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From his window, Izuku watches as the big ship crosses the sky. The sight of the black sails that bravely declares it to be a pirate ship usually puts fear in the hearts of everyone who sees it flying over their homes. Not to Izuku, though.
Sky pirates are known to be merciless. They invade cities to pillage and plunder when they’re not busy ransacking the government’s flying frigates. If you have anything of value, pirates represent a big threat.
But that’s the thing, Izuku doesn’t have anything of value. His whole village has barely enough wheat to bake the soft-as-a-brick loaves of bread that sustain them through the winter. Their tiny island only holds their insignificant village with its forty-two inhabitants and five cows. There’s absolutely nothing there that could ever tempt whoever flies above them now.
No, from Izuku’s point of view—sitting at his old desk, by the window of the rundown shack he calls his workshop—the pirate ship offers way more temptation. That ship can fly anywhere, go on unthinkable adventures, meet all kinds of people. That ship can see the whole world, while Izuku can only see the ship from the ground. How could Izuku not be tempted to climb on board?
And if the existential yearning the sight of that ship gives him isn’t bad enough, Izuku also longs for the ship itself. Even from the ground he can see the huge propellers that must be connected to a strong, beautiful engine—the kind of engine Izuku has only seen in books. What wouldn’t Izuku give for the chance to work on such a wonderful machine.
Being an engineer who lives in a village where the most used machine is the donkey-powered mill means that Izuku had to learn things only through books. He fixes some old radios from time to time, and there’s one man that owns a motorized bicycle who comes to Izuku when the bicycle starts making more smoke than steam. Besides those, Izuku spends his days just watching the ships that cross the sky and reading about what to do if he ever got the chance of working on one.
This ship in particular tugs on Izuku’s curiosity. It’s going lower than most—meaning that the captain isn’t too worried about forcing the ship’s engine with the stronger winds that can be found at the cloud’s height. Most ships travel higher, where the thin air lets them glide through easily. This ship almost looks like it’s having fun punching through the clouds. It’s fascinating and Izuku can’t peel his eyes away.
This turns out to be a good thing, because he manages to catch the exact moment when one of the ship’s propellers stops working. And before Izuku can understand what he’s seeing, the second propeller comes to a sudden stop as well. The ship that was ripping through the skies just a second ago starts to haphazardly glide towards the ground.
‘It’s going to fall on the wheat field,’ Izuku thinks to himself.
Before his mind can absorb what’s happening, his legs start running. It’s like Izuku’s body is moving on its own with the inflexible need to reach the ship that’s quickly closing the distance from the ground—almost as if he plans to extend a hand and stop the monumental vessel from shattering on the ground.
Izuku’s feet carry him without any help from his eyes. No, Izuku is too busy marveling at the way the ship’s sails hoist and drop, working the wind’s resistance in its favor so it’ll land in the least traumatic way possible. Whoever is in charge of this ship truly knows what they’re doing.
Time seems to stop when the ship’s bow starts to gently caress the tips of the high wheat. For a second, it almost looks like the ship is suspended on air—but then, the spell breaks. The ship comes crashing down, destroying leagues of the field that represents the village’s sustenance for the months to come.
Though the field is certainly destroyed, the ship itself suffers light damage considering the fall. The bow almost snapped in half, there’s a good chunk of the hull missing, and Izuku will be surprised if the rudder can be stirred, but overall, the ship is in one piece; it’s fixable. And, more importantly, its crew survived.
Izuku listens, frozen in place, as someone who can only be the captain starts barking orders and checking on the others.
“ARE YOU USELESS BASTARDS ALIVE?”
“Aye, aye, captain…” A tired voice responds.
“I think I broke a nail,” someone whines.
“That’s why I said we needed a new ship,” another person moans.
“WE DON’T NEED A NEW FUCKING SHIP! WE NEED A GODDAMN ENGINEER WHO KNOWS THEIR SHIT UNLIKE YOU, DUNCE FACE!”
“Captain, bro… Chill with the screaming, my head feels like it got hit by a rock…”
“Is the world spinning for you guys as well?”
What he hears fills Izuku with worry. Sure, the ship didn’t shatter and the crew is alive, but that doesn’t mean they came out of the crash unharmed. All kinds of injuries could be suffered in a forced landing like that.
So, ignoring everything he’s ever been taught about what to do when facing pirates, Izuku calls out, “H-hi! A-are you guys alright?”
Footsteps stomp around the ship’s deck and suddenly four heads show up to look down on Izuku. There’s a blond man, a red-haired man, a pink-haired woman, and a black-haired man who look at Izuku with curiosity in their expressions.
“Captain! There’s someone down there!” the redhead announces.
“And he’s a cutie!” the woman completes.
Izuku feels blood blooming on his cheeks at the compliment, but he decides to focus on the matter at hand.
“Do you need medical assistance?”
“Keep talking to my fucking crew without permission and you’re the one who will need medical assistance!”
A new man shows up on the deck, shouting threats at Izuku. His hair is ash blond and his eyes burn like the embers that should be fueling the vessel.
“O-oh, I’m—I’m sorry! I j-just wanted to help and—”
“Quit harassing the poor guy, Baku,” the black-haired man says with a gentle tone. “He seems nice.”
“And my head is still spinning,” the other blond whines.
“Fine,” the captain huffs. “Are you a doctor or some shit?”
“N-no?” Izuku answers, all confidence vanishing as the mouthy captain considers him with care. “I—I’m an engineer? But we have a doctor in the village! Actually, a retired nurse, but she’s pretty good and I’m sure she’ll help!”
Those fiery eyes pierce through Izuku for a moment as he shakes inside his boots, before the captain turns to his crew and screams, “DROP THE LADDER! WE’RE LANDING!”
“Didn’t we land already?” the blond asks and receives a slap to the back of his head from the captain.
Izuku watches with no short amount of fascination as the mismatched band of pirates stand before him. Their clothes seem to be sewn together with pieces from all over the world; their weapons, pistols and swords, tell stories about violence and glory; but there’s also an air of childish mischief enveloping them, giving an almost innocent glint to their eyes.
And, then, there’s the captain—without a doubt, the most handsome and imposing man Izuku ever laid eyes on. From his chiseled jaw, to the perfectly fitted jacket, to the cocky way he conducted himself; everything about the captain is beautiful, like burning fire.
On the ground, introductions are exchanged. Izuku feels a little unnerved, but the crew is kind in a way no one told him pirates could be. A quick check makes them all come to the conclusion that talking to the nurse is necessary for at least Kaminari and Ashido. Izuku reassures them Lady Shizune will be happy to help (and silently reassures himself these pirates don’t pose any threat to the fierce old lady).
“It’s not very far! She lives just on the outskirts of our village! Barely a 20 minutes walk through the wheat fields!” Izuku tells them.
“Fine. Soy Sauce, Shitty Hair, make sure these two idiots don’t get into any trouble. I’ll stay here to see what can be done about this mess,” the captain states his orders.
The crew acquiesces, clearly knowing better than to peel their captain away from his ship. Izuku thinks the captain should also probably get checked, but he knows better than to speak up against such an intense man.
“Alright! This way, please! The house is—” Izuku tries leading the crew, but is rudely interrupted.
“You stay here, nerd,” the captain states without room for argument.
“Wh—What?” Izuku stutters in surprise.
“Didn’t you say you’re a goddamn engineer?” Bakugou scoffs. “We need to fix the damn engine if we want to get out of this shithole.”
Izuku shakes like a leaf in fear and astonishment. Him? Check the engine? Alone with the captain? There’s no way Izuku’s fragile heart will survive that!
Though Izuku is sure his hesitation is clear on his face, the crew is happy to wave goodbye and leave him and the captain alone. Once they're out of earshot (and Izuku’s nerves still have him frozen in place), Bakugou takes pity on him, though.
“I’m not going to murder you if you can’t fix it. I don’t expect a third-tier engineer from this joke of an island to know anything about a real engine,” he says with contempt. “Just hand me the right tools when I tell you. You can do at least that much, right?”
Before Izuku can even start feeling offended, the captain turns on his heels and climbs the ladder up the ship. Izuku stays down for a minute, wondering if he shouldn’t just take the opportunity and run. But the chance of actually seeing a flying ship engine for the first time is too great for him to pass on; captain with bad attitude or not, Izuku has been dreaming of seeing one like this for years.
Though his limbs feel like gelatin when climbing the ladder and his heart feels like it’s beating inside his throat as he follows the captain into the vessel to the engine room, all his anxiety bleeds away the second Izuku lands eyes on the powerful machine.
“The toolbox is under there. Stand around and hand me whatever I ask,” the captain orders him. “I’m gonna have to climb inside to see why it’s stuck.”
His words fall on deaf ears. Izuku is way too amazed to pay attention to anything that’s not the engine. No wonder the ship had the strength to pierce the clouds—and no wonder it failed out of nowhere. The heart of that vessel isn’t a run-of-the-mill steam motor, made by the hundreds.
“It’s a One for All,” Izuku whispers in complete awe. “The same engine that All Might used in his adventures. It must be at least 40 years old. There were about ten ever made. It’s the only engine that—”
“Yeah, yeah,” Bakugou interrupts him. “I know the story about my own goddamn ship. It’s not about ten. It’s nine. Only nine ships hold One for All and this is the last one made.”
“That’s amazing! I’ve never hoped to see one! It’s so incredibly beautiful! The engraved bolts! The size of the pistons! And—by heavens! Even the whistle is original! I’ve read the whistle is the most fragile part of it, several had to be replaced!”
The gushing seems to be the right thing to do as it gets the annoyed frown on Bakugou’s face to melt into a smug grin.
“I don’t let the idiots handle it. Only I do the maintenance on the whistle to keep it good,” he states proudly. “Well, if you know that much you’re not as useless as you look. Let’s get to work. I’m not sure why it got stuck so I’ll probably have to get inside to check.”
“Wait!” Izuku exclaims just as Bakugou is about to start tinkering with the engine. “Book! I have a book on One for All!”
“There’s no book in One for All,” Bakugou challenges, squinting. “The only one to ever compile information on it was—”
“All Might himself in one of his journals,” Izuku completes. “It’s the diamond in my collection! I struck luck when a merchant came to town, he didn’t even know what he had. I had to trade all the coins I had, but managed to snatch his whole book collection!”
“No way. You’re shitting me.”
“I’m not! Let me prove it to you!”
It takes a bit of convincing, but eventually, Bakugou lets Izuku run back to his workshop and grab All Might’s journal. Never before had Izuku told anyone he owned it, too afraid of the journal getting stolen, but the chance to share the knowledge with another All Might enthusiast and to help work in an One for All engine was too great to pass.
The risk of bringing his most valued possession to a pirate ship is absolutely worth the moment Izuku sees Bakugou’s face lighting up. The pirate captain holds the book with reverence, clearly treasuring it for its story as much as Izuku does.
Uniting the book with the engine is like bringing together two puzzle pieces that have been lost and seeing the picture they make up. Without proper guidance and knowledge, the engine’s maintenance had suffered—and without the engine and the chance to discover the world, the book has little purpose. Both of them should be together to achieve their full potential.
That’s why, through the days they work together fixing the engine, Izuku decides to gift the journal to Bakugou. He’ll forever remember and cherish the hours he spent trading jabs and working on the gears with the captain. It’s the most fun Izuku ever had—from the captain’s wicked humor, to seeing One for All achieve its full potential, to the crew’s antics that seem to take the time as a vacation of sorts.
Time seems to stand still during these days—like Izuku is living a dream. An absurd dream where he’s part of a mischievous band of pirates who are getting ready to sail the whole world and go on all sorts of adventures. At night, the crew share stories of risky undertakings and victories snatched from the hands of certain death (or imprisonment), and Izuku enjoys the view of the bonfire lighting the handsome features of the captain as he laughs together with them.
And yet, it’s all over way too soon. The crew grows restless, beached on an island that has nothing to hold their attention. Izuku knows his dream can’t last—but he convinces himself it’s alright. He’ll have the memories of these days and maybe they’ll come visit from time to time.
It’s going to be alright, Izuku tells himself, holding back the tears when Bakugou barks orders to the crew to start hosting the sails.
“GET YOUR STINKY ASS MOVING, YOU BUNCH OF SCALLYWAGS! I DON’T WANT TO LOSE DAYLIGHT!”
“Aye, aye, captain!”
“My butt isn’t stinky!”
“Where are we going now? Will there be rum?”
“I still can’t believe there was no rum on this island. Talk about living frugally.”
For a second, Izuku wants to correct and say it’s not frugality, it’s poverty. But this reminds him that the ship destroyed a good deal of the wheat field and the village’s poverty will probably reach new lows in the winter months. He’ll have to come up with a way to put his abilities to use so he and the others don’t starve. This is a stiff reminder that the dream is over, so Izuku ought to come back to real life and his responsibilities.
“I hope you find good rum, Sero, and that you all don’t find trouble with the government’s flying navy. Though I’m sure you’ll outrun any frigate if you keep following All Might’s journal guidance for the pistons' care,” Izuku says with a heavy heart. “Don’t forget to keep the gears oiled up, even the ones in the back that are hard to reach. And maybe come visit me sometime, when your adventures—”
“The hell are you talking about, nerd?” Bakugou interrupts him. “We don’t have time for your bullshit. Have you packed your bags? If not, you’re going to have to use what we have and I don’t want to hear shit about missing books.”
“Wha-what? Bags?” Izuku parrots, confused.
“You’re not thinking the great captain Bakugou Katsuki will drop by a village and leave without taking any booty, are you? People will think I’ve gone soft,” Bakugou scoffs. “Can’t have this fucking with my reputation.”
“Bu-but you’ve taken the journal! It’s the thing of most value in the whole island!” Izuku argues, though he doesn’t know what he’s arguing about. Bakugou’s implications are just too overwhelming for him to accept out of nowhere.
“And what use is an old book without a nerd to read it?” A smirk grows on the captain’s face. “Come on. Show me you’re not a useless Deku engineer who can only work on a cold engine. Come with us and see what this ship can really do.”
Bakugou offers his hand for Izuku to take and to accept to join his crew. For a second, Izuku thinks about saying no, Him? Be a pirate? Leave his village? It’s something he hasn’t dared to wish for even in his wildest dreams. But how can he say no when the most handsome man in the world offers to take him on unbelievable adventures?
The moment Izuku takes Bakugou’s hand, the captain pulls him into a hug and whispers seductively, “I’d be a shitty pirate to not take the greatest treasure in this island with me.”
Izuku feels like his dream barely started and can’t wait to see it go to greater heights.