Chapter 475: Chapter 475: Ship Wreck
Ben, Maya, Conis and Hina walked into the forest from a different path onto the beach. "This is a large island," Conis remarked.
"It certainly is very large, I think there may be more parts to this island," Ben responded.
Hina looked around. She saw the large dense forest. The trees were huge. There were lots of flowers and plants everywhere. She looked at Ben. She thought he was a criminal with a 300,000 Beli Bounty. Her brain was initially telling her he is dangerous but her heart was telling her he might be okay and nice. Then her brain agreed. However she knew as a Marine she could not trust him.
She looked at Maya and Conis. They did not look like criminals. They looked like innocent girls exploring a forest right now. She thought Ben must have made them join and ruined their lives. However they looked happy.
She walked next to Ben. "Hina wants to know why you went to Enies Lobby and what you did there?" Hina asked.
Ben smiled. "You are thinking the Marines are hiding something," Ben responded.
"It will not be the first time," Hina said.
"You are right there and probably will not be the last time either," Ben said.
"It started when we encountered Admiral Aokiji," Ben said, his gaze distant as he recalled the event. "We fought him, but… he's on a whole different level. He defeated us, but for some reason, he let us escape. It was a warning, I think, but we didn't have time to think about it. Me and Alvida were in a small coma," he added. Hina looked shocked. She knew Ben was strong however it showed how much stronger an Admiral was.
"From there, we made our way to Water 7. That's when things escalated. We were accused of assassinating the mayor—something we had nothing to do with." He clenched his fists slightly.. "The truth was that an undercover government agency called CP9 orchestrated it all. They set us up to cover their own tracks," he explained.
Robin's name hung in the air before Ben finally uttered it. "They kidnapped Robin and planned to execute her. She became their scapegoat, their target, for reasons tied to her past."
Hina listened. She knew Robin was a threat for the Marines but she had fought side by side with Robin to help save villagers from pirates. She did not seem like a bad person.
Ben paused and continued, "But we weren't going to let that happen. We fought tooth and nail through everyone who stood in our way. CP9, their agents, the Marines—it didn't matter. We came for Robin, and we weren't leaving without her." "In the end, we got her back," Ben said. "We left Enies Lobby in ruins and escaped. It wasn't easy, and we paid a price for it, but we made it out together."
Hina nodded. She knew it was a crime. "It was a crime," Hina said.
Conis and Maya stayed silent. Ben smiled, "Maybe but it was the right thing to do. I was not going to allow Robin to die for us. I love her, I love everyone on my crew and I will fight tooth and nail for them. I will raise hell for them," Ben stated.
"You are on the radar of the Marines now," Hina said. "Hina thinks it could be bad," she added.
"We will see what they do. I know we need to get stronger and I will get much much stronger to protect everyone," Ben said. Hina nodded slowly.
"Hina wants to also know how NT can use Crocodile devil fruit powers," Hina said.
"You saw that? Well, NT is an android, think of her as an advanced robot. We injected her with blood from a devil fruit user so she can use it," Ben responded. Ben knew Hina would not tell anyone.
Hina thought that was advanced. She knew Vegapunk was meant to bring out something new to help the Marines.
"Ben, we see something," Maya said. Ben and Hina approached the ledge and an abandoned wrecked ship in a small pond. The still, murky water was surrounded by vegetation.
The ship's hull was split and splintered, its wooden planks darkened. Moss and vines draped over its sides. The bow of the ship jutted out of the water at a sharp angle, its figurehead a barely recognizable carving of a mermaid, cracked and eroded.
There was a large jagged hole in the side of the ship.Inside the wreck, there were shattered timbers and scattered remnants of crates and barrels floated in the shallow pond. They could see frogs croaking intermittently and. dragonflies flying above the pond. There was a large tree next to the pond.
"That is a large ship wreck," Ben said.
"How did it get there?" Maya asked.
"Let's go check it out," Ben said as he transformed into his hybrid form. Ben stepped forward and effortlessly scooped them both up by their waists, pulling them close. The motion caused their large breast to press firmly against his chest, and both women flushed red, their eyes widening at the sudden intimacy.
"Captain…" they murmured in unison.
Ben chuckled. "Hold tight," he said and added, "I will come back for you Hina."
Ben with a powerful leap, he took to the sky. Maya and Conis clung to him, their blush deepening as the wind rushed past them. The shipwreck in the pond grew closer. Ben landed smoothly near the wreck, setting the two women down gently before giving them a wink.
Returning swiftly, Ben didn't waste a second. "Your turn," he said, extending his arms toward Hina.
Hina raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed by his boldness. "Hina says don't drop me," she replied.
Ben seized the moment, sweeping her off her feet into a classic princess carry. Hina's eyes narrowed, her lips pressing into a thin line, but she didn't protest. As they descended, Ben couldn't help but smirk.
The moment they landed, Hina's composure cracked slightly. She grabbed his collar in one swift, forceful motion, pulling him close as her icy glare."Don't push your luck." she said in a low, dangerous tone.
Despite her stern expression, there was the faintest hint of a blush dusting her cheeks. "Message received," he said with a wink.
At that moment, Ben saw a large tree. He walked over to the tree. It looked like a coconut tree with a red trunk. "This tree is different," Ben said.
Maya approached the tree. "I have never seen a tree like this before," Maya agreed.
Ben clenched his fist. He punched the massive tree trunk. The impact reverberated through the air, sending leaves fluttering down like confetti.
All of a sudden fruits began to rain down. There was a red fruit which tumbled through the air, bouncing off branches and scattering in all directions as they hit the ground.
"Whoa!" Maya exclaimed, stepping back quickly.
"Ben, warn us next time!" Conis said,.
"Ops," he admitted, watching as the fruits rolled across the forest floor. "These fruits are different," he added.
Maya walked towards the fruit. "Yes, it seems like a new species," Maya agreed.
"Lets take all these fruits," Ben said. They all gathered the 10 Fountain Berries.
"Ben there is the altar there," Conis pointed out.