"Tch, trash."
Takuro casually tossed the enormous, already empty wine barrel he held. He watched the two figures on the deck, already swaying drunkenly and unconscious, and curled his lips in disdain. They boasted about their drinking capacity, yet this was all they could handle? He'd actually thought they could drink a lot, but they turned out to be so weak, which was truly disappointing.
Just then, a faint, orchid-like fragrant breeze, refreshing to the heart, wafted gently from behind him. Nico Robin approached slowly, holding a small white porcelain bowl of hot soup, a gentle smile on her face.
"Please drink some hangover soup, Master," she said. "I specifically asked the kitchen to prepare it for you."
A mischievous grin played on Takuro's lips. He didn't take the soup bowl, but instead stretched out his long arm, wrapped it around Robin's slender, barely-there waist, and pulled her into his embrace. He leaned down, whispering teasingly into her ear, "Do you think... I need that stuff?" After speaking, he suddenly seemed to remember something, letting out a feigned deep sigh.
Robin's ears, slightly reddened by his breath, twitched. She asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Master?"
"Sigh..." Takuro said, "It's not satisfying. The wine's gone, the fights are over... It's really boring."
Hearing this, a mischievous glint flashed in Robin's blue eyes. Her tender pink tongue lightly licked her full lips, then she softly said,
"Then... Master... would you like to do something... 'interesting' with me?"
"Oh, wow!" How could Takuro not understand what she meant? He couldn't help but chuckle, "I knew something was off. You're getting addicted, aren't you?"
Robin didn't speak again. She just looked up, staring intently at Takuro. Her eyes were filled with seductive charm, shimmering with a hint of spring water. Her breathing became somewhat hurried because of it. Seeing this, Takuro couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
'I don't feel like I did anything...' 'How did I manage to turn a sophisticated woman into this?'
But... when a nice piece of meat is delivered right to your mouth, why wouldn't you eat it?
So, with a sudden burst of strength, he lifted her! With a short, delicate cry from Robin, he scooped her soft, surprisingly elastic body into his arms!
"Clang--"
The bowl of still-steaming hangover soup spilled all over the floor.
"Master..." Robin instinctively reminded him, "Uh... Mr. Mihawk and Mr. Tiger are still... still sleeping on the deck."
At this moment, Takuro had no time to care about the state of two drunken men. He casually said, "Don't worry about them. The people below will naturally carry them back to their rooms later." With that, he carried the beauty and strode back to his own enormous bedroom, located on the ship's top deck.
A Hazy Morning After
Then, it was a night of joy...
In the early morning, the brilliant sunlight streamed into the bedroom through the large circular porthole. Dracule Mihawk dazedly opened his eyes from the soft, large bed. He then frowned, pressing one hand against his forehead, which felt as if it were splitting open, and muttered to himself,
"...My head... it hurts so much..."
Then, he slowly sat up from the bed and looked at the unfamiliar, luxurious room decorations around him.
"...Where... am I?"
Countless fragments of unbearable memories filled with "alcohol," "bragging," "arm wrestling," and "utter defeat" surged into his mind like a tide. He remembered. He was... on the ship of that kid named Takuro. Last night, in a moment of impulse, he had confidently challenged that guy to a drinking contest. As a result... he drank and drank... and then passed out.
'So... I was carried back?'
The memories gradually became clear in his mind. Mihawk had no choice but to accept this extremely cruel truth for his arrogant pride: He lost the drinking contest!
After Mihawk was fully dressed, he pushed open the door to his room. Then, he just happened to hear the door of the adjacent room also creak open. He turned his head to look and saw that the equally tall, tower-like Fish-Man, Fisher Tiger, was also stepping out.
The two met eyes. Both saw themselves reflected in the other's tired, hungover gaze.
Finally, Tiger was the first to break the silence.
"Uh... Good morning, Mr. Mihawk. You, you just woke up too?"
Mihawk was silent for a while before slowly squeezing out a single word from his throat.
"...Mm."
Then, the two fell into silence once more. This is what happens when two men who are not good at talking and are naturally taciturn are together...
Finally, Tiger couldn't stand the awkward atmosphere any longer and spoke again.
"Uh... How about we go see... Mr. Takuro together?"
Mihawk nodded, having the same intention. So, the two walked together and arrived on the deck.
Anomaly in the Ki
From a distance, they saw the black-haired youth performing his "morning exercise" as he faced the rising sun. He sat cross-legged, floating above the ship's massive dragon head figurehead, eyes closed, seemingly meditating. The golden morning sun shone upon his god-like, perfect, and powerful physique, gleaming brightly, like a deity absorbing the essence of heaven and earth.
Tiger was more oblivious, merely finding the other's posture cool and impressive. But Mihawk's eyes narrowed! He sensed... an anomaly!
He could clearly feel that an extremely abnormal energy field seemed to be swirling around Takuro! Besides that, he also felt a very strange, profound power slowly emanating from Takuro's body! That kind of power was somewhat like Haki. Yet, it was fundamentally different from Haki! It was more... pure! More... refined! And also more... powerful!
'What exactly... is that?' Mihawk pondered inwardly. Whatever it was, it was... extremely dangerous!
Then, he finally took a careful look at Takuro. He hadn't paid much attention yesterday, but today he realized this guy was much younger than he had thought. He secretly searched his memory: 'When did such a person appear on this vast sea?''Takuro... that name... I think I've heard it somewhere?'
Just then, Takuro opened his eyes from his meditative state, sensing the two presences behind him. Then he slowly turned his head and flashed a wide, white-toothed grin at the two guys who were standing not far away, peeking.
"Yo. Finally awake, are we? You two weaklings."
Tiger: "..."
Mihawk: "..."
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