Chapter Text
It was a breezy summer’s day in East Blue, and despite the recent spot of bad weather they’d been experiencing, today’s ambient weather had been rather kind to the Roger Pirates, as they sailed leisurely toward their next destination, having just left Logue Town, Roger’s home island, the day before. Unfortunately for Shanks and Buggy, neither boy were allowed to go outside onto the main deck and enjoy the lovely weather until they were finished with their homework.
“This sucks” Shanks complains, a pout spread across his face as he procrastinates on finishing his work by playing with his pencil. Seated on his knees in the chair next to him, because he’d be too short if he sat down normally, Buggy worked quietly and diligently on the work that had been assigned to him, seemingly absorbed in the page-long passages of text that filled up the workbook Crocus had given him.
Looking over at his own workbook, Shanks couldn’t help but notice how meagerly short his own passages were compared to Buggy’s, and yet while his blue haired companion had no trouble getting lost in the little stories or answering the comprehension questions at the end of each passage, Shanks found that he was barely able to read more than 2 sentences before feeling the need to stab his eyes out with a fork, and even if he did manage to make it to the end of the paragraph, the comprehension questions he had to answer regarding what happened in the story made absolutely no sense to him whatsoever. Sometimes Shanks wondered if he’d even read the right passage.
Heaving a sigh, Shanks drops his head onto the pages of his workbook, closing his eyes and willing himself to just fall asleep. Something pokes him in the side of the head.
“Ow” the redhead complains, lifting his hand to rub at the spot where Buggy had just jabbed him with his pencil.
“You’re getting distracted again” Buggy says without looking up from his own workbook. “If Rayleigh comes back in here and sees that you haven’t done anything, he’s gonna keep you in here for the rest of the day.”
Shanks groans in annoyance. “I just don’t get it, I mean what’s even the point of doing this sort of stuff. We’re pirates aren’t we, so why are we stuck doing stupid civilian things like homework when we should be outside doing whatever we want like everyone else.”
Buggy shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t mind it.”
“That’s because you’re actually good at this sort of stuff” Shanks grumbles under his breath, leaning his head back down and glaring at the wall. A long period of silence passes between the two boys as Shanks avoids doing his work at all cost, while Buggy continues working on his. About an hour and a half after Rayleigh threw Shanks and Buggy into the library and ordered them to not come out until they finished their work, the vice-captain finally returns.
“How are we doing on our work?” Rayleigh asks, leaning over to see how far both boys have gotten. Shanks immediately stiffens, moving to cover his still empty workbook page with his hands. Rayleigh notices this and snatches the book from Shanks’ grasp, and upon seeing the still-blank pages, his expression turns to a disappointed frown.
“Shanks, I hope you realize that until those two pages in front of you are completed and checked by either Crocus or I, you will not be leaving this room” the vice captain says sternly. Shanks averts his gaze and remains silent as Rayleigh returns the book to him.
Rayleigh heaves a frustrated sigh and turns to Buggy.
“How about you Buggy? Have you finished the pages I assigned you earlier?” Buggy does not immediately answer the question, instead continuing to write in the book for another 5 seconds or so, before putting his pencil down and handing the book over to Rayleigh, who takes it, going back 10 pages or so, before slowly flipping through each one, taking a moment to read the responses Buggy wrote down on each page. Once he finally reaches the page that Buggy finished on, he closes the book and hands it back to the blue haired boy with a satisfied smile on his face.
“Very good, Buggy. Exceptional answers as always” Rayleigh praises, reaching forward to pat the young boy on the head, which causes a small smile to spread across Buggy’s face as he clutches the workbook in his hands.
“Can I have it back now… please?” Buggy asks, looking up at Rayleigh.
“Have you finished all your other chores?”
Buggy nods his head in response. “Ya, I finished them this morning before breakfast” the blue-haired boy says with an eager nod. Rayleigh hums in response, moving toward one of the book shelves that lined the walls of the library and reaching up on top of one of the shelves, where a red leather bound book had been placed for safe keeping. Rayleigh walks back over to Buggy and hands him back his book.
“Here you are, Buggy, you’re free to go and enjoy the rest of your day” Rayleigh says. Buggy takes the book and holds it to his chest as he hops down from his chair, before trotting out of the library to go finish reading his book elsewhere on the ship. The vice captain turns back to shanks with a stern expression.
“As for you, you’re not to leave this room until those two pages are finished and you’re answers have been approved by either Crocus or I, do you understand?” Shanks lowers his head, fiddling with the hem of his shirt, a saddened look on his face.
“Yes, sir” the redhead replies dejectedly, placing his book back on the table and turning back to face forward in his seat. Rayleigh turns and exits the room, closing the library door behind him, leaving Shanks to sit alone, by himself, with nothing but a pencil and a page pull of words that don’t mean anything to him, to keep him company.