Chapter 86: Love can hurt. (it seems)

...

Yeah... 

She fainted but Edam was too close, like literally skin-to-skin too close for her to possibly fall down as he caught her in his arm.

Edam "What- ?" A dumbfounded expression came across his face.

"O...O Oy Hancock ?! Hey stay with me !" He nervously patted her cute and unconscious face.

"Sis !?" 

"Hancock-nee-sama !? What happened !?"

"Princess ! You filthy man what have you done ?!"

Swish !

With a 'what the hell happened ?!' face he lifted her up and instantly appeared on the other ship as he put her down.

He patted her cheeks with a frown as both sisters came by his sides and kneel down looking at their sister in panic.

"Edam, what did you do ?!"

"W-what ?! I, I didn't do anything, I can even swear to whatever gods you believe in !" Edam said with a bit of panic and worry. He wasn't an expert on the field but fainting like this was clearly not natural... and so...

'Is she like, allergic to kisses ? If that's so I didn't know ! And even if that's the case she started first !'

He quickly placed a hand on her chest and directly used his spiritual perception to scan her body.

However after thoroughly examining her body from her head to her toes for a couple of minutes, he couldn't find anything at all, his capabilities as a medics were really bad...

However he did notice that her temperature was quickly heating up as time passed by...

With a frown, he couldn't help but turn to the sisters.

"Marie, Sonia, is she sick maybe or does she have some sickness of some sort ?"

"Huh ? No, Sis was always in perfect condition and she never ever fell sick too..." Sandersonia replied with worry all over her face.

To this Edam scratched his head and curiously said.

"Then I really don't know what is happening now... I don't see any reasons for fainting..."

"What- What should we do Sonia-nee-sama ?!" Mariegold said in panic.

"Uh- Uh... Umm, Oh ! I know ! We should go and get Elder Nyon, she may know what's happening to her !" Sandersonia quickly pondered and exclaimed.

"And where is she ?" Edam took his eyes off the sleeping Hancock and glanced at them.

"She... She is in our homeland there..." She said pointing at the island at about three kilometers away or so...

Edam then glanced at it before turning back at them.

"Then let's go." 

"...?" Marie and Sonia looked on with question marks on their faces.

He carefully took the unconscious girl in his arms and stood up before slowly floating up in the air.

*Float float*

No need to say that the Kuja girls and even their snakes all wore a ridiculous faces at this scene.

He erected a sphere around his body and closed his eyes before opening them a second after as the sphere got a bit bigger and took in Sandersonia too.

"It will be faster this way..."

"Huh ? Ehhhh ?!" Sandersonia exclaimed as she noticed that she began to float in the air too.

"Hey, Marie, sorry to not bring you with us but I will need you to managed your people here or something will surely go wrong between them." He said to her and then turned to Zaz.

"Hey Zaz just cooperate with her alright ?"

"...? Oh, sure..." Zaz who was like everyone, still under a small shock snapped back and replied.

"Hn." Edam nodded and then turned around as his figure rapidly disappeared into the distance with Sandersonia crying for her life.

---------

"..." The two crew were staring at this weird looking scene blankly...

Zaz who was currently the commander then looked at Mariegold and spoke.

"So umm, you Kuja like to raise snakes ?" He just wanted to start the conversation and relieved the strange atmosphere in the air.

"...Hmm..." Mariegold said as the other Kuja girls nodded.

Out of boredom one of the girls then asked. "Say, is it true that you minks races can transform ?"

"Uh Yeah..." Zaz said and the others nodded.

And then what seems to be a conversation started as Zaz and Mariegold, current leaders began to speak.

Mariegold knowing that she couldn't possibly throw out her savior's crew like that, she decided to lead them to the island border to at least get them out of the Seas King's claws roaming Calm Belt.

When they (Zaz & co) got out of the ship though, Mariegold informed them to not move from here, especially the guys... She didn't really care for the girls but clearly specified for the guys.

Although they had some privilege from knowing Edam, they still weren't completely welcomed to the Kuja capital.

Some were not happy, some couldn't careless...

Zaz just went with the flow and agreed to her demand. He didn't bother himself to think about this woman country filled... and he couldn't or he would be ripped to pieces by the two golden lions by his sides. And he couldn't do anything even if they so, 'cause his own grandpa would tear him to pieces should he try anything funny… sigh...

....

Meanwhile Edam had already reached the place in question thanks to Sandersonia who was leading the way though with much difficulties from nearly throwing up.

"Is it that house ?"

"Ugh, ye- yeah..."

They arrived at a house on the outskirt of the capital, clearly a long distance from civilization as if it was exiled away.

"Alright !" As he flew down, he landed on a terrace overseeing the forest and the sea.

*Float float*

And on this terrace, there was a small little grandma who was peacefully reading her Newspaper while thinking...

'Haaah... I hope that she will sign the treaty... if not then we're doom !'

"Now that I think about it, I really wonder which high ranked will it be ?"

"Hmm ?" As she turned her head slightly she saw a young man dressed in white akin to an angel carrying a sleeping fairy.

???!!!!!!

"Yo-You ?! Who- Who are you-Nyon !? Snake Princess ?!" Gloriossa yelled hysterically as she saw the young man landing on her terrace with their young Kuja Empress being in his arms and unconscious at that…

"Yo- You-... You !"

Although the two of them would argue a lot and even insult each other and go further, that didn't change the fact that in just those three years she came to consider that "idiot, arrogant and sometimes hateful" of a princess as her own daughter... 

So seeing her laying down so frail and without defense in this stranger's arms shocked her to her core... who knew what that man had done to her right...? 

She more than anyone was aware of how beautiful the Snake Princess was... 

Gloriossa had traveled around the world before and met with the most beautiful people this world had to offer... and she too was a beauty in the past but... she knew that Hancock's beauty was a league above anyone... Few people could resist her charm when she was awake...

And now that the beauty has gone sleeping... She looked just like a gentle and frail fairy, releasing a feeling of delicateness that anyone would want to protect and possess for themselves... 

'What if... What if he did something to her...?' This thought alone sufficed to scare and infuriate her.

And so...

She attacked with her snake-like stick !

"You ! What have you done to her ?!" And weirdly enough...

Pah !

She touched his head... while at the same time Sandersonia's voice sounded.

"Ah Elder Nyon no, he is-... It's Edam !"

"Nyon ?!" She wanted to strike a second time but heard Sonia and stayed her hands as she looked at the young man in front as he looked at the elder with a guilty face.

"..."

As she finally looked closely at him and she finally noticed that he actually wore a quite high ranked coat for his age and that just behind him, there was a full black colored monkey tail.

"Nyon ?! So you're that baby monkey from before ?" She exclaimed in shock.

The little had grown into a full fledged and handsome young man yup.

"Yeah yeah, but that's not important for now, Hancock is sick !" Edam brushed off the matter quickly and showed Hancock who was in his arm to her with a concerned face.

"What ?" Gloriossa was stunned for a moment before taking a good look at the Princess.

At first glance, she was 50% certain of what was currently happening.

"Put her on this bed." Gloriossa led them to a room as Edam listened to her command.

"So what now ? What can I do to help you ?" His guilty-looking face didn't leave Hancock for a second as he spoke.

She took another glance at the Princess and then at him before sighing and said.

"Sigh… now leave…"

"Eh ?"

"Go, go just go… it will take a couple of minutes at most maybe..."

"Ah… yes…" He listened and returned to the terrace quietly, closing the sliding door and waited there sighing a bit.

'Should I listen on them ? But… no it's not right…' He wanted to use his super hearing but it didn't feel right to do so at this moment for a reason or another.

…

Gloriossa was currently standing with Sandersonia as they watched Hancock lying on the bed.

Strangely enough, the moment Edam left the room she slowly woke up and began to release some unwanted and painful moans with a red face.

"It hurt…" She contorted in pain as she held her chest.

Elder Nyon's gaze turned grave at that.

Hancock half opened her eyes and looked at Elder Nyon with a seeking help gaze.

"Elder Nyon, it hurts…" Hancock painfully uttered as she held her chest tighter.

Her eyes even had some tears in it as it emphasized her beauty and this strange feeling of pitifullness.

Elder Nyon's gaze turned grimmer and grimmer as she said.

"Mon-...!"

At this word Hancock's body suddenly wreaked in pain.

"Ed-...!" Elder Nyon said again and the same thing happened once again.

Hancock contorted in pain.

"Elder Nyon what are you doing ?! Stop doing that she's suffering already !"

"I already know that…" Gloriossa paused before taking a breath.

"Sigh… of course it had to happen, she's seventeen already and the seed was already planted in her heart a long time ago… and it finally blossomed into a flower now… a poisonous flower…"

"What ?! there's a poisonous plant growing in her heart ?!"

"…this is just a way of talking, she contracted a virus."

"A virus ?!" Sandersonia exclaimed in shock.

Gloriossa nodded and said grimmly. "Hn, the previous empress died because of this virus ! As did the one before her… This damn virus !"

"In fact I too was infected by this disease, that's why I left the kingdom and that's also how I managed to survive…"

Sandersonia's face was shocked to the core and paled a bit.

"Then, then what should we do ?!" 

"Hmm… there's only one solution now…" Gloriossa took a glance at the Princess and then her gaze wandered to her far away terrace where Edam was currently, shoulders on the border pondering over something it seems.

////////////////////

It's here ! Hey do tell me if you find any mistakes or whatnot thanks✌