A Child joins the crew?!
Still in the harbour of a small town in the South Blue. The Tsubasa crew are celebrating the announcement of their new captain. But unknown to our partying pirates, the marines are causing trouble deeper in the town.
A small boy, disstressed and frightened, crawls away from the side of his unresponsive mother, not understanding what had happened to his normally peacefull, happy life. His clothes felt uncomfortable and damp from the strange red liquid that his mother had been lying in. All he could remember was the loud bangs that had made his parents fall down. They echoed inside his head, but he was so frightened he couldnt even cry. Hearing the sounds of doors being kicked in and people storming into the house, shouting. His inner instincts kick in and he crawls away, leaving through the back door, which was open slightly. He crawls away, looking back to see a man wearing a white hat and holding a gun walking around the side of his home.
The small boy continues to crawl away, almost possessed, through the town streets, unseen thanks to the long shadows created by the walls of shops and houses as dusk rolls in. After about half an hour the small boy makes it to the harbour. He wanders along, looking for somewhere to hide from the nightmare images racing through his young mind. The boy is covered in blood, but it's obviously not his own as he has no injuries himself.
The boy finds a thick piece of wood, running up at an angle to the side of a large wooden ship. It seems darker than the others, only a few lights and voices coming from its deck, and therefore to the boys terrified mind, it seems like a good place to hide.
But unknown to the boy, this vessel is the very one that belongs to the Tsubasa pirates themselves. But Endrino and his new crew don't notice as the boy climbs onboard, as most of them are drunk, or too busy chatting to each other.
The boy, only wanting to hide, stumbles below deck, and towards an open door which turns out to be the ships bathroom. Behind him a smudgy trail of blood left behind from his soaked clothing.
The only ones not drunk are the new captain himself, but that's mainly because he has the drinking capacity of some kind of alcoholic elephant. Isamu, because he never drinks enough to get himself drunk, and Yuudai… have you ever thought of how hard it must be to get a man that's over 20ft tall drunk? And so these 3 out of 9 are having a conversation, because their nakama are not sober enough to keep one, or because they have passed out already.
Meanwhile the boy has climbed into a bathtub and is messing round with the taps, and a bar of soap, giggling as it slips from his grasp.
"So," the giant asked "why Isamu?"
Endrino looked up at the huge man "why…." He pondered this for a moment, stroking his thick black beard "because besides yourself, who else can keep all these fuckers under control?"
The giant burst out into a rumbling laugh "true, very true" he rumbled.
Endrino grinned, glad his nakama was happy with his decision, if Yuudai didn't agree it generally meant he had done something stupid.
Suddenly Cozmo, the general joker of the crew, leapt to his feet and staggered a little "Kampaii! For our new captian!" The blonde teen was of average height, but has a reasonably muscular build. He yelled at the top of his voice, whilst holding a jug of sake in the air.
Isamu looked at him, an eyebrow raised *hasn't he done that enough already?* he thought.
Endrino however was more than happy to oblige, he grabbed the jug off of Cozmo and downed it.
"Oiii!" Screamed the blonde, appaled that his drink had been stolen.
Endrino turned to look at his crew's idiot "what you want a fight or sumin?" a huge grin on his face, his confidence as always was sky high when it came to fighting. Cozmo instantly backed away, almost falling over, with a quick glance at the 3 daggers that his captain kept at both of his sides "n-n-no I'm good!"
Endrino burst out laughing, going back to his chair and slamming his feet upon the table, downing yet another jug of sake.
All of a sudden a yell snapped all of the crew back to their senses, as the voice of their navigator, Katashi, came from the bathroom "Who's kid is this?! It's not mine right?!" The navigator had a shock as the boy's soap bar had hit him, what was worse was that he only noticed the kid on his way out. And now the navigator was staring in shock at the teary eyed kid, who seemed just about as shocked as the womanising navigator himself.
Isamu got up, confused "what are you on about Katashi? There are no kids on board?"
Endrino sighed, got to his feet and went to see just what his navigator was screaming about.
The kid stared at the two pirates for a second, then, deciding these people didn't look that friendly, started to look around wildly for his parents.
Endrino thought for a moment "he must of snuck on board" he stated, as if it wasn't obvious.
Katashi looked at him, "but why would a kid sneak onto a pirate ship?" he asked.
Endrino snorted, "I don't know, why would I know what some damn kid thinks!?"
Isamu walked up behind them, a sigh at his captains idiocy. "Obviously he didn't know it's a pirate ship, I doubt if he even knows what pirates are".
Endrino went back to watching the boy, who was now kicking and screaming in the bath tub because he can't see his mother. Then all of a sudden the stocky teen realised his ship was moving, it was no longer at anchor! "what the fuck is going on!" he roared, instantly pissed off "who told you to move?!"
Another stocky man appeared in the doorway to the bathroom, the shipwright, Takeshi. "sorry captain, but the marines were coming, we had no choice".
Endrino snorted "fucking marines…. I guess it couldn't be helped then."
The burly teen bends down and pick up the boy, and carries him back on deck. His brother was waiting for him.
"Just throw the kid over board, no-one's gunna care". Snorted the ever grouchy red-haired teen, as soon as he confirmed the kids existance with his own green eyes.
Isamu glared at the red-haired teen "your too cruel for your own good, you got that?"
The boy, who was now a little calmer, blew a raspberry at Sangrie.
"Gahhh!" yelled the red-haired teen in protest "see, he's trouble, throw him overboard!"
Ignoring Sangrie a small man, of a similar age to Endrino walks over to check the boy over, one of the ships cooks but also the closest thing they had to a doctor, Kotex. "maybe we should take him back to the town, and to his parents?, of course only once the marines have backed off".
Endrino smiled, glad to hear someone with a sensible sounding answer. He looked down at the boy in his arms that was now picking at his blood stained top. "that seems like a good idea, besides" he said before his younger brother could protest again "killing a kid would stab into my soul for eternity".
Sangrie, wasn't done yet, he always liked to take a dig at his brother. "Fine then, but as your captain you have to look after him, after all the captain is responsible for everyone on his ship."
Endrino groaned, he knew his little brother was right, and didn't like the sound of satisfaction in his voice either. "that settles it then, we'll keep him on board until the marines bugger off, then we'll take him back to his parents".