Chapter 14

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Chapter 14

Title: Tickling...

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During the last six months, my days have been a routine. That didn't change even as the time to go to the Grand Line grew closer and closer. Negan would wake me up as he was making a loud joke about Fat Joey, or someone else. By now I wonder if he genuinely cares about Fat Joey by how many times he tells the man to get some exercise. You can never be sure with Negan on these things, sometimes it's a joke and sometimes it's serious.

Now, I didn't think that there would be any more than maybe 10 people who would agree to go there with me. Honestly, the only one I was sure would follow me is Negan, the guy will be there as long as he can continue his life of smiling sociopathy, bashing pirate heads, and wasting his money on brothels.

He was the kind of guy who lived in the moment. Plus the Grand Line was known as the graveyard of Pirates, but marines didn't get it any better. At least the Pirates could run away at sea, but a marine couldn't do that or they would be court marshaled.

Anyway, I had miscalculated… not in a bad way, because people like me enough to follow me to that place. Way more people than I thought, like three warships worth of people. That was like hundreds of marines, I don't know how many of them there are in the ships, but it's a lot, these ships can hold many people.

I got out of my bed and looked around with tiredness. My room on the ship wasn't anything special, it used to be a small room to store… something. Was it spices? Now here is just a simple bed, mirror, and some similar marine uniforms that I use.

But I changed my bigger room for this. Because anyone who knew the structure of a marine warship knew where the leader's room was. Plus it had a clear view of the sea… meaning it's very easy for a cannonball to hit the room. Negan said that the men saw it as me being some kind of selfless act for me, like wanting to be closer to my subordinates and not make myself seem better than them… I never refuted that, just let them make their things. Never even gave Negan an answer either, I just smirked.

The people in this world seemed easily impressed. Or at least for now… don't know if something like this will last.

"Sir, Negan is being an annoying bastard again." Ray's voice rang through the ship, Negan was being Negan again.

"Uff, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" He jokingly said again.

"...my mother is dead."

"Oh, sh*t, sorry didn't mean it like that." Negan started apologizing.

Then I heard Raynare's footsteps as she ran away to her room. Had given her room by using the excuse of her sleepwalking, the dangerous kind as she picked up weapons and such. Of course, that was all a ruse so she didn't have to sleep in some bunk beds with smelly men marines. 

Though that was before I decided to make every ship under my control have different sleeping rooms based on genders. Damn, I really can't believe some people didn't think that leaving men and women in the same room to sleep is just a hazard waiting to happen.

….

After going outside of my room everyone who saw me saluted me. 

"""Good morning Captain Max!"""

I nodded at them. "Good morning guys, Payne, how is your mother doing? I know that she was sick, I won't see it against you if you decided to not follow me to the Grand Line."

The man in question looked at me resolutely. "Sir… I am thankful for the offer, but my mother told me to follow my dreams or I would regret it. Plus I have my brother looking after her, he is young but smart."

What? His dream? Is it to follow me? Damn, these people are just way too easily impressed. It would even make me feel bad if I broke their trust.

Keeping them well fed and rich will be my payment for their loyalty, I even made sure his sick mother went to the best hospitals and got the best treatment. Robbing- *cough* confiscating from pirates is a good business venture that keeps everyone happy… except the pirates, but no one cared about their thoughts on the matter.

I nodded. "Well, the Grand Line is known for many and outlandish strange things, medicine is one of them. I will do everything in my power to make sure your family and everyone here is taken care of."

Tears of joy fell out of the man's eyes, and this time I could understand why. Still though, if this promise that I was giving him was an empty one depends on how things played out. Because if I went to the Drum Kingdom, then saving his family is a possibility, but just because I say something doesn't mean that it will happen, there are many things in this world that could change the outcome of something.

After that, I went to Raynare's room and comforted her and explained how Negan sometimes… well, most of the time said things without thinking about it. She got over it eventually and hugged me, laying her head on my chest while blushing and taking deep breaths. I will just act like I didn't notice she was smelling me… God… I really hope she doesn't turn out to be a Yandere, that would suck.

After going outside of her room, I met up with Negan, and apparently, he saw something in my face as he asked. "Something troubling you boss man?"

"Nothing…" I lied to him, no way will he ever know my thoughts. That was a can of worms I am not willing to open.

"Oh, okay," he didn't seem convinced, but didn't ask anymore, "Anyway, boss man, Ray… I know that he looks at you weirdly and at first I just joked about it. But he acts way too weird around you."

Ahhh~ this is such a pain in the asś… when things are going so good and morale is high, things like someone's sexuality become the best gossip that they come around.

Of course, no one else knew that Raynare was a girl, but that didn't matter, as I too will have to keep her secret, she was quite useful after all. Losing her would be losing my wings in the sky, both literally and metaphorically.

Although I will have to be careful with what she is hiding, her past was still a mystery. Really hope she isn't a CP-9 or any other agent of the Government… snapping her pretty little neck in two would be a shame.

Though a lot of strong people in this world were fools, I will never underestimate any of them, nor the people that work in the shadows. 

I don't want an Iceberg situation on me. Though I doubt they would do something like that, it never hurts to be careful. Even my real power is hidden for that extra juicy mid-battle 'power up'... I am confident I can beat most of the CP-9 Members because while they were messing around during missions, they can't train, but I was different, all the time in this world had been spent training and fighting, if not that then looking for the next fight.

…

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-General POV-

A week later, three marine warships set sail, and even then the pirates seemed to not want to let them leave for the grandline. These were all ships under Max's jurisdiction, and while he was in the North Blue they barked at him, and now that he was leaving they were barking after him. Like a dog and the mailman's confusing relationship of love and hate. 

"Boss man, you are thinking too much again." Negan's joking voice brought Max out of his thoughts.

He smirked. "What can I say Negan, I am a man of thinking. I can't help but wonder if we should have you go and play good marine and bad marine… or just go and bust open some skulls."

Negan's smile widened. "I am crossing my fingers for the 2nd one."

Max raised a questioning brow at that. "You are a captain now too, just ask for a warship and you will have your own rules in it."

"And miss my dearest of pals? No way, I would throw myself overboard because of boredom." He shook his head, Max now knew where Negan's loyalty lay.

"I wouldn't have Fat Joey to make fun of either, and that guy just tickles my balls." Negan added needlessly, ruining the moment and he knew what he did too as he chuckled.

They both got ready for a fight, leaving their small banter for later.

BOOOOOM!

But before either could react, explosions rang all around. The pirate ships exploded like firecrackers in the distance and giant small-island-sized ships came about with Germa 66 written on them.

....