10 Set Sail!
Kinozuki Island Port,
(Kai's POV)
We have recently embarked on the Victoria Punk, but prior to reaching this point and setting sail, we had a multitude of tasks that needed to be accomplished beforehand.
First, recruiting sailors and a skilled navigator was crucial since none of us had prior experience in sailing a ship. We sought out individuals who possessed the necessary expertise to guide us through uncharted waters.
Next came the task of loading supplies. We bought and hauled crates of food and fresh water onto the ship, ensuring we had enough provisions to sustain us during our travels. Ammunition for our weapons and cannonballs were meticulously stowed away.
Then after all this, we finally boarded the ship and lowered the sails. Working in unison, we carefully released the ropes, allowing the fabric to gradually descend, catching the breeze and filling with air.
Killer assumed the helm, with our newly recruited navigator by his side. Heat, eager to acquire navigation skills, stood alongside them, possibly becoming our future navigator if he becomes proficient enough. Recognizing the opportune moment, we realized that now, while in the South Blue, is the ideal time to acquire new skills. Once we venture into the Grand Line, it will be too late to pursue such endeavors.
"Are you sure you can steer the ship, Killer? You've never even boarded one before!" I asked him.
"Don't worry I've got this. I just need to keep the ship sailing in the same direction, right?" Killer responded with confidence.
I had the WTF look in my face when I heard that, but I still gave him the thumb, everyone starts from somewhere "Yeap you got it right … alright, let's set sail!!" I placed the order, and our vessel gracefully glided away from the harbor.
We set sail on the open sea, the wind in our hair and the salty spray on our faces. Hours rolled by, and our excitement grew with each passing moment.
As we sailed, the crew found their tasks on the ship. The sound of ropes being pulled, the creaking of the masts, and the flapping of sails filled the air.
"Alright! I hope we meet some pirates soon, I'm so ready to beat some ass!" With infectious enthusiasm, Kid cracked his knuckles and eagerly approached me. Side by side, we peacefully stood by the ship's figurehead, basking in the breathtaking expanse of the serene blue sea.
"Just be patient, Kiddo…soon enough, you'll get to fight until you're sick of it…" With a mischievous smile, I clutched the spyglass in my grasp, intermittently scanning the horizon for any approaching ships.
"So, what's the plan? Is there a specific destination, or are we just going to roam the sea aimlessly?" Kid asked in curiosity, even though he hates to admit it, he knows his brother was always more mature and smarter than him.
"For now, we'll just do the latter one. We will do what pirates do, plunder ships, fight other pirates possibly marines and get stronger in the process" I calmly replied as I took another look from my spyglass.
"Sounds like a good plan to me…" Kid said with a grin before he continued "I'll be sure to make them piss their pants when they see our flag"
"Nice pistole and dagger by the way, you look like a real captain with those clothes as well" I said to Kid who is carrying with him a flintlock pistol and a dagger. When we decided to set sail, he bought himself a new set of clothes.
"What do you mean by a real captain?! I am a captain!" Kid retorted, showing slight annoyance towards my comment. His reaction was so amusing that I couldn't resist bursting into laughter. Teasing him has always been an enjoyable pastime.
Right now, along his usual pair of studded, square shaped goggles on his forehead, he's wearing a large crimson fur captain's coat over his bare muscular torso. A black and yellow lizard-print pants with a red fringe, motorcycle boots, and a blue sash under a green belt fastened by a large circular buckle with a four-leaf clover-like pattern in the middle. He also has a slim bandolier, also with minuscule bolts that go diagonally over his right shoulder then ties to his waist, where he keeps a dagger with a Japanese-style hilt and his flintlock gun.
As for me I'm wearing a much simpler outfit. I sport a black shirt that reaches below my waist Underneath, I wears a form-fitting, dark-colored shirt that accentuates my muscular physique. Completing my look are tailored black pants and sturdy leather boots that reach just below my knees. And finally, a large crimson fur captain's coat that looks exactly like Kid's.
I also keep a flintlock pistole on my side in case I need it along with my hammer.
"Okay Captain Useless Mid…" With a mocking tone, I uttered before peering through the spyglass once more. To my surprise, a vessel emerged on the horizon. However, determining its nature proved challenging; whether it was a trading ship, a marine vessel, or a pirate ship remained uncertain.
"It seems like you're missing your older brother's fist of love" he said with a grin, rounding his fist.
"Hey, that's my phrase!--well not really, Anyway… speaking of the devil, something just appeared in a distance" I handed him the spyglass and, as he took a peek, I began informing everyone else.
"Hey Killer!"
"What do you got there?!" he questioned.
"A vessel just appeared in our left, let's change our course, we're going after them!" I gave orders to killer, and he immediately turned the ship and started sailing towards our target.
"Aye Aye Captain!"
"Remember, don't get in our way. Once we close on them, me, Kai, Killer, Heat and Wire are going to do the fight, the rest of you stay here and take care of the ship, do you understand?!" Kid informed the people we recruited, since we didn't recruit them to fight, they will just get in the way or worse get killed.
"Everyone, quickly downstairs!" I said, as Heat, Wire and the rest went down to the powder magazine and brought the cannon balls and started loading the cannons. We had four cannons on each side, with one on the front. Excluding us, they were around 10 more sailors with us.
As we drew closer to the ship, we finally managed to identify our target.
"It's a pirate ship!" Kid informed me.
"Alright boys, this is our first battle and our official debut. Don't fuck up and make yourself proud" I said, before I told everyone to get ready.
On the opposite ship…
"Captain! There is a pirate ship on our tail, they've been following us for a while now" One of the ship's crew informed the captain, a large muscular man with a black eyepatch on his right eye. He's wearing a red captain's coat and a red tricorne hat, with an iron claw weapon attached to his left hand.
"A pirate ship? Let me see…" The captain proceeded to take the spyglass and got a closer look at the ship, but he doesn't seem to recognize the flag "I have never seen that flag before, must be some new rookies"
[Captain Wood 'The Claw' , Dead or Alive 8.000.000 Berries – Captain of The Claw Pirates]
"If that's the case then they should be an easy prey," Said a tall slim man with a wicked smile, a wild blonde hair and prominent scars across his face, he was carrying a flintlock pistole and a long saber.
[Crow 'The Maniac', Dead or Alive 4.500.000 Berries – Vice-Captain of The Claw Pirates]
"They might have some valuables on their ship as well, let's just beat them up and take everything" Added another one, a huge, bald, fat man carrying a massive iron mace.
[Dog Burgess, Dead or Alive 3.500.000 Berries – Crew Combatant of The Claw Pirates]
"Alright, let them approach us…prepare the cannons and get ready to fight!" Captain Wood gave orders as everyone moved to their positions.
"Let's see what these rookies got"
Back on Victoria Punk,
As we closed the gap, the enemy ship at last caught sight of us and our flag, immediately springing into action. It became apparent that they were not interested in evading a confrontation but rather embracing it, as I had anticipated. They likely deduced that we were inexperienced newcomers to the pirate's life, and they weren't mistaken—this was indeed our inaugural day at sea as pirates.
"Killer, get us in line with them!" Kid exclaimed, and Killer immediately turned the ship, so we were side by side.
"Ready…FIRE!!" I gave order as everyone applied fire to the breach and shot the enemy ship.
*BOOOM*-*BOOOM* The enemy also proceeded to shoot us back.
The booming of cannons filled the air as our ship engaged in a fierce naval battle. The enemy vessel seemed to have the upper hand, bombarding us with cannonballs and tearing through our sails.
A few minutes later,
"We can't keep taking these hits! We need to change our strategy!" I said, our inexperience was very evident in this naval battle.
"Agreed, Bro! Let's close in on them and give 'em a taste of our blades!" Kid responded with excitement.
I quickly turned to Killer and made a change of plans, and we made a bold move. Instead of trying to evade their attacks, we steered our ship directly towards the enemy, closing the distance between us.
As we approached, the enemy ship seemed taken aback by our audacity. We could see their crew scrambling to ready themselves for the impending clash.
"Ready your weapons!" I said as I turned my attention to Kid "I'll be fighting the captain so don't get in my way"
"No way, I'm the one fighting the captain!"
"Does this look like a good time for an argument?!"
"I don't care"
"Then should we solve it the classic way?" I asked, as both of us cracked a knowing smile, and we proceeded to play rock, paper, scissors.
"Rock…Paper… Scissors…" x2.
"I win!" I exclaimed.
"Damn it, this is not fair!" Kid shouted in frustration.
"Hehe, you suck at this game"
"Brace yourselves!" Killer informed everyone, and with a thunderous crash, our ships collided.
*CRASH* The moment our ships crashed, me, Kid, Killer, Heat and Wire we immediately jumped to the other side.
The first one was of course the impulsive Kid "You're not worthy of being called pirates. I'll teach you the true meaning of fear as I dismantle your sorry excuse for a ship!" he taunted as he jumped at one of their crew members and smashed his head into the ship's floor.
The rest of us proceeded to board the enemy ship after that.
