Ruby stood upon the deck of her Crescent Rose, gazing out towards the mouth of the bay. In her hand was a golden coin, shimmering in the light of the sun. The captain gave the coin a kiss and flipped it into the water.

"What did you do that for?" Weiss asked, approaching her captain, "That was some good lien there."

"A small price to pay for some good fortune."

"Good fortune?"

Ruby smiled fondly and nodded, "'If you toss a coin into the sea, the mermaids will bless you with good winds.' It's what my mother always told me. Qrow later said that whilst the mermaid thing was pure fantasy, the habit taught humility and discouraged greed."

Weiss sighed, "Do you actually believe it will bring good luck, though?"

The young woman shrugged, "Who knows? It does sound silly, but I have been rather lucky," she cast a sunny smile at Weiss, "Especially recently!" The snow-haired woman could not help but smile in kind.

"Anyway," the captain began, spinning on her heel and making her way to the gangplank, "We have a pirate base to raid."

"I still think this is a dangerous idea," Weiss said, following Ruby.

"'Wealth comes to those who look for it.' Something else my mother always said."

"I suppose…"

They rendezvoused with the rest of the crew, Zwei yapping happily and running around Jaune's legs. "You sure you want to join? I won't force any of you to come with me on this if you don't want to," Ruby asked, gazing particularly at Ren and Nora.

"We'll be fine," the Mistralli replied, "We both have experience fending off pirates. Besides, my father, gods rest his soul, was a huntsman as well. I intend to honour his memory."

The captain smiled in agreement, "All right! So, here's the plan; the main objective is to rescue those captives, so Ren, Nora, Weiss and I will split into two groups and hit two separate points to create a diversion. Whilst they're distracted, Jaune will sneak in, free the prisoners and bring them to safety.

"After that, we pull out, escort them back to town and then devise how to finish these pirates off. What do you think?"

"Not the best of plans…" Weiss muttered.

"We don't exactly have many resources, so it's the best we can probably do for now," Ren noted.

"What Ren said," Nora added.

"Speaking of…" Ruby began, fishing something out of her pocket, "I managed to get a couple grenades from the constable. I'd say we use them to destroy any fortifications they have, but I'll leave that for you to decide."

"So," Weiss started, "Who's going with who?"

"I'll take Nora, you go with Ren."

"Umm," Jaune sounded unsurely, "Are you sure I'll be alright by myself? I've never even held a sword before."

"Zwei's going with you."

Jaune glanced at the corgi and then back at Ruby, "The dog?"

"He's smarter than he looks, sometimes too smart for his own good. But, if you feel a little undefended, you can have this," she drew her pistol and handed it to him, "It will take too long to reload so you really only have one shot. Use it only if you have to."

"I… Thanks."

The captain smiled, "Alright crew, let's get to work!"

Before they set off, Ren approached Ruby, "Please look after Nora for me," he pleaded, "She's as strong as an avalanche, and just as reckless."

"Ren, the two of you are part of my crew," the woman replied, "Looking after her goes without saying, same with you, and Weiss. When on the sea, your family is your crew." Ren smiled in response.

The crew trekked up the west coast of the island, making their way to the Red Skulls' fort. By the time they reached the fort, the sun was beginning to set and the pirates were rotating their duties, fresh guards taking their posts as the previous group retired for food and sleep.

Ruby and Nora stood within the treeline on the south side of the fort. The captain juggled her grenade in one hand as they waited for the others to move into position, "So, your semblance basically makes you a lightning rod?"

"Yep!" the cheerful ginger replied, "Though, it still hurts getting electrocuted. But the feeling of that boost afterwards definitely makes up for it.

"To be honest, Ren didn't want me to unlock my semblance, said it would make me more reckless than I already am."

"Yeah, I can see why he might think that."

"But, I don't want him to constantly look after me, not when he's already done so much for me," her expression became more sombre as she spoke, an air of happiness and guilt in her words, "I want to able to stand on my own, so I can start paying him back for all the help he's given me, you know?"

Ruby hummed in response, "Well, perhaps he doesn't see it that way. I think Ren doesn't feel like you owe him anything, or that he feels tired or worried from your presence. If anything, he probably feels like he hasn't done enough, or that, no matter what, he'd go to the end of the world and back for you."

Nora was silent as she digested her captain's words. A frown creased her lips as her normally exuberant eyes became slightly foggy, "But, he literally saved my life. He gave me a reason to live. Wouldn't it be mean and ungrateful to not give something in return?"

Ruby sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, "Obviously. But, you can't just pay that type of love back with gold or whatever; that love is unconditional and, no matter how much you give back, it will never feel like enough. All you can do is return that love with your own love."

"What does that mean?"

Before the captain could respond, an explosion to the north resounded through the air, shaking the ground and alerting the alarm within the pirate stronghold. "I'll tell you later," Ruby replied, lighting the fuse on her grenade and lobbing it at the wooden palisade, "For now, prepare for a fight!"

The palisade exploded in a plume of ash and fire, and the two women readied their weapons, the captain's steel sword glinting in the light of the evening sun. Nora rested a large hammer on her shoulder, forgetting the conversation and grinning as a confused group of thieves came from the breach.

When their eyes landed on the two pirates, they drew swords and pistols and roared, charging. Ruby burst into petals and met their charge with her own. Clang, swish, spurt! Her cutlass met with their flesh, colouring the grass crimson.

The ones fortunate enough to still be standing were granted little reprieve. Nora rushed forward and swung her hammer this way and that. Skulls were crushed and bones broken as iron collided with body. And yet, despite the massive weight dragging her around, Nora was in no way tiring. If anything, she was only growing more and more invigorated.

It was the strangest duo. Ruby, by no means as graceful or elegant as her highborn firstmate, was quick and agile enough to be a dancer, filtering past her opponents' guard and slash at the vital parts. Nora, on the other hand (and despite her small size), was brutal and unyielding. Unlike her captain's fluid control of her blade, Nora's hammer seemed to control her, the only input the ginger girl gave was the direction in which it went, of which she displayed masterful control, letting none in her space nor any out of her reach.

And yet, despite their opposing styles, the two needed no words. They moved in coordination, leading foes towards or away from each other, or trapping others between each other. They were opposing forces, yet they complimented each other, flowing with a grace of their own.

There was a lull in the battle, their enemies seemingly disappearing. Aside from one. A clapping filled the air as, from the breach, a tall woman with hair like flowing midnight and eyes as red as blood walked. "Very impressive," she said with a condescending smirk, "Even hunters have trouble doing what I just saw. Although, considering their general quality, that is to be expected."

Ruby's face hardened as she heard that voice, a voice she had never expected to hear again. "Raven," she greeted curtly.

"You know her, cap'n?"

The silver-eyed woman nodded, staring down her blood-eyed counterpart, "This is Raven Branwen, my elder sister's mum."

Raven cackled, "My, it sure is a treat to look into those pools of silver again. How is Summer? She was always a good friend."

"A good friend you abandoned?"

Raven sighed, "I imagine Tai's said a lot of awful things about me, but, please, don't let that colour your view of me. Summer is someone whom I respect greatly; a girl with naive ideals that make me sick, yet with the strength, courage and resolve to act upon those ideals. Most fools are weaklings who cling to their ideals because they lack the strength to do much else. Summer was a special breed; hopelessly idealistic yet incredibly strong. So, how is she?"

"Missing," Ruby replied.

For a moment, Raven seemed taken aback, a small second of pure and utter shock crossing her face before she resumed a stony indifference, "Missing?"

"Most likely dead."

They were silent as Raven processed the information. "I see… That is a genuine shame." Raven studied Ruby intensely, humming in satisfaction, "I must say, it is quite good that you share so many of her qualities. And, judging by your being here, a hunter as well. At least, if it wasn't for this…" She pulled a sheet of paper from her jacket and tossed it at Ruby.

The silver-eyed girl caught it and unclasped the seal. It was a wanted poster, a warrant for her, with a large bounty of 650,000 lien on her head.

"Oh my god!" Nora squealed excitedly, "You're famous, cap'n!"

"Wanted for the abduction of Weiss Schnee?" Ruby read in disbelief, "She came with me willingly, she even said as such to the navy!"

"To be honest, I didn't believe that, either," Raven said, "The navy will say anything to justify putting a bounty on someone, such as yours truly. Still, I am amazed that Summer's daughter would choose a life of piracy. Isn't that a betrayal of her ideals?"

Ruby's hands clenched, "I'm a pirate because I am free. Don't lump me in with you!"

Raven laughed again, "Quite clearly, otherwise you wouldn't be here. I assume you're here for the captives, right? Well…" Raven drew her own sword, its jagged blade glimmering dangerously in the light, "Let us see how well you can handle yourself, daughter of Silver-Eyes Summer."

On the other side of the camp, Weiss and Ren found some reprieve in the lull of enemies pouring from the breach. They took this moment to rest.

"I must admit, you are fairly competent in combat," Weiss stated, glancing at her companion, "Where did you learn to fight with your fists like that?"

"My boyhood village has a martial history intertwined with the religious practices. It was considered necessary for making good men and also a precautionary measure to combat the Grimm. I can say it's not surprising for a Schnee to be proficient with the sword."

Weiss grimaced, "Please don't refer to me by that name. I want to leave that life behind."

"If you don't mind me asking, why?"

The aristocrat was silent for a moment, "For my freedom. I'd rather abandon all the wealth and prestige that my name bears than find myself trapped in a birdcage. To me, 'tis better to live as the eagle, even for a moment, than as the budgerigar for eternity."

"But why follow Ruby?" Ren suddenly asked, "After all, I'm perfectly aware of her status as a pirate, she's not exactly secretive about it. Why become a pirate as well, is that not a dereliction of duty?"

Weiss looked unsure, "Maybe… I don't know? Ruby said that pirates are defined by their freedom, not their criminality. If she were to stoop to that level, then I'd be gone as swiftly as the wind, but I can't imagine her being like that; she's just too nice and idealistic."

"So, you value your freedom over your duty?"

"I suppose so. I'd rather have the freedom to do good instead of feeling obligated to do good."

Ren hummed, "I can understand that."

Weiss offered him a questioning look and asked, "Why are you so interested in this, anyway?"

"You seem to me as a lost girl; not in the sense that you don't know what you're doing but rather you're unsure what to do and why to do it. I thought perhaps verbalising it may help you find your way."

The snow-haired woman raised an eyebrow, "And you chose now to bring it up?"

Ren shrugged, smirking, "We've both either been busy with work or in a situation where it would be off-putting, like during dinner."

Weiss chuckled, "True." She sent him a grateful smile, "Thank you."

Before Ren could respond, an axe came flying from the camp, moving far too fast to have been thrown by a human.

As this was all happening, Jaune and Zwei had dived under the water and approached the pirates' harbour. With the assault by the rest of the crew, there were no guards, and so the two had no issue entering undetected.

Jaune surfaced and climbed onto the pier, taking a moment to fill his lungs with as much air as possible. He then realised his next issue; where to find the captives?

Fortunately, Zwei yipped, garnering Jaune's attention, and darted off. Jaune quickly followed, trying his best to be as quiet as he could. He was rather thankful for the commotion the others were causing.

Eventually, Jaune could hear a clamour away from the battle; shouts of alarm and sobs. Zwei must have been able to hear them when he could not, the helmsman reasoned. Either that, or his intuition was exceptionally good.

Regardless, Jaune's next obstacle appeared before him. Whilst the bulk of the pirates had been pulled to fight Ruby and her crew, two guards remained to keep an eye on their prisoners. Thankfully, neither appeared to have noticed the intruders, too busy with keeping their prisoners in line whilst also calming their own nerves.

Jaune flipped the pistol in his hand, so that he held it by the barrel, and approached quietly, pressing a finger to his lips when the captives saw him. He raised his arm and smacked one pirate in the back of the head with the pistol, knocking him out.

Jaune's plan had been to knock one out and then quickly point the pistol at the other. However, the other guard managed to gain his bearings faster than the blond boy expected and was first to act. As Jaune tried to flip the pistol back around, the pirate kicked him in the leg and slapped the gun out of his hand. He then lunged with his sword, slashing at Jaune. The helmsman managed to barely avoid the attack, leaving a scratch on his arm.

Jaune grabbed the pirate's sword arm and tried wrestling the blade out of his grip, but the pirate proved to be stronger, not to mention exerting any amount of force through his wounded arm sent waves of pain through the boy's body. Slowly, but surely, the pirate was overpowering him.

It was then that Zwei rushed forward and lunged at the guard, biting his leg and causing him to turn away from Jaune. With this window of opportunity, Jaune forced the sword to the ground and pushed the pirate away.

Before Jaune could make his next move, however, the pirate kicked Zwei into him, sending both Jaune and the corgi to the ground, whimpering. The pirate picked his sword back up and quickly advanced, standing over Jaune with his sword upraised.

Then, suddenly, the bars of one of the cages began to bend and twist, affected by some invisible force as a black aura surrounded it. One bar ripped apart from the cage and was flung towards the guard, piercing through his stomach and impaling him against a wood wall. He cried in agony as blood spurted from the wound, making Jaune stiffen in horror.

"Thank you for coming to the rescue," a soft voice said, as a tall, red-haired woman stepped from the cage, "I was planning to make an escape attempt, what with all this commotion, but your distraction was the perfect opportunity to make a move."

Jaune fumbled in terror, "N-No problem…"

"You don't need to fear me, I'm a registered huntress. My name is Pyrrha Nikos," the woman stated.

"The… The one hired by Weller Key?"

"That's correct. But I was ambushed and overwhelmed. Apparently, one of their boys was gathering a few supplies and had heard of my hiring. He rushed back and warned Raven, their captain."

"Right…" Jaune sighed in relief.

"The huntress is free!" a coarse voice exclaimed, as four pirates charged from the northern breach.

Pyrrha gestured at the weapons dropped by the guards as well as an axe and a hoe. The black aura surrounded her hand and then the tools, whereupon she lifted them into the air. Throwing her arm forward, the tools were flung forwards, cutting down three attackers as the axe flew past the fourth and through the breach.

The pirate thrust with his sword, yet, with incredible grace and strength, Pyrrha deftly avoided the blow. She then grabbed his arm and snapped the bones against her knee, causing her attacker to cry out in agony. She then kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious.

Weiss and Ren stepped through the breach and gazed at Pyrrha warily. The huntress raised her arm protectively, until Jaune reassured her, "It's okay, they're friends."

Jaune explained the situation to Weiss and Ren. "Well, that certainly is a good sign," the aristocrat stated, "I suppose that means the rest of the enemy is engaged with Ruby and Nora."

Pyrrha frowned, "Then, Raven must also be fighting them. She is on a different level than her crew and can match huntsmen in strength," she pulled the iron bar from theguard's body, who by this point had bled to death, and used her semblance to fashion from it a rudimentary spear. "We must go to their aid at once!"

CLANG!

Ruby's sword met with Raven's, their blades sending sparks flying. Whilst Ruby gritted her teeth in effort, Raven grinned in cruel glee as she slowly pushed the younger woman back. The blood-eyed woman sensed Nora readying her hammer behind her, and so quickly retreated away from Ruby. The young captain, unexpecting the movement, accidentally pushed herself forward. Nora tried altering her swing, but the weight of her weapon forced her to adjust to hitting the ground to Ruby's right. The resulting motion forced her forwards, tumbling to the ground behind her captain.

Raven watched as the ginger girl picked herself up with a bemused smirk. Ruby and Nora frowned in disappointment. For the better half of the last five minutes, Raven had managed to keep the both of them at bay. Whilst they had been able to force her not to be too aggressive in her attacks, the older pirate controlled the battle. Their coordination, which had given them a significant edge against her crew, was manipulated against them.

Nora roared and charged again, raising her hammer for an overhead strike. Raven, with incredible speed, flitted past her guard and raised her cutlass for a thrust into the girl's stomach. Ruby used her semblance to quickly save her crewmate, deflecting the attack away and leaving Nora with naught but a scratch on her abdomen.

"Nora!" Ruby shouted, "Don't rush in like that!"

"Look, I- Watch out!"

Ruby had just enough time to raise her sword to block Raven's, a worried frown on her face as she saw Raven's exhilarated expression. Suddenly, Raven grabbed Ruby's arm and fell back, dragging her foe with her. As she landed on her back, Ruby above her, she kicked the young captain away and flipped back onto her feet. She rushed towards Nora with the might of a great wave and swung, slicing the shaft of Nora's hammer in two.

The blue-eyed girl quickly managed to deflect the next few blows with the half that did not hold the head of her hammer. Yet, eventually, Raven's speed and overpowering strength overwhelmed her. Knocking both ends of Nora's weapon to the side, Raven had an opportunity to strike and seized it, thrusting forward with her sword.

However, instead of stabbing Nora, Ruby appeared in a flurry of rose petals and took the blow in her place. The silver-eyed woman cried in pain as the blade pierced through her aura and sank into her flesh, blood spurting forth.

"Ruby!" Nora called concernedly.

Raven cackled, "You have the same ideals as your mother, yet no substance. Nothing but a child trying to live up to the memory of those already dead.

"All that matters in this world is strength. Your mother, from what I can gather, died because the weight of her ideals crushed her strength. Yet, instead of learning from it and ditching that naivety, you decided to pick it up and now it's led to your own death."

Ruby chuckled through laboured breaths, confusing her sister's mother, "Well, I'm not quite dead yet." She dropped her sword and suddenly grabbed Raven's arm.

"Ruby!" Jaune's voice cried. The young captain raised her free hand and caught a pistol and quickly aimed at Raven. The blood-eyed woman gasped in shock and hastily pulled from Ruby's weakening grip. The young captain pulled the trigger, the bullet flying into Raven's own shoulder.

With nothing to prop her up, Ruby's body, sapped of strength, began to fall backwards until Nora caught her. "Cap'n!" she cried in worry, tears forming in her eyes.

Raven snarled as she looked at her surroundings. The rest of the crew surrounded her, their weapons raised against her.

Ruby ignored Nora's worried cries and, instead, narrowed her eyes at Raven, "I'll sacrifice every bone and every drop of blood in my body for my crew. Whether I'm strong enough or not is completely irrelevant. As far as I am concerned, nothing else matters but their well being."

Raven merely growled louder at that. However, she knew when she was outmatched, and right now she was wounded, outgunned and outnumbered. She raised her sword and slashed the air, creating a blood-red portal. Pyrrha quickly threw her spear after her, but Raven used what little energy she had to knock it aside with her sword and flee through the portal. It closed behind her.

As the adrenaline of battle wore off, Ruby groaned and blacked out, the last sounds to reach her brain being the worried shouts of her crew, loudest amongst them being Weiss and Nora.


Don't worry, I'm not dead, thankfully. I like living. Still though, I am sorry that I take so long in updating this story. My next set of assessments will be finished on the 13th May. After that it will only be moving into a new flat until the next academic year in September. I'll try to get as much work on this done as I can, but I won't promise constant progress (writer's block be like that).

Speaking of, the next chapter will be focusing more on Whitley and the navy, so look forward to that.