Chương 186: Father Daughter Bonding
"I have to go, but I'll come back to you. I promise!" Perona said, giving Cabernet a hug.
She had been with them for some time now, so she understood that Cabernet and Cherry's relationship was very close and that Cabernet would never leave Cherry's side. Not even for herself, as much as it pained her to admit.
She couldn't just abandon Moria for the sake of love, either. She's a pirate! What kind of pirate would let love get in the way of their dreams?!
There was the possibility of just riding along with the Straw Hats, but she dismissed that pretty quickly now that she thought about it. The other Straw Hats might not be as welcoming to her for one, and they're goal wasn't to search for Moria. However, the main reason was the presence of that long-nosed freak. There was no way in hell she'd ride on the same ship as him!
Perona gave Cabernet a long smooch, which Zoro took as his cue to leave the room. Robin followed him out, as she intended to observe Cherry squirm from a distance.
…
Meanwhile, Cherry and Hawkeye were walking side by side through the dismal castle.
Both had been silent since they left the dining room, which suited Cherry just fine. She hoped it would stay that way until they left the island.
"So…" Hawkeye said, causing Cherry's frown to deepen. "How have you been these last two years?"
"Fine." Cherry spoke curtly.
"I see… that's good." Hawkeye spoke awkwardly.
Some more time passed in silence.
"How has Zoro been doing with your training?" Cherry asked.
Hawkeye didn't miss that she was basically saying that she didn't care how HE was doing since they last met by asking about Zoro first.
"Only time will tell if he can surpass me, but there is a chance I suppose. If he doesn't die in the New World, that is." Hawkeye answered.
More silence.
"You know, it was hard growing up without a mother. I had Grandma, but it's not quite the same." Cherry said. "Perhaps it would have been easier if I had had a father…"
Hawkeye was struck with a pang of guilt in his heart. He didn't know about her, of course, but that was just an excuse and he knew it. Just how much did his absence in her life hurt her, he wondered?
The answer was not at all, because Cherry was just fucking with him.
'If I have to be uncomfortable then you will be too, old man!' Cherry viciously thought.
"I'm… sorry. For whatever that's worth…" Hawkeye said.
"It isn't worth anything at all. It's too late for that." Cherry said.
She turned her head away from him, but not before he could catch sight of the tears brimming in her eyes that she was trying to hide from him.
Hawkeye had never felt such heartache before. He had always been a man with a cold exterior that kept people away, so he was accustomed to being alone. He never imagined he'd be the one who wanted to reach out and comfort someone before.
"How was your grandmother the last time you saw her? I suspect she was doing well, she was quite strong for a swordswoman when I last met her." Hawkeye desperately tried to change the subject.
"'For a swordswoman' huh?" Cherry repeated in a cold voice.
Hawkeye realized instantly that he had struck a landmine as he tried to dig himself out of his hole.
"Um, well, as unfortunate as it is, swordswomen don't make it as far in the way of the sword because of their generally weaker physiques, thus wasting whatever talent they may have possessed. Your grandmother is an exception, though, being an Amazon." Hawkeye tried to explain without sounding like a jerk.
"An Amazon? Grandma?" Cherry asked, successfully diverted from her main goal of emotionally crushing Hawkeye.
"You didn't know? I suppose you wouldn't have known unless she told you. I myself only discovered this after the fact after several encounters with the Amazons." Hawkeye explained.
'That explains a lot actually. It's no wonder my body is so well suited to body cultivation, in addition to the good stock on the male side.' Cherry pondered.
Some more time passed in silence.
"Would you like some tips in the way of the sword?" Hawkeye offered.
"You know it isn't just Zoro who is after you? I fully intend to beat your ass into the ground in the future too. Unlike Zoro, though, I'll only come when I'm certain I can completely humiliate you, not just eke out a win." Cherry said.
Hawkeye wasn't totally surprised by that. He didn't believe that she could beat him so easily, but he did have a feeling she would surpass him. His pride could allow for the possibility of his own child beating him one day.
"It doesn't matter. How about a sparring match?" Hawkeye suggested.
"Alright." Cherry answered.
As they had made their way outside during their walk, Cherry walked over to a tree. She reached into the trunk, effortlessly piercing through the bark and wood with her hands, and pulled out two wooden swords. The tree collapsed into a heap of bark and branches.
Cherry had been practicing with her Fusion Fruit for the past two years and was able to manipulate it quite smoothly. She had pulled all the wood in the tree into these two wooden swords.
Hawkeye had planned to use real blades, but he supposed this WAS more appropriate for a sparring match. He took the wooden sword that Cherry handed him and was surprised at the weight of it. Even his Yoru wasn't this heavy.
'This is more like a wooden club than a sword at this point isn't it? Does she want to bludgeon me to death?' Hawkeye wondered.
Hawkeye didn't notice that he had already fallen for one of Cherry's tricks. She had only used about a tenth of the tree's wood in his wooden sword, while her wooden sword contained the other ninety percent.
In the distance, Robin felt a bit sorry towards the world's greatest swordsman. She didn't know exactly what Cherry was going to do or had already done to him, but she knew that Cherry didn't fight fair. She wouldn't stop it though. In a way this was a father daughter bonding activity too, for them it was anyways.
Zoro was sitting next to Robin too, after having raided the wine cellar of the castle for more booze.
"Who do you think is going to win, Mr Swordsman?" Robin asked him.
"Hawkeye." Zoro answered without hesitation.
"Want to bet on it?" Robin suggested.
"You're on!" Zoro exclaimed, thinking it was an easy bet.
While those two were sorting out the details of their bet, Cherry and Hawkeye were standing about ten meters away from each other, wooden swords in hand.
"What are the terms of this bout?" Cherry asked.
"The winner is decided when the loser admits defeat, is disarmed, or is unable to continue." Hawkeye stated, taking his stance.
Cherry smiled in a way that unnerved Hawkeye just a little bit. He wasn't as affected by her sinister face as he was quite used to his own sinister reflection.
"What will be the signal for the start?" Cherry asked.
"When this handkerchief touches the ground." Hawkeye said, pulling out his handkerchief.
Cherry nodded in understanding.
Hawkeye tossed it in a way so that it would land equidistant from them in the middle.
It seemed to fall in slow motion before finally touching the ground.
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