Chapter 13 - Time on the Sea
The newly deemed ship, Day Strider, glided across the surface of the sea, bouncing against the small rogue waves that crossed its path. The pirates and its comrades aboard had just finished their adventure on Tear island and we all knew what happened there.
Their next destination was the famous Loguetown, the place where Gold Roger was executed and the final destination in the East Blue before one reached the entrance to the Grandline. Itzal, for one, was excited beyond reason at the thought of reaching the Grandline but he knew they had a few things to do before that point. A major issue that needed to be resolved was his first mates' injury, they needed a surgeon to stitch him up since the treatment he had thus far wasn't going to be enough. Another point they'd hopefully solve would be re-supplying since they were going to need food and such for their journey.
I had been only roughly twenty minutes since they'd left Tear island, at this moment each person present were doing their required role if they had one.
Arabella stood by the helm, a small smile on her face as she guided the ship through the waters. It hadn't been long since they'd left but the seas seemed calm and the weather remained pleasant, it wouldn't be difficult for her to get this ship to Loguetown with a sea like this as her only obstacle.
Zarina leaned against the railing atop the stairs looking out over the sea and the others around her go about the ship. The little monkey, Sherlock, sat nearby tapping away at the wooden railing, for some reason he found this rather amusing.
Itzal and Francis were the ones that had to quickly tend to the sails and rigging to make sure everything was in the right condition. Well mostly Francis since Itzal was still learning the ins and outs of the ship and how it worked but to give him credit he was a fast learner, picking up on what Francis was doing and figuring it out for himself. Francis, on the other hand, had plenty of experience working on ships, as a marine, you learn this kind of thing since one could be at sea for long periods of time.
Rob would have joined in, and attempted to, but was shut down by Zarina telling him he didn't need to exert himself unless he wanted to re-open his wounds. He'd try to ignore the advice but was met with an angry Zarina, while that might not be an obstacle for Rob he figured it wasn't a good idea to cross her this time so he relented on helping the others physically. That didn't stop him from giving Itzal a hand on what to do if he needed it.
Once Itzal and Francis had finished checking over the ship they turned back to everyone else. Itzal couldn't help but smile seeing all of these people with him, this was exactly what he loved. An adventure with people like this, you couldn't beat it. Although only one of them was officially apart of the crew he enjoyed his time with the others, they made his adventure more fun having them with him.
"How's the wound, Rob?" Francis asked wandering over to the person in question. He knew he'd probably say he was fine or something but Francis was good at learning about secrets if Rob was hiding the fact he was in pain or something he'd learn of it.
"Still a wound." Was the redheads' smartass reply, that barely counted as an answer to the question but from his expression and the fact he was joking one could tell he was fine or as fine as one could be in his condition.
"You're going to have to explain to us how you got that wound some time," Francis stated leaning up on the railing, his back resting on the rigging that leads to the crows' nest. He wouldn't push it for now but he'd like to know at some point, what kind of monster did he face down?
"We'll see." Was all the wounded redhead said. Although he had his reasons not to speak of what happened he knew they'd discover what happened sooner or later.
Itzal smiled at his two male comrades before glancing to his two female friends, he noticed Arabella's expression as she looked between everyone else. Out the corner of his eye, he saw Zarina take note of Arabella as well.
At that moment she spoke up, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she did. "It's been fun messing about with y'all but I think it's time for a more formal introduction right?" Swinging her hand from each member of the crew, "I like to know more about people I fight alongside. Besides, we'll be traveling together for a couple of days after all."
The ax wielder was right, it was a good thing to know those around you. Everyone came to the same agreement but it was Itzal who began first as he moved to stand in the center of the deck, his hands resting on his hips.
"Alright! I'll start." He began with a small smile, "I'm Bellow Itzal, captain of the sky pirates!" A rather simple opening from the young pirate but what else was he to share right away? But he figured he should be the one to lead the introductions.
"Rose Francis, ex-marine lieutenant, and navigator." Francis introduced himself, he kept it brief and to the point just like a marine. He might not be a marine officially anymore but his training and mannerisms were here to stay for the time being.
There was a momentary pause in introductions after Francis so Arabella decided she give it a go. While she already knew both of their names she at least learned she was right about Francis being a marine, his appearance suited the job. Itzal, on the other hand, was an open book from the beginning. Maybe she'd learn why these people were sailing together.
"Well, I'm Lovelace Arabella! Crazy ax-wielding maniac and professional helmswoman!" She stated, joking around with the sanity and a hint of, not so subtle, pride in the comment about being a helmswoman. She moved forward and slumped onto the helm her gaze turned to the last remaining members onboard as did Itzals' and Francis'.
However neither immediately responded with their own introductions, instead after a brief moment Zarina spoke. "I've heard your name before, I recognize it in a report I read." She stated, fixing her glasses, her inquisitive gaze resting on Arabella's form.
Rob too seemed to be in thought but he listened in on what Zarina had to say, maybe what she knew would help him remember what he needed to.
Arabella just smiled casually, "Ah, so you've heard of me then! I must have a fantastic reputation!" She replied happily. "Where did you hear about me?" She asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat. This was fun!
Judging from Itzal and Francis' expression neither seemed to understand where Zarina was coming from. Understandably so for Itzal given his past and where's been for most of his life but Francis didn't know either and he was a marine. What kind of reputation did this red-headed helmswoman have exactly?
Despite that, there was one other who was in the same boat as Zarina, Rob. His gut was telling him this woman was strong, someone like that doesn't just fly under the radar. Although Rob had literally only met her on his bloody path back to the town to get patched up as best he could. He only learned of her name moments ago after all.
"It's not that big a reputation," Said Zarina, she didn't mean for that to sound condescending but it sorta came across that way, "I recall seeing your name when I worked for the World Government and the marines. I believe I saw it on a photo that was used to create bounties, it would be safe to assume you have one." This surprised Itzal and Francis, both of them turned to the redhead in question who was just smiling happily away to herself. Itzal and Francis knew she was strong but they didn't expect her to have a record of her own, they just thought she was a kickass mercenary or something.
"Guess I've been found out~" Arabella replied playfully, she didn't seem too bothered about her bounty being discovered but why would she? Not like it was going to be claimed any time soon, not if she was still kicking.
"So that's where I recognized your name from!" A voice spoke up causing everyone to turn to the source of the noise. It was Rob, leaning against one of the railings off on his own, a smirk on his face.
He turned to look directly at the helmswoman, "I saw your bounty before a while back." He smirked, "As a bounty hunter I had considered taking it but I decided against it." His words caused Zarina to shift, why would he say that? "I had other plans but I recall the bounty being pretty worthwhile." A mischievous smirk on his face.
'Did that idiot have to tell the individual with a bounty that he was a bounty hunter?!' Zarina thought to herself, if he was trying to create tension it worked. They didn't need the air thick between a criminal and a former bounty hunter.
Francis saw Zarinas' reaction, he figured she was thinking that was a stupid move on Robs' part. To be fair it was accurate to his character to say something like that without giving two fucks about the consequences but that could have caused some unwanted trouble.
Now it's not like Zarina or Francis didn't trust Arabella, they'd seen what she was capable of but both of their intuitions told them she wasn't going to attack them but if Rob was egging on the idea of a fight they weren't exactly going to enjoy the experience.
Itzal on the other hand just looked between the two of them, he didn't see anything wrong with it. Rob was just being honest after all.
Arabella looked at the wounded redhead, noting their similar hair color, she didn't change her expression to anything of concern. "So why didn't you attempt it?" She questioned instead, she knew what her bounty was worth so why not attempt to take it? Her playful smile remained on her face, "Didn't think you could handle it tough guy~?"
Rob only laughed at her jabs, his laughter eased off the small tension Zarina and Francis thought was building between the two. Itzal just smiled watching his two friends having fun.
"I had other things in the works at the time," He countered through his laugh, "Although, a forty-five million beri bounty is tempting. But that's to be expected of the Armadas Bane right?" His smirk only grew once he saw the reaction from Zarina and Francis, a look of surprise on their faces to hear that epithet, although Zarina hid her reaction well.
"The Armadas Bane, now even I heard of that name." Francis admitted to the group, "I heard marines make mention of them before but I never heard your actual name linked to that epithet." He explained, the marines were on the lookout for this one in recent years, a hefty enough bounty.
"I didn't know you had a bounty," Itzal added to the conversation as Sherlock ran across the deck from his position beside Zarina, "With a name like that I'm going to guess you've attacked ships before?" He didn't really need to ask, he kind of knew the answer was a yes. His assumption was confirmed by a swift nodded on her head in his direction. All eyes were basically on her at the moment. You had to cut Itzal some slack, he wasn't informed about the reputations and events that happened across the East Blue, it wasn't too long ago he was isolated away from the rest of the world.
"I recall reading incident reports about an Armada of private soldiers being attacked by an individual they had apparently irritated." Zarina stated, gaining the attention of the others, "Attacking private armies and kingdoms not associated with the World Government doesn't warrant a marine sanctioned bounty, it's usually a coast guard issues bounty first so you must have become a threat in the eyes of the World Government to earn a marine bounty, you did mention before you'd smuggled goods, perhaps that is why?" Zarina concluded, her reasoning and logic being spot on too.
"Spot on little lady! I'm a troublemaker but I'm not going to kiss and tell of all my escapades." Arabella replied, giving her a cheeky wink, continuing to play with them throughout this conversation. "Putting two and two together through my epithet and those reports you figured out it was me with logic and reasoning, well done!"
Zarina justed hummed to herself, it honestly wasn't that hard. But Itzal was impressed by how she remembered enough information on reports from possibly a long time ago and yet still put it all together. Francis wasn't honestly sure what to think, mere days ago he would have been told by his superiors that Arabella would be his enemy, a target to track and capture, yet having fought alongside her his view of the marines had changed. Arabella had done nothing wrong, in fact, she'd wanted to go after the slavers on the island. Although he didn't have the full details of her crimes she honestly didn't seem like a bad person.
"Maybe I should have gone after that bounty then." Rob spoke up again, "Jumping at an Armada or two huh? Sounds like it would have been one hell of a fight!" His statement giving off mixed tones but he clearly didn't mean anything by it. However, he paused in thought when he mentioned the bounty again. He felt as though he was forgetting something.
"Yeah! Arabella smacked those slavers around with no issue, she's a strong one! That would be an intense fight!" Itzal agreed with his first mate, he was kinda getting hyped from the thought of a tough battle. Itzal was always game for a fight but he hadn't really faced a real challenge yet apart from that one marine he faced down during that prison convey adventure he and Rob had.
"Ah boys, you're flattering me~!" Arabella continued to play, "I'm sure you're both tough as well." A hint of sass in her tone but one could tell it was all in good jest. "That thing is more of a burden at times however it's fun to know people are after you." Zarina and Francis sweatdropped at hearing that. "But back to the introductions shall we?" She asked at the end, not taking either hand off the helm she gestured over to Zarina with her elbow. She was cutting their fight talk off and completely shifting away from the fact she had a bounty like it was no big deal but to be fair to her it wasn't. "How about you begin before we get to the ex-bounty hunter."
Zarina fixed her seating position to make it more comfortable again before beginning, "Arkenstone Erie Zarina." Her introduction brief and gave nothing else, she knew damn well that was not a sufficient introduction though.
Francis sweatdropped at her introduction, which didn't give her anything.
Itzal didn't react at all, to be honest, he wasn't sure if she should share more or not. What should she share with them exactly?
"Come on sweetie~!" Arabella proded, "Share more than that! You lot learned a bit about me so why not share with the rest of the class?"
Zarina didn't immediately respond, taking a moment to think to herself. "So be it," She began softly, "I used to be a government worker. Specifically in a government library of sorts." She turned her gaze toward Itzal and Rob, "If you were wondering why I was a prisoner being transferred it's simply for the fact I learned secrets the World Government would rather people not know."
The group fell silent, particularly Francis of all people. It was Arabella that burst to life first, "Would ya look at that! Of everyone here, it's the two ladies that caused trouble for the World Government!" She joked, finding it amusing for reasons only known to her but she quickly moved back on track. "So tell us, what kinda secrets we talking about?"
Government secrets would be an interesting topic of discussion, everyone here would be intrigued to hear what Zarina learned that warranted her getting arrested and sent to prison almost immediately too. However, it was Francis that was the most intrigued but that was to be expected. Secrets, mysteries and forgotten information was his passion, that was what he chased. Even the ambition he told Itzal about revolved around secrets and long-forgotten history, so if Zarina had secrets to share he'd want them.
"That's a topic for another time." She countered, shooting down the idea almost immediately, much to the disappointment of Francis most of all. Rob didn't seem all that bother but Itzal and Arabella just accepted her choice. "One day we'll sit down and I'll tell you the secrets I've learned but today is not that day."
Of all the people here Rob found it rather funny to hear that from Zarina, not only did this make Zarina seem more mysterious but she also mentioned she'd tell them about it one day. Indicating that even though she planned to leave and find a place to hide she accepted the idea that she'd meet with them again. Either that or she accidentally gave up a secret right there. Rob didn't call her out on it but he glanced between the others and noticed they'd heard what Zarina said. A smile spread across Itzals' face after hearing that.
"I'll look forward to that day," Itzal said in response.
"As do I," Zarina replied, a brief smile passed over her face before returning to her more neutral tone. Nobody noticed the faint smile but nobody needed to, it was for herself.
"Would ya look at this! We're being so nice and friendly for a batch of misfits!" Arabella chimed in, "Now then! Onto the final pieces of the introduction, Mr. Injured!" She gestured toward the ex-bounty hunter for him to add to the conversation.
Rob looked between each person here before he shrugged, "Alright, Jackdaw Rob, ex-bounty hunter known as the Headhunter now first mate and vice-captain to the sky pirates," He paused for a split second, "also currently wounded." Adding in a smartass comment at the end.
Everyone except Itzal was surprised at hearing the name Headhunter, mainly because Itzal had already known of that nickname before when Rob told him about but also because he didn't understand the big-ish deal behind it.
"You?" Zarina began, narrowing her eyes at Rob, "Are the Headhunter from the North Blue?"
Francis didn't say anything, he'd heard of the reputation he had as a bounty hunter. He was one of the best you could get to hunt down a bounty.
"Ay, it's me," Rob replied rather nonchalantly, he'd heard it all before and to be honest the name wasn't exactly the best.
"Maybe that fight would have been very intense after all," Arabella spoke, mentioning the fight they discussed earlier. "You have quite the reputation if you didn't know. Even the people I worked with warned everyone to avoid the notorious bounty hunter known as the Headhunter." To Arabella that was a compliment because the people shes worked with before wouldn't normally be worried about a bounty hunter yet for him, they told them to actively avoid him.
The red-headed bounty hunter smirked, "Good to know that name gets around." Although he wasn't looking forward to anyone calling him out as to why he got that epithet in the first place. "How is my reputation?"
This time it was Francis that spoke up, "Depends on who you're asking for one. If you ask a marine they'd probably say he's something about him fighting for justice. If you were to ask a criminal they'd probably tell you to sleep with one eye open."
"I didn't know you had such a scary reputation before we met," Itzals said to his first mate before smirking at him, "Guess that means I got myself a worthy vice-captain!"
At hearing this Zarina eye-rolled, even if she saw it coming, of course, Itzal would see it as a positive thing.
"Yeah well, what can I say, I get around." Rob still trying to brush off the talk of his time as a bounty hunter. This was all old news to him, been there heard that sort of thing.
"Getting around is right," Zarina spoke not looking Robs' way, "The Headhunters reputation started in the North Blue and ended up in the East, how did you make that journey? It's difficult for people to cross the Blue Seas." Which was entirely true, it wasn't easy. Hell, to cross from the North to the East you had to go over the Redline and that was a mission in of itself.
"I had help with that," Rob said rather vaguely, barely even answering the question with his choice of words. Leaning back as he answered, there was something odd about how he didn't explain that more thoroughly but it was left at that.
"I figured," Zarina muttered to herself still not having made direct eye contact with Rob yet. Itzal, Francis and even Arabella didn't ask for more of an explanation, sure they might have been a bit curious, especially Francis, but that was something you could overlook when they're talking about his reputation as a bounty hunter.
"So you started off in the North Blue? You were born there yeah?" Arabella questioned, it was a reasonable assumption. She, herself, was born on the Paradise side of the Grandline.
"Born and raised there, mostly." Again his words were a bit off to a few of them, Itzal was the only one not really bothered by Robs' lack of explanation to things. Besides, Rob already explained a bit about himself when it was just the two of them.
"Still, to have a reputation that spreads across from the North to the East is impressive," Francis admitted looking toward the redhead he was referring to. "It's said you were the best bounty hunter there was in the North Blue so that's something to be proud of."
Rob just shrugged, "I wasn't in it for the reputation. I needed money and bounties were available so I thought, fuck it, let's go hunting. It was a living, not a hobby."
Out of the blue came the giggle of the helmswoman causing everyone to glance her way. "This is the most miss-match set of people I've seen in years! We've got a pirate that looks like a monk, an ex-bounty hunter, an ex-marine, an ex-government worker and me, a wanted criminal! You can't make this stuff up!"
Of all things she found amusing it was the group itself, look between each other they had to agree she was right. They were an odd sight to see.
"Glad we got the introductions outta the way-" Arabella began but was interrupted by a low whining noise. Of course, this was the little monkey that had shimmed up Itzals arm. "Of course! The monkeys' introduction!" She said rapidly.
Zarina just sighed, was it really that big a deal to introduce the monkey too?
"This little guys' name is Sherlock." Itzal told Arabella, "You were there when we named him but he's only been with us awhile." He began to play with him, letting him jump from arm to arm, crawl over his body, over his shoulders and just generally monkeying about.
"He was picked up on the last island we were at, a marine base to be precise, for whatever reason he decided to follow Itzal around," Francis clarified, crossing his arms as he looked at the little monkey hopping on Itzals shoulder. "I have no idea what Itzal did to warrant a monkey companion but he has one now."
"He's perfectly fine among us crazies!" Arabella exclaimed, giggling at the image she had in her head of the crew and this little monkey.
'That's actually painfully accurate…' Zarina thought to herself, she sighed. 'Of course, I board the strangest ship on the seas.'
Everyone seemed about finished with their introductions, perhaps people were ready to talk about something else but for some reason, Rob felt as though he was forgetting something.
"That was it!" Rob half-shouted, breaking the silence that descended onto the group for a few seconds. "Itzal! You have to take a look at what I found!" He rummaged through his trousers many pockets until he found what he was looking for.
The red-haired first mate pulled out two pieces of paper from his pocket and waved at the rest of the group, the whole time he had a smirk on his face.
He held up the two pieces of paper for the others to see but once they'd seen what it was each of them reacted in their own way.
The pages revealed two new bounties.
Wanted: Bellow 'Ironclad' Itzal - 72,000,000 Beri. Dead or Alive.
Wanted: Jackdaw 'HeadHunter' Rob - 50,000,000 Beri. Dead or Alive.
Two new bounties that belonged to two of the people present, the captain and first mate to the newly formed sky pirates! Two of the biggest troublemakers you'll ever meet.
Zarina just looked on in an internal panic, 'How many wanted individuals am I traveling with?!' On the outside, she seemed to be taking the reveal well but her thoughts began to think of possible problems this might cause. 'If I'm seen by marine officials, bounty hunters or other criminal organizations I could be dragged into a whole mess. They'd use me to get to these two since I'm the weakest physical link.' Her thoughts did nothing to help her with the current situation but she took a deep breath and sighed in an attempt to calm herself. Panicking over this wouldn't help.
Arabella just pouted, "I've been wanted for so long and I've only got a forty-five million beri bounty. Here these two rookies come along and they get higher bounties than I do within days of breaking the law! This is so unfair!" Arabella exclaimed to the group, exaggerating her movements by throwing her arms in the arm before returning to slumping over the wheel.
Rob just laughed, "What can I say, we started off big right Itzal?" He was rather proud of his first bounty, not a bad start at all!
"I didn't think it was that big a deal." Itzal countered rather bluntly, he titled his head at his first mate, "What are we wanted for according to the bounty?" He asked his comrade. You could see Itzal didn't seem all that bothered by the bounty, sure it was cool but at the end of the day, it was basically a target being painted on his back. Although he figured he'd get some strong opponents to fight out of it so that was a plus in Itzals' book.
Rob read over both bounties seeing they were both similar to one another, "Attacking a marine prison convoy, jailbreaking prisoners, attacking a marine base and stealing a ship that belonged to the navy."
Itzal furrowed his brow, "That doesn't seem like something worth a seventy-two million beri bounty." His countered his friend, to be fair he wasn't sure how the marines worked out bounties but surely that was a bit much.
Before Rob could respond it was Francis that answered, "It depends on a number factors," He began to explain, "A bounty total can be divided into three categories, strength, threat and the crime itself." Francis paused for a second, "A very basic way to divide it but accurate. The marines analyze a person's strength to see if they're a physical threat, then they examine the threat level of the person in question against the World Government, the bigger the problem for the World Government the bigger the bounty can get. Finally, it's the crimes themselves, if you start murdering civilians you'll get a high enough bounty quick enough."
Itzal paused to think of that for a moment, "So maybe it's because we directly invaded a marine controlled island and attacked a prison convoy? It's going against the marines outright?" It was a good assumption.
"I reckon it's from our fights with the marines too. We did go toe to toe with those guys leading the prison convoy." Rob added to the conversation.
Off to the side Arabella had gotten over the bounty thing and was silently listening to the conversation. Man, did these guys have a kick-ass start to their criminal lives.
"Rob," Francis began with a curious tone, "Were they the only bounties you found of this group?"
"Yeah, there was a stack of them to be handed out and distributed to other islands," Rob told the navigator, glancing back to the bounties in his hand.
Zarina sighed at hearing that, at least that meant she didn't have a bounty of her own to worry about. That was positive.
"So we were lucky," Francis muttered getting a look from the others, he looked over to Zarina of all people. "We weren't given a bounty for our involvement in the escape from my former headquarters, nor for the fact, you're an escaped prisoner and I think I know why." Francis paused as he let the group process his words.
"I suppose that is odd for a prisoner not to receive a bounty to re-capture me, although I'm grateful I'm curious as to why I'm not being hunted," Zarina responded, her hand made it to her rapier as she began to brush her thumb against it.
"I have a feeling it was Commander Fox, from what I knew of the man he wasn't one to ruins a person's life by having them hunted until their dying days. He was a believer of second chances, giving people a chance to rebuild their lives." Francis told the group, "He was one of the few marines I truly respected, not a commanding officer but as a person. He was an honorable man."
Itzal smiled once he heard Francis speak of the man in such a way. He'd fought him during their time on that island and Itzal had to admit, he was a fun opponent to fight against.
"Well I certainly owe him a thank you, having a bounty would be very problematic," Zarina stated, she was lucky not to have a bounty. She was pretty sure she'd still be hunted by marines if they ever found her again but as long as there wasn't a price on her head she wouldn't face bounty hunters and become a publically wanted figure.
"But why does Itzal have a higher bounty than Mr. Wounded?" Arabella questioned, "If they've both done the same things then why would they prioritize Itzal over the redhead?"
"I have a theory, perhaps it was due to their connection." Francis hypothesized, placing a hand on his chin in thought. "If they found out Itzal was his captain than they'd prioritize Itzal over his first mate."
"Makes sense," Arabella responded to his theory.
A silence spread across the group, not entirely sure how to continue the conversation. Itzal had walked over to Rob and took his own bounty, he observed the picture. He noticed the picture seemed to have been taken during their time at the marine base, someone must have caught him during the battle because in the photo he was in the middle of manipulating molten iron. Hence where they probably got the epithet from.
Rob, on the other hand, was different, they'd gotten a picture when he was more relaxed in his stance but he had a smirk on his face. It actually made him look rather sinister, not that the redhead was complaining.
Arabella didn't seem all that bothered by hearing these two had bounties, she'd met plenty of criminals before so this wasn't anything new although she was impressed by the price. She'd never personally met anyone with a higher bounty than theirs, there was a tinge of respect from her for that.
Zarina and Francis were the ones giving this the most thought despite the fact it wasn't either of them that got bounties.
To Francis he was still curious as to why these two got bounties, one thing he didn't mention to them was how odd it was for them to get bounties so quickly. It was unheard of to get a bounty this quickly and yet the both of them got one. From his time with them it didn't seem like they'd done another worthy of such a price on their heads, he came to the conclusion that there was something more going on with the whole prison convoy story they'd been on before they had met him.
To Zarina, she was more concerned about how this affected her, traveling with wanted individuals could prove disastrous. She could be killed or used as leverage against them. However she was also concerned about them as well when it came to the next island Francis and herself planned to leave, she wasn't sure about Arabella but if she left once they got into the Grandline they could be in serious trouble. Who knows what kind of people would come after them, it would only be the two of them and they'd be worth over one hundred million beri. That was something people wouldn't ignore.
Everyone was in their own thoughts about learning of theses bounties and how to deal with them.
However, that didn't last long thanks to a red-haired helmswoman.
"Now that we're officially done with all that business, how about we have someone prepare food for dinner!" Arabella proposed, completely moving on from all other topics of discussion, she turned to Itzal. "You're the captain of this ship, your call."
"Yeah! Let's do it!" Itzal replied turning to Francis, "How long until we reach Loguetown?" He asked, completely jumping from their previous topic.
"Estimated time is around three days including this one," He glanced back to the compass he was holding, "If the weather remains calm we'll make it on time." Francis fixed his posture and ended up standing like a marine awaiting orders. His marine training kicking in again. He too ignored the sudden change in topic however he was still thinking about it, just not saying anything about it.
Zarina pinched the bridge of her nose, 'These people just brush off serious matters like they're nothing.' These people were unbelievable at times, 'They literally create stress as we go.' A rational mind would go insane being with this lot, she felt like she was already.
"Right! So we'll divide up who cooks, I'll take today." Itzal told the rest of the members aboard. "Who wants to take tomorrow?"
"I will." Said Rob raising his hand however that was quickly shut down.
"Not a chance."
"You're not doing anything."
Zarina and Francis replied respectfully, of the two it was Zarina that continued. "You can go rest someone, we're not going to have you do anything while you have a poorly patched wound to recover from." She explained, her tone rather defiant showing she wasn't going to take no as an answer. Francis was of the same mindset, no way would you let the injured work.
Robs reaction was to just groan, "I'll be bored to death." He muttered to himself. Itzal didn't see a problem with him cooking, it wasn't at all strenuous in any way really but no point starting an argument over who gets to cook.
'Although, I really need to watch out for a good cook to have aboard. That's an important position to have! Itzal thought to himself before being brought out of his thoughts by Zarina.
"I'll worry about tomorrow's food, leave those two," She gestured to Francis and Arabella, "To get the ship where it needs to be."
"Oh-oh! I want to handle the cooking on the third day!" Arabella offered, "I'm sure Itzal can handle the helm while I cook for a bit. If anything were to happen I'd jump back to the wheel."
While Francis and Zarina weren't so sure Itzal swiftly pushed those worries off to the side.
"It's a plan. I'll go look inside the ship for supplies to see what I can make for later." Itzal began to walk toward the ship's cabin, Sherlock jumping off his shoulder over to the rigging of the ship, but he was stopped by Rob.
"There's plenty of supplies, enough for three days and then some. Picked up supplies back on Tear island." Rob casually told Itzal, he got up from his sitting position on the railing and walked closer to Francis ad Itzal.
"So that's where you disappeared to by yourself when we got there?" Francis asked, he seemed to be the best guess considering he was gone for so long on his own. The rest of them stuck together for their duration on Tear island but Rob had been missing for a lot of the action. Well their action, he clearly had plenty of his own after all.
A slight nod in his direction confirmed that assumption.
"Good thinking! I'll go check all the supplies you got and I'll gather what I'll need to cook dinner." Itzal nodded at his first mate for the thinking of that, thankful to actually have supplies for their journey. "Mind helping me go through everything?"
Before Rob could even respond he was cut off.
"I'll help you out Itzal," Francis responded taking Rob's place, walking over to Itzal and putting a hand on his shoulder for a second.
"I shall as well." Zarina offered. Although she had her own reasons for looking through the supplies, mainly to see if there was anything she'd like personally. If she could have something nice it would be a fine way to end off the day, a rather stressful day after everything that has happened. She needed time to recharge at some point.
"Thanks!" Itzal and Francis took off to the cabin and swiftly disappeared from view to head to the storage hold deeper inside the ship.
The others watched them leave but Rob felt as though someone was looking at him, he glanced over to see Zarina was glaring at him with an analytical gaze.
Rob raised an eyebrow at her wondering what she was doing. She noticed the raised brow and chose to spoke, "How did you get those supplies when none of us have any money or treasure to trade with." Over by the helm, Arabella was listening in on their conversation, however private it might be she was listening in regardless.
Rob grinned at her, caught red-handed.
"I have my ways." That was such a shitty response, clearly not satisfying Zarina with that answer.
"You weren't going to pay for anything were you?" Zarina asked but her tone showing she knew damn well she was right.
"I'm innocent of all charges." His response got a subtle giggle from Arabella.
Zarina just rolled her eyes at his response, "Luckily I'm the only one to question you on it." She mumbled between the two of them before she turned away to go help Itzal and Francis. She couldn't really say anything and she doubted he'd try to explain himself out of the situation. "You've adapted to being a pirate rather quickly." She added before finally walking away and disappearing from view as the others did.
This only left Rob and Arabella left on deck. Not having anything to do he made his way up the stairs and sat on the railing not far from Arabella.
The first thing he noticed was her huge grin directed at him.
"Yeah yeah," Rob spoke out knowing full well she heard their conversation in full.
Her smile only grew wider, "You two remind me of two siblings."
Rob tilted his head in thought for a second before coming to the same conclusion as her. It was strangely accurate, wasn't it?
The next two days went by rather quickly with everyone aboard getting used to being on this ship. From dividing up the sleeping quarters, making it so there's a guys room and a ladies room to fixing up the dining area to fit the five of them and their monkey companion. The ship itself was actually great, Arabella specifically mentioned its quality and style. A ship that earned her admiration was rare but this ship had yet to be truly tested yet. The Grandline was the true test for the ship, if it can survive in there it truly was a great ship.
Each member of the group went about trying to make a routine for themselves. Arabellas' was the most simple as she just did her duty of a helmswoman and took the helm.
Francis was similar, he spent his time going over several maps and charts, checking the weather and making sure the ship remained on the right course. He even organized a small room to store some navigation equipment and used a barrel to store the maps they had.
Itzal spent his time getting to know the ship inside and out, from top to bottom and back to front. This was his ship after all so he wanted to know as much as could about it, how it worked and take note of a few things.
Rob was told, multiple times, not to strain his injury until he got it stitched and looked at by a professional doctor. Despite him still disregarding them on multiple occasions he, luckily, didn't reopen the wound on his body. He mainly spent his time attempting to train or swim but was stopped once someone except Itzal noticed him.
Finally, Zarina. She spent her time fixing what she was capable of. Mainly re-arranging things off the floor so people could walk around and helping others where she could. But she also spent some time to herself, fixing her bed and just thinking about her plans for the future.
The first day on the sea Itzal prepared what he was used to, a vegetable soup. Right after Zarina demanded he washed his hands after playing with Sherlock. While Itzal wasn't at all a cook, probably not being able to cook anything else besides soup, his creation was decently edible. Nobody got sick so that was a plus! To be honest, of everyone here Zarina and Francis came to the conclusion that either Itzal or Rob would be the worst cook here since Itzal got an edible score they were leaning to Rob being a bad cook. Although Itzal was caught more than once snacking on from fresh fruit and veg instead of actually cooking. His defense being he loved tasty, fresh food.
The next day was Zarinas' turn, which she took surprisingly serious for some reason, not wanting to be outdone by anyone else here. The others found it odd for her to be somewhat competitive but they left her to it. She knew herself she was no professional cook but she was taught to cook for herself when she was younger. She would not let those lessons go to waste. She prepared various meats and veg, ending up creating a small unique dish for each person. Francis, Arabella, and Itzal got a mix of veg and meats, both fish and chicken. However Rob got purely a meat dish, her reasoning for this was simple. A heavy protein diet help with the healing process so she'd given him a protein meal of meat to help him along with his healing wound. That was extremely clever, everyone had to admit they didn't think that far ahead or put that much thought into food before but that sounded like something Zarina would do.
On the third day, it finally fell to Arabella, and this is what happened.
Itzal was the first to the dining table, a trait the group had learned over the last few days was Itzals large appetite. They'd found out that he not only had a large appetite but was always looking for the best tasting food, Zarinas food might not have been professional but it was tastier than a lot of the food he'd had before so he was excited to see what else people came up with!
Rob and Zarina took their seats at the same time beside each other. The table they sat at was big enough for eight people, Itzal sat at one end of the captain while Zarina and Rob sat to his right beside each other. Sherlock sat just beyond Zarina near the opposite end of the table of Itzal munching away at some peanuts he'd been given by Zarina. It became clear that of everyone on the crew Sherlock liked, he liked Itzal and Zarina the most.
The kitchen itself was rather simple in design but that's all they needed it from it. If they had an actual cook aboard they'd probably ask for better equipment or something like that. However, there were some nice decorations such as a plant next to where Rob sat and a nice pale yellow paint job around the dining area.
Francis was the last to join them, he'd took some final checks to make sure the ship was still on course. He'd noticed they'd made better time than expected but he'd chalk that up to Arabella's skill as a helmswoman, she handled the ship like a master, riding the waves in such an efficient manner they made time. He swiftly joined the others, choosing to sit beside Itzal on his left side.
While Itzal was excited by seeing what food he could eat everybody noticed a rather rancid smell coming from the cooking area. Everyone except Zarina turned to watch Arabella from across the room, what they saw didn't exactly instill confidence in them. A small plume of thick black smoke erupted from in front of Arabella. A smell of burnt food, both meat, and veg, filled the room. A large mess of food lay across the floor by her feet, it really was a bad sight to see. Made even weirder by the fact she still wore all her axes, both the massive one on her back and her throwing axes on her hip.
However, the food was done according to Arabella who began to bring plates of food over to the group. What she lay before them was a horrendous mess.
Each of the plates was piled up with different things, some of which they couldn't make out what it had been before. It was like a black sludge-like substance with a side order of charred, ash-like veg or whatever the fuck it was. At this point, if you could actually tell what the food had been beforehand you must have achieved a new higher form of color of observation haki.
They side glanced at Arabella who had some soot marks on her face and a satisfied smile on her face. She'd taken a seat near Francis with her very own plate of the same mess she'd given the others and began to dig in.
Francis had to stop his jaw from dropping at the fact she'd dare each such a thing.
She turned to the others, "Well? Eat it already!" She said as she took another bite herself, focusing again on her own meal.
Francis and Zarina sweatdropped at seeing the helmswoman eating at this toxic mess with no issue. Of course, the creator of such poison can handle it.
Of the others to try the food it was Itzal that braved this dangerous path first, taking a bite you could see him physically recoil from eating it. That didn't instill confidence in the others but regardless he continued to eat the food, whether out of courtesy or simply doing it because he was taught to nobody could tell. He gagged, choked and recoiled slightly from each bite.
There was a pause from Francis and Zarina, a hesitant to dare try it. The fact Itzal could swallow it was a miracle in of itself but Itzal was Itzal. He wasn't exactly normal, just because he ate it and lived doesn't mean they would.
Out the corner of Zarinas' eye she saw Rob poke the black sludge with his fork and to her disgust, it looked like the food twitched as Rob jabbed it a few times.
However, Francis and Zarina decided to just go for it, against both of their better judgments. At the same time, they both took their first bites of this toxic sludge and almost immediately regretted it.
Zarina instinctively coughed as she ate the first bite, choking on the taste of it alone. Never had she had something so bad in all her life, it hit her stomach harder than a rock. Her body immediately told her to throw it up, expel it from her body but she couldn't. One bite had been enough for her.
"That is the worst thing I have ever tasted!" She declared loudly, making damn sure Arabella heard it. She didn't care if it was rude it was for that sure the hard truth and she was making sure it was heard.
Arabella reacted in a slightly hurt manner as if she'd directly struck something of great importance to her. It was actually her pride. "Like hell! My cooking is great! Easily the best here!" She defended, however, the opposition was mounting.
"It's horrible," Itzal stated in agreement with Zarina, looking directly toward Arabella. His words said it was horrible yet he'd still managed to eat ninety percent of his portion but even he had his limits as to what poisons he could handle and he had reached that limit.
Francis did better than she had however, managing to get a number of bites out of it before it was too much for him. He suddenly shot, pushing his food away from him and ran from the room, it didn't take a genius to figure out where was going. The poor guys' guts might never recover from such a devastating attack.
That made it three against one, majority rules and the conclusion was clear. Arabella cooks and creates poisons, a toxic mass, a form of torture.
Arabella pouted in both an annoyed and hurt manner, "Fuck you guys! My cooking is great, you just can't handle it!" She huffed slightly at the end of her statement.
Itzal seeing the situation decided to end it, "Alright! I'll clean up." Itzal stated in an attempt to calm things down. "Arabella, can you go check on Francis?" He asked hoping she'd go help the navigator.
"Fiiinnnnneee," Arabella whined through a pout, she got up and took off out of the kitchen in search of Francis leaving the others to clean up after her.
Zarina struggled to keep her composure but she managed in the end. Itzal just scratched his head, man that had been both the strangest and worst dinner he'd ever had. He turned to see the rest of the kitchen in a mess, he glanced to Zarina and saw she was seemingly okay, Rob too for that matter, oddly enough.
"Mind helping me with this?" He asked the two of them hoping he wouldn't be alone in cleaning this up.
Zarina just gave him a nod, saving her strength as much as possible.
"Sure thing." Rob replied nonchalantly, giving his captain a small wave of the hand.
He gave a small smile at the two of them grateful for the help, "I'll handle the kitchen, you two handle here and all the dishes." He told the two of them as he moved off to begin cleaning the kitchen, right where Arabella had created her poison leaving Rob and Zarina sitting for a moment.
Zarina paused for a moment letting some of the pain and groaning in her stomach subside but that's when she noticed something. One thing she was always grateful for was silence, a peaceful atmosphere but there was one problem with that. Rob was here and if Rob was here silence is not peaceful, it's suspicious.
She looked over to the redhead with an analyzing gaze, that's when she noticed his empty plate. "I refuse to believe you could stomach that better than Itzal." She stated, seeing as he was perfectly fine.
Rob just smirked at her and shrugged, not saying anything.
That set off warning sirens. If Rob was smug about something there was bound to be something up.
She glanced around him in an attempt to find what that was and at that moment she found it, she reacted by immediately glaring at him.
Off to his side opposite Zarina, there had been a plant but now all that stood there was a withered and decayed stem of a plant. She knew exactly what he'd done with his food.
"You're a bastard." She said, rather envious of his actions. She wasn't mad at him so to speak more so herself for not doing the same thing.
"Thank you." Was all the redhead replied with before standing up and collecting some of the dishes so he could clean them.
That left Zarina to herself for a moment, she sighed before standing to begin her part in the cleaning process. This had been a disaster of a dinner.
Sherlock remained on the table, he titled his head in confusion and chirped to himself quietly. He had no idea what all the fuss was about but he was a monkey so he also didn't care. He turned back to his little bowl and munched on another peanut.
After everyone had recovered from that experience people moved back to their routine, for the most part. It was nearing eight in the evening but another two hours of usable daylight remained according to Francis.
Arabella was still in a hump over the whole cooking fiasco, 'My cooking is not that bad!' She internally told herself, whether to defend her cooking or to actually try and convince herself she was a good cook. At least the best one here! She'd get over it eventually once they got to Loguetown but that was a shot at her pride. A low blow in her books!
Zarina was still recovering as she had decided to retreat to the women's quarters for a while to let her stomach settle. Despite the fact she only had a small piece she still didn't want to push her luck. Once she was sure she was not going to vomit she rejoined the others on deck, allowing the fresh air to help. She stood near Francis and Arabella watching as they worked in tandem to keep the ship going, they were a great team even though they hadn't worked together before. Any ship would be lucky to have such skilled crewmates on board.
Francis was the most unlucky, he felt the worst out of all of them. Sure he muscled through it and kept to his duty as a navigator but was it worth it if he was going to be sick again? Regardless he kept a strong face and took some medicine to help with his stomach. He kept going over weather conditions, maps and making sure they remained on course. Loguetown should be in view any minute now according to his calculations and readings. Sherlock sat on the railing next to him, tilting his head as he watched the navigator at work. For some reason, the monkey was amused watching Francis work, how odd right?
Itzal was okay after all that, turns out the guy has a stomach of iron. Lucky for him too because eating enough of Arabella's cooking could possibly be fatal judging by how Zarina and Francis reacted but Itzal was fine for the most part despite the fact he had eaten the most. Sure there was a slight groaning coming from his stomach but it didn't bother him nor did it hurt. Itzal only really thought the food was bad in taste, texture, and appearance but it was edible, somewhat, to him. Afterward, he just moved to the top of the cabin to lay down and relax for a bit. His thoughts going from everything that had happened on Tear island to what he'd find on Loguetown, his excitement was building again and he'd yet to reach the damn island.
Rob was perfectly fine as expected. Having avoided eating Arabella's food all together he snuck off and stole an apple from storage, something to eat while he waited for tomorrow's food. Currently, he was sitting near the bow of the ship but he sat looking toward the rest of the ship, watching the others as they went about the ship. This had been an interesting, fun and worthwhile trip, something he'd be looking forward to continuing on his adventure with Itzal, his captain.
"Land in sight!" Francis called out, using a spyglass that he'd taken as his own to look out over the sea ahead of them.
Everyone shifted hearing that news, all of them turning in the direction Francis was facing, each for their own reason but none more so than Itzal. Upon hearing Francis' call he shot up and leaped from the top of the cabin to the mast. He climbed that mast faster than any monkey ever could and landed on the railing of the crows' nest. He stood tall, high above the others allowing him to see that bit better across the sea.
And that's when he saw it, an island came into view.
Loguetown.
Itzal couldn't suppress the smile that spread across his face. It was time for an adventure in Loguetown!
Sorry, the chapter is a bit late (4 Days) but I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter. Nothing major but it slowed me down. I've also been getting busy as of late but I'll do what I can so I don't keep you all waiting for another chapter. On the plus side, it's nearly 10000 words so maybe the wait was worth it?
At least Loguetown is here and with that, the final island of the East Blue begins. Not long now till the Grandline.
I swear this story is going to have the same run time as the actual One Piece Manga at this rate, holy hell.
I've talked enough shit for this Author's note, time to end it.
Disclaimer, I obviously don't own One Piece (For Shame). All OC' go to their respective owners and such.
AlcatrazDGold - Peace!
