Chapter XXVII: Out of the Sky and Into the Frying Pan

The floor of The Bucket crumpled from the impact. Water sloshed everywhere, seeping into the ship. Jaune tried to stand, but the water surrounding him sapped his strength away, rendering him immobile. It felt like a wonder he wasn't dead — how far had they fallen? If they didn't have aura, he certainly would be dead. In the future, they might need a better landing strategy.

Just as the water was starting to seep farther up him, Jaune felt an arm wrap around him. He couldn't see them, but the grunts sounded like Ren. He was dragged through the interior, out, and then placed on the roof. Along the way, he spotted Ruby desperately trying to patch the holes, and Sun carrying Neptune in a similar fashion to Ren with himself.

"Well, that's just what we needed," he heard Sun say once they were on the roof. Now away from the water, he could feel his strength returning. The shimmering, blue waters would have been a welcoming sight if not for their current situation.

Next to him, Neptune took a sharp breath. "Fuck," he hissed. Jaune followed his gaze out, and felt the same way. Headed there way was a large ship: a marine one. Jaune echoed Neptune.


It wasn't often that fortune fell straight from the sky, but Ozpin wouldn't say no to it. He had been reading the vexing report he received from outside the Grand Line when he heard the commotion. He made it to the top deck just in time to see a large splash in the sea, and out of it came the bobbing form of a metallic ship.

It was too far to see at first, but a quick look through a spyglass showed him what he needed. Especially when some of his former students climbed atop the vessel.

"Full sail ahead!" Ozpin called out. "That's a pirate ship — we're taking them prisoners!"

Smoker arrived on the deck shortly after. "What's the commotion, Vice Admiral?" He crossed his arms and looked down at Ozpin.

Ozpin simply handed over the spyglass. As Smoker looked across the horizon, Ozpin answered, "It seems we have finally found where the Straw Hats had disappeared to."

"And where was that?"

Ozpin pointed up toward the dense clouds above them, just passing by enough to let light onto the sea once more. Smoker looked at him incredulously before putting the spyglass away.

"You're already being watched closely," Smoker commented as he turned away from Ozpin. "Having a cheeky attitude like that won't help you." With that, Smoker left. As he reached the stairs, Tashigi met him, but quickly turned heel to follow him. Team PWNY, who had been with Tashigi, made their way over to Ozpin. He noted the presence of Winter, watching from afar.

"Sir, what's going on?" Pyrrha asked.

"As I told Smoker, we have found your friends." Determination quickly took the place of intrigue on their faces. "Prepare yourselves for facing them, but this will be much different from last time. After all, they don't have anywhere to go at the moment."


The entire situation felt bitter to Jaune. Their ship's systems were broken and there wasn't much they could do. The only option they had left was to wait for the marines to come to them — and what then?

Cardin was quick to propose the blunt option first. "I say we kick their asses, use their ship, and get to an island."

Jaune shook his head. "I want to be optimistic, but I'm not sure how well we can do right now. We haven't rested from our last fight, and they outnumber us greatly."

"Then, are we just going to let them walk over us?" Cardin challenged, his eyes pinning down Jaune.

"I'm saying that we need to keep our heads." Jaune closed his eyes to think for a moment. "We need to prioritize getting out of here as soon as possible, but I don't think we're strong enough to take their ship from them. That means we need to look for some sort of ship, so keep your eyes out."

Jaune just finished the sentence in time for the marines to arrive. He was greeted with the sight of Ozpin and Pyrrha. Green eyes stared down at him with conflicting emotions. No matter how much he wanted to turn away or run, Jaune forced himself to keep her gaze.

Before he knew it, the marines were down at the ship putting cuffs on them. Pyrrha made sure to be the one to cuff Jaune, just as Yang was for Ruby, Weiss was for Blake, and Nora was for Ren. The gazes of the many marines on the top deck was suffocating, but Jaune stayed stoic. There was a strange sense that he, as the captain, needed to remain strong.

The moment was suddenly broken by the sound of a seagull — no, not just one. Jaune allowed himself to glance at his side. The hull of the ship was overrun by the birds, so much so that the wooden deck and metal sides were lost in a sea of small, white heads. A marine with a broom was valiantly trying to shoo them away, but they stayed strong.

With a sudden pull from Pyrrha, Jaune realized he had stopped walking. He was led down the stairs into the ship. The white walls of the hall made him feel uneasy. There was a fine line between looking professional and looking like a serial killer's base.

After going down a second flight of stairs, Jaune was pulled to one room while the others continued on. They were probably just trying to separate the captain from the crew. Pyrrha brought him into a room that looked to be half an office and half a cell. Toward the door was a long desk and chair, and the other side had a small cot connected to the wall and a bucket in the corner. Jaune wasn't looking forward to that.

Jaune allowed himself to be led into the cell, then Pyrrha closed it and stood there for a moment. It was now Jaune realized that despite his earlier determination, he had been avoiding looking at Pyrrha ever since he got distracted. He hadn't even noticed how tense she looked now, but a small sniffle let him know.

"It's over now," Pyrrha whispered, turning her head to look up at him. "This can finally be over now, Jaune. We'll bring you home, get you some help, and this can all be put behind us."

"You still don't understand." Jaune replied. He tried to think of how he might explain what she was missing, but the door opened up and Ozpin walked in.

"I apologize, but might I have a word alone with him, Miss Nikos?"


The brig on the ship was dark and unwelcoming. Ruby was not happy about being in this situation. She tried using her puppy dog eyes, but Yang was completely unaffected by them. She did make a couple marines cry along the way though.

What was most frustrating was how she didn't know what to say. All this time away from Yang and she thought she would know what she wanted to tell Yang, but every time she looked at her sister, her mind went blank. If only they could be like Ren and Nora, who were chatting away through whispered voices behind her. The guards bringing Sun, Neptune, and Neo along didn't seem so pleased about that, but they didn't say anything. At least it wasn't like Blake and Weiss in front of her. The air ahead of her was tense, and she almost expected a fight to break out any moment.

The cells in the brig looked old and poorly cared for. At the very least, the cell bars looked maintained enough to hold. One by one, they were each led off into their own cell. They were all kept to the same side, and it looked like the other side was already occupied. The pirates already there looked mean and gruff. It made Ruby glad that they all got their own cells.

Eventually, it was Ruby's turn. Yang led her into the cells, took the cuffs off, and closed the cell door. "We'll talk soon," was all she said before leaving Ruby.

Ruby slumped down onto the cot hanging from the wall. She was worried about many things at the moment, like how the others were or if the marines were treating Crescent Rose with respect.

Then, breaking her brooding, was the sound of a harmonica. Ruby looked across from her cell, seeing a boy that looked like he could be related to Weiss: pale skin, white hair, and blue eyes.


Ciel had hardly expected to work alongside marine soldiers when Winter had told them they were selected for an exchange program. She had figured that, as academy students, they would be sent to another academy of sorts. Perhaps there would be some marine academy to train young officers, but that was not the case. While she was treated more as an intern than a soldier, she was still among their numbers at the moment.

While the actuality of her situation hardly bothered her, Atlas was very militaristic, she grew increasingly worried about Penny by the day. Despite the appearance of her age, Penny was still very new to the world. Ciel was there to make sure no one discovered Penny's secret, but that wasn't something she could do with both of them being given differing tasks. Winter should have been helping the situation, but the woman seemed to be having some sort of obsession with her sister at the moment.

Yet, despite her worries, Penny seemed to be doing fine. Every time she saw Penny interacting with the marines, there had yet to be alarm bells raised. Ciel would have brought the matter to hand otherwise, but it all seemed fine — for now. Ciel doubted this would last forever. It was hardly an insult to Penny, but she didn't exactly fit the bill of 'normal human girl.' That's why something needed to happen soon. Ciel decided that she would speak to Winter as soon as she got the chance.

Picking up the tray of bread and broth she had been given, she made her way down the stairs of the ship to the brig. She had only been tasked this once or twice so far. Each time, she found a new vexation. First it was the complaints of food, but now she heard the music that had appeared last time. It bothered her greatly that not only had one of the pirates smuggled in an instrument, but the marines had yet to confiscate it. She had yet to be the one to deal with, but the other marines all claimed that it seemed to come from nowhere.

The other trays of food had been delivered by the time she arrived. The marines passed her by as she made her way down the hall. Eventually, she made her way to the last cell to be served. It was no wonder that none of the others wanted to serve this pirate. The boy stared up at her with an impatient glint in his eyes.

"Well, you're taking an awfully long time," Whitley commented. Ignoring his words, Ciel knelt and slid the tray under the bars. Ciel was about to walk away when Whitley's complaints gave her pause. It was what she had heard the others speak of, but something about it vexed her beyond belief.

"You do not currently have the luxury to ask for a better meal." Her voice stayed flat, but there was an edge to it that betrayed her emotions. "There is nothing wrong with it, so you have nothing to complain about."

Whitley poked around the broth with the small, plastic spoon he had been given. His face contorted into one of obvious disinterest. "Have you tried it? It's all simply revolting if you ask me."

"Perhaps you should have wondered what life behind bars would be like when you chose to be a criminal."

For a moment, Whitley watched the broth swirl as he stirred it. "I've already known — I've known my entire life. I'll tell you; the one thing anyone that has been caged their entire life wants: freedom."

Ciel crossed her arms, staring sternly down at him. "Yet look at you now. You would be far more free if you chose a different path."

"Yet it wouldn't be true freedom." Whitley rose, staring at where a window would have been if the back of his cell was not a solid wall. "Can you not say that life grows too bitter and bland? Can you say that you've never felt a draw to go out to become something greater than just another pawn in someone else's game? I refuse to fall into the role that someone else has chosen for me."

Ciel wasn't sure why, but she hesitated to respond. "There is an order to the world."

"Who chose that order?" Whitley turned back to her. "Who chose this as the order of our world, and not the order that we may all live our lives as we see fit?"

Ciel narrowed her eyes, turned heel and left. It was important to uphold the structure of the world, no matter what some random pirate said. He was a fool for ever thinking otherwise.


Yang stared at the screen of her scroll, waiting as patiently as she could muster for her dad to pick up. It was odd how they all should have felt relieved now that they had the others back, but they weren't. There was tension in the air around them. It felt less like they had made it, and more that they were only a moment away from losing it all over again.

Pyrrha had been pacing their room, silently speaking to herself if her head movements meant anything. Weiss seemed lost in thought. Yang figured Weiss would prefer somewhere else to think, but the girl hardly left their room anymore. Nora was the only one that seemed okay, but that made sense. It was clear at this point that even Ren being a pirate wouldn't strain their friendship any longer.

What was taking her dad so long to pick up? Sure he might be busy, but he should know this is important. Yang sighed, she knew that she was just being impatient, but could anyone blame her? This was some of the biggest news that she's had in a long time. Then, just as she was beginning to accept that she might need to call later, he picked up.

"Yang? You haven't called in so long. I was beginning to worry about you." Her dad's voice helped ease some of the tension she was feeling. Had it really been that long since she called him? Actually, with how tunnel visioned she had been, that would make sense. "Yang? Is something wrong?"

"No," she quickly amended her silence. "Nothing's wrong. I was just calling to tell you that we got Ruby back." For a moment, she only heard silence, then her dad began to cry.

"I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Can you make it all the way here? We're in the middle of the Grand Line."

Her dad seemed to be pretty stubborn about this. "I'll figure that out, just wait for me. I want to talk to Ruby and figure all of this out. I think I might also bring Zwei along."

Yang smiled. That would be nice, like having the whole family together again. That thought brought a sudden pang as she thought of her uncle. That was a complicated mess that she hoped would get resolved eventually. As much as Qrow's actions baffled them all, she still loved him.


Cinder's first step back on Vale made her want to cry. If there had been no one around her to see, she might have considered it. Finally, she was away from the braindead chaos and stupidity of that wretched place. No longer would she face buffoons with incredible luck, women with strength no mortal should have, and a sea filled with bipolar weather. Roman kissed the ground when they made it, or at least he put on a display that he was. Cinder could hardly blame him. They all looked worse for wear.

Navigating back through the streets of Vale felt almost like a dream. It was all so calm and peaceful. Of course, Cinder only saw that as an easier means of control, but deep down it still comforted her. The streets were all bustling with life, just as always. The sounds of city life and — and the protestors?

Gingerly, Cinder had her minions stay behind while she went toward a large group of protestors, holding up signs and shouting. While she knew this was most likely connected to faunus discrimination, she still felt it vital to investigate. After all, the White Fang was still one of her pawns, so it was her business. However, when she grew close enough, she came to realize that it was not about that.

"Leave Beacon alone!" One of the protestors shouted.

"Let them be as they are!" Another supplied. Amongst the crowd, the signs and shouting all revolved around one thing: the council did not control Beacon.

What had happened while they were away? She would need to know promptly. Any development between Beacon and the council would impact her plans.

"Excuse me." Cinder approached one of the protestors. While Cinder, in her own opinion, was a fantastic actor, she didn't need to fake her curiosity. "I've been away for quite some time. Could you tell me what is happening?"

The woman lowered her sign a bit and told Cinder, "You haven't heard? The council is upset with Beacon's current staff. They're demanding the placement of a new headmaster, but they don't have the authority for it. So, they're just doing everything in their power to make things difficult." The woman scoffed. "I have both a son and daughter who go to Beacon, but the transportation between the school and Vale is provided by the government. Just one of the things the council has done is halt that service! I missed my son's birthday because of this!"

Cinder gave her a terse nod and left. If she planned accordingly, this division could aid her greatly. After all, she was after negativity, and widening the rift between Beacon and Vale could aid in this.

"Roman," Cinder called after returning. "Contact a meeting with the White Fang. I need to go over any recent developments and check in with them. I know that without your expertise they might have struggled to collect dust, so you can expect to be working overtime for that."

Roman cringed at the thought of increasing his dust robberies, but nodded and left. Emerald and Mercury waited for their orders, but Cinder planned on relaxing. What would it hurt to take a single day off?


Penny, already known around the ship for her knowledge of mechanics and electronics, was brought to examine the Straw Hat's ship. It was clear that it was in a very poor condition at the moment. Carefully, she moved around it, investigating every part she could.

The odd contraption of a ship had been brought into the marine ship's well deck. Penny made her rounds around the railing. Any normal person would have to squint to see at the distance, but Penny was able to see quite clearly from where she was.

The vessel had taken significant damage, especially to its hull. Even now, the ropes tying it to the walls strained, as it was filling with water from its cracks. The metal that composed the walls were bent out of shape, and what were once wings appeared warped. On second inspection, the latter seemed intentional.

The flag that had been fashioned to fly just above it was torn. There weren't propper grommets on the cloth, and one of the ends had been ripped off from where it was attached. Penny observed the jolly roger for a long moment. Of the imagery of pirates she had researched, this did not fit what she had seen before. While not always particularly realistic, most depictions weren't nearly as cartoonish as this one. Then the straw hat atop it added another layer, making it feel friendly in nature compared to what she had seen. Yet, despite its friendly characteristics, it felt deflated here — almost saddened.

It may have been only a painted image, but the longer Penny stared, the more it seemed alive. How odd. There was a strange atmosphere to it, as if the ship was lamenting. Penny could imagine it saying that it had failed its crew. Penny found herself frowning at the thought. She could see the repairs the crew had made. They had cared deeply for the vessel that carried them thus far, and it was disheartening to see it so defeated.

Penny searched around to see if there was anyone nearby. She made sure to check the door for anyone that might be coming any time soon. If she could have, she would have used the camera system, but the marines didn't quite have the same technology. While it was apparent that scrolls were starting to become commonplace, not everything had made such changes. The camera system on the marine ship was still the odd snails they had.

Once Penny was confident no one would be observing her, she gathered some tools and walked across a rickety plank toward the ship. It would slow down their movement if the vessel was continuously flooding. No one could blame her for simply stopping the ship from taking on water, right?


It was nearly impossible to tell how much time had passed. While it frustrated her to be captured, Blake had to admit that Jaune had been right. While the normal marine soldier might not have been too much of a challenge for them, there was a large amount of them, and that wasn't mentioning the real challenges on the ship.

She leaned back against the wall, wondering just how much time had passed. They had brought them two meals by now. If the marines gave them three meals a day, and they were captured later in the morning, then it was probably around dinner now.

Would it be too much to ask for something to spend her time with? She didn't need a scroll or any sort of video game like the others might want. Just a good book would do. And there, the thoughts came back again. Every time she thought of her books now, she remembered what she had said to Jaune. It was embarrassing, even if he didn't understand the full implication.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. She didn't need her mind clouded by that at the moment. What she needed was to figure out a way to escape. The others were likely thinking of their own methods, but that didn't mean she would just leave that to them.

Across the hall from her was a tough looking man. He had a long scar trailing from his forehead, over his nose, and down to his lip. One of his ears looked half torn off, and he wore an eyepatch. He looked like the epitome of what people would consider an actual pirate. Blake had heard the marines call him a sea dog from time to time.

"Is there somth'n on my face?" The man had caught her staring. Blake just looked away, not bothering to respond.

"I don't know about you, but I'm worried about my cap'n." As the man kept talking, Blake glanced back. She was a bit taken off guard by the concern in his voice. He hardly looked the type to care about anyone at all. "Don't care what others say, he's just a boy, ya know. Me an' the whole crew, we just want 'im to see the whole world." His expression turned sour. "That's why it's such shite for us being stuck here." Blake had to admit to herself, she shouldn't ever judge a book by its cover.


AN:

I mostly keep going between playing video games and writing. It really sucks being sick. Every time I sneeze, my entire body hurts. I also woke up last night from not breathing. My mouth was closed and my nose had gotten clogged…

Anyways, the Straw Hats are captured? I guess there could have been a fight, maybe to find a rowboat or a lifeboat, but they were already in a bad position. Not to mention I have this part of the story planned out…

Anyways, next chapter: Behind Bars