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There was no honor or glory in life as a criminal, but the kind of freedom and unmatched love for the sea that only a pirate knew were sometimes enough to win over even the most diligent of Royal Navy officers, among which there was one named Rei Ryugazaki.
Serving the King had once come with its perks, of course; by all standards, it was honest work, and the idea that he could lend his strength towards the expansion of the crown’s dominions had an ennobling effect on even the more simple-minded soul—or it did, at first. But time in the Navy had a way of revealing its secrets, and the lowly war strategies employed as well as the indiscriminate slavery of the defeated – be them men, women or children alike – soon had Ryugazaki disgusted with his own line of work. Commanding ships was all he ever knew to do, and with every loaded brig he safely guided back home, the ways of a pirate felt more and more like an attractive lifestyle to him. And one day, he caved.
Having commandeered a ship and a crew, the next step in his ascension plan was to build a reputation for himself, if not quite a pirate-sounding name yet— which was just as well, he never saw much of a point to them. More than just gold and human resources, he needed to prove himself as a worthy captain, to his underlings and to rival flag colors alike. His goals were ambitious, perhaps recklessly so, but if wanted to stand on equal footing with his now fellow outlaws, he was to waste no idly moment on second thoughts.
And so it came to pass that a Navy officer turned criminal would find himself trapped between sand and sword, and his short tale of grandeur might meet an early end at the hands of a better pirate, one whose name prompted shivers across the seven seas.
"I’ve seen pirates with one eye put up a better fight than you, Ryugazaki," The one and only Rin Matsuoka sneered, his blade held to Rei’s neck just a little closer than his grin was to the rookie’s face. "And you have a couple to spare, too."
"Hmph,” This would normally be his cue for pushing up his glasses, but with his current predicament, he really couldn’t afford any brusque moves. “I may be lacking in terms of physical combat, but I more than I make up for it with strategy. Naturally, you have simply caught me out of my element.”
"Heh, water is definitely not your element, I’ll give ye that," He let out a bit of a manic laugh, ready for a new, verbal attack. "How does it feel, being a pirate who can’t even swim to save his life?"
“How-” How did you know, but he’s not going to ask that. “Of course I can swim!”
"Ye swim like yer flapping a pair o’ wings! Do you really think that shit is gonna save you in a storm?"
“By all means, if you can whip one up, I’ll show you.”
Rin felt like laughing again, at this pitiful rat who dared to defy his lasting rule and talk back at him even in his last moments, at how pathetically easier this would have been if they had faced at sea rather than on land. Then again, he found it rather tedious to take down someone who was so much less experienced than him— in the ways of a pirate, at least, if not so much as a sailor. There was no point in boasting about an easy kill; he could only truly savor victory when his opponent posed a real challenge.
Still, the little cur had some guts, he had to admit. Toying around with him for a bit longer might prove to be entertaining.
“Even if I did let you go, which I won’t,” He licked his lips, sparing the other a patronizing shake of head. “I’d catch up to ye in no time, pretty boy.”
“Is that so?” In what was definitely a bold move, Rei pressed up closer, sharp edge drawing a thin line of blood from his skin as he hissed a challenge. “It seems to me you’re all bark and no bite.”
“Sharks don’t bark!” He spat back, bearing his trademark serrated teeth. The time for playing was no more. “Maybe me sword should impale ye to the hilt and spare ye from the trouble of figuring that out the hard way. Or would marooning you in this island be more merciful?”
And if the senior pirate captain had been keeping his eye on the rookie long enough to know about his special swimming abilities, well, perhaps it was high time Rei spilled a certain secret he had picked up on his voyages.
"At least I wouldn’t cry about it.”
Rin’s eyes flashed redder than their usual color. “Why, ye little scurvy—”
That small distraction was all Rei needed.
It happened too fast for the untrained eye to register in richness of detail, but Rin could distinctly remember a sharp pain in his groin and all air leaving his lungs, before his world spiraled into blinding lights and synapses. Next thing he knew, he had his back on the sand and a pirate-wannabe straddling his hips, a pistol – his pistol, when the hell did he get to steal that? – pressed up against his chest, his sword long since kicked beyond his reach.
“You virulent knave!” He trashed about hopelessly and despite the pain, and the torrential onslaught of profanities he yelled next would be better kept off the records. “What the bloody hell do ye think you’re doing, Ryugazaki?”
"I told you, strategy is my strongest suit," It was his turn to brag, though it wasn’t by far his best moment. "Now, would you be more willing to discuss parley terms, or should we get back to marooning?"
"Heh. Did ye learn to cheat like that with the Navy officers?” He growled through his throbbing, otherwise seemingly unfazed by this turn of tables. “Gotta tell ye, that doesn’t look like the kind of trick those pompous, royal pains in the ass would pull off."
"I’ve told you, I’m a pirate now!” Rei insisted, frustration seeping through his words. “I haven’t been one of the Navy for a long time now, and I’ve had to learn and adapt to this life—or do you really think my old ways would work as well on a crew of bandits? I have taken in the lowest class of scoundrels that dare call themselves sailors— which, I must say, I find hard to believe when they can’t even tell the difference between port and starboard on a sober day, but that is beside the point! The point is, I am a pirate and I will be acknowledged as such!”
“That so, eh? Well, then you’ve got that all wrong!”
“Excuse me?”
"Ye heard me!” Rin snapped, having regained enough of his breath to raise his voice. “A pirate takes what he can and gives nothing back! If you want to take my Crimson Hind for yourself, then negotiating parley terms just won’t cut it! Ye gotta get yer hands dirty!"
There was a minute of silence, and Rei hooked an eyebrow. As it turned out, he hadn’t made himself clear enough.
"And who says it’s your ship that I want?"
“Huh?”
Working that split second of confusion to his advantage, Rei closed the distance between them, not with blades or gunpowder, but with lips on lips instead— and tongue, then teeth, and his pistol was pulled away in favor of a frisky hand exploring the uncharted territory that was Rin’s chest. The same knee that had helped him escape from his previous position earlier was once more pressed up against sensitive areas, forceful, possessive, determined to reduce the infamous pirate captain into a moaning wench. It wasn’t an ambition he was sure he could fulfill, but he never poured less than his all into a battle.
It took him a pierced tongue, a chunk of hair and an unaccounted amount of blood, but it was only after earning that delightful vocalization from the shark-like pirate that he did pull away, only half satisfied with this outcome.
"I see,” Rin spared him a toothy smirk, licking the coppery metallic taste of a stalemate off his lips. “So these are yer terms, eh?"
"No, I believe this is getting my hands dirty," Came his retort, and he had to lean in closer so his next whisper would be heard. "We’re still crossing swords, you see."
It wasn’t the hilt of a sword prodding at his crotch this time, and perhaps Rin was more pleased about that than for just keeping his life.
“Aye, aye, Captain Ryugazaki.”
The ways of a pirate were a most attractive lifestyle, indeed.