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 24: Big Surprise
They had just departed from the Miss Love Duck. The mission was an over all success, and the crew was busy going through all of the supplies they'd managed to take. Many of the sacks of goods and crates of food they'd obtained hadn't been gone through yet. They'd all been moved into the rear storage room until they could be properly sorted.
The rest of the crew were going through the storage containers, one by one. And then he heard it... A light scratching from the inside of a rather large crate situated near the back of the room. Was there something amiss?
"Someone get Mitch-san!" A voice shouted.
"What's the problem?" A man in a white hat rounded the corner, just as his name was called.
"There's a girl in this crate!" A different guy yelled, as they pried the lid away from the top of it. "And a... A cat?! This is crazy!"
"What? Let me take a look..." Light brown hair fell into his rugged face, and he stared at what lie inside the crate, packed between the sacks of flour.
There was a girl with strange purplish-white hair lying unconscious. He didn't recall seeing her on board Alvida's ship, but obviously she was a stowaway. She had some bags with her. There was a small kitten scratching at one of the boards that held the wooden box together. The little thing was adorable, but he didn't really know what to do with either of them... They both looked relatively harmless, but he knew all too well that looks could be deceiving out here on the high seas.
"Should we get the Captain?"
"Nah... We shouldn't bother him right now. I'll inform him of what's going on. First, let's get them out of here... Give me a hand."
Her eyes slowly opened... Shiori waited a moment for everything to come into view, just focusing on her breathing for now. She was lying down. The bed wasn't very comfortable, but she felt like there was something placed lightly over her. She grasped the sheet against herself. She was grateful that she was still alive.
The last thing she remembered was hitting her head on the top of the crate when everything fell. She wondered who had found her and why she was here... Whoever they were, they had definitely taken her out of the flour crate. When she looked around the room, she noticed there were bars along the front and solid walls on three sides. Her best guess was that she was in the brig on board their attackers' ship. She had no idea what it was even called. Or where they were headed. They could even be allies of the Navy, for all she knew.
'Great,' She thought, sarcastically. 'So I'm still someone's prisoner...'
Now she had to figure out what to do... She could yell, scream for someone perhaps? But that would only result in her captors finding out she was awake. And right now, that could be a good thing or a bad thing. First and foremost, there was a clear need for more information here.
Shiori sat up in the small bed, and the springs creaked beneath her weight. The conditions were decidedly better than when she was with the Alvida Pirates... She was in a cell all to herself and didn't see anyone else in the room. Which told her that they probably weren't in the habit of taking prisoners. It was obvious that they didn't trust her, and they surely weren't going to just take her word at face value. She would have her work cut out for her in convincing them that she was not their enemy. Hell, she wasn't even so sure that she wasn't! Right now, everyone was either an enemy, or a potential enemy.
She was still wearing all of her clothes, except for her boots, which she spotted nearby on the floor. Her sweater was warm and comfy, surrounding her like a snuggly blue cocoon. That was a good sign... Her seafoam green stockings were really torn, but she had more in her bag. That is, if she could figure out where it was. She moved to pull on her boots and tie them. She realized there was a distinct lack of movement inside her sweater.
'Vanora!' She screamed internally, the moment she realized that her fuzzy little friend was not with her. 'Where did she go?! Have they done something with her? And where's the map?'
When she realized that neither were currently in her possession, she bolted upright, racing across the room and grasping at the bars in desperation. They were arranged in small, upright rectangles. They weren't made of sea prism stone... Just regular metal, probably iron. She wondered why they'd even bother, in that case. She started to use her powers, but realized it would be kind of pointless. There was no one in sight to attack, and she didn't know what use snow would be against prison bars, even if she did manage to use it.
As she moved, she did not miss the pangs of pain that ran through her back... She decided she must not have been out for too long, because her wounds hadn't healed yet.
"I-is anyone here?" She found her voice much weaker than she'd expected.
There was a loud clang somewhere in the distance. This was followed almost immediately by a series of footsteps. Shiori felt a sharp knot form in the pit of her stomach.
Moments later, a man appeared in the door frame. He was somewhat short, but he wore a tall white cowboy hat which masked the fact that his height was lacking. She noticed that it had some sort of copper emblem on it, front and center. He had a lot of stubble on his face, framed by scraggly brown medium-length hair. He wore blue jeans and a green dress shirt that hung open in the front, showing off his muscles.
His emerald eyes narrowed at her, as he appeared to be sizing her up. He looked like he was going to say something, his jaw going slack for a moment before tightening up again, and stopping. He waited for her to speak.
"Why am I here?" She decided to go about this with confidence. Shiori schooled her features, trying to show no doubt. Now was her only chance to prove herself.
"That's what we're still trying to figure out..." He scratched the back of his head. A small smile threatening to emerge, but he suppressed it.
"Who are you?"
"I think you're the one who ought to be telling me that first, little lady... We caught you stowing away on our ship. I'm gonna need you to explain yourself."
"And are you the Captain of this vessel?" Shiori caught herself fidgeting with her hair again, and placed the silvery white strands behind her shoulder.
"No... I'm the first mate. The name's Mitch. Our Captain sent me down to question you. And you can either tell me willingly, or suffer the consequences."
That sounded ominous. She knew she was in no position to be asking them anything, but... She didn't want to seem too weak by just giving them the information right off the bat either. She began to summon a flurry of snow, readying herself for an attack.
"Mitch, huh? What about your last name?"
"Ain't got one." He glared at her, not seeming to enjoy being questioned. "Now it's your turn to talk."
"Fine," She scoffed. "Only if it will get me out of here. You've got to..." Her voice trailed off, before picking back up again. "I want you to promise me that you'll let me go free if I tell you everything."
"Sorry, but that's not for me to decide. The only one who can decide what to do with you is our Captain. And he hasn't even seen you yet. He told me to handle things how I saw fit."
She stopped talking after that. 'Fine. Let them figure it out then.' She shrugged, sitting back down on the bed.
"Oh... So that's how it is, is it? Alright, but you'll be sorry. Our Captain is really strong... He's one of meanest, roughest, scariest sons of bitches in all the seas! Hahah!"
"If he's so strong," Shiori wrinkled her nose at him. "Then why does he feel the need to keep me imprisoned like this? And why hasn't he come to greet me himself?"
"He... Well, he's busy. That's none of your business!" Mitch pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly exasperated. "Look... Have you even tried to open the door to this cell?"
She looked at him for a moment, pondering... Shiori wondered what he meant by that. She got up and lightly pushed on the barred door. It opened with a loud rusty creak. Upon waking up in a strange place, she'd been kind of afraid to explore. Especially after what happened with Alvida. She wouldn't have wanted any of them to hear her escaping either. She knew that sound would have definitely alerted the whole crew to the fact that she was awake and moving around the ship. But why hadn't they locked her in?
"Has it been unlocked this entire time...?" She marveled out loud, before turning to him. "Are you really that arrogant, or are you just stupid?"
"Neither. We don't usually take prisoners. They just end up being more mouths to feed. We found you conked out in a crate of flour. And well... We noticed you have some pretty bad injuries and you were unconscious. There was just nowhere else for you to stay while you recovered. My best guess is that it must've happened when the net broke. Am I right?"
She just stood there, still on the other side of the bars, staring at him with those unusual rose colored eyes... It actually unnerved him. Maybe she remained in the cell because it made her feel safe? Or maybe there was another reason... Mitch had no idea what they were dealing with. He wasn't sure about any of this. He wondered why the Captain had even sent him down here to check on her in the first place. He was surprised she hadn't already come out on her own, since she was awake.
"I was hiding there." The girl finally confessed. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I was... I hid because I didn't want to fight any of you."
"I'd say that's a pretty smart move," The guy adjusted the collar of his shirt. She noticed it was a deep forest green and it really brought out his eyes. "All things considered... But why didn't you just hide with the rest? Or fight us like your Captain wanted?"
"She was never my Captain... I was a slave on her ship, a prisoner just like I am here. Alvida was... horrible to us. I would never willingly serve someone like her. I'd rather die!"
Though the last part was spoken through gritted teeth, there were some things that still made him doubt the truth of her statement. Mitch wasn't sure what the others would think about it, if he told them.
"If you say so... I need to talk it over with the rest of the crew and relay what you've told me to my Captain."
"Can I come with you?"
"I'm not sure if that's a good idea. But I'm going to leave this cell unlocked. We don't mean to keep you a prisoner, but... Do me a favor, and stay here 'til I get back?"
She nodded. The man she now knew was called Mitch turned and left after that.
Shiori was still a bit shaken up from everything she had just been through. She'd awoken with a splitting migraine that really didn't help matters much. She told him what he wanted to hear, knowing that she could get away fairly easily.
Of course she didn't want to leave without finding out what happened to Vanora first. She wished she'd asked him about her... She would make a point to bring that up next time she talked to someone. And there was the map to think about too. She clutched at her neck, finding that the midnight blue pendant was right where it belonged. That was a relief. At least they hadn't taken it away the way Alvida did.
She hoped they would allow her to explain herself to their Captain. All in all, she really hoped this wasn't Blackbeard's ship or some other notorious Pirate like him... She wouldn't stand a chance, and from the way his first mate had talked... It didn't sound too good.
There was a large commotion coming from the main deck. From down in the brig, Shiori couldn't really hear much of it, but she could make out bits and pieces of what was being said. It sounded like they might be discussing what to do with her.
'I'm not going to be anyone's prisoner anymore!' She mentally declared.
She decided to creep closer. Using the snow she'd already produced, she brought it forward and formed it around the hinges of the cell door. She made it as powdery as she could, filling every crevice. She slowly pushed on the door until it opened, and breathed a sigh of relief when it was as silent as she'd intended. The snow was muffling the sound...
As the Valkyrie drew nearer, she began to listen to their conversation. She had to know what they were planning.
"Why would someone stow away in cargo that was bound for another ship, unless they were trying to get away from their current one?" One of the crew members said, with a deep and gruff voice.
"How do we know she was even planning this out? There's no proof of any of that." Walter, the ship's doctor, argued. He adjusted his large top-hat indignantly.
"He's right," The ship's cook, a guy called Rex, stepped in, knowing how levelheaded and rational their doctor usually was. "How would she know we would be taking that particular crate? We didn't even know what we'd be taking beforehand!" He slammed his fists on a small card table, nearly causing it to flip over.
"She might be one of Alvida's crew, hiding like a coward until everything was over." Someone else added.
"Lots of Pirates raid other ships for food and supplies. It's not unheard of... Hell, it's what we do! But we don't know anything about her actual intentions." Rex continued.
"I don't care what you guys say, I really don't like the fact that there's a stowaway to begin with... And I'm sure the Captain won't either!"
Shiori didn't like where this was most likely going. If some of them were against her, she knew the others could easily be swayed. It seemed to be a fairly small crew, from what she could make of it. It was amazing that they'd been able to dispense of Alvida's crew so easily. They were much bigger, but they'd also been weaker. While that was in the back of her mind, she also knew that she might still have the upper hand, since they were so few in number.
She was fed up with all of it. She knew if she wanted answers, she was most likely going to have to get them the hard way. And if there was one way to get a Captain's attention, it was to take on their crew...
'I'm fed up with everyone walking all over me... And I'm through taking orders from these people. I've had it!'
Just then, Mitch walked up. The others all turned to him, expectantly. But before he could say anything, the young lady charged out from behind him. She had her arms crossed over her chest in a deadly position, lashing out at everyone in a blinding fury of pure white snow. They were bowled over by the sudden attack.
"What's happening?" A deep voice groaned.
"Who is that?" Yet another asked.
A large ball of snow hit him square in the chest, but he didn't go down. The first mate only staggered a few feet backward. Smaller flurries swirled around the entire crew, effectively blinding most of them. The short man with the turban that she'd already witnessed fighting back on Alvida's ship came at her with twin daggers already drawn. Shiori knew just from watching him that they were poisoned. She made sure to steer clear of him, aiming instead for the highest of their ranks. She launched a series of furious kicks and punches.
"It's so cold!" Another one of them screamed.
"Get her! Ahh, don't let her hit you!"
Before she could really get her attacks going, Shiori realized that she would need a sword in order to win this fight. They had too many weapons, all of which were aimed at her. But to her surprise, she heard several loud thumps. Most of the members of the crew were passing out from the sudden cold!
'Yeah! I've got this...' She told herself, readying her next move.
"No one's going to imprison me anymore!" The Valkyrie proudly cried, lunging herself at Mitch again.
She'd noticed that he wasn't holding a sword or anything. But something caught her off guard... Suddenly, she couldn't move. Something was wrapping around her legs from the deck. It was a length of rope!
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" The brunette got in her face, yelling. Even more ropes tied her up, although she was still fighting the restraints. They weren't sea prism stone, so she could still attack him. He staggered backward when he was hit with yet another blow, out of nowhere. "Hey, hey! Easy, okay...? Just relax little lady! I'm not going to hurt you."
"That's what they all say... You fucking bastard, let me go!" She kicked at him with all her might when he drew near. Then he stepped back, just out of her reach.
"Damn, she's got a mouth on her, haha..." One of the other crew mates chuckled.
"Calm down," Mitch's green eyes stared at her, unwavering. "I was about to inform everyone about the situation, when you stormed up here and attacked us for no reason!"
"No reason?!" She flailed, her eyes wild, trying to look at everything to make sure no one was coming at her. "I'll show you a reason! You had me locked inside a prison cell! You-"
"Funny... I don't remember the door ever being locked. If you'll calm down for a moment, I'll explain and take you to our Captain. He hasn't bothered to see you yet, he was only informed of the situation, and he said he wanted us to bring you to him as soon as you woke up."
"...Aren't you worried I'll attack him?"
"Hahahahaha!" Mitch, along with the rest of the men that were gathered on deck, began a round of bellowing laughter that echoed across the entire ship. "That's a laugh! No, sweetheart, we're not worried..."
'I'm more of a threat than you realize...' She mentally responded, but decided to keep those thoughts to herself for now. 'Assholes...'
"So... You're a Devil Fruit user, is that right?" A tall man in a trench coat and black top-hat greeted her with an annoying smile. He was sitting on a box, and it didn't look like he'd even moved at all during the fight.
"..." She refused to meet his gaze.
"It's okay, you can tell us..." Mitch tried to reassure her with a pat on the back, but she jerked away from him. "Wow, touchy... Okay then. Well, I'm a Devil Fruit user too. The Ropu Ropu no Mi, actually. It means I can summon all the rope I'll ever need and tie anyone up at any time."
"I'm willing to wager she's using the Yuki Yuki no Mi, from the looks of it..."
"Quiet, Walter-san..." The rope fruit user scratched his head for a second. "Now that you've caused such a ruckus, I'm sure the Captain will be wanting to see you, once he wakes up from his nap."
"Nap? Where is he? Let me see him. I want to have a word with the man who thinks that he can just take me captive, I-"
"Calm down first. Then we'll see. He's just behind that door, and if you wake him up, you'll be sorry!"
He gave her a few minutes to compose herself.
"Zetsui-san, please carry the little lady into the Captain's quarters behind me."
"Sure thing boss!" The enormous hulk of a man walked over and attempted to pick her up by the ropes.
He seemed to sense that she disliked being touched. Shiori remembered him from the attack on the Miss Love Duck. She'd already seen the terrifying power that the brute possessed. At the moment, she was fed up and didn't care.
Having had enough of being held captive, the Valkyrie concentrated her abilities with all her might, remembering what Whitey Bay had taught her before. Slowly, her body shifted into pure snow. The white mass melted through the ropes that were now unable to hold her. She would have done it earlier, but now she knew where their Captain was. Several of the men tried to hit her with various attacks, but none of them landed. They were instead consumed by the fluid-like cold powder, which absorbed every blow.
"There is nothing you can do." She told them all, in a calm voice, partially reforming so that her face was visible and she could talk.
"Somebody stop her!" Mitch called to the others, also going after her. He had no idea what they were dealing with, but he'd just been under the assumption that he had the upper hand. Now it was more than obvious that was not the case.
She moved with even more grace than if she were in her human form. The first thing she did was go after the ones who posed the biggest threat. The big fishman called Zetsui was encased in snow, halting his movements and causing him to shiver from the biting cold. Being cold-blooded, he was particularly vulnerable to it.
She'd summoned up quite a flurry, and it was overtalking all of them. The short one in the turban was next, and due to his small stature, that made things even easier. The mass of snow enveloped their feet, then crawled up their legs to ensure that they could not move. She could finish them off later, but right now she only needed to stop most of them from moving or slow them down. Some were more difficult to get a hold of than others, and she tossed a few of them overboard, causing the others to erupt into a panic.
'I'll do what I want, screw all of you...' Shiori thought. 'I'll be damned if I let anyone control me anymore!'
Before they could do anything, she had made her way over to the door, where she reformed only seconds before disappearing inside. She no longer cared for taking the easy way out. For now, she would let the storm she'd summoned keep them busy. She was determined not to let them capture her. If she took out their Captain, she might be able to get the map back and find out where Vanora was too, if she was lucky...
The Captain's quarters were somewhat smaller than she'd expected. It seemed like the rest of his men were scared to come in and bother him, whoever he was. The only one following her was Mitch, but since she had to move fast, Shiori didn't have time to take in too much information about her new surroundings.
The room was dim and cluttered, but she could make out a table on the far end, where it looked like someone was seated in a chair, with their head resting on one arm on a table. The guy looked like he'd just passed out. He had dark brown hair, almost ink black. It fell to his neck in slightly wavy spiked clumps. A tacky orange hat similar to Mitch's white one was lying on the table near him, discarded.
She took a deep breath... And waited for him to awaken. It seemed to take longer than she expected. After only a few seconds, she got impatient.
"Wake up!" The Valkyrie shouted, making sure to slam her fists down on the table hard, now that she was her true self again. "I'll defeat you and your whole damned crew if I have t-"
Slowly, the man raised his head to stare at her with deep brown eyes. Freckles adorned his cheeks, and he stared for several long moments until she jumped back, as if burned. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
'I... I know those eyes... That face... you...'
"Y-you..." She stammered, her jaw dropping in pure shock. "Ace-kun?!"
Mitch finally caught up to her, but it was too late. Their Captain was already awake. He saw the girl standing just a few feet away from him. It was pretty obvious what had happened. The man immediately shot him a deadly glare.
"I'm sorry, Captain," His first mate apologized profusely, bowing to him. "She just fought her way past us and barged right in. I'll see to it that she's taken back to the brig and-"
"Nah..." He said harshly, holding up a hand and looking around sleepily. He rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Leave her be. Would you mind waiting outside for a few minutes?"
"But she-"
"Just do it."
"Alright, I'm going. But I'll be right outside if something happens." He gave Shiori a pointed look on his way out. She did not miss the note of gradually receding anger, as he slammed the door. After all, she'd just made him look like a disgrace in front of his Captain.
Speaking of which, she now had no choice but to turn her attention back to the man in front of her. And he was definitely a man now. This was not the same little boy that she had once known. Shiori could tell that he'd changed a lot. He'd grown more rugged, for one thing, and his muscles were extremely well-defined... He wore a bright yellow unbuttoned shirt that left them mostly exposed, and even with it on, they were still clearly visible. She was shocked at how much he had changed since leaving Goa Kingdom. She could barely believe it was him. And to think that he had become the Captain of such a fierce crew!
She felt her control over her abilities fade... She was no longer able to maintain her hold over the Pirates that she'd just faced outside. The snow around them was melting, and it's grip went slack. They were able to free themselves and it wouldn't take long for them to discover that they could move again. She hoped no one developed frost bite... But that was the farthest thing from her mind at the moment. She was so distracted by the strange and unexpected sight in front of her that she barely even noticed that she'd lost her focus.
Ace stood. He could only stare at her in awe. His jaw dropped, as he took her in. Was this the same Shiori from back then? She was still so petite... Short and skinny, it was obvious that the poor girl was malnourished. But oddly, she looked like she was very capable of handling things on her own. There was something different about her, a certain darkness in her eyes that hadn't been there before...
The two just took each other in, sizing one another up. They were unsure of what to do in this particular situation. Everything seemed to be set up so that they would be enemies... Except well, they weren't. They certainly didn't feel that way, at least.
"You're the Captain?!" Shiori squeaked incredulously. "How in the-"
"Heh. You're one to talk!" He grinned, and it was like it could light a thousand rooms. "You've certainly grown up. Although you're still tiny..."
She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, unsure of why it was even there. "You just seem... older. And I'm older too. That's all."
"You look like you've barely aged at all, except for-" He suddenly stopped, mid-sentence. His eyes raked over her body, noting the addition of womanly curves to her otherwise small frame. "For... Well, ahh..."
He noticed she had on a baggy sky blue sweater... It was starting to fade to gray at the edges a little bit, and for some reason it looked sort of familiar, though he couldn't recall ever seeing her in it. The way it fell off of one shoulder to reveal a thick black strap seemed to somehow suit her personality. It was pretty, but a little bit off-kilter. You could tell that she was hiding things, but not what she was hiding. Her black skirt looked a little shorter than something he would have pictured her in. He wondered if she knew she had so many holes in her stockings. Something about it bothered him, like he wanted to fix it somehow.
But no, he would accept her just the way she was. That same silvery lavender white hair, those deep pink mauve eyes, that little beauty mark that stood out on her left cheek, there was just something ethereal about her...
"What?" The Valkyrie crossed her arms indignantly, awaiting his response.
"Uhh, forget it. It's nothing..."
She realized that she'd been fidgeting with her hair and stopped herself. "How did you manage to become Captain of such a fierce crew? I can't even believe it!"
"You think you've got questions for me? Last I heard, you hated Pirates with all your might!" He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "Now you're here, in the middle of the ocean, complimenting my crew? They told me there was a stowaway on board, but I never would've thought it would turn out to be you."
He raised an eyebrow in the same fashion that he always had. Such a familiar action made her want to smile. It was good to see that he still had some of the same mannerisms.
'Some things never change...'
"So much has happened since you left!" She admitted. "I know I used to be against Piracy, but... I never thought it would be anything like this. Hell, I never imagined our paths would even cross again! Especially not this soon."
"It feels like it's been forever though. A lot has changed. You even talk differently... And I see that you've stopped stuttering." He teased, with a wink. "But more importantly... What are you doing way out here?"
"What do you mean? I was hiding in a crate when suddenly it got picked up by some of your men and then, next thing you know, I woke up here!"
"So you're the stowaway, huh?"
"You're only just figuring this out?" Shiori giggled. "Really Ace?"
"Cut me a little slack," He waved a hand dismissively, followed by a stretch and yawning. "I did just wake up, you know."
"You couldn't even be bothered to see to a stowaway yourself to make sure they weren't someone you knew? You didn't even bother to ask your crew for more details?"
"I'm really not used to dealing with the unpleasant business of prisoners and all. It's the first time this has ever happened. Plus I was all worn out from my fight with Alvida... I'm tired." He yawned again, as if for emphasis.
"You fought Alvida?!" Her ruby eyes widened in awe. She couldn't help it.
"Your voice still gets so squeaky whenever you get all worked up..." Ace remarked, with a grin. "But yeah, I may not have finished her off, but I took her down a peg at least. We're not worried about wasting energy on such small time Pirates. We just wanted to weaken them enough to take whatever supplies they had, that's all."
"Ah, so that's what you were after all along..."
He nodded. "What can I say? We're simple people with simple goals."
A small mewl drew her attention to the other side of the room. Shiori's vision honed in on it, and even in the dark cabin, there was no mistaking what it was. A small grayish white ball of fluff was curled up on the bed that rested against a wall to her left. She was just waking up, probably from the sound of their voices.
"Vanora-chan!" She squealed with glee, rushing over to her side and scooping up the tiny kitten. "I was really worried about you! I missed you so much!" She cuddled her precious companion for a moment, before turning back to Ace. "Did you have her in here the whole time?"
The kitten burrowed into her arms, hiding under the sleeves of her sweater, until the only thing that was visible were the stripes of her fluffy little tail.
'Worried about you...' There was a strange echo in her mind just then. It seemed like her own voice, but something about it was off. 'Missed you...'
"Yeah..." The Captain admitted, with a slight nod. He walked over to her and put out his hand, but the small creature only hissed at him. "She doesn't seem to like me much. They brought her to me, saying they found her in the crate too. Figured I'd keep her for myself, but... She wouldn't let anyone near her. Then the cute little thing curled up in my bed and wouldn't budge, so I fell asleep at the table."
"My..." Shiori laughed sarcastically. "You sure are a vicious Pirate..."
"Hey, don't just go insulting me like that! You haven't even seen what the Spades can do yet. You've only had a small taste."
"The Spades?"
"That's what our crew is called. We're the Spade Pirates."
"..." It took a moment for it to sink in. Ace. Spades... Cards? "Oh my gosh, that's so cheesy Ace-kun! Hahaha!"
"Are you making fun of me?" He took several steps forward, closing the distance between them. His thick black boots clunked across the floor, stopping just short of her own.
It wasn't until now that she noticed how tall he'd gotten since she'd last seen him. Shiori had to tilt her head back just to look up at him. She was much shorter. She only came to his chest or his shoulders at best. To put it simply, Ace was a big guy. He had a scary look on his face, and she wasn't sure what to expect. During her travels, the most prominent thing she'd learned was that anything could happen. She hadn't meant to offend him. She hoped she didn't just wear out her welcome already. The last thing she wanted was to piss off such a scary man.
"N-no, I wasn't... I mean I was j-just having a little fun, that's all. With you, n-not at you..." She explained, shying away.
"Your speech problem is back," He snickered, dropping his facade of seriousness and cracking a smile. "Listen, now that you're here, it changes things a bit... I should probably let my crew know that you're alright and not to mess with you."
"Ahh... Yeah..." The Valkyrie nodded, not knowing what else to say. This felt so awkward for some reason and she felt the need to move away from him.
Vanora was still purring in her arms. Ace reached down to pet her, and she flinched at first, but now she let him, feeling his fingers smooth down her silken fur. They paused to scratch her behind the ears. Crystal blue eyes stared at him, trusting this newcomer a bit more now that she was safely back in her master's arms, but still not letting her guard down for so much as a single second.
"Come on." He gestured toward the door.
"I'm not sure if I should-" The girl was becoming timid again, and she hid her face behind a curtain of snowy white hair. "I mean... Are you sure they'll listen to you? They were pretty angry with me before..."
"I'm sorry they were hostile toward you," Ace suddenly became serious again. "But that was before any of us knew who you were. My crew respects me and they would never harm one of my Nakama... Or have you forgotten all of that?"
"No! I never-"
"Good. Let's go. Don't worry, okay?" He flashed her a big reassuring smile before moving.
He turned to leave the small dark room, and she followed him. Her movements were awkward and hesitant. It was like she was stiff and could barely move. As soon as they were outside, she noticed that all of the men were accounted for. It looked like they'd managed to save the ones she'd thrown overboard on her rampage earlier. She was glad the damage hadn't been worse.
"Alright guys, listen up!" All eyes turned to their Captain, at the sound of his booming voice, which was usually loud and low... "This girl here... Is Shiori-chan! She's under my protection. She's actually an old friend of mine. So you hurt her and I'll break your face! Any problem?" They all immediately shook their heads no. "Good."
"Uhhh..." Shiori began to back away, but he put an arm around her back and pulled her forward. It felt really strange when he did. It also hurt, and she winced.
"See? I told you it'd be fine." Ace grinned triumphantly. "Hey, are you okay? Why are you- Whoa! You're bleeding!"
"I'm fine, don't worry about it."
"Captain, there's something you should probably know..." Mitch was the first one of the crew to speak up. "Right after she woke up, this girl attacked us and she even pushed Hiretu, Rex, and Hoko overboard! Having a woman on board is bad luck. She's impossible and I don't-"
"If you so much as touch her," Suddenly, their Captain became deadly serious. "I will break your face. I don't give a fuck. Got it?" He got right in his first mate's face and stared him down, menacingly.
'He's a lot scarier than I remember...' Shiori thought, backing away and clutching her kitten protectively.
"Understood sir..."
"Good." Ace cracked a smile then, once again becoming more pleasant. "Now that that's settled, I think that-"
"I should say something," Came a meek voice from behind him. Shiori stepped forward again, trying not to be too intimidated from all the eyes that were now on her. "I just wanted to say that I... I'm really sorry for what I did. I guess I should explain. I was feeling attacked and I'd just gotten out of a really bad situation and-"
"Say no more," The man in the black top-hat from before, the one Mitch had referred to earlier as Walter, greeted her with a charming smile. "It's always a pleasure to meet a friend of Ace's."
She was getting somewhat annoyed that they all kept cutting her off. But these were a bunch of high strung men, so she wasn't sure what she expected.
"Yeah... Thanks." She replied dryly, still remembering that they'd been bitter enemies only moments before. It was hard to be nice when someone was just acting hostile toward you.
"Well guys," Ace interrupted them. "Since I'm trying to lift everyone's spirits a bit... We were already planning a victory party tonight anyway. But now we'll have to kick it up a notch! The party will be in Shiori's honor!"
He raised what she realized was a full mug of what smelled like beer. It clinked against several others that belonged to his men. They all seemed to break out in merriment only moments after he'd spoken the words. Many of them also had glasses of various types of alcohol, mostly beer or mead, she noted.
'When did he even get that?!' Shiori gasped, but then it turned into a stifled laugh.
"Alright then! Let's party! Woooo!" Mitch cried out, also breaking out his drinking mug.
Ace was already beginning to delegate tasks. "Rex-san, I need you to start working on food. See if you can make something delicious for everyone by tonight?"
"Aye-aye, Captain!" An average looking man wearing a yellow bandana wrapped around his head with a small black goatee saluted him, getting up and walking toward the back of the ship.
"Geirin-san, go and help him with the preparations," Their Captain continued barking orders at everyone. "And Hiretu-san, I need you to tend to the ship. Hoko-san, make sure we're still on course and then help out in the kitchen if they need you. Mitch, oversee everything while I'm gone. Walter-san, I'm going to need your help over here... As for the rest of you, just help out where you're needed and don't get into trouble."
Everyone got up and dispersed to do as they were told, even while drinking. Shiori had to admire the way Ace's crew listened to him so readily. It was almost like they hung on his every word. It was obvious that they both liked and respected him. And he seemed like a good leader too. While she didn't fully understand everything that went into putting together a crew, she knew it couldn't be easy.
"Where are we going?" She asked, when they turned toward an unknown part of the ship. She didn't know her way around yet.
"Back inside," Ace explained. "This is Walter, he's our ship's doctor. He's going to take a look at whatever is wrong with you... And I'm going to be there to make sure nothing goes wrong."
"But I told you, I'm fine and I don't-"
"When a woman says she's fine..." The man in the top-hat interrupted them. She looked up at him, realizing that he was somehow even taller than his Captain. "She's never fine. Let's go to my office and I'll have a look. I've got lots of medicine that could help. I'll need you to tell me what happened though."
Shiori just gave him a really skeptical look. She was still holding Vanora, unsure whether it was safe to put her down anywhere. And right now, having the little ball of fluff to pet was very calming for her.
"I'm not sure I even know where to begin... But I guess that will be alright." As much as she hated to admit it, she knew that she really needed some kind of medical attention.
"It'll be okay," There was that smile again. Ace walked just behind the two of them as they approached a door around the side of the ship. "Trust me. Besides... We have a lot of catching up to do!"
A/N: I'm so sorry for not having this chapter finished sooner, but I got really sick and I'm just getting over a bad cold/flu, idk... Forgive meeeee! ;n;
So! Looks like she's on board the Spade Pirates' ship... Hehe, I'm so clever. (Not really.) I'm sure a lot of you guessed it already. As for the Spade Pirates themselves, their names and abilities were never mentioned but only hinted at in canon, so I had to study pics of them and give them all names, personalities, and abilities. I hope I did well. More of them will be revealed in time. Also, hopefully the tension between Ace and Shiori was tangible enough for now? I don't plan on rushing things with them. Hope you enjoyed!
Btw, I'm not sure how many people who read on here also watch me on DeviantArt, but I just thought I'd mention this, in case you were interested... I recently finished a really NSFW/adult drawing of Ace and Shiori for Valentines Day. It's on my DA account (KalineReine) if you want to check it out. c;
-Kaline