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:
*TW* I will say this is a really violent/graphic chapter... Proceed with caution. (But if you've mad it this far, let's face it, that kind of thing probably doesn't bother you all that much.)
Chapter 23: Dark Skies
Nischela watched as they set up Shiori in the stocks. She couldn't stand to see her comrade treated in such a way... She knew the girl was fragile, and far too shy to be able to stand being exposed to everyone like this. But this was the custom for the barbaric practice she was about to be forced to endure. She wished there was something she could do, or some way she could help her, but it would completely blow her cover if she did. And there weren't enough of them to stop someone like Alvida. Even if she was somewhat of a joke, she had some pretty strong people on her side to back her up. Meanwhile they had no one...
Shiori could barely see her, as she was lost in the sea of faces... But she could swear the young spy had her back turned to the rest of the guards. She refused to look at her. She sighed... It was just as well. It was already embarrassing beyond belief to have everyone staring at her minuscule breasts, she really didn't need any more people staring at her.
Still, she wondered what was going through Nischela's mind. Was she going to do anything to help her? Could she even do anything?
Just then, a blow landed across her back. It was already starting... She tried to crane her neck to see behind her, but was unable to because of the large slab of wood that currently held her pinned in place. The whip had landed across her bare back, slicing into her skin and leaving a horrible welt where it fell. It stung and burned fiercely.
Then the person responsible moved in front of her. She didn't recognize him, but that was a given, considering that he wore a solid black hood which covered his entire face. She wondered how the man was able to see through it. He was extremely muscular, and a little on the short side. Unusually long hair cascaded down his back and around his shoulders.
She'd seen him before, alright... He was known as The Executioner. No one knew his real name. He was the member of Alvida's crew who was in charge of doling out the most severe punishments. It was impossible to tell whether he was smiling or somber; happy or sad... She had heard rumors before that no one had ever actually seen his face. There was another rumor that he was horribly disfigured. She didn't want to face his cruelty, not after seeing all of the horrible things the other slaves had been forced to go through.
'If they can go through it...' Shiori bowed her head. 'Then so can I!'
She kneeled there, crouched, yet holding her head up high... In spite of all of it, she was prepared to face this new challenge with as much of her dignity in tact as she could manage.
"How many blows?" The hooded man asked his Captain.
"It was going to be just thirty, but because she thinks she's too good to cry for us or beg for mercy, let's make it an even forty lashes! We'll see how long she lasts." Alvida cackled with glee, leaning on her mace with the tip pointed toward the ground.
The man just nodded. He moved back behind the helpless girl, straightening out his whip to allow him to carry out her sentence. The first lash wasn't as bad as it could have been... He was going easy on her for now. The second landed right between her shoulder blades, already making her skin burn with the agony she was being made to feel. Shiori shuddered, trying to focus her energy on shutting out her body, leaving the pain behind. By the third lash, she had already figured out that wouldn't work. All she could do was hang on, and wait it out, clinging to whatever semblance of sanity she had left...
Each blow took the breath out of her in a painful new way. The whip came down again and again, laying across her back. Sometimes it would catch her sides or go down lower toward her hips. Mostly, the man in the hood, whoever he was, seemed to be keeping it around her shoulder blades. That was where the pain was felt the greatest.
Nischela was trying to push her way through the crowd to get to her, but the others were stopping her from doing anything. She didn't see Mia or most of the other slaves. She only hoped Vanora was okay, and that the map hadn't fallen into the wrong hands, but at the moment she had to focus on not losing her mind.
Halfway through the torturous beating, Shiori was contemplating begging for mercy. She knew that was what they wanted. It would just make Alvida's day, and the others would only laugh at her. It wouldn't do any good and would likely only make things even worse. It did not help that with every blow, her bare breasts bounced around, causing her face to flush a deep crimson. It enticed the crowd to stare even more, especially the men. She hated them all for this... And she swore she would get revenge someday. For now, her only goal was to get through it however she could.
She recalled the time when her mentor, Whitey Bay, had taken her into the frozen cellar and showed her the giant scar that ran across her back. The ugly marks on her own back would match those of her beloved senpai... The irony of which was not lost on her.
'If they match Bay-sama's...' She told herself, even while another blow landed dead center in the middle of her back. The ones that caught her sides were even worse. 'I'll be proud! I won't even cry... I won't let them savor a single tear!'
Even now, she defied her enemies... She refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her in that much pain, refused to show how it affected her. She did her best to keep her expression neutral, forcing herself to look calm. Even as the whip stung and burned, her flesh being cruelly ripped away from her body in fragments, she did not give in.
And then came the word... A single word that challenged everything.
"Harder..." She whispered.
Alvida held up a hand to momentarily stop the masked man holding the whip. "What did you say?"
"Harder... Do it... h-harder!" The shackled girl managed.
"If you insist! But you'll be sorry..."
The Captain motioned for the man to continue, signaling to him to comply with her unusual request. Had she begged for mercy, she wouldn't have been so kind.
"Why?!" Nischela's voice was the one that broke the stunned silence that had befallen the crowd. They were all staring at the half naked girl as she was brutally beaten. "Why would you ask for such a thing?" Tears were nearly forming in her ashen eyes.
For a moment, during a lapse in between blows, Shiori raised her head. She looked at each person in the crowd... And to Alvida herself, who was meeting her gaze with an expression that was hard to decipher. Every single person who stood idly by and allowed their Captain to do something so despicable. Never realizing that they might very well be next... They might be in her position someday. Tables had a funny way of turning.
'Fuck... you...' She thought, desperate to find any thought to cling to... Even if it was the thought of someday ripping Alvida's fat head right off!
"I want to feel every scratch, every blow! I will wear each scar someday with pride!" She screamed, as the whip tore into her again. But she did not cry.
This seemed to only anger the barrel-chested woman, but she narrowed her beady eyes and stepped closer. She intended to see the girl's face as her punishment sentence was carried out. He was on the twentieth blow, having counted each of them. They were halfway done now. She kept waiting for the moment when the frail girl would finally break.
"How much more can you really endure? Want us to stop or go a little softer now?"
"No..." The Valkyrie gasped, struggling to catch her breath. "Harder still!" She cried defiantly.
"You heard the lady," Alvida signaled to the man in the black hood again. "Keep going, and lash her even harder! Really put your back into it! Hahaha!"
An uproar of cheers broke out among the crowd. The man were whistling and jeering, and the woman were clapping. Shiori hated having so many eyes on her, and she refused to make eye contact with any of them. This was already bad enough.
"Alvida-sama... With all due respect, please stop this!" Nischela begged.
She was ignored. Their Captain was known for being particularly heartless. Although no one was paying any attention to her, her voice lost in the crowd, the brunette had begun to sob. The tears fell slowly, streaming down her face in crystalline droplets.
"If you can't cry... I'll cry for you..." She mutely whispered, in between broken sobs. She didn't even care if she got in trouble.
Shiori saw her friend crying for her, and knew why she couldn't come to help her. She thought Nischela was very brave. She appreciated her tears. To be shown such kindness... It was overwhelming, and she nearly lost control of herself, giving into the agony. Bruises were already starting to form around her wounds. Yet, despite all of this, Shiori didn't care. She was proud to have the same battle scars that marred the skin of one of the greatest Pirates who had ever lived. And she kept reminding herself of that, over and over.
It wasn't long before the man had reached his count of forty lashes... Each one burned her skin, and she could feel a sticky wet substance pouring down her back. She knew she was bleeding from the wounds it had left. But she'd carried on with her goal. Not a single of her tears had been shed. She adamantly refused.
"How does it feel?" Alvida asked her, with malice in her eyes. "Not so proud now, are you? ...Bitch!"
The girl muttered something unintelligible. Her head was slumped over, her eyes downcast, and her lavender sheened locks shimmered as they fell in front of her face, blocking it from view... It was over now. Everyone heard the Executioner's count reach forty at last. The stocks were released, but she did not move for a minute.
"What was that?" Alvida sneered.
"I said I AM PROUD!" She screamed, standing up at once, wincing and ignoring the overwhelming pain.
She struggled against the chains that still held her. The hooded man had to grab her quickly, before she went after anyone. When she stood, everyone moved back a step or two. There was a certain anger in her eyes, a hidden wrath that no one had seen until now. And all of it was directed toward the woman directly in front of her.
The Captain continued to taunt her with well placed leers and a smug look. Before she was fully released, Alvida crept away. She went back toward her cabin, with guards posted outside, like a coward.
"Good. Now get her out of my sight!" Alvida crossed her arms obstinately. "Someone take her to get cleaned up! I don't want blood everywhere..." Those were her last words, before going inside and locking the door.
Nischela knew very well what was about to happen. Her hands clenched into themselves to form fists. She rushed through the crowd, which luckily had already begun to thin out, now that it was finally over. However, she was unable to reach her before another member of the crew got there.
It was Bob Toll. The aging man approached her, with a blank expression on his wrinkled face. And then, as Alvida left, a kindly smile replaced it. He handed her a blanket he'd been carrying. It was torn in places and very old looking, but it would do for now.
"Here, wrap yourself up before you get cold..." He told her.
"No thank you."
While there was not a hint of malice in her voice, it was void of all emotion.
Shiori didn't take it. She moved away, shoving it back into his arms. She waited for them to remove her chains, but they didn't offer to. She may be a slave, but she was not going to comply with what they wanted. Not even if it was a gesture of kindness. She appreciated it, but she wasn't about to accept their help. Not after they'd just put her through that. One thing was clear... She would never be a part of this crew.
Then she saw her friend, probably her only friend here, who was rushing toward her. Nischela pounced on the opportunity to get her out of there, her brown leather boots thudding across the wooden deck. She rushed over to the prone girl, who was now hunched over and shaking... Her brow was furrowed, concern showing on her face. She was worried about her.
"N-nischela-chan..." The Valkyrie looked up at her, to see that her eyes were puffy and red. She'd definitely been crying.
"Shiori-chan! Are you okay?!"
"Sorry, that was a stupid question! Please come with me to the shower room..."
Nischela grabbed her hand, leading her away from the stocks. She was still in chains, to prevent any further mishaps. Where once it had been a great problem for her, the sea prism stone that bound her was probably the only thing stopping her from going completely berserk on everyone. At the moment, it was her sanctuary; her only solace... Everything had been turned upside down. Nothing seemed right anymore.
On her way out of the crowd, Shiori hastily pulled her dress back onto her shoulders. It was a minor mistake, as it caused a sharp pain to shoot up her spine. She didn't want to get it soaked with blood, but she had to cover up. She couldn't stand for all of these people to rake their eyes over her naked body for one more second!
They passed through the slaves' quarters on the way, and everyone was staring at the one who had just been punished. She walked past Mia, who was holding her little boy, who was clutching the familiar sky blue sweater close to him. He was doing a great job of concealing Vanora and from the looks of it, they hadn't let anything happen to the map either. She only exchanged sad looks with the woman as the female guard took her into the shower room to be cleaned up.
She was hell bent on destroying Alvida and the entirety of her terrible crew, before she was done here. Today's events had set that in stone. For the time being, however, all she wanted was a little peace. She had to recover from her injuries first. Right now, she would need to focus on tending to her wounds.
"By the looks of it," Nischela was saying once she'd stepped out of her dress and removed the rest of her clothes... "You've lost a lot of blood. That's not good..."
The double agent produced a tiny key from a small pouch that hung from her belt and then proceeded to unfasten the cuffs that held the prisoner's chains in place. She tried to feign a smile, but it didn't really work. She let the dreaded sea prism shackles fall to the floor, knowing that she was safe.
"Don't you think I know that?" Shiori suddenly snapped, before pulling back once she realized her tone. "Sorry... I mean, it's not like it matters anyway. Just a few cuts." She shrugged, wincing at the way it caused her flesh to pull painfully across her back.
"Let's just get you cleaned up."
The steampunk Pirate began to dab at her back using a soft sponge. She used only water from the shower at first, and then began to clean the cuts and welts with a bit of soap.
"I'm sorry I screwed up the plan," Shiori muttered, leaning forward into the stream of lukewarm water. "This is all my fault... I hope it won't cause The Agency any problems."
'Damn,' She thought. 'I hope they won't try to kill me or something. This could get really messy.'
"It's fine. It isn't your fault. I had a tender heart once..."
"What happened?" It was very slight, but Shiori had the faintest hint of a playful lilt to her voice.
"Alvida killed it." The brunette told her truthfully, tucking a stray tuft of pink hair behind one ear while she helped her friend get cleaned up.
Shiori knew she had just become even less merciful due to this experience. She still trusted Nischela and the Agency. After all, it was due to her own slip up that she got caught, not theirs. If she'd listened to them, she would have most likely gotten away with it. It was because of her own rash actions that she'd gone through such a horrible ordeal. Just as it was her own choice to be crouched in the corner of the showers, letting her friend wash the blood, sweat, and agony from her back...
"It really is awful here. Why don't we leave?"
Nischela felt something tugging at her heartstrings... She really wanted to help her get out of here. She knew what she was implying- that The Agency could just arrange for them both to leave. Just like that. And she would love to... Only it didn't work that way.
"I'll see what we can do..." She didn't want to get her hopes up too much, but given what she had just endured, it was better not to dash all of her hopes at once. "There's a possibility that..." She looked around to make sure no one else was listening in on them. "Well... Listen, if anything serious ever happens... I want you to meet me by the lifeboats. Look for me there. And try not to let anyone see you."
She'd paused in cleaning up Shiori's wounds. She was grateful for the small break, it meant she wouldn't have to tense up each time her back was touched.
"What do you mean 'serious'?"
"I don't know, like if the Marines or someone were to find us... Maybe we can escape in the confusion somehow? I'm not even supposed to be talking like this. We should drop the subject. Sorry."
"Yeah..." She turned back to face the shower, idly counting the tiles for a minute or two, before she could no longer contain her true feelings. "Listen, I hate to be a bother... But I'd just really like to be left alone now."
"Alone? You mean you want me to go?" The other girl stood, adjusting her glasses before backing away. "Are you... Are you sure?"
Shiori nodded.
When she didn't say anything else, Nischela knew it would be better if she did leave. She didn't want to risk the girl lashing out at her or making some kind of scene. They'd all been through enough for one day. She nodded, making for the exit and leaving her to her own devices.
The Valkyrie was actually glad to finally be alone... She needed some time to herself to reflect on things. She hated it here so much. She'd expected things to be bad, but she'd never expected to be treated so cruelly! When they'd taken her prisoner, she had expected everything to be awful, and she was right. She had to get out of here... Even if she died trying. And most of all, she was angry, so angry...
'I don't even care anymore...' Her only thoughts were of bestowing the same torture upon Alvida that she'd been made to endure. 'She'd better be the one watching her back from now on. If I could just get some of the others to fight with me...'
She would have to face the entire crew, and possibly even Nischela too, if it came down to that... But it was better than being stuck here. If she could just convince some of the others to fight at her side, it would be a lot more feasible. As much as she hated it, she knew if she tried anything with all of these people here, it was a lost cause. She would end up dead.
'Damn Alvida! I can't stand that woman!' She nearly growled out loud...
She was looking down, and noticed that there was still blood going down the drain, ruby droplets being washed away from her, lost forever... Her hair had darkened from it's usual pristine near-white to a more dull periwinkle color, as the water cascaded through it. It fell in front of her eyes, obscuring her face. For a little while, she just stayed there, reflecting on things. She had a lot to think about.
Finally, she let the tears come. Every single pent up emotion that she'd repressed was being felt all at once. And it was overwhelming. Shiori had refused to allow them to see her as weak. She cried silently, while she was alone and no one else could see.
'I can't just sit here feeling sorry for myself... I have to do something.'
Having finished cleaning her wounds and processing everything she'd just been through, she made to get up. Sighing, Shiori stood up and very carefully dried herself off with a towel. The wounds extended even onto her sides. She put back on her clothes, donning the same pair of torn stockings she'd come in with. She had to be careful putting on her dress, so she didn't make her injuries worse.
She was already mostly dressed when someone else came into the shower room. Holding her breath, she waited for them to turn the corner... It was Mia. She breathed a sigh of relief. But it was short-lived when she saw the expression on her face. She looked very worried about something.
Nischela was walking outside, having just left Shiori to fend for herself... Her friend would be okay and her wounds would heal, in time. She was getting ready to get back to her usual work when she heard something...
'Thump thump th-thump,' There came a series of noises. 'Thump! Thump th-thump thump thump th-th-thump thump!'
Men rained down from above, as if falling from the sky. Ropes swung by everywhere, as even more poured on board, their thick boots pounding the wooden deck. Some of them let out undiscernable battle cries. She tilted her head upward and realized they were coming from another ship. They're used ropes tied to their own mast to jump across. The Miss Love Duck was being boarded!
Who were these people? Were they Marines? Had Shiori actually succeeded in her crazy plan, despite being caught in the act?
No... They looked like Pirates, having the usual random or bedraggled attire that was typical of such thugs. Nischela was happy to try to dispense of them, but... She also had another thought. Maybe there was a different way she could go about handling things. As long as they were actually strong enough to do some damage, and cause from chaos, she might be able to-
"Hello there," A deep, smooth voice came from directly behind her, catching her off guard. The blade of a dagger was placed against her throat and she instantly paled. "You wouldn't mind pointing me in the direction of your Captain, would you?"
The girl froze in place... She couldn't believe she'd allowed herself to be so careless! He's crept up on her and now she was at his mercy. She couldn't even see his face.
She indicated the direction to the Captain's cabin, which was about fifteen feet away from where they stood, with a tilt of her head. She felt a rush of warmth behind her and then suddenly it was gone. The brunette whirled around, intent on identifying the person, or at least which crew they were in, but it was of no use. Before she could get a good look at him, he was already gone. The door to Alvida's cabin was left ajar.
Nischela wandered over to it to see if she could do anything. She really didn't want to fight these people, especially when they were preparing to take over the entire ship. That was what it looked like, anyway... She rushed over, trying to discern what was happening.
Inside, Alvida was on her feet the moment her door was kicked open. She'd been sitting at the table enjoying a nice meal, completely unsuspecting that there was mischief aboard her ship.
"Who the hell are you?" She asked, presumably facing her attacker. "Get out of here!"
"I don't think so..." A male voice chuckled darkly.
The brunette peered through the crack in the door. Luckily, it hadn't been closed all the way. What she saw there completely and thoroughly horrified her...
"Wow... I know him! His abilities... He's-" She clamped a hand over her mouth hastily, to prevent herself from screaming. Only a small terrified gasp escaped.
"Someone help!" Alvida shrieked, hopping around the room like she'd gone mad. "Help me! It burns! Aaahhh!"
Instead of helping her, Nischela ran as fast as she could. She had to get away before the person came after her too. She blew by the rest of the crew, who were fighting for their lives, already engaged in battle. She wasn't sure who these people were or what they wanted, but there was no time to waste! She needed to contact The Agency and let them know about the siege that was currently under way. They hadn't taken any of this into account in their plans.
But then she remembered, stopping cold in her tracks... There was another agent still on board! And she was injured...
'Shiori-chan...'
Regrettably, she wouldn't be able to warn the poor girl. Her first action had to be contacting headquarters. She had no choice in the matter, it was her sworn duty. She headed for her secret compartment in the laundry room, leaving the chaos and confusion behind. She hoped they wouldn't realize which side she was on, since she wasn't fighting to defend Alvida's crew at all...
The older woman handed her the blue bundle containing the map and the smaller moving bump that purred and mewled. She took it with care, and felt Vanora nuzzling against her hand through the soft fabric. She seemed glad that she was nearby again.
"Your kitten is precious," Mia offered a reassuring smile. "We kept her safe for you... No one found out she was there. I heard you got forty lashes. Is everything alright?"
"Y-yeah, I'm fine..." When she spoke, there was a slight tremble in her voice. "Why do you look so panicked?"
"Something's wrong! There's a fight being started. I think another crew is attacking us! You've got to find a place to hide, quickly dear!" She motioned for her to follow. Shiori hesitated. "Come on!"
She led her down the short hall and into the main room of the slaves' quarters. It looked pretty empty, at first glance.
"We're in luck! All the best hiding places are down here anyway... And they most likely won't attack us if they know we're slaves. Sometimes they'll take us as their own, so it's still better if we aren't seen. Maybe later we can get away... Wait! Where are you going?"
"Sorry," Shiori panted, slipping into her sweater and petting the kitten that she concealed inside. "But there's something I need to take care of. Hide, and be safe!"
"Shiori-chan-"
"I have to go..."
There was no time for argument. Mia only looked at her, brown hair falling into her face in wisps as it came untied. She gave the girl a firm nod, before rushing back to her hiding spot near the back to find her son. He seemed alright, even if it wasn't the best of hiding places.
Shiori made her way outside. She was through cowering in fear from these people... She knew she had to do something, no matter what. This could be her chance to take a real stand and get some retribution for all of the wrongs that Alvida's crew had done to her. First, she had to figure out what side these newcomers were on.
'Shhhing! Clang cl-clang clang clang!'
A collective metallic singing filled the air, as everyone drew their weapons at once. The slaves, however, were helpless and left to fend for themselves. It looked like they were being infiltrated by another Pirate crew.
Shiori could only cower in terror. She was already injured, now was probably not the best time for her to fight. Again, she wanted to find Nischela to see if The Agency had any plans or advice regarding their current situation. She knew this wasn't their attempt at a rescue. The agents would have been better informed if they'd planned for this to happen. It seemed like no one had taken it into consideration. This was happening from out of nowhere, and it was confusing for everyone involved.
Outside, it was pure chaos. It was like a prison riot! Everyone was going every which way, and she had to take care to dance around their blows, dodging cannon fire and swordplay the whole time.
There was a man she'd never seen before tearing apart their ship with his bare hands! He had thinning brown hair, black eyes, and muttonchops. He was a large ogre-like man, and just seeing him scared her a great deal. He yanked off pieces of the side railing and clubbed two of Alvida's guards over the head with them. Shiori ducked around them, passing him and going in the opposite direction. She turned just in time to see him yank down one of the masts and use it as a battering room to gain access to one of the cabins that had been barricaded. He went in and more fighting ensued, but it was out of her sight.
"Zetsui-san!" A short little man called to him, struggling to speak over the sounds of battle. The man wore a turban on her head. He looked a little sickly. His voice was high pitched and nasally.
The ogre poked his head out from the room he'd previously disappeared into. "Hm?"
"Over here! I need you to open this door next!"
"Coming in just one second..." He finished dealing with the other Pirates before starting that way.
"Oh no you don't!" Perrier intercepted them, pulling out a long whip and striking it against the deck for emphasis. "Now I've got you cornered, right where I want you! Honhonhon!"
Shiori froze, watching from behind a large mast. She hoped no one would tear this one down while she was behind it... So far, she was steering clear of any actual confrontations. She was unsure of whether or not she wanted to help these people yet. They might be even worse than Alvida... And she had no idea who was in charge.
"I don't think so, pops!" The little man chuckled, withdrawing a small blade from inside his turban. "That dagger I stuck you with earlier was coated with poison. I always fight dirty! Hehehehe! It oughta be kicking in any second now..."
She decided to leave then, to let him fend for himself. Win or lose, it was of little consequence to her. It sounded like he was already about to meet his end. Especially when the larger man, Zetsui, came bursting back out of the room he'd gone into. While running away, she managed to catch a glimpse of the Frenchman falling over and collapsing in defeat. Apparently the short man hadn't been bluffing.
'Glad I'm not the one fighting them...'
The Valkyrie looked around, dazed and confused... She tried her best to keep walking around and make herself as least noticeable as possible. She carefully made her way toward the Captain's cabin. That was what really interested her. She wanted to see if they'd managed to overthrow the nasty tyrant already, or if they needed a hand. She wondered if this new crew might try to recruit her, but it was probably a long shot. They seemed perfectly capable of handling this on their own.
Shiori looked to her left to see that there was another ship pulled parallel right next to the Miss Love Duck. They'd apparently used long ropes to swing across to board. There were a few gangplanks still being employed too. A guy with a big scruffy black beard was carrying some cargo across one of them to the other ship.
From the side, she couldn't get a good look at their sails. She wanted to know who they were, but it was more important to figure out what was going on and what their plans for the slaves were first. After the way she'd been treated since her arrival, she could give a fuck less what they did to Alvida or her crew. In the back of her mind, she hoped Nischela and the slaves were okay, but that was it.
A man in a white cowboy hat with light brown hair and stubble around his face was going around behind everyone and tying people up once they'd been defeated. The ropes seemed to come from out of nowhere and he tied them in only seconds... How could he carry so much of it at once? She wondered if he might be a Devil Fruit user like her. Shiori tried not to lose her focus on him, but kept walking.
"Yo, Mitch!" Someone addressed him, luckily distracting him. "Hurry it up! We've got two more for you to tie up... This way!"
So that settled it. He was doing it on purpose. But why?
There was another guy in a tophat sneaking around the ship and looking around cautiously. She wasn't sure how she was going to slip past him, but then he turned in the opposite direction when the one called Mitch. She breathed a small sigh of relief. She was still tense from being on her guard, however. Most of the people she passed were engaged in fights, so they barely noticed her.
"Please..." A small voice cried brokenly from below. "Please, h-help me... Hhhhelp..."
Shiori looked down to see none other than Alvida, crawling slowly toward her. Her clothing looked charred and she had bad burns on her palms. Her mace was nowhere in sight. She didn't understand what had just happened, but whatever she'd just been through wasn't good. She was bleeding a lot. The girl froze in place, staring at the twisted vision of the woman who had once held such power over her...
"It'll be a cold day in hell," The albino spat, malice in her tone. "Before I'd ever help someone like you! You caused me so much pain and agony while I was here... And you think I'm going to help you? I learned a long time ago what happens if I take mercy on my enemies. I've got another trick up my sleeve, one that I've been thinking about and practicing for a long time. Speaking of hell... Allow me to introduce you to it."
She was secretly proud of herself for not stuttering on a single word. Each one was pronounced with sterling clarity, the good majority through gritted teeth.
Before she could spare it a second thought, she'd already used her Devil Fruit to create snow from her fingertips. It fell all around them. She doubled her efforts and soon a storm cloud was billowing overhead. Snow flurries drifted down from it, before flitting their way to the fallen woman, dangerously enchanting in their way... Alvida stared at them and tried to get up, but it was useless. The snow was packing in all around her, slowing her down, and sealing her fate. Some of the ice crystals were packing tightly around her neck, freezing her vocal chords until she could no longer speak or make any sounds. The frigid cold settled in, tightening around her like a noose.
"Die..." Shiori whispered, concentrating intently on the woman before her.
Her coral eyes narrowed dangerously. The girl's intentions were clear... She aimed to choke her and freeze her at the same time. And it was working, the snowflakes falling onto her, coating her like a swan's down. Her eyes began to close, and the world in front of her began to blur. She was helpless.
'Helpless...' The Valkyrie thought. 'Just like the way she made me feel for all this time...'
Even if she did manage to somehow survive it, she definitely wouldn't be waking up for some time to come. Shiori had to do one last thing before she left. She grabbed the peacock pendant from around the Captain's pudgy neck, lifting it off of her shoulders enough to undo the tiny clasp. She smiled to herself, a smirk of undeniably satisfying victory, as she fastened it securely back in its rightful place around her own. And all the wretched Alvida could do was watch, her eyes barely seeing anymore, and her body unable to do anything to stop her.
She was caught off guard when she realized that the other Pirates were unknowingly closing in on her again. She nearly jumped out of her skin, and darted toward the Captain's quarters. She stopped when she noticed someone in her vicinity, hiding behind a barrel of sake.
"Hiretu-san! I've got this one!" A male voice called out behind her and to the right. "Go and see if the Captain needs your help! He should be finished by now..."
"Which way?" The guy scratched his head, lazily swatting away Alvida's crew members like flies with a big broadsword.
"Toward the war room... That way, I guess?" The man in the tophat pointed.
"Why are we bothering to tie anyone up if we're not even taking any prisoners?"
"Because baka, we're making sure they don't do anything to deter our plans! Just in case they wake up or aren't completely dead."
"But-" He began to protest.
"Stop over-analyzing everything. We've only got so much time left. Get a move on!"
"Alright, alright, sure thing..."
One of them was coming toward her... He hadn't seen her yet, but he was headed in her general direction.
Shiori gasped. 'Oh crap! I have to hide, quick!'
She waited until he looked over his shoulder, and made her way into the Captain's quarters before they got any closer. She could have waited to hear more of their conversation, but she decided to ditch them instead. Better safe than sorry! She heard the guy walk past her and into one of the lower rooms.
Part of her kind of wanted to take some of these guys on... But she had to do it on her terms. Right now, they were expecting a fight and had come prepared. These weren't your average run-of-the-mill Pirates, they were strong. She'd seen enough to know that much. She just didn't think she had it in her to fight all of them head on, especially when she had so many wounds lining her back, many of which still bled. The problem was that she also didn't have a clue as to how to approach them about joining up with them. So she was stuck in a very unfavorable position.
And then a new train of thought struck her... Maybe doing neither was exactly what she should be doing.
'This might be my only chance to escape! If I can hide out long enough for them to leave, then maybe I can get myself off of this awful boat once they're gone. Everyone will think I'm dead.'
The girl had managed to avoid being harmed so far, but only because she'd been extra careful. She took only a moment to rummage through Alvida's room before finding where her bags were hidden. They'd confiscated her duffel bags, which held nearly all of her extra clothing and other personal things. She didn't have anything important left on this ship. And she knew she needed to hide until this little spat was all over.
She knew they'd probably search the Captain's cabin again before leaving. She was sure Alvida had hidden away loot and other valuable things stashed around. Even while she walked away, she maintained her focus enough to keep frigid death-grip around the Captain's neck. She didn't want her to have any chance to escape.
As soon as Shiori had made it into the next room over, she realized that she was in the galley. There shouldn't be anything too important in here, and there were lots of good hiding places. She didn't see anyone, which was good too. It appeared that all the fighting hadn't escalated into this room yet, or it was already over... Either way, she had to find somewhere to hide, and quickly!
She went toward the back, into a large supply room. They'd probably already checked this area already and since no one was here, it shouldn't be too suspicious. She hurried to find the biggest crate she could, and pried the lid off of it. It was an enormous wooden box of flour. She had to move several of the twenty-five pound bags out of the way to make enough room. She hurriedly began placing them on a nearby rack, shoving things into the floor if she had to. There was no time to figure things out. She sealed herself and her belongings inside the crate, pulling the top back into place once she was concealed.
It was perfect! No one would find her, and she was able to see through several small slats in the wood. All she had to do now was wait it out...
And wait, she did. All the while she petted Vanora, allowing her out of her sweater now that they were safely hidden. The little kitten darted around on the remaining bags of flour, even causing a small rip in the side of one. A bit of flour poured out and caused her to sneeze. The way she wrinkled up her tiny nose was so cute! Shiori found herself giggling at her little sidekick's antics.
She could still hear the sounds of everyone fighting outside, including some screams as people were injured. The problem was that she was badly hurt too and in no position to be able to help them. In a way, she felt like a coward. Maybe if they were weakened enough, she could come out early and help these new Pirates take out the crew that had taken her prisoner. Even what she'd done to Alvida didn't feel like enough, but she was grateful for the opportunity.
It felt like several hours had passed. She'd dozed off once or twice, but now something had woken her up. There was someone in the room... Shiori peered through the slats, and although she could only see their feet, she knew it was one of the rival Pirates. Vanora looked at them too, but thankfully she stayed quiet.
'Oh no!' Her thoughts began to run away with her. 'If they find me in here, I'm so screwed!'
Her heartbeat began to quicken. She quickly grabbed Vanora so she wouldn't make any noise. The kitten flattened her dark ears, and waited to see what was bothering her master. Two men had entered the room, and they were talking in hushed tones.
"It's all good man, this room's clear!" One said to the other.
"Alright... The Captain said we need to stock up on supplies. What's in these boxes?"
"Looks like they have some food we could use... We should probably have a look around first to make sure they're all full."
Shiori tried to see them more clearly but couldn't get the right angle. She recognized one voice as belonging to the big strong guy she'd run into before. He was the one who had ripped off the mast of Alvida's ship and caused so much damage with so little effort. He was scary for sure... Part of her wanted to test her strength against his, but that was probably a bad idea right now. She was at a severe disadvantage unless she could learn who they were and what they were up to.
"Yeah," The second man nodded to his counterpart. "But we don't have time to check everything. This was supposed to be quick. We need to get out of here. Help me hoist this one up. We'll get these to the net for transfer and we'll send it all over at once."
The man didn't reply, but instead began to lift up the crate she was hiding in! Vanora was startled and began to burrow into her arms. She held the little kitten close, cradling her against her chest.
All she could do was wait to see where they were going... She could feel them carrying her outside. Sunlight glinted through the slats in the crate. Shiori was actually terrified that they would find her. She really didn't know what she would do then. As they moved, the bags of flour scraped painfully against her back every time the men took a step.
'I hate Pirates...' She inwardly declared, swearing to herself. 'If they do find me and are hostile toward me, I'll figure out a way to kill them all! I'm through being taken prisoner by people. At this point I'd rather die!'
She continued to wait, and sulk, unsure of what to do. They placed the giant crate in the middle of the Miss Love Duck. She couldn't really see anything wrong with that, until she noticed that they were in the middle of a giant net! What were they planning? She kept watching, debating about whether to climb out from the crate or not... Before she could make up her mind, three more Pirates came up and tossed another huge crate on top of the one she was in. There was no way out!
Slightly panicking, she tried to see if there were any members of Alvida's crew left. But she saw no one. The main deck looked pretty abandoned right now. She managed to catch a glimpse of the railing near the lifeboats. Most of them had been taken... Something shiny was glimmering just there... She realized it was a silver ribbon.
'Could it be...?'
Was it the one from Vanora's box? It looked exactly the same. And why would anyone else tie a ribbon there? Had Nischela really managed to escape? She wondered if she'd also managed to take any of the slaves with her. She didn't see anyone at all, but she hoped some of them had made it. Especially Mia and her son...
The Pirates who had attacked them kept coming back and stacking big bags of goods nearby, along with more boxes and crates. They laughed and occasionally spoke to each other as they did so. Eventually her view was mostly obscured and all she had to go on was sound.
'Thank goodness I have you to keep me calm, little one...' She thought, as she petted Vanora and stroked the little gray hourglass marking that spanned the bridge of her nose.
'Thank goodness I have you to keep me calm...' There was an echo in her mind. It was strange...
'Am I losing my mind?'
There was no answer, so she assumed that she was still sane... Maybe. That was weird though. Strange things always seemed to happen whenever she was under pressure.
Minutes later, she sensed that she was moving. Was the net being lifted? Some of the boxes shifted and she could see the open sea below... Shiori was slightly worried about falling into the water. If she did, and she were trapped in this box, there would be no escape. Surely they wouldn't let something like that happen on purpose though? They should have more sense than that, and considering that they were trying to stock up on supplies, it was unlikely. As long as the cargo net held, she should be fine.
Soon, they were hovering over the deck of the other ship. Shiori breathed a small sigh of relief now that they'd made it. She hadn't managed to see any of their sails or anything. It irritated her that she still had no clue which crew this was. It could be anyone! She felt Vanora trembling and it made her feel afraid too.
Just then, there was a loud creaking sound...
'Oh no, what was that?!' She gasped. 'The net! It's going to give way!' A set of ruby eyes widened in the darkness.
The enormous cargo net swayed in the breeze, looming back and forth dangerously. She began to panic, knowing that it wasn't going to hold out all the way. Then the ropes that held the nets gave way and everything went tumbling down, all at once. Shiori banged her head against the lid of the crate, hard. Everything instantly faded to black...
A/N: Ooooh, the suspense! I will only give you two hints... Their names are all made up by me, but they're not my OCs. And the guy with the beard is not Blackbeard. That's all. Hehe... But I probably gave it away already, so many clues are there... Well I hope to see you all at the next chapter! Sorry if Shiori's revenge wasn't quite sufficient but I tried. Have to stick to what I have planned, roughly, but I did change it as much as I could, based on reviews.
-Kaline