A/N: 2nd Chapter! I don't think I'll be able to update in May because I'm having my IGCSE exams now until like the end of it so sorry and enjoy chapter two~ (and NeeXlasol doesn't own One Piece, just the OC and story)
Needless to say, after docking their ship at the port of Lougetown, things went exactly the opposite of what the first mate predicted. The rather small pirate crew were not noticed at all by the people there, despite taking the cover of today's paper and having at least a 30% increase in all of their bounties. They may be a small crew but they probably had the highest total crew bounty in East Blue, beating Arlong's and that big red nosed clown crews! Yet the people here were not panicked nor try to contact the marines, the only person who even approached them was some guy telling them that they have to pay a docking fee every day they stayed here, didn't the man know that he was charging pirates that could raid the town or at least beat him up for charging them, I mean they're pirates!
The shipwright then told the man of the duration of their stay there and then gave him the belli needed to dock their ship. The man then thanked her and gave her a piece of paper with the date of their arrival on it, apparently they had to return it as soon as they return to the ship to sail to again and they would be charged again if they exceed the duration of their stay. The shipwright merely nods at the man and he made his leave.
Okay, they may be pirates, but they don't go terrorize islands on a whim, though they do steal if they're low on cash (it's still pretty rare for them to steal since Luca likes to rip off any spoils they found on sea at ridiculously high prices, the merchants he sold them too never doubted him though, those poor men) and of course they all follow the captain's art of 'dine and dash', something the first mate is still adjusting too. But they don't do things normal pirates would do, mainly because they're too focused on achieving their own dreams.
Luca dreams to surpass his eldest brother, a high ranking member of the Red Haired Pirates, the same crew Krahe's eldest sister is in. A rather vague goal, when Ace tried asking him in what would he want to surpass his brother in, the blonde lad just said in every way possible. Krahe mentioned that her best friend had always had a complex relationship with his brother, sitting on the fence between admiration and envy.
The cook aims to have her name to be remembered by every person in the world, though ironically she's only known by her epithet and only Luca knows her full name (she told the others she would tell them when they leave Lougetown), though she does plan on exposing her name as soon as she deems herself 'strong enough' saying that if her real name is exposed, none of them would be safe unless she's strong enough to 'prove herself'. She was never very good with words.
The shipwright dreams to reach Raftel, though when asked why she would just say that she'll tell them as soon as they've entered the Grand Line. She told them that she was born and raised in the Grand Line and so happens to be at East Blue due to her last client's demand when she was still a mercenary, when Krahe mentioned that they were aiming to find the One Piece, she betrayed her client and stole the ship they've used to get to East Blue, saying that she's only joining them to get to Raftel.
The first mate wants to eliminate the system of slavery and nobility, a dream many would expect a revolutionary to have, not of a pirate. The young man never wanted to be a pirate at first and he considered the revolutionaries as 'too idealistic and harsh', he was a noble turned outlaw who was wanted by the marines because of his family's demand (and by slavers for destroying the only auction house in East Blue, freeing all of the slaves, human and non-human.) before meeting the crew, befriending them and eventually joining them after they've helped him take care of the marines and slavers that were after him. He decided that his dream would be achieved as they become more famous, so for now he'll put it on hold.
The captain's dream is somewhat confusing to the crew. He doesn't want to become pirate king, merely mentioning Gold Roger to him would instantly turn his mood sour, though nothing more than a large platter of food would instantly cure. But he wants be the greatest pirate in the sea and aiming to get the One Piece to prove it, even though it's obvious that the world will see the future pirate king as the one who will find the One Piece. The crew decided that their captain's dream shouldn't be discussed further until they could understand why he seem to bear so much hatred to the late pirate king, their food supplies will suffer if they push the topic further.
The crew soon split into two groups, with Reimi, Krahe and Luca getting their supplies and Ace and Sei going on their sightseeing trip. The captain insisted that they won't be causing any trouble nor will anyone notice them. The silver haired man was still rather skeptical of the brunette's words, as from his experience as an outlaw, he would always have people after him.
But after becoming a pirate, no one had seemed to have tried to capture him and send him back home for some quick cash. He suspects it's because of his bounty increasing, he has a bounty of 10,000,000 belli, one of the highest bounties in this peaceful side of the sea, so of course people would be scared of him!
"Oi, first mate, let's get going! I want to go to the tourist spots." The flame man called, that distinctive bright orange cowboy hat of his is shining brightly because of the sun. He was holding a camera with him and was telling his first mate of how he wants to take picture of the tourist spots.
"The captain can be quite the kid." The silver haired man muttered.
"Seeiii~ let's gooo~." The enthusiastic captain tugged on his first mate's arm. Photography is something the flame man enjoys; he told the crew he got interested in it because of an old man that he met at the first island he traveled to after becoming a pirate, the old man was a former pirate himself. What sparked the 18 year old's passion is because of the old man's photo album which contained photos and memories of the island the old man has been too before he retired from piracy. He was given his camera by the retired man, telling him to photograph the places he would be at, though the young captain refused at first, because the camera was the one the elderly man used back when he was still sailing, he eventually accepted it after being told that he'll regret of not being able to look back at the memories he'll have once he'll turn old.
The duo then went on their little trip. The first place of interest they went was the Execution Platform, the place where the late Pirate King was, well executed, either he was beheaded or impaled; the first mate did not know nor cared. The captain though was curious about it, asking the people who were also sightseeing while taking picture of the location and the platform itself. His face was met with disappointment when he was told he could not climb the platform.
They then went to the Arms Shop that is run by Ippon-Matsu. The first mate was looking for new equipment, as his current bo staff had been quite worn out and looked as if it would snap if he were to use it in battle again. His staff was not made for long term use anyways, just a simple staff made from rattan and would be normally used for training, to him it's a miracle his staff had lasted this long. He took interest in the staff on display, it was made from white oak and had been banded with strips of iron at its ends, it was quite light, not as light as his current staff but it was lighter than he had expected. Judging from its shape, it was a custom one as the center of the staff is thicker than the rest, meaning this staff had belonged to someone else before it was displayed in this shop. The owner seemed to have noticed him examining the staff and told him that the staff had belonged to the bojutsu master, Katakura, who is from Wano.
After hearing that, Sei decided to put the staff back, when asked why he told the owner that he doesn't see himself as skilled enough to wield a staff that had belonged to a master (and he had assumed that it would be very expensive). The owner then told him he could have the staff, telling him that he was impressed of how humble the silver haired man is. Though he insisted that he couldn't take it, the owner will not take no for an answer, Sei then thanked the old man and told him he was very grateful of his gift.
The captain was preoccupied with enthusiastically taking pictures of the weapons on display as soon as the owner had given him permission, said owner seem to not have been intimidated or maybe he did not realize, that a pirate with a bounty over 10,000,000 had talked to him. The first mate had given up on expecting to be chased down by marines now. Ace had taken interest on a short saber, it had a very simple design and was made from steel, very standard quality and is actually mass produced. The young captain decided to buy it since he doesn't really have any weapons as he fights using his flame power. When asked why he told him that he'll need it if he couldn't use his powers, the captain can be smart at times… his first mate thought. He then asked for it to be engraved with the word Spade and with a small spade as well. Before the two men leave the store, the captain asked the owner to take a picture of them as the show off their new weapons.
Luca, Reimi and Krahe were at The Fisherman King Uotome, the local fist market of the town. They've decided on starting with getting the perishable supplies first, putting them back on the ship and then get the non perishable ones. The reason why is so that they won't need to carry raw fish all day long. Krahe was chatting with the owner as she examine the freshly caught fish who was enjoying his conversation with the young cook, though the fact that she covers her face with a mask seems to bother him. Luca and Reimi, on the other hand, does not seem to enjoy the market due to the stench of fish that reeks through the place had made their stomachs uncomfortable and silently wishing for their younger friend to quickly finish.
The cook had finished buying the fish she needed to prepare for dinner; she would make grilled sea king meat, which would please the captain, though she was a little disappointed that there was no Blue Fin Tuna, as she had heard that the owner of the marker usually have them in stock. Maybe they're not in season, she thought. They went to the produce market to get the spices needed for their meal and two gallons of milk for their first mate, who, unlike their musician, loves the stuff. The last store they would go to before returning to their ship was the general store, where the cook went to get all the things she need for dessert.
They had walked back to their ship, putting all of the things they had bought in the galley. The cook had marinated the sea king meat before they left again. The next thing they need to do is to resupply on belli; their musician's specialty. The two female members went inside the ship's treasure room, which was located in the forecastle and is actually filled with worthless junk they happen to find. They keep their treasure in their living quarters, hidden under a hatch near their captain's cabin. Luca was already there, putting in his goods in a worn out bag.
"It's time for Rip off Luca's show." The shipwright said.
"You should be called Arlecchino instead you know, as that clearly suits you more than Pierrot." The cook added.
The musician chuckled at the cook, before dramatically saying, "Then does the lovely Krahe would become my Columbina? Who I will protect from the Pantalone and steal away from her Pierrot!"
"But I cannot! As I must find the innamourato so that Reimi, innamourata will not drown her sorrows with dozens of bottles of rum as she has her heart broken in her search!" the cook dramatically replied back.
"Oi, you stupid blonde, don't drag me in your stupid theater talk!" the raven hair girl shouted to the cook, "And what do you mean I get myself drunk every time I get dumped, I always do the dumping you know!"
"Oh, I guess I should rephrase it to how 'she makes other men drown themselves in their sorrows with liquor' then." The blonde girl replied as she put her mask on her face, covering the top half of her face, more importantly her golden eyes.
The trio had finished preparing for the musician's con and had left their ship, heading to the merchant ships. The miss-titled blonde was looking for potential customers, usually the naïve looking ones or the-know-it all looking ones would do, since they would be too busy with his dramatic acting to actually notice his goods. The other two were merely watching him from afar, not wanting to be noticed by the merchants themselves as that may ruin the lad's con.
He found his target, a young merchant that's probably around their captain's age, chatting with his friends, all full of joy and enthusiasm, the most easily tricked one. He prepared himself, already in ragged clothes and took a deep breath, preparing himself with the face of a sad puppy as he approached him victim. "Excuse me….umm…sir, would you be interested in treasure?"
The merchant looked at the blonde who approach him; his expression is filled with surprise and pity as he saw the blonde boy in tattered clothes, "Treasure? Where did you find it?" he asked as he saw what the boy was carrying, gold bangles and necklaces covered in jewels, it's clear that the boy isn't from here.
"I was taken away by pirates, they shot my mama….they said they're gonna take me to South Blue, saying that I'll…that I'll sell well there." He stuttered, holding back the tears in his eyes. "But then a sea king attacked, the ship I was on broke down, we got washed away to the shore in the opposite side of the island…..they were all dead, but there was this box filled with treasure left. They said that it was the Moon Princess' treasure."
The merchant's eyes were filled in shock; the Moon Princess' treasure is worth billions! "Really?! I mean, yes, I'm interested in your treasure, although it's actually not worth that much…" the man lied, the greed in him was showing, making it easier to con him.
"It is?!" the blonde had already turned on the waterworks, "I thought…I thought it would sell, I wanna go home! Now I can't because the treasure is worthless!" he cried, slamming him hand to the ground, taking his bag of treasure and was planning to throw it into the sea.
"Wait! It's actually worth 5 million beli, it's just doesn't have as much worth as other treasure! I'll buy it off of you, but you can't say how much you sold it to me…" the man suddenly shouted at the lad.
"You will!?" the boy said, a flicker of hope appearing in his eyes.
"Yes! And here's the money! So I'll be taking the from you now." The man then handed him a suitcase filled with beli, showing the contents to him before handing it to him, the boy took the suitcase and gave him his bag.
"Thank you so much kind sir!" the blonde lad said as he bowed to the man and ran off to town. "Sucker." He added quietly as he went to meet up with the others.
"How did it go?" the older woman asked as they met up at a back alley not too far from where the merchant ships are.
"Scammed five fucking million out of the poor guy, did the poor former hostage and Moon princess treasure act!" Luca gleefully stated as he wiped the face paint off of him and changed his shirt.
"Classic, the Moon Princess treasure is something merchants are always after; too bad no one knows what it looks like so the naïve ones always got scammed because of it." Krahe said, counting the money in the suitcase, "And he gave you full five million for some stuff I found at the juckyard in the last island and then painted gold and welded colored glass onto."
"Well, since this is actually more than enough, I guess you two deserve to treat yourselves." The shipwright stated, "Me and Krahe here already got other stuff we needed when you were off on stage."
"So we're free now? Let's go to Robecca Hanberg! Me and Krahe needs to go on a shopping spree!" Luca said, eyes full of excitement as the idea of shopping has reached his head.
"We still need to take the cash and stuff to the ship you know." The cook told him, causing the other blonde to pout, though it had no effect on her, growing up with the dramatic man had caused her that.
"I'll go do it, you guys just enjoy shopping now, just make sure to get back before sundown since you have to make dinner by then." The shipwright said as she picked up the suitcase, causing Luca to instantly cheer up and Krahe's own eyes to flicker in joy, good thing the mask was covering it.
"Thank you!" they both said in unison.
The raven haired woman softly laughed, those two were still just a pair of 14 year olds despite trying to be mature most of the time. "Keep out of trouble okay!" she said as she started to head back.
"You should've said that to Ace instead!" the masked girl shouted back.
It was a short trip back to the ship, only took the shipwright ten minutes. She had put the money in the real treasury, written down how much they've gain and spent that day in her little black book. Yes, she's also the ship's bookkeeper; oh how she wished there would be more members. She changed her clothes since the ones she were wearing were not suited for where she's heading and head back to the bar.
"Vodka, three shots of it." The raven haired woman ordered as she took a seat at the edge of the bar, the bartender looked at her oddly, before getting her drink. The only reason she even did the favor is to make sure those two were not with her here. It's not really because they're underage, she started to drink at their age at well, Luca doesn't drink though but Krahe loves booze and can never seem to get drunk from it, gotta be in her genes. It's because she's going to look for information and her methods should not really be seen by those two teens.
"Here you go, three shots for the lovely lady." The bartender handed her drinks, which she drank one by one the instant they were given, flashing a smirk to the man before asking for another shot.
"I guess bars are still the best place to find you, Flashstep." A voice said, it was familiar, she would know that voice anywhere.
"Well it's the best way to drink and find company." She replied, not bothering to look at the man behind her as she took another shot.
"Tch." The man took the seat beside her, which caused her to finally look at the man, the same stupid green hair and sharp teeth that made him stood out from most people. "Mind telling me why you're a pirate now?"
She chuckled, look at her former client's rival and a good friend of her as well, "Well it's gonna take awhile since it's a long story~" she sang as she told him. "Bartolomeo."
A/N: Arlecchino, Columbina, Pierrot, Pantalone, Innamourato and Innamourata are all stock characters found in Commedia dell'arte, which is a form of theater originating from Italy in the 16th century.
The Arlecchino is the always hungry and with no money, but has all the wit and creativity to get along.
The Columbina is somewhat his female counterpart and is his love interest but is usually the wife of the Pierrot or is also pursued by the Pantalone.
The Pierrot is the butt of all pranks and the opposite of the Arlecchino.
The Pantalone is the venetian merchant, rich, greedy and naïve.
The Innamourato and Innamourata make up the Gli Innamorati (meaning the lovers) these characters are there for the sole purpose of being in love with one another, and moreover with themselves.
Please R&R and criticism is always welcome as long as it's constructive!
