It is said that they wait 'til the blackest time of night
That you die unknowing, your ghost filled with fright
The sailors of the abyss, the harbingers of death
And it won't be long before you taste the ocean's depths
I worked hard to get where I am. I worked so hard. I'm not the smartest. I don't have a weird power. But I worked so hard...only to have it ripped away from me.
But, I won't let it end here. I'll rebuild. I'll work even harder.
"Who's responsible for this little one?!" the doctor shouted as he held me at bay.
My wails echoed off the walls as I pushed against him furiously. I was sick of this. It was my thirteenth birthday, and I wanted to be with May on her last day on Earth.
May was a lot of things to me. She was my best friend, my first kiss, my first love, my future. But, she was practically a dead girl walking for the past four years. The doctors said she had something called 'cancer', which they couldn't cure. It didn't surprise me any. No part of it did. May was always a sickly girl, ever since we were born. And, as far as the doctors being unable to fix it, they couldn't even treat the flu if they tried. Our little archipelago was far too primitive. It's a wonder anyone survived living there.
"Where on Earth is your mother?" the exasperated doctor demanded, finally shoving me back and holding me by the shoulders at arms' length.
"She's out cold!" I snapped, wriggling away from his grasp and forcing myself into the hospital room.
At long last, I saw her again, but the sight made me want to break down and cry.
Her once beautiful black curls were flat, thin, and dead. Her shimmering hazel eyes were closed and lined with dark circles. Her cheeks were hollow, he skin was much too pale, and her chest was barely moving.
"May!" I cried, running to her side and clutching her cold, bony hand.
"Somebody control Barcelona!" the doctor snapped behind my back. "She got in again!"
May's eyes slowly peeled open, and she gave me a tired smile.
"Hi, Barcelona," May greeted sleepily, her fingers curling around mine with a weak grip.
"May, is it true? Are they right? Are you gonna die?" I demanded, my voice shaking and my eyes burning.
May hesitated only a moment before nodding in my direction.
"It's true," she rasped. "I can...I can feel it. It's like...all my energy's getting sucked out of me."
I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut, willing this to be a horrible, drawn-out nightmare.
"Captain, plans?"
I snapped my attention to my first mate, who was giving me that dead-eyed stare he was so well-known for.
"I'm working on it," I told him nonchalantly.
Clearly, he was becoming agitated with my attitude. And, well, it wasn't for no good reason. Moscow, Seoul, and I were the only remaining members of the dreaded Blackhand Pirates. And now, we sat in our own brig, waiting to either rot away or be finished off by the crew that had attacked us.
"We're not going to make it out of this if you keep stalling, captain," Moscow added with a heavy, frustrated sigh.
"Oh, Mossy, Mossy, Mossy."
"Don't call me - "
"Do you truly have no faith in me at all?" I purred. "We're getting out of here, darling, and we're gathering up a new crew. Captains Honor."
The zombie of a man smirked, raising an eyebrow.
"And just how much is this captain's honor worth?"
"More than you," I retorted quickly. "Now, the wardens are coming back. It's your job to spot the one with the key and steal him."
Moscow sighed and stood, his arms crossed over his chest.
"You seem to keep forgetting that it takes me a while to get accustomed to a new body. I'm not your trump card, captain. My power has weaknesses."
Then I'll distract the other one, Moscow; I have this under control," I responded with a sly wink.
This only caused my first mate to raise an eyebrow once again.
"With what? Please don't hurt yourself trying to use 'feminine wiles' again, madam."
I waved off his concern and brushed my long, mahogany hair back over my shoulder.
"Why did you bring me out here?" Julio whined as I dragged him along.
"I wanted you to see this before anyone else," I told him secretively.
"I don't like that."
"Like what?"
I stopped to face him.
"That voice you use," he complained. "It means you're gonna drag me into something I'll regret."
I sighed, exasperated, and threw the little ingrate's hand down.
"Whatever," I responded flatly. "May would've come with me."
I didn't hesitate to take in the sorrowful expression on his face. He had his chance. He didn't take it. It wasn't my fault he was a pansy.
Remembering the route I'd taken earlier, I scrambled up the rocks overlooking the northern beach.
Today is the day. Today is the day I leave this godforsaken island.
"Touch him," I hissed as the wardens approached the cell.
Moscow narrowed his eyes, but moved closer to the cell door obediently.
"Eat up," one of the thugs grunted, sliding the tray under the door. "Then the captain'll decide what to do with you."
"Now!" I whispered.
Moscow caught the man's hand as it was sliding the food over.
"Hey! What're - "
The man's mouth stopped moving.
It's been said - and, I heard this from Moscow - that a person's brain has a very specific body map. In addition to your physical form, your brain has a sort of backup of it that never really changes. So, sometimes people will be missing body parts, but their minds will act like the parts are still there. And sometimes, people will have extra body parts that their brain won't register as belonging to them.
This may seem off topic, but don't go anywhere just yet.
You see, my first mate has eaten a very useful Devil Fruit, indeed. This fruit gives his body map a sort of...flexibility.
The Switch-Switch Fruit gives its user the ability to swap bodies with someone else. For the Devil Fruit user himself, this doesn't pose much of a problem. He can use the stolen body freely for up to twenty-four hours before the stress is too much and he dies. For the victim, it's not so simple. The Switch-Switch Fruit is not so kind as to ease the experience for both parties.
This is why I wasn't even slightly surprised when Moscow's body began screaming and convulsing on the floor.
According to my expert calculations(guesswork, truthfully), the other warden was far too distracted by what he perceived as a prisoner screaming in agony to care about Moscow while he grew accustomed to his new body.
"Wh...wh...what did you...do to me?" Moscow's voice demanded, choking on what I presumed to be vomit between words.
I smiled and looked up wordlessly at my real first mate, leaning back and crossing my legs patiently. The warden's body became animated all at once, and Moscow wasted no time in socking the non-possessed warden in the nose(a practice which, as he tells me when I care to listen, shatters the bones of the nose and pierces the brain if done right). The other man fell, and Moscow wasted no time in hunting for the brig key and releasing my cabin girl and me.
I tapped Seoul on the shoulder and gestured to the now open cell door with a nod of my head. Come on, then," I beckoned, standing from the hard bench. "We don't want to keep our victims waiting."
The Hangman Pirates.
Everyone in this corner of the South Blue knew them. They hadn't made a huge name for themselves yet, but they were frightening enough. Iy was said that they were hellbent on wiping out any human life on smaller islands completely.
Meaning we were in huge trouble.
But not me. No. I was leaving. It was a brave feat for a thirteen-year-old girl, but I'd be damned if I died before seeing what the world had to offer. Once I'd climbed back down the rocks, I saw him for the first time. His skin was ashy grey, his hair a pale pink, and his eyes dead-looking and pale blue. He looked frightening.
"Like a zombie," I murmured as I drew nearer.
I remained in the shadows. I wanted this zombie man to be on my future crew, but I had to assess his power.
"There are so many of them out there!" Seoul whimpered, shaking as she returned from peaking out the door. "Their crew is huge, Barcelona! I don't know how we'll ever get past them!"
I knelt down so that I was at her eye level. With Moscow reclaiming his body behind me, I took Seoul's face in my hands and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Have faith in your captain," I told her. "I've faced worse before."
Seoul clasped one of her dark-skinned hands over mine.
"No one's ever killed our whole crew before," she hiccuped. "I'm scared, Barcelona."
"Just sit down here," I cooed, bringing the girl closer to me and stroking her pure white curls. "Sit down here in the cell. I'll have Moscow lock you away safely and keep the key with him. Sound good? We'll get you when the ship's ours again."
Seoul hesitated before nodding and stepping back to face me.
"You'll be okay without me?"
"Darling, we'll be even stronger knowing you're down here needing us to protect you. Now, let's see that smile, hmm?"
Seoul smiled a bit, seeming relieved, and I nodded to her.
"That's the spirit!"
I stood and patted her on the back.
"Go on, then, Moscow! Lock her up good and secure, alright?"
My ever-stoic first mate nodded and locked the door after her.
"On your mark, captain," he stated, moving up next to me.
It was fate. I knew that when he stepped into the longboat I'd stowed away in.
"What's this?" he asked, a slight aristocratic accent in his words. "A little thief?"
He sounded so fancy. Even if his voice tone and words were clearly threatening, I mean.
But, I knew I couldn't let him touch me. Everyone he touched ended up screaming in pain for no reason at all! He was terrifying, and I'd have him for my first mate.
So, I hit him over the head with a rock I had thought to bring with me.
"You alright, Moscow?"
He nodded, though I could see the pained look in his eyes and the beads of sweat forming on his face.
"Old wounds?"
He didn't answer, but I knew. His bones were bad. There were scars on his flesh and even deeper still. If he moved around too much - particularly when there was a storm front coming - his bones remembered. They reminded him of why he couldn't have a normal life. Why he was out here in the first place.
But, he pressed forward. It was thanks to him that we had our ship back.
Seoul approached and wrapped her arms around his waist for reassurance. Surprisingly, he didn't even protest.
"We're landing soon," I promised. "You can rest."
"I'll wait," he replied. "Got to be sure we don't tun into anymore problems."
"Think we can't handle ourselves?"
Moscow chuckled.
"I don't want to sleep through the action, captain."
I grinned and took the wheel.
"That's my Moscow," I chuckled to myself.