Pacifista

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Sword at her side and rifle over her back...this was really happening, wasn't it. Still, Lina had to admit, she was a pirate now. A treasure hunt wasn't going to be the worst thing in the world. It'd be more fun if they were doing it themselves though.

As they rounded the bend, making the sharp turn into the forest from the point of the 'seven', Lina wondered, "You know, if we find it, couldn't we just tell them we didn't? Wait, no, they'd arrest us..." Reality of the situation sinking in, Lina winced, "Th-there better be treasure, I'm too young to go to jail!"

---

Elsewhere in the woods, a man ran through, his garb a bit ratty, his facial hair unkempt. He muttered, "What the hell are the Marines doing back here!? They just left!" He had to tell the others so they didn't get undue attention...

---

Heading into the woods, it was rather quiet, both the people of the town and the animals: neither seemed particularly chatty.

Leaning over Chester's shoulder to get a look at the map, Lina's eyes traced the 'S' shaped river running through the woods. Seeing a scrawl near the entrance to the woods, Lina read, "The stump that smiles, and the stump that...biles? What?" Frowning, Lina continued, "And the stump that biles. One tells the truth and the other lies. Face forward and get closer to the prize."

Eyes lidded, she looked up at Chester with an expression that cried, 'this is stupid'.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"You want us to get, and bring a treasure to you guys, and in turn you'll lead us to our destination? And if we refuse, you'll leave us lost at sea - or maybe even attack and arrest us on the charge of suspected Piracy, even if we're just traders?"

Why are you giving them ideas!? Lina balked inwardly, resisting urges to smack him on the shoulder. It seemed they didn't have much choice but to give in to the demands either, and the ship was rerouted.

---

Sailing against the wind, the Marine ship would not simply be arriving on Kappanai. Luckily, the Marines were rather relaxed, keeping the 'pirates' more than comfortable. Lina's found herself in demand when it came to kitchen duties, and the unfamiliar territory was new to her, while Chester just got drunk. As the evening began, the winds shifted, and the excited Commander Grif ordered them to sail through the night. Lina was merely thankful the few women sailors of the ship had their own quarters.

It was only next morning, when Lina found herself in the kitchens helping the crew prepared breakfast when she realized how easily she was settling in. The irony came quick and fast, leaving a slight confusion. Hopefully this treasure nonsense wouldn't take too long.

One Piece: Revolution(Closed)

Freya didn't even bother giving Xerxes any of her words. Not worth it. Then, the news came from Anaru. Zepp summarized perfectly: he'd dragged the 99th into a battle against a Vice Admiral for two prisoners.

What!? Marxo should be court martialed for that! I'll testify at Enies Lobby if I need to!

Scratching her head, Freya let out a sigh.

We need to get to the island pronto, there's civilians to relieve!

Walking by Zepp, she laid a hand on his shoulder.

Are the any Marines in the wreck? Lower the lifeboats!

"Go ahead and take command. Give me a moment," Freya said.

Did Teru call for reinforcements yet? This ship isn't in any state to transfer prisoners!

Slipping beneath the deck, Freya made her way to her cabin.

Anything less would be shame to the ideal of Justice!

Taking a seat, all those words she heard in her head simply shriveled and sank into a black sinkhole. But was that Justice, or corruption? Was it that simple?

Freya laid back in her bed, a hand forcefully covering her eyes, unable to grasp for the answer.

@RyoRyoRyoken

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"Marine before, trader now, eh?" The commander said, hand seeming to have little desire to leave the beard. Nodding along, he noted, "Usually, people join the Marines looking for the sort of adventure you wouldn't find as a simple trader, let alone one on so small a boat."

Lina held her arms out, as she shrugged. To her surprise, the commander slid in closer. Reaching in to his bicorne, he pulled out a roll of paper. He then dropped it on the deck, and it blew into Lina's feet. "Oops."

The small world of Melonberry Island was so simple compared to the strange land that was the ocean several miles away. Rather than let the paper fly away, Lina grabbed it, and her curious eyes couldn't avoid it. That blot of landmass, a dotted path, a few ominous scribbles, and a helpful red cross.

"A treasure map?" Lina said.

"AHA!" the commander cried, snatching the map away. Chortling, "Of course a pirate would recognize a treasure map! And the fact that you're heading to Kappanai Island, which we just left, is only proof of your trends to piracy."

Lina's mouth hung open for a moment, before she noted, "You look way more like a pirate than we do." Lina blinked, before wondering, "Why were you on Kappanai then?"

The commander froze, before shouting, "I am Commander Grif of the Marines! I'm no pirate!" The seagull on his shoulder squawked.

"He's just a pirate fanboy," laughed one of his men.

"Quiet!" Grif cried, only receiving more laughter. He sighed, before stating, "We'll gladly alter our course, and forgive your transgressions if you put your efforts into finding the treasure on this map!"

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Lina let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, he wasn't mad...as long as she didn't touch his booze it'd be fine.

Still it wasn't as though their situation had improved.

---

As the late morning went past noon, Lina cracked open a melonberry with her spork, adding a dash of salt before beginning her lunch. Images of dishes she could prepare floated through her mind, but pretty much all of their stores were in already prepared meals leftover, and they weren't stocked with much in the way of cookware or spices. Lina was good in the kitchen but she was no genius: she could only work with what she had. The melonberry tasted so sweet it almost hurt.

A shadow fell over the blue boat. Lina's eyes widened as she looked up, seeing the blue and gray hull of a Marine vessel. Though she couldn't recall the last time she saw one in person, the seagull emblem was unmistakable.

One the deck, a duo rested on the railing, lazy eyes peering down.

"It's a ship."

"Little ship.

"Lifeboat?"

"Maybe."

"Smugglers?"

"Too small."

"..Hey, there's a girl on there waving at us."

"She cute?"

A fist bopped his head to the railing, his nose bouncing off the wood and the Marine clattering to the deck. "Who cares!?"

Caressing his head, he grumbled, "That's just doesn't happen to me, asshole!"

"...Not waving like that you sad idiot!" Picking him up, he pointed to the boat, where both of her arms were waving in the universal call for SOS.

"Oh, she's in trouble. Should we help?"

"..."

The two looked at each other, before scampering away, rallying the crew.

---

Blue boat towed behind the marine vessel, Lina stood alongside Chester on the larger deck, head bowed, eyes hidden under her peach colored sun hat. She whispered, "I-I panicked! We were lost and..."

Coming up to the deck, a Marine in a Justice coat approached the two pirates. On his head was a white bicorne with the marine symbol, and his tank top shirt was striped blue and black, while he wore gray shorts and boots. There seemed to be a rag hanging on his shoulder, a seagull standing on it. As the man scratched his sparse, light brown beard, he began, "A couple of travelers on a too small boat in the middle of nowhere, hmm? You wouldn't be pirates, now, would you?"

Lina waved her hands, insisting, "Huh? Pirates? Do I look like a pirate to you?"

The Marine nodded, brushing his beard, before continuing, "Because if you were pirates..."

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"Eh, that's it?" Lina muttered in bafflement as Chester so easily brushed aside the change in plans over some alcohol.

Standing up, Lina said, "I didn't really have a direction in mind. I've never sailed on a boat before, I just opened the sails." Lina stared for a moment, before realizing that they were well out of sight of Melonberry, which might be important for navigation. Lina mumbled, "Um, you can find out where were are from, like, the sun, or something. Right?"

Oh wait, the sun moved. Staring for a moment, Lina started to sweat before squeaking out a nervous laugh.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Despite herself, Lina couldn't help but smile a bit at Chester's words. Steeling herself, she stood to her feet, bracing, before taking a long gulp. She heard descriptions, but it still couldn't prepare her as the liquid burned down her throat. Swallowing, her eyes began to water as she coughed, before she cried, "I'M GOING TO BE A PIRATE!"

Those nearby got a bit quiet, a few throwing looks Lina's way. As she retreated back to her seat, one of the older men near the windmill laughed, "Hitting the sauce too hard there?"

Blushing, Lina put aside the drink, certain that the taste would linger for a while. Wondering how late it was, she muttered, "I need to get to bed. Lino too...where'd she..."

Turning back to Chester, she saw the man passed out, back on the wooden dock. "Already!?" Her muscles ached prematurely as she imagined having to drag him and Reno back home...but maybe she didn't have too.

---

Shuffling...shuffling...

From the couch of his home, Reno cracked open one of his eyes. He moved to get up, but he groaned in pain, his wounds keeping him down.

After a moment, he heard Lina ask, "Reno? You're up?"

"Looks like it," he croaked, lying back down. Noticing that it was still dark, he wondered, "What time is it?"

Lina giggled, "It's getting close to dawn." Going over to his side, she began, "I think you were right: it's probably best to get out of here as soon as we can. Not that I could sleep..."

"Hng?"

Lina chortled proudly, "I found that ship the Azure Company was going to put Chester on and stuffed him there last night. We're going to take it and let Boss Cerulean come to us. I mean, it's Azure Company property, but you're a member so..."

Reno brought a hand to his head, muttering, "Yeah, good thinking. As long as Chester-"

"What's goin' on?" came a small groggy voice.

Feeling a pang in his chest, Reno forced himself up through the ache. Lino stood by the hall to her room in her nightclothes, rubbing her eyes. There was a case of luggage by the door, no doubt filled with Lina's belongings. Spotting them, Lino stared for a moment, before asking, "Are you leaving?"

Lina swallowed, before nodding. "I'm going with Chester. We-" Lina stopped as Lino's face tightened. Her eyes began to water. Lina flailed her arms a bit, but the words to comfort her didn't seem to come.

"You were gonna leave?"

"Well, Boss Cerulea-"

"You were gonna leave without saying goodbye?"

Words caught in her throat, Lina ran over to Lino, pulling her sister into a hug. "Of course I'm not going to leave without saying goodbye!" she said, eyes teary. Clutching her older sister, Lino only cried harder. As she started to calm down, Lina said, "Chester's a pirate, but he's a good person. That's why things are going to get better here, even though we'll be gone. But we'll be back one day. Soon!"

Lino sniffled, "Will it be tomorrow?"

Lina laughed, "It'll be before you even know it."

After a few more teary goodbyes, Lino was finally hushed to bed. Grabbing his crutch, Reno asked, "Do you have everything?"

Wiping her eyes, Lina nodded. "I put some of the leftovers on the boat with Chester. And I've got plenty of Melonberries, seeds included. You should probably stay home though."

Reno shook his head, and Lina didn't argue further. In the quiet night, the calm after the storm, the two made their way through the town, starlight keeping them along.

Clutching the handle of her luggage a bit tighter, Lina said, "I feel like I'm running. You'll still be here with the Azure Company, Lino's going to be growing up..."

Reno was quiet for a moment, before he began, "Six years ago..." Lina swallowed as they reached the touchy subject, but he continued, "When the pirates descend, mom took you two. She shouldn't have died, but she did. Bad luck and a stray bullet. Thankfully Suan was there, even if his foot was hurt." Lina blinked: she hadn't heard every detail...

"Dad fought though, like most of the militia, but Tatin, Chin, Irvin, me...we ran away. I was your age. That's old enough, but I still ran and hid."

Looking up to Lina, he finished, "That night, I ran away. From now on, we'll only run forwards."

Swelling with pride, Lina gave a wide smile.

---

Standing at the dock by a small, blue sailed boat, the eastern seas began to glow with the slightest bit of daylight. Loading on her luggage, Lina went back to Reno, before gingerly pulling him into a hug. In his usual stone faced mood, he didn't exactly help her, but she got one off anyway.

"Slow motion hug," she said.

Reno snorted, and soon the two were trying to hold back laughter, lest they wake Chester. When was the last time the two shared a laugh? As Reno's wounds started to hurt, Lina let go, before boarding the boat. Minutes later, the sail was unfurled and a gentle breeze took them into the ocean. Lina waved until she couldn't see Reno any more, then a bit longer just to be sure.

Just before the sun itself became visible, she saw the island she left, where everyone she'd ever known had been, and felt so small, but the ocean forwards was so very vast and full of possibility.

Meanwhile, Chester was still passed out in the cabin like a lump.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Glancing at the bottle, Lina was hesitant, ignoring it for a bit. Instead, she began, "Are you still going on about Cerulean? I mean, the longer you stay here, the better chance those Azure guys will find a loophole. Besides, why make it easier for him? Oh who am I kidding." If she could talk him out of it, they wouldn't still be discussing it now.

Looking over the sea, she was quiet for a moment, before beginning, "I know you already told me what being a pirate is like, but...I'm not sure if I'll be ready. I can fight, I guess, and you can leave the food to me, but I've never been off the island before."

Casually, she moved to take a sip of rum, but the odor kept her back. Instead, she continued, "After the attack, Reno started training me, but since then I...guess I've never really thought for myself. I'm not sure I see what Reno does. Maybe he knows more about me than I do."

After a moment, she clutched her bottle, mumbling, "Or not enough..."

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Reno glared from under the bandages around his forehead, growling, "Hush."

"Let's just go already!" Lina cheered, moving them along. The crowd seemed to follow, everyone working their way past the docks to the cape. The windmill was lit, making the picnic tables loaded with food hard to miss. Kids played in the ocean's shallows, adults traded drinks and stories under the windmill. In all the bustle, Reno, Lina, Lino, and Chester found themselves at a table shrouded in blue, a number of faces present such as Momo, Chrome, Nav'ey, Gin, Kin, and Seido. Though there was some blatant reluctance on both sides (and bandages), seats were taken and drinks shared. In particular, Reno, Chester, and Momo had a ceremonial drink from the same bottle of rice wine, cementing their status as Azure Company members, honorary or not.

The night wore on and the volume only seemed to increase That shadow of fear and worry had been cast off, so the islanders were in full celebratory fervor, catching clueless foreigners up in their revelry. The only downers were the Azure Company, 99% of which were a bit to wounded, but a few drinks loosened them up, most of them passing out, pain numbed.

Looking over to Reno, head on the table as he passed out, Lina moved his arms underneath his head. Looking around, she spotted Lino playing around in the water, but she had something else in mind. Her eyes scanned the ruckus, out for a certain man.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

At Chester's proclamation, Lina gave a frown. What had she gotten into?

---

In the wake of Chester's rampage, the medical staff of Melonberry Island was rather busy between the wounded, which included Reno and Lina. Luckily, Lina was a quick fix, so she was able to return to the town and get things up as the day began. The dock became bustling with regular traders, annual visitors, and new faces alike mingling with the townsfolk. It was no massive event, but there were easily thousands of visitors.

When it came to what little of the Azure company could stand, however bandaged it was, they were at work behind the scenes. They made deals with locals behind doors, selling them back the hijacked sugar at a much more reasonable margin. Others donned civilian clothes, usually sporting some shade of blue, and patrolled about with weapons, keeping their territory secure in place of the nonexistent militia and police.

Lina and Lino spent much of the day at work selling their wares, and only after a good long rest did Reno join them, though he walked on a crutch, and was practically more bandage than man.

Sold out of their punch, their money till was as full as they'd hoped, and considering Reno's new employment, they were going to be a bit better off. As they packed up for the day, that wasn't the only thing on Lina's mind. With her gone, there'd be less expenses.

With her gone... Looking out to the ocean, her heart began to race again, so easily. It was hard to believe.