– Bellamy –
After we set sail from Sabaody, it was time for me to deal with an issue I had been putting off for a while now. The devil fruits.
Originally, we had found four within our cargo hold after the war and we hadn't initially known what to do with them. You'd think everyone would be eager to take a bite out of them, but my crew of nutjobs decided that they didn't want one. Or at least didn't know if they wanted one, so it was unanimously decided to postpone the decision.
During our second meeting on the subject, we brought in an incomplete fruit encyclopedia to help us decide, but the only fruit we could identify had been the Mini Mini no Mi, which surprise surprise, none of us wanted. It's a fantastic fruit if you are a giant with a giant's strength. It's less useful for a baseline human. As for the other three…
Muret flat out refused, saying that she wasn't a fighter, didn't want to be a fighter and eating a fruit seemed like she was giving up on that principle. I respected her decision. By pure coincidence, she was assigned triple self-defense lessons the following week.
Laki refused as well, citing that someone had to fish Aisa out of the sea if she were to ever fall overboard. I'm guessing those were her motherly instincts flaring up, which would not allow her to sit on the sidelines while someone else rescued her ward. Understandable really, even if I disagreed. The chances of Aisa being knocked overboard were minuscule in my opinion.
On his part, Eddy insisted on getting stronger without a fruit because, and I quote, "Hawkeye doesn't have a fruit and neither does Zoro". To that end, he's been badgering Izou for lessons in swordsmanship and when I last saw him, he was practicing the art of iaijutsu. Maybe I should introduce him to the wonders of the hiten mitsurugi ryu? Perhaps those two can reverse engineer something? It would be pretty amazing if they could.
Ross declined citing allergies to all four types of fruit, though I have seen him eat the non-devil-fruit versions in the past with no side effects. To be honest, I think the poor lad is just frightened of falling into the water and drowning. The flip side of the coin would be that Ross felt confident he'd become strong enough without a fruit to not have to fear for his life, which is a good sign.
Of course, because Ross said no, so did Hewitt. I like that they have this rivalry of theirs pushing each other to get stronger, but in cases like this I feel as if it's holding them back. There is no need not to take a powerup to "keep things fair". Then again, if they can work past this and break through the glass ceiling, they'll be all the more stronger for it, so I can't really complain.
Finally, Nero did look briefly interested, but then shook his head, declaring that he wouldn't seek another way to get stronger, without mastering the rokushiki first. Just like Lucci. I mean, he has gotten the basics down for all six, so he's definitely on his way there.
Which left Rivers, Mani and Lily as the only ones who had shown even the slightest interest. Three people, four fruits…well three fruits once you took the Mini Mini no Mi out of the equation. But Rivers refused to eat a fruit that didn't grant the power of flight, Mani wanted something that would help her hide or run away and Lily, well Lily did want one but preferred it to be a zoan to match her boyfriend.
Rivers eventually withdrew his request for a fruit, deciding that learning how to use new devil fruit powers on top of his haki training and his excercises with Fuza was going to be too much for him to handle. Though, he did mention that he may change his mind if something "amazing" turned up.
Hence, we had decided to give two fruits away to Urouge and Bonney, having drawn straws for which of the four we were gifting to my peers.
Which brought us to the present situation.
"Why won't you two, please just take the bloody fruits?" I was this close to tearing my hair out. Why, oh why did my crew have to be this stubborn and obstinate? "It's a devil fruit. You get new abilities, none of which are useless."
"But what if it's fucking boring power? Or worse, something disgusting? Like turning into a snail. Or slimy slime." Lily whines as Mani nods her head in agreement.
You know, I could have sworn that before we went to Skypiea, all of them would have jumped at the opportunity presented before them. That they aren't is some of the clearest evidence of the growth they had undergone over the course of our travels. For one, on Marineford they had all seen that one could be strong without a fruit and were busy exploring their personal paths to power, a luxury that they didn't have before.
"If you don't like the power, you don't have to use it. But surely, it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it?"
"Captain? Are you saying that we can't be strong without relying on something like that? How could you?" Mani says, putting on an affronted expression.
"Bloody hell, Mani. Please tell me you're joking." I say, palming my face. "I'm positive that my actions so far speak louder than any words at this point."
"But, captain~ actions can't speak. They're just not built that way." In response, I give Mani the flattest look I can manage. It's not that difficult. I could literally feel my soul dying when I heard that.
"Any. Other. Issues? Ones that are actually relevant, perhaps?" I grit out.
"But what if I eat this and it's not the right one for me? The right one could just be an island away, and I would have settled for something less than perfect." Mani flutters her eyelashes at me. Why is she fluttering her eyelashes at me? I saw her sucking Rivers' soul out of his mouth this morning. And last night. Among other things. "I would be ever so sad~"
"Don't worry, Mani. I'll…"
"Rivers. If the next words that come out of your mouth are anything along the lines of 'I'll comfort you, Mani', I swear on all that's holy, I'm throwing you overboard." I promise and Rivers predictably shuts up. Though, it doesn't stop Mani and him from grinning though. I fucking knew she was having me on, nobody with even half a brain speaks like that.
"Don't worry Rivers. I'll protect you from the mean captain and comfort your feelings, all. Night. Long." Cue a wink and kisses. Oh, dear heavens. Ever since that one time Rivers had helped Mani overcome her survivor's guilt after Skypiea, they'd started getting closer and closer…with displays of affection, ever increasing in both frequency and teeth rotting sweetness.
"Mani. Do you or do you not, want one of these devil fruits?" Patience, Bellamy. Patience is a virtue. Then again, I'm a pirate. Do I need virtue?
Briefly, a more serious expression flits across her face, as she taps her chin in thought. "I think I'll pass this time. I'd rather not gamble on some fruit we don't know the identity of. After all, it's not like we can't get another fruit if we want to, right?"
At least it's a straight answer, though not one I had wanted. Blearily, I turn my head towards the final member of my crew who hasn't decided yet. "What about you, Lily?"
"I guess someone should take some pity on our poor captain. He might start crying otherwise." Excusé moi? Lily ignores my outrage, lackadaisically throwing the two fruits up and down in her hands. "I suppose I could do you the favor and eat one of these for you. Oi, Shithead, which one do you think I should eat?"
"Whichever one you want, darling."
"Don't call me darling, Shithead!"
"Then don't call me shithead, darling."
"It's a term of endearment! The others are dickheads. Your Shithead." Didn't she call us all both on a whim before? I'm pretty sure this distinction hadn't existed until now.
"So is darling, darling. It's a widely accepted and beloved term of endearment."
"Get a bloody room!" Hewitt jeers from the side, where he was cutting up apples for Aisa. "You can make up and f…"
"Hewitt. Language." Muret warns, brandishing a syringe full of some unidentified liquid before Hewitt can contaminate Aisa's innocent ears.
"…make up and be friendly with each other later." Hewitt finishes lamely, scooting away from our doctor. Funkfreed gently but firmly nudges him back.
"Just, choose one. They both taste disgusting."
"Ah, ah, ah. What's the magic word?" Lily wags a finger at me. Nero is stifling a giggle, as is Laki. Traitors. Where did the respect go?
"I could have sworn my crew was intimidated by me before. What happened?"
"Well~ captain, if you wanted us to be intimidated, you shouldn't have given out so many head pats." Laki answers with a teasing smile.
"Uh-huh. Bellamy gives the best head pats." Et tu Aisa?
"Nor offer a shoulder to cry on." Mani pipes up.
"Nor be such a good listener." Eddy adds.
"Nor create a nice and familial atmosphere on the ship." Muret grins.
"So, you only have yourself to blame, really."
"But we like and respect you anyways. Aren't you happy?"
Traitors. All of them. But I know when I am beaten and opt to withdraw from the field with the tattered remains of my dignity.
"Please, choose a fruit and swallow it, Lily. Preferably sometime today so I can go and fight something before dinner." I think Izou was free.
"A strawberry does sound nice." Lily says, putting the apple down. "See, isn't everything better if you use please and thank you?"
It's only when I start making choking noises, that she pops the strawberry into her mouth.
"Uh, you're not supposed to chew that."
"BY ALL THAT'S HOLY, THIS IS DISGUSTING!"
So now, we had a leftover fruit that no one on my crew wanted. So, rather than let it rot in my hold, I decided to walk around and see if someone else wanted it. After a lot of searching, I finally ended up talking to our two…passengers.
"How are you two doing? I probably should have checked up on you sooner, but unfortunately things have been rather…hectic."
"Don't worry about it, captain. That's nothing when compared to what you've already done for us. Who knows what would have happened to Marie if you hadn't rescued her back then." Judy replies, though the man is really stiff. Looking at him, I decide that I prefer my crew's familial casualness than this high strung nervousness.
"Yes, thank you very much, not only for saving us from that…pig, but also for treating my Judy's wounds. We owe you our lives." Marie on the other hand isn't stiff but her eyes are shining as if she's meeting her favorite celebrity. With his fiancée in excited fangirl mode, some of that spreads to Judy, thankfully relaxing the man enough to participate actively in the conversation instead of clamming up.
"And your crew has been really friendly and helpful. Miss Laki has been teaching me about how to use dials. I didn't know shells like this could exist!" Honestly, that's a smart choice for someone who doesn't have the muscle required to use a standard weapon effectively. Well, aside from an impact dial, but one doesn't have to use those. I'm also pretty sure that Laki has been teaching him marksmanship as well to keep him alive.
"And Dr. Muret is so knowledgeable about medicine. She is so amazing and I'm learning so much from her. She even let me practice shooting someone with a tranquilizer gun!" Muret? What are you teaching this woman?
"Well, I'm glad you're both doing ok. Though I do feel as if I need to ask you this. What are your plans going forward?" I ask, which brings the mood spiralling down, but this has to be asked.
"…we can't return home. None of our neighbors would welcome us back, not once it becomes known that a world noble wanted to enslave Marie. We'd be lucky if they didn't hand us over to the bastards themselves." Judy murmurs, staring intently down at his shoes.
"We can drop you off somewhere else where you can start a new life. If being within the territory of the world government is too risky, I'm sure the Revolutionary Army can accommodate you." I offer. It hadn't really been my choice to bring these two along, but now that I had, I felt as if I had some responsibility to ensure their wellbeing. If nothing else, Laki would be disappointed if I didn't. But apparently, they didn't like my proposed solutions, as they kept exchanging nervous glances with each other. Eventually, it was Judy who spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.
"…we had been hoping to keep sailing with you, captain."
"We'll do anything. I'm a skilled nurse and Judy can do manual labor at the very least. I promise we'll pull our own weight."
I suppose this was to be expected. People who had gone through a traumatic experience, tended to become attached to their "safe spaces", no matter how objectively dangerous those safe spaces were. In rescuing them, housing them and displaying strength at Marineford, we had only fostered that sense of security. Unfortunately for their hopes and dreams, I couldn't in good conscience let them come with us.
"I'm afraid, that isn't going to be possible." I say, getting two soul-crushing looks in return. "Frankly speaking, both of you are too weak to be anything other than a burden in the situations we're likely to find ourselves in in the near future. We simply can't spare the resources to deal with those dangers while protecting the two of you."
"Couldn't you train us so that we wouldn't be a burden?" Marie looks like I told her Santa wasn't real. Like a wet kitten.
"Until now, we hadn't been getting the amount of attention we are likely to get going forward. After all, we did make quite the splash at Marineford and both the navy and the government are going to start sending stronger and stronger enemies after us in the future. Hence, I need to get my crew up to par quickly and I'm already thinly stretched as it is."
"Then…what are we supposed to do now?" Marie looks so lost, giving off such a forlorn sight that Judy can't help but hug her.
"I…do have a third option, though that is going to be more dangerous than settling down somewhere else." I say, inserting a little big of deliberate hesitancy into my voice as bait.
"What is it?" Marie takes the bait without hesitation.
"Captain Byron has offered to take you two under his wing once he forms his own crew. In all likelihood, he is going to have less scrutiny on him than I do, especially because we did have him wear a costume during his performance. You'd be left more or less in peace by the marines and could use the time to get strong enough to survive." I explain, "And as Captain Byron is going to be my affiliate, that would associate you both to me by proxy and hence, place you under my protection despite not being a direct member of my crew. You'll be safer that way."
"You're not kicking us out?"
"No. But I am suggesting that you find a safer berth until you can handle the perils that come with being a pirate."
The two of them confer with each other for a while in a hurried and whispered conversation, while I start counting imaginary sheep in an effort to distract and therefore prevent myself from eavesdropping. After some time, a conclusion is reached and the pair turns back to me with a determined expression.
"We'll take the third option, please."
"Are you sure? Being a pirate is not a safe way of life."
"Captain, we weren't safe since the moment that fat pig laid his eyes on me." Marie's voice drips with vitriol as she mentions the world noble who had upended her life. "Rather than hide away, I want to get strong enough so something like this can never happen again."
"And where she goes, I go." Judy continues with a steely gaze. "I failed to protect Marie once. I do not want to fail her again."
"Well in that case…" Pulling out a small casket, I place it on the coffee table between us. "Allow me to give you a little leg up."
"You're giving this…to us?" Judy gasps out, after seeing the contents held within.
"Choose who among the two of you is going to take this. You can also decide to sell it if neither of you don't want it, but looking at you now, I don't think you'll choose that option."
"Thank you, captain." Marie gently clasps hands with her fiancé, who softly squeezes back. "If you ever have need of us, just say the word."
I nod at her in acknowledgement before getting up and heading for the door. "I'll go tell Byron that both of you accepted. See you two around."
And with that I leave the two alone to go and find my fellow captain in order to tell him I succeeded in fulfilling his request. Convincing those two had been easier than expected, but now Byron owed me…well owed me more than he already did. They may not be the best members to start a grandline crew with, but they were two desperate people who had no other acceptable options, which usually translated into superhuman effort and drive. Personally, I'd be surprised if someone burning with the desire to hurt a world noble like Marie didn't get strong enough to survive the grandline by the time the time skip period ended. Muret had told me she was worried for the girl, but I'm sure she'd be fine. At this point, any motivation was better than no motivation.
When I reach the upper deck, the air is pierced by the sound of Marie gagging and retching. "THIS TASTES DISGUSTING!"
Well, that didn't take them long to decide.
Author's note:
A slower chapter, but one which I hope gives a little more insight into the character of the various crew members.
Also, this finally ties up the two loose ends that Marie and Judy had been and giving Byron something to start with.
Again, thank you all for the wonderful fruit ideas!
P.S. as always, likes and comments make me write faster.