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I eyed the apartment I've lived in for years one last time to see if there was anything I was missing. Satisfied when I couldn't find anything, I closed the last of my bags just as there was a knock on my door. I called out, "It's open!"

The door opened to reveal Maki with Kuro following after him. The large brown haired man was carrying three duffle bags full of their things while the silver haired Maki was carrying a single bag that had odd protrusions. I ignored that bag figuring out what it was after catching the scent of spices in the air. Maki looked at my bare apartment and asked, "Got everything?"

I tapped the two bags at my side, "Yup."

Maki walked over and swung both onto his back. I didn't bother protesting as I walked over to my old couch and grabbed my canvas bag. Kuro spoke as he looked around the apartment, "Damn I can't really believe we're doing this. We're really going to become pirates."

Silence broke out among us as the prospect slid through the air, it was a heavy thought. We were leaving behind our home island and the lives we had to become part of the world's 'problem'. It was as odd as it was heavy come to think of it. Had you asked me a few days ago if I thought this would happen, I would laugh it off while slowly backing away. For years, I've dreamed of living a diffrent life and thought of just hopping onto a boat to leave this place behind, yet I couldn't bring myself to leave. I didn't want to lose one of the few people that cared about me, so I stayed. Now, I looked at the two, I could leave without having to look back. My two friends were coming with me. I grinned and clapped my hands bringing their attention to me, "Come on boys, we need to go! A new life of adventure is waiting for us!"

Law watched Ariun eye the sub with an unreadable look in her mismatched eyes. It amused had always amused him to see other people do double takes when they first saw the sub and that hadn't changed. Hearing the man with the braided brown hair grumble, "Yellow? Why is it always yellow?"

He wondered the story behind that as Ariun turned to him with a deadpan expression, "At least it ain't fucking pink."

All three shuddered making him wonder what the story was behind that reaction, but he held in the urge to ask as he commented, "Staring while appreciated is time consuming."

The males of the group scowled at him while Ariun snorted in amusement before eyeing the sub once more. The next words out of her mouth caused both men to pale, "Is this as much of a death trap as it looks like?"

He chuckled upon hearing that while the two men next to her seemed to freak out, "I assure you that my sub is safe."

She hummed before nodding, "I'll take your word on it," She grinned at him while the two beside her face plant, "So Captain," The word was odd coming from her, "I can just call you Law right?"

"Why?" He asked feeling both amused and curious.

"I prefer calling people by their first names," She gave him a once over, "Especially if they're hot,"

He chuckled as he debated whether or not to allow it of her before deciding it didn't matter, "Call me what you wish so long as it isn't disrespectful."

She gave a mock salute gaining another chuckle from him before turning to the two men with her, "Well idiots let's get on."

The two grumbled as she walked over to the gangplank and began to walk up. Midway up, she paused and gained an unsure look on her face. Her head turned and she looked back at the island. He watched her and it felt like he was watching a hesitant kitten taking its first steps into the outside world. An odd feeling rose up in his chest at seeing the woman he had come to know seem vulnerable. Without thinking about it, he walked over to the gangplank and held out his hand. Ariun turned her head towards him and stared into his eyes. They held a swarm of emotions in them and an eternity seemed to pass before she took his hand.

Law's hand was warm and surprisingly soft as he helped me onto the sub. The warm sunlight that broke through the clouds fell around us as I stared at him. He had a soft smile on his face rather than the smirk I was familiar with and warmth shone in his eyes. I noticed that his eyes had a few flecks of blue that became visible from the sunlight and how close I was to him. It felt like an eternity as he opened his mouth and I knew that I would remember this moment for the rest of my life, "Welcome aboard Ariun-ya."

I blinked at the odd ending and asked, "What's with the ya?"

He just smirked at me and turned his attention to my friends, "Kuro-ya, Maki-ya we do not have much time, so hurry up."

Both came up the gangplank with scowls on their faces, I snorted and said, "Guys stop acting like this is the end of the world," I rolled my eyes at the glares they were giving me before turning to Law, "Honestly, they're usually not so grumpy."

Law chuckled in reply as Shachi and Penguin ran from inside the sub. They grinned upon seeing me and shouted, "Hey!"

"Hi boys," I greeted them with a grin, "How have you been?"

"We've been pretty good," Shachi answered as he moved forward, "Ready to be a pirate?"

"Yup," I nodded my head.

"Shachi, Penguin take them to their rooms," Law ordered causing me to look at him, "Ariun-ya you have a room to yourself as we don't currently have any other girls on the ship nor do I want any others," I nodded while feeling somewhat happy and saddened, "Your two male companions will be sharing a room,"

Before either could really comment, I spoke, "That's probably for the best, I doubt they would be happy otherwise."

"Oh?" My grin grew.

"They're together," I felt like laughing at the blushing idiots standing behind me.

I began laughing at the shocked looks on everyone else's faces. I sobered up quickly as my body ached from my still healing wounds. Law was the first to come out of his shock with a faintly disturbed look on his face, "I think it's best if we just get you three settled in."

The words broke Shachi and Penguin out of their shock as the two saluted Law, "Aye Captain."

I came to a few conclusions after being setting my stuff down in my room. The sub is big on the inside rather than small like all the other subs I've heard about. It was also clearly lived in if the faint sounds of laughter and cheering meant anything. Law clearly hadn't spared any expense if the lounge we had passed on our way down to our rooms meant anything. I wasn't feeling that bad about this place and felt like I could call it home. The thought brought a smile to my face and made me wonder if my friends thought the same. Shaking my head, I set about getting my stuff set up.

Law shook his head as he walked through the sub to the navigation room where Bepo was. While he had wondered about the three's relationship, it shocked him that the two men were together. It didn't disgust him as some would have thought, but it was still a surprise. It made him wonder what role Ariun played and why she had so boldly said that. Perhaps, it was because she thought it was best for him to find out now rather than later. Perhaps, she simply wanted to make it known from the start to make sure their new crewmates didn't freak out later. Or perhaps, she simply decided it was just something to be known and didn't care about the fallout it could bring. Whatever the reason, he was glad to know since it made his decision all the better. He had been debating having the two share rooms with other members of his crew to make sure the two wouldn't betray them, but had decided to let them room together. He dismissed those thoughts as he reached the navigation room. He walked over to Bepo. The polar bear mink looked up at him and smiled, "Hello Captain."

"Bepo what's the next destination?" Law asked as he looked at the map the bear had in front of him.

"Zender," Bepo answered and pointed to the island on the map, "It's our last island before Reverse Mountain," Bepo then scratched the back of his head, "Captain we'll need to get a log-pose soon,"

"We'll see if we can acquire one in Zender or from a passing navy ship on our way to Reverse Mountain," Law replied making the bear smile happily, "Inform everyone that we're about to set off and that we'll be submerging soon,"

I almost jumped as I heard Bepo's voice coming from out of nowhere, "We'll be departing in the next few minutes. As soon as we hit appropriate waters, we will be submerging."

"Submerging?" The thought caused me to shiver.

A knock echoed on my door which was opened seconds later by Shachi. He smiled at me only to frown slightly, "You okay?"

"Bepo said 'submerging'," I said while chewing my bottom lip, "We'll be underwater soon right?"

"Yup," The man smiled, "Don't worry we've done it thousands of time and nothing's gone wrong," The words didn't bring me any confidence, "Anyway, I'm here to offer you a tour,"

"Tour?" I mumbled the word.

"Yup," He looked around the room, "And it looks like you've finished setting up, so why not,"

I looked at my scattered belongings and wondered what gave him that idea. I contemplated asking him to come back later before shaking that thought off. He probably had things to do which prompted me to ask, "Aren't you supposed to be doing something?"

Shachi shook his head, "Nah Pen and me are off duty."

"Day off?" I asked and gained a nod, "What do you do on this sub anyway?"

"I'm one of the mechanics," He answered with a proud grin, "Pen and I work with two others to keep the second boiler running,"

"You must be good at it," I commented with a slight smile that only grew when he blushed, "How long have you been part of the crew?"

"Since the sub was being built," He tapped his chin, "I think about eight months,"

"How long did it take for this thing to be built?" It looked like a very complicated and advanced ship if what I've seen so far meant anything.

Shachi seemed lost in thought for a moment, "About six months since we had a few setbacks," He smiled as if remembering a good memory, "Captain's idea's were amazing and he spared no expense on this ship since it was to be our home."

The thought made me smile since it showed that Law really did care about his crew. It made my decision to accept Law's deal all the better. I would definitely have to wait until I got to know both the members and the captain of this crew before I formed a solid opinion, but already I could tell this was perhaps my best decision so far.

End of chapter