Chapter 164: Who Changed My... You Know What?
While Luo Han was still passed out drunk, Amatsuki quietly entered Sister Shao's cabin on the ship.
In the darkness, Sister Shao asked solemnly, "Have you really made up your mind? He's a pretty selfish little man. I'm afraid this might backfire."
The girl replied with equal seriousness, "I've made up my mind. I'm betting everything on this. The future is terrifying—I need his help. This is the only way to get him to act."
Sigh… Sister Shao gazed at the determined girl before her. After a long pause, she nodded with a sigh. "If that's what you want, I'll make the arrangements."
"Thank you so much, Sister Shao," Amatsuki said, bowing deeply before resolutely walking out of the room.
…
The next day, the sun shone brightly. Luo Han , still groggy from his hangover, heard a voice calling his name. Through the blur, he vaguely saw Aishi scolding him.
"Luo Han , get up already! Didn't you say you were sending Tsuki home today? Stop sleeping!"
Aishi was thoroughly annoyed. Last night, Luo Han had insisted he'd take Amatsuki home today—acted like it was urgent, even. And now, here he was, still asleep at noon.
"Ugh…" Luo Han finally forced his eyes open and shielded them from the blinding light.
"This body is way too weak. I need to figure out how to recover properly," he grumbled, feeling drained. Back when he drank, he'd wake up feeling refreshed. Today, it felt like he'd been hollowed out.
Wait… something felt off.
...
Luo Han froze.
Looking at himself again: red tank top, floral boxers, and underneath—a tight red pair of briefs. Flip-flops on his feet. Everything seemed fine… except where was his flowing white robe?
That wasn't the problem, though. Losing the robe could be explained—he probably lost control of his psychic ability while drunk and it vanished. The real issue was: who had changed his clothes? Including his underwear.
"…Was it—?" He stared closely at Aishi . If she had done it, he supposed he could accept it. She was a good actor, though—he couldn't read a thing from her expression. Time to probe her.
"Aishi , do you… notice anything different about me today?" Luo Han asked with the sly tone of a wolf luring a lamb.
"What do you mean?" Aishi looked up, arms full of supplies, blinking in confusion.
"Did you think I turned back into the old Luo Han ?" She circled around him, inspecting. "Nope, still the same. Too bad." She sighed, sounding genuinely disappointed.
"…"
Her acting was terrifyingly convincing. Luo Han decided to be more direct. He pulled the waistband of his boxers and snapped them loudly. Surely she'd notice the difference now.
"Are you being a pervert right now?" Aishi asked, raising an eyebrow. Then her tone sharpened. "Or are you being a pervert towards me? What do you take me for?"
Sigh… Something's not right here. Isn't this red tank top obvious enough? That boxers snap was plenty loud! Maybe it's the wrong angle... never mind.
"Didn't you notice my outfit's totally different from yesterday?" Luo Han said at last, giving up the subtle approach.
"Outfit…?" Aishi squinted, took a closer look, and then her brain finally clicked. "Oh right! Yesterday you were in white, today it's red!"
…
"That's it?" Luo Han asked after a long pause.
"…" Aishi stared at him blankly. "What are you trying to do?"
"I just want to know who changed my clothes, that's all," Luo Han mumbled, suddenly awkward. "I was drunk… I don't remember anything."
"It wasn't me! And it wasn't Sora or the others either—we went back to the ship early last night," Aishi replied, annoyed. Then added with a smirk, "What? You wanted me to be the one who changed your underwear?"
Heh… heh… Luo Han laughed nervously. That was a tough question. But the thought of a bunch of burly men changing his briefs made his skin crawl. God, I hope I wasn't touched. Ugh.
"What's that? Is it for me to drink?" Luo Han asked, finally noticing the items in Aishi 's hands. He rubbed his stomach, suddenly feeling queasy. "Got anything to eat? I want porridge."
"There is. Here!" Aishi handed him a cup of water and a bowl of porridge.
"You really made porridge? Nice!" Luo Han happily took the bowl and opened the lid. Surprised, he looked at Aishi . "She's actually quite caring."
He rinsed his mouth with the water, then eagerly dug into the porridge. Hygiene first, of course.
Once he finished, Aishi said irritably, "You're the one who said you'd take Tsuki home today. You slept in till noon. She's been waiting since early morning."
"You could've woken me up."
Aishi hesitated at his words, and Luo Han caught it. Ah, he thought. She didn't want to leave so soon. That's why she didn't wake me.
Geez, if you want to stay longer, just say so. I wasn't rushing anyone. Luo Han looked around. It was quiet. The others had already packed and left. But where was Whitebeard? Probably at the port.
"Let's go," he told Aishi , flying with her toward the harbor. "Where's Newgate?"
"He left early this morning in a small boat," Aishi replied. "He wanted to wake you, but you were still out cold. He said he'd come find you again when your tolerance improves."
He's already gone, huh? Luo Han thought. Next time we meet, I bet he'll be 'Captain Edward Newgate' of the Whitebeard Pirates. I can't wait to see it.
Thud thud! They landed on the ship—still the same model Rocks used.
"You're back! Nothing happened last night, right?" Sister Shao asked meaningfully.
"Nope! Nothing at all, hahaha…" Luo Han laughed awkwardly, thinking she meant the mysterious wardrobe change.
"Han-ge, here's the map!" Cole approached, handing over a rolled-up nautical chart retrieved from his stomach—no spit this time. The last one had only gotten stuck in his throat.
"…" Luo Han stared at the map in silence. He couldn't understand a thing. The academic pain was real.
"Sister Shao, better if you read this. We'll just follow your lead."
"Haha, alright," she chuckled, taking the map. "You sure looked focused, though—I thought you understood it."
"Ehh…" Luo Han scratched his head awkwardly. Then he looked around. "Hey, where's Amatsuki?"
Sister Shao paused, tucked away the map, and said softly, "She's in her room, resting. Probably got tired of waiting for someone."
Oof. That makes me sound like a heartless jerk, Luo Han thought, and gave a dry laugh to ease the tension.
"Alright! We're good to go now. I've locked in our destination," Sister Shao announced.
"Great, then let's set sail!" Luo Han said with relief. Using his Kyoka suigetsu ability, he whispered into Tack's ear, "Let's move. Follow me."
"Understood, boss!" Tack's booming voice echoed from the nearby large ship.
Haha! Luo Han laughed heartily, guiding the two ships as they slowly rose into the sky, heading toward Wano Country.
…
(END CHAPTER)
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