Not Pirates, Treasure Hunters
Part 4 of 4 in a saga
A One Piece Fanfiction by Aoikami Sarah
Chapter Four - The P Word
.X. Five Years Later .X.
A small ship docked along a sturdy pier in a bustling harbor on a large island called Fortuna on the Grand Line. The fishermen and longshoremen working the pier cast suspicious glances at the passengers as they disembarked. A stream of colorful looking characters filed up the dock. Each of them did their best to disguise their identities, but even with their affiliation tattoos hidden by jackets, the former White Beard pirates stood out. In the middle of the procession, Portgas D. Ace and his partner Vivace Rondo walked up the dock slowly. Vivace carried a large bag on her back and Ace lugged an impossibly heavy-looking wooden crate. Ace turned completely around and looked behind him. He stopped and sighed heavily. "Come on, Vane," he called.
"I'm not settin' foot on land!" a young boy shouted back defiantly. He stood with his legs spread and planted firmly on the little ship's deck. He was about twelve years old and had dark blond hair and tanned skin. He wore a pair of shorts and boots but bore no tattoos on his young skin.
Vivace stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Vane, do what your father says!" she scolded. "We decided…"
"You decided!" their son shouted. "I never wanna touch land, ever! I'm a pirate!" He made a sour face and folded his arms tighter.
The workers and townspeople on the pier gasped. Whispers that the weird newcomers were actually pirates spread through the crowd. Ace grimaced, put the crate down and raced back down the dock toward the ship. He scooped the boy up under his arm and bolted for the shore. Flipping his son around, he deposited him on solid ground. "There," Ace said, dusting his hands off. "Please don't yell the 'P' word out loud! We have to live here, now. Normal folks usually don't cotton to people like us."
Vane stared at the ground as the other White Beard pirates filed around them. His shoulders shook. "I hate this," he muttered, trying not to show his father his tears. "I don't wanna live on land. It sucks."
Ace pouted and went to retrieve the crate. His mother crouched down and put her hand on his shoulder. "It sure does, kiddo."
"Why can't we keep being pir…" he caught himself. "I wanna go back. Calce's still gonna!"
"That was Calce's decision," Ace explained, carrying the crate again. "We decided to land-lub for a while. It'll be fine, Vane. You'll see."
"No it won't!" he protested. "If the Captain were still alive he'd keelhaul you for this!"
To his shock, his mother's palm struck his face with a resounding slap. Vane stared at her. "Edward D. Vane, don't you dare talk about the Captain or your father that way again," she said gravely. "A good pirate always respects his superiors." She stood up and grabbed his hand. "Come on," she urged. "We're going."
Too shocked to argue, Vane let himself be pulled along up the street. Ace relaxed his shoulders and looked back out at the sea one more time. "Forgive him, Captain," he said quietly. "He misses you, terribly." He followed Vivace and a few other nakama as they filtered into the town. "We all do."
.x.
A few weeks later, Ace and Vivace had bought a little townhouse with what was left of their pirate booty and were attempting to settle in to civilian life. Vivace worked as a singer in one of the local clubs. Ace worked in construction. He was ever grateful that Fortuna's climate wasn't overly warm, as he had to wear at least a vest to cover his White Beard tattoo while he worked. Vane spent most of his time skipping school and hanging out by the docks. He was exceptionally strong for a twelve year old so he wormed his way into a part-time job there and did his best to hide it from his parents. Ace and Vivace were very aware of his actions, but decided that since the job made him happy, they'd let it slide.
As dinner time approached one evening and Vane got ready to get off shift, he put a palate of canned goods down and wiped his brow. "Good job, Eddy!" His supervisor said, slapping his back.
"My name is Vane!" the boy shouted. The men around him laughed. He grumbled as he clocked out and was about to head back up the pier when a large ship approached the harbor. His eyes widened with delight.
"Pirates!" Someone shouted.
"Those bastards, they better not start anything!" another longshoreman of substantial girth growled.
"Like they could!" yet another laughed.
Fortuna was well known to be abundant with strong men. There was little doubt that the pirates were only there for commerce and a good time. Vane stood on the dock and watched the ship arrive. It had three masts and its decks bustled with what must have been two hundred crewmen, all flashily dressed and excited to get a little well-deserved shore-leave.
"Alright, you bastards!" A squeaky voice bellowed. "24 hours, no more, no less! Anyone who gets arrested, it's your own ass!"
The pirates flooded the dock and swarmed around Vane who watched them go, balling his fists with anger.
"What's wrong with you, Shrimp?" the same voice, deeper now, asked as the Captain tried to get by. He stood in front of Vane with his arms crossed. "You gotta problem with pirates flashily comin' to your town?"
"Hell no!" Vane shouted. "I am a pirate!"
The colorfully dressed pirate captain glared down at the boy. He wore a captain's coat and large hat through the corners of which his long blue hair sprouted. His large, bright red nose wrinkled up a bit before he burst out laughing.
"I am!" Vane insisted. "I was born n' raised on the strongest pirate ship on the Grand Line!"
"Sure you were, Shrimp," Buggy scoffed and pushed him aside. "Run home to your mommy before you get yourself killed."
His mates laughed and followed him up the pier and into town. Vane fumed, but held his tongue. He stared at the Buggy Pirate Crew Jolly Roger waving from the ship's main mast, turned and ran home.