Shanks

Fesru Island was beautiful, but the small bay would have to do. Glancing around, Shanks was confident that the large Navy base on the other side of the island wouldn't find them. Not unless they came charging through the forest, at least.

Gripping his sword loosely, he gazed at the forest across the beach. The sun had just cleared the horizon and the thick smell of greenery and earth mingled with the saltwater air.

"Boss, how long are we staying?" Ben walked up in that moment, sitting down the crate he was carrying.

Shanks waited a moment before answering, forcing himself to look away from the forest. "A month, maybe two. With the Navy on this island, I don't think it would be a good idea to stay any longer than that."

Ben nodded and headed back to the ship as Yassop approached. "Boss, we may not have enough meat."

The two men glanced over at Lucky Roux at the same moment, and Shanks smiled, shaking his head. "You may be right. If we need to, we can start hunting. The forest is thick, they won't notice us if we use traps. Can you set those up if we need them?"

Yassop nodded and walked off, leaving Shanks alone for the moment.

He turned back to the forest. There was a fleeting feeling, something he couldn't quite name, as he peered into the shadows. He couldn't understand it, but he felt like there was something here that was…maybe important? Something he needed to find? He gripped his sword tighter, but strangely felt no threat from here.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sounds of pirates drinking or eating came from behind. The crackling of the fire mixed with the sounds of the forest, but Shanks remained at the edge of the camp, staring into the shadows of the trees, lost in thought.

"Boss," Ben called out, breaking his reverie. "You coming to eat?"

Shanks blinked a few times and looked over. "Yeah, I'll be right there." He glanced back at the forest one last time, the strange feeling not fading. There was something here, something important. He just didn't know what it was yet.

The crew was already settling down when Shanks wandered back over.

"Everything alright?" Ben asked.

Shanks shrugged. "Yeah, just got a weird feeling about this place." He grabbed some foot, but ignored the offered sake for once.

Yassop and Roux glanced at him. Hongo glanced at the forest. "Do you think we should leave?"

Shanks shook his head. "No, but just be careful if you go into the trees."

Ben frowned and exchanged looks with Yassop before turning to Shanks. "Think there's something dangerous here?" He didn't look concerned, but Shanks knew he was.

"No. Whatever's here isn't dangerous. I can tell that much." Shanks knew the crew would be confused, but he had no answer himself. "But we shouldn't throw any parties like we usually do."

Ben nodded grimly. "No sense in letting the Navy know we're here."

After setting up a watch schedule, Shanks laid down on the beach but couldn't sleep. He stared at the sky, watching the moon slowly slide across his vision.

What was it about this place? None of the others seemed as bothered as he was. And whatever it was, it was almost nagging at the edge of his haki. Sighing, he tried to sleep but knew it would be futile.

The next month passed with no incident, but not once could he shake that feeling. The crew wasn't restless, despite not having any kind of big party, but Shanks knew they were getting worried about him. Several times, Ben had found him staring into the forest, and Hongo had even checked Shanks over to make sure he wasn't getting sick.

Shanks finally decided to take a break from them. The feeling was much stronger today and he'd been on edge all morning. Shanks waved Yassop and Roux off as headed away from camp. They had offered to come with him, but he wanted to be alone for a minute. "I'm fine. I'm just going for a walk down the beach."

He hadn't gone far when he remembered the traps. A week prior, Yassop had placed several big ones not too far into the woods; maybe Shanks would check them.

The forest was quiet, as usual. Morning light filtered through the trees and Shanks glanced at the dappled shadows every few steps. Despite the feeling growing stronger, he felt a calm steal over him as he walked.

Shanks made his way slowly towards the area they had chosen for a few of their snares, but slowed as he got closer. There were no animal sounds, which he found odd, but then again, they probably knew they might get caught around here. These animals were hunted or caught by Celestial Dragons occasionally, after all. But there weren't even any birds.

Weird.

He stopped by the first one; it was still set, nothing had come near it. There were multiple tracks a few feet into the trees, but they all avoided this little clearing. The second one was snapped from something breaking out. Shanks noted the deer prints, but it had been running. A large scuffed place showed that something had fallen, and maybe struggled? Indistinct footprints were laid atop the deer's, but it was too difficult to make them out.

By the third, he was thinking about heading back when he heard the growls.

He unsheathed his sword, but quickly realized that whatever was growling wasn't growling at him. There was a strange scuffling noise, but when he heard the clang!, he shot through the bushes.

A low roar interrupted him and slammed to a stop. He gazed at the feline lying between two iron traps a few feet away, his eyes wide. A hind and front paw were each caught, while the others raked furrows into the heavily scuffed ground. Excessive movement in either direction risked removing a foot or inflicting severe pain at the least. Its tail lashing, swiping at the traps as best as it could, it didn't seem to have noticed him yet. Its pelt was filthy from blood, mud, and who knew what else. He couldn't tell what kind of cat it was, but it was large and lean.

Shanks backed away quickly. They didn't hunt predators usually, but even if they did, he wouldn't be tempted by this one. Caught in two traps at once? That was cruel. Silently, he swiftly darted back through the forest. He wasn't entirely familiar with this island, but he hadn't heard of any cats roaming the woods before.

Emerging onto the beach, he saw several of the crew look up in alarm as he almost skidded to a stop in the sand. "Hongo, Ben, I need your help."

The two men raced over. Ben glanced at the forest quickly. "What's wrong?"

"Celestial Dragon trapping. I found a big cat caught in two at once. I can't free it on my own." Shanks explained quickly, catching his breath. His observation haki was almost buzzing by this point. He tried to ignore it, but it was difficult.

Ben's gaze hardened and Hongo nodded. Behind them, the crew exchanged concerned glances. Shanks knew that most of them, if not all, would share his feelings about leaving the animal in such a state.

The three men took off, Shanks leading the way. As they got closer, he could hear the cat panting heavily, letting out a brief hiss every few seconds. Shanks motioned for them to stop before they crept slowly through the bushes.

Shanks heard Ben grit his teeth and Hongo gasp as they caught sight of it. Its head was lolled back now, its chest heaving. The hissing had stopped, but Shanks couldn't ignore the alarm sparking through him. Blood leaked from both trapped paws, but slowly. Its tail was limp, stretching out behind it.

"Boss, it's been here for a day, maybe two." Hongo said quietly.

Shanks glanced at him. "One of our snares was broken. Maybe the cat got caught, then ran this way after escaping?" He trusted the doctor's assessment and knew they would need to free it as quickly as possible. Not that he wouldn't have before, but at least a day? They had to free it before it starved or was killed.

The big cat's tail lashed, its visible ear twitching. Shanks saw a shiver pass through its fur, but it didn't move.

"How are we going to free it?" Ben asked quietly.

Shanks watched the feline for a moment, thinking. "Two people need to release the traps at the same time, while someone else holds it down." They were large bear traps, with bars sticking on either side.

Ben gave him a sharp look. "Whoever does that will get scratched."

"It has to be you, Boss," Hongo said. "Your armament is better than ours."

Shanks bit back a sigh. He knew they were right, but this wouldn't be pleasant. "Alright. Ben, hind leg. Hongo, front. Wait for my signal."

Both men crept slowly until they were by the respective traps. Shanks circled around until he was positioned at the beast's shoulders. Its eyes were closed, its chest still heaving. Shanks tensed for a moment, then yelled, "Now!" Focusing his haki around his chest and arms, he leaped.

There was terrifying yowling roar, and the cat bucked just as Ben and Hongo released the traps. Shanks grunted with the effort of keeping it from throwing him off, feeling the lean muscles underneath its fur. It was powerful, something he wouldn't want to mess with on its good days.

It shot out from under him like a bullet in the next second, but collapsed after a few steps. Its paws skidded out from under it and the cat crashed heavily onto its side. A low yowl echoed in its throat, and suddenly it went limp.

Hongo and Ben stayed close behind Shanks as he approached the feline slowly. It didn't move as he walked up to it, and he reached out to touch its ear. He hoped it wasn't dead; that would be cruel as well, to die in the moment of freedom.

With a low growl, the large cat looked up and snapped its jaws barely an inch from Shanks' face before it froze. Its eyes went wide and it let out a small whimper. The ears flattened, and its breaths came in panting huffs.

"Boss?" Hongo laid a hand on Shanks' shoulder.

Shanks had frozen, then he slowly knelt and looked at the cat – no, the clouded leopard. Brilliant green eyes, a familiar intensity radiating through the silent gaze, the nick in the ear. Shanks reached out slowly. "Osa?"

There was low growl and the leopard's fur melted back, its limbs changing, and Osa gasped out, "Shanks…" before his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

Shanks couldn't hide his surprise.

"Osa? That marine you mentioned before?" Ben shot Shanks a look.

Shanks nodded, kneeling by Osa's inert form. "Yeah. No idea what he's doing here though…" And where Shanks was? But weirdly, that strange nervous feeling he'd had since landing was gone now. "Hongo, stay with me. I'll carry him back. Ben, go back and let them know we're going to have an unexpected guest."

Ben nodded as Shanks carefully picked Osa up. He was still skinny, but he could feel lean muscles under his skin. But how had Osa gotten out here? This far from the base?

"If he's Navy, someone will probably be looking for him." Hongo's words broke his thoughts.

Shanks paused, glancing at Osa's face. Unconscious, he looked younger. His hair was longer, and a light stubble covered his chin, but Shanks saw lines he knew only came from intense stress. "We'll ask him when he wakes up, but I'm not going to worry about that until then." Saying nothing more, he headed for the beach.

Osa

When he woke, the first thing he noticed was the black sky. The stars shone, but there was no moon. He blinked a few times, mentally feeling around his body. The pain surged through his body, causing him to groan and shut his eyes in agony.

"Hongo, get ready." It was Shanks. Despite being deeper, Osa would've recognized that voice anywhere. It was what made him stop his attack earlier.

Osa cracked one eye open to see the red-haired pirate sitting a few feet away. Nearby, a large fire was burning, sparks shooting through the air. Several other pirates were scattered around it. He could smell booze and food. Shanks got up and walked over, sitting where Osa could've reached him.

"Osa, I need you to drink this." Osa turned to see a lean man with dirty blonde hair on his other side, holding out a cup of something. The scent stung his nose; medicinal herbs. The man helped him lean up enough to drink the concoction, then laid him back down.

"Shanks…" Osa's voice cracked out. "What happened?" If he had felt better, he would've felt embarrassed by his lack of clothes; he had left them in a pile outside his window. At least he could feel a blanket had been thrown over his lower half.

"I need to ask you that," Shanks responded. "We found you caught between two bear traps." His voice barely concealed his shock.

Osa groaned as the memory came flooding back. "I was hunting, and I didn't know there would be traps out." He closed his eyes against the fresh wave of pain, mainly originating from his left foot.

There was a pause, then someone asked, "Hunting?"

Osa nodded once, wincing. "Yes. Sometimes I leave the base to hunt my own food."

Too late, he remembered that these were pirates. There was a low undercurrent of fear and anger, but then a tremendous energy shot out before the angry murmuring got louder. Osa shuddered from the powerful haki.

"Enough!" Shanks' voice rang out in the silence. He turned to Osa. "Does anyone know you're out here?"

Osa shook his head, hearing the hidden question. "I'm not due back for two weeks." Not entirely true, but he knew no one would come looking for at least that long.

Shanks glanced at someone out of sight, then looked back at Osa. "You won't be fit to move for a while, Osa. Hongo will have to treat you here until you can leave."

Hongo nodded. "Boss is right. While your hand is broken, that doesn't matter when you can't put any weight on your foot."

"How long until I can leave, then?" Osa did his best to keep the growl from his voice, but he could tell Hongo wasn't fooled…but he wasn't insulted either, at least.

"At least a week." The reply came immediately, but Osa could tell Hongo was lying.

And Osa knew why. He could feel it. The trap had crushed the bones. He would be lucky if he could even use his foot properly ever again. With a pang of both guilt and embarrassment, he realized that someone would most likely have to carry him back.

The crew murmured behind Shanks, but the captain ignored them. "We were waiting for you to wake. We need to move you to the ship." His words were measured, slow.

Osa's ears pricked at this. "Why there?"

"It'll be much easier to treat you there for one." Hongo answered. "And it will keep you out of sight in case someone comes looking." His voice was dark, but Osa understood the reason.

If someone came looking for him and found the Red-Haired pirates had him, there would be a fight. But he didn't mind. He knew they were just trying to protect themselves. He glanced at Shanks. "Alright."

Shanks glanced at the crew, then looked at someone out of sight again. "Ben, stay here. I'll take Osa to the ship for now. Tomorrow we'll talk about having someone watch him."

Osa wanted to bristle at this, but forced it down. He understood why Shanks wanted to do that, and part of him respected the captain for being so careful. But he couldn't hold back his gasp of pain as Shanks suddenly scooped him up, holding Osa against his chest.

Osa felt his hackles rise, but almost immediately, a fresh wave of pain thudded across his body. His ears flattened as he struggled to stay still. If he had been physically better, he was pretty sure Shanks would've been mauled already from his frantic attempts to escape.

As Shanks carried him towards his ship, Osa caught wind of the crew's muttering. None of them were happy about this, but he knew it couldn't be helped right now. After another few steps, his sole focus shifted to the intense pain in his hand and foot...and the steady heartbeat in the chest that held him.

There was a quiet sigh and Shanks spoke softly. "I should've guessed I would run into you eventually." He didn't sound annoyed at least. He almost sounded…pleased?

Osa didn't answer, but listened to Shanks' heartbeat. It drowned out Hongo's footsteps ahead of them, and the sounds from behind. It was strong and, strangely comforting. He shut his eyes, attempting to calm his breathing.

"But is that really how you got caught?" Shanks' question broke through his concentration. Glancing up, Osa saw Shanks was looking down at him. His dark eyes glittered with interest, and there was a grin tugging at the corner of his lips.

Osa looked away as his face burned. "I was chasing a deer, and it fell into this big trap. But when it broke free, I raced after it and when my front paw got caught, I landed bad and felt a second around my foot." He hadn't expected traps this far out, which is why he came here, but he was too hungry to just leave the deer. He hadn't eaten in four days now. Without thinking, he rested his head against Shanks' shoulder.

A deep chuckle shook Shanks' chest. "That explains how our trap broke." It was quiet for a moment as Shanks carefully carried him up the steep gangplank, then he spoke again, his tone turning serious. "I'll stay with you and Hongo tonight. I don't think the crew is going to trust either of us alone with you right now."

Osa closed his eyes as Shanks carried him through a doorway, then another. He couldn't resist wincing as Shanks laid him down on a surgeon's table after a few minutes.

"Osa, I'll have to change this before you rest." Hongo came up to him with a roll of bandages and a bottle of something that Osa guessed was antiseptic. "This'll hurt."

Shanks handed Osa a strip of thick leather, startling him. "Here. Bite down, it might help."

Osa nodded and stuck it between his teeth. Shanks moved behind him and Osa stiffened when he felt Shank's hands on his shoulders. Against his bare skin, the captain's hands were rough, but Osa found comfort in the steady grip.

His heart raced and he clenched the leather harder until his jaw ached. He tried to focus on his breathing, on whatever Hongo was doing, and not on the warmth on his shoulders.

Osa wasn't entirely prepared when Hongo unwrapped the bandage and screeched against the leather. A wave of agony raced through his body, but just before he blacked out, he felt something warm encircle his chest.