Seeming to accept his plan without hesitation, Siobhan nodded. "Ah, for sure! Sounds grand. Just gotta pretend to be a captive, right? I can do that better'n ya might imagine."

Offering him her wrists, she presumed he was going to slap some shackles or some other means of restraint on her to achieve maximum authenticity. "Oh, do ya wanna lay some beli down that he'll try an' make me his woman, like?"

That type tended to be painfully predictable like that.

Jones laughed. "Ha! I will not make that bet. Alright, let's see what I have..."

The doctor searched his duffel bag for a few seconds until he found what he was looking for. “Got it!”

Jones then tied a piece of rope around Shioban’s wrists, being careful to not make it so tight that she wouldn’t be able to get free, but not so loose that it would be obvious that he wasn’t really trying. It wasn’t a pair of handcuffs, but it would do. He then held the cutlass out close to the woman’s neck.

“Alright, ‘prisoner,’ let’s move. The ship is just a little bit west of here,” the doctor said. The two then began their walk to the Red Baron, where the next phase of the plan would happen.

Siobhan wasn't kidding when she claimed to know how to act the part of a captive. The upbeat cheerful girl that Jones had met at the tavern had--the very moment their act began--vanished. Her confident posture had become lax, her movements sluggish and defeated. Her perpetually exuberant eyes were replaced with a disturbingly authentic look of despair and hopelessness, eyes that expected the worst.

It was like she had transformed into a completely different person in that moment.

For the entire way there, her hollow gaze was fixed to the ground. She never also never once said a word.

Jones was impressed by how well Siobhan played her part. This had gone on throughout their walk to the Red Baron, where Jones was now talking with the low-level pirate who guarded the ship.

“A girl captive? In this tiny town? What the heck is going on, Jones?”

“Don’t question me, kid,” Jones replied with a tone of irritation, “this woman knocked out Claire and the other members of our squad in one punch! The only reason I was able to capture her was because I caught her unaware. Let me through, I need to get her to the captain.”

“Fine, just get out of here. I’ve got important work to do here!” The guard said, trying and failing to maintain his dignity.

The Red Baron’s name was very appropriate - it was painted red all over the ship. Jones had to wonder just how much money was spent on buying paint that could resist being worn by ocean water. He wasn’t a shipwright though, so he focused more on what he was going to say to Redwell.

The captain of the ship, another big man like Carl but with a red jacket, pirate’s hat, and pants, was polishing his sword when the doctor and Siobhan arrived. The sword seemed almost as big as he was and the swordsman was even sitting on a giant red throne. “Captain Redwell,” Jones said, “I have a prisoner for you. I captured her after she defeated our first mate and the others.”

“Carl was defeated by a girl? Bring her forward to me, Jones,” the captain said. Jones did so, moving forward with her to prevent an “escape.”

“Now girl,” Redwell said, “you might have defeated Carl, but clearly you were not clever enough! Because even Jones was able to capture you - and let’s be honest, he isn’t really clever or capable of any kind of strategy at all - and now you are on my ship, surrounded by my crew!”

At this moment, the crew members on the ship formed a circle around where the three were, raising their weapons in case Siobhan tried to escape. Once they were in position, the captain continued his speech. “Not only that, but I have my deadly sword, the Red Blade, at my disposal!” Redwell lifted the sword and pointed it at her to show her what he meant before speaking more. “Do you know why it’s called the Red Blade? Because I bathe it with the blood of anyone dumb enough to stand against me! Now you could try to escape and fall like so many others, but I’m in a good mood today. If you join my crew and become my woman, I’ll let you live.” With that, the captain grinned like a mastermind who had just won a major battle.

Jones smiled when the speech ended. He was glad he didn’t take that bet.

Darn, she could have made some beli there. Well, no matter.

Redwell was a pretty big fellow, bigger than Carl for certain. She also got the impression that he was a fair deal stronger than him as well. Given his apparent lack of anything resembling charisma, he would certainly have to be the toughest guy here to maintain control. Furthermore, his crew had encircled her from every side. ...That was actually a pretty good place for them all to be.

"Oh, I will ya," she responded, quickly breaking free of the ropes binding her wrists. She recalled that she was supposed to make it convincing, but it didn't really matter at this point.

The pirates surrounding her responded almost instantly despite her ease of escape, their blades closing in on her and the hammers of their pistols lowering. For her it was like watching someone move (ironically) as if they were underwater. Planting her feet firmly to the deck, Siobhan drove her fist down into the naked air beneath her.

In that moment the ring of pirates were stopped in their tracks. Their bodies then began to bend and contort in ways even a master Yogi could never hope to achieve. Finally, they were all blasted backwards; most falling overboard in the process, with an unlucky few smacking into the central mast with chilling crack. "Arabesque Brick Fist!"

Jones had expected her to break free, but he didn’t expect the fishman attack that he experienced now. While the doctor couldn’t blame Siobhan for hitting him (she was surrounded at all angles, after all), he was still a little annoyed at being hurt despite being impressed at her fighting skill.

Redwell’s assessment about Galen’s strategic mind was completely wrong though; using the cutlass to slow himself down by pressing it down on the surface of the ship combined with using one of the other crew members as a cushion allowed Jones to escape most of the damage the less fortunate pirates experienced, and unlike most of the pirates his injuries were only minor.

Still, it took the doctor a second to get his bearings and see what was going on. As he predicted, Redwell was indeed annoyed.

“Damn you, you stupid whore! I’ll get you for this!” Redwell yelled. Unlike Carl though, he actually intended to back up his words, lunging at Siobhan and attempting to slash her Red Blade. Surprisingly for such a big man, he and his sword were rather quick. If the woman got hit by the weapon, it was going to hurt.

Meanwhile, Jones grabbed a loaded pistol that one of the other pirates had dropped and slowly moved closer to where the two were fighting. The doctor wouldn’t be able to fight Redwell very well by himself, but if Siobhan needed it, Jones could provide assistance in a critical moment.

"Oh shite, I'm sorry!" Siobhan yelped when she realized she had caught Jones in her attack. She was so used to her comrades instinctively knowing to get back when she did that move that she hadn't even considered that he might have gotten caught up in it. Still, he looked like he had taken it pretty well, all things considered.

While she was busy apologizing, however, Redwell had moved in for the attack. Only turning in time to see his blade rapidly closing in on her, Siobhan knew it was now too late to dodge. So she wouldn't.

A sharp, painful chime resonated through the air, the sound of metal impacting a hard surface. It was immediately followed by a pattering similar to raindrops, with thirty-two nuggets of bone hitting the deck beneath Siobhan's feet. The red blade was now locked firmly in her jaws, held in place by dagger-like teeth. Her lips stretching from ear-to-ear, she watched a spider-web of cracks work their way through the sword before it finally shattered.

Spitting out several shards of metal, she wiped a trail of blood from her lips. It actually hurts like hell to expel a set of teeth like that, but she had little choice. While she hadn't intended to do so, the act of switching to her shark teeth had also caused her fin to emerge.

Glancing back at it with a shrug, she reached up to remove her scarf, exposing a series of gills on her upper shoulders and lower neck.

"W-what is she...?!" one of the still barely conscious crewmen muttered.

"I'm a fishwoman!" She replied with a broad, serrated grin. "Well, half."

While Jones appreciated the feeling behind Siobhan’s apology, he actually didn’t want her to do that. The doctor was counting on the element of surprise to be able to hit Redwell when it mattered and now that was shot to hell. Jones was now irritated and worried that he would have to fight any stragglers left on the ship who might’ve realized what happened. In fact, he was so distracted by this that the fact that Siobhan was a half-fishwoman barely registered to him.

...except that the crew members were too beat up and Redwell was too angry to notice, so Jones just gratefully continued to get closer to the combat.

“Red Blade! Damn you, whore!” Redwell yelled, squeezing the hilt of the broken sword. Now a small dagger blade came out where the big sword used to be, covered in what appeared to be a kind of poison. He then charged forward, attempting to stab Siobhan with the weapon.

Narrowing her eyes on the oversized pirate, she once again intercepted his dagger with her teeth, with much the same results. The blade shattered beneath her steel-trap jaws, but as she spat out the shards, she couldn't help but feel a tingle rush through her body. Something was on that dagger...some sort of liquid, and it had managed to swim down her throat when she shattered Redwell's second weapon.

Wincing from the nauseating feeling rushing through her, she nevertheless retained her composure. She needed to end this before whatever that was got the better of her.

Instead of waiting for Redwell's next move, Siobhan charged forward, drawing her fist back. There would be no striking the air this time. Rather, her fist slammed into the other pirate's chest, a vaporous geyser of air erupting from his back. Being lifted clean off his feet by the strike, he was sent flying back into the central mast of the Red Baron at speeds sufficient to completely snap the great wooden pillar in two. "Two-hundred brick fist!"

Watching the towering form of Redwell become a twinkle in the sky as the mast crashed to the deck, Siobhan smirked. "The red paint was tacky anyway."

Quickly turning to check on Jones, she found herself stumbling forward when she took a step towards him. "Uwoah...!"

Raising a hand to her forehead, she felt the world start to spin around her. Whatever was on that dagger had managed to work its way through her system now, and she stumbled over to the rim of the ship, using it for support. "Well, fuck me...it was poisoned after all, like."

Jones watched the ensuing combat with concern. If Redwell actually hit Siobhan with the dagger, it could cost the fishwoman her life. It turns out she was as reckless as she was strong, biting the dagger despite the fact that it was poisoned. At least her strength allowed her to send Redwell flying (which was just as great as when it happened to Claire), but the happiness of victory quickly turned to grave concern once Jones quickly returned his attention to the fact that she had been poisoned.

Since time was critical, the doctor didn’t even respond to Siobhan, instead finding various plants and ingredients in his duffel bag to mix into a kind of powder. Once he finished, he handed a small bowl to the lady saying “eat this quickly, or else.” The cure was very bitter, but it was better than death.

Once she did that, he then looked around the ship to see if any pirates were still left. It would good for Siobhan to recover, but if there were enough pirates that could fight, it could be trouble. Thankfully, everyone was either unconscious or had ran away when their captain had been punched out of the ship.

Turning back to his captain with concern, Jones asked “Siobhan, are you okay?”

Her vision was starting to blur thanks to the effects of the poison, but she could still clearly see Jones when he ran up to her with a wooden bowl. Oh right, he was a doctor! That was the whole reason she was here...

Shakily taking the bowl in her hands, she tilted her head back and gulped the putrid concoction down. "Blegghh, that tastes cat as fuck!"

Pursing her lips tightly to keep from vomiting up her cure, she slowly nodded when Jones inquired about her health. "Aside from my mouth tasting like I rinsed it with sewer water, I am."

Managing a smile despite the lingering aftertaste, she lightly smacked Jones on the side of his arm. "Good on ya, doc! I knew I put ya on the list for good reason!"

Jones smiled back at Siobhan, lightly chiding her. “Thanks, and that’s good! If you had waited much longer to take that stuff, you’d have more to worry about than taste. That poison’s very deadly, be more careful next time.”

After waiting a moment for that to sink in (although he had a feeling it wouldn’t), Jones continued speaking. “We should probably get some things from this ship and get out of here. I know Redwell has some maps, tools, and beli on here and we need all of those things. Can you help me carry some of it? It’s mostly in his quarters, he didn’t trust his crew members with things like that.”

The doctor was trying to think if there was anything else they needed from this ship, but he couldn’t think of anything. It was just as well anyway; they needed to get out of there. Siobhan was strong, but he didn’t think the two of them could take on the Marquis by themselves, and Jones knew he would want revenge for Redwell’s defeat soon.

"For sure! Let's stuff as much as we can on my boat!" Siobhan replied enthusiastically, always being up for some phat lewt.

This was so exhilarating! She had her first new comrade, a doctor! While she would always love her old crew, Jones and the other people on her list were the ones who would stand with her as she realized her dream.

Smirking subtly while her doctor lead the way to Redwell's quarters, she couldn't wait to see which comrade fate would lead her to next.

---

Several days later

The small fishing trawler had departed Boaduor shortly after the defeat of Redwell, but not before Siobhan had painted her jolly roger (a black fin rising to partially eclipse the sun) on the side of the Red Baron. Regardless of any reservations her new doctor might have had with such an action, she wanted the Marquis to know exactly who clobbered his man.

Sailing without interruption ever since, food (perhaps surprisingly) was not much of a problem despite the Captain's appetite. The reason for this was quite simple.

She was really good at fishing.

"Giant Angler incoming!!" The Captain's voice called out, a massive fish erupting from the water a moment later. The unnamed trawler violently rocked on the resulting waves even as the the creature hit the deck, it's horrific maw of jagged teeth still violently gnashing in Jones direction.

Climbing up over the railing, Siobhan, wearing her standard one piece swimwear, rolled her shoulders. "That should be good for dinner!"

It had been a productive week or so since they had set sail. Despite Galen’s reservations about painting the jolly roger on the Red Baron, he knew that the Marquis would figure it out anyway. With that in mind, he had been trying to plan the best he could; it wasn’t like he was a navigator, so he would never be the next Nami, but Jones did have a general sense of the area from sailing in Redwell’s crew.

Another thing he had known was that the Rainbow Raiders was that they were never together. The Marquis needed people in different places to extort new islands, so Jones and Siobhan could take out each one of the four Raiders individually while searching for the new crew members on her list, then they could focus on taking out Blackwell himself. It was as good of a plan as any other that he could come up.

-----

In the present, Jones was just enjoying his time on the unnamed fishing trawler. He’d been a pirate for some time now, but this was the first crew he felt like he was happy to be a part of. Giobhan was great and he felt like they could take on the world. He had been reading a medical book he had taken from Redwell’s quarters (why he had one there was beyond him, but the doctor was guessing it was worth money) when he was interrupted.

"Giant Angler incoming!!" It was his captain, who had caught their next meal. The trawler struggled to stay afloat as the fish flopped around and raged in the direction of the doctor, but by now Jones was used to this.

"That should be good for dinner!" Siobhan said.

“Are you sure about that? Maybe we need 10 more of them to make sure you don’t get hungry later,” Jones joked, “but let’s eat!”

Grinning at his commentary on her appetite, she began the process of gutting and deboning the gigantic fish. They had been sailing towards their next destination for a couple of days now, after a news coo had delivered to her an issue of the West Blue Times talking about a certain man who had been active in the area.

While she didn't claim to be the greatest navigator to ever live, she knew her way around a nautical chart, could read the stars, and was intimately aware of the signs of an oncoming storm. Making it to the island of her choice was a piece of cake, especially in comparison to the Grand Line...

As they ate her latest catch, Siobhan glanced out in the direction of their current heading. "Our next comrade is somewhere in that direction, I can feel it."

---

"You understand don't you, Grauwulf? One wrong move and the blood of these people will be on your hands," Ragnvald, aka "Bluewell" warned the swordsman before him.

Standing behind him were several dozen members of the Whip-Fang Pirates, their blades each pressed firmly to the throats of a villager. "And don't think you can use your speed against us, either. We've got more in the old church, and if my crew there hears anything...suspicious, they have orders to execute the people inside."

This wasn't how Ragnvald had wanted things to go. Stuck in a worthless hostage situation with a notorious bounty hunter, his ship wrecked on the coast of some forsaken backwater island...what a disaster. The Marquis would have his head if he discovered that he had failed in his extortion assignment because of a freak storm.

He had to get back on course before it was too late, and that meant getting rid of this bastard.

"So you see, your only choice is to back the fuck off and let us get our ship in order. If you do, we'll leave this town in peace."

Their real target awaited, after all...the town where that fool Redwell had gotten himself killed.

Jones collected a few of the fish bones as Siobhan did her work, knowing that they would be useful ingredients that he might need someday to make medicine someday. The doctor then started eating, but as Siobhan talked about the direction where their next crew member would be found, Jones remembered one question out of a few that he had wanted to ask his captain.

“Siobhan, I know in the end you’re going to be the Pirate King either way,” Jones said, “but what are we going to do if someone on your list doesn’t want to join you? I know we’re pirates, but we can’t just force people to join us.” That was something he was sure of; while they technically could make people join them, that would make them no better than Blackwell.

Jones continued eating his fish as the woman responded. Even though she wasn’t a cook, Siobhan sure knew how to prepare a fish.

Siobhan indeed knew how to prepare fish. In truth, she possessed all the basic skills an experienced sailor would be expected to know. While, aside from navigation, she didn't excel at any particular one, she understood the basics of cooking, first aid, and how to operate a vessel. It was hard not to, when you grew up on a pirate ship.

"I'm sure they'll join," Siobhan replied to him, shoving an angler fillet in her mouth. "They're the crew I need to reach One Piece. No one person can do it alone. I need a strong crew that will cover one another's weaknesses, my own included."

Inelegantly stuffing another large hunk of fish down her throat, she glanced to Jones. "My old Captain told me a lot about what would be needed to reach One Piece, and it is pretty much the most difficult thing in the world to accomplish."

Jones listened to Siobhan’s response with interest. Unlike his captain, the doctor was using a fork and knife to cut each piece of fish before eating it. Her answer was, in its own way, unsurprising. Her confidence was something Jones had seen more than once by now, so while he wasn’t entirely sure it was the best plan, he had a feeling that it would work out well for them in the end anyway.

After finishing his last piece of fish and setting down his silverware, Jones said “okay, so a follow-up question then. How are you determining who you want to join your crew? I understand that you need people with different skills, but how do you decide who you think will be right here? For instance, I’m not a really big pirate even by West Blue standards, but here I am.”

Jones knew how big the world was. Even though he grew up in a distant East Blue island, the doctor had seen maps and heard stories about crews like the Straw Hats. In the grand scheme of things, Jones just didn’t see what the big deal was about him. Sure, he was a good doctor, but there had to be better ones out there.

Dipping her hands overboard into the water to wash them after having finished eating her own immense portion of the angler, she smiled over her shoulder to the doctor. "Well, firstly, West Blue was originally my home sea...though I've been away for a long time. That's why I came here in particular."

"And you probably weren't aware, but you've built up a nice reputation as a skilled doctor who exclusively works aboard pirate ships," Siobhan explained. "For sure that's a rare combination, with most pirate doctors either bein' hostages or just plain shite."

Breathing in the crisp sea air, she considered the other names on her list. "Each one of em' is somebody uniquely amazin' in their own way, be it as a warrior or a brilliant scientist."

"Tsk." Eadgar had screwed up. He had completely forgotten to at least attempt to blend in. He had been following these darn pirates for a while now and when they had wrecked their boat he thought it would only be a matter of time before he caught them. However, he had sailed to this island on his little dinghy and just walked into town. It was a surprise to all parties involved to say the least, Bluewell for realizing a bounty hunter was after him and Eadgar for remembering that he stuck out like a sore thumb in his big baggy clothes, scarf, and bare feet. The Whip-Fang pirates had quickly put their blades to the necks of the forced laborers upon sight of the swordsman. "So, Rags, it seems ya are even more of a coward than I thought you were."

Eadgar quickly eyed the scene around him trying to determine how many enemies their were and how many hostages. This was pissing him off that he couldn't fight without risk of someone else dying. It didn't help that he hadn't eaten in a day. That made him extra angry. He looked back at Rags and said, *yawn* "If you think having hostages is gonna save your skins then I ain't gonna stop ya. Just know the moment you least expect it I will slice that ugly mug of yours. Or I'll just knock ya out. If ya need me I'll be right here." At that Eadgar sat down in a fudoza position and closed his eyes. He did his best to focus his senses to figure out how many people there were and where they were.