A Pirate's Life for Me

by goldensomething

Book 3 of our One Piece Universe, this story focuses on Raion, the son of Luffy and Nami, several years after the ending of the second book, Dragon Tamer. Raion, known around the world as the Dark Prince, is now Captain of his own ship. Evelyn is a noble lady whose dream has always been to be a pirate, but she never imagined she'd find herself on the ship of the Pirate King's son.

1. Chapter 1

***** DISCLAIMER, PLEASE READ- A Pirate's Life for Me is the third (kinda fourth) published story in this One Piece Universe that I and Jesachi, u/711995/Jesachi, have written together. Many people really enjoyed the first one, The Way of the Sword and Rose, but Jesachi and I have moved on to other writing in our lives, and we don't think we're ever going to go back and edit these. Therefore, this is a WARNING that this story is completely UN-EDITED and also written as a roleplay between myself and Jesachi, so the point of view switches between the two main characters every now and then. If this bothers you, don't read it :) We are only publishing these because we thought our fans might want to see the direction we took with our One Piece Universe. I hope you enjoy! Raion and Eevee are an amazing couple, and Luffy's entire crew makes an appearance eventually :)**********

Tonight was the night.

Burbank Evelyn, youngest member of the esteemed Burbank Family of Botanist Doctors, rushed frantically from one side of her lavish bedroom to the other, grabbing stray stockings and shifts as she went. Sitting on the extravagantly carved bed in the center of the room was an open suitcase, already stuffed full of clothing, sealed bottles, and medical equipment.

"Miss Evelyn, do not forget your tonic before bed," a faint, airy voice called from outside of her closed door. Evelyn froze, eyes wide with concern that she'd be caught in the act, clutching a pair of tights to her chest.

"I won't, Jenny. Have a good night," Evelyn called back to her maid, proud of how well she managed to keep her voice even.

"Good night then, Miss Evelyn," Jenny called back, and Evelyn could hear her voice receding as she headed towards her parent's wing of the manor.

Letting out a breath of relief, Evelyn hurried over to the suitcase, shoved the last of her things that she could fit into it, then zippered the thing closed. It was bursting at the seems, and a few scraps of lace were poking out from the sides, but it would do.

She rounded on the full-length mirror and studied herself hurriedly, smoothing out her pale lavender dress and adjusting her wide-brimmed hat that would help conceal her face. The dress matched the color of her eyes, and the hat was a simple, if well made, straw hat, and she'd chosen it deliberately for its meaning. It sat on top of her unfettered auburn hair, hair that fell down to her waist. Lifting her skirts, she eyed her feet critically. Instead of her normal slippers or heeled shoes, she wore a pair of soft leather boots that wrapped their way up her slender calves to her knees. She never wore boots under her dresses, but she knew her normal shoes were impractical for the mission she set out for tonight.

The mission to become a pirate, at last.

Evelyn suppressed a little grin of excitement, and ducked away from the mirror, hurrying over to the side of the suitcase. She pulled out a folded stack of papers, and hurried shifted through them until she settled on just one.

The Dark Prince, Monkey D. Raion: Wanted for 310 million beri.

His slashing gray eyes under his mop of wild black hair stared up at her above a wicked grin. At one point in her life, she'd wanted to marry this man. He was the son of the Pirate King, after all, and she dearly loved pirates. In fact, she'd told a young boy that once...and then found out years later that she'd informed the actual son of the pirate king of her intent to marry him...and have children with him, if she wasn't mistaken.

She'd met him when they'd both been 12 or 13, so young...they'd been playmates for a whole summer, and he'd taught her to play the only piano piece she knew. But then he'd vanished, and she'd never seen him again. Three years later, she'd discovered his identity, when he'd first come out into the pirate world.

By breaking into the world's most impenetrable prison, Impel Down, with his father and kinfolk.

Evelyn sighed, and folded the posters back up. She'd been so mortified when she'd discovered what she'd revealed to his very face. How he must have laughed at her...or thought her odd, surely. Her cheeks burned a little even know, thinking back. However, with age she'd gained maturity, and realized her goal of becoming a pirate was good enough for her. Of course, she'd want to be a pirate on his crew, and only his crew.

Which brought her to tonight. She'd learned, through a dear friend, that the Dark Prince was going to be in Sabaody tonight, and moreover, he was going to be drinking and performing at Gabbi's Bar!

The bar was located in the more rogue groves of Sabaody, but Evelyn had become friends with the owner of the bar from her many ventures out into the outlaw districts during the day. This would be her first time there at night, when most of the outlaws and pirates were about, and her insides were quivering a little at the thought. She couldn't decide, though, if it was nerves, or excitement.

She glanced at the clock, and murmured, "time to go..."

Scooping up her suitcase, Evelyn hurried to the back of her room and into the closet. There was a hidden door that lead to an escape route out to the back of the manor, normally used in emergencies. Now, it would enable her to escape unseen.

With her suitcase in tow, the trip from her manor in grove 3 to grove 20 took her an hour. By then, it was almost midnight, and the bars were in full swing. She took her time, keeping to the shadows and moving slowly so as not to attract attention. Finally, she stood outside Gabbi's bar, and her heart was beating loudly in her chest. She swallowed hard, staring up at the illuminated sign and listening to the rowdy laughter inside.

Faintly, she could hear the cords of a piano.

"Raion..." she whispered, excitement spiking in her blood, giving her the courage she needed to march up the steps. She'd left her suitcase hidden around the side of the bar, in an alcove Gabbi had shown her early in the week. Her hands were covered in white gloves, and clenched into fists of tension, but hidden in the folds of her skirt a her sides. When she reached the top step, she unclenched one hand and reached for the handle of the door, but it suddenly burst open, and Evelyn was forced to stumble back as two men tumbled out of the bar and down the steps.

She couldn't tell if this was a fight, because they were both laughing, despite the fact that they were aiming for each other's jaws. She closed her open mouth and shook her head a little, reaching up to pull her hat down over her face. Turning towards the door, she slipped in.

It was much louder inside of the building, and for a moment, Evelyn was stunned into immobility. She stared around her at all of the pirates and outlaws that filled the place to its limit, laughing, toasting, singing, drinking, and much more. It wasn't the best smelling place in the world, either, but she managed to keep from wrinkling her nose.

The sound of the piano was louder too, and once she adjusted to the cacophony of the room, she was able to pinpoint it to the back, to the right of the bar. Taking a deep breath, she headed for it. She may not be very strong, but she was certainly agile, and had a grace imbued from years of dance class, so she easily evaded most of the drunkards as she wove her way through the throng towards the piano.

Finally, she burst through the crowd and found herself in a small opening of people situated directly in front of a large, black piano.

Sitting on the bench, hands flying over the keys, was Monkey D. Raion.

Her lungs froze for a moment as she eyes drank him in. He was playing a rowdy song, singing in a deep voice that melted her insides a little, and his lips were drawn back in a perma-grin. His eyes were dancing, and glazed enough that she could tell he'd been drinking.

He looked...magnificent.

Shaking her head to clear it, she reminded herself of her objective. With only a slight hesitation, Evelyn tipped back the straw hat, and strode forward until she was directly in front of the piano, directly in his line of sight.

Thrusting her shoulders back and lifting her chin, Evelyn said in a clear voice. "Monkey D. Raion, please make me one of your nakama."

The piano sounded like a carnival and the microphone smelled like beer. He loved it.

Sabaody was always a good time. Any time he had to cross the Red Line, it was the place he stopped at. Earlier this evening, his ship had made port here after a long stay at Fishman Island where his nakama had been dealing with some personal business. It was all settled now and hitting fresh air and solid land and sunshine meant he and his small crew were rearing for a party.

And Gabbi's was the place to be.

Raion laughed, playing a jaunty version of Binks No Sake, at Sabo as the blonde man dragged two long tables together and hauled a very drunk Margherita up onto the surface and they began to dance wildly. Sabo was absolutely belligerent. In another corner, the twin Tiger Shark Fishmen brothers Zeke and Titus were engaging in a drinking contest with some of the other pirates. Being twice a broad and twice the weight of an average man, naturally, the twins had drank everyone under the table. What looked like bets were being placed to see which brother would be left standing.

He glanced up and around, looking for Gabbi for another beer when suddenly she was at his elbow, deftly snatching his empty and giving him a freshie.

"I was just looking for you," he laughed, zinging one hand over the keys and swigging his drink.

She smiled. Gabbi made a great bartender. She had that smile and personality that made patrons feel like they were the only person that mattered in the whole world, but she could hold her own against all of them, "Looks like I found you first," she kissed his cheek, "I'm making a killing tonight because of your music. I might be obligated to let your crew drink one or two on me tonight..." she glanced at Sabo, who was yanking a pretty little woman up onto the table with him to dance, "Though that probably means he drinks for free tonight..."

"Doesn't take much for him," he laughed again and with a wink, she was gone again, her tray braced on her hand as she maneuvered the crowd with ease.

In the lull of chords as he waited for someone to call out a particular song, he heard the very faint sound of the door opening and closing and automatically, his eyes directed to the sound. It was a long habit born from safety rather than curiosity. Being the captain of a crew was a huge responsibility. He was in charge of four other lives excluding his own. He trusted his nakama, but he watched out for them too.

So when the door tinkled and he saw two bodies fall out into the street, Raion did an automatic head count. Sabo was dancing. Margherita was beginning to argue with someone - he made a mental note to get Zeke or Titus to stop her before she bit someone - and Zeke and Titus were still competing, though Zeke had now just spotted their poisonous friend.

Good. Everyone was accounted for.

Another person had joined the bar; a woman. He watched her a bit uncharacteristically for him, his first thought that she looked a little out of place. A narrow framed woman, wearing a long lavender dress with cap sleeves and a wide brimmed straw hat on her hair. She appeared young, maybe around his own age, but most of her face was obscured by her floppy hat. She looked like a noble or someone. What a noble would be doing in a pirate bar was beyond him. Then again, his experience with nobles was limited to a very small sample size from nearly ten years ago.

She made her way towards the piano and his eyes floated away from her, over the crowd as someone shouted a song and he gladly picked up the melody for it and everyone joined in. He grinned, singing with them.

Another flash of movement caught his eye and when he looked up this time, it was right into the violet eyes of the woman he'd seen. Her gloved hands splayed on the piano and her voice was clear to him, even among the singing, yelling and cheering.

"Monkey D. Raion, please make me one of your nakama."

For half a heartbeat, his brain floundered. Where had he seen her before? Those eyes... the violet eyes, the shape of her nose, high cheekbones, her voice... His brain raked quickly, neurons firing until he came up with the answer and even still, he was shocked.

Ho. Ly. Shit.

The grin that had faded during his brief memory lapse quickly resurfaced and Raion waved a hand without taking his eyes off her. A local, capable pianist rushed over and quickly took his sit with hardly an interruption in the music.

"Well, well, well," he drawled, circling around to her side of the piano, "If it isn't little Eevee of the Goa Kingdom," he paused, holding up a hand, "I mean, Lady Evelyn," he scooped up her hand and made an exaggerated gesture of kissing her gloved knuckles, "Come down to mingle with the pirates finally...?"

In his mind, he had a glassed-up image of her, preserved as her thirteen-year-old self. Skinny, with knocking knees and pink lace stocking and little white Mary Janes. Violet eyes too big for her face and a little satchel bursting with herbs and plants. And a terrible pianist.

She... was not that anymore, clearly. A damned woman was what he was looking at. Full figured and taller, she'd grown into her eyes and while his thirteen year old self had thought she was pretty then, she was beautiful now.

Her heart jumped in her chest when his eyes met hers, and she saw the recognition flare up. He remembered her! Her smile, however, turned into a scowl at his words. She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her chin up defiantly.

"I may be a lady, Raion, but as you know, I've wanted to be a pirate my whole life," she informed him, her voice haughty and airy, a vocal contradiction to her words. Her eyes flickered out to the many criminals who were now watching her with great interest, not all of them with friendly eyes.

In fact, some of them were watching her like they'd love to devour her whole.

A shiver raced down her spine, but she squared her shoulders and stepped closer to Raion, enabling her to keep her voice down and avoid transmitting to the whole bar her intentions.

Especially if he turns her down and she had to find her own way out of this place.

"And, if I do recall, you promised to help me with this dream of mine," she reminded him in a lowered voice, so close to him now that she had to tilt her head back to see his face, and held her hat on her head with one of her gloved hands. God he smelled good...And he was so much taller now, almost a full head taller than her. It took effort to keep her mind on track with what she was saying. "In return, I promise to be an asset to your crew. I know I can help make you a greater pirate than even your father was."

The anxiety and trepidation she'd felt, being in a rowdy bar full of criminals for the first time at night, was washed away by a burning light in her eyes. Her lips were set, her chin tilted in a stubborn line, and her eyes, locked on his, were unwavering in their intensity. She needed him to see how much she wanted this.

"Besides, if you break your promise, you could never be greater than your father," she added, knowing it was a low blow, but she was putting everything on the line for this, so she wasn't about to let this opportunity slip away. Though she was trying to be serious, the corners of her lips quirked a little, because it was the sort of thing she used to tease him with when they were little. She hadn't known who his father was or anything, but she'd had the annoying habit of telling him what he should or shouldn't do.

15 years ago

"Dadddddd! Pleeeeaasssseeeee!"

"Ask your mother."

"I already asked her TWICE! She said ask YOU!" Raion, six years old, never dreamed that he would have to resort to begging this early in his life. Or ever, really. Pirates shouldn't ever have to beg for things they want. They should just... have them.

Luffy hunkered down to Raion's level, peering at him, his hand tucked under his chin in a very classic thinking pose. Raion held his breath.

"I don't think you deserve a piano," Luffy settled on after what felt like a lifetime of silence.

The little boy's jaw dropped, "But... but... please!" The traders were on the island for only two nights and yesterday, as part of his punishment from earlier that day, Raion was forced to accompany his mother as she perused what the merchant ship had to offer. As she bargained heavily for some parchment, ink and other school supplies and some clothing, he'd wandered through the ship and discovered a piano. A beautiful piano, shiny and new. His knowledge was pretty limited by his age, but he inspected it and from he could tell, it was in complete functioning order.

He'd begged his mother. She'd said ask his father. He'd said ask his mother. Now he was back to Luffy.

"You played a very mean trick yesterday," Luffy reminded him sternly.

"I already said I was sorry..." Raion pouted. He had boasted to some of the village kids that he was just as good a thief as his mother. They, of course, didn't believe him and told him that if he was a great thief, he would steal the Straw Hat and bring it to them to see.

So, he plucked the straw hat off his father's sleeping head and showed it to the village kids. It had escalated violently after that. In the end, Raion had to find his irate father and ask for help in getting the hat back from the punks that had stolen it from him. Luffy had been pissed.

"You took something that wasn't yours to prove that you are worth something. That is not okay." Luffy continued, pointing a finger at Raion, "You were easily fooled by boys not nearly as smart as you. And then you couldn't solve your own problem."

Raion looked as his feet and scuffed his shoes against the floor. He knew he'd been stupid and manipulated. It was one thing to have his mother point it out to him, but it was another to have his father do it too. "I know..." he mumbled, ashamed.

His father stood up and rubbed his hand across the back of his neck in thought, "You have to play everyday, as much as your schooling. You have to commit to the learning the piano." he finally said, turning around and crouching in front of his son again.

Raion lit up, "YES! I promise! I promise!"

Luffy scowled, "A promise is a heavy thing. Don't make promises you can't keep."

Raion stopped and thought for a minute. Then launched himself bodily at his father, "I still promise!"

Luffy laughed, his rubbery arms going around and around Raion, "Yosha! Let's go buy a piano!"

He'd kept that promise, even today. He played the piano every single day unless he was sick or injured and even then, it depended on the depth of his sickness or injury. A good pirate, no, a good person, never broke their word.

Raion stiffened as she mentioned that promise he'd made to her all those years ago, torn between smiling and scowling. He supposed he had promised to help her, didn't he? Right before he left, he'd turned around in the middle of the street to see her leaning out the door, watching him.

"If you do ever become a pirate someday," he shouted, "Look me up. I might be able to help you out or something."

She smiled with those eyes too big for her narrow face, "Really? Promise?"

He remembered stopping and analyzing that question before he'd answered. Would she really call on him? Would she even become a pirate? He mentally shrugged. So what? If his father taught him anything, it was that starting early with networking worked always in your favor, "Sure, why not? Promise," he'd replied. And just like that, he had left.

Clever or her to bring that up now. A low blow, mixing his father in with it, but clever nonetheless.

His eyes flickered around the room. Did he want her on his ship? More likely than not, she'd be a constant liability. He couldn't fathom that she had any fighting skill whatsoever. Not in those skirts.

But of all the pirate ships out there, he'd like to think that his was the less of the evils. Half the men in the bar alone looked like they wanted to devour her. She wouldn't last three minutes on anyone else's pirate ship. She might make it a little while with him. He had promised to help her, didn't he.

And secretly, he kinda always fancied that someday he'd hook up with her and she'd be part of his crew.

"I have a little test for you first," he smiled wickedly, then leaned down to speak closer to her ear, just for her hearing, "I want you to try and leave the bar."

At her expression, his grin widened, "Baby, I'm not stupid. Half the men in this room want to know what's hidden under those heavy skirts of yours. If you can make it to the door unscathed, you can join my crew."

He didn't even care if she made it to the door. He wasn't testing her ability to defend herself. He wanted to know if she'd actually just do it. First order of business on a pirate ship; trust your captain's orders, even if you are afraid.

Evelyn's shoulders tensed for a moment as her eyes skirted the room and assessed the myriad of criminals and other roughened people that occupied the tables and filled the space between her and the door. They were all pretty intimidating-looking, and she could tell that many of them were keeping an eye on her and her 'skirts,' as Raion said so eloquently.

However, if it was simply a matter of getting to the door…then she should be fine. She'd made it into the bar, after all, so she should be able to make it out too.

"Fine," Evelyn said in a curt voice, and squared her shoulders. "That's easy," she added airily, waving her gloved hand in the air dismissively.

She turned her back to him, and her eyes were instantly assessing what path would offer the least resistance. Her dancer's instincts were kicking in, and she found herself rising up on the balls of her feet ever so slightly, then lowering herself back down in a restless gesture.

She waited until a gap appeared, then went for it.

She hadn't counted on one small factor when she'd agreed to this challenge. When she'd been talking to Raion, a good buffer of space had existed between the two of them and the rest of the room. She hadn't factored that the reason people had been giving them space was because of Raion and his well-known status with the patrons in the bar.

The moment she walked away from him, however, it was like a stopper suddenly pulled from a drain. Men moved towards her like water rushing for the suddenly open drain.

She froze for a second, then realized that was a mistake. If she stayed still, she'd be like an open invitation to be grabbed or otherwise engaged.

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn plowed onward. She stepped, pivoted, twirled, and maneuvered herself through the room, evading grasping hands by inches as her hands held her dress closer to her frame. Twice, someone grabbed her skirt, but she didn't let it stop her momentum and managed to get free by yanking firmly and quickly the moment she felt the resistance.

She was almost to the door when a very large form suddenly moved into her path, a man so large it was impossible for her to pivot around him smoothly. Startled, she stopped, leaning her head back in order to see up into the face of the man who was now her last obstacle.

"Hello there pretty lady…you have some mighty fine skirts there," he said in a deep, roughened voice. He grinned at her in a way that told her instantly he was more interested in what was under the skirts than the dress itself.

"Why thank you, good sir. You have a rather splendid shirt on!" Evelyn answered after a breath's hesitation. She pulled on a winning smile and widened her eyes to make herself look surprised and pleased at the same time, pointing at his shirt as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Huh…?" the man frowned as if confused, and looked down at himself.

Evelyn took that opportunity and hurriedly slipped around the distracted man. Moving quick and as agile as an eel, she grasped the door handle, yanked it open, and shot outside with her skirts rustling around her legs.

Breathing the fresh, cool night air, she felt a surging sense of victory. She'd done it! Smiling smugly, she whirled around to face the door, expecting it to be Raion behind her, and found herself facing five men instead as they slowly spread out to surround her.

Her stomach clenched and she felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her head as a sense of panic rushing down her spine.

He had to laugh at the too fierce determination on her face as she nodded curtly and agreed to his request. She hiked up her skirts with purpose and she began to move through the crowd with more grace than he was expecting. When they were children she was the clumsiest little girl he'd ever met, constantly tripping and falling. But even as he laughed and chuckled, he couldn't help but admire the way she moved. Like a fighter, on the balls of her feet, deft and smooth. It was probably more accurate that she moved like a dancer instead with years of classes from that fancy family she came from.

Someone came up behind him and he didn't even flinch as Sabo draped his arm over Raion's shoulder. He could smell the liquor bleeding out of his first mate's pores.

"What's happenin'?" Sabo asked, rather, slurred, "Who's that classy broad?"

"New nakama," Raion answered with a grin as her progress was halted by a behemoth of a man and she handled him with noble ease.

Sabo laughed, "We could use some class on our ship."

"She sure has enough for all of us," he replied. He watched as she zipped out the door, "I've got to get her now. Behave yourself."

Sabo saluted and stumbled back a couple of steps, "Aye, aye, Senchou!"

Raion turned towards the door and made his way to it. Pirates moved out of his way automatically, giving him natural breathing room. Either they knew he'd mess them up if they stood in his way or they backed away from the power his exuded.

He pushed open the door with a tinkle and immediately his eyes narrowed. There was Eevee, standing just off the sidewalk and around her were five big men with glittering eyes and voracious smirks. As soon as he took that first step out and the door closed behind him, all five of them turned and looked at him.

"Scram," he growled, his voice no-nonsense. They glanced at him, at Eevee and at each other before they all disappeared down the street, sneers of disappointment rolling off them that Raion stole their prey.

Then he turned to her and grinned, his smile a touch wicked by his very nature, "That was smooth," he congratulated her, "Let's drink your success and then we can round up the rest of the crew and go back to the ship, ne?" he clucked her chin gently then opened the door for her with a flourishing bow, "Ladies first."

Relief bloomed in her chest when the door opened and Raion appeared. A smile, one she struggled to keep from being smug, flickered over her lips. She crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her head back to be able to see him better from under her broad-rimmed straw hat.

"You're making the right choice, Raion. I will be an asset to your crew. I'm much better with my medicines now. Ill keep your crew healthy," Evelyn told him with a grin on her face, stalking past him and through the door like she owned the place, her pride in having passed his silly little test evident in the lines of her shoulders.

Inside, she still received a good amount of attention, but she could tell that Raion's presence would keep her from being bothered by most of them. Stares slid from her to him, then slid away for good. Clearly, Raion had quite the influence.

"How many nakama do you have?" Evelyn asked, stopping and turning to face him. He stood close to her in the tightness of the room, and she got a whiff of his musky scent. He smelled amazing, and she was instantly distracted from her train of thoughts.

Her eyes slid away from his face and she made an effort to look like she was scanning the crowd for people who might be his nakama, but she kept his face in her peripheral vision, drinking in his dark eyes and hair. When she'd been young, she'd never given real thought to the attractiveness of this man, or any man's, really. She knew she wanted to marry the son of the Pirate King, but she'd never really understood being truly attracted to someone until she was older.

Also, she hadn't known, at the time, that he was that man, and she now knew that she was most definitely attracted to him.

Once they returned into the bar, Raion waved Gabbi over to get Eevee a drink to celebrate her recruitment. The pirates in the bar gave her a wide berth now, even though eyes kept sliding over to her. But no one dared to come near her now that they saw she was friendly with the Dark Prince.

He handed her her drink, "To us," he smirked, clinking her glass. He ordered her something pink and feminine called a Cosmopolitan, but not lacking in the booze. He wasn't sure of her drinking habits, but there was no point in dicking around it because on his ship, drinking was a nightly occurrence.

He took a swig of his sake before answering her question, "There was six of us now," he answered, "You and me of course and then my second-in-command Sabo, the Fishmen twins and Margherita," as he listed each one, his eyes popped to each of them respectively in the bar and at the latter's name, he faltered, "Shit, stay put for a second, would you? HEY!" he shouted, leaving Eevee beside the bar for a moment.

Margherita was belligerent, shouting and screaming and swearing at someone and just as Raion took three steps towards her before an all-out fight started, Sabo stepped in and grabbed her, his arms under her shoulders to hold her back.

"You lilly-liver, cock-sucking bastard! Come and say that to my face, I dare you, you chicken shit! I've seen barnacles with more balls than you! SABO! Damn it!" Margherita screamed and she crossed her arms and dragged her fingernails down Sabo's arms, leaving five thin but gaping scratches.

The blonde man gasped and immediately let her go, dropping to his knees on the ground. Typically, such an assault wouldn't bring down even a kid, but that was the best and worst thing about Margherita. Thanks to her devil fruit, the Hebi-Hebi no Mi model: Viper, her claws and teeth were always poisonous. First came pain and rapid swelling and necrosis of the bite or claw mark, then usually fainting then a dramatic drop in blood pressure before death by cardiac arrest. Depending on the victim, the whole process took about 15 to 20 minutes.

Raion was immune thanks to his father's diligent training and lucky for Sabo, he'd built up a tolerance. Nonetheless, they still had less than a half an hour.

He grabbed Margherita from behind in a choke hold and within a heart beat, she was out. "Zeke! Titus! Let's wrap this up!" Raion hollered and he passed his unconscious nakama to Zeke. Raion dropped to his knees in front of Sabo, who was shaking like a leaf.

"How you doing, dude?" he asked with a laugh, fetching in his boot for a vial filled with antivenom, "Hurt much?"

Sabo made a motion with his head that was half nodding, half shaking his head so basically like a circle, "I'm really drunk so it doesn't really hurt that bad..." his eyes spotted the vial and he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue for Raion to drop the solution onto his tongue, "Dat's da las boddle, ight?"

"Lucky you, I just recruited a doctor for our ship," he pressed two fingers to Sabo's neck to check his pulse. Still steady, "Can you stand?"

Sabo nodded and albeit shakily, got to his feet without Raion's help. With the little bit of antivenom, he'd be alright until they got to the ship. Raion flicked his head and Sabo headed out of the bar with Zeke and Titus in tow and little Margherita draped over Zeke's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

He came back over to Eevee, the whole debacle having taken place in a matter of moments, "You're first bit of excitement!" he grinned, "You get to see the ship AND display your doctor skills on a viper scratch." he grabbed her by the shoulders and guided her out of the bar, "And your first job is to make more antivenom," just before the door closed on them, he blew a kiss over his shoulder at Gabbi and waved at her. His cousin-in-law waved back and laughed with a shake of her head.

And then the door closed behind him and they were out in the night.

Outside, the rest of the crew was waiting and Raion immediately noticed that Titus now had Sabo draped over his shoulder, but the man was still conscious.

"I'm way too drunk..." he chattered, even his teeth shaking in his head. Blood dripped down his arms and off his fingertips, the scratches turning a deep purple color tinged with red, "Is this our new nakama?"

"Everyone, this is Eevee, our new doctor," Raion introduced quickly, "And Eevee this is everyone and that's Sabo, your first patient."

Evelyn watched the debacle with a slightly open mouth and her eyes wide with curiosity and intrigue. His crew members seemed so...interesting. In fact, she could barely rip her eyes off of them as Raion came over to tell her that they were going back to the ship. All she could do was nod faintly in agreement as her heart started to beat a little faster.

Excitement was setting in.

She was going to be a pirate!

A sudden grin flashed across her face, and despite her best effort to squash it, her step had a little bit of a skip to it as they exited the bar.

It was only after they were going down the steps and approaching a small group of people, two of which seemed incapacitated, that his words actually hit her. "Viper...scratch? Antivenom?" She asked with a nervous laugh, because it seemed like such a random and totally out of place occurrence.

But she could tell, the moment she came up to his...their...nakama, that he wasn't joking. The blond man clearly needed medical attention. And while the other incapacitated individual, a very small woman, seemed in pretty rough shape, she seemed to be exhibiting mainly alcohol poisoning, a condition she'd just have to sleep off.

"Oh boy..." she muttered under her breath, but her heart was still hammering in excitement, so she hurried forward and immediately began to examine the blond man with a critical eye. "How did this man get poisoned by a viper?" she asked, turning a narrowed eye on Raion.

Her fingers feathered over the man's chin, then found the pulse at the top of his neck. While she kept an expectant expression on Raion, she began counting heartbeats. "And I'm going to need my bag...it's around the side of the bar, in an alcove. Fetch that for me while we start towards the ship. I'd like to get him laying down, if possible," Evelyn instructed in a rather firm, doctor-voice, but softly, so as to gentle the command.

He liked her tone of voice, simply because he could tell that she was being serious. And it was indeed a serious matter, frankly, his best friend's life was in jeopardy.

But this had happened so many times before that there was a little bit of the 'been there, done that' feeling that made them all a little blasé to the whole situation.

"He'll be fine," Raion waved it off as they started walking towards the ship, "We've been through this many times before, right, buddy?" he gave a thumbs up to Sabo.

Sabo weakly returned it, but didn't speak. He was starting to look a little white around the gills despite the antivenin in him already.

He retrieved her bag from around the corner, noting that it was pretty heavy for her to have carried across the archipelago and tapped Margherita's unconscious cheek with his free hand, "She ate the Hebi-Hebi no Mi, model: viper. She's not called 'Viper Bite' Margherita for nothing. She's killed bigger men with her nails and teeth alone."

The walk to the ship was speedy, as they hadn't docked very far away. "Welcome to the Hebi-Go!" Raion introduced. The ship was modeled heavily after the Thousand Sunny; after all, if you wanted a great ship, you might as well make it like the best ship in the world. It was a brig sloop design with two masts and a big, black, sinister snake head for the figure head. The mouth was capable of opening for a variety of canon-like weaponry.

Though currently rolled up, the sails were also black with the Black Mamba Jolly Roger on. It was a white skull with two swords crossing behind it instead of crossbones and winding out of the skull's mouth was a silver and black snake. The snake had a little silver crown on its head.

Because Raion was the captain and he was the Dark Prince.

Zeke and Titus went up the rungs built into the side of the ship first, hauling their precious cargo. Zeke headed towards the bow of the ship to deposit Margherita in the girls' dorm where she slept and Titus headed towards the stern, towards the medic ward which was stocked and rarely used as they previously hadn't had a doctor.

"After you," Raion said to Eevee, gesturing towards the ladder for her to climb.

Once on board, they followed Titus to the medic ward. The Tiger Shark fishman was just coming out. He gave them both a brief nod before he disappeared. The twins weren't much for words.

Inside was sparse, with two hospital beds with the heart/blood pressure monitors, a spacious bathroom, an empty desk and two bookshelves filled with books. Sabo was laying facedown on one of the beds, his arms over the edges, dripping blood onto the tiled floor. He was out, his breathing light and even. Whether he was unconscious from the poison or from the alcohol remained to be seen.

Raion dropped her bag and crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, giving her the space she needed to get her bearings and attend his nakama, "It's a little lifeless in here," he explained casually, "But it can be yours now and everything you could ever want is here. You'll sleep in the girls' dorm with Margherita." he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder to indicate the direction of said dormitory.

Evelyn did a slow turn in the center of the medic ward, her heart speeding up a little as she took in the monitors, the doctors beds, the tools. There were several mortars and pistols on the counter, and empty jars she could fill with her herbs.

For a second, she forgot that she was supposed to be tending to a patient. Her mind filled with glorified images of herself as a famous pirate, images that she'd built up on her whole life. This was the beginning of the rest of her life.

She turned back to face Raion, and stared up at him for a half minute as emotion clogged her throat. She was finally free, free of the lessons, the dancing, the endless litany of being polite and following strict social rules. She was going to roam the seas as a free woman, a strong and renown pirate.

"Thank you..." she finally said, her voice hushed and heavy with her gratitude. With Sabo laying motionlessly on the bed behind her, it suddenly felt like they were the only two people in the room, and the space suddenly became much smaller, and he became much larger. A dusting of pink filtered into her cheeks. "I've been waiting for this opportunity my whole life...especially to be a member of this pirate crew, the next best thing to being on the pirate king's crew." She flashed a cheeky grin up at him, then turned around towards Sabo.

Taking in a breath, she removed her white gloves, and pulled her hair back from her face. "Do you already have a sample of Margherita's venom? I'll need some of it to make the antivenom." She approached the bed that held the blond man, then did a quick check of his vital signs. When she was assured that he was pretty secure for the time being, she retrieved her bag and headed for the counter.

"Is there a source of fresh water in here?" she asked over her shoulder as she started pulling out her medical supplies.

As he watched her spin around and take in the office, her face literally beaming, that was the moment when it really sank in. Hiring new nakama was always very easy. He supposed he'd acquired that trait from his sire. He'd meet someone and instantly, he'd know if he wanted that person on his crew or not. When he'd met Margherita, his first nakama, within months of starting out on his own, he knew that he'd wanted her on his ship. She'd been barely thirteen years old then, but it hadn't mattered. He'd had a feeling. And he'd acted on it. Same with the brothers.

What he realized, watching her briefly investigate her new haunt, was that somewhere in the back of his adolescent mind, when he'd first met her, he'd already decided she'd be part of his crew. Someday.

That someday was today and it feelings washed over him like warm honey. It really didn't matter what she could or couldn't offer the crew, what her strengths and weaknesses were or anything. He'd simply wanted her here and as he was the captain, he could make those calls whenever and wherever.

"Everything you can possibly need is here," he told her, stepping into the room. He wasn't a doctor, but having gone more than four years on the open ocean without one, he and the rest of the crew adapted quickly to the minor wounds.

He moved over to the filing cabinet and yanked open the top drawer. Inside were medical files for each nakama, conducted by Chopper the last time they were in the East Blue. He plucked out Margherita's and laid it on the desk for Eevee to see, "We have medical files on everyone. This is Margherita's," he flipped it open. There were a few pages inside, but the first one detailed all her personal info: where she was born, when she was born, current height and weight, abilities, past illnesses, so on and so forth. Taped inside her folder was a little vial no bigger than his pinkie. He peeled it away and held it up for her to see, "This is a sample of her venom," he shook the clear liquid inside, "Don't waste it. It took my father, Zoro and me to hold her down while Chopper milked her for it. She doesn't like to comply much." he placed the vial down and pointed into the bathroom, "Fresh water in there. All the appliances are surgical steel," he turned and she was right in his way of where he wanted to be next.

"Move," he said, placing his hands on her hips and shuffling her to the side. He could feel the ribbing of her corset underneath the cotton of her dress. Hmm. Kinda hot. He pulled open the tall cabinet, "And in here you have all your supplies. You got your iodine, alcohol, sutures, needles, bandages, you name it." as he named them, he pulled out the sutures, needles and iodine to stitch up Sabo.

"We've had to make due without a doctor. It'll be nice to have one now," he grinned at her then leaned over and checked Sabo's pulse. Then flicked his nose. Sabo made a noise and wrinkled his face.

Evelyn slapped a hand over her lips to suppress the giggle that bubbled up as she watched Raion flick Sabo's nose. They had clearly been together for a long time, and Evelyn could see how much Raion must care for the man, because despite his blazé attitude and relaxed demeanor, his eyes were very focused when he checked on the blond man.

She tried to get herself to focus, but everything was so new and exciting that she found herself losing her attention by every little thing. Every new item and tool she found gave her butterflies of excitement. Raion's hands, casually moving her out of the way, had left a warm sensation where he'd touched her, and it lingered as she gathered the supplies she'd need to make the antivenom.

She told herself that it stood out because she was so rarely touched, since a lady was treated like a porcelain doll in her family, but she knew it was more than that. Raion exuded sexiness like Evelyn breathed oxygen. It was simply apparent in every line of his body, and while she'd told herself that she had no more interest in marrying the son of the pirate king, it was hard not to be affected by him.

"I'm really impressed you lasted so long without a doctor on your crew. Most pirate crews seek out a doctor as quickly as possible," Evelyn said as she began to stir up the ingredients needed. The vial of venom sat on the counter, next to the files of both Sabo and Margherita. She studied both of them as she worked, not even needing to look at what she was doing.

She'd made anitvenom many times before, though never for a 'snake' bite that was so lethal. "I'm going to need to get more of this venom too...that way I can make plenty of the antidote and every person on this crew can carry some, just in case."

He helped her take care of Sabo. While she mixed up the antivenom and asked questions, he answered them and used the iodine to clean up the scratches on Sabo's arms. Then, she hooked up the antidote and saline drip IV and after assuring her that his hands were quite steady, they each tackled an arm to stitch him up.

Sabo stirred at one point and half-consciously complained.

"That hurts..." he mumbled.

Raion glanced at him and cocked a brow. Sabo was still drunk as shit, "Don't be a baby," he'd replied.

Sabo managed a half-grin and turned his head the other way to wink at Eevee before going back to sleep. Raion and her bandaged him up and left him there to sleep off the sake and the poison.

He showed her where the girl's dorm was. Before, it had just been Margherita in there so her stuff sort of took over. However, he was a little relieved to see that one of the twins - probably Titus. He had a bit of a soft heart for human women - had brought up an additional bed, table, wardrobe and chest of drawers for Eevee and had kicked all of Margherita's clothes and tools to the other side of the room.

"Make yourself at home," he told her, "And come up to the kitchen in the morning for breakfast. Zeke is an excellent cook," he gave her a little flourished bow and disappeared upstairs to his room.

When he'd first made the blueprints for this ship, he'd imagined that he and Sabo would have side-by-side fancy captain bedrooms. In reality, Sabo had just wanted to sleep in the boy's dorm. But Raion still got his own room. He was the captain, after all.

It wasn't as lavish or spacious as he'd once dreamed it would be. The dreams of an eight-year-old were grandiose and with age, he'd realized that having curtains spun with real pirate gold and his walls papered with real treasure maps was not practical. All he had were the basics; bed, wardrobe, drawers, his own bathroom. And what he had for splurges were a beautiful cartography table and tools that his mother gave him and his grand piano.

He shut the door with a quiet click behind him and breathed in the silence. It had been a long and exciting day. They'd set out early from Fishman Island and surfacing from the deep sea was always exciting. Then the party at Gabbi's, Sabo and Margherita's little episode there and of course, hiring new nakama. Evelyn. The doctor.

He lifted the back lid of the piano just a crack to keep the sound soft and dropped his ass in the bench. He traced the ivories with his fingertips and smiled. He hadn't woken up this morning expecting to add a new member to his crew and seeing her again had been a surprise. As a child, he remembered her as clumsy, a little foolish and irresistibly adorable. She had this spirit of unadulterated innocence that he at the same time wanted to capture and corrupt. He coerced her to sneak out at night, drink her first shot of sake, dance barefoot on the bar at Makino's and sail in a little skiff just off the coast.

She didn't seem so different now, still exuding that innocence about life that came from suffocating as a noble daughter. And he still found her adorable, albeit in a more... uh... grown up kinda way. But the pirate life would corrupt her.

He played a few notes of a soft lullaby in Concert E. He couldn't form an opinion about her yet. Who knows, she might surprise him.

Raion was always one of the first people up. Zeke was first, without fail, getting breakfast ready and working in the kitchen. He'd been a chef long before he ever joined the Black Mamba Pirates and old habits died hard.

Showered and dressed in a tee shirt, shorts and sandals with his two sword tucked in his blue sash, Raion entered the medic ward to see Sabo still sleeping. Automatically, he checked his vitals then unplugged him from the IV.

"Wake up, sunshine," he said, tapping his palm against the blonde man's cheek, "We push off this morning."

Sabo groaned and made an attempt to shove Raion's hand away, "I'm still drunk," he commented, rolling over so his back faced the captain.

"I don't care. Get up," he scooped up a pillow and made to whack Sabo with it, but the man was too fast and blocked it with his hand. No one matched Sabo in speed, not even him. Not even his Haki could spare him; just because he saw it coming didn't mean he was fast enough to get away from it.

Sabo sat up and rubbed his face with his hands, "Ugh. I feel awful..." his eyes caught the bandages on his forearms and he made another noise, "Fucking Margherita..."

"Come on! Get up. I want breakfast," Raion barraged him with a grin. Sabo was fine, just hung over. He was confident that he'd made a fully recovery if he was able to block a pillow.

"Mmm... breakfast..." Sabo rubbed his flat stomach, "Okay! I'm awake."

They headed up to the second deck and Raion filled his first mate in on the new nakama recruitment.

"Maybe this afternoon after we push off I'll see what she can do for fighting," he suggested.

Raion nodded, "You read my mind. But take your time. It's gonna be a couple of days before we get to the volcanic island."

"Riiiight! Nee-san wants that obsidian. I almost forgot," Sabo only referred to Rouge as his 'sister' when he was with Raion. The rest of the crew had no clue and it was best kept that way.

In the kitchen, Zeke got them some coffee and they were all talking about the day and starting to really wake up when the kitchen door slammed open and Margherita sauntered in, followed by Titus.

"I need coffee," she demanded, "Stat."

It looked like she'd just rolled out of bed, which was very typical for her. She had on an oversized mens tee shirt that came down to her knees and that's all. Her navy blue pixie hair was sticking straight up and coupled with her eye kohl smeared down one side of her face, she was a hot mess.

She flopped down in a chair and Zeke handed her some coffee. She took a big sip and sighed, "Also, there's a chick sleeping in my room. Raion, I told you to keep your fucks out of my dorm."

"She's not a fuck, Margherita," he growled, "She's new nakama. A doctor who fixed up Sabo last night after you nearly killed him."

Her yellow snake eyes alighted to Sabo and looked at his arms, "Oh, right. I remember that. Sorry, Sabo," she blew him a kiss, looking anything but sorry and glanced at Raion with a hardened expression again, "And where do you get off choking me? You could've killed me!"

"You nearly KILLED your co-captain, you poisonous wench," his temper flared, always with Margherita. He loved her but damn it, she was abrasive.

She stood up, "Wanna go, senchou?" she yelled, then immediately sat down, holding her head with a moan.

Raion laughed, "Another time, darlin'," and she glanced at him and blew him a kiss and it was over, just like that.

Evelyn awoke when she heard movement in the room. Being accustomed to having her own room, she woke thinking that the maid had come in to lay things out for the day. It wasn't until she was blinking blearily at the ceiling that she realized she was in a room much darker than her own, and that the ceiling was wooden instead of gilded plaster.

She blinked.

Then last night rushed back into her mind, and she sat up in a flurry, eyes wide, as she peered around her new room. Half of it was sparse and empty, the other half was in complete disarray. Evelyn wrinkled her nose at the mess, then shrugged and got out of bed. To each their own.

Her suitcase was sitting on top of the still-empty bureau that had been brought in for her, and she took the time to put her clothing away in order to keep the fine material from wrinkling. Finally, she chose a simple yellow sundress and lace-up boots to put on after she freshened up. Her long hair was left down in loose curls around her shoulders, and she put on only the smallest amount of make-up.

She was so nervous to ascend and join everyone for breakfast that she had to clench her hands in front of her as she walked. Though she vaguely remembered the brief tour she was given the night before, she was able to find the kitchen easily by following the sounds of ruckus and foolery, as well as the delicious smell of food.

Her stomach clenched excitedly. She hadn't eaten dinner the night before because she'd been so damned nervous. Just outside the door to the kitchen, she hesitated for only a moment before she squared her shoulders, and pushed herself inside.

The sounds of talking and laughing died down as every eye in the room turned her direction, save for the large fishman by the stove who was busy flipping something on a pan. Evelyn stopped, a blush instantly spreading across her cheeks, and she slowly lifted a hand and gave a little wave.

"Good morning everyone," she said in a timid yet cheerful voice, and tried out a bright smile. "Burbank Evelyn, nice to meet everyone," she introduced herself, feeling like the night before couldn't really count as a true introduction, given the circumstances and levels on intoxication in a few of them. She gave a little curtsey, then moved over to one of the empty seats at the large table heaped with food already. Lowering herself down, she glanced over at Raion and grinned more relaxedly. "I could get used to breakfasts like this," she commented brightly, and reached for a plate.

While she started loading food onto the plate, Evelyn turned her eyes to Sabo, quickly eyeing his condition before asking, "How are you feeling today, Sabo? Any numbness around the wound track where you were bitten?"

Everyone was tucked in eating by the time the door opened and Eevee revealed herself. Raion had to remind himself to chew the food in his mouth when he saw her. She was stunning today, more vibrant that even the night before if that was possible. Today she had on a yellow sundress that teased around her calves as she walked into the kitchen and introduced herself. The two thick straps that held up the bodice showed off the slenderness of her shoulders without being scandalous.

There were two silences in the room when she walked in. The first silence was the most obvious silence; it was the sound of something absent. Something missing, like talking because everyone's mouths were otherwise occupied. But as she sat down and Zeke handed her a plate and a steaming mug of coffee, another silence crept in. It was the silence of something withheld. Again, no one spoke. It was easy to mistake this second silence for the first, but if one listened closely, they could tell the difference. This silence lacked intention. No one spoke not simply because their mouths were full, but even moments after they swallowed, not a word was ushered. No breaths were sighed. It was an observant silence.

Sabo was the one who broke it, shattered the quiet like a stone thrown into a reflection pool and distorting the image. It rippled away as he spoke, "I'm chipper, actually. No numbness at all. Just hungover, to be honest with you." utensils tinkered, breaths in and out. Quiet, but not silence.

Raion opened his mouth to make a general announcement of her arrival when sharp as a snake, Margherita jumped on the table. He swallowed his breath. She nimbly stepped over the plates and food until she was right in front of Eevee and crouched down to meet her eyes, a beautiful contrast of yellow to purple.

It was quite a sight, actually. Eevee looked picture perfect, not an auburn hair out of place, her light makeup pristine where Margherita looked like the poster child for a walk of shame. Loose shirt, bare legs, smeared eye kohl, hair in absolute pandemonium.

The snake woman grabbed Eevee's chin between her thumb and her first finger, forcibly turning her face this way and that, eyes narrowed as if examining a specimen under a magnifying glass. Then, she looked her up and down, from her unfettered, waist long tendrils to her soft leather boots, "Well," Margherita settled on, her voice matter-of-fact, "You're a classy broad. Bet you've never even seen your own blood, let alone a fight," she snatched up Eevee's hand, "Look! Not a speck of dirt under those manicured fingernails..." she dropped her hand, "Your type has no business on a pirate ship."

"Margherita!" Raion snapped, his voice no louder than a soft utterance, but the warning was obvious. She was treading on very thin ice.

The slightest bit of tension swept over Margherita's shoulders, but she rolled it away by standing and practically dancing across the table top before she plopped back into her chair. She gave Evelyn one last, near-scathing look that clearly said "I wouldn't trust you as far as I can swim". She sipped her coffee.

"Eevee has joined our nakama as the ship's doctor," Raion formally introduced her and glanced at Margherita. She met his eyes for all of a half heartbeat before she found the dregs of her coffee extremely interesting. He didn't have to tell her she needed to speak with caution the next time she opened her blessed mouth. He made the decisions in choosing nakama and he frankly didn't give one shit about her opinion and he didn't give half that to hear it. "It is my understanding that she comes from a long line of highly skilled apothecaries and doctors. And yes, she is of noble blood and no, I don't care," he glared pointedly at Margherita.

"I'm just saying," she started casually, not looking up, "There's little point in having someone on this ship who can't defend themselves. It's a constant liability," she paused, but for the love of god, she wasn't done, "I'd rather trust my back to a beastly swordsman who can't stitch worth a shit than some sniffling little noble girl who'll hide when the Marines breathe our way."

"Margherita," Titus' deep voice echoed quietly across the table, "Shut yer trap."

She did, but it was obvious she didn't want to. She slammed her mug onto the table and left the kitchen in a flurry of storm and grace.

There was a bit of tense silence before Raion crossed his arms and leaned his chair back on two legs, "Margherita has a point, though she's not great at communicating that." he stated thoughtfully, his eyes on Eevee, "You are, at this point, a liability. You'll need to learn to defend yourself. Stat. Starting today, in fact, after we push off," he thumped his fist against Sabo's chest, "Sabo'll do the honors."

He grinned, "Aye Aye, Senchou!" he agreed wholeheartedly.

While Evelyn's demeanor remained calm and smooth during Margherita's assault on her pirate pride, on the inside, she was trembling with a mixture of guilty shame and anger. She felt ashamed because the snake woman was absolutely right, but she felt anger because she didn't care about that. She wanted to be a pirate so badly that she would do anything to make it happen. How could this woman not see that?

Raion's voice snapped her out of her internal thoughts, and while her expression had remained politely devoid of her true feelings, she turned her attention towards the captain now, trying to suppress the hot blush that was filtering into her cheeks.

Evelyn was just starting to feel like an outsider among these pirates-a feeling she never expected would happen once she'd joined Raion's crew-when Raion instructed that she would be taking self defense lessons, and pronto. "Really?" Evelyn asked breathlessly, her eyes round as saucers now as she turned her head towards the blond man. "You wouldn't mind?"

They were going to teach her to fight? Magnificent! She'd always wanted to learn to fight, and could perform the basics of fancy fencing, but her parents had adamantly refused to allow her to take any sort of lessons involving combat. They believed a lady should never have to know anything about that. Evelyn thought they were stuck up and sadly mistaken.

"I've always wanted to learn how to fight!" Evelyn continued in that excited, breathless voice. She'd all but forgotten her half-finished plate of food. "I'm afraid I shan't be very good at it. I hope I don't frustrate you. I'll truly do my best to learn as quickly and as efficiently as I can," Evelyn vowed, nodding her chin resolutely as she reached out a hand towards Sabo to shake on it. "I do not want to be a liability on this ship, and I'll do everything I can to change that."

Her eyes flickered over to Raion for a second, and she couldn't help the sense of gratitude that welled up inside her. This man was making possible all of her dreams. How could she possibly repay him? He looked so regal and...captain-like, and she could easily see his father in him.

Looking back to Sabo, she got to her feet and planted her hands on her hips. "Where should I report to for training?" She asked, her excitement visible in the tension of her body. Her yellow dress swayed around her calves, and her violet eyes sparkled with it.

There was a quiet, collective chuckle around the kitchen at her innocent exuberance to learning to fight. Even Zeke had a small smile and a noise of amusement in the back of his throat. The Fishman didn't speak much.

"We can just practice right on the deck after we push off," Sabo smirked, "We'll see what you can do before I stuff you in the Dojo for reps and cardio."

Raion shoved his chair back and stretched a little, "Alright then, let's go. I need to be on the open ocean." Between being trapped under the sea for days on end and then needing to stop at Sabaody, he was feeling antsy, "Come, Eevee, this is the pinnacle of your pirating career."

Raion led the way outside to the deck. He snapped some rapid orders at Sabo and Titus. The two of them hopped to it; Sabo hauling anchor and Titus went to check the rudders and helm. Margherita appeared then, looking a little better freshly showered in a pair of low shorts, sandals and a black bandeau over her breasts. Without the t-shirt covering her shoulders, the snake tattoo that ran over her right shoulder and down her arm to her wrist was visible.

"Get the sails," he said to her, but she was already headed that direction and waved her hand at him.

Zeke appeared out of the kitchen and without even a command, he dove into the water without a splash. His job was simple; push the ship away from the docks. These things were easy when there was a Fishman handy.

Anchor freed from the sand on the bottom of the ocean and with Zeke helping it along, slowly, the Hebi-Go turned her head around to face the open sea. The black sails billowed outward, catching the wind, the snake skull stark white against the blackness. Raion stood on the Mamba figurehead, facing the ocean, his eyes scanning the weather, checking the Log Pose on his wrist.

Behind him, he heard Sabo give an inarticulate shout of joy and he glanced back to see his First Mate where he always was at a push off; clinging high up on the ropes that led to the Crow's Nest. Margherita was perched on Titus' tall shoulders while the Fishman steered the ship and Zeke was just climbing back on board.

The wind caught the sails hard and they pushed forward, away from Sabaody. The wind, the sun, the air, the tangy scent of the sea... feeling all his nakama nearby... this was why he was a pirate.

He grinned, wide and wild.

Evelyn stood in the center of the deck as preparations were made to push off from the dock. Excitement made her bounce on the balls of her feet, and she made sure to pay attention to the tasks that each member of the crew performed so as to be able to attempt it herself should the occasion arose.

Margherita's comment about her being a liability stung more than she would ever let on, and she was determined to prove the woman wrong. She was going to show these pirates that she had exactly what was needed to survive on the open seas. It was her dream, after all.

A shout of joy drew her attention upwards, and she had to grin at the sight of Sabo on the rungs, clearly engrossed in the sudden feeling of freedom that reverberated up the ships hull. Rather than the gentle roll of a docked ship, the Hebi-Go swayed and bounced on the water like she bounced on the balls of her feet; freed of the anchor that weighed them down, the dock in the ship's case, and her family and Saobody in her case.

Evelyn whipped around to face the receding shore, eyes wide as her breath caught in her throat. This was goodbye, for who-knows-how-long, perhaps goodbye forever, to the island that had been her home for the last several years. To the family that had raised her all her life. They may have never understood her desires and needs, but they did love her, and while she'd felt suffocated from all of the lessons and parties and social functions, she knew they thought they were doing what was best for her.

"Sayonara, oto-san, oka-san..." Evelyn whispered quietly, for no one's ears but her own.

For one heartbeat, she felt suddenly very alone.

A gust of wind from the open ocean pushed a medley of different scents into her nostrils, and Margherita's cat-calls to the shore snapped her out of her thoughts, and Evelyn's eyes slid over to Raion. He was still gazing at the shore, but not in a nostalgic, sad manner, but in a wild, excited manner. She could practically see his eagerness to be on the open ocean.

A smile tugged at her lips, and then the smile turned into a grin.

"To the open ocean, senchou!" Evelyn called to him with a sparkle in her eye and a mischievous tilt to her grin. Her dress fluttered madly around her calves as she turned away from the shore, and to the open ocean, pointing a finger to the destination her heart had been yearning for since her youth. "May our journeys be sung about for decades to come!"

Unexpectedly, three voices chorused a sound of approval, and Evelyn looked up to see Sabo grinning at her while Zeke and Titus nodded their heads at her in agreement. Margherita, however, was silent, watching Evelyn with no expression. Finally, the girl turned up her nose, hopped off Titus' shoulders, and disappeared from Evelyn's line of sight.

Evelyn ignored her, and walked into the center of the deck, planting her hands on her hips and tilting her head back to stare up at Sabo. "I'm ready for my training, Sabo-san!" she called with a smile.

The Hebi-Go sailed out to sea, leaving Sabaody Archipelago behind. The islands grew smaller and smaller until they were just smudges on the horizon. A wave swelled and suddenly, the islands were gone.

Raion jumped off the figurehead, his sandals slapping against the deck. He spoke to Titus quickly and they set the ship to sail for the obscure island of Shadow Stone where they would harvest the obsidian for Rouge. The island was difficult to navigate to, being off the beaten path and was uninhabited due to the highly volatile nature of the volcano at the island's center. However, the obsidian rock created by the lava flow was highly sought after due to its color; pure, snowflake white. It was rare and fetched a very pretty beri. And since Raion was a swell navigator and in the area, his smuggling cousin had asked him to pick some up for one of her clients.

Now with a set course, everyone disappeared to complete various little jobs they did on the ship. Zeke was usually found in the kitchen, prepping meals, making snacks and drinks. Titus played deep in the hull of the ship or found a medley of odd jobs and repairs the ship needed to stay tip-top. Margherita was a loose cannon at best; she did whatever the hell she wanted, whenever and wherever she wanted to do it.

That left Raion, Sabo and the newly recruited lovely doctor.

Raion leaned against the railing, catching Eevee calling up to Sabo. She stood in the middle of the lowest deck, her hands planted on her hips and her violet eyes bright with excitement. He leaned his elbows on the railing and steepled his fingers together. This should be entertaining to watch.

"Yosha! I'm so ready!" Sabo called back with a laugh. He let his hands go from the net and flipped upside down, hanging on by his knees. His tee-shirt rode up a little, but he kept it from completely defying gravity with a hand. He frowned at Eevee, "You aren't gonna fight in that, are you?" he gestured to her outfit, "You have shorts and a tank top or something?"

He reached down and grabbed the net above - or below, really, it depended on perspective - his head and detangled his feet from the net. He tumbled to the deck and landed solidly on his feet, making nothing more than a little 'thump'. That was the thing with Sabo. His mother was the embodiment of grace and his father was an superb close combat fighter. Sabo ended up with the best of both; during a fight, not a single footstep was wasted or out of place, his speed unmatched and he could take out a man three times his size in the blink of an eye.

He approached her as their new nakama shook her head, his chin propped in his hand in a classic thinking pose. Then, as fast as the thought must have popped into his head, he acted on it. He grasped Eevee's little dress by the hem and spun that girl right around. There was a loud ripping sound and Raion's jaw dropped open when her calf-length dress suddenly became a thigh-high dress.

Sabo made an appreciative noise in the back of his throat, "Garters," he commented, "Nice touch."

There was a chorus of laughter from the other side of the ship and Raion glanced up to see the Twins leaning against the opposite railing with Margherita. Clearly they'd come to watch and were highly entertained. It was such a rare sight to see them laughing that even Raion cracked a grin.

"Margherita, get that girl some shorts and a tank," he called casually.

She laughed, "Why? She can fight like that!"

"Now, please."

The snake woman rolled her eyes and still laughing, headed to the room to get some clothes.

Evelyn let out a mortified squeak when Sabo ripped her dress, then looked down at herself in dismay. Her face flamed with embarrassment to be seen in such a manner, and it took everything in her power not to try and cover herself up. Not only that…but she'd liked that dress!

"If you were just going to require me to change anyways why did you rip my lovely dress!" Evelyn said hotly to Sabo, turning her back on him and stiffly marching away. She followed after Margherita, her chin tilted up into the air as she tried to gather as much dignity around her as she could.

Despite being miffed, the laughter and lightness in Raion's and the rest of the crew's faces tugged a smile to her lips as she shook her head at them. She could already tell that she was going to like Sabo, even if she wanted to smack him already. The shameless grin on his face and his laughing eyes gave away his easy-going personality, and Evelyn liked it.

She could tell it took a lot to ruffle his feathers.

It didn't take long to change, though it was made longer by Margherita's snippy comments regarding fancy dresses and girls who didn't belong outside of a mansion. Evelyn ignored them all and returned to the deck once she'd finished changing. As she walked, bare-footed now, she felt extremely exposed, wearing nothing but a loose tank top and a pair of shorts. She'd never had this much skin exposed to anyone except her parents and her maid.

She hesitated at the door to the deck, peeking down at herself before slowly venturing out. A shiver raced down her spine as cool, ocean air skittered over her arms and exposed legs, but it was a rather nice feeling, freeing really.

"Well, my speed will certainly be improved without the weight of my garments, that's for sure," Evelyn commented with a shy smile as she approached the blond-haired man. "But I'm equally certain that my skin shan't be staying in this condition," she added, noting how exposed she was compared to before. Rather than be put off by this realization, Evelyn's eyes glowed with excitement as she stood before Sabo. She was finally going to learn how to fight. "Shall we begin, sensei?" Evelyn asked with a cheeky grin.

Everyone had a good laugh at the show Sabo and Eevee provided even as she followed a haughty Margherita into their dorm.

"Sabo, be nice to that poor girl," Titus called, his deep voice soft yet carrying.

The blonde man laughed, "She can't wear dresses to work out! I did her a favor, really."

Raion rolled his eyes despite the fact that Sabo had a bit of a point, even if he went about it in a strange way. Dresses and high heels were not practical for fighting in, especially not the dresses Eevee liked to wear. She was going to need an alteration to her wardrobe if she wanted to be a solid fighter. And a good pirate.

After a few minutes, Margherita was the first one out of the dorm, storming in her huffy, non-compliant way that she sometimes had. It was difficult to remember that she was only seventeen when she'd been around for so long. She was defiant and rebellious at best.

The door opened again and Raion leaned nearly over the railing to see that Eevee was peeking out of the door. He couldn't help it; he grinned. Clearly, she was quite shy...

She came out with her head held high, dressed in shorts and a loose tee shirt that nearly hid said shorts from view. From the right angle, she could be wearing nothing under there for all he knew. Someone with a sexy imagination might think that she looked pretty close to how she might waking up in someone else's bed...

Raion had a pretty sexy imagination.

Sabo snorted at her, "You work out in those from now on," he told her, his finger indicating her clothes, "Or you could do dresses, I guess, but they gotta be the short ones," he slashed his hands over his legs, a touch higher than mid-thigh, "That's how real pirate girls wear their dresses," he winked.

Geezus fuck, Raion thought. Eevee in little dresses? He gave her a once over from his spot leaning against the railing. She was thin for sure, but she had legs for miles. Nice ones too, smooth looking and supple. As she bounced on the balls of her feet, her calf muscles flexed and stretched. He could run his hands over them, feel their softness under his palms...

He pinched the bridge of his nose in vain attempt to wipe those thoughts out. Damn it, he must really need some nooky if he was fantasizing over his nakama.

His reverie was jarred when Sabo clapped his hands, "Alright, let's start by seeing how you move..."

For the next several hours, Sabo first assessed her abilities and skills, then doled out a series of workouts and exercises tuned towards her strong points, such as her speed and agility, as well as her weak points, her lack of strength. It was grueling and long, and several times Evelyn almost gave up, but it was actually Margherita's yellow eyes, taunting her, that kept her from quitting.

When Sabo finally released her from her responsibilities, Evelyn was sore, sweaty, and tired. It was almost dinner time by then, but Evelyn retreated to the baths in favor of soaking her sore muscles. She was too wrung out from working out all day that she wasn't even hungry anyways.

Soaking in the baths, Evelyn let out a long sigh, telling her muscles to relax as she laid her head back against the edge of the tub. Truthfully, she considered this to be a luxury. The Sunny-Go aside, most pirate ships didn't have hot baths, and while Evelyn was used to luxurious bathing suits in the ships her father used, she had never expected one on her future pirate ship.

But she supposed that if she were Monkey D. Raion and had a cyborg engineer and shipwright for an uncle, she'd make sure she had baths too.

Evelyn soaked for over an hour, taking her time washing and letting the hot water work its magic on her. When she got out, she was still incredibly sore, but she felt much better than she had before she'd gotten in. Toweling off, her stomach gave an audible growl of hunger, and Evelyn looked down at herself in dismay. Beside's breakfast, all she'd eaten today was a sandwich hurriedly stuffed down during one of her breaks.

She'd likely missed all of dinner, given how slow she was moving and how long she'd taken in the baths. Perhaps there would be some leftovers or something else to eat in the kitchen? She hoped so...though she wasn't entirely sure she was able to just...walk into the kitchen and pick out some food. What if the food belonged to someone else?

Deciding it was worth an attempt, Evelyn dressed herself in one of her evening lounge dresses-a simple, comfortable light blue dress that had a white ribbon tied around the waist-and headed for the deck.

The night air had a slight chill to it as Evelyn stepped outside, looking up to see a myriad of bright stars blanketing the sky. A faint smile curved the edges of her lips. "How lovely..." she murmured to herself, and took a deep breath of the sea air.

In response, her stomach growled again, as if to remind her of her hunger.

Wrinkling her nose, Evelyn glanced around, surprised to find that it was eerily quiet on board. She spotted Raion, over by the edge of the ship with his feet dangling over the edge. Despite her hunger, she was tugged in his direction. Her footsteps made no sound as she walked, a result of all of her dancing, and knowing she might startle him if she didn't, she quietly called his name when she was coming up behind him.

"May I join you?" she asked with a smile, trying not to look like she was half-limping as she closed the distance between them.

Eevee hadn't come to dinner. Sabo had beaten the ever living shit out of that poor girl today and it wasn't even a fraction of what any of the crew were capable of. Margherita made a few little snide comments, but Raion shut her up with a look. Honestly, that girl needed to cut the shit. Twelve hours she'd known Eevee all she did was rag on her.

Everyone had retired to certain parts of the ship and he found himself alone on the deck. Twilight set in and the stars began their little twinkle show. He perched on the railing, his feet hanging over the side, picking out constellations and watching the water. He and his mother used to do this all the time. Some of his earliest memories were taking long walks with her around the island, studying the waves and how they slammed into the cliffs, studying the cloud and star patterns in the sky. He was the best navigator in the world because of her.

His Haki tingled moments before her heard Eevee's soft voice call out to him. Her feet made no sound as she crossed the deck. He turned his head to the side to watch her close the distance between them and he smirked to see her strange gait.

He patted the railing beside him, "Little sore, are you?" he grinned as she gingerly sat beside him, "You're gonna hate life tomorrow, especially when Sabo knocks on your door at the ass crack of dawn," his grin became a little wicked.

"How are you adjusting to the pirate life so far?" he changed the subject, "Is it everything you ever dreamed it would be?" she looked positively ethereal in the blue dress she was wearing. It fell in wispy layers to her bare feet with a white ribbon tied in the back. He found she was an odd paradox to what he was used to. Most of the women he'd encountered in his life and profession waltzed around in various states of undress. Eevee's couth and culture... mmm, he couldn't decide if it fascinated him or if he was just simply thrown by it.

A grimace skittered over her features when she failed to hide her soreness from him, followed by a sheepish grin as she leaned against the railing and peered down to the churning ocean below. Next to her, the gentle sea breeze tossed Raion's intriguing scent into her face, and she found herself unnaturally aware of the larger man. As kids, she'd never been so aware of the difference between them. Perhaps this was because there hadn't been as many differences between them, being children, but now as adults, he was so much larger than her. While she had curves, he had so many straight lines and rigid muscles. As a lady, she'd never been permitted to be alone with men once she'd reached a certain age, and Evelyn decided her fascination with Raion stemmed from that lack of experience. It completely explained why she wanted to know everything about him, including the way he felt under her fingertips.

Not to mention that fact that when they had been kids, he'd given her her first, and only, kiss. One she'd practically forgotten about until seeing him again.

Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Evelyn trained her eyes on her bare feet as they swung gently over the rolling waves several yards below. "Well, considering I went all day today without someone treating me like I'm made out of porcelain...it's been wonderful!"

Evelyn lifted her face to gaze out across the ocean. "To have the freedom to skip dinner and not have several people trying to break down my door in distress and concern...To not have to sit while I'm painted and primped for a social gathering or even for a regular evening meal...All of it is wonderful," Evelyn said with a soft smile on her face, her eyes focusing not on the horizon now, but on the various illusionary faces and grabby hands and layers of silk she was normally faced with on a daily basis.

She sighed, turning her face towards Raion and leaning her cheek against the railing as she spoke. "Though I will admit, I was not expecting this much...physical fatigue," she admitted tactfully, her violet eyes dancing with amusement as she reached down to draw her skirts up a little, revealing some bruises along her feet and calves from the various exercises that Sabo had drilled her through.

"Not that I'm complaining, of course. It might not be easy, but it's certainly better than what I'm used to dealing with. Besides, you should have seen my feet the week after they started me on ballet." She shuddered in exaggerated horror, wriggling and pointing her toes on reflex.

As he watched her, clips and phrases of their one adolescent summer raced through his head. She was predictably the same; the same sorta over-exuberance about everything, the same romantic innocence about the pirating life, the same desire to come uncaged, so to speak. Even some of her mannerisms he remembered; her eyes would get wide, she'd sigh dreamily, the way her lips and eyes would tighten ever so slightly when she spoke about the social responsibilities of a noble daughter.

He liked to watch her, found himself drawn into watching her. It was the same feeling he had when he'd first knocked into her in the Goa Kingdom and had somehow found himself following her home. The same feeling that had led his feet through the forest and to her doorstep the next damned day. It wasn't that she was unique or that he was curious about her. He just her unexplainably alluring. Maybe that was why he'd kissed her back then. It had been for the effect really, to see how she'd react. She'd wrinkled her nose and asked him why he'd done it, which hadn't been the reaction he'd wanted at all, really, but it had been amusing nonetheless.

"My first week as a pirate was awful," he confessed, "It was just me and Sabo, trying to run this big ship by ourselves, filled with more confidence than we had blood in our bodies. We didn't sleep for a week and nearly killed each other." he shrugged, grinning as he remembered those first few days on the ocean. They were both so juiced up with excitement and adrenaline, so in each other's space all the time, so tired and out of sync, so young and so... everything. A testament to how that week went was that it ended with Sabo decking Raion in the face and calling him a "bossy, entitled brat" and not talking to each other for two days before a little rain hit and somehow, Raion fell overboard. Sabo fished him out of the sea and they both mutually decided to abort all their preconceived plans in favor for a new one.

"The last time we were on a boat in the dark I showed you all the stars. Remember?" he changed the subject, his voice quiet. When they were teenagers, he'd acquired a little skiff and stuffed it with blankets and kidnapped her from her fancy house. He'd sailed them out into the water and pointed out all the constellations to her. The best part had been when she was suddenly waking him up and they had to race the sun back to her house so she wouldn't get in trouble.

The quiet tone of his voice made Evelyn turn her head to stare at her new captain. He was staring skyward, and his calm, contented expression urged her to keep staring at him, but she forced herself to follow his gaze anyways.

"Yes, I remember...probably one of the best nights of my childhood," she told him with a smile, letting her eyes glide from constellation to constellation, some of which he'd taught her, others she'd learned on her own. When she'd asked him how he'd known so much about the stars, his answer had been that his mother, one of the best navigators on the open ocean, had taught him everything he knew.

Having never thought of the idea that stars could be so crucial to navigating, Evelyn had been fascinated. Then she'd gone on to learn other constellations on her own in hopes that one day her knowledge would benefit her when she became a pirate.

"When I was feeling overwhelmed by the rules and social structures of my life, I used to sneak away to watch the stars at night. My father had to put a lock on the window that lead to the roof so that I would stop climbing out onto it. He said I was going to break my neck someday," Evelyn chuckled, shaking her head. She'd just opened her mouth to say something else with her stomach gave a loud, and demanding, growl.

Letting out a horrified squeak, Evelyn's hands flew to her stomach and she turned her head to stare at Raion with wide eyes. "Ever so sorry," she muttered, her cheeks pink with embarrassment. "I missed dinner, I was cleaning up from my training," she hurriedly tried to explain, feeling mortified that such an unlady-like sound had come from her right when she was sitting next to her captain.

He laughed when her stomach growled loudly in the quiet. Less because of the noise it made, but more because of her reaction. She flushed so dark he could see it despite the night and hurriedly made some excuses and tried to dismiss the sound. And he just laughed at her.

"Well, we should get you some dinner," he announced, still grinning ear to ear. He swung his legs around and hopped off the railing. He stretched, his arms reaching above his head and he twisted from side to side. Then, he held out his arm and gestured for her to take it, "My lady," he added with a little flourish of his free hand. The tease glinted in his eyes.

He walked with her to the kitchen and pulled out a stool at the bar counter for her to sit in. A smile still played around the edges of his mouth, still lingering from her embarrassment earlier, yet sticking around for some entirely different reason. He didn't completely go into the whys and whats yet.

With Eevee seated, he darted into the kitchen and started banging around, getting a few things out of the pantry, fridge, et cetera. He wasn't as great a cook as Zeke was, but he'd made due for a bit in his life. With water boiling on the stove, he made a little beat with the wooden spoons while he waited, the music unconscious.

"We have left over soup. And veggies," he told her, interrupting his rhythm for a moment to grab two wine glasses from the top shelf and the bottle off the counter. He sloshed some of the red liquor into the glasses and slid one towards her, "Here. Take the edge off." he smirked, sipped from his glass and continued his rhythm with the spoons as if it never ended. And moved around the kitchen, getting her a plate together of everything they'd already eaten for dinner.

She struggled to maintain her normal grace when they moved from the deck to the kitchen. Her body had stiffened in the few minutes they'd spent sitting on the edge of the ship. Still, sliding into one of the kitchen chairs afforded some relief as she willed her muscles to relax. When he pushed a glass of red wine towards her, she reached for it eagerly with both hands.

"Yes, please..." she murmured, almost to herself, as she took a big gulp of the red liquid. This gulp was followed by a more lady-like sip, two small spots of embarrassment showing high on her cheekbones. It was a confusing feeling, because her noble instincts were screaming at her that she was in an incredible horrifying situation, all banged up and alone with a man while gulping down alcohol. Yet she had to keep reminding herself that she was a pirate now, and that none of her normal daily social restrictions applied out on the open sea.

Regardless, on an empty stomach, the wine went right to her head, and helped her aching body relax into the wooden chair. She let out a sigh of relief, her eyes lidded, and tilted her head back to watch Raion from under her lashes.

His hands and body were sure and confident as he moved through the kitchen, preparing a plate for her. Her throat ached to tell him that she was never going to be able to finish the heaping amounts of food he had plated for her, but it was already too late, and she was too tired to bother at this point.

"Thank you, again, for this. I'll try not to miss meal-time in the future," she assured him with a small smile, taking another sip of wine. As the warmth of the room and the smell of the food started seeping into her body, Evelyn was struck by how absolutely content she was in this moment, despite her aching muscles and joints. She also found she was incredibly comfortable with Raion, perhaps because he was a part of her childhood, and the idea of him trying to hurt her seemed absurd.

In fact, she was pretty certain he could protect her from anything she couldn't handle herself.

The thought brought warmth to her cheeks, and she was happy to have the wine as an excuse. She knew she was staring at him, watching him, but as he was preparing her meal, she had an excuse for that too, so she let her eyes linger on his form, enjoying the unique grace her had all to himself.

"You could have been a dancer," she commented absently as she watched him pivot from one counter to another. She realized, to her immediate horror, that she'd spoken those words aloud. Shocked at her own candidness, a surprised and delighted chuckle slipped past her lips, and she took another sip of wine. "You can just blame it on this though, if that is more to your liking," she added in a polite, lady-like voice, holding up the glass of wine and swishing its contents around in the glass.