Characters: Penguin, Heart Pirates Crew, Trafalgar Law
II
"Okay, is that everything?" Penguin asked for the umpteenth time that morning, waving the Heart Pirates' shopping list in the air.
The Heart Pirates crew gathered in the kitchen looked to one another, as if to see if anyone was about to speak up, before responding all at once. Half of them repeated their earlier requests, checking if he had not forgotten to list them down. The other half suggested a new set of decidedly unnecessary items, which earned them a scolding from the treasurer. Good-natured laughter broke out from the second group as they teased their manager of finance for dashing their hopes, completely ignoring Penguin.
"For the last time, guys..."
"Well, if you're not gonna buy them, why're you asking?" Shachi shot at him, leaning an arm against his shoulder and grinning.
Penguin threw a careless kick his way in response, and it was one his friend easily dodged and laughed over. The former rolled his eyes and feigned throwing the shopping list in the air in his exasperation, inspiring another chorus of laughter from his crew mates. He smirked and shook his head at their high spirits.
Shopping duty was not a job any of them enjoyed. The unfortunate person assigned the job was stuck with it for most of the first days they were docked at any island, leaving him very little time for anything else. In this case, that person was Penguin, and the crew was enjoying rubbing it in his face.
Or at least it started that way. Like any conspiracy they brewed amongst themselves, it didn't take long before the fun being poked at him was redirected to another; the center of attention shifted multiple times until nearly everyone had been teased and laughed at. He swore they would make for horrible conspirators.
Penguin took his list and left them in their antics, a chorus of "bye"s and "see 'ya"s and last minute jesting following him. If nothing else, he was at least going to start on his chore much amused. He was almost at the submarine's entrance when a voice called out to him.
"Oi, Penguin," it went. "You on shopping duty today?"
The man stopped and turned around, recognizing the voice to be his captain's. The latter approached him in a sluggish pace, squinting at the bright light streaming in through the entrance and scratching the back of his neck. Coupled with the rumpled state of his clothes and his bed hair, the Heart Pirates captain was the portrait of a man who had just woken up.
"Yes, captain."
Trafalgar Law stopped in front his subordinate and held out a folded scrap of paper to him, yawning as he did. "Can you get these while you're at it?" he said as Penguin took the sheet from him.
"Sure thing."
Law nodded and turned back, presumably to head for the galley or back to his room, waving him off. Penguin pocketed the new list and made a mental note of his captain's order.
The rest of his day was a jumble of marketplace hustle and bustle. He haggled with stubborn store owners for discounts, flirting with the younger female ones in an attempt the do same, but neither helped bring down the prices of his purchases. Many times, he found himself caught up in the market busybodies' gossiping – although most of them were small talk – but a few rare gems popped up every now and then. These he noted to report to the Heart Pirates later. All the while, he answered an endless amount of questions about his attire, hat and crew while dodging inquiries about his captain in between.
By mid afternoon, he was finished with the crew's list; Penguin gave himself a pat on the back for his record time. At the rate he was going, he was going finish Law's (presumably short) list before evening: he would be able to get around that evening like everyone else.
Leaning against his accumulated cart of supplies for a short break, he whipped out his captain's shopping list to confirm his assumptions. As he unfolded it, he wondered which one of the town's book stores and medical supply shops would have what the doctor was in short supply of. A page of unintelligible scrawls and demented looking scribbles met his eyes.
Penguin felt his jaw hang loose and his eyes grow wide, mind drawing to a blank. The world fell apart around him.
A/N: I actually posted this on dA before here, and a good friend of mine drew a comic version of it. If anyone's interested, I've provided a link on my profile.
EDIT: [2-25-13] Version 2 finished
REVIEWS REPLIES:
To 10th Squad 3rd Seat & CherishCherries:
Penguin and the Heart Pirates crew often have to deal with it. XD
