A/N: Before we start, let me just say thanks for everyone's support! You guys came out to really dig into the first chapter! Just a reminder that if you want to read the next chapter of this tale, it's already up on (PAT) eron, link on my profile page.
Oh, and as for my thoughts on the One Piece Live-action trailer: it's fine. Trailers are but a window into what a product might be, not will be. I withhold full judgment until it drops in August. Maybe I'll do a weekly review on that other site I mentioned earlier... hint hint.
Beta Reader: Drakon21
Chapter 2: Your Answer
"CHEERS!"
Port Cisco fell back into its daily routine with the threat of pillaging no longer overhead. One of those routines was to enjoy lunch at the Boar's Hat; of course, for… certain reasons, lunch at the Boar's Hat involved considerably less food. "Another round, guys?" Silk called out as she cleaned a mug. "Would you like some food to go with that-"
"CHEERS!"
"Don't ignore me!" Despite the yell, the blonde said it with a smile on her face. This was usual for Port Cisco – work hard, drink hard, and laugh plenty.
"Hey! Hey, Silk! Hey!" Save for one newcomer, but he was excused for the disturbance. After all, it wasn't for him, they wouldn't be able to enjoy their peaceful lives. "Hey!" Hook leaned over the bar to get her attention, but she ignored him as she passed out more cocktails.
"Silk, answer him already," one patron said. "I'm getting a headache from all his pounding!"
"You got a headache by pounding all those drinks!" his buddy laughed. "Soaking your head'll help!"
As the group laughed, Silk sighed and turned to Hook with a pleasant smile. "Need something?"
"Yeah!" Nodding, Hook sat back in his chair. "You didn't answer my question about joining my crew-"
"I did!" Silk slapped the bar in frustration. "I told you before the attack, and the last three times you asked after! I said no!"
Hook scratched his cheek. "I didn't hear you…"
"How? I yelled the last time!" Silk retorted.
"And nearly throttled him," the bar collectively muttered into mugs of Wow.
Hook smiled roguishly at Silk, throwing her for a moment. "Well, you answered too quickly, so I figured you didn't think about it too hard. It's been an hour now, so would you like to join?"
Silk's eyebrow twitched as she looked at this frustrating mess at her bar. "Why would I change my mind after an hour!?"
Hook looked back at her, confused. "Well, why wouldn't you?"
"THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!"
"I'll have plenty of time to explain it… once you join my-!"
Silk's wrathful scream could be heard miles from the island.
As Hook wandered away from the bar, he nearly crashed into the town mayor's table. "I take it your recruitment isn't going well?"
Hook glanced in his general direction as he tapped on the mug now stuck on his head and covering his eyes. "I don't think she's understanding my question…"
"It seems more like you're not accepting the answer," the mayor pointed out as Hook absorbed the mug and made it disappear.
"She's not answering me though!" Hook jumped up and squatted at the chair instead of sitting in it. He crossed his arms, pouting slightly. "She's saying she can't go, not that she won't. It sounds like she wants to, but… Argh! This is annoying!" Gnashing his teeth, his head dropped onto the table, arms splayed out and knocking over a few empty mugs. "What's her deal? She obviously wants to come…"
"I'll ignore the fact you're trying to recruit a young girl into your high-seas shenanigans," the mayor scratched at his bandaged arm. "You're clearly a good sort, so I should explain that you're indeed right."
Hook looked up at the man, chin still on the table. "Huh?"
"This whole town knows how much Silk wants to travel and see the world." The mayor sighed, looking twice his age as he watched Silk go into the backroom for more kegs. "Ever since she was a child, she would lead the other kids in dangerous activities. Hiking, wrestling, Deep Sea fishing… Silk was relentless in her thrill-seeking!"
"Remember when she tried to build a ladder to the moon?" a near villager threw out.
"Do I!" a woman and half the bar laughed. "When it fell down, took an hour to dig her out!"
"Would have been easier, if she made a noise or cried at least!" the first man said.
"Clakakaka!" Hook chuckled from his position on the table. "She sounds fun! Kinda wild too!"
"Indeed she was!" The mayor joined in the laughter as everyone in the bar recounted memories of Silk's various adventures across the island. As they went on, he turned back to Hook. "As a child, Silk wanted to see everything in the world. When she got curious, nothing could stop her from following her heart. She's every bit like her mother in that regard…"
"She liked exploring, huh?" Hook sat up and unabsorbed the mug, juggling it in the air. "So, what's her deal!? Why would she push away her chance? She can go whenever!"
"To you, maybe…" The friendly gentleman's smile waned at that, like an unpleasant memory played across his mind. "To her, this place means just as much." Taking off his glasses, the mayor spoke as he cleaned them. "First, she was too young, and her mother would not let her go. But when she left, the Boar's Hat had no bartender and she stayed to pick up the burden. Two or three years ago, she tried to leave, but then bandits began attacking the town. Not nearly as many as those pirates, and not all at once, but enough to worry about it. Now though? Who knows…" The mayor looked at Hook with a saddened expression. "Sorry, young man, but if you're trying to ask her to sail off with you, I can't see a reason that she'll agree to it."
In the back, Silk listened to the conversation, biting her lip in frustration. 'They're talking like I have a choice to go… After everything this town's done for me, why on Earth would they think I'd leave!? Port Cisco is the greatest town ever! If I leave…" Silk put a hand to her chest, that feeling from Hook's speech and fight wrapped tightly around her heart. 'There's no way this town will survive! I have to stay! Please… just leave already. I… I can't go, please don't ask again! It hurts… every time…'
"Okay," Silk heard Hook say. "Thanks for explaining. I guess that makes sense."
"Thank you for understanding." Silk could tell from where she stood that the mayor's words had done a good job of bringing the upbeat atmosphere down. It was in the tone of his voice and the sound of people putting down or picking up their mugs. "With that said, what will you do now?"
"Ask her to join my crew," Hook said bluntly before the question was barely done.
Silk's eyes widened from her hiding space, and judging by the noise, several people choked on their drinks at the declaration. "W-what!?" the mayor said before hissing. Silk winced in sympathy; the mayor must have bumped his shot arm on something. "B-but-!"
"Silk still hasn't given me an answer," came Hook's response. Silk had a response for that, but she was still in the back, and wouldn't be heard anyway. "It's yes or no. Not 'I can't.' And until she can tell me herself, I'm gonna take it as she's still thinking about it." Even in the back, with no direct visual, Silk could tell he had stood up, probably on the chair, and crossed his arms. "She can't avoid her Dream because of how scared she is! Fears can only be solved head-on!"
Silk gasped at his words. 'That's-!'
'Whatever you're scared of, give fear a reason to be scared of you!'
Silk's hands shook as she covered her mouth. '..did he mean to quote her? Was that an accident?' Silk sat down on a keg, processing Hook's words. The feeling in her chest burst free, resonating throughout her body and making her feel warm as her pulse raced. 'No no no! I can't! I… this town needs me! If I leave… who will defend it!? I have to! I want to! I want to be-!' Watery eyes widened as she caught that stray thought and stuffed it into the back of her mind. 'I… I haven't thought about my Dream for years. No, it's more like… I can't stop thinking about it, no matter what I do!'
A commotion from outside the bar caught everyone's attention; Hook didn't even have time to get off the chair as men and women in pristine white uniforms poured into the bar. Ten of them in total entered, with five on either side of the door standing at attention. As they saluted, one called out, "Navy Officer, Lieutenant Twigo on deck! Make way!"
As the crier spoke, in entered a broad-shouldered man with a red suit and yellow tie. On his hip was a sword, and on his face was an immaculate mustache, groomed so not a hair stood out of place. The man, Lt. Twigo it could be presumed, looked around the bar and sniffed derisively. "Conclusion: this den of alcohol and debauchery has not seen a proper cleaning since its founding."
While many of the patrons of the 'den of alcohol and debauchery' took offense to that description, the mayor shut down the most vocal with a look before they even uttered a word. Turning back to the Marine, he said, "I do apologize that the bar is not up to your standards. The Boar's Hat has been standing since the town's earliest days. It has gotten a little dusty…"
"You are forgiven," Twigo said, "But more importantly, I have come to this quaint port to ask about a brigand." Reaching into his coat, he pulled out a poster of a familiar facial-haired pirate. "Crescent Moon Gally, worth 5,000,000 beris. He has been raiding towns in this area for a while, and we're looking to arrest him, of course."
"Then I must apologize again, sir," the mayor said, hoping the man would miss the frustrated frowns of many people at the Navy's slow response to their plight. "Gally was taken care of hours before your arrival.
"That's right, Gally is a dangerous- Hm?" Twigo raised an eyebrow at that announcement. "Excuse me? Conclusion: You must be mistaken, elder. Gally has a crew of 20 men strong! And as the only Navy vessel in the area-"
"Clakaka…" Hook, still standing on the chair and seemingly missed or ignored by the Marine, grinned. "Nah, I took care of it! No Marines were around, I guess!"
The Marine grunts shuffled nervously at the second interruption; they all looked to Twigo, looking for how to proceed on the matter. The Marine looked the teen up and down, pausing on his bare feet, before laughing lightly. "Young man, the Navy does not play games. Even if someone could drive off such a band of criminals, I find it hardly believable that you-"
"Well, ya better!" Hook grinned wider as he raised his finger high into the air. "Remember this moment! Carve the words into your memory! The man who sunk Gally is… James Hook!"
Twigo glanced at the display with a deadpan expression. Looking over at the mayor, he shrugged back as if to say 'Yes, it really was him.' "I… see. And you are not a Marine?"
"Nope!" Hook squatted back into his chair, unperturbed by the larger man's annoyance at his casualness. "My Dream's way bigger than the Marines! I can't be tied down like that!"
"In that case…" Twigo snapped his fingers, and all ten grunts pulled out swords and surrounded Hook.
"W-what!" the mayor stumbled out of his chair to get out of the way of the sudden movement, and even Silk, watching from the storeroom, came out. "What is the meaning of-!"
"Stand down, citizen. Navy business," Twigo said as he brushed his facial hair with a finger. Glaring at the barefoot teen, the lieutenant said, "Conclusion: any individual who is not a Marine, and claims to fight pirates, must himself be a pirate! With that said, I place you under arrest, James Hook!"
"What the hell is that crap!" one barfly called out, his outcry backed up by his fellows getting out of their chairs with him. "He ain't a pirate, you-!"
"That's enough!" the mayor yelled over the growing protests. "Sir, you are mistaken! This young man saved us from pirates! I can assure you he isn't-!"
"Conclusion," Twigo said flippantly. "Anybody obstructing Justice in any form must be a criminal. We are conducting an arrest of a dangerous person. Are you standing in our way?"
The glare the broad man delivered to the crowd sent shivers down their spines. They still wanted to say something, but the threat was pretty clear-cut, and it served to silence anyone with sense. "You flat-headed bastards!" Never one to let sense slow her down usually, Silk came charging over to the arrogant officer, the mayor standing in her way to prevent getting in swinging distance. "Someone does your damn job for you, and you go and arrest him!? He's not even a pirate, you egg-sucking-!"
"Not a pirate, huh?" Hook snickered, looking away from everyone. "Well, technically, that might not be completely right…"
"What?" Silk blinked at Hook, thrown off by his change in demeanor. As Hook glanced back, there was a dangerous glint in his eye; a quiet intensity that bore into them. Silk stared back while the entire pub, and a few Marines, blinked at the sight of this loud, boisterous man suddenly growing quiet enough to talk at a normal volume.
"Remember what I said before, Silk?" Looking at her, he unabashedly grinned with his usual spirit. "I'm going to become the most famous man in the world. To me, that just means being the best me. But, anybody who's chasing One Piece…"
If at all possible, the Boar's Hat got even more silent; with the new information given, those willing to come to Hook's defense now ranged from unsure to non-existent. By this point, only a fool would still try to defend the boy at the mention of One Piece. "H-hey, wait a minute…" Never concerned with looking foolish, Silk tried again…
"You see! I am never wrong about things like this," But Twigo had more than already written off Hook's innocence. "Conclusion: only one man need be arrested today."
Silk looked around the room in mute shock. 'This can't be happening…' She shouldn't care; she knew that! They'd only just met, and she did know next to nothing about him! He was pushy, messy, loud, and irritating. Basically, everything she herself was like as a child… and sometimes every two or three days. 'He could kick their asses easily! Why…?'
Glancing around again, the answer sprang to mind as she looked at the mayor's arm. 'It's just like with Gally… only this time, if this rat bastard's Navy, he'll report it. He'll get back up and…' Would the Navy really jail an entire town because they defended one guy? Silk didn't know, but seeing the smug face of Twigo against the worried faces of her town, she didn't feel a need to test it. 'He's… saving the town again. Damnit, I owe him doubly!'
"Alright, boy," Twigo said. "Now, this way-"
"Oh, hang on!" Hook suddenly said. "I have one more thing to do!"
Twigo's whole face twitched at that. "You do not make the rules here!"
Ignoring the irate man, Hook leaned forward to Silk as best he could past the wall of swords. "I know you need more time, but I want to ask one more time before I go." Locking eyes with her for a moment, he grinned wide enough that Silk should have expected his face to split open. He kept the wordless eye contact up for a minute before the Marines grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. "I'll get your answer when I see you next!"
A/N: Oh yeah! I also saw Across the Spiderverse. I'm sure you don't want to hear my opinions on that, being the wrong fandom topic for this story. Besides, I'd much rather hear what you all think. I thrive on feedback, so leave a comment if you can! Happy Juneteenth!
