Captain Emma Silver smiled to herself as she strolled down the streets of Skull Island.

Everywhere she turned, Pirates were wandering here and there, chattering happily with their companions or trading with each other.

It was easy to see who the newer arrivals were, those who were staring around in awe or hanging back from the crowds. The ones wearing the most basic, simple clothing, probably provided to them by Boochbeard upon their rescuing.

Emma weaved easily around the "newbies", making her way up to the terrace of Captain Avery's courtyard.

Captain Horace Avery, a veteran of the Polarian wars and one of the most successful Pirates in history was, technically, the governor of Skull Island. He'd won that honor in a bet against the former governor, a Marleybone, and had quickly transformed the dreary sailors' outpost into a colorful, welcoming safehaven for pirates young and old.

At six foot-three, the man was lean and wiry, a result of spending years at sky with little to eat save for hard biscuits. His beard and mustache were snow white, but he insisted upon wearing a copper-colored wig, believing it made him appear more "gentlemanly".

In Emma's opinion, it just made him look stupid.

Captain Avery had a fascination with rare treasures, and often sent new inhabitants of his island to go and collect for him whenever something caught his fancy. Emma, at this moment, was wrapped up in a quest to procure some rare gun for him, which was proving to be a very tedious endeavor with which she quite desperately wished to be finished.

However, when Captain Avery proposed a quest to her, it was difficult to say "no". He had a way of looking at her, his sharp blue-green eyes locked on hers as though she were his last hope. His voice held a very childlike eagerness that made her want to please him, to see him grin at her when she returned, victorious, with what he had desired.

"Oh, Captain Silver, you truly are something!" he'd always say when she retrieved whatever trinket he'd wanted. "I cannot thank you enough! I knew you'd come through for me!"

And he'd wink at her, causing her stomach to flip happily and her body to become hot.

He always paid her well for her trouble, always held up his end of the deal. He didn't berate her, didn't sneer at her because she was a woman (which happened more often than she liked to admit). He was a perfect gentleman.

But there was one thing about him that drove her absolutely up a wall. Whenever he asked her to do something, whenever he gave her a task, he'd only tell her part of the whole would send her to retrieve some seemingly meaningless treasure for him, where she would risk her neck finding the damn thing, and it would turn out to be merely a fraction of a much bigger treasure, or of a way to find one.

For instance, when he'd sent her to retrieve the Monkey Chalice, he'd really only wanted the piece of sail cloth it had been wrapped in! (Which was, as it turned out, a piece of the map to El Dorado.)

She'd gone off on him about it more than once, angrily accusing him of using her as a pawn, of thinking her too stupid to handle the more complicated plans. He would sputter at her disrespect, his pasty skin turning redder and redder until he, too, started shouting back at her, saying that she had no right to accuse him of such things, and that she owed him a great deal for the trouble he'd gone through to bring her there.

But despite their almost constant bickering, Emma had to admit that she did genuinely like Captain Avery. Even if he did come off as quite pompous and arrogant at times, he had a certain…charm. He made her feel successful, as though she was doing well.

He made her feel…good at something.

And so, on mornings like this when she woke up happier than normal, she crept up to the terrace outside his office, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. She'd stare out at the town over the ledge, leaning over the railing slightly but keeping her ears fixed on the area behind her, listening for him.

This morning, she was not disappointed.

She was watching the pirates below her mingle when she felt a presence behind her. The gentle island breeze pushed the scent of a strong, musky cologne to her attention.

"Captain Silver," Captain Avery's jolly voice said behind her. "Good morning!"

Emma turned, trying her darndest to suppress her smile.

"Good morning, Captain Avery." She said smoothly. "How are you this morning?"

He smiled down at her, resting one hand on the railing next to her and leaning down to bring himself to her height.

"Fair, fair." His blue-green eyes twinkled playfully. "And you?"

"F-fine." He was suddenly much too close. She lowered her eyes.

"How goes the hunt for my Peacemakers?" he asked.

"Um, I'm…I'm making progress."

"Good, good." One of his long, skinny fingers trailed up her arm. "If anyone can do it, I know it's you."

She felt her heart quicken. Quickly, she ducked away from him and ran back down to the main square.

And slammed straight into Kobe's chest.

"Captain!" he exclaimed, steadying her. "There you are!"

She smiled weakly.

"H-hey, Kobe." she said, glancing back up at the terrace. Captain Avery was looking down at her, frowning.

She quickly turned her attention back to Kobe, who was scowling up at Captain Avery.

"Did he upset you, Captain?" he growled. "Did he hurt you?"

"No, no…" She kept her voice level, knowing that Kobe's bullish temper could make him do some very stupid things. "I just… I thought I was late."

"Late?" Kobe frowned. "Do we have a new quest?"

"Well, old quests I'd like to get done." She forced a confident smile. "Sky snakes, Red Sash Ships…"

"Are you sure you're alright, Captain?" Kobe asked softly, his hands resting on her shoulders. "I just… I want you to be okay."

"I'm fine, Kobe." She smiled up at him. "You're a good friend, worrying about me so much."

"Yes." His voice suddenly hardened. "I'm a…good friend." He lowered his eyes, stepped away from her.

"Kobe?"

"I believe Mordekai has a new lesson for you." His voice was stiff. "I will round up the crew, and we'll be on the ship when you're finished."

"Th-thank you, Kobe."

He bowed at the waist, not smiling. He turned on his heel and walked away.

Emma stared after him, perplexed, before making her way to Mordekai's shack, already dreading the Hammerhead's shouting.