Chapter One
Alfred F. Jones stood on the bow of his ship, Justice, staring over the horizon as his red and white navy uniform flapped in the wind. The blonde was paranoid about pirates and in this link of the sea, there always were. His crew watched their captain nervously; if he was scared then they had reason to be. Alfred was known as a hero for bringing many pirates into custody for beheading. However, he had never entered their territory so deep before. It was reason to worry.
The sun was close to setting for that day and it only made Alfred worry more. The night was when the pirates tended to strike first. He sighed, adjusted his glasses and returned to his captain's quarters. For the millionth time he pulled out parchment with the head pirates drawn upon it. Their faces burned into his mind as he scanned over them.
The first pirate was notorious for his giant axe and his love of Tomatoes. Antonio was formidable. He usually attacked spice ships and pillaged them, leaving the ship defenseless. He often teamed up with a man called Gilbert, who wasn't a pirate but enjoyed causing trouble all the same.
The second pirate had long hair and such feminine features that if you didn't see the stubble on his chin you'd have mistaken him for a woman. Francis Bonnefoy was a known pervert and courted all those he stole from, whether they were male or female. He often worked together with the other pirates to cause the American problems.
The last pirate on the list was a man named Arthur. He was known for his terrible temper and his unusual eyebrows. Alfred stared at his picture and chewed his lip in irritation. He had never come across Arthur at all during his travels. He'd fought Antonio, Francis and many others but never Arthur. The English pirate was smart; he knew when to attack and when to retreat, he was swift in capture and left no trace of his ship ever being around. It was like he didn't exist. Alfred would have believed that he didn't if all the pirates he'd executed hadn't laughed at him and said "You think you're a hero? You can't even catch the Englishman."
This was a blow to the American's ego, he had always thought himself as a hero, sailing to save the God fearing people, even though he had yet to capture the most feared pirate in the all the ocean. It was Alfred's motivation to head so far into the pirates' territory in the first place. But now he was thinking it wasn't such a good idea.
He put the paper down and headed back onto the deck. By now the sun was below the horizon and there was only a faint glow. The crew members were lighting lamps around the ship but every so often one would look up fearfully, searching for a ship. Alfred stood at the helm and watched. He thought to himself; 'I'll have to put on extra guards tonight'.
"Captain! What are our orders?" One man asked. All eyes swiveled to Alfred's face and he smiled.
"I want three people in each watch detail, eyes peeled for any other ships! We're going to catch the Englishman before the week is out!" He grinned and punched the air. His men smiled and punched the air also, in a mock salute. "Who's the hero?" Alfred yelled.
"You are!" His men replied faithfully.
"Exactly! No pirate will get the best of Captain Alfred F. Jones!" He laughed loudly, hoping that this would help boost his men's spirits. The men did look better after his speech as they started organizing the night shifts. Alfred again retired to his cabin for much needed rest. If he was going to find Arthur Kirkland the notorious pirate in a week he'd have to come up with a cunning plan... and that would take sleep.
Alfred undressed from his rather luxurious clothes and into a loose white shirt and a loose pair of brown pants. He placed his sword on the table next to him before slipping into bed. He liked to make sure that his sword was nearby when he slept in case the enemy attacked and he wasn't one to be caught unprepared. Alfred yawned and removed his glasses last. He placed them beside the sword on the bed side table before lying back.
"I will get you Captain Kirkland..." He muttered before letting the waves softly rock him to sleep.
Arthur Kirkland was closer then Alfred realized; in fact, the pirate captain had been tailing the American ship all day. Arthur thought very little of the man who caught and killed so many pirates and called himself a hero for doing it. It's not like they killed that many people. In fact, Arthur saw it was more pirates were being killed. He had hidden his ship behind some small islands waiting for night to come; when it would be the most favorable time to strike. Arthur was betting that the American git thought he was safe, and that he'd catch him in the next week.
"Ha-ha! Some stupid American could never catch me!" Arthur laughed out loud. The sun was below the horizon now and Arthur was anxious to make his move. He called for his men to douse the lamps before they moved out.
They weighed anchor and slowly used the breeze to move out from behind the island. Arthur stood on the bow and eyed the American ship with distaste. "I'll see you disgraced you American bastard" He muttered darkly; his rather unusual eyebrows knitted together in a frown. "Prepare the long boats" He said to the nearest man. "It's time to catch the American's unaware."
Very soon Arthur, accompanied by ten men, had set off towards the American's ship. The guards were looking sloppy and the lamps had dimmed since the first time they had been lit. Arthur smiled to himself and nodded to his crew.
"I'll take on the Captain, you men handle the rest" He said, voice low. The crew nodded and paddled the long boats to the side of the ship. Hidden under the hull of the ship they threw grappling hooks over the side. Five of the crew limbed up first to take care of the guards. A hand appeared over the edge of the ship to give them the signal to say that they succeeded. Arthur grinned before launching himself up the rope. He landed on deck with swift ease and turned to the direction of the Captain's cabin. The rest of the crew, save but two of them, climbed up onto the deck. The three guards were tied to the main mast unconscious. Arthur nodded to his crew, giving them the go ahead to venture down into the ship while he pulled his sword out of the scabbard.
Arthur's boots hardly made a sound as he ascended the stairs to the captain's quarters. His sword extended in front of him, ready to take out any American's that tired to attack him. He slowly twisted the door handle and stepped inside; he held his guard up as he saw the sleeping form in the bed. He moved closer and noticed the sword, immediately grabbing it and placing it on the floor. 'Better not leave anything to chance.' He thought as he resumed looking at the captain. From the light of the moon he could barely make out the man's features. He was rather masculine and looked almost too peaceful in his sleep. 'He really does think he's safe' Arthur thought and almost laughed at his naivety. He pulled his scabbard out of his belt and tapped the sleeping man with it. "Come on... Wake up sleeping beauty!" He said and hit the man's cheek harder.
Alfred clutched at his blanket; sweating he panicked as he started dreaming about the dreaded pirates. Their faces goaded him and teased him, laughing at his incompetence to catch Captain Kirkland and bring him to justice. Arthur himself laughed in Alfred's face. "Think you can catch me you sodding American? You think you're a hero? Think again!" He laughed and slapped Alfred's face again and again. Alfred yelled and sat up in bed panting. He ran a hand through his hair and grabbed his glasses from the side table. Squinting into the darkness he saw a shape step forward and point something at him.
"Awake now? I thought I was going to have to slap you till morning, now get up you American twat" Alfred froze as he made out the shape of the dreaded pirate from his dream. Arthur Kirkland stood before him, his sword poised at Alfred's neck; a smirk plastered on his face.
'Oh god...' Alfred swallowed. 'I screwed up.'
Gah! D8 Basically my first Hetalia Fanfic!! But I oh so love pirates… and Arthur ;D THEY FREAKING ROCK!!