"Ah, blast it all. Now I have to find where I left off…"

Bleary groans echoed through the faintly lit room before the lights flickered on. With the darkness vanquished, the light showcased what could have been perceived as a teenager's room. Across the many shelves, glass display cases, and walls, countless merchandise plastered every inch. There were only scant slithers of the original Chaldean walls, and some decorations even hung from the ceiling. However, their only unity was in their adjoined mess.

By all means, the room was a disaster zone compared to any other.

The rustic wood furniture had gathered flakes of dust since the robots were barred from cleaning. Different, torn jolly rogers hung like trophies on one wall, yet right beside them, pictures of animated serials formed a brighter contrast. There was a battle-worn cutlass, likely earned as a high-seas singularity trophy, sitting on a sword rack besides a very vibrant katana. Photo frames of the feared room's owner showcased him fighting ferociously in singularities… right beside others that held various voyeur shots of anime girls.

Ordered anarchy was the best way to describe the room, which lay covered with scattered magazines, scrapbooks, and even some discarded packaging. A kotatsu rested in the middle, surrounded by some empty chip bags and opened DVD cases. There was even an unopened Amazon package on the bed right beside a blanket-covered custom body pillow; The slithers of its printed pink hair could be glimpsed beyond the very edge of the jolly roger covers.

All this formed the ink that helped write the newest entries into the infamous pirate's life.

Standing atop a half-eaten bag of Cheetos, Blackbeard groaned again. His arm snaked under his white shirt to scratch an itch; It depicted a blonde, blue-eyed girl cupping her cheeks with her hands and blowing a raspberry. In the space around the young character with a ribbon in her hair, the word 'Poi' was written in lots of little speech bubbles over a literal wall of kanji. Coupled with the low hanging black sweats, the bearded, thirty-something-looking rider looked very unsettling to any who saw him.

Quietly, he glanced over to the video intercom, whose screen showcased the time besides flanking figurines of scantily clad anime girls: 0640.

"Shit. Woke up that early…?" he grumbled, but then an eager grin quickly shook the sleepiness from his eyes. "Still got time before I meet up with Osa… More High School Fleet it is!"

With a laugh unbefitting his age, he dove for his kotatsu as he searched for the remote for his new flat screen. He moved aside a stack of new doujins, then looked under the packaging for one of his newest figures. Finally, just behind a giant tube that read 'One Piece Limited Edition Scroll', he found it. With a sigh of relief, he turned on his flat screen, settled in under the warmth of Osakabehime's personally gifted table, and looked forward to another relaxing day in paradise.

Life in Chaldea had finally become what he desired… well, almost.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

Fragment 81: Freedom of Choice

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"…I don't know why you were so pushy about seeing my room but… keep this all a secret, okay?"

"Pirate's honor… Er, if that means anything to you."

Curiosity had been mutual. He'd noticed ever since he caught her staring once, but it wasn't like the many Blackbeard usually got. When one had been around Chaldea as long as him, it became easy to tell stares apart. It was especially truer for him, who had to keep a sharp eye trained for anyone within reach that held growing ulterior motives against him; Order had to be maintained, even in a life of piracy.

But Chaldea wasn't the high seas, and she certainly didn't stare with any hidden intent. If anything, Osakabehime was a bit too honest to a fault; Likely because of how little exposure she got to the real world. Shutting oneself in tended to do that, but that hardly deterred him. If anything, it had been the hopeful spark for his approach, and has led the feared, intimidating pirate to the doors of a famous Japanese maiden.

Now he found himself within the walls of her humble room, which flourished with an astonishing number of decorations. Barely a week here, and her room didn't even appear like one of the new section's typical rustic designs. The only indication it was fitted by Chaldea were the many polished-maple shelves that lined most of the traditional shoji walls. The rest was clearly the hand of an assassin whose skills dabbled in the domain of casters.

Yet, Blackbeard could imagine no greater use for a clear example of territory creation.

Though her bed covers and assorted drapes for her two small Sunscape windows were traditional Japanese Sakura patterns, everything else spoke of a more modernized hobby. Assorted memorabilia of unknown origins lay scattered about the mostly sparse shelves. Figures protected in glass display cases lay rank in file atop a drawer. To his surprise, there were even painted tapestries that showcased some of the hotter male servants in Chaldea, but were only clothed in risqué, yet publicly acceptable, outfits.

All of this inspiring display had been hidden but moments before by a shadowy veil cast be Osakabehime, but no more. In the middle of the sea of tatami mats, he sat with his legs tucked beneath the warm covers of a red kotatsu. His black sweater with a jolly roger would do little to hide shivers of excitement, but he could only keep himself tempered for so long. With a near-stoic expression, he simply glanced around her room like he was trying to understand.

This was slowly unsettling the assassin on the other side. With her tablet turned off on the table before her, she gazed carefully as worry seeped into her eyes. He could tell she was now doubting if she'd been wrong to show him all this, but she would have no worries. If anything, it was just a habit carried over from long before, where Blackbeard toyed with his soon-to-be crewmates to gauge their character better. Without any doubt in his mind, Osakabehime was genuinely what he hoped for, and his mind finally unlocked the mental doors.

"…Do you…?" she started, but fell truly uncertain. She really was quite the shut-in, it seemed; A legendary Hikikomori. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed. "…Well? After demanding to see my room, aren't you going to say something!? Are you just going to tease me about all this like Kiyohi and Tamamochi?"

"No. I won't." His calm answer set her back into confusion as her eyes softened with growing relief. It was only when he could no longer contain his grin that his eyes filled with sweet satisfaction. She stared, dumbfounded, as Blackbeard's suddenly excited eyes gazed around the room with relief and genuine delight. She was confused, no doubt, but him? He was free! Finally truly free again!

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for someone like you to arrive!?" His exclamation made her flinch lightly, but her surprise shot high with her eyebrows. "It was a pain and a half dialing myself back a bit just so some vocal normies would give me less of a headache… but now!? Now it's time to triple down!"

Quickly, he unzipped the front of his sweater and unveiled what lay beneath. It was one of the few pieces he still had after Chaldea's graphic shirt maker was scraped for use elsewhere, but it definitely did the trick. Osakabehime stared at another Jolly Roger, but it had Japanese print beneath it and looked far more cartoony. The straw hat on top of it seemed to ring a bell, if not for the translated kanji: One Piece. Her eyes suddenly twinkled with growing hope as he grinned happily. "…You're a…!?"

He sat taller dramatically and placed his hands on his hips. "Blackbeard! Scourge of the Caribbean! Feared Pirate! And formerly Chaldea's sole resident Otaku!"

"Another Otaku!" Blackbeard couldn't grin wider as Osakabehime's excitement matched his. Sure, she seemed to be one of those girls very interested in the yaoi scene, but he was delighted! After all this time, a companion for his interests finally arrived! "Why didn't you say so before!?"

"Everyone else thought it was cringey and unbecoming for a fearsome pirate… I chose to shelve it for a while! Chose to keep my excitement before I grew salty putting up with ignorant looks… hoping and praying a true comrade would arrive who would understand me completely!" he exclaimed, then grinned again towards her. "And you finally did! Now we can stick together and enjoy our anime!"

Even though he likely had a lot more explaining to do, the look of growing satisfaction in the assassin's eyes was more than enough for Blackbeard. This was the beginning of a wonderful friendship… one he waited far too long for! Together, after Solomon's defeat, they would find a way to bring in-

There was loud banging on the door, making both turn swiftly as it practically sparked open with force; That'd need to get repaired, but he had more pressing concerns. Fight or flight flashed through his mind as two rampaging women glared within. "GET YOUR HANDS OFF OUR FRIEND… YOU…!"

On the other side stood a battle clad Kiyohime and Tamamo. Their once furious, simultaneous roar had fallen to complete and total surprise. With hands still held in talkative gesture, Blackbeard remained frozen on the other side of the kotatsu. Osakabehime, on the other hand, quickly grew peeved. With a sharp exhale, she stood up, clenched her fists, and glared accusingly at her two closest friends. They flinched lightly at the surprising show of defense.

Blackbeard was silently excited for it; Usually no one stuck up for him. "Tamamochi! Kiyohi! Blackie-chan isn't doing anything wrong! We were just talking!"

"…Blackie-chan…?" Kiyohime voiced incredulously as the two women stared dumbfounded at the pirate.

He merely chuckled sheepishly and waved. 'Not a title I would have chosen but…'

"He's doing nothing wrong! So can you please leave us in peace and not break more of my stuff!? We were just talking!"

The two remained in dumbfounded silence, but after a moment, glanced to each other, quietly apologized, and slowly pulled the broken door closed. Osakabehime huffed. "Now I need my door fixed… Those two…"

"Eh, don't get mad at them… They really care you. That's true friendship if I've ever seen it," he offered calmly, and though she sighed, she smiled lightly in understanding. He finally grinned back at her again. "Thanks for having my back!"

"Why wouldn't I? You were doing nothing wrong," she commented as she slid back into her seat. "…What were we talking about… Oh! Right! Anime! Does Chaldea have a sizable collection?"

He shook his head. "Unfortunately no. There was only one closet Otaku and he died in the Fuyuki incident. His hard drive has a bit, but it was mostly One Piece, Death Note, and Naruto."

"Oh, that's terrible... You only had that to live off of?" she sympathized, but then turned on her tablet with a smile. "I've made a collection of my own in the modern years. There's uh… a few aimed towards girls like me, but I've been downloading some big hits when I could! Oh, and manga if you like reading! I usually just use it as references for when I try to make new doujins. Do you do anything with doujins too, Blackie-chan?"

Blackbeard couldn't keep his eyes from glinting with gratitude and happiness: Osakabehime was truly a woman of culture.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ III ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"I thought you were watching Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio."

"I decided to watch High School Fleet instead. You were right as usual! The girls were really kawaii and it was right up my alley!"

Osakabehime giggled. "Then it's merchandise time again, right? Right? Getting one of Mashiro?"

Now it was Blackbeard's turn to grin and chuckle. "You know me too well! She's definitely best girl of Hai-Furi!"

Any other servant in Chaldea looking on would have likely been lost; Grail knowledge or not, their language would seem foreign. With gratuitous Japanese sprinkled in, stares would be obvious, but that never bothered either anymore. Now that they'd found true kinship, it was far easier for Osakabehime and Blackbeard to ignore judgement like fallen leaves on the sidewalk.

But there were no prying eyes in Osakabehime's room. It was always neater than his, but still just as neet, as he liked to joke. Her shelves and walls were finally properly clustered with memorabilia and merchandise from their recent orders. Besides the countless new figures, wall scrolls, body pillows, and other comforts, her room remained untouched; Her paradise layout was chosen, as was his.

Together, they sat at her kotatsu again, but both had their tablets. Though a proverbial wall of speakers and extra screens rested on the top before them, they rested comfortably at two adjacent ends, busy with their current tasks. Wrapped in a warm pink robe with fluffy fox ears atop its hood, Osakabehime hummed happily to the currently playing J-pop as Blackbeard merely smiled in comfort.

His own hands were busy typing away on his tablet to revise her sent idea. After his traditional shower before coming to his companion's room, he'd changed into the same exact shirt, except this one was black. His jeans were cozy and warm beneath the kotatsu, and occasionally bumped into hers. Neither minded in the least; Their comfort with each other was immeasurable.

He hummed as he put the stylus to his mouth. "Osa, I think the dialogue would feel a little more forced. I could expand on it, but then we'd be running on extra pages."

"Oh, stop worrying about extra pages! We're the publishers and printers too!"

"True… I just feel we can make it more concise and sweeter. Ah, this is your story though. Just trying to help."

"I know! I owe you for this one!"

He merely waved it off with a smirk. "Ah, what are friends for?"

In all honesty, he never thought he'd actually be helping her out with one of her intimate male-on-male stories, but he was; He hardly liked it, but that's how much she meant to him that he'd even consider it. They were dedicated doujin partners, and she trusted his word and advice sincerely. They improved each other and their art in ways no one else could properly manage.

Without any doubt, he was happy she came here, and beyond delighted they met. It was a partnership at its best, and a bond between fellow otakus he'd long desired. It didn't make her see him in a romantic light, though; He had his eyes set on someone long before anyway. It didn't matter to her either, who felt the same. There was no a single worry of a rocky road ahead.

Osakabehime hummed and used her finger to scroll through her tablet's list of completed works. Behind her, one of her paper animals, a cute orange fox, was carefully stacking newly printed first-editions of their hopeful premier M-rated doujin. "We're up to thirty so far… I didn't think we'd manage so well!"

"Well, that's what teamwork's for, yea?" he grinned as he scrolled to the next section of her typed notes. His scrolling slowed, and the assassin noticed even as his eyes tried to hide his nerves. She smiled sympathetically, and blushed shamefully. "…You don't have to give your opinion on that part."

"…No, no. I will! We're partners! For you, I'd gladly sail this storm, Osa!" he proclaimed reassuringly, even if it was pretty painful. She was thankfully sparing him the details of just how intimate the two men were being. Forcefully, like gazing on the horizon and picturing the next would-be victim of his ship, he mentally changed the names and images to two of his favorite anime girls; It might have been a worse idea since he toed the line with falling aroused visualizing it.

Yet, he accepted internal dilemma as Osakabehime smiled graciously. "Thanks, Blackie-chan! I'll be sure to make some bonus pages for that extra special doujin of you and your real waifu!"

Now his cheeks were totally flushed, and steam practically shot from his nose and ears. With glimmering eyes, he stared at her with unhinged delight. "Can you even add some color!?"

"Sure! I'll even put her in that bikini you couldn't tear your eyes off of! The one with white frills that she posed for in that upcoming swimsuit calendar, right?"

"Wait, you saw me spyin- That bikini!? You'd do that for me!?" If he wasn't aroused and excited before, he certainly was now just thinking of it. "You're an angel, Osa!"

"Nope, just your writing partner! Now let's both do our best to make even more for our future brand! We want to prove to Da Vinci we deserve a storefront!"

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ IV ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

There was still an hour before lunch, so it was unsurprising the Arcade was mostly empty. Most of the screens lay dormant, including some of the newest additions towards the room's center. Though most of the newer generation consoles and games had been unpacked, those administrating the room decided to keep them in the boxes as a temporary sorting system; Delaqua's staff were still designing expanded game shelves.

Blackbeard sat at the cluster of public gaming computers as mirth echoed from a farther corner. Tyler, Rena, and Serenity were at one of the farther screens introducing Paul, Jack, Alice, and Yedda to Little Big Planet. He'd chosen one of the computers facing away from them, but it was still in clear view for any who walked past the entrance. As his chosen game booted up, he passed a glance towards a farther computer where his only companion was busy with his own game.

"Of course. I truly believe this is a venture worth your time, but should you choose to decline, I would not be against turning to other investors. Time is money, mind you."

Mephistopheles' voice was so unnervingly smooth and convincing as he spoke into his worn headset. The sly grin he wore with his usual, favorite purple formal attire made him look like a pale loan shark. The caster paid no attention as he typed incredibly fast across his keyboard and clicked through several windows, all while holding up his conversation flawlessly. Though Blackbeard had his doubts, this caster was certainly the smooth-talking devil who brokered terrible deals.

Then again, how many doubted he was truly Blackbeard with all his 'weird' hobbies? 'Normies wouldn't understand…'

As a signature ding registered through his headset, he turned back to his own monitor. The loading bar around the anchor finally stopped spinning. Immediately, he grinned as he was greeted with a digitalized mock-up of an early twentieth-century port. Though the buildings and old-time atmosphere were well-designed, it was the lone ship in the center that had his current interest. Automatically, he went through the motions of adjusting the flags, double-checking his ship's modules, and checking the missions tab.

As he clicked onto a new tab to bring a visualized tech tree of the new Kriegsmarine battleship line, he hummed quietly to himself. In all honesty, this game was only supposed to be a tie-over until he found a fellow otaku. World of Warships had quickly grown on him though, even if Drake, Anne, and Mary grew tired of it pretty quickly. Maybe he could get them to play a game or two again now that the game was actually live and had huge updates, but they only did it to soothe sailing urges.

For him, it was now just another small staple in the only gaming niche he had: naval combat. He'd just be happy when his personal gaming computer finally arrived so he could play it in his room without distractions; Too bad it was delayed, but at least Assassin's Creed Black Flag came on time. He'd play that later, all while he squeezed in searches for other pirate-styled games, helped Osakabehime get heir Doujin circle up and running, volunteered for cool singularity calls…

He sure got a busy schedule these days. There wasn't even enough time for his old hobby of peeping around, but that was alright. It was replaced by similar ones that wouldn't get him beat up. As the game loaded, he quickly minimized the game to reveal an internet browser offering another.

It portrayed a little cartoon map with a compass in the center. As he clicked the center of the screen, it spun, and the little ship icon moved towards a new map spot. When it landed, it resonated with sonar pings before indicating a battle. A few images for formations were shown, and he clicked one without hesitation. Seconds later, the two fleets were duking it out in portrayed combat… yet they weren't your typical ships.

The ships looked like girls. As they appeared on screen to indicate their turn to fire, they let out battle cries and other statements. One took a hint, and though she appeared on screen injured, Blackbeard couldn't help but grin lecherously at the now revealing images that replaced it. The woman, or ship, was doing her best just to cover herself since the damage ripped much of her clothes off and damaged the visible warship equipment. He chuckled, "You can still sail on. You'll be fine."

He didn't even care Mephistopeles had taken a small break from his brokering, but stood behind Blackbeard with a stoic glance. "…Do I want to ask what that is?"

"…Hmm?" Blackbeard hummed nonchalantly as he turned around to look at the caster; He wasn't even worried he was watching him do it. By all means, he was used to incredulous and disgusted stares for his hobbies; Concealing his interests was less an act of cowardice and more a reprieve from the endless swarm of questions. He could put up with it now though. "Oh, this? Kancolle?"

Mephistopheles only blinked in obvious bewilderment, but Blackbeard grinned. "It's pretty tough. It has a lot of nice shipgirls though!"

"Shipgirls…" Mephistopheles mumbled. "Is the audio as condemning as it looks?"

Without hesitation, Blackbeard simply pulled his personal headset cord from the USB slot and let the sounds of Japanese girls and combat echo into the nearby air. Some yelled statements even sounded like innuendos. Mephistopheles' eye actually twitched, and Robin, who had been passing by the doors, paused momentarily to stare in disbelief; As if Blackbeard cared. He only chuckled and slipped the cord back in.

After a pause, Mephistopheles shook his head and smirked lightly. He even let out his clownish chuckle. "I still don't know what that's all about, but your shamelessness never ceased to amuse me. I find it… interesting."

"You're not going to blackmail me into one of your deals!" the pirate chuckled back, then quickly brought up the other game again. His German battleship was now amidst a Mediterranean archipelago with a bunch of other ships. A countdown timer on the screen was seconds away from zero. "Is that what you're doing on Eve? Tyler told me a bit about it but I still don't get it."

"Oh, there's plenty of negotiating. It's… a work in progress," he answered back with a sly smirk. "One of the best gifts I've received in Chaldea."

Their simple conversation ended when the game started. Mephistopheles strolled towards the Club Cove entrance as his ship groaned forward slowly, but Blackbeard tossed him another glance. He was a curious servant, but not one to be underestimated or left unwatched. Tyler's curious move seemed to have given him an outlet, but Blackbeard had to wonder if that game would keep him complacent for long. 'It's not like Eve could be a long-term interest or hobby for him, right?'

Then again, he never thought a few video games would remain as part of his hobbies, but it helped many of them pertained to his interests.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ V ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

After enjoying lunch, he decided to take a small detour through the Agora to see how the shopping mall was coming together. With one hand scrolling an anime forum on his phone, he paused by the newly completed central fountain, which churned with shining brass, steampunk design. It was a strange sort of centerpiece in a mostly Greek-themed mall; Others pointed out some of the other under-construction rooms and personal designs didn't fit with the overall theme either.

The thoughtful or meaningful types would say it was like a representation of Chaldea: Many unorthodox pieces creating something unique.

In the end, the white marble facades and various colors of the finishing stores and rooms really did make it look like a mall. Complete with Nitocris' largest Sunscape windows far above, acting like a glass ceiling, this place would feel as spacious and welcoming as Fantasia when it finally opened. He was most interested in seeing what Medb's Club and Casino had to offer when it was finally opened, but among the polished marble stone pavers, he came to a stop.

Within the Stitch Witches' storefront, a new curiosity grabbed his eye from scrolling. Like a moth to flame, he was lured towards the room where he opened the door; It was surprisingly unlocked. Naked mannequins and countless birch shelving remained vacant, but the new Clothing Department's room looked finished. The sweet smell of freshly cut wood and cleaning products tantalized his senses, but his eyes tunnel-visioned hard.

"…Is that Arturia?" he mumbled to himself. He pocketed his phone and came to a stop before the newly cleaned front desk. A bottle of Windex and a rag were discarded on top. "…Mother of... That is!"

In the empty glass display shelves behind the store's desk, one lone decoration sat with a discarded measuring tape. It was a small figure, barely two dozen centimeters tall, that was graced with the face and body of Arturia Pendragon. Her dress, however, was a beautiful white off-shoulder ensemble with more elegant frills than a masquerade party. With its blue accents, it could have even been a wedding dress.

Before he knew it, he'd subconsciously found himself before the display case. As he opened it, angry heels clicked towards him, but he didn't turn; He was already caught. "What do you think you're doing…?"

"The door was unlocked," he replied calmly as he simply glanced back towards the angry caster. "Calm down, Medea. I'm not doing anything wrong."

"Besides trespassing?" she fumed with a fierce glare, even as she advanced like a tornado. Her purple strapless dress with golden accents, one of her favorites, was coupled with a black knit throw-over that flared like the wings of a frustrated dragon. The shorter woman was an intimidating sight, but he remained placid.

He merely turned to her and held his hands up. His tone was unusually persuasive, but had had a new motive and curiosity he needed answered. He preferred if he got it without getting assaulted. While keeping his bubbling enthusiasm down, he finally parleyed carefully. "Princess of Colchis… Please. Calm down. If I was trying to steal it, I would have been far gone by now. I'm a pirate, remember? As much as many like to joke about it, I know how to get away with things if I feel like it."

That was no understatement. He'd escaped the clutches of British authority so many times. With a smooth tongue and keen perception of social cues, he'd navigated minefields of speech. He even managed a few stealthy assaults and robberies that went off without a hitch. They could doubt all they want, but in the end, he knew as well as they did he was still the feared Edward Teach.

Though she fumed and glared, her advance had halted. With arms crossed over her chest, she stared between the calm pirate and the figure. He only waited patiently until she spoke next. She breathed out like an angry bull first. "…Then what were you planning on doing?"

"I was going to look at it without permission, honestly." Though he admitted to the crime, and her eyes narrowed when he said it, he turned back to the figure and nodded. "It caught my attention when I was looking around the mall. Isn't this going to be a display shelf of your clothing line?"

They'd never talked at all besides rare coordination in battle, so he wasn't surprised she was both guarded and judging; Her stress over Naomi's stagnant condition didn't help. She paused in skeptical thought, then quietly shook her head. "…This is a clothing store. What goes in a clothing store?"

"Then why is this figure here?" he countered as he studied it calmly. The act was very slowly calming Medea down with how very observant and scrutinizing he seemed to be over it. Though frustration sat, glints of curiosity were sneaking within her gaze. "You wanted more natural examples than a mannequin?"

His calm and studious tone, a rarity from the pirate to anyone, save for a scarce few, was unnerving her. "Helena made it so I could see if a tiny display might look nice. Not that you have your answer, leav-"

"This isn't a mere throwaway, Medea. You can't lie to me about that." His calm statement had silenced her completely as he stared back. "You're talking to one of Chaldea's few aficionados on figures. The quality of the dress, the likeness of the mimicry… This was careful craftsmanship made with a purpose, and not some mere example to see how something might look. If it were, you could have bought some cheap doll on Amazon with all this money we have as servants."

Medea's gaze was finally softening with shock as Blackbeard gestured calmly to the figure, but made certain not to touch it. "…This? This was a work of a professional who loved what they were doing. This figure of Arturia is a flawless replication. Even the minute details on the dress are so precise I wonder if you actually shrank one for the figure to wear. No, Medea, Helena obviously didn't make this, and you should absolutely be taking credit for modelling this top-notch craftsmanship."

As he turned back, he couldn't withhold his grin at her outright dumbfounded expression. It's not often he chose to be persuasive and even a touch sophisticated, but models and figures deserved it. They were a true art form to be respected and appreciated. "So… you left it out here by accident, huh?"

Though her fierceness tried to return, it was far lighter in her furrowed brows. "I wanted to see if a small mannequin display might work, but I wanted a dressed example… so I used a figure I made."

This was definitely news. Medea's only known hobby was knitting, yet she had another secret one with this level of skill? Item construction sure was workable in various degrees, it seemed. Content, and knowing an uncomfortable Medea likely meant vicious magecraft lashings, he nodded quietly with a reassuring grin. "You'll probably throw my opinion overboard, but I think it'll look beautiful. Lots of little servants and people wearing different clothes? That's more life than the mannequins could bring."

He turned back again to the case, but slowly closed the glass door to reassure her. He stared at the model. "You've got quite the skill at this… I assume it's a deep secret I shouldn't run my mouth about?"

Though he found her glaring back silently, he merely nodded slowly. "Yea, yea… you won't believe me, but I'll keep my mouth shut about it. Not like it's good blackmail or anything."

"I don't believe you…" she mouthed quietly. Though condemning and guarded, he could tell she was uncertain. He was pretty good at reading people's hidden motives, after all, but nowhere near Karna's level.

He shook his head. "Then tell you what. Don't want me using it as blackmail? How about you consider selling a line of figures in the future? Your skill is being wasted on secrecy. Everyone's gonna agree when they see it, and there's a lot of money for you to make on this... Hell, I'd even buy a few! No, dozens! You'd sell out by Osa and I alone! Just thinking about all the possibilities of posable limbs and dresses and accessories! Scenery!? Maybe model scenery too!? Those would do wonders for my collection and- Oh! I'd need more cases before you did...!"

Then he realized what he was babbling about. So much for keeping his excitement and motive down. Medea stared at him with a shocked and disturbed look as he recomposed himself and coughed into his hand. He then levelled one last serious stare her way and nodded. "You're talented in this, Medea. You don't need me to tell you that, but the world should know and enjoy your little wondrous gifts, especially the children. Let those who judge otherwise be damned, and I hope you pursue this further."

Having said his piece, Blackbeard chuckled and walked past the bewildered Medea. As he quietly slipped past the door, he gave her one last glance and a simple wave. He walked off as she stared back at her figure, likely wondering what just happened. It wasn't like Blackbeard to go out of the way and offer any sort of honest advice, but he took a huge exception to this. As a lover of fine merchandise from the modern era, Medea had unfounded potential he wanted to see bloom…

…Mostly because, if she followed through, it meant a future where he had a figure of his real-life waifu on his shelf!

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ VI ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

It never mattered how many times he'd stepped into the resort; It never grew old. Waltzing through any of its entrances was like returning to his true home on the high seas. Obviously it wasn't the true Caribbean, but its sea breeze and cawing gulls did wonders for his mind's immersion. All that was missing were the occasional glints of distant sail ships, but that illusion was being remedied tomorrow with the casters' small adjustments.

No matter how wonderful the world of weebdom was, it couldn't match up to his first true love: The sea. Any glimpse, no matter how real or fake, was like drinking from an oasis after decades of sips from a scalding canteen. Coupled with the gentle sways of creaking wood beneath his feet and the roars of jolly laughter, the pirate's life of a century long gone forever lived in his heart. One simply couldn't entice him away with another interest.

Although, those seafaring animes were quite the treasure chests of the modern age!

Even if he was excited on the progress of their doujin circle and had plenty of anime to watch, he needed this daily respite. He had to feel the sensation of sand between his feet at least once a day when it was within tantalizing reach. Once a week, like today, he needed just a bit more of a refreshment. A few hours relaxing at the resort was more than enough… but it was even better when he had one of the newly arrived doujins to enjoy too!

Now sporting a pair of jolly roger speckled swim trunks of various One Piece crews, he strolled on the boundary between ocean and sand. Though his eyes were glued to the black-and-white pages of the more erotic material, all while his grey saddlebag, filled with more, bounced light against his side, his practically-drooling attention was finally pillaged. He looked up at the giggles, surprised he'd managed to watch so far down the beach already without noticing.

That's when he spotted movement in a red-and-white beach umbrella's shade. Hidden beneath a blanket of saintly white, giggles, movement, and a rare light moan proved what happened beneath was anything but pure. His heartbeat at the sight, but both in anxiety and aroused excitement. There was no doubt who were the culprits among the mostly empty beach. Still, he made an effort to bury himself in his magazine, and to avoid complications, simply use their soundtrack to further immerse himself in his doujin.

He was about to stroll past a dozen meters away as they continued unabated. 'Never thought of having sounds play when reading this… It's so lewd! I'm going to do this more often!'

Yet, his mind and impulses went wild. Between shamelessly reading the doujin in his hands and the temptation of the girls likely doing naughty acts in public, he couldn't help but get aroused. He had to hunch over a bit in a terrible attempt to hide his erection, but it's not like he was doing anything to actively evade it. He was even daring to stare towards the blanket every now and then to possibly catch a peek, dangers be damned!

After another small moan, the soundtrack unfortunately stopped. "Wait, Mary! Someone's near!"

As he buried his head in his reading material and tried to nonchalantly walk away, Blackbeard immediately braced for impact as he felt a burning glare on the back of his neck. "Blackbeard you pervert! You were trying to peep weren't you!?"

"…Are you kidding me!?" With an exasperated sigh, he stopped and turned to the dual servant team, even while remaining a tad hunched to hide his arousal. Anne and Mary, hidden beneath the blanket, glared a fusillade of cannonballs his way. He could still see the straps of their bikinis, so they clearly hadn't gone too crazy. "It's hard not to when you two are doing it in the open in broad daylight! You know what that does to a man!? If I hadn't had my juicy doujins on me, I would've been trying to watch the whole show! Yea! But I wasn't! So there!"

Though their glares barely lightened, the couple glanced to each other, then back at Blackbeard. He merely shook his head and sighed. "Look. I've gone a long time without incident with you two! Three months since I last stole your used panties, right? Isn't that saying enough!?"

"We did do it out here out of excitement of being caught…" Anne whispered silently into Mary's ear.

"Since when were you exhibitionists anyway…?" Blackbeard deadpanned, even though the idea of watching them without getting beat up aroused him; He kept it in check. "Huu… Forget it. Don't answer! It was my fault for sailing into your waters… and I don't wanna get beat up with my new precious treasures on me! I'll stroll somewhere else and we'll forget this all happened!"

They stared at him for a few seconds… and then Mary disappeared back under the blanket and seemingly pulled on Anne's arm. The taller blonde merely huffed. "Fine! But If we catch you again today, you're walking the plank!"

"Fine by me! Pirate's honor!" he yelled back as he increased his gait to get away. Barely moments later, the two were likely going at it, but he was buried in his doujin again with a sigh. Strolling up and down the beach felt nice on his calloused feet, but it was apparent he was going to have to find a spot to lay anchor… preferably away from their turf so as not to spark an unintentional boarding action.

Despite how many times they've gotten into a scuffle, on a fundamental level, there was still a sense of comradery between them. They even hung out every now and then. They were among Chaldea's pirates, and though he often got on their nerves, more before than now, they worked well in battle together. With Drake, they were quite the staple cavalry unit Gudao loved to call upon for serious assaults. It was almost natural, even as they occasionally bickered.

Beyond even that, there was a threshold of acceptance higher than most. The Peacekeepers would have a fit if they knew what those two were doing, but he was no snitch. They also gave leeway to him so long as he didn't try anything over the line; He'd even dare say they were secretly okay with him just watching, but wouldn't admit it. Just so long as he was out of sight.

Blackbeard wasn't going to dare try that though: Pirates were unpredictable sometimes, especially those two.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ VII ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"Blackbeard… uh… Do you have a few minutes to spare?"

His intent to find a secluded spot to enjoy his new reads in peace was dashed when he arrived at the farthest edge of the Tropicana sector. After having passed by Semiramis and Amakusa, who both gave him unsettled stares at his clearly lewd reading material, he found himself being stared upon by Anishka and two of her closest servant companions. It was only when Rama beckoned him over, but stared uncertainly at his doujin's cover, that he finally slid it into his bag with the others.

Anishka had her master's uniform while Rama and Sita were in their battle attire, which already drew an eyebrow. Though Rama was protective and kept an arm around Sita, and a scrutinizing stare on him, he wasn't going to look. She was taken, and looked a bit too much like a child; Even he had standards. Children were cute, innocent, and to be cared after. The Stheno sisters were the only exception to that rule because they were just tiny grown women… not that he'd ever say that to their face lest he be stepped all over. '…I wouldn't mind that though…'

"Am I being disciplined or something?" he joked as Anishka offered him a seat on the bench beside her. Instead, to her surprise, he offered it to Sita and Rama again as he plopped down on the lush grass. He grinned to them. "Take it. I sit enough in my room."

Sita sat down, then Rama quickly scooched around the bench to sit on Anishka's other side. The defensive formation was already ringing bells of meetings with other pirate leaders; It was a show of loyalty to another, but also a defensive display on some occasions. It could be meant for either the opposition or their leader, and in this case, as Anishka fiddled with her fingers, Blackbeard quickly drew the conclusion. Still, he let them lead out of curiosity.

"Sorry for taking up some of your time." Typical of Anishka to begin with a respectful apology. Gudao would have done something similar that segwayed instantly, while Gabrielle would have danced around with small talk for a bit. "You're not being disciplined or anything… You just happened to come by, so I thought I'd talk to you now rather than waste your time later. I wish to tell you something important, if you're willing to listen."

Stiff opening aside, she was definitely looking a bit uncertain. It might be him, but he doubted it. She was always rather respectful and collected even when he tossed an occasional joke or stare her way; She and Gabrielle were hot tamales in their battlesuits. However, he did have his suspicions of what this was about. "Important in what way? A surprise shipment of hardcore lewd doujins important? End of the world important?"

His effort to lighten the mood and ease Anishka's concerns had mixed results. Sita tried to withhold a cringe, but Rama actually chuckled a bit at his ridiculousness. To his content, Anishka merely blinked in surprise as her nervousness was momentarily sundered. She shook her head. "Um… No. Nothing like that. This is something personal that I should have been more open with."

"Oh? So this is about you finally revealing you're a lesbian?" To be honest, that had come out far more insensitively and casually than it should have for the rather respectful and timid master, but could you blame him? He's a pirate. He was met with three stares of shock at the flat statement, but he'd hit the nail on his head. Though he was a master of cunning guile in negotiations, sometimes it was better to just get to the point; This time, he'd admittedly spat it out roughly out of habit.

"…You knew…?" her voice was a hesitant whisper as Sita placed a reassuring hand on the folded pair in her lap. As Rama copied the gesture, her heart seemed to race in her eyes. "…Did-?"

Rama narrowed his eyes as Blackbeard released his strange, casual laugh. "That came out pretty crude, huh? Nah. It was just a hunch of mine. I caught you staring at Gabrielle's ass quite a few times and your eyes lingered more on bikini wenches rather than the guys… And no. I told no one, no."

"…Was I that obvious…?" she seemingly whispered to herself with a light blush, and Rama smiled a mix of sheepish exasperation at her.

"…Sorry, my disciple. Sometimes you stared a bit too long, but I don't think too many saw."

"Don't think about it too much! I only noticed because I like to stare at hot mermaids too!" Blackbeard chuckled, but as a small silence grew, he quickly cleared his throat and raised a hand in apology. "Ah… I'm getting carried away. That probably wasn't how you planned on coming out of the closet, huh? I heard it's not easy these days… so you have my respect for that with all the stigmas sailing around."

It was mostly because of Osakabehime's personal favorites that he'd known so much about it. Homosexuality, or the LGBT community in general, was met with very mixed reactions depending on the part of the world. It was even outright illegal and vilified in some modern countries, even if he personally didn't think anything about it back then; Whatever a pirate did was their business, so long as it didn't get in the way of his grand schemes and raids.

"I… No… This wasn't what I expected how coming out to you would go," she admitted quietly, and he drew an eyebrow.

"The others were calm and let her say it herself," Rama informed, almost like a small scold.

"Aye, a pirate is unpredictable," Blackbeard shook off with a chuckle. "I think it turned out better though? Less stress? Nothing to worry about? Straight to the point!"

"…So you don't mind I'm a lesbian?" the master asked quietly, and he quickly grinned and shook his head. "You don't view me as something disgraceful…?"

"I don't mind! I only usually view lesbians in high definition!" Yet again, he let his excitement and crude pirate demeanor make his mouth answer for him. As Sita and Rama glared lightly at him, Anishka blinked uncertainly. He scratched the back of his head. "…Shot my mouth off. Ignore that comment… No, Annie, you're fine. It's also kinda funny you're actually worried what a degenerate otaku pirate thinks about your sexual orientation."

"I'm coming out personally to everyone because I care about what you think," she answered truthfully with a small nod. "The servants all have a right to know… and it gives me practice for telling others."

"I see, I see…" he nodded sagely, then waved with his hand casually. "Good on ya. That's respectable, but you shouldn't care much at all about what anyone else thinks of you."

She blinked, and as Rama and Sita's glares lightened, he merely smirked. "In that regard, you should be like me! Look how much I don't care about what anyone thinks! See how much it depresses me? It doesn't. I do what I want and be who I want without caring what all the normies think of me! Who cares what they think? Yea it got annoying for a while, but I found it more annoying keeping it down low!"

Anishka merely fiddled with her fingers again, and Blackbeard could see it. The uncertainty still sang in her eyes and form. She was very conscious about what others thought of her. He'd had a few recruits who thought the same, but were still quietly keen on joining his privateers' growing fame. It wasn't the same, but there were similarities. This was her decision and life, but she was too bogged down worrying over everyone's opinions of her.

Her respectfulness regarding everything, as admirable as it was, needed to have some healthy limits.

"Look, Annie. I know how you feel. A lot of people out there look down on who you really are, but you know what? …Fuck 'em." His vulgar and curt response easily earned their incredulous stares. He merely grinned. "You heard me! Fuck 'em! Some guy or girl or whatever in a place you've never visited hates you because of what they heard, saw, and were told… Let them glare and hate on someone they've never met! Someone out there will hate your guts for whatever you choose to do, so screw their worthless opinion! They didn't matter before you knew of them, so why should they matter now?"

She still looked hesitant. 'Huh… Quite insecure and nervous, huh, Annie? That attitude of yours, I swear...'

"You can take this as the ramblings of a perverted pirate if you want, but you're the one who has to live with your choices in the end. Live your damn life to the fullest, and let the others stare in jealousy for openly flaunting who you are. As I see it, you're still a great, dead sexy, and way too kind master regardless of who you want to sleep with at the end of the voyage."

There was a pause of stunned silence as Rama and Sita stared at him. Blackbeard merely held his small grin as Anishka blinked quietly. A few seconds more passed before a tiny smile slipped onto her lips, and she breathed out with some relief. "…This… definitely wasn't how any of the others went."

"I'm pretty shit at following norms. Who knew?" Blackbeard offered again, and this time Rama let out a small chuckle as the air relaxed.

"…Thanks, Blackbeard. I wasn't expecting any of that… but I appreciate what you told me. I'll have to consider it more."

"Guess that's all I can offer then," he shrugged as he stood up and dusted himself off. Two speeches of advice in one day was far too much from him for even a month; He had to go find something else to do. Maybe some alone time with the body pillow would do it before dinner. "Well, if there's nothing else, I'm sure you got more to tell and I've got doujins to read!"

"Just one…" Sita spoke up quietly, and the pirate stared her way. Rama looked like he was ready to jump out of his seat to protect her just for looking calmly. "…You really don't care at all what others think of you?"

He merely grinned and let out his signature, creepy laugh. "I do what I want cause a pirate is free. There's nothing greater than living life the way you choose!"

Sita blinked curiously. "Even if some think you're a pedophile?"

"Hey, hey, hey! Hold on a dman second! Who the hell is still saying that crap!?" he yelled incredulously. "Seriously!? Have I not proven a billion times I'm not interested in kiddies!? Have all those play dates not meant a thing to anyone!? Kids should be smiling and laughing and having fun! Not lewded! They don't even have sexy bodies to ogle so what's even the point!? I can't rub off to that! Screw the dumb normie spreading that rumor! They're walking the plank! I'm no lolicon! I'm a Pirate Otaku! OH-TAA-KOO!"

Though he was now fuming, it was at least giving Anishka, and even Rama and Sita, something to chuckle about. Coming out was likely tiring her nerves, so even an unintentional moment of respite was more than welcome. Maybe she'd take his blunt advise, or maybe she wouldn't. She heard at least, and that's what mattered. It got her thinking, and that satisfied him.

Because truthfully, nothing angered him more than seeing someone living in a self-imposed cage, no matter how content they seemed to be in it.

¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨(¯ˆ·.¸ VIII ¸.·ˆ¯)¨·..·¨·..·¨·..·¨

"Little choppier today, aye?"

"We've been through worse. The landlubbers could even stomach this."

After a scant few hours spent in wonderful productivity and fond conversation in Osakabehime's room, and watching anime in his own, the weekend's barbeque dinner had arrived. To him, Salon de Marie's dinners were always too fancy. Too royal. He was an outdoorsman, a Pirate King who lived luxurious freedom on a throne of sea-worn wood and piles of gold. Thankfully, he wasn't the only one.

His fellow pirates thought the same.

On occasion, instead of eating at the buffet with the others, they'd simply take handfuls of morsels and race off towards a boat. They'd eat their meal out at sea while enjoying its calm waves amid a setting sun: A nostalgic moment the four held close to heart. Today was a bit different though.

It was only him and Drake since Anne and Mary were enjoying a dinner date with Anishka to reassure her. Their support in particular would mean more to most, but it left them two short to man their new vessel. Undermanned, Drake and Blackbeard merely left their grander sloop at the marina in favor of the smaller sailboat. It was a bit more susceptible to the waves, but nothing they couldn't handle.

Still, Blackbeard ensured he was on better behavior… or as good as it could be when it came to Drake. "You didn't forget the oranges this time, did ya?"

"As if we're getting scurvy in an hour," his companion scoffed as she lifted the bag beside her with a deadpan gaze. Under the white triangular sail of their maple wood boat, the golden light painted her like a holy grail. Her new black pirate-themed bikini needed adjustments to fit well, but that clearly didn't stop her from wearing it. It didn't stop him from ogling her bountiful chest that was barely contained by it either.

She threw one of the oranges at him, and he caught it without looking. He was setting up the simple plates of barbecue on one of the benches; They'd sit on the floor or side just fine, as traditional. With her hair in a loose ponytail, she sat down against the side of the boat rather mannishly with one knee propping up her draped arm. She then picked one of the bottles of wine they'd gotten, bit off the cork with her teeth, spit it away, and took a swig… all while her other hand reached for one of the shishkebabs.

It was completely unmannerly, but it was just another reason she was so completely his real desired waifu.

From her exploits to her personality, and of course her body, she was the pirate's dream. He'd admired the legend of Vice Admiral Drake as a sailor, and grew furious at first when he learned the man he admired was actually a woman during the singularity; Though he called her a hag, any rage he had was secretly diminished when he saw her. Even as he put up a front, his admiration and lust grew.

It was only solidified in Chaldea. Everything from her precious little overreactive excitement to seeing spices to her flushed face as she drank with her companions. Even her scream of genuine fear when Angra surprised her as a dressed up ghost was a lovely sight. As much as he was likely a pain in the ass to her, to him, she couldn't be better. She was… perfect.

After another chug of wine, she belched, and they both chuckled: She still was. She grinned and tossed a thumb towards the bustling outdoor cafeteria. In the distance, Angra Mainyu was running away from an angry Joan about something. "Shame the lovers are reassuring Annie. I think she's doing fine."

"Wasn't too nervous when I talked to her," Blackbeard shrugged, but then tossed a new shishkebab to Drake. She discarded her used stick and grabbed the meat skewer out of the air. He bit into his own, and talked while he munched. "I just wonder what kind of woman she'll be once this is all settled."

"You mean a chaser or a damsel? I'm betting a damsel. She's too prim."

"Hey, we don't know. She could turn into you one day."

Drake bellowed with laughter. "A party girl like me? Annie? Alright, Teach. Alright. Whatever you say."

"I'm just saying anything can happen!" he grinned and chuckled as he took a swig of a beer bottle. He winced and looked at the bottle offensively; He should've known these beers were dirt cheap for a reason.

Drake smirked at him. "Too much for ya?"

"It tastes like piss water."

"I'm sure you would know." He downed the bottle, then chucked it at her swiftly. She laughed as she caught the projectile and casually looked at the label. She then sniffed the top and frowned. "…You weren't kidding. This is rotten."

"I know for next time," he grumbled, but still popped open another bottle to down; If it still got him a bit tipsy, at least the money was spent on something useful.

He finished off his shishkebab, but stared right at Drake's chest while she chugged her wine. As she put it down, she caught him gawking shamelessly and rolled her eyes. "Yea, yea, it's too small but perfect for you. Enjoy the show while it lasts, but keep the hands off the merchandise."

"I know, I know… Already copped a feel a year ago," he chuckled, and though she shot him a stink eye with a shake of her head, her eyes were a bit amused. They fell into a small comfortable pause, and he glanced over at her bountiful pair again. They stared at each other quietly as the boat rocked, and he took another swig of the terrible alcohol. It was once in a blue moon when they were alone to talk with little interruption, so he wasn't surprised when she finally confronted him with a curiosity.

"I'm wondering though… I know you want to bed me, so why don't you just ask already? What's with the run around? Afraid I'll say no and hurt your little feelings?"

Though she smirked at her challenged question, he merely shook his head. "Not going to ask for that."

She blinked. "You saying no to casual sex? The world is still ending, isn't it?"

"Funny, but that's not the point I'm making," he countered as he straightened himself out and wiped a speck of barbeque sauce from his shirt. She blinked again as he stared at her with a serious expression. "I admire you unbelievably, Frances. You know that. I know that. That's why I'm not going to just do you dirty like that. It wouldn't feel right to me. Yea, sounds like a load of shit off the back end, but it would actually feel wrong. If I'm going to have the chance to have sex with you, I'm doing it the proper way."

There was a pause of incredulous silence before Drake finally let out a bellowing laugh; She nearly spilled her wine bottle. "The proper way? You mean like we're a couple? You and I dating seriously? Are you delusional, Ed? Even if you got lucky enough, we're pirates! You think we have the time of day for that mushy stuff?"

She did scrape a bit at his heart, but it was true. They were pirates. They'd both slept around so much they lost track. He'd even given away his own wife one time in favor of some scantily clad wenches picked up from a new raid. He'd had women uncounted, and was more than used to just tossing them aside to his men when they lost their charm. For almost all, there was no honor or love with the feared Blackbeard, but just a fleeting pleasure pirates knew all too well. Sex was just a better way to pass the time.

…But Frances Drake wasn't most women.

She was his admiration and the unreachable pinnacle of piratehood. She, the woman who circumnavigated the world and sank the Spanish Armada amongst a sea of flames. Sure, he had secret photos of her naked that he'd take to the grave. Yea, Osakabehime even made him a special body pillow of her. His admiration bordered on obsession and fanaticism, but it remained grounded in heartfelt truth: Though he had his impulsive moments, he couldn't bring himself to treat his idol as an object.

After calming down, she blinked again at his surprisingly serious face as he nodded absolutely. "I'm not kidding. I swear on my own pirate's honor, if there's any shred of decency in me left, it belongs to you."

Silence fell between them. It may have even been a bit awkward, but he let what he needed to off his chest; Pirates should be blunt and to the point, if nothing else. He took a sip of his terrible beer, and she took a thoughtful sip of her wine with a small frown. She let out an incredulous chuckle, then shook her head at him. "You're a perverted idiot, Blackbeard. You've got little chance with me and you know it."

Though he paused for a moment to drink another beer, he met her skeptical stare with a small smirk. He pointed a finger at her, "…But I do have a chance."

After a brief moment of realizing what she said, she stared as he chuckled. "Say whatever you want about me, but a pirate always chases the best treasures."

"…Yea… We do, don't we…?" she murmured quietly as a small smirk grew on her lips. Combined with the tiniest twinkle of respect and her poorly sized swimsuit, it was one of the hottest looks she'd ever given him. He wasn't even ashamed he was getting aroused looking at it, nor trying to hide it. She quickly noticed, but she merely shook her head and chuckled. "If Anne and Mary were here, you wouldn't be hearing the end of it!"

"Yea, well they ain't, so I'm not! No one here to save you from me now, hag!" he countered back with his creepy laugh as she threw her now empty wine bottle at him. He caught it and simply tossed it aside. Moments later, they'd fallen back into comfortable conversation as if the previous moments never happened at all. Most may have felt disappointed or baffled, but he didn't care at all. Things came and went in a life of piracy, but that never meant they didn't happen. They only signaled for the last lusted treasures far over the horizon.

If anything at all, he was just happy his heart got to pursue whatever it desired in this surreal reality.