CHAPTER 231 CHILD’S PLAY
<span style="font-weight:400">I came from down the hall to see a samurai and small boy sitting at the kitchen table. “Hey…Kinemon, right?” I asked, confused.
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<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh yes, Weston,” the man said with a slight head bow.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I thought you were still on the ind?”
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<span style="font-weight:400">“No, Captain Luffy invited us on the ship. To help us make our way home,” Kinemon said.
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<span style="font-weight:400">“I assume this is the son you were looking for?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, this is Momonosuke,” he said, pointing to the shy boy. He wore simple clothes, but had the top of his head shaved.
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<span style="font-weight:400">“Funny, you don’t look like father and son,” I chuckled. Both stiffened, but I hid a smile. I knew that they weren’t really rted, and didn’t n to say anything. I could tease at least. “I have a small girl and boy. But they are only 1 and a half, how old are you Momonosuke?” <span style="font-weight:400">
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<span style="font-weight:400">“I am 8,” he whispered shyly.
<span style="font-weight:400">“8 years old, and you’re already so far from home,” I said. I wanted to tease him more but remembered that both his parents had died recently to him. All he had left in the world was his sister, and bodyguard Kinemon. “Let me know if you need anything, alright?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I heard someone say you were a ninja,” Momonosuke said. I nodded. “You are not a ninja.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Momonosuke…” his father hissed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh no, it’s true,” I said. “But my ninja sect isn’t from Wano.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“So you don’t im to be from Wano?” Momonosuke asked, confused.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I do not,” I said. “Your ninjas are more…traditional. But I assure you, I have all the skills of your ninjas. Just better.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“How so?” Kinemon asked, intrigued now.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I am a master of disguise,” I said. Changing my face to Kinemon’s with a simple hand seal. “Momonosuke, don’t sit with your mouth open!” I barked in the man’s voice. “I can disappear.” I released the transformation. Smoke billowed out of my body and I draped myself in chakra and moved around them. Tapping them on their shoulders. “Do you think I’m not a ninja, now?”
<span style="font-weight:400">Momonosuke shook his head slowly, his mouth still wide open. “Good. Who’s hungry?” I looked through the kitchen and found some simple nuts and fruits. Sanji’s cooking sense kicked in though and he was ushering me out.
<span style="font-weight:400">Others began to wake up and the dining room became louder as people barked food requests. Sanji had it whipped up in no time and we were arguing around the table.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Weston, please tell me there is a guest bedroom,” Trafalgar said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What’s the matter-wait no, let me guess. You woke up to the heater Chopper attached to your leg. Luffy’s foot was in your mouth. And Usopp tried to use your ding dong like his sling shot.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That was oddly specific and not that far off,” the man said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah no, that’s why I asked Franky to make me my own room,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“They don’t bother me at night,” Franky said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s because when you turn over I get crushed,” Luffy said. “Zoro cuts people in his sleep, and Sanji has way too many dreams about women to feelfortable.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“See I never learned a defense mechanism,” I said. “Ask Chopper if you can sleep in his med bay.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That bed is for patients,” Chopper said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“We aren’t beat up for once,” I retorted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh fine,” Chopper said. “But the minute Luffy almost drowns again I’ll need the bed.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Can I sleep with you girls?” The less than innocent Momonosuke asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sorry, our rooms closed at dark,” Nami said. “Sanji ruined it for everyone.” They were of course in my bed, but the others didn’t need to know that.
<span style="font-weight:400">“The ship was new, I was looking for the bathroom,” Sanji said, not fooling anyone. “I thought you wanted a midnight snack.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“The funny thing was, I actually did,” Nami said. “But too bad.” Momonosuke frowned. I could see his little mind trying to work a way to get in their good graces. I felt bad for the kid, not bad enough for him to paw my girlfriends though.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Think Domingo will do what you told him?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“He better,” Trafalgar said. “If not I have a few follow up options.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey, where is our leverage anyway?” Nami asked as she looked around. I got up and moved over to the small trap door in the kitchen. Opening it I revealed the live well.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You have a good swim?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“You fucker!” He spat as he coughed up water. “This stool you have me on almost tipped over 4 timesst night!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You tested drugs on children, now shut up or I cut one of its legs off,” I said, shutting the door. I moved back to sit down at the table. “What?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You know we have a brig, right?” Franky said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I know, just thought he’d like a swim,” I said, munching my breakfast sandwich. “He wasn’t very apologetic about testing on kids. He can marinate for a little longer.” The others shrugged and the meal continued. I threw Caesar in the brig then put him in a Genjutsu to help him enjoy his stay.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Luffy, why the hell is it alright for Kinemon to bring his kids on an adventure? But I can’t?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Babies freak me out,” he admitted. “They can’t even eat real food.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, that would freak you out. People not stuffing themselves is a good standard for living on a pirate ship,” I lied, they at least had to be able to use chakra before I’d let them go on an adventure. I couldn’t help picturing dropping them off on an abandoned ind to let them figure out their powers. The Garp way.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How dare you have one of Wano’s treasures!” Kinemon yelled at Zoro as he tried to stab him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“For thest time, I didn’t steal it,” Zoro said, easily dodging him. Kinemon was talking about the sword he had taken from a zombie in Thriller Bark.
<span style="font-weight:400">I left them to it. They’d figure it out eventually. Sitting at my spot I was surprised that Brook was at the helm.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What are you doing driving?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I am under strict orders from Nami to keep us on course for Dressrosa, and to not let you touch this thing,” he said as he maneuvered the helm.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Where did she go?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“She didn’t say,” Brook admitted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“That means she’s taking a shower,” Iughed as I jumped down to the mid deck.
<span style="font-weight:400">“No, Weston I lied, you can have the helm!” Brook yelled. Iughed and headed in to find a very small towel try to keep Nami’s ample curves in. Mounted between her cleavage was Momonosuke.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hey Weston,” Nami said with a wide smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hello beautiful,” I said. Ready for the kid to go away so I could try to get some action.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Momonosuke! What are you doing?!” Kinemon yelled as he barged in.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I was taking a bath,” he said in a weak voice.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes, he was rather dirty,” Robin said whileing out from the back as well. There was something exquisite about a pure white towel against her tan skin.
<span style="font-weight:400">“With my beautiful Nami and Robin?!” Sanji yelled.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How dare you?!” Brook yelped, inside now too.
<span style="font-weight:400">“He’s just a baby,” Nami said, pulling the boy closer to her cleavage. Momonosuke smiled widely at us as she did. Not a ‘I’m in heaven smile’ but a ‘I’m somewhere none of you will ever get to be’ smile.
<span style="font-weight:400">It irked me in the wrong way. “That’s it,” I said. “Gotta nip it in the bud. Momonosuke, look a toy.” The small boy looked up into my Chikyugi Ne and was strapped against the wall.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What’s going on?!” He yelled as he stared at me wide eyed.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I was willing to let you pretend that you’re special and get to bathe with Nami and Robin,” I said. “But that smile said all I needed to know, you little shit.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Smile?! What smile?!” He yelled, shivering as he hung. I made a TV screen pop up and showed him the memory. “Oh…what about it?!” He asked. “I’m a samurai. You can’t scare me!”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oh I can scare you,” I said. “But for now you get a warning. You can have your baths and your cuddling because you''re a child. Not like you could do anything with it anyway. But the minute you gloat about it, you’ll be back here. Seeing what true terror is.” I pped my hands and everything turned white.
<span style="font-weight:400">It took time but he eventually got the idea. As I pulled him out he moved out of Nami’s cleavage and ran off without another word.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What did you do to him?!” Nami yelled, much angrier than I imagined.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Nothing,” I said, turning away.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Way to go, Weston,” Sanji said. Brook gave me a thumbs up.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Weren’t you supposed to be at the helm?!” Nami asked angrily. Brook froze and was then running away. Her tone still angry, Sanji scampered off as well.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What’s going on?” Kinemon asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“He sent Momonosuke into an illusion. What the hell did you do to him?” Nami asked, getting serious.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Nothing, I swear I didn’t do anything,” I said. I looked at Nami and Robin. Neither believed me. “Do you want to see?” I asked, raising the ne.
<span style="font-weight:400">All 3 looked at it and I drew them in. Around us was a pure white expanse. “I threw him in this for an hour,” I said. “He cracked after about 5 minutes. You don’t have to scare kids. They are little balls of energy. They get scared when they are alone. He ran around and screamed his head off until he became tuckered out. Then we watched Demon yer for a couple hours.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Demon what?” Robin asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Demon yer, it’s this show I…made up. It’s about a samurai whose entire family gets killed, except for his sister. Then he spends all his time trying to get strong enough to seek revenge and kill the demon that killed his family.” A very good analogy for Momonosuke’s current predicament. I pulled up a screen and showed them some quick shots of the anime version.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What is this?” Kinemon asked, amazed as he approached the screen.
<span style="font-weight:400">“My mind,” I admitted. “Anything I think can be in here.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That still doesn’t justify doing whatever to a kid,” Nami said.
<span style="font-weight:400">I pulled up the memory of the look Momonosuke gave me. “What can I say, he pissed me off,” I said. “He’s learned his lesson. I don’t care about the bath. But I’ll be damned if a kid of any age disrespects me with a look like that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“He did not give you that look,” Robin said.
<span style="font-weight:400">I turned to Kinemon. “Uh yes, he did,” the man admitted ashamedly. “I’m sorry for his actions.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No problem,” I said. “He’s a kid. He is still learning.” I pulled us out of the Makuramoto. Kinemon headed off after Momonosuke.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I…apologize,” Nami said. “I thought the worst.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Nami, I know kids. I wouldn’t scar someone for life from a look,” I admitted. “You’ve been offtely, what’s wrong?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s all this Shichibukai and Yonko talk,” she admitted with a sigh. “I’m on edge. Are we really ready for these kind of fights?” I could hear the fear in her voice. I frowned but lifted my Chikyugi Ne again.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Let’s talk, care to join, Robin?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure,” she said, understanding that we usually did more than talk in my room. I pulled them in and we sat on thefortable couches. I changed it to be a pit couch like had been in Qiress’ room in HxH.
<span style="font-weight:400">“What’s the matter?” I asked Nami as I pulled her to me. She snuggled up to me, still a little shaken.
<span style="font-weight:400">“These are big names we are talking about fighting,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m ready.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You are,” I said. “Trust me. We have spent our 2 years bing the best us. Your chakra is stronger than ever. You know pretty much all the jutsus I do. We just hone our skills and we will keep going. Hell thest 2 inds we had no injuries.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Those guys were easy though,” she pouted.
<span style="font-weight:400">“They were. And it’s only going to get harder for us,” I said. “But we can do it.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What do we need to watch out for?” Robin asked. She had moved closer. I pulled her in and she wasying on my other shoulder. Both girls mirroring one another as theyid their leg on my upper thigh.
<span style="font-weight:400">“The next ind is Domingo…what’s going on there is basically what happened in basta,” I admitted. “Shichibukai took over. Royal family is trying to fight against him. We step in and help them out. It’s a lot harder than that though. Domingo has this underling that ate a Devil fruit which can turn people into dolls.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Like inanimate dolls?” Nami asked, scared.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Worse, living breathing dolls. And if she turns you into one. Everyone you’ve ever known forgets who you were.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What?!” Robin asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">I nodded. “Yes, like my amnesia. You’re just overridden. So if either of us get turned into dolls. We have to beat her.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s awful. Even parents and kids forget you?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Everyone. You’d know you had a dad, but not what he looked like or if he was even around. I think I heard a story about a guy getting turned into a doll and the wife married someone else. The doll guy had to watch as his kid called the step-dad, father.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“That’s sick,” Robin said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. Domingo is not a good person. He used to be a Tenryuubito. But his parents gave up the title. He always saw himself above others. He has no conscience.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“What else?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“From there I’m not sure. I know you’re scared Nami, but these ces are not good. No one is in a position to save them. It’s up to us,” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">She slowly nodded then kissed my chin. “I love you,” she whispered.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Love you too. Both of you,” I said. They cuddled up more as we stared at the ceiling for a time.
<span style="font-weight:400">“I want to see more of these things you made up,” Robin admitted. “Demon Layer?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It’s not a porno. It’s Demon yer,” I said. “Sure. What are you in the mood for? Something funny? Feel good show? Romance?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I want something funny,” Nami said. Robin nodded her head. I racked my brain for something. I almost did Muppet Treasure Ind but ended up on Ice Age.
<span style="font-weight:400">I soon had buttered popcorn and candies in bowlsid out for them. They munched on them happily as we watched a squirrel try to get a nut. Nami and Robinughed, asking about this or that but it was a good moment with them. I’d probably end up showing them the Notebook or somethingter.
<span style="font-weight:400">After the movie it turned into a three-way. But I didn’t like having sex in the Makuramoto. It wasn’t fulfilling for me. But the girls enjoyed it since I didn’t have to wear a condom. Even imaginary chakra did wonders to them.
<span style="font-weight:400">As I pulled us out of the Genjutsu the girls left to get dressed. I was about to go back out to go fishing when I received a notification.
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<b>Challenge 2 will begin within 10 days</b>
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<span style="font-weight:400">“Fuck,” I mumbled. After switching bodies with Nami I was a little gun shy. I had been really scared I would get called to a challenge while stuck in Nami’s body. With over half of my skills gone, I’d have died quickly.
<span style="font-weight:400">Reminded about the person on Domingo’s ind that could turn people into dolls, I didn’t want to risk that happening for the fight either. Hell would everyone forget about me? Then I’d die and my kids would never know who I was. It was at least 5 days to travel to Dressrosa. How many days would it take to beat Domingo? Probably 1 for how fast stuff moved in the world, but I couldn’t risk it.
<span style="font-weight:400">I needed to be at tip top shape for my next challenge. I had hoped to get another Challenger Slot for my Nen, but I looked like that was out of reach. Letting out a sigh. I said, “World Escape.”