The sun shone high above, casting its rays down upon the blue sea to create a shimmering reflection. The wind blew strongly eastwards, pushing a huge galleon through the water. The sails were hoisted high, and atop the central mast flew a black flag.
The Jolly Roger was a skull that sat in front of a white crescent, with a sword crossed perpendicular to the middle of the crescent's curve, putting it diagonally behind the skull. It flew freely, flapping in the wind. From down on the deck, the young Pirate Captain looked upon it with a satisfied smirk.
He wore grey trousers with knee-high brown boots and a white shirt buttoned up at the front. A red sash wrapped around his waist, binding a longsword and its scabbard to his side. Over this layer of clothing he wore a black Captain's coat with the sleeves rolled up to his elbow, whilst his hands were clad in fingerless black gloves. To finish the outfit, a black tricorne sat atop the dark-haired young man's head.
Truly, he was the image of a Pirate Captain. And he was proud to know it.
"This'll do perfectly," he remarked aloud to himself, smirking still. He turned, looking around the deck at his small group of 'crewmates'.
Sitting over by the railing was the Tiger Shark Fishman, Kai. He wore grey, knee-length shorts with a blue sash around his waist and a dark-blue and black aloha shirt over his upper body, worn open at the front. Around his neck hung a sharktooth pendant – the Pirate Captain, of course, was half-tempted to ask if it was actually one of his own.
Up at the helm was 'One-Stroke' Sasaki Sakura. The old, silver-haired woman was a tough one – rather than rest her injuries from the night before, she forced herself to put up with the pain and took to the helm. Her outfit consisted now of grey trousers tucked into brown, knee-high boots, a white, buttoned-up shirt and her blue jacket worn over it, open at the front. In her free right hand she clutched her cane by the handle.
Beside her was the grandchild, Madoka. Baldric had never really intended to take a little kid onto the ship, but he supposed he wasn't going to just leave her behind, either. She was currently engaged in trying to encourage her grandmother to lie down and rest, but the old woman seemed far more intent on steering the ship than listening.
Madoka's clothing had been replaced, though from what he'd been told they had to cut and modify the clothing of the old crew to fit her smaller frame. She wore baggy, knee-length grey shorts along with a white, sleeveless top and grey, fingerless gloves that extended down most of her forearms. Her platinum blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail, helping to keep it out of her face.
"I've got breakfast!" another, female voice called out. Baldric smirked as he now turned towards the now-open door that led inside the ship, where the crew's Chef, Alyona Medvedeva (as he had learned) now stood with several plates and bowls.
Alyona, unfortunately, suffered the exact opposite problem of Madoka – being such a big girl, few of the clothes left on the ship by the original crew actually fit her. She wore grey trousers, by they seemed far tighter around her figure and cut off halfway down the calves. Likewise, although her white shirt was buttoned up, it was only covering her chest – and straining to do even that – exposing her round belly. Or at least, it would have, if not for the white chef's apron she wore over her clothes.
"I wasn't sure what everyone liked, so I made some steamed white rice and miso soup. I hope that's okay," Alyona told everyone, smiling a bit.
"Oh, perfect! I'm starving!" Madoka called out, running down to fetch her breakfast from the larger woman. As soon as she took her plates and bowls she gave a curt bow before running back up to join her grandmother at the helm again. Alyona watched her sit down next to her grandmother before turning back to Baldric, smiling.
"Remind me to pack my bags next time I decide to run off and join a pirate crew. Can we stop at an island and get some clothes?" Alyona asked, raising a brow. Baldric nodded, taking his breakfast from the young woman.
"Truth be told, I've already got a destination in mind," Baldric remarked, smirking to himself as he turned his head towards the Navigator at the helm. "Hey! You know where Tortue is, right?".
"Tortue?" the old woman responded. "Of course I know where it is. Any pirate in West Blue would".
"Good," Badric spoke as he began to step past Alyona, heading inside the ship. "Because I'm planning to meet someone there. We can get supplies while we're there".
Alyona stepped out and let the door shut behind her. She looked towards the door as it closed. Or more specifically, she watched where Baldric had just passed, no doubt off to the Captain's quarters.
Baldric was certainly odd – he was charismatic, but he was also very secretive. He spoke a lot, but rarely about himself. It made her wonder.
At least, it did for a moment. As she turned, Alyona looked over to the last member of the Knightfall Pirates – if he could really be defined as a member.
Kai was in a… Strange place, she knew. Ever since he bandaged up his own wounds, he'd refused to talk to anyone aboard the ship. She knew that the only reason he'd even helped last night was because he made a deal with Baldric – that in exchange for that night's work, he'd be allowed to sail with them across the seas.
She couldn't help but wonder if he was looking for something, but at the same time it was clear he was not going to explain what.
Alyona looked down at the breakfast she'd made for him. She wondered what the delicacies of his homeland were like. She looked back to him. He had his eyes shut, but he didn't seem like he was sleeping.
"Um… Kai?" she spoke, stepping towards the Fishman. The Fishman's head rose a little, one eye opening and peering past the black strands of hair that fell about his face. "I've got your breakfast".
The Fishman eyed the meal she held out for him, but he didn't reach for it. Rather, his expression appeared more suspicious than anything, as if he was expecting the meal to be poisoned. Closing the eye he'd opened Kai shook his head.
"Not interested".
Alyona stared, her mouth opening before shutting again, much like a fish. Biting her lower lip, she pulled her arm back a bit, looking down at the food.
"Forget about it, child. I've seen boys like him before," the old woman spoke up once again. Alyona looked over, confused. Kai, similarly, turned his head towards the old woman, staring with a mixture of confusion and annoyance. The old woman simply ignored the glare she received and continued. "Pirates aren't exactly the most trustworthy… You've been siding with Baldric a lot since the beginning".
"So what if I am?" Alyona responded, indignant. "Does that make me untrustworthy?"
"Not you," Sakura remarked as she looked out across the sea, her expression grim. "Baldric".
Marine Captain Tristan sighed as he looked up at the destroyed remains of the Marine Base. Last night had not only been hectic, but a complete failure on the part of the Marines.
Between the Fishman and the Iron Club Pirates, everything had gone to hell that night. The entirety of the main street had been blown to bits, from the top of the island leading down to the docks. It was only sheer fortune that the hostages had escaped with their lives and that none of the housing district had been hit by cannonfire.
But perhaps the most insulting thing about the whole ordeal was the fact that, in the end, they were saved by pirates.
The witnesses had given him the full story, though he felt reluctant to believe it. It just seemed so bizarre.
Apparently, after being taken to the Marine Base, and old woman with a cane sword came and butchered half of the pirates in the base. After she was incapacitated due to one of the hostages being her grandchild or something, three more showed up – a brown-haired woman by the name of Alyona Medvedeva who had been working at a small restaurant for the last two months and had only come to the island a short time before getting the job, the Fishman who had run amok earlier in the day who had apparently been named Kai and a mysterious, dark-haired individual with a scar across his nose who went by the name of Baldric.
It didn't take long for Captain Tristan to put two and two together and realize the kid was the one he'd met in the restaurant earlier that night. But that arguably made it worse, knowing that he was saved by such a cocky punk.
Tristan sighed, only to groan as he felt another pang of pain through his side. His wounds still felt bad, even if he had been patched up by some of the doctors. The men under his command who were still relatively okay were helping to clear the debris of the building, attempting to salvage whatever they could from what was left and arresting any still-living pirates they could find.
As for anyone too injured to do that kind of work but still strong enough to do something, he had them start setting up a miniature 'base' of sorts.
It wasn't a base, really. More like a tavern. The owner had closed the tavern a while back, but had been generous enough to let the Marines use the place as a makeshift base of operations while they worked on reconstructing the Marine base.
"Captain Tristan, sir," someone spoke up. The Captain turned, spotting the Lieutenant approaching. "A Marine Battleship has just docked in the bay".
Tristan groaned again. As if his failure to the people of the island wasn't enough, he'd also failed to his superiors. Worse still, this one was a Vice Admiral.
Normally, a Vice Admiral would be serving in the Grand Line – not far out in West Blue. But following the Battle of Marineford, some of the Vice Admirals were sent out to the four blues in anticipation of the chaos that would follow Whitebeard's death.
And of course, sent out to watch over West Blue was none other than Vice Admiral Nitika.
The Vice Admirals in generals spawned a lot of rumors out across the seas – mainly due to their accomplishments, and partly to do with the rumors that often spread amongst subordinates regarding their bosses. Vice Admiral Nitika had a reputation for being a no-nonsense woman – a Marine devoted to the cause who did not put up with slackers. No doubt, Tristan thought to himself, even less likely to tolerate failure.
"Well," he began with a sigh, walking slowly across the cobblestone path. "Let's get this over with. What's the worst she can do to us?"
The Lieutenant nodded and followed after the Captain. The two walked down the partially destroyed main street, watching their step as occasionally a stone would show itself to have been loosened by the blasts. The people of Orsus Island watched and spoke amongst one another of the things they had seen and the things that had happened. Some looked with disapproval. Tristan didn't blame them, for once.
The Captain and Lieutenant began to slow down as a clacking noise began to resonate. Looking further down the street they could see the very people come to see them.
"Gentlemen," a woman spoke, giving the palm-inward salute.
"Vice Admiral Nitika," the Captain and Lieutenant responded in unison, returning the salute.
Dropping the salute, the Vice Admiral looked between the two of them. The dark-skinned woman had a slightly hooked nose and silky, dark hair that was pulled back in a long braid that fell as far as her knees. Draped across her shoulders was the Marines' Justice Coat, worn over a black suit with a talwar sword hanging at her left hip. In spite of a rather obvious injury – her right arm being held in a cast and sling - she walked with conviction; a self-assuredness that only came from people who always knew exactly what they were doing and what they were going to do.
To her right was another Marine wearing the Justice Coat, but one who held a much more… Rugged appearance. A muscular, dark-skinned man with a similarly hooked nose and black, unkempt hair, his state of dress was slightly more disheveled – the standard Marine t-shirt worn untucked with baggy, blue trousers and no shoes. On both hips he carried a pair of talwar swords much like the Vice Admiral, although the flask of booze he was currently drinking from made his carrying of the swords a little more intimidating. Nevertheless, they both recognized him as the Vice Admiral's older brother, Rear Admiral Pravin.
To Nitika's left, meanwhile, were two others – one was a large, muscular Marine who also wore the Justice Coat, but otherwise wore no shirt, with white tape wrapped around his forearms and hands, blue, form-fitting trousers and white, knee-high boots. But most importantly, the huge, muscular man with dark hair wore a white mask with the Marine's emblem in blue across the forehead. This was Captain "Justice Mask" Alejandro Guerrero.
Lastly, shuffling along by the muscular man's side was a short, brown-haired and pale-faced young man with a rather mousey look to him. He carried a rifle on his back and a pair of pistols in holsters at his hip. His lack of a coat, along with his adherence to the common Marine t-whirt and cap with blue trousers indicated that his rank was not quite as high. Neither Captain Tristan nor the Lieutenant recognized him.
"Neither of you have to say anything," the Vice Admiral spoke sternly. "But if either of you have an explanation, I'm willing to hear it".
The Captain knew this would come. He felt himself shrinking under his gaze, feeling much like an ant before a dragon. A chill ran down his spine, and a glance sideways told him that even his normally stoic and composed Lieutenant felt the same. Tristan looked back to the Vice Admiral, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"We… No, I failed, ma'am," the Captain spoke, lowering his head. "I take full responsibility for the incident. As a Captain of the Marines, I should have been able to handle the situation, but instead, many innocent lives were put in danger by my inability to-".
"That is enough," she spoke, raising a hand to stop him from speaking further. Captain Tristan looked up, staring into the cool, sharp eyes of the Vice Admiral. "While I appreciate your dedication, the truth is that the Marine forces on this island simply aren't good enough as a whole".
Ouch. Tristan felt like he'd just been hit by an arrow through the chest. He had to force himself not to hang his head in shame.
"Um, Vice Admiral Nitika…" the young, mousey gunman spoke. "Maybe… I mean, it's not like they intended-"
"It doesn' matter if they intended anything or not, Ensign Freischutz," the Rear Admiral spoke up, capping his flask and shoving it back in his pocket. "What matters is they failed".
"Enough, Pravin," the Vice Admiral snapped, casting her gaze to her older brother. The two shared a moment of silence as they stared down one another before the Vice Admiral looked back. "We are not here to criticize or punish. For the foreseeable future, myself and my crew will oversee the reconstruction and training of the Marines serving on this island. Captain Tristan, if you could lead the way".
The Captain nodded, feeling a weight off of his shoulders. He'd expected demotion, or worse, but instead it seemed everything was working out for the better. Of course, he understood that he'd have to watch himself under the Vice Admiral's presence, but it was nothing-
"Captain, look out!"
The Captain and Lieutenant both turned, eyes widening at what they saw. Running through the streets was the bloody and bruised body of one of the Pirates who'd attacked last night. He was lean, tall and skinny and wore metallic gauntlets on each arm. His eyes were menacing, staring daggers as he ran.
"Out of my way!" he roared, shoving aside anyone who didn't step out of his way quickly enough. Tristan was ready to move, but winced as he felt a pain through his side. The man – Onigawara, they recognized – was getting closer.
"So there's one left… Figures…" the Rear Admiral spoke as he stepped forwards, stumbling a bit. The disheveled man sighed as he looked towards the oncoming man with the gauntlets, his hands reaching for one of the two talwar swords by his sides. Slowly he began to draw, but the pirate rushing towards him laughed.
"Just try it!" he yelled, sure of himself. "So long as you're not that beast, you're nothing to me!"
"Tyr's Hand," he spoke, having drawn the blade with his right hand. He held the blade up with the one hand, taking a single step forwards as his opponent closed in.
"Die!" Onigawara roared, his fist shooting straight for Pravin's face. When it was but an inch from hitting, Pravin moved.
"Leavings of the Wolf!" the drunkard finished. In an instant, Pravin had slashed through Onigawara, a huge gash opening up along his arm and body as his steel gauntlet broke apart. The Pirate cried out in pain as he hit the ground behind the Rear Admiral, who now flicked his blade to the side to rid it of blood. The man sighed, resting the flat of his own blade across his shoulder. Captain Tristan and his Lieutenant both stood still, astonished by what they had seen – or rather, what they hadn't seen. Pravin's attack was so fast, so instantaneous, they had only just managed to catch the flash of his blade as light reflected off of it. The Rear Admiral looked back to them.
"First thing's first," he spoke, eying the two. "We're gonna have to do a bit of clean up".
"Land ahead!" Madoka cried out, grinning from ear to ear as she pointed out over the railing. Alyona looked over, smiling at the sight of land. Just ahead of the ship was a large island that possessed a dome-like shape, with large, cave-like openings in the sides that gave the structure a shape reminiscent of an empty turtle shell. Within these huge cavities sat large port towns where all sorts of Jolly Rogers flew in the breeze.
"This is the Island of Pirates, Tortue," Sakura remarked aloud as she steered the ship. "In West Blue, you won't find a bigger haven for piracy than here".
"Finally, I can get some clothes! And food that isn't just fish or meat!" Alyona cheered, glad to know she wasn't stuck wearing leftover clothes from the old crew.
The Tiger Shark Fishman looked over, opening an eye and gazing at the island. It seemed to only hold his curiosity for about a minute, however, as he soon shut his eye and hung his head again, choosing to slumber instead.
"So we've finally arrived, huh?" a voice called door to the inside of the ship swung open as Baldric walked out. He looked up to the island ahead of them, grinning wide. "Tortue... Been a while since I came here last".
The group looked towards the turtle shell-shaped island in anticipation. A new adventure was about to begin.
Author: So, this ought to wrap up any final plot threads from the last chapter! Also, we get to see some new Marine characters! I have to say, I've spent a lot of time agonizing over how to characterize the Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral, but I'm quite happy for how it turned out. Also, for those curious - Pravin is indeed using the Odin-Style Swordsmanship that Devon uses in Kilnorc's Crew of the Axe fics! Be sure to keep that in mind - I intend to touch upon it much later...
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Be sure to let me know what you think!