(Bellamy POV)
"How are you feeling?"
"Like shit, captain. Sarquiss kept me up all night." Lily replies, letting herself droop over the railing of the ship.
"Yeah, it did sound like it."
"Oh, you heard that?"
"It was difficult not to with all the noises you two were making. These old walls aren't exactly soundproof." I say, tapping the wood a few times. "Though Iceburg did promise that our new ship will be different."
"Well, I fucking hope so. This is bloody embarrassing to be honest." She sure doesn't look like it. Her face tone hasn't changed a single bit.
"Nothing to be embarrassed about. You're both adults and in a not so secret relationship. Just try and be mindful of Aisa, ok? We don't want her getting the wrong impression of us." Its only after mentioning our newest chibi, that I am treated to the rare sight of a tomato red Lily. Hadn't thought of her, had you?
"…hopefully she didn't hear anything. Sarquiss is going to be mortified."
"He should be, losing control like that. That isn't what I expect from my first mate." I say, trying to make a joke. I think it fell flat from how she nods along in serious agreement.
"I'll let him know. It's probably better if I tell him off than have you do it. His ego is…fragile after last night."
"Oof, that bad?"
"You wouldn't think that with how he usually acts, right?"
"No, he always did do his best to act cool and composed, but people are complicated. It isn't too surprising for him to have other facets to him."
"Not that I disagree, but still…it was really out of character."
"One could also flip the argument and say that maybe that's what he is like, deep inside?"
"Oh, dear heavens, no! One night like that is enough for a lifetime."
"…does he know your feelings on the matter? I know this is meant to be private between the two of you, but this has the potential to…break my first mate."
"No…I didn't show it, I think. I tried to be understanding at first, and wasn't that fucking difficult, but later on it was more 'lean back and think of England'."
"…lean back and think of England?" England? What England?
"Yeah. Something my mother told me. Apparently, it's a saying passed down through the family since before the void century. Not sure what England is either, but the phrase means that one has to endure and mentally detach oneself from an unpleasant task."
"That's certainly an…interesting phrase." England existed before the void century? But the geography is all different. Perhaps something to ask Robin about on our next den den mushi call.
"Mother had a crap ton of these, which she would throw out every so often. Be a lady this and a lady that. Fuck that. I'm a pirate and I'm free just the way I like it."
"I do think that you should talk to Sarquiss. I can't imagine that it's advantageous for a healthy relationship if you aren't open about your feelings on this matter."
"You think so?"
"Yup." Wow, I'm giving out good relationship advice to a pirate. Who would have thought? "I'm sure you'll do fine, but if possible, try and spare his feelings?"
"Like what? Make him feel manly when he wasn't?" I have to hide a wince. Jeesh, that was brutal.
"I know things started flowing near instantly, but it isn't necessarily a bad thing…"
"It got freaking everywhere! My clothes, my face…MY FUCKING HAIR!" Yeah, it's a wonder that she didn't blow up right then and there. Lily loves her own hair, spending hours grooming it. Getting it dirty is not a crime easily forgiven or forgotten, not even for Sarquiss.
"It looks fine now? Obviously it washed off." Immediately I knew I had made a mistake. Put a shoe in my mouth as it were, dug my own grave.
"BECAUSE I SPENT TWO HOURS SCRUBBING IT WITH SHAMPOO! And I can still SMELL it!"
"Two Hours?" I didn't squeak. I definitely didn't squeak. Lily is scary when she's angry.
"Do you know how hard it is to get snot out of one's hair? And my favorite shirt is ruined as well!" She fumes, making odd strangling motions with her hands. I'm not sure if she's imagining myself or Sarquiss and I'm not sure if I want to know.
"I'm sorry?"
"He just wouldn't stop crying!" she exclaimed, waving her arms in frustration. "He was all fine and dandy acting cool during the meeting. It was stupid and I hate him for it, but I also thought him very impressive stepping up to take one for the crew."
That had been a very surprising turn of events last evening. I know that it was objectively the best option but I won't be forgetting that moment of horror any time soon, a moment where I watched and waited for Sarquiss to start smiling like a loon.
Thankfully, that didn't happen, but it's not something I wish to experience again. I should also punish Sarquiss for disobeying a direct order, but I find myself unwilling to, considering his motives. Also, he was the most scared person there and probably felt my terror times three, which should be punishment enough.
"I'm amazed he held it together long enough for you to get him to his room."
"He broke down bawling the moment I closed the door before crying about how scared he had been and how weird he looks now. He only calmed down slightly after I let him hug me."
"That was him calming down?"
"Incredible, wasn't it? Think about how it felt in my position. My hearing is half gone." Lily sighs. "Though, I can understand him a little. This wasn't an enemy he could stab or run away from once he crossed the line. The helplessness probably made it worse."
"Undoubtedly. But he still took the risk despite his fear and I think that was very brave of him. Manly even." I reply doing my best to defend my first mate.
"It really was, wasn't it?" she smiles, before we both lapse into silence.
"Lily, how is he?"
"Doing better now that he had time to process things. It's not going to be easy but he assured me that he would be fine."
"And you belive him?"
"One hundred fucking percent, captain. My shithead wouldn't lie to me." Good.
If the first piece of good news was that Sarquiss had become a 'gifter' after eating the SMILE, the second piece of the day came from Muret. Nero had woken up.
Our meeting went well from the very beginning.
"Why am I here, pirate?"
"Because we rescued you, obviously. Don't you remember anything?"
Of course, he was slightly disorientated at the start, but so would anyone if they had spent god knows how long in a drugged up coma.
"I…I washed ashore after being thrown overboard by Lucci…"
"You washed ashore on St. Poplar where you were found by the drug baron Crack A. Barrel, who planned on drugging you up to your non-existent gills to turn you into a puppet of his will."
"…you serious?"
But upon hearing of our daring rescue and his barely averted fate, Nero was tremendously grateful.
"Very. Can't ask Crack unfortunately, cause Doflamingo took him, but I wouldn't crack jokes about something like this."
"That pun was horrible and you should be ashamed. Go crawl into a hole and die."
He was even more grateful when we offered to shelter him until he got his life back together.
"You want to…recruit me? Into a pirate crew?"
"Well, recruit is such a strong word…hire is better. I wish to hire you."
Though there was a slight bit of emotion involved when he came to grips with the fact that his old life was effectively gone.
"You must be mad if you think I'll ever join a dirty pirate. I'm a member of the CP9!"
"Former."
"What?"
"You are a former member of the CP9 who by his own admission was stabbed in the back and kicked out by his comrades."
"Gaaah!"
But once he calmed down, I calmly made my hiring pitch and he seemed very taken by my arguments.
"Are you BLACKMAILING me?"
"No, of course not! Who do you take me for? The government?"
"Then what is this?"
"Looks like they are pictures of a former CP9 agent receiving state of the art medical care from a qualified doctor…who happens to be a pirate. I'm sure it's all innocent and no fault of your own but what will your former boss think?"
"You…you…you! I'll gut you like a…"
"I'd be careful though. Pirates aren't known for being very good with paperwork, so things tend to go missing. I hear the press is fond of digging through trash bins for their articles."
"...you filthy...pirate!"
It took a while for us to hash out a reasonable contract. He had demands and I had demands but that's what negotiations are all about anyway.
"You're paying me how much?"
"Exactly what's written in the contract. Are you dissatisfied?"
"No, this is like ten times my annual salary!"
"We also offer prime medical care around the clock as needed, state of the art combat equipment and promise not to stab you in the back."
"…do you need to keep reminding me?"
"Yes, it's a key component of what makes our offer so attractive."
After the salary was agreed upon, we moved on to Nero's responsibilities. Being the intelligent man he was, he quickly realized why I was attempting to hire him and was eager to get to work.
"You want me to teach your crew the rokushiki."
"That's correct. Oh, and me too. Can't forget that."
"You are aware that the world government is going to kill me if I do, right?"
"They are going to kill you anyway, once for being useless, twice for desertion, thrice for colluding with the enemy and lastly because they failed to kill you for the first three. What do you have to lose?"
But after a lot of haggling, debating and essentially discussing terms, we managed to reach a satisfactory agreement and I had my new rokushiki instructor.
"Welcome aboard, Mr. Nero."
"…this is just temporary."
"Of course. Once the contract is fulfilled, you are free to leave at any time. You aren't a prisoner."
"And the pictures?"
"What pictures?"
"…"
The Shandian Chief, Iceburg, Crack, Doffy and now Nero. I might be really talented at this negotiation thing.
Its nearly noon when Sarquiss reemerges from his cabin with a his coat closed at the front and a one of Ross' caps on his head.
"Hello Sarquiss, how are you holding up?"
"Better, captain." He says, trying to shield his eyes from the sun. "Was the sun always this bright?"
"Not any more than usual. Maybe you stayed inside too long." Be casual. Got to be casual.
"Don't think that's it. I hadn't noticed it until now, but everything looks a bit different too. Clearer or sharper."
"You think it's the fruit?" Its then that I can see what he has hidden behind his hand…eyes which do not belong in a human face. The multifaceted eyes of an insect blown up in size.
"Yeah. It's not just my sight that's changed." Despite the initial surprise, I'm proud and grateful that my crew shows no signs of revulsion. "The air feels different. Almost like I can feel vibrations every time someone moves."
"You mean you can feel this?" In fact, people are trying to act like normal, exemplified by how Hewitt starts wiggling and shaking his body and arms.
"Yes Hewitt, I can feel you waving something back there." Despite the semblance of annoyance, there is a tangible air of relief around Sarquiss. Lily had told me that he had spent the night crying, something which we had all heard. I imagine one of the worst fears would have been concerning the reactions of our crew to his new appearance.
Though, if we're only looking at abilities, his new senses are really impressive and potentially very useful, though it seems a little similar to kenbunshoku haki. Whether or not this will aid him in his haki training remains to be seen, but for now its not a bad ability to have.
"What are your new abilities anyway, Sarquiss?" I ask pulling Sarquiss a bit back before he can strangle Hewitt. In doing so, I can't help but notice a bulge underneath his clothes.
"Maybe it's best if I just show you." He replies, whipping his fur coat off and throwing it to the side to reveal his new form. My first thought was that he hadn't grown a new set of limbs.
Second, the bulge I'd felt had been the new addition to his body. A black and yellow striped insectoid abdomen was growing out of his lower back, though it was a lot smaller in proportion than it should have been on an insect his size.
Keeping on with the theme, he's also gained two pairs of translucent wings on his back, one pair significantly longer than the other, both of which had been covered up by his coat. His wrists also grown some fuzzy fur-like like substance on a black and gold carapace shaped like a wristband.
"Those wings…look almost like a bee or some sort of wasp." They seemed like the most…safe thing to comment on. I can feel my respect for Lily rising by the minute.
"I think so too, though I was thinking more along the lines of a hornet."
"Sarquiss is really close, captain." Muret chimes in, offering her two cents. "The wings and the markings are characteristic of the Great Northern Giant Hornet. We had several colonies near my home village, which would be a nuisance every year during breeding season."
"Great Northern Giant Hornet?"
"Yes, captain." She nods. "We had a few fatalities every year, so we needed to be able to recognize them on sight. Their stingers had some deadly neurotoxins, though I don't see stingers on Sarquiss."
"Stingers…like these?" Sarquiss asks as *SCHLINK* a pair of blades emerge from new wristbands. The first analogy I could think of were those hidden blades from the assassin order. They don't look a lot like stingers and they are in the wrong place, but they are definitely going to be easier to use than if something were to be coming out of his rear.
"Not quite what I was thinking of, but I guess? Does it hurt letting those out?"
"Not really." He says, sheathing and unsheathing his new stingers a few times. "And I think if I do…this!"
"Hey, watch it!" Ross hastily throws himself to the side as a stream of liquid shoots out of Sarquiss' stingers, through the space Ross had just been occupying and straight into the ocean. "Be careful where you aim those things…what the hell?"
We all rush to the railings and peer over the side in morbid fascination as fish start floating up to the surface of the ocean, belly up and gasping for air. I think Eddy summarized our collective thoughts best when he said, "Whelp, that's definitely a strong neurotoxin."
"…I'm going to be veeeery careful from now on." Sarquiss concludes, getting a collective nod from all of us.
"How did you not hurt yourself or more importantly Lily last night?" He should have lost control with how emotionally distressed he'd been. We really dodged a bullet there.
"I don't know for sure, but I think it was because I didn't want to?" he says, shrugging in a noncommittal manner.
"Wait a goddamn minute…YOU WANTED TO HURT ME?"
"Work on your control Sarquiss. We don't want accidents."
"Aye, aye captain." He says, giving me a lazy salute.
"Can we not ignore how he just implied that he wanted to hurt me?"
"What else can you do? I hope those wings aren't just for show."
"Going to try and find out now."
"Anyone?"
"Can you move them?"
"I can, actually. They feel really unnatural…but also natural like they've always been there if you know what I mean?
"I honestly don't, but sure. Do go on."
In lieu of replying, Sarquiss begins to focus, slightly curling in on himself as his new wings begin to move. Slowly at first but rapidly speeding up, a low humming fills the air, continually rising in pitch until eventually only buzzing remains.
"Look, guys! Look at his feet!"
Gradually, inch by inch my first mate starts levitating into the air before hovering a good two meters above deck.
Joyous laughter rings out across the waves as Sarquiss straightens up and takes in the view. It's hardly any different from mine, but I expect that it feels very different to Sarquiss.
"I can fly! Fly, I tell you!" And fly he does, turning this way, floating that way and even drawing a figure eight in the air. "Look at me, darling! I can fly!"
"Yes, I can see you fly, shithead! And don't call me darling!" But despite her fist waving, Lily also has a giant grin plastered on her face. If Sarquiss had been the one under the most stress from last nights events, Lily was a close second with me coming in a distant third. Even if things turned out well, watching your loved on sacrifice himself before your very eyes is a nightmare come true.
Even if he no longer looks fully human, this is one of the best case scenarios I could have imagined and it's heartwarming to see my Crew try and succeed in seeing the bright side of things, most of all Sarquiss.
The laughter and the joy is infectious, our whole crew joining in, barring Nero. Fuza takes to the air as well with Rivers on his back, almost as if he wants to guide a new fledgling on his maiden flight. Then two become three as Aisa joins in, flying circles around them both. When had she learned to do that?
Soon, it has turned into an acrobatic show as Sarquiss tests out his newly gained aerial freedom, somersaulting and diving through the air. He even starts to sing...badly I might add.
"I believe I can fly~"
Wait, I recognize that…we all wince as Sarquiss is taught a lesson by our mast as to why one should not to look away from where one is flying. That…looked like it hurt.
Then to add insult to injury, a newscoo drops a stack of newspapers on my fallen crewmate before flying off. And in a deliberately showy manner too.
"Hey captain," Mani calls out from where she's leafing through the paper. "The new bounties are up!"
Author's note:
Sarquiss became a gifter so...yay?
His abilities are based on the Asian Giant Hornet and with time, he should be able to freely manipulate his own transformation.
Sarquiss always had been focused more on agility than strength so I thought this would complement his abilities quite well.
P.S. as always comments and discussions make me write faster.