𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ➳ 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (one piece fanfic)

Chapter 89 🌞🌞

They continued chatting until dinner came around. Afterward, Konan left.

"Thank you for everything," Konan bowed lightly to them.

Shanks waved off her thanks, "It's nothing, come again whenever you want," he grinned, standing in the same spot even as she disappeared.

Benn lightly laughed, "Try harder next time I guess." This time, he had to avoid a fist as his captain smiled at him, his fist coated black. "Please don't vent your frustration on me." He commented as he easily avoided his captain's attacks.

***************

Meanwhile, Nanko was playing Poker against Smoker and a few other marine officers. Of course to the anger of everyone else, he was unbeatable, the betting chips racking up on his side.

"I'm not even cheating, you are all just very bad at this game," he commented, sighing arrogantly at their accusations.

Smoker simply shook his head, exhaling the smoke of his cigar. "I told you guys that he's too good at this game." Even after all those years, he had yet to figure out the trick behind his winning streaks. Even Garp was unable to beat him.

The only times one could win against him was if he let them. Which he did during the first few games to up the stakes before reaping everything.

"And you just went ahead and bet everything..." Smoker commented, watching the officers in their underwear with tears running down their wallets. "Yet another bunch of victims." He sighed before glancing at the smirking Nanko who was counting his gains, mercilessly ignoring their pitiful states.

"You're ruthless as usual." Smoker was a bit worried Nanko would be down after what had happened, but he seemed to be back on his feet as if nothing happened. Hina even told him to keep an eye on Nanko—for nothing it seemed. Though he could tell by now that Nanko was just very good at masking his feelings.

"Everyone!" The Celestial's personal bodyguard called out to them. "We'll be on Sabaody Archipel soon."

Nanko stretched as he got up, "Great." Their mission this time was to escort a Celestial on his shopping trip, it shouldn't last too long. "I'll be in charge of Charlos, take care of the other celestials."

"Saint Charlos," Smoker corrected before nodding. They probably wouldn't even meet during their mission as Smoker was in charge of another family.

A few hours later, Nanko was eating cotton candy while walking beside a complaining Charlos on his slave's back. Nanko nonchalantly ignored his complaints, looking at the crowd that naturally parted and kneeled with their arrival. Behind the Celestial, a few women were chained and forced to wear revealing clothes—a display of wealth and mostly of his need to shine through his possessions to hide his dull disposition.

Nanko could spot a few strong people amongst the crowd, watching them. But as long as they did not move he didn't intend on pointing them out, it would benefit no one as an Admiral would be sent over the moment a Celestial was hurt.

"Hey!" Charlos shouted pointing his hand at a group moving someone hurt to the hospital, "Wait a moment! Why are you moving, you lowly people."

Nanko frowned sensing something was about to go down.

"My deepest apologies, please forgive-" The doctor started pleading, "This man is heavily bleeding, this is a battle against time."

The moment Charlos spoke sarcastically about giving him a hand, Nanko frowned. Just as he had guessed, the next second, Charlos ruthlessly kicked the stretcher.

Afterward, Charlos tried to take the infirmary as his wife, only to be stopped as her fiance stepped forward. "I beg you, please spare her, this woman is my fiance!"

It didn't take long before Charlos shot him. Few saw the needle that intercepted the bullet at the last second. The ones that did stared at Nanko with somewhat wary glances.

Nanko was finally about to step forward; but he froze when he saw someone blatantly walk forward, a jug of alcohol in hand.

Zoro didn't seem to understand what he was doing, everyone was staring at him like he grew another head. "What?" he asked when the Celestial stopped him, "Want directions or something?"

Charlos's face twisted into anger before he pulled the trigger, shooting him. Nanko narrowed his eyes, knowing Zoro wouldn't be hurt by something like this, the problem was what came after—as expected Zoro pulled his sword out. Nanko didn't expect anything less from Luffy's crew but at the same time, it was troublesome.

Fortunately another pirate—Jewelry Bonney—jumped on him, pretending he had been shot. She wailed, acting out her part as a grieving little sister.

"You, clean up the mess," Charlos ordered Nanko who bowed in agreement.

Once they left, Nanko helped the man back onto the stretcher, before going to see the 'shot' fiance. "You alright?"

The man was stunned but nodded before crying as he remembered he had lost his wife. "This is unfair... Why can they do that?"

Nanko picked up the bullet which had a silver needle going through it. "This world is unfair, if you have a problem with that you have to get stronger." His fist clenched before he opened his palm, the bullet was crushed into powder. "Don't worry your wife will be back soon."

"Hey, you," Zoro shouted at him, to the great dismay of Bonney.

Nanko turned on his heel, smiling at a confused Zoro. "Hello to you too."

Zoro pushed himself up, wiping the tomato juice away from his forehead. "I don't understand. You're stronger than that guy, why obey him?"

Nanko laughed, glancing at the citizens who had begun going back to their lives while keeping an eye on him. "Who knows?" He approached Zoro, ignoring the way Bonney put some distance between them—she had a strong survival instinct. Even though she had never heard of him, she knew from what had happened earlier that Nanko was a dangerous Marine.

"Sometimes knowing when to retreat is a good thing," Nanko glanced at Zoro's thumb that was rubbing the handle of his swords—he was itching for a fight. "Bad thoughts." He blocked Zoro's two swords between his blackened fingers. "Know your opponents young pirate."

Zoro gritted his teeths as he tried to nudge his swords—to no avail, they did not move an inch. "Let go."

Nanko let go abruptly, letting Zoro fall down from how strongly he was pulling. "Say hello to your cute little captain for me." With these words, he avoided Zoro's second attack, disappearing with the wind.

"Who the hell was that?" Bonney released a sigh the moment he left, messing her hair up in frustration.

"I've got no idea," Zoro answered as he sheathed his blades. The list of strong people he couldn't beat yet seemed to grow once again.

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I've started working on the medecine program (for the university) and damn it's hard af and long. i knew what i was getting into but still TwT