Chapter 74: World Of Pirates: Part Finale (1/2)
Disclaimer: I own nothing. This story has no interest in offending any party. Having the sole objective of only entertaining the readers. Enjoy~
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"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
- Peter Drucker
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Recap: After a journey of self-discovery around the world, meeting again the Strawhats and experimenting with new things, Hector finally realizes his inner child is alive. And he wants to make him happy. He decided to create a good future he wanted.
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A.N.: Ahoy
Sorry for the dealy but...
THE CHAPTER ENDED UP WITH 28K WORDS.
Er... Sorry, I guess.
Now I know how Oda feels, needing to wrap everything.
I wanted to make a proper end of this arc so I went all out.
Now about the controversial decision of having a child by Hector.
I notice that some people don't like... It was his greatest L, that you are disappointed im him.
The first thing I can say. You're not wrong... If you want to see it this way, I'm all for it. You can see this as a flaw in his character and in his previously immaculate record. I like it, making him more human.
I hope that after you read this chapter you can understand his feelings and everyone else feelings more, even if you don't agree... At least understand.
From another side... I need to defend my boy.
You guys aren't thinking he will leave for like... 18 years right? Dude... No.
In my mind, he will go back before 3 years... and SPOILER. Not because he doesn't want.
Now for MY side. The child is a good plot device... Just watch the changes that will amke on him, how he will see the world.
And conveniently in another world where I can progress with the story without a problem.
Er... Sorry again? At least I made the thing make sense.
Anyway, enjoy.
...
"My parents are doctors and I was on the way to follow the same path. Well, I'm still going to do that... with some extras." Hector says while walking around the streets of the Flower Capital with Hiyori.
Tama and Toko are walking with them as "chaperones".
Even if Hector said "Let's marry", it means that he accepted the possibility of this endgame. There's still the need for the process to happen. Hence they are now on a date.
"Oh, I remember you treating the people. So that's how you learned the medic arts?" Hiyori asks
"More or less..." Hector answers while watching Tama and Toko running around the streets, seeing the stalls with food "It was a no-brainer... I mean, there's no need to think much about me going on this career." He shrugs
"And you said something about... 'extras'. Do you mean becoming a warrior?"
"...yes. On that fated day, the previously narrow path opened wide. Very, very, very wide... Being a doctor became a side job while I mainly pursued what really matters." Hector says seriously, with a hard look "Can you guess what?" He turns to her and asks with a challenging smile
"...strength." Even though she doesn't him that well, she knows him enough to guess
Hector smiles a little and nods "Yes, for an instant I thought you would say freedom or adventures."
"It crossed my mind... Along with other things like wanting to protect the others." She confesses
"..."
"But you're pursuing all that so... It must be something that allows you to do all that."
"You're smart." Hector looks at her a little differently
"I remember your speech and talks with other people. You said a lot of times things like: 'I can do that because I'm strong, I can tolerate this because I'm strong, you can trust me because I'm strong'."
"Yes... I believe that personal power allows you to do everything. It protects you and opens paths. To have my ideal lifestyle and to protect it, I need to always seek strength and continuously improve myself." Hector explains "That's why I came to this world..." He turns to her thinking about explaining more deeply but deciding otherwise in the end
'Later...' If he is gonna make her his wife, he doesn't plan on hiding the existence of the multiverse from her. But it's too complicated to her mind and beliefs right now.
"You commented something about a 'fated day'..." Hiyori says suddenly while they are walking in a crowded street
Hector stops waving at some people who called his name in a greeting to turn to her "You really pay attention, huh?" He turns, impressed
She smiles at him, somewhat proud.
He chuckles at her cute actions and doesn't answer instantly to not kill the good mood.
He stops at a stall to buy some Taiyaki for the girls. Receiving some teasing from the old lady because the two are together.
Later they find a quiet park to sit together on a bench. Tama in Hector's lap and Toko on Hiyori's.
Hiyori didn't comment on Hector avoiding the previous question. The group talks about small things, she smiles gently while seeing Hector clean Tama and Toko's face of the red paste of the Taiyaki.
"You know... Now that I think about it our situations are a little similar." Hector starts while looking at the distance "It's funny how can people be so different and at the same time be so similar. My mother is similar to Oden... Haha." He chuckles at the thought
"..." Hiyori didn't interrupt him even though she was confused
"Like yours, my parents are also from different countries that met by chance. Far away from their respective homes... In the end, they hit off and ended up marrying."
"Now, to talk about that 'fated day' a little context it's necessary. Like your father, my mother felt a little suffocated by her family even though she was very well off in life. So she went to be a volunteer and ended up meeting my father who also went there."
"The thing is, if you want to say it nicely my mother was a very tolerant and kind-hearted person, she avoided conflicts as much as she could and was a pacifist." Hector pauses before saying the next words "If you want to be mean, she was a pushover."
"..."
"She let people walk over her all the time, taking advantage of her goodwill. She tolerated personal loss because she was not a greedy person and thought that she had enough in life. A comfortable income, a happy family... And that's... That's what killed her." Hector's eyes are now harder than Hiyori ever saw.
It looks like he is visualizing himself killing everyone closer. But in some seconds his eyes go back to normal and he turns to Hiyori.
"Very similar to Oden's demise. She gave too much ground. Allowed that bastard to spread his wings too much and get comfortable in thinking that he would get away with anything."
"..." His words, even if he is talking about his own mother, look very personal to Hiyori.
"If Oden went on an all-out war with Orochi and Kaido from the start, his chances of winning would be great. But he compromised. The chances of winning are great, but sacrifices on his part are inevitable, so he sacrificed his image and reputation to 'buy' the life of his people." Hector says "It was admirable..." Hector nods, impressed "But a mistake nonetheless."
Hiyori lowered her face remembered that, but she looked up again feeling a hand on her head.
"Don't be like that... I bet he didn't regret it. He did what he thought was right and lived with it and accepted the consequences. It's easy for us to say that his choices are wrong now, after seeing the result. To him, at that time, was not clear. He didn't have a clear picture like us..." Hector smiles warmly at her "Oden is an admirable man. He died as he lived, proudly carrying the other people's hopes, future, and dreams on his back and shoulders."
Hiyori sobs hearing his words, putting her sleeves in front of her face to hide her tears.
"Are you crying? You can cry as much as you want. Let it out..." Hector rubs circles on her back comfortingly, a patient smile on his face.
"I'm not crying~ Wuuu~" She removes her hand from her face to show that she is not crying...
She is only beating her lips hard, opening her eyes wide and looking away a little upward so that the tears don't escape from her moist eyes.
"I'm a samurai daughter... I don't cry..." She continues, not fooling anyone
Hector chuckles "I see, I see... You're really strong. As expected of Oden's daughter." He agrees with her that she is not crying.
They stay like that for some time, simply watching the girls running around and playing with Komainu and Rover who finally arrive after Hector calls them.
After some time Hector finally continues his story "My parents are killed by my greedy Uncle..." He says with a distant look
"Hector-sama..." Hiyori didn't say much beyond putting her hand over his
"To make matters worse it happened on my birthday..." He adds
She squeezes his hand harder.
"I know that is senseless to think this way, but sometimes I feel like it was my fault... You know, my parents' working hours vary a lot. They never come back together from work and many times they continue till later. Doctors, you know?"
"That day they finished in the expected time and came back together to go out with me... Because was my birthday... That allowed them to kill the two at the same time. My birthday gave those bastards the opportunity..."
"It's not your fault..."
"I know... But it's inevitable to have some guilt over it. The Guilt of the Survivor... It's okay, I can live with it." He smiles sadly
With the same sad smile, he turns to her "That's my origin story. Very cliche... I eventually killed my Uncle. It didn't make me happy but it was necessary to move forward, right?"
Hiyori nods, understanding the sentiment.
"But as much I admire and think tolerant people are cool, I still think is wrong to let insects prance around that much."
His eyes become almost malevolent while talking "You need to put them in their place so that any thought of bringing you harm would be squashed by their own fear of you!"
He remembers two instances of this in the One Piece world. Shanks not caring about that weak mountain bandit and Luffy not caring about Bellamy.
He understands that sometimes you shouldn't lower yourself to these people's levels, but...
If Shanks had put the mountain bandit in his place, he wouldn't have kidnaped Luffy and Shanks wouldn't have lost his arm.
If Luffy had one-shotted Bellamy like the clown he was, Bellamy wouldn't have hurt Luffy's friends later.
Being merciful with your enemies is being ruthless with yourself and your allies.
"I think this rubbed off on me more than I thought..." He suddenly says
Hector remembers his harsh words to Balder after the Invasion. He really tore the guy off, called him a simp, and all that.
Some would say that was a little of an overreaction and unnecessary, but...
"Some people are all the time pushing your buttons and testing your limits, you can't give them too much ground. In my world, dick measurement contests are very common. After what happened with my mom... I will never let people walk over me! Even if I look petty."
But even so, he still believes that diffuse battles in the Marvel world are the best way to avoid things spiraling into a "Crisis Situation"
'First, harsh words... If is not enough... I will resort to violence.' He decides. Worked with Kurt's family.
"Well, that's the gist of it... Now you know me a little better." Hector smiles at her, dispersing the foul mood in the air
He crosses his leg and supports his cheek with one hand "Now... What more? What more? What more can I say about myself... I'm very eclectic in a multitude of subjects. Movies, music, books, food... Except for alcohol, I really hadn't found alcohol that made me one day choose of my own volition to drink it instead of some juice."
"My favorite hobby is playing with my powers. After that, I like studying science and magic now... And be with my girls. That's something I need to make it clear..." Hector slowly turns to look at Hiyori's eyes
"..."
"I have other girls... And the number will continue to increase. If you're not comfortable with it... We can call it off this whole thing, no hard feelings." Hector states
"Saeko-san already talked to me about it... I'm not gonna back off." Hiyori says stubbornly
"...I don't think you understand what you're talking about." Hector tries to explain "I'm talking about I, me, Hector, your man, going having other women. Can you picture that? I, me, Hector, your husband, hugging, kissing, having sex, and all that with other women! Try to imagine it. How do you feel about it? You're taking it too lightly... You think is okay now, then you end up hurt but will be too late..."
"I don't think there will be a problem... My great-grandfather and grandfather had concubines... Even my Father had a harem in his youth." She says like is normal.
"..." 'Am I the weird one here?' Hector second-guesses himself.
He even went to check again his Assimilated Cards to see if there was some sort of "Universal Calibration Harem Perk".
'There's nothing like that... Not even in the Yuuki Rito and Helltaker cards. Maybe is a secret passive...'
"And also..." Hiyori attracts his attention again "I'm super beautiful so you will never lose interest in me!" She smiles brightly
"..." Hector stares at her for some time before he can't hold back some chuckles "Pfft. Hehe~ I like your confidence... I normally don't like women that act entitled because they're beautiful and all that..." Hector remembers Amora "But you're saying it so innocently that I can't find fault in it." Hector pats her head
"And yes, you're super pretty and cute... I will never lose interest in you." He states as a matter of fact with a small smile
"..." Hiyori's eyes widen for an instant before a megawatt blush colors her face and she looks away
"Hey! Hey! Hey! You're blatantly saying this a second ago, why are you embarrassed now??" Hector can't help but ask in exasperation "You must have heard the same thing a thousand times."
"...It's because it's Hector-sama is the one saying it now..." She says in a whisper while trying to hide her face
"..." Hector's face freezes
'This is bad... Shy girls are dangerous!! Like any man, I like women that like me. Wait! Am I easy?' He can't help but look away and shout in his mind
'If I go to Naruto World I need to stay away from Hinata...'
......
Hector decided to be a little more... visceral.
"So... What if I say that I want to pursue a relationship with... Yamato too, is an example. What would you think? Huh?" He is really putting this whole 'willingness to share to the test'. He is cautious like that.
"With Yamato-san?" Hiyori pauses "She is pretty and nice too... Even if I think is weird that she is trying to be my Father ..." Hiyori says the last part with a strange voice
"Yeah... That can be pretty weird..." Hector agrees "I will try to talk to her about that later."
"So you're interested in Yamato-san?" Hiyori sideglances him
He shrugs "What there's not to be interested in? She is pretty, has a nice personality, is strong... I was not going to try anything before... but right now maybe I will. And it's your fault!!" Hector points at her
"Mine?"
"Yeah... Let me gaslight you a little." He jokes "Anyway... I discovered that even if I play a lot, I don't see myself starting a relationship that I don't see a future. And I didn't plan to stay around for long, so I gave up on having relationships here..."
"But if marry you... That means that I will be bound here, right? So there will be no problem..." He smiles evilly at her "Now you see? I'm a scummy bastard who wants everything and gives nothing back... Hipocryte to the core without an ounce of remorse." He puts his hands in claws and continues with his evil charade
This only makes Hiyori chuckle "A truly evil person doesn't admit it."
"..." Hector slowly stops and goes back to sit normally "That's not true... But okay. I'm feeling like I really can't break these rose-tinted glasses from where you look at my figure." He sighs
Looking at the sky, he is still a little confused and uncertain about this whole thing. But his instincts tell him that, for some reason, it's the right-... no, a "necessary"? Maybe the word is "appropriate"... the appropriate path to take now.
Feeling that he is only delaying things and delaying is not a good thing...
"Are you really okay with the scenario of me staying away some years and leaving you alone with our child?" Hector finally asks in a serious tone
"There's really no problem! Even my mother took care of us while our father completed his adventures. I understand that a man has things he needs to do, a dream to chase, a path to follow..." She answers seriously like she is trying to assuage his worries
"..."
"I mean... It would be great to have you at my side all the time and forever, but I'm happy to be a comfortable port where you can come back and rest." She says honestly, making Hector look at her intensely
"...I don't deserve you." He says honestly
"Don't be silly." She giggles
"I'm dead serious." He nods gravely "I have super-senses, Hiyori. I can even look at people's auras, souls... And you're godamn truthful in all that." He explains "I really don't deserve you. Seriously, stand up and go away now..."
He is saying it from the bottom of his heart.
Different from his summons, she is not bound for life to him.
"No." She answers equally serious and strongly while meeting his stare.
"..."
The staredown continues for some time.
And after a long time, Hector finds someone who doesn't shy away from his glare and doesn't get uncomfortable with his silent treatment.
'No, she is uncomfortable and uncertain... But remains here.'
Hector avoids his gaze first... Something that he didn't not even against the Ancient One. But is normal when you have a guilty conscience...
"Married life will be tough..." He admits and chuckles
Hearing his words, the tension leaves Hiyori's shoulders and she laughs too. Going to put her head on his shoulder.
....
"Hector-sama, why did you change your mind about the marriage?" Hiyori asks after some time of comfortable silence
"...I will be honest even though will hurt."
"Please be."
"After our talk I went around the world, revisiting some interesting people, visiting new places. To take the whole ordeal out of my mind, but at the same time think about it... I know myself, I'm an overthinker. So yes, I would think about it... By the way, thank Saeko later for recommending the direct approach... It would stick more on my mind." He teases her with a sideglance
"..." Hiyori looks away like a guilty kid caught in some mischief.
Hector simply chuckles and lets go of the matter "Continuing... The truth is I'm an egotistical jerk." He says as a matter of fact "I was treating this world as a healing oasis to my soul and planned to go away without a second thought... Then I discovered that even if I'm scummy I'm not totally heartless either."
"To every person that I interacted with to heal myself and have fun, I grew more attached to this world. 'Have fun and go away' Easier said than done. I ended up getting myself involved in some troublesome stuff too."
"Like saving Wano?" Hiyori asks
"Like saving Wano..." He agrees "Do you know Hiyori? People are real people..." He says softly
"...?"
"Whatever... My budding hero heart couldn't ignore people's suffering slapped on my face. And I need to pay Tama for this hat..." He smiles while retrieving the hat he took as "payment" to liberate Wano. That and the water cup from the old lady.
"I like this world..." Hector says.
To Hector, the One Piece manga holds a special place in his heart as one of his favorite shonen. Together with the likes of Dragon Ball, Hunter x Hunter, and Fullmetal Alchemist for first place. And Naruto, Bleach, and Yu Yu Hakusho a little after them.
'One Piece is like the Red Dead Redemption 2 of the mangas... No, Red Redemption is the One Piece from the games' He tries to explain his fanboyism to Cortana one day, but just lets her more confused
It was naive on his part to think that he could come, take the powers, poke fun at some people, punch others, and be done with it.
Maybe he is too young to be this detached yet...
"Again, it will look bad what I will say and you will have all the right to simply walk away, but... At some point, I didn't want this trip to stay as a simple vacation." 'Even if I try to replicate what happened here in another One Piece world, would not be the same.'
"Sometimes life throws a ball at you and you need to think fast if you want to catch it or let it pass through you. That's what happened to me when you approached me with your feelings... I could've ignored it... But I feel like I was simply delaying the inevitable. I like you a little after all." He says making her smile softly "Would it be better to ignore your feelings and wait till I'm older? But, like... Wait for what specifically? I don't have to worry about steady incoming, house, and other normal things."
"At the same time, that would be a good way to create a solid bond with this world that I grew to like so much. That's where it comes the scummy part... It's like I'm using you to be this bridge."
"I'm also curious as to what type of man I will become by being a Father. It would be incredibly convenient to be a Father, but still retain my youth because I will be very far away... It's convenient." Hector looks at her with a crooked smile
"..."
"See? Scum of Earth..." 'Not like I plan to stay away that long if things reach that point... Two years max. Only till after the time skip... Enough time for me to be 18 years old. Heck, depending on the time-based powers that I will have in the future maybe I will not lose not even a second... But I don't like counting in things I don't have.' He thinks
In truth, he thinks he needs to grow a little more as a person before being a father. Depending on the time dilatation he would have time to do that. But he will not give excuses...
He continues "I always had two objectives. A big and long-term one where I plan to change the world, and a smaller one, that was my revenge... I recently accomplished the smaller one and was left with some emptiness, and the bigger one was so far away that sometimes I lose sight of it." He looks at the horizon and reclines himself on the bench
"Maybe I'm seeking another smaller objective... Something positive instead of taking a criminal empire and slowly torturing a man in my basement. When you talked with me about marrying and having a child my overthinker mind went years in the future in one second."
"I thought that it would happen one day anyway and at the same time I thought about my past and let's say that I'm a little ashamed of some things I did." He confesses "It looked incredibly silly to say it out loud but... I want to be a cool guy that my children will look up to and say proudly 'That's my dad' or something like that." He scratches his chin and looks away a little ashamed.
"I think that is very normal, no?" Hiyori giggles at him
'Agreed.' Cortana says in his mind
Hector is still a little bashful before continuing "So... I just thought in giving in and making it right, like I said to you. Creating the small objective of becoming a better person and cool guy to make my children proud. I mean, I will have children eventually... So I can start now, right? Is it bad?"
"I can improve myself and return more experienced... One year or two later... Enough for me to grow and to my child don't miss me too much, I think..." he says unsure "I would lose some important things but that would be my punishment... What I deserve." He sighs "Kids forget easily, so maybe he/she won't even miss me..."
"..." Hiyori was not sure what to say now, so she simply hugged him with one arm around his torso "Saeko-san was right... You really think too much."
"Ugh... Why are you hugging and comforting me? I literally said that I'm treating you as some sort of device to my Character Development..." Hector makes a helpless face
"Well, but you liked me, right? You said that!" She smiles brightly at him again
"..." 'Seriously, where is the 'Harem Lord Perk'? I need to turn it off...' Hector goes to look at his cards again
"And I will also confess my feelings..." She backs away from him and takes a deep breath "A part of me wanted to use our marriage and child to keep you here." She says seriously and a little ashamed
"...baby trap me, huh? I figured out that much." Hector shrugs after giving her a glance
Hiyori was at her wit's end on how to reach Hector's heart. It's a crude way to approach it, but would buy her time to reach and make him love her. That's what she thought.
"But!" She suddenly says "I really never wanted to 'trap' you... As your wife, I will always respect and support your freedom. But I also wanted to use the marriage and kid to force a 'bond' with you." She finishes her phrase softly
Grabbing his hand she smiles "Then in your words I'm also a bad person..."
"..."
"I didn't think that far ahead like you... My simple thought is that even if I couldn't charm you after all that, I would still have the greatest gift that you could give to me... A part of you." She says with one hand over her heart and moves it to her belly.
"...You should stop this... I'm falling for you for real." Hector deadpans at her "And then I wouldn't let you go and I will make everything to make you mine for life. No backsies."
"Please do!" She only gives him her megawatt smile while joining her fingers together
Hector laughs at her enthusiasm before sighing again
"In the end, if we are bad or good... Right or wrong. Will depend on our future actions. So let's do our best to make it right." Hector reaches for her shoulders to hug her.
"Umu." She nods at his embrace
"I think this could work... Oops." Hector was talking before his face turned fast and he made a nudge motion with a finger.
Hiyori looks in the same direction to see Toko floating close to the ground, she can deduce that Hector stopped her from falling.
"Be careful..." Hector half-shouts and stands up to get closer to them "What are you guys doing, by the way?"
"Playing Kunoichi..." Tama answers a little sheepishly
"Oh... I'm a ninja myself. Let me show you some jutsus..." Hector smiles warmly before going to play with the two and the dogs, Komainu and Rover.
"And he said that he was not ready..." She comments with an exasperated, yet fond, sigh at the scene
'It's like Saeko-san said... He has too high standards for himself.' She thinks 'Good is the bare minimum... Great is the normal. He won't accept anything beneath excellent from himself...' She resolves herself to show him that he can leave and trust her.
....
The marriage was scheduled for a week from now.
Hector said that Hiyori would have the final say and could simply stop it anytime.
And true to his words for at least being an "honest bastard" Hector continued to talk more about himself to her, especially the bad things.
"So I recently experimented with some pirates on how the Devil Fruits curse works so I drowned them..." He appears from where she is playing her shamisen
"They are pirates..." Hiyori answers simply
....
"I killed dozens of thousands of people in a One Man army standing."
"Very admirable, one man vs an army..." Hiyori praises
....
"I tricked the world by making a man's power go out of control so that I can execute him."
"Is he a criminal?"
...
"I'm really going for Yamato too... I'm dead serious."
"She is nice."
.....
And it continued... All week Hector goes on and on confessing his sins.
Till to the point that he doesn't have much more to confess
"One time I gave a hot girl from my class answers for a test... Was my simpest moment."
"One late night I trash-talked a guy on a game after I killed him, only for him to praise me and say that he was a little tired from work by proximity chat."
"I hit a vase with a ball and blamed a little brother of my friend. He couldn't even talk properly... I even put him close to the broken vase."
"I stole a Snickers when I was 6 years old."
"When I was angry with my mother I purposefully stepped on cracks in the ground and left my chanclas upside down to hurt her."
"I swapped my bean on the cotton with one of my classmates because mine died."
"There's one playthrough where I killed that trapped dog in Resident Evil 4..." In this one, he becomes so guilty that he reloaded his file.
"I cut sandwiches horizontally instead of vertically..."
"I use light mode..."
"Many times I left like 2ml of juice or milk on the recipient so that the next person needs to replace it. Did the same with cakes and as such, so that someone else cleans the plate."
All week, he suddenly appeared and dropped such bombs on her.
.....
But nothing works.
At some point, Hiyori simply started to smile fondly at his antics.
"Haah~" Hector sits down and sighs heavily "That's it. I give up. I'm simply too handsome to do anything wrong..." He shakes his head while putting some fingers on his forehead in a narcissistic way
"Did Hancock rub on you, Master?" Cortana teases
Hector laughs and shakes his head. "Not that much, but I'm worried if I will grow spoiled by being this handsome..." He jokes "How could I know if I really created a connection with a woman or if they are simply lusting for my body? Tsk Tsk"
Cortana rolls her eyes "No one told you to be the White Knight and save the damsels in distress... And strength is heavily admired in this world, coupled with everything more, you have it easy. Be careful, next time."
"Don't be jealous, my lovely A.I.. You're my favorite." He smiles roguishly at her
Exchanging a nod between them, Denjiro does the show of slowly removing the sword of the sheath in front of all of Wano.
"It's really Shusui!"
"It can only be, that black luster can only come from a Black Blade..."
"Anyone from Wano can recognize the design."
"And to think I would see Shusui in my life..."
The crowd talks in awe, some cry, and some thank the gods and Hector... All types of overly emotional reactions.
"Hector-sama, how did you find Shusui?" Denjiro asks the question everyone wants to know.
"It was stolen by some trash. The guy had the power to raise corpses with a fraction of the original's power. So it's not weird that he would lust for the Sword God's body." Hector explains
Almost everyone seethes in anger hearing that. Someone desecrated the body of their idol.
"Unfortunately, the body couldn't be recovered. There's still some will of Ryuma alive on the body and he ignited himself to pass away and don't cause trouble or bring shame to himself and Wano." Hector says a half-truth and half-white lie.
.....
After that, the ceremony proceeded as expected. The priest purifies the two, they ask for the blessing of the gods to the couple and the two take three sips each from three cups of sake.
Hector follows almost everything perfectly to respect their customs, but one would notice his neglect in bowing to the gods and other related things.
He doesn't respect gods he didn't know, at least.
The party shows no signs of stopping, it probably will last till Dawn and beyond even though it starts at the beginning of the evening.
The couple then excuses themselves to their bridal chambers.
.....
Hector slowly slides close the door behind him while looking at his now wife sitting on the bed.
She avoids eye contact, too embarrassed to look at him.
'Now... How to proceed with this? If you act all shy like this you will awaken the beast that inhabits all men, my dear wife.' Hector thinks before walking to his wife.
Going on his knees Hector takes her hands on his
"My dear wife..." He calls her with a smile
Hiyori shyly steals a glance at him before hiding her lower face with a sleeve.
"Husband(Otto-sama)..."
'Hm~ I like the sound of that' His smile widens "Let me give my own vow... I'm sorry that you can't be my one and only, and how much of this relationship is unbalanced..."
"Hu-..." Hiyori goes to say something, probably gonna talk about how this all started as her idea, but Hector raises one hand to stop her.
"So to balance things, believe when I say that I will treat you the best I could. And I only ask of you to respect and love me, our marriage, and our family."
Nothing more, nothing less.
His woman could choose to be the most mediocre of all, it only needs to follow these things to him. Maybe it's a little hypocritical, but is non-negotiable.
"I accept," Hiyori confirms their marriage for the second time this day.
"Thank you." He says from the bottom of his heart.
Then his smile grows a tad crooked, filling with bad intentions
"Now... I think the night is not over, don't you agree?" He teases
"I-I think so..." Her tomato blush goes back to her face. He loves seeing her like that.
He stands up and pulls her to her feet and without hesitation raises her chin to capture her lips.
Hiyori is overwhelmed by Hector's gentle kiss. After separating from their liplock he smiles lecherously
"I think there's a thing where the man rolls the woman out of her Obi, right?"
"yes... She answers bashfully, also reaching for his clothes to help him undress
"Ah~ Ah~" He stops her "I want to enjoy opening my gift." He says while removing her obi. And taking some ornaments of her hair, letting her silk blue locks cascade over her shoulders.
He slowly loosens the rest of her clothes and pushes her down on the bed.
"..." He appreciated her figure. Her legs and shoulders are revealed by the loose clothes.
Creamy thighs and a White bosom tinted red by her embarrassment
"I didn't say before because it was like stating the obvious, but you're beautiful, my wife." He smiles down at her, enjoying her blushing and capturing her cherry lips once again.
After enjoying her soft lips, he didn't lose time on going lower. Leaving hickeys on her neck, shoulder, and chest... marking his territory.
Even lower he found her modest breasts, small when compared with her peers, but Hector would never care about it.
"Hus-husband~" Hiyori breathes out. Gasping when Hector continues going lower. Her thing arms trying to stop his advance and his legs closing in embarrassment.
"Don't look down there..." She whines cutely, but it only makes his blood boil.
"Oh, my dear wife~ You're not ready for what your future holds~" He smirks at her "But don't worry, we're gonna discover together."
He stands on his knees, removing himself from her, before removing the Upper part of his clothes, baring her torso to her.
From the way she looks at him, she likes it. She likes it very much.
"See? Now we're in a similar state..." He laughs before slowly Moving his face closer to her crotch
"Now, I need to inform you... My powers allow me to guarantee pregnancy... So tonight is the night."
Her eyes widen at his words
"So let me prepare you for our baby-making sex..." And taking advantage of her surprise, he delves deeper between her legs.
Her underwear was removed so swiftly that she only noticed when the warm and hot sensation of his tongue touched her lower lips.
All the way upwards, his tongue slowly drags over her slit.
"Hmmmmm~~" She moans, her hands instinctively going to his hair. Her legs clamping around his head.
His big hands hold her ass from below, to better access, his thumbs spread her pussy and allow his tongue to delve as deep as it's allowed.
"Hn~ Ng~ Husband~That's..." She gives up of grabbing his hair and thrashes around a little on the bed, biting her sleeve, and clawing the sheets.
Her sensitive reactions are fuel to Hector's enthusiasm.
After a good and gentle tongue-fucking, Hector removes his face from her, now red and flooding, pussy.
She breathes hard. She feels that she is on the verge of something.
Hector knows that too.
To not lose the timing he rips off his pants, revealing all of his body to Hiyori. She is on her end, still wearing her kimono loosely, if you ever can call that "wearing". But Hector makes no move to take it off completely, he finds this way sexier.
Blushing heavily, a sheen of sweat covering her pale skin making it practically glow, she looks like the perfect definition of a submissive maiden and this makes him act up.
'Submissive and breedable... I ask myself since when I had a breeding fetish.' He grabs her thighs to prepare for the next act, Hiyori sees his actions and helps him 'Wrong... Don't be silly, Hector. Everyone has s breeding kink. If not, we would fail as a species.'
With her legs wrapped around his waist, he lowers himself to kiss her dampened forehead.
She could feel his member resting on her navel, making it clear how big and thick it was, making Hiyori gulp.
"I'm gonna start now... You can vocalize anything to me, my sexy wife." He says before interlacing their fingers together.
He aligns himself with her entrance in a smooth, but slow, trust that takes her virginity.
He can feel her clamping around his length instantly, his edging paying off.
After giving her some time to recuperate he starts moving slowly and in a probing way. Watching her reactions, I know that she is still too embarrassed to say something.
He holds her hips with one hand to steady himself before getting more passionate with his wife. All the time, kissing her neck and face and whispering sweet things in her ear.
She is latched on him like her life depended on it, hugging his neck with her arms, and his waist with her legs. Moaning in response to his words.
"I'm not gonna hold back... Are you ready?" He asks
"Anh~ Yesh~ I want your baby, and NOW~~" Her response is a louder moan when he goes deeper than even, cumming at the same time and flooding her insides.
Hiyori releases a silent scream and her toes curl while she reaches her climax for the second time this night.
"I can feel it~ Oh gods... I can feel it..." She takes deep breaths, moving a hand to her lower belly
"Is that so? But let's make sure..." he smirks before grabbing her hand and making her sit on his lap in a lotus position.
He kisses her again while grabbing and squeezing her bubble butt to make her bounce on his cock.
They have all night.
...
Next day
The sun is already high in the sky but the newlyweds remain on bed.
"..." Hector plays with Hiyori's hair, observing her cute sleeping face.
She is tired from the night, but not as much as one would expect. Hector's improvements already showing effect. And he was very gentle with her for obvious reasons.
'It still does not feel real... But I will protect this smile with all my strength.' He thinks while looking at her satisfied smile
She snuggles closer to him, seeking his warmth on her naked skin.
'And give reasons to her smile more...' He thinks before kissing her temple
"Your husband has work to do..." He says "Heh, that sounds nice..."
Slowly removing himself to not wake her, Hector puts on his clothes and orders his shadowkhan to protect her.
Going overboard enough to put a hundred of them around the room.
They will notify him when she wakes up so that he can return in a second.
...
"I never thought that you would get married..." Law comments while sipping some tea.
He and Hector are sitting on a balcony while observing the influx of people below them on the street, noticing the hangover and the people cleaning the streets of the party.
"I have a normal life too." Hector shoots back with a smile
"As if... So what do you want to talk about?" Law goes straight to the point
"Don't act so cold, you're my cute disciple. Outside my people, you're the one that I most invested my time teaching." Hector acts hurt
"Whatever... You still haven't answered my question." Law rolls his eyes
"Heh, even if you act cold outside I know that you have a conscience. You're like me on this aspect..." Hector says while eating some dangos "I have three things to address... An order, an instruction, and a gift."
"You can speak, it's not like I'm gonna follow your words."
"Like I said... Cold on the outside." Hector chuckles before making a serious face "Law, my time in this world is limited."
"...Are you dying?" Law frowns while looking at him
"Heh, worried?" Hector teases for a moment, making a vein jump on Law's forehead "But no... Let's say... Imagine that I'm an ancient beast that woke up from a deep slumber, but needs to go to sleep for some years again." He goes with this
"An ancient beast? I can see that..." Law deadpans
"You keep hurting my fragile little heart. Anyway, in two months I will need to leave for some years... I will return. I 100% will, but I can't give you the exact date. Probably in some years." Hector confesses
"And what this has to do with me?"
"Law... Become a Yonko. That's my instruction."
"...That's up to me. But why are you telling me this?" Law says confused "And what does this have to do with you going into hibernation or whatever?"
"Nothing much..." Hector shrugs "The world will change in the future Law. I predict wars and skirmishes all over the planet... There are 3 vague spots to Yonko if we count Big Mom out of the equation."
"You really did a number on her, huh?"
"She was mentally handicapped now, but can be a good guard dog, so don't go attacking her territory, her children can use her. But I don't think they can command as much as influence as before."
"And the other two spots? You're occupying one of them, right?"
"Pfft, as if... Maybe in name.I'm above you all... I'm not an Emperor, more like a God... Or a Devil. Heh~ But Yamato will be the other Yonko after I leave. She will command Kaido's forces. She was his daughter, you must have seen her... Tall, White hair, horns, boisterous."
"I see... Wait, she is Kaido's daughter?" He exclaims in Shock "And the people here don't care?"
"Rosinante and Doflamingo are brothers and they are very different..." Hector says to summarize
"..."
"Back to the topic, Ace will probably take over the Whitebeard Pirates and become a Yonko too. Basically, your quest is to dispute with the rest of the worst Generation for Big Mom's slot. "
"Looks troublesome..." He sighs
"Wanna let Luffy, Kid, and the others surpass you? You have such a ridiculous headstart and still gonna lose?" Hector teases
Once again a vein pops off Law's forehead
"I can do that. It's only a former Yonko crew... No big deal." He declares
"That's the spirit." Hector laughs "Now... The favor... Remembers our deal?" Hector sideglances him
In the beginning, Hector offered himself to train Law and allow him to take revenge in exchange for a favor.
"I remember, what do you want?"
"Protect Wano. My family and people here..." Hector says
"So this is what you're after in making me amass influence as a Yonko." Law concludes
"Don't worry, you can also come here for help. It's like a Pirate Alliance, but the two parts need to be equal, right? If not would be subordination..." Hector says, not caring
"..." After some time Law relents "Fine... I promise I will come to help."
Hector smiles "Don't worry, you're personally trained by me. When you Haki grow stronger you will reach Yonko level. And if you want another objective..." Hector takes two items from his inventory
A giant folded paper and a small chest.
"This is a copy of the Road Poneglyph... The one that was with Kaido." Hector explains before realization down on his face "Ah yes, you still don't know what is... The Road Poneglyphs points to the One Piece. To Laugh Tale, the last island."
"!!"
"There's four of them. They are red, and when you decipher them, the center of the location that they described is where the Last Island lies."
Law opens the big paper a little "How do I decipher it?"
"In this world, only Nico Robin can read it... That's why Ohara was destroyed. There are other ways, but you must discover alone..."
"Nico Robin, huh? She is with the Strawhats..." Law contemplates
"Let me say something... I know that you're not this type of person but if you hurt her, I will kill you." Hector says in a carefree way like he is talking about the weather.
Law needs to do a double-take to see if he is really serious
"But I will give you a tip... The Kozukis also can read the Poneglyphs, unfortunately, that was lost with Kozuki Oden... But I can read too and I will teach my wife."
"!! You can read too?"
"I'm the Devil." Hector says like it was some big explanation "Anyway, if you acquire all four, just come back and ask Hiyori to read for you. See? The alliance is advantageous, right? By the way, keep it a secret..."
Law slowly nods "It's the secrets of D. on Laugh Tale?" He asks
"Yes." Hector confirms "I have two other Road Poneglyphs, by the way."
"Do you?"
"Yes, but I'm not gonna give to you." Hector smiles cheekily "One I will put in a secret place to create a real treasure hunt, Big Mom's one. And the other you can find easily... You only need to use your mouth." Hector gives another tip
"Use my mouth?" Law is even more confused
He only needs to ask one of the Minks, Hector asks himself how long will take to Law realize. The guy is anti-social.
"Now, open the chest... It's my parting gift to my disciple." Hector smiles softly
Law slowly opens the small chest. His eyes widen and his mouth trembles agape seeing the contents.
A Devil Fruit... One that he recognizes very well after incessantly looking at it in the encyclopedia
"The Nagi Nagi no Mi, Calm-Calm Fruit... Corazon's Devil Fruit. I found it in the criminal underworld. Apparently, Doflamingo found it and kept it hidden. It's yours to use as you see fit."
"...it's just a weak fruit." He tries to shrug off his heavy feelings
Powers are more than simple powers.
"..." Hector stares at him trying to hide his emotional reaction before sighing and looking away "Do you know? Many Devil Fruits are like the counters of others... The Yomi Yomi no mi counters the Soru Soru no Mi and other examples."
After noticing that Law is paying attention Hector continues "This fruit makes everything silent, right? Sound is vibration... This fruit counters the Gura Gura no Mi of Whitebeard."
"!"
"A gentle power that can stop the power to destroy the world... Very fitting to Corazon, a man that wanted to stop Doflamingo's evil and destructive actions."
Law is holding back his tears a little.
Hector stands up to leave the guy alone.
"And every power can be trained to great height... This fruit maybe can awaken the power of 'Stillness'. You don't know it but is veeeery op." Hector smiles before walking away "Call me if you want to eat it, I can make it happen!"
....
Days passed
Hector spends most of his time with his wife. While his divided bodies goes around the world collecting what he wants.
He focuses especially on the reconstruction of Kuri, and when he can he always brings Hiyori together so that she can watch how he does things.
Healing people, assigning jobs, reconstructing villages and creating new ones, restoring the environment, taking care of corrupt officers, creating orphanages and improving schools, delivering punishment to the Beast Pirates...
Hector did everything while having fun with his wife and his people around this Japanese-like country.
Outside Wano, Hector collected the powers that he was leaving for later. Meeting Buggy and Alvida, some of the Worst Generation like Apoo and Basil Hawkins, going around the four blues to personally explore the world unknown to him because was never shown.
He even finds some strong Devil Fruits users like the Warp-Warp Fruits, Mythica Zoan: Pegasus, and other Devil Fruits powers that would eventually fall under the Blackbeard pirate's crew in canon.
Essentially he is almost "completing the achievement" of collecting everything in this travel.
Some moments worth noticing were when he finally went to the Germa Kingdom and him meeting Bonney.
In the Germa Kingdom, he was surprisingly treated with respect when he arrived there, Vinsmoke Judge planning to hop in his coat-tails to complete his plans.
He sometimes forgot that he is a bigshot and that Judge respects strength... Judge talked with him politely, invited him for Dinner, proposed an alliance...
He was almost put off by the unexpected display... Almost...
He ended up destroying the German Kingdom anyway.
Even he finds it a little awkward... But even so, that place only sows destruction with his mercenary-like ways.
It was funny when Reiju was sent to seduce him...
Hector as a married man rejected her advances, obviously.
But kidnapped her anyway afterward.
"So... You reject my Father... Rejects me... Only to destroy my Father's dream and take me anyway?" Reiju raises her swirling eyebrow at him while being carried on his arms
"...It's complicated." Hector gives a wry smile.
They are floating above the burning Germa Kingdom.
Hector didn't kill Sanji's family, but the blow is huge. He destroyed the lab, and the research, captured the clones and destroyed the factory, and the weapons, stole the money...
Judge stays there, crying like a child amidst the ruins, asking the heavens "Why? Why?". The psychopath's brothers just remain still, maybe even finding the situation a little amusing.
"It's not about what I do... It's how I do it." Hector tries to explain his complicated way of doing things "I can't accept your body in exchange for an alliance. Your family is full of assholes and deep down you're a good girl... You would be the one sacrificing herself while the evil ones benefit."
"..."
"So, I destroyed their plans and freed you..." He smiles at her "And now I'm accepting you on my crew."
"You wouldn't need to go through all this trouble if you just accepted my Father's proposal." She sighs "I would be yours nonetheless."
"The results can be the same, but the process changes everything!" Hector argues "Anyway, come with me to live far away from you shitty family."
"What if I say no?" She raises her distinct eyebrow again, challengingly
"I will kidnap you. I'm a pirate here..." Hector deadpans. He likes Reiju and thinks that she deserves better.
"..."
He took her anyway.
It's not like she has any place to return. He would show her something more than her toxic family environment and if after all that she still wants to go away, he is not gonna stop her.
He is not that much of a good Samaritan. Trying to save people that don't want to be saved is tiresome.
And his meeting with Bonney was...
...
Hector drops off from the sky on the deck of Bonney's ship.
Ready for a fight he turns to face Jewelry Bonney.
"This is a robbery!" He declares
But five minutes later, instead of going away after defeating everyone on board, copying her power, and flirting a little with her...
"..." Hector finds himself sitting on the deck of the ship while eating with the crew, Bonney's arm around his shoulder like they are long-dated friends
"So you're really Kuma's daughter? I knew that you two are related in some way, but not that close..." Hector comments while taking a bite of the pizza that he cooked for them.
After the initial confrontation where Bonney asked what Hector did with Kuma, because the Newspapers said that he "dealt" with him and Moria, he casually said that dropped him off with his friends.
And the situation is like this.
"Kuma is my father! Don't you dare say otherwise! I'm his daughter! I'm his daughter!!" Bonney throws a tantrum while eating
"..." 'Weirdo...' Hector thinks, but he is used to weird people in this world
"But you cook very well! Good job!" Like a kid, Bonney forgets that she is mad and praises him with a thumbs up. "Wanna enter to my crew?" She asks
Hector laughs at the absurdity of the question.
"Instead, why don't you become my wom-" He starts saying to tease her but he stops.
At that moment, a shiver passed through his spine and he felt fear. His pupils constrict to minuscule dots and his body stiffens.
His many "sixth senses"... Spider, Danger, Haki... All alerting him.
In life, anyone sometimes people has a "gut feeling", a without-thinking reaction that saves them, a completely irrational premonition that assaults their mind...
Some stop on time and dodge a car even without looking, some slap a mosquito perfectly like a ninja, and some catch their phones that are falling...
A split of second where something alerts you and your body instantly reacts.
The adrenaline only shows effects later.
It's happening to Hector now... As a part of his personality, he always checks the person he is first meeting with his power. Especially as Eidolon... Seeing their aura, checking for hidden weapons, bad intentions, looking at their soul...
It's almost instinctual when he uses the All Seeing Eyes of God to do that, after all in Marvel there are shapeshifters and all that.
Here, in the One Piece world, he relaxed and stopped doing that...
But at this moment he activates his powers to check Bonney... It's totally a whim decision, his instincts making him do that without thinking much.
His mouth slowly widens...
'Young... Her soul is young!!' He thinks 'Her fruit... She is always using her fruit. Is she like sugar? Did the fruit stop the aging of her soul as a side effect?'
His overthinker mind goes a mile for second.
He recoils always from Bonney, any thought about enjoying her softness while she hugs him with familiarity forgotten.
"Hm? What is this? Is your stomach hurting?" Bonney asks in confusion
"..." Hector doesn't say anything. Sideglancing her crew, he decides to keep her secret. How to know if she is using it as a protection, right?
[Mr. Blue Sky] finishes the job of copying her power and Hector stands up.
"I need to go..." He says with his voice tight, a little guilty about his initial thoughts.
"Already? I was preparing for us to party all night..." Bonney says with a frown. Her choice of words only complicates things more.
"...Eeeh. In ten years maybe... Bye." He runs. He is speed.
[To be Continued...
....