Author's Notes: So, this clip will be dedicated to AHN_Writes, b_quynh, Animaniac95, and JoAnnaBC. Thank you for your support. I'm happy to see new readers take an interest in this short story project of mine. I hope with time that I'll be able to share more with you, but I also enjoy just writing something for One Piece, in general. It's not as wacky as the series itself, but I'm trying to keep it fun and cute in other ways. So, for this clip, I couldn't honestly decide which scene to go with, but this story is about the Spades so I will return to "Shanks Birthday Bash" chapter and expand on it. This chapter won't be long.
~ ... The Emperor's Thoughts ... ~
Shanks returned to his base after leaving the Spades' ship and went to sit down for a moment. His crew wasted no time enjoying themselves while setting up this grand party for him. Really, he didn't need a huge ordeal like this. He was just as happy to drink ale with everybody, but he was a party boy at heart. They knew it. He knew it. He'd enjoy himself either way. The dancing troop that Benn and Yasopp found was definitely a group of beauties, and it looked the men took interest in them. The redheaded captain's interest was elsewhere, unfortunately. He had an odd smile on his face, but he didn't seem displeased. In fact, he seemed contemplative about something. It was enough for Benn Beckman to walk away from one of the pretty-faced dancers he hired for Shanks's birthday party to speak to him.
"I take it you found the dancer girl?" Benn asked, smirking a bit. "Was she as pretty up close as she was on stage?"
Shanks didn't answer for a while, thinking of his conversation with Nesi Llandala. He had a concern. He couldn't sense her haki at all. Typically, his sensory haki would either work really well or burst out of control. Around her, it was just... blank. He was directly on top of her and still couldn't get a read! It didn't make any sense. Even her pet Draco lizard didn't have something he could sense. What was she?
"I need a second opinion on her," Shanks finally said, gaining Benn's interest.
"A second opinion? What'd she say?" Benn questioned, kneeling down next to him.
|| ... ... ... ||
"... Pirates live such vulnerable lives, especially if the value of their bounties keeps increasing."
"Vulnerable?" Shanks questioned, interested in the observation. "Some of the most powerful men at sea are pirates... You're more vulnerable than anyone..."
"There will come a day when the rulers will crumble... History has proven that when an era begins it soon will end, but... The most powerful men in history were not always pirates... The notoriety and sense of freedom that follows the legend of a pirate is what people tend to remember or embellish. Pirates... interest and excite... If you're one of the strongest men at sea, it's because you had to shed blood... Frequently. There were rulers in the past who gave their subjects death, and they loved them for it. You may not bring death, but a pirate always has a day when he must be violent. Those days... are celebrated by others far more than you think. Violence fascinates us..."
"And if a pirate gives others peace?" Shanks asked.
Nesi smiled at the question, thinking of her father, and said, "I think that's a beautiful way to protect humanity. It makes surviving worthwhile and sharing love with another priceless... I've no doubt that pirates will see the same fate as the leaders of the government... You might be alive to see it by then and you might not, but it'll happen regardless. The era of piracy will come to an end someday. Same way the era of the Five Elders will close out... I have no reason to serve a ruler that will meet his end in an era that is already limited by time. But... I have every reason to protect and serve the countries. My dream is on a bloody and a lonely path, but I will walk up to the Mary Geoisie drenched in blood if that's what it'll take to pull them from up there and bring them down here."
|| ... ... ... ||
"She's not like Ace," Shanks replied, playing the conversation again and again in his head. "She's the total opposite. You were with me when Ace came to us that winter. His goals were to fight Whitebeard and the Celestial Dragons. You said he would do better in the Revolutionary Army than as simply a rookie pirate captain. He just wants to tear the world apart from the fortress down. This one... is different. She's not looking to be the best fighter, dancer, or pirate. She doesn't care about the Devil Fruit. She doesn't care about One Piece. She's not even looking to tear anything down. Her sole interest is elsewhere."
"What's she trying to do that's got you so quiet?" Benn asked.
"That's the thing..." Shanks replied, pausing to respond.
"Look, buddy, Nesi's not your showgirl," Ace argued.
Benn had gone to visit Nesi per Shanks's concerns and was greeted by a pissed-off Ace and a few of his crewmates. It looked like they were preparing to sail away. The first mate of the Red Hairs guessed that the Spades would leave immediately after the party, but he noticed flowers, plants, and breads were brought over to the ship. Some ladies' items were among the foliage as well like lipsticks and powders. That had to be for the dancer girl. Nesi leaned over the ship's railing to see who came to visit but didn't recognize the man. It wasn't Valentine. She hopped over the rail and landed with a splash and thud. Against Ace's wishes, she walked up to the tall gunner and waited for him to speak. Taking a drag from his cigarette, Benn narrowed his eyes and almost hummed with thought. The girl was indeed pretty up close, but she didn't look like the dancer from last night. She looked like a simple maid. Her costume did wonders!
"You Nesi?" Benn asked.
"Yes. Is there something wrong? Valentine just went back to his friends if you're looking for him," Nesi replied, feeling Baragon swim around her feet.
"Who's Valentine?" Benn questioned, raising a brow.
"Oh, the redheaded gentleman who came here earlier," Nesi said with a smile. "He had some scars on his eye and light stubble. Oh, and he wore that cape-y thing. I don't know if Valentine is still here, but I do have food for him. He's not allergic to mushrooms, is he?"
Benn started to laugh before he responded, "You're too cute for your own good, girl! No, Valentine isn't allergic to mushrooms. Were you makin' 'im dinner or something?"
"Yes, actually. As a thank you for being a good friend," Nesi said, looking down at her feet. "I got into my feelings too easily yesterday. I shouldn't have. He didn't hurt me or anything. We just spoke, but it helped. Tell him not to party too hard with this Shanks person. He has other people to cheer up!"
"... Hmph! Are you naturally that cute or is this a facade?" Benn asked.
Nesi shook her head with a gentle smile and answered, "I prefer the term grateful. Oh! Let me get his food!"
"Well, I'll ask you then, rookie," Benn said, turning to Ace after Nesi returned to the kitchen on the Spadille. "Is she always that cute?"
Ace was quiet, but that was all Benn needed to confirm his assumptions. When the girl returned, Benn sat down under a tree to wait for her and waved to get her attention. She had multiple gifts for Shanks. Oops, pardon the blunder. She had multiple gifts for Valentine. She sat down in front of Benn to pass him the gift boxes and allowed Benn to speak more freely.
"Your captain's panties are in a tight bunch over there. Is he always so stiff?" Benn joked.
"Not always!" Nesi cheered. Baragon joined her before wagging his tail. "I've had a lot of visitors today, though. How might I help you, mister...?"
"Benn. I'm... Valentine's friend."
"Is he a good person to you, Mr. Benn?" Nesi asked, smiling warmly.
"Yeah, he is. He can be a wreck sometimes, though. He does panic from time to time," Benn answered.
"May I ask how he lost his arm?" Nesi asked in a whispering tone. "I didn't have the heart to bring it up in case it was something traumatic."
"What happened to your finger? You're not supposed to cut that close to onions," Benn joked to lighten up the seriousness of the question.
"Ah, the marines at my home island did this," Nesi replied, holding up her hand so Benn can get a closer look. "Quick, clean cut."
"Well, that's a crappy move. Shouldn't maim a girl for no reason! Why'd they cut it? Stealing? Where are you from?" Benn asked.
"Orphors Keys. I have a map of it in my suitcase, but, if you cut the world open, unfolded it, and flattened it like a map, it's a group of islands between the Grand Line and the Calm Belt. We do have Sea Kings that restrict us from getting to the mainland, but it's not much better for the people on the mainland to get to us either. The mainland is a continent that's kind of in between the South and East Blues. It used to be where exiled nobles would be dumped as punishment for 'crimes', but it eventually evolved into a working society. The nobles there can be some cruel, little things, but the marines they hire? Nothing by comparison..." Nesi said, looking out to the Spadille and the sea. "My finger was cut after I asked how to get to Mary Geiosie. It was a rough fight, but I did it for my answer."
"Why do you wanna go there?" Benn asked.
"To change things at first, but... talking to Valentine kind of... helped me see things differently when I said everything out loud. I thought all I had to do was get the nobles to see things our way, but... someone's been giving me books and files about stuff that's far deeper than what I was thinking. I thought Captain Ace was doing it, but these books are too specific. The histories are too rich. The politics, maps, philosophies... Ace is too young of a mind to read something like that... Hell, I'm too young of a mind! But... where'd he find them then? Couldn't be that man that spotted Baragon in town... could it?" Nesi asked herself.
"If you're not trying to change what the nobles are doing, what are you trying to do?" Benn asked in response. He was starting to see what Shanks had a problem with.
"I..." Nesi started, looking at her missing finger. "I want to serve the countries... without the rulers. If they're so focused on segregating the masses, they don't deserve to run a country! Talking to them... won't be enough! I didn't get it before, but I see why those books all of a sudden started appearing. It was on my mind all last night. There was a reason why daddy didn't want me to move through life the way he did. There was a reason why mummy turned me away from being a marine. Neither would get me where I'm trying to go. As much as I'll miss them, as much as I want to be a Spade, I can't stay sailing on the seas forever."
"Ever heard of the Revolutionary Army? I was thinking Ace should've joined them when we met him. Maybe you could convince him to find them and introduce yourselves. It sounds like you're trying to break the molds of the government," Benn suggested.
"I'm not really trying to destroy the government," Nesi scoffed, smiling a bit before dropping her smile. "It's more like reforming the government. Once upon a time, there was a ruler who was fair and just. He was the ideal. It's like men and women. We were once equal. The same way something happened to the ruling body to where things just changed for the worst, something happened to us to make women the inferiors. You can't reverse the change without understanding why the change happened in the first place. You can't reform a ruler without understanding what corrupted his old ways. A revolutionary - a true revolutionary - needs to be aware of that. If he focuses only on the destruction of the governing bodies or whatever the hell he's trying to break down, he steals the voice of the people and the truth behind the fall of that once perfect ruler is forever lost. Kings were never born, Benn. They were chosen. It's called the king-elect, not the dictator or this king supreme. Same with the republic or a court. There were men who helped rulers see things in a grander way. How did we go from choosing our leaders to letting business or status ruin that? It didn't just happen overnight. It happened for a reason. A revolutionary and his army loses so much more through destruction (despite the goodness of his intention beneath that) than he's willing to acknowledge. That's not to say war is unnecessary; in fact, I have been seeing that sometimes it's a solution to a problem. But, there is a time to fight and a time to wait. How is that army spending their time?"
Benn was silent for a while. That's why Shanks was quiet last night. She's going to change the government in a different way. If she's as sweet as he thinks, she won't be in this fight alone. What will that mean for pirates, though? That's the part that concerns him. He then whispered, "Where will you go if you leave your crew behind?"
"By God's grace, forward," Nesi answered, touching her chest. She must have had an amulet underneath it or something. She smiled brightly, however, and nodded cheerfully, "But... I couldn't just abandon my captain like that. I'll visit! He still hasn't promoted me to pirate status yet! He's such a jerk!"
Benn smirked at her sudden bout of happiness and asked, "Oh? So, you're like his apprentice?"
"Uh-huh!" Nesi nodded before pouting cutely. "He's holding me hostage as a floor scrubber. I can do other stuff besides scrub! Tell him, Benn! Or at least ask him what the moxie is! He won't tell me! I'm a good pirate. I promise! I can beat people up now."
Benn just chuckled, seeing a bit of Luffy in Nesi, and patted her head. He then said, "You're something else, girlie! How are you supposed to be a real pirate if you leave your crew to do politics?"
"I can be a super political pirate! C'mon, there's gotta be someone who needs like a lawyer or something, right?" Nesi asked pleadingly.
"You get good at shooting, I might put a word in for you. You're too cute. Start some weapons training and you might have what it takes to be a legend-apprentice," Benn offered, taking some of Shanks's food and tasting a kabob. "Whoo! Never mind! Just be a ship cook!"
"But that's not being a pirate!" Nesi whined, flailing her arms frantically.