When on missions the Reaper always traveled in his personal warship, Charon's Revenge. It was faster, better armed, and all around a lot more deadly than the average Marine ship. Many pirate ships had fallen prey to its weapons. The crew was provided by the best the Navy could spare, but if they couldn't meet the Reaper's strict standards there was hell to pay. As long as they did their jobs and didn't ask questions, or wander off into any part of the ship that was off limits they usually lived to see another day. The Reaper also kept his personal collection of slave girls onboard when he was on missions. Whenever a woman entered the Reaper's court they were given a very strict warning.

"Refusing my orders, that's a hazing… Trying to escape, that's a hazing… Failure to please me too many times in a row, that's a hazing… Trying to kill me, you better believe that's a hazing."

A hazing always consisted of the slaves in question being stripped naked in front of the others and being subjected to some form of torture. Unfortunately some of the Reaper's slaves didn't always get the message. Last night the latest addition to the court, a girl with long red dreadlocks naked Crystal, tried to kill her master with a stolen dinner knife, a weapon that wouldn't have even pierced the Reaper's armor had it found its target. Now she had been stripped, flogged, and was having hot oil poured on her body. Underneath the ball gag poor Crystal was screaming at the top of her lungs, and tears were running down her face.

"Okay, as an expert on pain I think she's had enough." said the Reaper "Lilly, be in my quarters in fifteen minutes. The rest of you, take care of your sister."

Lilly was a beautiful young woman with long pink hair. She was the Reaper's very first slave girl and his personal favorite. Seven years ago when she was eighteen some slavers kidnapped her in the middle of the night, forcibly taken from her home, her friends, and her family. A few days later she found herself being auctioned off at Sabaody Archipelago, where she was bought by her master. As she watched the other slaves carry Crystal out she was reminded of her first hazing. She had refused to even disrobe for her master. The first thing he did was tear the clothes from her body, and then he beat her with a hot metal pole. It ended with her spending ten minutes in a tank of cold water filled with leeches. It wouldn't be the last time she was hazed either. She had refused her master again, tried to escape twice, and had tried to kill her master once. After that she just couldn't take it anymore. She could barely watch what he did to the others, let alone fathom the thought of it happening to her again.

As she made her way to her personal dressing room, being the only slave with one, she couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

"What am I doing here?"

Lilly used to have friends, a family, hopes, and dreams. Now she didn't even know if anyone was still alive.

"Why am I the slave of this sick killer for hire?"

The Reaper had never given up a slave, it was becoming clearer every day that he was never going to let any of them leave. Lilly and the other slaves had hoped and prayed over the years that the World Nobles would send their master on a mission where he wouldn't survive, but so far no pirate or enemy of the World Nobles had been enough.

"How does he do it? Why won't this bastard die?"

Lilly had to wipe the tears from her eyes; if she didn't appease her master then she would be the next one to get hazed.

"Maybe one of the four Pirate Emperors can do it, but so far the World Nobles seem okay just letting them war it out over a treaure that may or may not exist. Maybe then they'll send him to take on the winner."

Lilly was dressed in nothing but a metal brassiere and panty, and a blue cape. She and the other slaves were forced to wear revealing outfits like this all the time. She had to force herself to smile; seven years of abuse had taught her all too well what would happen if she didn't appease him."

"You… wanted to see me master?"

The Reaper was chopping things up with his sword as usual. To him this was as natural as breathing.

"Ah, my dear sweet Lilly… I must say, you certainly look lovely this evening. I'd like you to dance for me."

He may have just wanted her to dance, but Lilly knew from experience that was seldom all that the Reaper wanted, unless Crystal's hazing had taken all his energy out of him. She danced until he said he had enough.

"Come sit with me."

"Yes master."

Lilly sat down next to her master, she knew full well what was coming, and she knew what resisting would mean. His icy finger traced down her back.

"Is it your shampoo or your perfume that I'm smelling?"

"I'm not sure master…"

"It smells like… chocolate."

Lilly waited for the heavy brassiere on her chest to fall, but it didn't. When she opened her eyes her master was holding a chocolate bar in front of her.

"You've set a new record going the longest without a hazing, I think you deserve this, and the rest of the week off."

The Reaper made sure that all his slaves were well fed. A slave that was too skinny was as unsightly as a fat one. But Lilly couldn't remember the last time she had tasted chocolate.

"It's a shame poor Crystal couldn't follow your example."

"I… I learn from my mistakes master."

"Good girl."

A part of Lilly wondered if the chocolate was poisoned, but she hadn't done anything to upset the Reaper since her last hazing several years ago, besides he had never actually killed any of his slaves in the past. A few years ago one of the others tried to commit suicide, but somehow the Reaper stopped her just in time, and her hazing was one of the most violent Lilly had ever witnessed.

"I wonder what she had planned to do if she had managed to kill me. We're on a ship full of marines in service to the World Nobles, and to top it all off we're in the middle of the ocean in the New World. She wouldn't have been able to kill me anyway, not with my abilities."

"You never really told me master… what are your abilities? That's always been pretty vague."

"My dear Lilly… A girl like you should be enjoying your reward, not worrying about things that don't concern you. I suggest you hurry back to your chamber before I change my mind."

Lilly didn't need to be told twice.

(To be continued)

As the Straw Hats make their way to Dead Man's Rock, they are forced to make a quick stop and resupply. But they quickly find out that the island is controlled by another group of pirates, meanwhile the Reaper is closing in

Next time in Chapter 5: Rumble in the Jungle