Sorry about the gun confusion; I meant flintlock, but I typed it as flinklock by accident. I still don't know much about guns, so if something sounds wrong about when Leanne is fighting with her Queen Anne, then I'm sorry. I looked up the process and things, don't get me wrong, but it's hard to picture in the mind what it looks like. I think I might need to watch Pirates of the Caribbean soon to see how pirates and guns work...

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, but I do own OC.

Chapter 7: Battle for a Captain.

"Leanne!" Drake roared over the raging battle field at the gallows.

Leanne whipped around, rotating the half-cock to full and pulling the trigger of her Queen Anne, shooting the offending Marine closing in on Jacob's back. She didn't know a Marine was getting close to the navigator, but when Drake said her name and saw the look in his eyes, she knew who she needed to protect and who to shoot. It was simple, yet complicated at the same time, but she lived without getting to in depth and went with the flow. It was easier that way.

Blood was spattered everywhere on the paved ground, reddening the brick walls of buildings and coating both corpses and heated bodies moving to the dance of blades and guns. Screams of battle was the song that roared overhead and throughout the narrow alleyways, the clash of metal steel and bangs of bullets hitting flesh and stone echoed around a single platform with a lone body dangling from a rope.

Drake, at first, tried to avoid using his devil fruit powers. One, because he didn't know if any high ranking Marines were at the island and two, he didn't want to bring more harm to his crew or former Feathered Doves. He didn't want to frighten the other pirates. He didn't wasn't helping them avenge their dead captain for nothing, he had a bigger plan, and it wouldn't work if they died or ran off at the sight of him.

The Marines kept coming and with no sign of a high ranking Marine such as a Commodore or higher. He didn't know though, the Vice Admiral could be around the corner for all he knew; the bitch was out for his hide for sure. But Drake needed to get everyone on his side out of this alive, so he decided that it was time to shed his skin.

The men all around him, pirates and Marines, stared with petrified fear, gazing up with wide eyes as Drake's body changed violently. His form moved and shifted into a scaly green and his eyes grew narrow into the reptilian form, glossy over then piercing yellow eyes. Men quivered in their boots, watching the dinosaur trampling over Marine, but easily avoided the pirates he was leading in the battle.

"Don't freeze now!" Carter ordered his fellow crewmates over the sounds of battle.

He too was shocked at the sudden appearance, but when he thought back, he should have noticed the large 'x' scar on the man's chin. Being fearful snapped away he saw that Drake was helping his mates like he said he would back at the bar, so he just continued on his way to the platform where his captain's limp body was hanging. It was easier to get up to the platform now because Drake was taking all the Marines attention. So, running up the steps to his goal, he snaked out the dagger hidden within his boot and cut the rope that had ended his captain's life.

The body fell as the rope snapped in half, limp and heavy into Carter's cradled arms, forcing the ex-first mate into a kneeling position at the dead weight.

Carter stared into the shocked open eyes of his dead captain. It was still a hard thing for him to believe that his captain was dead. The man he followed since the beginning was cold in his arms, stripped of his glory of being a captain for a crew heading for the Grand Line to join the race for One Piece. Like every other pirate, his captain's dream was also to find what Gold Rogers left behind and claim it for his own to become The King of Pirates, but that all ended with a single rope.

Carter started to feel emotional, one of his flaws that his former captain had pointed out many times, but now he would never get to hear the scolding tease anymore. "Farewell, Captain…" he said slowly in a soft tone, putting his hands over the open eyes to close his captain off to the world, forever.

Then there was a cheering, causing Carter to snap his head up in fury at the happy sound, but when he looked his saw that his blood coated crewmates were cheering at the revenge they had earned from their dead captain as every marine in their path had been plowed to the ground with bullets and steel. He couldn't help but let a small smirk grace his features; his captain would have been happy, he knew he would.

"We aren't done yet."

Carter turned to the voice, seeing that it was Drake in human form again, staring at him like he knew what needed to be done. And Carter did know what needed to be done. "But we have no ship." he frowned deeply, remembering the dreaded sight of the marines putting a torch to their beloved ship.

"I can get a ship." Drake replied. "Just meet me at the docks, and we'll finish this for good."

The former captain of the Feathered Doves was wrapped up in a white tarp and carried out on a board by his men that had tears in their eyes, especially Carter.

Drake watched from the sidelines with his small crew with a blank expression on his face. He could understand the emotional moment of sending their dead captain to the sea, but was the tears and crying necessary? He just shook his head slightly to toss the thought aside; he wouldn't worry about it.

The former Feathered Doves hesitated as the board balanced on the railing of the marine warship that Drake had stolen from the docks; with no marines around it was an easy steal, and all the pirates looked at the ex-first mate.

Carter quickly wiped his eyes of tears before turning to the sea. "We therefore commit this body to the deep, in the sure and certain knowledge of the Resurrection to come," he recited the small sailor's pray and everyone, including Drake and his crew, bowed their heads at the board balancing the body tilted, letting the dead captain rest at peace with the sea.

Everyone was still, only listening to the waves gently hitting the side of the ship, and then heavy footsteps brought life back to the dead silence as Drake walked over to Carter.

Carter had more tears swell in his eyes when the body broke the ocean's surface and didn't resurface, and when he saw Drake lean against the railing, he quickly swiped them away. "Thank you for the help." He said in a calm voice.

It may have sounded calm, but Drake could still hear the small cracks in the ex-first mate's tone and he simply nodded in response then said: "What are you going to do now?"

Carter released a shaky exhale at that question. "I don't know." He answered. "Before Captain died we were going to go after One Piece, but now without him…" his voice trailed away as the emotion started to swell within him again.

Drake stood there stiffly, watching the other man cry again. He didn't know how to deal with a crying man…so awkwardly, he patted Carter's shoulder. "I'm also going have One Piece." Drake said simply.

"Well good luck with that." Carter replied, wiping more tears away on his damp sleeve.

"I was thinking you could join my small crew." Drake proposed. "Ten men can't sail a warship."

He was a bit hesitant of asking the former Feathered Doves to join his crew after being with them for a few hours now. True, they were good in battle and had little on them but for a few scratches after the fight in the gallows, but he didn't think there would be this much...emotion coming from the men, especially pirates. But it was the last island before the Grand Line, and he needed more of a crew and ship, and well, he had both of those things in front of him right now.

Carter stopped wiping his eyes and stared at Drake with bewildered eyes.

Usually when a person was shocked then they would either ask too many questions or say no, and Drake wanted neither of the above and just wanted a simply yes. "Now that you have avenged your captain, why not help fulfill his goal?" Drake challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. He had to say something that would get the ex-first mate to agree, and that seemed like a good idea since Carter was strongly attached to his former captain. So, in a way, Drake was also using the emotional flaw of the other man to his advantage.

Carter was silent, his lips pressed in a thin line of thought as he looked down at his feet then he looked up at the pirate captain. "Alright, I'll join your crew, all of us will." he said with all seriousness and a look of determination burning in his eyes.

Drake nodded with a small smirk, looking around his new crew, seeing the same look. He still didn't know if taking these emotional men on his crew was a good idea, though beggars can't be choosers. He was pleased that his plan worked out perfectly and now he had a full crew that was eager to find One Piece alongside him.