Hello Friends! Been a bit of a longer break than I was intending but oops? I've been busy and I wanted to make sure that what I was posting was what I envisioned when I was planning out this fic. And I am very pleased with how this chapter and the next few have come out. Can't wait to share them with you guys and let me know what you think!

Set List:

The Ship is Fine, The Jolly Rogers

Warnings at end of chapter

New World

Ok Addie it's ok. Just open your eyes and look in the mirror.

I nodded to myself and took another deep (shakey) breath. I clenched my hands on the edge of the bathroom sink and slowly raised my head to look at myself in the mirror. I blinked my eyes open and immediately felt them begin to burn with tears. My hand shook as I raised it to hesitantly touch my hair. Where my hair had once fallen in long waves down to the middle of my back, it now barely brushed my chin. In addition to being shorter than it had been since I was a young child my hair was now dyed black. Solid black. Gone was the gentle gradient of blues reminiscent of the ocean depths, curling and moving like waves across the sea. Instead all I was left with was blunt limp black strands hanging to my chin and curling up in the front that looked exactly like-

"I look like my mother." I said with a choking sob.

As that realization dawned on me I had to fight even harder to keep the tears from falling from my eyes. My father's eyes. Without my violently independent hair to set me apart, it was impossible to deny my resemblance to both my parents. Looking into the mirror I saw my father's eyes and bone structure with my mother's hair and skin tone.

As I stood there staring at myself there was a knock at the door. "Hey Addie, are you almost done in there?" I heard Doc's voice call out.

Another sob caught in my throat and I quickly wiped my cheeks before saying, "Yeah, sorry."

I opened the door and tried to keep my head down as I rushed past him. He stopped me with a gentle hand on my shoulder and said, "Whoa what's going on?"

"Nothing it's just-" I sighed and shook my head. "My hair."

"It looks fine."

I glared at him. "It looks like my mother's."

"So?"

"So I don't want to look like her."

Obviously. I know it's not a secret who I'm related to but I still don't need the reminder every time I look in a mirror…

Doc shrugged and said, "Then grow it out. It's just hair."

"That'll take months!" I said with my voice climbing to a near screech. "And even when it does grow out it'll still be half black!"

He rolled his eyes and said, "Calm down. I'll try and make some vitamins that'll make your hair grow faster. That help?"

"Barely." I sighed before sighing and giving him a weak smile. "But thanks, I'd appreciate it."

"Any time." He said as I started to walk away. "Oh, also Roux was looking for you. He's up on deck."

I nodded in thanks and started to make my way up towards the deck. Once I walked out into the sea breeze I blinked into the blinding light as my eyes slowly adjusted. Once they did I looked around and found much of the crew scattered about the deck. Guy and Rand were doing… things… with the sails, Max was working on some wood project, and standing near the port railing I saw Roux and Yasopp talking. I waved to them so as not to interrupt their conversation as I made my way over towards them.

"Hey Addie!" Roux said in his usual peppy voice complete with a smile. "How's your day going?"

Horrible.

"Fine." I shrugged. "Doc said you were looking for me?"

"Yeah I was. Since you're officially a member of the crew now I've been meaning to ask if you wanted to move into the crew quarters instead of the tiny closet we have you in now."

I shrugged again. "I don't mind it. But do you need me to move?"

"Need is a strong word but-"

"I want my fucking workshop back." Yasopp interrupted.

"Your workshop?" I asked.

He nodded. "That's what that room used to be. Didn't you ever look in the cupboard under where your mattress is? It's full of gunpowder and shit."

Excuse me?

I blinked at him several times before saying, "W-why the hell is there gunpowder under my bed? Since when has that been there?"

"Since that's where I make shit! I wasn't expecting you to actually stay so I never bothered to clean it out!"

"Well I am so I would appreciate not sleeping on top of a bomb!"

"Don't be dramatic Ads, it's not that big of a deal. I'll move it when I find a better place to work on that stuff alright?" He said as if that suddenly made the fact that I was being forced to sleep on top of a bomb acceptable.

"B-but that still involves me sleeping on top of gunpowder?" I struggled to say as I continued to blink dumbly at him.

Does he seriously think that this is ok? What the fuck…

"Well you're welcome to move into the crew quarters and give me back my workshop!" Yasopp said over his shoulder while walking towards where Shanks had to hold himself up on the railing of the ship as he choked on his laughter. "Boss this ship is too damn small!"

"But she still sails just fine! In fact-" Shanks paused before breaking out into song

"There's not a thing wrong with this ship. In fact, she is just fine! But there would be some changes if if this vessel it were mine"

The rest of the crew gathered on the deck were quick to join in. "Nothing unrealistic or too drastic or severe! Just some subtle tweaks to improve the atmosphere!"

Yasopp groaned, shook his head, and joined in the singing. I smiled as the crew gathered on the deck all sang with joy soaking every word.

I should get to work

I smiled again before moving to help fix some of the fishing nets that had been damaged recently.

Life on the Brattahlid continued on pretty much exactly the same after I joined the crew. But there were a few differences that I noticed throughout my days on board the ship. I still wasn't particularly talkative most days, but the crew seemed to be making more of an effort to include me in conversations. They greeted me in the hallways, asked for my help, offered to help me, and just generally made me feel like part of the crew. While I could feel my heart beginning to soften and warm to those rough sea-hardened men, my mind was quick to remind me of my place. They may have invited me to join them, but that didn't give me the right to relax. I joined this crew to work and I had every intention of making myself as useful as possible.

About a week after I officially joined the crew found me making my way along the quarter deck looking for any odd chores that needed to be done.

Ok so the nets are fixed, the sails are mended, deck swabbed. What else needs to be done? Surely there's some rope up here that I can mess with.

"Hey Addie, come over here for a minute." Shanks called out to me from where he was lounging against the railing.

Walking over to him I asked, "What do you need, Boss?"

"Sit down." He said nodding towards the spot on his left side.

I sat down and waited for him to say something more.

And kept waiting.

And then waited some more.

"Was there something you needed? Cause if not then I really should go help Roux with dinner."

"What I need is for you to sit there." He said without moving from his relaxed position with his head resting on the railing and his eyes closed.

"Um… Why?"

He just smirked and stayed quiet.

Why the- Ugh whatever.

With a sigh I turned around so that I was looking out over the ocean.

If I have to sit here I might as well enjoy the view.

The sea actually looks quite pretty today. Not too calm, not too rough. Just… nice.

Shanks and I sat in silence for a while as the sun slowly began its descent from the center of the sky. Then he said, "You know you don't have to constantly be running around doing shit. We didn't want you to join just so you could work yourself to death."

I tried not to roll my eyes as I said, "Yeah I know."

"You don't believe me." He said without looking at me. When I didn't respond right away he continued, "You want to tell me why you don't?"

I huffed and turned my back to the sea before saying, "Well everyone I've ever been around has only ever wanted me there because of what I could do for them. So excuse me for expecting the same out of you after 18 years of the same shit."

"You do realize we're sailing in the Grand Line right?"

I looked around and raised an eyebrow. "Um, obviously. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Since when do trends and expectations matter on this sea? In case you haven't noticed this sea is kind of known for subverting expectations." He looked at me and said, "Don't you think that if you were going to find people who liked you for you it would be here?"

I stared at him stunned for a minute before tucking my face into my knees.

He's being serious…

He actually does want me on the crew for me… Not for what he can get out of me. But even still-

"But I've already been a burden to you guys." I said.

"What do you mean?"

"I let myself be caught by those slavers I should have-"

He stopped me. "That one's on me."

I shook my head. "No it's not. I should have been-"

"That one is on me, Ariadne. I knew that town was crooked, but I thought they were bounty hunters. I figured they were after me and the rest of the guys and didn't even consider they would try to hurt you. I'm sorry about that, Ads."

"I don't blame you." I said quickly.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before he asked, "How are you holding up after that?"

I shrugged. "What's one more nightmare?"

"Yeah I know how you feel." He said with an almost sad smile on his face.

I thought for a minute before saying, "But can I ask you something?"

"Sure, why not."

"Why did you let me join the crew? I mean, we haven't really talked all that much since I came on board."

He nodded before saying, "I've been thinking about having you join the crew for a long time now. But I didn't talk to you too much at first because I wanted to see how the crew would take to you without me forcing anything. Which is also why you're still here. The crew voted you in, not me."

"But they wouldn't have if you didn't blatantly approve of me joining."

"Yeah I know. The overly loyal bastards." He said with a laugh. "But I wanted you to join because I want only the best people on my crew, and I know you'll be a force to shake the world some day. So don't let me down."

I was quick to say, "Of course not Captain. I'll be stronger."

He shook his head and said, "That's not what I meant Ads. You should know there's strength is being able to admit you need help. Everyone does at some point."

I was slower to respond to that however as my tongue suddenly felt heavy. But after a minute I was able to force out, "I'm not exactly used to doing that."

"Yeah I figured. The old guard isn't too big on asking for help or showing any vulnerability. Even with the people they should be relying on."

"You mean Roger right?"

Shanks nodded. "My captain died alone for his pride. Don't make the same mistake Ariadne."

"You think that was a mistake?"

"Not really my place to say. All I can do is learn from what he did and lead my people the best I can."

I turned to look at him before I said, "You're a good man."

He laughed loudly at that. "I'm a good pirate, not a good man. The two rarely overlap."

"But weren't you the one just saying that the Grand Line was the best place to find the impossible?"

"Yeah I guess I did…"

Without saying anything I just leaned my head on his shoulder. He laughed and said, "You're on the wrong side Ads. I don't have an arm over there anymore."

"Then I'll be your arm over here."

He burst out laughing and said, "You'd have to get a lot better with swords for that to work out."

I thought about that for a minute before saying, "Then can you teach me?"

"I thought you hated swords."

"I do. But it would make me stronger." I said before whispering, "And if I'm stronger then I can protect you guys better."

He went quiet before saying, "Sure kid. I'll teach you."

I nodded as I allowed my body to settle closer against his shoulder and closed my eyes.

It feels safe here…

I woke with a jerk and quickly sat up. While rubbing my eyes I turned around to look at Shanks who hadn't moved. "When did I fall asleep? Wait, when did it get dark?"

Looking around I saw that night had fallen. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Eh, you looked comfy." He said before standing up and offering me his hand. "But come on, I'm sure Roux saved us something to eat."

"Right."

When we got into the mess hall all of the guys let out a cheer at the entrance of their- our captain. When I followed behind someone yelled, "Hey look, sleeping beauty finally woke up!"

Are they mad that I took a nap? But I was with Shanks so they shouldn't be. He would have-

"Yeah you looked like you needed to take a break Addie." Someone else said.

"Hell yes she did. She works harder than any of you sacks of shit!"

"You gotta take it easy Ads! You're going to burn yourself out if you don't!"

They aren't mad? They were… concerned about me?

Is this what it's like to have a crew that cares about you?

Roux waved his rack of meat at me and said, "You can just rest for the next few days if you want Addie. Don't worry about helping out with cooking."

"Oh thank you." I said with a sigh before I could catch myself. "I mean- I."

"Geeze try not to sound so excited there Ads. You almost sound like you're happy to get out of kitchen duty."

"Because I am. I'm not exactly a fan of cooking." I said as I made my way over to the table and took a seat in the middle of the crew, one they cleared for me. Once I sat down I was quickly swept up in the smaller group of Roux, Guy, and Max, while Shanks disappeared into the mess that was the rest of the crew all gathered in the galley.

"I thought that was your thing?" Guy asked.

"No, I'm just mildly skilled at it. I hate everything to do with kitchens. And to be perfectly honest I don't care for food much more."

"But you're always cooking?"

"Because I'm always lumped in with the cooks. Don't ask me why but it's just a trend apparently." I said with a shrug and a shake of my head.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I was pretty good friends with Thatch back when I was with the Whitebeards, and then I went to Totto and everyone is a chef there regardless of what you want. Then when I joined the Spades I was the only one who wouldn't burn the ship down in an attempt to feed myself. But I hate literally everything to do with food."

"But food is great!" Guy, Max, and Roux all shouted in unison.

I raised an eyebrow at their sudden harmony and said, "Food makes you fat. It's a tool to avoid death and that's all. If I could go the rest of my life without eating I would."

"You are not fat Ads. Trust me." Guy said, earning himself a swift smack on the back of the head courtesy of Roux.

I laughed at their interaction and said, "Exactly. Because I don't eat much."

"But I mean if you ate more you wouldn't get fat." Guy said as he scooted away from Roux and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yes I would. But regardless it doesn't matter. I'm not starving myself, I just don't eat any more than I need to."

"You eat like a bean and you're done."

"Beans are high in protein."

"There's more to life than just beans Addie."

"I eat more than just beans!"

Shanks laughed as he joined in on the conversation and said, "Ok Addie's bean obsession aside, you should have said something Ads. You don't have to help Roux out if you don't want to."

"But I need to pull my weight and we all know I can't do anything up on deck and I at least know how to do something with food. So what else am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Aren't you a musician?"

"Alright so don't get your hopes up-"

"I've already seen the rest of the ship, I don't think that will be a problem."

"Alright, you know what you little shit?"

I laughed as I followed Beckman down the hallway. Tucked away in a rarely used corner of the deckhouse was apparently a music room, or at least that was what the crew had claimed. Given the tiny closet I had been using as a cabin since I had first come on board the ship, as well as the rest of the ship I wasn't expecting much. Finally we reached a door tucked between Shanks' and Beckman's cabins.

Beckman pushed open the door and said, "Like I said it isn't much."

Once the door swung open and I peered in I couldn't hold in my gasp and shout of, "What the hell happened in here?"

As was expected it was a tiny closet, but inside there was hardly enough room to open the door with how tightly packed it was with various instruments strewn about the room. I could barely make out an upright piano tucked against one of the walls, buried under old papers and badly damaged string instruments. Despite being incredibly disorganized there was also a thick layer of dust over everything in the room with mildew growing in several places as well.

"We've never had an actual musician on the crew so whenever we come across an instrument it just gets thrown in here. So as the official musician of the crew your first job is to clean up this mess." Beckman said as I struggled to comprehend how this room could be left in such a state.

"Why do I feel like I just became a janitor?"

"Well if you aren't up to it then there's always the kitchen or deck work."

"Even if I wanted to do that shit I can't leave these precious babies here! How could you be so cruel to these innocent little angels?" I asked as I turned to gape at him with my eyes growing wide in horror.

What is wrong with his psychopath? How could he even think to treat these glorious creations like this?

His brow crinkled in confusion and he said, "What? There just instruments not-"

"THEY ARE MY CHILDREN!" I screeched.

He nodded as he looked to be fighting back a laugh and said, "Alright then. You have fun Ads." As he walked away I could hear him laughing.

Turning back to the room I put my hands on my hips and took a closer look to see where to start cleaning up the mess.

Well might as well get started. These poor darlings have suffered enough.

After spending hours dusting, sweeping, and organizing I sat on the recently cleared piano bench and smiled at my work. While a few of the instruments had been beyond saving there was still a decent number of gems in the mess. Once the room was back in order I found that there was a guitar, mandoline, violin, lyre, concertina, a few whistles, various drums, and the piano.

"Well at least it's clean now. Should be good enough for the musici-"

Wait.

I froze when a thought finally dawned on me.

I am the musician. I'm actually the designated musician of a crew.

I ran my hand over the smooth wood of the top of the piano and stared at it in awe.

It's my job to take care of these instruments and to play music.

I sat down on the bench and carefully lifted the cover over the keys. I felt my cheeks start to ache from my smile and couldn't help the high pitched squeal that forced its way out of my throat. I clamped my hands over my mouth and bounced in place as I stamped my feet.

"Someone looks happy." A voice came from the open doorway.

I turned to look at them and threw my arms up. My smile widened as I saw Shanks standing in the doorway and I said, "How can I not be? I'm a musician!"

"Pretty sure you were already a musician before we left you in charge of this closet."

"But now it's official! It's literally my job to do what I love more than anything in the world everyday!"

"Well shit now I feel bad. You should have said something sooner Ads! I've been looking for a musician for years now."

"Well now you can rest easy Captain, because you found yourself a damn fine one if I do say so myself."

"Yeah? You going to be the best?"

"Maybe I will."

He laughed. "Go for it Ads."

Warnings:

Ariadne has a mild eating disorder and it is talked about in this chapter. The way Ariadne talks about it could be problematic because she is defending her borderline anorexic behavior and no one is seriously calling her out on it.

Yay! Addie is finally an official musician! Thanks for reading and for sticking around after my little break! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you think!