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Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but I do own my OC.
Chapter 4: The navigator.
"This isn't looking good for us, Captain…" Leanne walked through the overly creaking mini-sub with a grave expression on her face after checking the little sub's engine.
The mini-sub was only meant for short distance, like for scouting from an island or larger sea vessel, not long distance like they were doing from island to island. She was surprised that the sub managed to stay together for the two weeks in the deep frosty waters constantly biting the poor sub's metal cover.
Drake sighed from his spot at the wheel. "I know, but we can't do anything until we dock, and according to the radar we still have an hour to go."
"By the time we get there I think we might end up taking in water." She said dryly, flopping down in the seat next to her captain with her own sigh as she lounged into the thin cushions.
Drake chuckled sarcastically with a small roll of his eyes. "Then let's hope that doesn't happen."
Leanne couldn't help but smile, though it was not a really laugh, but a laugh was a laugh and she hadn't seen Drake laugh since the day before he became a Rear Admiral.
The time went by quickly, and the mini-sub was docked sloppily at the large port for the new island they came upon; Drake wasn't expecting to come back again. So they gathered up their supplies, putting food and other things, like clothes and small personal items they had purchased into travel bags and backpacks, shrugging them over onto backs and shoulders.
Then Drake wrapped a long black scarf around his neck, covering his chin from the world before he climbed out of the mini-sub for the last time with Leanne right behind him.
"What do you suggest we do first, Captain?" Leanne asked, adjusting the bag on her back as they walked through the large city covered in a thin layer of grimy looking snow.
"We need to find a ship, but I feel like we will need to find more of a crew before we invested in a large ship." Drake informed her with a muffled voice from behind the scarf.
"Sounds like a plan, but where do we even look for a crew. It'll be hard with your former line of work if we are looking for other pirates…" Leanne trailed off, looking at the bulletin board placed right by the docks with her captain's wanted poster smacked dabbed in the middle with other rising pirate captains around it.
Drake let out a heavy sigh. "You're right, but we still need to try."
"So who should we look for first?" She picked up speed in her step, letting the crunching sound of the soles of her boots increase as she was walking along side Drake.
"A navigator." He answered shortly.
Leanne nodded at the answer. "Sounds like a good idea since I know nothing about that kind of stuff." She admitted with a small shrug and bashful smile. Her time in the Marines, she was never taught that since she was only a lowly foot solider; they higher ranking Marines got more training, especially when certain talents came out.
"I know enough to get by, but an expert would be better to have on board." Drake explained, but slowed down his steps through the snow as he heard the hammering of wood echo in his ears.
He stopped, turning his head to look at a small building, which looked like a shack compared to the tall cement-like building crowded next to it, and there he saw a tall, lean man hammering a 'closed' sign to the store's former sign that said Sea Charts. But what Drake noticed most was the ink stained finger tips, tanned skin from sun exposure on the open seas, and quills along with dusty colored papers stuffed in the pockets of his apron. Drake saw his future navigator.
All Leanne saw was the man's bright, shiny bald head.
"Excuse me." Drake strolled over to the grumbling man.
"Sorry, we're closed: for good." The man huffed with an angry breath of air.
"I see." Drake said slowly, but before he could continue the man went on with his rant.
"Can't stay open when my employees are gone; they just disappeared into thin air! How does that happen at a time like this, I mean really? Old Henry is now the biggest navigation company on this island, and we were barely making it by, and now without my employees we'll never stay open; even if they came back right now there would be no hope. That moron Old Henry, he probably doesn't know a thing about charting an island like I do." The man vented as he crossed his arms with a deep scowl.
Drake just blinked. "Well…if you don't have a job anymore, how about you join my crew? I'm in need of a good navigator."
The man scoffed. "If you find my employees, we'll all join you're two-man, err…" the man paused and looked at Leanne. "Man and woman crew."
"Excellent." Drake nodded with a small smirk from behind his scarf. "Then we'll be back shortly." And he turned on his heel, walking away from the man and back towards the docks.
Leanne just blinked at her retreating captain then turned back to the man with almost a guilty look. "Um, what's your name, by the way?"
"Jacob."
"Ah, okay, then Jacob. We'll be right back, like Captain says." Leanne flashed him a small smile before jogging to catch up with Drake.
"You know I was being sarcastic, right?" Jacob called at to her.
She twisted her body to look back at him while she slowed down her pace so she didn't trip. "Try telling that to him." Leanne called back, pointed to the back of her captain.
Jacob sighed, he couldn't argue with that, especially if he didn't know who the man was.
The first place the two searched was the dock's largest bar; the bigger the place the more people there would be. That's usually where jobless men hangout with other jobless friends, anyway. Plus, bartenders tend to have all the information on everything for a small price that Drake was willing to pay to get more men on his crew.
So, he sat down at the dingy looking bar on the creaky looking stool with Leanne sliding uncomfortable next to him since most of the men looked like they hadn't seen a clean and weak looking woman in years compared to all the scowling tavern maids with grim smeared on their cheeks and any other exposed skin. The tavern maid looked like they could put up a fight if not paid correctly, which is why the men looked to stay clear of them and had eyes on Leanne, but if they tried to touch he, they wouldn't get a second chance to rethink that former idea.
The bartender ignored them for a second and just cleaned at his clear glass with a rag until he slowly turned his head in their direction with a smirk on his young face. "What can I get you two? A drink perhaps?" He asked them curiously, eyeing the dark stains that he couldn't identify on their coats.
"We need some information." Drake clarified simply.
There was a small twinkle in the bartender's eyes when the word information was spoken. "I see…" he drawled out slowly in a low tone, leaning in closer to the two. "You know there's a price for that, right?"
"Money's not an issue." Drake answered smoothly.
"I don't want money…" the bartender glanced at Leanne with a sly smirk, making her cringe and move closer to her captain.
Drake scowled darkly at the man in front of him and grabbed a fist full of the bartender's shirt then sent his knuckles to the other man's cheek.
The skull crushing sound made the large bar pin-drop silent.
"I think the information should be free." Drake rebutted coldly.
The bartender just nodded dumbly. "O—of course…" he said in a high pitched voice that made him flinch because of the large bruise forming on the skin around his mouth and under his eye.
Drake let the bartender go roughly, making the other man stumble back slightly from the force. "Tell me about the disappearance of the employees from the navigation store called Sea Charts." Drake demanded in an emotionless tone, but the look in his eyes sent chills down the other man's spine.
"I heard they were taken to the Marine Base prison because it was rumored they stole something from Old Henry, but that's just what I heard." The bartender replied while rubbing his sore cheek.
Drake was silent, tapping his fingers against the bar's wooden surface in thought.
With each tap the bartender flinched slightly, hoping the man that just brutally assaulted him would think that the information would be suitable.
"It should be enough." Drake replied as he stood up from the stool at the bar, gently grabbing Leanne's arm along the way and he stalked out of the still silent bar.
They walked along the tall buildings surrounded by a snowy white haze mixed with a light grey smog, well Drake dragged Leanne since he was still in deep thought, trying to think of a plan that would help them break into a Marine Base. It would be extremely difficult since he was fallen Marine, but then again, it would be easier since there were only two of them, but would he even bring Leanne? He didn't want her getting hurt, but she had a gun at least to protect herself, and after the incident at that bar he would rather have her at his side. But if she got hurt...
"Captain…"
Then the voice of his marksman broke his train of thought, and he looked at her over his shoulder.
"Can you let me go? You're starting to hurt my arm." She said in a small voice that was laced with hidden pain from her captain's fingers digging into her skin.
Drake stopped walking and let her go. "Sorry." He said shortly.
"It's fine." She replied simply, rubbing her arm to ease the numbing pain. "But Captain…" she said slowly while moving her head up to look him in the eyes. "What're you going to do?"
Drake was silent for a moment as closed his eyes while rubbing his temples in frustration. "I have a plan, but it may just get us in prison, too." He answered then opened his eyes to look down at her. "Are you willing to risk that?"
Leanne just smiled and gave her captain a thumbs up.
Drake returned with a small smirk. If she was willing to go, he wouldn't just leave her behind, plus he knew she was a good fighter; he wouldn't have brought her along if she wasn't. "Then follow me." He said shortly, heading to the marine base located at the center of the island, hoping that his plan would work.
This chapter is actually 2,000 words, see it's slowly getting longer as we go.