A/N: This was born out of a Tumblr prompt, and I ended up expanding it for Corabelle week. Rocinante and Bellemere as Marine buddies is one of my favorite things… :3

"This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you've ever had. Of course I'm in."

Rocinante glanced up at the scarlet-haired woman in surprise.
"Wait, really?" He'd assume she'd immediately veto the idea, but then again, this wasn't the first time he'd underestimated her. Bellemere shrugged, a roguish grin tugging at her lips.
"Sure, why not. We're about to defy every single Marine protocol we've had pounded into our heads, go on an illegal solo mission that we're probably not prepared for, and rescue a couple of losers that the Navy has abandoned to an untimely death. No problem."
Roci grimaced. "It's our only choice. We can't leave them there."
"I know. That's why I'm in." She sat down next to him, a pensive gleam in her dark blue eyes. "You know, the Navy doesn't care if you live or die–only if you're useful or not." she said, quietly. "While you're alive, you're constantly being thrown in the face of death without a second thought. You survive, and they ask you to do it again. No matter what you do, it's not enough to satisfy them. Then, when you're killed, suddenly you're hailed as a hero." She shook her head in disgust, and her scarlet ponytail bobbed back and forth. "Which means losers like those two never will have a chance. The Navy will just let them die."
"Unless we do something about it." added Rocinante.
The 'losers' in question were a couple of Marine rookies who had gone out of their depth on their first mission and been snagged by pirates. They were currently being held for a ridiculously high ransom of ten billion beli, which the Navy refused to pay. At the moment, the pirates had not made any further attempt at communication; the situation remained a tense stalemate in which two lives hung in the balance.
The two young Marines were about to snap that stalemate in two.

They approached the ship beneath the cover of both darkness and silence.
"Your devil fruit power is really neat, Roci." Bellemere kept her voice low, despite the fact that nobody could hear them if they both screamed at the top of their lungs. "Despite what everyone else thinks."
The blonde stumbled over a tree root, and she quickly steadied him with one arm. "Thanks." he said.
"I mean, if it were me, I would have gotten a way cooler power, but yours is nice, too."
He huffed a little sigh out of his nose, and didn't reply.
The trees ended abruptly and the pair came out onto a wide, pebbly beach, dotted here and there with sea-smooth boulders. Sitting a few hundred yards away, the ship where the two Marines were being held bobbed lazily in the harbor. Bellemere was about to step out onto the sand when Roci pulled her back.
"Let's review the plan first." he explained. She leaned against a tree while Roci tugged off his knapsack and began to take equipment out of it.
"We have to get in there without being seen." He set two pistols, a bandolier, and two ropes with grappling hooks on the ground. "If the pirates get any suspicion that they're being attacked, they'll kill the hostages and then it's game over. We can't rely on just my ability to get us inside safely."
"You're handling the explosives." Bellemere recited; they'd gone over this many times before. "While you cause a distraction on the main deck, I search the ship for the hostages."
"And once you find them, bring them up, shove them in a lifeboat, and set sail. I'll be right behind you." finished Roci. He handed her one of the pistols, a grappling hook, and a bowie knife, all of which she shoved in her belt. Then, he strapped the bandolier across his chest, secured the other firearm in his waistband, and slung the rope with the attached hook over his shoulder.
"One last thing–" He placed his hand on Bellemere's head and uttered, "Calm!"
Bellemere moved her lips soundlessly and gave him a thumbs-up.
"There's no communication from now on." he warned. "That's the only drawback to this plan: if one of us is in trouble, they're on their own."

Bellemere heard the explosion from above deck, followed by angry screams and shouts; she allowed herself a grim smile as she continued to comb the lower layers of the ship. The two drunk pirates she'd encountered in the galley had been ridiculously easy to knock out; a simple pistol-whip across the head and they were down for the count.
"If this is all we're up against, how did those two get captured anyway?" she said out loud, arms akimbo. Then, she heard muffled grunting, and her reflexes brought her crouching low to the ground, gun cocked and ready. Eyes darting from corner to corner, she finally landed on the source: a large crate. No, something behind the large crate.
She kicked it away soundlessly to reveal the two bedraggled Marines, tied back-to-back and gagged. The two boys were younger than her, hardly out of their teens; both were terrified. Their eyes widened when they saw her, and they immediately began trying to talk through their gags.
"Shut up!" she hissed. Remembering that although she could hear them, they couldn't hear her, she thrust a finger against her lips, raised her eyebrows, and glared. They got the message. Tugging the bowie knife from her belt, she cut their bonds and pulled the gags off from their mouths. As they got to their feet, one started to thank her, but stopped at Bellemere's furious hand motions.
Cursing this wrinkle in the plan that neither she nor Roci had considered, Bellemere crooked one finger, indicating for the two boys to follow her up the stairs.
Crack!
The bullet missed her by a hair, shattering the woodwork behind her. She whirled around to face the captain of the ship. He didn't look like this was one of his best nights: his face was smudged with charcoal, his beard was charred, and a long, nasty cut ran lengthwise across his voluminous nose.
And judging by the raised pistol in one hand and the scimitar in the other, he wasn't too happy to see them.

Up on the deck, all hell had broken loose. Rocinante was in his element, dodging potential danger and yet purposely adding to the chaos in tiny, infuriating ways. The mid-deck area had been blown to splinters, there were fires burning everywhere, everyone was running around screaming– he was having a wonderful time. Every few minutes, he'd conceal himself, let off a few gunshots, and then dash to another location, once again cloaked under his orb of silence.
Where was Bellemere, though? She should have been up by now. Doubt pricked him, and he wondered if he should go belowdecks and check on her, just to make sure. No–if he left, eventually the pirates would figure out what was going on. He had to maintain the illusion of an organized attack until Bellemere returned. Several more minutes passed as he continued to spread pandemonium, and still no sign of her or the hostages.
Okay, now he was getting worried.
He crouched by the bulwark on the starboard side of the ship; this gave him the best vantage point and the safest proximity to the lifeboats. His gaze scanned the frantic scene, searching for a flash of burgundy hair, a wave, a signal, anything.
That's it. He was going to look for her.

Bellemere hurtled herself up the stairs with abandon, clutching the wrist of each Marine tightly in her hands. They stumbled behind her, startled by the cracking pace she set. She no longer cared about stealth; they had to get out, and fast. She'd managed to fight off the furious captain temporarily, but he was close behind and gaining, spewing curses at the unlucky trio. Once up on the decks, Bellemere spotted Rocinante on the opposite side and raced towards him, screaming,
"LOWER THE BOAT, ROCINANTE, LOWER THE–"

Before leaving his hiding spot, Rocinante eliminated his shield of silence. He'd need to fire a couple more gunshots just to keep the element of panic in the air while he went to search for her.
"–BOOOAAAAT!"
The screech nearly made him jump out of his skin; leaping up, he had just enough time to grasp that (a. Bellemere was the one shouting at him (b. she'd found the Marines and (c. he'd somehow removed her "Calm" spell by accident, before she and the two hostages rammed into him like an infuriated rhino. The four of them spilled over the bulwark and plummeted towards the ocean below…

"Just what exactly," Sengoku's eyebrows were furrowed, tone dangerously calm as he assaulted the two Marines with his words. "prompted you to disobey direct orders, steal government equipment, and attempt a rescue that could have claimed both your lives?"
"We couldn't let the hostages die, sir!" Bellemere blurted, standing stiff at attention.
"And it was my idea, sir." added Rocinante faintly.
"You're fortunate I don't kick you both out of the Navy right now." he said gruffly, scowling at them. The pair wilted slightly; both were exhausted by the night's fiasco, have just barely escaped with the hostages in tow. Sengoku scanned them both, his gaze ending on the puddles of seawater collecting beneath their feet.
"Why are you both soaking wet?" he demanded.
"We fell off the ship, sir." explained Bellemere. The Admiral's expression twisted as he stifled a laugh.
"All of you? Did you, ah–" he gestured to Rocinante–"have trouble getting this one back to shore? I'm surprised both of you didn't drown."
"I had help from the other two Marines, sir." Bellemere couldn't resist from grinning at her partner, who blushed furiously. Sengoku controlled his mirth and resumed a stern demeanor.
"That said, I'm afraid this action cannot go without punishment–especially since I had organized a team who were there that very night to rescue the hostages. Because of your interference, they were unable to complete their mission."
"Wait, are you saying there were Marines undercover in the pirate crew?" Bellemere was mortified, and in her surprise, she dropped the formal address. "You were planning on rescuing them all along?"
"Why, yes. Did you think we wouldn't?" asked Sengoku, mildly.
She turned bright red and didn't answer.
"As due penalty for your irresponsible actions, theft of government property, and absolute disregard for authority, both of you are being–"
The two Marines flinched in anticipation.
"–promoted."
There were audible gasps. Rocinante could hardly believe his ears. He'd been certain that this was the end, that he was finished–and now he was being rewarded?
"Beg pardon, sir? I think I've still got salt water in my ear, 'cause I could have sworn you said 'promoted'." Bellemere raised her eyebrows.
Sengoku waved a hand and chuckled. "At ease."
They seated themselves on two chairs before Sengoku's desk, their wet clothing soaking the plush seats. For several awkward moments, no words were exchanged as the Admiral poured tea into three handleless cups.
"Senbei crackers, anyone? No? Alright, more for me." The Admiral seated himself across from them.
"Sengoku-san…" Rocinante paused. "What do you mean, 'promoted'?"
"What do you mean 'what do I mean'? I mean that you and Miss Bellemere are both captains. Honestly, how many times do I have to explain it? Now, if you're not going to drink your tea–" Neither had touched the cups, but remained frozen in their seats at this startling revelation. "then you should go clean up and get a good night's rest. I'll have your new uniforms and instructions issued in the morning. Dismissed!"