Chapter 44
It turns out your refusal had no effect on them. Not only Hongo and later Mihawk, but even Marco, who had been politely refused by you earlier, found an excuse to give you a ride.
Getting drunk and returning to the ship alone, only to be escorted back by three top-ranked pirates—isn't that a bit too extravagant? Thinking about this, you, who were initially a bit sleepy, became much more awake and began to consider the feasibility of changing your destination and returning to Ace's side.
However, Hongo, who was standing beside you, noticed the marks on your wrist, and the smile on his face disappeared.
"Why is there still a scar? I remember the phoenix's flames could heal."
Hongo's words earned him a displeased click of his tongue from Marco, and you, being the center of the conversation, quickly spoke up to defend Marco.
"Actually, this is already the result after treatment. Before Marco treated me, the scars were more noticeable. These scratches will fade over time."
As you spoke, you raised both hands, showing Hongo your wrists, which still bore a red mark, in a relaxed tone.
The ship's doctors from both regiments were momentarily at a loss for words, taken aback by your feignedly relaxed tone and reaction. Mihawk, following behind you, let out a soft, amused sigh. The one who snapped out of it all was Hongo, who had brought up the topic and was currently rubbing his forehead.
"You're still just as good at speaking up for people as you were six months ago."
In response to Hongo's lament, you replied with a helpless smile: "Because everyone takes good care of me, I don't want you to ruin your relationships because of me or because of my affairs."
After blurting out your thoughts without thinking, you noticed that the three people beside you had stopped walking because of what you said. Realizing what had happened, you quickly turned around, trying to explain yourself for what you had said.
Before you could explain, Marco, who was standing on the right, reached out and placed his hand on the top of your head, turning you back to your original position.
“You’re right, we shouldn’t use your affairs and your name as topics of conversation. But I have to make one thing clear: our relationship with Shanks has always been like this, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
Hongo, who had just been on the opposite side from Marco, chuckled and said, "Yes, our relationship with the Whitebeard Pirates has always been like this, so you don't need to worry about it."
I see. Before you could even voice your thoughts, Mihawk, who was following behind you, acted as if nothing had happened and slapped Marco's hand away from your head.
Because of the angle, you didn't see who did it; you only knew that the weight that had been falling on your head had disappeared.
Marco, having figured out who did it, met Mihawk's sharp golden eyes. Come to think of it, from the moment the two pirate crews met until now, Shanks hadn't explicitly stated Mihawk's purpose, only saying that Mihawk was hitching a ride along the way.
It now seems that Mihawk, who always acts alone, came not because of the treasure or because it was on his way, but because he came for you.
"To be honest, I don't know why Hawkeye is here. Would you mind telling me?"
While speaking, Marco subtly blocked your view, using his body to build a "high wall" between you and Mihawk.
Hongo, understanding Marco's intentions, let out a gloating chuckle. Mihawk, whose view was blocked, let out a faint sigh: "Looking for someone, and investigating a few things along the way."
It's certainly distressing not being able to observe your condition, but based on my reactions since meeting you, Mihawk is certain that you have amnesia, and the only thing that could have caused your amnesia is the "husband" you told Shanks about.
In addition, Mihawk also noticed the scars on your body and your face, which had become much thinner after leaving him.
He has many questions for you, but approaching you rashly without understanding the situation would only cause you trouble. However, Mihawk's reluctance to approach you doesn't mean he'd tolerate Shanks and Whitebeard's actions towards you.
-
Rather than actually escorting you back to the ship, the three men gave you the feeling of "supervising" your return. Fortunately, they did indeed leave after taking you to your room, just as they said they would.
Yuka hadn't returned to her room yet, but the trip had reassured you that she was safe, which put your mind at ease. However, now that you were away from the tense environment, the drowsiness and alcohol-induced hangover that had subsided earlier returned. Staying in bed until you showered, changed, and went back to sleep had completely exhausted your willpower and energy.
Logically, drinking alcohol should help you sleep, but in reality, after lying down and closing your eyes, you can't fall asleep for a long time, and the number of times you made eye contact with those golden eyes can be counted on one hand.
Instinctively, you try to erase those sharp golden eyes from your mind, but your body defies your will, repeatedly bringing them back to life. Even a conversation that lasted only a few seconds replays in your mind.
Whether it's the alcohol or the effects of Mihawk on you, you don't know. All you know is that, given how things are going, the excruciating pain that sends shivers down your spine will cause your body to break down first.
With your dwindling strength and willpower, you climbed out of bed, supporting your splitting head with one hand and using the other to walk out of the room. Even if you don't know the source of your physical ailment, you still have the common sense to see a doctor when you're feeling unwell.
Once you get to the deck and find the crew members still on board, you can wait there until Marco returns to check on you.
But you overestimated your pain tolerance. Before you could walk more than a few steps, the increasingly intense pain made your breathing rapid. You had no choice but to stop and lean against the railing in the corridor, trying to alleviate the growing pain by adjusting your breathing.
Meanwhile, Yuka, who shares a room with you, yawned and walked into the room. Perhaps because the lights weren't on, Yuka didn't notice you at first, but she only noticed you when she heard you groan in pain.
Yuka, who was still a little drunk, sobered up when she saw you leaning against the railing and hurriedly went to your side to help you up.
You wanted to thank Yuka, but the words you uttered came out as disjointed, monosyllabic sounds. Yuka also noticed something amiss from your expression and the cold sweat on your forehead.
"Wait here for a moment, I'll go get someone."
After Yuka covered you with her coat, she ran to the deck where people were chatting and laughing. She sent the crew members who were drunk to call Marco, while the remaining crew members who were still sober followed Yuka over and helped you back to bed.
You don't remember much after that, only that Yuka whispered in your ear to keep you awake, and someone else, though not understanding why, sensed something was wrong and became nervous, asking if there was anything they could do to help.
Crew Member A: "How about letting her have a drink? As long as she's drunk, she won't—"
Crew Member B: "Idiot! She's like this, let alone drinking, you can't even hear her speak!"
Crew member C: "Quiet! She seems to have fainted!"
Before you completely lose consciousness, the last thing you hear is crew member C saying, "I'm unconscious."
-
"Judging from the current situation, she has some memory loss. If you're not mistaken, what triggered her was Hawkeye's presence."
Marco, who rarely frowned, sighed as he looked at you lying in bed, holding Hawkeye's hand. Before seeing this, Marco had always thought that your habit of holding hands when you were sick was influenced by your family. Now it seems that you learned this habit from Mihawk.
Meanwhile, in the same room, Ace, whose face showed no concealment of worry, glanced at your and Mihawk's clasped hands, ignoring the fleeting displeasure, and turned to Marco: "Is it really this painful just from losing your memory? Are you sure there are no other problems?"
"It's hard to say, but after Marco and I examined her together, we concluded that the part of her memory had been tampered with."
As he spoke, Hongo felt a pang of regret. Although you hadn't spent as much time on their ship as you had on the Moby Dick, he was still the person you spent the most time with on their ship, yet he hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Ace, the only one present who knew what you had been through in the past six months, frowned deeply. The expressions of the others who had come because of you were also not good. Among them, the most impatient was Rem, who had not been able to say a word to you after meeting you.
"Was it Crocodile's doing?"
He seemed ready to settle scores after giving a positive answer. Shanks, who had guessed much of what was going on before you even showed any signs of distress, called Rem's name in a low voice, then shook his head as Rem turned around, signaling him to calm down.
At the same time, Harta remembered the news he had learned from Mihawk before boarding the ship. His gaze, which had been on your pale lips, moved down to your clasped hands with Mihawk's.
If it weren't for the pain that kept you awake and unable to sleep after Mihawk grabbed you, Harta would have thrown Mihawk off the Moby Dick without hesitation.
And judging from what we just talked about, Mihawk will take you away again after you wake up.
Harta, who had barely managed to sort out your relationship with Mihawk and Crocodile, was very dissatisfied. Why should the person they had taken such good care of have to leave with the person who lost you? Harta was extremely unhappy regardless of whether it was Mihawk or Shanks who took you away.
"In this situation, taking her away will only upset her, won't it?"
Harta deliberately raised his voice to draw Mihawk's attention away from you. But Mihawk didn't even look up, his golden eyes, capable of stunning anyone who saw him, taking in everything about you.
"I will ask for her opinion before making a decision."
Mihawk knows all about your habits and personality before you left him. Even if you know this and are willing to accept the fact that he is your lover, no one can persuade you otherwise.
Forcibly taking you away under these circumstances would only intensify your resistance. The lingering red mark on your wrist is the best proof of that.
Harta, who had asked the question, turned his head away, avoiding the sight that bothered him. Standing beside Harta, Sachi, deeply sympathetic, reached out and patted Harta's shoulder in comfort. Standing in front of Harta and Sachi, Izo's handsome face was tinged with shadow in the dim light, mirroring his current mood.
Seeing that his brothers and Shanks' group all had grim faces, Marco, as the current ship's doctor on the Moby Dick, decided to kick everyone out.
"Alright, all of you get out. Don't crowd here. You won't be of any help here. Don't let her faint again when she wakes up and sees a room full of people."
"That's true, let's go out first!"
Shanks, who was the first to pick up where Marco left off, gestured for the sharp-eyed Rem to follow. Rem didn't want to leave, but seeing Marco's pale face, and realizing he couldn't really help, he had no choice but to give up and leave with Shanks.
Seeing Shanks leave, Marco looked at his brothers who were still standing to the side, signaling them to pack up and leave as well.
Knowing he couldn't help and might even make things worse, Ace stood up: "You need to tell me as soon as she wakes up."
Upon hearing this, Marco laughed and waved to his younger brother as he turned back every three steps.
"Understood, all of you get out of here."
As Ace and the others left the infirmary, Izo, who was at the back, glanced at you one last time before closing the door. Only after confirming that you still showed no signs of waking up did he close the infirmary door.
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