Episode 3: A Man's Promise! Arrival at the Next Island!
There was a lapse in conversation as the agreement settled between the two men. Raion eventually broke the silence as they started walking again. By that point they had reached near the end of the village.
"So you're my captain now, right?"
"Yessir you are!" Kai said happily.
"And I only know a little about our goals, and nothing about our crew."
Raion and Kai found a bar on the outskirts of the small town, and had started leisurely chatting and eating a meal that Kai had paid for in celebration of Raion's joining of the Aqua Pirates.
"Well my name's Akvo Kai, but you can just call me Kai or captain or whatever." Kai took a bite of his dish, some kind of delicious meat native to Mazraea, then chewed and swallowed. "As for nakama, we're the only ones. And our goals, to start it bluntly, are these-me becoming Pirate King, and now, getting you that devil fruit."
"We don't have a cook, a navigator or a doctor, or even a shipwright?" Raion asked, wanting to get the situation clear. With a nod from his caption, Raion leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Our first priority should be to get a shipwright, or at least a ship. I can navigate us around West Blue, since I've been traveling for a while by myself, but once we reach the Grand Line on your goal to be King, we'll need a legitimate navigator. We also need to leave this island before we are caught, assuming my killing of that lieutenant will not go over so well with his superior, whether it be Eagle-Eye or otherwise."
"I've got a boat, though it's small and more of dingy. I just don't know how to navigate it-I'm actually a bit surprised I managed to reach this island, let alone any island. I'm not much of a directional expert, you see. I get lost somewhat easily."
"I see. Well, as long as we stay in West Blue, I should be able to get us along fine without a navigator. Regardless, we need both a navigator and a better ship-that's at least two more crewmates-before we can leave West Blue at all. The Grand Line is unforgiving and treacherous, so we might even need more crewmates..."
"Nakama." Kai corrected. "I call crewmates "nakama" because in order to have a functional crew, you must be comrades." He said, smiling and setting his fork down on his finished plate. "I do agree that we need some more nakama before we enter the Grand Line-it'd be stupid to go in the boat now, at the very least."
Raion stood up. "Shall we set sail then, captain?"
Kai stood up along with him, leaving a couple hundred Beli to pay for the meal. "Of course! Let's hit the next island as soon as possible and meet our next nakama!"
Raion gave his captain an exasperated yet curious look. "How could you possibly know if we'll find our next nakama on the next island?"
Kai hummed, and tapped his chin twice. "I don't know...I just have a feeling!" He laughed, getting a kick of amusement from Raion's annoyed expression. "Come on, let's get going already! I just can't sit still anymore!" He started walking towards the docks, an obvious spring in his step.
Raion followed behind his new captain, stuffing his hands in his suit's pants pockets. "Are you always this erratic?" He asked the man in front of him. Kai, instead of answering, turns his head and winks at Raion, then laughed at the confusion and vexation he received.
Raion rolled his eyes, and wondered how he was going to deal with such a hyperactive, young, and rage-inducing captain.
Kai's thoughts on this matter, on the other hand, were all centered around how excited he was to sail and become close nakama with Raion.
The duo were far from alike, but somehow they managed to navigate their way to a shop to buy supplies without killing each other (more Raion wanting to kill Kai for his annoying habits than the opposite). They stocked up for a two day journey, as Raion said that was approximately the time it'd take to the next island, and exited the shop with minimal threat.
Kai and Raion reached the docks and quickly after that and found the small fishing boat that Kai had used to get to Mazraea. They then loaded the supplies and themselves, and managed to set sail before nightfall, with both of them eager to leave the small and boring country.
Later that night, Raion was taking a break from navigating and was sitting and thinking about what he'd done to his former boss. He wasn't bothered by it, oh no, he'd killed plenty of men before, but the situation had puzzled him somewhat...
Raion walked down the steps after telling Kai to wait for him upstairs. He knew that if he left this island without informing Kokoan-san, the snake would plaster his name with a bad connotation across all types of media. Raion just did not desire that-he had been okay with a reputation of excellent and ruthless service, but not of abandoning a job midway.
So, he intended to clean up his mess.
Raion opened the door to the room, and took in the sight. All the raucous noise that had been coming from drunk men had subsided, because most of the men were passed out in various places around the room. Kokoan-san, however, raised his head. Raion immediately could tell he was drunk by the blush across his creeks and the smile spread across his face.
"Ooooooh, so you've returned...? It took you quite a whiiiiile..." His boss slurred, sloshing around a wine bottle that he had in his hand. "Hoooow'd it goo?"
Raion stayed silent, but instead slipped a knife out of his sleeve. Kokoan did not seem to notice it, and continued slurring gibberish as Raion started walking towards him. Finally, he stopped in front of the sitting man, and the drunk seemed to notice that something was wrong.
"What's going ooon-" Kokoan was cut off as Raion stabbed the knife into his stomach. The bandit was startled, and coughed up blood as the knife punctured a lung.
"Sorry, Kokoan-san...You are no longer in need of my services..." Raion said softly into the dying man's ear while removing the knife.
He stood up straight as Kokoan slumped forward, and then Raion stepped away from the couch and started walking around the room. Every body he passed, he callously slit the throat and let the person bleed out while he moved on. The entire ordeal took no more than ten minutes, and once completed, Raion turned to a desk in the corner.
He walked to it and started looking for a map of West Blue and a compass; he'd need both if he were to be the temporary navigator for his crew. While he was looking, he heard an exhale and he looked up at the source: Kokoan.
"Still alive I see." Raion commented dryly.
"You...meant to...keep me alive..." Kokoan wheezed, "Purposefully missed...all the major organs...but the lungs..."
Raion found what he was looking for, and stowed it away in his suit, handy for later. He walked back around from behind the desk and over to the front of the couch, twirling the knife by the circle at the end of the hilt. "Oh? Did I miss?"
"Don't play...with me..." The bandit coughed up some blood. "You're just like...your mother..."
Raion's eyes widened considerably, then narrowed in anger. "What are you talking about, swine?!"
Kokoan laughed, light starting to leave his eyes. "I...knew your mother...it was a long...time ago,but I remember most of all..." Kokoan slowly closed his eyes, a small smile playing across his ugly features, "...was the smile and...then the pain that she gave...to someone that insulted her...nakama..."
Raion's hands were clenched at this point. This heathen had known his mother?! He was so furious, but so curious, he just had to know more about what had inspired what that bandit had said...
Raion sighed, and looked up to the starty sky. Sadly, the heathen had died with those words. Raion had taken out some anger on him, and come up to see Kai patiently waiting for him. He just couldn't get over the fact that that bandit...practically the most disgusting, lowlife man that he'd ever worked with, had known his angel of a mother...to be honest with himself, Raion couldn't decide whether he was curious or appalled.
Either way, though...mother... Raion thought as he held a fist over his heart and stood up, still looking upwards to the sky. "I will avenge your death! I promise on my word as a proud and powerful man!"
Kai looked on, not knowing the motivation for the strange behavior of his nakama, but he did like the way it lit a fire in Raion's eyes that told of redemption and victory. Kai liked that look on his nakama's face, it made him look like he had a purpose.
After all, that's what Kai had liked to see in a man that would work with him as his nakama.
%•%•%•%
Raion sighed, for what felt like the thirtieth time in the past hour, as the tiny boat threatened to capsize. It was the third time in the past two hours. "You weren't kidding when you said this little boat was dingy, Kai."
"It was the best I could do in a tight situation! It's not like I left my home country in the best of situations, you know! Jeez! Besides, we've been sailing for two days and it hasn't flipped yet, so it's doing a lot better this time than when I sailed to Mazraea on my own!" Kai said indignantly from behind the wheel, sticking up for the tiny boat with a single sail and a weak rudder.
Raion sighed again, and looked back at his maps. What Kai had said was true, and it was also true that they'd been sailing for two days. They were low on rations, almost out in fact, and the times were getting a bit stressful. Thankfully, according to the maps stolen from Raion's former boss, Kokoan-san, the duo should be reaching the next island that night. He immediately told Kai as much.
"Wow, tonight?! That's so close!" Kai exclaimed, looking at the setting sun on the horizon. "The light'll be gone soon, too! Within the hour, at most, you think?" Raion nodded resolutely. "Sweet! We won't starve tonight, then!"
"We could have had one more meal. But anyway, I hope we arrive before the light fades. It's better to dock in the daytime than the nighttime, even despite the fact that we don't fly a jolly roger yet." Raion said wisely, with a hint of something in his voice that told that he'd had experience with this before.
Sure enough, just as the oranges and pinks from the last rays of sun were starting to set, the duo had spotted land once they had just finished off the last of the rations Kai had bought in Mazraea.
"I see an island." Raion said bluntly as Kai grew excited. So excited, in fact, he was rocking the boat.
"Finally! The next leg on the journey to becoming King commences!" Kai cried happily to the sky, throwing his gloved fists up into the air as he jumped. Raion sighed, and looked a the island they were approaching. Adventure or not, he thought to himself as Kai hastily landed and nearly sent the boat into tipping onto its right side, we need a new ship as soon as physically possible.
Hello readers of fanfiction, and welcome back. I must say it's weird posting right after last chapter, but that's okay, I did promise! :)
We saw a little development of Raion's character in this chapter, along with some hints about his past. Don't worry, this WILL be expanded on in a later arc. Like I've said before, I some some arcs planned out, I just don't know which order I want them in, or which should be in the Grand Lines arcs or in this arc...Oh, also, this arc is just titled "West Blue", nothing special. I was planning to have anywhere from three to four islands in this arc, to keep it nice and short!
Anyways, thanks for reading my story! It means a lot, trust me! If you want, drop a comment on my grammar/spelling/language, the story, anything you want! I'd love to hear from you guys about what makes you like or dislike "Voyage of the Aqua Pirates"! After all, it's my job to entertain you guys!
I'll be signing off, then! Until Sunday and, remember to stay snazzy!
