This chapter was edited by Gladiusx and Reiter!
"And I slept through all of this?"
Percy did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had not even felt a single jolt or heard anything as he slept — whoever had put him to bed had closed the door and windows, giving him a superbly comfortable sleep. He did recall Tyson mentioning that Poseidon had the Captain's Quarters soundproofed, but this was ridiculous!
"Yes, Brother. You missed out on a lot of good fighting."
They were on the battered main deck of the pirate's ship, and Percy looked around him. The ship was completely deserted now that most of the surviving pirates had jumped overboard and were swimming towards the island — many of them would drown, but he felt no obligation to help them. The few wounded that remained were finished off and dumped in the sea. It was a nasty business, executing the injured like that, but it was a mercy of sorts as they had no capacity to hold them prisoner, and many of them were already dying courtesy of missing limbs or blood loss. Gwen and Leo, along with an awake Rachel and Reyna, were exploring the ship for loot while Hylla made sure their only prisoner did not die from her wounds back on their ship.
And speaking of, a fucking furry of all things? At least she was a natural one and not some fake wannabe like the ones at Chuck E. Cheese that creeped him out, though those were probably actual monsters in disguise. Even Leo was flabbergasted, as he had never known such a race of people existed. Percy shook his head as he looked down from the railings; it showed how large this world truly was if a well-educated prince like Leo did not know about an entire race of people.
"Just how did I not wake up when the ships collided?!"
Percy finally exploded as he gazed at the sorry state of his ship, his mother's namesake. The wooden figurehead, gilded with gold and silver, was gone, shattered into a million pieces; hopefully, Lady Amphitrite would not feel insulted if she could see this. Repairing the bowsprit and Jibboom was simple as they were designed to be easily removed and refitted at any time, yet they would still be time-consuming and needed special spars as well as thicker cordage that he hoped to salvage from the pirate ship. Then, they would need to refasten the forestays, although Percy was tempted to forgo a Jibboom in the first place; just the bowsprit was enough as the ship was plenty fast as it was.
Perhaps install a ram to avoid a similar situation?
He turned to his now clean brother; Percy had no wish to stand in a slaughterhouse, especially with all the blood and gore giving off an overwhelming stench — the sea was full of sharks circling the ships from it. Discovering he could use his water bending to control blood was strange, to say the least, especially as he used it for cleaning — it was not perfect as blood was not entirely liquid and seemed to have a life of its own. Tyson still had bloodstains on his clothes and stank like a gutted carcass.
"I might have calibrated the ship's stabilizer while you were asleep," Tyson scratched his head and gave him a shy, almost innocent smile — it would have fooled anyone into thinking the gentle giant was as harmless as a panda. Yet, Percy had seen his brother's maul and shield and heard their after-battle report. "Rachel complained it was not perfect after our journey through that ill-tempered sea."
Percy hummed noncommittally as he turned around and walked along the deck to the opposite side; the deck still stank of blood and death, even after he rinsed it, though he should not have bothered. The ship was slowly sinking from the hole Hylla made, which was a shame as it was a decent warship, but the only reason it remained afloat was through his Will. A man-of-war, more specifically, a third-rate Ship Of The Line, nearly second-rate, that could hold over sixty guns on her broadsides alone — he could almost hear the ship crying out in agony.
Leo had explained that there was no legal way for anyone to purchase or commission a warship of any kind, let alone a freebooter or a filibuster; even the nations not affiliated with the World Government were wary of selling warships to any random Joe. Only trade or passenger ships that could be refitted with armaments were available for sale, while warships were reserved for the Marines or a nation's fleet.
This pirate ship was originally a marine battleship, although it was missing its iconic three-barreled gun battery at the bow and broadsides that Leo mentioned all modern battleships had. This ship must have been old, very old indeed. If Percy had to guess, he would say at least fifty or sixty years old and was stolen early in her career, for her spirit was utterly chaotic.
If it had not been as heavily damaged as it was, Percy could have entertained taking it as a prize ship and dropping it off at the marine base, even if it would raise many eyebrows when they found a ship sailing with no crew.
Percy sighed; he knew ships might form spirits, but he had no connection to this particular ship — it did not even have a name, as it was wiped away every time it gained a new owner. They would loot and salvage what they could from it as they repaired their own ship, and once done, it would be scuttled. Just like the wounded pirates, it would be giving her mercy as she sinks to the depths and rests for eternity. Hopefully, her anguished spirit would find peace then.
He leaned on the railing as he gazed at the northern horizon, spotting a tiny blip slowly making its way toward them.
"So, what woke you up, Brother?" He glanced at Tyson, his one big eye staring at him curiously, "You barely had a few hours of sleep, and I can tell you are still tired…and hungry."
Percy chuckled as his stomach rumbled, "Not sure what it was, really. Some primal call of defiance struck me in the head…or something. For some reason, it reminded me of when Calypso and I faced the Protogenos of the Night."
"Aye, I think we all felt it. Knocked several of the pirates unconscious…actually, I think that was what put Rachel and Reyna to sleep as well."
Percy scratched his head before turning to the destroyed loading hatch. One by one, the rest of his crew rejoined them — taking stock of what to loot was more important than blindly grabbing things, and now the Captain of the Sally Jackson gazed at his most experienced officer.
"Leo, what have you found?"
"All the cannons are damaged. Perhaps the aft and swivel cannons could be repurposed, but I do not believe it would be worth it." Leo seemed to favor his sword arm; it was not broken but bruised an ugly purple. A glance at the headless corpse of the female pirate reminded Percy how that had happened; her tarred head was in a bag sitting with the two other bounty heads in a freezer. "My recommendation is that nothing in this ship's armament is worth salvaging; our ship still has full ordinance, to my knowledge."
Percy nodded, "Anything else?"
"I would like to put my claim on the lion's share of the Pirate Captain's bounty. My knight was the one to fight her the longest, and I delivered the finishing blow, but I will not deny Ms Rachel's and Ms Reyna's contribution."
"I will keep that in mind, but that can be discussed later when we are done here and on our way to G-14."
The prince nodded gratefully before stepping aside as his knight clambered up from the hold.
It turned out that Pirate Captain Matilda had a respectable bounty of 46,000,000. Apparently, that was considered low for the Grandline, let alone the New World. Still, according to the wanted poster they found on her corpse (and it would never cease to amuse Percy how pirates seemed to enjoy carrying their own posters on their persons), she was a New World native and only recently became active — as in, barely got her bounty a couple of months ago.
"Anything of interest in the hold, Gwen?"
"Yes. Surprisingly, most of it even survived Hylla's explosion." The knight's reply was concise, not at all blaming Hylla. "No gold or silver, but I found silk, linen, cotton, steel ingots, seasoned wood, and many other commodities that I am sure would fetch a good price in a town's market, but it would take time to collect everything, especially with no winch and the damages this ship had suffered. Sadly, I am not knowledgeable about matters of finance, though I do recall Hylla mentioning she dealt with something similar in her old job."
Percy nodded, feeling quite pleased that Hylla was doing a good job redeeming herself. He had already entertained the idea of making her their purser, but they would need a port of call first before anything. He thought Hylla's hatred of pirates was understandable, if a bit pigheaded, yet if she continued to channel it properly, he would have no issues with her, especially after he had seen her handiwork.
"Hey, guys! Look what we found!" Rachel and Reyna exited the galley, making Percy gawk. He had worried that his closest friend would have trouble getting over having to kill so many people, but she seemed to have coped with it well enough…or she was just a good actor. Regardless, he still did not expect to find her beaming so happily as she held a tiny girl with green hair in her hands. "Okay, Lily. Say hi to our Captain. He's really nice, no need to be shy."
Reyna chortled beside them as she dragged a large sea chest, dropped it on the deck, sat on it, and stared expectantly at them.
"Uhm, hi?" The tiny girl waved her hand awkwardly, causing him to gawk even harder; he thought she was a doll. "Thank you for saving me. I am Lily, Lily Enstomach."
"Lily In A Stomach?" He repeated, causing the girl to grimace as she spelled her name for him, making him feel dumb. Rachel snorted in laughter while Reyna tittered as she swung her legs from her seat; even Gwen and Leo were chuckling to the side and at the expense of their Captain. This was a mutiny!
Before they could talk more, the sound of flapping wings approached as Blackjack landed on the deck near them. Percy turned to greet his lover only to freeze in worry; the pegasus seemed to be favoring his right wing, while the left one was bent out of shape. There were several minor wounds on him as well, but Percy was confident he would recover in time.
No, it was Calypso's exhausted face and the cuts and wounds that riddled her body that worried him.
"Calypso!" He hurried to them, helping his lover down from the pegasus' back.
"I-I'm fine, dear. I just feel slightly drained." Calypso yawned as if to emphasize her words; even as he inspected her wounds, he realized they were all minor scratches, but their sheer number was still worrying. "Looks like I missed the fun here."
"You and me both," Percy chuckled once he made sure his lover was not in danger before turning back to Rachel and the tiny girl. "And we seem to have made a new friend."
Calypso gazed at the green-haired girl, who seemed to flinch and shake in Rachel's palms. Percy frowned before turning to the redhead questioningly, only to find her also shaking as she stared unblinkingly at Calypso. Even Reyna suddenly sprang to her feet and stood in attention. Feeling like something was terribly wrong, he turned to Leo and Gwen, a question on his lips, and groaned when he found them also staring at his lover like she suddenly grew another head.
"What is wrong with you all?" His crew flinched at his exclamation, even as Calypso stared at them inquisitively.
"I-I'm not sure?" Rachel muttered, Reyna's eyes flitting between him and Calypso, "Calypso seems different…scarier. It's a bit harder to breathe in her presence, too. I'm surprised you can't feel it, Percy."
Scary? Calypso?! Percy turned to the prince and his knight and found them nodding rapidly as they slowly took a few steps closer to Rachel and away from them. Shaking his head, he looked at his lover, searching for something different about her. Same silky hair, though a bit windswept, same flawless face, honey eyes, cute nose, full lips…Percy continued trailing down his lover's beautiful body, and all he got in return was heat in his groin.
"Nope, I still have no idea what you're talking about." He turned to his brother, who looked confused, "And you Tyson?"
"I'm…not sure?" The Cyclops repeated Rachel's question, but his tone was different. He scratched his head apologetically before simply stating, "Calypso is Calypso."
Such words of wisdom from his smartest brother!
"Ah," Calypso gasped slightly before closing her eyes and focusing. Suddenly, a pressure that Percy did not even realize was there was instantly lifted, and his friends let out sighs of relief. "My apologies, I believe I discovered some sort of power while fighting against that sea king. I just realized I have yet to reign it in." The Immortal Witch then smiled beatifically at his crew. "Thank you for the warning, Rachel. It appears this power comes with drawbacks, as it was quickly sapping my strength."
And it was true, Calypso was breathing easier, and he could see the wounds and scratches on her already healing. What power was that? And why did it not affect him? In fact, now that it was gone, Percy felt like he was missing something…like a piece of him went to slumber. He shook his head as Calypso patted Blackjack's twisted wing and sang, causing the wing to be set back in place, though the pegasus still looked knackered.
"Thank you for the help, Blackjack. I would not have prevailed without you."
The pegasus whinnied, "No problem, boss lady. Just, if we have to fly together again…maybe practice some riding first? I think I got hurt more from your legs bruising my ribs than from those tentacles."
Calypso's face reddened, while Percy chuckled, though he felt like he was missing something. "So, what monster are you talking about?"
"It's the one from your logbook." Rachel chimed in, "We all saw it, and it was massive! Probably a mile high and with many tentacles! How did you defeat it, Calypso?"
The Titaness simply smiled, "~Secret~. Now, how about you brief me on what I missed? And who is this cute little girl?"
Percy was reminded of the existence of the small green-haired girl, who still stared at Calypso with slight trepidation, though she seemed to relax at her gentle smile. "Hi, I'm Lily Enstomach. Your friends saved me from captivity and a most terrible fate. I owe you my life and humbly request I join your crew!"
"I see. I don't mind but," Calypso took a step to be on his right yet slightly behind, "You will have to gain approval from my Captain."
"Oh," The tiny girl hummed before bowing to him imploringly. "Please, accept me in your crew!"
"Hey now, I'm happy we managed to help you and all, though I did not do a single thing," Percy grumbled to himself, making Rachel giggle, while Reyna started fiddling with the locked chest she dragged. "I don't mind dropping you off at the closest island, but why would you want to join us?"
"I have nowhere else to go and no more family." The girl's blue eyes were wet with tears as she bit her lips. "My father was murdered by those bastards, and I don't want to return to Elbaf just to be married into a clan to birth the next generation of warriors. At least, not yet. I'm still too young. You are the only hope I have left and you don't look like bad people either!"
Percy grimaced; he never expected he would pick up another stray, though unlike the previous two, this one did not have a clear goal in her life. He glanced at Leo and Gwen, who seemed to be muttering to each other about something urgent, before their eyes widened and their faces paled as they stared at the tiny girl like she was a monster.
Weirdos.
He already knew Calypso did not mind her onboard, and he doubted his Latina Strays would have any problems — as if hearing his thoughts, Reyna simply gave him a thumbs up before grumbling to herself as she tried to pick the chest's lock. A glance at Tyson found the Cyclops shrug; he was fine either way. He supposed Rachel was the tiebreaker, and as he glanced at her, he found her nodding enthusiastically. Hylla was missing from this significant decision, but if Reyna approved it, her sister would follow suit.
Well, that settles it.
"I suppose you can join. Welcome aboard, though I would like to know what you are good at first."
The tiny girl cheered before declaring the best thing he had heard over the past week, "I am a cook! Dad had taught me all he knew for over forty years!"
"Why didn't you start with that?!" Finally, they have a proper cook–wait, "Forty years? You don't look any older than Rachel, aside from being pint-sized. What manner of creature are you anyway?"
"I'm a Giant." The girl folded her arms and declared confidently.
"No, you're not. Now, what are you really, twerp?"
"She said she's from Elbaf." Leo whispered, "That's the home of the Giants."
"Exactly!" Lily smiled at the Prince, "You know about Giants?"
"I have met a Marine Giant and heard about several clans who reside in West Blue." Leo rubbed his chin, "Still…you will have to forgive us for doubting you, but you are a bit on the…small side."
Lily blinked before facepalming and jumping down from Rachel's hands, "Sorry, I completely forgot about that. Those bastards had kept me in that jar of seawater for so long that I forgot this isn't my normal size."
Percy stared incomprehensibly until his jaw dropped as the tiny girl grew, and grew, and grew until she was towering over them with a bright smile on her face at a height of at least a hundred feet! He could tell this was real, for the ship groaned heavily at the sudden increase in weight.
"I ate the Mini-Mini Fruit which makes me a Mini Giant! Now, what's your first order, Captain?"
.
.
.
Turns out having a hundred-foot tall girl made emptying the hold a simple matter.
"And here's the last of it, Captain!"
The bubbly giant had shrunk to human size, yet she held a stack of crates over her head like they weighed nothing. As she set them on the floor, Percy could tell they were very heavy indeed. Repairs were underway as they replaced the bowsprit, and any damaged sails or masts, while he cleaned the hull from scratch marks; the Sally Jackson was far more durable than he expected to withstand a head on collision with nothing that couldn't be wiped away with elbow grease. Percy had just finished setting the sails and stared morosely at Amphitrite's destroyed figurehead before Lily grabbed his attention.
The crew had just finished plundering the pirate ship, and Percy was waiting for Tyson to finish the last of the repairs before he allowed the ship to sink. Blackjack was taking a much-needed rest on the crow's nest, which reminded Percy that the pegasus would need tending to; Reyna would most likely be eager to do it, but she seemed busy trying to crack open the sea chest.
"What are you doing with that sea chest?" He had asked when they first returned to their ship. "You've been lugging it around instead of helping with the repairs."
"It's not just some sea chest. It's a Treasure Chest!"
"What makes you so confident it's not some bum's dirty laundry?"
Reyna looked at him as if he was stupid, "Percy…Did you not watch any of the pirate movies that Rachel had? Or the games? Or the cartoons? Or the– Oh wait, you were busy keeping us alive in that storm." Reyna giggled awkwardly at his unamused huff. "Anyway, a fancy chest in the Captain's quarters, it has to be a treasure chest!"
"And there weren't other chests in the whole ship that interested you besides this one?"
Percy had inspected the chest once more and found it to be made from mahogany, and the rich scent also hinted at rosewood. It was rather large compared to regular sea chests, probably a noble's chest with a sloped lid made from solid oak yet varnished in the same color as the rest of the body and decorated with carvings of sea travel and royal palaces. The hinges and locks were made from stainless steel with something extra coating them for an extra shine. Clearly, this chest was special, and the more he looked at it, the more he was infected by Reyna's excitement.
"Nope! Everything else looked cheap, rusted, and easily broken open with a strike, while this baby was missing its key and screamed Treasure Chest!"
Percy had simply laughed at the girl's exuberance and wished her good luck. That lock looked quite fancy, and Reyna had growled in outrage when her hairpins were destroyed and rushed into the galley, muttering about grabbing some of Tyson's tools.
Pausing, Percy just watched the mini-giant as she worked.
"How can you carry so many things when you are regular-sized?"
"Regular? Ah, you mean human-sized! Well, I am a Giant."
"That does not answer anything. Being super strong when you're a hundred feet tall makes sense, but you seem as strong my height as you are giant-sized!"
"It's because she is a Giant, Captain." Percy turned to Leo as he climbed out of the Sally Jackson's loading hatch. "They are built differently. There have been humans who were so tall they could reach the size of Giant children, yet their strength would still pale compared to a Giant toddler."
"Yep, exactly!" Lily beamed at him, "We're just built different."
"So it would seem," Hylla climbed out of the hatch after Leo, a clipboard in her hand — the older girl had taken a shower and looked much cleaner than the crimson figure that looked more like a serial killer he had seen earlier. Dressed in hot shorts and a tube top that had Percy raise an eyebrow and smirk in appreciation before reminding her that he was taken. Hylla had looked like she wanted to flip him off but instead bemoaned her lack of clothing as she rubbed the several bandages around her neck, shoulders, arms, and leg. "I have finished taking inventory of our loot, Captain."
"Cool, what have we got?"
"I assume these pirates had raided a trading town's warehouse because all the loot is just that: trade commodities." Hylla checked her clipboard before smiling, "While I doubt we would be able to sell any of it since we don't have a trading license, we could certainly make use of the cotton, silk, dyes, wood, steel, and all other random things to make clothes and tools for our own use. Unless you could do something about it, Leo?"
"No, while I have the power to write you a letter of marque, when it comes to trade goods, you would have to find a broker or a smuggler to take the goods off your hands, yet they would never give you a fair price. Trade is heavily regulated by the nations of the World Government, although there are free cities who would gladly accept to take such commodities off your hands, with a fair price even, I don't know of any in the New World." The Prince shook his head as he helped Gwen climb up from the hold — the girl was still injured yet insisted on helping with the cleanup — before turning to Lily. "You said these goods were stolen from an island. Do you know if they were World Government affiliated?"
"I'm not sure, but I know it was a trading hub suffering a famine because some noble was throwing a hissy fit and demanded all food convoys to avoid it." Leo grimaced, but the green-haired girl continued, "Then those bastards attacked and sacked the island after my father and I arrived to help them with their food woes." Lily growled before suddenly sobbing. "As if killing my father was not enough, but they even killed so many of those nice people who treated us as guests despite being Giants who would have difficulty finding a spot to sleep in."
"They were villainous scum, but they're dead now." Leo hesitantly patted their cook on her shoulder as she rubbed her tears away before growling.
"I'm not talking about those scoundrels. They are scum, but they were but cowardly weaklings compared to the real culprits." Lily glared at the unconscious pink-furred cat girl shackled to the deck with Celestial Bronze chains — nothing could break those chains. "I don't know why you are keeping this bitch alive. She's evil and tormented me the most!"
"She has a bounty, albeit a small one." Percy shrugged, "4,000,000 is low, so might as well keep her alive to get the full payout. Although, I thought pirates in the New World were supposed to have high bounties."
"Of course, the World Government's already stingy with bounties. Sack and burn a few islands and you would barely get a bounty that would be enough to feed me for a month," Lily scowled. "Dare to harm or insult their precious nobles, though? My father got a 320,000,000 prize on his head for poaching! And we didn't even know it was a private island, if they cared so much about it, they should have put warning signs everywhere!"
"Damn, talk about corruption in the higher echelons of the World Government." Rachel smirked at Leo, who shrugged helplessly.
"There's nothing I can do about the World Government and their nobles. They cause a lot of grief, even for kings. Still, the point stands: New World pirates should be worth more than this."
"That would be true if they started their career in one of the four seas before making their way to the Grandline, causing mayhem and havoc along the way." Lily nodded sagely, "This pirate crew, however, barely started two months ago, and all of them are natives of the New World. Still, there are people who would pay far more for her and the blonde bitch you killed."
"Oh?" They turned to the human-sized Giant, and the rest of the crew crowded around them, seemingly finished with their chores. Calypso chose this moment to exit the galley after a fresh shower that had her look delectable. "What other people?"
"I heard them talk about betraying one of the Four Emperors. I'm sure Shiki would pay a lot more for them than the Government."
The crew fell silent at the claim, but Percy did not need to glance at Leo's disapproving look or Hylla's scowl to decide.
"Nah, we're not hurting for money. The pirate captain is dead, and I'm sure whatever Shiki would give for her head would not be worth the trip or associating with pirates." The rest of the crew murmured in agreement, and Lily nodded in approval.
"As you say, Captain. Just giving my thoughts on it."
"And I appreciate your input. Now, you mentioned something about real culprits?"
Lily's face fell again, "Yeah, I don't know who they were, as I was restrained and too far away to hear them taunting my father. But they were strong. The one who killed my father had Supreme King Haki, like the scary lady over there."
They turned to find Calypso blinking at the girl before smiling shrewdly, "So you think I'm scary, dear?"
Lily nodded her head rapidly, "Absolutely! Very scary! Terrifying even!"
Percy grimaced as Calypso glanced at the rest of the crew, and they all shifted uncomfortably; how could they ever think she could be scary? Calypso was one of the kindest beings he had met, nearly as kind as his mother!
Thankfully, his lover merely giggled at their awkwardness. "My, you flatter me so much. Just for that, I will prepare a special welcoming gift for our newest crew member. Percy, my love," The Titaness turned to him, "I believe Tyson is nearly done, and we should be prepared to set sail. I have also contacted Roxy for an update, and she told me the tree had borne another fruit."
Calypso glanced at Leo then, the Prince's eyes widening, but she continued before he could ask anything. "I am not sure what fruit it was, but considering the timing…I am honestly lost on how these Devil Fruits operate, but we shall discuss who gets it later, okay dear?"
Prince Lionel nodded, and Calypso smiled kindly at Hylla, "Hylla dear, please take our prisoner to our interrogation room. Rachel will go with you." Rachel tilted her head in confusion but shrugged as she produced the keys for the chains while Calypso turned to the other Latina girl who had returned from Tyson's forge holding a toolbox. "Reyna, sweetie, stop playing with your toy and meet us there. It is time for a very important lesson that I shall not have any of you skive off."
Reyna grimaced as she stared longingly at the treasure chest before sighing and following her sister and Rachel. "Wait, I didn't know we had an interrogation room."
"We don't," Hylla told her sister as she carried the cat woman over her shoulder. "But I'm sure the mistress will lead us to it."
Finally, Calypso turned to the rest of them, "I will ask for no interruptions as we finish gathering information. Tyson was kind enough to soundproof the room, but just in case, if you hear anything out of the ordinary…don't worry about it, okay?"
Percy could only smile in exasperation at his lover's antics and turned to Leo to joke, only to find him, Gwen, and Lily frozen stiff as they nodded their heads so fast he worried they would break it.
"Oh, and Lily, dear?"
The human-sized Giant flinched as Calypso called out from the door and yelped, "Yes?"
"After such a hardwon battle, I am sure we are famished. Why don't you make your way to the kitchens and show us your skills? Bear in mind that many of us are very heavy eaters, yet we seem to be lacking ingredients."
Lily's worried look instantly melted into her brightest smile yet, "Of course! I will cook you the grandest feast I can make. We've raided enough edible food from the pirate ship's pantries; just give me an hour or two, and I will rock you off your feet."
Calypso giggled once more, "See that you do, my dear," and with that, she disappeared into the galley.
"By all that is holy, that woman is as scary as she is beautiful." Lionel finally sighed as he aired his collar.
"Indeed," Gwen grabbed her ruined shield tightly. "Though, I feel this is a more recent thing. She had never been anything but polite and kind to us. I believe it has something to do with her fight against that monster."
"Could be, but honestly, I haven't the frigging clue what you guys are even talking about." Percy waved his hands in exasperation, "Calypso? Scary? What?"
"I think it has to do with her Haki." Lily muttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head as everyone turned to her, "I don't know as much as I should, to be honest. I was, uhh, too busy eating and learning how to cook than bothering with the tribe's combat lessons. I haven't been in Elbaf in decades, and Dad didn't care that I preferred cooking to fighting."
"Don't worry about it. I would rather have a cook than just another fighter right now." The sound of splashing announced Tyson jumping on board. "All done with repairs?"
"Yes, brother, the rest of the ship suffered no damage, and the masts and sails are in good shape."
"Excellent, you guys can go to the kitchens and help Lily. I will join you later once the ship is underway."
"Aye, Aye, Captain."
Leo, Gwen, and Lily hurried to the kitchens, their cook muttering about all sorts of recipes to use. Percy glanced at the pirate ship one last time. There wasn't much they could use from the ship itself as it was already heavily damaged, yet they had still stripped everything of value and stored it in their hold. Strangely, the Sally Jackson was larger on the inside than the outside, especially after Calypso did something to the hold while he was busy with the storms, but Percy did not think too deeply about it. Even with what they salvaged from Leo's yacht, they still were not even halfway full after finishing with the pirate ship.
With a thought, the pirate ship suddenly lurched sideways and slowly began to sink, just as the Sally Jackson sailed away from the island.
Percy was tempted to plant a relay tower on the mountainous island, but the existence of the pirates dissuaded him from it. The signal was still strong, as Calypso had just talked with Roxy, and he had no wish to waste potentially weeks hunting down pirates just for an extra few hundred miles of signal coverage.
Within a few minutes, the Sally Jackson was far away from the island, and Percy could just barely see the pirate ship sinking to the depths, its spirit finally resting. After a few more minutes, the blue sea suddenly turned red as the massive sea king that Calypso slayed slowly drifted towards the island, and Percy took this moment to whistle in appreciation.
It was effing HUGE! And he wondered just how his lover managed to beat it. There were several stumps near its neck, and he figured they used to connect the tentacles floating on the sea and being feasted upon by the marine life. Its eyes were all bleeding, and there was a massive hole in its head that blew away its brain. Some of its body parts were burned, while others were frozen solid. Some more had electric scars, but most of them were simply eviscerated.
Percy could slowly imagine how his lover defeated the sea king and could feel his competitive side urging him to fight a similar monster. Still, he would like the full details from Calypso…or maybe Blackjack. Yeah, his lover seemed shy about it, but the pegasus could be easily bribed for the tale.
He was also tempted to call some of his crew to grab a tentacle for food, but they had already stocked up enough from the pirate ship. Besides, they had no idea what parts of the monster were edible, and Lily was busy cooking at the moment.
An hour later, both the island and the monster were long out of sight. The weather was overcast, but at least no storms this time. Dinner was called, and Percy suddenly remembered he had not eaten anything in four days!
That feast had better be glorious.
P*O*D
Earlier with Calypso
"You have done well, Hylla. I am proud of you."
"Thank you, mistress." Her first student smiled, adjusting their captive on her shoulder as they followed her, "But it was a team effort. All the crew contributed to the battle, and each of our efforts led to victory."
"Except Percy," Rachel chirped, "he was too busy sleeping. Too bad I was knocked out when he woke up; it must have been hilarious to see his face."
"Oh, trust me, it was the funniest thing I've seen yet." Hylla grinned, "Our fearless Captain getting out the deck with a yawn only to gawk at our little scene of utter mayhem…and just as the battle finished as well!"
Calypso smiled as the rest of the girls giggled. She felt bad that her awakening of that power had caused her dear friends to collapse or get hurt. Thinking about that power, Supreme King Haki, was what their newest crew member called it, had Calypso recalling her desperate struggle against the Sea King. After the strange call through the comlink, Calypso was surprised to learn no one had tried to call her; she had taken the fight to the next level.
As Blackjack had suggested, they ended up sniping the monster from a couple of miles up in the sky. Calypso had managed to destroy half of its tentacles and blind two more of its eyes before she found herself with only a dozen arrows.
Realizing the Sea King would never withdraw, and only a fight to the death would end that battle, the Immortal Witch used her remaining arrows to set up an elemental array around the beast. It was a close call, as the Sea King was blinded by rage and did not realize the arrows she loosed far around it were not as harmless as they appeared.
Once the arrows were arrayed into a twelve-pronged diagram, she activated the runes inscribed in them. Four runes of three elements on every four arrows; Lightning, to shock the beast and buy her enough time to restrain it with Water, cooled into ice and freezing its body. Fire to form a conflagration that roasted the Sea King for a whole minute.
And even then, the beast was still alive!
Out of arrows and running on fumes, Calypso was forced to dive with Blackjack to give the monster the finishing blow, enduring the many tentacles still intact. It was when they were so close to its head and Calypso prepared to stab with her staff that the Sea King showed it had one last trick up its sleeve. Its large maw opened to show a barbed tongue with a freaking mouth on it!
It was so sudden that it nearly struck her off the saddle if not for Blackjack blocking it with his wing. The poor dear had broken his wing, and Calypso found herself helpless as she grabbed onto the saddle as they slowly lost altitude.
Then, the beast taunted her. There was a jumble of words that Calypso could not understand, but one word stuck to her.
"Weakling!"
The sheer rage she had felt at that moment. The reminder that, ultimately, she was weak and powerless after thousands of years of being under the mercy of the whims of the Three Fates. Perhaps the monster had no way of knowing her circumstances, but the grating laugh from the half-dead sea king and its desperate taunts as it prepared to skewer her again caused something to snap!
"Calypso? Are you alright?"
Calypso flinched as she found herself standing before a locked metal door. She turned to find Rachel holding her shoulder, and the Immortal Witch couldn't help but smile at her dear friends.
"I'm fine." She then turned to Reyna, who was standing alongside Rachel. "You have also done well in the fight. I'm glad you are handling yourselves well."
Rachel grimaced and looked away, causing Calypso to frown inwardly — it appeared that Hera's daughter was not as well as she pretended.
Reyna merely shrugged. "The pirates were not shy about their intentions to us should they capture us. Their captain wanted to gut me and spread my entrails on the ship's mast for shooting her with arrows." Their youngest crew member folded her arms as she snickered, "I only got her with two arrows and blew them in her face, thanks to your teachings."
"Good to hear the few times you attended your lessons brought results. Which reminds me, let us go in and deal with our captive."
Calypso pushed open the door and entered a small, bland room with a table and a chair. Motioning for Hylla to place the cat woman on the chair, she had the girls close the door and stand by the wall before she touched their prisoner on her forehead, causing her to jerk awake. As the woman grimaced in pain from her injuries, she tried to move, but Hylla had already bound her with the same celestial bronze chains. Calypso ignored the terrified-looking woman as she turned to her students.
"There are many ways to extract information from a captive," she began, her voice turning stern. "Most of them rely on torture and threats of pain, yet there are those who are intelligent enough to trick their captives into providing them information they would not normally share."
She gazed at the cat woman, who looked utterly terrified as Calypso lightly used her new Haki powers — it was incredibly tiring as well as extremely difficult to use, but this was as good a moment to train it as it would get. A glance at the wall showed that her students were listening attentively, yet she could tell Reyna and Rachel were greatly disturbed — not Hylla, her first student was smirking at the cat woman.
"Now, Nina, was it?" The pink woman nodded her head, her mouth shaking and her eyes wide with terror. "As you can guess, this is an interrogation, yet I will not ask you any questions. You are a wanted criminal, and you shall be delivered to the authorities for your bounty. That is a fact that will not change, so don't waste your breath pleading for mercy. Although Lily seemed like she would love to have you for herself, I have convinced her that you are worth more alive than dead."
A thousand thoughts seemed to fly behind the cat woman's eyes, yet she could only nod dumbly.
"Excellent! Now, whether you are delivered to the Marines alive or not shall greatly depend on how compliant you are."
"W-What…What d-d-do y-you n-nyeed of-f m-m-me?"
The woman's stutter was annoying, but thankfully, Calypso did not need her to speak to get her answers. "I need you not to resist, no matter what I shall do to you. I have no patience for torture or negotiations. Instead, I will be diving into your mind to collect all the information I desire. It's a very delicate procedure, so if you so much as flinch, I might just make a mistake and end up turning you into a retard…at best."
The room fell silent except for their prisoner's jaw shaking. "A-And a-at w-w-worst?"
Calypso smiled serenely, "Your brain would melt out of your nose and ears, your eyes would pop like a balloon, and your heart would most likely attempt to jump out of your throat along with your guts as you vomit your organs out. You don't want that to happen, do you?"
A sharp intake of breath from one of the girls was covered by Nina shaking her head vehemently.
"Good girl. Now," Calypso turned to her students — all three of them stared in attention, "Watch closely, my apprentices, for I'm not certain we shall be so lucky as to have another volunteer for my teachings."
She placed her palm on the woman's head and then…
.
.
.
"…Then she was like, FORFEIT YOUR MIND! It was so unexpected, and I laughed so much that Calypso almost blew the cat girl's head off!"
Percy stared at Rachel's retelling of their interrogation…or what was supposed to be an interrogation but ended up being a lesson in magic. They were in his quarters enjoying a truly scrumptious dinner of the finest sushi he had ever had, courtesy of the tuna he had caught days ago. Lily nearly went ballistic when she saw the poor state of its dismantlement, but she still managed to recover most of its meat. Leo and Gwen were with her in the kitchens, helping her bring more dishes. Gwen felt particularly guilty as she was the one who offered to cut the tuna, leaving his original crew alone at the dinner table. Percy had then asked what they had learned from their prisoner, which resulted in Rachel giving the most gruesome yet funniest rendition of an interrogation he had heard.
"What was so weird about it?" His lover looked aggrieved at his closest friend as she daintily ate a crimson piece of sushi — the best part of the fish, according to Lily, who insisted 'Her ladyship' tries it first. "Everyone must have a focus for the spell to work, and I was simply reminding the target to relax!"
"Yeah, but seriously? Your hair stood up on ends, and your eyes shined as you went full nerd on us."
"What's a nerd?"
"Nevermind, hahaha."
Percy hummed as he finished his plate of sushi before moving on to the next dish, a bowl of Shrimp Scampi served over pasta. Hylla enjoyed a similar dish of deep-fried shrimp, while Rachel opted for a Fillet Mignon.
Tyson, meanwhile, was devouring a healthy serving of mutton enough to feed a dozen people — proving that he truly was a Cyclops. Apparently, the pirates had stocked up all the cattle that they had kept in the hold, but they had slaughtered the last of them before the attack. While they did not have any kind of refrigeration, only salting and storing them in barrels, they managed to recover enough of the meat for proper storage.
Lily had really proven her worth so far, as she sent dish after dish of the finest food Percy had eaten in a long time. The green-haired girl was utterly enamored by their modern kitchen and took to it like fish to water. While he dearly missed the good old burger and fries, he would not object to eating this regularly. Most of the dishes were seafood, but it did not bother him as much as he thought it would; even if it did, he had no choice but to adapt and get over it. This world had more seas and oceans than land, especially with its massive size; seafood was the most common form of sustenance here.
Percy was about to check on their youngest crew member to see what she thought of the food only to find her chair and plates empty. A glance at the floor near his bed found Reyna fiddling with her treasure chest, causing him to chuckle before turning to Calypso.
"So, what did you discover from our prisoner? She's still alive, right?"
"Yeah, she will live. Thankfully, she took my warning to heart and did not resist." Calypso had a curious glint in her eyes as she stared at him. "You know, I believe we can make a lot more money from that creature if we sell her to the slave markets instead of delivering her to the government."
Percy couldn't help but frown at his lover's proposal. The table suddenly went silent, and he glanced at his crew to check their reactions. Tyson did not even blink as he gave him that look that said, 'I trust whatever decision you take, brother.' It warmed his heart to see the amount of trust his brother gave him.
Hylla did not at all look opposed to it and shrugged when she caught his eyes before returning to her food. Rachel, however, looked very reluctant and bit her lips as their eyes met.
"She is an evil bitch that tormented Lily at every opportunity," Rachel muttered weakly before staring morosely at her half-eaten steak. "But I don't like it."
"I'm all for it," Hylla chimed in. "Slavery isn't the end of the world for her. In fact, it might save her life as I have no doubt her fate with the authorities ends with a noose around her neck…or how ever they execute pirates here. Might even teach her some manners."
"How much are we talking about here, Calypso?"
"They start at two million Berri, but a nubile and beautiful specimen like the one in our hold could possibly rise to ten million." Unsaid was how Calypso gained the knowledge — their captive must have also been a prolific slaver in addition to being a pirate, further losing any sympathy from Percy. His lover placed her elbows on the table, rested her cheeks on her palms, and gazed at him with that ever-present smile. "What will it be, my love? Naturally, I will support any decision you take."
Percy dearly wished he could flat-out reject the matter out of principle. Even if Hylla was right and it was the only way for the cat woman to survive, he hated it! It would be like tasting the forbidden fruit, if he traded in flesh once, what would stop him from doing it again? But his position did not afford him such luxury; ten million Berri was not a lot compared to the bounties they would get, but he knew that money would be essential, especially as they needed it to take care of their home.
The Sally Jackson.
The senior members of his crew looked at him expectantly, and Percy truly felt the weight of being the Captain drop on his shoulders, yet he had made his decision. "We shall not deal in slaves. Neither the money nor the notoriety are worth it, not to mention we have no idea where to go nor any contacts that could help without scamming us. We go by the books; to the Marines she goes, and if she is executed, then it's comeuppance for her crimes."
Tyson didn't even stop his eating as he nodded to him. Rachel beamed at him as she breathed a sigh of relief, which was also mirrored by Reyna, whom Percy did not realize was listening in. The aspiring treasure hunter quickly returned to her chest when she caught his glance. Hylla shrugged again as she returned to her food, while Calypso simply smiled and finished the last of her plate before sipping from a glass of wine.
"As you wish, my love. Now back to what I found, I have learned plenty of things, most of it nonsensical or simply too random for me to understand their importance now." Calypso's smile grew wider as he returned to his food. "For instance, did you know there is an entire kingdom of her kind living on a massive elephant's back that would make the Sea King I fought look like a puppy?"
Percy nearly choked as he swallowed his bite and hurried to grab his can of open cola, one of the last on the ship and possibly in the world, to wash it down. Rachel chortled at him, and he glared at her as she pulled out her tongue at him. Deciding to be mature, he threw a piece of shrimp at her, only for the redheaded nightmare to chomp on it midair and hum in contentment; Percy ignored her in favor of his lover.
"While that is very interesting, I take it this is one of those unimportant things you learned?"
"Yes, I was far more interested in that special power of hers." Calypso raised her hand for all on the table to see before it ignited into an electric shock. "They call it Electro, and while the Minks, as her kind call themselves, have an easier time learning this, it was simple for me to deconstruct it and recreate it using our divine power."
"Wow," Percy could feel the static in the air as well as the zapping sound of a thousand tesla coils focusing on the palm of the Immortal Witch's shining hand. Something inside him also seemed to tingle at the sight, excitement, and intrigue. "You say our divine power?"
"Indeed. I see no reason why we don't all learn it. I expect you to attend my lessons with the girls as well if you would like to learn more, Percy." He nodded his head, having lightning at his fingertips was too cool to ignore, even if the tiny voice in his head that said it was Zeus' domain was crushed under the massive part of Poseidon that insisted he did not hold a monopoly over lightning. "There was another interesting power that was connected to the full moon, but it seemed more racially dependent than Electro. It will be more difficult for me to–"
The sound of something clicking followed by an excited, "AHA! I GOT IT!" interrupted them.
Right at the same time, Leo, Gwen, and Lily entered through the double doors, each rolling in a cart of more food, dessert, and drinks. Percy could feel his stomach rumbling expectantly as Lily grinned, holding a blue cake just as he asked, yet Reyna dancing a jig over her treasure chest caught his attention.
"Finally managed to pick the lock?"
"YES! Thank you so much for lending me your tools, Tyson." The Latina twerp bounced to the Cyclops and gave him a crushing hug that he barely felt as he was too busy eating his lamp chop. The girl did not let that bother her as she hopped back to the chest, shaking in excitement as she held the cover. "Now, let's see what lies underneath here, hehe~."
"Hmm, we seem to have missed an exciting affair," Leo muttered as he sat beside him and grabbed a plate of Spaghetti Bolognese. "I wonder how she will react when she realizes that such a chest could only hold one thing."
"Oh? You don't think it has treasure?"
"Most likely not the kind she expects. Even if there is gold in there, it won't be as much as she–"
"GRRRR WHAT THE HECK?! WHERE'S MY TREASURE?!"
The sudden shout had them turn to the girl as she emptied the chest of its contents, which were a full set of transponder snails that looked aggrieved at the girl's screaming.
There was a large one with what looked like an old rotary phone stuck to it and a few smaller ones. Then, Reyna got several rolled-up bundles of paper that Percy recognized as maps and charts, as well as what looked to be a book of numbers. A phone book? No, it looked more like a ledger.
"Don't mess those things up, Reyna." Gwen approached to take the snails that were abandoned on the floor. "These are incredibly precious."
The girl didn't respond as she continued to empty the chest of several more interesting things. There was a fancy revolver with a gold handle and inlaid with other precious stones, two barrels, and a cylinder that could hold eight shots. It was even rifled, though Percy thought the cylinders were weirdly shaped and realized they fired round balls instead of bullets. Rachel had joined the Latina twerp, the gun grabbing her attention, as they found a ruby-encrusted dagger and, finally, a sack full of silver and gold coins.
"Aha! Finally, treasure! But what currency is that?"
"The gold is most likely Escudos, Ducats, or Florins, while the silver would be Thalers, Dirhams, or Reals, but that doesn't matter. Every nation has its own currency, with some nations forming economic alliances and sharing their currency, yet they all deal in Berries regardless. The World Government does not care as long as their coins are made from the proper precious metals, and no nation is allowed to create their own paper currency that is not backed by the Berri or good old gold. Now let's see what you got here," Leo finally stood up and checked the chest with a whistle, "I recognize Dressrosan Reals in the silver and Arabastan Dinars in the gold, among other currencies. What you have there, young lady, is roughly equivalent to ten million Berries. Congratulations, you are a very rich girl now."
As the girl celebrated and started arguing with Rachel about the gun and dagger, Percy sighed at their earlier conversation regarding slavery. The fates were kind in this world for those same ten million that Calypso proposed simply fell upon them; his lover truly was the most Greek of the gods he met, as she had not even batted an eye at the idea of dealing in slaves. Percy still loved how she left the decision to him, and it made him feel so lucky to have her by his side, both good and bad. Far more good than bad, if any at all!
Ten million Berries was equivalent to one hundred thousand US Dollars. Not an amount to sneeze at, yet as Percy remembered what he and Hylla went over regarding the ship's future expenses, it may not seem as large an amount as he would have thought.
There was also the fact that this world did not seem to have industrialized like their own; no economy of scale or globalization, so things that Percy could have bought for cheap in New York would need a specialist to custom make here. He was not looking forward to seeing how much a simple pair of sneakers would cost him.
Something grabbed his attention in the chest and broke his musings. Moving close, he saw what tingled his senses: an eternal pose pointing impossibly up and to the west.
He checked the name and found Skypiea etched on the hourglass.
Not as much action in this chapter. Clean up and welcoming a new crew mate.
I have hinted with all this playing around with Destiny that the crew will get new powers. Calypso unlocks Conqueror's Haki, yet she is still a long way from learning how to control it, let alone master it.
More world building; we only know of Water 7 which is bold enough to sell warships to pirates. It makes sense, as traditionally, most pirates irl operated from refitted merchantmen.
Slavery is abhorrent, but it still has its uses. Criminals should always be given the option of life in service instead of the gallows; it would be a better way to repent, imo. Besides, they get to live longer, and who knows what the future holds.
Reyna finds treasure, which offers more world building. We know there are other currencies in the world aside from Berri, yet why would each nation stick to the WG standard?