Chapter Text
During the reigns of King George II and his incumbent son & successor King George III, there was a peculiar little Pirate Crew that sailed across all the oceans blue. It’s unknown if they were real, as all the stories told about them were never written down but instead passed down by word of mouth, and as their infamy grew, the legend behind these oddball scallywags was woven as well. They weren’t a powerful crew, and parents often told their children of these ruffians as though they were some sort of boogieman, meant to strike fear into the hearts of the young. If you ask anyone today who they were, they’d tell you it’s just an old pirate’s tale, that they’re nothing but myths, fantasies, half-truths. However, even half-truths are true fifty percent of the time. So this is their story, the story of a pirate crew that conquered the seas but are forgotten in the history books, the tale of their adventures and misadventures, their fortunes and misfortunes. This is The Legend of The L’Manburg Pirates, the dumbest, bravest, and greatest crew to ever sail the Seven Seas.
The waves crashed and broke apart as they rocked the ship, it had been sailing for quite some time now, its destination was the British Colonies in the Americas. The passengers were all members of the British Royal Navy, all serving under the current King, George II. They were following under the direct orders of Commodore Jared to sail to the American Colonies in order to assist with the increasing tensions in what is being called the French & Indian War back home in England. Now, no ship is without its captain and the particular captain of this ship was napping. His name was-
“Captain Wilbur!” yelled one of the Cabin Boys,” It’s about 15 'till 3 PM sir! You ordered me to wake you up around this time!”
“Uuuggghhh. Alright, alright I’m up. Now quit yapping Cabin Boy…” Captain Wilbur yawned, in his sleep-deprived state he couldn’t recall nor recognize the Cabin Boy’s name,”... Er, what was your name again lad?”
“It’s Tubbo, sir!” Tubbo the Cabin Boy said, saluting his commander.
“Now, now, no need for formalities with me lad,” Wilbur grinned, Tubbo’s stiff posture softened and he stood at ease,” Y’see for me, formalities are for posh pricks and imbeciles too full of themselves to notice the stick up their own buttocks.”
“Aye aye then Captain Wilbur!” Tubbo grinned, he was a bit rough around the edges, a scruffy mop of brown hair, worn clothing with a bit of fraying at the edges, he was short for a lad his age but he had twice the courage of most trained sailors. All of this culminated in a starry-eyed young recruit that Wilbur quite fancied.
He told Tubbo to go off and finish his duties, to which the young Cabin Boy was already gone before he could entirely finish his own sentence. Nonetheless, he quickly exited into the Main Deck to where he was met with saluting subordinates, to which he silently scoffed and made his way onto the ship’s helm. Here he met the Helmsman.
“Ah, Midshipman Eret,” Wilbur greeted with a grin, he had known this particular fellow since his days at the Naval Training Academy,” I hope we’ve made headway towards our destination.”
“But of course, Lieutenant Wilbur,” Eret responded with a smirk,” With another man’s navigational skills it will have taken another 2 or so days to reach Boston Harbor, but I’m not just any other man as you know Lieutenant.”
“It appears that doesn’t necessarily calm my nerves,” Wilbur retorted, he and Eret have always had somewhat of a rivalry between one another,” When exactly will we be arriving Mr. World’s Greatest Helmsman?”
“In a few hours. Sir.” Eret gritted.
“Make it one then, surprise me.” Wilbur teased.
“Challenge accepted.” The Helmsman declared.
While some would assume that Eret’s boasts of significantly decreased travel time were but tall tales, Wilbur knew better. He’d seen so himself. Eret has steered ships most would consider doomed into safety through his own sheer wit and knowledge of the sea. He’s fended off some of the most fearsome Pirates and had even managed to outrun a few in his tenure. Truly, if there was any man Wilbur would want to sail the seas with, it would be him.
Tubbo had always been one for a Swashbuckling Adventure out on the seas, it’s mostly the reason why he had come aboard as a Cabin Boy for the Royal Navy. The other reason, well, it wasn’t as uplifting as the first. From a young age Tubbo learned that fear controls people, but fears don’t always have to be ghosts, ghouls, or monsters, they can be people as well. And the person Tubbo feared the most was the worst monster of them all, his father. His relationship with his father was strenuous at best but abusive at worst, which was most of the time. Uncaring and unloving, Schlatt saw Tubbo as a thorn in his side. He had hoped that by knocking up Tubbo’s late mother he would secure himself an indentured servant but his plan crumbled when she died during childbirth. Even so, once Tubbo could stand on his own two feet, he took his mother’s place as his worthless father’s slave. The only solace and the only thing Schlatt would ever love other than himself, was a bottle of booze.
Luckily enough for the young boy, his tragic childhood had at least one ray of hope in it. Honestly, he probably wouldn’t have enlisted onto the ship as a Cabin Boy if it wasn’t for him. His best, and frankly only friend-
“Tommy? Tommy!” Tubbo whispered loudly, he was alone in the storeroom and was trying to alert someone currently stowed away in a barrel,” Tommy you got to wake up man!”
“Uggggh quiet down please? Can’t you see a man’s trying to get some much needed shut eye?” a voice from within the barrel groaned, It was a much deeper voice then Tubbo’s but it felt more immature.
“Sorry boss man but the ship’s gonna make its way to port soon,” Tubbo replied worryingly,” I need you to put on the outfit beforehand or they’ll catch you man!”
“Alright, alright. I’m getting up.” The barrel man whined.
After a few yawns, a young man popped out of the barrel like a cork would to a bottle of champagne. He was a very tall and scrawny boy, with a bird’s nest of blonde hair to crown his head. As some would put it, he is the epitome of a corn stalk. However, what is most shocking is that Tubbo is slightly older than the bean sprout. Anyways, back to the matter at hand.
Tommy quickly grabbed the garments that Tubbo had fetched for him. After he was done dressing, Tubbo gave his outfit a good look. Tommy wore white trousers which were a touch too small for his long legs but the fact was hidden by his boots which went past the ankle and acted as protection for his shins. He wore a coat that had a dark blue hue reminiscent of the deep ocean and under that he wore the simple white tunic he wore while inside the barrel, although it was a tad bit dirty accounting for the fact that he had been in the barrel for the past few days or so. To top it all off he wore a tattered and battered tricorn hat which he claims was worn by his father.
“Well then, how do I look?” Tommy inquired.
Tubbo grinned before saying,” You look great man.”
“Thanks,” Tommy said.
With that, the two friends made their way up onto the Main Deck as well, taking into consideration that by making a scene, all their efforts up until this point would’ve been futile and pointless. Tommy managed well blending in with the legitimate crew of the ship and made sure that whenever he was ordered to do a task he obscured his face from the voice of authority. While Tubbo did have to attend to his own duties as Cabin Boy, he made sure to keep a watchful eye on Tommy as he knew his friend was prone to “lapses” in judgement and tended to make bad situations worse if he wasn’t careful. Thankfully, Tommy assured him that he would control his temper beforehand.
Unfortunately, Tommy had the unenviable task of listening to a very egotistical and uptight officer bark commands at him as though he were a dog. From any other subordinate the arrogant officer would’ve been given complete respect and obedience, but Tommy was not any other subordinate. Hell, he wasn’t even the officer’s subordinate at all. So what happened next came as no surprise to anyone who knew Tommy as he gripped his fist and decked the poor unsuspecting officer in the schnozz. The officer’s unconscious body fell to the ground with a thud and suddenly a crowd of crewmates began to form around the officer and Tommy.
“Oh no! Senior Officer Halo’s been taken down!” said one of the bystanders.
By now Tommy realized what it was he had just done. He had made a scene. The young man gulped and slowly looked around for Tubbo. Their eyes locked. Tommy expected disappointment from his friend’s eyes but instead, the look he gave was worse. It was one of pity and worry. The two things Tommy hated people to think about when it comes to him. But, now was not the time to dwell on that. Now was the time for a plan of action and presently, he had none. Just as he was about to blurt out some ridiculous story, a voice interrupted all the commotion.
“What the bloody hell is going on here!?”
Tommy gulped.
He was in deep shit now.