Shivered Timbers
by Kaline Reine
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story. I do own Shiori, she is my character. I also own a few other original characters in this story (not affiliated with One Piece), which will be introduced as they are needed.
WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, possible violence, gore, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD
Also... The beautiful cover image for this story is by my friend, EzariaUmiko on DeviantArt. All credit for the image goes to her. c:
Chapter 37: Can't Feel My Face
Ace and the others had fashioned a makeshift stretcher for their fallen friend. It was made from tree branches, large plant leaves, and other forest debris, and held together by stringing up some jungle vines that were hanging practically everywhere. The ground was freezing, but as long as he didn't get too cold, it should help with the pain anyway.
Walter cringed every time they hit a rock or went down a slope too fast. He knew it was important for them to move quickly though. He'd already lost a lot of blood before they found him. Needless to say, the prognosis for his survival wasn't good.
"I'm not sure..." He panted. "I'm going to make it..."
"Shhh," Ace was quick to stifle him. "Don't try to talk now. It'll just make things worse. We'll get back as soon as we can."
"Yes, don't stop moving!" Haji cried, from his place atop Mitch's shoulders. He still hadn't fully recovered but he was doing better.
"Once I'm exhausted from carrying your ass, you're taking a turn too, you know." The first mate reminded his short friend.
"I'm going next," The Captain interjected. "I'll take care of him. You all need to rest. Looks like I'm the least injured, and we need to keep moving for as long as possible."
"Yeah... Thanks." Mitch managed, awkwardly.
No one said much after that. They all knew that Walter's situation was dire after losing an entire leg to this place. None of them wanted him to know just bad it was. They were certain he knew it too. They just didn't want to be the ones to bring attention to it. It had become the white elephant in the room.
They hadn't run into any game on the way back, but it was just as well. Since they had been knocked a good distance down the mountain, the avalanche had brought them all closer to the ship. It was the one and only kindness it had done for them. They weren't sure how long it would take, but it was much closer than it had been previously. The snow was starting to lessen, at least.
It was the middle of the afternoon when they heard loud growling coming from the forest. A shrill scream pierced the silence that covered the island...
They all froze in place, afraid to go on. Mitch's eyes darted around, trying to decipher the source of this new threat. Haji put a hand to his brow, scanning the area with a keen eye.
"Someone's there," He pointed to a small clearing just to the east of where they were. "In the thicket..."
Setting down his vertically challenged companion, Mitch made a mad dash toward it. He knew it was important to protect their injured expedition members as much as possible. They had to make sure Walter was safe, at any cost.
"We'll go check it out. Be back in a few." Mitch began stalking toward the area, checking it out.
Ace was torn. He knew that someone needed to stay with Walter, but they were both going ahead to assess the situation. He would just have to trust them to make the right call.
"Just hang on..." He told the medic, doing his best to be reassuring.
Walter only smiled lazily, turning his head to look at the beautiful scenery. Everything looked so clean and white...
"There are wolves! Turn back!" He heard Haji's voice shouting. Then there was more growling and snarling. Then silence.
"Did... Did I get it?" A small, meek feminine voice asked.
They looked down to see a little girl holding a sword. It looked like a katana. It was rather large in proportion to her. She was young, with light blonde hair that hung in tufts on either side of her head, framed by large purple beads halfway down. The back was tied into two loops, hanging down messily. She was wearing a pastel green and purple obi with white accents, although bits of it were torn in places. She had matching geta that looked difficult to walk in. She seemed to move with ease, despite all of this.
"I should say so!" Mitch laughed, seeing the fallen bodies that lined the clearing, but then quickly came to his senses. "Who are you, kid?"
"My name's Lena." She bowed her head, dropping her sword to her side. "I don't want to fight."
"What are you doing all the way out here?" Ace walked up, with Walter in tow. His breathing was labored and it was obvious that he was badly injured.
"My... village was attacked. Then I was held prisoner by... by awful Pirates! Y-you're not Pirates, are you?" She appeared to be scared of them, staring up at them with wide jade green eyes. Her words faltered on every other syllable and her entire body trembled uncertainly.
Ace thought for a second. "Nah, we're not Pirates! We're explorers. Isn't that right, guys?"
"Yeah," Haji grinned. "Explorers."
"Why are you riding on his back? Are you hurt, mister?" She cast her gaze from Haji over to Walter, her peridot eyes quickly scanning the situation. "I know he's hurt! Goodness..."
"He was injured during an avalanche," Mitch explained, with a slight wink in their Captain's direction. "While we were exploring."
She stepped over the body of the fallen wolves. She'd killed two of them, and the rest had made a run for it, disappearing back into the snow-covered tundra. As she approached the group of strange men, Lena began to worry. She was nervous, and it was painfully, glaringly obvious that she'd just been through a terrible ordeal of some sort.
"It's alright," Ace walked over to her, leaving Walter's side for a moment. "We won't hurt you. If you want to come with us, we could take you to our ship... Our expedition ship." He covered, realizing his mistake.
"Do you promise?" She sniffled.
The little blonde girl was adorable, but Mitch was wary of her. He was going along with Ace's plan for now, but he was intent on keeping an eye on her. He was worried about Walter too. He kept glancing back at their only medic, a forlorn look on his face.
"Yes. We're really worried about him right now," He admitted. "We need to hurry back to our ship so he can get better. So let's get going."
Ace nodded, not really minding if his second in command wanted to step forward and take charge for a bit. It was a welcome break. He couldn't be blamed if anything went wrong, and if someone were targeting the Captain, they might just go after the wrong person... It was a clever unspoken plan between the two of them.
"I'll come with you, if you keep me away from those other Pirates. They were... mean to me..."
How could anyone resist that adorable pout?
"We should..." Walter's voice croaked slowly, causing everyone to stop in their tracks. "Bring those... wolf pelts... Warmth."
"I think we should be just getting back to the ship by nightfall." Ace explained, resuming his stride now that they'd realized what he was asking. "So we won't need them. It would waste time stripping their pelts and I'm not sure we have that kind of time."
"Ahh..." The doctor nodded.
They walked on in silence, taking the girl with them. She still acted distant and was very quiet the whole way. The freckled man had picked up the reigns to the stretcher that Walter was on, trudging onward while pulling it behind him.
"Aren't you cold?" Mitch offered Lena the fluffy beige jacket he'd been wearing. "Take this."
"Thank you, mister."
She put it on, despite the fact that it was way too big for her. The little blonde girl kept trying to roll up the sleeves, to no avail. She wasn't sure why, but she kept glancing back at Walter with a strange expression on her doll-like face.
"I'll take over from here," Ace switched places with Mitch, taking Haji from him as if he were a child. "You can take the reins for a while, okay?"
"Huh? Sure thing."
Mitch took the vines that held Walter's makeshift stretcher. Although the bottom had started to freeze and it was more like a sled now, sliding along the snow more easily. He was worried for him too, but all they could really do was pace themselves and hope for the best. The less time they took along the way, the better.
"This place looks familiar," Ace pointed to a path they had taken shortly after they'd set foot on their miserable failure of a journey. "We should arrive before nightfall."
Just then, something several shades of white brushed past them with blinding speed. Whatever it was, it was very small and had shiny eyes.
"What on earth was that?" Walter asked.
"Probably just some animal..." Ace said.
The others just shrugged. All except for their medic, who did not move.
Meanwhile... Back on board the Royal...
Everyone was in a glum state. It had been that way ever since they'd all witnessed the avalanche. Many of them wanted to go rescue Ace and the others, but they had been given strict orders to stay here no matter what. They were needed to look after the ship and fend off any attackers that might come up. The presence of that other Pirate crew was definitely cause for alarm. And to top it off, they wouldn't even know where to begin searching.
Artemis had really been getting the hang of things, now that she was left to her own devices. It was much easier to maintain a ship that was stationary, so the Spade Pirates had had plenty of time to induct her into their crew properly... A process which involved lots of heavy drinking and drunken debauchery. Not that it was anything new to her, given where she'd worked before, but still.
She wasn't sure if it was the right time to tell them about her past. It would probably be better if she waited until the small group they had sent out returned. Although there was some partying going on, everyone did seem quite worried about them, especially after the mysterious avalanche. She hoped that everyone was alright. She'd even been looking after the albino girl's cat while she was gone. It was a friendly little creature.
"Did you remember to check the anchor position today?" She was asking Zetsui.
The rock fishman looked at her, tilting his head to one side. "I forgot..." And then, he seemed to remember himself, his eyes going wide. "But I'll do it right now!"
"Thanks." Artemis responded with a toothy grin. "And be a dear and grab Hoko-san for me on your way back?"
He nodded, taking off to do as she'd asked.
The two had been flirting off and on for some time, but she didn't have any serious intentions with him. She just thought his little crush on her was cute. And the fact that he did everything she said without question had it's advantages as well. He was stronger than his appearance would suggest too, although that was a common theme with their crew.
The shark girl was studying the charts to figure out where they should head next. Ultimately, that would be up to the Captain. That didn't mean that she couldn't make suggestions though. And anyway, she needed to figure out the best way to get out of this mess without tangling with the Coral Maze again, if possible. She swished her tail boredly, her bottom fin dragging along the deck.
Something strange happened then. Vanora stirred from where she had been sleeping on a nearby crate. Suddenly, the little cat's charcoal-tipped ears perked up. It was as if she had jolted awake out of sheer fright. Artemis watched her for a moment, wondering if she was okay.
Without warning, the white cat took off with a mad dash. She ran along the railing of the ship, from bow to stern on the starboard side. There was a mooring line secured to one of the many trees that lined the bank. She ran along the rope with feline grace, being careful to avoid falling in the water. She appeared to be headed onto the island. As soon as her little paws touched the frozen ground, she took off running.
"Huh? Where is she off to in such a freakin' hurry?" Artemis watched her go, unable to stop her. Not even she could move that fast. "I hope she'll be okay..."
'Hang on!' The she-cat project her thoughts to her friend, as her paws carried her over the snow. 'Hang on, I'm coming!'
They had been walking for another night and half a day... To Ace, it felt like they were getting nowhere. And he was certain that his crewmates felt the same. Their situation was steadily getting worse and worse too.
"I don't..." Walter spoke, for the first time in a long while.
It was like hearing a ghost speak. It jolted him, something about it jarring... The doctor had been complaining of numb feelings for a while. He had lost too much blood and it was too cold out here. His face had long since lost its color and he was fading fast. If they didn't make it back to the ship soon, he would be done for.
"What is it?" Ace halted in his footsteps. He'd been the one pulling him on the stretcher again, while Haji continued to ride atop Mitch's shoulders. Lena walked between the Captain and First Mate.
"I don't think... I can... make it..." He panted, his breathing terribly labored.
His leg didn't look good either, it was starting to turn black, even above where it had been cauterized. After all, it was designed to prevent infection, not frost bite. His other leg had been all but devoured by the biting cold too. And keeping him so low to the ground wasn't helping much either, but they had very few options.
"I wanted... wanted to say... goodbye... to the crew... one last time... but I..." He blinked the tears away from the edges of his vision. "I can't!" His breathing was terribly labored.
"Stop it!" Mitch snapped, getting tired of carrying so many burdens for so long.
"Walter-kun... Don't talk like that." Ace agreed. "We'll get you back. We're almost there. If you could just hang on a little while longer, we-"
"Even if... if we make it... I'm sorry, I'm... I'm done for..."
He couldn't say anything else, so the medic had simply gone silent. No one knew what to say. Their faces solemn, they all halted and waited for the oncoming event in the quiet of the strange tundra that they were struggling to make it through.
"I want... a favor... one last thing...?"
"Name it." Ace halted in his steps and removed his hat, as a sign of respect. He looked to Mitch, who did the same. He knelt beside him, uncaring that one knee was now in the snow. "Anything you ask, and it will be done."
"Give... my medical... facilities... and all... my equipment... to Shiori-chan..." The dying man rasped. It was clear that was his last request.
He nodded, signaling his understanding. "Is that all?"
"Take care... of yourself... you were a... good leader, Ace-sama..." He smiled at his Captain, his loyalty eternal. "Go out... into the world... and do... great things! Never... ever... give up... And tell... the others... I said... goodbye."
Walter sighed his very last breath, completely giving up the fight. His final word came out as a raspy whisper. His heart had stopped and he had succumbed to hypothermia, as well as falling prey to the nasty infections that he had gotten from his injuries. He'd been bleeding internally for quite some time. Moreover, he was simply tired of fighting; far too exhausted from trying to go on through the pain for too long.
The other two men looked to Haji, who had thought to put his hands over Lena's eyes, as if to shield her from the horrid sight. "Turn around... Come with me." He told her, steering her toward a nearby line of trees. The little girl gasped, but complied.
"Damn it!" Ace cursed, unable to believe that they had just lost one of the most valuable members of their crew to this wretched place. The island was unforgiving. The tears flowed down his cheek, to hang at the bottom of his face as tiny icicles, before he melted them away with his flames. "Even my tears freeze in this shit. It's not fucking right!" He growled, feeling a pang of pain hit his heart.
"It really isn't. He was a good guy." His First Mate was just as sad.
He picked up the other man's wrist, trying in desperation to feel for his pulse. There was nothing. "He's gone... He's really gone!"
"Well damn... What do we do now?" Mitch scratched his head, placing his hat back on.
Ace did the same. "We grieve... And we keep moving forward. Time stops for no one. And we've still got another crew member lost out there somewhere."
"He should still be given a proper burial, don't you think?"
"Yeah... He deserves that much... He deserves better, but it's the best we can do." The Captain nodded, before calling out to Haji. "Oi! You take Lena-chan and get some sticks and rocks and bring them back over here!"
"Alright boss!" He yelled back.
While they went to do that, Ace took one last look at his fallen friend, before closing his eyelids and covering his face with the blanket he had been wrapped in. He had laid him to eternal rest. Mitch shook his head, his lower lip trembling, but trying desperately not to show it. His eyes were leaking too. It was devastating to lose such a good friend. The snow began to fall lightly around them, as if to mock them.
Ace took a small shovel out of his pack. He began to walk several feet away. It was as good a spot as any, considering they still had no idea where they even were.
"Help me move him over here..." He muttered glumly, once he'd finished digging a large hole in the ground.
"The poor guy..."
Mitch grunted with the effort of picking him up. Even though he was used to carrying his comrades, dead weight was another matter altogether. With a little help from Ace, they managed to get his body into the shallow grave. He covered it with dirt and ice, and leaned on the shovel, awaiting Haji's return.
It wasn't long before he came back, with the young blonde in tow. She made a face at the sight of the shallow and shoddily prepared grave, but said nothing.
It was Haji who spoke. "We've brought the rocks and branches like you asked. Where do you want them?"
"Place the sticks all around it as an extra barrier and a way to hold them in place," Ace commanded. "Then we'll cover the grave in rocks. It will prevent animals from digging it up and stop people from disturbing it."
No one argued. They each took an armful of sticks and began jamming them into the ground vertically, making a little fence all the way around it. Then they topped it with the stones. As a final act in his memory, Ace placed Walter's favorite top hat that he'd been wearing over the tallest stick at the top of the grave.
"Anyone want to say anything?" Mitch asked. Though it seemed for a moment no one did.
"He was a great medic," Ace responded, after thinking on it for a moment. "And a damned good friend... It's a shame he had to go like this."
"Aye. Agreed." Haji added.
Mitch only nodded, and Lena didn't know quite what to say, since this really didn't involve her. She wasn't sure what terrible fate had befallen their friend, but the tragedy was not lost on her. She just looked sadly at the ground where a man once lay. They all remained there, doing the same, holding a moment of silence for their fallen friend. The memories replayed, over and over, ceaselessly.
Everyone turned and looked back toward their destination. They all knew instinctively which direction their ship was in, and set out for it. There was no point in lingering around Walter's grave any longer. They had done all they could for him. Internally, Ace was beating himself up for not being able to save such a loyal friend and member of his crew. He only hoped that they didn't lose anymore...
That night, their small group sat around the campfire in silence. Usually Walter would be warning them of impending danger, or trying to talk them out of something. He had always been the conscience of their crew. But they had no more conscience, it seemed. It was a long night and they barely slept at all.
It was the next day when they finally made it back to the ship. Ace had never been so glad to see the Royal, and yet, he could not bring himself to muster up a smile. Not when they'd just lost Walter and Shiori was still missing. He didn't know how he was going to break the news to the rest of the Spades. It made him nervous, because he was fairly sure that at least someone was going to blame the albino girl for their doctor's death. It wasn't her fault, but she would be blamed simply because she had brought them to the island. She was the one with the map and it was her idea... It had put her in danger too, however, and she might not have survived the expedition either. But he tried to suppress the guilt he felt for leaving her behind.
"Hey! It's the Captain!" Hiretu had been the first to spot him, from way up in the crow's nest. He climbed down using a long, sturdy strand of silk emitted from his palms.
"Oi! Captain-sama!" Artemis called to him, waving.
"Hey everyone..." Ace replied glumly.
That was when they all noticed, and took a step back. Where they had been about to run out to greet him, all of the Spades stopped short. They realized that their little team was missing two members. And they had somehow inexplicably gained another member in the process.
"Oh... I can't wait to hear this..." Rex remarked, nonchalantly. He always was a sucker for adventure stories.
"It's quite a story." Mitch assured him, helping to clear a path for Ace and the little girl that walked between them. He was still carrying Haji, but put him down now. Some of the others rushed over to help him.
"First thing's first," Ace immediately took back control of his ship. No one argued. They knew better. "I'm calling an emergency meeting right away! I'll explain everything to all of you at once, it will be easier that way. But there's not much time, we-"
"Where's Shiori-chan?" Artemis was the first to ask about her. She had noticed her missing friend right away. She had been there when they left, and... "For that matter, where is the ship's doctor?"
"Terrible things happened to both of them. That's what this meeting is about. Everyone meet me in the galley immediately. And I mean everyone!"
They all took in the gravity of the Captain's words. A sense of unease and dread had begun to spread throughout the crew. There were various murmurs and whispers everywhere. But they all gathered in the dining room, as he'd commanded.
When Artemis went in, Ace was sitting at a table in the very center of the room. The first thing he'd done was grab a fresh mug of beer. The others seemed more interested in eating, but Rex couldn't prepare anything for them, since everyone had to be present at the meeting. That left Mitch, Haji, and Lena foraging for scraps and leftovers. They found some bread and cheese, and a few leftover sandwiches, so that would have to do.
"I'll get right to the point," Ace was already talking when they'd returned. He appeared to be uninterested in eating, despite the fact that he was obviously starving. Something certainly had the Captain shaken up... "There's no easy way to say this... Walter-kun... Is dead."
They all gasped as soon as they realized what the problem was.
"No wonder you don't have an appetite..." Artemis commented. "Poor thing..."
All heads were crestfallen, all eyes cast to the ground. There was various cries of shock. They had all known what a smart and level-headed person he was, not to mention how strong he was.
"What?! But... But how?!" Rex asked, incredulous.
"There was an avalanche. We couldn't do anything. It separated all of us. A boulder landed on him and he lost his leg. We tried to help him, but... He didn't survive the trip back." Ace paused his story briefly to take a long swig of beer, before slamming it down onto the table angrily. Some of it spilled across the wood, staining it with golden droplets, but he did not care. "Shiori-chan didn't make it either, but we don't know if she's still out there-"
"It's doubtful." Mitch said, solemnly. He patted Ace on the back, but the Captain shrugged him off.
"Get away from me! And don't say that, idiot..."
"I'm sorry, but it's the truth. I'd love for her to still be alive, but after an avalanche like that, and the way she hit her head... It's not highly likely that she survived it."
"What are you saying?" He took a long sip from his mug, letting some of the beer roll down his chin before wiping across his freckled face with one muscular arm. "Are you implying that we shouldn't go look for her?"
"No, not at all. That's not what I said. Just... Fuck, I don't want to go back out there, but I really want to find her too. At least so we could have some closure, like with Walter-sa-"
"Don't. Don't talk about her like that. You don't know what could've happened..."
Ace's eyes were practically boring holes in the wood in front of him. One false move, and it could all go up in flames, just like that... He had to remember to keep his temperature under control. Literally.
"Of course we're gonna look for her! Fuck's sake!" Artemis cursed at their first mate, one hand on her hip. She didn't care if he outranked her. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, damned coward, I-"
"You have no-"
"Yes, she does. Let her speak." The Captain ordered when Mitch tried to stop her short.
"I care about her too and so does the rest of the crew. I think we should send at least one party out right away. I volunteer to go search the area. I'm ready to go." The shark girl was already headed for the door when his voice stopped her.
"While that means a lot to me, and I'm sure she would appreciated it too," Ace paused, making sure he was still thinking straight. "We don't want to risk anyone else getting buried or lost. We should all go together. Trust me, it's rougher and more dangerous out there than you think. And since the three of us have seen the island, it would make no sense if we didn't go with you. We've been there, you haven't."
"Well, I'm not going." Mitch challenged. He was annoyed now, after having been cut off twice. "It's not that I don't care, because I hope she's okay. Truthfully though, I think it's a lost cause. And there's nothing you could offer me that'd make me want to set foot back on that travesty of an island. It's cursed!"
Everyone sat in silence for a moment. Artemis looked down hopelessly, her expression falling back to pure sadness. Ace had remained unphased, but continued to drink. The shark girl sank down onto one of the numerous benches, letting her tail droop behind her.
Several others shrank away, not wanting to be in the warpath should a fight break out between those two. They were both formidable opponents, but everyone knew that Ace would have the upper hand. Flames burned through rope like it was nothing. Mitch would only serve as a wick, a mere flicker in time, and he would be gone. Snuffed out... Just like Walter. Thankfully, he seemed to remember himself.
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't be," Ace kept drinking, trying to play it off. He was too tired to suffer through a scene right now. "I don't blame you for not wanting to return to such an awful place. But nothing will keep me away. I just need to rest for a bit first."
"So... I don't have to go?"
"Hn." He nodded. "I'd prefer you to stay here and look after the ship. Lena-chan will have to stay behind and she'll need someone to look after her. This island is too dangerous for a child to be wandering around. And there's no point to take everyone out there and risk more lives needlessly anyway."
"Great, figures I would get stuck with something like babysitting duty..." He grumbled, stalking off to get himself something else to eat.
"Anyway... I'd like you to come with me, Artemis-chan. And anyone else who wants to come is welcome to. But we'll need a little while to recover first."
"You'll be back on your feet in no time," Rex stated. "You are the Captain of the Spade Pirates, after all!"
"I'll drink to that!" He held up his mug, clinking it against Rex's, who returned the gesture.
"You... You're Pirates?!" The little blonde girl gasped, her eyes going wide as saucers. She took a staggering step backwards.
"I can explain, we-"
"...You lied to me. I hate you!" With a sharp gasp, Lena ran off. But surprisingly, she didn't run back into the forest. She only fled deeper onto the ship.
Scratching his head, Ace shrugged and decided to let it go. He would let the crew deal with her. Even if she did leave, it was no skin off his nose. He had done his best to save her and offer her a safe place to sleep at night. Even if she was just a kid... It wasn't his problem. He had more important priorities at the present time.
A/N: I've decided to end this chapter here, since there was a lot of emotional stuff going on, and so much has happened with the plot lately. It also just felt like a good place to end. I know it's a little short, but I was able to update faster, so I hope it's a good trade. I plan to work on this story a lot. xD
I appreciate the reviews and all of the people who have added this story to your favorites or alert list too. That gives me hope and drives me to keep going. Thank you. ;w;
-Kaline