I yawn as I drowsily wake up, lazily stretching my arms, and turn to look at the side. I suddenly still at the lump beneath the sheets lying next to me.
"Well, shit..." I say with a sigh as I scratch my head, trying to remember who exactly I brought to my bed last night after getting drunk. "Please don't be ugly," I muttered, repeating the phrase under my breath as I reached for the sheets, trying to get a peek.
"Well, that's a good start..." I say with a sigh of relief as I notice ahead of long blonde hair attached to an attractive, fit body.
"Morning, dear..." the woman said in a lazy tone, seemingly roused awake by my actions. "Last night was really great..." she added as she turned to look at me, revealing Dr. Kureha's face.
I couldn't help but scream at the sight, my vision going dark as my body jerked upwards, waking me up me from my sleep. "What a fucking nightmare..." I mutter, panting for breath, with a look of horror on my face.
I quickly shake my head, trying to get rid of the image of Kureha's naked body from my mind as I get up and immediately for my whisky bottle, trying to cure the emotional damage I just received with alcohol. (Author's note: get trolled XD)
I took a couple of swigs and turned to look at the door as I heard a knock. "Come in," I exclaimed as I fished out a cigarette, lighting it with my flame thrower.
"Isn't a bit early to be drinking and smoking, captain?" Laffite asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked at me with a curious expression.
"Nevermind that," I said with a sigh, shaking my head. "Do you need something?" I asked, trying to change the subject.
"Ah, well, I'm just here to tell you that everyone is ready to make the trip to Drum castle," Laffite said, shrugging his shoulder as he dropped the subject. "We're just waiting for you before we set off," he concluded, pausing and waiting for me to reply.
"You guys go ahead and leave ahead," I said with a nod of my head. "I'll follow you in an hour or two," I added, carelessly gesturing to the side as I got up and put on my long coat.
"very well," Laffite replied with a nod, without bothering to ask more questions despite looking confused at why I decided to stay behind.
I made my way outside, casually greeting Chinjao and his grandson on my way out. "Now then, where was that brother again...?" I muttered to myself as I stood in the street, trying to remember the brothel's location that Byron told me about earlier.
I needed to get the image of that horrible nightmare out of my head, and the only way I could think of is by getting drunk and getting laid, and that's what I'll be doing for the next couple of hours before I head for Drum castle.
...
I sigh in relaxation, my body losing all tension as I look at my handy work with a smile. "Time to get out of here," I murmur, giving the young woman, panting in exhaustion with a smile on her face, one last look as I leave a tip on a table nearby and make my way outside.
I quickly reach the street and immediately jump into the air, intending to fly my way into Drum castle, paying no attention to the pedestrian, pointing at me and whispering in astonishment.
...
I quickly reached Drum castle and began making my way down, landing in front of Dalton, who was training the soldiers in the castle's yard.
Dalton noticed me and gestured and instructed the soldiers to continue their training as he began walking towards me. "Greetings, captain Johnny," Dalton greeted in a neutral tone, nodding his head in my direction.
"Greetings, Dalton," I replied with a greeting of my own, feeling slightly awkward at the stiff, formal greeting as I waved my hand.
"Did Laffite and the others make it here?" I asked with a smile, gesturing towards the castle.
"Indeed. Laffite and your guests are currently inside the castle talking to Dr. Kureha and the rest of the doctors," Dalton replied with another nod of his, quickly taking a peek at the soldiers to see how they were doing.
"Very well," I said with a smile. "Then I'll leave you to your duties since you seem quite busy," I added as I turned around, making my way towards the castle as Dalton nodded and left as well.
I went inside and smiled as I spotted Bepo Chopper running around the castle's main hall. I just waved my hands in their directions, and they did the same as I made my way upstairs, where I knew Kureha had set up her clinic.
"It's you, you bastard!" I heard Chinjao's outraged voice as soon as I neared Kureha's clinic, making me raise an eyebrow as I increased my pace to see what was going on.
"Don't think I forgot about you flower-headed freak!" the old pirate exclaimed, and I went inside the room just in time to see him pointing his index finger at a nonchalantly smiling Crocus.
"You were part of that bastard, Roger's crew!" Chinjao said, staring daggers at Crocus, who was unphased by it as Kureha stood at the side watching this scene in amusement while sipping on her plum sake.
"Indeed," Crocus calmly replied, nodding his head. "But I'm just an old doctor now," he added with a shrug, shaking his head.
"Well, calm down, old man," I said with a smile as I stood in front of Chinjao. "Gol D roger is already dead, and the Roger pirates disbanded," I added, while waving my hand to the side.
"Whatever grudge you had towards Roger, Crocus here has nothing to do with it," I remarked in a placating tone. "Besides, he'll be helping in fixing your head, so try to play nice and bury the hatchet," I concluded with a shrug of my shoulders.
"And here I was looking forward to a show to go along with my drink," Kureha said with a chuckle, her gaze alternating between Crocus and Chinjao.
Chinjao heard our words, his gaze alternating between Crocus and myself, as he seemed to hesitate for several seconds. "Fine," he said with a sigh, the tension leaving his body as he touched his head.
"Good," Kureha said with a nod. "Now that you brats are done with your shenanigans, we can finally start talking about fixing your head," she added, giving Chinjao's head a curious look.
"I'll need to get a better look to understand the structure of your skull, how it came to be in this shape, and how to fix it," Kureha explained with a thoughtful look.
"But I'm more than sure I can get it done in a week's time, maybe even sooner with some help..." she concluded, gesturing towards Crocus who nodded with a smile.