"No."

"But Boss-"

"He's getting off on the next stop. Unless you'd rather toss him in the ocean with some chum and let the sharks have him. We can work that out."

"Boss, I have to agree with Hachi, I think you may be being-"

"I said no and that's that." Arlong shoveled food into his mouth without sparing his crew a glance; Kuroobi sensed them all looking to him to speak up.

"Boss, I don't understand your reasoning."

Arlong looked up and cocked an eyebrow. "Just what does that mean?"
Kuroobi gulped. "With all due respect Boss, you were willing to let that woman on our crew, a human with no training or worldly knowledge."

"She's plenty knowledgeable and we actually needed a practiced doctor" Arlong said dismissively. "She fixed up those captives when most humans wouldn't even touch them, let alone treat them. And her instincts served us well, even if she can't bluff to save her measly life." Arlong stabbed at his eggs; it was the morning after they had set the fishmen on their way with supplies and weapons in case they ran into any other traders. But one of their guests was asking to stay on.

"But that shrimp can wield a gun with efficiency, he's experienced in fighting, if not an unrefined style, and he's crafty." Chew argued with some excitement. "Boss, we could use a gunman, maybe he can even be a long range sniper!"

"I thought you all disliked that boy? Now you're all ready to take him in?"

"Aw, he's not so bad Boss." Hatchan said nervously. "Anandi-chan was scared of us first, but she worked out."

"He's definitely more savvy than Doctor." Shioyaki flipped the eggs expertly and Pisaro dashed them with spices. "If we need a human to use to infiltrate towns, we can use them as our cover."

Arlong growled under his breath and set down his fork. "Just the idea of that punk on my ship is making me lose my appetite! I was generous enough not to toss him overboard for all those little cracks he made; perhaps he did help us, but have any of you taken a moment to wonder why?"

"Of course Boss." Hatchan averted his eyes, shoulders slumped; he didn't quite understand why Arlong was so adamant about Pen not joining them. Attitude aside, he had already shown not only a sense of loyalty but he could lend his talents and smarts for them to use to their advantage. "But, I can't think of any bad reason he'd want to stay on. I guess technically he'd be considered an enemy of the marines for helping us, but I don't think anyone even saw what we did."

"If not for protection, then what?" Pisaro asked from the kitchen counter as he shelled peas; he gave the others a shrug. "Look, Anandi-chan may be okay, but we don't know anything about this human."

"We didn't know anything about her. Arlong-san brought her along."

Arlong pinched the bridge of his nose; when did things become so complicated?

Meanwhile, Anandi and Pen were speaking in her office; he was busy admiring her new mattress as she tried to explain to him the different properties of her medicines.

"Pen, this could save your life if you paid attention."

"Sorry, it's just so squishy. How come all I get is that stiff one?"

"Well, I had to sleep on it at first." Anandi told him as she ground some leaves into a paste. "Besides, a manly sharpshooter like you doesn't need a cushy bed, does he?"

"Haha. So, speaking of living arrangements, what do you think your fish friends are saying about me?" Pen flopped down on the mattress; he had done a quick scan of the room and it was a pretty nice setup. Still, there was one desk scattered with papers and charts and other assorted items that didn't look like things Anandi needed. He wondered if someone forgot to clear it out beforehand.

"I would say they're discussing whether to throw you overboard or let you off on the next island."

"Hey, aren't doctors supposed to be comforting?"

Anandi sighed and put down her rolling stone. "Pen, I'm going to be honest. It's not as if you'd be useless to the crew, but you didn't exactly make the best first impression."

Pen sat up and crossed his legs. "What?! I helped you all save those slaves! Okay, maybe I said some jerkish things…"

"You still do." Anandi sent him a look. "At least call them by their names."

"They call me shrimp."

"To them, you are a shrimp. Or maybe Amberjack would be fitting; do all people in Sabaody have such strange names?"

"I'm not from Sabaody originally."

"Where are you from?"

Pen shrugged. "I don't know. I've moved around to different islands and towns for as long as I can remember."

Anandi was puzzled. "Didn't you ever know your family? Anyone who took you in?"

"I used to live in this house with a bunch of other kids until I was six. The lady who ran the place was a beast; one day I had enough, stole some money, and I was off."

He fell back on the bed with a sigh. "But maybe that's where I went wrong. You know, I won't lie; I always thought at least most fishmen hated humans. I never wanted to cross paths with one."

"I won't lie...I used to be the same way." Anandi smiled ruefully. "It was just how things were on my island; no one knows better and no one really cared to know better."

Pen sighed. "The thing is, I could sort of empathize."

"With fishmen?"

"Well...people like me, people with no background, no money, nothing...how do I put this?" Pen scratched his cheek. "No one wants anything to do with that; even other people in my situation don't help each other out most times. It's a 'look out for number one' sort of mentality, understand?"

"I suppose….no one in my village had much money, but we were a small place where everyone looked out for each other at the least. Well, usually." Anandi recalled the way she had left; it was most likely the people of her old home were certain she was nothing but a low down traitor at this point. She wondered if she would ever see her home again.

"But when you're on the lower rungs of the social order, you learn your place fast. Fishmen are a step below the public without a bellie to their names, and both are unwanted. Maybe I should have tried harder to get myself out of it." Pen confessed; he blew out a breath and smiled a bit. All his movement had done nothing to disturb the card tower he had built on the bed. "Or maybe things went how they were supposed to. Scamming people is really the only way to make the most out of a power like mine."

Suddenly, Anandi sat up in her chair and put her hands in her lap. "Pen, I still don't understand you. Why did you help us?"

"Why not?"

"But you put your life at risk. You didn't think my crew would just welcome you with open arms, right? And besides, that's not even saying how joining up with us to free those people would make you at risk to be a target for the marines, especially if they thought you were already a member of the Arlong Pirates." Anandi willed him to sit up and look her in the eye. "Why? There was nothing for you to gain."

"I guess not." Pen replied easily; he wore a peculiar smile. "So, if I tell you why you have to promise not to laugh."

"Of course I won't."

Anandi felt herself lean forward slightly as Pen sat up again, swinging his legs over the side of her bed. He looked at his tower with a contemplative look before poking it and sending the cards sliding all over the sheets and the floor.

"I told you before, that I don't remember my parents or any family. I never really thought about it too much, since I never knew them." Pen said. "And I was always sort of on my own, because the people around me only cared about themselves in the end. Maybe part of it was I saw people who were trying to help and I wanted to do something...I don't know, constructive for once."

"I guess I can understand that, but you realize we are pirates. In the end, it's not much different than the gangs you might be more familiar with. They were more than ready to kill you back there."

"Maybe, but I'll just have to see for myself. Call it morbid curiosity. And then…" Pen paused and ran a hair through his loose hair with a half smile. "And….you were nice to me."

Anandi waited for a second, but Pen seemed to be done explaining; he just stared back at her with his clever eyes. It hit her that a life having to learn to survive alone would make a person shrewd and it made her a bit sad to see such old eyes on a relatively young face. What was his life like up until now?

"I don't think I quite follow. It's not as if I did anything for you." Anandi tried to say without sounding rude. "Even if I did, I wouldn't want you to feel obligated to travel with me."

"You got it all wrong Doc." Pen laughed briefly. "An educated lady like you should get it. You remember what you said, right? About how I should be careful and avoid getting caught, even though I was giving you all that grief?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"But nothing. Fact is, as far as I can remember, no one has ever bothered to say something like that to me."

Anandi seemed to struggle for a response. "Pen...that's really sad."

"If you want to cheer me up, can I get a lollipop?"

"Don't joke around. I mean it, that's really awful. There must have been someone." Anandi asked with a frown as she began cleaning up her desk.

Pen thought for a moment. "Nothing I can recall Doc. But if you got it, I would like the candy."

"Not all doctors carry around candy." Anandi said with a exasperated smile. "You can be awfully childish for someone so quick minded."

"You're pretty naive for someone so educated. Didn't get out of that village much did ya?"

"I suppose not. I never thought I really needed to; a part of me wishes I hadn't left after seeing that." Anandi sat down and bounced to try to knock down the cards. "I've seen broken bones sticking out of skin, beating hearts, tons of blood, but-"

"What you saw was a different kind of pain. Don't think about it too much Doc; it won't do you or those fish folk any good."

"Stop calling them 'fish folk'." Anandi flicked her fingers against the top card, but it would budge. "Maybe they'd stop calling you shrimp if you did. They might even consider letting you stay; Kuroobi-san is even considering it, and he still doesn't want me on board."

"You're kidding?"

"In his defense, my lack of physical prowess is a disadvantage." Anandi sighed. "Afterall, I can count on them to be able to save me in a fight. I need to be able to take care of myself."

"This really is out there you know."

"Hm?"

"You're a human member of a fishmen group of pirates. I've heard of humans and fishmen getting together and even making kids, but that's rare in and of itself." Pen poked the card tower with the slightest touch of his pinky and it instantly fell.

"You can make us money; maybe we can even pose as a circus." Anandi laughed softly. "I could be the hostess."

"No, you can be the bearded lady."

"I don't have any chin hair!"

Pen strolled over to the small mirror hanging over Anandi's desk; he brought it over and held it up to her face.

"What? You're joking?" Anandi whispered in disbelief as she leaned in to inspect her face; pen abrupt laughter made her snap out of it.

"You fell for it! You're too easy Doc!" he dropped the mirror on the bed and held his sides.

"You-oh, you shrimp!"

Pen just laughed harder at Anandi's sputtering and burning face; she huffed as he sat back down and spun around in her chair idly. "Honestly…"

"Hey, what were your parents like?"

Anandi's crossed arms dropped to her lap. "Excuse me?"

"Your folks. Were they as easy to mess with as you? Or were they both doctors?" Pen smiled and leaned on the back of the chairs headrest; he smiled wider at Anandi's puzzled expression. "Come on, humor the poor orphan boy." he stuck out his bottom lip.

"Pen-"

"Doc, I'm joking! You really don't have to feel awkward; maybe you think it's weird, but I don't think about my family much. I never knew them, so who's there to miss?"

Anandi studied Pen's earnest face. "Well….I can only tell you so much myself. They died when I was still young and they went one after the other. Neither practiced medicine though; my mother worked on a neighbor's farm and my father was a tailor. They were my only family alive on the island."

"Okay, so what were they like? You remember?"

"They were afraid of fishmen...everyone was. But they weren't hateful; I never remember them yelling or arguing much. My father came home later than my mother and my mother left earlier in the mornings, so there was a bit of time where I was sort of shared." Anandi smiled and picked up one of the cards. "My father would make me breakfast and we would play games until he had to leave. My mother would make dinner and tell me all about her day at work. On days they both were free, we would go out for walks in the forest and they would try to teach me about the plants or go around town and visit our friends; sometimes, we would all just sit around the house and read or eat or nap. All in all, I think it's safe to say we had a happy life together."

"Sounds dandy." Pen meant to sound sarcastic, but it came out a bit solemn. "How…? I mean, if you don't mind me asking?"

"How they died?"

"Yeah."

Anandi held the card gently in her hand, one of her fingers sliding up and down on the edge; if she pressed it particularly hard, it occurred to her she could get a papercut. Somehow those annoying little injuries always felt more painful than serious ones.

"Anandi?"

"I don't know what to say. I just remember they were sick with strep throat infection; they thought it would go away. Everyone did; we didn't have a doctor and no one knew how bad it could get unless it was treated. All Chief Gopalrao said was to make sure they stayed in their homes until it passed. Sometime they got the rash that's characteristic of scarlet fever."

Anandi's voice grew more formal and clinical as she spoke. "Eventually I was staying with neighbors, but I was allowed to see them once more before they died. They told me they loved me and that we would see each other again someday and that the village was my family, so I would never be...alone. Not as long as I stayed."

Pen watched silently as Anandi bit her lip; her eyes were glassy, but she didn't cry.

"My mother died first; a week later my they said my father did. I always felt really bad about that. He must have felt so lonely."

"You shouldn't feel bad. If you stayed with them, you'd have gotten sick too."

Anandi shrugged. "So, that's how I decided to be a doctor; I'll be honest, it was a smack in the face to learn how easy scarlet fever is to prevent and treat, but then, how could we have known?"

"You couldn't have."

"Want to hear something funny?"

"Sure."

"I know they were wrong in their way. I know I couldn't have stayed there. But it was my home; they took care of me, and in return I learned how to give back to them. And then I betrayed them."

"That's not your fault they wouldn't see reason. If you stayed, you would have been thrown in a cell for being a decent human being. That's how this government works; as long as those in power stay there, they could give less of a shit about the rest of us. You saw those slaves; human and fishmen, merpeople and all the rest, they don't care about anything other than their own whims and making money to stay on top."

"I didn't think leaving to see the world would be so depressing." Anandi coughed wetly and rubbed the corner of her eye. "When do we get to the fun part already?"

"Hey, how about we get a drink while your buddies decide whether they're making me into bait?" Pen leaped up from the chair with a half grin. "If you guys are pirates, I know you got booze somewhere around here."

"It's still morning."

"It's three o'clock somewhere."

Anandi blinked as Pen swung open her office door. "That's not even how that goes."

"Come on lady, a nip will make us both feel a bit better. If we get sick, the ocean is our toilet." Pen gestured out the the bright morning horizon; Anandi wondered how many time sailors and pirates alike had tossed their breakfasts into the water's glittering depths.

"Fine, fine, but I can only handle so much, unless you want to hear me belt out half the lyrics of the 'Ballad of Captain Kidd'."

Pen cocked his head to the side. "Huh? But his character isn't even born in this time yet…"

"Sh!" Anandi looked around with a finger to her lips. "Are you trying to take the reader's out of story?"

"No, I'm trying to get drunk."

"Come on orphan boy." Anandi tugged him out of her office with a roll of her eyes; he bounded ahead of her, forgetting he didn't know where they stored food. On the other side of the wall of what was now considered Anandi's quarters, the crew let out deep breaths.

"Nyuuuu, that was s-sad!" Hatchan felt his nose bubble with not; Chew nodded as he bit his lips hard to keep in the tears. Pisaro was clinging to a stone faced Shioyaki as he blubbered and Kuroobi shook his head at their display despite feeling a small uncomfortable knot in his chest.

"Knock it off you morons." Arlong grumbled. "Show some backbone!"

"S-sorry Arlong-san!" Hatchan sniffed hard and stood up, chest puffed out to try to keep a straight face. Arlong eyed him angrily as Hatchan's lips wobbled and he unwilling let out a loud sob.

"Dammit, where's your dignity!"

"T-that poor shrimp doesn't even know his parents!" Pisaro wailed and Chew began furiously rubbing his eyes. "Aw Boss, we can't kick him out now!"

"He is not some helpless child. He's gotten along just fine on his own." Kuroobi swallowed and crossed his arms tightly to block out his comrades weeping. "But...Arlong-san, maybe we can put him through a trial period like we did with the doctor? Just to see how he works out."

Arlong stared at them all. "I can't believe you? You're pirates, so stop acting like babies!"

"He did help us and from what he said to Doctor Anandi, we can trust him not to turn on us for the time being. On principle, we owe him at least a chance." Shioyaki pried Pisaro off him, who instead fell into Chew who involuntarily joined him in his crying. "We won't even reach the nearest island for another two weeks. It can't hurt, can it?"

Arlong groaned. "Fine. Then we put it to a vote if you all want to be such suckers. Everyone who wants to let the shrimp on board, say aye."

"AYE!"

"All opposed, say so. I oppose." Arlong grinned. "Well, seeing as how I'm the captain, my vote outweighs all of yours."

"Arlong-san!"

"Not fair Boss!"

"Talk about a corrupt system!"

"FINE DAMMIT!" Arlong slammed a hand into the wall and it went right through; he snarled as he looked at the little splinters sticking from his knuckle. "He stays as our cabin boy, alright? Are you done with your ceaseless whining?!"

"YES BOSS!"

"Then get back to your posts! And Shioyaki-"

"Boss?" Shioyaki turned around; he was just heading for the kitchen.

Arlong plucked out one of his splinters. "Don't let Doc get at the booze."