Chapter 39: Sudden Situation... Or Strange?
Naruto slowly opened his eyes, but the sun hit him hard and he had to turn to the side while covering his head. His head hurt from drinking so much, and he barely wanted to get up, but he had to. Now that he saw the sun and could feel it, he couldn't keep sleeping.
"Did you wake up–yoi?"
"... ", Naruto slowly opened one eye and saw Marco looking down at him, blocking the sun with his head.
"Ugh... I think so..."
"Mohahahaha! You guys really are fun at parties!", Marco laughed heartily as he watched Naruto stand up in pain on the deck of the Moby Dick.
"Huh?"
"Although the funniest one, without a doubt, is Mugiwara–yoi," Marco smiled and pointed to the sails. Naruto looked up and spat a little as he saw Luffy fully stretched out on a sail, his body stretched out with his legs touching the ground and his head the same way on the other side.
"Nnuugh... don't make me laugh please, my head hurts," Naruto held his head, trying not to laugh at Luffy's strange sleeping manner.
"By the way, Marco. Why are there tables and boxes all over the ship?"
"It's lunch time–yoi," Marco replied with a big smile. "It seems like it was the first time you three drank sake. Well, you've only slept a few hours since the party ended, but we're all hungry already."
Naruto's nostrils flared a little more as he sniffed the smell of delicious food, causing his stomach to growl.
"Yeah... I'm hungry too."
"Gurararara! It's good that you're cheered up now, brat!" Shirohige laughed as he sat in his huge chair while continuing to drink, as if it was no big deal.
"Go find your two friends! I'm sure they're hungry!"
Marco pointed to a door that led underground and told them that they were in the third room after going down. However, Naruto didn't notice the amused glances at him or the slightly mischievous smiles. He simply went down and walked slowly until he reached the third door and extended his hand to open it.
"Wait...." Naruto muttered. "Were they... Together?"
Naruto tilted his head slightly and looked inside before slamming it shut. After that, he ran up and looked at everyone with his own smile.
"They...." he said, pointing down with his finger.
Everyone nodded in unison.
"Hahahahaha!" Naruto started laughing loudly as he rolled around on the ground, causing everyone else to burst out laughing. They all knew that when those two woke up, they were in for a big surprise, and it amused them greatly.
. . .
"Mmm~..... ", Rias slowly woke up with a big smile. For some reason, she felt comfortable and relaxed, as if she had had a great rest. However, she froze when she felt like she was on something... No, rather, someone. And it only took a second or two for that someone to freeze as well.
"Bloody hell... ", Harry cursed as his face paled for a moment before blushing and turning pale again. A lot of things ran through his head before he tightly shut his eyes and used Occlumency and Memory-Make to be able to remember what happened last night. He was afraid that he had forced himself on Rias. And, while she could have wiped him out of existence for trying such a thing, a lot of things could happen when someone was drunk.
Rias, sensing that she was completely naked, just like Harry, used her magic to try and remember what happened. When she saw all her memories from the previous night, her expression looked strange: it was a mix of sadness, annoyance, and happiness.
"I- I... I'm sorry... Rias...", Harry said slowly with a complicated expression.
"Do you... regret it...?"
"No... We... I... !", Harry exclaimed before he choked up, not knowing what to say in this situation. Now that he knew what happened, he didn't regret it too much. But, anyway, they had gotten carried away; this could cause their current relationship to become very awkward.
"I'm upset..."
"I'm sorry..."
"Let me finish, Harry," Rias gave him an exasperated look, making Harry shut his mouth.
"I feel upset that I couldn't enjoy my first time. I feel sad about the conditions, the situation, and the timing of my first time. However, I'm also a little happy that it was with you," Rias inhaled a little through her nose before sighing.
"You're a good man, Harry. Compared to everyone I know, you're definitely the best. I don't regret having sex with you, but I don't like the way it happened at all."
"Also...", Rias raised her gaze slightly, right at Harry's hair and the top of the pillow. Harry's hair looked sticky and... dirty. The pillow was a bit worse, with a color somewhere between yellow-green and white.
"I ended up throwing up right there..."
"That's the least important thing, it can be easily washed off. I was more worried about you. After all, I... I honestly don't know what to do now. Should we continue like before? Do I have to take responsibility? Do I actually have to do something?", Harry sounded really worried and a bit desperate. He had never fallen in love before or even had sex with a girl. He wouldn't deny that Rias was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen and met, even feeling attraction towards her. But currently, the situation was different and he didn't know what to do.
"Take responsibility?" Rias asked softly before smiling a little wryly. If it was any other time, when she was desperate for her marriage with Riser, then she was sure she would do something troublesome. But, right now, things were different. The person beside her was Harry, a close and dear friend, and they were of similar age, only a year apart. He was sincere with her, he knew she could protect herself but, still, he showed concern for her in some cases.
Even if Rias had a boyfriend, Harry's relationship with her might be closer than a potential boyfriend. Both of them had lived, trained and fought together. They had chatted for hours about their respective situations and worlds. The knowledge they had of each other was greater than that of a simple friend.
"Fufufu~… Of course, you need to take responsibility," Rias replied. A man like Harry… No, it's not just about a man anymore, but about him as a person. Someone like Harry was a bit of an oddity in her world. He could be selfish, but not to an extreme or annoying point. He was hardly greedy; he was kind, caring and protective. And, perhaps, one of the most important things: if the right and suitable woman didn't appear, then it was almost impossible for Harry to be interested in another girl just for power, looks or wealth.
The chances of her suffering from something like a Harem or his partner choosing many women, were really low. Oh, she didn't have too many problems with something like polygamy, but she could be selfish and she would have to be the main one no less. But, she knew what a Harem could cause, her own mother was the one who 'managed' her father's harem, but she still felt upset, angry and sad many times.
"I see...", Harry nodded seriously. "Then please take care of me too. As good as I may be at researching things, I completely suck at something like romance; I've barely felt love from another person. So, bear with me a little."
"Don't be silly, Harry...", Rias stood up a little, showing her large breasts, causing Harry to gulp a little.
"Now that we've done this and gotten to know each other so well at the same time, I don't intend to leave you. However, I'm not so naive as to think that love would magically sprout. That's something we'll have to work on slowly," Rias smiled as she finished and kissed Harry's lips softly.
"But I'm sure it will work..."
"Thank you..." was all Harry could say as he sat up and grimaced at the feel of his hair. But, all of a sudden, he smiled mischievously on his face.
"What's with that smile?", Rias asked, knowing that when Harry smiled like that, a joke was coming.
"It's good that the heaven system doesn't affect you in this world..."
Rias frowned slightly and tilted her head, wondering what Harry meant.
"At this point, perhaps, you would have become a retard...", Harry replied and smiled as he looked at Rias. "With the amount of times you mentioned God..."
All Rias did was hit Harry's chest hard before standing up with her cheeks flushed. Harry just looked at her body for a few moments before offering his help.
"Do you need some cleaning?", he asked taking his wand from the pile where his clothes were.
"Please... it's easier that way," Rias nodded before watching as Harry used a spell to clean her body. She felt her body getting a little wet before drying herself off and seeing that she was completely clean of... well, several things. Harry did the same before cleaning his and Rias' clothes so they could get dressed and leave.
. . .
When the two of them got upstairs, they slapped their palms on their faces as they heard everyone's whistles and laughter, even Naruto had joined in to make fun of them. After the conversation they had, they had both forgotten how loud they were last night, so they were probably heard by everyone.
"Damn annoying bastards..." Harry growled before moving with each stomping step and sat down next to Naruto, at a table and chairs made up of makeshift boxes. At the table made out of four large boxes, was Naruto, Luffy, and Zoro eating and also drinking water.
Marco joined in soon after, telling some stories of his adventures. And, when the others saw this, they started telling interesting things from those trips, embarrassing things, scary things, amazing or annoying battles. Many things were talked about while they were eating lunch.
"Brats... What are you guys planning to do now?", Shirohige asked with a bit of curiosity.
Luffy and Zoro looked at each other before answering at the same time.
"Train!"
Luffy smiled showing his teeth: "As much as I hate to admit that I'm weak compared to others, I have no choice in these circumstances. We will train and meet up with our crew in two years."
Shirohige looked at them before smiling and laughing: "Gurararara! So, if you want, you can stay with us to train!"
"Really?!", Luffy asked excited to train alongside Shirohige's crew, but also to spend some time with his brother, Ace. Zoro just smiled excitedly as he looked at Vista.
"And you?" Shirohige looked at the otherworldly trio.
The three of them looked at each other before smiling and answering at the same time.
"We will sail towards a Yonko and defeat it!"
His statement silenced the entire ship as shocked gazes were pointed at him. Everyone knew of the power of each of them, but the answer had surprised them. Each one had extremely powerful abilities and the normal members of any Yonko's fleet would be no problem for them. Hell, even the Elites would be no problem!
The real problem could come with the commanders and the Yonko himself. Well, depending on who it was.
"Who are you aiming for?" Shirohige asked.
"Well...", Harry started. "We barely know anything about Akagami Shanks, so it would be foolish to attack him... knowledge is power, after all. Big Mom is a nuisance because she has too many allies and a larger crew of all the Yonko. Then, that leaves Kaido, who we have the most chance of winning."
"Though Shanks is still not a bad option. Honestly, we're not looking to kill them, just defeat them."
"...", Shirohige looked at them for a moment before sighing, "If I had met them before the war, I would tell them it's impossible. But, seeing you in that transformation, then it's not impossible for them to defeat Kaido."
"Damn... just that power of the red girl could destroy his so-called 'indestructible body'."
"He~He~He," Rias laughed, flattered by the good words of a man as powerful as Shirohige.
"Mm?" Shirohige looked to the side when he sensed something, only to see a man jump onto the ship and look around before laughing.
"Hahahaha! So you really were here!"
The man is an old man of relatively tall stature with a very strong and defined build. Two of his most distinctive features are his round glasses and facial hair, which he grooms along his lower jaw. He also has a scar above his right eye. He was wearing shorts and almost simple sandals, and was holding a shirt in his hand, leaving his upper body bare and wet.
"Rayleigh... it's been a while."
"Man... it really has been a long time," Rayleigh smiled as he looked at Shirohige.
"Why are you here?"
"Well, of course, to take Luffy to training."
"Ah?" Shirohige raised his head slightly and looked down at Rayleigh, showing an annoyed expression. "I already offered him training, you can just get out. After all, I'm better at training him than you."
Rayleigh's cheek twitched slightly, but he didn't lose his smile.
"No... No... I'm sure I'm better at training him. After all, you're already old and injured."
"... "
"... "
The two fell silent and everyone walked away to the sides, leaving the two in the middle. Even Luffy knew it was best to walk away at this point.
"Ahh?! Who are you calling old, you skinny bastard?!" Shirohige jumped forward as his fist turned black.
"Of course you, you damn overgrown old man! Who else do you think I was talking to?!" Rayleigh moved and his arm turned black as well.
As his fists approached, the ground cracked and black lightning exploded out to the sides. The pressure exerted by the two caused some to faint and the clouds began to darken.
Zoro raised his head with his eyes wide open, but very attentive to the fists of both legends.
"Hey... Hey... their fists aren't even touching."
"Impressive," Rias muttered as she watched the match intently.
The fists seemed to repel each other and weren't touching, but the power of each continued to fight against the other. And, before long, an even more powerful pressure manifested itself in a dark sphere that expanded in all directions before they stood there looking at each other.
"Gurararara! Not bad, it seems you haven't lost much power!"
"Hmph... it seems your wounds have been healed...", Rayleigh let out a small sigh before looking towards Naruto, Rias and Harry.
"So you three are the famous monarchs..."
"Huh?" The three of them tilted their heads with question marks hanging over them.
"Hahahaha, it seems you haven't seen the newspaper!"
"Oh, that's right! I totally forgot about it – yoi!" Marco exclaimed before taking out the newspaper he had on the back of his belt. After that, he took out three wanted posters and showed them to the three of them.
Naruto immediately laughed and slapped his thigh, genuinely amused and excited by what he was seeing. It was his wanted poster: it showed Naruto sitting with his legs inward with his elbow resting on his knee and his fist on his cheek, looking down with a small smile from a huge tree trunk. And, right below the picture, it showed his name and bounty.
Uzumaki Naruto – Monarch of Nature
Dead or alive
฿ 1,000,000,000
Rias felt a little amused at the sight of her poster. She appeared with her arms slightly outstretched and her palms pointing upwards while two red dragons soared into the sky with their mouths open.
Rias Gremory – Monarch of Destruction
Dead or alive฿ 1,000,000,000
However, Harry's might be the most surprising, because it looked edited. The poster showed Harry with his arms crossed, a picture taken when he was conversing with Shirohige. But, behind him, his transformation appeared darkening the sky.
Harry Potter – Monarch of the Skies
Dead or alive
฿ 1,500,000,000
Harry didn't really fight, but the impression he left on everyone was truly surprising and frightening. His disposition and transformation made him seem more powerful than Rias and Naruto. Also, if the former two could kill and defeat an admiral respectively, then it was no surprise that Harry could do the same.
"They know your name..." Rias commented.
"Well, the war was being broadcast. I introduced myself to Shirohige when I descended to their side. It's not surprising that they know our names," Harry replied, but he had a smile on his face. "Though... the names they gave us... They really are surprising!"
"But you barely fought and your reward is greater," Naruto pouted.
Rias smiled, "It's not surprising. Harry's transformed appearance already caused too much fear. They're probably considering him our leader by keeping watch from the back."
"Though...", she put two fingers on her chin as she raised her eyebrows slightly. "The names they gave us are too amazing. I thought they would give us something like demons, monsters, beasts, and various other things."
"Hahahaha! You're underestimating Sengoku, girl!", Rayleigh laughed in amusement. "The old buddha can be quite cunning and annoying when he wants to."
"Because, while he could have done as you say and made you two look like the worst human beings, he took a different path this time. He probably gave you those names because he wants to cause you trouble."
"Trouble? What kind of trouble can such cool names cause?!" Naruto asked.
"Actually, they can," Rias made a small face, as did Harry. "By doing this, then I would make the attention of new and old pirates of great power set their eyes on us. Now, it will no longer be just the marines who will be watching our movements, but also pirates who want our reward or the glory of defeating or killing us."
"Not only that..." Harry raised a finger. "More famous pirates or even the other Yonko would be interested in us. Who knows, maybe even angry at our titles."
"Ungh... I really hate scheming old men," Naruto groaned as he scratched his head.
"Don't you have to learn how to deal with that kind of person to achieve your dream?", Rias reproached him a little, giving him a soft slap on the head.
"I know..."
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