I think it's finally beginning to sink in just how long this sucker is going to be. Jesus, it just may end up being novel length. I don't even know how I feel about that.
Not even one review, though. You guys really know how to depress a girl! (j/k)
But in all seriousness, if you can, please take some time and drop me a line. Otherwise, it'll be difficult to have an objective view without someone else's eyes (still no beta). I think I'm doing okay, but one never knows XD. Also, I really do want to get a feel of how people are receiving this fic; any suggestions will be taken into account when writing.
But hopefully this should pick up soon. I had to take the time and get Hanley into One Piece without, well, just dropping her on the ship and be all, "Here you go!! 8DDD" I, er, wanted to give her some connections back in "our" world, to make her a bit more real. I don't know if I succeeded, and...now I feel embarrassed.
So! Here is the next installment.
Hanley
Chapter 2: Blitz Krieg, is that the Way of the Pirate?
**********
Amano Hanley
In the end, what finally clued her to the fact that she may not be in Kansas anymore wasn't the result of a long night of compiling evidence (she slept pretty deeply), believing what the man named Shanks was telling her (despite his lovely hair), nor was it watching the antics of the other bizarre men that made up Shanks's pirate crew (and they were quite bizarre).
What actually broke the camel's back was a simple seagull.
It wasn't larger or more notably different in coloring than any other seagull that she had seen before. The fact that it landed on the railing of the ship beside Captain Shanks was also perfectly fine. It looked like a seagull, sounded like a seagull, but when Shanks promptly relieved it of its newspaper and paid it with a currency she had never seen before, Hanley was finally ready to consider that she had most likely lost her mind.
She took no heed when the men called after her in worry when she turned and practically dived below deck as if she were under enemy fire. Ribs and ankle be damned, this was serious.
"What's the matter, lass?" asked Ishamon in concern when she thundered inside and collapsed dramatically onto her cot. She turned to look at him, tightly clasping her magatama as if it were a rosary
"There is a SEAGULL." Hanley sputtered, close to hyperventilating. She was still in shock. Ishamon looked at her silently before he slowly took down a sedative from a shelf.
"Oh? Is there?"
"It delivered a NEWSPAPER."
"Well, yes, that's their job, Hanley. It's the only way to get news out here. That, and the Den Den Mushi."
Hanley could only lay back down and try to catch her breath. She was sure, very sure, seagulls were incapable of acting like paperboys. Perhaps on it's own that wouldn't have caused her to freak out; however, it was yet another source of oddness in the long line of unfortunate events that had befallen her. And what if the seagull wasn't alone? What if there were other bizarre things she had to look for? It wasn't too hard to follow this train of thought. If this was normal for these crazy men, it was possible there were other things around here that weren't quite right, cosplay aside. Wait a moment.
"What is a Den Den Mushi?" Hanley asked slowly, already wishing she hadn't because she was sure she would not like the answer.
"Our long distance communicators. Here, I'll get one." Ishamon was clearly concerned for her when he left the infirmary. She was thankful he didn't just ignore her mumblings and simply sedate her.
Hanley groaned and pressed the heels of her hands to her forehead. What was going on? Was she over reacting? They must have trained the thing to pick up newspapers from the mainland—oh who the hell was she kidding? She was positive Blackbeard wasn't pulling that nonsense on the American coasts back in his day.
'What is going on I am so confused--'
Ishamon returned not a moment later, with what could only be a radio snail in his large hands. Hanley stared at it in barely disguised horror. Unnatural was the first thing to pop into her mind. The damn thing actually had some kind of expression on its face—hell it actually had a face. It was light red in color, with large, bulbous eyes on a pair of short stalks and a cream colored shell with three red stripes across the side. It had an odd growth circling its mouth like the beginnings of some weird facial hair. The snail looked bored, as if it was perfectly normal for it to have a receiver stuck in its shell. Hanley had never seen such a large snail, and it was real, on top of that! This wasn't some very realistic machine—she could see that from here.
It was easily the creepiest thing she ever had the misfortune of seeing.
"Oh hell." She breathed.
"Would you like to hold--"
"Ishamon-sensei do not bring that thing any closer." Hanley was pressing herself against the wall. She could barely stand to look at it! It was possessed! Why did that snail have a face?? It had a mouth! It was this awful mutant thing.
'Although, if I don't know any better, I'd say that I hurt its feelings.' It certainly did look like it was pouting.
CREEPY. And now she felt a little guilty. Creepy Mutant Radio Snail couldn't help looking like it did—oh what the hell was she thinking??
"This is the captain's personal Den Den, but he didn't mind your borrowing it. Just don't call any of the authorities with it, if you don't mind." Ishamon chuckled as he set it down on the desk. It was content to stay there, still bored and a little sleepy if Hanley were to judge. "We have a larger one in the bridge to make long distance calls. It was locked up the previous afternoon so you never saw it."
"...Is that a beard?"
"Well, yes. Den Den are largely unique to their owners"
"Oh hell."
"This seems to bother you quite a bit, don't you like animals?"
Hanley groaned, "It's not that I don't like them, it's just I...oh no, what if Red Hair was telling the truth? Oh hell!" She curled on her side, trying to process what was happening.
But the other possibility was too much. That would require her to believe that she wasn't as close to home as she had hoped. It would require her to believe that Shanks was right and there simply wasn't a Japan to go home to. Hell, it would require her to believe that she was in a manga somehow. The only bright side she could see was that her friends might not be dead after all, just not here.
Wherever she was.
Hanley lay on her side for several minutes, focusing on nothing but the sound of her breath. Her mind was in turmoil, trying to wrap itself around the concept that she wasn't in her world anymore. How in the hell was that possible? It was stupid, completely stupid and crazy and other things she couldn't even think about right now. But, wasn't it the last option left to her at this point? It was either very realistic cosplay or, well, real. Or she was insane. Maybe she was in a hospital right now, doped up and completely lost in her own head. Perhaps she had made this entire adventure up, taking cues from one of the last things she did—look over Natsuhiko's manga, something he loved. And perhaps this was a coping mechanism. Her friends had died and she just made up someplace where she can easily say that they were well.
'I don't know what to believe. But this is so real. I can feel the cot beneath me. My ribs still ache from being tossed around on the Rakumaru. I can feel the swaying of the ship on the water. I can hear Ishamon-sensei as he writes.' Hanley clenched her fists. Her nails dug painfully into the palms of her hands. In a flash of helpless temper she turned and slammed her fist into the wall. Ishamon leaped up and was by her side a split second later. He gently took her hand before she could clutch it close to her chest.
"Hanley, what's the matter?" he asked urgently as he examined her.
"Is this real, Ishamon-sensei? Am I really here?" No wonder they stared at her like she was crazy. She thought she was crazy.
Ishamon kept his face carefully blank as he responded. "I think you are here, Hanley. I can see you, I can touch you. I perceive that you are here. That's what reality is, hm?"
Hanley sniffled from pain.
"Don't have an existential crisis on me now, lass." Ishamon smiled, examining her knuckles.
"I can have an exis-whatever crisis if I want to." Hanley replied petulantly, her anger fading almost as quickly as it appeared. She winced as he tended her knuckles.
'Don't punch walls, my lesson is learned.'
"You're such a silly lass." Ishamon muttered fondly. Hanley huffed slightly and looked at him. She had a sudden thought but wondered if it would be a good idea to ask. Well, hopefully he wouldn't mind.
"Do you have any kids?" Hanley asked hesitantly.
"I did."
Oh no, he used to have them.
Ishamon saw her horrified look and shook his head.
"Don't worry about it," he continued as he wrapped her hand, "it was years ago. I had two daughters. No wife, she left me long before that."
"...What happened, Ishamon-sensei?"
"They were taken as slaves by the Tenryuubito."
"Tenryuubito? Who are they?"
"People that I hope you never meet. My daughters were captured because of a debt I was unable to pay."
"I'm sorry, Ishamon-sensei. I shouldn't have asked--"
"No, it's fine. That was a dark time in my life. I used to be a horrible gambler, lass. I was addicted. It was one of the reasons why my wife left me." Ishamon's face twisted briefly, as if he were in pain. But then his expression quickly smoothed over and he continued on as if nothing had occurred. "She didn't want the responsibility of looking after our daughters, either. Still, they would have been better off with her. They...did not last long in servitude."
Hanley fell silent. She wasn't the most perceptive person, but the raw pain in Ishamon's voice was enough to make her chest ache. She could feel it in his voice as he spoke despite his calm bedside manner. There was more to this place than first appeared—far more dangerous than cheerful pirates and newspaper delivering seagulls. Ishamon finished with her hand and looked at her.
"What were their names?" She asked after a while.
"Abigail and Irene." Ishamon gave her a small grin, but he looked anything but happy. "Do not hurt yourself again, understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. Now, do you feel better?"
Hanley grimaced and ran her fingers through her hair.
"I really don't know."
"You will be." He sounded so positive that Hanley couldn't help but look at him in surprise.
'I think he's seriously overestimating me.' Still, she was glad for his support. She was lucky, even now. Who knows who could have picked her up out here? Hanley realized that she could have been in serious trouble, impending death put aside for the moment. But if she wasn't crazy and was currently in a manga, what should she do now? Even then it was difficult to believe. Maybe she should talk to Shanks?
'Oh crap, I also better apologize. I said some mean things yesterday.' Hanley winced yet again from guilt and embarrassment and carefully rubbed her aching knuckles. The pain was already fading—Ishamon-sensei really was a good doctor.
She was brought out of her inner musings when two crewmen stumbled in, the taller one supporting the other. The sick one looked noticeably green.
"Hey now, what's this?" Ishamon snapped in clear irritation.
"Sorry Ishamon-san, think Ridley here ate something bad." The taller pirate looked apologetic as he practically held his friend upright. Poor Ridley was becoming greener by the second.
"Oh, did he? I have something for him." Hanley coughed at the ominous tone in his voice. Obviously, Ishamon's inexplicable fondness for her was something she should also be thankful for. "Hanley, could you excuse us? And won't you return the Captain's Den Den to him?"
"Yeah, I'll let you work." Hanley grabbed her magatama before hesitantly picking up the Den Den Mushi. She shuddered when she felt it move across her palms. It felt creepy, too! Steeling herself, Hanly carefully slipped by Ridley and Friend and power walked towards the stairs. The sooner she dumped this thing the better.
She tried to ignore the screaming behind her. May Ridley find peace in the afterlife.
Hanley quickly made her way up top, pausing to look for any more messenger seagulls. She wasn't sure if she could tolerate another sighting while carrying a mutant snail. The top deck was very busy, men calling and laughing as they worked. Hanley tiptoed by, nodding hesitantly at their boisterous greetings she passed. They seemed like nice men, certainly, but she couldn't shake the feeling of insecurity. Well, she guessed it couldn't be helped, being the only female on a ship in the middle of nowhere.
Shanks, of course, was different. It wasn't anything one could see, but it was something else. Something about the man that put him a step above and beyond his crew. Or she could be thinking about it too much. Shanks was captain, so it was practically required that he have some sort charisma.
Hanley spotted him above her, lounging in a hammock rigged by the helm. His straw hat covered his face, and he appeared to be deeply asleep.
'Maybe he's not. He's probably one of those really strong guys that act harmless.' Wasn't that how it usually went in manga? She never read a lot, so she really didn't know. Well, Superman and Batman were the same way. Reporter with glasses and a rich play boy by day and bad ass superhero by night. Or whenever a crisis happened.
Then she was struck by inspiration. Maybe that was it! Maybe she should make a test. She had to make sure she had reached the right conclusion. If this were a manga, then surely it went by manga rules, right?
Den Den Mushi aside.
Hanley crept up the stairs; however, that was largely unnecessary due to the amount of noise the crew were making. Ben was at the helm and saw her approach. He watched her peer at his captain and circle around in what had to be an incredibly odd manner. Hanley was worried he'd say something, but he was content to let her go about whatever it was she was planning.
'Okay, say I am in some kind of manga. I'm not willing to believe that I've lost my mind, so this is really the only option left to me. There are always certain abilities the lead possesses. As captain, Shanks has to be that lead.' It was a little silly, but Natsuhiko swore up and down by those rules, so this was her best choice. Hanley set the Den Den on a barrel and motioned it to be quiet—as if it were making a great deal of noise anyway.
Now Ben fully had his attention on her, right eyebrow raised in curiosity. He still seemed willing to let her do whatever she wanted, so Hanley looked around for something heavy. This was the perfect opportunity to catch Captain Red Hair off guard and confirm her suspicions.
What she planned to do afterwards, of course, could wait.
It was then Hanley spotted an empty sake bottle, heavy and dark, lying on its side on the deck. Hanley quickly raced over to it before it could roll away and grasped it. This was perfect. She curiously peered inside before holding it closer and taking a sniff.
"Ugh!" Her nose wrinkled and she stuck out her tongue in disgust. She thought she heard a bark of laughter, but a quick glance in Ben's direction showed her that he was staring straight ahead. Maybe she was hearing things?
Now she made her way back to the helm, lightly tapping the bottle against her palm. Ben's eyebrow raised even higher, but he had yet to make any motion to stop her.
Hanley stopped above Shank's head, weighing her options. After a bit of hesitation, she carefully reached down and slowly lifted the brim of the hat, exposing his face. Shanks was dead to the world—mouth slack as he snored. It was so surprisingly cute that Hanley nearly reconsidered what she was doing, but she quickly strengthened her resolve. She didn't want to mess up his hat, he seemed to really like it, so she slowly and gently lifted it and moved it to his chest. She looked at the bottle before shrugging and lifting it up.
It was far more difficult than expected. She had thrown things in a temper before; however, she had certainly never taken an object and hit somebody with it.
...Well, okay, she had never taken an object that could potentially seriously hurt someone and try to hit them with it. Natsuhiko would disagree with that, though. The Den Den Mushi's gaze seemed heavy on her. Hanley glanced at Ben. His back was to her once more, his attention taken to something occurring on the deck below.
It was now or never.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Hanley swung the bottle as hard as she could manage. She was fully expecting one of two things to happen: Shanks would, through some weird kind of psychic sixth sense, grab the bottle before it connected, or, it would hit, shatter upon his skull, and he would continue to sleep peacefully. She had seen enough Western cartoons and listened to Natsuhiko's rants long enough to know that this was the norm. Really, he should be fine, right?
As one can imagine in hindsight, neither happened.
It shattered upon contact with his forehead, and he was up in a flash, shouting in pain. He clutched his head and bent over until his head was between his knees, his straw hat laying on the ground by his feet. He stayed that way for several long moments, hissing as he waited for the pain to fade.
"What just—who hit me??" He looked up to a horrified and frozen Hanley with the remains of a sake bottle.
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit--' When she realized she was caught red-handed, she immediately tossed the stem of the bottle overboard.
'Oh like that will help!'
"U-Um, good afternoon, Captain Shanks! How was your nap?" Hanley stuttered, trying to play off the fact that she bludgeoned him. He was really hurt! That wasn't supposed to happen! Hanley bit her lip, confused and now a little scared. Since she didn't belong here she thought the rules wouldn't apply to her, but Shanks was born and raised here! Why...
"It was fine until you woke me up." Shanks said, looking bemused.
"Maybe she's trying to assassinate the notorious Red-Haired Shanks." Ben spoke up, still facing away from them. His shoulders were shaking suspiciously.
Hanley choked and returned her attention to Shanks, "N-No! I swear that wasn't it! I wouldn't..." They were going to lock her up, she knew it! They were going to think her crazy or a killer!
"Maa, I suppose I was napping too long anyway." Shanks muttered as he brushed the glass fragments from his hair and retrieved his hat from the deck.
Or...they were going to just go about their business as if she didn't smash a sake bottle over their captain's head.
"Oh for—why aren't you angry?" Hanley cried, a little frustrated with him and not quite sure why.
"You want me to be?" answered Shanks in obvious amusement. He shook his loose, white shirt free of debris and checked to make sure some pieces of glass weren't hiding in his clothing.
"No! I mean, you were supposed to catch that!"
"I was supposed to catch it--"
"Yes! Why didn't you??"
Ben coughed, "I think she's blaming you for allowing yourself to get hit."
"I'm not, really! I mean, I wasn't expecting you to turn into the Hulk, but why the hell didn't you catch the bottle?"
"How? I was asleep." Shanks replied.
Hanley floundered and stopped to think about that. Okay, he had a very good point. Besides, how was she supposed to tell him it was because he was a main character in a shounen manga?
'There's...no good way to explain this, is there?'
"And who is the Hulk?"
Hanley sighed in disappointment, "Oh, nevermind. It's not important."
Shanks was clearly trying not to laugh at her. "I apologize for not catching the bottle."
"Or staying asleep."
Ben snorted and Shanks scratched his head in confusion.
"Or somehow staying asleep despite the fact you nearly knocked my brains out."
It sounded horrible when he put it that way. "...Yeah, well..." Hanley muttered, very sorry. And she really was, seriously!
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine, see?"
"I guess. I don't know what I was thinking." She was desperate, that was what she was thinking. Guilt churned her stomach as she thought of what else she had to apologize for. That one, however, was a bit more difficult to get out. Her eyes lowered as she tried to get out a proper apology.
"I-I..."
"Anyway, I'm curious, Hanley."
Hanley blinked and managed to lift her eyes from the deck. He was grinning widely at her and really did look fine.
'Maybe there was something to the experiment after all...'
"Who is the Hulk? Is he a pirate of some kind?"
Oops. "Uh, um."
"I'm wide awake now, you'll just have to indulge me."
Hanley groaned softly and hoisted herself on top of the crate and tried to make herself comfortable. In any case it couldn't hurt; no doubt they already thought her to be a little unhinged.
"Okay. The Hulk is the alternate personality of Doctor Bruce Banner that appears when he gets angry. He turns into this giant green monster with super strength that destroys everything he comes across in his rage. The angrier he gets the bigger he gets. He's a superhero; well, maybe not superhero by the strictest definition..."
"Superhero?" Shanks asked, interrupting her. He was leaning back in his hammock, idly twirling his straw hat on one, long finger. Hanley couldn't help but briefly pause to admire his very lovely hair.
"Yeah!" Hanley continued, starting to warm up to the subject. "He's okay, but not my favorite. I'm not into the comics enough to remember how the Doctor became the Hulk in the first place. Something to do with gamma rays."
"Indeed?"
"I like the X-Men more. They're mutants—humans with special powers. One can control the weather, one can shot lasers out of his eyeballs, one has an incredible healing factor, and so on."
"That's handy."
"But there's another major American comic label called DC. They have some great superheros as well."
"What's an American?"
"That's a country where I'm from. Anyway, they have other superheros like Batman and Superman."
"Is this Batman a giant bat?" Ben asked, surprising her. Hanley had honestly forgotten he was there.
"No, he just uses the image of the bat to scare criminals. He catches bad guys."
Shanks was actually looking pretty interested, even though it was obvious he had no clue what the hell she was talking about. Hanley was more shocked by the fact that Ben Beckman looked to be intrigued by her stories. He seemed to be a no nonsense sort of person to her, nearly a complete opposite from the Captain.
'There really is no harm in telling them these things. It's not like they're real or anything...'
Like One Piece wasn't real? Wasn't it possible that Stan Lee may have also been onto something?
'Argh, let's just focus on the place I'm in now.'
"Do you have a favorite, Hanley?" Shanks asked.
"It's so hard to say! I mean, I really like Superman—he has it all. He can fly, he has super speed, he has x-ray vision, he has heat vision, he's bulletproof...the only downside is his choice of outfit, really. I mean, I think a red cape is a bit too much. Well, it seems you might disagree with me." Shanks snickered at that, Hanley was pleased to see. "But Superman really is, er, super. Not that Natsu-kun agreed with me"
"Natsu-kun?"
"Natsuhiko, one of my friends that..." Hanley trailed off and bit her lip.
"Ah, I see." came the quiet reply. "He is one of the nakama you lost."
Hanley had never referred to them as nakama, but when she thought about it, yes, that was really the perfect way to describe them. She accepted them and was accepted by them—her first and only friends. The first to ever really see how lonely she was even when she didn't want to admit it. It was sappy but nonetheless true.
'If they saw the way I was acting right now they'd laugh at me.'
"Where was I?" Hanley finally asked, managing to contain her grief. She couldn't start sobbing again. Hanley never liked crying all that much—you felt out of control and it was embarrassing to do in front of people. She hated the feeling of her eyes and throat burning and her nose scrunching as she tried not to leak snot all over her face.
Shanks stretched and arranged himself more comfortably, even though he didn't look to be going to sleep again anytime soon.
"You were talking about a super man."
"Oh, yes! Well--"
'I'll try to do better, Captain Shanks.' The thought came out of nowhere, but Hanley could not find it in herself to ignore it.
**********
Red-Haired Shanks
Shanks's head was still throbbing as Hanley chattered about some children's stories from her homeland. He still couldn't follow her logic on why she felt the need to beam him, but he had to admit she got him good.
He had to wonder, though, that if she had wanted to see what he could do, why not just ask?
'I guess socking me one was more fun.'
He caught her glancing guiltily at him every so often as she spoke about flying men and people from other worlds that could shoot energy blasts from their hands and eyes and other orifices. It was obvious she was trying to find some way to work up to an apology; not surprising, even he noticed in the short time she was a guest on their ship she had a hard time verbally admitting fault. Shanks decided he'd leave her to it—he wasn't the kind to demand apologies anyway unless the situation really warranted such a thing.
The Red Dawn was moving along quicker than expected, almost as if they were being carried along by something other than the current. At this rate, they might actually be able to make landfall the night after tomorrow. Hanley was very relaxed, even smiling a bit as her stories slowly changed into ones about her nakama. Shanks listened willingly, getting the impression that Hanley was being completely truthful. So what did that mean? Now that she was no longer being hysterical, the girl didn't seem to be that crazy at all.
"Captain?" Hanley asked suddenly, interrupting her own tale.
"Hm? What is it?"
"This is very real, isn't it?"
Shanks blinked and scratched his head thoughtfully, wincing as his nails ran close to the tender spot on his head. He assumed she was talking about her ending up on a pirate ship.
"I like to think so, depends on your definition of real, really. And if it isn't?"
"I guess...I don't know. I keep thinking that I'm going to wake up." Hanley frowned and stared at her knees, "but I'm not going to just wake up, am I? Like, what would happen if I just jumped overboard? I'd probably end up like I was when I first got here—nearly dead. This place shouldn't be here, but it is here, and I don't know what to do."
"Well, I can't tell you what to do. I can only give you some advice: do what you think is best. Do whatever you need to do." Shanks shrugged. Inspirational speeches weren't really his forte.
"Make the best of things, you mean? Well, you might be right. Crying and throwing tantrums hasn't done anything for me," Hanley hesitated and looked up at him, wincing slightly. "I'm...sorry."
"Sorry for what?" He knew, of course, but he wanted her to say it.
"For calling you names, for hitting you, for acting like a brat. You all saved my life and I threw that back in your faces. I'm ashamed of myself."
Shanks sat up, "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're only, what, thirteen?"
"Er, ten," Hanley corrected, looking embarrassed.
"Really?? But you're so big--" Shanks coughed at the furious look she gave him. "--I mean, so mature and capable! I never would have guessed! Your parents must be proud."
Hanley sighed, looking uncomfortable, "I don't have any parents. And I wonder if my grandparents would have been happy with my behavior. Probably not."
"No parents, hm?"
"No..." she fell silent then, lost in her own thoughts.
Shanks looked at Ben and saw him smiling. Hey, he guessed he wasn't so bad with little girls after all.
"You'll be just fine. If all else fails, just take a sake bottle and beat them up."
Hanley blushed even darker.
Shanks hoisted himself from his hammock and stretched.
"We looking good?" he asked, directing the question to his first mate.
"Very," Ben answered before he lit a cigarette, "lookout reports clear sky and sea. I'm surprised we're moving so fast, to be honest. I've never seen the Red Dawn act this way."
"Huh. Guess it wants to make sure Hanley gets somewhere safe and away from us lowlifes," Shanks laughed and ruffled the girl's hair. He was pleased to note that she grinned at him, even after slapping his hand away.
"That's very nice of it, but I'm...well, I just don't know what to do."
Ben glanced at her, "We can find you something to do, if you don't mind. Can you cook?" Though there really wasn't a lot she could do on the ship. It certainly wasn't that big, and most of the work was taken care of by the actual apprentices and crewmen. Shanks also doubted she could handle the physical labor.
Hanley's face changed and looked fairly excited. "It's not that far to dinner, right? I can make my grandmother's stew as a thank you."
"There you go!" Shanks said cheerfully. "Go and bother Humphrey in the galley."
"Okay!" she said brightly and hopped up. She beamed at him before clambering down the stairs to the small galley.
"I'm still confused, though," Ben spoke up a moment after she disappeared, "just why did she hit you, again?"
"I have one of those faces, probably. Maybe she wanted to add another scar."
"Well, it could have done nothing but improve it."
"Hey now! I'll have you know I was quite popular before I headed out to sea."
Ben nodded, "Oh, I'm quite sure. So popular the girls would stake their claim by trying to disfigure you."
"When you got it, you got it."
Ben scoffed and threw a grin his direction before returning to the helm. The speed at which they were traveling didn't allow them to leave the helm for more than a few moments or go off course. Shanks briefly wondered if Hanley had anything to do with it, as the ship suddenly gained its new speed when she came aboard, but quickly dismissed that thought.
"Wonder what her grandmother's stew is made of."
*
He shouldn't have asked. When Humphrey rang the bell, Shanks was first in line as usual, eager to fill his stomach and see what Hanley managed to come up with. When he saw Humphrey's warning look, he should have taken heed. Foolishly he dismissed it and quickly made his way up to Hanley, who looked pleased. She was obviously happy at the chance to redeem herself through actions instead of awkward wording.
"This is it, I hope you like it," Hanley said and pointed to the large, bubbling pot on the stove. It didn't smell that bad, but when Shanks lifted it he barely managed not to slam it back down in horror.
What did he just see? What travesty did he just witness?
Humphrey gave him a look before shooing him to the table. The cook began to load up his serving cart and began to make the rounds, starting with Shanks first and making his way down the chain of command. If it weren't for the fact he was also a potential victim, Shanks would have found the faces of his men quite hilarious.
Okay, they were still hilarious, but he could empathize.
Yasopp cleared his throat first, "So, uh, what is this, Hanley?"
Hanley grinned and Shanks could feel his stomach drop. Dammit, she was completely unaware of how bad it was and what should he do now? He didn't feel right teasing her, he knew that much, and he didn't want to make her feel bad when this was supposed to be an apology and dammit what exactly is that floating in his serving?
"My grandmother's Mystery Stew. I wanted to make it as a thank you present." Shanks looked at his crew and saw varying expressions of, "dammit, we're going to have to eat this aren't we?" and "crap, why did she have to be a little girl?" and "why did she have to bring up a grandmother?"
They were really a bunch of softies, weren't they?
Ben looked stoic as usual, Yasopp was trying hard to keep his face straight, and even Lucky Roux was looking hesitant.
Ishamon, on the other hand, looked ready to smite the fool who dared to say one bad thing about Hanley's cooking.
"That's very kind of you, Hanley, I'm sure we'll enjoy it." The last note turned dark and many of his nakama were quick to agree.
Hanley beamed and Shanks knew it was all over.
"Okay, then please enjoy."
"Why don't you go first, Captain? After all, this is all thanks to you." Lucky Roux suggested meaningfully.
Shanks gave a weak laugh, "Well, technically Ben was the one who came up with the idea."
"Indeed. But as Captain you should take responsibility for your crew." Ben answered, giving him a look. Shanks coughed and turned to his stew. Ben could be scary when he felt like it.
"I guess I'll take the honors." Shanks stirred the stew (he wasn't a gourmand, but even he could see she had overcooked it in her inexperience) before steeling himself and took a huge mouthful.
For a moment, he thought he saw Heaven.
And then his consciousness came crashing down to earth. His mouth was on fire from too many conflicting spices, and the heat slowly crept down his throat like some sort of twisted form of torture. He barely managed to contain his (exceedingly manly, mind you) tears of pain. The meat was rubbery, the vegetables soggy, and he wasn't even sure how she managed to make something so bad out of something that should have been relatively simple. Wasn't Humphrey supervising her? What was he thinking??
But Shanks forced a smile and nodded.
"It's...full of flavor and...uh, very interesting."
Hanley breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you! I was afraid I messed up when I accidentally kept it on high heat. And you didn't have the ingredients I needed so I just made some replacements."
'This is very obvious, Hanley. Very, very obvious.'
"We're very happy you made the effort, Hanley," Ishamon interrupted diplomatically, "now just let us old guys eat our fill and run along, hm? There are some subjects you don't need to hear about."
Hanley nodded and made a face, "You're definitely better about that than my grandma. She'd always go on and on about the time she went through menopause and how it was hell to be over a hot stove while having flashes--"
Yasopp nearly died.
"--I'll be on the deck, then! I'll find something to do." She smiled brightly and left them to their suffering.
Ishamon turned to them. "Now eat and be grateful."
"We're glad you like her and all but..." one of the younger lads trailed off at the cold look Ishamon sent his way.
"Humphrey?" Yasopp asked hopefully. The cook shook his head.
"Sorry, but I don't exactly have time to whip up anything else. She kinda pushed me out and demanded I let her make something nice for Captain Shanks."
"As you said, Shanks, 'when you got it, you got it,'" Ben commented as he choked down his stew.
Shanks laughed and nodded, "Guess so! Let's just hope I can survive it."
"Maybe she is trying to assassinate the notorious Red Haired Shanks and his crew after all."
"Yeah, I think this is the second attempt on my life."
"What do you mean?" Ishamon asked as he poured salt into his stew. Shanks couldn't help but think that a largely futile gesture, but as always he admired the man's bravery.
"Oh, she hit me with a sake bottle earlier while I was sleeping."
"She what??" Ishamon cried angrily. Shanks quickly held up a hand.
"I'm not hurt."
"Oh you're too stupid to get hurt. I'm just angry about her behavior."
"It's no big deal, she was very sorry. I think she was trying to see if I had super powers."
"Still, I better talk with her. She shouldn't do things like that, she could seriously hurt someone." Shanks tactfully decided not to comment on Ishamon taking on the role as Hanley's surrogate father figure.
"Anyway, she could have found another way to show her gratitude," a crewman commented.
Ishamon shrugged as he took a bite, anger fading as quickly as it came, "Actually, I sort of like it. My girls used to do this all the time."
The crew fell a little silent at that, but soon bounced back as they joked about the taste and having Hanley take over Humphrey's job. Anything to distract themselves, really. The men bravely continued on, even in the face of their comrades falling left and right.
"I guess this isn't so bad! I never got to experience this sort of thing myself," remarked Yasopp, clearly thinking about his own son.
"Oh, looks like I'm done!" Shanks said as he stood.
"We saw you pour it in the barrel, you're not smooth, you know," Lucky Roux remarked.
"Lucky Roux I am smooth like butter. Have fun, men!" Shanks quickly made a tactical retreat.
Shanks appeared top side and took a deep gulp of fresh air as if it would bring some relief to his taste buds. When they got to Fuschia, he would have to see if Makino could take Hanley in, if only so she could teach the girl how to cook properly. It wouldn't do to have her accidentally kill someone with her cooking. Not only that, but Fuschia really was the best choice for the girl; Hanley seemed to have nowhere else to go, and she appeared to be stable enough to enter a foster home. Hopefully, someday, she'd get back to where she belonged, but it was curious that for all of her talk about her nakama and grandparents, she never spoke about her birthplace again. She certainly never pressured them to look for her island, so it was a little strange, he admitted. He had made it clear earlier he was willing to make the detour, but...
Shanks spotted Hanley seated on the prow of the ship and he made his way toward her. He'll check on her before turning in so his stomach could recuperate. It was already burning unpleasantly. As he moved closer, he was aware that she was singing something.
"--near, far, wherEVER you are! I believe that the heart does go on!" she sang, off key and swinging her arms about in goofy, exaggerated movements. She was facing out toward the sea and so into her performance she had no idea he was there.
Shanks barely managed to keep his composure. He had to try several times before he could speak without cackling at her.
"Uh, Hanley--"
"Once more, you OPEN the door!"
"Han--"
"And you're here in my heart and my heart will go on and ooooooooon!" Her voice cracked toward the end as she couldn't hold the note, and when she began to spin in circles with an imaginary dance partner, Shanks began to back away. Slowly.
"You're here, there's NOTHING I fear! And I know that my heart will go on! We'll stay forEVER this way--"
'I think I'll let her have her fun. At least until she gets her "heart" under control.' But he never got the chance to save her dignity when she tripped on a rope, forcing Shanks to immediately rush forward to catch her before she lost a tooth.
"Oh, Captain Shanks! Thanks for catching me," Hanley said as she regained her balance. "Um, how long were you there?"
"Not long."
It was pretty amusing to watch dread slowly creep onto her face. "...You saw, didn't you?"
"I'm pleased you found something to do to occupy your time. You have an interesting singing voice."
Almost as bad as her cooking.
"Uh, yeah," she was clearly trying to hide her mortification, "I...yeah."
"So, what were you singing about?"
"That? Oh, er, love song."
"I could tell."
"Yeah. I mean, it's from this movie about a huge ship—well, the ship sank and a lot of people died, but there was a romance, and..."
"I can't unsee what I just saw, so maybe it's best if you stop right there," Shanks said mercifully.
Hanley grumbled and kicked at the deck.
"Don't worry about it, it makes you seem more like a kid."
"I am a kid! I'm just tall, okay?" she huffed and gave a small pout. Shanks laughed and shook his head.
"Anyway! I just came to check up on you before I head to bed."
"Oh, already?"
Shanks's stomach rolled unpleasantly, "Yes, already. I think Ishamon wants to talk to you about earlier today. With the sake bottle."
Hanley's face fell and became resigned.
"Oh, don't worry about Ishamon—he's just concerned for you."
Hanley sighed. She looked up at him, "Does he think I'm crazy?"
"What? After living with us? He probably sees you as the one sane person on board."
"I hope not. I didn't act very sane."
Shanks chuckled, "I'll elaborate: compared to the rest of us. You were a little worrying, but it seems to have worked out. Ah, one more thing. Have you decided on what you're going to do?"
"Not really, I don't think I can get home so easily."
"Why not?" Shanks pressed, hoping to get some answers. Now that Hanley was willing to admit no island name Japan existed, he was hoping for more clues on where she came from.
Hanley pressed her lips into a thin line and Shanks knew that was all he was going to get from her.
"Okay then, I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night, Captain Shanks."
"Night." Shanks waved and made his way back to the stern of the ship and his quarters. He could see men stumbling from below deck, holding their stomachs but determined to toughen it out. They certainly didn't want to get on Ishamon's bad side.
'I'll have to tell Ishamon about her singing—he'll enjoy that, and hopefully he won't be too stern with her.' Shanks hummed softly before groaning and rubbing his stomach. 'Argh, maybe she was trying to kill us.'
**********
Amano Hanley
Hanley was still sulking when she climbed up on deck the following afternoon. Ishamon had gotten a hold of her that morning and let her have it, metaphorically speaking. He was in full out lecture mode, telling her in great detail just how much damage she could have done and why her hitting their captain (even if he was an idiot a good deal of the time) was not acceptable. At all. In any circumstance. After he looked disapprovingly at her he set her to organizing his workspace—which really was a punishment, considering the state it was in. She had just now finished and Ishamon let her leave the stuffy infirmary with another warning look thrown at her back.
Hanley couldn't help but feel a little resentful—sure, maybe she should have gotten punished, but he wasn't her grandpa! She barely kept herself from blurting out how she wasn't his kid, but even she realized how rude and horrible that would have been. Then she felt guilty for even thinking it when he was just trying to take care of her.
Hanley idly ran her fingers along her magatama as she sat on top of a pile of rope on deck. It made a surprisingly comfortable seat if you adjusted yourself accordingly, and she managed to have some fun distracting herself by simply watching the men go about their business. It was weird, though, as there were definitely far fewer than usual; most were below deck, still in their hammocks. Were they sick or something?
It wasn't sunny at all today; instead, it was overcast with dark clouds looming in the distance. It was so gray and generally colorless that even the sea and sky started to become indistinguishable from each other as they met in the distance. It was the worst, as the extra moisture in the air, which was already quite saturated, began to turn her hair into a frizzy mess. Her hair had never really recovered from her day roasting in the sun as none of the men on board seemed to possess any shampoo or conditioner, and the thought of borrowing a brush was revolting to her, if any of them had any. On top of that, the resulting drop in temperature pretty much forced her to borrow someone's sweater. She tried not to think which of these hairy, sweaty guys she yanked it from, but it was clean and didn't have a smell, so she made do. It was still thin, but far better than the shirt.
'From an ugly gray shirt to an ugly blue sweater. Someone needs to shop for these guys.'
Yasopp assured her that it wouldn't storm, and as much as Hanley wanted to believe him, her near death experience wasn't exactly something she could dismiss. She only saw Shanks for a moment, and he gave her a cheerful wave before holing himself up in his cabin. She was largely left alone as usual, which worked out fine for her. It'd be beyond weird if she were randomly the center of attention.
The Red Dawn was currently anchored so they could catch fish for lunch. She was offered a line and lure, but Hanley quickly turned that down. She had had enough of fishing in her life, thanks to her obsessed grandpa.
Hanley tried not to think about how much she missed them.
Instead, she tried to focus on how unnaturally quiet it was. Hanley hadn't been on the ship long, but she knew that this near silence during midday was quite unusual. It was so quiet she could hear the waves as they sloshed against the hull of the ship, the men talking quietly amongst themselves as they fished, and the general background noise of sails snapping and wooden boards creaking. It nearly put her to sleep when the lookout's shout shocked her out of her daze.
"Man in the water!"
"Another one?" cried one of the crewmates as he raced to the starboard side to see. Hanley clambered on top of her pile of ropes and looked over the side as well. Her heart was racing in her chest and she could barely breathe. Was it one of her friends? Judging from what the lookout said, the only one whose description fit was Daisuke-sensei, but Hanley couldn't help but allow hope to swell up in her.
It was difficult to make him out without a spyglass, and the cloudy sky and sea only made it even more of a chore. As he drifted closer, Hanley could make out a huge, broad frame and a mess of bright hair. She barely registered the crushing disappointment before she stifled a short cry and let her forehead fall onto the wooden railing.
'Not Daisuke-sensei, not him at all.' She surprised at how grieved she felt when her hopes were dashed. She was sure she had gotten a hold of herself yesterday, yet her chest constricted and her eyes and throat burned from unshed tears. Hanley sniffled and scolded herself for her foolishness. The situation was so similar to hers that she just couldn't help but hope.
"What's all this, gents?" Yasopp asked as he exited the cabin. Shanks, Ben, and Lucky Roux were close behind, drawn by the shouts.
"We have another body in the water, sir!" answered the nearest crewman. Yasopp frowned and whipped out a collapsible spyglass from his waistband and took a look.
"Huh, another one. Well, this time it's a grown man."
Shanks grinned and made his way down to deck level. "We're just fishing out all sorts of people, aren't we?"
"What do you think we should do?"
Shanks was fell silent, staring out at the man drifting along in the water. Hanley was a little horrified. What was there to think about, really? Why not rush and get him? Where would she be if they decided she wasn't worth the effort?
"Shanks, I think you should go," Hanley piped up, flinching back a bit when all of the men turned to stare at her. Shanks blinked and gave her his trademark grin.
"Hoh? You think so? Well, why not?"
Ben's eyebrow raised, "We are? Even though--"
"Prepare a boat. We'll bring him in," Shanks interrupted. He looked Hanley in her eyes, "How's that, Hanley?"
"Fine, thank you," Hanley responded slowly, perplexed that he was willing to follow her suggestion.
The men were rushing to obey Shanks's order, quickly lowering a dinghy into the water. It was a short trip, as the current carried the body towards the Dawn. Hanley watched them haul the large body out of the water and make their way back to the ship. It took some maneuvering to get him onto the ship, but it wasn't long before he was on deck, coughing and wheezing. Ishamon appeared from below and pushed his way through the crowd to take a look.
"Thank you, I thought I was going to die," the man croaked. He gulped down some water and sighed with obvious relief. "if you could spare some food as well, I would be eternally grateful."
Shanks gave a lopsided grin and shrugged, "Oh, don't thank me. Thank our Hanley over there. She convinced us to come get you."
Hanley blushed when the man turned to look at her. He gave a wide smile as he bowed his head.
"You are too kind, little lady."
"I-It's fine," she muttered. She felt nervous as she watched him smile at her in gratitude. It seemed wrong somehow, as if he wasn't used to making such an expression and his muscles weren't sure how to contract and expand accordingly.
"So what's your name, friend?" Shanks asked, motioning for an apprentice to bring up some food from the kitchen.
"And what happened? It isn't everyday we see someone floating in the ocean," Ben added coolly, shouldering his long rifle.
"Name's Krieg. I'm a fisherman from a nearby island." The man nodded when he was given a plate. He immediately took a large bite from an apple and continued, "a couple of hoodlums made off with my boat. I tried to pursue them, but my dinghy sprung a leak. Lost sight of them a long time ago."
"Were they pirates?" Yasopp asked casually. Hanley saw Krieg's eyes flicker up to the Jolly Roger hanging from the mainmast.
"I honestly don't know," Krieg answered after a moment of hesitation, "I don't think so, though."
"Well, a few hoodlums aren't nothing to worry about. Don't worry, we have no intention of finishing their work," Shanks said, baring his teeth in a smile.
"Much obliged, sir."
"Well, that's enough gawking, lads! Get back to work!"
"AYE!"
Hanley's fingers wrapped around her magatama as she watched Krieg scarf down his meal, idly noting how hot it felt against her skin. Saving Krieg was the right thing to do, she was sure of it.
Then why did it feel weird?
She didn't have a reason to think he was lying, but...erg, maybe she was thinking too much.
"Hanley?" Ishamon called when he packed up his bag.
"Yes, sir?" she replied, still stinging a bit from his lecture. Ishamon's lips twitched into a small smile.
"Come on, let's keep you occupied, hm?" he beckoned for her to follow him back to the Infirmary. Hanley nodded and scampered after him, subconsciously veering away from Krieg when she passed.
*
Her feelings turned out to be correct.
Hanley jumped awake and sat up in bed. It was late and the ship was eerily quiet. Her magatama was burning, nearly scorching her collarbone.
"Geez, my father sure knows how to pick presents," Hanley grumbled in irritation. She sighed and slipped out of her cot.
'I'm wide awake now, dammit. I may as well take a walk.' She stepped into her sandals and inched by a snoring Ishamon. Hanley exited the infirmary and climbed up the steps, feeling restless and unsure why that was. The afternoon and evening had passed uneventfully, and the Red Dawn was quickly approaching port.
The overcast day turned into an incredibly foggy night. Hanley could barely see a foot in front of her face. She crept forward, looking about in interest. It was eery, and the atmosphere reminded her of some of the horror movies Hitomi made her sit through back at home. Those really stupid ones, where this group of kids were randomly in some forest, conveniently stranded, and they would run around without a bit of sense when--
"Shit!" She had ran headfirst into the mast. She groaned as she clutched her nose and glared at the offending mass of wood. She had somehow missed it even with the small lantern hanging from a brass hook about a foot above her head. The fog still made it very hard to see, however, and even when standing in the lantern's glow she could not see very far. She couldn't even make out the sides of the hull from her position.
As Hanley tried to recover, she heard someone's heavy footsteps as they approached her from behind. She nearly fell flat on her face when she whirled around to see who was coming.
"H-Hello?" She peered through the fog, wondering if she were the one without a lick of sense.
"Oh, so it was you I heard," Krieg's deep voice came from the darkness, just outside the small ring of light. He stepped forward out of the fog, and Hanley couldn't help but think that this was more like a horror movie than she was comfortable with. The light cast sharp shadows on Krieg's face, emphasizing the way his lips were twisted into a fierce parody of a smile and how his eyes appeared to glow like an animal's. He looked nothing short of feral—his sharp canines and thick, shaggy hair and muttonchops only furthering his resemblance to that of a wild dog.
"You're up late," Hanley said as she began to inch backwards. Her back hit the mast, restricting her escape route. Her heart was pounding in her ears, and Krieg gave her a crooked smile, looking as if he could sense her fear and was thoroughly enjoying it.
"I see I'm not the only one. What brings you out here, Hanley?"
"Oh, nothing!" she raised her voice, hoping the lookout could hear her, for someone to hear her, "I was just going back to bed, so why don't I just--"
"Are we leaving so soon? I thought you'd want to be awake to enjoy this!" Krieg raised his arms with a sharp laugh.
Hanley licked her lips, readying herself to make a break for it past him to Shanks' cabin. He looked to be too big to be very quick, so she was sure she would make it if she just--
"Enjoy what, Krieg-san?"
"Why, my most effective strategy, the Blitz Krieg!" It was as if it was straight out of a bad movie; the only difference being Krieg's flair for the dramatic was genuinely terrifying. Now that she was so close to him, she could make out the size difference between them, and it was bordering on comical. Krieg could crush her, easily. His face twisted even more cruelly in the lantern light, almost daring her to do something.
And she had brought the animal on board.
This was all her fault! Shanks wouldn't have brought Krieg aboard if not for her! How could she be so stupid??
"From the look on your face, I can tell you're finally catching on," Krieg taunted. Various dark shapes began to appear in the fog. "I've been waiting for an opportunity such as this. Imagine my surprise it was actually the ship of the notorious Red-Haired Shanks! Surely this is a sign!" Hanley couldn't see very well, but she realized the shapes had to be Krieg's crew. They gave a few scattered barks of laughter but were largely silent as the moved in the fog. It was too late! Krieg must have already taken care of the watch from his position on the ship! Despite the chill, Hanley was practically sweating buckets, her knees felt like they were made of jelly, and she was certain she was one more nasty surprise away from vomiting.
"Why don't you be a good girl? I won't hurt you," he continued. Yeah, as if she could believe that. "You're a lucky girl, really. I'll even spare you to repay for your kindness." Krieg spat out that last word as if it were a curse.
'I have to move, I have to shout, make an alarm. I have to do something! He'll take over the ship and kill them!' But she felt rooted to the spot, her mind racing a mile a minute but her body felt heavy, useless. Krieg sneered at her and roared,
"Bring them out! Don't kill any of them just yet, they're worth more alive!!!"
"AYE!"
She was such a fool. All she could do was sink to the deck with a sob. They were going to get killed and it was all her fault; they had saved her life and made her welcome and--
Torches were lit and provided more light to the darkness. She could see Shanks' crew being dragged from below deck; they looked rebellious, but they didn't cause any trouble as they were marched to the center of the top deck and forced to sit. She stared at them, mentally counting each face. Hanley knew most if not all of the crew after her time on board, and one absence was particularly glaring.
'Where's Ishamon-sensei?'
Krieg's delighted laugh brought her to the present, "Well, look who's here. Red-Haired Shanks."
Hanley gulped and watched as two very large pirates escorted Shanks to their boss. She could make out Ben, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux being held at gunpoint by the cabin. Shanks, for his part, looked completely and utterly calm. Amused, even, almost as if this were one big joke and he was waiting patiently for the punchline. Hanley was sure the man was insane.
Shanks spotted her and his smile grew, "Oh, Hanley, you're alright! Looks like they were telling the truth...good thing, too." Was it just her imagination, or did he look...dangerous? For that brief second?
Krieg gave another one of his feral grins, "If it isn't Red-Haired Shanks. I'm surprised! Judging from your reputation, I thought you would put up more of a fight."
"Well, you sure got me!" Shanks laughed. "I don't function very well if I don't take my daily naps, you see."
Krieg's face twitched, obviously annoyed at Shanks's unconcerned behavior.
"I'm glad you're taking it so well. This wouldn't be the first time I used this trick, so I'm happy to see you don't feel bad."
"I thought so. So, what are you planning to do? Take my treasure? Steal my ship?"
Krieg smiled, "Oh, I'm definitely doing that. But I'm also planning on turning you in and taking the reward money as well."
Shanks winced and made an exaggerated hiss through his teeth, "Ooh. I was with you until that point, Krieg. See, I can't allow that, I'm sorry to say. I rather need my head. You'll just have to think of something else."
"Silence!!" Krieg roared, causing Hanley to flinch. "You have quite some nerve, Shanks. I can see you aren't completely undeserving of your reputation." Krieg walked up and casually confiscated Shanks's saber. He unsheathed it and turned it over, the blade glinting in the low light.
"The pirate Red-Haired Shanks. Known for being powerful, crafty, and causing quite a bit of chaos around Marine Bases. The way your bounty has grown since you first set sail under your flag hasn't been seen in years," Krieg gave the saber an experimental swing, "But what do I see? A scrawny pretty boy that's more concerned about his alcohol supply than piracy! It's quite disgraceful."
"Well, better than a man that would take advantage of a young girl's kindness instead of challenging his opponent outright--"
Hanley screamed when Krieg suddenly whirled and swung the blade, barely stopping before he reached Shanks's neck.
Shanks didn't even bat an eye.
"Are you quite done? I rather like that sword so I would appreciate it if you gave it back."
Hanley was sure Shanks was a dead man, but instead Krieg laughed and sheathed the saber.
"I would do anything to win, anything at all! That is the mark of a true pirate, Red-Hair. What do you think you're doing, sailing around the seas as if life was one big party?? You don't know the meaning of the word."
"Is that so?"
"It is so. This is what you deserve for taking orders from a little girl," Krieg looked at her. "Watch closely, little girl. I will show you how true pirates handle their business."
Shanks smiled, "Yes, Hanley, watch closely."
Hanley could only sob in reply.
"Hey now, don't cry. Whatever happens, I want you to understand that you were right," Shanks said.
Hanley stared at him, "What?? H-How could you say that??"
"Saving someone's life is never something to be ashamed about, I want you to know that. It's a good thing."
Krieg sneered, "How touching. Kill the crew, just to teach this soft hearted fool a lesson."
"No!!" Hanley shrieked. She didn't want them die because of her! They didn't do anything! Hanley covered her ears and closed her eyes, unable to witness the results of her failure.
When no shots or screams came, she hesitantly opened her eyes.
Several of Krieg's men were lying motionlessly on the deck, bleeding heavily from the multiple knives sticking out of their bodies. They looked like macabre pincushions, and Hanley honestly couldn't tell if they were alive or dead. If the situation wasn't, well, life and death, Krieg's flummoxed expression would have been hilarious.
"Who is responsible for this?? Show yourself!" Krieg roared, unsheathing Shanks's sword and flinging the sheath away.
"That would be me, I'm afraid," Ishamon said calmly, stepping into the light. He was adjusting his bifocals with his right hand while his left held scalpels between each finger, blades facing outward. "I purposefully missed the vital organs, they're still alive if you care."
'Those weren't knives, they were scalpels...' Hanley thought in shock. She had no idea he could do that! Where the fuck did that come from?? What kind of doctor was he supposed to be??
"Are you okay, Hanley?" Ishamon asked kindly, as if he didn't just turn ninja and smite his foes. Hanley nodded weakly, gulping.
"Oh, there you are! What took you so long? Thanks for helping me out, Ishamon!" Shanks said cheerfully. Ishamon rolled his eyes.
"Who wants to save your ass? I was making sure Hanley wouldn't be harmed."
"Ah, I see how it is. You see what I have to deal with? Being a pirate captain is hard work," the last sentence was directed to Krieg, whose face was contorting from rage.
"YOU--"
"Weren't you the one that said something about doing whatever it takes to win?" Shanks asked, voice slightly mocking. Both sides stared at each other.
Then Krieg turned and attacked her.
Hanley dove to the side, barely managing to dodge Krieg's angry slash at her head mostly from sheer dumb luck rather than any skill. She could feel the air whistling as the edge of the blade barely missed her; her hair wasn't so lucky. Tangled clumps fell to the deck as she crashed to the ground. She wasn't sure when she started screaming, but now she was sobbing incoherently as she crawled as fast as she could, away from the crazed pirate. Ishamon darted forward, taking down three more of Krieg's men with a scalpel to the throat. He grabbed her and rolled forward, saving her life when Krieg brought down the saber in fury, smashing the wood where she was the split second before. Then he was on his feet and running toward the stern, Hanley held tightly in his arms.
The action was incredibly fast and muddled, making it very difficult to follow. But, it was bloody and violent and ugly, with men falling left and right. She saw Yasopp and Lucky Roux firing their guns, with Ben using his rifle like a club. Out of the corner of her eye, Shanks suddenly dropped to the deck, loosening his captors' grips before sweeping their legs from under them and charging head first at Krieg.
"Shanks--!"
"He'll be fine, lass!" Ishamon set her down and began to provide support for his crew, slicing vulnerable parts of the human body with practiced ease.
It wasn't long before Shanks's crew cleaned out Krieg's, tossing them overboard like garbage. Only Krieg was left, and it was clear he was Shanks's prey. The fight was quick, but nasty. Krieg swung his stolen blade wildly, and tried to use his larger frame as a battering ram. Shanks rolled smoothly to the side and was quickly on his feet, kicking Krieg's wrist to disarm him.
"I told you I liked that sword," Shanks said as he easily ducked under Krieg's sloppy grapple.
"You runt!"
"Heh." Shanks ducked once more under a powerful haymaker. The punch collided with the mast and took out a large chunk of paneling. Hanley gaped. How in the hell was that possible??
"You nearly had me there!" Shanks called, dancing backward. Krieg roared and charged forward like a berserker, managing to clip Shanks's shoulder with one meaty fist. That glancing blow was enough to send Shanks airborne and off balance.
But the red headed captain expertly used the momentum to add power to his own attack. Hanley didn't even realize he was chambering a kick until he twisted his body and smashed his heel into Krieg's jaw with a deafening crunch, stopping the larger man in his tracks. Krieg gave a weak croak and stumbled backward until he crashed onto the deck with a rumbling boom.
Shanks calmly stood and cracked his neck, "It's amazing that someone with such a big mouth has such a weak jaw." He checked his straw hat for damage before putting it back on his head.
"Shanths..." Krieg slurred, trying to sit up.
"How are we doing there, Glass Jaw Krieg?" Shanks walked over and grabbed him by the shirt, easily lifting him despite Krieg's mass. "You don't attack any of my nakama, am I understood?" His voice seemed to create an odd sort of pressure in the air, as if it was affecting the atmosphere itself.
Hanley became light headed and swayed. She shuddered and found herself rapidly blinking in surprise. If it weren't for Ishamon, she'd have toppled backwards.
'Did he just make me swoon?' Hanley thought, trying to put words to Shanks's sudden display of power. It was gone the next moment, making it even more difficult to name.
Shanks cut a powerful figure in the dim light, easily holding Krieg as he dragged the barely conscious pirate to the port side of the ship.
"If you're lucky, Krieg, a Marine ship just might pick you up."
Krieg coughed and glared, "You won't hear the last of me, Shanks. I'll gather a crew so large no one will be able to stop me--"
Shanks laughed at him, "You'll need an entire navy to defeat me, Krieg. But if it means so much to you, come seek me out when you think you have the strength." Shanks tossed him overboard, effectively ending the conversation.
"Oh hell..." Hanley breathed as she tried to process what just happened. She looked around her at the injured crewmen and the blood staining the wood of the Red Dawn. Her hand covered her mouth and she swooned again, this time from shock and horror. She nearly died. Again! She nearly got them all killed, she...
"Hanley, focus," Ishamon ordered as he gripped her shoulders.
"Is this what I have to look forward to??" Hanley cried. "Living in fear of pirate attacks?? It's my fault Krieg came aboard--"
"That is enough, Hanley," Shanks said as he walked up. "Didn't I tell you that you did the right thing?"
"Morally, maybe! But I was stupid! I just blindingly trusted him!"
"Ah, there's the rub, ain't it?" Shanks knelt before her.
Hanley took a deep breath, trying not to look at the blood and think of the men she put into jeopardy, "Was he right? Is that what pirates really are, here? Are you all like that?"
"What do you think?"
Hanley shook her head and ran her fingers distractingly through her hair. She groaned when she realized a large chunk of her hair was now lying on the deck. What did she think about them? Hanley never really put any thought into it—at the end of the day, she knew she wasn't going to be hurt here. She knew Shanks and Ishamon-sensei and everyone were good men. But they were pirates. Did Krieg have it right? Maybe he was the norm and Shanks and his crew were essentially a band of rebels among rebels?
"Do what you want 'cos a pirate is free..." Hanley muttered softly, remembering a video from the internet. Her English wasn't so good that she immediately knew the meaning, but once she read the translated lyrics she got the gist of it. It was from a kid's show, of all things, but it just popped into her head. Maybe...
Shanks chuckled, "Another song, Hanley?"
Hanley blushed, "It just reminded me of something, that's all. What do you think a pirate should be?"
"Should be? Well, I can't say much about what a pirate should be, Hanley, but what a pirate is, I can say, is about making your own rules. It's the freedom, Hanley, that comes with sailing the seas under your own flag. Many men mistake that for mindless violence and willful slaughter," he stood and smiled down at her, "but it's more about having a dream and doing what it takes to make it come true. It's a true man's romance!" He laughed freely and his men cheered with him. Despite the fact they were just in danger, they were laughing and singing as they raised the anchor and unfurled the sails.
They were going to leave Krieg and his band behind in the water and move on as if nothing had happened.
Ishamon saw her bemused look and chuckled.
"They're quite the bunch of loons, aren't they? Will you be alright?"
Hanley sighed and rubbed her face. "I...still have to think. I'm not like you guys, I can't just turn around and laugh after nearly getting my head chopped off." She was still unable to stand, and her stomach was still rebelling against any kind of movement.
She was content to sit and watch at the moment as Shanks and his crew broke out the last of their sake and partied. After all, they were pretty close to port.
Piracy, Hanley decided, was more than terrorizing citizens and sailing. It was fun, dangerous, and a great many things in between, yet Hanley was sure there was something else going on underneath the surface. There was an odd structure to it, and Hanley got the sense there really was a proper way of doing things. Krieg had to be wrong; Krieg was little more than a brute.
'A man's romance? How weird.'
*
Hanley couldn't sleep at all that night, still too keyed up from the attack. Every time she closed her eyes she could see Krieg's feral smile in her mind. It left her tired and irritable, but she did her best to bite her tongue considering just who was at fault.
Hanley was forced to borrow one of Ishamon's scalpels so she could cut her hair. Now, instead of falling down her back it rested just above her shoulders in a frizzy mess. She couldn't wait to get to port, if only to get a proper bath and comb.
"Land ho!" came a cry from above deck. Hanley grinned and looked at Ishamon hopefully. He nodded and waved her off.
"I'm just about done here anyway. I know what supplies to stock up on, so go ahead."
Hanley raced to the top deck and quickly made her way to the bow. Shanks was, somehow, standing on top the figurehead, having no problems balancing as the ship moved beneath him.
'I'm nearly about to give up trying to apply logic to these people. Still, this is what I wanted to find out, right? I don't think I've even seen anything close to what's possible here.' she thought wryly.
Shanks looked back and held up a hand in greeting.
"Hanley! Do you see that island up ahead? That's our temporary base, Fuschia Village."
Hanley leaned over the side to see an island quickly approaching. This ship moved pretty fast without a motor!
"You have a decision to make, Hanley," Shanks said. Hanley looked up at him in confusion.
"What decision, Captain Shanks?"
"We can't take you with us, you know."
"W-What??" Hanley cried before she could stop herself.
"You're not coming with us. I'm sure the attack last night gave you some indication as to why?"
Hanley sighed and returned her gaze to the upcoming island. He was right, she knew. The seas were too dangerous, and she didn't want to put herself in that kind of situation. She'd probably hold them all back. They must have adventures to go on, new places to see; while she had yet to really figure out what being a pirate meant, she was pretty sure babysitting wasn't on the list.
But where would she go? Where would she live? She was only ten, they didn't expect her to work, did they?
"Don't worry, though," Shanks spoke up, probably seeing her expression, "we're not going to just leave you here without someone to look after you. I'll talk to a friend of mine, I'm sure she'd love to have you."
'I don't have much of a choice, do I?' Hanley thought miserably.
"Look at you, getting depressed as usual. You'll like it at Fuschia Village."
"Sure," she replied softly.
The Red Dawn slowed as it approached the harbor. The top deck became a flurry of movement, with deck hands racing to and fro to ready the mooring ropes and preparing to disembark.
"You definitely will. I have a friend that's around your age. He's a bit younger, but he's a good boy."
'I would rather have my friends.' Hanley whined in her head as she quickly moved to the side so she wouldn't be in the way. Ben expertly steered the ship into port, coming to a stop by an empty dock.
She was surprised to see the greeting the pirates got. Apparently, the villagers loved them. They were met with cheers as they lowered the gangplank.
'Huh, they really are good guys--'
Hanley made her way to the port side so she could finally, finally, get on land, but Shanks's shout drew her attention back to the ship.
"Hey, Luffy! What're you up to now??"
Hanley quickly turned and focused her attention on the dragon figurehead. There was a small boy standing on it, a scrawny figure with baggy clothes and shaggy black hair. He held a small dirk in his right hand, and he was waving it angrily, shouting at Shanks.
"I've had it with you guys!! Now you'll have to take me seriously!! This is how tough I am!!"
Hanley blinked and turned to Ishamon who came up behind her to see what the fuss was about.
"Who the hell is that kid?"
Ishamon laughed, "That would be Luffy, lass. A friend of the crew. He's probably upset the Captain tied him up and left him behind so he couldn't get on board."
'That's Luffy? And what kind of friend is Shanks??' Hanley thought, a little alarmed. Weren't there laws against that kind of thing?
Shanks, however, found the whole thing absolutely hilarious. He waved his hand dismissively at the boy.
"Ha ha ha! Get it over with! Whatever it is!" The crew laughed and stopped to watch to see how this encounter would unfold. Even from her position Hanley could see the scowl that was beginning to form on Luffy's face.
"He has a knife! He shouldn't be egging him on!" Hanley cried. She knew from experience how stupid little boys could be.
"It'll be fine. I wonder what thats pup's up to now, though..." Ishamon said thoughtfully.
"I'll show you!" Luffy cried before promptly stabbing himself below the eye.
"You call that fine??" Hanley shrieked at Ishamon as the crew shouted in surprise and Shanks quickly made his way toward the hapless youth.
"ARRRRGH!!! That hurt!!!" Luffy screamed. He was bleeding profusely from the cut, the blood flowing heavily down his neck and staining his shirt.
"You idiot, of course it hurt! What'd you do that for??" Shanks bellowed.
"OOOOOOOW!!!"
Ishamon sighed, "Oh well. I better get my things."
"Luffy hold still--"
"Someone get me a clean rag!!"
Hanley sighed.
'Luffy, huh? What an idiot.'
**********
To be continued. Please review!