Alright, this took so much time that I had to break this into two chapters...you're welcome.

Two days later on the White Devil's ship, seven pirates were holding a secret meeting in one of the barracks. If you have been following along with the story well, you can probably guess who those seven pirates are and who is holding this meeting.

"Ugh this plan is taking forever!" Nagi whined as he and Shion sat on the floor.

"You're telling me, I want my money now!" Yamato was doing a handstand against the wall for no god damn reason.

"Look on the bright side, if we don't get the gold at least we can have the ladies," Van said from the lounging chair. He let out a sigh, "Shame we can't have both."

Eiichi was leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face and his arms across his chest, "We can..." He adjusted his glasses, "We just have to be smart about it."

"Eiichi, " his younger brother looked up at him, "What do you mean?" Eiji wondered what was going through his older brother's mind at the moment.

"We go through with the ransom," He shrugged his shoulders, "But doesn't mean we have to be men of our word," he smirked lightly. Some of his friends were slightly confused, but once he established the plan they nodded in agreement. "The plan goes into motion when the royal ship arrives... this meeting is over with."

Below deck, most of the captive ladies were having dreamless slumbers. All except Lady Naomi of course. She was sitting on the hard wooden floor with her back against the wall. Since her old clothes were soaked and ruined from when she went to save Kenny, Camus had new clothes given to her to prevent her from getting an illness and dying on them. A dead hostage is worth less than a live one. This evening the lady was sporting a white blouse with a flexible black corset over a light blue skirt that barely brushed against her ankles. Oddly enough she felt very comfortable in these clothes...even though they were probably stolen from a redheaded girl in Denmark.

Speaking of redheads...Naomi was staring at a small window, that had moonlight pouring through, with Otoya consuming her thoughts. She let out a small sigh, "I hope he's okay..." The image of her beloved crush being subdued by pirates burned into her memory; however, that wasn't the only thing that came to her mind. Naomi thought of their dance...his hand holding hers... his dazzling smile that was always contagious. God how she misses him so. "What was he going to tell me before all of this happened..."

"Who are you talking about?" Myriam poked her head out from a blanket, startling Naomi in the process.

"Huh?! Oh um...my friend Otoya."

"Isn't he that cute redhead that was trailing behind you at the party?" Kruemel said from her sleeping spot.

"Yeah...He was there to protect me and keep the male's away..."

"A fine job he did," Dahlia muttered as she laid on her back staring at the ceiling.

Naomi's eyebrow twitches in irritation, "He was outnumbered," she said defensively. "He's done a lot more to help compared all those other so called men at the party." She looked back to the window and a small smile crept onto her face, "I bet he's sailing his way to me at this moment."

"If he is, he's a bigger fool than I thought," All four girls looked up at the opening that led to the upper deck when they head Camus's voice.

"What do you want, Captain?" Naomi narrowed her eyes and clenched her fist.

"To have a conversation..." He had the door opened and it released the stair mechanism. "Woman when you're on the sea for as long as I have, you become slightly desperate for the attention of the opposite sex.

She eyed the stairs for a moment and decided to take a leap of faith and go upstairs, leaving her fair comrades behind. When she was above deck, she stretched her limb and took in the sea breeze, "This is something I can get used to..."

"Oh? You actually enjoyed the possibility of sea salt damage to your hair?" Camus said as he started walking, he knew she will follow him.

"I always wanted to sail and see more of the world...At least one of the dreams came true..." she looked at the ground as she followed him. Lady Takeda always remembered that this isn't a pleasure cruise. She is being used a tool for easy access to money.

"Hmph, Actually none of your dreams came true," Camus stood at the helm, "You're only standing on a boat...not actually sailing. I doubt you even know how to steer a rowboat."

"How dare you!" She stormed up to his side. "I have read every book on sailing that I can get my hands on. I know the sailor's terminology and most importantly I know how to navigate circles around you!"

"Have you put it into practice?"

"..." Naomi was silent when he asked that. She never once touched a steering wheel, only a compass.

"I thought just as much," The White Devil sighed and reached forward to grab her wrist and pulled her in front of her. "You hold the wheel here and her." He placed her hands at the ten and two positions before backing away from her.

The lady's heart pounded against her chest when she felt the thrill of finally being able to touch the helm of the ship. "Wow..." She felt the wheel start to turn and she was using her strength to try and keep the large pirate ship from turning.

"If you ever intend on sailing a boat to god knows where, the least you can do is know the strength it takes to keep a large ship from tilting on its axis," Camus said as he stood there with his and crossed. Watching her struggle a bit with the wheel was somewhat amusing. "If we were in a storm you will kill us for sure."

"I can learn!" She defended herself and finally got the ship moving the right way.

"And I can teach," For half an hour he told her a few tips and trick in steering. She was actually quick to understand and mimic his she almost crashed them into a rock but she did a decent job.

As Naomi was steering, she finally decided to look the gifted horse in the mouth, "Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden ?" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's out of pity," He simply said.

"You...pity me?" The lady couldn't help but chuckle, "Why?"

"Because I'm going to be sending you back to a lifestyle you don't really desire." He adjusts his captain's hat and decided to change the subject. "Does your little books tell you how I came to be the White Devil?"

"Well..." she had to think back on her book of pirates. "Not really...the stories sound very fictional..."

"A few rumors here and there helps the reputation." He began his sad backstory, "I was once a part of your elegant lifestyle...from a magical kingdom called Permafrost ."

'That explains his magical ability,' Lady Takeda thought. She knew the kingdom history and how they promoted the practice of magic.

"One day I was literally cast aside by my family and into the ocean. That's when I was saved by the Red Angel."

Naomi's eyes widen in surprise, "The Red Angel? You mean the nicest pirate that helps out small cities Red Angel? That is amazing!" How can one of the coldest pirate come from one of nicest one in the seven seas?

"It was...he taught me everything I know. Reiji Kotobuiki, the green idiot you saw at the ball was his first mate; He treated me like a brother. Later the Red Angel picked up Otori my first mate and lastly we met his son, Ikki." Naomi knew exactly who that was. She knew that Otoya was a part of a pirate crew but she didn't know that his father was the pirate captain. Camus continued the tale, "Ikki was seven when his mother died of an illness and he was brought aboard to join his father."
The lady felt more of her heartstrings tug and she slowly let go of the wheel. Otoya lost his mother as well. How sadder does this story get? Camus took over the steering as he spoke, "Years later, we were happy and were about to celebrating Ikki getting his first tattoo of a pirate. However, we were attacked by a rival ship. I fought my hardest while Kotobuki left to make sure Ikki was safe. That's when I saw the Red Angel fall to his death after taking a dagger to the chest." He heard the lady let out a small gasp. Even though these events happened over 6 years ago, he still remembered them as though it happened yesterday. It haunted his dreams for years. "I fled with Otori and Kotobuki that night. The idiot proclaimed himself as captain since he was the first mate and he was able to build up a strong pirate crew in a year. I became the White Devil after we left said idiot on an island and when on spree and rumors spread fast like wildfire."

Naomi did know what to make of this man before her. He was thrown away by his family...then he made a new one only to have that be torn apart...so it's no wonder he seems so mean. He was afraid to get close to others again. "I'm...I'm sorry that you went through such things that I will probably never understand," She gently placed a hand on his forearm.

"I don't need anyone's forgiveness. I regret nothing." That a lie. There is one thing he regrets and one person he longs for their forgiveness. "Do you believe your 'Otoya' will be coming for you."

"With all my heart..." When she said that the horn sound to signal that a ship it approaching them.

"The heart is a powerful thing indeed..." he said softly. He knows a lady in love when he sees one.