One Piece: The Silver Sovereign

"Mm… Where am I?"

No one knew how long it had been before Kather·Lynn groggily woke up. The light streaming through the window was like early morning sunshine, bright and clear.

"Why does my neck hurt so much?"

Sitting up from the floor, Kather·Lynn rubbed the spot on her neck where Shirakawa had struck her. After a moment of dazed recollection, she finally remembered what had happened the night before.

"Damn it! That guy knocked me out!"

Kather·Lynn shot up from the floor and glared fiercely at Shirakawa, who was still peacefully sleeping in the bed.

"How can this guy sleep so soundly after doing something so awful!?"

She reached out, intending to wake him, but as soon as she was about to touch him, a transparent barrier suddenly appeared around Shirakawa.

"What the heck is this?"

Kather·Lynn tried poking at it curiously.

"What are you trying to do?"

Just as she touched it a few times and found nothing unusual, a voice suddenly echoed in her ears.

"Hehe… I was just curious about how this thing works…"

Caught red-handed doing something she shouldn't, Kather·Lynn felt embarrassed and mumbled awkwardly.

"If you didn't have bad intentions, this thing wouldn't have activated."

Shirakawa sat up, and the shield immediately vanished.

"I have bad intentions toward you? Oh right! Why did you throw me on the floor to sleep last night!?"

The mention of "bad intentions" reminded Kather·Lynn why she was mad in the first place.

"Last night? Is it already the next day? And I didn't even get to experience any nightlife? What a waste…"

Shirakawa sounded frustrated. How could he have slept so soundly? Was it the bed's fault for being too comfortable?

"Hmph, serves you right! You left a princess to sleep on the cold, hard floor."

"Well, I thought you were sleeping pretty soundly."

Shirakawa looked up at her and said with a calm expression. Her face still showed creases from sleeping, and there were faint traces of drool.

Kather·Lynn's face flushed red. She quickly turned around and adjusted her appearance.

To be fair, she hadn't slept this soundly in days, constantly anxious. Even though she had been knocked out, she didn't feel scared or restless at all.

Shirakawa got out of bed and casually pushed the slightly-in-the-way Kather·Lynn aside as he headed toward the bathroom. After not relieving himself for over ten hours, he was feeling quite pent-up, and he figured a quick shower wouldn't hurt either.

He had to admit that the technology in the One Piece world was impressive. Toilets, showers, and everything he could think of were available.

Hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom, Kather·Lynn's face turned even redder.

"…Should I peek?"

She was startled by her bold thought.

"What are you thinking!? You're a lady! Even if that guy's kind of good-looking, you can't just lust after his body!"

She patted her cheeks and shook her head, trying to expel the inappropriate thoughts from her mind.

To be fair, guys do shower quickly. Maybe it was because he had already soaked in a hot bath the night before, but Shirakawa was done in just a few minutes.

"I'm taking a shower too! Don't you dare peek!"

As the two passed each other, Kather·Lynn warned him sternly.

"Do you think I'm you?"

Shirakawa replied blandly and plopped back onto the bed.

"How does he know what I was thinking…?"

Kather·Lynn's heart raced, though she kept a calm and composed face like a seasoned pro. Only when she entered the bathroom did her composure crack, and her heart thudded rapidly.

Shirakawa, though, caught on to her odd behavior.

"Wait… Don't tell me I was right. She did try to peek at me?"

He suddenly froze, feeling a strange mix of indignation and disbelief.

"I can't let this go. I should peek back, just to balance things out!"

Resolute, Shirakawa got up and walked toward the door… only to stop halfway.

"No, just because she was wrong doesn't mean I should stoop to her level."

He sighed, defeated, and sat back down, putting his clothes on.

Meanwhile, Kather·Lynn had just seen his shadow outside the frosted glass door and was about to scream. Fortunately, he walked away just in time.

"Hmph, coward."

For some reason, though, she also felt a tinge of disappointment in her heart.

Staring at her perfect reflection in the mirror, she muttered to herself,

"If only this were a little bigger… then I'd be flawless."

After quite a while, Kather·Lynn finally emerged.

The moment Shirakawa saw her, he was momentarily dazed.

Though her body was wrapped in a towel, her face wasn't. With her blushing cheeks and damp, freshly washed hair, Shirakawa, usually so calm, felt his heartbeat quicken.

"What are you staring at…?"

Kather·Lynn asked softly, shy and flustered.

"Oh, sorry."

Shirakawa immediately looked away and stepped outside.

"Get dressed quickly. If nothing goes wrong, we should be leaving soon."

"…Okay. Thank you."

Her voice was so soft that only someone with sharp hearing like Shirakawa could make it out.

"No need to thank me."

Shirakawa shut the door behind him and leaned against it, gasping for breath.

"Damn, that woman's shameless. She tried to seduce me! If I didn't have a strong will, I might've fallen for it!"

"Women are all manipulative… Trying to keep me by her side so I won't go to sea!"

There was no way he was going to admit that the feeling in his chest was just his weakness.

He was a responsible man. He wouldn't hurt a girl's heart.

Since he was the Silver King now, that meant he had an immortal body. No matter how many years, decades, or even centuries passed, he might not age a bit. But she… she would.

Thinking of this, Shirakawa's gaze dimmed.

"Am I destined to be alone forever?"

"No. I refuse to accept that."

"There are so many Devil Fruits in this world… maybe there's one that grants immortality to others too."

After resting for a bit, Shirakawa headed to Shanks and Buggy's room to wake them up, knowing full well that these two wouldn't wake up on their own.

Knock knock knock.

He rapped rhythmically on the door, but after a long time, there was no response.

"Don't make me use force…"

Shirakawa shook his head, sighed… and raised his leg.

BANG!

The door went flying off its hinges.