The third installation of the "Shanks joins Roger Pirates" short series!
Enjoy!
Acceptance
#20 bath
Summary: "Isn't he cute?" Roger said with a grin. Rayleigh resisted the urge to massage his temples.
"Roger." The man with blond hair managed to say with thinly veiled annoyance after a brief moment of stunned silence. "What is the meaning of this?"
By "this", he meant Shanks. The boy resisted the urge to hide behind the black-haired captain, instead opting to solidly meet the gaze of the irate man.
"Our new cabin boy! His name is Shanks! Isn't he cute?" Shanks could hear practically hear the grin in the captain's voice, even though he couldn't see the man's face from his angle. While he rather objected to being described as "cute" (He was a boy, after all), he decided to keep silent for now.
The other man sighed and pinched his nose tiredly. "Nothing I say will change your mind, will it? Do what you like, then."
Shanks could picture Roger's grin growing wider.
"I'll leave him in your capable hands, then, Rayleigh!"
Silvers Rayleigh almost spluttered as his captain sauntered off without a care in the world. The nerve of the man! He sighed and massaged his temples before turning to face the newest addition to their crew.
He let his irritated gaze sweep over the boy, noting the dirt and who knows what else that fairly caked the small frame. Rayleigh shrewdly noted the spirit in the little boy's eyes as he glared right back at him. There was potential there, probably what had prompted Roger to recruit the child. But that didn't mean that Rayleigh approved of the boy. Not by a long shot. There were some things to be remedied first, starting with the boy's appearance.
"Bath."
Shanks' eyes widened in outrage. "I'm not taking a bath, shitty old man!"
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow at the language. The child's attitude towards his elders was another point that needed to be fixed. But that was for a later date. "Bath, or off the ship."
Shanks' mouth snapped shut. He huffily crossed his arms over his chest, looking sullen.
"Make your choice, boy."
Silence.
Rayleigh raised an eyebrow at the boy. Shanks glared back.
Without any warning, Rayleigh picked up the boy by the scruff of his shirt and tossed him overboard into the water. He leaned against railing to watch as the boy's head broke through the surface of the water. So the boy could swim. Good. It would have been such a hassle to have to go save him from drowning.
"What the hell, old man!?" the boy yelled, spitting out a mouthful of salt water.
Rayleigh kept his face neutral. "You're the one who wanted to do it the hard way. If you want to come back onboard, wash off all that dirt first."
Shanks considered going against that order, but something told him that Rayleigh would show no hesitation in throwing him off the ship again if he just tried to get on again.
With a grumble, Shanks waded to a shallower area and started to scrub viciously at his arms.
When the dripping boy stomped onboard again, Rayleigh noted with amusement that the boy's hair was actually a much brighter shade of red that he had previously thought. That just went to show how much dirt had been on the boy. He threw a large towel over the boy's head. Large childish eyes glared out at him from beneath the mass of fabric and Rayleigh suppressed a smirk.
"Dry yourself properly, you can't go dripping all over the ship. I'll show you where you'll be sleeping tonight."
Rayleigh started to walk towards the living quarters but soon noted that the boy wasn't following him. Turning, he saw Shanks rooted the spot, still smothered by the large towel, looking as if he couldn't quite believe that he had been accepted and was now part of the crew.
"Hey, kid."
Startled out of his daze, Shanks quickly scrambled towards Rayleigh.
Instead of walking away, Rayleigh waited until the boy had come closer to place a gentle hand on Shanks' head. The boy looked up at him in surprise.
Rayleigh allowed a reassuring smile to surface as he ruffled that damp red hair.
"Welcome to the crew, Shanks."
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