Killer's Journal – 1.
Normally Killer didn't mind silence- in fact, he welcomed it with open arms. It was one of the reasons why he remembered so much, simply because he remained quiet often. But with a certain red-headed pirate captain sitting next to him not answering his questions, the silence was almost unbearable to sit and lounge around in.
'In the afternoon today we had happened to be sitting on the end of the port-city's dock on Bandola Island, South Blue. It was really sunny and pleasant. Our ship, Gol D. Locks, was docked right beside us, creaking and groaning with the seemingly constant flow of waves. It's a small ship- a sloop. We don't have any need of a clipper or galleon just yet, and I sometimes take it for granted that we can still sit on a dock and not worry about Marines chasing us, or townspeople rioting against our presence, like the one blonde prince-guy-pirate. Cavendish, was it? He's been stirring things up again lately.. anyway, back to what all happened today-'
"Kidd," the blonde said again, trying to sound patient, "are you going to give me an answer?"
Kidd blinked and came back to reality, glancing at his mate and then at his knee, finally settling his eyes on the waves beneath their feet. He had a weird look on his face that no one saw too often- an expression of deep thought. 'At least he is thinking..' the first-mate thought to himself, leaning back on his arm while letting Kidd think some more.
"After we find One Piece, and I become Pirate King.. I guess I would claim all the bars in the world as my own," Kidd finally answered, looking back up at Killer with a scary twinkle in his eyes. Kidd meant what he said, and Killer had to laugh at the usual Kidd-like response to such a serious question.
"That's all you'd do? No women?" Killer asked, raising an eyebrow underneath his hair. Kidd half-shook his head, looking up at a seagull that flew around above them. It came to rest on top of the mainmast of their ship. Kidd squinted.
"Nah.. I guess I'd also like to go back to some places.. like here. I like this island." Kidd replied with a thoughtful tone of voice. Killer was surprised that his captain had any interest in the current island they had been on for about half a day. It seemed too calm and normal for the action-loving, blood-thirsty pirate that was about to try and conquer the seas. Killer asked the red-head why he liked the island, getting only a sneer in reply. A ship pulling into the harbor caused big waves to crash into the hull of their ship, making the wooden craft shift and moan again.
"Quit askin' so many questions, but.. maybe it's 'cause of the cliffs and ruins on the other side of here. Seems interesting."
Had Killer been sitting in a normal chair, he would've fallen out of it in shock- Kidd admitted that he liked nature and history...sort of. Kidd noticed the surprise that was practically emitting from Killer's being and he scoffed.
"Shut up."
"I didn't even say anything!"
A tall man approached the two on the dock and his footsteps caused both pirates to turn around, both wearing frowns by that point. The man smirked at the two, pointing back to their little sloop next to them.
"We're all ready to sail again. We have all the food and information that we need," the apparent crew-mate announced, turning on his heel to go and board the vessel. Kidd and Killer looked at each other and then helped each other up to their feet. They silently walked down the pier, listening to the jaunty conversations that other merchants and sea-goers were having across from them. As soon as Kidd's boots hit the gang-plank, he opened his mouth and turned slightly to Killer.
"See? We barely have time to stay and look around."
Killer sighed, saying, "Kidd, you're the captain, here." Kidd blinked, looking up at his ship and then back at the blonde with a blank look.
"Oh yeah, I am. Huh.. well, alright then. HEY, WE'RE STAYING FOR A FEW MORE DAYS!" Kidd bellowed, holding his hands to the sides of his mouth. A few men's heads popped up above the bulwarks with surprised looks while others came up from below deck to see what had been said. Other people along the pier looked in the red-head's direction with smirks and others with frowns. Kidd folded his arms across his bare chest triumphantly and looked back at Killer who was still standing on the pier below him.
"There."
"Honestly, what would you do without me..?" Killer asked rhetorically, running a tan hand through his gold hair. Kidd didn't catch the whole rhetorical part and opened his mouth again.
"Uh, I wouldn't be here?"
"Aw, cute. Now c'mon, let's go, Eustass."
"Go where?" Kidd had asked me, looking annoyed with my order to him. I laughed at his stupidity and pointed towards the mainland.
"The cliffs and stuff. We can swing by the tavern for a while after that too," I told him, taking a step-up to grab him by the arm and pull him down the dock. His boots thudded all along the way, making some sailors look in our direction. I couldn't tell for sure, but I would imagine that he had embarrassment all over his face.
As the two crew-mates got to the first road on shore, Killer finally realized that they should have come up with a plan of action before leaving the relatively-inexperienced crew to their own devices. Killer stopped walking and bumped Kidd's shoulder, grabbing the taller one's attention. Kidd turned to his friend and silently waited for what he was about to hear.
"I don't think there's an inn on this island, Eustass.. the crew should probably go back to the ship for the night," the blonde told him. Kidd nodded, looking back towards his ship with that same content, and maybe even bland, expression. Killer rolled his eyes and spoke up again, "I'll go tell 'em."
"Alright. I'll wait here."
Killer sprinted down the pier, his shoulder-blade-length hair flying behind him as he went. Kidd stood with crossed arms, observing the hustle and bustle of the small island's only city. There were fruit and vegetable stands on the inland side of the street, and on the ocean-side there were vendors that sold fresh fish. Just as Kidd was about to go and inspect a strange purple melon, Killer snuck up beside him, scaring the daylights out of the captain.
"Don't do that!" Kidd hissed, soon falling into booming laughter. Killer merely snickered at him.
"What have you been looking at?" Killer asked him curiously, looking in the direction that Kidd had been fixated on. Kidd stuck out his hand and pointed to a certain stand across the way from him. After a mule with a cart passed by them on the cobblestone, the two crossed and looked at the fruit up close. It really was a weird purple melon!
"Interesting," Kidd mused, picking one up and looking it over some more. Killer was about to inform him what kind of melon it was when the happy vendor stood up from her chair and told Kidd about it instead. The first-mate crossed his arms while he listened, making sure everything she said was correct information.
"Is this the first time you've seen this fruit?" the woman asked the tall red-head cheerfully. Kidd nodded, already intrigued.
"Ah, so you're not from around here! Well, welcome to Bandola Island!"
Kidd and Killer both said their thanks quietly, hoping that the vendor wouldn't question who they were or what they were there for.. They were relieved when the woman spoke again.
"It's called a lady-fruit. They're native to this chain of islands and several other islands with similar warm climates. When they're ripe they are sweet and are good for making frosting and syrups," the woman continued to say. Kidd raised an eyebrow and looked up at the girl, pointing a finger to the fruit.
"How much is.. uh, a lady-fruit?" Kidd felt awkward saying such a feminine name..
"Right now, because they're so plentiful this season, they're only 40 beri each!"
Kidd and Killer looked at each other quickly and then back at the girl: "We'll take ten."
The woman became ecstatic at such good business and quickly opened a net-like bag, slipping ten ripe lady-fruits into it gently, as to not damage the fruits. Kidd and Killer were nearly drooling, imagining how good they were. Upon being handed the bag, Killer opened up his draw-string leather purse at his hip and took out 400 beri, calmly pouring the coins into the lady's extended hand. As the two walked away she waved happily after them.
"I like this island!" Kidd said out loud with a grin, pulling a lady-fruit from the bag to munch on as they made their way to the far side of the island in only about thirty short minutes. There was a calm silence while they walked, eating. Occasionally one of them would point up at a certain bird or animal that they saw when passing through a woods, but the only sounds made were from nature. The blue and purple birds that were there made a low, peaceful whooping sound that drawled and floated on the air, becoming an enchanting mantra when combined with the sound of waves.
"I think the cliffs are up ahead," Kidd mumbled whilst chewing, swallowing the last of his fruit before pointing in front of him where there seemed to be a drop-off beyond a small grassy clearing. Killer nodded quietly, listening as the sounds of the waves crashing on the cliffs became slightly louder with each step they took. Before they knew it their boots came to rest in the middle of the clearing and they looked out at the calm blue ocean.
"Wow.." Kidd said softly as we took in the untouched ocean scene with a few happy wispy clouds overhead. Killer nodded again in agreement as he finished off his lady-fruit, sitting down cross-legged where they stood. The red-head still stood gawking for several full minutes before Killer tugged on his pant leg and offered him another lady-fruit. Kidd noticed and took the fruit, sitting down next to Killer in the tall, feather-like grasses.
"Hey Killer?" Kidd asked me, not taking his eyes off the lady-fruit as he held it in his hand for a moment. I made a noise of acknowledgment, studying Kidd's expression while he continued talking to me.
"D'ya think you could keep a log book for us? You know.. but like, make it interesting- almost like a diary," Kidd asked me, looking up at me after a minute. I made a pleased face and nodded. He smiled back at me, patting my shoulder in thanks. I was happy that Kidd remembered that I had liked to write and was fairly good at it..oh, and that I even knew how to read and write.
Kidd told me after a while that it would be fun at the end of our journey, after we found One Piece, to read through all we had done and all the people we met along the way. He also said that I should indicate somehow the islands that he wanted to return to. I guess I'll do that at the beginning of each new island excursion, like so:
*Bandola Island- June 20th M – June 25th, 1516
So that's how the set-up will go (in case I somehow forget). I will list the name of the city, then the country or island, and if Kidd wants to return there I'll put a little star next to the name. After that I'll list the dates that we remained at that place. I think it sounds good enough. Maybe I should say if we arrived or left in the morning or afternoon.. huh. Next to the dates I'll write a letter for the time of day it is, like this:
June 20th M - June ?
There. Since we arrived this morning, I put an M. So..
M - Morning
MD - Midday
A - Afternoon
D - Dusk
N - Night
I promise, future Pirate King and co., I won't be too systematic about all this, because that takes away from the fun of reading the logs. So that's all I'll do the same for the entire journey, relating to this journal/log/diary. Also, I guess by 'diary' Kidd meant that I could put in some emotions and feelings, too. I feel like I've already done that a lot though, ehehe..oh well. I can't hurt.
But I digress. O.K. Where was I? Oh yeah, the cliff scene.
Lord, that sounds way too romantic for my liking!
So Kidd and I sat there, talking about what I would write here. It really was kind of dream-like, thinking about how much we will see and accomplish within the coming months- if we make it, that is. Kidd is always so gung-ho about how we'll just sweep past all the other crews with barely a scratch and it will all be 'easy as pie'. (I've never understood that saying..) But, I don't know. I don't think the Grand Line will be all that forgiving..I guess we shall see for ourselves soon enough.
After eating one more lady-fruit that we split between the two of us, which became disastrously messy, we both decided to go and look over the edge of the cliff like the lunatics I am sure we are. Killer and Kidd thought maybe army crawling up to the edge would take some of the risk of falling in away, which was actually smart. It distributed the weight better- otherwise, had they both stepped on the very edge at the same time, no doubt would the thin rock have cracked and sent the two plummeting.
But no, that didn't happen. We hesitantly peered over like scared children and immediately burst out into "WOAAAHH!"s. There was literally no support directly underneath that part of the cliff, so if they fell in, they would be at the hands of the distant waves that crashed into the craggy protrusion. Though we were both pretty good swimmers, there's no way either of us would've lived had we fallen.
"This would be the perfect scene for a massacre!" Kidd burst out, beginning to laugh. I had begun to think that he was a different person with him being so calm and normal all day, but that comment relieved me, strangely enough. Meanwhile, he immediately stopped as he heard the underside of the cliff start to rattle loose some rocks which dropped into the sea. He froze for a minute and turned towards me, scared out of his wits. I can't really say much, though, because at that point I was as pale as him. We both shuffled back as quickly as possible to where we had been sitting before with the bag of fruit. Note to future crew- when we go back to Bandola, don't forget to stock up on these lady-fruits.
From that point onwards, Kidd and Killer steered clear of the very edge and went to go looking for the ruins that Kidd had spotted from the ship while circling the island earlier that day. He could have sworn that they were really close to the cliffs, but as he and the blonde walked around there was no sign of them anywhere. After maybe a quarter of an hour of wandering in pretty much a circle I gave Kidd a doubtful glance, telling him that I thought he had been lying. He became embarrassed and 'tch'ed at me, folding his arms.
"Those fuckin' buildings are here somewhere! I'm not that insane!" Kidd told me loudly, more to convince himself than me. I rolled my eyes. I happened to walk a little further to the west side of the island, which we hadn't really gone into, and voila- ruins. Kidd just about punched me in the face for sounding so smug when I told him. Just thinking about his expression makes me laugh. Ehhh.. I should stop laughing before Kidd hears me and comes to slaughter me and my family for waking him up- c'mon, unless he's changed, you guys all know by that point that Kidd does not in the slightest like to be awoken for any reason.
Anyway... cough
They walked through the remains of the ancient buildings. The ruins were small and simple buildings, probably homes, built from stacking stones in a way that didn't require any mortar- yet they withstood the ocean breezes for centuries. The whole experience fascinated the two.
There was one building that was really awesome, though. It was in the middle of everything, just standing out like a sore thumb, (again, another saying I do not understand). It seemed to be a lighthouse or tower, and most of it was intact. As we both neared towards the entrance to the tower, Kidd looked at me with this.. this.. I don't even know how to describe it. It was something like a look of pure, unceasing persuasion mixed with a hint of mischief. I sighed, capitulating to the silent battle that had taken place. I wasn't going to say 'no' when that kind of aura was rolling off him like a river. Besides, he always forgets that he is the captain and that he therefore has the right to do anything he wants.
I don't get it. Maybe my mother-hen attitude has been affecting him in a long-term way. ..Maybe that's not so bad, now that I think about it...Hm.
Kidd began to climb the remarkably sturdy spiral staircase in the ancient tower- the only problem was that when it was built, the average height of a male was about 5'4" ft. Kidd was a whole foot taller, so he had to awkwardly crouch as he went up, still feeling his hair brush against the stone. Luckily, the whole tower was only about 30 or so feet tall, so Kidd didn't have to struggle for too long before he got to the top where there was a perfect view of almost the entire island and the surrounding ocean. Kidd hadn't realized how stout all the trees on the island were.. Kidd bent slightly over the side of the tower and beckoned for me to come up, and so I did. I soon found that I had similar height problems, but that was alright. The view was worth it.
We were immersed in our own thoughts when a middle-aged man came out of the woods and was walking towards us. Kidd and I looked at each other, wondering what we should do..
"Oh, I see you've stolen my perch!" the man yelled up with a laugh, putting his hands on his hips. Killer rubbed the back of his head and started pulling the red-head down the tower with him till they were on the grass talking with the man.
Apparently the tower was still being used to watch for large pirate ships with prominent features, like Cavendish's. But also, it so happened that Red-Haired sometimes liked to hang out on the island- probably for the lady-fruit, I'm guessing. Anyway, the man was coming to keep watch, and when I glanced at Kidd I knew something was cooking in there ('there' being his head). I waited silently, waiting till Eustass did something. What he did made me smirk.
He looked around and spotted a fallen tree not too far away, and he told the man to follow him. I went too, because.. well, I was curious. Kidd looked between the two observers and took out his dagger, carving something into the trunk. The man watched Kidd with an amused look, and when Kidd was done carving, he explained what it was.
Kidd had carved our Jolly Roger into the log there, and I had no clue what he was going to say about it. He looked stern as he began talking.
"Have you seen this Jolly Roger before?" he asked the man seriously. The man studied it carefully and shook his head, looking a little confused. Kidd had no reaction. He then told the man something else.
"If you or any one of the watchmen ever see this Jolly Roger on a ship, do not attack it. The people on that ship have a respect for this island and it's people and would not ever damage it in any way. Do you understand?" Kidd asked, looking the man in the eye. The man looked up at Kidd, then the Jolly Roger, and then Kidd again. He nodded. Kidd put his hand on the man's shoulder and spoke to him again. "Tell the townspeople that the people of that Jolly Roger are your allies. But please don't go telling that to outsiders- they might take advantage of that information and pretend to be your allies, then ambushing you. Keep this knowledge safe and protected, and if need be, know that those people would come to your assistance at any time after they come here again."
Kidd should have known that the man would be overwhelmed with such a mission, but really the man seemed to understand, even despite all the pressure. Kidd let the man go with a smirk, telling him to go back to town and spread the news to the locals. Kidd said that we would keep watch till he returned. So the man obediently left, leaving the captain and I alone again. I gave him a grin for his softness.
"You're a good guy, Eustass."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever.. I just feel at ease here, and not many places make me feel that way. Home sure didn't make me feel at ease."
I nodded in response. I do kind of like the calm-Eustass.. that laid-back attitude lets me relax a little, and I find it easier to just be in his presence. I bet if we ever get called back here because some other crew tried to take over this island, Kidd would make me behead them and chop their limbs off. No, I know he would. Or maybe he would want to do the deed himself- I'd prefer that, honestly.
"Do you think they'll realize that's our Jolly Roger before we leave?" I asked Kidd, just curious to see what he would say. He shrugged away the thought, leaving me again in silence with no answer, just how this all started.
While the man was gone, Kidd and Killer sat and relaxed on the carved trunk, looking at the tower and past it at it South Blue. Killer began to talk to Kidd, casually, sometimes telling him stories of his past.
"The birds here amuse me," Kidd noted, causing both to grow quiet and admire the sound. Killer smiled as one of the blue birds flitted in front of them and perched itself on a rock not too far from the two. Kidd froze in place, not wanting the bird to be frightened. However, the animal paid him no heed at all and just continued his call. Killer took this as an opportunity to connect with nature.
The blonde began to imitate the bird's sound, and suddenly the bird was hopping around, looking every which way for the other 'bird' that had made the sound. Kidd and Killer laughed at the poor thing, making the bird flap it's wings and hop back a few steps in slight irritation.
"Back home, when I was younger, my neighbor had a Bandola Blue Bird as a pet and it would fly around with him. I always thought it was pretty cool, but it rarely made the sound. When the thing did make the call it sounded so forlorn, and I couldn't blame it. Being the only one of your kind on an island would be depressing to say the least," I explained, remembering the golden days of my childhood. Ha, not really. I grew up fine, no problems, with a normal family. It just shows that pirates come from any and all backgrounds. Kidd raised an eyebrow.
"They're called Bandola Blue Birds?" Kidd asked me. I nodded.
"Pretty straightforward, huh?"
Kidd nodded that time, feeling a little stupid.
We sat there for maybe an hour and a half, watching the sun begin to go down in front of us. That was pretty amazing. Silence was our friend for a long time, there, although I did flap my lips way more than I usually do. At least I think so.. Every once and a while I'd go up in the tower to really make sure that no pirates were coming, which there were not. The only pirates there were us.
Finally, the man came back with a concerned face. Kidd approached him, wondering what was wrong.
"They wanted to know what the captain and crew would look like.."
Kidd looked back at me with an utter loss of words and I nearly burst out laughing. I calmed myself, however, and delivered a very convincing account of the appearance of these allies.
"The captain is tall and muscular, looking confident and daring and his first-mate looks tall and lanky, but just as strong and wise. The crew will look like a fine group of strong and brave men, all with unique abilities that set them apart from each other."
Kidd sent Killer a warning glare when he started purposely talking highly about himself, not that the man knew any different. Yet, at the end of the description, Kidd pretty much completely agreed- the only thing wrong was that the captain did not just look confident and daring, but was so. (He forgot that Killer was trying to describe appearances...) Either way, the man took it all in and remembered it. He then looked between the two pirates.
"I suppose you're our allies, then?" the man asked meekly, putting a hand into his pocket. Kidd started to smirk, snapping his fingers.
"Damn, can't trick you guys," Kidd said out loud, looking down at the civilian who was suddenly looking quite chipper. He stuck out his hand to shake Kidd's pale one, firmly holding onto his ally's hand for as long as allowed.
"I'm the marshal/mayor of Bandola Island, Tsumu Tsugami. It's an honor to have you on our side, Mr...?"
Kidd rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, hating such a polite introduction. "Kidd. Eustass 'Captain' Kidd." The marshal grinned, letting go of Kidd's hand to shake Killer's, too.
"I'm Killer," Killer told Mr. Tsugami simply. Tsugami had to chuckle at his name.
"Perfectly suitable for a pirate. Now, I want to say thank you for not harming my island or people-"
Kidd interrupted Tsumu rudely, swishing the air with his hand. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I really like this island's atmosphere, but you're completely giving off the opposite of that feeling. So if you're not normally like this, then cut the crap and be real, alright?" The mayor, slightly appalled, nodded.
I couldn't believe Kidd. Honestly. It was kind of true, though.. The mayor had been acting very strangely compared to when we had talked earlier at the tower. Maybe Kidd was right about confronting him..
Either way, the mayor did drop the act. Kidd told him that he didn't want for everyone to know that the ally was him specifically and didn't want the whole town chanting his name. He wanted that laid-back, 'nice ta' meetcha'-feel that the people already succeeded in exuding. Kidd pretty much had to make sure no fanclub was created in his honor. The amusing thing is, we don't even have bounties right now.
At the end of the evening, after wandering into a bar for a while, like I had promised Kidd earlier today, Kidd and I retired to Goldie for the night.(I call the ship Goldie, even though it's Gol D. Locks.. funny thing is, some people have complimented me on 'my' nice vessel, and others have asked me on the docks before if I was the captain of the ship, simply because of my gold hair. Every time I would make sure Kidd wasn't near me and I'd laugh, telling them that I sometimes I feel like the captain, but really I am not..hehehe, Goldie's the best.)
Before we went to sleep, Kidd and I were standing at the side of the ship at the railing, listening to the distant Bandola Blues and the small ripples that lapped against Goldie's side. It was nice. The crew was returning steadily but no one noticed us just standing there- maybe it was because Eustass wasn't barking about something or drunkenly latching onto me to keep himself upright. He was only a little buzzed tonight, thank heavens, but his cheeks were red the whole time we stood there. Really, his whole presence felt strangely warm tonight..
Right before we decided it was time for sleep Kidd turned slightly towards me, but still looking out at the ocean somewhere. I waited for something..anything. It took a minute, but he got it.
"You're really great, you know that?" he told me, patting my back. I remember I just blinked, gathering my thoughts. He had complimented me. Kidd got a little frustrated when I didn't respond, and he looked at me with that stern look again. I glanced back at him, uncertain of what he was going to say. His look of inner brooding intensified, and I began to wonder what I had done.
Apparently he noticed the alarmed look on my face and he laughed, causing some of the other crew members to jolt and stare towards him as if we had just appeared out of thin air. Needless to say I was very confused, and Kidd just shook his head, putting his arm around my shoulder as he turned to go below deck for the night.
"I'm just messin' with ya. But really, thanks for being here with me. Means a lot," Kidd told me, stopping in front of his cabin door, just kind of observing me for what I would do. I scratched my head and smiled pitifully, ending up wallowing in embarrassment. I had no idea what to say to all that! It came out of nowhere, and frankly, the whole day he was weird and slightly unpredictable, so I was at a loss. Kidd laughed under his breath and shook his head, turning the knob on the cabin door. He took a step in and paused, glancing back out at me with a smirk.
"Don't stay up too late writing the log."
"I won't," I replied, knowing that would probably end up being a lie (which it was, if you couldn't tell by how much effort and time I have put into this thing). Kidd sent me a short wave, stepping into his room.
"G'night, Killer."
His door then shut with a click, and I felt strange leaving him without the proper response, so I put my face close to the door and listened for a moment before replying.
"You too, Kidd."
It was a good day. I enjoy Bandola greatly, and I'm excited for the future. But for now I have to stop thinking and just succumb to sleep. Sleep, great sleep.
- End of Day 1. -