CHAPTER 157 ISLE OF THE SEA KINGS
CHAPTER 157 ISLE OF THE SEA KINGS
The wedding was a simple affair. Chiyo officiated. Rayleigh gave Hancock away. Luffy was my best man. Ash was the maid of honor. Despite being upset she still cared for Hancock. Hancock wore a beautiful white gown that was split from neck to belly button. Showing off her cleavage and body. She was gorgeous and I knew I had made the right choice.
Our honeymoon was short lived though. I told her I would only set aside 3 days. She whined and used her skills to extend it to 6, but by the end even my dick was hurting. I ran back to the Isle Kuma had thrown me at reluctantly. Promising to be back for our child’s birth I was ready to stay up for the next 7 months if needed.
With the Amazon Lily Log Pose in hand, I made sure to keep it pointed in the same direction I had used to run away from the isle. After over a day of running I came up to it, but instead of being abandoned there was a huge sea king beached on the shore. It was a massive beast about 80 feet tall. It’s large eel face was laying on the sandbar, breathing raggedly.
I ran up finding the fishwoman standing next to the sea king. Her hands against the animal I could almost feel her conversing with it. Unafraid of the massive beast she stood near it’s mouth without concern. She was quite powerful looking, standing there next to the behemoth. Shiny black skin on her back, her dorsal fin curved, she reminded me of Gang Orca, a hero from My Hero Academia.
“You’re back,” she noted, not turning to me.
“I am…with your autograph,” I said. I had almost forgotten to ask Jimbei before he left. I held up the waterproof leatherbound book. There was a page that had written on it, ‘To Angiea, my biggest fan, Love Jimbei.’ He didn’t want to do it, but I guilted him. Promising to see him in 2 years.
“I saw you in the paper,” she said. “You are quite dumb.”
“Yep,” I said without hesitation. “But, I don’t lie.”
She looked back with that, nodding. Removing her hands from the sea beast she looked up. Without effort she jumped up to the top of the eel. Running along it’s back she messed around under some thick scales. Pulling out a huge javelin the eel shook but sighed when it was out. Angiea ran back, jumping off the beast right in front of me. So close the javelin was a good 12 feet long. Obviously it had been hurting the sea beast.
“You’re good!” Angiea yelled to the eel, and to my surprise the eel almost nodded. It’s body twisting it backed up hastily, then swam away.
“What the hell,” I said in amazement. Angiea didn’t answer. Walking by me she grabbed the autograph book and headed back to the center of the isle. Diving down without hesitation I followed her to her bubble home in the water.
She walked into her house, leaving the door open. I waited awkwardly in her garden until she yelled out to me, “Are you coming?!” I jerked awake and ran in. Inside was what I expected. Another shipwreck. There was junk everywhere. It was like Ariel had thrown up in the overturned ship. A small hammock swinging on one side that was obviously where she slept. A small kitchen there was a couch and a few chairs, but the rest of the place was covered in crap.
“So what do you want?” Angiea asked. The book I gave her, disappearing somewhere.
“I want to learn Haki,” I said. “But also whatever you did with that Sea King.”
She bit her lip. The lip was black on top, and white on bottom. “And why should I teach you?”
“Because…I don’t know. I’ll be eternally grateful?” I asked. Haki was a strong power. An autograph wouldn’t get me all of it.
“Sounds worth it,” she said sarcastically. Looking around she focused on a small lantern, as if it was some focal point for her. “I am leaning toward yes. Helping you. But if you start, there is no half measures. You stay until the job is done.”
“What can you teach?” I asked. I was starting to think maybe she was a little lonely. “How much do I need to learn?”
“A lot,” she said. “Haki is…versatile. You can use it to strengthen yourself, defend, attack, sense what’s around you, react and interact with other people’s spiritual energy. It is like water. It looks simple. But if you know how to use it…the sky’s the limit.”
“That is…a very fortuitous metaphor,” I admitted. “If there is anything I know, it’s water.”
“Oh yeah? You think you know water?” She asked.
I raised my hand, making it appear in my hand. “Trust me, I know water.” She actually did appear a little surprised as the ball of water floated above my hand. Walking up to it she touched it, intrigued.
Giving me an approving smile she decided, “Fine. I’ll teach you.”
—
Angiea was born on Fishman Island. Living in one of the lower districts her sister was a mermaid by the name of Shyarly. That name sounded familiar, but I ignored it for the time being. She had left Fishman Island after the queen was killed by a human. Upset with the human and fishman world she traveled the ocean floor until she came to this sandbar.
Finding a ship wrecked she tore it apart and made a home. A peculiar thing happened one day while on the island. A sea king became beached. She decided to help it, and over the years many others had shown up. She named it the Isle of the Sea Kings. Having met Kuma some years ago while he traveled the world she didn’t have any special knowledge of him, just knew of him.
She started the training by first explaining Haki to me. Spiritual Energy was a strength that all living and unliving beings had. In truth it was an ideal. It was your fighting spirit. Your conviction. A weak person could not control it. But a strong willed person could manifest all the powers of it.
I knew most of this from the Introduction to Spiritual Energy/Haki book, but she wasn’t too far off so I let her continue. From what I had gleamed, everyone had considered Haki as something different, but the same somehow.
Angiea knew of the 2 main versions of it. Observation and Armament Haki. Where she knew the basics of Armament. Pulling your Haki out to your body to strengthen or defend yourself, she was a master of the Observation Haki.
Observation Haki was the understanding of other Haki’s. She could sense the spiritual energy of every grain of sand on the island. She knew everything that happened around her. What grains would be sucked out to the ocean with the current, which butt cheek I was going to scratch, everything. Not only able to predict my every living move she could also use it to sense the intentions of the world around her. Able to connect with other Haki’s she knew what they were thinking and what had happened to them, like she had done with the sea king.
She started my training by making me count every grain of sand in my hand. Of course, that was impossible. She forced me to be able to sense the spiritual energy of every grain, and count it from there. I said it was impossible and she listed off a huge number instantly, shutting me up.
I got to it. My eyes closed I had messed with my Haki a little, but had dropped it in favor of my other skills. It came back to me quickly. I thought I could sense the handful of sand, but to me it was a conglomeration of energy, a big pile. Not individuals.
She nodded then put a blindfold on me. Making me dodge her attacks while blinded. Since I had plenty of training I had to cover my ears to help me learn to rely on sensing spiritual energy. It took weeks, but eventually I could sense her. Not just her, but the energy of the room around me. Like a weak calling. The very thing I had felt from the Going Merry back in the day before we sent her to the bottom of the ocean. A distant voice echoing to me.
It was…weird. Once the Haki was awakened it was hard to turn it off. Kind of hard to sleep when the bed you were on felt alive. So I continued to practice, meditate, and do whatever Angiea told me to.
“52,662 grains of sand,” I said.
“Good,” Angiea said one day. It had taken a long time to count, but able to identify each grain, they all had their own minor signature, differentiating them. “Now we move to Armament.”
And without a break we started on Armament. This went a little easier. I was able to manipulate my chakra. My Haki acting as a reservoir around it I thought expanding it out to my skin was enough. After Angiea hit me once I realized I was way off. What I had to do was bring it out and condense it.
Back in the day I had thought that my Haki and chakra expanded out. My chakra automatically filling the space, empowering me. But no, people in One Piece didn’t have chakra. It was just the Haki doing the strengthening.
I had to learn to bring the Haki to my skin, condense it, and keep it in place. Making that area turn black from the energy. If I let it drop too quickly, Angiea would hit me. She was a lot stronger than me too. So it hurt.
After being able to hold the Armament for a full minute she then made me move it to obscure places on my body. My earlobe, elbow, balls, she didn’t care. I had to be able to do it within an instant or I was hit. I learned quickly over weeks.
When she felt I could hold the Haki well enough the true training started. Forcing me to work with both Hakis she started having me help her with the random Sea Kings that showed up. Some had toothaches, others had giant gashes in their bodies. Always she had me try to connect with the monsters Haki’s. All to try to guess what they were feeling.
It was hard, and impossible, but I stuck with it. By the end of a month I was starting to get an idea of their emotions. Along with that she and I fought. Angiea used a huge iron anchor as a weapon, me my Jitte. She fought me seriously, and I lost consciousness a lot.
Despite all of my battle experience. The dozens of people I had killed. The thousands of hours I had trained. I was no match for her. She had an otherworldly strength that I thought would give Rayleigh a run for his money. And I lost myself in it.
Day in and out I was exhausted beyond any other point in my life. Every inch of my body was covered in cuts and bruises. I was knocked out daily. Crying in frustration, I didn’t give up. I couldn’t. I was there to get strong, and I understood then why Kuma sent me to the isle.
Haki was tiring. You couldn’t just suddenly go into Haki mode like a Super Saiyin. It took focus and willpower to keep it up and going for long periods of time…much like fucking. But I was way better at fucking than fighting apparently. Even with months of training I couldn’t keep up with the woman.
But that was why I was there. So I stuck with it. By the end of the 7 months I wasn’t any closer to defeating her, so I asked for a break. She laughed, having enjoyed kicking the shit out of a human. Leaving me to my life I ran back to Amazon Lily with my tail between my legs. Only to find out I missed the birth of my children.
“Twins?!” I asked, shocked. I had missed the birth by days. The little potatoes were asleep next to the bed my wife was in.
“Weston!” Hancock exclaimed happily. “I was so worried.” She got off of the bed and was soon kissing me. I forgot everything else as we embraced. But she was a woman that had just given birth. It didn’t go much past kissing. “Yes, twins,” she said happily. “A boy and a girl.”
“A boy?” I asked amazed. “I thought you said your people only gave birth to girls.”
“And they do,” she said with a sigh. “The first boy born of my people in perhaps ever, Chiyo thinks it’s a sign of change.”
“Amazing,” I said looking at the bundled up kids. “What are their names?...Wait let me guess. Cobra and Momba.”
“No,” she laughed. “I thought more along the lines of Lillian and Lupin.”
“Boa Lupin and Boa Lillian,” I said. “Lupin Watanabe, Lillian Watanbe. I like.” She smiled widely and we were soon contently laying together. Happy to be close to one another.
I took a break then. Relaxing with her for a whole month. I hadn’t meant to. But I always came to her and said I had to go. She begged me to stay, and I would, then would disappear in the middle of the night. She and the twins deserved my full attention. I needed my own vacation.
I got to know Boa over the month. Not having sex. Simply showing her what a real marriage was. 2 partners loving one another enough to decide to make lives together. I got to know my children. Changing their diapers. Dealing with them wailing in the middle of the night. It was nostalgic. I was in way better shape than when I had kids last time, and for once I enjoyed it. Taking it slow. Not forcing myself to try to juggle a million things.
I bought the book ‘A Guide to Conqueror’s Haki’ from my System Store with the rewards for saving Ash. Reading the book my time wasn’t a complete waste of training. It had more information about Conqueror’s Haki and I was able to learn the main difference between it and others. Able to strengthen your Armament and Observation Haki, Conqueror’s Haki was different, but the same.
However, Hancock and the kids were my focus. The children were announced to the island and treated like royalty. It wasn’t announced who the father was, but most of them already knew. The fact that Lupin was a boy was kept secret for the time being, and their nannies were only highly trusted people that Hancock knew.
When the month was over Hancock didn’t try to keep me this time. She enjoyed my company, but even she had work to continue. I ran back to the Isle of Sea Kings and began my training once more, reinvigorated. Hancock said she would let Rayleigh know I wouldn’t stop by until I had learned all I could from my own trainer.
Angiea wasn’t too surprised to see me, and when I was back we got right into the routine. She would kick my ass and I would continue to try to hit her just once. It took another month before I was able to hit her. Then another 2 before I was able to make it happen more than on a lucky basis.
By that time I had wrapped my head around Conqueror’s Haki. Like Observation and Armament, the Conqueror part had it’s own special attributes. I could make my Haki expand out, releasing into the people around me. Making my spiritual energy overwhelm those weaker than me. But I could also layer it on my Armament Haki, making it stronger. Something that was slowly giving me an edge over Angiea.
“You rely too much on the Haki,” she noted after our most recent fight.
“What?! How is that a thing?” I asked, catching my breath.
“It is one thing to use it when it is needed. It is another to use only Haki. You are relying on it too much to strengthen you. Your physical body will become weak as your Haki strengthens. While it is good in a fight. It is not everything.”
I was going to deny her, but she was right. Luffy had fought a lot of people that could utilize Haki. But he came out on top with his strength and conviction. “Yes, sensei,” I said. So after that our fights would only allow me to use Haki half of the time. It was like fighting without an arm, but she was right. She kicked my ass more. And it was months until I could hit her without Haki for the first time. I was stronger. So much stronger than ever before.
It was 2 months before we were to meet at the Archipelago that I felt I had learned everything from her that I could. I was consistently hitting her with and without Haki. Even Angiea became winded now and then during our fights. I was a new man, all that was needed now was time to absorb everything.
“Thank you for everything,” I told Angiea.
“Finally leaving?” She asked, not very surprised.
“You knew?”
“Of course. You’ve been ready for a week now,” she said.
“I just noticed,” I said. “Thank you. I couldn’t have reached this point without you.”
“No, you couldn’t have,” she said with a small smile. She didn’t have anything else to say.
“I know you hate us murderous humans,” I said. “But in 2 months I’ll be going to your old stomping grounds…Jimbei will be there. Maybe you’ll say hi?” I asked. She frowned, but instead of answering she turned around and went back into her ship/home. I rolled my eyes and left. “Love you too, Angiea!” I yelled before making my way out of her bubble.