Author's Note: I was having writers' block for the next chapter of The DysFUNctional Pirates, so I wrote this chapter.

Disclaimer: I will never own One Piece. There, I said it.

Ch. 78: "Defection."

"Kazuma, wake up! We're going to leave the island in a few minutes!"

Kazuma awoke, suddenly remembering what his surroundings were and why he was at his current location. Yuki-Rin was out of the room, and the mansion was quiet.

"Damn you, Heathcliffe," Kazuma cursed under his breath as he stepped out of the room to see the punk boy.

"Took you long enough," Heathcliffe commented as he crossed his arms.

"Shut up," Kazuma said groggily.

"That's the spirit," Heathcliffe said sarcastically as the two left the empty, Japanese-styled manor.

"Do I… Get to say good-bye to Mikuri and Sayuki?" Kazuma asked Heathcliffe.

"You can't. They just left for the mayor's office to get compensation for their dead son," Heathcliffe explained. Kazuma sighed. "Hey, turn that frown upside-down. You can write to them and call them on the Den-Den Mushi."

Kazuma sighed again.

"You don't understand, Heathcliffe," Kazuma said emotionlessly.

At the docks, another crew was preparing to leave.

"How the hell were you defeated?!" Kuro, the infamous captain of the Tuxedo Penguin Pirates, asked Rubio.

"I have no clue," Rubio said with a shrug. "Besides, hindsight is only 20/20. You should've performed a spot check before you made me poison our target."

Kuro slapped Rubio.

"I've had enough of your subpar performances! You may be good at executing the plans, Rubio, but it all falls apart for you! Had I known better, I would've gone out there and saved your ass from that samurai!" Kuro explained.

"So… What does this mean for me?" Rubio asked tentatively. Kuro sighed.

"You are going to end up like Ban, Chernyi, and Shiro – I will execute you tonight at six o'clock. Ban, Chernyi, and Shiro didn't listen to me, and I decided to kill them to shut them up. Why must I hire the most disgraceful underlings for my pirate crew?!" Kuro ranted. Rubio sighed.

"So… What should I do?" Rubio asked.

"Go. Just… Go and get ready to die tonight. You'd better have all of your affairs in order by six o'clock," Kuro explained. With a sigh, Rubio headed back to his room and locked the door. Sitting on his bed, Rubio rubbed his temples, thinking of a plan.

"I can't fucking believe it. I get injured on the job, and my pathetic excuse for a captain wants to kill me. Why couldn't things be easier? Why couldn't I be on another pirate crew?" Rubio thought to himself before he had an epiphany. "Wait a minute… I can be on another pirate crew."

Rubio walked over to his desk and wrote a letter.

"Dear Kuro, my stay on the Tuxedo Penguin Pirates was brief, but it gave me job security. However, I refuse to accept your terms of execution. Therefore, I have decided to drown myself in the bay of Shimonoseki Island to atone for all I've done. I may have regrets about being on this crew, but at least I will die with honor. Your subordinate, Rubio Lindocruz."

Rubio then got up and shoved his clothing and belongings into a black backpack. As he exited the door, Rubio took one final look at his room.

"So much for job security…" Rubio commented as he left the room.

On the Hyperion, Kazuma and Heathcliffe were boarding the ship.

"Hana, can we stay here a little while longer? I want to say good-bye to Mikuri and Sayuki," Kazuma asked Hana.

"We can't. The Log Pose is about to reset, and we can't leave anybody behind," Hana explained. Kazuma sighed.

"Cheer up, Kazuma. You'll see them again," Heathcliffe re-assured Kazuma.

"What Heathcliffe meant was that you WILL see us again, and for a long time."

Mikuri and Sayuki walked onto the deck of the Hyperion. Immediately, Kazuma's face lit up.

"Mikuri! Sayuki! I can't believe you guys came to say good-bye!" Kazuma yelled.

"They didn't come to say good-bye. They came here, because they have just joined our crew."

Kazuma turned around, and he was face-to-face with Yuki-Rin. Kazuma then glomped Yuki-Rin.

"Thank you so, so much, Yuki-Rin! This is why I love you!" Kazuma yelled before he kissed Yuki-Rin. Mikuri and Sayuki sweatdropped.

"Well, then, I think it's time we set sail," Hana said. "Showtarou, lower the sails and raise the anchor!"

"You got it," Showtarou said as he raised the anchor. With a sigh, Hana lowered the sails.

"Okay, let's do this!" Yuki-Rin said to the Capricorns as the Hyperion began to move.

"Hey, Yuki-Rin, what's on the next island?" Kazuma asked Yuki-Rin.

"Well, I heard that there's going to be some type of princess festival on the next island," Yuki-Rin said.

"Princess festival?!" The male Capricorns cried.

"Princess festival?!" Aki cried happily. The males sighed.

"No, no, no! I'm not going to a princess festival!" Kazuma cried.

"Can't we go somewhere cool, like a punk rock festival?" Holden asked Yuki-Rin.

"We'll discuss this over breakfast," Yuki-Rin said sternly as the Capricorns went inside the Hyperion and into the kitchen. When Yuki-Rin got into the kitchen/dining room, she saw a surprising sight – Rubio was sitting at the table and eating a bowl of cereal.

"Rubio?!"

When the Capricorns calmed down, they were interrogating Rubio.

"So, Rubio, what brings you here to our lovely ship?" Gareth asked almost sarcastically. Rubio sighed.

"I was under duress. My captain forced me to his bidding," Rubio explained.

"By 'his breeding', what do you mean?" Yuki-Rin asked.

"Mainly pillaging and stealing. However, since my captain and I look so alike, he got the blame for everything," Rubio explained. "And, because of that, he wanted to kill me. I had no other choice but to come here. So, please, hear me out and take me in. I was never the bad one…"

Yuki-Rin thought about Rubio's speech for a moment.

"Although you caused Sayuki to give birth to a stillborn baby, I will let you join us. Whoever your captain is, he sounds like a monster," Yuki-Rin explained. Rubio kneeled down to Yuki-Rin's feet.

"Thank you… Thank you for letting me live!" Rubio yelled as tears began to fall from his eyes. "I promise that I won't return to my old ways!"

"Alright. But, if you do… Well, we won't kick you out," Yuki-Rin explained. Rubio got up and walked over to Mikuri and Sayuki.

"I'm very sorry for what I've done. Really, I am. But, because of what I did, I now have a pirate crew that can depend on me, so… Thank you for introducing me to the Capricorn Pirates," Rubio explained.

"We forgive you," Sayuki said with a bow. "There's always a next time for a child and for a pirate crew."

"Well, let's eat! I'm starving!" Daisuke said after a moment. Rubio smiled.

"Sure. Come to think of it, I'm pretty hungry," Rubio said before the Capricorns sat down. As soon as everyone began eating, Rubio pulled Kuro's bounty poster out from his pocket. Nothing much changed about it, except that Kuro's bounty was now at $55,000. Rubio smirked.

"Fuck you, Kuro," Rubio thought to himself before he stabbed Kuro's wanted poster.

Ending Note: Time to update the crew standing.

Captain - Yuki-Rin
First Mate - Molly O'Flannigan
Musicians - Heathcliffe, Holden, and Soren Sarutobi
Fisherman - Hatori Chidori
Swordsmen - Kazuma Miyafuji and Mikuri Matsumoto
"Resident Ghost" - Isabella Sarutobi
Shipwright - Kartik Abingdon
Snipers - Karin Kotetsu, "Blind" Drusilla, and Z.G.
Singer - Maki-chan
Tailors - Matsu Takeshima and Aki Chung-Feng
Navigator - Hana Yakushi
Gunner - Aria Yakushi
Thieves - Yulia Tadase and Daisuke Saburo
Chef - Sebastian Hozuki
Chroniclers - Kaoru Kimura and Mina Nishikori
Boat Rigger - Showtarou Shinohara
Mascots - Ajax and Alec
Doctor - Ageha Midori
Dancer - Akari Shimura
Helmsman - Thierry Brighton
Archaeologist - Gareth Archer
Blacksmith - Dewey Kirihana
Merchants - Enlai Li and Wolfgang Katsuragi
Cabin Woman - Sayuki Matsumoto
Quartermaster - Rubio Lindocruz

Review if you want to see the princess festival!