A/N: I'm too excited for this story to pick up so I will upload the first few chapters this week. Thanks for the reviews and alerts!


"Here you go, Lucy-san. This will be your cabin. Captain Bart is just a few doors down, if you need anything. His office is located across the deck, you can't miss it." The Empress's quartermaster held the door open for her, letting her step inside. He closed it behind him after informing her of when and where lunch would be. Lucy looked around the spacious cabin with wide eyes. Bart had seen to that everything she would possibly need was present. She had two hammocks, a set of drawers, a shelf filled to the brim with books, a desk a little away from the porthole and an attached bathroom. Privacy wouldn't be an issue, it seemed.

Lucy placed her bags at the wooden floor and walked over to the porthole. The Empress hadn't sat sail yet, but would depart once the supplies had been restocked. Lucy had only been aboard the ship for an hour and she had already been greeted by most of the crewmembers. They had seemed very friendly and asked her lots of question about her magic, never having met a celestial spirit mage before.

'I wonder what's happening at the guild.' Trying to catch a glimpse of the familiar building, Lucy looked out of the circular window. Her parting with her friends had been amusing, to say at least. Natsu and Happy had clung to her, demanding to be brought along while Erza convinced them to let her go. Gray, having left for a mission the previous day, was absent and Wendy reminded Natsu of his motion sickness and why it would be a horrible idea to tag along. In the end, Lucy had promised to get back as fast as she could and to bring them souvenirs. After a while the ship started moving and she slowly saw Magnolia fade away.

She smiled fondly at the thought of her friends. They were probably going to take a lot of jobs to keep themselves occupied, while she was away. She missed them already, but she at the same time, she felt excited about her voyage. That's when she remembered what her job was. The thought of the raids stopped her smiling and she sat down by her desk, deciding to write down the information she had gathered so far. She was determined to solve the mystery of the raids.

"Hmm…" She rubbed her chin and grabbed her keys, summoning Plue for a while. She would need someone to discuss her ideas with. So far, the Empress had been raided a total of three times. They were heading for Green Bit, an island three weeks journey from Magnolia. What Lucy found strange was the crew's demeanor. They didn't seem the slightest bit scared about setting sail again. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that they were able to defend themselves rather well and had only brought her along for insurance.

"What do you think, Plue?" She patted the small spirit's head.

"Pu-puun"

"Am I over-thinking?" The little creature kept 'plue-ing', trying to explain Lucy what he thought – not that she'd understand it anyway. She was too busy wrapping her head around all her deductions and theories. So busy, in fact, that she missed the first three knocks on her door.

"Lucy?" Bart called from outside. She jumped in fright and hurried over to the door bringing Plue along.

"Sorry Bart, I was spacing out." She apologized as she opened the door.

"No worries. What you say, we get something to eat?" He smiled and offered her his arm, which she gladly accepted. They walked down to the galley, and Bart held the door open for Lucy as she entered.

"Shiver me timbers." One of the younger crewmembers whistled when he noticed Plue hiding behind the blonde's leg. So far, the crew had only heard of her spirits, not seen them. Lucy then explained to them who Plue was and how she had contracts with her spirits. The poor spirit was shaking so hard, Lucy had to pick him up and comfort him. He was probably just intimidated by the unfamiliar faces.

"So you're their master?" A bulky man with a grey bandana around his head asked.

"Yes, but they are not my slaves. Unfortunately, some celestial spirit mages are too stuck-up to realize that and treat them like trash." Lucy shook her head with disgust and received some muttered agreements from the gathered men. The man in bandana, Ed, nodded his head, equally disgusted.

Lunch passed quickly and before she knew it, Lucy had acquainted herself with most of the crew. Plue had been a big hit among the sailors – especially with Bart and the cook. The crew consisted of some thirty members and reminded her of a big family, not colleagues. Lucy noticed that aside from her, there was no other female among them. Maybe they really believed that having women aboard was bad omen. Lucy found the thought amusing, but then again, if they really did believe the lore, they wouldn't have let her come along. She made a mental note to ask Bart about it later. The captain had asked her to have tea with him after dinner, where they would discuss the recent attacks on the ship.

So far, Lucy had spoken to the majority of the sailors and had found out that the Empress mostly freighted cargo for wealthy merchants and traders. The Empress was bound to get raided with valuable goods aboard. Lucy spent the next few hours getting to know the crew better and memorizing the layout of the ship. She was currently helping Ed bring some barrels to the galley from below deck.

"So, Ed, how long have you been on the Empress? It must be scary to be attacked so frequently." The blonde asked him curiously. As far as she could tell, he was one of the oldest crewmembers. Everyone respected him. She had started with calling him Ed-san, but he had asked her to drop the suffix right away.

"A decade or two, and 's nothing we can't handle." He answered bluntly and tried to balance a small barrel between those he had tucked under each arm. Lucy reached over and grabbed it herself. She was only carrying a medium-sized barrel of salt and didn't mind easing Ed's heavy load.

"That's a long time." She commented, throwing him a glance. He didn't look very old. He was probably in his late thirties, she estimated.

"Aye. I love being out at sea." He explained with a small smile. "I was only a wee lad when Captain Bart found me. I was an orphan, see? Me parents died when I was young. Worked for some horrible people and got into loads of trouble every day. The captain offered me a job and I've stuck around ever since." He pushed a door open with his shoulder and waited for Lucy to go in.

"That's so cute." Lucy giggled. Ed's eyes widened and he placed his barrels down on the floor. He pulled at the collar of his uniform and awkwardly cleared his throat. He clearly wasn't used to being called cute and had turned an interesting shade of red. Ed started scratching his arms, where his sleeves were dangling to distract himself from the inquiring gaze of Lucy.

"Is your uniform scratchy?" The blonde reached up and ran her fingers along the fabric on Ed's arm. It felt even more uncomfortable than it looked. Most of the crew had had their sleeves rolled up to their upper arms, so they wouldn't get in the way of their work. Ed's sleeves, however, seemed to have a mind of their own. They kept unrolling and ran down his arms. He was clearly very uncomfortable in his clothes. As were all the other crew members. Each and every one of them pulled at their uniforms every few seconds, some clawed at them while others just tried to get them out of the way. They also walked around rather stiffly.

"Very. We just bought these, actually. The old ones were… err-tattered pretty badly last time there was a-a storm. Yes, a very bad storm. The captain figured we get some new ones." He explained and pulled at the material, like he wanted to rip it off. He was so obvious.

"Getting used to clothes you usually don't wear is pretty tough." Lucy smiled sweetly. She was going to have fun with this.

"Aye…" Ed muttered quietly, still trying to keep his sleeves up.

"Here, let me help you." Lucy offered and reached for some hair pins in one of her pockets. Bobby pins always came in handy.

"There you go."

"Stars? Really? Now all the mates will think I'm a sissy." Ed chuckled, "Oh, well. They'll have to do for now." He picked up the barrels again and was just about to walk inside, when a voice stopped him.

"Ed! Get ye butt over here and help me unload." The cook, Romano, called from inside the kitchen.

"Yeah yeah, be right there. Geez!" He looked apologetically at Lucy and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well lass, I better help the little landlubber, before I lose my hearing. Why don't you take a look on deck, find some good spots for guarding, eh?" The older man suggested, readjusting his bandana.

"Got it." Lucy mock-saluted, making Ed cock a brow.

"I'll just get my jacket first."

"Just tell one of the lads to go get one for you." He told her. Bart had explained to her that she had a lot of authority, since he himself had hired her and she could practically order the crew around – in case of attacks for the most part.

"ED!" Romano shouted again. His slightly shrill voice made Ed and Lucy cringe.

"I'm coming you son of a biscuit eater!" Ed bellowed and stomped away angrily. Halfway through the door, he turned around and looked at Lucy, who was having trouble keeping from laughing. He was about to say something, but shook his head and gestured for her to go. Lucy let out a loud laugh. Son of a biscuit eater? Ed was a terrible actor. Even Happy would have been able to see through him. So far, the rest of the crew had done a better job than him, but they weren't good enough to fool Lucy.

Pulling herself together, Lucy headed out on deck and started thinking of strategies. She would have to ask Bart or Ed the details of each raid. That way, she would be able to determine what kind of enemies they were dealing with. She had a feeling, though, that they weren't some average bandits lurking around.

Lucy observed the silent crewmembers, who were minding their own business. She had expected them to be loud and all over the place. It was so unlike what she was used to back at the guild. If they kept this up, the whole trip would feel like a vacation for her – heaven knows she needed one! She was still sore from the previous weeks of insane training, but at least she would put it to good use.

Snapping back to the present, Lucy started walking along the railing. Enemies could climb up from anywhere, but Lucy had to find a spot, where she could oversee as big a portion of the deck as possible. After walking around a bit, she realized it was pointless and decided to move around whenever she kept watch. During the night, she could have either Loke or Virgo stay guard.

"That would probably be best. I'll ask Loke later." She mumbled, peering out over the dark water, almost expecting something to jump out of it. The sun had started setting a few minutes ago and Lucy's stomach was telling her to go inside and hunt for food, so inside she went. Just as she turned, she missed the unnaturally strong movement of the waves around the hull.

A dining area with lots of benches lined up on each side of a giant table was connected to the galley, where Romano prepared all the food. Taking a seat beside one of the younger crewmembers, Kai, and his brother Mateo, Lucy started chattering away. She was just telling them about her nakama; how scary Erza could be when she was pissed off when Bart and the rest of the sailors filed in.

Romano had cooked some sort of meaty stew and everyone was helping themselves to some and eating very carefully. It somehow reminded her of how her friends often made themselves at home in Lucy's apartment, and more often than not, raided her kitchen, which she told them. That and how she would brutally beat them if they made a mess whenever they ate at her place.

"Beat them up? That's so violent. I thought you only used cute spirits. Do you have something to tell me, Lucy?" Bart teased her.

"I was actually thinking the same thing. Do you have something to tell me, captain?" Lucy asked innocently. This was too good an opportunity to pass up, and she was having a blast.

"Like what?" He looked around at his thoroughly confused crew. Seeing the equally confused look on Bart's face, she decided to drop the bomb.

"Like the fact that I've been hired by pirates?" She asked nonchalantly. All kinds of noises immediately seized. The men around her either twitched or jerked their heads towards her. Jackpot.

"Pirates? I don't know what you are talking about." For a second, Bart looked very sincere, but Lucy knew better than to let him fool her. Did she really look that naïve?

"Please!" Lucy laughed. "You could outright have waved a black flag around, and it would have been less obvious than your crew pretending to be normal sailors." Bart stared at her with his mouth open for a few seconds before bursting into laughter.

"Splice the mainbrace lads! We got ourselves a real jewel for a protector." The captain declared, accepting the mug of liquor handed to him. "Blimey Lucy! What gave us away?"

"The way you all spoke for the most part, but your new uniforms that you clearly weren't used to wearing and Ed's terrible, terrible acting. He didn't seem the least bit fazed by the raids or nervous about continuing." Lucy revealed and looked at Ed, who sheepishly averted his gaze.

"It was also pretty hard to miss the crates full of weapons and treasure chests below deck. But the most obvious signs, Bart, were the rings on your fingers and the sword at your side." She explained and almost started laughing again.

"Hmm… I may have underestimated your perception." He ran his fingers through his beard while speaking.

"Very well. Follow me, Lucy." Bart got up and led the blonde out of the galley, up to the second deck where the cabins were located. He opened a door and ushered Lucy inside what she guessed was his office. She didn't get to enter it, though.

The heavy thump of boots and the screaming of the lookout alerted her of intruders. Lucy whipped around, scanning the wooden surfaces in the dusk. It only took her a few seconds to figure out what was going on. She counted four enemies in front of her and two off to the side. They were standing completely still. Ed and some of the other crewmembers had suddenly joined her and were now assessing the situation. Armed with sabers or cutlasses, they circled the enemies, who had appeared out of nowhere. Bart had a hand on the hilt of his sword and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Lucy's hand on his arm.

"Ed, take the two on the left. We'll handle the rest." She ordered and pulled out her keys. Running forward, she summoned Virgo and started her attack. While Virgo took on two of the enemies, Lucy directed her attention to the remaining two and pulled out her whip. Smiling, she motioned for them to come closer and with a roar the bigger one lunged at her. Lucy lashed out and caught his arm, making him fall face first on the floorboards.

He got up and swung a short dagger at her, which she gracefully evaded, but was struck by his kick that had followed his first strike. He was fast. Lucy feinted a swerve of her whip and stepped in. With a swift kick to his stomach and a hard blow to his head, she knocked him out. Lucy looked up just in time to see her second enemy trying to sneak up on Virgo.

"Virgo, watch out!" She yelled and jumped forward.

"Aries!" Her outburst was enough to summon the ram, who immediately immobilized the enemy in a cloud of cotton. The man started squirming and yelling, but the more he moved, the more he got stuck. Virgo, having finished off her opponents threw them into the cotton ball and bowed deeply.

"Are you hurt, Lucy-san?" The ram asked her once she had secured all of the foes.

"No. Thank you, both of you." She smiled as she dismissed her trusted spirits. The Empress' crew stood gaping. They had just gotten the remaining two men and thrown them in front of Lucy, when they saw Aries and Virgo disappearing. Clearly impressed with the fluffy prison Aries left behind, they patiently waited for further instruction.

"Is that all of them?" Lucy asked and fastened her whip on her belt.

"Aye." Kai, one of the younger crew members replied. Lucy quietly observed the cotton ball. Something was off. Just as she finished the thought, a loud noise followed by an explosion blasted her backwards. Landing on her back, Lucy groaned as she sat up. She rubbed her head tenderly and got to her feet, while the pirates did the same. The sound of the fight had alerted the rest of the crew, who were now standing outside.

"Were did they go?" Lucy looked around. A few bits of cotton were all that was left of Aries' prison. Not even a scorched mark had been left on the floorboards. She figured they had jumped back into the ocean and moved over to the railing, but they were nowhere in sight. It was like they had been swallowed by the sea.

"They get away every time. They won't be back for a while." Kai muttered darkly from beside her and put a hand on Lucy's back, gently steering her back inside Bart's cabin. Lucy frowned, but didn't object. She needed to think this through carefully. Once the door closed behind her, she looked around Bart's office.

It was beautifully decorated with trinkets and maps all over the walls. He even had a huge bookcase beside his gorgeous mahogany table. Papers and maps were scattered all over it, waiting to be read and scribbled on. Bart gestured for Lucy to take a seat and sat down behind his desk. Heaving a sigh, he folded his hands together in front of him. Lucy watched him silently, but with a small smile tugging at her lips.

"I'm sorry about not being honest with you Lucy." He started with sad eyes. She could see he was genuinely bothered by keeping her in the dark.

"I understand if you don't want to stay with us any longer, but I assure you, our intentions weren't bad." He took a deep breath and looked around his spacious office.

"Truth be told, the recent attacks are bothering me. Such an occurrence has never happened before in my 50 years of being alive. I'm concerned about the safety of my crew, and I couldn't very well stroll into town and ask someone to escort us on such a dangerous journey." The captain explained wearily.

'You could, actually.' Lucy thought to herself, but nodded her head and humored Bart.

"I just have a bad feeling about all of this." Bart confessed and rubbed a hand over his face.

"Oh, well. I'll tell the first mate to turn the ship around. We can make it back to Magnolia by nightfall, or would you rather wait until tomorrow?" He asked and reached over to the side of the table to pour himself a drink. Lucy smiled at his kind offer.

"Actually, Bart, we had an agreement that you'd pay me 95,000 jewels a week for tagging along, and I'm not someone who goes back on her word." The blonde mage grinned at his surprised expression.

"So you don't care that we lied to you?" He asked with raised brows.

"Technically speaking, you never lied. You just didn't tell me the whole truth. You do freight cargo, just not the kind you'd expect, and you are some sort of sailors. I assume it is treasure that needs to be traded, yes?" Lucy put her hand in her chin, humming thoughtfully, while Bart stared at her with a slightly baffled expression. Any sane person would have bolted by now.

"Yes, but are you really planning on staying?" He asked with a hint of concern lacing his voice.

"Are you kidding? I love pirates!" Lucy exclaimed with a huge smile.


God, I cringed a few times when I read it over, but I didn't change anything. High-school-me would have been sad haha (=w=)/