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 46: Impossible
O'Hara began to slowly circle them... "He and I have been... entangled with one another for a long time. Years, even! And in more ways than one. Surely you catch my drift by now. Isn't that right, Ace-kun?"
Taking advantage of the momentary pause, she made to lift his chin to meet her gaze with a single gloved hand, but Ace jerked away the moment she touched him. At least he was able to do that much. She was straddling his lap now, having moved in front of him while the albino girl was busy trying to get the rest of him free. Ace glared at her as if the woman were poison incarnate. Angry, yet almost afraid...
Shiori only looked at him, unsure of whether O'Hara was lying or not. It didn't really matter though. She could already tell from the way he was acting that something wasn't exactly right here. He seemed far too nervous and tense. In fact, she still recalled him getting all worked up like this at even the vaguest mention of the Scarlet Pirates.
'Strange...'
The fact remained that the redhead hadn't put an actual label on whatever it was between them. But they didn't have one either, so maybe he was just bad at that kind of thing, but either way it was obviously a habit of his. Regardless of whether this woman was embellishing things more than they ought to be or not, this was the last thing she wanted to experience right after what they'd just done together last night... She'd been in his bed, they had... Well, they hadn't exactly had sex, but they certainly didn't NOT have sex either! Things were already confusing enough as it was.
A thousand thoughts ran through her mind. Would he really use her like that? All this time... Did he have someone else? Someone he'd never even bothered to tell her about?
O'Hara leaned forward until their lips nearly touched. It was obvious what everyone was thinking... Soon their lips would meet and she would kiss him. His reaction would become a tell-all as to his feelings for this woman. But it never happened because she pulled away at the last possible second, her mouth moving to his right ear to whisper daringly...
"Soon enough, I'll kill this little albino brat, and you'll be aaaaall mine..."
"Get off of me!" Ace tried unsuccessfully to push the redhead off of his lap. He was completely sick of her... Flames flared from everywhere, emanating from his skin with the intent to burn her if she didn't move. He then concentrated the fire everywhere the ropes touched him, grunting in frustration when nothing happened. "Why won't these damned things come off?!"
The redhead only moved long enough to avoid the dying flames, knowing that his abilities would be weakened by the sea prism ropes. She was right back on top of him moments later, cackling in amusement. "Hahaha, silly boy! You really should know better. Devil Fruits can't affect the sea... Just to be sure, these were soaked in boric acid beforehand, just to make sure your flames would never work." She tugged at one of the ropes, causing it to tighten around his chest. "It seems I'm always one step ahead of you."
They had all noticed that he was not answering the question Shiori had asked earlier. He still hadn't explained how they knew each other. By now it was pretty apparent that they were in fact well-acquainted though. She wanted to push the other woman off of him, but the shy and normally timid girl wasn't certain whether she should even interfere or not. She'd never been in a situation like this and had no idea what to do.
"Now, on to business..." The female Pirate Captain chuckled and ran a single leather-clad hand over his skin, going down his chest to the edge of his shorts.
"Stop it!" He spat at her.
It made Shiori's heart sink to see him with another woman like that... She could almost picture them together, and it was sickening! Getting hold of herself, she steeled her features and brandished her sword. While O'Hara was distracted by Ace, and in such a vulnerable position, she was leaving herself wide open. And what she was doing was clearly making him uncomfortable anyway. He'd told her to stop multiple times.
"Leave him alone!" Shiori snarled, just as Arashikari's blade made contact with the redhead's left cheek. She hadn't dodged in time and it had been sliced open deeply, no doubt permanently marring her once-beautiful face. Her own shock at what had just happened was evident in how the Valkyrie spoke her next words, demurely and almost apologetically, yet there was somehow force and resilience behind them at the same time. "...H-he said to move."
O'Hara jerked back with a yelp, and proceeded to fall disgracefully out of Ace's lap. She landed on her ass but was back on her feet within seconds. Shiori had already taken back to slicing her way through the remaining knots that held him down. He tried to help, but every time either of them touched the ropes with their bare skin, it caused a deep sickness to well up within their bodies.
"How dare you mar a woman's face! Do you really still want to save him, even after knowing what a liar he is?" O'Hara laughed wickedly, pressing a single hand to the wound that adorned the side of her face. It was staining her gloves crimson, to match her hair and lipstick. "If you do, then you're even more of a fool than I thought!"
In her distraction, she'd almost failed to notice the sharp edge of the red whip blade coming at her with full force!
"Like I would believe anything you said," Shiori gave her the cold shoulder, quite literally as her flesh turned to snow when the blade connected with her, causing it to ghost right through her with no damage. If she hadn't noticed it, that would have been bad... "Ugly ass sea witch!"
Even if it were a blatant lie, it was at least something that might strike a nerve. The blade retracted and the Captain of the ship was forced to move back when a small dagger came up right through the floor uncomfortably close to the soles of her dusty brown boots. A little water leaked in, but it hadn't gone deep enough to do too much damage. She did her best to ignore it for the time being. But it would not be ignored forever... The holes were being made faster and faster now, and her ship was taking on more water as a result. It had to be at least two or three inches deep by this point.
"Sounds like somebody's still bitter because they got swindled out of all that treasure... And this pretty boy too. I bet you actually thought he was your boyfriend or something equally naive..." O'Hara's lip curled to resemble a snarl as she taunted her, stepping back and ducking away from the onslaught of hail shards that were flying at her from Shiori's sword. One hand was pressed to her face in an attempt to stop the cut on her cheek from bleeding. All it did was stain her gloves. "Whether you believe it or not, it won't change anything. He'll claim that he cares for you just so he can leave you without a single word. You should listen to me, because I've been where you are now. He isn't worth saving..."
Ah, so she was a jilted lover... That made sense.
"O'Hara... Stop your bullshit! What happened between us was a long time ago." Ace admitted, showing that there may be a grain of truth hidden somewhere deep within her lies. His hands clenched onto the arms of the chair he was still secured to. He was willing to say almost anything if it would make her stop.
"Say what you want, but we both know you'll always belong with me... A part of me is always with you, and a part of you is always with me. I know you miss me. Now admit it!"
Ace struggled against the ropes, but it only served to cause a wave of nausea to pass through him again, courtesy of the sea prism strands. He fell back into the chair. Shiori was going as fast as she could, still trying her best to get him free, but it was difficult when she had to keep fending off attacks constantly. She decided to keep working at it and keep her mouth firmly shut, letting the two of them talk it out. Maybe it would distract O'Hara enough for her to free him before the water level got any higher.
"Let's get to the point. Why did you even bring me here like this? What is it that you hope to accomplish by keeping me here?" His eyes narrowed dangerously at her.
"Truthfully? It was the only way I could get you to listen to me. I suppose the only way to say it is to say it... Like I was telling you before we were so rudely interrupted..." She spared an annoyed glance at the albino girl. "What I'm proposing is your freedom in exchange for an alliance between the Scarlet Pirates and the Spades."
"Hah! No way!" Ace barked, without any hesitation whatsoever. "I would never consider someone who forces people onto their crew against their will an ally of mine. It's borderline slavery and I won't tolerate it."
"Do not misunderstand me, Ace-kun... My offer isn't entirely business. I want you back by my side, and you are the only one that I'll accept. You really don't have a choice in the matter."
Enough was enough. There was no way she was going to let this nonsense carry on any longer! He'd already made it crystal clear that he was not interested.
"Sorry to interrupt, but... I-if you have to kidnap him just to get him here, and tie him up to prevent him from leaving, that doesn't say much for any type of relationship. A good partnership is done by one's own free will; it isn't something you can force like this. It's honestly really pathetic!" Shiori laughed openly then, tossing her head back and enjoying a good long chuckle at O'Hara's expense.
"Who do you think you are, that you can mock me so openly?!" The redhead advanced on her with a scowl, her sword whipping around in the air.
She swung again, narrowly missing Shiori's arm, but managing to accidentally slice through the final rope that held him down. Ace was free... And he knew they were running out of time. There were too many holes now and the water from the surrounding ocean was leaking into the cabin from everywhere all at once. It wouldn't take much more for this ship to sink. And once it reached his knees, he probably wouldn't be able to get out at all.
"Someday you'll both be bowing to me, and then you'll wish you'd never rejected me." O'Hara didn't seem to notice it, instead still going on with her banter.
"I will never bow to you!" He snarled, rising from the chair and knocking it over with a blast of flames from his fingertips, then picking up the albino girl all in one fluid movement before anything could hit her. "Neither will Shiori, or any of the Spade Pirates! I told you, it's over!"
Shiori let out a soft squeak when he scooped her up into his arms. Her feet were swept right off the ground beneath her. She instinctively clung to him, pawing at his strong shoulders desperately.
"It will never be over between us. NEVER! You think you're going to just leave with her? Hahahahaha..." The Captain took a final desperate swing at Shiori, cackling like a madwoman even as it missed. She growled fiercely, slicing into her own ship with the serrated razor-sharp whip blade. It caught on the deck, and she gave it a harsh yank, sending splintered pieces of wood everywhere. "You idiot! If I can't have you, no one can!"
Ace just sort of smiled at her meltdown, but then he decided to help out with the dismantling of what he knew was her only ship. Gathering all the energy he could, he put everything he had into a huge blast of flames. They came from everywhere all at once, forcing her to step back in terror, staring at him in wide-eyed shock. He was deliberately trying to set the ship on fire! Everything below deck was being incinerated. He'd also destroyed a large area of the outer ship in the process as well.
O'Hara carefully stepped around the flames, trying to block their exit with her extended blade, not caring when it struck one of the pillars that supported the roof that connected to all of the cabins. It wasn't enough to cause everything to collapse, but it did weaken the structure that held everything up.
Shiori tried to swing Arashikari again, but the scimitar was too dangerous to wield while being carried by Ace. He was making a mad dash for the exit with her in his arms. She began struggling, but he wouldn't let her go. She was trying to get down because despite all of this, the single thing that still loomed in the back of her mind was that she'd let their crew down.
'The treasure...' She thought to herself, still not used to Vanora's absence. A pang of regret hit her heart as soon as she recalled her fuzzy friend's horrible fate. 'I can't let all of this be for nothing! I have to get it! I should be able to manage that much, at least!'
"Ace!" She called to him, but it was no use. "Put me down!"
He remained silent, his dark eyes fixed on the door that would lead them to safety. Ace had heard her but he knew they had to get out now. The redhead's rage was tangible and the air around them crackled intensely. She was destroying her own ship in her desperation to prevent them from leaving! And the small dagger that continuously stabbed up from beneath lower deck only made things even worse, although it appeared to be stabbing the hull with less frequency than before.
Repeatedly, he summoned flames from his palms over and over again... He was setting fire to the entire ship on their way to the main deck. Shiori could only gasp in silent awe, realizing that he meant to sink it, treasure and all! It was most likely just to spite his crazed kidnapper.
Some of the wooden columns and beams had actually caught fire from Ace's attacks, forcing O'Hara to trail behind them to avoid being caught in the overwhelming blaze. She was swinging her blade furiously into everything she could on her way out, in a violent rage. She almost hit Ace and Shiori several times in the process as well, but it only added to her irritation even more, because every time she came close they would use their Devil Fruit powers to render it useless. She couldn't actually manage to hit fire or snow...
Waiting for the perfect moment, she saw Shiori let her guard down when she called out to him. Her most violent blow yet flew past the girl, missing her just by a hair. Ace had maneuvered her out of the way just in time, causing the whip-like sword to cut into the floor below them.
When O'Hara tried to retract her blade, she found that it was stuck. "Damn it!"
The female Captain grunted in annoyance, trying everything she could to pry it away, but the flames were spreading at an alarming rate, and the water level was rising as well, pushing the smoke up higher. The flood was past her ankles now and the walls were collapsing, along with the columns of wood that held the upper deck in tact.
Suddenly remembering about the treasure, she began to panic, yanking frantically at the blade until at last she got it un-stuck. A sickening crunch was heard and she saw that a deep crack had formed all along the spot where she ripped it out, and water poured in rapidly from the splintered wood. The flames from Ace's attacks had already spread to the upper levels and the main deck was collapsing into the lower cabins.
The ship began to tilt... It was sinking! Dozens of Scarlet Pirates screamed as they fell down into the fiery abyss without warning.
Ignoring everything else, O'Hara made the split second decision to turn back... She had to get the treasure and gold that they'd worked so hard to get! She could not stand to leave it behind... It was their whole reason for even coming to this stupid island to begin with! And the ocean here was too deep for them to retrieve it once it sank. Because she was so angry, she was still lashing out and destroying everything that stood in her path.
A pair of pink eyes blinked rapidly in confusion. "Wh-why is she destroying her own ship?"
"Let her throw her childish tantrum," Ace explained once they were on deck. Shiori made to jump down, but he didn't let go of her yet. "It'll be over soon. I'll understand if you leave after this." Though he said that, his eyes did not seem to want to leave hers.
"I-"
Before she could form a proper response, they were interrupted by a member of O'Hara's crew. The stray Pirate shoved them aside and ran downstairs without a word. Several more Scarlet Pirates brushed past them to venture below deck. The water had almost reached the stairs right behind them. Most of Ace's flames had gone out, having been snuffed out by the rapidly rising sea water. They had damaged the ship a lot though. Once a considerable number of them had gone into the lower cabins, Ace noticed that there were many others lying around them outside, defeated. He made to get himself and Shiori off the ship as fast as possible.
"H-how horrible..." She winced.
"It's okay, don't look." Ace pulled her close to his chest, like he was trying to shield her precious eyes from the horrible sight, even as he finally put her down on solid land. It didn't matter that she'd already seen far worse horrors during her life. All he wanted was to hold her close before she could run away...
Just then, they noticed a familiar face approaching them. From the direction of the rapidly sinking ship, the Spades' First Mate walked over after them, a solemn expression on his face. His features were partially obscured by what looked like soot from the ashes. The only thing that came from him for the first several seconds was an irritated sigh.
"Next time, maybe warn someone before you decide to sink the ship we're fighting on, wise guy!" He made as if to smack his Captain, but then seemed to think better of it.
"It's not like I knew you guys were there," Ace pointed out, absent-mindedly running a hand through Shiori's silky hair. "I never expected anyone to know where to find me. Plus, they don't call me Fire Fist for nothing!"
Before he could respond, they both noticed the girl was now staring at the strange scene in bewilderment. "Why would they even bother to go in after her?" Shiori wondered aloud. "Aren't most of them practically prisoners here? What could they possibly get out of it?"
"Most of them probably just don't want to chance the possibility that she might actually survive on her own. Who knows what kinds of horrible things she might do to them if she found out they all ditched her and left her for dead... To put it bluntly, they're afraid of her." Mitch explained.
While the strange explanation sort of made sense, there were still a lot of unanswered questions that hung in the smoke-filled air. The most pressing one hung like a noose between the two lovers, unseen, and yet felt by all... So of course, they continued to ignore it.
"What are you even doing here?" Ace raised an eyebrow at his best friend warily, unsure of how they'd known where he was.
"We followed Shiori's footsteps and got here as quick as we could," His First Mate explained, shooting her a quick glare. "After she took off without us, that is!"
"S-sorry..." The albino girl squeaked, hiding her face in her billowy sleeves. "I was so scared that something might happen to Ace-kun... I just took off without thinking about it. Vanora-chan was able to track him by his scent. She said that we had to... go quickly, and... And..." Her words quickly fell away into silence.
Ace gently placed an arm around her again. "Oh! Where is the little fuzzy anyway?"
Shiori sank right along with her heart, until she was on the frigid ground. She let her face fall into the melting snow, no longer caring. She couldn't fathom living in a world without her beloved Familiar... Her treasured and precious little friend! How could she have been so careless as to let something happen to her?! She could never forgive herself for allowing Vanora to die.
"She... She's dead! O'Hara threw her overboard!" It wounded her deeply to even have to say those dreaded words. "And it's all... All my fault!" She collapsed into a heap of sobs, even kicking her legs violently and pounding the ground with her fists.
Ace's smile instantly faded. "Oh... No." His breath was barely a whisper.
"Vanora-chan... Why?"
No one could say anything else. Ace knew she needed to cry it out, but he also knew he had to something to help her. There was no way to really comfort her about it, not after she'd suffered so many heavy losses in such a short time. When would this war finally end? Would it ever really be over?
In the back of his mind, all he could think about was how beautiful she looked, even throwing a sobbing fit like this, and even when she'd collapsed into a horribly broken puddle of despair... She was lovely.
Acting on instinct alone, Ace did the unthinkable... He fell to his knees, where he held her shoulders to steady them from shaking, and flipped her over. Tear-stained crystalline rose eyes gazed up at the figure that loomed over her, confusion and a little bit of sadness still contained in them. As a single tear slipped down her cheek, his lips met hers. He knew he might never have this chance again, so he had to take it. More importantly, he couldn't stand to see Shiori this sad, this horribly broken... He had to do whatever he could to comfort her.
She started to give herself in to the kiss too, leaning against his strength in her time of desolate agony. Her hand went to the back of his head, ensuring that he wouldn't be able to pull away any time soon. She wanted to deepen the kiss but was way too shy, especially when they probably had an audience. Now she was glad he was covering her face, the sweat-dampened strands of midnight helping to shield her from view of the world.
Mitch had long since looked away though, a disgusted expression taking shape over his stubbly face, as he took in the path of destruction the two had left in their wake. It wasn't long before their brazen actions where interrupted by a cacophony consisting of various whistles and cries of "Oooooooooh~!" when the rest of their crew walked over.
They were soon joined by Haji, Zetsui, Hoko, and Geirin. They had a few scrapes, some cuts, and various bruises, but over all they seemed fine. Some of them chuckled when Shiori's face turned bright red, her crying spell reduced to mere sniffles as her heart lightened a bit at seeing them all safe. They'd all managed to escape the Eyphah Maura without serious injury. And from the looks of it, they had also been the ones responsible for dispatching of O'Hara's crew that stood watch outside.
"We don't mean to interrupt you two," Hoko jeered at the couple. "But you can play kissy-face on your own time once we make it back to the ship."
"Sh-shut up!" Shiori closed her eyes and scrunched up her face cutely, as Ace helped her back to her feet.
"It's kind of amazing how fast you can recover." Mitch commented wryly.
At least they were safe enough for now. The small group had gathered just past the wreckage of the rapidly sinking ship, near the edge of the woods, where they waited for the others to catch up to them.
"Did everyone else make it out alive?" As Captain, Ace's first concern was his crew's safety. "Where is the rest of our crew?"
"I think so," Haji assured him. "Last I saw of Artemis, she'd gone underwater with one of my daggers... She dove in before we could stop her but she should be back soon."
"Even in these freezing conditions?" Ace's eyes widened with sudden understanding. "Wow! So that's what must've made those holes in the bottom of the hull..."
"What?! That's really clever!" Shiori's jaw dropped. She'd forgotten they had a shark on their side. Their new Navigator was proving to be very useful.
Before their conversation could continue, some of the Scarlet Pirates were emerging from the mangled wreckage. They seemed too far gone to fight... Most were badly injured, while some carried others that didn't move at all. About thirty feet away, one of their crew members pulled out a familiar busty redhead. Her clothes were partially singed and she was drenched with seawater. The Spades had not failed to notice that she also didn't have either of her swords anymore.
"O'Hara-sama! Are you alright?" The other Pirate, a short brunette woman with a yellow bandana around her head, began to press on her chest, trying to expel the water from her lungs. Her attempt was a bit half-hearted at best. They could tell she was almost hoping it would be too late to save her.
"Ughhh...!" O'Hara gasped and coughed up ice cold seawater, retching painfully. She clutched at her abdomen, rolling onto her side and glaring at her enemies. She motioned for the woman who saved her to lean in closer and she did as her Captain requested. The Spades all wandered a bit closer so they could overhear what was happening.
Would the battle be over, or would she foolishly continue to wage war against them?
"I... I'm so... happy..." O'Hara managed, with apparent difficulty due to almost drowning only minutes before. She forced a quivering smile onto her lips anyway, perhaps out of sheer spite at the current scenario.
"Happy? Why is that?" The dark haired girl dipped her head solemnly. "Our enemies still live, and with all due respect, your plan didn't work. Plus you almost died! And we lost a lot of our crew too."
"I know, but... At... At least..." Her red stained lips twisted into a sinister snarl. "I managed to... kill that miserable, mangy cat!"
She'd made sure to yell the last part as loudly as she could manage, even in between her labored breaths. She bit back a bitter laugh, knowing it would hurt too much, but wanting desperately to get one in anyway. It was obvious what a sore spot this would be for the albino girl. O'Hara was just petty enough to cling to any victory, no matter how small.
Shiori felt her heart seize up within her chest at those cruel words. Her teeth clenched in sheer fury. 'What a low blow... How dare she!'
Although she was ready to collapse herself, partially from exhaustion and partially due to her broken heart, her hand instinctively went to Arashikari's hilt. The need to kill was steadily rising within her once again. One thing prevented her from moving though... Ace's hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks, it's gentleness spellbinding as the action calmed her a little.
Suddenly, a loud splash was heard and a familiar voice came from somewhere over by the shoreline. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, fucking bitch!"
Shiori perked up at this news, although she couldn't help but wonder if her friend was bluffing. She could have managed to save her somehow, but the Valkyrie would not even allow herself the faintest hope that Vanora might have somehow survived. After all, she'd seen her fall beneath the waves herself.
It was impossible.
It didn't help that she'd already noticed that Artemis' arms were empty, except for the single dagger that she carried in one hand. It was definitely the same blade that had been repeatedly rammed through the ship's hull while they were in there. Her long pink hair swayed with every step, clinging to her damp jet black skin and dripping ocean water onto the slowly defrosting ground. Each step she took showed her anger and determination, as she walked slowly right past O'Hara without even so much as looking at her.
A rustling sound was accompanied by the crunching of leaves and half-melted snow just behind them, causing the Spades to turn around. A gasp of collective surprise was heard when they saw Rex, their ship's cook, walking out of the forest. He held a small bundle, clutched protectively against his chest. He immediately rushed straight over to Shiori.
"I don't how to say this, so I'll just say it..." He furrowed his brow, as the albino girl just stared at him, a worried look on her face when he pulled back the cloth to reveal a very drenched white kitten. Her eyes were closed and she didn't move. "Artemis-chan is the one who saved her. We'd fallen a little bit behind you, and we were just walking up when she saw her being tossed overboard. She dove right in to save her without a moment's hesitation. Then she gave her to me so she could sabotage the bastards who did this. I've never seen anyone so vengeful. Here, you should take her..."
"Is she alright?" Shiori took Vanora, fawning over her worriedly. She held her breath until the second she saw her move slightly. It was ever so slight, but one of her ears twitched. "Vanora-chan?! C-can you hear me?"
There was no response, but she could've sworn she felt a paw twitch as well. It was more than enough to let her know that her beloved friend was still there. Tears streamed down her face and she sniffled.
"She should be fine," Rex explained, fidgeting with his spiky black hair. That was when she noticed that the bandana he normally wore around his head was missing. It was wrapped around Vanora in an obvious effort to help keep her warm. "I tried to dry her off and make sure she stayed warm. She coughed up all the water and seems to be breathing alright now, but she'll need to rest."
"Vanora... I'm so sorry, but I'm here now... Everything's going to be okay!" She cried, with tears of a different kind in her eyes this time, hugging the freezing kitten to her chest. "I promise I'll never let this happen again!"
She meant it, too.
O'Hara had already given up the fight, lying with her eyes closed, as her consciousness slowly faded... She was most likely passing out due to oxygen depravation and the shock of everything that had just happened. Her bitterness at seeing Vanora alive was impossible to miss, even as she lost the fight to remain conscious. She was alive, but at what cost? The Eyphah Maura and all it's treasure had sank beneath the waves, consumed by the very ocean that had always kept it afloat.
Artemis had paused halfway in between where the Scarlets' Captain lay, and the Spades had grouped together near the edge of the forest. They appeared ready to go, for the most part, but something still held them back.
"Oi! Captain-sama... What are your orders? Should I dispose of her?" She glared back at O'Hara with her fists still clenched, one of them tightening around the dagger's hilt. It was obvious from her stiff movements that the shark girl was seething with rage inside. But she knew she should wait for her Captain's orders.
Ace did not even hesitate. "We should let Shiori-chan decide... This was her battle. Not mine."
"Well then?" Artemis impatiently flipped her wet hair over one shoulder as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, placing a hand on her hip. "What say you?"
Shiori was so overcome with joy at getting her friend back that she'd nearly forgotten about the half drowned hag... While she would love nothing more than to see her torn limb from limb, or better yet to do it herself, she wasn't sure what the right call was. She looked to Ace for guidance and he just shrugged. Mitch did the same when she looked to him. The others seemed ready to stand by whatever she decided.
Taking a deep breath, she delivered her sentence. "...There are some things that are so much worse than death. Leave her be."
"Tch. Like what?" Artemis snarled, clearly not happy with her decision.
"Like watching your enemies revel in their victory, for one thing. Like having to watch your only ship sink beneath the waves with your stolen treasure in it, and no way to retrieve it. Like watching the love of your life walk away with someone else. Like being marooned on an uncharted island, with no weapons to defend yourself, surrounded by the people you've enslaved." Shiori turned around, heading back toward the place they'd left the Royal. She called one last line over her shoulder as she walked away. "...Like knowing you lost."
A/N: Sorry for the wait... This story is taking so long to complete and there's a lot more to it. So much more coming, hehe... I had a very particular way that I wanted this chapter to go, and I think I mostly accomplished that, but it took a lot of work. I actually re-wrote it several times before I was satisfied. I tried to squeeze in as much AceShi romance as I could into this chapter, but there's more of that coming up soon. And of course I'd never kill off the cute little kitty, but I hope I did a good job of fooling you until the very end! Hopefully I did this scene justice, but I won't really know unless you tell me. ;D I hope everyone enjoyed it and that you're looking forward to the next chapter as much as I am! :3
-Kaline