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"Should we tell Yaomomo he woke up?"
"She'll probably want to know."
"Sero, Mina, go find her. Fetch the Captain, too."
Bakugou blinked open his eyes to find a red haired man staring down at him. The man wore a headband around his forehead, and a scar marred his eye. Behind the man, another one leaned against the wall. The blond man caught Bakugou staring and flashed a grin, snapping his fingers to create electricity.
"Sleeping beauty's awake, huh?" The blond whistled, and Bakugou glared at him.
"Shut the fuck up. Who the hell are you people?" He demanded. He tried to charge at them, but the ropes around his wrists restrained him.
"Careful. Don't wanna hurt yourself." The redhead cautioned. Bakugou spat at him, and he backed up.
There was the sound of heels clacking on the steps. A woman with her long dark hair tied up in a ponytail and stormy eyes entered the dimly lit room. Behind her trailed a blue haired man with glasses, and another man with a nasty burn on one eye. Swords hung from each one's belt.
As Bakugou scanned her over, a sense of familiarity rose in his chest. Where had he met this woman before? Or rather, where did he know her from?
"Why the fuck have you kidnapped me? Who are you, bitch?"
"Don't speak to Lady Yaoyorozu that way!"
"Iida." The woman chided, but the damage was done. Bakugou's eyes widened.
"You're the feared pirate princess? The woman who was kidnapped from her kingdom by pirates before her arranged marriage could be made official and became a pirate?" Rumors and various tales floated around about the Princess Yaoyorozu and her sudden disappearance before the date of her wedding. Some believed she was kidnapped. Others claimed she ran off having expressed disinterest in the marriage to Todoroki Shouto from the neighboring kingdom.
"I do have that reputation, yes, and it is partly true." Yaomomo bit her lip.
"Neither Yaomomo or I was interested in serving as pawns for our parents or being forced into a marriage we did not care for, so we decided to run off and begin a life of piracy." The man with the burn scar spoke up. Even with the scar and his attire, Bakugou could see the markings of royalty he bore.
So then the stories were true. Or partly. Yaomomo and Todoroki, children of the two most powerful royal families, had both fled their kingdoms and climbed aboard a pirate ship. Bakugou's eyes flickered towards the captain. As if sensing his question, Todoroki spoke up again.
"Iida was a knight of Yaomomo's castle and a close friend to her. We agreed he should be captain as he was the most suited."
"Although Lady Yaoyorozu holds the most power." Yaomomo flushed at Iida's comment, but did not deny the claim.
"Who are the rest of you fuckers, then?"
"Oh, we all have various reasons for joining. Sons or daughters of lesser nobles who ran away. People searching for riches whether for their own gain or to help their families out. Some of us are also simply admirers of Yaomomo and her crew." The redhead laughed, his hand on his hip.
Yaomomo stepped towards him, and Bakugou tensed. She drew her sword and cut his ropes. His eyes widened as he registered what she'd done. For a split second he was thrown off guard, then he sprung forward.
The pink skinned girl reacted first and caught him from behind with little effort. He tried to escape her grip, but she must have been stronger than she looked. Her hands were wrapped around his arms, preventing him from charging forward.
"Are you sure that was a good idea, Yaomomo?" A plain looking black haired man asked. "We restrained him in the first place because he tried to fight against us when we were trying to rescue him."
"Rescue me, my ass."
"Bakugou, you're not our prisoner." Yaomomo sighed. Bakugou stopped struggling for a moment and looked up at her, his red eyes fierce.
"It sure as hell looks that way to me! And how the fuck do you know my name?" He snarled. Yaomomo exchanged a look with Todoroki and Iida. Todoroki nodded, and she sighed.
"You were running away from your kingdom. We decided to help you out, otherwise the royal guard who have caught you before you made it out."
"Why the hell does this matter to you? And how do you even know that?"
"Is Kacchan awake?" The rest of the crew in the room turned towards the sound of the voice. A growl rose in Bakugou's throat.
"Deku." He managed to wrench himself out of the pink skinned woman's grip, and she yelped as she fell back. The redhead and plain faced man moved to block his path.
Deku's eyes wavered over Bakugou with a mix of worry, relief and hurt. Bakugou glared at him.
"I don't need your help. Or any of these fuckers help."
"The royal guard who have caught you and dragged your sorry ass back to the castle. And even if you made it to the dock, the marines would hunt you down. Probably are now. You're lucky we intervened. That Midoriya helped you out by coming to us." Todoroki said. Bakugou glared at the man who only returned his heated gaze with a cool one of indifference. Bakugou shoved past the two men holding him and stormed up the stairs.
None of the pirates bothered to follow him. Then again, it wasn't like there was a need to. He was stuck on a ship in the middle of the sea after all, unarmed while they were armed to the tooth, and the only way off meant certain death.
Fucking Deku. Fucking Yaomomo and her meddling crew. Fucking royal families and their stupid politics and games and feuds.
There was a splash. Bakugou stiffened. His hands curled into fists, and he leaned over the side of the rail.
"Are you a new recruit?" A girl's voice croaked. He looked down to see a girl's head popping out of the water. Her green hair was shiny and wet, and it floated around her.
"I'm not a fucking pirate." Bakugou snarled. The girl flicked her tongue.
"Then why are you on Yaomomo's ship?"
"I was kidnapped by those fuckers."
"Yaomomo doesn't take prisoners."
"Well apparently she does." Bakugou seethed, then paused. "How the hell do you know her?"
"I'm an old friend of hers." The girl answered. Bakugou frowned.
"What are you?" He demanded. A smile rippled across her face for a moment, and she dived underwater. Bakugou watched as she resurfaced, and a green tail emerged from the sea. She slapped her tail against the surface, and droplets sprayed up, hitting him.
"You bitch!" He snarled. She cocked her head, lightly slapping her tail against the water.
"Sorry about that. I'm a mermaid. Asui Tsuyu, but you can call me Tsuyu." She said. Then, a strange look crossed her face. "You know, if you wanted to leave, Yaomomo would let you."
"Like hell she would. I bet those pirates are just kidnapping me for ransom, and the whole rescue shit is just a farce." Bakugou seethed, but Tsuyu shook her head.
"Yaomomo isn't that kind of person. Either is the Captain. None of them are. They do some questionable things at times, but they're not bad people." Pirates were horrible, he wanted to snap. They were scum. However, Tsuyu ducked underwater before he could, and he heard a strong voice shout from high above.
"Marine ships spotted on the starboard side. They're approaching fast."
Bakugou looked up to see a man with the head of a crow perched in the crow's nest. Someone slapped his back, and Bakugou whirled around, prepared to punch whoever it was. The redhead pirate stood there, arms raised in surrender, a sheepish smile on his face.
"Whoa, don't attack! I'm a friend, not foe." Bakugou scowled at this, and he laughed before his expression sobered. "I'm just warning you that the marines are gonna be attacking soon, and if yer not willing to fight on our side, then head down below deck to the kitchens with the cook Satou. Unless you wanna be captured and dragged back home, that is."
"Like hell I do!" The redhead chuckled at this and dashed off. All around Bakugou the deck swarmed with activity. A man with multiple arms and a mask around his mouth adjusted the sails. Another man with a monkey tail was climbing the ropes, a crossbow strapped to his tail. As the marine ship drew closer, Bakugou watched him take aim and fire an arrow. One of the marines collapsed from the shot, and the others scrambled to assist their crew member.
The marine ship drew closer, and the pirate ship went to meet it. The marines' ship lowered a plank, bridging the two ships together, and soldiers flooded the pirate ship carrying swords and pistols. Bakugou started to run into the fray when someone grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Leave this to us, Bakugou. It's unsafe on deck." He jumped back from whoever it was, and they released their hold on him. He turned to see the pirate captain standing there, worry in his eyes, and Bakugou glared at him. Iida only sighed, adjusting his glasses. "I don't want you caught in the fighting."
"Do you think I'm fucking weak?" Bakugou snarled. Iida shook his head.
"Of course not. I merely think that you do not have the same experience we do, and that-" Iida threw Bakugou aside and drew his sword as metal clashed with metal. A woman, her orange hair tied up and dressed in a marine uniform, glared at Iida. She rushed forward, and the two's swords clashed.
"Captain."
"Admiral Kendou." The woman, Kendou, shot Bakugou a look. Her eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment and then a look of relief settled on her face.
"Your kingdom will be relieved at your safe return, Prince Bakugou."
"Like hell I'm going back." Kendou's brows creased. She seemed almost puzzled by his statement, but Iida thrust his sword at her, and she directed her attention back on the duel.
The two danced and fought, both trained swordsmen and authoritative figures. Bakugou, deciding Iida could handle this, turned from the clash and flinched as a bullet whizzed past him.
A marine with ash blond hair and his teeth showing on the outside of his skin, a sight that both confused and frightened Bakugou, aimed a pistol at him. He prepared to fire again when a bullet hit his shoulder. Yaomomo drew her sword, gun still in her other hand, and engaged in battle with the marine.
"Hey beautiful! Think after this battle, you'd be willing to go out with a scoundrel such as myself?" The blond haired man's irritating voice reached Bakugou's ears. He saw the man facing off with a marine woman, her green hair long and vine like in appearance. The pirate tried to shock her with his powers, and she ducked out of his way.
All around him, battles raged between the marines who poured onto the ship and the pirate crew who ran to greet them. The pink skinned girl faced off against some marine wielding a sword, a headband pushing back his hair. The redhead was brawling with a silver haired marine who had one arm made of metal.
Bakugou felt a sharp yank on his arm, and he looked to see a girl with brown hair tied back wearing a black tank top which showed off her muscles. She had a young face, but her determined glare told him she was not quite as delicate as she looked.
"You're the new crew mate, right? Help me with the cannons."
"I'm not a..." He started then let out an angry huff. "Fine. Whatever. Lead the way."
The girl brightened, and he followed her towards the huge black cannon. He helped her move it and aim it at the other ship, the two straining from the effort, sweat dripping down their backs. Once the cannon was pointed at the naval ship, the girl bit her lip.
"The fuse, we need something to light the fuse. If Todoroki were here, he could set it on fire." She scanned the horizon, searching for the man among the chaos. Most of the pirates had managed to push back their attackers, driving them back on board the other ship, but Todoroki was currently engaged in battle with a blond marine. The marine swung his sword, and Todoroki's arm became encased in ice, effectively deflecting the attack and preventing the blade from piercing his skin. The girl looked conflicted on whether or not to call out for him.
Bakugou clenched his hands. Sweat dripped down them from the heat and stress coursing through his body. There was a crackling noise as small explosions danced in his hand and lit the fuse.
He backed away from the now lighted fuse and yanked the girl back with him as the canon exploded with a thundering roar. The cannonball hit the side of the marine ship, damaging it, and the crew still on board scrambled to see what the cause was.
Hearing the noise, the admiral whipped her head towards the ship. She cast one last longing look at the pirates before raising her sword and ordering the retreat. The marines still on board the pirate ship scurried back to their own to assess the damage and fix the hole. Bakugou's hands crackled, ready to create another explosion, but the girl put a hand on his arm and shook her head.
"No use now. Let them go."
The pirate ship sailed away from the marine one, leaving the damaged ship far behind. While the rest of the crew did repairs and cleaned, Bakugou found himself squeezed in the Captain's quarters with Yaomomo, Todoroki, Iida, Deku and the girl manning the cannons. Yaomomo folded her hands in her lap. Her black eyes bore into Bakugou, not cold but not warm either.
"Bakugou, Ochako informed me of your help during the battle." Bakugou started to interrupt, but Yaomomo held up a hand. "I will not force you to join our crew, but know your, ah, skills would be valued here, and we would ensure you would never have to return from whence you came."
"And do not feel rushed to make a decision." Iida piped up. "The nearest port we could drop you at is days off, after all."
Bakugou bit his lip, clenching his fist. Small explosions popped and burst. Yaomomo's face was neutral. Iida looked calm but hopeful, and Todoroki's expression was unreadable. Round face who Yaomomo had called Ochako looked excited at the prospect of a new member, and Deku avoided his gaze.
He wasn't sure what to make of this strange crew of pirates. But for now, it seemed he had no choice but to put up with them. He stood.
"Fine. I'll think about it." He headed towards the door, turning his back on them as not to see their reactions, and he opened the door to find a group of pirates assembled outside. Some of them flushed and scurried off at being caught eavesdropping, but the redhead slapped his back and the blond slung an arm around him, grinning, while pink skin jumped up and down.
"Welcome to the crew!"
"A new member, this is exciting!"
Bakugou wanted to shout he hadn't sold his soul to this group yet. But he couldn't help but feel almost happy surrounded by this crew of idiots. Instead he said nothing and brushed off the two, hiding his grin and ignoring the chatter. This might not be all bad.
It beat staying in his kingdom, that was for sure.