Shanks

Shanks sat back with a sigh, the drink in his hands tipping enough for some of the beer to spill out. Around him, his crew was scattered loosely over the surrounding beach. Several of them were already awake, and a handful had already begun drinking.

Ben glanced over. "Not enjoying yourself, Boss?"

Shanks snorted, taking another long drink. "On the contrary. I am. And I think my tolerance is better." He took another drink. "At least it's helping my hangover."

Some of the crew chuckled. Yassop appeared after a moment, handing Shanks a paper. "Just got this yesterday, but you were too drunk to notice."

"I don't think I'm sober enough to read the news now, Yassop." But Shanks took the paper anyway. He froze when he saw the side article and picture.

Ben sat up straighter. "Something wrong?"

Yassop's gaze sharpened.

Shanks frowned, setting his drink down. "No, not wrong. Just surprising is all." There was a thick haze over his mind, but it cleared almost in an instant.

"What is?" Lucky Roux called over. The newest crew member was by the fire, eating already.

Shanks took a minute to focus, his vision weaving just ever so slightly. When he finally focused on the picture better, he handed the paper back to Yassop with a sigh. "Just another Navy piece is all." Without another word, he stood and walked up the beach. His skin prickled from their stares, but no one said anything to him.

Shanks had never forgotten Osa, and the moment in the alley, but somehow, he was surprised Osa was advancing in the Navy like he was. He hadn't seemed particularly happy when they last saw each other, but Osa never said anything directly about not liking where he was. He just seemed down. Even in the picture, he looked a little unhappy despite his smile.

And Shanks knew he hadn't mistaken the dark circles under his eyes.

Reaching the trees, he pulled himself up onto a thick branch. Despite his hangover, and some lingering dizziness, he hadn't sobered up this quickly in a while. He glanced downwards when he heard footsteps coming closer.

"Everything alright boss?" It was Ben. His cigarette lit, he had his rifle resting against his shoulder. As always, he appeared calm.

Shanks leaned against the trunk as Ben climbed up on another branch. "I just recognized someone, that's all."

"And that made you sober up?" Ben chuckled. "They must've had a big impact on you." He leaned back and watched him.

Shanks swatted at him halfheartedly, but that made him lose his balance. Barely staying on the branch, he glanced at Ben when he was steady. "You remember that Navy cadet I told you about after we met?"

"Osa? Yeah. What about him?" Ben gave him a sharp look.

"He's been promoted to captain now." Shanks grunted. At nineteen now, he was probably one of the youngest captains ever. Shanks wasn't entirely surprised; he remembered Osa using the shave technique the last time they met. He would've only improved after that. Shanks hadn't known what the technique was at the time, but he had seen enough by now to know it.

He remembered feeling mildly impressed when he learned how much stamina something like that took. And skill.

Ben shook his head. "Will he be an issue if we meet him?" He glanced towards the beach.

Shanks shrugged. He wasn't sure why this bugged him so much. "Probably not. He warned me in Loguetown after Roger's death. I don't think he would willingly attack me unless he was ordered." The certainty in his voice surprised him. How was he so certain? He mentally shook the thoughts away.

Ben was silent for a moment, then looked towards the crew. "I came to ask you about the paper, but also let you know Mihawk's here."

Shanks started and fell off the branch. Landing on the ground with a dull thud, it took him a minute to scramble to his feet.

Ben jumped down, chuckling. "That eager to see him again?"

"Caught me by surprise, that's all. Tell him I'm up here." Shanks dusted off his pants quickly, his cheeks warming. While he and Mihawk had sailed together for almost a year, the moment Shanks started gathering his crew by inviting Yassop, the swordsman had split off. They saw each other a few times after that, and somehow the sharp-eyed man always found him no matter where they were.

It didn't help matters that Shanks had developed a crush on Mihawk pretty quickly into their friendship and had embarrassed himself the last time he saw Mihawk. Shanks hoped he had forgotten the drunken kiss, but he doubted it.

Ben left with a laugh and left Shanks standing against the tree.

It was only a short time before Mihawk showed up, an unfamiliar black hat atop his head and his sword on his back. "Red-hair."

"Mihawk." Shanks grinned at seeing the stern-faced man. "Nice hat."

Mihawk gazed at him quietly, then asked, "Did you mean to do that last time?"

Shanks was caught off guard. He felt his grin falter, but laughed it off. "I was drunk Mihawk, I barely remember it." Of course he'd remember. And mention that first. Was that the only reason he came here?

Mihawk gave a snort. "I'm sure you do." He stepped closer and Shanks stepped back. Another step, another step back. A few more and they were hidden behind the tree.

"Is that all you came here for?" Shanks asked. "Or did you want to drink with us again?" He forced a grin, but it felt tight. The warmth across his cheeks deepened.

Mihawk rolled his eyes and leaned forward.

Shanks was shocked when Mihawk kissed him, but eagerly pulled the swordsman closer. After a few moments, they broke apart, lightly panting. "Well, that was unexpected." Shanks shot him a smirk.

Mihawk's lip twitched. "Maybe for you. But I wanted to kiss you when you weren't drunk this time. And see if maybe you were up for a duel yet."

Shanks let out a laugh. "Too late Hawk, I've been drinking all morning." Until the paper, that was. The thought immediately sobered him, and he felt his grin slip.

Mihawk narrowed his eyes. "You don't seem drunk though. Almost like something's on your mind."

Shanks shrugged, trying to play it cool. "Just a hangover." And a possible friend, potential enemy who refused to leave his head for reasons that eluded him.

Mihawk watched him, then shook his head. "It's more than that." He gave a small smirk. "But I can help you not think about that if you want." His hands wrapped around Shanks tightly, his fingers crawling under the edges of his shirt.

Fire flashed across his face. "I don't think I'd mind the help. What do you have in mind?" While he was glad Mihawk returned the feelings, he wasn't sure where Mihawk was going with this. Despite the paper, his mind was still fuzzy.

Mihawk pulled Shanks tighter to him and kissed him hard.

Shanks had a moment of doubt, Osa's face in his head, but he knew there was no use dwelling on it. Kissing Mihawk back, he pushed the new Navy captain out of his head. Mostly.

Osa

Osa groaned as he rolled out of bed. The pounding in his head was a drumbeat in his ears. There was a chuckle from behind him. "Drink too much?"

Osa's head snapped up. Had he…? He glanced behind him and mentally hissed. He had.

Luca was propped up on one elbow, the blanket falling enough to reveal a naked breast. No shirt or bra could be seen. She probably didn't have pants on either, seeing the pile of clothing next to the bed. "Are you okay, Osa?" Her voice lost its sleep luster and her brow knitted in concern.

Osa almost shook his head, but the thought alone made his headache worse. "Just a hangover." And regret. He didn't think he'd been drunk enough to actually sleep with one of his crew. Especially Luca!

She touched his back lightly and he resisted jerking away, but couldn't help the shudder down his frame. "You don't remember last night, do you?" When he sighed, she sat up. "I'm sorry. I knew you were drunk, but not that drunk." She didn't sound remorseful exactly, but he knew she meant the apology. But the hurt in her voice surprised him.

"It's…it's fine Luca. Just…I guess I went overboard with the party." Truer than she knew. His new status was celebrated by the entire base, and tomorrow, or today, he guessed, he was leaving on his new ship. He had a vague memory of drinking, dancing, Luca's lips in his ear – he shook the thought away and groaned at the headache that pounded erratically inside his skull.

He let his head fall into his hands, pressing the heels into his eyes.

Luca let out a small sigh, and Osa felt the bed shift. He didn't look as she got dressed and quietly left.

Sighing, he stood slowly. His head pounded again, but less this time. Glancing around, he spotted the paper on his nightstand. It must've been put there last night; he was sure no one had been in here yet today.

Grabbing a glass of water from the nearby sink, he sat down and read, trying to ignore his hangover. The front page was nothing – just the announcement of a new Navy captain, but that story wasn't entirely true. He had been given the rank of captain as a cover, but starting today he was beginning his training for Cipher Pol. None of the cadets here knew the truth, not even Luca.

He flipped through and paused as a drawn image caught his eye. He wasn't sure why it bugged him, but it wasn't until he opened the paper fully that he saw the full picture. A small gasp escaped his throat.

A new threat? Red-Haired Shanks

Osa skimmed the article, but there wasn't much. Apparently, Shanks had been spotted sailing around in a ship called Red Force, and had amassed a powerful crew. No bounty yet, but Osa surmised it wouldn't be long.

Being careful not to rip the image, he gently tore it out and tossed the rest into the can. While it was only an image, it was the first thing he had seen of Shanks in years now. It wouldn't help Osa in his attempts to forget the red-haired pirate, but he couldn't help it.

Carefully folding the image, he tucked it into his boot as he dressed. And tried to avoid thinking about the mess he had woken up to.

Thinking about his new training regime, he winced as he remembered the news of another recruit. Terrifying, with a blood-thirsty demeanor already, Rob Lucci was a force he didn't want to encounter. He was only ten or so, but luckily Osa was going to train on a ship with someone instead of the secret location for Cipher Pol. At least, he hoped so.

He didn't bother packing anything. There was only one thing he wanted to bring and it was already tucked in his boot.

His footsteps echoed down the hall slowly, his mind on the red-haired pirate that refused to leave his mind. He did remember thinking about Shanks the night before, briefly, but nothing else. And he had a vague notion of dreaming about Loguetown.

What was it about Shanks that stuck in his head? He hadn't heard anything about him for three years now, but he had been seen with a powerful crew? Osa remembered he had wanted that when they last saw each other. Osa felt a small glimmer of happiness that Shanks was getting what he wanted.

"Osa!" Osa jumped back as Yurai clapped in front of his face, his fur bushed out and bristling. "Seriously, are you okay? I just called your name three times!"

Osa shrugged, forcing his fur back. "Just thinking."

"About Luca?" Yurai's gaze was carefully blank, but his anger curled out like a hiss.

Osa covered his eyes with his hands. "Oh, come on…I was drunk last night. I don't have any idea what happened! All I know is I was drinking, people were having fun, then I woke up with a hangover and Luca in my bed!"

Yurai's eyes widened. He took a step back. A hint of fear wafted from him.

Osa felt something bubble out before he could stop himself. "And all I can remember is dreaming about-" He snapped his jaws shut with an audible click and turned away.

It was quiet for a few moments, then Yurai sighed. "You still think about that mystery crush of yours, don't you? From Loguetown?"

Osa nodded, feeling his face grow warm. "I've never been able to get him out of my head." A crush. And of course, on the one person he couldn't ever encounter, not without some kind of bad ending.

Yurai sighed. "Maybe it's good you're leaving." He glared back when Osa shot him a heated look. "I'm serious. Luca was happy when she came onto you and you responded." He paused and his gaze grew darker. "I met her coming out of the room. She was…" His voice trailed off, but Osa guessed what he would say.

He sighed. "Yea, it's probably a good thing then."

Yurai grunted. "Who was that mystery crush, anyway? You never said."

Osa flattened his ears, his tail twitching quickly. "I-I didn't get his name." He mentally cursed himself. He would have to control that. Despite having the issue for all his life, since eating the fruit, he still had issues with it.

"You're lying." Yurai suddenly reached down and before Osa could stop him, he had plucked the folded-up image from his boot. "I knew they had to be a pirate, considering you always seem reluctant to go after them, but is this who it is?"

Osa grabbed the paper before Yurai could unfold it. "Stop! Okay, yes, they were a pirate." He mentally snarled at himself. The corner must've been sticking out, or Yurai's observation haki was getting better. "Just…I know I won't ever see him again, so I saved this for now." A lame attempt at a cover-up.

Yurai shook his head, his lip curling up. "Even if you find him again, you know you'll have to catch him." The anger on his face got harder, his eyes glittering harshly.

Osa said nothing, just carefully stuck the paper deeper into his boot.

"Fine." Osa looked up to see Yurai glaring at him. "I just hope that if you do encounter him, you make the right choice." He shoved past Osa roughly, heading back to the barrack rooms.

Osa sighed, catching himself against the wall. He really needed to push Shanks out of his mind. Yurai was right. If Osa saw Shanks, he would have to catch him.

Or worse.

Shaking his head, he headed for the docks. But he knew he wouldn't be able to erase Shanks from his mind, especially now.