Chapter 6
Maka was living her dream. Surrounded by salt water and the sun gazing down at them. As she grew closer to Kid, Liz, Patty and Tsubaki, the girl hidden in the pantry, she loved her life even more. At mornings at breakfast, they would talk. They would get to know each other. At nights after they loot a ship, there'd be a party. Sid would play a weird string instrument that consisted of metal strings and what appeared to be a pot and a pipe mended together. They'd all be dancing and the next one Liz would have a death grip on her shoulders when Kilik told the most horrifying and bone-shaking horror stories.
She found herself being able to trust her life in their hands as every day went by.
But this wasn't permanent. Her goal was Arachnophobia and she was determined to serve beside the Gorgon Trio. Even if that wasn't permanent either. She knew, the pirate life would also come to an end eventually.
"Hey Maka."
She gazed up from the strings of the mop and at the right-hand-man cooking lunch beside Tsubaki. They'd seemed to be inseparable. It could be because of their… ties. She didn't want to think about it.
"Yes?"
"Could ye give Cap'n his lunch?" Black*Star had his arm thrown around Tsubaki's shoulders.
Maka wasn't eager to help him. Last time she'd helped him out, she'd gotten caught by her Captain and seen Black*Star and Tsubaki… reproduce. What he'd asked for was innocent. But the possibility of falling flat on the floor or having her Captain catch her not doing her job was low. Now, for the first time she wasn't as eager to help. He could bite off her neck with his sharp teeth.
"Why can't you do it?"
"I can't." He waved his hand that was settled around Tsubaki's slim shoulders. "Arm's struck."
Maka rolled her eyes. Annoyance made her blood run hot. "Idiot." She murmured and swiftly grabbed his collar, started dragging him away from Tsubaki.
"HEY! WHAT THE HELL?!" He squirmed as Maka dragged him away, yelling an apology toward the kind woman seated on the log. She'd nothing against the woman, in fact, she was far too kind. So caring and gentle. Almost fragile. But she had some dynamite in her. She could tell in the look in her eyes.
Maka dragged him up the stairs at the rear of the ship and that's when she let go of him.
His behind hit hard and he cursed colourfully. "What the fuck Maka?! I was going to make a move on her!"
That reminded her. Black*Star's objectifying view of women. Why in the world would he go so far for a girl like Tsubaki? "What are you doing?"
"What?"
"All of this." Maka nodded toward the direction where Tsubaki sat and stirred the spoon in the soup. "Why did you bring her on this ship?"
He blinked. A large grin grew on his face and a dark mischievous glimpse in his eyes. "Ye jealous?"
She was lucky she hadn't eaten any breakfast yet or she might've thrown up. Her gut twisted and she felt bile rise in her throat. She made a loud sound of disgust and backpedalled. "You're disgusting!"
Black*Star instantly broke out laughing and fell to the ground, clutching his stomach. He rolled around on the ground and his eyes turned moist.
Her hands balled and she sprinted toward him. "SHUT UP!" Her fist connected with his jaw and his laughter abruptly ended.
"Sorry." He automatically apologized.
She sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose. "Listen, just tell me, you don't like women. Why would you go to such length if you only see her as an object of pleasure?"
He sat up on the ground and rubbed his hurting jaw. "She's good in bed." He shrugged his shoulders. "That's really all."
Confusion struck her.
How could he…? How could he hide her, bringer her on the ship, fight for her right against crewmembers and their Captain, just for her when all she was was simply an object of pleasure? She couldn't wrap her mind around the idea.
"How can you…?" She stared at him.
"Can what?"
"Use her like that."
"Oh don't worry 'bout that." He grinned proudly like he'd been gifted with a shiny new toy. "I give her fair share of the pleasure—"
"I can't believe you." She turned on her heel, ready to walk downstairs.
"Wait! Ye're goin' to serve the Cap's food, savvey?"
She stopped in her track. She's completely forgotten why she'd brought him there to begin with. She sighed with defeat and shook her head slightly. "Just this once." She went downstairs.
Tsubaki kindly handed her the Captain's tray she'd prepared. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. Only if she knew… only if she knew her kindness was being used by the one she trusted her… body to.
As the others sat down to eat, Maka headed toward the Captain's Cabin.
She could do this. In and out quickly. Don't look the beast in his eyes. She could do this. The corner of her lip twitched. If he wasn't around, she could always put a nail on his chair and hear the roar of the creature.
She liked the thought. Maybe that would get him to think twice before he messed with his crew.
A knock on the door later, she heard her Captain welcome her in. With the tray in her free hand, she twisted the doorknob and the door slid open.
It was the first time she'd ever been inside of the Captain's Cabin. It was larger than she'd thought it was, but then again, it was the Captain's Cabin. What had she expected? The room was decorated with mahogany tables and chairs with dark red silk and a large beautiful couch. On the wall decorated two beautiful crossed swords. A great and nice coloured window of every colour covered the back. The colours were shaped into figures, one was of a mermaid with a pale fishtail, equally pale shell-bra decorating her chest and a white skull covering her face. On the other side of the glass was of a very handsome sailor. A sailor with a similar jacket like her Captain, instead it was a stark red. Golden eyes decorated the man's eyes and in his hand he held a golden spyglass, gazing at the mermaid seated on a rock.
The door slid shut and her Captain was nowhere to be seen.
Could she possibly find something sharp…?
She entered deeper in the beast's den and neared the wide mahogany desk with rolls of papers decorating it. She pushed aside some rolls to put down the tray. Hopefully she wasn't making a too big of a mess. Papers upon papers were moved to the side to clear enough space for her to put down the tray. She silently put down the tray on the desk, her eye caught sight of a corner of a document.
It was only a quarter of the document, but she would recognize it from a mile away. Out from the layers of papers, the edge of black entwined with white. Slowly she pulled the document from the mess of papers, she was met with the full symbol. It was an abstract floor with black and white lines that shaped into rough spiky edges to smooth curves. At every quarter of the circle, two circles were connected.
She'd seen this symbol before. It wasn't long ago she first discovered the symbol. The first time she set eyes on the symbol on a letter, containing her worst nightmare.
It was the symbol of engagement and healthy marriage for aristocrats.
The symbol had come to represent the annual ball that was held at Mort Castle. The symbol would be proudly hung of the castle's walls and as soon as you entered the ball room, the symbol would decorate the large dance floor―
"What're ye doing?"
Maka jumped at the voice, the document tumbled out of her hands and hit the ground. On the other side of the room near a dark wood door the beast eyed her.
"You're not allowed to look through me documents!" He rapidly neared her. His hip bumped against a chair and it smashed to the ground. His face stayed fixed on hers.
Her fists balled and her eyebrows narrowed.
Now when she thought about it, the ball was rapidly coming closer. Had her Captain planned at attacking the ball and claiming their treasures? The aristocrats who always attended were drowning in the finest gold and diamonds. There was plenty of wealth to get their hands on. And plenty of people to harm. Including her beloved grandma.
She swallowed down her fears and her eyes set aflame just in time for her Captain to round his desk. "And what are you planning?" Quickly she picked up the document and thrusted the piece of paper toward his face. "Are you planning at striking at the annual ball? There are p―"
Maka was taken back when his hands gripped her wrists and he backed her against the coloured glass window. He pinned her hands high above her head and he pressed his body against hers. "What do ye know?" He growled lowly at her, his eyes turning shades darker.
So she'd hit the nail on the head. "I figured you out. You're going to murder all those innocent aristocrats and claim their treasures, huh? Are you r―"
"I couldn't care less about stiff-assed aristo-trash." His voice dipped down to a sinister and threatening tone. "The symbol! What does it mean?!" His free hand roughly latched onto her throat. His hand squeezed hard as he shook her violently. "Answer me!"
She chipped for air, fighting her hands in his strong grip. "It's an aristocrat symbol!" She forced out. "It's a symbol of engagement and healthy marriages. It's the symbol of the annual aristocrat ball that's held annually for young gentlemen and gentlewomen to meet and find a spouse."
"Where's this symbol?" He growled animalistic at her. "Is it on a wall? A painting? Where is its origins!"
Rapidly she chipped for air and forced it down in her lungs. "Floor painting. It's inside of Mort Castle."
"Mort Castle…" He tasted the words in his mouth. His hands instantly let go of her and she slammed on the floor, coughing and breathing heavily. "Exit my Cabin immediately." He spoke quickly as he headed toward the door.
She couldn't understand. She didn't understand at all. His outburst. His suddenly predatory glare and threatening aura. She'd seen her Captain lusting for blood, but she'd never seen him with such sinister determination and thirst for knowledge before. She thought of it for a long time as she breathed heavily and massaged her sore neck, but she couldn't come up with an answer.
As soon as she exited his cabin, the crew was up. Patty and Kilik pulled at the sails, Kid and Liz climbing up the neat on each side and Ox was up in his basket at the top of the main sail. Sid was nowhere to be seen.
"Port Mort!"
She flipped around and saw Captain and Black*Star beside the steering wheel. Black*Star looked baffled at their Captain as he held a map in his hands. Where he'd kept it, Maka had no clue.
"Full sail toward Port Mort. I need to be there as soon as possible." He demanded with a rough voice as he pointed repeatedly at a spot on his map.
"Captain it'll take at least fifteen days to sail there."
"Make it ten days." He flipped his coat dramatically and his red eyes set on hers. "Sprogs, me cabin. Now."
She cocked her eyebrow as he descended the stairs. First he wanted her out, now he wants her in again, couldn't he decide?
He shoved her inside of his cabin and slammed the door shut after them. "Tell me, when's this ball?"
"Umm." She watched her Captain cross the room to his desk, quickly he scrambled for a quill and ink. "I think it's in approximately in twelve days."
"Twelve days." He muttered, finding a piece of paper and scribbled down quickly. "What's the dress code?"
"Formal."
"Where is the symbol?"
"Inside of the ballroom. It's in the epicentre of the castle."
He hummed, noting the information down. He cupped his chin and rubbed it quizzically. "Ye know a lot 'bout this ball." He lifted his eyes from the paper and eyed her. "Far more than I think a simple farmer's lass would."
She stiffened under his suspicious stare. Had he figured her identity out? She should've known to be more careful of her words.
"Y-yes. I agree." She moved her hand to the back of her neck and massaged it. "Me and my grandma actually delivered meat to the castle in preparation of the ball. M-my grandma actually was acquaintance with one of the chefs who let us inside of the ballroom, that's how I saw it."
He silently stared at her from behind his desk. Moments later, he faced his notes and put the quill back in the ink bottle. "Leave. Clean up the upper rear. Black*Star made a mess."
"Aye aye Captain." She exited the beast's den.
"Man." Black*Star spoke with awe as he turned the wooden steering wheel. "I can't believe he actually solved the mystery of 'hat thing."
The wind caressed her exposed cheeks and cooled her soaked hands. The scrub in her hand loudly noised as it was dragged over railing where Black*Star had failed to dump his poop outside of the ship.
"He's been hung up over that symbol since I joined the ship." The steering wheel loudly clicked as he turned it in the opposite direction. "I first thought Oni's treasure an' Oni's legend was a hoax, but damn. We're going to find his treasure!"
"What is it we're even looking for?" She dipped the scrub in the bucket filled with brown water.
"Lass, it's the king o' treasures." She could hear him grin. "Oni was the first true pirate of the seven seas. He sailed the seas alone on his ship, conquered every ship his eyes set on an' claimed their goods."
"How could a single pirate sail one ship alone? That's impossible." A single man couldn't possibly steer the wheel and adjust the sails at the same time.
Black*Star chuckled and heartily turned the steering wheel. "Oh yes it was possible. Oni possessed all the knowledge of a true pirate. That's why he's a legend. It says even the most skilled pirate, like our Cap'n, only possesses a small fraction of his knowledge of the seas and piracy. If someone were to know everything Oni knew, the pirate would become invincible an' unstoppable."
A pirate with such variety of knowledge that made him a God of the sea, could there've really been such a person? She found it hard to believe. The evidence was against it. No person could sail a ship on his own, a single man couldn't take down an entire crew and claim their goods. It simply couldn't be.
"But I'm bigger than Oni. I'm a legend! I'm the almighty BLACK*STAR!"
"SHUT UP!" Maka exclaimed and threw the scrub at the back of his head. The scrub clattered to the ground and it left a nasty dark patch in his hair. "Tell me what Oni's treasure is."
He turned around and gave her a nasty glare, but it was worth the look of disgust and shock when his hand felt the liquid at the back of his head. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?! I'VE SHIT IN MY HAIR!"
She smiled smug as she rose from her sore knees. "If you hadn't missed the sea, you wouldn't have faeces all on you." She placed her hands on her hips. "Tell me, what do you think the treasure is?"
"After ye throwing shit at yer God? Hell no! Why would— wow, wow, WOW! Put the bucket down!" His eyes widened and he raised his hands in surrender at Maka holding the bucket, ready at emptying it on him. "Ye're such a violent an' threatening woman, lass. How could ye ever get dicked?"
She slit her eyes and tightened her hold on the wooden bucket.
"No one really knows what the treasure is, but a legend like Oni had to leave one big treasure behind." He turned back toward the steering wheel. "Who knows. It could be an island of treasures, all his knowledge written down in a book, or some magic voodoo tricks."
An unknown treasure. Maka could see herself and the crew finding Oni's treasure, a hidden chamber in the mountains filled with high bookshelves full with hundreds of books on every subject. The walls decorated with golden frames and paintings worth fortunes. That's a treasure worth sailing the seas for years.
A large grin spread on her face. Quick steps, she rushed over to him and emptied the bucket over his head. He let out a high feminine shriek of disgust as the warm liquids painted him brown. Slowly he turned around with anger in his eyes as the liquid dripped from his now brown hair. "Ye're dead, lass. Yer God will punish ye!"
She couldn't help it. She burst out laughing as Tsubaki from the lower deck stifled giggles looking at the brown and smelling man.
"Yo Star!" Kilik hollered from up on a branch of the main sail.
Black*Star angrily snapped his eyes toward his.
"Smelling a little bad today? Maybe ye should pull yer shit together?"
Instantly the sister pair hollered loudly, being reduced to a laughing mess on the floor.
Black*Star shot Maka one final angry look before he stormed down the stairs, leaving footprints of brown on the wood.
She would've to clean it up and she regretted nothing.
