Chapter 86
Luffy blinks sleepy, still trying to process what the hell is going on. He had gotten forcefully awoken by the sound of Hancock’s yelling, his name and something else and something else about something else. She ended up waking up the entire crew, which they were currently anchored in some random ass chunk of the ocean, and Luffy was still trying to figure out how the hell she ended up finding them.
But hear Hancock is, anchored beside the Thousand sunny, going on and on and on and on asking him question after question after question after question about something something about his day or if he wanted to do something with her tonight or something like that. And all he could do was just rub the sleep out of his eyes and yawn and try to figure out what the hell she was.
“Hancock.” Luffy croaked out, his voice stick with sleep. “It’s like… 4 o’clock in the morning, why are you here?” He squinted his eyes to adjust to daylight of the rising sun and he roughly rubbed his hand down his face, taking a deep breath. He walked closer to the edge of The railing of the thousand sunny, looking out across the water to Hancock, who was standing on her ship.
Hancock, dressed in her usual flashy attire, looked like she had been up for hours, her hair and makeup impeccably done. She beamed up at him, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “Luffy, my love! I had the most wonderful dream about us last night. I just had to come see you and tell you all about it!” She waved her hands in the air dramatically, her voice carrying over the waves.
Luffy just hummed, rubbing his eye with his thumb and pointer finger, before roughly rubbing it down his face. “Yeah? And what was that exactly?” He asked, his hand falling down to his side.
Hancock leaned in closer, her smile growing wider. “We were walking along a beach, holding hands, watching the sunset. You looked so handsome, Luffy! And then we had the most romantic dinner, just the two of us, on a blanket under the stars. It was like something out of a fairy tale!” She giggled, her cheeks flushing pink.
Luffy mumbled something incoherent, still trying to wake up from literally being jolted awake by his name being screamed at 4 o’clock in the morning.
“Sister.” Marigold said, walking up to stand beside Hancock. “I don’t think he’s awake enough to process what you’re telling him yet.”
Hancock looked over at her sister with a pout. “But I’m telling him about our future! Our beautiful future together!”
Marigold rolled her eyes. “Luffy’s not exactly known for his morning charm. Give him a break, will you?”
Luffy rubbed his hand down his face one to last time, and took another long, long, deep breath before letting it out. “Okay, okay.” He breathed out. “I’m awake. I’m awake. What’s going on?” He asked, taking another step closer to the railing of his own ship, and looking down at the slightly smaller ship, that was the Kuja’s pirates ship where they were all standing.
Hancock looked up at him with those big, love-filled eyes, and a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. “Luffy, I know this might seem sudden, but I had the most wonderful dream about us last night, and I just had to come see you today to ask if you’d like to have dinner with me tonight? Just the two of us?” She said, her voice dripping with sweetness.
“Now that sounds a whole lot like you’re asking me out on a date, Hancock.” Luffy said, sounding a bit more awake than a second ago. “And if you’re asking me out on a date, I’m going to have to say, no.”
The silence that followed was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Hancock’s smile faltered for a split second before she gathered her composure, trying to play it off with a laugh. “What do you mean no? Why would you say such a thing?”
“Because if I went on a date with anyone besides my wife, that would be cheating.”
Luffy’s words hung in the air, as shock painted itself across Hancock’s face. Her laughter died in her throat, and she stumbled back a step, as if she’d been punched. “W-w-wife?” She stuttered, her mind racing to make sense of what she’d just heard.
“Yeah, and I much rather not be in the dog house with Lucy.” Luffy said, with a soft smile, scratching the back of his neck. “She might be sweet and loving on the outside, but she’s mean as hell when she’s mad. And she’s got a punch that can knock a man twice my size to the ground!” The rest of the crew couldn’t help but chuckle at Luffy’s description of his wife.
Hancock’s shock was palpable, her eyes wide with disbelief. She looked around the room, hoping someone would burst out laughing and tell her it was all a joke, but all she saw were nods of confirmation and smiles of amusement from the Strawhat crew members. “Lucy?… as if your crewmate Lucy?” She managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.
Nami, unable to contain her mirth any longer, stepped forward. “That’s right, Boa-san. Luffy’s been married to Lucy for almost two and a half years now, and they have three adorable little ones: Hyacynth, Lynx, and Nox. They’re the light of his life!”
Sanji, ever the flirt, couldn’t resist chiming in. “Ah, Luffy’s family is quite the charming bunch. And as for Lucy, she’s not just a formidable pirate herself, she’s a chef that could give me a run for my money!” His voice was filled with genuine admiration, which only made Hancock’s cheeks burn with embarrassment and confusion.
Chopper, who had been quietly watching the exchange, couldn’t help but blurt out, “Hyacynth, Lynx, and Nox are so cute! They all have different hair colors like their mom and dad!”
The room erupted in laughter, and Luffy looked at his crewmates with a mix of fondness and exasperation. “Yeah, they sure are a handful, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything!” He said, a proud smile stretching across his face.
Hancock’s eyes searched Luffy’s, looking for any sign of a lie or a joke, but found only earnestness. She swallowed hard, her heart racing as she processed the words. “Married? You’re... married?” she finally managed to ask, her voice barely above a whisper.