Chapter Text
Kyle
As the evening sun began to set and the fresh saltwater breeze enveloped everything in its path, with night quickly approaching, ships and boats began to fill the docks more and more as they unloaded their cargo onto nearly water-soaked planks that buckled under the weight. Soon the place was filled with people chatting and laughing about their adventures and stories from the journey. Kyle was one of them. Well, not really, as the man stayed out of the way most of the time when he and his colleagues returned with the cargo. Every time he helped unload, the young man usually retreated back to his hammock to fall asleep from his endless lack of sleep. But this time was different.
There was a loud thud across the deck as the plank hit the edge of the worn planks. People were already climbing out of the boat to feel the semi-hard ground. Kyle was got out from under the deck before he heard his name echoing through the air.
“Garrick! Where is Garrick!?”
Damn. His excuse of an captain. Kyle had never liked him. And he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. The footsteps sounded a little closer with each footfall.
“Ah, there he is!”
Kyle shivered as he heard his captain's forced happy tone. When he looked up, he found his captain standing at the exit of the ship with an unpleasant expression. Great, now he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.
“Yes, Captain?” Kyle asked as he approached the man. “What can I do for you?”
“Good to see you holding up. How was the trip?” The captain cocked his head to the side and looked Kyle up and down.
"As always, Captain. No problem."
"Great. So I assume you consider a half-broken hull no problem?"
Kyle was about to respond, to shoot the man down with a response he hoped would work. But when he heard the words, he stopped, wondering what to say next.
“Excuse me?” Kyle asked. There was a hint of irritation in his tone, but also genuine curiosity. “What do you mean, half-broken hull?”
"Garrick, you've been sailing around with scratches on your hull for God knows how long. It's a miracle you're not human fingers," he said, leaning against the rail. "That's why I'm asking. How come no one knew. Especially you, Garrick. As the watchman, you should know when and how it happened."
Kyle, still shocked by the news, looked over the railing on the ship's hull. It was indeed scratched. He looked back at his captain with a sigh, knowing damn well he was in trouble. "Look, sir. Sorry, I must have been tired-"
"Well, I'm not paying you to be distracted at work, am I?"
A slight shiver ran through him as he heard the captain's voice. It had changed from a calm and gentle voice to the voice of a ferocious beast.
The deck creaked beneath Kyle's feet as he backed away. He moved a short distance away from the captain. "No," he said quietly. "No, probably not."
"Exactly." The man in front of him mocked Kyle's response. "Son, look. You're young. Full of life. And I know you think you're better than anyone else-"
Wait...
"-but I also know that this job is not for everyone. Especially, as I said, for young people like you."
Wait... wait, wait, wait... what?
"Kyle. I think you should go."
Was Kyle's hearing okay? What did the man mean by "you should go"?
"Sir, what do you mean-"
"I mean, I'm letting you go. This was your last voyage."
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊𓆝𓆟𓆞𓆟₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
The sound of people and drinks could already be heard from outside the pub as Kyle passed by. The warm light of lit candles shone through the cracked glass of the window, catching his attention as he looked inside. It wasn’t crowded, but it wasn’t empty either. After a quick thought, Kyle decided he would at least spend the rest of his berri on a drink before sleeping on the street.
The door made a low hiss of resistance that echoed through the room. It opened just enough for Kyle to enter. His first steps were cautious, deliberate, as he moved deeper into the pub before sitting down at the bar. The chair creaked under his weight as his tired limbs gave way. Now he was leaning against the bar after the bartender had asked for his order. His mind began to ask questions.
How the hell did those scratches get on the ship's hull? Better question, how the hell did they not sink. The ship looked good enough that no one would mention it. It was probably one of the fishmen again. About their attempt to reclaim the sea or something. Kyle had never liked the fishmen to begin with. They always wanted to either sink their ship or rob them. One of the two.
Then a drink was served in front of him. Was he lost again?
Kyle's fingers gripped the glass of alcohol as he raised it to his lips and tilted his head back. The liquid burned his mouth and throat as he swallowed. He was holding the empty glass now and his mind was back to thinking, but it wasn't long before he noticed the figure sitting next to him. Curiosity got the better of him, making him turn his head to the side to look at the newcomer. And to his surprise. The man next to him didn't look like a normal villager. A pilgrim, perhaps? Probably.
The man was wearing worn-out clothes. He had obviously worn them all the time. His hair was messy, brown with a slight sheen of gray that flowed from the side of his face to his jaw. His hair connected to a beard that was the same color as the man's hair. The man had blue-gray eyes that looked like they had seen a lot. His face was no better. The man's age was clearly visible.
Kyle didn't really care who was next to him. He just quickly glanced over to see who it was before looking into his now empty glass and setting it back on the counter. Neither he nor the man said anything, and Kyle thought he would finally have some peace and quiet. He thought.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊𓆝𓆟𓆞𓆟₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
It wasn't long before the people in the pub got so relaxed that they started fighting, and the village where Kyle lived wasn't exactly friendly. So he just kept quiet and ignored the shouting behind him as he ordered another drink. Then a green glass bottle flashed before his eyes, flying just inches from his head and shattering into shards behind the bar. Kyle turned his eyes, rolling his eyelids slightly, to see a mixture of moray eels and what looked like a stingray-tern arguing with a human over what looked like a bag of berri.
With an easy decision. Kyle stood up to leave the tavern, of course not without "accidentally" bumping into the fishman and "accidentally" stealing the bag of berri they had been arguing about. The fishman gave him a quick warning look before returning to his argument with the human. The tavern door surprisingly opened better outward than inward, and closed behind him as he stepped onto the sandy path.
Kyle turned left around the corner and entered a dark alley. He made sure no one was following him so he could check his bag of berri. Just enough for tomorrow's meal. He smiled and closed the bag. The thick fabric on his skin dug into his fingers a little before he tucked it into his vest and walked out the other side of the alley. This one was better lit than some of the others, as it was the main shopping street. Shadows weighed down the wood and wool of some of the stalls that stood with empty wooden boxes and crates. It was strange walking through this area during the day, but the worst part was walking through the shopping district at night. At least for Kyle. He had seen enough people get attacked, so he had learned to be careful.
⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊𓆝𓆟𓆞𓆟₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹
After a short walk, Kyle finally arrived at a dilapidated house on the edge of the forest. Close enough to reach the village, but far enough away that people wouldn’t notice that anyone lived there.
After a few steps, he reached the door. His hand landed on the handle and he turned it slightly to the right, opening the door before he heard the rustling of dry leaves behind him. Kyle quickly turned and saw the man from the bar behind him. When he looked closer at the man, he saw that he looked more like a pirate than anything else.
“Do you want something or what?” Kyle called to the man, turning half his body to look at him.
"You have quite an impressive skill. I've never seen a human steal something from a fishman before. Especially this close to him." The man replied before taking a few steps towards Kyle. "I'll need someone like that."
What? Did Kyle’s hearing fail him? “Excuse me, but who are you? And what do you mean by ‘need’?” He objected, taking a step back to create distance between them.
"Oh yes, of course, where's my manners. My name is John Price. Captain of the Argo. But you can call me Price," the man said, extending his hand for Kyle to shake.
Wait, John Price? The John Price whose head is worth more to the berri than his entire life? He glanced quickly at the man's figure and face. Yes, it was the man from the wanted posters. "I-- damn. I never thought I'd meet the legend. You're quite popular in this water, sir." He answered Price's words as they shook hands. "I'm Kyle. Kyle Garrick."
Price nodded in agreement and withdrew his hand. "Nice to meet you. Like I said. My crew and I could use your skills. Plus, I need more people, because you might know what happened to my last crew."
He knew what Price was talking about. He and his crew were being attacked by a new group of marines called Shadow... something like that. "Yes, sir. Just briefly. I'm sorry for your loss."
“It’s not your fault, kid. It can happen to anyone if you’re not careful.”
The corners of Kyle’s lips lifted into a small smile. They were somehow chatting like old friends, even though they’d never met before. “So who’s in your new crew? I need to know what I’ll have to deal with before I join you.”
"It's just me, you, and Agro for now. I stopped here to replenish my food rations and ingredients before heading out to visit old friends and convince them to join, but then I heard a man shouting for Garrick."
"Yeah. He does that. I swear he does it just to embarrass people," Kyle said. Which was true. His old captain did it. "Wait. About those friends of yours. Are any of them on wanted lists? Maybe I know them."
The captain laughed at Kyle's words. "Hell, I hope not. I don't want them to get into any more trouble," Price replied, putting his hat back on his head. "I don't want to get you into any trouble either. But you look like a trouble-seeking person. So, are you in?"
'Is Kyle in?' He didn't even have to ask himself before his mouth answered for him. "Yes. Yes, of course, I'd like that."
His shoulder suddenly felt heavy as Price placed a hand on it. He patted it a few times before turning and walking away. He waited for Kyle to follow him. Which he did. After a moment of silence between the two of them, Price spoke in a hushed voice as they walked through the village houses. “Now tell me, Kyle. What do you know about devil fruits?”
Kyle was surprised at the question that was thrown at him. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know much about them. "Well, I know they can give you supernatural abilities, from elemental to physical, but it also takes away your ability to swim."
“So someone did their homework.” The man walking next to him joined in as he stopped in front of the plank. “The sleeping quarters are below deck. Get some rest. We leave early in the morning.” It was the last thing Price said to Kyle before he walked down the plank to the deck of the ship and disappeared behind the wooden railing.
Not what he expected, but sure, it could have been better, it could have been worse. Maybe, just maybe. Kyle would enjoy this more than he thought. As he walked along the latticed board, he noticed that the deck of the ship was mostly empty, save for a few barrels and sacks.
After a few minutes of touring the ship, Kyle went down the stairs to the so-called sleeping quarters. Which were pretty decent. Compared to his last gig.
As Kyle reached out, he could feel how soft the hammock material really was, and that excited him to lie down in it and enjoy the moment.
He stripped off his outer clothing, folded it neatly in a pile next to the pole from which one end of the hammock hung, and carefully sat down on the fabric before lying down. The hammock wasn’t so bad. It was quite comfortable, small, but comfortable. Comfortable enough that his eyes wouldn’t droop as he rested. Sleep soon overcame him.
This was not what Kyle wanted. Yes, working with Price, one of the most wanted pirates, had been great. For him now, it was more than great. But was it worth putting a target on his back for this?