"What."
No other words could come to mind. I had been prepared for a lot from this fight, but this was taking the light out from under me. Pavel stared at me, a small ax in his hand, like he was trying to decide whether or not I was going to strike Hudson down regardless. I wasn't going to, of course. I hadn't been planning on doing that to begin with, and right now striking him down would require brain power that was currently on holiday. I sheathed my sword to calm him down, and it seemed to work, though he was still looking at me like I was about to start stabbing at any second.
"Pavel," Hudson said, "sit down. I think I've gotten a read on this woman. I'm pretty sure that she's not going to just kill an unarmed man. Besides, from what I can tell, she's exactly what we need."
"What you...what?" I asked, still confused. "I need some more...so you're an actor? And what, this whole thing is some kind of secret show? Or are you just so bad that your bad reviews earned you a bounty?" Even though I had only known him for a short time, it was strange how different he looked now. His uncertainty, especially since he had been putting on so much confidence before, made him look like a different person. He still kept his shoulders squared, and his chin pushed out like he was striking a pose, but he just looked kind of...deflated.
"That's...complicated." he admitted, slowly climbing to his feet. I didn't stop him. It wasn't like he was any more of a threat to me standing up than he was sitting down. In fact, if he was telling the truth about himself, I suddenly realized just how easily I could have taken him down. The only reason I hadn't done it immediately was that I thought there was some sort of trick to his fighting style. Now that I knew there was none, I visibly relaxed.
"So, look," he explained. "You deserve an explanation, and you're going to get one. But to understand the position I'm in, you have to understand where I come from."
"If you try to tell me your life story again-"
"Oh, no, no, don't worry!" he stammered, hearing the anger in my voice. "I'll be telling you the truth this time. And on top of that, I won't be telling you my life story...just my professional one."
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"What?! No! This is impossible!" yelled the Mad Duke Despira in panic. He scrambled to the side of the ship, trying to outrun the hoards of shadows that were trying to drag him to the cold, unforgiving deep.
"You promised!" he tried again, yelling at the towering figure that floated above the scene. "You said you wouldn't cheat me, and that all my wishes would come true!"
"Your wishes, yes!" the floating man laughed. He was covered in golden rings and jewels, and his chest was on clear display through a short, cropped vest. "Five wishes were you given, and heedless were you to the consequences! I warned you well, that with each wish misfortune would come, though none would come to you. You wished for immortality, though it took the life of your brother. You wished for beauty, though it rendered your sister a withered crone. You wished for power, though it put your neighbors in chains. And you wished for the most beautiful woman in the world, though it would take her from her family."
"But you cheated me, spirit!" he shouted back. "She loves me not."
"You wished for her, not her love." replied the mighty djinn. It is no concern of mine that all of your gifts meant naught to her in the face of true love."
"She does not truly love the Prince!" the Duke insisted. "She merely loved his wealth, the one thing I had not wished for. So I used my last wish to become far richer than he! Why do you send your demons to drag me below!'
"Ah, foolish man," laughed the djinn. "Were it not your last wish, I might have warned you...but I protected you from the consequences of your wishes because I thought you'd set me free. Now the wish is done, and I have no comfort but my vengeance. And none is richer than the prince...unless one held in his hands all the pearls of the sea! So I tell you...go to the fortune you have truly earned!"
With a scream, the tyrant was dragged below the waves...and the crowd roared.
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"I don't know," Hudson groused as he made it backstage, the sounds of the applause still ringing in his ears. "It's not like I have a problem with anyone here, or the production...I just don't like the show."
"Hudson, what the hell is going to satisfy you?" Maurice asked, pouring him a drink. "I mean, what's this about? Are you just whining because you didn't get to be the hero this time?"
"First of all, how dare you," Hudson said. "I'm perfectly happy to play the villain of this piece, that's really not the issue."
"Oh yeah, sure, 'villain.'" a man said as he walked by, removing the elaborate turban of his character, and straightening his mustache. "Because you definitely played the guy who got dragged to hell at the end, and not an all powerful demon who spends the whole play in control of the situation."
"Oh, put a sock in it, Siggy," laughed Hudson, before turning back to Maurice. "Look, Maurice, I'm not complaining about you, I just think this show is a little...you know…"
"Lucrative?" Maurice asked, standing to his full height, which put his head around Hudson's abs. "Seriously, when was the last time you made this kind of money. We're reaching the end of the run, and I still can't believe that we're raking this much in."
"But that's because it's safe!" Hudson complained. "It's toothless! Your direction notwithstanding, The Duke's Five Wishes is a simpering morality play. I mean, the object of the duke's affections ends up with a prince at the end? Why don't we just rename the play 'Nobles are better than us' and throw out all the subtlety?"
"Hudson...why are you doing this to me?" Maurice asked. "If we did another show like this, we'd be living like kings! I ALMOST have enough money to make my mother proud of me, and you want to rock the boat."
"I just...I don't know." Hudson complained, sitting down. I want to feel a little more real, you know? Like what I'm making matters. If you want to make a fortune, fine, I won't hold that against me...but Maurice, I am in this for the art. And if you're not...I might need to find a new company for next season." He stood up, walking over to the stage exit to get a drink, and chat up some of the fans of the show. Before he could leave, however, Maurice ran in front of him.
"Hey, Hudson, baby, wait." he said, blocking his path. "Let's...let's not get too hasty. Everyone knows you're the best in the business, but...you know, you gotta make money. But here's the point: you made me money. A lot of money. And that means I can afford to take risks. And I've got a hell of a risk that you might be interested in."
Hudson stopped walking, cocking his eyebrow. Maurice smiled up at him, and pressed a script into his hand. Unfolding it slowly, a huge smile bloomed onto Hudson's face.
"Who would I be playing?" he asked, his voice trembling.
"Well, I was going to give you the lead," Maurice said sarcastically, "but I'm pretty sure that you were whinging about playing villains earlier, right?"
At that, Hudson burst out laughing.
"Maurice, you shit-director." he said. "I'm in!"
In a single motion, he slammed the script down on the table, revealing its title: Seas of Infamy: The Tragedy of Gold Roger.
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"Wait, seriously?" I blurted out. We were sitting by a campfire now, as Pavel had used some of his nervous energy to build one. It was warm, which was nice in the middle of the night, but I was hoping that no one was looking too closely at the mountain. I was getting the feeling that if any of the pirates investigated this, we would be in some trouble.
"Of course!" Hudson explained. "After all, if you're going to create historical theatre, you should focus on history's most exciting personalities, right?"
"I'm just amazed you can get away with that, that's all," I said, laughing. "I mean, isn't the World Government and the Navy kind of fanatical about suppressing stuff about him? I'd imagine that doing a play about him would be asking for trouble."
"It kind of is," Hudson admitted. "But you have some things to learn about guerilla theatre, Kuina. I mean, yes, the Naval Office of Censorship is pretty tyrannical, there's no way around that. But when true artists are faced with obstacles like that, they do not surrender to them. They outwit them...they outmaneuver them at every turn!"
"Case and point, it is not actually forbidden to put on a play that features Gold Roger as a character. Honestly, it's not even illegal to have him as a main character. What's banned is portraying him as a hero. The cretins in the OOC don't want people to see pirates, especially pirates like him, as sympathetic figures or examples to live up to."
"So you can't tell a story saying anything favorable about him in a public place," I said, following his line of logic. Then, a smile spread across my face.
"Or more precisely," I said, almost laughing, "you can't tell a story that the censors can tell is saying something good about him."
"I knew you were smart!" Hudson yelled. "That's what Seas of Infamy was: a masterpiece of obfuscation. It told the story of a man ruthlessly hunted across the sea for wanting to be free, and we managed to present it in a fashion that all the sensors could figure out was that it was a dramatization of a pirate's execution! A masterstroke!"
"Honestly, it does sound pretty cool," I admitted. Underground theatre...it was reassuring to know that some of my hobbies from my old life still existed in this world. "And no one could figure it out?"
At that, Hudson's face fell. He laughed for a moment, but it was a hollow laugh, almost self deprecating.
"Oh, no, they didn't," he said, looking into the fire. "They never even got close to figuring it out...because if they had, they would have been the ones to ruin everything."
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"Gold Roger!" bellowed Monkey D. Garp, standing triumphantly at the edge of the execution platform. "At long last, your life of crime has caught up with you! You were a worthy opponent, but there was no other way that this could end! After all, when someone tries to defy Justice, the only treasure they will possess is the steel of the executioner's blade!"
A cheer went through the audience at this, though Hudson could tell they were cheering more for Garp than for justice. Everyone loved that guy, at least when his friend Boris portrayed him on stage. He smiled with satisfaction at his friend's performance, a look that lent itself well to the character he was playing. He sat on the execution platform, looking down at the audience, and wondered how it had looked in real life. The throngs of humanity looking up at the most hated criminal in the world, and seeing only satisfaction. Hudson mused on this. Were he truly in this position, could he face the end with a smile.
"My old friend," he said, staring down at Boris. "My treasures are far greater than that. For every atrocity that I have commited, there has been freedom, there has been joy. You think to send me to my doom, but you look upon a man with no regrets. If I had known so long ago that this would be my end, and had a chance to go back, I would cheer, as it would mean I could live this rich life a second time!"
"A rich life." Scoffed Garp. "What riches are afforded to you, who are about to die?"
"Ah, therein lies a secret!" Hudson said, feeling every bit the Pirate King. "You wish to know of my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I have in one-"
BOOM!
Screams suddenly filled the theatre, as one of the walls nearly collapsed, the people running in all directions. As the doors came down, men started to enter. They were armed with blades and guns, and laughed as they cut down everyone that couldn't stand up to their onslaught.
The actors panicked, running away as the smoke started to rise. Hudson did not blame them. In fact, he wanted to join them! But that option was not available to him. Cursing himself, Hudson suddenly realized the perils of being a method actor. He had, after all, said that his performance would be more believable if he was clapped in actual manacles for the final scene. As he struggled to escape, his mighty strength making the metal chains creak and crack, the theatre had become fully empty, save for the pirates that now swarmed the rows. And it did not take long for one of them to take notice of him.
"Hey, Captain!" He heard someone yell. "Take a look at this! This mug is gettin' old school executed in here!"
"Yeah! Guess the executions in this town are all fancy," another laughed. The laughter abruptly stopped, however, as the doors were flung open again, and a huge figure crossed the threshold.
Hudson could clearly see who had entered the theatre. He was a big man, a towering monster in a greatcoat, with long hair and wild eyes. But his most distinguishing feature was his mustache. At first, Hudson thought it was just very long...but as he looked closer, he realized that it was only partially hair. Wrapped into both ends of the mustache was a huge, hissing viper, looking around the room, scanning it for prey.
Hudson couldn't move his head, so when the pirate walked under the mock execution tower, he might as well have disappeared. But Hudson knew exactly where he was as he felt the wooden tower start to creak and shift, the clear sign that someone was climbing up the ladder. His breath caught in his throat as heard the sounds of footsteps behind him. Then, he heard a voice.
"So," the deep, grindy voice spoke, "didn't think the town was so full of rich folks. So fancy that they have their executions indoors. What's your name, shipmate?"
Hudson paused. These pirates...they didn't realize this was a theatre! They thought he was an actual criminal, ready to face execution! He wasn't, obviously. He needed to set this man straight, to let him know that he was another civilian…just like all the civilians they had just killed.
"My name is Handsome Roy Hudson." he finally said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I'm a pirate of the Grand Line who stumbled into a bunch of trouble here, and got caught off guard. They chained me up while I slept."
"A likely tale!" the captain laughed. "Who is there that wouldn't make such a claim! A Grand Line pirate, getting caught off guard by a bunch of-"
As the Captain mocked him, he felt the last of the chains start to crack. With a mighty thrust, he stood up, and all of his chains and bonds shattered in a single, sickening crunch of wood and metal. The captain, who Hudson would later learn was named Snakestache, took a step back, staring at him in wonder.
"I am no mere man!" Hudson shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "I am a monster, gliding along the pool of little fish that is the East Blue. Compared to them, I am a Sea King, and I have the strength of one hundred men!"
Hudson didn't really know what to expect after that. But he did not expect to hear cheering. For a moment, he thought this was all some kind of hallucination, and that he was still on stage. This feeling left him when he felt a clap on his back.
"Welcome to the crew, lad," Snakestache hissed.
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"So you just joined the crew?" I asked. "After you saw them kill everyone they met in the audience. I...I mean it makes sense, trying to survive and all, but bloodthirsty guys like that...I wouldn't exactly want to join them."
"I honestly didn't either," Hudson admitted, stoking the campfire. "That whole 'Grand Line Monster' thing was meant to get them to back off. But Snakestache invited me, and it was sort of a hard invitation to refuse."
"Okay, but you'd just convinced them you were a real terror," I countered. "You could have...I don't know, said they weren't worthy of you or something."
"Yes, well...I tried that, but that just caused more problems, mostly from the lieutenants." he grumbled. "Kappa started saying that they could show me how worthy they were by burning the whole village to the ground, and it sounded like the crew agreed with him. I couldn't let that happen. And Lilac….I don't know how to describe it, but he was giving me this look, like he was trying to figure out what it would do for his reputation if he killed me."
"Seriously."
"Oh, yes," Hudson said. "Lilac treats killing like a scorecard. He's...well, he's a lot of the reason I'm in this situation."
"Yeah, as the captain," I responded. "How did that even happen? From the way you described it, you were basically a conscript."
Hudson gave me a sheepish smile.
"I honestly want to just tell you a story about this one, but...let's just say my disguise was not as perfect as I thought.
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Hudson sat on the deck of the ship, his beer clenched firmly in his hand. Despite the festive music and laughter, he could not relax. Because he knew he was on a ship filled with killers.
He had been on three raids with the Snakestache pirates since he had been press ganged, and in each one he'd seen the true madness of this crew. They burned down buildings for fun, barely offered any warnings before charging in...it was a nightmare, and knowing he'd been partially responsible for it had terrified him.
Or it would have, had he not headed off those slaughters.
The first time, it had been the village he had been taken from. It had really just been a trick to give the rest of his acting troop a chance to escape, at first. Since most of the pirates were in that theatre, he endeavored to keep them there. One of the men on the crew had offhandedly asked him about the Grand Line, and he turned that into a twenty minute story about wrestling sea kings and punching Marines. All of it was made up, of course, but it had succeeded in giving the whole town time to evacuate. The Snakestache pirates looted their houses without much resistance, and they celebrated long into the night. But when they left, and took Hudson with them, he knew the village was safe.
The second raid was about a week later, and Hudson again found another opportunity. This time, he volunteered to scout out the town before the pirates attacked. This was met with some grumbling, but Snakestache allowed it, finding his dedication amusing. When he did, he told the pirates all about the richest houses in town...while also slipping warnings to the totally unprepared town watch. The warnings were meant to look like threats, and utterly exaggerated the crew's power. So, when the Snakestache pirates attacked, they found the town barricaded in the small fort. Hudson told Snakestache that he had seen them hiding the valuables in one of the mansions, so the pirates ignored the villagers to steal the treasure there...treasure Hudson had warned the watch to make available. Getting a payday for almost no work, the pirates left.
The third was an attack on a transport ship, and Hudson was very proud of his work. He had noticed a lot of boxes stored on deck. It had only taken a few quick shots - a talent learned from a trickshooter he knew once - to blast away the restraints on some of the crates, causing many of them to topple over the side of the ship in the chase. Hudson pointed out that the goods were likely very valuable, and the Snakestache pirates stopped to fish them out of the water, letting the vessel escape. He knew the hull was likely filled with poor seafarers. The crew made a payday again, all without a single death.
The crew was currently celebrating this most recent victory. The rum was flowing freely, and music blared from the deck. But Hudson could not relax. All he could do was think of how he could try to head off the next catastrophe.
"Let's go, old man! I've got you this time!"
The entertainment, if one could call it that, seemed to be a randomly occurring ritual on the ship. Apparently, the first mate would fight periodic duels against the captain, and the whole crew loved to watch them. As far as Hudson understood, Lilac had never defeated Snakestache, which was lucky for the captain, as although it looked like it was all in good fun and was treated as such, the atmosphere suggested that Lilac might end one of these duels in blood.
But as Hudson watched, it was clear to him that the morbid question was not going to be answered. As steel clashed in a display of swordsmanship that he found more than a little terrifying, Lilac's fan sword was knocked from his hand, and impaled itself in the deck. Snakestache laughed, Lilac stormed away, and the whole crew cheered. Hudson cheered with them, at least to keep himself from feeling out of place.
But as the night wore on, and many of the pirates either turned in or passed out, Hudson was not allowed to rest. As he headed down to his bunk, he found himself blocked by the imposing bulk of the captain.
"Hey there, Roy." he said, his words slightly slurred by his drunkenness. The snakes on his face seemed just as drunk, lolling around listlessly. "Havin' a good night?"
"Fantastic party," Hudson said. "Afraid the drink went right to my head, though, so I'm about to collapse." He tried to walk past the hulking captain...and was blocked as he slammed his hand against the wall.
"Barely saw you drink," Snakestache murmured. "You're sober enough to talk to me. Come to my quarters...we need to discuss your future on this crew." He walked past Hudson, and Hudson didn't dare disobeying him.
Snakestache's cabin was a mess. As soon as the door opened, a wave of rotting odors hit Hudson in the face, and he had to fight not to gag. Most of the crew's cleanliness left a lot to be desired, but this was on another level. The air was almost a solid wall of muggy scent. Snakestache brushed a few things off one of the chairs, and gestured for Hudson to sit down.
"Roy, Roy, Roy," Snakestache muttered, sitting across from him. "What am I gonna do with you?"
"Is there a problem, Captain?" Hudson asked, trying to seem calm and unbothered.
"Not sure why there would be," Snakestache laughed. "We've been making money like bandits since you came on board, don't think I haven't noticed. Don't think we've done pirating this clean since...well, can't remember when."
"Thank you!" Hudson said, allowing himself to relax a little. "On the Grand Line, I've found that less work often equals more-"
"Of course, not everyone agrees." Snakestache continued, like Hudson hadn't even spoken. "Was talking to Lilac, after our duel. He seems to think we should get rid of you. Thinks you're undermining me as the captain, thinks you're making us weak." As he finished, Hudson suddenly became very aware of the door, and how far away it was from where he was sitting. He shifted nervously in his chair.
"I see," he said, keeping his voice as neutral as he could. "And...what do you think?"
At this, the captain laughed.
"Oh, don't worry," he said, clapping Hudson on the shoulder. "I know Lilac pretty well. He's just a bloodcrazed idiot that's mad that we haven't been stacking up heads the last few raids. Besides, I know you're not going to threaten my authority."
"Of course not!" Hudson said, still tense. "After all, mutiny is the vilest-"
"Because I know you're a coward." Snakestache said, the smile dropping from his face.
Hudson froze. A thousand conflicting messages roared in his head at once, but none of them were plans he could act on. He couldn't move, he could barely breathe as Snakestache stared at him. Hudson was sure he could see the fear on his face.
"I'll give you credit, I didn't know at first," Snakestache said, standing up and walking over to a nearby shelf. He came back a moment later with a half eaten chicken he now greedily dug into with his fingers. "I wasn't sure when I met you. After all, most cowards are also weaklings, and you're certainly not that. Your strength is no joke, Roy. Nor's your shooting. So this issue's more of an annoyance than a reason to throw you to the sharks." He stuffed a handful of chicken into his mouth.
"I...I…" Hudson stammered.
"Don't waste both of our time by trying to talk your way out." Snakestache snarled. "We both know that your wits are the only damn reason you're any use to me. But that..it's not enough!"
He suddenly reached out, grabbing the back of Hudson's collar, and pulling him right up to his face.
"I won't kill you, you gutless worm. Not yet," he said. "We'll have another raid soon enough, though. And when we do, I had better see your blade wet with blood. Blood of a few people. If it isn't, I'll let Lilac do whatever he wants with you, and I promise you, it will not be quick." He slammed Hudson's head down on the table, and Hudson felt blood start to trickle into his eyes from his forehead. Snakestache laughed, and grabbed another handful of chicken, and shoved it into his mouth.
"Course, if you do what I tell you, you're in for real!" he suddenly laughed. "After all - *cough* - men who draw blood - *cough* - for me are -"
Suddenly, Snakestache had stopped talking. His voice was blocked, as he coughed harder and harder, trying to dislodge something from his throat. Hudson soon realized that it wasn't just that the captain couldn't talk...he couldn't breathe.
In a single motion, the captain crashed to the floor, beating his chest viciously, desperately hacking for air. His face started to pale, as he looked up at Hudson, his expression a combination of rage and helplessness...but Hudson just sat there, unsure of what to do. He wished he could say that he was refusing to help this evil man, but in reality, he was still somewhat paralyzed by fear.
Finally, after thrashing around the room, Snakestache stopped, lying face first on the ground, his lovely blade falling out of its sheath. The snakes on his mustache convulsed and hissed as they fought to get off his face. Captain Snakestache, the feared pirate with eight million on his head, had died choking on a chicken bone.
Hudson had no idea what to do, as he looked on in confusion at what he had just seen. For a moment, he considered escaping. Without the captain, he could probably get to a lifeboat and escape pretty quickly. But as soon as he thought of this, he heard rapid footsteps storming toward the door, likely alerted by the noise Snakestache had made while he was flailing around. Hudson stood up, and the door swung open. Several crewmen piled in.
"Captain! We heard some stuff breaking, and….captain?" There was no way Hudson could hide what had happened here. There was Snakestache, asphyxiated on the floor, there was no time to hide him.
"Out of the way, maggots!" he heard Lilac yell. Sure enough, the first mate shoved his way in behind the others, then stopped dead, looking at Snakestache's corpse.
"New meat!" he bellowed at Hudson. "What happened here!?"
Hudson opened his mouth...and then thought about his situation for a moment.
"What happened?" he repeated. "I'll tell you what happened! Captain Snakestache and I fought, and I won!" The crew in the room gasped in shock. Lilac's eyes narrowed.
"Bullshit!" he shouted. "Snakestache was a warrior, and I've never even seen you fight before!'
"Ah, but that doesn't mean I can't." Hudson said, standing to his full height, emphasizing how much taller he was than Lilac. "After all, we are pirates, not dogs. We fight when we must, and we just take when we don't need to. My brilliant plans have filled your pockets without a single drop of blood spilled, and Snakestache knew this!"
"That is why," Hudson continued, walking past them all, onto the deck of the ship, "he became jealous of me! He knew he couldn't compete with my brilliant mind, so he planned to kill me! But as you can see, he was no match. Even after he drew his sword, he managed to cut me only once, across the head, before I choked the life from him! And as I have defeated him in battle, I, Handsome Hudson, claim leadership of this band of rogues!"
Some of the men cheered, but Lilac stormed up to him.
"Unless," Hudson said, turning to meet him, "Anyone wants to challenge me."
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"And he bought that?" I said with a laugh.
"Oh yes," Hudson said, laughing back. "See, it was all about watching the battles between Lilac and Snakestache. I'm hardly an expert fighter, but I could tell Snakestache always had an advantage. But, if I fought him to the death, and came out practically unharmed…"
"Then he wouldn't risk it!" I said, grinning. "And nobody knew about it?"
"No one but Pavel, anyway." Hudson said. "Needed to let him in on it. After all, we needed to fake his death."
"As far as I'm concerned, Captain Hudson never lied about anything important," Pavel said, joining the conversation. "He's way smarter than Snakestache ever was, and he's a much better captain."
"Unless the crew finds out what he's doing," I responded.
"Indeed!" Hudson said. "So basically, I've been running this con for a while now. But that's kind of why I need your help. Things are...hey, Pavel, I almost forgot! I left you a share of the treasure from the last few hauls hidden in an alcove by the sea. You should probably go get it!"
Pavel grinned, and ran out of the campsite. I stoked the fire, and looked at Hudson again.
'I'm gonna miss that kid," Hudson said.
"So, what's the problem?" I asked. Hudson sighed.
"I had really high hopes for this crew, stupidly," he said. "I guess I had tricked them into being better enough times that I thought something was changing. But...Lilac is still in the crew. He's basically the entire reason that I stayed on as captain. I mean, yes, it's partially because if he became captain he'd probably kill me, but honestly...I can't let him lead this crew. He's a bloodthirsty monster, and if he gets to call the shots, they are going to kill a lot of people. I've been leading them to be less violent. I've been showing them how to steal from people in ways that don't require killing. And if Lilac took my place, they'd be a threat to everyone they came across."
"But, when I heard you defeated Kappa, I devised a plan," he continued. "I was testing you yesterday, Kuina. First I tested your courage, then your self restraint, and finally your skill. See, here is what I am thinking…we'll come in tomorrow, and I'll tell them that when we fought, you beat me. Then, you'll tell them that the whole crew can go free, as we had an honorable duel. Now, when this happens, I am almost completely sure that Lilac will start something. He's been going on about our image for a while now. But I'm almost certain you're stronger than him, so when he does, you give him a good thrashing. Then my pirates and I will 'escape.' Maybe Lilac gets turned into the marines, and maybe he escapes with us, with him and the crew learning a lesson about getting rich without fighting everyone."
"I mean, it could work," I said, rubbing my chin. "I guess I just have one question...why do you need me?"
"I can't defeat Lilac," Hudson explained. "I thought I made that abundantly clear."
"Yeah, but you don't actually have to," I explained. "It seems like he's the only real obstacle to your plan. You may not be a good fighter, but you're really strong, you know trick shooting, you can do that thing that blinded me a few days ago...I mean, I don't want to be 'that girl', but you could totally just take him out when he isn't expecting it. Why go through all of this?"
Hudson was quiet for a moment, as if he was collecting his thoughts. Finally, he spoke, and he sounded almost ashamed.
"I'm a pacifist." he explained, and I felt bad about it later, but I actually snorted at that.
"You're kidding me," I said. "I mean, having ideals is all well and good, but in certain situations you just-"
"Do you think I don't know that?!" Hudson suddenly yelled. I stopped talking.
"It's not just an ideal." he said, looking downtrodden. "I'm not an idiot. I'm totally willing to defend myself if it comes to it. But when I actually think about hurting someone else, taking their life...I just freeze up. I hesitate. I can't follow through, and by the time I force myself through it, it's usually too late."
"Maybe Snakestache was right about me," he grumbled. "Maybe I am a coward."
"I wouldn't say that," I said, reading his expression. "I mean, you don't seem to have an aversion to danger, just violence. Actually, given your abilities, I'm pretty sure putting yourself in the situation you did makes you brave to the point of foolhardiness."
"You think so?" he asked, his eyes lighting up.
"Of course," I said evenly, a little smirk coming on my face. "I mean, someone as weak as you, pulling a con like that? You could have literally died at any moment! If that isn't courage, I don't know what is."
We both laughed at that for a moment.
"Honestly, I was mostly just curious." I said. "Of course I'll help you with your plan. I mean, if more people get saved in the long term, how can I refuse? Just one adjustment...when we go down to the village tomorrow, we'll do a fake fight in front of your crew. I figure that'll have the same result, and will make it less likely for you to get second guessed later."
"Great idea!" Hudson said. "Although, quick warning, seeing me get beaten may very well not stop Lilac from attacking you."
"That's fine," I responded. "Just one more question, though...how did you blind me? Was it a special weapon? A devil fruit?"
"Hardly!" Hudson laughed. "All it was was dental hygiene! An actor's smile needs to be as white as possible, after all, and I take such good care of my teeth that when the sun hits them just right, they reflect it!"
Fricking One Piece.
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Interlude:
In the darkness, Pavel ran down the side of the mountain.
He was going to miss the captain, that was for sure. He remembered the day he'd joined the Snakestache pirates, press ganged into service when his town was raided by the crew. He had tried to harden himself to what he saw, tried to stop feeling so he wouldn't have to cry as horror after horror confronted him.
And then Hudson came. And everything changed.
They were still criminals, but it was different. They didn't have to be monsters. They didn't have to risk their lives constantly, they didn't have to kill everyone in their path...they made their fortunes with their wits rather than their steel. Pavel wished he could stay with them forever, sailing the seas, outwitting their prey instead of killing them.
But, Pavel was dead, or he had to be.
He rounded a corner, heading into the alcove Hudson had talked about. This was a perfect example. Hudson didn't need to help him at all, saving his life would have been payment enough. Yet, a sack of beli was waiting for him. Hudson took care of his men. That could not be denied.
But his admiration and happiness turned to terror as he realized someone was waiting for him. Someone terrifyingly familiar.
"Well, would you look at that!" sneered Lilac, leaning against the rocky wall. "Pavel, back from the dead. Let's talk about how you accomplished that little miracle."