Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Jynx is mine though, and so are any other OCs that I create.

Note: This story is completely separate from, and has absolutely nothing to do with my other One Piece story, Conspiracy.

Also Note: This story has characters with accents which means there will be purposeful misspellings and grammar mistakes.

Thank you: Pokepika's Haunt, Sarin-sama, Henna89, WritingQueen14, and RobinFleur194 for the spectacular reviews on chapter three!

Important Author's Note:

This is the highly improved and vastly rewritten version of chapter four. In my original chapter four I tried experimenting with something new -multiple POVs in a single chapter. As it turns out I am not very good at this, so the quality of the original chapter four was not even close to that of the first three chapters.

So now, in this second version it is back to a single POV, and there are also one or two idea changes from the original chapter four. There has also been a slight change in story line, but I feel it will work better this way. I also feel that the quality of this chapter is far superior to my original.

Thank you so much Henna89 for pointing out to me just how far below the quality of my first three chapters my original chapter four was.

Thank you everyone for putting up with me taking down chapter four and fixing it. I hope you will all enjoy this new and improved version. I just want you all to know that I am fully dedicated to making this story the best story it can possibly be, so I am willing to go back and fix what isn't good in order to keep this story great.

~Everlude

Lock and Load

If you have the guts to hold a gun, make sure you have the guts to pull the trigger.

Chapter Four

The rain had started almost without warning, falling from the sky in large droplets which quickly grew in number until the ship and all those on deck were soaked. It had been her desire to refrain from getting soaked that had landed Jynx in her current situation of being the only person in the training room besides Killer who didn't seem overly happy to have company.

"Can't you go somewhere else?" Killer asked, staring Jynx down from behind his mask. "It's not like the storm is so bad you can't cross the deck."

"I see no reason why I should become soaking wet just to appease your request," Jynx replied smoothly from where she sat on a chest which was filled with training equipment. "Besides, if I stay here on this chest it's not like I'll get in your way while you train. Nor would I annoy you with mindless chatter."

Killer sighed in frustration. He'd already learned once just how stubborn Jynx could be. She wasn't quite as bad as Kidd, but the difference was small indeed. He could use his authority as first mate to order her to leave, but somehow he felt liked he'd lose face in her eyes if he did something like that –almost as if he was abusing his power or something.

"You'd better make sure I don't notice you," Killer grunted, deciding he might as well just train instead of fighting a battle where he could end up losing a lot of face.

Not that Jynx's opinion overly mattered to him, but if she came under the impression that he'd use his authority for any little thing it could lead to problems later on. As first mate it was important for him to have as much a hold on the crew as Kidd did which could be done in one of three ways –love, fear, or respect.

Love was out of the question. Kidd Pirates were haughty and tough, not mushy pansies. Sure, they looked out for each other and were friends on varying degrees, but that wasn't love –it was comradeship. Jynx's case could be a bit different since she was the only female on the ship, but Killer didn't want to go there. No, he wouldn't treat Jynx any different than the rest of the crew just because she was a female –the only exception to that being to make sure and give her an extra amount of privacy.

Besides, he'd noticed that during her first two weeks on the ship Jynx had quickly picked up on the overall atmosphere of the ship, and never tried to use the fact that she was a woman to her advantage. It had earned her a certain degree of respect in Killer's eyes even though he hadn't thought she'd try to use it to her advantage in the first place since she didn't seem like that type of person. Still though, it was nice to have his theory confirmed rather than proven wrong.

The second option of fear wasn't ideal either. Sure, he ruled some of the crew with fear and it worked alright, but he doubted it would ever work with Jynx. For one, she didn't seem to be scared of anything, and was actually keeping several of the crew in check by instilling a fear of her into them. No, Jynx wouldn't be ruled by fear –she ruled with fear, and rather adeptly at that.

This only left one option as to how to keep Jynx in line, and that was respect. Having watched her interact with the crew since she'd arrived on the ship, Killer knew Jynx's attitude towards those that didn't have her respect, and while it was amusing to watch, it wasn't something he wanted directed towards himself.

The fact that Jynx was skilled enough to cause some serious trouble among the crew if she didn't respect him was where the problem lay. Not that she would start a rebellion or purposely go out of her way to make trouble, but Killer could just sense that she held a key spot in the lower crew –if she didn't listen to him others would stop listening to him too.

He wasn't sure how she'd secured such a spot so quickly, but he could tell she had and he wasn't the only one to notice. Pierce and Salem had both commented on it as well. At first they had wondered if it was because she was a woman and that perhaps the crew thought if a woman didn't listen to the higher ups they didn't have to either, but that theory hadn't lasted long.

Glancing out of one of the holes in his mask at her, Killer blinked in surprise. It looked like Jynx had fallen asleep while sitting on the chest with her back resting against the wall. Letting out a soft huff, Killer shook his head slightly. She really could be strange sometimes.

There was something about her that neither he, Pierce, or Salem could put their finger on. Maybe if he asked Kidd, he'd have some idea, but he wasn't going to bother the captain with something so insignificant.

Leaving Jynx to sleep, Killer went back to work training. There was a new move –if you could call it that- which he wanted to use, but he couldn't seem to get it quite right. With his particular fighting style he didn't really have "moves" like normal blade users, but that didn't mean he couldn't improve. Much of his ability and skill came from learning to maneuver his body instead of his blades which were set in their position at the side of his hands.

Going through the motions, Killer gritted his teeth in frustration, fists clenched by his sides as time after time he failed to twist his body correctly. He had to get this move down if he was going to get any better! Finally, he noticed the sensation of being watched, and turned swiftly to face Jynx who was eyeing him in amusement.

"That move seems to be giving you some trouble."

"I thought you were asleep," Killer commented dryly, annoyed and somewhat embarrassed that she had been watching him fail over and over. This is why he trained alone whenever he was trying to learn something new. He hated having others see him mess up. As first mate he was supposed to perform, not fail.

"Lightly dosing perhaps, but my mind was wide awake," Jynx replied calmly as she stood up and stretched her arms above her head. "Would you like some help with that move?"

Killer felt a sharp stab in his pride, but at the same time he felt an eyebrow raise in disbelief and question –not the Jynx would know that due to his mask.

"I'm not in the mood for games," he replied firmly. Jynx merely ignored him as she walked into the open part of the training floor. Killer watched curiously as she glanced around herself briefly before nodding. Then, without warning she sprang into the air, and he could only watch in shock as the very move he'd been struggling with was pulled off easily before his very eyes.

"How did you do that?" he couldn't help but ask after Jynx had landed. She was silent for a few moments before responding.

"On my native island there are many traditions, but there is one in particular that gave me cause to learn such a thing. I could tell you more about it if you wish," she said thoughtfully, "but right now while the image of how to do it is fresh in your head would be a good time to fix your mistakes."

Killer eyed her questioningly as she strolled over to him, and was caught even more off guard as she touched him. Nobody ever touched him unless it was Kidd, Pierce, or Salem giving him a quick pat on the back or something similar. She nudged his foot with hers and tapped his knee which while strange didn't bother him overly much. No, what caught his attention was the hand she placed over his chest and the other one which snuck beneath his hair to lay flat against his back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he all but growled at her, not liking the feeling of her hands on him. He wasn't one for touching people –never had been, and never would be if he had anything to say about it.

"Helping you," Jynx replied calmly, looking up at him. "You're putting too much weight on your right foot while not bending your left knee enough." Tensing in annoyance, Killer heard Jynx tsk under her breath. "And that's your other problem –you're far too tense so your upper body balance is being thrown off. You need to learn to relax."

Killer had had enough. Huffing in annoyance, he roughly knocked Jynx's arms away. "I didn't ask for your help," he intoned dangerously. Watching a quick knowing look flash across her face, Killer knew that Jynx had realized she'd overstepped the line and was now standing on his pride as not only the first mate of the crew, but his pride as a man.

Satisfied when she'd given him a brief nod and returned to her corner, Killer waited a few minutes for her to doze off again before resuming his training. The extra time also allowed him to cool his partially sparked temper and rein his pride back into check. While he didn't like it, she had only been trying to help and it was obvious from her little display that she knew what she was doing.

Taking a few deep breaths, Killer slowly loosened the muscles throughout his body before attempting the move again. When he did, he was unsuccessful yet again, and only a few tries later, crashed to the floor with an annoyed groan. This was going nowhere.

Glancing over at Jynx, he knew she was awake again by the smirk on her lips even though her eyes remained closed. If he hadn't felt it would make him seem childish he would have chucked out the training room door right then so he could practice in solitude.

Instead, Killer opted to sit on the floor with the bottoms of his feet together. He needed to regain his focus and find a different approach since the one he was using obviously wasn't working. Try as he might, the only idea that would come to his head was what Jynx had suggested, and even though it sounded smart, his pride refused to allow him to stoop that low so early. There had to be another way…

Eventually, Killer gave up with a sigh. He couldn't come up with anything else, and he didn't want Jynx to see him trying her idea either so it looked like his training was over for the moment.

"I know you're awake over there," he called out to Jynx, watching as she opened an eye to look at him. "I won't be training anymore right now, so why don't you tell me about that tradition from your island?" Since Jynx had been on the ship barely two weeks, no one really knew her that well, so Killer figured he might as well take advantage of an opportunity to get to know their newest crew member a bit better. It was possible that it could help him understand her mysterious spot in the crew and how'd she'd obtained it so quickly.

The way her lips pursed together at his question made him think for a moment that she'd changed her mind about telling him, but a slow nod of her head let him know that she was thinking. On what he didn't know, but he knew he'd get his answer soon enough.

"Oi Killer!"

Whipping his head around as the door to the training room was violently thrown open, Killer was greeted by the sight of Kidd who was soaking wet and looking rather annoyed. Even as he watched, Kidd's eyes darted to Jynx in the corner in surprise and then back to him momentarily. Kidd knew his habit of practicing alone, and Killer had no doubt that he'd be asked about this odd exception.

"So you're here too Jynx," Kidd said with a slight nod of his head. "I need both of you on deck –the storm's taking a turn for the worst. Jynx head for the rigging if you think you can handle it in this weather –Killer, you come with me," he commanded firmly.

Getting to his feet, Killer watched as Jynx slipped out the door passed Kidd into the pouring rain with a quick nod of her head. He paused for a moment to wonder if she'd really be alright in the rigging during a storm, but then the memory of her outracing Jax on her first day aboard the ship popped into his mind and his subconscious shoved all thoughts of her away. Jynx could handle herself just fine, and if she couldn't then she deserved to die in the storm because their ship had no room for dead weight.

Turning his attention to Kidd, Killer wanted to groan at the nonexistent eyebrow that was raised in his direction. Kidd was going to ask him about that now, when he'd come storming into the training room in such a rush?

"Come on," Kidd said in an amused voice as he turned and swept out the door. Killer followed after him, recognizing that tone of voice. Kidd wanted to know, but he'd wait until later to find out. "I need you to go grab the rest of the crew that isn't on deck already. Then you'll be in charge of everything going on on deck while Pierce and I handle the ship's navigation."

Killer gave a curt nod. This was the second grandline storm that had turned bad on them, so it wasn't like he was without experience in what to do. The real problem would be making sure everything was taken care of as quickly as possible.

Leaving Kidd, Killer made his way beneath deck to the mess hall. A few of the crew were there, but it was obvious they'd be up on deck in a minute by themselves as they were throwing on boots, gloves, and the odd pair of goggle in order to handle the rain.

Ignoring them for the moment, Killer made his way through the tables to the door leading to the crew's room. Throwing it open, Killer was glad yet again that he had his own room as first mate -the crew wasn't necessarily great at keeping the place clean by any means. Clothes and random items were strewn everywhere and a musty smell mingling with the scent of sweat filled the air.

Seeing that his slamming the door open had startled the rooms few occupants awake, Killer barked out his orders to them. "Be on deck in less than five minutes if you still want a place on this ship -there's a bad storm and we need all hands on deck!" Almost instantly, the men in the room scrambled out of their hammocks and began tossing on shirts and boots.

With a curt nod of his head, Killer pivoted on his heels and left them. They'd be on deck within five minutes. The few occupants of the mess hall had cleared out leaving just Hobbes who waved Killer down with a ladle in hand.

"Whadda yah want mae to do Killer?"

"Help out where you think it'll be best," Killer responded calmly. As the ship's only real good cook, having Hobbes get injured because of the storm wouldn't be favorable, but at the same time he needed to pull his own weight. Really, only Hobbes could make a good call on where he should be during an emergency like this.

"A'right, ah reckon ah can do tha'. So wha' has Cap'in got yah doin' in this mess?"

"I'm in charge of the deck," Killer replied as he watched the men stumble out of the crew's room in their hurry to make it up on deck. "Looks like that's everyone, so I'll be heading up now."

"Good luck tah yah Killer," Hobbes laughed, knowing Killer would have his hands full for the next few hours.

*%%*

Feeling similar to a drowned rat, Killer was at least glad for his mask which kept his face dry and his eyes shielded from the rain. It certainly had its uses besides making sure he didn't get blood into his eyes and mouth when he killed people.

Tilting his head back, he looked up into the rigging. It was hard to see with all the rain, but he needed to make sure everything was okay up there. Earlier when he'd looked, Jynx and Jax had been wrestling with the main sail which had partly come unsecured.

This time though, everything seemed to be fine as he watched the dark shapes of the few crew members still up in the rigging moving around. It would be safer if they could all come down to the deck, but someone had to stay in the rigging to keep checking the knots and make sure everything was the way it was supposed to be.

Bringing his attention back down to the deck he noticed some of the crew having some trouble, so he ran over to help them. The storm had already been raging for hours, and if it didn't stop soon they could be in real trouble.

Finally, almost as suddenly as it had started the storm stopped, leaving a weary pirate crew behind in its wake. For several minutes, everybody just sort of collapsed where they were in relief. Then, one-by-one and then in pairs and groups, the crew made their way beneath deck.

Hanging back to catch a quick word with Kidd, Killer was surprised when another person came down out of the rigging. He'd thought everyone had come down already. Watching as Jynx walked passed him to head below deck, Killer was satisfied to note that other than looking drop dead tired like the rest of the crew she looked just fine.

Having been on deck the entire storm, he knew Jynx had not left the rigging even once since the storm had started while most of the crew rotated through it. When he'd gotten the chance, he'd asked one of the crew about it who'd come down from the rigging, and he'd told him that Jynx felt she was of more use up there than down on the deck. He'd let it go at that –Jynx knew herself and her strengths and weaknesses better than anyone else, so if that's what she'd said it was probably true.

"Heh, that reminds me," Kidd began from his side. Killer's mind instantly flashed to earlier before the storm had turned rough and knew what was coming. "It's not like you to let other people in the training room when you practice, so how come she was in there when I came to find you?" he asked, jerking his head towards where Jynx had disappeared beneath deck. Not that he needed to since Killer knew who he was talking about and there was only one "she" on the entire ship.

"She came in right after it started to rain and fell asleep on the chest in the corner. She wasn't bugging me, so I let her stay," Killer replied with a loose shrug. "Besides, I've heard from Craus that if you try and wake Jynx up you end up with a gun in your face before you can blink. That's not something I'd particularly like to experience –especially when the person who's holding the gun knows how to use it and isn't afraid to pull the trigger."

At his response Kidd let out a booming laugh. "Hahaha! That would be a sight to see! Did Craus find this out personally?"

"I believe so," Killer replied smugly. He had to admit it was a rather humorous thought since Craus was so big. Jynx didn't even reach his shoulder, and his large, muscled body dwarfed her slim frame at least twice over. Add to that the fact that he dressed like a thug in a large blue coat and pale orange shirt with his short, curly blond hair in a mohawk, and it made the sight of him being threatened by Jynx with a gun in his face all the more entertaining –until you thought about the fact that it was Jynx holding the gun.

Then you realized he was just lucky to be alive and the thought became somewhat sobering as you wondered what would happen if the same thing were to happen to you. All it would take was a slip of Jynx's finger and BANG! –you'd be dead just like that.

"Oi Killer, go check on the crew already."

*%%*

Down in the mess hall, Killer leaned casually against the wall while he watched the crew to see how they were all faring after the storm. Overall, everyone seemed fine -tired, but fine.

"I'm sure glad that's over," Pierce sighed, slumping down onto one of the chairs near Killer.

"At least you didn't have to climb around in the rigging," Jax muttered as he walked past them towards a table where his friends were sitting. "I'm soaked to the bone and will be dead to the world pretty quick here. I'm beat."

Annoyed, and not in the mood to listen to complaints, Killer hit Jax over the head. Probably not the best idea he'd ever had since it set Jax to whining.

"Ouch Killer," Jax complained as he rubbed the top of his head ruefully. "What in the world was that for?" Killer sighed mentally. Why couldn't Jax just be quiet for once?

"You're not the only one who was out there. We all were, and if it weren't for Pierce's navigation skills we'd have been in a lot more trouble than we were." Killer said sternly, glaring at Jax through his mask. They were all tired and he wasn't in the mood to listen to people complaining –especially if it involved belittling Pierce's value as their navigator.

"I know Pierce is the navigator," Jax grumbled, "and that we were all out there, but you try living in the very top of the rigging during a storm that bad like I did."

"We're not blind Jax –Jynx was up there at the very top with you, and unlike you she never came down out of the rigging –not even once, and she hasn't complained at all," Pierce intoned tiredly. Killer gave a brief nod to back up Pierce's words. Thinking back on it, he realized he actually hadn't heard a single complaint from Jynx since she'd set foot on the ship. It was a nice change from the normal grumbling he'd hear all over the ship on a daily basis.

While Killer had been thinking, Jax had wandered off, muttering under his breath. Glad to be rid of him, Killer took a seat next to Pierce. Leaning forward, he rested his chin in the palm of his hand. The two of them sat there in companionable silence until they were joined by Salem.

"How'd the crew fare?" Killer asked, tilting his head towards Salem.

"Well, luckily we don't have any serious injuries," he sighed as he sat down. "Bruises, cuts, a few rope burns –the worst we got was Craus who's got a light sprain to his wrist. Give him a few days –a week at most and he'll be back to normal. The only person I haven't seen is Jynx, so as long as she's not seriously injured –which I doubt since she was running around just fine until the end- we'll be good."

Killer nodded in relief. For such a bad storm they'd been extremely lucky. Dwelling on Salem's words though, he found himself inconspicuously looking around for Jynx. She hadn't seemed injured when she'd walked passed him earlier, but it would be better to have Salem check her over to be sure than to have her let something slip under the table that might cause problems later on.

Not spotting her, Killer realized she was probably off changing into a dry set of clothes, and he couldn't blame her. Getting out of his own wet clothes would be nice. The way they clung to him so tightly when they were soaking wet was rather annoying.

"Keep an eye on the crew –I'll be back in a few minutes," Killer told Pierce and Salem as he got up. They could handle things just fine. On his way to the private quarters he nearly ran in Dirk whose furry coat was dripping wet, and his normally floppy orange mohawk was completely drooped over. Killer caught his reflection in Dirk's dark circular sunglasses and realized he wasn't much better off.

"Oops, my bad Killer, I didn't see ya there. Say, did Boss tell you who's gonna be on the first shift?"

"Not yet, but he should be down in a few minutes himself." Observing Dirk as he nodded and walked off, Killer made a mental note that he didn't seem as tired as some of the rest of the crew. If Kidd asked his opinion on who to put on the next shift -which no one would want since it was right after the storm- he'd be sure to recommend using Dirk.

Later, collapsing in to his hammock, Killer was never so glad to get a chance to rest. He'd been assigned to the first after storm shift along with Salem, Hobbes, Dirk, and Jynx who after talking to Salem had been cleared as just fine other than a couple of bruises. Now, nine long hours after Kidd had burst into the training room he could finally take a break and catch some sleep.

When Killer woke up it was to the sound of someone knocking on his door. Groaning, he rolled over and sat up, dangling his feet over the edge of his hammock. "Come in," he called in masked annoyance. He'd have liked a few more hours of sleep even though he wasn't sure how many he'd gotten in the first place.

The door creaked open, and Killer turned his head, surprised to see Jynx standing in his doorway. "Kidd told me to come wake you up. It turns out the storm helped us out by blowing us closer to the island we're headed for, so we'll be arriving there soon."

Killer nodded, still trying to come fully awake. "How long have I been out?"

"About six hours. I was woken up a few minutes ago myself though I'd prefer to snatch a couple more hours, but…" Jynx shrugged. "Anyways, I'd hurry up on deck as soon as you're awake. Captain seems like he wants to get off the ship the second we dock."

Killer grunted. That didn't surprise him much although he thought Kidd might have wanted a few more hours of sleep himself.

"I'll be right there," he replied, standing up. Once Jynx had nodded and left, he allowed himself a few goods stretches to loosen up a bit to help wake himself all the way up before he went up on deck. Suddenly, it registered in his mind that Jynx had been woken up just before him, and he wondered who the unfortunate soul assigned to that job had been.

*%%*

Walking around on Poisinsy, Killer had to admit he was somewhat impressed. He'd never seen such a large rainforests with so many giant trees and dense foliage. The crew had been walking around for nearly half an hour, and in all that time the only hint that the island was inhabited at all was the random times when Killer felt like they were being watched from the shadows. It was starting to get on his nerves, but he refused to let it show.

"Is this stupid overgrown excuse for a garden even inhabited," Killer heard Jax complain from somewhere behind him. It made him roll his eyes in a 'how stupid can you get?' manner. In the rigging Jax was better than him, but when it came to common sense, fighting, and instinct, Killer trumped him without question. Honestly, it was amazing how dense Jax could be.

Suddenly, as if Jax's words had triggered something, the crew was surrounded on all sides. "Good goin' Jax," someone growled.

Keeping a close eye on the people surrounding them, Killer reached for his blades. The natives of Poisinsy had skin several shades darker than Jynx's olive toned skin, and their bodies had what looked like tribal tattoos and paint on them. As he looked around, Killer noticed another fact –there were no women. This was obviously a greeting party meant to be able to deal with any rougher people that came to the island.

"Who are you and why have you come here?" A large man with a well built body stepped forward from the circle his companions had made around the crew to address them. Holding onto his blades, Killer carefully attached them without drawing any attention to himself while Kidd dealt with the apparent leader of the group.

"I'm Captain Kidd of the Kidd Pirates," Kidd replied smugly, "and this," he said with a large sweep of his hand, "is my crew." Killer noted that some of the natives relaxed at Kidd's statement. It was a bit odd since people normally hated pirates, but he'd have to wait and see how this entire scene played out.

"Pirates," the leader repeated after a moment. Killer felt rather surprised as a large grin came to the man's face. "It's been a long time since we've had any visitors to our island, let alone pirates. Men, put down your arms." Watching as the rest of the natives fell into a relaxed stance and started talking with one another, Killer couldn't help but feel puzzled.

"Heh," Kidd said with a grin as Killer felt their own crew relax around them, "you're an odd bunch. Most people run in terror at pirates."

At this, the leader threw back his head and let out a deep laugh from his gut. "Grahahaha! Well, around here we're a bit different -anyone who's not affiliated with the World Government is welcome!"

Well, there is the new and improved chapter four.

How was it?

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