Chapter Text
Day 0
Katakuri’s first impression of her is that she is small.
From the reports he had received – of her levelling an entire block of buildings near the central district on Komugi Island – he had expected her to be bigger. Even disregarding the stature of his family, most people on this side of the sea - especially the destructive ones - tended to be bigger.
Now though, looking at the tiny thing curled into a ball, bound in ropes and cuffed with seastone, he wondered if the reports were true. How was such a petite thing capable of such supposed destruction?
Kirayu lifted her head as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and her eyes grew slightly wide as they found the man who had just entered the room. He was massive! His frame completely dwarfed her figure, and he was at least 3 times her height. Moreover, from the aura she could feel emanating from his being – piercing and heavy – she knew instinctively that he was someone with power and status.
Kirayu’s eyes dimmed. Shit, it won't be easy to leave.
Katakuri walked over to the chair that had been brought out for him and sat down. He crossed his legs and lazily gestured for the chess soldiers on guard to bring the girl over. As he’d thought, she was a petite little thing with a doll-like face and dark hair that fell to her waist. She had no notable muscle, and her entire frame was lean and lithe. He supposed she would be the delicate kind of pretty had she been proper, but now she was covered with streaks of dust, hair matted, and there was a slight gash across one of her cheeks.
The eyes though – a pair of honey-gold eyes stared defiantly and unflinchingly back at him.
Involuntarily, Katakuri’s lips curved into a smirk, well-hidden behind his scarf. The visible portion of his face, however, remained blank and unreadable.
Kirayu scowled as the chess soldiers dragged her over roughly and dumped her onto the floor before the man. She may be a captive, but she still had her dignity! Wiggling a little, she managed to sit up despite her constraints, and then she turned her full attention to the towering man sitting imposingly ahead, silent and assessing.
Tension filled the large, empty room.
Katakuri raised an eyebrow.
Usually, captives would have started rambling by this point, blabbering incoherently and seeking clemency for whatever it was they did. That is, if they hadn’t already wet themselves from receiving the full weight of his undivided stare.
Kirayu exhaled shakily. She could feel the power rolling off in waves from this man, and at that moment she knew she had run into some pretty big trouble. His stare was piercing and grounding, like nothing she had ever felt before, but she told herself to stay strong. It was fine. She’ll be fine. She could talk through this. She could negotiate.
Another moment later, a low rumble broke the silence. “So, why did you invade the Big Mom territory?”
Shit, Big Mom Pirates?! If that was true, then Kirayu really might have bitten off more than she could chew this time.
Katakuri felt a flicker of amusement as he saw the girl before him visibly twitch from surprise before steadying herself. That, along with his Observation Haki, told him that she hadn’t come here purposefully with ill intentions. But still, he had to ask.
“Did you think you could spy on us, and leave alive?”
“I am not a spy,” the girl before him bit out with a small glare. It seemed she still had some fight left, despite the fact that she was probably having trouble breathing, what with the full extent of his aura resting heavily on her. “I tend to like living, thank you very much, and I know better than to pick a fight with the Big Mom Pirates.”
Katakuri leaned forward, his voice becoming serious. “Then what are you doing here.”
Kirayu couldn’t help the slight grimace she pulled. It really wasn’t her fault, and honestly, she really didn’t want to be here either, especially not now, knowing just who’s territory she had landed in. “I was testing something… and it blew me here. I didn’t mean to demolish the buildings, that’s just how I landed.”
Seeing the man’s unimpressed stare trained on her, Kirayu felt a moment of sheepishness and lowered her head. “I’m sorry…? Was the destruction very serious? Was anybody hurt?”
Katakuri’s brows furrowed. This girl was a little strange. She was completely at his mercy, and yet she kept her poise. Not only that, she even had the spare mind to be concerned about his citizens.
Katakuri pulled out a jellybean and started to toss it absentmindedly. A few throws later, he suddenly took aim at the wall behind the girl.
Kirayu didn’t even have the chance to react when an object whizzed past her head and landed with a deafening boom behind her. She hadn’t even seen what had happened, and the realization caused her to flinch.
Seeing her lightly trembling frame, Katakuri leaned back in satisfaction. He pulled out another jellybean and started to toss it up and down again. He noticed how the girl’s eyes zoned in on the candy as soon as he pulled it out this time.
“Do you have plans to harm this territory and its inhabitants?” Katakuri could see the answer with his foresight, but he still waited for the girl to respond.
“N-no, I don’t. I promise, I really came here by accident. In fact, if you let me go now, I swear I will never come back.” Kirayu mentally cursed her stutter. Stay strong, she told herself.
If worse comes to worse… well, then she would fight.
She could probably get out of these constraints. The only reason the soldiers had managed to restrain her in the first place was because the impact of her fall had rendered her unconscious. If this man before her truly wanted to kill her, then, well, she wouldn’t go down without a fight. But until then, she would hope for the best. Kirayu really didn’t want to test her strength against the towering figure before her – she could already tell she would be overwhelmed.
Katakuri made a move to stand up. “Well, I don’t think we need to bother Mama with this.”
Seeing hope rising on her face, Katakuri smirked a little inside his scarf. He had noticed her body tense up just now, and while he wasn’t sure what a tiny thing like her could do – bound up and restrained as she was – it seemed as if she had been preparing to do something. Will she show me something interesting if I keep her around?
“But, I can’t just let you go. An investigation will be conducted. In the meantime, I suppose you can stay with me.”
--
Day 8
“Hey. Hey, Katakuri-sama. What are we doing today?”
Over the last week, Kirayu had found out that not only did she have the good luck to crash-land into the island of one of the Big Mom Pirates' three commanders, it also happened to be the island of the strongest commander.
She really didn’t want this so-called good luck. Shit, anyone else could come and take this luck away from her. How the hell was she supposed to escape now?! Even if the investigations come back inconclusive, Kirayu wasn’t so naïve as to believe they would simply let her go. The Big Mom Pirates had a reputation for a reason.
And this was the Second Prince of the Kingdom. Shit. Did she even have a future?
Kirayu sighed, and then decided she could only play the situation by ear. This whole situation was frustrating. If only she hadn’t tried to test out that technique before it was ready….
And the other frustrating thing about this situation was, well, Katakuri was a brick wall.
Currently, they were both in the main living room of the Manor. Katakuri was sitting in an armchair seemingly deep in thought, while Kirayu paced the room trying not to go stir-crazy.
No matter how much she poked or prodded, tried to glean information through casual conversations, Katakuri just did not take bait. His tone was even, his mood was even, hell, even his gait was even, unlike the little walk-run she had to do just to keep up with his large steps.
The last week had been spent trailing after Katakuri like a lost puppy whenever he needed to go outside, and staying inside the Manor and staring up at the ceilings when he didn’t. She'd had to wear a cloak with a hood whenever they went out though, to remain inconspicuous.
Apparently, Katakuri was something of a celebrity in Totto Land (with his own fan club, the 'strong and silent Second Prince' urgh) and the island inhabitants would be very interested in his daily affairs. Therefore, it was better for everyone if she remained discreet, since she was both a non-citizen and a woman. Apparently, again, the Second Prince of Totto Land only concerned himself with members of the Charlotte family and his own division, and held no interest towards members of the fairer sex.
At first, she had been happy to find out that her restraints were being taken off and that she was allowed to walk freely.
But then she found out why.
Of course she wasn’t being restrained – who needed to be restrained when the handler that held your invisible leash was the strongest of the three Sweet Commanders, a man with a bounty of over 1 billion?! Even in terms of world rankings, Charlotte Katakuri was definitely a top-notch powerhouse.
Kirayu had never been so thankful that she had followed her intuition that day and not acted up during their first meeting, because if she had, then she probably would have exploded like that wall behind her.
She needed to gather information though – information about where she was, what the geography of the land around her was, what Katakuri's division and the chess soldiers' patrol schedules were, and most importantly, information about Katakuri’s own schedule. Hey, the man had to leave her and go to work at some point, right? That would be the best time for her to quietly slip away.
Kirayu swallowed, her thoughts slowly zoning in on one idea. She needed to get a rise out of Katakuri – any reaction would do. If he stayed infuriatingly calm like this, then she wouldn’t be able to gain any information. And she needed information to protect herself and to survive. If she were to rouse up anger, annoyance, or anything else from Katakuri, then he might say something useful in the heat of the moment....
Hey, he didn't like dealing with women, right?
“Hey, Katakuri-sama.”
Although Katakuri still didn’t move, Kirayu could sense that this time, he was finally watching her out of the corner of his eyes.
“You know, you’d totally be my type if we’d met under better circumstances. Tall, muscular, handsome, and not to mention your cheekbones.” She winked while gesturing at her own face.
Katakuri slowly lifted his head, and turned to pin her with a flat stare.
--
Day 11
Three days later was Katakuri’s routine patrol of the neighbouring islands surrounding the Big Mom territory. Naturally, as someone under his watch, Kirayu had to go as well.
While Kirayu was very excited to be leaving Komugi Island for the first time in over a week, Katakuri’s patience was steadily approaching its limit.
Katakuri sighed internally. He had initially thought she'd be different, but it seemed she was just like any other female who only knew how to talk, and talk some more. Thinking back, he wasn't even sure why he had decided to keep the girl close. He certainly hadn't done anything like this in the past, with any other captive. Usually, they were either kept in the prisons, or assigned to house arrest under the watch of trusted guards.
He had just found her... intriguing... on that day when they first met, and had been curious as to what else she might show him. As his achievements and accomplishments grew over the years, challenges became far and few. He craved something that would disrupt the monotony of his routine days, anything that would create in him a spark of interest.
However, the last few days of observations did not reveal anything special. Worse still, she had turned... provocative. If in a few days the investigations come back clean, then he might settle her somewhere on Totto Land. He couldn’t simply let her leave; she’d already stayed at his residence for over a week, and which Marines wouldn’t just love to have that kind of information about him?
Though at this rate, it almost seemed to be more trouble than worth. Perhaps he should just dispose of her, if she didn't prove herself interesting sometime soon….
“Wow – the outside world!” Kirayu exclaimed with mock enthusiasm. “How novel!”
She raised her arms and gave a small twirl, relishing in the salty breeze of the sea and the feel of the sun shining up above. Her cloak-and-hood getup had been ditched for this excursion, since everyone on the trip were Katakuri's men.
“Hn. Keep close.” Katakuri replied stoically while descending the docks to head towards town. “You should know better than to run.”
“Ha, yes, yes,” Kirayu saluted. “No need to worry, Katakuri-sama. With your handsome visage right here in front of me, why would I go anywhere else?”
Katakuri looked to the sky as if asking for patience, and then resumed his gait. He had long-since learned over the last three days that it was better to just ignore the girl when she got like this.
The rounds went by smoothly, and by nighttime, Katakuri’s division was ready to hit the nearest tavern to unwind. Finding a busy bar with a good crowd, the crew piled in and soon, several tables were occupied and a steady flow of alcoholic beverages began drifting in.
Kirayu stared curiously at Katakuri and thought about whether she should ask. Over the last few days, she had definitely noticed that Katakuri didn’t eat or drink in front of others. She didn’t want to pry – she wasn’t dumb, she could see the crisscross of scars going up his cheeks – but now that they were at the same table at the same tavern, there was no way he would just sit there, right?
In the end, her curiosity won out.
“Hey, Katakuri-sama, are you going to drink?”
Katakuri smirked under his scarf.
“You’re not fast enough to see me drink,” he replied evenly. He knew what her real question was.
Kirayu pouted. “I could be, don’t tempt me.”
“Then I’ll just drink when you aren’t looking.”
“I’ll stare at you all night then. Your handsome face is certainly a sight for sore eyes. Nothing else in this bar is worth looking at.”
“There’s a kid looking at you.”
“What, where? Why’s there a kid here?” Kirayu turned her head to see. When she realized, she quickly looked back only to see the beer in front of Katakuri missing some volume.
She scowled, having been played like an idiot. For the rest of the night, she made a note to keep an eye on Katakuri, but it seemed the man wasn’t a Commander for nothing, because she never saw him take a single sip and yet the beverages in front of him kept disappearing and empty glasses kept multiplying.
As the night grew long, the crowd became more and more rowdy. Kirayu was also starting to gain a pleasant flush to her cheeks. She was more of a whiskey person, and those tended to hit harder than beer did.
Katakuri looked like he was staring into the distance, lost in thought, but he was actually watching Kirayu out of the corner of his eyes. This girl, woman, was an enigma. Her pretty face with fine features was quite deceptive. Her cuts and scrapes had healed perfectly, her fair skin shone without blemishes. Does she have an advanced healing factor?
With her long, dark hair and gentle smile, she seemed the epitome of a proper lady. But at the same time, what kind of lady opens her mouth and says such shameless things? Did all women like to tease men like that now?
All in all, she looked like a fragile – and to be fair, she really hadn’t given any indication she wasn’t that – porcelain doll, and yet Katakuri was reluctant to admit that he might have been wrong. He had thought there was something special about her, had seen it through those defiant honey-gold eyes on the first day they’d met, but he had yet to see it again. Was the smashing of the buildings just a fluke? Perhaps it was whatever she was travelling on? Whatever it was, if it wasn’t her own strength, then it was all just disappointing.
In his periphery, Katakuri noticed the girl stand up. She was swaying a little, a sign that she had drunk a little too much. She was carrying her glass and seemed to be approaching a neighbouring table to talk with his crew when suddenly she stumbled, and the contents of her drink just narrowly missed splashing into the face of a rough-looking hoodlum. The man shot up and said something in anger, the entire tavern falling silent in preparation for the approaching conflict, and the girl’s next words were heard especially clearly in that silence.
“Fuck off, bitch.”
Wow, she’s mouthy. Katakuri thought. Another contradiction to her delicate, mannered appearance.
The next moment, a full out bar brawl erupted as the terrified owner and server girl dived for cover behind the counter. Liquids and glasses flew everywhere, and weapons were unsheathed. A loud yell sounded, and then it was mayhem.
Katakuri absentmindedly knocked away an incoming projectile with a wave of Mochi. He calmly sipped his beer. Why was it that everything with this woman involved chaos?
Well, although her feistiness and occasional sass were amusing at times, it certainly wasn’t worth him stepping in to defend her from all this. Perhaps only if she was truly in danger. He still had a smidgen of interest left after all; he hadn't yet come to a conclusion about her.
Then, what he saw next caused his eyes to widen slightly.
The delicate-looking pretty doll suddenly whirled around, deflecting a sword that should have been in her blind spot with nothing but a small knife. However, her hands and the knife were covered with a strange, blue, aura, and her arm was steady. Then, through a series of graceful movements, the girl danced nimbly like a cat around the men approaching her menacingly, and started trading blows in a manner that was obviously trained.
Katakuri could feel excitement start to bubble through his veins. This. This was what he had been waiting to see. This was what he wanted. What else would she show him?
The Big Mom crew had also joined in on the fight by this point, and the mess was getting bigger. Just as Katakuri was about to let loose a blast of Conqueror’s Haki to quiet things down, he noticed the girl disentangle from the brawl, run through some strange hand gestures, and then light a fireball in her hand which was progressively growing bigger by the moment.
A second later, a large boom shook the vicinity and a pillar of light blasted a hole through the roof of the tavern. When the smoke died down, it was clear that everyone caught in the blast had been rendered unconscious, with only a swaying hellcat standing triumphantly in the epicentre.
“Hellcat, come here.” Katakuri drawled out in a low baritone, after a moment of silence.
“What?” It took Kirayu a moment to react. “You’re talking to me?”
“Yes, you.” Katakuri nodded, and then gestured with his hand, repeating, “Come here.”
“Why Hellcat?” Kirayu didn’t give it much thought and happily trotted over to where Katakuri was sitting. In her tipsy state, it was infinitely funny to her how Katakuri’s corner of the bar was the only area that wasn’t absolutely decimated. He looked like a king sitting on his throne, with hundreds of fallen enemies lying at his feet.
“You’re small, and limber, and sassy. And a pyromaniac.”
“I’m not small, I’m a respectable 172cm! You’re just ridiculously massive! And what do you mean pyromaniac.”
“You like setting things aflame a lot, don't you.”
“Um, no?”
“Look around you, Hellcat. Who made that fire? Certainly not me. Also, those buildings you demolished on my Island, there were flames licking at the carnage.” Katakuri chuckled lightly as he bantered back and forth with the girl, his mood rising. However, it was clear that Kirayu was too out-of-it to notice these little details.
“That, that’s because – Mr. Minister of Flour – those buildings had way too much flour in them! Don’t you know that flour combusts easily? I didn’t even have to do much. Who even builds infrastructure from baked goods anyways....”
“See, sassy.”
Kirayu tried to give a witty comeback, but found that she had nothing.
As she made her way towards him though, she suddenly felt a wave of drowsiness wash over her, her head spinning from the alcoholic buzz. The rush of adrenaline from the impromptu fight was also waning, and she was starting to feel the after-effects of drinking as much as she'd had. All she wanted to do was to lie down on the floor and close her eyes.
She stumbled forwards.
Vaguely, Kirayu felt the sensation of something stopping her fall, but was that just her imagination? There was no one here who cared about her. She was on her own. Had been, ever since she lost her whole family all those years ago.
Katakuri’s face was unreadable behind his scarf, but his crimson eyes gleamed as he looked down at the girl he'd just caught with his Mochi. Well, isn’t this something.
His Mochi carried her over to where he sat, and Katakuri reached out to hoist her into his arms. Then, he stood up and made his way to where the terrified owner was just starting to peer out from behind the counter. It was time to settle tabs, see about getting some rooms upstairs in the other wing where the roof was still intact, and perhaps rent out the main floor so that the men could sleep it out where they laid, collapsed.
Katakuri didn't even notice that he didn't seem to mind cleaning up after the troublesome hellcat. He was in a good mood.
--
Day 12
When Kirayu slowly woke up the next morning, her head throbbed and she was in an unfamiliar room.
Taking a moment, she blinked and then all the memories from the night before came rushing in.
…Shit! I revealed my abilities!
That was something she had been hiding on purpose as a trump card, but now it looked like those plans were for naught.
She knew why she had acted like that last night. The last week was, honestly speaking, one of the most stressful weeks of her life. Being under constant watch of a man who could easily kill you was by no means easy, and while she had figured out by now that Charlotte Katakuri seemed to have endless patience and wouldn’t harm her on a whim, the situation was still inherently stressful.
She had drunk a bit more than she’d been planning to, and that was most likely because the lull of peace that alcohol granted the mind had lowered her inhibitions.
Then… well, she’d always been a bit of a feisty drunk. It didn’t help that she had some pent-up frustrations over this whole situation as well, and was craving for an outlet.
She knew that Katakuri was smart – he would definitely notice that those were not Devil Fruit abilities, and now that he knew she was trained, he would be prepared.
Kirayu sighed. Oh well, what’s done is done. I suppose it was a bit fun to let go last night.
She would deal with the consequences as they came.
Kirayu slowly rotated and stretched her arms. Her limbs felt loose in a nice way, like she had just gotten in a good workout. She hadn’t been able to do much physically in the last week, constantly by Katakuri’s side and under surveillance.
“That was quite the bill you racked up for me. All the damages and losses incurred.” A low voice sounded from the direction of the door.
Kirayu froze – she hadn’t expected the consequences to come this quickly.
Looking up, she realized that Katakuri was standing there by the doorframe quietly watching her, his arms crossed.
When had he gotten here?! The door was still closed just a moment ago?!
Well, it made sense since she was technically under his watch. Better deal with this first.
Kirayu looked down demurely. “I’m sorry, Katakuri-sama.”
Katakuri gave her a long, hard stare, pinning her in place. She could feel the heavy weight of his attention boring down. The fact that half his face was covered made it especially difficult to read his thoughts. “Well, I suppose you’ll just owe me a debt then, which you can pay back later.”
Kirayu looked up and nodded eagerly, “Yes, I will definitely pay you back! I’m sorry!”
Katakuri gave her another unreadable stare, and then nodded. Turning to leave, he called out, “Get ready to go. We’re heading back.”
Little did Kirayu know, she would come to deeply regret the day she incurred this debt, and her future self would raged at how stupid she was to have not set the debt explicitly as monetary terms.
--
Day 14
“If you think I am letting you out after what happened a couple days ago,” Katakuri’s maddeningly calm voice replied as he sifted through some documents, “then you’ll need to think again.”
Kirayu frowned, but she was still feeling a bit guilty over the bar incident and so she didn’t push it. After resisting for days, she had finally barged in to Katakuri’s office. Ever since the trip a few days back, she had been anxious that Katakuri would do something with his newfound knowledge of her abilities and hence had been trying to avoid the other. However, the wait was slowly driving her mad, as well as the boredom of having nothing to do, and so she decided that she'd better just face the Commander head on. Kirayu didn't fare well with lack of excitement.
“Could we do something then? I’m going to go mad if I have to pace the room one more time.”
Katakuri stopped what he was doing and looked up, slowing putting down the documents he held. “I suppose there is something we can do, but you’ll need to answer some questions first.”
Kirayu looked away. She had known that this was coming. In all honesty, she was surprised Katakuri kept silent for so long.
“Who are you? There is no information about you – it’s like you don’t exist. From the direction of impact, it appears you arrived from the Southwest, but we couldn’t find anything. And those skills you used….”
Kirayu looked away. In a small voice, she replied, “I really cannot say. But I promise I mean no harm to your territory.”
“Kirayu.”
Kirayu looked up in surprise. This was the first time Katakuri had ever called her name.
“Would you like to join the Big Mom Pirates? We could use someone like you.” Katakuri looked right into her eyes. For anyone else, this might have been terrifying, but somehow, Kirayu felt as if she had gotten used to meeting this Commander’s crimson eyes, and having the weight of his full attention on her.
“Can you just let me go?”
“No, I can’t.” Katakuri replied evenly. The half of his face not hidden by the scarf gave nothing away.
Kirayu wasn’t dumb. She knew that there was only a miniscule chance that she’d be allowed to just leave, and yet she couldn’t help but ask. It was difficult to simply accept giving up her old life and beginning a new one here. “Can I think about it?”
Katakuri gave her another long look, before nodding slowly. “That’s fine.”
It was fine indeed. Katakuri was determined to bring her over to his side, especially after seeing the power she’d wielded without even having a Devil Fruit. He could play the long game. He could wait.
Kirayu looked like she wanted to say more, but in the end, she held her tongue. There really wasn’t any point in getting too deep right now.
Katakuri organized the files on his desk, and then stood up. “How about we spar then?”
“… I’m sorry?”
“Let’s spar together.”
“Are you trying to kill me?” Kirayu eyed him suspiciously, stepping back a little. “You're very obviously stronger than I am. I have enough self-awareness to know that.”
Katakuri looked back at her, a small smirk playing at his lips. “If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so long ago. This is merely to exercise, Hellcat. Since I now know that you can fight.”
“Oh,” Kirayu replied, scrunching her brows and thinking hard.
Then, she suddenly let out a playful smirk and clapped her hands together. Katakuri felt a chill run down his spine.
“Okay then! I’d love this chance to get to know each other better with our bodies.”
Katakuri: “…”
--
As they left the mansion, Kirayu noticed that some of the guards seemed to shift away from her, shrinking back as she strode by.
She frowned.
“Why are they scared of me?” She looked inquisitively at Katakuri.
Katakuri didn't pause in his long strides, but he did cast his attention down at her. “You toasted them crispy.”
“… Did you just make a joke?”
“Of course not. Perish the thought.”
“… What actually happened?” Kirayu stopped walking and looked up at Katakuri, her mouth set in a stubborn line that indicated she wouldn’t move until he provided a proper answer.
Katakuri also stopped and looked at her. After a moment, he said evenly, “Some of them were at the bar with us.”
“Oh...” Kirayu instantly felt a little guilty again. She didn’t mind fighting in the spur of the moment - liked it, even - but afterwards if she found out she’d accidentally hurt allies, that always made her feel a bit guilty.
“It’s alright, Hellcat. They’re fine.” He let out a little, unseen smirk. "If anything, they now have a healthy dose of respect for you."
Having said that, Katakuri leaned down and gave Kirayu a light push, indicating that they should keep going.
“… Did you just try to comfort me?” Kirayu looked strangely at Katakuri.
This time, Katakuri didn't stop as he walked on, replying over his broad shoulders, “Of course.”
Kirayu didn’t quite know what to make of that.
--
“Hahaha, you’re not a rice ball, you’re just a meatball! All muscle and no brain!” Kirayu laughed when she saw Katakuri rush at where she had seemed to be, only to realize she wasn’t actually there.
They were at Katakuri’s private training grounds near the outskirts of Hakuriki Town.
Kirayu was currently having the time of her life, utilizing everything in her arsenal to give Katakuri a spar that he would hopefully remember. She knew he was going very easy on her – indeed, he was just using his fists and kicks at the moment, not even his Mochi attacks – but it was still fun to see him fall for some of her ploys. After all, even if one knows the future, if they can’t comprehend it, then how would they react?
Over the last two weeks, Kirayu had learned a little more about this man, the second in command of the Big Mom Pirates. There was a lot of gossip about him floating around, and she had been able to glean some general information just by living here. She knew that he was insanely powerful and skilled, and that his Observation Haki was unparalleled. She had also seen the casual usage of his Mochi from time to time. However, she knew that she hadn't even scratched the tip of the iceberg, of what Charlotte Katakuri was capable of.
With all that in mind, Kirayu knew that her tricks would only work once. As soon as Katakuri sees them once, he would catalogue it and be prepared to respond in the future. Kirayu grimaced, once again cursing her luck at why she was saddled with such a war god – the intelligent gleam in those eyes speaking for all the military concepts and fighting strategies the other had long since memorized and incorporated into his own style.
As Katakuri looked over, unimpressed, she stuck out her tongue. “What, you want to bend me over and spank me? Too bad.”
Katakuri mentally counted to 10, squashing down the brief fleeting image his mind had conjured up of him actually pulling her over his lap and spanking her for all the troubles she had given him so far.
“You should take this more seriously.”
Kirayu could feel the air settle, and she became more subdued. The atmosphere was now heavier than it was before, and she could sense that Katakuri had focused his attention entirely on her. It wasn’t at the level of what it was during the interrogation where it was hard to breathe, but it was definitely weighing down heavily.
Kirayu swallowed and clenched her fists. Alright, looks like time to get serious.
--
Looking over at the state of the training arena, Kirayu felt a little sheepish. There were pits and craters in the ground, holes in the walls, and some spider-web cracks and fractures reached up to the ceiling.
Katakuri was also taking in the state of the facility, and mentally re-evaluating what he knew about the girl. It seemed she was better than he had expected, but there were still places that were rough and spoke of obvious lack of experience. Her attacks were mostly physical punches and kicks, but the sheer power behind them was a bit surprising for a girl of her size. Sure, he could kick a crater into the ground, but he hadn’t expected that someone of her stature could also kick a crater into the ground. And it looked like she had done it very easily too, meaning she probably could have caused more damage if she had wanted.
The short knife he’d seen last time hadn’t made an appearance – probably still hidden somewhere on her body – but then again, he hadn’t brought out his trident either, so there hadn’t been a need for the weapon to come out.
The mysterious blue aura seemed to center around her fists and feet, similar to when he would coat his own hands with Mochi to increase their power.
It had also surprised him when she had stuck to the wall after he’d flung her that way, instead of just kicking off it to rebound. Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but smirk lightly behind his scarf. It seems she really is a nimble little hellcat. Cats like to perch in strange places too.
Anyways, at this point, she was similar to an uncut jewel. She had the potential. She just hadn’t had the right teacher.
Wouldn’t it be great if he could personally polish that jewel? He could create a masterpiece of his own, maybe even train his own vice-commander.
Katakuri shook his head slightly, thinking what a shame it was that she had been left unrefined like this. But then, he changed his mind. This was all to his advantage; it was him who had her now. The strange power she had, it seemed to have unlimited potential, and Katakuri wondered what else could be achieve with it.
For the first time in a long time, Katakuri felt the stirrings of interest and excitement rouse within him, and he wanted.
Although the girl hadn’t yet accepted the invitation to become a member of the Big Mom Pirates, it didn’t seem like she had anywhere else to go either. Unlike other captives, or, guests, she wasn’t clamouring everyday about leaving and instead seemed to be enjoying exploring Totto Land. That in itself spoke volumes of how she probably didn’t have any strong attachments tying her elsewhere. All he had to do now was to convince her that this place right here was where she wanted to stay.
Turning his attention to the girl beside him, Katakuri paused to take her in.
Her pale cheeks were flushed a pretty pink with exertion. She was panting from the workout, but she seemed to be in great spirits as she did some stretches. Her hair, tied up in a casual high-ponytail, fluttered gently with the breeze that came in through the destroyed walls, and bobbed with every move she made.
She still looked like a pretty doll, but he would no longer assume that she was fragile or delicate.
“Mm? Katakuri-sama, why are you looking at me? Do you like what you see?” As if sensing his attention, Kirayu looked up and grinned impishly before striking a cute pose. “Though, I’m all sweaty right now, so that’s probably not it.”
Katakuri ignored her provocations and instead went straight to the point. “How about I train you?”
--
She accepts his offer in the end.
--
Day 18
A few days later, Kirayu found herself and Katakuri in a different training area. This was one of the official public training grounds meant for the citizens of Komugi Island, though of course the facility had been closed for the day. Katakuri’s private arena was still under repairs.
Kirayu did a few quick hops and then stretched her arms over her head, revealing a sliver of pale skin as her shirt rode up.
Katakuri frowned under his scarf. Was she doing this on purpose?
“So, what are we doing today?” Kirayu asked, peering over curiously at the red-haired man as she did some pre-workout warm-ups.
Kirayu wasn't entirely sure as to what Katakuri was playing at, and had genuinely been surprised when the other man had offered to train her. At first she had been a little suspicious - was Katakuri trying to assess her weaknesses? But then she decided that she was over-thinking things. The man was obviously on an entirely different level from her. He didn't need to know her weaknesses. Did a trained master need to understand the weakness of a civilian in order to defeat them? No. Because they were already so skilled that such negligible knowledge would make no difference.
This all tied back to why she was allowed to roam freely without wearing any restraints, Kirayu supposed. In addition, Katakuri hadn't made any mention of searching her for weaponry, and she knew that he had seen her wield the knife that night at the bar. He likely hadn't seen any need to, fully confident in his own abilities to defend himself, or to stop her before she caused any lasting damage to their surroundings.
And so, she had pushed away her jumbled thoughts and hesitantly accepted the offer. It wasn't like she had anything to lose, and who knows, she might be able to get to know Katakuri a bit better this way. And if he eventually lets his guard down, comfortable enough in their tutelage relationship, then all the better for her to slip away unnoticed. Whatever his motives were for training her, it didn't seem like it would be harmful to her, at any rate.
“We’ll spar a little first, and then I’m going to point out things I notice and I’ll probably teach you some things as well.”
Kirayu looked up in interest. “So you’ll be teaching me? Should I call you Sensei?”
Katakuri frowned again. Was this a big deal? “If you want? I really don’t care.”
Kirayu grinned unabashedly.
“Alright then. You won’t be too rough on me, right Sensei?” She called out with a slow, sensual drawl. Then, she added in a wink. “I’ll be a good girl for you, Sensei.”
Katakuri had a bad feeling about this.
--
Day 21
Kirayu laughed and raised one hand, blasting another hole through the roof. As chunks of the ceiling began to fall, Katakuri was forced to dodge as he tried to make his way closer to her.
The training grounds were already starting to get messy, and they had only been fighting for around 20 minutes or so.
A ray of golden sunlight shone in through the hole she had just made, and Kirayu eyed Katakuri’s muscular body appreciatively.
Her golden eyes shining with mirth, she called out, “Sensei, your amazing muscles seem even more majestic under the afternoon sun, glistening with sweat. I'm so tempted to touch them!”
Katakuri’s brows furrowed and he frowned at her, not that she could see over the scarf. “Do you need a man that badly? I’m sure you can find someone willing, down at the pub.”
Kirayu just laughed at the suggestion and waved it off.
--
The next few weeks progressed in a similar manner.
--
Day 26
“Hey, Sensei, if you catch me, I’ll give you a prize.”
“I don't want to catch you anymore.”
--
Day 34
“Sensei, I got a scrape here. Can you kiss it better?”
Katakuri: “…”
--
Day 48
“Sensei, you’ve got such good stamina! That’s wonderful!”
--
Day 53
The more they interacted, the more Katakuri found himself watching her. Guarding someone usually didn’t necessitate this much of his time and focus, but he had found himself doing it anyway. Observing her daily actions and behaviours eventually turned into observing her likes and dislikes, her moods, and how she interacted with others.
Soon, he found that he wasn't watching her out of surveillance (if he were honest with himself, it stopped being about surveillance as soon as he'd started sparring with her), or even out of curiosity at what interesting things she might show him next. Instead, he was starting to watch her because he genuinely wanted to.
He noticed her unwavering resolve to get stronger during each of their training sessions (Why? What was the drive?). Her determination and her willingness to work hard impressed him, and he could tell that she was definitely improving day by day.
He had briefly considered cutting back on what he was teaching her since she still hadn’t pledge loyalty to the Big Mom Pirates, but eventually he decided against it. It would be a shame to leave her unpolished like this. If she were to rebel one day, then it would only be natural for him to take her down as his responsibility, since he was the one to create this little monster.
And a little monster she was, this hellcat. She absorbed knowledge like a sponge, and her movements grew more graceful with every passing day. He hadn’t been too surprised to find out that she did have something of an advanced healing factor, and when her hands glowed green, it seemed she could help others recover as well.
She was getting better at controlling her fire, and recently she had shown off a technique with wind as well. While he still wasn’t certain what the source of her powers were, he was sure he’d find out one day. What was important now was to try to bind her to him, to make it so that she didn’t want to leave.
And curiously, as the magnitude of her strength and destructive abilities grew, she still remained physically as small and lithe as ever. What a deceptive little hellcat he had found.
She also seemed to be adjusting to life on Komugi Island a lot better than he had expected. Just the other day, she had insisted on visiting the commercial strip that she had destroyed, and had spent a couple hours chatting amicably with the local residents.
Katakuri watched as she accepted a flower the local children offered, and felt a stream of warmth flow through his heart.
When she smiled at him (genuinely, not one of those provocative, flirty smirks), when she would inquire about his day and listen attentively, or when she wishes him ‘goodnight’ and ‘sleep well’ as if caring about his wellbeing was the most normal thing to do, Katakuri didn’t know how he felt. He was so used to being the Big Brother of the crew, the number one most dependable figure, and the Commander that was second in strength only to Mama.
People took what they needed from him, but rarely did they realize that once in a while, he might also want a gentle word, a reminder that he mattered too. With Kirayu, there weren’t any of those expectations. He was just him. Not even Charlotte Katakuri - just Katakuri.
Seeing her interact so easily with his men as they prepared to leave for another outing, Katakuri felt something in his chest twinge. He slowly placed a hand over his thumping heart.
When had he stopped assessing her as a potential crewmate, and started thinking of her with growing fondness?
Then, the girl he was watching intently seemed to notice his stare because she turned around, grinned at him, and sent him an exaggerated wink.
Katakuri’s face instantly turned dark.
Now if only she would stop probing the limits of his patience and restraint….
--
Day 115 - Two months later:
“Hey, Sensei,” Kirayu began, walking into the living room one evening while drying her damp hair with a towel, “Do you…."
She stopped when she noticed that despite the fact that Katakuri hadn’t looked at her, a very obvious vein was starting to bulge on his temple and his fist had clenched tight.
This last month, Kirayu had tried her absolute personal best to get a decent reaction out of Katakuri. All kinds of flirty provocations and suggestive innuendos were brought out to play. And of course, she used the address “Sensei” very liberally, pre-facing most of her incitements with it. It almost wasn’t even surprising now when she saw Katakuri twitch from being address this way.
She could tell that Katakuri was no longer as immune to her words as he was back when they had first met. Strangely, this realization didn’t bring about a sense of satisfaction or achievement, but rather, she felt a little warm and happy that she was able to affect this powerful man before her.
“O—kay, well then, goodnight Katakuri-sama. Please rest well.” Kirayu made the very wise decision to back off. It seemed she might have gone a little over-board today, especially during their training session earlier that afternoon.
She had to admit - back when she first started teasing Katakuri with provocative statements, she had been a little scared. What if her impudence got herself killed? What if Katakuri actually had a really bad temper? But the more she did it and the more the man seemed to shrug everything off, the more... fun.... it became. Nowadays, in addition to trying to get a rise out of Katakuri, she also wanted to see the man react physically to her in some way. She was attractive, right?
Little did Kirayu know, she was having just a little too much fun. One day, her roller-coaster would go off its rails, and then even a lifetime of regrets would not be enough to make up for it.
Katakuri watched as she left the way she came, retreating back to her bedroom. It was strange now how – although none of them had explicitly said it – the bedroom she slept in was hers, and this once-empty house now felt like a home. Like she was meant to be here.
When Katakuri stepped into the shower that night, he knew instantly that it would be a longer one. There was a heat lingering in his pelvis from their training session earlier in the day, and it only grew stronger when she had walked in just now.
Just thinking about the scene caused his forehead veins to bulge out again, and his face turned dark.
Her scent right after a shower, the damp locks, her small frame completely dwarfed in one of his shirts – and yes, he knew she chose that shirt on purpose – replayed itself over and over in his mind.
Although he didn’t usually wear shirts, he kept some for formal occasions. On her, his white, button-down shirt with the top button undone teased at the curves of her breasts, falling down to the floor like a dress on her petite frame, cleverly cinched at the waist, the white fabric faintly see-through.
It was all on purpose, he knew. It was a game to her, and yet, he couldn’t help but be affected.
Under the spray of lukewarm water, Katakuri could feel himself hardening with every image his mind replayed.
He reached down and gave a himself a slow stroke. When was the last time he had been aroused to this extent? Sure, he did this regularly to release pent-up energy, but when was the last time he had reacted so strongly to someone in particular?
As his hand approached the darkening tip, he didn’t even have to look to know that the colour was probably a shade darker than usual. He could feel his member hot and throbbing in his hands, pulsating with need, need for a certain little infuriating hellcat.
He gave a few more strokes, quickening the pace and adding a twist with his wrist, throwing his head back in pleasure. He wanted to get this over with, so he didn’t hold himself back.
Her pretty lips curving into a small smirk, eyes alight with mischief as she’d stare provocatively at him.
She’d be in his arms, maybe straddling his waist, a dainty hand absentmindedly tracing circles, while her firm derriere added pleasurable pressure the lower and lower she shifted.
“Sensei,” she’d whisper with a teasing lilt, her pretty doll-like face staring innocently up at him.
Creamy white essence shot out of his hard member and Katakuri panted harshly, leaning against the tiled wall. The white fluid on a ground a stark reminder of his weakness, his lack of self-discipline.
As he washed up and walked out, Katakuri couldn’t manage to reign in his frustrations, and he punched out with his right arm. As the bathroom door closed behind him, a large gaping hole was left in the exterior wall, the clear full moon visible through the destruction.
He knew that at this point, she wasn’t serious in her teasings. Sure, she liked him well enough as a person, perhaps even a friend, and she definitely thought his body was attractive, but she wasn’t serious about him. He could tell through his Observation Haki. But damn did he wish his foresight was wrong just this once.
Author’s Comment:
Katakuri: “Hgnnh… Hellcat, ah… you maddening… little Hellcat… hnggnh….”
Kirayu: * sneezes *
**
Property damages incurred:
- a row of destroyed buildings
- a poor wall
- everything inside the drinking tavern, plus the roof
- countless training grounds
- that poor bathroom wall
- does Katakuri’s sanity count? Because that’s most definitely being destroyed.