A sequel to "There Was No More", set a several weeks after the Roger Pirates officially disbanded.
Enjoy!
Don't Want To Be Alone
#21 solitude
Summary: If this was what freedom was like, he rather not have it.
Shanks sighed and tipped his straw hat lower over his eyes to block out the sun. He was lying on a small boat, being lightly rocked by the waves. The single sail was unfurled, but was catching no wind. The boat simply stayed lazily in the middle of the sea with no island in sight.
The boat's sole occupant briefly considered taking up the oars in light of the windless state, but soon dismissed it. It wasn't as if he had anywhere to go, anyway. He wasn't particularly worried about being attacked either. It was East Blue after all, a far cry from the dangers of Grand Line. For the past few weeks, he had been drifting with no destination in mind, going where the seas and wind chose to bring him, docking in random harbors just long enough to stock up supplies. No responsibilities, no chores, no cares… This was the life of freedom that he had wanted, wasn't it?
Well, if this was freedom, he would rather not have it.
It had been less than a month since the captain had officially disbanded the Roger Pirates and ordered every single one of them off the Oro Jackson, and Shanks was bored out of his mind. There was more than a mere twinge of loneliness as well, though he would never admit it out loud.
He missed the captain, even though the older man had frequently landed them in the worst of scrapes. He missed Master Rayleigh, even though the latter was a demon when it came to training and was absolutely merciless towards Shanks' faults. Heck, he even missed Buggy, even though they could hardly spend a moment together without fighting.
Life on the Oro Jackson had been full of its ups and downs, but it was infinitely more enjoyable than his current situation. The silence was driving him bat-shit crazy. He wished something would happen. Anything.
As if in answer to his thoughts, a strong gust of wind swept his treasured straw hat right off his head. He bolted upright, ignoring how the boat swayed violently in response to his sudden movement.
"Aaaah! Hat!" He made a frantic grab at the airborne hat of woven straw. When he managed to catch hold of the rim, he gave a sigh of relief only to utter an utterly undignified screech as the boat decided that it had enough of his actions and tipped him over the side.
Shanks spluttered, shaking his wet hair out of his eyes as he glared at the boat. The wooden thing bounced innocently on the waves nearby, looking as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened except for the fact that it was now devoid of its passenger.
Just when he thought that things couldn't get worse, the wind decided to start blowing again and cheerily moved the boat away from him. Shanks cursed and got a mouthful of salt water for his efforts. He replaced his hat on his head and prepared to swim.
The sound of a boat cutting through the water made him glance behind him and his gaze met the amused eyes of a black-haired man.
"Need a hand there, kid?"
Shanks couldn't understand why most of the people that he met seemed to like to call him a kid. He was 15 years old, for goodness sake! But considering that the man was several years older than him and had offered to help him, Shanks let it slide.
He allowed the older man to haul him onboard. The sails caught wind and shot forward, chasing after Shanks' runaway boat.
Shanks wrung his shirt dry to the best of his ability over the side of the boat, then turned to the other man with a smile. "I'm Shanks, thanks for helping me."
His new companion nodded in acknowledgement. "Benn Beckman."
His captain's voice echoed in his mind. 'Find your own crew; fill it with laughter and music. Live, as I cannot.'
Shanks grinned. He had never been one to let good chances pass him by. Fate had practically deposited a potential crew member in his lap.
"Hey, Benn… Be my nakama."
He didn't want to be alone anymore.
And thus began the Red Hair Pirates.
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