Chapter Text
Long ago, in a world covered in vast expanses of ocean and littered with many mysterious islands and two main continents, man sailed the seas along creatures of myth and legends. To the West, the large continent of Cirosia loomed over the rest of the world with startling inventions; claiming the mass of land in their name. To the East, Xuris conquered all who stood against their might, standing proud and arrogant against their rival super power. The many islands and isles that fell in between are far to much to name, and far to little to be of any value to the massive kingdoms.
While disputes over an islands resources can happen, most of the pillaging is caused by the horde of Pirates that have sprung up from the various island villages. They raid other isles, some even so bold as to challenge the two warring kingdoms, though few succeed. They rule the untamed seas, hunting mythical creatures, partaking in slave trade, searching for legendary treasures and fabled droughts of immortality. Many fleets have been destroyed by the Many Seas; either by raging typhoons that appear where ever Nephion wills, or powerful creatures that stalk the ships beneath the surface. Sirens are a common occurrence, and often drown sailors who hear their beautiful songs. Leviathans are known to devour whole fleets, it's not uncommon to find a wreak in the middle of the ocean.
The sea goddess is both revered and cursed. Nephion is the mother of all, as all life came from the oceans. And yet, she plagues the Many Seas with storms and beasts that keep every sailor on their toes. Many shrines are dedicated to her glory, and many tales are written about her unforgiving and bipolar nature. Statues carved in her image are often accompanied by a wreaked ship and lifeless carved sailors at her feet. However, it is said that Nephion blessed Atlantis with her heart, hidden from the unworthy. Legend speaks of a great gem glowing with the life of the seas, with the power to grant any who find it their hearts desire. Many have tried and failed to find Nephion's Heart, none have managed to earn the goddess's blessing.
...
A sigh. The pirate wiped her brow as she stared once more at the scroll laid delicately against the desk. The unforgiving heat which currently resided over their temporary port did nothing to ease her aches, and the stuffy quarters were no better. Huffing, she rolled up the worn paper and gently placed it within a locked drawer, hid the key, and made her way onto the deck. She fixed the bandanna atop her head and surveyed the clean and pristine deck carefully. The Siren's Bane was the crew's beloved vessel, they took great care in polishing the great Brig. Nodding her head with approval, she crossed the mostly empty ship towards land. With a final glance to the sea, she walked through the bustling port of a rather quaint and unusual pirate-neutral village.
The village was located on a small island in the more tropical regions of Atlantis, and seemed to thrive off of being a traders hot spot. Usually, not a welcoming place for pirates. Thanks to an agreement made between ships and the village's leader as soon as a ship docks, no royal fleet will be called if fair business is being made. Meaning no stealing, looting, pillaging, pretty much the opposite of stereotypical pirate hobbies. Though, coin is always welcome and drink was plenty, so who's to complain?
Thankfully, we're not like most pirates, The woman mused. They tended to be more on the civil side anyway, sticking closely to their captain's codes. They rarely attacked merchants or raided villages unless provoked, sticking mainly to bounty and treasure hunting. This was just one of their pit stops to resupply and continue on their path halfway around the world. Their goal, a recent weakness found in the walls of an Xurian fortress with the promise of good loot and a beautiful bounty target which frequents the same place. The target was a high class Commodore who was a rather large pain in the neck for Cirosian forces, who were more than willing to pay a high price for his head. And, it would be a great fuck you to the current ruler of Xuris, Enji Todoroki. Which puts a small smile on the captain's lips, even if only for a short while.
She stopped in front a tavern ironically named The Skinny Cup, the biggest lie on this island for that fact. When she entered, she was not surprised to find strangers and her crew happily chugging from the biggest pints she's ever seen. Shaking her head slightly with a smile tugging at her lips, she joined her crew to bade them good job on keeping their beloved ship clean, before plopping down into a seat. It was a rarity that the crew was allowed to have a few moments at a tavern without a boat load of chores to do once they return. But the drinking definitely wasn't rare, oh sweet Nephion no. The captain might be strict but he's not that heartless to keep his crew from booze, they're pirates after all.
The crew welcomed her with raised pint glasses and cheery faces, some with woozy expressions and half hazard movements which caused some of their booze to slosh over the sides. She returned the greeting with a boyish grin and smacked her hands on the shoulders of the closets crew mate next to her.
"Good work on the deck, Ojiro. I thought those boards would never shine again." The male grinned at her praise, and puffed out his chest in drunken confidence.
"Nothin' I couldn't handle sir!" The blond male was certainly a big help around the ship, his strength and martial art capabilities made up for how much of a lightweight he could be when it came to alcohol. He tended to dress in off white colors, which he somehow managed to keep clean.
She never minded being called sir, as it helped her out of some tough spots when her gender came up in conversations with more than despicable men who disagreed with her successes. Which happened way to much, considering she's a pirate for gods sake.
"Heeey there's the bookworm! I thought Hagakure had eaten her!" Stated Tetsu. The First Mate nearly fell out of her chair as the silver haired male practically bounced over to her. He nearly slammed a pint in front of her, falling into a seat he dragged from a nearby table. The male's strength was also something to behold, he's known for being able to carry multiple boxes large boxes filled with ammo for their carronades with out breaking a sweat.
Currently, he was shit faced and humming the same ballad they sung while pulling into port, although poorly and off tune.
Hagakure was the ship's poltergeist. She was invisible, and loved to play pranks on the crew. Well, they weren't really pranks, more like wholesome jokes. She would leave someone's underwear on the sails, move chairs when somebody stood up, displace everything in a room slightly to the left. Her pranks weren't really harmful, and they tended to get a laugh out of the crew, so the captain allowed her to stay. Sometimes he would leave small suggestions when somebody vexed him, whenever he was particularly petty.
The First Mate took a swig of her pint, relishing in the sweet milky taste of the alcohol. She didn't mind a drink every now and then, but when she did drink it was lightly. She didn't like being tipsy off her ass, preferring to remain in at least a cooperative working condition. She never stopped the others from their heavy drinking habits, so as long as her captain was okay with it. It wasn't her place to dictate their limits and she trusted them to be responsible. Though some of them might be pushing it just a tad.
One of them just fell out of their chair.
The sound of the drunken sailor keeling over and hitting the floorboards caused the Sirens' crew to howl with laughter, drawing the attention of regulars and passerby alike. She herself chuckled, but kept an eye on the tipsy pirate to ensure he wasn't fully out of commission. She enjoyed days like this. Days where the crew of forty could spend their free time being men without having to worry about sea sickness and falling overboard. Or a massive hangover when their awoken for their morning duties just before dawn. They would be staying in port while they restocked; they were supposed to work on the outer hulls of the ship and check the sails over. Their figure head could use a good servicing as well, the speared siren that hung from the bow was looking rather worn.
The tavern's door opened, revealing a mop of green hair and a freckled face. He was wearing a green tunic over baggy brown pants, clutching a leather-bound journal in his left hand and an ink well and quill in the other. He spotted the First Mate with a relieved expression and hurried over to her side.
"Sir, Captain needs your help with a...ah, unsavory seller," he reported nervously. One of his eyes was twitching, his left hand had a twitchy finger that tapped against his journal. He'd obviously tried to help his captain, but it seems even young Midoriya was unable to do much. The man was twenty, just four years younger than the First Mate and six under the captain. He was the youngest on deck, not counting the Poltergeist who suggested she was nary over eighteen. Nobody could tell if she was referring to her time of passing or how long she'd been a spirit, or if it was another one of her jokes. Probably the former.
She sighed. If Izuku was here asking for support, then the ever-persuasive Iida was most likely trying to support their patient captain in this transaction. She stood, patting the young pirate on the shoulder.
"Which seller?" She asked curtly. They were supposed to restock ammunition for the carronades, harpoons for the guns they mainly used for beasts, food, rum, supplies to repair the ship and back up planks for any holes in the foreseeable future, and finally some whiskey and champagne for the captain and the kitchen.
"The medical supplies sir."
"I thought we had those already?"
"We were supposed to Sir, but the seller withheld supplies last minute and refuses to even pay a refund," the sailor was exhausted. He must've wrangled with this particular merchant for a good while. "I tried to work it out, got help from Iida, who then had to request for Captain's help when he still refused to budge. Since you were busy we went straight to him after, but not even him can solve it, so he sent for you-"
"Alright," she cut him off, poor boy tended to ramble when stressed. "I'll head over now. Please come to me first if this happens again, even if i'm busy. The captain should be last on the chain of command."
He nodded, head slightly lowered in shame for disturbing the captain with out trying the First Mate first. She ruffled his head as she made her way towards the door and down to the port where the medical shipments were docked.
A commotion was holding up traffic on the creaking dock, the Cog that rested near the swaying dock had all sorts of goods and trinkets on display. Many were just browsing the different wares, the arguing was at the center of two sailors, a ship hand and a merchant, and two pirates. The merchant was rather round, he wore a red coat with gold embroidery and fancy engraved buttons. He was balding, which he hid poorly under a large red hat with a pompous pink feather, and had a well groomed and trimmed beard. The ship hand was very muscular and tall, but he didn't seem to be with it and squinted in displeasure and exasperation at the merchant's greedy ramblings. He was also bald, but that seemed to be his choice as he made no attempt to hide it beside a bandanna that protected his scalp from the sun.
The two pirates were equally displeased yet stood proudly across from the merchant. One was tall with an athletic build, he had raven hair that was shaved into a neat undercut. He had glasses that sat a top the bridge of his nose which complemented is square blue eyes. He stood stiffly, making unnecessary movements with his hands as he talked in a rather loud tone. Iida tended to be pretty noisy and expressive when it came to most topics. He was wearing a form fitting, low-cut off white tunic, and dark brown pants tucked into brown knee-high boots.
Next to him was a handsome male who stood with his head held high, staring down at the rambling merchant with a stoic expression. He had strange and alluring bi-colored hair and heterochrome eyes. On his left side, he had fiery red hair accompanied by a beautiful icy blue iris, while on his right, soft white hair fell just above a stormy grey iris. He had a severe looking burn scar over the left side of his face, which added to the intensity of his stare. His muscular build was hidden underneath a navy blue trench coat with golden embroidery and buttons. He wore black pants tucked into black boots with a gold accent. A well-kept black leather hat sat atop his head, with a single black feather protruding from its left side.
The two pirates turned their heads to face the approaching footsteps, catching sight of the First Mate who was greeted with a relieved sigh and a softened glance. She marched up to stand beside her captain and crossed her arms across her chest with a disgruntled look.
"Y/N," her Captain Todoroki greeted, to which she replied, "Captain."
The merchant did a double-take as the female stood equally with the two males. His surprise hastily turned into something close to disgust, like he'd seen something obscene like nudists at the Grand Ball. He sneered before seemingly deciding she didn't exist, turning back to the captain and crew mate to continue his argument.
"Seems to me like you don't understand, you made no payments. No one payed for these-" he smacked the top of a large wooden box labeled fragile, "supplies. Not even a single coin. I've had it with you freeloaders! Raiding trading ships and pulling into ports like you own the place, selling what you stole." He struck a think finger out and waggled it towards the stoic captain. "And now you have the audacity to assume that a wench could change my mind?!"
She hadn't tried to hide her gender, wearing a low cut white tunic with long, baggy sleeves. She wore high wasted brown pants with a red sash wrapped across her waist to match the bandanna that covered the top of her head, allowing her hair to flow freely from underneath. Her pants were tucked into over the knee black boots, and a knapsack was attached to a belt at her waste which also held her rapier. His comment made her glare harden, but she made no attempt to start a fight with the greedy man.
Meanwhile, Iida had scoffed, waving his flat palm in a chopping motion before declaring, "You have our money in your hand! I handed it to you myself!"
The merchant momentarily looked at his hand which, indeed, clutched the payment for the supplies. He looked up, unfazed, and stated, "No you didn't."
Captain Todoroki had enough, the shift in his stance and the coldness in his eyes told the First Mate such. He took a step toward the shorter male, hand slightly brushing his trench coat aside to show a gold, embellished handle of a rapier in an indirect threat.
"Listen here, I don't take kindly to someone who takes without expecting to follow up on their end of the deal. You call us freeloaders when you have the gall to hassle those who are more than willing to pay a large sum for these supplies. And you don't even have enough sense to confirm who your clients are." His head nodded over to their vessel, parked just a few docks away.
"Recognize that flag?" He asked coolly, earning a shiver from the ship hand next to the merchant. The sailor took a cautionary step back from the sight of the vessel.
"The Siren's Bane..."
"Exactly. I've been more than patient with your arrogant behavior, you've insulted my crew, my First Mate," he stated with a tilt of the head to the female next to him, "and me. Frankly, if it weren't for our agreement with the village leader, I would have slaughtered you."
The merchant paled, the coins in the pouch rattled as his form began to shake. He patted the box in a much nicer manner, and stammered, "A-ah, yes, I think I re-member this young man handing me proper payment, good fellow." he motioned to the box. "Well, all yours!"
"Not that one," came the First Mate's reply.
"Pardon?"
The merchant looked baffled, his ship hand glancing at her fairly confused. Her captain and shipmate both glanced at her, before looking towards the box. She shook her head.
"Not that one. Its upside down, the woods rotting on the bottom-which, by the way, is leaking." She deadpanned at the state of their medical supplies, which until a moment ago had held up its pristine image. Apparently, the hasty cleaning that was done before hand wasn't enough to completely hide the poor treatment of this particular box for long. The First Mate tilted her head towards a more nicely treated shipment of the same supplies, "That one."
The three pirates made their way back to their ship, satisfied with the combined efforts of the captain and First Mate. Iida carried the box with out any problems, walking up the catwalk to the ship to deposit the supplies. Captain Todoroki turned to the woman beside him, "Thank you. I can't say I've met one such as that before."
She smiled up at him, walking by his side back towards the tavern. "S'no problem."
Not a second seemed to pass before a bell was ringing, signaling another ship making its way to port. This wouldn't have been a problem if they hadn't heard Iida running and shouting towards the pair. They turned swiftly, looking at the startled male.
"Captain! Its The Devil's Hangman!"
Wow! This is my first ever fanfic, I must say I'm pretty impressed with it so far! I don't have a set update plan, school will more than likely get in the way. I'm just happy I've finished this chapter.
Ooooo The Devil's Hangman! Whomst is it I wonder?
I'll try to update as soon as possible!