Chapter Text
It was late in the afternoon in the small, colorful port city of Inaba. Yosuke Hanamura, the son of a local merchant, was walking through the marketplace with his childhood friend Chie Satonaka. Their families lived on the same street and they had both grown up causing mischief in town. In fact, Yosuke was still trying to shake off his reputation for attracting trouble while Chie caused much of it herself with her infamous hot temper. Today, however, he was just accompanying her as she picked out some ingredients for her mother for supper, and he was doing his best to keep her from buying anything too strange for the sake of her parent’s stomachs.
They had just been about to step into the butchers so Chie could partake in her favorite shopping exercise – picking out what meat she wanted for dinner – when they overheard ruckus on the street behind them. They both turned, and upon realizing what was going on, Yosuke immediately ducked down his head and tried his best to look away. A young woman was crying as she was being dragged away by the officers employed by the governor to act as enforcers for the tax collector. The man in question looked on with a carefully neutral expression, holding back a little boy who was crying as his mother was being taken from him. Yosuke felt his temper flare, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. When he noticed Chie began to step forward, he quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back while shaking his head, trying not to feel too guilty as she glared back at him.
“We have to do something!” she hissed, pointing at the scene as the young woman was being dragged toward the debtor’s prison, and Yosuke frowned.
“If you step in, they’ll just jail you too for interfering,” he hissed, and Chie let out a frustrated sigh.
“I hate this,” she replied, sounding defeated, and Yosuke gently squeezed her arm in solidarity before letting go. The people on the street around them were similarly looking away, and Yosuke could overhear quiet talk of how the taxes were getting harder and harder to pay. Everyone looked exhausted and stressed, and suddenly Yosuke couldn’t stand being around there anymore.
“I think you can pick out the meat on your own. I am going to head home,” Yosuke said, and Chie nodded in understanding before waving as he walked away and melted into the crowd. It didn’t take him long to reach his parent’s home, one of the nicer ones on the street but nowhere near as big as the Kujikawa’s who were the most influential family in town other than the governor who lived just outside of the city on his sprawling estate.
Yosuke quietly stepped inside, closing the door and waving away their butler who came to see him and take his jacket. He noted that it was quiet inside, and figured that his parents were probably talking in his father’s study. He made his way toward the study and reached for the door, hesitating when he realized he could hear his father talking inside. “I don’t know what to do,” his muffled voice said, and Yosuke quietly sucked in his breath before pulling his hand away. He had never heard his father sound so defeated before.
“What do you mean?” his mother asked softly, Yosuke having to strain to pick up on her quiet voice.
“I believe the governor is plotting against me now. I knew it was dangerous to speak out against him so many times, but I couldn’t say nothing while the people suffer,” his father replied. “I overheard talk that he will accuse me of some sort of fraud so I can be thrown in jail. I don’t know what will happen to our family and our reputation if that’s the case.”
“But it’s not true,” his wife replied. “Surely, you would get a trial and the truth would come out.”
“The way that man works, I have serious doubts about that,” Yosuke’s father sighed.
Yosuke grit his teeth and took a few steps backward, clenching and unclenching his fists a few times as he tried to calm down. He then turned and stormed back outside, not wanting his parents to know he overheard them and unable to sit around after what he had just learned. He listlessly wandered the streets of Inaba, until he finally arrived at a familiar destination and looked up at the large estate that housed his other childhood friend, Rise Kujikawa. She was the young heiress to the estate and they were the richest family in town and technically even had more money than the governor. They were the one family he tended to leave alone since they had some influence with the King. Yosuke reached up and rapped on the door, and was immediately let in by Rise’s butler who lead him to the parlor before going to call her down.
When Rise entered the room, dressed as always in the latest city fashion, he noticed that something seemed to be upsetting her. He held back his own concerns and asked, “What is it?” while Rise plopped down on the tastefully decorated chair across from where he sat on the settee.
Rise sniffled slightly, before replying, “That shop girl that always has the best priced goods in the market was thrown in debtor’s prison this afternoon,” she replied. “I wish I could do something for her. I want to just pay her taxes for her, but what about next time? And all the others who have been thrown in jail?” Rise clenched her hands and looked down, her body tense as guilt washed over her. Yosuke knew that because Rise’s family had so much money, she often felt guilty about the situation of the townspeople, but the few times she had quietly tried to help someone it always backfired with the governor reacting by then raising taxes more or finding some loophole to take the money without it benefiting the family.
Yosuke bit his lip, feeling even worse since he had witnessed the young woman get dragged away and had done nothing to stop it. “I’m sorry, Rise. I know how distressing it is for you,” he replied, and she let out a breath before looking back at hm.
“What is wrong with you? Don’t think I didn’t notice your expression when I walked in the room,” she said. “Something grave has happened, hasn’t it?”
“More like something grave is about to happen,” Yosuke replied, before explaining what he had overheard his parents say. “I don’t know what to do. My father is right – if he gets thrown in jail I have no idea what it will do to my family. We rely on the money from his mercantile business… I’m sure the governor will seize that if he has father jailed.”
Rise frowned. “My grandmother was saying recently that she was worried about your family. Your father is one of the few that speaks out against the governor,” she replied. “I’m sure your father will think of something though. He’s a good man. And you know if something does happen you and your mother are welcome to stay here.”
Yosuke nodded his head, although he wouldn’t want to be a burden on the Kujikawas. “Thank you,” he replied, with a small smile, before standing back up.
“Leaving so soon? I was just about to call for tea,” Rise said in surprise. Yosuke nodded his head.
“I think I’m going to go for a drink,” he said, and Rise frowned.
“Just don’t get into trouble this time,” she replied accusingly, and Yosuke grinned at her before waving and heading outside to where the sun was setting over the harbor. He made his way to his favorite tavern, the one on the rougher side of town where he wasn’t liable to run into anyone from one of the circles he knew. It also was notorious for the occasional scuffle that Yosuke always managed to get dragged into, even though he didn’t know most of the men that frequented it. He enjoyed going there because of the anonymity he had, and he loved hearing stories from the sailors and working class men. The one person that did recognize him was the woman who owned the tavern, and she slid him his usual ale once he sat down. He grinned at her and tried to relax as he listened to the other men talk, leaning in once he realized one of them was talking about a recent pirate attack that had happened.
“They attacked those Tanaka Merchants. You know, the ones that always jack up their prices,” one of the men said before taking a swig of his beer.
“I say they deserve it,” another replied. “Those pirates are the real heroes.”
“Now if only someone would sic those pirates on the governor,” a third said, albeit in a low voice while looking around a little nervously.
“I wish,” the first also whispered. “It’s impossible to live with these taxes. I heard another one got jailed this afternoon – she’s a sweet one too.”
Yosuke suddenly didn’t feel thirsty anymore as the talk turned back to talk of the governor and his taxes, and he found himself staring down at his tankard for several moments before throwing some coins on the table and standing up. He hadn’t finished his drink, but it was honestly the last thing on his mind at the moment. He headed outside, easily making his way through the lantern lit streets even though it was a dark night, since he had grown up in Inaba and knew the whole town like the back of his hand. He made his way to what he honestly considered his second home and picked up a small stone from the dirt patch outside Chie’s window, knowing she was probably inside due to the fact a candle was lit. He tossed it lightly at the window, making a light tapping sound, and moments later she slid it open and stuck her head out.
“What are you doing, Hanamura?” she asked, reverting to his last name like she always did when he was in trouble. “You do realize your maid came by looking for you earlier. Your parents were worried when you didn’t show up for dinner.”
Yosuke did feel a little guilty about that but let it roll off his shoulders. There were more important things to worry about. “We need to do something about the governor,” he said bluntly, and Chie raised an eyebrow.
“One moment,” she said, ducking back into her room and grabbing her coat before climbing out the window. She climbed out to where she was hanging off the window ledge while Yosuke positioned himself under her, reaching up and catching her as she let go as they had been doing for years. Once he set her down, she turned to look at him with her hands on her hip. “What are you going on about now?” she asked.
Yosuke briefly explained his family situation before adding how frustrated he was hearing about how the governor was making everyone’s lives difficult. “I just…I can’t sit around and do nothing anymore,” he admitted. “If I do what will happen to my family? And everyone else who’s suffering?”
Chie let out a sigh before pointing out, “You were the one who said earlier there was nothing we could do, remember? If you try to do anything they’ll just recognize you and then your family definitely will get into trouble.”
Yosuke was quiet for a moment, for an idea had already been growing in his head. “Unless…” he started, before trailing off.
“Unless what?” Chie asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“Unless I’m not myself,” Yosuke said, almost more to himself, before he suddenly turned and began rapidly walking back to his house.
“Hey, Yosuke, wait!” Chie shouted before hurrying after him, cursing him under her breath. Whenever Yosuke got one of his wild ideas, he always moved quickly without thinking too much on the consequences. “What are you talking about?” she demanded in a low voice as they approached his house. Yosuke cut through the back to avoid being seen by one of the servants, and climbed in through his window which was located on the first floor. It was always easier for him to sneak out than it was Chie. She slid in after him and watched as Yosuke headed to his wardrobe and threw it open before searching through his clothes.
“Ah hah!” he said quietly as he pulled out an old costume Chie hadn’t seen in years. She felt her face blanche as he said triumphantly, “It won’t be Yosuke Hanamura who goes after the governor – it will be the Pirate Captain Jiraiya!”
Chie burst out laughing, albeit while covering her mouth to avoid making too much noise, and she had to lean against the windowsill due to laughing so hard. Yosuke rolled his eyes, turning so he could quickly change into the getup, throwing on the white jacket lined in green he had bought himself one day at the market, along with the red cloth and black hat he had always used for the costume. It wasn’t fancy, but it was enough to hide his identity since it covered most of his face. Chie finally stopped laughing and began to catch her breath, before eyeing him worriedly. “I’m starting to think you’re not joking,” she said, and Yosuke nodded his head.
“I am perfectly serious,” he replied.
“Jiraiya is a name you made up when we played pirates and Navy as kids,” Chie pointed out. “You’re not a real Pirate Captain, Yosuke.”
“It doesn’t matter if I am or not. What matters is if others believe me. Besides, the only one who knows this name is you. And possibly Dojima,” Yosuke said thoughtfully. Dojima was a Naval Commodore who lived in town and was the main one Chie and Yosuke harassed as kids due to being the only person they actually knew in the Navy. A lot of their childhood had been spent being chased around by the exasperated older man.
Chie looked at him for several minutes before asking, “Are you really going to do this?” Yosuke nodded, and from the expression in his eyes Chie could see peeking out from his hat and red scarf she knew he was being serious. “Then I’m coming with you,” Chie replied firmly.
“Wait,” Yosuke said, suddenly considering the amount of danger he would be putting her in.
“Wait nothing. I was always loyally part of your crew then and we’re not changing that now,” she replied stubbornly. “So, what’s the plan?”
Yosuke gave up on arguing, knowing that when Chie got that determined glint in her eye he wouldn’t win. “Well, while a crew of two worked when we were kids, we’re going to need more than that to storm the governor’s estate,” Yosuke admitted. “But I know just where to go.” Yosuke pulled a hat and green and yellow scarf out from his wardrobe for Chie so she could cover herself too before leading her back to the tavern which had given him the inspiration for the idea in the first place.
Yosuke was nervous as he stood outside the door to the tavern with Chie by his side. What he was about to try to do constituted treason against the throne, and if he got caught there would be dire circumstances for him and his family. Honestly though? Yosuke knew the circumstances for his family were about to be dire either way. It was the only thing that allowed him to step into the room and walk over to the bar, feeling relief when the tavern owner didn’t recognize him in his getup. She seemed surprised by their outfits, even more so over the fact Chie was obviously a woman, but didn’t comment on it. “What will it be?” she asked.
“Two ales,” Yosuke said, doing his best to mask his voice. He then sat down and leaned against the counter, trying his best to appear more confident than he felt. Chie nervously plopped down next to him, kicking him when she noticed he was starting to anxiously jiggle his leg. The tavern was full of more people than it had been when Yosuke left, and other than a brief lull in the conversation when they had both first walked in, it was pretty loud with people talking about work and taxes. The tavern owner plopped both ales on the table for them, and Yosuke took a swig of his drink to calm his nerves before dropping his payment on the table before he could forget. He listened to the conversation for several moments while eyeing the room to ensure no one was inside that he knew was loyal to the governor. He wasn’t expecting anyone like that to be at a place like this, but knew at this point he couldn’t take any chances. Once he was sure he was in the clear, he took another swing of ale before raising his voice. “If you all are so upset by this governor, why not run him out of town?” he asked.
At his words, the tavern grew deathly silent. Yosuke knew he had everyone’s attention and did his best to hide how scared he actually felt. “And who are you?” the man from earlier asked who had first brought up the pirate story.
“The name’s Captain Jiraiya,” Yosuke replied lazily. “I couldn’t help but overhear you all were complaining about the same thing. Why not do something about it?” he asked.
The men exchanged looks, and Yosuke felt his heart sink as he realized no one seemed on board with the idea. “You’re probably not from around here, so don’t go sticking your nose where it don’t belong,” a merchant Yosuke had seen at the bar before snorted. “That kind of talk will get you thrown in prison.”
Yosuke rolled his eyes and stood up, doing his best to stand straight and appear cocky. Fortunately, false bravado was something he had perfected throughout his years of playacting as the Pirate Captain as a kid. Chie leaned back in her chair next to him, also doing her best to hide how nervous she felt. “You think that sort of thing scares me?” he asked flippantly. “Last I checked just the act of being a pirate will get you thrown in jail, and then hanged. Never stopped me.”
Quiet chatter broke out in the room at that, and Yosuke shrugged his shoulders before taking another sip of his ale. He then turned to Chie who looked pale but was doing her best to appear bored instead. “Let’s go gunner. Looks like everyone in this town is too much of a coward,” he scoffed, before heading toward the door.
Chie began to follow him, and Yosuke had just stepped outside when he heard scrambling behind him. “Wait!” one of the men shouted as several of them poured out the door after him. “You really think we can run off the governor?”
“Of course. There’s far more of us in this room than him and his officers,” Yosuke pointed out. “If we go straight to his estate he probably won’t have very many of those either.”
“It’s treason though. The King’s the one who appointed him,” one of the other men added. Yosuke peered past him and realized the rest of the men were either gathered at the doors or at the windows to the tavern which they had lifted up in order to listen.
“So what? The King is all the way across the sea. Not much he can do,” Yosuke replied. “You just have to be swift about it. Or you can continue to drown under his stiff taxes. It’s up to you.”
The men all begin to argue with one another, some obviously keen on the idea while others were much more cautious. Yosuke let them argue, feeling a little less anxious now that he appeared to have some men on board with the idea. Next to him Chie looked a little impressed and had also visibly calmed down. Finally, the first man stepped up to Yosuke and said, “I’m in. At this rate anything the King could do would be preferable to what the governor’s doing. This isn’t living,” he said. Several more stepped over next to him, and it was almost as if he had breached the dam as more and more joined them until none stood in opposition anymore. Everyone was fed up with the governor and ready to do something about it.
“Alright, let’s storm the estate,” Yosuke said, pulling out his pistol his father had given him as a coming of age present and leading the way. He had always been a great shot and a good swordsman, although for the latter he had pretty much taught himself and adopted a rather unconventional style. He wasn’t like the upper class gentleman that got more formal training. Chie followed him, and while she didn’t have any weapons on her Yosuke had seen her in many scuffles growing up and knew she could hold her own in hand to hand combat. The rest of the men grabbed an assortment of items to use as weapons, some of them tools that they used at work while others had actual guns or swords themselves.
Once they reached the governors estate and stormed in, it was thankfully a short scuffle, since as Yosuke had pointed out the governor did not have a lot to physically protect himself at the estate. He had been relying on the power awarded to him by the King and hadn’t expected any sort of opposition. They literally broke through the gate, came in through the front door, pushed past the staff that immediately got out of the way, and made their way to the governor’s bedchamber where he quickly surrendered and agreed to leave town. While the men celebrated in the estate’s main hall, with a select few overseeing the governor as he packed his things and prepared to leave town, Yosuke began to realize that he may have been a little too hasty with his plan. He hadn’t thought at all about the aftermath, for while it was true the governor only had his small group of officers to back him and the tax collector up, the King could always send the Navy or soldiers in to turn things back over to the governor.
So, Yosuke approached the first man that had spoken up and pulled him aside, stating he had some business to attend to and wanted to put him in charge until he returned. The man looked suspicious until Yosuke gave him his pistol to hold onto until his return. The man glanced down at it and quickly ascertained how valuable it was before nodding his head and agreeing. Then, Yosuke and Chie slipped away so he could go to the only person he could think of for help. When Yosuke lead them to the door of the Commodore’s estate, Chie gave him a questioning look but didn’t stop him as he nervously rapped on the door. It was opened a few minutes later by the butler who was in his night clothes and looked surprised to see such strange looking people at the door. Yosuke quickly pulled down his scarf to show his face and asked, “Is the Commodore in? Let him know I want to speak to him.”
The butler let out a sigh before motioning them in, waving at the parlor where Yosuke and Chie had often been dragged to as children before Dojima had gone to get their parents, before heading upstairs to get his master. They were both too nervous to sit, and Yosuke began pacing back and forth while Chie rubbed her arms nervously and stood facing the door. Once Dojima stepped in, dressed in only breeches and a linen shirt with a mixed expression on his face that both looked peeved and a bit concerned, Yosuke finally stopped pacing. “I screwed up,” he said, and Dojima let out a deep sigh.
“I already figured that. Do you know what time of night it is?” he asked. He took in both of their outfits as well and added, “And why the hell are you both dressed like that? I thought you finally grew up and stopped playing at being pirates.”
“This time…I kind of became a pirate,” Yosuke admitted, and Dojima clenched his jaw.
“Explain, Hanamura,” he said, crossing his arms, and Yosuke suddenly felt like a kid again.
“I kind of pretended to be a pirate captain and just chased the governor out of town,” he admitted, before looking at Dojima sheepishly. “I didn’t really think things through and am turning myself in. I’m taking the blame for everything – it was my idea so please don’t get anyone else into trouble.”
He stared Dojima in the eye, and while he was terrified, he stood his ground. “Wait, it was my idea too,” Chie interjected. “If you’re getting into trouble, I should too!”
Dojima reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a deep sigh. “I…wasn’t quite expecting that,” he admitted. Yosuke tensed while waiting for the Commodore’s verdict. “But somehow I’m also not surprised. I overheard rumors about what the governor was planning on doing to your father,” Dojima added. “I wish I could have done something about him myself, but at my rank my hands were tied.” He frowned. “There’s no need to turn yourself in.”
Yosuke blinked in surprise before turning to look at Chie who looked similarly bewildered. “The governor is a coward. While there is a mob in town that hasn’t been apprehended, he won’t be returning here,” Dojima added. “And I can guarantee you that the Navy won’t be stepping in for him either. We have enough on our hands these days with pirates as it is.”
“Really?” Yosuke asked, and Dojima nodded.
“Now I can’t guarantee that the King won’t still try to do something, so it’s probably best if you two skip town for awhile until things calm down. I’m sure your family can help you come up with a cover story,” Dojima mused.
“What about the people who helped me?” Yosuke asked, and Dojima shook his head.
“There isn’t much I can do for them, I’m afraid,” he said. “They did make their choice, one that helped out the town and their families. I’m sure they’re willing to face any consequences,” he added. Yosuke looked down, not really accepting his words, until a thought suddenly overcame him.
“Thank you, sir,” Yosuke said, before looking up and shooting him a smile. “Try not to be too disappointed in what I’m about to do, though.”
“What are you talking about?” Chie asked, as Yosuke tugged on her arm and headed out the door. Dojima let out an exasperated sigh, obviously dreading whatever Yosuke had going on in his head this time, while Yosuke lead them back to his house.
“I think we should become pirates. For real,” Yosuke said, his mind racing.
“You can’t be serious,” Chie replied.
“I am serious. Earlier, those men. They talked about a pirate who stole from a dirty merchant. They almost seemed to view him as a hero,” Yosuke replied. “If we leave as pirates, we can ask those men to come on as our crew and ensure if the Crown does try to do something, they won’t be able to reach them. And with Jiraiya prowling the waters, the Governor won’t be back anytime soon. Dojima’s right – he is a coward and if he doesn’t get any sort of force to back him up, he’ll stay out of town. And you heard Dojima, as long as we don’t do anything truly dirty he’ll probably leave us alone. We can protect Inaba and pay back those men who helped us run off the governor.”
Chie let out a deep sigh while shaking her head. “You’re insane,” she said. Yosuke frowned and slumped his shoulders until Chie added, “But I guess I am too. Only problem is, we don’t have a boat. And neither of us know how to sail.”
“I can fix that,” Yosuke replied, stopping in front of his house. He took a deep breath before striding inside, startling his parents who had been waiting up for him and looked worried sick.
“Yosuke, thank god you’re alright,” his mother said. “What did you drag Chie into this time? We heard there was a mob out there tonight!”
“There was,” Yosuke replied. “And I led it.” His parents stared at him in astonishment, and Yosuke quickly launched into the details about what happened that night and all the things he had learned and experienced. Yosuke’s mother covered her hand over her mouth, obviously worried over his actions and his decision, while his father looked torn between feeling exasperated and proud.
“So, you want my ship, do you?” his father asked. “You’ll have to change the name. Mine is registered and would easily be tied back to me.”
“I already have a name,” Yosuke said, thinking back to the one he had always used as a child. Garudyne was a fitting name for a ship, especially one as fast as his father’s.
“Are you sure about this, Yosuke?” his mother asked, and he nodded.
“I’ll need you to come up with a cover story – like I’m learning the family business or something,” he said. “I’ve decided that I’m going to support Inaba, even if the Crown won’t. I know some people may not want to trade with us anymore after running off the Governor, so I may be the only one bringing income into port for awhile.”
“Who will be in charge with the governor out of town?” his father pondered. “It’s going to be a tough job, especially without the support of the Crown.”
That gave Yosuke an idea. “Mother, can you pack me a bag? I need to go see someone else before I go,” he said, and she sighed before moving forward to give him a hug and a peck on the cheek first.
“Just be careful,” she said, placing both hands on his cheeks and staring him in the eyes, expressing all of her worry and love before waving them off. His father similarly clapped him on the shoulder before offering to walk Chie to her parents to help explain the situation to them. Yosuke knew that her parents, who were always pretty lax, wouldn’t mind her traveling with him, especially since it would give her more opportunities than she would have as a woman in town.
“I’ll be back!” he called, before rushing over to the all too familiar Kujikawa estate. He bypassed the front door and instead tossed a rock at Rise’s window, hoping she was awake even though her room appeared dim. To his relief, moments later it opened up and she stuck her head out, her hair resting on her shoulder in a long braid she always slept in.
“Yosuke, what are you doing?” she asked.
“I need you to do something for me,” he said. “I’m asking a lot, but I trust you are the best person to handle it.” Yosuke knew how much Rise wanted to do for Inaba and knew with her family’s power and influence she was probably the only one who could pull it off. Rise looked confused until Yosuke dived into his explanation over what he had done that night. She stared at him in surprise, and by the end of the story looked concerned.
“Yosuke, piracy is not a safe occupation,” she scolded, and he nodded his head.
“I know. Hopefully, I won’t have to do it forever. And I’m going to sail to Okina to get some more experienced sailors to join the crew,” he said. He had concocted the idea on his way over to the Kujikawa’s. “I’ll be ok – I promise. I just need to know that you’ll look out for Inaba for me while I’m away.”
Rise let out a breath. “Of course I will,” she said. “You and Chie just be safe, ok?”
Yosuke nodded before covering his face back up with his red scarf and waving goodbye. He then ran off, heading back to pick up his bag and Chie before they returned to the governor’s mansion with a proposition for those who had helped them. He accepted his pistol back gratefully before making an offer to the men who helped run off the governor to join his crew and in the process help protect Inaba. To his relief, most of them were on board with the idea, and there were a few other young men who had showed up once they heard what was going on who also signed up. One was a tall, lanky fellow that Yosuke had seen around town with bleached blond hair and a scar over his eye. Yosuke would soon learn his name was Kanji, and he would become integral to keeping his ship in top condition due to his ability to sew and mend pretty much anything. Yosuke gave them time to gather up some belongings and say goodbye to their family, before he led them to the harbor where his father’s ship had just received a fresh coat of paint, covering the previous name La Fleur de la Mer and proudly sporting the new name, Garudyne.
Yosuke felt nervous about his decision, but he knew there was no looking back once he stepped foot onto the ship. In one night, he had already changed the course of his life, his best friend’s life, and everyone who lived in Inaba, and he had to stand by that decision no matter what. Especially if he was to lead these men. He turned to glance at Chie, who nodded at him encouragingly, before turning to face his new crew. “The rest of my crew was left in Okina for shore leave,” he fibbed, “so we will head there next to pick them up. Remember, we sail to protect and support the people of Inaba. The Kujikawa family will be in charge going forward, but it is highly likely the port will be receiving less trade from the Crown without the governor in power. Everything we do will be to support the families you’re leaving behind today. Understood?” he asked, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride at the loud “Aye!” he got from the crowd in reply.
He then brought them onto the ship, grateful for the few sailors who had chosen to join them that were able to get everything into a semblance of order. Yosuke walked throughout the vessel, the ship very familiar to him since he had been on it many times growing up, and he familiarized himself with it yet again, realizing that going forward this was going to be his new home. He directed Chie to a small cabin that his family would often use when they would travel on board, while he took over the captain’s quarters, throwing himself on the freshly made bed and realizing his father had done a lot of work to get the ship prepared for him while he had gathered up the crew.
Yosuke noticed a letter sitting on what was now his desk and stood up to walk over to it, picking it up and smiling when he realized it was from his parents. They wrote that while they were certainly worried about him, they were also proud of him and knew he would do a great job protecting Inaba. They would support him every step of the way, and they encouraged him to focus on his crew and not worry about them. They would be fine in Inaba and had the Kujikawa’s, the Satonaka’s, and Dojima to support them. Yosuke felt tears come to his eyes at the letter and sucked in his breath, carefully holding back those tears before he carefully folded up the letter and tucked it into his pocket, knowing he wouldn’t be able to leave something like that out for someone else to see. He then squared his shoulders and prepared himself to step onto the deck. From here on out, he would no longer be Yosuke Hanamura, and would need to embody Captain Jiraiya in order to lead the crew. Yosuke flattened the hat on his head, promising himself to get something a little more flashy and fitting for a pirate captain later, before opening the door and stepping onto the main deck.