Chapter Text
You got it.
Finally.
The weight of it — along with all of the berri you could carry — in your bag offered comfort as you ran over the spotless rooftops. You thanked your foresight for swapping your gown for a pair of pants, you couldn’t imagine fighting all of that fabric as you hopped over shingles like a tomcat supposedly would.
The crisp night air and increasing sea breeze blew through your hair and chilled your skin, but somehow you didn’t seem to mind. Your legs carried you as fast as they could, ignoring all protest from your burning lungs. Adrenaline coursed through your blood, compensating for the fact that you were woefully unprepared for this feat. Then you saw it, the harbor.
Freedom.
~~~~~
You weren’t sure why that memory came back to you as you ran through the streets of Louguetown, but the thought brought a smile to your face regardless of small band of pirates on your tail. You may or may not have swindled their captain for all he was worth and drained their coffers, but that was just the name of game. It wasn't your fault that these lonely sea men were quick to fall for your charms, but wow did you benefit from it. You laughed in joy as you adjusted the heavy bag of newly acquired coins at your hip.
More than ready to put this little chase to an end and secure a new way into the Grand Line, you ducked into an alleyway and climbed onto the nearest rooftop. You used the line of stores as stepping stones to the next roof as you ran along the street. Unfortunately, these particular pirates were not as easy to shake as you had hoped, and the last thing you wanted was a fight, so you changed your strategy.
Instead of trying to slink away undetected, you made your movements loud and obvious, garnering their attention. Speeding up, you moved towards the sea, the most obvious dead end. Once you were out of their sight you hid behind a smokestack as they passed by. You snickered to yourself as you heard their assured directions and vindictive cries.
Not one to waste time, you dismounted the roof into a back alleyway via dumpster. As you dusted yourself off you felt a presence, then, you heard a whistle.
“What a show,” the voice of a man said, impressed. You turned around to find the silhouette of a tall man in a cloak that.
“What are you doing?” You questioned him as if he had dropped down from above near you and not the other way around.
“Well, I was going back to the bar after taking a piss, but this is much more interesting,” he said with a grin, gesturing towards you and the general direction you had appeared from.
The man took a docile step towards you and you were shocked to see hair so vibrantly red in the lowlight. With him better in view you took a moment to examine him past his outline. The shadows made it tricky but it looked as if he had a scar over his left eye. Dare you say that he looked familiar, but you could not place him.
His gaze looked you up and down in turn. He took in your appearance, noting how berri poke out of your cleavage and a weirdly bulky bag tied at your hip that no doubt contained jewels.
“So,” he started casually before taking on a slightly more playful tone, “What’s got a beautiful woman acting like a stray in the night?” His eyes darting briefly once more to the rooftop you had dismounted from.
“I don’t see how that is any of your business,” you said curtly as you adjusted the bills tucked in your shirt, hiding them from view. His grin only grew. “Maybe not, but can’t fault a man for his curiosity.”
“Haven’t you heard that curiosity killed the cat?” Your patience for the man was growing thin; you were not one for unexpected guest appearances during your getaway. “Haven’t you heard that cats have nine lives?” He retorted with a step forward and a sparkle in his eye, clearly enjoying the banter while all you wanted was to leave.
“And I’d reckon a tomcat like you doesn’t have many of those left.” Your eyes fell to scar on his face, newly defined in this light. The man laughed. “Tomcat, eh? Interesting coming from the one was jumping rooftop to rooftop a minute ago,” he stepped even closer as he spoke while still leaving a respectable distance between you two.
“Felt more befitting of someone on the prowl. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I really must be off.” You side stepped the man and make to leave. You had just about reached the mouth of the alley before his voice rang out and threw you off your game.
“At least let me buy you a drink.”
“Not happening,” you dismissed, not looking back despite the fault in your step. For the time being, your only priority was getting the hell out of Louguetown and continuing on.
“I dunno, I’ve been told I’m great company. Plus, I can guarantee your safe passage into the Grand Line. That is where you’re headed next, yeah?” he enticed. You thought about it harder. On second thought, you could use a drink.
~~~
You let the man with the red hair, whose name you still had yet to learn, lead you to a crowded pub; he even went as far as to hold the door open for you as you entered, far more well-mannered than the usual folk you ran with. From there he lead you to the bar top, pulling out a stool for you to sit on, a gesture that made you raise your brow.
“What’s the matter, darling?” He questioned you. “Nothing, just a bit surprised,” you said, still standing. “That I know how to treat a lady?” He questioned, filling in the gap in your words, clearly amused. Eyes skeptical, you took a seat, neither confirming nor denying his assumption. “Rest assured that I am nothin’ if not a gentleman,” he said as he pushed in your stool with ease. “Just not something I’d expect of a pirate,” you admitted as he took the seat next to you.
“Ahh, so you recognize me?” He said with a near smirk and—you surely must be mistaken—a hint of relief. “Not at all,” you responded passively. I just know your type, was the part that you didn't say. But, you couldn’t shake the feeling of familiarity with the man. He looked almost taken aback by the response before he quickly masked it and switched gears.
“What would you like? My treat,” he offered as he turned to face the bar top. “Whatever you’re having,” you told him. You could tell a lot about a person by their drink of choice, and you knew next to nothing about the man who had just offered you safe passage into the Grand Line, which happened to be the best place your gambit . Frustratingly, instead of flagging down the bartender and ordering his ale of choice, the man had seemed to take your indifference as a challenge.
The man’s eyes squint as he examines you with a playful scrutiny, absorbing your still slightly disheveled appearance as he tried to draw a verdict. Ultimately he flagged down the bartender and ordered two old fashions which were made at impressive speeds.
“This does not seem like your type of drink,” you commented honestly, taking the glass as it was placed in front of you and swirling it around. ”I figured you wouldn’t be one for bottom shelf grog,” he replied with a crooked grin. You hummed in response, taking a small sip of your drink. Old fashions had been a favorite of your fathers and therefore had garnered your distaste, but you had to admit it wasn’t that bad all things considered.
“So, about that safe passage…” you prompted. “Are you always this eager to talk about business?” The man questioned. “I am when my welfare is on the line,” you responded flatly.
“I s’pose that’s fair,” he chuckled taking a drink before asking a question. “Wondering what’s the catch are ya?” The man set his drink down, fingertips resting on the glass’ rim and turned toward you. “What d’ya got to give?”
You held back a scoff, not particularly enjoying what he had just implied. The raffish redhead had licked his lips while he’d tried to hide how his eyes grazed over your body. The casual manner in which he had said it also got on your nerves. You had thought he’d seemed like a decent, honorable man (or rather decent enough and honorable enough), but apparently not.
Still, you needed passage and this was your cheapest lead…unfortunately. You did not walk off like he deserved, but your fist did clench under the countertop in resistance. While you had hoped for a misunderstanding, you remained realistic in the matter, it was what men did after all.
“What are you suggesting?” You did your best to mask the scorn in your tone, but after the impression that you had just received — that he had hoped for you to whore yourself out for safe voyage — it was hard to not bite back. “Need I remind you that it was you who offered me.”
“Well, I was hoping for a story,” the man said simply with a lopsided smile, as if he were trying to smooth over any misconceptions without addressing them. When you still looked skeptical he kept going. “I mean it, a story is all I ask.” “A story?” You questioned, a bit bewildered. “A story,” he confirmed. “That’s it? No catch?” You interrogated. “That’s it, no secret agenda cross my heart,” he swore mimicking the action.
You nodded, pondering the offer, but quickly agreed. Although you were sure the story he wanted was the one that would explain your sudden descent from the rooftops, that was not the one you gave him. Instead, you very loosely recounted the tale of Rapunzel, a childhood fable you held dear to your heart. You had often dreamed of being set free from your own tower, but luckily that wasn't something you had to worry about anymore— it hadn't been for a while.
You didn't expect the best reaction to your antics, but to your surprise the man laughed, slamming his hand on the table.
“Oh I like you,” he declared after you had finished, his grin near wolfish.
“Is that a threat?” You questioned, downing more or your drink, nose crinkling at the burn of the alcohol.
He shrugged, “It’s what you make of it, but I s’pose you fulfilled your end of the bargain—“ He paused, cutting himself off once the bartender was in view and ordering another round for the both of you.
“I hope you know Captain that I am not paying,” you said, readjusting the money hidden in your bust line once more. “What kind of man would I be making a lady pay for her own drinks after I asked her?” He questioned in mock offense.
"Chivalry is not the first character trait I would associate with you," you said dryly, thinking of all the pirates you had known before. "Oh darling, you wound me," he pressed his hand over his heart in yet another over the top display of theatrics. You rolled your eyes and finished your drink. He was amusing you would give him that.
"What reason would a stray have to play nice with a stranger?" You retorted, grinning for the first time — something that did not slip past the man. That was your first mistake. You had inadvertently shown him that there was a way in, past your defenses constructed out of necessity. A crack in your facade that, given time, would grow to be catastrophic.
"Not so much a stranger, eh?" The man said, sliding one of the fresh drinks your way as he continued, "Not when you're 'bout to be venturing into the Grand Line on my ship."
"You mean you'll give me passage?" You questioned, accidentally allowing your eyes to glimmer with hope.
"I said you held up your end of the bargain, didn't I?" He said as he started on his Nth drink of the night. There was a moment's pause, as if he was examining you, not outwardly, but you could just tell. Whatever he had found had seemed to be enough for him.
"We leave in the morning. My ship is at the port just south of here. Look for a red dragon as a figurehead and if all else fails, search for a Jolly Roger that looks like me," he said motioning to the three lines scaring his eye with three fingers.
The playful glint in his eyes grew brighter. "You're welcome to leave and just meet us in the morning, but I would love it if you would stay for another round or two— no ulterior motives either."
Despite not having yet touched your second drink, you agreed to stay. That was your second mistake. An action that would lead to your life being forever changed. You knew you shouldn't have but you found yourself unable to resist.
As the night continued on you came to recognize how charming the man could be, and how annoyingly attractive he was. Not that either of those weren't glaringly obvious. But because of it, an idea started to developed in your mind. Just how easy it would be to weasel your way into the flirt's heart. You had done a lot of things to play the part in the past. What scared you was that you could see yourself meaning it.
Perhaps that was just the remnant hopelessness romantic in you, the leftovers of a childhood spent alone and too in your head, back before you had to learn the harsh truth of the real world. At least that was what you would tell yourself.
~~~
Come morning, you found yourself at the docks searching for a ship matching the description of the one the redheaded man had given you last night — a dragon figurehead and palm trees, quite hard to miss— and, he was right, it took you all of two minutes to find the vessel. It was only then, looking up at the massive ship, that you realized you had yet to learn the captain’s name.
A man with lettering on the bandanna wrapped around his forehead spotted you, you watched as he retreated to the center of the ship, likely alerting the captain. Your suspicions were proved correct when bright red hair greeted you on the other side of the gangplank.
“G’morning!” He cheered, unusually chipper for the morning after the sorry state you had seen him in the night before. “Was wond’rin’ if you’d show after ya disappeared last night.” In the midst of his heavy drinking you had slinked off into the night to get some much needed rest, and by then you trusted him enough to hold up his end of the bargain. A drinking game or two had shown you that he was nothing if not a man of his word.
To your relief, he made no effort to introduce you to his crew, and they had made no move to approach you as they moved about preparing to set off to sea. The crew was much more efficient than you had given them credit for, and in under ten minutes you were exiting the bay out in the open waters.
Not long after, the red-haired captain found you and offered to show you to where you would be staying. You accepted and followed him into the depths of the ship, and to your surprise the room he revealed was rather sizable. It was clear that it hadn't been used in a while, but it far exceeded your expectations.
"That door over there is a small bathroom so you can have some privacy," the man said as he held the door open for you to enter. "Other than that, you should be able to find everything you could need, but if not, don't be afraid to ask."
The captain lingered in the doorway as you took in your temporary room. "One more thing," he said, lingering in the doorway "You're not gonna kill us all in our sleep right?"
You silenced a snort. "Funny you didn't ask that question before letting me board your ship and taking me out to sea."
"What can I say? I got a bleeding heart and a penchant for taking on strays." His response made you crack a smile, [which was a victory in his books]. "Well, I'll leave you to it," he said, tapping the doorframe before pushing away from it, not yet leaving. "Word of advice, don't stay hidden in here the whole time. Crew's a curious and'll come looking, I'm one man I can only do so much to stop them," he said as if it were beyond his hands. Something told you that he would only encourage it if given the chance.
He turned to exit, taking two steps before backtracking. "Also, think of something you'd like us to call you. I already have dibs on Little Stray, but the rest of the crew's gonna want something."
You shut the door in his face, watching his smile grow as it closed. Once you were alone, the first thing you did was check the room for anything unusual, strange holes in the walls (or floor), bugs (both kinds), or stains on the sheets. When everything came back normal you breathed a sigh of relief. The second thing you did was hide your score from the last band of pirates you had sailed with.
Not because you didn't trust this new crew, rather because you had no reason to trust them. Hell, you hadn't even met them.
Then you did the only thing you could do; pray that you wouldn't regret the decision of taking passage from a group of strangers — pirates at that.
But it was far from the first time you had done that.