Great news guys! I finally had my baby girl! She's two weeks old today. :) And she is absolutely precious!

Check out my instagram (jpopdubber) if you want to see pictures of her, because she is gorgeous! And I post some pics of her on my YGO Tumblr (trade-i-oh-cards).

Anyways, she sleeps really well, so I had some time to throw this chapter together. I hope you guys don't mind that my writing will be scarce now...but if you see the pictures of how adorable she is, you'll understand. :)

Enjoy the chapter! Some plot happens near the end!

Note: I didn't proof read this chapter because I just wanted it posted ASAP! So I'm sorry if there are mistakes!


"Are you really a pirate, sir?"

I'd been standing on the quarterdeck, waiting for Ryou so we could begin his morning lessons. I was thinking he might not even show, after what happened last night. Not that I'd blame him. It would be better for both of us if he didn't.

I glanced down at the lad that had spoken softly. He sounded terrified.

"And who might you be?" I asked with a dangerous smirk.

"Ryuzaki," he said, standing straight with pride. What an annoying voice he has..."I'm a powder monkey. Mr. Ishtar says I'm the best."

Hmph. The best at carrying buckets of powder to a cannon? His mother would be so proud...

"I've never met a pirate before," he continued talking.

"Well now you have," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. The kid looked nervous for a second before opening his mouth again.

"Did you really serve under Thief King Kelly?"

"I did." I heard some gasps around me and noticed that a few of the other powder monkeys and cabin boys standing around. I briefly wondered how they had gotten here. Were they, like me, the one mouth too many to feed?

"Does he really drink blood?" one of them asked. Hm, this seems like a good chance to spin some tales.

"So, you're all afraid?" I asked. The boys looked at each other, none of them wanting to admit their fear although it was clearly shown on their faces. So I held out my hand to get their attention. "Do you see this ring?"

They each nodded.

"A witch gave it to me. She put a spell on it. If you kiss it, you'll be protected and Thief King Kelly can never take your blood." They all gasped, eyes wide.

"Is it true?" Ryuzaki asked.

"You have my word." A pirates word. Ha!

"How does it stop him?" one asked. Crap. I hadn't thought that far ahead. Quickly, I put my creative mind to work.

"Well, when he looks at you, he'll see his own death," I conjured out of thin air. "He'll know your blood is poison to him." What a stupid lie, but the boys all ate it up like candy, eyes wide with wonder. Finally, Ryuzaki spoke back up.

"C-can we kiss it?" I smirked widely again. Bingo.

"By all means," I said, with a flourish of my hand. "I wouldn't want you little powder monkeys to get hurt, now would I?"

One by one, the boys filed through, each placing a quick kiss on the ring. What absurd fools. But I know that all seamen are superstitious folk and I'm always one for a good story and a good trick.

"How did you get your scar?" a brave kid spoke up, trying to look at my scar without looking in my eyes. Obviously a difficult feat.

"That's a story best saved for a moonless night," I said, mysteriously.

"Will you come down to the crews quarters and tell us some night?"

"Of course." I wouldn't be here long enough for that, but they don't know that.

"Don't you all have duties to attend to?" Ryou's voice piped up from behind me. I grimaced, wondering how long he'd been standing there. I had been too keen on seeing him today, not knowing how he would be after what happened.

As the boys scurried away, muttering apologies to their captain, I turned around and put on my most confident face. I was ready to face the worst Ryou could throw at me, but when I saw him, he was smiling. Can't say I was expecting that. I half thought that he would be wielding a cat-o-nine.

"A witch gave you the ring, huh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A lovely witch," I said, cursing myself. I wanted to push him away, but he made flirting so easy. "It is cursed, though."

"No doubt," he said, crossing his arms.

"It's the reason I was marooned. Took the ring instead of a better prize, and I must say, I won't make that mistake again."

"Do you kiss it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in a challenge.

"Every morning."

He laughed loudly at that. That beautiful siren song that I wanted to hear. I really wasn't expecting this sort of attitude from him. Shouldn't he be angry? The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "I didn't think you would talk to me today."

"Honestly, I didn't plan on it," Ryou admitted. "But then I saw you talking to the boys..." He was chewing on his lip, a nervous habit, and I had to resist leaning over to kiss him. "You were very kind to them."

"I lied to them," I snorted. He looked at me, confused and skeptical.

"So Kelly really will drink their blood?"

"No. He'll take them and turn them into pirates." Ryou instantly frowned at that.

"Not if we have my way. I'll catch him and put an end to his tyranny of the seas!" He sounded so confident in himself, and I found a smile sneaking onto my face before I wiped it away quickly.

"To do that, you'll need a lesson," I said. He nodded, smiling at me. What a confusing person.

OoOoO Ryou's POV OoOoO

I stood at the prow, wind whipping through my hair as I attempted to retie it. We'd just finished the lesson not long ago. My arm was sore from the continual blows, but it thrilled me. And I was glad that Akefia was being as tough as he was on me. It meant that I would actually be advancing in the lessons.

"Look," Akefia said, pointing to the water just near the prow with his cutlass.

"...dolphins," I said, in awe. They were jumping in front of ship and I found myself chuckling. "It's almost as if they're racing us."

"It does appear that way," Akefia said, looking at me funny. It was as if he was trying to decipher me.

"They seem so friendly."

"They are. I've swam with them before."

My head snapped up at that and I stiffened, as did Akefia. Very slowly, I turned to face him, narrowing my eyes in confusion.

"You said you couldn't swim," I said, accusingly.

"Did I?" he asked, furrowing his brow. He was trying to appear nonchalant, but I could see that he was aggravated he had gotten caught in his own lie.

"You did," I sighed. "Now the question is, which is the truth? Can you not swim, or did you swim with dolphins?"

"Let me know when you figure it out," he smirked. I'd already figured it out anyways, but I was wondering what else he had lied about.

"Do you know where Kelly's island is?" I asked, glaring at him so he would catch how serious I was being now. "If you're lying, I'll hang you myself."

"I want him as much as you do," he said, still with that annoying smirk. "He marooned me and for most men, that's a death sentence."

"Then he no doubt thinks you're dead."

"Yes, and we have that to our advantage," he explained. I nodded, but decided to press for details about the island, just to make sure he wasn't trying to pull one over on us all.

"What's the name of the island?" I asked.

"He calls it Devils Gate," Akefia replied, chuckling to himself. He seemed to think the name ridiculous.

"He must see it as a way into hell," I said, a shiver running through me.

"Or perhaps he sees it as a way out. After all, he hides all of his misbegotten gains. Maybe he thinks he can buy his way into heaven." I decided now was the time to change the subject so I could press for more details later without his catching on.

"You lied about not being able to swim," I said with confidence.

"Hm? And why do you figure that?" he asked, clearly amused.

"It's in the timing," I explained. "When you said you couldn't swim, you didn't trust us and we didn't trust you. Now, you have no reason to lie."

"But perhaps I lied about the dolphins to impress you," he said, smirking and leaning towards me just slightly. My heart hammered against my chest as I suppressed a rising blush.

"Why would you want to impress me?" I asked, trying to sound confident.

"For the same reason everyone else on this ship wants to impress you," Akefia chuckled. "You're very attractive."

I'm positive he noticed my blush that time. Why is he always like this? I know he's dangerous but he's always saying such...charming things! Quick! Change the subject!

"How did you become a pirate?" I asked, maybe a little too quickly.

"I was aboard a pirate ship," he answered, sarcastically. I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.

"You know what I mean!" He seemed to stiffen, and I thought he wouldn't answer. But then, he did, turning back to look out to the ocean.

"My mother had one too many mouths to feed," he said, not looking at me.

"She gave you to the pirates?" I asked, appalled by the notion. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I saw a hidden memory.

"It was my mothers," he explained. "She gave it to me before she died and it's all I have left of her and my sister to remember them by."

"You want to remember them?" the pirate asked, a confused look appearing in his cold eyes.

No wonder he'd said that back then. Why would he want to remember someone who had sold him off to pirates? I felt the urge to reach out and comfort him, but I didn't. The dolphins were still swimming ahead of the boat and I found myself wondering if they ever got tired.

"Akefia?" I asked. He looked up from the water at me, so I kept talking. "On a moonless night, I'd like to come to the cabins and hear your story."

"There's really nothing to it," he said. "It was my first battle and I didn't duck fast enough."

"Oh? Then I suppose you'll be embellishing the story a little for the boys?"

"Of course." His smirk was back now, and I must say, I was glad of it. He's always so confident that seeing him sad and without that signature smirk was just...wrong.

"Don't frighten them too much," I said.

"And you think someone who would allow the little ones to kiss his hand would find pleasure in terrifying children?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Quite honestly, Akefia Bakura, I don't know what to think of you," I muttered, looking at him out of the side of my eye before I turned and started walking away. "If you'll excuse me, I must see to some business."

I hurried across the deck towards Malik, who had obvious, glaring disapproval in his eyes. I wasn't surprised though. I know I shouldn't enjoy spending time with a pirate.

But I do.

OoOoO Not long after that OoOoO

"I'm telling you! He's leading us on a wild goose chase. Making fools of us!" Malik exclaimed. I stood behind the helmsmen, watching him maneuver the ship. I found it fascinating, despite my not knowing how it actually works. It was fascinating even now, as he just moved ahead in a straight line.

"Ry, listen to me!" Malik said in an exasperated tone. "It's been ten days already."

"I know," I finally said, growing tired of his protests.

"Well, how long do you intend to let this go on?"

"Until we get to the island," I said.

"How long until you realize that we aren't going to be arriving at the island?" he asked, quieter this time as he came closer to me. "You've given him the freedom to roam across the ship. You've taken away his incentive."

"And what would you have me do, Malik?" I asked, frowning.

"Throw him in the brig again. Make his life miserable and give him a reason to uphold his end of the bargain as quickly as possible." I resisted rolling my eyes, as he would only find that childish of me.

"That won't speed anything up. We just have to be patient." Suddenly, he came closer to me, taking my hands in his and I had to look up to see his face.

"Look, Ryou. It's becoming more difficult for me to be patient. If I may be so bold, once this adventure is behind us, I was hoping-"

"Land ho! Land ho!"

I jerked my head up to look at the crow's nest. There, I could see the look out pointing east. I wrenched my hands out of Malik's grasp and pulled out my spyglass, rushing to the side of the ship. Looking through the spyglass, I could see a green, mountainous island in the distance.

"Do you think that's it?" I asked, my heart hammering in my chest. To think, we could be so close.

"I doubt it. Don't you think he could be leading us into a trap?" Malik asked. I didn't miss the malice in his voice. He seemed a little put off to have been interrupted, but I would have to ask about it later. This was more important right now.

"A trap would require assistance and he has none," I said, gripping the spyglass. "Where's Akefia?"

Before anyone could reply, I spotted him, still at the prow where I had left him last. He must have known that we would be arriving soon. I hurried towards him, Malik following just as briskly. By the time I reached him, weaving between the crew members who were trying to catch a glimpse of the island, I was out of breath.

"Is that it?" I asked, holding out my spyglass. He took it and peered through.

"Indeed," he said, handing it back to me.

"I don't see the Phantom Mist," Malik said, accusingly.

"It could be on the other side," I said, excitement clear in my voice. We were so close now!

"Let's hope not," Akefia interrupted. I jerked my head around to glare at him.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Let's talk in your cabin."

OoOoO Bakura's POV OoOoO

Using one of Ryou's maps, I drew out a rough outline of the island.

"Look over here," I said, pointing to the far side of the island. "There's a narrow, shallow cove on this side. It runs inland for a good distance. Your ship is shallow bottomed enough that it can travel into the cove. It'll be hidden there. You can set up a few lookouts and when they see Kelly returning, you'll be in the perfect position for a surprise attack."

"We could be waiting here for months!" that damn quartermaster yelled. I knew he wouldn't be fond of my plan. Hell, he wouldn't be fond of anything I would say.

"It's a possibility," I shrugged, not yet mentioning what else I knew. "Do you have something better to do with your time?"

"If I'd known this was your plan, I'd have never agreed to it. He's supposed to be here!"

"And he will be," I frowned, getting annoyed. Malik ignored me and turned back to Ryou.

"We should stick to the sea and search for him, Ry," he said. "We shouldn't just sit here."

"And just where are you going to search?" I asked, feeling the need for Ryou to take my advice instead of Malik's. It was like we were in a battle of wits. "The only thing we're sure of is that Kelly will return here after a raid. So we're guaranteed to find him here."

"But we have no idea of knowing when that will be." I finally had enough and decided to spill my secret.

"He'll arrive during the dark of the moon," I said, crossing my arms. I finally caught Ryou's attention at that and he spoke for the first time this entire conversation.

"How do you know that?"

"Simple. Kelly is a man of habit and he always comes back then."

"That's within the week!" Ryou exclaimed, eyes wide. I nodded, smirking. Looks like I've got the upper hand now, Malik. And the poor quartermaster knew it.

"I don't like the idea of being trapped in here," he said. I swear he was pouting! Ha!

"Are there any of my ideas you like?" I asked, knowing the answer.

"No!"

"Malik, we captured him for this reason exactly," Ryou said, exasperated. He was getting tired of Malik's arguing when it was clear that my plan was foolproof. Not wanting to risk upsetting Ryou, Malik finally gave in.

"I want more men on lookout," he huffed.

"Fine," Ryou nodded.

"And two men on Akefia at all times." I could see in Ryou's eyes that he was struggling with a decision. Against his better judgment, he'd really come to trust me. So I made the decision for him.

"You can put as many men on me as you want," I shrugged. "Believe it or not, Ishtar, I want to see Kelly securely imprisoned on this ship as much as you do."

"I doubt that," the quartermaster growled.

I didn't bother arguing, because I knew he would never believe me. But the truth is, nobody, not even Ryou, wanted Kelly captured as much as I did.