AN: I do not own One Piece. (Just in case you missed the other eight times I mentioned this fact.)
Chapter 9: Maiden Voyage
Sadie barely paid any attention to what was happening around her. She was exhausted and more than that, she was having a hard time accepting what had happened. She had been fighting alongside Commander Ace when neither of them became able to move. No matter how many times they broke free, a giant weight came crashing down on top of them. It was as if they were trying to get up during a stampede of elephants. She had been forced to witness helplessly as her best friend was snatched and taken into the enemy's clutches. She closed her eyes and the painful memory flashed threw her mind again in agonizing clarity.
The way that her breath had seemed to freeze in her lungs as she was barely able to lift her head. The sight of Tsubaki's hair not even fluttering as she was picked up. Her mind rejected the reality. Her friend was carried as nothing more than a cardboard cutout of herself. The rage that had boiled beneath her skin without an outlet, and then the emptiness that followed as her friend was gone.
She opened her eyes and met the dark eyes of her Uncle staring worriedly down at her. 'Shit!' she didn't want to trouble him, but it was obviously too late for that.
"Everyone out!" Demanded Carole. "I have patients to see to and the three of you have better things to do than to wait around here. She placed her hands on her wide hips and waited for them to follow her directions. "Well?" she pressed when none of them moved.
"Carole-chan," Thatch started hesitantly. It was never wise to go against one of their medics. "We need to know how they are before we do anything else."
"Do you really?" she insisted sarcastically. "It isn't like there is a whole crew waiting for you to reassure them, or plans to be made, or research to be done! For that matter, are we even still going to the calm belt?!"
Her points slapped the commanders in the face. She wasn't wrong, but the commanders were only human, and they too were susceptible to those pesky things called emotions. Marco was the one to answer the volatile medic. "You are right Carole-chan." he sighed out. He straightened his spine and reigned himself in, "One of us will be back in an hour for an update."
Neither Vista or Thatch seemed very pleased with the turn of events, but they deferred to the 1st division commander and followed him out of the infirmary.
Sadie watched warily as Carole approached her bed with the push cart of medical supplies.
"I'm going to have you apply pressure to that laceration on your leg. Ace's is deeper, so I'll be starting with him." She spoke with clinical detachment as she pulled a wad of gauze out of its plastic wrappings with her gloved fingers.
Sadie took the offered gauze and pressed it to the crimson blotch on her thigh. As soon as Sadie had taken the cotton from her, Carole whipped around pulling a curtain closed around Ace's bed.
Sadie huffed to herself. She could almost make-believe that she was in the room alone if it wasn't for the voices on the other side of the curtain.
Ace raised his eyes to Carole with something akin to fear. The last time he had been in a room with this woman, she and her sister had revealed their twisted sense of amusement. The medic deftly pulled the curtain around him shielding him from the only other eyes in the room.
He leaned back and tried to keep his mind empty. Right now, he didn't want to think about anything. He closed his eyes and felt the cold sting of antiseptic against his shoulder between the 'A' and 'S' of his tattoo. He hoped that the blade hadn't damaged it too badly, although he could have it redone.
A warm numbness was spreading throughout his arm and soon there was nothing but fatigue left to distract him. It unfortunately wasn't enough to keep his mind from returning to the disastrous morning. He hadn't felt that weak and helpless for a long time. What was the point of all of his training if it could be brought to nothing in the blink of an eye?
"Alright, take off your pants." Carole ordered calmly.
There was an odd sort of choking sound coming from the other side of the hanging fabric. If he was looking for a distraction, he found one. He raised his shocked gaze to the uninterested face of the medic. She stood next to the bed. His arm stitched and bandaged, so why in the world she needed him to remove his shorts was a mystery to him.
When he made no move to comply she lifted her grey eyes to meet his onyx ones. "Do you need help?" she flashed him a predatory sneer.
"Nope." His body flushed with a little panic. Ace clicked open his belt and looped his thumbs into his waistband and pulled. Leaving himself in nothing but his boxers in front of the medic.
Carole tutted quietly as she poked and prodded the dark bruises that ran the full length of his body. She had him turn this way and that as she mapped out his injuries. "Sit up." she commanded.
Ace did as he was told and took a sharp intake of breath as an icy circle pressed to his back. "Deep breath in." the medic demanded. Ace filled his lungs with air and held it waiting for permission to release it again. "And out."
She repeated this process several times over before giving him a slap on the back. "Looks like you're good. Now just be a good boy and rest up here for a while." She removed her gloves with a snap as she spoke.
"I'm fine now." Ace protested, "So, I'm just going to…" Ace found himself suddenly pinned to the bed robbed of his strength.
The medic raked her black nails down his chest and purred up at him, "How do you like my nail polish?" Her other hand dangled in front of his face so that he could examine the painted nails. He couldn't keep up with her pace and why didn't he have any energy to resist her? "I make it myself using a secret ingredient." She paused for dramatic effect, "Sea Stone."
Ace moaned, 'Not only are these girls sadistic, but they seem to have a fetish for sea stone.'
The medic dug her nails into his skin a little, letting him feel their sharp points. "Now stay here, or leave. Actually, it would be more fun if you leave, because then I get to use my toys!" She whispered darkly up at him.
Ace faked a narcoleptic attack and immediately played possum. He had gotten a good enough look at the twin's idea of toys to know that he didn't want a repeat performance.
He felt the weight of the medic's body leave him as she called to her other patient. "Sadie-chan, you might as well start stripping. I'm coming for you just as soon as I clean up over here."
He betrayed his psudo-sleeping by smirking a little when he heard the tiny squeak that answered the medic's instruction. 'Well Raindrop, it looks like we are in this boat together.'
….
Things had settled down by time dinner rolled around. Both Sadie and Ace had been released and now the commanders were meeting in Thatch's kitchen, discussing their course of action.
"So, the real question is. Do we return to the Moby Dick or do we take care of this ourselves?" Thatch summed up while tugging on his goatee.
Marco quelled the wave of fury that rushed through him, he needed to think this through with a calm head. It would take five days to rendezvous with the rest of the crew and then another week of sailing to get to Rosoideae. It was a long time to leave any member alone in the hands of the enemy. "Have we figured out what devil fruit that bastard was using-yoi?"
Vista thumbed through a book and laid it down open on the table for them all to see. "After speaking with Ace and Sadie about their fight and based on our own experiences, I think that it is likely one of these two." He pointed to the first page that showed a grape-like fruit with pale blue swirls. "The barrier fruit, or…" he flipped several pages before stopping again. "This one, the drain fruit. Both are able to prevent people from moving, but in different ways."
"What's the difference Vista?" pressed Ace.
Vista leaned back from the table his mustache dropping a little as he thought. "The barrier fruit, as its name implies, creates walls that cannot be broken or at least not broken easily. In theory, a skilled user could create barriers around individuals completely immobilizing them. It would also take into account the crushing sensation both you and Sadie described."
Everyone let that information sink in for a moment before Thatch pushed the conversation forward. "And the other?"
Vista heaved a great sigh. "The other one gives the user the ability to siphon off energy from other sources. Anyone caught in its influence would be temporarily unable to move and could explain how the ships left so quickly."
"How so?" Marco asked intrigued.
"The user can harness the energy they siphon. In other words, he could have taken all of the energy from us and then used it to power his ships in a short burst of speed."
"But, either way haki should provide a defence-yoi." Marco argued slightly exasperated. Why it hadn't worked gnawed at him.
Vista crossed his arms and knitted his brows together, "Indeed. It may be a matter of timing or placement of the haki. We won't know more until we encounter it again."
Thatch ran a rough hand through his hair and ruffled his brown locks loose so that it fell around his face. "While the devil fruit is important. It isn't the more pressing issue." His eyes shined out from behind his dangling hair. "Can we afford to wait? If we regroup with the rest of the crew, then we leave Tsubaki-chan in the enemy's hands for almost two weeks."
"It's too long." grunted Vista.
"I should leave as soon as possible." declared Ace in a steely tone.
The other three commanders looked at their newest member. "Not alone you're not." Thatch growled.
Marco saw another problem forming. They couldn't all go, but they all would want to. At least one of them needed to stay and take the ship back to meet up with the rest of the White Beard Pirates and inform Oyaji about the situation. "No, I think the question is who stays?"
They all fell silent weighing their own right to go and the reality that they couldn't abandon the crew still aboard the Kujira.
Vista sighed and turned to the cook, "Thatch, rock – paper – scissors." He held out a fist.
Thatch pursed his lip, but nodded his head. Ace was one of the only ones who could break through the devil fruit, and Tsubaki was a member of Marco division, among other things. He and Vista may want to go, but their claim was less.
"Rock, Paper, Scissors!" The two men called out while bouncing their fists. On scissors, the both revealed their answers. Vista's face fell as he looked at his rock that was covered by Thatch's paper.
….
Marco tried to quell the unease within him as his steps echoed down the hall. He paused a moment outside of the room Sadie and Tsubaki had shared, on what was supposed to be a quick trip. Sweat started to bead on the back of his neck, anxiety welled up within him as he prepared to face Tsubaki's friend. 'Stop being stupid.' he admonished himself and knocked on the door.
There was a brief paused before Sadie's voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Who is it?"
Marco cleared his throat, "It's Marco-yoi."
Another pause, "Come in."
Marco turned the door handle and took a step into the room. He reached a hand to his open shirt and started fluttering the fabric a little trying to cool his rising body temperature. Sadie was on the floor with her back leaned up against the bed already in her dark work clothes and her hair braided.
The commander sighed, "Are you going somewhere-yoi?" He tried to smile casually at her.
"Yes." she dared him to contradict her.
"Sadie," He rubbed a hand across the back of his damp neck. "About the Mimi-go." The girl's eyes flashed dangerously up at him. "Please try to understand-yoi. With everything that has happened…" He stopped sensing something was off. He could feel her presence in the room, but it was like looking in a fun house mirror. His perception seemed distorted and off balance. "Sadie-yoi?" He asked feeling more off balance as the seconds passed. There was no answer. His sense of her seemed to be growing more distant and yet she still sat before him glaring defiantly.
He closed his eyes realizing he had been tricked, "No." he groaned and spun on his heal. Dashing out of the room, he cursed himself for his own stupidity. "Sadie!" he yelled causing many members to stick their heads out of their rooms.
"Marco? Wha-" One crewmate quickly pulled their head back inside to avoid getting it knocked clean off.
"Sorry-yoi!" He called back pushing his legs to run even faster. He wanted to believe that she wouldn't be foolish enough to go after Tsubaki on her own, but his past experiences weren't comforting him in this endeavor. He ground his teeth together as he sensed that she was still moving faster than he was. There wasn't enough room inside the ship to fly, he was grounded where she was not. He tried to calm his ragged nerves. He didn't need to beat her to the submarine, he just needed to get there in time to stop her from setting out.
He erupted out into the lower dock. Sadie was already inside the Mimi-go and Marco bellowed! "STOP-YOI!" He didn't pause to give his command and sprouted wings in a flurry of blue fire. He quickly alighted to the top of the submarine and opened the hatch.
As his feet clanged to the floor Sadie growled, "Don't try to stop me. I am not leaving Tsubaki with those brutes." Her hands flew across the control panel warming up the engine and checking the dials.
Marco panted, trying to catch his breath. "Sa-die." She looked back at him as he huffed, "We are going to get her back-yoi. I promise you." Sadie turned back around and faced out of the sub silently. Marco moved to the front of the ship and sat down in the passenger seat. The hum of the engine surrounded them and seemed to add to the tension in the air. He observed the somber tones that colored Sadie's features. Even when she was small, she seemed a lot like a locked box. To most people she was simply a serious, focused and quiet girl who could kick your ass upside the street and back. However, to those who cared to see beyond the polished wood there was a tempest that raged within. The sort of passion and fighting spirit that matched her Uncle's.
"How long?" Sadie asked lowly.
"How long what?" Marco lifted an eyebrow.
"How long did it take for you to realize you were talking to a mirage?" Sadie stared out at the horizon searching for answers to a question she wasn't asking.
"Heh!" he chuckled. "Not long-yoi, but longer than it should have for someone like me." Marco jabbed a thumb at his chest and smiled trying to reassure her. When she didn't react and simply continued to stare out at the sea Marco continued. "Why don't you turn off the engine. Thatch, Ace and I are going to take the Mimi-go and get Tsubaki back. However, we aren't leaving tonight. That is what I was coming to tell you-yoi."
Sadie's hands grasped her knees as she considered his words and then flipped the switches that silenced the motors.
Seeing that she had complied, Marco pressed on. "You're Uncle wants you to return with him to the Moby Dick."
Sadie's head whipped around at bullet speeds and her eyes burned in their sockets at the Phoenix's words. Marco held up a hand to hold off her temper. "Don't worry, I told him that I figured this would be your reaction-yoi." Marco's smile pulled into a tighter line. "We really don't know what we are getting into on this island. However-yoi, seeing as you are one of the only people trained to piolet Mimi, and the fact that as a logia you seem to be more resistant to that strange devil fruit," he drew the thought out, "It is your choice-yoi. Go back with your Uncle or set out with Thatch, Ace and me."
Sadie turned her head away so that she faced the metal walls of the submarine. "Don't insult me." her voice trembled slightly with emotion. "I'm going to rescue Tsubaki with or without you. Even if I have to stow away by compressing myself into a pipe, I am coming with you three."
The commander continued to peer at the young woman beside him. 'She really is that stubborn,' He shook his head a little. "Alright-yoi." He said lightly, "You may be ready to storm off, but the Kujira is taking us to the edge of the calm belt before we separate." Sadie's eyes bore into him communicating her distrust making Marco sigh again, "I promise we won't leave without you-yoi." He stood and offered her a hand to help her up out of the seat. She looked at his hand and stood without taking it.
As the Kujira sailed closer to the calm belt the normally boisterous crew went about their day dejectedly. No one was in the mood to goof off and everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing. 'What could I have done?' The question stood at the forefront of the crew's thoughts demanding attention. All the while, the still clouds on the horizon came closer and closer.
….
Tsubaki was trying hard not to panic. She was still completely immobilized and most of her attention was focused on trying to breath despite her paralyzed rib cage. She had quickly learned that the more she tried to break free, the worse her situation became. It was frustratingly better to try and relax and breathe as normally as possible.
She was being carried by the overly yellow man who had abducted her. Her face was pressed close to the fabric of his kimono so that the yellow rose buds fluttered before her eyes. The only part of the ship she was currently privy to was the rusty red tile beneath the swordsman's feet.
Her captor descended a set of stairs and the floor changed. He now walked over unfinished metal. Bolts and braces rose out of the floor as indicators that the ship was not one solid piece. Her skin felt chilled as the air around her cooled a few degrees. With each step, the light seemed to grow slowly dimmer until they were moving through semi-darkness.
The man paused and Tsubaki could hear metal clanging against metal. A sense of foreboding nested in her stomach. The man moved again and the doctor saw with dread the row of bars. The cold air rushed past her as she fell to the floor. Sharp pain erupted on her backside and head as her stiff body collided with the cold floor. The corners of her body took the full brunt of the impact as she couldn't move to break her fall in the slightest. The cry that she desired to voice was frozen like every other part of her.
The cell door banged closed and she watched as the silent man stalked away. She was left alone in the dimly lit dungeon. The frigid floor sapped the heat from her limbs and she couldn't even shiver or shift her weight to relive the sensation. Her eyes prickled as tears built up and spilled messily across her face.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, her limbs were released. Her ramrod body wilted in exhaustion against the unyielding cold floor or her cell. Her breaths came in sloppy gasps and she sobbed. She had never been so scared before. Being a prisoner of her own body and unable to do anything to help herself had terrified her more than she wanted to admit. The only positive she could see in her desperate situation was that no one was around to see how pitiful she looked right now.
Bringing her breathing under control, she forced her cold and stiff muscles to work. A bolt of pain laced down her leg as she moved causing her to wince. The doctor probed the muscles of her leg looking for the injury. Pain flared fiercer as her fingers gingerly pressed into her right hip. She quickly retreated her fingers from the sensitive area biting her lip. There was nothing she could do here. She didn't think the bone was broken, but the soft tissue was clearly swelling, indicating damage she couldn't treat.
Carefully, she pulled her uninjured leg up and tried to conserve as much heat as possible. Shivers ran up and down her frame in the dark. She felt so alone and so helpless sitting in the cold gloom. Worse still, was the fact that she knew she was putting her family in danger. They would come for her, there was no doubt in her mind. However, she had never seen so many of her family completely disabled at once. Tears threatened to break over her lids again but she forced them back. Tsubaki was done crying. Surviving was her job now.
The minutes stretched on in the lengthy darkness. The boat creaked around her, punctuated by the occasional footsteps passing overhead. She tried to rest, not sleep, but rest. However, some things are easier said than done. Her right shoulder throbbed along with her hip, although not as strongly. Those two points seemed to have taken the most abuse when she was thrown into her cell. If that wasn't bad enough, the numbing cold that surrounded her made her tired muscles stiff and unyielding.
A door creaked open in the distance and the sound echoed around the metallic walls. She steeled herself for whatever was coming toward her. She would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her afraid and in pain. Taking a deep breathe, she set her face into a playful mask and looked at the bars between her and the hall.
The footsteps grew slowly louder as her visitor came closer. Her lips pulled back in a smirk as the shadowed figure of a petite man appeared before her. "Forgive me if I don't offer you some tea. I'm currently out." Tsubaki sneered.
The man laughed oddly. His voice almost too high for a man. "Gigigigigi!" The man struck a match throwing sharp lines of light and shadow across his grotesque face. Tsubaki jerked internally but her mask betrayed only a slight twitch. The man guided the match into a lantern that shed its light more generously across the cells.
Tsubaki eyed the man up and down. He looked like some twisted jester. His face was painted white with black diamonds covering his eyes. A creepy exaggerated red smile splashed beyond his lips. His jester's hat had small rose shaped bells at their tips that jingled quietly as he moved. His outfit fit his slender body tightly with an alternating diamond pattern of purple and green.
"Now, let's see what master has given me to work with." The man giggled to himself in a way that made Tsubaki shutter. The doctor however tilted her head to the side and smiled pleasantly.
The jester took a key from his dark belt and opened the cell door, careful to close it behind him.
Still smiling innocently, "Aren't you the brave one, to come in here with the key."
"Gigigigig!" he laughed again, "Go ahead and try it Red. I can see clearly that you are no match for me." The dark undertone to his words sliced into Tsubaki. He slinked toward her unafraid of any danger she might pose to him. She hated to admit it, but he was right. Even if she could somehow fight him off, she couldn't escape quickly on her injured leg, and where exactly would she go.
The clown kneeled before her so that his painted features were far too close to her own. His lips parted in a toothy grin. Tsubaki continued to smile pleasantly not willing to give any indication of her pain or fear. In a blur of motion, the man jabbed her body three times on the back of her head, her right shoulder and right hip. Despite her best efforts Tsubaki couldn't help the hiss that escaped her lips as he attacked her most sensitive areas.
"Gigigigi, a strong one you are. Although I wish that idiot Ispaham had been a bit more careful with my new player.
Tsubaki's eyes were scrunched up in pain, but she managed to look back up at him with one eye while her hands tried to protect her vulnerable points. 'Player?' she puzzled.
He clapped his hands together in glee. "Oh! you will be a fine addition once we get you fixed up. Now be a good piece and scream for me."
She didn't have time to fret about his words as he moved faster than her eyes could follow. All she knew was that a blindingly white-hot pain bit into her skin at the base of her skull. Tears sprang to her eyes, as she grit her teeth against the thing this monster wanted. She wouldn't give it to him. She was strong enough to keep this promise to herself.
The pain seared through her veins settling in her hip, shoulder and the knot on the back of her head. Her muscles all twitched independently, sending her body into painful spasms. She grunted and whimpered, but never let her voice out fully. She couldn't imagine that she had been cold only a few minutes ago as sweat mingled with tears on her face.
The jester watched unhappily as she writhed with muffled cries on the floor. "Hooooo?" His voice rose in mock question, "too good to scream for me?" He knelt down, so that he could whisper in her ear. "Don't worry. The strong pieces are the most satisfying to mold."
She felt his putrid breath hit the curl of her ear as she twitched in pain. Her stomach lurched in disgust wanting to get as far away from this vile creature as possible. Every muscle in her body tensed like she needed to be as small as possible and then finally the waves of pain subsided leaving her panting on the floor.
….
Sadie sat within the Mimi-go waiting for the boys to join her. She didn't want to waste a single second. She had been preparing the entire journey up until yesterday for the test cruise, and sat in the pilot seat impatiently. She'd even left the hatch open, so that the commanders could drop right in. "What is taking them so long!" she huffed and crossed her arms.
The sound of angry voices carried into the sub echoing around the walls slightly tinny in sound. "I should be going too!" demanded someone. Sadie couldn't place the voice.
"We have been over this. It's too dangerous. Even with our combined strength this mission is risky-yoi." Marco's tired voice returned.
"No! This is her maiden voyage. My baby needs her papa!" insisted the voice.
There was a moment of silence. "He may have a point." came Thatch's tenor voice.
There was a heavy sigh from the first commander. "We don't have time to let you go pack-yoi."
"No need." Answered the voice she was starting to suspect was Sampson. "I keep my life in this tool bag."
The sound of feet on the outside metalwork sounded, and soon there was a bang vibrating through the floor as feet landed within the ship. Sadie didn't turn around. It didn't matter who it was, she was still waiting on three more pairs of feet. She started to warm-up the engine and the Mimi-go hummed into life.
Another set of feet hit the floor. "That's my baby! Don't you sound chipper today!" greeted Sampson.
The third set of feet clanged to the ground followed by the creaking hinge as the hatch pulled close. "You sure you don't need some help up there Marco? Perhaps all that moping has made your arms go soft!" Taunted Thatch.
"Please-yoi!" scoffed Marco, "Like I would need help from the likes of you Mr. Hair Gel." There was a sort of forced lightness to his voice, but he gave a weak laugh all the same.
Ace laughed loudly behind her in the ship. "I think I can take you both. After all, the two of you are way past your prime!"
Sadie rolled her eyes as she tapped the console to bring out the den-den mushi. Sampson's hand rested on her shoulder as he spoke quietly. "Alright?" he asked. Sadie responded with a curt nod to the shipwright.
She picked up the mouth piece and the little snail started calling the Kujira. "Pururururu pururururu"
"This is the Mimi-go, ready to disembark." Sadie spoke into the receiver.
"Kujira hearing you loud and clear. Permission to set out granted." Came Shun's voice over the den-den mushi which had a little duck sitting on the back of its shell.
"Roger that!" Sadie put down the snail receiver and called to the ship at large. "You all should take your seats, this could be a little bumpy."
There was a brief hustling behind her as seats were lowered and belts buckled. Sampson took the co-piolet's chair next to her and began helping her to monitor the dials.
Meanwhile someone leaned against the back-rest of her chair, shifting the cushion behind her slightly. "Oi Raindrop! Cheer-up! We are on a mission to kick some ass!" Ace lowered his widely grinning face down next to her's. Sadie did her best to ignore Ace. The 2nd division commander frowned for a moment staring down at her. Slowly the corners of his lips pulled back mischievously. He reached out a hand and picked up the end of Sadie's long dark braid. "Come-on smile!" he encouraged while poking her cheek with the bushy end of her hair.
A vein started to pulse in Sadie's forehead as she tried to not kill one of their assets before the rescue had even started. 'Don't kill him Sadie. Not yet. You can kill him after. Yes….After! We can drown him in food. A fitting end for the glutton.' She tried to calm herself with these violent thoughts, which was quite counter-productive.
"Hang on gents!" Sampson flashed a wicked smile as he stretched his arm toward the final switch. Ace finally dropped Sadie's braid and moved to take his seat.
Sadie spoke almost too fast to understand, "3, 2, 1" and blurred her arm over the console flipping the switch that launched them out of the bay. With a violent jarring, the Mimi-go jettisoned out into the sea. The sudden jolting sent Ace crashing to the floor. The string of curses he shouted could be heard even on the deck of the Kujira. Sadie smirked, 'Serves him right for being so damn annoying.'
AN: As I wrote this I kept thinking, 'Poor Tsubaki.' Even though every single thing is 100% my fault. I can't help but feel a little guilty for the predicament I invented for her. Hopefully she'll forgive me.
Thanks for reading. If you have the time please tell me your thoughts on the latest chapter. Until next time, remember to be awesome!
