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 30: Docking In Port

They'd disposed of Pierre in a similar fashion as all of the others... His corpse had been tossed carelessly overboard, to provide more food for the sharks. And the Royal Flush continued to sail onward.

It had been a sad thing that happened, but in a way she could not explain, it just... Felt right, somehow. It felt like most of the awful things she'd gone through on that ship had been dealt with. It was like they'd been made up for, in some way. And now she would be able to more fully move on from things. She could get on with the rest of her life without that shadow lingering over her head.

She stared out over the endless sea, her eyes not moving from the red spot where those who were punished had disappeared. She didn't avert her gaze until all of the blood had completely dissipated back into the water and the clear blue prevailed.

'Now if only I could get the same retribution for those responsible for the massacre at the Monastery...' She'd been trying to fight it off, but the bitter thoughts intruded upon her anyway.

"It won't be long now..." Ace said, once the rest of the crew had gone back to their various duties and chores. He seemed to notice the intensity of her gaze.

"Until what?" Shiori asked.

"'Til we reach port. You sure you're ready?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded firmly. "I'd like to spend a little time at port, maybe get my bearings back after being out at sea for so long..."

"Me too. I'm not sure how long we'll be able to stay though. Gotta go after that treasure some time, am I right?" He winked.

The wind was blowing his dark hair around his face, having picked up again after the storm they'd passed through. Shiori was affected by it too. She looked toward the sky to spot some seagulls flying over head.

"Where there are gulls, there's land..." The albino stated the obvious. When he nodded, she continued. "I can't wait to get off of this vessel and get rid of the dead weight we've been carrying. Sorry again about that."

"No need to be sorry."

"I know, it's j-just... I'm the one who asked you to take them in, and... I'm sure some of them were probably upset by what we did, you know? It'd be best to get rid of them before they plan a mutiny or worse."

Ace laughed then. "I'm not too worried about that. I think we can handle it, and I'm pretty sure they know that too." He smirked. There was that famous arrogance rearing it's ugly head again.

He wasn't entirely certain at what point she'd become so fierce. But it didn't really matter in the long run. There there certain things that he just couldn't stand, but... Ace was the type to accept someone for however they happen to be, as long as they were a decent person where it counted. And she definitely was.

"Well it doesn't hurt to be careful." Shiori chuckled. "Anyway, have you had your navigator take a look at the map yet?"

"I figured it would wait, but I guess you're right. I should try to find Hoko-san and see if he's finished looking at it yet."

"Our deal is st-still on, right?" She asked somewhat nervously, fidgeting with the hem of her sky blue sweater. It was such a comforting shade, though he wasn't sure why.

"The one where I take you to the island and let you make off with the ice sword, if it's real, and you pay me for my crew's services by way of the treasure once we find it?"

"Yeah... You seem really s-skeptical about it..."

"That's because I am. No offense, but anything that old is likely already taken by some other lucky sailor. Think about it... There's always a chance someone might have already stumbled across the island, even without a map."

"That's true," Shiori nodded, running a hand through her messy hair to try to straighten it a bit. "But it is in an isolated part of the Grand Line. Anyway, if you don't think it's real, you don't have to take me there."

"All I'm saying is..." He hesitated.

Ace really didn't want to allow his emotions to cloud his judgment. This girl was a very old friend of his, that much was true... But business was business, and he couldn't afford to deliberately steer his crew in the wrong direction. Treasure was always nice, but searching for such things could also be dangerous. Not that it scared him any... It was just that he didn't want his crew getting angry with him for wasting their time or anything.

Vanora loomed over her shoulder nervously, having stretched herself across from one of her covered shoulders to the other bare one. She let out a soft mew, as if she even knew what was going on. She seemed to tense up every time Shiori did. It was amusing.

"What? What is it?"

"We haven't properly talked over all of the terms of our little 'agreement' yet. What will you do if we get there and the sword is gone, or it never existed in the first place?"

"Then the treasure is still yours. All of it." She looked him in the eye, showing with startling clarity the severity of just how serious she was. She meant it.

"Are you absolutely sure about that? And what if it isn't there at all? What if it's fake and we can't even find this island? How are you going to pay me back?"

The Captain stared her down, his copper eyes seeming to read into her very soul. It was uncomfortable and Shiori had to look away, lest she were to reveal too much. He could be very intimidating when he wanted to be.

"It's there," She said firmly. "Don't worry. And even if it isn't, I'm sure we'll figure something out when the time comes. The only way to know for certain is to go, right? So either we go, or we don't. You can drop me off at the port along with the other slaves if I'm such a burden to you."

The Valkyrie turned to leave. She'd had enough of this... It was already a long shot at best, she knew that. All voyages came with a certain amount of risk involved. That was just the nature of Piracy. It was unlikely that she'd be able to find another way to get there, at least not in the foreseeable future. She hated it when people went back on their word, and she had a very bad feeling that's what was happening here. Earlier, he'd agreed that they would take her there, and now he seemed to be questioning that decision. She wondered why, but didn't feel that it was her place to ask.

"Shiori-chan," He stopped her, standing in front of the girl and blocking her path. "Listen, it's not like that. It's not a problem at all. I just wanted us to be able to work out all of the details before we get too carried away, that's all."

He paused for a moment. It was almost like they were talking about negotiating a relationship or something... That wasn't how he'd meant it. Before he could contemplate on this further, she interrupted his thought process.

"You're right..." Dejected, she was staring down at her boots. A defeated sigh escaped her. "That is wise. I just don't want to cause a-any fuss while I'm here."

"While you're here...?" The Captain rolled his eyes. "Don't talk like that! You're a Spade now. You're one of us... So if it's really that important to you, then it will be important to us too. We'll go. I just need to have Hoko-san study the coordinates for a bit and then we'll be off."

"Alright. Only if you think it's worth taking the chance."

"Okay then..."

Ace moved out of the way, turning to go in the opposite direction. He was off to find the navigator before something else happened. Now that they'd figured things out, he intended to keep his word. He wasn't one to make false promises. He'd already proven that to the rest of his crew countless times over. Now it was time to prove it to their newest member as well.

'That was such a weird conversation...' Shiori could not suppress the sigh of relief that came once he was gone. 'Why is it so nerve-wracking to be around him?' She wondered.

She decided it would be best to get some rest after the ordeal they'd all just been through. It turned out that torturing people could actually be extremely tiring... Who knew?

She scratched her kitten's head thoughtfully, snuggling with Vanora when she nuzzled into her neck. It was nice having the comfort that such a tiny cat could bring. Her striped tail rubbed under the albino's chin, as the furry little creature made her way over to her other shoulder again.

The Valkyrie headed straight for her room.

Nischela had just finished her breakfast. She had taken to drinking just to block out the screams coming from outside. They could be heard so clearly, ringing out above the roar of the ocean. About halfway through, she'd gone to ask Rex for a glass of whiskey. She was currently on her third one when Mitch walked into the galley.

"I told you I'd be back for you, ya little wench!" A very inebriated first mate was leaning over the girl, leering at her.

He slammed his fist down on the table for emphasis. He'd also been drinking, while they were executing the prisoners. It was obvious that he was drunk, from the way his body seemed to sway to and fro.

She looked up into his dark green eyes, meeting his gaze unashamedly. "Back for me, eh? And what makes me so worthy?" She did nothing to hide the sarcasm in her tone.

The secret agent stood, closing her eyes and reopening them slowly and deliberately. She stared him down, holding her ground. She insisted on showing him that she was not afraid. She'd spent far too much time being afraid of Alvida during her time with her, and right now, she was not about to let any of these Pirates intimidate her. Especially when it had nothing to do with her current mission.

"What makes you think I'd tell you that?" Mitch continued to toy with her, his eyes burning, his gaze smoldering. "Look at you... Drinking our booze, taking advantage of our kindness!"

Nischela wasn't sure if it was anger or lust that he was displaying toward her. She wasn't sure how to proceed...

"Are you trying to intimidate me? Because if so..." She paused to adjust her glasses, their metallic rims catching the light at an angle and reflecting it. Then she took another sip of her drink before placing it loudly back down on the table. "You're doing a piss poor job."

She'd turned from the bench to face him. The two sized one another up in the middle of the galley. Most of their crew had already eaten by the time she had gotten there. Then they'd all gone off to help Shiori get revenge on those who had wronged her, leaving Nischela with the room mostly to herself. And she wished it could have stayed that way. She didn't need this guy storming in to harass her. Especially after her friend and rival had just done something she wholeheartedly disagreed with on so many levels.

"You shouldn't talk to me that way. You and I have a score to settle anyway."

"Get lost..." She muttered dryly.

"Tch. You're lucky we don't put you to work and treat you the same way you treated the slaves that were under your command."

Now she didn't care if she angered him or not. "You think you know everything but in reality, you know nothing!"

He really didn't know everything that she'd had to give up to be there. He also didn't know that she was a secret agent and it had been her duty to go wherever she was stationed. She couldn't tell him, but... It wasn't like she'd had any choice in the matter. She balled up her fists, getting ready for the fight that she knew was about to break out.

And with that, he put one arm on either side of her, pinning her between him and the table. She chose the table, and leaned back on it, sitting down. While it wasn't impossible to get away yet, it would be a lot more difficult if she needed to get out of his reach.

Mitch grabbed her by her disheveled ponytail, dragging her back to her feet before she could escape. She tried to pry herself free, but he was far too strong. Without warning, he proceeded to slam her into the wall. It knocked the air right from her lungs! She cried out in pain, her eyes scanning the room over his shoulder to see if there were anyone available to help. There was no one there, they were alone...

"You should finish the drink that you so cleverly swindled from us!" He laughed, grabbing her glass and pouring the burning whiskey forcefully down her throat. "Swallow it, bitch!"

She had no choice but to gulp it down, nearly choking on the strong liquor. Before she could protest, she felt ropes snaking up along her arms and legs. They coiled around her lower limbs and tied themselves around her wrists and ankles. She wasn't sure what was happening here, whether he was restraining her for some evil purpose or if it was because he just didn't want her to run away.

"Why bother to restrain me? Afraid you're just that ugly that it'll make me run away?"

'That's a lie...' She thought. 'But he needs to hear it.'

"You need to learn to watch your smart mouth. Or..." Mitch trailed off, leaving things between them obscure.

Her gray eyes cast a glance down at his lips. She was fixated on them for some reason. "Or what?"

Without warning, the first mate and second in command of their ship leaned forward, his mouth crashing into hers. He held his breath, his tongue coming out and forcefully delving between her lips, beckoning her to open up for him. She allowed it, reciprocating the kiss. It felt like she had no other choice in that moment. Everything was confusing, overwhelming... And it was taking over her senses. She couldn't walk anymore, her knees were far too weak after he kissed her, but she found herself kissing him back anyway.

In a flurry of movement, she struggled in her bonds. Nischela hated not being able to move. She needed to do something... But he had her right where he wanted her. And he broke the kiss, looking at her like a man half starved to death.

"What are you-"

She was interrupted when he kissed her again. The man held a kind of ferocity within him that she had never known. It intrigued her... The feel of his stubble rubbing against her skin, his hands tangling themselves in her messy hair, cradling the back of her head to fully control the motions of the kiss... All of it was maddening. She rubbed her own tongue against his feverishly, as if trying to one up him on all of this.

Mitch leaned into her, rocking his hips against her. She felt how hard he was, how much he needed her. Everything else melted away into oblivion after that. He had her pinned against the wall, half tied up, and unable to escape. Goosebumps spread all over her flesh, putting her on edge.

In the midst of losing himself, Mitch's control over his Devil Fruit powers had also slackened a bit. The ropes went slack against the floor. His hold on her forfeit, Nischela realized it the moment it happened. She had a choice to make now... She could continue with this interaction and see how far he was willing to go, or she could slap him and run back to the brig, where he wouldn't dare to touch her in front of the others. She was sure of it.

As it was, one of his big hands moved up to cup her breasts. They hung, large and round, over the shelf of her underbust corset. He rubbed against them with the back of his hand at first, letting her feel each bump of his knuckles against her nipples, before rubbing them gently with his fingers. He became a little more rough when she arched her back, unable to fight the pleasurable sensations that his touch was awakening within her.

Unable to contain herself, Nischela felt herself melding into him, slowly but surely letting go of her inhibitions. She felt a certain kind of excitement, a thrill she had never truly known... And she'd known plenty of people- both men and women- intimately before. This was different somehow. The attraction between them had been sizzling, crackling in the air, almost tangible, from the very moment she'd been brought on board this vessel.

"We should... Take this some place else." Mitch pulled back for a moment. He appeared to be merely suggesting it, no longer as demanding as he was before.

"Where?" She raised an eyebrow, perplexed.

"Your room?"

"Why my room? I have to share it with like two different women... And a little kid."

"It's better than mine," Mitch informed her, though his voice was still dripping with lust. "I have to share it with a dozen other men. And the slaves now too..."

She didn't say anything, only watched as he removed the braided ropes from her. It was like watching an octopus releasing the grip of it's tendrils from around its prey... He did something unexpected then. Lifting her up, he cupped both hands around her butt, holding her against his hardness. She could feel it rubbing her sex, even through the fabric of her skirt and panties.

Nischela fought down a blush, and resisted the urge to let out a moan. 'Damn it... I will not allow him to break me like this! I'm not weak...' She repeated it like a mantra, in her head. 'I'm not weak... I'm not!'

She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding herself up with her arms around his neck. And she pulled him in for another unexpected kiss. When she moved against him, Mitch moaned a little, now having great difficulty controlling himself. He somehow managed to summon the willpower to carry her outside. She kept each leg hooked around his waist so he wouldn't drop her.

Once they were out of the galley and onto the main deck, Nischela felt so exposed. The two received all sorts of odd looks from the rest of the crew... Mitch didn't seem bothered by it in the least, however. They were met with glad cries of encouragement, and some sly knowing smiles as well.

Ace happened to see them just as they were about to enter the brig. He called out to his long-time friend... "Yeah, Mitch-san! Get some!"

"You know it!" He laughed merrily.

The two of them high-fived in that instance, before Mitch kicked open the door and carried the girl inside. He wondered what her roommates' reactions would be. He wasn't too worried about it, because most who dared to call the seas their home would be understanding about this type of thing. Nischela was still clinging to him and the movement from him walking was causing her wetness to drip down her legs, drenching her stockings.

They stormed into the room together, startling Mia, who placed a hand over her chest worriedly. She jumped a bit.

"Oh! You startled me! I hadn't expected anyone to suddenly burst in like that."

"It's fine." Nischela smiled cheekily, as the man tossed her haphazardly onto the bed and leaned over her with a lecherous look in his eye.

"Yep. Now if you don't mind," The strong Pirate's voice was muffled by the fact that his face was immediately buried in her neck, then nuzzling between her bosom. "We'd like to have use of the room."

"Oh my goodness! What are you-"

"Out!" Nischela growled, in a more commanding tone this time. She pointed a stern finger at the door. "Unless you want to see things that I'm pretty sure you don't!"

"Alright, I'm going! Goodness..." Mia rushed out, her apron tails flaying behind her in a rush.

"That was easy enough." Mitch shrugged, moving even lower, until he'd begun busying his hands with the task of unclasping her corset in the front.

"Leave it." She told him, smirking like a she-devil.

"Kinky..." He muttered. "I like it!"

They both heard the door slam, as Mia had fled the room. They were glad that her son hadn't been in there at that particular moment in time. Mitch figured he would have to take the time to learn about these types of things soon enough, but she may not have wished for that time to be now.

Now that they were all alone with little chance of being interrupted, Nischela began to grind against him, temptingly. She loved the way he groaned when she moved against him. It was not long until her hands had found their way down below his waist. She fondled him through the silken fabric of his pants, watching every expression as it passed across his chiseled features. It made her smile.

'It's been a while since I've had such a responsive partner...' She thought.

It wasn't long before he'd managed to pull down the front of her shirt, accessing her enormous breasts. Mitch tweaked her nipples and flipped her over on the bed. His hand rubbed all over her sex, fondling her and making her shake with need.

"Mmmm... Enough! I want you inside me now!" Nischela moaned.

"In a hurry eh?" He muttered, getting behind her and lowering his pants to his knees. "I like taking women from behind..."

"Sounds dirty, I love it!" She cried out as he entered her... "Oh, you're so big! YES!"

"Unh!" He let out a groan with the first thrust, burying himself to the hilt. "So nice and tight... Mmmm... Fuck yeah!"

This was followed by vigorous thrusting and a series of very loud happy moans that expanded to fill the room. Mitch was pounding into her as hard as he could, and she was taking every bit of it like a champ.

He eventually flipped her over onto her back so she would be more comfortable. He just wasn't able to really fuck her like he wanted in that position... Not without her head banging into the wall, at least. He did his best to ensure that she knew this wasn't anything serious, although it may not be the last time it happened either. The two groaned incoherently, writhing together on the bed, each reaching further into fevered bliss.

Just then, a very confused albino girl entered the room... She'd been headed in for a bit of rest after her most recent negotiations with Ace. She walked right in, oblivious as to what was going on.

"Hey Nischela-chan, I-" She stopped cold.

Something about this was not right... Her friend wasn't listening. Mitch was on top of her. She was making the most peculiar sounds, and... They were moving against each other in a strange fashion. Then it dawned on her!

'Are they... Are they really...?!' Ruby-like eyes widened in awe.

She'd only ever read about this in books, and never actually seen the act itself being done. Especially not by people she was so familiar with. And with their clothes still mostly on?

"O-oh my!" Shiori's face turned a million shades of red. "I'm so sorry, I d-didn't realize... I'll just be g-going now!" It seemed that her stuttering problem did indeed return whenever she was stressed or just feeling out of sorts.

Nischela smirked at her. "Stay if you want. Aaahh!" She offered, followed by a loud moan. She bit into her own arm to stifle her cries for a moment. "The more the merrier!"

Mitch didn't bother to say anything. He was fairly sure she wouldn't really join them, but if she did, so be it. He was too busy with the task at hand to pause long enough to acknowledge her presence in the room, let alone try to talk her into anything. He let out a whine that built up into a moan. Much too far gone to care...

Shiori hesitated for a moment. This kind of thing really scared her, in a way. She'd never done that with anyone, and if she did... She'd always heard that it was supposed to be something special between a man and a woman. Or two men. Or two women. Whatever... But the point was, it wasn't something to be taken lightly. She was all too aware of the implications of such things. And try as she might, she just didn't see Nischela in that kind of way. Sure, they'd shared a kiss. But that wasn't exactly consensual on her part, at least not at first. Being as inexperienced as she was, she couldn't bring herself to have sex. Especially not with the two of them.

Oddly, thinking about it just brought forth the image of a man she had seen in her dreams... A man worthy of her trust. The only man she had ever had deeper feelings for... And she wasn't even trying to think about him right now. It was just that... Whenever she thought about such carnal, intimate acts... It was only his face that she saw.

"I-I have to go!" The young albino girl squeaked, covering her reddened face with both hands and making a mad dash for the exit.

"Suit yourself..." Nischela shrugged, before arching her back and carrying on with things. She brought around a hand to cup Mitch's ass, pulling him deeper into her. They were going at it with full force.

"Oh baby!" The first mate cried. "Aaagh!"

"Nnnnh, aaah, uuuh, yesss!" She hissed.

Outside, Shiori had run clear across the main deck, until she hit something... That something turned out to be someone! She stared up at a face full of freckles, as a wicked grin spread across it.

"Shiori-chan?" He raised an eyebrow, noticing that she had run right into him, stumbling into his chest, and having no other choice but to press herself fully against it. Luckily he was strong enough to hold both of them up, and he looped an arm around her for balance. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I j-just..." She gasped, her face still frightfully bright red. Her blush had only deepened when she realized who she was near. And right after witnessing that, too... "I was going to go back to my room, but I needed some air."

"You might not wanna go in there, then. Unless..." Realization suddenly dawned on him. "Oh! Don't tell me you already saw..." When she hid her face in her hands, he could only chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief. "You walked in on them, didn't you?"

She nodded, letting out a small unintelligible squeak. "Mm-hm..."

"What happened? What were they doing?"

'Is he just asking that to mess with me or something?' Shiori wondered, pulling away and dabbing at her blushing face with a long blue sleeve.

"They were... well, umm... m-making love?"

'That's what I think it's called anyway... I probably sound so stupid, gah!'

The Captain began to laugh hysterically at that point. He was unable to control himself for a few minutes. She frowned, wondering if he was laughing at her expense. When he noticed her scowling at him, he decided to explain.

"That isn't love, hahaha! At least, if I know Mitch-san like I think I know him, I'm pretty sure it isn't!" He doubled over with uncontrollable laughter for a moment, shaking his head.

"So they were just... what then? D-doing it for the sake of doing it?"

"Something like that." Ace chuckled at a joke she obviously did not get. "You're hilarious, you know that? But it's kinda cute too." He patted her innocent little head.

"Sh-shut up! Baka!" Shiori resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at him like they had often done when they were kids.

She couldn't believe what she'd just seen... She'd never meant to walk in on them, and she was fairly certain they both knew that. But they hadn't reacted in the way she'd thought they would. Instead, the two had just carried on and asked her to leave.

'It's my room, damn it!' She thought, annoyed.

"What should I do now? I mean, I c-can't go back in there, can I?"

"I wouldn't," He chuckled. "But then again, I've never liked bothering people when they're getting their freak on. Know what I mean? You should get some rest though. We're supposed to be arriving at port later today or tomorrow some time."

"Yeah I know..." Shiori pouted, wishing they'd chosen somewhere else to do that instead of in her room. "How long do you think it'll be before I'll have my room back?"

He looked at her. She was being completely serious. She really didn't know much about the topic and didn't know how long it would normally take for something like that to be over. It made her skin crawl just thinking about it.

"If it's bothering you, you could always kick them out." Ace snickered. "I'm sure you'll figure something out. Anyway, Hoko-san is finished checking out the map. Here..."

He handed it back to her, still rolled up nearly inside the cylindrical case. She took it out and checked it over, just to make sure it was the genuine article and nothing had been changed. It seemed fine. Everything was just as she remembered it. Vanora leaned down from her shoulder to sniff it for a moment, rubbing her long striped tail under Shiori's chin.

"Cool. What did he say about it?" She was relieved that the subject had changed to something a little less intense.

"He said it seems like it's in a pretty isolated part of the Grand Line, but it's nothing our ship can't handle. It's not too far out of the way of our current route. He believes it is real, and if the treasure is still there, then I figure... Why not take a chance? We should be able to head out as soon as we leave the next port, as planned."

"That's great!" Shiori's face lit up. She began to get excited now that the coordinates had been checked over by their navigator and she knew they were really going. "I can't wait!"

"Me too... Don't get too excited though. I don't want you to be disappointed, just in case."

"I'm sure I won't be, whatever the outcome."

Ace shook his head, turned toward the front mast. "Well, I've got lots of work to do. You've been through a lot today, so take it easy for the rest of the trip. Try to get some rest. See you around."

"O-okay..."

She didn't know what to do with herself after that. Shiori wasn't the best at knowing how to keep herself occupied. The main problem was that she always felt so dreadfully nervous about everything. She also wasn't sure why she felt so confident that the map was real and the treasure was still there. Maybe it was just a feeling she had? Either way, she patted her kitten on the head and went back toward her room. The sun was glaring down on her and it was very hot outside. She wanted to go back below deck, into her nice cool room.

'And those two will just have to deal with it...' She thought, as she swung the door open once again, and she entered the brig.

The Valkyrie walked into the room again to see that the two were lying on her bed. Only now, Mitch was staring up at the ceiling, and Nischela was lying on her side with her eyes closed. Her arm was reached over his chest, but they didn't appear to be mid-coitus anymore, so that was good.

"Are you done now?" She asked, semi-sarcastically. She flinched, trying to ignore the fact that they were both still nude.

Mitch nodded, panting tiredly. "Yeah... At least, for now."

"Good. Now get out of my room."

"What? Why?" Nischela asked, her voice higher in pitch than normal.

"It's my room, and you've defiled it." She shrugged, feeling like being blunt right now. "Now go."

"Just a minute... I'm spent." The first mate said, still lying there, refusing to budge.

"Alright..." Shiori smirked, getting an idea...

She concentrated her Devil Fruit powers, and the mood within the room began to instantly change. Nischela was looking at her worriedly, unsure what she might be about to do. The albino summoned snow from her fingertips, and cast it in their general direction. She really didn't care if the girl left or not. It didn't concern her if that was what they wanted to do, but she just didn't want that to happen in her room again. So the guy needed to go.

"I said get out, baka!"

The little white flurries found their way onto the bed, working their way under his exposed buttcheeks. Mitch let out a loud yelp, jumping to his feet. She couldn't manage to produce enough snow to do any real damage right now, having drained most of her energy earlier.

"Ow, that's cold! Okay, okay... I get the hint, little lady... I'm out of here!" He ran as fast as he could, grabbing his waistband and pulling his pants up on his way out.

"Awww..." The brunette girl pouted, once her partner had left. "What'd you do that for? We were having fun."

"Sorry," Shiori shrugged, honestly not caring at the moment. "I'm really tired..."

She wanted to collapse onto the bed the minute he'd left, but it seemed unsanitary or something. The whole room smelled strange now... Sort of like sweat, mixed with something else. She began to get a set of extra sheets from under the bed and stripped down the bed. She tossed the soiled sheets at her friend's face.

"Wash these." She told her.

"Hmph! Fine..." Nischela took the crumpled bedsheets and stormed out of the room.

Shiori could no longer resist the urge to lie down. She drifted off into a restless sleep... There were so many things changing, and so much that she still had to worry about. Right now, all she wanted was to close her eyes and let the dark void take her away. So she did exactly that.

When she awoke, Vanora was licking her cheek. Her tongue felt like warm, wet sandpaper, as it rubbed along her face. It was a sweet gesture, but it felt very weird.

"Bleck!" She spat, and did let out a giggle. "Who said you could do that? ...Cute little thing!"

She heard someone laughing, and realized that Nischela had come back. So had Mia, and she had her son with her. The others were lying down and no one seemed to be asleep, although it was still dark out. The porthole near her bed only showed the blackness of the sea at night, the stars twinkling in the distance like little diamonds.

"How late is it?" She asked, groggily rubbing her eyes.

"You slept for quite a while dear," Mia chuckled. "It'll be morning soon. They told me we're pretty close to reaching port."

"What will you do once we get there?" Nischela asked.

She'd been holding herself back from talking while Shiori was asleep, to avoid waking her. Now that she was up, at least they could talk.

"I'm not sure yet... All I know is, I never intend to go through that again! I'll probably start up a quite life some place nice with my little one." The older woman smiled fondly. "But I have to admit, I'll miss you all dearly."

"We'll miss you too..." Shiori replied, still half out-of-it.

"Same," The other girl giggled. "I haven't decided what I'll do yet though. I know I'm needed back at The Agency soon... They'll expect me to give a full report on everything that's happened. I guess this means we've lost contact with Alvida obviously, but at least I know all I need to about what she's planning. They'll probably dispatch me some place else."

"Shouldn't I be going with you?" The Valkyrie wondered out loud. "I mean, I am an agent too. So m-maybe I should-"

"Nah, it's fine! I'll fill them in on everything. And I have a feeling you'll be needed here. You did just join this crew, after all. It'd be a shame for you to leave so soon. Besides, we both know you've got to go after that ice sword."

"Ice sword?" Mia asked, feeling like she was being left out of the loop somehow. "Agency? What on earth are you talking about?"

"Yeah, I have this map..." Shiori began explaining, but then thought better of it. "It's a long story. It involves a deal that I made with Ace-kun... I'll be staying on as a full-fledged member of the Spade Pirates now."

"Oh... Congratulations, dear!" The motherly woman offered her a warm smile. They had no problem discussing all of this in front of her, since it was pretty clear by now that she was no threat to anyone.

"How will you get where you need to go?" She turned to ask Nischela.

"I don't know yet. But I'm sure something will come up, so I'm not worried." She finished with a wink. "It's best to just take things as they come. I mean, it got me this far, right?"

"True..." She said. "In any case, I think we should get ready. We should be there soon. Do you have everything packed and r-ready to go?"

"I don't have much to begin with," Mia said, tying her hair up into a loose ponytail, and letting it hang haphazardly over one shoulder. "But what little I do have is already with me." She placed a protective arm around her son, who only looked up at her. He was still just barely getting his sickness.

"Same here. I've already got all my things in order." Nischela agreed.

"Alright, then everything should be-"

There was a loud commotion coming from outside. It sounded like everyone was running around like crazy.

"We're here!" It was Hoko's voice, booming loudly over the others. Their navigator was letting everyone know they'd arrived. "Made it safely to port! All who are getting off need to head out, and remember, we'll be departing at dawn tomorrow! Those who aren't back by then will get left behind! No exceptions!"

The sun was just about to come up, so that meant they would have just a little over twenty four hours to enjoy their time at this port. A solid day and one night should be plenty of time for her to get everything done though.

"I can't believe we're here..." She whispered, suddenly feeling nervous.

A/N: I know, I know... It wasn't quite the pairing most of you were hoping for. But we will get there soon. For now, I wanted to have at least one side couple get together. I hope you don't mind. I know it wasn't super detailed, but that's mostly because it's just a side pairing and I didn't want to keep the main focus on that too much. I also thought a little humor would be nice to lighten things up.

I went back and edited this chapter again because there were a lot of typos that I hadn't noticed before. Also... I was torn over whether to keep Nischela on the crew or have her leave after this as planned, but based on feedback from my lovely reader-chans, I think I've been able to come up with a decent compromise for that situation. So thank you all! c:

-Kaline