One Piece (CH33) (Patreon)

About two days later, the three of them found themselves standing on deck, staring at the horizon behind. A vessel could be seen, approaching at speed, though its nature was unknown.

“I’d have liked to be optimistic, but I just can’t manage it. My luck’s never been good.” Jack said, running a hand through his long hair. He was clad in a short-sleeved white shirt with form-fitting trousers—casual, yet stylish.

Ms. Valentine huffed. “What’re you trying to say? You think Crocodile’s coming after us?”

He opened his mouth, hesitating. “I’m… not sure. That or marines-…”

“Marines.” The voice came from above them, interrupting him mid-sentence. Paula clambered down from the mast shortly afterwards, a pair of binoculars in her hand. “A battleship to boot.”

Jack and Ms. Valentine glanced at each other, their expressions mirroring sourness. It went without saying, but the boys in blue probably thought they were one of their own. There were some uniforms on board, but there was no way the three of them could put up a believable act.

“So, what are your orders, captain?” Paula asked, her full lips curving into a smirk. Jack hadn’t grown to like the title in the meantime—she was just teasing him.

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Prepare for battle, I guess. There’s no way this resolves peacefully…” He rubbed his chin, quickly thinking of a plan. “…unless it’s a vice admiral or higher, we’ll be fine. Getting bombarded is the biggest danger. We don’t have a full crew to man the cannons.”

“Aaand how are we going to solve that problem?” Ms. Valentine asked, gesturing for him to continue.

Paula snorted. “The same way we handled them last time, dear. You two muscle-heads board them while I look after the ship-…”

“No.” Jack said, raising his hand. “I might have a better idea. They shouldn’t be sure we’re enemies yet. If we hide ourselves, they’ll try to board the ship to figure out the situation. If we take the leader captive, the battle ends before it can even begin.”

Ms. Valentine gave him two thumbs up. “Good thinking. I knew it was a good idea to make you captain!”

“Don’t praise me yet.” Jack said, smiling wryly. “We’ll have to see if it works out first.”

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The marine battleship drew closer, its deck bustling with activity. Sailors scurried back and forth like worker ants, furling the sails, adjusting the motors and lowering the anchor. A boarding plank was readied, the sturdy, steel-framed platform hooking on to the opposite ship, locking them to each other.

When everything was done, a sailor saluted, clicking their heels together. “The deck’s empty, captain. We didn’t spot anyone from the crow’s nest either!”

“I see…” A red-haired woman said, putting one polished shoe on the step. “…well, there’s no need to speculate. We’ll find out the truth soon enough.” She walked the plank slowly, a silvery rapier dangling from her waist, clinking against her buckle. Though she appeared at ease, her hand wasn’t far from the weapon.

Behind her, two sailors were whispering to each other, trying their best to be discreet. “…damn, the captain’s a real dime-piece. Getting assigned to this crew’s the best thing that ever happened to my career-…!”

He was still talking when his comrade smacked him upside the head, sending his navy cap tumbling down. “Idiot. You’re a rookie so you might not know, but ‘Nailing’ Isuka isn’t someone you should mess with! That nickname isn’t just for show!” Giving his warning a moment to sink in, the other sailor sighed, elbowing his friend. “Grab you rifle and stay sharp, we’re going in after her.”

Soon, the broad gangplank was bobbing up and down to the rhythm of stomping boots. A small escort of armed marines followed their captain. Coming to stand on deck, they flanked her protectively.

Isuka scanned the environment with hawk-like eyes, one shoe tapping against the polished wood. “No signs of habitation… spread out, but remain cautious. I want to know what happened to this ship. Perhaps it was his doing…” She seemed to hesitate a moment before drawing her rapier, the steel quietly sliding from its sheath. Two riflemen trailed behind her while she made her way to the cabin.

She kicked the door open, weapon at the ready and looking left to right. However, it was empty—the captain’s room was too small for anyone to be hiding anywhere. “Below, then. You two, check the sleeping quarters. I’ll visit the engine room-…” Before she could finish her sentence, shouts suddenly rang out on deck, followed by a hail of gunfire.

Her eyes widening, Isuka stormed out of the cabin together with her escorts. Outside, she was met with a spray of blood, red droplets splattering against her cheeks. A tall, beautiful woman stood on the other side, her curly blue hair tied into a ponytail. Long spikes extended from her fingers, stained with red. A marine was at her feet, clutching his leg in pain. Four gruesome holes wept blood onto the deck.

‘Bang!’

One of Isuka’s two marines fired on their own initiative, the bullet smashing into the woman’s forehead dead-on. However, to everyone’s astonishment, it did no damage, only causing her head to whip backward.

Sighing, the bombshell straightened her neck, wiping her face with her clean hand. “Don’t bother. I’m a spike woman, capable of punching holes in solid stone. That should tell you how hard my body is.” She smiled coyly, shifting her leg to kick the prone soldier’s gun away. “Still, those peashooters are quite annoying. If you don’t want me to lose my temper, I suggest you be a tad less trigger-happy.”

Isuka growled. “Damn, I should’ve known it was an ambush. You, pirate—what happened to this ship’s crew? Were you responsible?!”

“Maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. Who can say, really? It’s been a few days. You’ll have to jog my memory somehow.”

“Dream on.” Isuka said, brandishing her rapier. “You’re still surrounded. We might not be able to blow you to pieces, but arresting you is well within our capabilities. Mine, certainly.”

“Don’t be in a rush, dear. Give auntie Paula some time to get ready.” Paula said, raising her hand. She fiddled with her blue-polished nails, cleaning off the blood with a handkerchief. Her foot rested on the prone marine’s neck, her spiked toenails scratching his throat. “I’m not young anymore. I can’t just jump right into things like you kids.”

Isuka growled angrily. “How underhanded. Let him go and fight me! Don’t you have any pride?”

Paula shook her head, staring at her splayed fingers. She started curling them into her palm, one at a time. “Just be patient, it won’t be much longer-… three, two, one. Go.” She’d barely finished her countdown when a whistling sound came from above them, causing everyone to look upward. A figure was hurtling down at high speed.

Isuka’s eyes widened, realizing they’d been tricked, but it was too late. A certain blonde smashed into the deck like a dropped bomb, catching the marine captain and her two escorts in the impact. The surrounding sailors all cried out, fumbling with their rifles and adjusting aim, but they couldn’t fire into that mess without fear of hitting their comrades.

Paula didn’t waste time either, quickly dispatching the ones around her. When she was done, she dusted her hands, glancing to her left. “…seems your plan worked after all, Jack. Or would you prefer ‘my dear captain’?”

“Well, they were careless. And no.” Jack said, letting go of a marine’s collar, dropping the man on the deck. He’d appeared there at some point—who knew from where? He looked at the pile of wood shrapnel and bent metal, sighing. “I hope you didn’t kill her, Miki. I mean, I’m sure she wouldn’t show us any mercy, but it’d complicate the situation needlessly.”

“I’m not stupid, baby.” The blond said, straightening her back. She already had the unconscious marine slung over her shoulder. “What do you want her for? Gasp, don’t tell me-… not even the two of us are enough to satisfy you?!”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Just lie her down somewhere. We’ll chat once she wakes up. Paula and I will restrain the rest of them.”

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A while later, the three of them—Jack, Paula and Ms. Valentine—found themselves sitting around a single narrow bed. The red-haired marine captain was slowly coming to, groaning and blinking blearily. It had to be said, she was quite robust, having only a few bruises to show for the beating she’d taken.

“Let me do the talking.” Jack said quietly, raising a hand. “I think… I might know who she is.”

It wasn’t long before Isuka opened her eyes, widening them in alarm. She tried jolting upright, but found her arm cuffed to the metal bedpost, embedded in the floor. She wasn’t going anywhere.

“…so, we lost. To pirates. How extremely shameful.” She said, her expression becoming stoic. She simply stared at them. “What now? You ransom us for cash? That’s all you pirates seem to care about.”

Jack ignored her thinly veiled insult, rubbing his chin idly. His eyes were narrowed. "Isuka, Isuka... where have I heard that name before? A redhead with a rapier... it's so familiar." He maintained the posture for a long moment before suddenly clicking his fingers, wearing an expression of realization. "...that's it! How could I forget? You're that marine that's always chasing after Ace!"

Isuka's mouth opened and closed, her cheeks gaining a pink tint. "W-What are you saying? It's not l-like that, I'm just trying to arrest him! Me and I pirate-... I would never!"

Off to the side, Miki and Paula exchanged knowing glances. "So that's how it is..." The blonde said, her tone amused. "At least you're not after us. It seems the run-in was just a coincidence."

"Indeed. However, I can't help wondering what you're doing out here?" Jack directed a curious look at the marine. "Are you on Ace's trail right now?"

Isuka whipped her head to the side, not looking at him. "I don't have to tell you anything, pirate! It's none of your business. Let me go, and you might still receive a lenient sentence." Despite her forceful words, her cheeks grew a shade redder, almost matching her hair. She entirely betrayed herself.

Jack was even more confused. "So you are after him. I don't get it. Why is he going in this direction?" He pondered it for a second before a thought crept into his mind, starting to mumble to himself. "Don't tell me, he knows Blackbeard is on Jaya Island? That's not possible. They should meet only after everything there concluded. How did he find out...?"

From the beginning, he'd planned to lead Ace on a wild goose chase away from the damnable ruffian, but it seems his meddling had the opposite effect. This certainly hadn't happened in the original story.

"Damn... this is giving me a headache. If they all meet up at Jaya, this is going to turn into a huge mess." He said, his tone grim.

Paula raised an eyebrow. "What exactly are you talking about, my dear captain? If you want to tell me your troubles later, I'll be more than willing to lend an ear, but I don't think now is the time."

"It's... nothing." Jack said, chuckling dryly. His gaze returned to the confused marine. "Ace is headed to Jaya, as are we. And so are you, if you're after him. We might as well go together." He doubted Isuka would be much use against Blackbeard, but throwing a few more bodies into the fray wouldn't hurt—at least, he wouldn't be hurt.

Isuka's expression twisted, but she didn't protest. It was abundantly clear she didn't have a choice.

Miki and Paula looked at each other, then at Jack. "It seems we're out of the loop. I assume you'll be filling us in on what's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Ms. Valentine asked, seeming slightly dissatisfied.

He nodded. "Of course. Let's make sure these guys are secured, then we'll talk it through."

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