Kaizoku wa Kaizoku desu… A Pirate is a Pirate

Part 1 of a 4 part series

by Aoikami Sarah

Chapter Two – The Bearer of Bad News

Shanks walked slowly up the main street, away from the beach, away from the tavern and into the countryside. An almost full moon lighted his path. He followed a little dirt road for about a mile. Tiny farm houses dotted the country-side. Between cow pastures in the foothills of the rolling mountains sat a little white house with a white picket fence - the kind you read about in fairy tales. A small vegetable patch filled the yard on the eastern side. A clothes line ran between trees on the west. Light from a fireplace danced inside. Even from outside, Shanks could hear laughter. He stood and watched the shapes of people through the distorted antique glass windows for a minute before approaching the door. He hesitated just before knocking.

"I'll get it!" a young voice called from close by. Shanks swallowed and prepared himself, but nothing happened. He was about to knock again when at last it cracked open.

"What do you want?" she asked quickly and quietly. Her eyes peered through the crack and narrowed.

"Marina, I…" he said, taking off his treasured straw hat and holding it in his hands in front of him, respectfully. Her piercing blue eyes followed the hat, widened a bit, then darted back up to his face.

"How dare you come to this house?"

"Please talk to me, Marina."

"Go away."

"But…"

"I have no business with pirates. Leave, now."

Shanks gripped the hat tightly. He was afraid it would come to this. "Shep's dead."

The silence was so great he could hear her exhale. "So that's why you're wearing the hat…" Marina's eyes lowered. "Is that all you have to say?"

"No, but that was all that would get your attention, isn't it?"

The eyes snapped back up again, staring, perforating him with hatred. "What does it matter? The both of you were dead to me long ago."

Shanks' stomach turned as the door, which had never been more than two inches open, slammed in his face. All the things he had been planning to say to her evaporated from his mind. For a moment, he was lost. There was no way he would be able to reach her now, he was sure. There was no bringing Shep back to her, which would have been the only way he could ask for her forgiveness. Shanks put his brother's hat on and walked slowly back to town.

.X.

Marina leaned against the door and squeezed her eyes shut. She stood about five feet eight inches tall. A simple country dress hung loosely off of her slight frame. Some of her long, auburn hair escaped the bun on top of her head. She opened her clear, blue eyes and stared at the crackling fire across the room.

"Moma?" a small voice called quietly from the top of the stairs head of her.

"Mother, is everything alright?" another, slightly older voice asked.

"Yes, yes. It's alright boys. It was just someone looking for directions."

The older boy came down, followed by his brother, clutching his shirt. "Please, Mother, you should let me answer the door this late at night," the ten year old advised. His black eyes were serious and intense as he approached her. He had the same black hair as his younger brother with a smattering of freckles across his cheeks.

"Thank you, Ace." Their mother smiled and put her hand on his head. "I know you're the man of the house, but sometimes a mother needs to protect her children."

"I was gonna answer it, Moma," the little one whined.

"You're too little," his brother reminded him. Indeed, he was only four feet tall and appeared much younger than Ace.

She put her other hand on the little one's head. "Luffy, why don't you go in the kitchen and get out that new package of cookies?"

The worried frown on his little face vanished. "Really!"
Marina nodded and the seven year old skipped happily into the kitchen. She went to her rocking chair and nearly collapsed into it. Ace seated himself on the sofa across from her. The fire crackled in the heavy silence.

"Please don't stare at me, Ace. It's not polite."

"I… I'm sorry!" he gasped and averted his eyes to the braided rug on the floor "Mother, if that man was just a stranger, why did you slam the door?"

She let out a slow breath. "He was rude. That's all. Really. It's nothing. I'm just tired, Ace."

When Luffy returned with a plate of cookies balanced precariously over two glasses off milk for he and his brother to share, their mother was all smiles as if nothing had happened.

.X.

As Beckman came out of the bathroom, he almost collided with Yasopp.

"We got a problem! The captain's gone back to the ship!"

"So," he drawled, a few sheets to the wind. "It's his ship."

"With three bottles of 180 proof!"

Beckman swallowed deep. "He went alone?"

Yasopp nodded. "I didn't think anything of it till Lucky actually put down mutton to go after him."

Beckman relaxed a little. "So Lucky's gonna keep an eye on him. It's ok, Yaso."

"But, the Cap'n never drinks alone…"

"He's probl'y got a good reason." The first mate noticed that he didn't look reassured. "I gotta stay here and keep an eye on this lot. Why don't you go keep Lucky company."

"Thanks, Benny," Yasopp clapped him on the arm and jogged out of the tavern.

The moon was just setting into the ocean. Lucky leaned his bulk against the railing, causing it to sag slightly just outside the captain's quarters. Yasopp ambled up the stairs and joined him. He looked out at the moon's dancing reflection on the water.

"Is he ok?" Yasopp asked quietly.

Lucky sighed heavily. "Of course not. When does he ever shut himself off from the rest of us?"

"Never," Yasopp agreed.

"Well, no," Lucky mused. "Last time was before you joined up. Back a few years ago when Cap'n Shep was killed."

"The former captain…" Yasopp whispered. "Shanks' brother, right?"

Lucky nodded. "It took us months to get him back to close to normal. He ain't been right since. Not as carefree as he used to be. Sometimes I miss that Shanks, the young crazy Shanks. I just hope this time won't be so hard."

Yasopp made a worried face. "What happened this time?"

Lucky worked his mouth around, trying to decide what he could tell Yasopp. "Well," he sighed again. "He went to visit Cap'n Shep's widow."

"Oh no, is she dead too?"

"Nah, I doubt that. He wouldn't be hidin' like this if he didn't talk to her. I dunno what happened but it weren't good. I wish we didn't come here at all. No use digging up what's done."

Yasopp pursed his lips and nodded.

.X.

The following afternoon the crew was anxious. They milled around the ship, each of them had the same question on his mind. Beckman observed the sun sink past the noon hour and finally opened the door.

Shanks was lying on his bed with his hat over his eyes. The three rum bottles lay empty on the floor. This amount of alcohol consumed in such a short time would have killed an average man, but Shanks was far from average.

"Cap'n," Ben cleared his throat. "The crew's worried 'bout you."

Shanks didn't move, but he did speak. "Go away," he muttered from under the hat.

Beckman rolled his eyes and took a deep breath. "Get up you sorry sack of shit!" He grabbed the blanket under him and yanked it. Shanks was air born in moments and a comical look crossed his face before he crashed to the floor.

"Ow! Ben! You coulda poked me or said 'please' or something a little more… ughhhhh," he groaned as his hangover came throbbing to life.

"I heard from the townsfolk that she's alive and well, so I don't feel bad kicking your ass."

Shanks put his hat back on and realized blearily that he was wearing the same clothes he had been wearing yesterday. "Yeah. She's just fine. What little I saw of her looked fine… Just her eyes glaring at me through a crack in the door this big," he groaned and held up his fingers to show Ben the size of the crack.

"She still hates us, huh?"

"Oh yeah."

Ben folded his arms. "So, that's over. When do we leave?"

Shanks sat down on his bed and rubbed his temples. "Not yet."

Beckman sighed. "Whatever."

"Humor me, Benny. We'll head out to sea soon but I wanna make Fuchsia Village our base for a while." Shanks flopped back down. "Tell the guys I'll be out later. Gotta sleep this off some more."

"Yes Sir." Ben answered with a smirk. He picked up the empty bottles and left him to rest.

More to come...