Ben made his way toward the Empress's private wing. He thought it was important to not keep Hancock waiting. He wondered what it could be. He walked forward until he saw Enishia waiting at the door.She had her arms crossed and a nervous twitch in her eye.
"Sir," Enishia said as she was blocking the way.
"You can call me Ben," Ben responded as he smiled at her.
"Okay Ben," Enishida responded. "The Snake Princess, she is not quite ready to receive visitors. She requested you come back a bit later," she added.
Ben raised an eyebrow. He thought that was strange. "Is everything alright in there?" he asked.
Enishia nodded quickly. "Yes, perfectly fine. She is simply preparing," she said.
"I see," Ben chuckled. Ben thought that was okay. He was here for a few more days. "I had a question. My girls are strong, but many of them haven't mastered Haki yet," he said. He thought only Alvida and Belo Betty knew Haki. He thought not even Naomi was a New World Pirate and she did not know it. "Is there anyone on the island who could help train them? Someone who knows the basics of flow?" he asked.
Enishia opened her mouth to say she would have to consult the Empress, but before a single word could escape, a muffled yet commanding shout echoed from behind the heavy, reinforced bedroom doors. "Whatever he needs. Give whatever he needs. Give him everything," Hancock shouted.
Ben blinked. He looked at the thick wood of the door. "She's got some incredible hearing," he muttered.
"Yes hearing," Enishia whispered as she looked at the door,
On the other side of that door, Boa Hancock was currently pressed flat against the wood. Her ear tilted upward. She was blushing, She was holding her breath and trying to catch the vibration of Ben's voice through the door.
Ben headed down to the training grounds. He thought of getting some training. As he moved, the sunlight glinted off the hard lines of his physique.
Ben saw Kaya and Zala. "Morning both," Ben said as he saw them.
Zala and Kaya looked at Ben and smiled. Zala licked her lips. "You are bold walking without a shirt," Zala said as she looked at six packs.
"Pervert," Kaya added as she saw his abs. He looked very handsome.
"I only had these shorts," Ben responded.
Zala and Kaya looked at his tight shorts. They could see an outline of his penis. "Well, we thought it would be appropriate to dress as the locals," Zala remarked.
Kaya sighed. "It was hard since no men are allowed here," Kaya added.
Ben nodded. "Okay, I am going to train here," Ben said
"We will also take the opportunity here," Zala added as she stretched.
"I did ask Hancock and she will send some Haki teachers to help us learn," Ben remarked.
"She is a very generous person," Kaya said. She thought she was Empress however she was willing to help us out.
At that moment, a group of Kuja warriors had gathered at the edge of the courtyard.
Daisy and Cosmo were also present with the group. "Ran was right, he is here," Daisy said with a smile on her face.
"Princess-sama has been occupied this morning," Cosmo said.
Daisy looked at his lean muscles. I've never seen a man built like that," she remarked as her cheeks were pink.
"He's so fit," Cosmo agreed as she fanned herself with her hand.
The Kuja woman next to them all looked at Ben. "He's like a statue come to life," one girl whispered.
"Is every man out there like him?" another asked.
"No way," a third replied. "If they were, we wouldn't have stayed on this island for centuries," she added.
"Someone is very popular," Zala remarked as she smiled.
Ben caught their stares and sighed. He thought he was just a showpiece at this point to them. He thought it could be worse.
"Behave yourselves," a sharp voice barked. Kikyo marched onto the field. She stopped in front of Ben, her eyes involuntarily scanned his back and shoulders before she caught herself and looked up. "You are a distraction. My warriors have forgotten their forms just watching you breathe," she remarked.
Ben wiped the sweat from his brow. "A distraction for them, or for you, Kikyo?" he asked. He thought Kikyo was an attractive lady.
Kikyo went rigid. She didn't answer. Her jaw tightened as she looked everywhere but at his chest. She saw the elephant in his shorts.
"I was going to ask you about Haki," Ben said. "The way you Kuja imbue your arrows," he added.
Kikyo cleared her throat. "It is the art of letting your spirit extend beyond the flesh. You don't just 'harden' the object, you treat it as an extension of your own blood," she said. "Focus on the point where your energy leaves your skin. Don't push it and let it leak," she added.
Ben nodded. He thought Belo Betty had said something similar. "Leak, not push. Got it," he said.
Ben closed his eyes once more. He started to concentrate his energy once more. "Armament Hardening," Ben said he focused his energy in his hands. His fist was covered in haki.
Kikyo looked impressed. "He is exceptional," she remarked.
Nearby, the Kuja girls continued to gossip. "I heard a rumor," one whispered. "The servants near the royal chambers said they heard weird noises last night," she said.
"What kind of noises?" another Kuja woman asked.
"High-pitched moaning and shouting," she responded.
"What were they doing?" another Kuja woman asked.
"Ben!" Kaya called out. She walked onto the field with a shirt. She looked at the crowd of staring Amazons and frowned. "You should really put a shirt on. You're causing a scene," she said.
"Like I said, I did not get one," Ben said.
Zala followed behind her "There's no need for that, Kaya. Let them look," she said. She turned to a few of the nearest Kuja girls. "Since you're standing there doing nothing, why don't you help wipe the sweat off him?" she asked with a smile on her face.
Daisy and Cosmo didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled forward. They nearly tripped over their own feet in their haste to reach him.
Daisy, slapped a cloth against his shoulder blade with a wide, predatory grin. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head as her hand made contact. "He's so solid," she hollered. She leaned her weight into her hand, "It's like touching warm iron," she said.
Cosmo,moved with a dazed, almost hypnotic slowness. Her fingertips touched the ridges of his abdominals. Her cheeks were red. "He's vibrating. There's so much power under here, it feels like his skin is electrified," she said. She let out a soft, shaky breath. Her fingers lingering on his pectoral muscle. "I've never felt anything so substantial." she added.
Ben thought this was a little unnecessary and distracting. He thought maybe Luffy had the right idea of being on an island by himself. He looked around and saw all the beautiful women and thought no.
Daisy let out a loud, bark-like laugh. She ignored the glares from the other warriors. "Substantial? Cosmo, you're underselling it! If I climbed him, I bet I'd reach the moon," she remarked. She began to rub the cloth vigorously over his shoulder. Her own muscles tensed as she felt the sheer heat radiating from his body. "He's like a living furnace. I feel like I'm going to me," she added.
Cosmo nodded dreamily. Her eyes were fixed on the way the sweat pooled in the center of his chest. "I think I need to check his other arm. For symmetry. Medical symmetry," she remarked.
"That's quite enough symmetry for one morning!" Kaya interrupted as she stepped between them with her arms crossed.
"Aw, come on, Doctor," Daisy pouted though she didn't move her hand until Kaya gave her a stern look. "We're just making sure the guest of honor stays hygienic," she added. "It's probably an Amazon Lily tradition," she remarked.
"It most certainly is not," Kikyo barked from the sidelines, though even she was watching the way Ben's muscles rippled as he reached for the towel.
Kaya huffed. "He's been cleaned enough," she said. "He's had a long morning and needs a physical check-up to make sure his vitals are stable," she added.
"We have doctors here," one of the Kuja girls offered.
"I am his doctor," Kaya said firmly as he grabbed Ben by the arm and led him away.
"Kaya," Ben said as she was pulled away.
"She took him," Daisy said.
Zala chuckled. "I did not know you had this possessive side," she whispered.