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 32: Strange Waters

As the party on the beach began to wrap up, the Spades crew made their way back toward the small port town they had stopped in. Shiori had heard the others talking about staying at an Inn. Everyone was expected to either pay their own room rental fee, or sleep on board the Royal Flush if they couldn't afford it. Most chose to stay at the Inn, since it was a rare opportunity to have more space for themselves.

While they were all walking back toward town, there was a loud commotion coming from the direction of the Royal. Their ship was being overtaken by a bunch of men in white coats! Another ship had docked in port while they were there.

"Oh shit! The Marines!" Mitch declared, rushing over to see what could be done about the situation.

Things were escalating quickly. There was no time to figure out a specific strategy. The Spades rushed over to their ship, intent on defending it against this new threat. Ace was the first to make it on board the Royal, and he instantly incinerated three men who made the mistake of standing too close to him. They acted like they were going to attack him, but he'd lashed out with a surge of pure fire, singeing their clothing and hair.

"Looks like we aren't going to be able to stay in port as long as we thought..." Ace mumbled, as Shiori blew past him, using her snow powers to freeze a Marine in place.

He summoned flames from his fist, landing an explosive punch right in the man's face. It was ironic seeing the way he fought, the very fire that Shiori used to fear ended up saving her now. Where once it had filled her with such terror, it was somewhat comforting now... Although she still made sure to steer clear of it, just in case. When Ace's flames hit him, the Marine shattered into a thousand pieces, right before their very eyes. The others were getting scared by their tactics, and ran away.

"Fall back!" One of their commanders called out, his voice ringing above the loud commotion that came with everyone fighting each other. "Everyone, get back to our ship! Retreat!"

"Damn right you'd better retreat..." Their freckle-faced Captain glared at the man. "You should've known better than to mess with the Spade Pirates."

"Spade Pirates?" Another Marine stopped in his tracks before exiting their vessel. "Wait... They have an unusually high bounty, don't they?"

"On second thought..." They heard the Commanding Officer say, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we should... Hmm... Okay, let's re-coup and come up with a new strategy!"

"Looks like we can't afford to stay here for the night, eh boss?" Geirin, their sniper, muttered from behind him.

He'd perched one of his rifles on the Captain's shoulder, using it to help him steady it, before taking his next shot. He took out three Marines with a single bullet that way.

"Yeah," Ace nodded in agreement, grabbing his signature orange hat from a barrel where he'd left it earlier. "Ready the sails, guys. We're shoving off!" He called to the rest of his crew, Shiori included.

He danced around the various attacks from the Marines as they fled. Right now, the Captain was distracted by trying to make sure everything was being done on the ship. They had to get going, and fast! The rest of his crew bustled around, busy getting everything ready to set sail. He nonchalantly launched another fiery inferno at several of their enemies, fighting off a yawn as he did so. He cast a glance at Shiori to make sure she was okay. Despite it being late, she looked alert and ready to fight, as did most of the crew.

She made sure to hold onto Vanora tightly... The timid girl was making absolutely sure that her little comrade wasn't going anywhere. Luckily, she'd managed to scurry beneath her sweater, burrowing into her usual pocket. Several Marines came at her, one after the other. It was all Shiori could do to fight them off. Most were fighting to get off of their ship like they'd just been commanded, but she figured the more she was able to take out now, the less trouble they were likely to be for their crew later on.

And she was right. Mere minutes after all of the Marines had found their way off of the ship, they spotted several more Marine ships coming up on the horizon. Not all of them had been able to get away, and the Pirate ship lurched forward, making a loud creaking noise. Many of the Marines were still on board when it happened. The goal seemed to be to separate them.

"Oh shit!" Mitch yelled, tossing a few stragglers overboard in the chaos. "Watch your backs everyone!" He continued to fight them off...

It was all too easy for him. He just wrapped them in his ropes before they could blink, and hurled them over the sides of the ship. That took care of them. There were several others nearby that he tripped, using his Devil Fruit powers. One by one, they fell into the ocean.

Everything was set for the Spades to leave. It looked like everyone had managed to make it safely on board, thankfully. Hoko was busy steering The Royal out of port. They were already on their way... There was no time to do anything else. They'd been caught at a bad time. At least they'd managed to get the supplies they so desperately needed and stock up on everything before the encounter had occurred.

"How did they find us so quickly?" Shiori wondered, looking around frantically, trying to figure out what to do. It was clear that everyone was panicking.

"No idea," Ace said. "Probably just dumb luck. Lots of other sailors use these ports, not just Pirates. And definitely not just us."

"How are we g-going to lose them?" She asked nervously, beginning to fidget with her sweater already.

"Don't worry. I'm sure we can ditch them." Her friend did his best to assure her. Then he went into full Captain mode. He clapped his hands together, getting the rest of the crew's attention. "Alright, men! Everyone keep calm! Let's get outta here! If you left anything behind, it stays there, sorry. And if you see any Marines still on board the Royal, send them off!"

"Ehehe... With pleasure, boss!" Haji cried, taking out several daggers and placing them into his turban, with the tips facing outward. He grabbed two more, and with one in each hand, he ran through a small group of Marines, knocking them down like bowling pins.

They were putting a lot of distance between themselves and the Marine ship that was still docked in the harbor. The Marines seemed to be preparing to leave right behind them. That wasn't a good sign.

"No sense deliberately going and looking for trouble..." Ace muttered, looking out over the open water with determined eyes. "Hoko-san, bring us forty degrees to starboard!"

"Aye aye, sir!"

It was nice to see how much his men respected him. They all seemed like a motley crew, but when it came down to it and things got serious, it became clear that they listened to their Captain. He'd obviously done quite well for himself. And Shiori was no exception... She stood by, awaiting his commands.

"Wh-what should I do?" She asked meekly, when she saw that he had a moment.

"Just make sure there aren't anymore Marines left on board." He told her. Although judging from his tone, it was more asking than telling.

"With pleasure..." She responded, and she meant it.

Shiori's red eyes narrowed dangerously, as she made her way around the deck. She hated the Marines for what they'd done to her adopted mother, Chiaki, the woman who had so kindly taken her in as an infant. She would never forget her... Or the way she'd been made to watch her die at the hands of Marines just like these. She truly hated them; she despised them with every fiber of her being, and that still was not enough.

This was more than just listening to her Captain's orders... It was personal.

Various cries of agony could be heard all around them. The mousy girl crept around toward the rear of the vessel, trying to make sure there weren't too many left. Things could turn bad very quickly if any Marines were allowed to stay on their ship long enough to find good hiding places... She turned the corner and immediately encountered three of them who were hiding out. She was nearly knocked into one of them when she felt the Royal pull sharply to the right. They seemed to be headed Northeast now, sailing away from the east side of the island.

One of the men stared her down, lunging for her and trying to take off her foot with his sword, swiping at her while she stumbled. She took his longsword, wrenching it away from him and brandishing it at the other two. The Valkyrie was doing some really fancy footwork, and swinging it every which way by the hilt. One more of them was brave enough to step forward... And he promptly lost an arm.

'I don't give a damn!' She thought, glaring at the government's ignorant pawns. 'If you trespass here, you're going to die!'

"That'll teach you! Stay off of our ship!" The girl hissed at them, angrily.

They said nothing. She knew from her time with Whitey Bay that most Marines were taught that Pirates were not to be trusted, and could not be reasoned with. So most of them wouldn't bother saying anything at all, to avoid being swayed by a Pirate's crafty words.

The third man was busy trying to apply a tourniquet to the other's arm so he wouldn't bleed out. She tried to cut him down with the sword too, but he managed to evade her blows. The first one had another weapon hidden away, a dagger this time. He came at her again, only for the dagger to be launched over the railing when she pried it out of his grip with his own sword. He began to swim for the Marine ship that was trailing behind them.

'Hang on! I'll help!' There was a voice in her mind, strangely linked to her own, that rang out... It seemed so familiar...

"Wha-"

Vanora darted out of her sleeve, running along the edge of her blade, and sliced the man's face to ribbons, effectively blinding him! She let out a loud screech as she did so, her claws digging into his flesh, causing the other two men to gape at her in confusion and awe. They certainly hadn't seen that one coming! Her cat went back to it's hiding place before anyone could do anything about it. The man with the severed limb was unable to fight at all anymore, and the blind one wasn't much better off.

The swordplay now coming to an end, Shiori came up behind them with a flurry of snow. A gale nearly as strong as a blizzard forced both of them to double over in pain, as they began to lose sensation in their limbs. Wielding any sort of weapon would be impossible now. Before they could do anything else, the petite swordswoman had taken off their heads. Both of them came off in one clean slice.

Moments later, Hiretu appeared and shoved their bodies into the sea... The other Marine ships might find them, and if they did, they could worry about giving them a proper burial. Pirates didn't have time for that. But they did have time to loot the bodies, taking whatever meager valuables they could get from the fallen men before they were pushed into the water.

Their wordless fight was now over. Shiori panted, pausing for a moment to catch her breath, before taking on the next batch of Marines. She decided it was easier to use her Devil Fruit abilities on them, and she summoned enough snow to bury many of them all at once. It made things much easier. Now her crewmates were able to come in and make short work of disposing of them.

Pleased with herself, she smiled and headed back toward the front of the ship. She wanted to see how things were going... The first thing she noticed was that they were still being pursued.

Hoko was doing a very good job of getting them further away from their assailants. Gradually, the Marine ships began to fade into the distance. After ridding the ship of any trespassers and stowaways, they managed to outrun them for a few hours. Things seemed to be getting better, but they couldn't completely lose the Marine ships. Every now and then, someone would catch a glimpse of a few of them hot on their trail. Thankfully they weren't within firing range of their cannons... Yet.

Shiori had taken to pacing the main deck nervously. There wasn't much else she could do. The upkeep on the ship had all been taken care of already, and there was no one left to fight. They could seemingly relax for the time being, if it weren't for the situation that threatened to overtake them at any given time.

"Hey," Ace told her, once he'd given over control of the Royal to his first mate. "Calm down, okay? Try not to worry so much. Even if they do catch us, we can take 'em."

"Then why run away?" Shiori looked at him, the moonlight shining dully in her tired eyes.

"It's easier than taking on a whole Marine fleet. A ship or two we could handle, but in this situation, it's better to at least try to put some distance between us. Besides, the further we go out to sea, the less likely that they'll be able to send for anymore backup."

"You say that like it's the most obvious thing in the world," Haji piped up from down below. "But is it? Surely we can't keep up this pace forever."

"We'll press on for now." Ace stated with finality, in full Captain mode once again. His tone was so commanding... It was no wonder that his crew respect him so much. He left no room for any argument. "And we can figure out something else to do by morning. For now, just maintain due course until then."

Mitch only nodded to him. He was too busy steering the ship away from the Marines to argue. It looked like they were coming up on a fairly rocky area, and that didn't seem good... But it wasn't Shiori's place to make that call. She trusted Ace, and would just have to have faith in his judgment for now.

"Alright... So wh-what do we do in the meantime?"

"Normally I'd say try to get some rest," Ace chuckled. "But since that's probably not happening for any of us any time soon... We could play cards?"

Haji's jaw dropped, and he did a double take. "Really Ace-sama?!"

Rex couldn't believe what he'd just heard either. Then again, it was Ace... "Count me in. You may have gotten me last time, but this time I'll wipe the floor with you!" The cook ran a hand through his spiky black hair.

"At a t-time like this?" The rosy eyed vixen asked nervously. "How?"

"It's easy," Ace was already headed into his cabin. The other two men trailed behind him, and she went along, albeit hesitantly. "I'll shuffle the cards, you can cut them, and I'll deal first. Then we'll go in counterclockwise rotation until everyone's had a turn at dealing. We can make bets and stuff. It'll be fun."

"You sure you wanna play, Ace?" Haji asked, walking up and catching the last few sentences. "I mean, after I wiped the floor with you last time, I'd have thought you'd give it up by now."

"Ahaha! That was beginner's luck! Anyway, since we played Poker last time, it should be Rummy this time." He turned to Shiori, who looked completely lost. "You ever played before?"

"Um, well, n-no but..."

"Great! I'll show you as we go. You can deal last, since it's your first time."

Before she could protest, she was being dragged away. The others followed him into his cabin. It was probably the best suited place to play a game anyway. The four of them gathered around the big table that was in the middle of his room.

"What's the game tonight?" Rex asked, sitting down with the others. He'd barely been paying attention to their conversation earlier.

"Gin Rummy," Ace stifled a yawn, already shuffling the cards and handing them off to Mitch to cut. "It's perfect since we have exactly four people. And it's Shiori-chan's first time playing, so go easy on her."

"Whatever you say, boss. Hahahaha..." Although he sounded sincere at first, this was followed by an evil laugh. Something told her they weren't going to be so nice once the game got going.

Vanora crept out from her hiding place in Shiori's sweater... She settled down on the edge of Ace's bed, content to sleep there now that the loud fighting had stopped. She'd done her part well, and began to lick her paws clean, grooming herself. She let out a light purr now and then.

"Don't worry," The Captain told her, already beginning to deal cards to each player. "It's mostly based on luck anyway."

Rex chuckled. "You uhh... You know not to let anyone see your cards, right?" He scratched his goatee thoughtfully, then tightened his bandana like shit was about to get serious.

Shiori only nodded. She picked up the cards she'd been given, making them into a fan just like the others did. Everyone was already side-eyeing each other. Even though they weren't betting money the first round, they were still taking it fairly seriously. A Pirate's pride was apparently a very serious thing.

'I'm still not sure why we're playing a game at a time like this...' She thought. 'But I'd might as well go with it. I'm sure if we were in any real danger, Ace would be handling it.'

"So basically," Ace explained, while placing a single card face up next to the stack. "You match the suits of the cards to each other, and you need at least three of the same one to make a set."

"That sounds simple enough." She smiled.

"I'm not finished. They have to be in numerical order. You can also play three or four of the same card to make a set, for example if you had four sevens or three queens. Aces can be high or low, then it's kings, queens, and jacks. Jokers are wild. You can also play a card on someone else's set if it goes with it. At the start of your turn, you have to decide whether to draw a random card from the deck or pick up a card from the discard pile. But there's a catch... You have to pick up all of the discarded cards that were put down after that one too. The game is over once someone discards their last card. And scoring goes by points. I'll explain all of that once the first round is over though..." He paused. "With me so far?"

"Uhh... S-sure." She said, playing along even though she wasn't completely sure what he was talking about. She was still fairly certain she could fake her way through it...

The four had played cards well into the night, until Ace passed out due to his narcolepsy... And probably from the recent lack of sleep too. Shiori was sure that didn't help his condition much.

Once their Captain was out cold, the others lost interest in playing. Technically, Rex had won this time and he seemed very pleased with himself. They all needed to get back to their duties anyway. Hoko had shouted something about an approaching storm, so all hands were needed on deck, including the albino girl. They decided to let their Captain sleep though. Mitch was doing a great job of handling things while he was getting some much-needed rest. It made her see why he'd chosen such a man as his first mate. The Royal was in capable hands.

It was well into the night when Shiori was finally able to get some sleep. 'Probably the early hours of the morning by now...' She thought, casting a glance outside the single porthole that was on the far side of her room.

Not really minding that she was sleeping in the brig, she settled into her bed. Vanora climbed onto her chest and started to purr, helping her keep calm. It was the first night she'd spent completely alone in a while, and it was actually nice. There was no one else to worry about. She had the place all to herself. It made her miss Nischela and Mia for just a moment, but she knew that wherever they were, they were better off. And at least she didn't have to worry about anyone stealing the map from her, since the rest of the crew seemed just as excited to get going as she did.

The following morning, not much had changed... For several days after that, the Spades kept running from the Marines. Every time they would see the familiar fleet of ships dip above the horizon, they would pick up speed again. It seemed they weren't letting up... But they really weren't much of a threat. She couldn't believe how tenacious they were though! Most would have given up chasing them by now. They probably assumed that a ship that size would eventually have to stop off for supplies again at some point, and they were right... At least it wouldn't be for a long while yet.

In the meantime, Hoko made sure to steer them in the direction that the map indicated. Shiori was more than happy to hand it over to him for the time being, if it meant that they were finally going to seek the treasure that she so desperately wanted to find.

They continued their game of cat and mouse for several weeks. Once, they even ran into another Pirate ship. Geirin was the first to spot it while he was cleaning his sniping gear. The tall man had raised the alarm, and they all gaped in awe at the other ship as it passed them by without incident.

Luck was on their side, it seemed... The other Pirates lured some of the Marines away, as they sailed right on through toward the fleet. Mitch suggested that they build up some good repertoire with the other crew by warning them, but Ace felt it would be more to their advantage to allow some of the fleet to be dissuaded from chasing them. And if the Marines got distracted from the chase by another Pirate ship, then so much the better.

"Being nice is all well and good," He said. "But you still have to keep your wits about you. There'll be other opportunities for us to prove ourselves and earn some allies. For now, we've got to watch our own backs."

"That's smart..." Shiori agreed with his decision.

Mitch elbowed her in the ribs as he walked by, going back to help take care of the ship. "Nobody likes a suckup..."

"Shut up, I would n-never do that!" She squeaked indignantly.

"Now now you two... There's no need to fight over me." Ace ruffled both of their hair, causing them to bristle.

"Hah! You wish!" Mitch walked away to tend to his duties, shaking his head and laughing at their Captain's antics.

"I still don't understand how you can be so calm at a time like this..." Shiori commented on the lighthearted and playful way he was reacting to the clear and present danger of being overtaken by an entire fleet of Marine ships.

"I just trust the Universe to handle it. Besides, it's not like they're firing at us or anything..."

Just then, there was a loud whistling sound from overhead. A cannonball smashed into the water, dispersing waves all around it and launching saltwater spray onto the deck, drenching everyone. It was more than a bit unpleasant, and it was enough to make the Devil Fruit users outright nauseous, but at least it hadn't been a direct hit. Due to all the commotion, and the fact that they'd been paying so much attention to the other Pirate ship, they hadn't noticed the ships that were steadily creeping up on them.

"We've g-got to get out of here!" Shiori cried, feeling herself start to panic for the first time in a long time.

She hated the thought of being doused with seawater like that again. It made her feel so awful. The danger of falling overboard was a threat as well. Not even Ace could save her if that happened. She didn't think she could take another close call like that. Luckily, the next few shots they fired were way off.

The ship suddenly veered left and then sharply to the right. They had to avoid the rocks around them. But what they hadn't realized before was where they were headed...

"What's that in the water up there?" Mitch asked suddenly, noticing an enormous dark patch of water up ahead.

"What? Where?" He'd caught Ace's attention.

"Right there!" The first mate pointed. "Just off the port bow! There's something not right about it."

"And look behind us! The fleet's still there, and only a few dropped off to chase that other crew..." Their navigator called down from the crow's nest, after having examined the situation through his spyglass. "That dark spot is not good! It's a giant coral bed! We're headed right for it..."

Hoko had spotted at least a dozen or so ships on their trail. They knew they wouldn't be able to keep up this speed forever. Once the winds dropped, they would be doomed. It would be very difficult for a crew of only ten men to take on an entire fleet of Marine ships. And who knew how many men they could have on board? There could be hundreds or even thousands. They'd had such bad luck running into them out here like this...

"Well, at least right now we still have a fighting chance." Their Captain donned his hat, walking boldly to the front of the ship. It was time to step up and take charge. Things had just gotten serious again.

Ace had taken the helm, in an effort to maneuver them away from the approaching Marine vessels more quickly. There were so many... And it didn't look like they were going to have an easy task of getting away from them anymore. Shiori didn't know what to do, so she went over and helped Rex and Hiretu adjust the sails. The wind was always shifting and they couldn't afford to be blown off course out here. Not with so many dangerous things around them...

She could feel the winds turning colder and she knew that they had to be getting closer to their destination. It would be a shame if something happened when they were this close. She readied herself for a fight, just in case. She also grabbed Vanora, who was lazing around on one of the various barrels that adorned the main deck. She'd gotten soaked in the blast from the cannonball too, and she did not seem too happy about it.

'We've come so far...'

"They're still hot on our trail," Hoko called down from the crow's nest, his keen eyes scanning the horizon to chart the position of the Marine ships. "We need to pick up more speed."

"She can't go any faster!" Ace responded, trying frantically to figure out what to do.

With this many closing in on them so quickly, they would be overrun in no time. Which meant that a battle was inevitable. There would be no more avoiding it... But they still had to try their best to get away. The more distance they could put between them, the better off they would be if a fight did start. The problem was, the coral reefs would make that difficult, if not impossible.

"What the hell is that?!" Geirin pointed to a strange moving object in the water. "Don't tell me we have to deal with sharks now too..."

Everyone looked. It was definitely a shark fin protruding out of the water a few meters in front of their ship. But it was odd... Although it was facing toward them, the fin was actually moving backward in the water. And it wasn't moving slow either, to be able to keep up with their current speed. It was staying just a few paces ahead. When he pointed, the strange fin began to zigzag through the water, as if trying to get their attention.

"What in the-" Mitch's sentence was cut off by another round of cannon fire.

This time some of them got even closer to the ship, but everyone was able to avoid the ocean spray because they were anticipating it now. A little bit of it did get Haji in the face, but he didn't mind.

"This is c-crazy!" Shiori exclaimed, rushing to the front of the ship to see if she could get a better look at the shark fin. She could see that it was definitely a shark and not a dolphin or anything else. The dark spot looming beneath it in the water was another telltale sign that something was there.

"Shiori-san! How's it look from down there?" Hoko cried.

Something glinted off of the top of it. "It's got... It has these l-little ring things on it!" She called to the others. "And there's a dark spot under it. I think it's a shark of some kind? It keeps weaving back and forth in front of the ship..."

"What do you make of this, Ace-sama?" Mitch scratched the back of his head. He was seriously lost.

"It's acting like it wants us to follow it. Maybe there's more to this than there seems..." After thinking it over for a moment or two, he decided the best decision was to just go with his gut feeling. He usually had very good instincts. It had gotten him this far, at least. "Alright! Let's follow it!"

"Are you crazy, bro?!" The first mate's jaw dropped. "That thing could be a torpedo or some kinda trick by the Marines or something!" Ace shot him a look, raising one eyebrow. "Alright... Hey, it's your call..."

He knew better than to argue with his Captain. He took over the helm, adjusted their course, and waited for any sign that the Marines were still chasing them.

"If we stop here," Their navigator, yelled down from his perch. "We'll have to turn back and face the Marines... But if we continue, we're just going to end up smashing into that coral! It looks like a huge maze, it... It's just a mess, guys! I can't see any way through!"

The Royal Flush was being steered behind the strange fin that had appeared out of the water, following it as Ace had ordered. Things were tense; it was like everyone was holding their breath all at once, waiting to see what would happen.

"Keep going!" The Captain kept giving orders. "Follow the fin. We're getting closer to the island now... We'll see where it leads us."

The strange shark fin took a turn into the coral reef beds, still going backwards... It allowed the ship to follow it without incident, although it was difficult to understand how such a creature would know where it was going while facing the wrong way. It seemed to be avoiding the coral beds, just barely. As a result, their ship did too.

"Could it r-really be leading us through this maze of coral?!" Shiori squealed, still staring in amazement. She was voicing what they were all thinking. And at the moment, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

There was nothing they could do now but hold on and hope that Ace's strange hunch was right. When they followed the fin, turning every time it did, an amazing thing happened... It did indeed seem to be leading them through the coral beds. It was clear that there was some type of creature hidden beneath the waves, though the waters were too choppy to be able to identify it. The shadowed silhouette revealed none of it's secrets to the Pirate crew, who followed it on anyway. After all, it was still better than dealing with the Marines.

They zagged this way and that, turning endlessly through the maze. It took a bit longer, but they were able to get through. That was the important thing. The Marines stopped their ships just in front of the entrance to the large natural maze. They seemed puzzled. The coral beds were too massive for them to be able to find a way around, and there didn't appear to be a way through. So they stopped in front of it, unable to continue.

Several of the ships in their fleet seemed particularly determined to pursue their quarry. They attempted to follow the way they'd seen the Pirates go... Some of them made it quite a good distance into the coral beds, but the maze confused them, and their ships crashed. There was an explosion aboard one of them. Several others were broken apart by the sharp coral and rocks, and began to take on water.

"Hahaha!" Mitch clapped, and many of the others joined him with gleeful cries. "Did you see that?! They crashed!"

"Serves the fuckers right." Ace nodded, adjusting his hat and trying to watch where they were going.

Shiori was still near the front of the ship, watching as the shark's fin helped them cross safely through the gigantic coral maze. She wondered just how big this place actually was... It stretched way past the horizon, and she couldn't even spot the end of it yet.

"H-how far do you think we have to go?" She fidgeted with her sleeves nervously.

"Who knows?" The Captain admitted, becoming a tad more serious as he walked up to watch it too. "But let's hope we can follow it all the way through to the other side. It would really suck to be stuck all the way out here."

'Crap!' She hadn't even considered that. It definitely was not helping her nervousness any.

A/N: Time to move the plot forward! I felt like this story needed some action again. I thought they should have to deal with some nonsense from the Marines too, in true Pirate fashion! xD What's with the mysterious shark fin in the water? And what will become of Ace and Shiori's first kiss? Find out soon! :D Shorter chapter because it seemed like a good place to leave off (mwahaha, I'm so mean) and because it meant that I could update faster. ;D

-Kaline