Sorry for the schedule slip again, guys, but I at least have sort of an excuse: another story I'd been planning for a while. I guess I let myself get caught up in it, heh.

Bounty Seven

Chapter Eighteen: Ghost Ship, Part 3

No matter how many details he got, it seemed like the late Captain Ripfang would never be satisfied. He continued poking and proding at Siegfried with all manner of tools, his undead crew constantly switching in and out the used measurers for new implements. Ordinarily someone putting things with as many sharp edges as they often had would be cause for concern, but Ripfang was always very careful. If it was an attempt to lull him into false security, he probably could have done without the flaming beard.

"Then again, even a cannibal is careful not to bruise what they eat." Siegfried mused, staring up at the wall.

Several minutes passed.

Running footsteps suddenly sounded across the hallway outside (the Ripfang Pirates' feet sounded very distinct on wood flooring, for obvious reasons), and one of the skeletal crew slammed opened the door. Ripfang jerked the hand holding a…device back quickly.

"Cap'n, we've got two land-lover boarders! They're tearing straight through the t'upper quarters, and not a soul can seem to stop 'em!"

Ripfang's face crumpled into a frown. "Wee friends of yours, I assume?" he growled, fixing a burning eye on Siegfried.

"Right on time – and in just the way I expected." Aloud, Siegfried shrugged. "Well, let's be fair, here: you did trap an entire ship in this little weather front of yours. Couldn't it be one of them?"

A hook was promptly buried in the wood next to his neck. "Don't ye be talking about logistics to me with that tone, sonny," Ripfang hissed, "if I say they be your crew, then they be your crew. Are we square?"

"As any pirate without a pegleg." Siegfried replied coolly. He'd mulled over the idea of jerking his neck into the blow, but that was the kind of bravado that got you a hook in the throat. Metaphorically.

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"This is your fault, I would like to point out."

"My fault! How in the hell is this my fault, feathers, huh?"

"You leaped out and tried to stab that pirate in the throat. For an assassin, you could stand to be quieter."

Adrian jabbed an accusing finger back at the pursuing skeleton horde. "Hey, I can be damn quiet! Blame these guys for not having proper throats! When I hit someone with a shigan, they usually get hurt by it – and don't fall to the ground and break afterward, either!"

Asakura frowned deeply. "Do you have no common sense? If a warrior cannot comprehend the nature of their enemy, only they are to blame."

"Huh?" Adrian leaned in as they continued running. "I guess it must be your fault that I knocked your ass out then, huh?"

She thrust out her hand suddenly, and a knife stood quivering between her pointer finger and thumb, a hairs-breadth from the back of Asakura's head. Adrian squeezed, and the small blade broke into three pieces. She then turned to glare at the skeleton responsible, and he, a nightmarish goon surrounded by a pack of equally so crewmates, paled considerably. "Don't interrupt me…"

Adrian stopped running and leaped, her leg scything around in a vicious sweep. "WHILE I'M TALKING! RANKYAKU!"

The air blade sliced straight through the skeleton-men with a chorus of snapping bones, breaking pelvises, and even a few cracked spines. Landing, Adrian caught up to Asakura quickly without looking back. Within just a few moments of them crashing to the floor, the sound of their bodies mending back together reached the two.

"And when I do that to someone, they at least have the good courtesy to stay down." Adrian muttered. "Nothing we do can even slow these bastards down!"

"It is very troublesome," Asakura agreed, "my blades are not as effective on foes that are nothing but bone. Still, they must have some weakness."

Adrian rolled her eyes. "Well, can you comprehend it, then?"

To her satisfaction, the shinobi only shrugged. "It matters not: so long as we can recapture Siegfried and escape, we do not have to truly defeat any of them."

"Well, that's terrific," Adrian said dryly, "once we find out where he is, I think you mean. Man, if I could just get my hands on one of these jokers alone…" She clenched a fist.

Asakura glanced at her sharply. "Please pay attention, Assassin." She pointed ahead of them, indicating a sudden three-way fork in the corridor.

"We're going straight."

"And how do you know-"

"I don't." Adrian replied. "But that's where we're going. Well, where I am anyway – you can leave, if you want." She flashed a nasty smile.

Her companion ignored her, but it didn't really matter either way, as it turned out. When they reached the fork, they found that the left and right pathways were filled with more skeletons, which promptly raised their weapons and gave chase. Adrian sighed exasperatedly. "How many of these -ing jerks are on this damn ship, anyway?"

Rather than fight three different groups of unkillable corsairs at once, the two women ran down the center path. Asakura frowned. "Laying in wait for us like that…they are surprisingly well-coordinated."

Adrian nodded, biting her lip. "They probably know this whole place like what used to be the backs of their hands, while we're running around blind. Who knows what other traps they have ready for-"

"Goddamn Murphy's Law!" cursed the assassin as the floor literally fell away underneath both of them. Underneath was a short pit, lined with bloody, rusted spikes.

"Geppou!" Thinking quickly – no, without any time to think at all – Adrian grabbed Asakura around the waist and leaped, gaining purchase on thin air and coming back up to the corridor. The skeletons stopped momentarily to stare as the two continued running…at least, aside from an unfortunate few at the head of the pack who tumbled into the spike trap behind them.

Then the floor slid back, and the group continued their whooping pursuit, blades waving. Someone would get around to pulling those guys out. Eventually. There was no real rush.

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Grinning widely, Ripfang looked back at Siegfried. "Well? What do ye think?"

The wall he had been tied down facing had swung aside at the captain's touch, revealing a wide panel of switches, ropes, and buttons. Above them was a window of ethereal blue fire, through which Adrian and Asakura could be glimpsed. Ripfang looked very pleased. "Over the years I've outfitted me vessel with enough booby traps to keelhaul an entire navy battalion! And lucky you – you get to see every single one of 'em tested out on yer wenches!"

"Don't call them that again, or I'll make you pay for it the second I'm loose." Siegfried said calmly. He smiled. "Besides, if all these traps are anything like that one, you'll only be wasting your time trying them on those two."

Ripfang sneered. About the tenth time he'd made it happen, Siegfried thought with some satisfaction. "I'll say what I please on me own vessel, sonnie. If ye think these whelps be hardy enough to survive, then just look and see." He grinned. "Not that you can do much else, after all."

"You'd be surprised what I can do from here, Ripfang…" Siegfried thought, narrowing his eyes.

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"That cannot have been the only trap," Asakura warned, "we must be careful."

Adrian nodded, looking confident. "Tell me something I don't know! Don't worry, this my element. No-one can construct a trap tough enough to kill The Black Cat!"

Sadly, she seemed to have forgotten another facet of Murphy's Law: 'no matter how bad it's gotten, it can always get worse', or in this case, 'no matter how much someone seems to want you dead, they can always want it more'.

With a deadly sounding hiss, a set of tiny holes opened up in the walls on either side. Five sets of five in a row, they were each just large enough to contain-

"An arrow trap!" Asakura cried, lashing out with one foot to knock Adrian to the floor as she leaped ahead, motioning quickly. A moment later the arrows flew out, but so did both of her hands, sending blasts of wind in either direction. The arrows were scattered or broken, with none hitting either of the two women, but another ominous hiss signaled another hail.

Quick as lightning, Adrian was on her feet in a burst of Soru, shoving Asakura out of the way. The arrows met with a rather unpleasant metal clang, destroying themselves as they crashed together. Not the most economically sound set-up for arrows, both reasoned, but when you had money to spare, inflicting shrapnel wounds on interlopers was probably worth the cost.

After a moment more of running, Adrian turned to her companion. "Hey, listen, uh-"

"Er," Asakura began with a slight murmur, "I-"

A chorus of screams suddenly echoed from behind, and not just the blood-thirsty ones the skeleton pirates had been throwing forward at them (along with, in Adrian's opinion, probably the worst threats she'd ever heard). The two looked back to see several of the bony-white bandits clutching at their limbs in pain: another set of arrows had fired from the holes, right into the center of the pack. Odd.

"Later." They both agreed.

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"What in hades-!"

Ripfang stepped back, watching as the unwounded men tried to step over or negotiate those who weren't, without much success. "What happened!" He looked down to see the rope pulley that triggered the arrows just in time to see it slide back into place. "How did that happen? I'm sure I let it go…"

"Maybe you slipped," Siegfried said politely from behind him, "it happens." He tilted his head to one side. "How cohesive is ectoplasm, exactly? I've always been curious?"

"Shut yer bilge-hole, boy!" Ripfang growled, and then looked back to the window. "Just walk it off, boys! Don't let those wenches get away!"

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"Okay, so far we have the spike trap, and the arrow-in-the-wall trick. What's next?"

What with Soru and all, Adrian didn't have to especially push herself at running, so her eyes were free to pick out the oncoming corridor. Since it hadn't consisted of anything besides some unevenly spaced doors, a lantern here and there, and, well, lots of planking. "…now that I think about it, ain't this corridor a bit too long? We've been running west to east for who knows how long, and the damn thing's not even close to stopping yet."

Adrian's thoughts on the possible space-time warp were interrupted when her eyes picked out a set of three metal grooves set into the floor ahead of the two. She nudged Asakura. "Hope you're better at dodging now than you were-"

"Yes, yes, you hit me one time," Asakura replied icily, "please stop bringing it up. As for this trap, I do not think it will pose a problem."

"You could just say 'yes', y'know." Adrian said with a roll of her eyes. "Okay, let's do it!"

Sure enough, as soon as they stepped on the grooves, a trio of long saws popped up at the end and came toward them rapidly, going up and down rapidly to maximize the gibbing that would result. "Keeping these traps in such oiled condition is admirable, at least." Asakura thought. "It is almost a shame we will have to render them pointless.

With the way she was running, Adrian would be caught between both the middle and right saws and sliced into, oh, at least three pieces. Perhaps at the thought of it, she grinned ferally. "Kami-e!"

Body flattening out into origami, Adrian slid perfectly into the space between the saws, blades scraping right by her nose as she passed through. Behind her, Asakura closed her eyes. "Kaze no Ninjitsu…"

As the blade touched her skin, the shinobi burst not into blood and guts, but wind. Rushing past the blades, the gusts reformed together back into Asakura. The two continued running.

"Nice trick there," Adrian commented sideways, "but taking the wind thing a little far, aren't you?"

Asakura allowed herself a shrug. "It is a useful technique, no matter what you say." She smiled slightly. "If wind alone is strange to you, then for your own sake, do not visit my village."

"I wouldn't want to hang out anywhere filled with weirdoes like you, thanks."

Another set of pain-filled roars came from behind them. "Man, they really need to work on booby-trap safety." Adrian quipped. "They set the things up, didn't they?"

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"What in tarnation!"

"I think that's cowboys." Siegfried commented mildly.

Ripfang's spectral visage twitched as he looked at the bounty hunter. "Shut. Up."

He looked to the wall of trap switches, scratching his head. "No way in Davey Jones could I have pressed that switch twice! What in the five seas is going on here?"

Floating out of the floor appeared Elly in light-form, who spun around a bit before changing back to a human and saluting. "Seems like we're having a teeny tiny bit of trouble with these two, Cap'n! Want me to go keelhaul 'em!"

Siegfried had to gulp a bit at the excited way she put that: children were typically eager to be given important tasks, but murder probably shouldn't be one of them.

Apearing to consider it, Ripfang tapped his chin with the hook for a few moments. "Hmmm…no, I think I'll hold off on that a wee few moments more, Elly. I don't want to bother ye or Dagon with a couple bilge rats until they really get under me skin."

"I don't think that's-"

"Shut up!" They both shouted at once – tellingly, Elly seemed to know he was about to shout a moment before.

The girl leaned back and forth on her heels. "'kay, then, but I'll go set up the areas below that deck, just in case. You don't mind, do you?"

He waved the hook hand vaguely. "Go ahead, if ye feel bored. Better safe than sorry, I s'pose."

"I'll get it all ready perfectly, Captain!" Elly chirped cheerfully, snapping into a salute. Becoming an orb of light again, she disappeared into the floor.

Siegfried watched her go. "Nice girl." he commented.

"She's always very eager about these things," Ripfang nodded sagely, "but it can be a wee bit tiresome at times. But I can't argue with her usefulness." He smiled. "Actually, I likely wouldn't have found your vessel without her help – I should thank her for that, after all's said and done."

The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow. "You know, if you keep being that vague, you might bore me to tears. I don't suppose you'd be willing to enlighten me about all this? It's not everyday I meet a living skeleton."

Ripfang turned a baleful eye on him and sneered. "Living? You call this livin', eh? Fair enough: let me spin ye a grand tale, lad. But be warned – I ain't bringing ye no diapers, so ye best steel yourself now."

Siegfried nodded. "Alright, but you'll have to smell it." He frowned. "But I'm a bit bad with listening to stories, so you might have to repeat yourself a few times." His eyes flickered to the side slightly. The pirate followed the gaze, and smiled at where it led.

"Ah, I see. Clever, bucko." He took a wide step back toward the booby trap switch panel, grin widening. "But not as clever as this old sea dog. I'll be concentrating on filleting yer friends, don't worry…"

His captive sighed, shoulders sagging. "Damn it. I thought I almost had you there."

Ripfang sneered. "Almost only counts in horse-shoes or cannon fire, bucko! But don't worry: I ain't cruel enough to leave you in suspense. It all started when…"

"Oh." Siegfried frowned. "…well, I suppose not every plan can be devoid of a few holes here and there…"

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After spikes, arrows and saws, there weren't many traps left, or at least none that could surprise the two. The traps began to come in considerably faster intervals now, though: probably to kill anyone who'd been lulled into false security. Simple stuff, really.

But the simplicity also allowed Adrian to muse more on what she'd noticed earlier. She turned to Asakura. "So," she said, not really sure how to broach a subject like this, "is it just me, or is this hallway getting a little-"

"Indeed." Asakura said calmly. "This ship is larger on the inside than out. An odd power is at work here."

Adrian trailed off. "…this stuff is easier when it's just some rich dude and a bunch of goons." She sighed. "Well, question is," she stopped abruptly while the shinobi continued on ahead, "if this hallway can't be this big, then what's behind these?" Grasping hold of a random door's knob, she threw it open.

And stared.

Asakura raised an eyebrow as the assassin slammed the door and quickly caught up with her. "What was-"

Her face was unreadable. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

Then the walls tried to crush them.

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"Ha ha! Got you two, finally!"

Siegfried couldn't help but wince at the cheering. Someone like Ripfang sounding happy couldn't be good. "Er, you were saying? Something about a crew of wandering gypsies?"

The way Ripfang spoke of it was odd. He seemed to recall the memory with hatred, but strangely, with a bit of glee underneath it all. Siegfried wasn't following it very well, (he had a feeling the Captain embellished the anecdote about fighting off a horde of Sea Kings just a little) but he had the general gist of it down. It was a story he'd heard many times, in stories and real life: someone with a big ego and tiny morals who was used to stepping on people finally trod on some toes he shouldn't have. The result was…well, most everything that Siegfried had seen so far.

"And now," Ripfang turned, fixing a bloodshot, nostalgic eye upon him, "I and me crew are cursed to wander the waves, not dying, but not living, until we are able to do three good deeds."

A moment passed before Siegfried tilted his head to one side. "So, why don't you just-"

"Because we don't feel like it, that's why!" Ripfang shouted, stamping his peg-leg down on the wood floor. "No damned beggars are going to tell Ripfang Northwind's crew what to do, even over me dead body!"

Siegfried shrugged. "Well, fair enough. I wonder exactly how you're going to get out of this curse then, though." His tone was the very picture of curiosity.

Ripfang chuckled. "Oh, yes, why don't I just tell ye all of my plans, so ye can figure out how to save yourself – I don't think. But don't worry," he sneered, "there's lots more to the story available, so ye won't be bored."

Chuckling, he looked back at the portal. "Besides, ye'll be able to concentrate on it even better now that...what in the hell!" he screeched.

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"You…alright down there, Birdie?" Adrian grunted out.

Asakura looked up and nodded. "Yes, I believe so." She attempted to keep surprise from sneaking into her voice, and failed.

The two were currently caught between two walls that had shot out toward them without warning – after it had grown spikes. It had been kept in good condition over however many years the ship had been on the waves, and they were both razor sharp and numerous. Only a few spaces were empty of them. But that was enough for Adrian, who currently sat in mid-air, her hands and legs planted in any blank spots she'd been able to find. Even so, one of her hands was shedding blood, having wrapped right around one of the spikes, and her left leg was placed at a clearly painful angle.

It was plain that even her strength couldn't hold out for long, however. The walls were shuddering, applying all of whatever force moved them to impale the two women.

"So…what are you waiting for?" the assassin asked, looking down. "I can't hold this back forever, y'know, and those guys are catching up. I'll be a sitting duck like this, but no reason you have to be."

With a frown, Asakura shook her head sharply. "Nonsense," she said seriously, "I cannot simply leave you here." The Shinobi paused. "…if we become separated, neither of us will last long."

Adrian glared back down. "Oh, so what do you suggest, huh? No way can I move an inch without these things crushing both of us." Her lips quirked a bit. "Unless you have another trick up that bag of wind of yours?"

"Perhaps."

Asakura moved carefully, ducking underneath Adrian's body and behind her. Then she began making handsigns; a very complicated set by the look of things. "This will take a few moments. Please prevent them," she nodded to the skeletons, almost upon them, "from interfering in the mean time."

"Uh," Adrian began as the crew primed bows and guns, "I guess now isn't the best time to mention that I kind of suck at defense?"

Behind her, Asakura shrugged. "I can think of fewer times more appropriate for learning than now."

"Well, screw you too." Adrian muttered. "Tekkai…GO!" Her body tensed itself, preparing for any oncoming attack.

The first was a hastily primed arrow, aimed toward her throat. A bit too hasty, though, as it sailed straight toward her shoulder instead. Rather than piercing flesh, however, it broke and scattered away. The thrown spear that came after it, though, was a bit more accurate. Adrian quickly ducked, and it sailed over her head, missing by inches as it flew down the hallway.

The next taker had a flintlock pistol, and it would take a total incompetent to miss with one of those. Adrian clenched her teeth as the bullet winged off a cheek, leaving a nasty reddened mark there, on the verge of bleeding. While the skeleton reloaded his pistol, a little clumsily (fingers with actual skin on them were undoubtedly helpful in that regard), another behind him raised a rifle.

"Oh, this is gonna suck…" Adrian grimaced, concentrating as hard as she could.

With a loud bang, the shell flew into her forehead…and after a few long moments, it fell to the floor. Adrian's forehead was bleeding, but the tip of the bullet hadn't gone further than about an inch. Her head fell forward slightly as she let out a long breath. "NOW would be a very good time to finish up, Birdie!"

"How I prepare my ninjitsu has nothing to do with you, Assassin," came Asakura's voice from behind her, the effort within it plain, "but yes, I am finished."

Concluding the hand signs, the shinobi raised one hand high and smacked it down upon the floor. "Kaze no Ninjitsu; Kaze-Suidou Kagai!"

Just like the technique this move was a variant of, wind built up around the two in a tunnel shape. Adrian tensed her body as it slowly grew tighter around the two, deflecting any further missiles that were thrown by the skeleton horde (well, more of a loose squadron at this point). Then, finally, it burst, knocking them all down and blowing apart many of the spikes near Adrian.

In the next instant, she felt a pair of hands wrap firmly around her chest. Before she could utter any word of displeasure, or kick out (as many a forward male assassin found out the hard way, this wasn't always the order she used), the Black Cat found herself pulled forward, rolling to a stop on the floor. The spike trap slammed shut behind them with a resounding clang, barring the way for the moment.

As they rose, Asakura found herself the target of an accusing finger, definitely more of a threat from a Rokushiki user than any normal person. "You ever grab me like that all of a sudden again," Adrian hissed, "and I'll-"

Asakura calmly moved the finger away with her own hand. "If there had been any alternative to doing so, assassin, you may rest assured that I would have taken one. By my view, there would have been many more than just one to choose from."

Adrian let out a little growl, looking like she was going to say something else, but then it dropped into a mere fume as she folded her arms. "Whatever. Just – don't do it again, okay? I'll make you regret it if you do."

Before the shinobi could reply to that, she continued on, evidently viewing the answer a yes in her head. "Fair enough," Alyssa thought, following, "accepting it is much easier than arguing, after all."

From behind came the laborious noise of the wall trap moving aside, and then the crash of it slamming shut once more. Any groans of pain were obscured by the heavy material.

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As soon as he unleashed the trap upon the two wenches, Ripfang stood back and watched the cord that triggered it carefully with his bloodshot eyes. How the snips escaped from it wer'nt important right now: he was going to get to the bottom of this if it killed him. Metaphorically speaking.

The walls were sensitive (and had to be, for this sort of trap), and slammed shut within a moment of the cord growing taut, but the Captain didn't pay any attention to the sight of more of his men getting crushed; he'd already whirled around and sent a spectral fireball whizzing toward Siegfried. The bounty hunter tensed up and tried to move, but there was no way to avoid it hitting his chest where it had been aimed at.

Luckily enough, however, the attack faded away before it could touch him. Grinning, Ripfang turned back around to see the rope dangling loosely. "Ahhhh…" he breathed, "now I see the rub. A Devil Fruit, eh?" He crossed the room quickly to waggle his hook under the youth's chin. "A fine trick. But I'm afraid it won't be workin' anymore. Especially with what those two have forced me to do now."

Stalking over, he raised a shuddering finger high over a big, red button in the center of the panel, waited a bit for dramatic effect, and plunged it down. Siegfried frowned. "There goes all the help I can give you, I guess. Stay safe, both of you."

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A shinobi was trained to understand the sound of footsteps on any kind of ground – a simple element such as that was an oft forgotten boon to stealth. The noise of casual walking on marble, for instant, could easily disguise more careful movement, while a carpeted area would have to be passed through with much more caution. And, of course, the sound of feet on deck flooring was heard all too often by all shinobi, young and old.

It was this training that allowed Asakura to notice immediately when they were no longer walking on planking, but thin air.

…well, more quickly than the average person, at any rate.

Both Adrian and Asakura's eyes widened as they fell into the trap hole that opened up in the floor underneath them, and for good reason: the bottom was lined with more spikes, these even more blood-splattered than the first. They quickly used their own methods to avoid it, the former kicking into a Geppou, the latter making handsigns. But with as close as the spikes were, there was no chance of her completing them in time, and the walls were smooth and well-kept, shutting off any attempt to cling to them. Asakura shut her eyes. "A foolish mistake like this, truly?"

She was well-prepared (perhaps a bit too much to be healthy) for the sensation of spikes piercing her flesh, but what actually happened was perhaps more surprising for her than it had been for Adrian. Certainly as ungentle, at least.

"Just for the record, I thought really hard about not doing that." the assassin quipped when she opened her eyes.

Asakura blinked before nodding. "Ah, yes, your air-walking technique; I had nearly forgotten."

"I guess that's a funny way of saying 'I was scared', then." Adrian snorted. "Whatever. Let's just-"

A loud slamming noise came from above, and both women looked up to see that the open trapdoor had slammed shut again, leaving them in the dark. "Well, that's just bad manners," Adrian murmured after a moment had passed, "but I can kick through that even like-"

Below them, the spiked floor suddenly retracted, sliding into the pit walls to reveal a far larger drop than they'd realized. At the same moment, a powerful wind began to blow through the chamber, pushing them both downward faster than Geppou could hope to propel them. They began to drop, and although Adrian kept a tight grip on Asakura (mostly just to see how long she could gruntingly avoid saying something about it), they were jarred loose. Darkness that somehow seemed thicker than a mere absence of light overtook them.

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"Ye seem to take some pride in yer companions, eh boy?" Ripfang asked mockingly, the glint back in his eyes. "Well, so do I, as a matter of fact!"

He pointed at the spectral window with his hook. "Anytime a boarding landlubber is tough enough to give me some consternation, I send 'em down to the bowels of me vessel with that little trick." The ghost captain chuckled. "There they get to be shark bait for Elly and Dagon. I think ye met Dagon, actually."

Siegfried nodded. "Right, the squid monster with an odor bigger than him? I hope he wasn't planning on using the rest of those tentacles."

Ripfang shrugged. "It's so easy to run yet mouth. Why," he said with a heavy air, "I could say right now that I'd show you the bucket filled with what was left of ye friends…but Dagon ain't that neat of an eater. And it's not like I need to say anything to you to wipe that smirk away. Just wait…" He snapped his fingers, and a ghostly pocket watch appeared in the air near him. Checking it, he nodded. "Oh, about an hour or so, I'd say."

Dispelling the article, he grinned widely at Siegfried. "A bit of trivia for ye, lad," he said conversationally, "regarding this thrice accursed fog. It was a wee bit hard to tell the time inside of it, but I worked out that the inside of it runs about six hours faster than outside." A despairing sigh came from his mouth. "Another reason to hate it so: think of all the hours of perfectly good plundering I've wasted!"

"Yes, exactly how time works…" Siegfried thought snidely. But he could tell a hint when he heard one, especially when given so condescendingly. Six hours…they'd begun training at about three o'clock, and it had been more or less one hour after that when the ghost ship had appeared. It had been a good amount of time since he'd gotten kidnapped, and he could definitely name one time of the day that was perfect for these spooks. "So, in just one hour it will be the witching hour; always the time of the day when good things happen."

He didn't bother struggling in his bonds again, or think on what was going to happen to him. It didn't really matter what – only that he would only get out of it if Adrian and Asakura showed up in time.

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"Aw, dammit, what the hell was that!"

Once again showing off her quick uptake and usual manners upon awakening, Adrian rubbed the sore back of her skull as she hissed. "Every time I think I've seen every kind of deathtrap, some -ing shop somewhere rolls out something new to make my life miserable." She spat. "I gotta say, it really -ing sucks, knowing there's someone out there that makes a living trying to kill you while you make yours."

"Anyway, what about you?" she asked, getting up and dusting herself off. "You ever run into some crazy traps, Bir-"

As it turned out, Asakura wasn't anywhere around, which was a bit worrying considering that they'd been falling together. At least if Adrian had been at all inclined to worry about her, which she definitely wasn't. Looking around, the assassin found herself in the dead end of a hallway. The atmosphere here was dark and dank, with what she could see barely reaching ahead of her feet. "So, one way, huh?"

The Black Cat shrugged. "Fine by me. Just means there's only one path to whoever wants me to punch them."

Walking forward and using the wall as a guide, Adrian walked for a long few minutes. Her vision improved as she did, granting her more view of, um, nothing. Well, no, almost nothing: it let her see her feet, and what they were walking by. Every so often, and with increasing frequency that would have been worrying to anyone else, scattered chunks of flesh and bone littered the hallway. She looked at them with a deepening frown, and when her hand touched something wet, she decided to stick to walking blind. Less disgusting that way.

Her feet soon began to squelch when they hit the floor – in water, thank god – and the air grew damper. When Adrian entered out into a wide room, she already knew what she was about to face. Only the opening stretch of the room was actually solid floor, while the rest was a large pool filled with black water. It looked very deep.

Stooping for a moment to pick up a half-broken skull off the floor, Adrian eyed the shadow in the water as it approached, rising swiftly. Doing this was probably pretty stupid, she knew, but she also knew she didn't care one bit. Running from these idiots had gotten old quick, and now she was going to fight back. Having a meat shield by to do it to just made it all the sweeter.

When Dagon burst up from the water in a deadly lunge, Adrian threw her arm forward, punching the skull into his gaping maw. Ducking low as the squid choked on the unexpected debris, she then swung a leg up into a vicious kick at the monster's neck. Chomping down on the bone with a pained grunt, Dagon was sent hurling over to the far side of the room's 'dock'.

Hopping from one foot to the other as the brute rose, The Black Cat smirked. "Yo. Nice to see you again, big guy!" She leaned forward. "I was hoping we'd get to meet up again, y'know. Even if it was a team effort, I don't like to leave things half-finished." Looking around, the woman shrugged. "I see you don't, either."

Dagon let out a gradual, rising growl, making vicious gashes in the floor with his tree-trunk arms as the tentacles began to wave wildly, smacking the floor in the same way a bull might paw at the ground before charging.

"If you're gonna charge, go ahead and do it," Adrian called over, "trying to scare me isn't a winning prospect." Slowly, she cracked her knuckles. "I guess you're supposed to be some big predator, huh? Probably from somewhere like the bottom of the ocean, looking at ya."

The assassin's grin turned feral as she gestured for it to come at her. "In that case, it's about time you got to meet us predators on land. I think it'll be a learning experience for both of us…but mostly you. Come on!"

Having had quite enough of this backtalk from its food, Dagon obliged, charging. Adrian resisted the urge to do so herself, but that didn't stop her grin from widening. This was going to be fun.

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Asakura's awakening was considerably quieter, and absent of any questioning. It took a mere quick turn to ascertain that the assassin was not present; asking if such were the case was a waste of effort. Adrian's absence would leave her more vulnerable – a fact she admitted much more freely alone – but she would be fine on her own, in all probability.

The shinobi's hallway was comparatively clean compared to her companion's, only containing the ship's general drabness. Not to say that it didn't have any suspicious signs of its own, however. As she advanced down the hallway, it quickly became against a breeze, growing stronger as she evidently came toward the source. Paired with it was a continuous, labored, creaking sound, like that of something turning?

As it so turned out when she exited the hallway, that was indeed the case; although on a much grander scale.

She found herself in a thin, but very tall room; the top of it could only just be glimpsed from where she stood. It was bare of any set pieces, save for what was in the center: a massive, turning wooden pole with many circular spokes jutting out from it. Asakura squinted up at the top – was that a…nest?

The hairs on the back of her neck shot up, and the shinobi rolled aside as something came swooping out of the darkness above the entrance, shrieking. It was very fast; she felt the wind from its approach brush through her as she flipped to her feet and stared up at the assailant.

"A parrot?" she thought, rather pointlessly. The evidence was right before her eyes, after all. A particularly large member of the colorful, mimicking avians swooped back up and began to circle around for a moment before landing on one of the spokes.

Then it began to…laugh? "Ahahahahahaha!" Throwing its white head back for a long moment in laughter, the bird fixed Asakura with an intense gaze. "I was totally wondering when one of you was gonna come see me, ha ha!"

Asakura's eyes narrowed. "A Zoan fruit."

"Yep, yep, yep! I ate the Bird Bird Fruit, Model: Parrot!" chirped the bird, as it began to change shape. Its wings shrank as the user shifted into the fruit's hybrid form. When it was finished in a moment, Elly stared cockily at the shinobi, arms wrapped around her as she tapped a talon-tipped hand on the spoke's surface. "I'm Elly, the ship's lookout! I guess Captain Ripfang definitely thinks you're enough trouble for me to take care of now, huh?" She grinned. "I don't think he'll really mind if I play with you for a bit, huh, huh?"

The masked woman didn't reply as she slowly drew a pair of kunai. "If you are capable of not taking a battle with a shinobi seriously and survive, then by all means, do so. But I do not think you will get the opportunity."

One of Elly's eyes narrowed. "Oh, reaaaaaaally?" she crowed. "I guess I'll just have to show you how dangerous a parrot can be, then!"

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"Ahahahahahaha!" Laughing at the respective scenes through two different fire windows, Ripfang looked down at Siegfried smugly. "As I said, I hope ye weren't too attached to those scullery maids; Dagon and Elly will sort 'em out soon enough." His grin grew as he tapped the hook on the slab. "But don't worry – I ain't cruel enough to deny ye their last moments. Have fun!" Walking over to the room's door, he left.

Siegfried looked at the windows as the fights began with a frown. "Adrian, Asakura…don't lose."

To be continued…

Next time, on Bounty Seven…

Adrian: Dumbass. Just 'cause I'm called The Black Cat doesn't mean I don't know how to swim!

Asakura: If you assume the bird on my mask is only for show, you are gravely mistaken.

Ripfang: Fine, I'll tell ye. I want…

Ghost Ship, Part 4

Ripfang: …you.

Lord Gambit508 – Well, Jack is mostly to have a pirate with pirate-esque powers, while Ripfang is basically your old, stereotypical pirate – so a bit out of place in One Piece's universe, to say the least. Glad you enjoyed it.

Attacks

Asakura

Kaze no Ninjitsu; Kaze-Suidou Kagai – Japanese for 'Wind Ninjitsu; Wind Tunnel Assault'. Gathering up wind in the same fashion as the regular wind tunnel technique, Asakura releases it in a massive burst designed to attack in a circular area.

Well, until next time, see you.