I don't know if this will be regularly updated but I'm not abandoning it! I'm just in the middle of final exams, so sorry guys! Thanks again for all the reviews, favourites and follows! You guys are SUPER! *insert Franky doing the pose here* If any of you guys got double responses from me, I'm so sorry. Blame it on the lack of sleep.
Please note: there will be no Chikusa or Ken in this fic, at least not in the immediate future. I really don't see them playing any major role in this or any other arc.
World Nobles are families said to be descended from the creators of the world. They are highly privileged, can get away with just about anything and are defended by the Marines. In One Piece, touching them is considered a huge offence and they wear what looks like astronaut outfits so they won't be contaminated by normal people.
Disclaimer: Maybe I can finally say I own some of the plot now… maybe.
Chapter Three: The Plot Thickens
"What do you mean he's not here?"
"Are you deaf, blind or just stupid? Mukuro-sama is not here!"
"Well, where the hell is he?" Gokudera snapped, slamming his hands down on the foreman's desk.
"That's Estraneo family business. It's no concern of yours."
"Listen, buddy," Gokudera grabbed the man by his collar and pulled him closer, "that bastard is in charge of fixing my captain's ship. I paid good money, and a shitload of it too, so when I want to know why my shipwright isn't doing his fucking job, you tell me. Now, where the hell is Mukuro?"
To his credit, the worker was barely fazed. This wasn't the first time he'd been threatened and it surely wouldn't be the last. "If you wanted your ship fixed immediately, you should have asked someone else to do it."
"That bastard is supposed to be the best!"
"He is, but he takes his time. He's the son of the company's head, so he can do whatever the hell he wants."
Gokudera cursed out loud but released his victim, knowing his beloved captain would be \ disappointed if he took out his anger on innocent bystanders. How dare that damned pineapple-head neglect his work after he promised Jyuudaime to do his best? Granted, Mukuro had never said as much, but it was a given whenever anyone did work for his captain! To do otherwise would be blasphemy! And blasphemers should have their guts stuffed with dynamite and blown sky high.
"Dera?"
A cheerful voice disrupted his happy musings involving the colourful deaths he would bring down on everyone who disrespected the Sky Lion. Normally he would be all too happy to ignore that baritone, but Yamamoto had said the magic word.
"How many times have I told you not to call me that, you fucker?" Gokudera yelled.
"Haha, sorry Dera!"
"You piece of -!"
"Tsuna wanted to have supper together. Are you coming?" Yamamoto smiled at his shipmate, who glared at him but subsided in his complaints.
"Why did you come to get me? I'd find my way there eventually," responded Gokudera as they walked out of the (fucking useless) shipyard.
"Well, we might be missing Lambo..."
Gokudera sighed. Sometimes he hated the fact that he had a strange ability to ferret out lost members of the crew. Between Lambo who had no sense of direction, Ryohei who ended up in jail more often than not and his unlucky captain (who was perfect just as he was), he had used this ability far too much. That was without even factoring in Chrome, who looked so hapless that they'd be sure to be beating away perverts by the boatload on every island.
"Cheer up, Dera! At least you don't have to worry about me!"
Yamamoto's statement was so true, it made him depressed. There was something seriously wrong with the world when the bane of his existence was the only person he could really rely on to be safe.
Tsuna wandered the streets of Kokuyo on the way to the shipyard. He waved cheerfully at those who glanced at him and while a few returned the gesture, most gave him a blank stare. He hated that look; he'd prefer to be ignored than to see people unable to even form a response to a different presence. It reminded him too much of the Hellora Institute, where innocents had been put through so much pain that they had become vegetables in white gowns. To think Chrome had come so close to that line - no, he refused to dwell on it.
Shaking his head in the hopes of removing his depressing thoughts, Tsuna turned his attention back to the job at hand. It had been three days since they had handed over Generation X to the Estraneo, and they had yet to hear from them. Gokudera was ready to unleash a storm on the company if Mukuro didn't show up soon, so today Tsuna had offered to go instead.
He wished he knew if this was a normal situation, but his knowledge of boats ended with 'they floated'. He wasn't even sure why they floated - surface tension maybe? He knew that you could row a boat and that you used the sail to catch the wind, but ask him to do either one without help and you'd end up at the bottom of the ocean. Don't wonder how - Tsuna could do it. He made the impossible possible as long as the impossible was as unlucky as can be.
"You should stop thinking before you hurt yourself."
Tsuna glanced up at the unfamiliar voice and met the amused gaze of Boner - err, Borner.
"C-can I help you?" Tsuna stuttered, grimacing internally at the tripping words.
"Have you changed your policy on sleeping with strangers?"
"Have you changed your name?"
"If my last name bothers you that much, feel free to use my first. It's Erecton."
Tsuna didn't know whether to laugh or bang his head against the wall. Why did he always attract the weirdoes? First there was that white-haired guy who tried to force feed him marshmallows after ripping a guy's eye out (pretty sure he was psychopathic), that clumsy blonde guy with the whip who wanted him to be his little brother (waaaay too kinky), that boy who wanted to be a different animal every five minutes and now this suit whose fake name sounded like Erection Boner.
He should become an okama. At least then he'd know what to expect from potential partners.
"Why are you stalking me?" he finally asked plaintively.
"If I was stalking you, you wouldn't see me," Borner replied and it scared Tsuna how real that seemed. "I was just on my way to the Estraneo Mansion when I saw you sulking here."
"I was not-"
"The real question is: what are you doing here?"
"On my way to the shipyard."
"The Rockura is damaged?"
Reborn inwardly smirked at the slip-up. The famous cruise boat was docked in the harbour where everyone could see it.
"Huh? Oh no, I just wanted to see the other ships. The Rockura is amazing but it's a bit lavish for my taste."
The Sky Lion was in top lying form, it seemed. Pity.
"There's an Estraneo mansion?" Tsuna asked casually.
"Of course: the Estraneo are World Nobles. They own this entire island, actually."
Tsuna didn't reply as he turned at the fork of the road. He waved briefly at the man before speeding away. He didn't want trouble and Borner practically smelled of it.
Reborn dismissed the pirate's rude departure, focusing on his target for the day. He was bored of staking out the newbies: today he would make his first move.
Mukuro picked out his tools carefully, idly taking note of the presence below as he calculated how much of the deck could be salvaged. The patchwork of quick-fixes all over the ship were atrocious and were currently doing more harm than good.
He was going to need a lot more wood.
"You can come aboard, Sky Lion. This is your ship, after all," he acknowledged his patron as he signalled for more supplies.
"So you knew who we were?" Tsuna asked as he made his way to his ship. "You don't mind working for pirates?"
"Our company would go out of business if we did," Mukuro replied absently, his gaze focused on the task in front of him. "Pirates make up the bulk of seafarers in the Grand Line after all."
"So, where have you been?"
"I didn't realise I answered to you. Just because I'm doing work for you doesn't mean you own all of my time."
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that," Tsuna hastily apologised. "I was just worried."
"Kufufu, I assure you that my wellbeing is of no concern to you. Your ship will be fixed soon enough, although the damage is quite extensive."
"Well, if you're doing work for me, I will worry," Tsuna responded as he climbed over the railings.
"How droll: a pirate who cares. The Grand Line devours people like you," Mukuro stated as he began ripping off some of the planks covering the holes in the woodwork.
"There's nothing wrong with trying to be nice."
"Kufufu, you're a pirate. You can't be nice while you pillage and steal."
"I'll have you know that my crew has never done such things," Tsuna sputtered indignantly.
"Really? Then how did you get the bounties you have?"
"The marines gave it to us after Hellora. We didn't ask for them."
Mukuro froze. "You were there when Hellora attacked?"
"Yeah," Tsuna replied, carefully observing the other's stiff posture. "Are you alright?"
Mukuro finally turned to face the captain. "Are any of your crew members escapees from the island?"
"That's none – what happened to your eye?" Tsuna stared at the large bandage covering half of the shipwright's face, his gaze picking out the red-edged tips of gauze sticking out of Mukuro's shirt.
Mukuro's visible eye hardened. "Like I said, save your concern, little pirate. And answer the question."
"Why?"
"Because it could be very important – remove your hand before I do it for you," Mukuro snarled as Tsuna suddenly cupped his chin.
"Feel free to try," Tsuna said calmly as he examined the wounds closely. "This didn't come from a fight. They look professionally done."
Mukuro slammed his wrench into the pirate's face, sending him staggering back. "I am a World Noble: you could be hanged for that."
"Who did that to you? You look like one of the experiments from Hellora!"
"Stay out of my business," Mukuro said coldly. "Your ship will be ready to leave by tomorrow. Now get lost."
"Mukuro –"
"Leave."
"That bastard dared to lay his hands on you? I'll fucking murder him!" Gokudera yelled, his face turning red.
"Silly Tsuna, you shouldn't have gone without the Great Lambo for protection."
"C-Captain, I can't find Ryohei anywhere," Chrome whispered as she entered their motel room.
"He's missing?" Tsuna asked worriedly, turning his head away from Yamamoto who was offering him a poultice for his bruised (and slightly bleeding) eye.
"Again? That bastard got into jail for another fight, didn't he? How many goddamned times must I tell him that we can't keep affording bail?!"
"Gokudera, calm down, please," Tsuna said, standing up.
"Sorry, Jyuudaime," Gokudera began apologising profusely, which made Tsuna uncomfortable but experience had taught him to let it happen. Interrupting only made his navigator start praising him and that was worse.
"Where have you checked already, Chrome?" Tsuna asked her kindly.
The girl glanced at the floor as she answered, "The gyms, the bars, at least three restaurants, the prison, the medical supplies store and the beach. The people at the second gym said that he had been there in the morning but no one has seen him since."
"Thank you, Chrome," he smiled before turning to the navigator again. "Gokudera, can you take Lambo and see if you can find him with that ability of yours?"
"Do I have to take the cow with me?"
"Like I want to be near you, stupid Gokudera."
"Listen, brat –!"
"I have a bad feeling about this," Tsuna interrupted and the crew immediately fell silent. They had learnt not to ignore Tsuna's instincts, which were never wrong. "Ever since we came here, I've had a bad feeling, but so far I chalked it up to the Estraneo being World Nobles. I'm starting to doubt that. Something is wrong here: with this island, with Ryohei and even with Mukuro."
"What does Mukuro have to do with anything?" Yamamoto asked seriously.
"Do you think he hurt Ryohei-nii?" Lambo added, his eyes flashing angrily.
"No, I think someone has been hurting him – and I don't like it."
No one pointed out that the shipwright wasn't there responsibility. Their captain was the type to care about everyone and they had accepted it.
"From now on, no one walks around alone. We're going to keep everything valuable on ourselves, just in case someone raids our rooms. Chrome, you stick close to Yamamoto at all times, okay? And cover your face – Mukuro wanted to know if we had any escapees with us, and I don't know why. So let's just be safe, okay?"
His crew agreed and swiftly set about fulfilling their tasks. Chrome and Yamamoto were going to transport their food to the ship before finding a new place close to the yard to stay. They had to get the ship back on the sea first thing in the morning. Gokudera and Lambo were to look for Ryohei and try to find out more about the island. Tsuna would do the same, but alone. Luckily, people tended to underestimate him so he should be fine. Or so they hoped.
There was a time when Tsuna hated the odd ringing in his head. He had had them for as long as he could remember and never would he have thought he would one day be grateful to it. It had, after all, caused him to be deemed a klutz every time he dropped something or fell over because the ringing would begin. Of course, after he got these sensations, bad things would happen – like the time that his mother… no, best not think about that.
He would rather think about how grateful he was for the ringing now. It had led him to his crew, to his dream and even though the ringing had changed into whole sets of sensations, he welcomed them. It was how he had found this bar, bought this drink and got the undercover reporter drunk enough to start talking.
"You're a sharp one, you know," the journalist slurred as she downed another glass of wine. "Most people never figure out that I'm actually a girl underneath my disguise. Name's MM, by the way. What did you wanna know again?"
"Tell me about Kokuyo and the people who run it."
"Pssh, everyone knows who owns it. The Estraneo family, of course! Terrible people, them. Nobody likes them. But, y'know, that son of theirs is different. Really, really hot, if you know what I mean. Dangerous, definitely, but so fuckin' sexy."
"Are you talking about Mukuro?" Tsuna asked, pouring some more wine for MM.
"Course 'm talking about Mukuro! *hic* You see that face? Hear that voice? If it wasn't for all the freaky shit 'bout his family, I'd totally jump that."
"Freaky?"
"Yeah! Who would wanna bed a science expeririment? I tell you, World Nobles have no shame. Where I come from, you wanna do shit to other people, it's okay but family is no-no. These Nobles on the other hand – no shame."
Tsuna inwardly filed that away, while giving the cross dresser an innocent smile. "Tell me more."
By the time he left the bar, three hours later and without a beli to his name, Tsuna was shaking with rage. He had never been accused of having a hero complex, but he sure felt like he did right now. All he needed to do was find Ryohei, and then this island would burn.
Last minute notes: Thanks to MisanthropicGoddess, ShizuBABE and rima10011 for being constant reviewers! You guys are awesome. And to hikaru, I tried to find your profile on ffnet but couldn't so thanks for the review and for the comment. I thought Reborn's alias was funny too xD
Guys, please consider entering the KHR Secret Santa from the "KHR Roleplay canon characters only" community. Just type this in your address bar after ffnet: topic/117464/123021117/1/KHR-Secret-Santa-2014 to check it out. It's so much fun and really good fics come from it. Some of the best KHR writers participate as well!
