,” she said.

“Awesome. What’s your name? I’ll have him address it to you,” I said.

She cracked a smile. “Angiea,” she.

“Angiea, you got it. If I get Jimbei out of prison, and get an autograph, you’ll train me?” I asked.

“Yeah, you do all that, I’ll train you,” she said, unbelieving the words.

“No take backs,” I said, turning around and running out of the bubble. On my swim up I looked through the store and found the Log Pose for Amazon Lily. It was only 1,000,000 berries so I bought it as soon as I surfaced. Before I could take a step toward it I received the quest.

One Piece Quest 10:

Save Portgas D. Ashley from the Marines.

Rewards:

100,000,000 Berries