Kaizoku wa Kaizoku desu… A Pirate is a Pirate
Part 1 of a 4 part series
by Aoikami Sarah
Chapter Four – The Red Hair Brothers
The following day, Ace and Luffy walked down into town after lunch. Ace watched Luffy enter Party's Bar, greeted warmly by the pirates' cheers and clenched his fists. Relaxing, he pulled an envelope out of his sweatshirt pocket and continued down the street.
Bower, the town's mayor was at home enjoying a nice cup of tea. He sighed and glanced out the window. The smile left his lips as his eyes rested on the ship moored in the harbor. He was glad to be distracted by the knock on his door.
"Oh, Ace. What a pleasant surprise!" Bower let the boy in. "To what do I owe this visit?" He motioned to a chair and bid Ace sit down.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mayor," Ace said with a bow. "I've brought a letter from my mother."
Bower was glad his back was turned so that Ace wouldn't see him clench his teeth. "Oh? And how is she keeping? I dare say it's been three months since last I saw her."
"Well…" Ace mumbled, pulling the letter out of his pocket. "She's well," he said with a fake smile.
Bower nodded and muttered 'good' a few times as he took the letter from him.
"If you please, Sir. My mother has instructed that I wait for your reply before I leave."
The Mayor looked up from studying the envelope. "Oh? Very well." He slit it open with a small knife. Inside was a letter and another envelope folded to fit into the first. His eyes flicked across the page. "Hm…" Bower grumbled as he looked up. "Tell your dear mother I will do as she has instructed. If you would, also tell her she is missed here in town?"
Ace bowed again. "Of course." He was shown out and when the door had closed behind him, he made a face. "Boy," he muttered to himself. "Bower-san always does what Mother wants… Some Mayor, getting' pushed around by a woman who's not even his wife." He grinned.
Clouds filed in from the mountains behind the little town. Bower slipped the letter into his shirt and meandered down to the harbor. Relief and agitation played the fiddle in his chest as he noticed Lucky coming down the dock. Setting his jaw, the Mayor approached him.
"Hey! Bower!" Lucky chimed. "How ya doin' man?"
Bower frowned. "I've been worse." His eyes focused on the ship's figure head. "Is your captain aboard?"
Lucky's smile drooped. "Yeah. Doin' paperwork inside." He hooked his thumb towards the ship. "You know where to go." Bower clenched his teeth and climbed the gang plank. "Been a while since you been on board, ain't it?" Lucky said with his back to him. "Don't get all nostalgic, now."
The Mayor closed his eyes.
.X.Flashback.X.
The first time Bower set foot on the East Wind was with the intent to take it over. He was 15 years younger and boarded with a knife clenched between his teeth.
"Avast!" his captain cried. "Leave no prisoners!" He followed the long green overcoat with the wide shoulders and red hair and beard streaming behind as the crew leapt onto the deck and battled with the enemy.
Once aboard, Bower slashed his way through a few men with his favorite weapon, the Bully-Stick: a four-foot billy-club made of iron. He came around and headed up the stairs where he was met by a large man wielding a shotgun like a bat. They grinned at each other's choice of weapon and went head on.
On the port side of the ship, two men with dark red hair fought back to back. Bower kept his eyes on them, noting the one with the straw hat seemed to be their captain. It wasn't long before his own captain found him.
"Shep! Look out!" the younger red haired man called as the enemy brandished a sword of sizable girth.
"I got this one, Shanks!" the captain called back and put his fists up.
"Yeah! Go for it, Red Beard!" Bower cheered.
"Hey!" Beckman shouted and nearly took his head off. "Fight's over here, Shorty!"
"Shorty!" Bower snarled and flew at him.
Red Beard, whose oversized hat and unruly reddish brown hair and beard gave a wild appearance to, lunged at Shep. The man with the straw hat laughed as he danced around the over-dressed pirate, dodging the attacks.
"What's so funny?" Red Beard growled.
"You're hardly trying!" Shep replied with a foxy grin.
"You should talk, you're unarmed! Take me seriously!"
"Ha!" Faster than just about anyone on the ship could see, he punched the enemy in the stomach. Red Beard tried to recover and get away quickly. Shep spun and kicked. Everyone watching moaned as his foot connected with the enemy's groin.
Red Beard grinned under the bushy beard, unaffected and grabbed Shep's ankle, turning it to send him crashing to the ground. As he fell, Shep reached out to pull the scraggly pirate down in the hopes that he could offset his fall and remain standing. His hand grasped a fistful of beard, but still, he fell.
"Captain!" Bower cried.
Both Shep and Red Beard were too shocked for a moment to move. Shep lay on his back on the deck clutching the false beard in his hand.
"A woman captain!" Lucky Roo shouted and punched out another enemy.
'Red Beard' grinned. Her clear blue eyes stared at Shep. He stared back, tossed the beard aside and leapt to his feet. At last, he drew his cutlass. The blades clashed and they pressed against each other.
"Now I know why you're holding back," Shep said quietly.
"Now you are, too," she muttered, her wild grin exposed. "I surrender."
"You can't do that."
"Oh no?"
"No. Because I surrender."
She threw back her head and laughed. Finally, they put down their swords. "Cease and desist, mateys!" she cried.
"What!" Bower's jaw hung open.
"You heard her," Shep chimed in. "This fight is over!" He looked to his opponent. "What was your aim, Captain Red Beard?"
"Another ship. I want to build a fleet."
"Very progressive," he said and nodded. "A woman of what, seventeen a captain of a fleet?"
"Twenty, thank you."
"Twenty!" he laughed. "How bout a ship and a crew?"
"A partnership?"
He nodded and put his hand out. She smiled and took it. "Name's Redhair Shep."
"I'm Marina. Let's kick some ass together!"
More to come...