Chapter Text
“Captain!"
The yell of his crew rings in his ears, high-pitched and loud even over the harsh storm; rain thump, thump, thumping hard against wood and cookies, thunder booming.
Manju’s breath hitches, unable to spare a glance and see for himself what's wrong, forcing himself to continue looking forward because he can't afford to face anywhere else, but forward.
His heart picks up.
…To look away from his ship's course — he clicks his tongue as another thundering boom echoes, the Red Knot swaying hard to the side, spears and arrows flying overhead and landing into planks behind him — meant death.
He can't hear the thumping in his chest.
Knuckles white on the steering wheel, cursing the storm and crummy sea folk in one breath. Manju plants his feet firmly against the ground and yells, his voice straining to be heard over the storm: “Hold tight!”
With a sharp breath, steeling his nerves, Manju sneaks one last look at his map, reinforcing his confidence as his gaze settles firmly forward with a determined finality, — “Full speed ahead!” — unflinching even as another spear is hurled out of the waters with a muffled snarl, just barely missing Manju’s cheek.
Jam slides down his chin.
The spear lands behind him with a sharp thump, piercing through his beloved ship.
The longer they're here — the rain pummeling down on him feels like, what he thinks, would be his heartbeat; strong and harshly beating against him, leaving no space for reprieve — the likelier they'll drown.
He grits his teeth.
Another spear whizzes past his head.
Arrows raining down on his shuffling crewmates on deck.
They need to get out of here, now.
So please, my Red Knot dearest, hold on just a bit longer.
…
Witches!
Manju stumbles, the water destabilising his footing as he nearly sinks his own ship by turning left too harshly, a whirlpool suddenly materialising meters ahead of them. His crew at the front screaming, haphazardly signing warnings.
He winces as they narrowly avoid it, spinning the wheel back in desperation to keep his ship balanced on harsh waters.
Crumbs, crumbs, crumbs, he nearly let go of the sweet thing!
Nerikiri Cookie's voice booms over the storm, strained as she commands orders — “Check the ship's damages, prioritise repairing on the lower levels! If you want to live, throw as much water out, we can't afford to sink and drown here! Move the wares into the higher floors! Into the barracks and offices! What are you all standing around for!? Move move move!” — and as every bit it made him flinch, it took off just as much of a burden off his shoulders, forcing out a relieved sigh.
Good.
He didn't make a mistake in making her his chief mate at all.
…Good.
The ship sways, struggling to continue forward as he manoeuvres the ship out of spontaneous manifesting whirlpools, his crew shuffling with Nerikiri’s following command: Aid Captain Manju at all costs if they want to make it out of here alive! Keep the sails up, keep the engines running, anything to keep his focus solely on steering them out of this stormy hell of arrows and spears with rain and lightning as side dishes!
Manju attempts to relax his jaw, expression darkening with frustration; there hadn't been any sightings of mercookies being in this area, so why now?!
He feels the Red Knot slow down with each projectile land.
Slow, they're too slow in sailing out of this predicament, Manju hates it so much, so so much–
Then, he hears Nerikiri's panicked voice, frightened, loud and clear as she rushes over to a few members on deck’s outskirts, readying ammunition and weapons to fight the seafolk back, “Don’t! Don't do anything to anger the mercookies more! We're not here to make enemies!”
His heart stops.
“They’re already pissed at us being here, we don't need to make it worse! Hey! Stop!”
Long enough that the storm and the rain pelting on him phases away into nothingness.
Incomparable to the sharp stinging in his chest.
Before everything crashes back loud into his senses — narrowly avoiding another whirlpool, just an inch off before certain doom — Manju desperately wishing he was anywhere but here.
Because, holy mother of cookies, his crew wants them dead! Worse than dead, because they won't even leave crumbs behind if they die here! Nevermind the fact they’re on the way to the Licorice Sea, they want to die to the malicious seafolk no less?!
With a sharp breath, Manju makes a harsh right turn, driving his ship where he last saw some seafolk, mermaids, before his ship covered them from his sight. The Red Knot tilts hard, everyone stumbling, panicked yells heard, finding ways to brace themselves; a horrifying moment for everyone else, one that he needs to recover and focus, a moment that Nerikiri used to her advantage to slide the weapons far from the rebelling crew, arguing that they should because look!
“Spears and arrows and whirlpools caused by them is what's up ahead for us! And you mean to say that we can't fight back, even a tiny bit for survival?!” One of them screams, followed by the rumbling of lightning, water still dropping hard on them.
Another follows, trying to push Nerikiri away from the ammunition, hissing out a curse as another crew member dives in to take it away, wincing as they slip with it. “Hey—!” They yell, trying to get them as they run past and barges into Manju’s office to hide them there.
Nerikiri yells them praise, even as her collar gets scrunched into a fist by the furious rebel, “Anytime now, we could die! Anytime now, an arrow could pierce through our dough and leave us hurt or worse, dead! And you–! You confiscate our only way of survival?!”
“Are you insane?!”
“I know!” Nerikiri screams, pissed, pushing them back as the Red Knot sways, the both of them stumbling as the other rebels slip and hold onto something for dear life. “But these are the unsaid laws of the ocean if we want to keep being travelling merchants!”
“And I…” She grabs their collar, shaking them as they slip and tumble on the floor, sliding fast, her back colliding roughly with the railings. “…won’t let you get in the way of our Captain! He's already manning the ship, the best we can do is make it easier for him! Not make it worse, you bumbling buffoon!"
Manju hisses in a breath.
A promising horizon in his sight — one that usually brought dread.
…Once they're safe back on land, he's drilling the ocean's unsaid rules back into his dumb crew. He'll make it a lesson they'll never forget.
His brow furrows, the storm refusing to let up.
The projectiles slow. He sees less of the mermaids.
Relief sinks into his chest like sweet liquor.
He's screwing their role as merchants back into their heads. They weren't pirates, they weren't here to plunder and make a permanent enemy of the ocean. Nay…
If they want to continue operating as travelling merchants, as seafarers, as a guild…
They must never fight back.
Even when they did no wrong.
Unless they want to become fish food.
Besides, Manju grits his teeth again, “Licorice Sea ahead!”
The Red Knot takes calculated risks, not throw their lives for utter sheer foolishness!
With a clenched jaw, Manju could only leave it to Nerikiri to rein in the rebelling crew and lead the rest as he forces the Red Knot through the storm.
Please. Let them make it out safe, Manju thinks, even if they end up crashing and land on an unnamed island.
He refuses to let them die here, even with his ship battered and worse for wear.
His chest fills with air and joy that doesn't belong upon his ship entering the Licorice Sea, the projectiles finally skidding to a stop, flares remaining in their direction.
Just this one obstacle left and then they'll make it to their destination.
The Red Knot just has to last out long enough to reach Pearl Choco Harbour.
And all that would remain is how much time do they have left until they can reach safety before they inevitably sink into the bottom of the ocean?
—
Ah.
Fuck.
Manju rubs his cheek against his hand, pinching his nose. Eyes tired, clothes heavy with storm and stress.
His arms crossed in front of his chest.
The crewmates responsible for this mess behind him, on their knees, head to the floor.
Shaking. Begging for forgiveness in desperate head thumps and whimpering.
The light catches in dark, beautiful scales. Colours dance wonderfully, like a rainbow after a terrible storm.
“You—! Let go of me!”
Eyes reminiscent of the night sky and the moon meets his.
Now, why is there a mermaid trapped in one of their nets on deck?