Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
________________________________________
Chapter 28: Paying the Price
"Huh?"
For a moment, I felt as if my consciousness had skipped a beat. or something like that.
When I came to, Luffy was right in front of me with a massive grin on his face.
?? What exactly is this situation?
"Line! Thank goodness! I was wondering what I'd do if you died!!"
He slapped my shoulder repeatedly—smack smack smack. Why is this guy so happy?
"What I'd do if you died". ? Wait, what was I doing again?
"Hmph. You should thank Luffy, Little One."
"!! The beautiful big sister!"
Standing right behind the grinning Luffy was the black-haired beauty. She was glaring daggers at me.
Ah, that's right.
I charged into the bathhouse with Luffy and stumbled upon this black-haired beauty while she was bathing.
And then, um, what happened?
For starters, the place I was in now wasn't a bathhouse, but a luxurious and spacious room. When did we move?
"He seems confused."
"It is common for memories to be hazy before and after petrification. It's no wonder."
Besides Luffy and the black-haired beauty, the orange-haired woman and the green-haired woman were here too. Those two. are seriously huge.
"Hmph, he likely has no idea what is happening. I suppose I shall explain it from the beginning-nyo."
And there was one more person: a tiny, wrinkled old woman.
Tap, tap, tap. Striking the floor with her snake-staff, the old woman slowly stepped forward to face me.
"Um, please do, wrinkly granny."
"Umu. Very well. Who are you calling a wrinkly granny!? Address me as 'Elder Nyon'!"
"Ah, yes. Granny Nyon."
The wrinkly granny, a.k.a. Elder Nyon.
According to her, I had been turned to stone by the black-haired beauty's ability just moments ago.
"Wait, turned to stone!?"
"Indeed."
The black-haired beauty's name was Boa Hancock.
I see. So she was the current Empress of Amazon Lily, the Snake Princess herself, Hancock.
The female pirate hailed as the most beautiful woman in the world. The Pirate Empress. Hmm, she certainly had the looks to justify the title.
By the way, the green-haired girl and the orange-haired girl were apparently Hancock's sisters. They didn't look much alike. Well, whatever.
Hancock was a user of the Love-Love Fruit, possessing the power to turn anyone who was captivated by her into a stone statue.
Because of that, I had been petrified for about an hour without even realizing it. Seriously?
"To save you from your petrification, Straw Hat Luffy risked his life fighting the Gorgon Sisters-nyo."
"Hmph. If it weren't for Luffy. I would have shattered you with a kick and killed you long ago!"
"O-Ohh."
Hancock glared at me sharply. Do I get the feeling she hates me?
No, but. even her displeasure is beauti—No, no, no!! Not that!
"S-So, basically, Luffy saved me after I got turned to stone! Thanks!"
"Hahaha! Yeah, don't worry about it!"
What a refreshing attitude.
Still, the Love-Love Fruit, huh? Instant game over the moment you're captivated? Isn't that ability a bit too broken when paired with those looks?
"Wait a sec. That means Luffy didn't get captivated by Hancock's beauty?"
"T-That would be the case. And you, Little One! Do not address me without an honorific! It is rude!"
Hancock scolded me, looking displeased. Even that expression was beauti—stop it, stop it, me!
It's no use; I don't feel like I can resist. How did Luffy not get charmed in front of such a beauty?
"Hah!? Luffy, don't tell me you."
"Hmm?"
"Have ED?"
"I'm a Monkey D."
"Ah, is that so."
We didn't seem to be on the same wavelength. but whatever.
It must be this natural airheadedness of his that made him immune to Hancock's Mero Mero attacks.
It's impossible for me. Absolutely impossible.
"Oh, right, Line! These guys said they'd take us to Sabaody Archipelago on their pirate ship!"
"Eh!? Seriously!?"
Amazing, Luffy. You not only got me un-petrified but negotiated a ride too?
From the looks of it, this woman named Hancock seems pretty uptight. How on earth did he.
"Hmph. It is only because Luffy asked. Little One, you are merely tagging along! If Luffy weren't here, I would turn you back into stone immediately!"
"Hey, Hammock! Don't try to turn my friend into stone!"
"Ugh!? I-I apologize. Luffy. That was, um, a joke. Also. please do not call me Hammock, but Hancock. ♡"
"Got it. Hancock."
"Haaahn~♡♡"
Hm?
Wait a minute. Hancock's reaction to Luffy just now.
Wasn't that a little weird?
She told me not to address her without an honorific, but when Luffy did it, instead of getting angry, she blushed happily.
Like a maiden in love.
Hah?
No, no, no!
No way, no way, no way!
Did she fall for Luffy? Nooo, no, no, no!! No way, no way, no way!!
That's impossible.
I looked at Hancock. Then I looked at Luffy.
Yeah. Definitely. There's no way Hancock fell for Luffy.
I'm not saying Luffy lacks charm as a man, okay?
I'm talking about something more fundamental. Something that makes it impossible for Hancock to fall for Luffy.
"Because. because."
Because Hancock's height is. visually about 190cm. In contrast, Luffy is about 170cm.
From any angle, Luffy is smaller than Hancock.
S-So. it's impossible for the taller Hancock to fall for the shorter Luffy. That's just how it is.
"Haaahn~♡ Luffy♡ If it is your request, I want to grant anything you ask. ♡"
"Hmm? Really? Thanks."
Shatter!
I felt my heart make a heavy sound.
My soul was desperately denying the scene unfolding before my eyes.
This scene is impossible.
Impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible, impossible!!!!
Because! Because because because because!!
There's no way a woman would fall in love with a man shorter than her.! It shouldn't be possible!!!
"Haa. haa. haa. haa!!"
"Hmm? What's wrong, Line? You look pale. And you're sweating like crazy."
"N-No. nothing's wrong. I-I'm fine."
"Ah! Are you hungry? I'm starving too!"
Luffy laughed—hahaha—as his stomach growled loudly.
But my brain didn't have the capacity to worry about that.
My head was spinning. I couldn't breathe properly. The blood was draining from my face. I felt sick.
Something precious inside me. my values. were breaking.
"Luffy, are you hungry?"
"Yeah, can you give us some food, Hancock?"
"Aahn♡ You called me Hancock again. ♡ Is this. mutual love!? F-Fufu♡ Luffy, I have ordered my subordinates to prepare a supreme feast. It is on the floor below. You may fill your stomach to your heart's content."
"Really!? Thanks, Hancock! You're taking us to Sabaody, and feeding us too—you're a really nice guy!"
"S-Such praise. ♡ Blush♡"
Stop.
Stop, stop, stop.
Whoever Hancock falls in love with is her business.
But this is wrong, right? Luffy is out of the question, right? Women just physically can't accept men smaller than them. That's the kind of creature they are, right? That's how it's supposed to be, right? Please tell me that's true.
There shouldn't be a woman alive who loves a man smaller than herself.
"Meeaaat!!"
Luffy, his eyes turning into meat symbols, dashed out of the room with incredible speed.
Seeing that, Hancock's sisters shrugged and left as well. Elder Nyon slowly followed.
And just as Hancock was about to leave the room. I stopped her.
"U-Um! Hancock!"
"What is it, Little One? I told you not to address me so casually."
"H-Hancock. Don't tell me. you fell in love with. L-Luffy. or something like that, right?"
"!!"
At my question, Hancock placed a hand on her cheek. She wiggled her body, turning bright red.
If this were the me from a few minutes ago, seeing Hancock make such an enchanting expression and gesture would have surely made me go "Mero Mero~," but the current me didn't have the composure to care.
"W-Which is it!? Do you! Like Luffy!?"
"Even Nyon-ba said it. These feelings I have. This is. love for Luffy. ♡"
"Gah!?"
Love. for Luffy?
Wrong. Wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong!! Because because because because!!
"T-That's impossible, isn't it!?"
"Hah? Impossible? Why?"
"Because. Luffy is. s-shorter. than you."
"So what?"
"Eh."
Hancock answered my question as if it were the most trivial thing in the world.
"He is shorter than me. so what of it?"
"Ah. Ya. B-But!! Women fall in love with men taller than themselves, that's just how it works."
"Height has nothing to do with people falling in love."
" "
My mind went completely blank.
"Hmm? What is the matter? Why do you look so shocked. Ah, I see. I heard from Luffy. You are searching for the Huge Huge Fruit to be liked by women."
"Ugh. N-No, that's."
"Hehehe. You seem to be under the delusion that simply becoming big will make women like you, so I shall tell you this. There is no way that alone would make you popular!"
"!!"
It felt like I had been struck over the head with a blunt object.
My chest hurt more than when I took Kizaru's kick, and my body felt colder than when I took Aokiji's attack.
That's a lie. It's a lie.
So I don't want to hear it.
I don't want to hear it!!
"Luffy accepted us even after learning our secret. He is a man with a heart deeper than the ocean itself. Compared to him, what are you?"
"Eh."
"I heard from my people. You went around claiming a 'Tontatta greeting' or some such nonsense to do obscene things to the women of this country."
"!? T-That. is. ah."
She. knows.
"You may be able to fool the populace, but you cannot deceive me! What is 'puff-puff'!? As if such a greeting exists! You cowardly liar!!"
"!!"
Ugh. ah. ah. aaaaah.
.ah.
Strength left my knees, and I collapsed with a thud. I couldn't stand back up.
"..."
"Hmph. Can't say anything back? Lowlife."
"..."
"Even as men, the difference between you and Luffy is like heaven and earth. Even if you ate the Huge Huge Fruit and became massive, there is no chance that a woman who could love a despicable man like you will ever appear in this lifetime!!"
Drip, drip.
Tears overflowed.
The current me was too miserable. too pathetic. too small.
Hancock looked down on me sharply. In fact, she looked down on me so excessively that she was actually looking up at the ceiling.
"You should scrape the dirt from under Luffy's fingernails, brew it into a tea, and drink it. Maybe then you would learn something."
Leaving only those words behind, Hancock walked out of the room.
"..."
Ah, it's no good.
I can't stand up. I can't stand up.
Because I accepted it. I acknowledged within myself that Hancock's words were correct.
'Ah, sorry. It's physically impossible for me to date a guy shorter than me.'
Those were the words said to me in my previous life.
'I appreciate the sentiment, but. sorry, Line. I'm a human and you're a Tontatta. Our body sizes are just a bit too different for romance. our heights are too far apart.'
Those were the words said to me in this life.
In both cases, I was rejected because of height.
That's why I believed that if I just had height, I would become popular.
But. maybe somewhere in my heart, I already knew.
'Height has nothing to do with people falling in love.'
Hancock's words stabbed into my chest. They pierced deep, deep inside.
In other words.
That means.
The real reason I've been rejected until now.
"It wasn't about height. It's because I have. absolutely no charm. as a maaaan."
Aaaauuugh. Well, of course.
Looking back on how I've lived until now. the elements that would make me popular. are nonexistent.
In Dressrosa, I spent my days stealing underwear and snickering about it.
I often skipped taking care of the flower fields and caused trouble for my best friend.
I sexually harassed Viola, the princess of the country, and Monet, her exclusive maid.
I sexually harassed Esune, who adored me and called me brother.
And in this country, I took advantage of the girls' innocence to indulge in endless sexual harassment.
Who on earth would fall in love with someone like me.
"U. uuu. What have I been doing. Just die, me."
From the floor below, the happy voices of Luffy and the girls echoed up.
Alone in the wide, empty room, listening to the sounds of the raucous party, I continued to shed tears.
________________________________________
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations