Chapter 2: A 'Super' Ship

Chapter 2: A 'Super' Ship

Davos couldn't help but chuckle as the ship came to a halt and the sun set. Even from here, he could see the shocked faces of the sailors at his passengers. There was even one particularly jumpy young man who screamed "Pirate!" at the sight of Jinbe, and dived straight off his own ship.

Said Pirate noticed the others all looking at him. Kisame was barely holding in his laughter. Halibel simply raised an eyebrow. "I presume you had quite the reputation," she drawled. Jinbe just gave a small, resigned nod.

Davos shrugged his shoulders. "Surprised he had that reaction. Half the people around here are pirates of a sort, you'd think he'd be used to it."

"Well, pirates have an incredibly negative reputation in my world…and for good reason most of the time," Jinbe added.

"Let's hope the shipwrights don't have such prejudice," Halibel sighed.

"Don't worry…I'm sure they've dealt with far less savory characters than yourselves," Davos assured them.

"Speaking of the shipwrights, who was it that you recommended again?" Jinbe asked.

"Ah, that would be Burns. I'll take you to the shipyard now that we've docked," Davos promised.

"Say…now that the trip is over…did you decide who gets that crab?" Kisame asked.

"Yeah Davos…who gets it?" Halibel added with unusual eagerness.

"Ah," the old captain hesitated. "Well…the both of you did a fine job taking down that jellyfish. But the crab goes to Jinbe."

Both Halibel and Kisame looked positively demonic when denied their course of crustacean. "WHY?!" they both demanded.

To his credit, Davos kept his cool. "Because he's the reason my ship didn't get a scratch."

That response instantly took the metaphorical wind out of the two.

Jinbe hesitantly picked up the plate, unable to figure out why his new comrades loved the dish so much. "Maybe you two could share it?"

Kisame couldn't help but leer at his compatriot. That prompted Halibel to Sonido right to the platter on Jinbe's hand. Kisame Body Flickered at the same time.

Davos blinked…and there wasn't even a single sliver of flesh left. Jinbe slowly handed the old captain his plate back, noticing the new black eyes on both the swordsmen.

"Moving on…how about we start heading to Burns," Jinbe suggested.

"Yeah," Davos quickly replied as he made his way to the dock.

As everyone got off the ship, Kisame paused, feeling something vaguely familiar. He put his hand on his blade as he kept walking.

Noticing, Halibel turned to him. "What is it?"

"I thought I felt Chakra…but I can't sense it anymore," he admitted with a pensive expression.

"Guess I'll keep my eyes open," she decided.

"Right," the Ninja said as he stepped up his pace.

It was only at this point that the trio got a good look at Shipwreck Cove. True to its name, most of the settlement was actually over the water. Ships of all shapes and sizes had been repurposed and strung together as homes, shops, restaurants, and everything in between. The two sword users even spotted an old fashioned blacksmith hard at work, with his wares hanging throughout what had previously been a junk. A large longboat was propped over it as a roof.

Towards the outer ring of the settlement were towers of ships stacked on top of each other. Lights were coming from each level, indicating that all of them were still in use. Looking closely, the trio saw serious firepower pointed towards the open ocean.

After a couple minutes walking in silence, Davos spoke up. "Okay, Burns is right around here."

BOOOM! An explosion rocked one of the towers that were closer towards actual land.

"Davos…please tell me that didn't come from where we're getting a ship," Halibel nearly pleaded.

The old captain just gave an exasperated shake of the head. "Burns tells me that there's been one a day since someone else dropped in."

Jinbe hid a quick smile as he started jogging towards the tower, which somehow looked even more unstable.

Soon enough, the group reached the shipyard. They saw that half of the island itself had been cleared for the purpose of shipbuilding, with a lush forest covering the rest. Normally, they would take in the sight of towering ships and everything needed to make them. Today however, their sight was drawn to a crane that had just crashed down.

The top had been utterly demolished. In its place, two legs were sticking ramrod out of the ground. Kisame and Halibel could not for the life of them figure out why these legs had metal in them...or why there were only speedos on there.

Jinbe had this big smile on his face as he grabbed onto the legs, pulling out a scorched and very top-heavy man. Dazed, the man took a long look at Jinbe. Then, it was if a switch was flipped inside the man's head (which was entirely possible given the man's metal parts) once he was back on his feet.

"Waahh!" The man embraced Jinbe as tears gushed down his cheeks.

"Good to see you too Franky," the Fishman replied as he patted his friend's back.

Halibel and Kisame were admittedly intrigued at the prospect of meeting someone who knew Jinbe, if only to find out how powers worked in the 'Grand Line'. Their imaginations saw legions of iron men and Fishmen sailing the seas. Only time would tell if they'd get a more accurate picture.

Franky finally stopped crying and composed himself. He then slammed his massive forearms together with an almighty yell of "SUPER!" Half the nearby dock workers joined him in his pose.

Halibel cleared her throat, putting a pause into the routine. "Is this going to be a normal thing with him?"

The Fishman just smiled. "Yep, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Having calmed down, Franky turned to the group. "I didn't think I'd run into any of the crew so soon," he admitted.

"Umm…aren't you going to introduce us?" Kisame asked.

"Sorry," Jinbe quickly responded. "Franky, this is Kisame, Halibel, and Captain Davos," indicating his compatriots. "I woke up on La Entrada, and these three helped get me here".

"Y'all have my thanks," Franky said as he gave them thumbs up. " I'm glad Jinbe met such SUPER people".

Jinbe turned back to the others. "This is Franky. He was the shipwright for the Straw Hat Crew, which was the last crew I was part of".

Kisame raised an eyebrow at that. "A shipwright huh…and how good are your ships?" he asked with a taunting grin to the cyborg.

Franky matched the toothy grin with his own. "How about I show you?"

"Franky" A voice echoed throughout the entire shipyard, somehow quiet yet booming with authority

The cyborg paled as he turned back to the shattered crane and then the source of the voice. "Uh-oh. That's the boss".

"How many times do we have to go through this?" asked a sharply dressed and clean-shaven man as he marched his way towards the group, holding a top hat in his hands. By his side was a dog twice the size of a Great Dane. The collar called him 'Spot'.

Franky frantically held up his hands. "I can expl…"

"I go away for five minutes…and I come back to this," The man droned in a deeply disappointed tone.

"Well…I was just putting some additions onto the Cutty Sark and…"

"What did you do to my ship?" The man resignedly asked as he hurried off towards the completed ships. Franky quickly followed.

Halibel turned to Davos. "I take it that was Burns."

The old captain scratched his ear. "Yep, he's usually louder when angry...must be used to this sort of thing."

Kisame glanced towards the shipwrights running off. "We didn't even get to introduce ourselves to him."

Jinbe started jogging after the two, prompting the others to follow.

The trio soon made it to the Cutty Sark, which was already anchored in the bay. It was a 3-masted Clipper, narrower than the other ships in the yard. The figurehead was that of a Scottish Witch with the tail of a horse in its hand. While there were only a few cannons on the deck, Jinbe could tell that the ship would be fast and maneuverable enough to make up for that deficiency. The beams were over 30 feet, with the hull surpassing 200.

"I thought you said you were working on this ship when your experiment went wrong."

Jinbe was snapped out of his observations by Burns, who seemed a bit perplexed at the situation.

Franky cupped his hands around his mouth. "Yeah…I flew up with my prototype before it could blow and hurt the ship," he replied.

Burns seemed to relax when hearing that. "Well…at least there's a brain in there," he then added a sly smile. "But you still destroyed my favorite crane."

"Why do you have a favorite crane?" Davos couldn't help but ask.

That did the trick. Burns turned to the old captain. "Oh Davos, I didn't see you there." Spot gave an eager bark to his master's friend. "I take it your trip went well?"

"Well…thanks to these three," Davos replied. "They're the reason I'm still alive."

"What happened?"

"A jelly that could eat this shipyard almost took down my ship. Thank the Seven I was giving these three a lift."

"Huh?" Franky cut in as he turned to his old crewmate. "You've already fought a sea monster? Damn, I'm missing out".

"I didn't do anything to the jelly," Jinbe admitted. "Just steered a bit and punched the tidal wave that came from its death throes."

"So…" Franky trailed off as he finally got a good look at Kisame and Halibel. "These two took it out by themselves?" he wondered.

For a moment, the Ninja had a thoughtful expression. It then turned into a toothy grin as he pointed at Halibel. "Oh I can't take the credit…she killed the thing."

While Halibel raised an eyebrow, Franky crouched down…and shot back up in a pose that was far too close for the Hollow. "YEOW…You're such a SUPER Gal!"

As the cyborg started revving up his dance routine…WHACK!

The irked woman withdrew her hand from the now-collapsing cyborg's skull, glowering at Kisame. "You knew that would happen," she spat out.

Said Ninja gave a taunting grin. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

While Halibel tried to kill Kisame with the power of her mind, Jinbe helped Franky back up. "Did you say were modifying this ship?" the Fishman asked as he gestured to the Cutty Sark.

"Oh yeah…me and Red have been working on this ship since both of us woke up here. Well, I woke up and he fell down. Anyway, Red's been a real help, especially with the hidden armament. Come on, I'll show ya."

With that, Franky leapt onto the Cutty Sark. Jinbe was right behind him. Curious, Kisame and Halibel hopped onto the deck. Davos and Burns (and Spot) just slowly made their way to the ladder, grumbling about people not walking.

Once on deck, Franky gestured towards the starboard cannons. "We made some special ammunition for most of the cannons. Also made sure that Red's energy could be channeled. It's the only reason half of this works."

The group then migrated over to the helm. "I've got the Gaon Cannon installed, plus I'm almost done with the ship's Coup de Burst. Aside from that though, I haven't gotten any of the Docking Bays finished yet."

At this point, Kisame's eyes were drawn to the main mast. At the bottom, there was a maker's mark.

It was a red scorpion.

The Ninja's eyes widened, and his hand tightly gripped Samehada.

"Hey, Franky? Who's Red?"

"Oh, he's this guy I met when I dropped in. We worked together on some inventions. Now that I think about it, he was wearing that same cloak you've got when he dropped in…red clouds and all."

Halibel noticed that Kisame suddenly seemed a lot more tense. She was also very confused, since neither of them had sensed anyone powerful when they got here.

Kisame put on a seemingly carefree expression. "Well, as much as I'd love to check out this awesome ship some more, I'm gonna have to…" His smile became more bloodthirsty. "…cut things short."

Without another word, he vanished with Body Flicker. Davos and Burns reached the deck just in time to see him gone. "What'd we miss?" the old captain wondered. Jinbe and Halibel exchanged a look, before the latter moved with Sonido.

(10 Minutes Later)

Kisame made sure that he picked an alleyway where he was alone, and he waited.

WISH-WISH-WISH.

The Ninja jumped right before three senbon zipped to where his feet just were. Standing on the wall, Kisame gave a sardonic smirk. "You got a lot better at hiding your Chakra." He had drawn Samehada and slammed it by his feet.

A young-looking redhead stepped out of a window, and onto the opposite wall. "Well, I had plenty of forewarning. You still broadcast your Chakra like a damned Tailed Beast."

"Heh…well, I didn't get that nickname for nothing. What are you doing here Sasori?"

"Making art."

Kisame gave a deadpan stare to his former colleague. "That line is not reassuring in the least coming from you."

Sasori allowed himself a small smile. "Well, I'm not exactly here to reassure you."

The two Akatsuki stood still for just a second. Then, there was a flash of movement. Sasori's head had been hit with a Water Bullet Jutsu. Kisame hunched over the dozen senbon lodged in his stomach.

From a distance, Halibel watched as the two Ninjas dissolved into sand and water. She had hoped that things would remain peaceful, clearly a mistake. Still, the confused Hollow wondered when Kisame used a Water Clone. She never let him out of her sight after Jinbe asked her to follow him. Before she could dwell on that, she heard something.

TIKKA-TIKKA-TIKAA

Halibel instantly turned around, her blade drawn. She was just in time to block what appeared to be a massive scorpion tail, attached to a hunched and cloaked figure. The second the blades had interlocked, Sasori himself appeared right behind her, one of his palms opening up.

Right before Halibel moved to counter, Kisame popped out of the ground, grabbing Sasori's wrist. The momentum pushed the former Sand Ninja off-balance, with his open palm sending a stream of fire straight into the air.

Sasori shot Chakra Threads out of his open hand, attached them to a building behind him, and pulled himself back. With that, he dodged Samehada and Tiburon in the nick of time. All the while, he recalled his puppet to his side, keeping the stinger pointed at his opponents.

"I thought you preferred to hide in that puppet of yours. Did dying give you a backbone?" Kisame asked with that taunting grin of his.

"You're one to talk of changes," Sasori retorted. He then gave an interested look at Halibel. "It's not like you to defend others."

"Hey, no one deserves to become one of your Human Puppets," Kisame scowled with a lot less of his usual humor. He then got a grin again. "Well…maybe Hidan does. Still, I think she can take you all be herself, if she watches for the poison."

Halibel narrowed her eyes at her comrade. "Your confidence is duly noted, and I could already smell that poison a mile away."

The former Sand Ninja interrupted with quiet chuckling. "You misunderstand me. I'm no longer making Human Puppets."

He then indicated the shipyard. "In this universe, ships are put through the ultimate test. One that could stand this chaotic sea would be my ultimate work of art. Eternal beauty is to be found in these marvels of engineering."

Halibel raised an eyebrow and turned to Kisame. "Is this normal for him?"

"Yep," the Ninja replied instantly. "He and his partner argued for hours about what real art was."

Kisame then turned back to Sasori. "That still doesn't explain why you stopped with your 'collection'," he added with a hint of disdain to the last word.

The former Sand Ninja briefly had a thoughtful expression. "Let's just say things were put into perspective for me when I was brought back with Edo Tensei during the War."

That managed to get a confused look out of Kisame. "What the hell happened after I died?" he muttered to himself.

"Can you at least put your puppet up?" Halibel asked. "I'd rather have this conversation without knives pointed at our throats."

"Hmm…reasonable," Sasori conceded as he made a Hand Sign. With a puff of smoke, the puppet vanished with a scroll in its place. Picking it up, he turned to the duo facing him, glad that their swords were sheathed. "And I thought that only Itachi was able to balance you out. Are you two here to get a ship?"

"Yeah," Kisame replied. "I only started looking for you because we checked out the Cutty Sark. We were travelling with a Fishman who was crewmates with Franky."

Sasori sighed at that. "Working with that cyborg is…interesting. He brings such fascinating technology for me to examine…but I could do without the yelling and posing."

"You and me both," Halibel muttered.

"Aww…I think it gives him personality," Kisame threw in, much to the others' annoyance.

"Anyway, when Franky and I woke up, we had an altercation. The shipyard was damaged. Burns came up and praised the technical skills we displayed in battle. He asked us to help him with the ultimate creation of this sea." Sasori left out how unnerved he was when meeting Burns and that dog, which made him more amendable to working with the cyborg.

Halibel turned to the shipyard. "Let me guess, The Cutty Sark."

Sasori nodded. "Yes, after I learned the basics of shipbuilding, the cyborg and I got to work on it. Burns said he wanted something greater than what one world alone could make," he recalled.

Kisame chuckled at that. "Burns must be really something if he got you to go along with him."

"Ah, but a chance at creating a different sort of eternal beauty is something I wouldn't miss for the world…or worlds I should say," Sasori noted with a far-off look.

"Hey," Kisame interjected. "Have you seen anyone else from the Akatsuki?"

"No, and I'm not particularly eager to," Sasori retorted. "At the very least, I'll die happy without another word of Jashin, money, or 'Art being an explosion'."

"Heh…they're probably all out west," Kisame concluded.

Halibel's head went into overdrive as she processed everything, wondering just what this 'Akatsuki' was.

WWWHHHOOOOO! A shrill siren blared throughout the whole island just as night fell.

"No way this is just another drill," Sasori muttered. "I'm going to ready Cutty Sark's defenses. You two should head to the defense tower and see what we're up against." With that, the former Sand Ninja Body Flickered away.

Kisame and Halibel started running to the outmost tower of Shipwreck Cove. He noticed her giving a steely look. "What?" he quickly asked.

"What's Akatsuki?"

"Wow, you don't dance around the subject. How about I answer if you ever get to trust me enough not to follow me around? For now, let's see what's coming. Maybe I can cut its limbs off instead of Sasori's."

Halibel rolled her eyes at that, accepting that conversational deflection for now.

Plus, they'd made it to the tower. Burns was already there, calmly directing the assembled garrison to aim the artillery at a dark mass charging at the cove entrance. Spot growled at whatever was coming.

"Fiji Swarm!" one of the gunners shouted.

"Calm yourselves," Burns commanded. That had the desired effect of mollifying the militia.

"Ready on my mark." The men and women had all backed away from the cannons, some holding a lit fuse.

"UNLEASH HELL!"

BBOOOOOMM!

Every window of the tower lit up as the barrage of artillery let loose. Within a second, holes were blasted through the coming darkness, exposing the blue sea within. However, the dark mass quickly covered itself up, though it was significantly smaller.

Kisame and Halibel finally were able to tell that it was actually a school of creatures moving in a manner similar to minnows.

"What are those?" the Hollow asked.

"Fiji Mermaids," Burns explained. "The worst pests in the sea. We haven't had a swarm in months. All right…RELOAD!"

The gunners scrambled to ready the ammunition, while others adjusted the line of sight.

"FIRE!"

BBOOOOOMM!

The aim was true, and half the horde was incinerated. Unfortunately, only half the horde was incinerated. And the remainder were giving unearthly screeching echoes.

"Damn, our guns can't dip any lower without hitting ourselves," a gunner realized.

"Then someone will have to sail out and meet them before they reach the cove," Burns decided.

Halibel turned, and saw that Kisame was already halfway to the swarm, freefalling as it were.

"Damn it," she muttered as she drew Tiburon. With a burst of Sonido, she had caught up.

"Water Style: Exploding Water Shockwave!" The mass of conjured water served to cushion both swordsmen's landings. Once they'd gotten back up, the swarm was mere feet away, and not slowing down. "Wanna show how good you are with that?" Kisame asked as he twirled Samehada.

"I don't think you can compare to my centuries of experience," Halibel coolly retorted while she charged her hollow blade.

"Ha! It's on," the Ninja laughed.

It was at this point that the two finally got a good look at the Fiji Mermaids, and Kisame wondered 'what bastard in his right mind would name these mer-maids?' In his and Halibel's humble opinion, the creatures were hideous. The bottom halves were merely that of a fish, albeit with spiky dorsal fins. The torso and head were some grotesque parody of a monkey. Only clumps of fur remained unevenly scattered. Their lips and eyelids had completely shriveled, baring misshapen teeth and bulging eyes. The paws had so little flesh that they resembled claws. All of this, plus some very visible ribs, combined for a particularly emaciated appearance. And hundreds of them were charging at the two.

'Eh…I've seen worse.'

"Summoning Jutsu!" Three large hammerhead sharks appeared in a puff of smoke, all grinning at the approaching horde.

"Shu, Mo, Ku…Sic 'em."

"Gladly," the three girls said before taking deep breaths. "Water Style: Water Gun Jutsu!" The combined attack split the horde in two, with the hammerheads eagerly rushing in and ripping apart stragglers. Kisame went to the right, and Halibel to the left.

It didn't take long before Samehada and Tiburon were covered in blood, even with the water rushing around them. Every swing of the sword tore through the swarm, killing one or two at a time. While it only took one serious hit to bring down a Fiji, they just kept coming. It seemed they had completely disregarded strategy in favoring of trying to take out the obstacles with sheer numbers.

Kisame and Halibel were able to keep the majority of the crowd away with barrages of "Water Bullet Jutsu" and "Ola Azul". Still, half a dozen Fijis had been fast enough to get right on the two swordsmen. One had managed to bend back Kisame's left pinkie to the point it could only limply sway. That one got its face caved in by a blue fist. Another was ripping off Halibel's right sleeve. She quickly put Tiburon in her left hand, and relieved the offender of its limbs. Kisame laughed at her for that one.

While the two (and the summons) were successfully occupying most of the horde, a few dozen Fijis had broken off and were headed straight to the cove. Kisame and Halibel were about to speed away from the main group of Fijis.

"Iron Sand: Scattered Shower!" A hail of solid black rained down on the Fiji leaders, completely pulverizing them. Coming out of the cove's entrance, was the Cutty Sark. At the bottom of the main mast, Sasori was sitting in a lotus position, eyes closed. Chakra Strings protruded out of his back, fingertips, and open chest cavity. He was linked to the masts, rigging, sails, the helm, rudder, and even the cannons. The Third Kazekage Puppet was floating by the figurehead, its mouth closing as it retreated towards its master's side.

"KISAME, HALIBEL!" a voice cried out from behind the Fiji swarm. It was Jinbe, floating halfway in the water, far enough not to be attacked. "GET OUT OF THERE, AND KEEP THEM HERDED TOGETHER!"

"RIGHT!" the two replied. "YOU HEARD THE MAN," Kisame said to Shu, Mo, and Ku, all the while decapitating more Fijis. The three hammerheads started patrolling at the rear of the horde, snapping at any Fijis who tried to retreat. At the front, the Cutty Sark had turned broadside, unleashing a cannonade that pinned the creatures together. In the middle, Kisame and Halibel were still tearing through any who leaped past the water's surface.

Having had enough, Halibel shook off one Fiji, grabbed Kisame by his collar, and zoomed up with Sonido. "WHOA!" the Ninja exclaimed as he was pulled up. As she fired her Ola Azul to pack the Fijis together, she turned to Kisame. "Are you just going to hang there and gawk?" she asked, clearly irritated. "You try using Jutsu one-handed and while being dragged around!" he retorted.

Still, he went through the Hand Signs after putting Samehada back on his back. "Water Style: Four Shark Shower!" The expelled water formed into four tiger-sized sharks, jaws gaping as they closed in on the Fijis. One Fiji had the bright idea of throwing another right at one construct to disperse it. Unfortunately for them, each drop became a miniature shark that delivered death by a thousand cuts to that genius amongst Fijis. On top of the three summons and Sasori's barrage, the Fijis were being packed together.

"Water Heart!" came a voice from under the swarm. The swordsmen could barely see Jinbe, but were able to notice a current change. After a few seconds, Jinbe moved. "OCEAN CURRENT SHOULDER THROW!" A pillar of water erupted from beneath the Fiji swarm. They'd been so tightly packed that none were able to escape. Every single pest was trapped in the pillar.

"NOW, FRANKY!" Jinbe roared as he resurfaced.

On the Cutty Sark, the figurehead's hand detached, revealing the nozzle of a very large gun. "Hope this works Red," came the cyborg's voice.

"GAON CANNON!" A beam of pure energy was seemingly blasted from the figurehead's hand. The entire pillar, and every single Fiji in it, was vaporized. Halibel couldn't help but compare such power to the most powerful Hollows' Cero. Kisame was in absolute awe at technology being capable of such a thing. Then, he started laughing, exhilarated at the sight. Exhausted by her comrade, Halibel let go, and started heading to the ship.

"Ah Crap…" the Ninja muttered when realizing his predicament. Sure enough, gravity did its thing. "FFUUUU…" SPLOOSH! The three Hammerheads swam towards their summoner. As his hand grabbed the surface, he glared at them. "And the reason none of y'all caught me is…?" The biggest, Shu, gave a big grin. "Because this way was funnier," she said in a deep contralto. Sighing, the Ninja gave a good-natured smirk. "Yeah, I'd have done the same…now get back home." The smallest, Ku, swam right up to Kisame. "Thanks for letting us play with some food," was her higher-pitched reply as she nuzzled his hand. Mo simply shook her head at how unprofessional her sisters were being. With that, the trio went back in a poof of smoke.

Jinbe had resurfaced. "You have a way with them," he couldn't help but point out to Kisame. The Ninja turned to the Fishman. "Well, you've gotta prove yourself before signing any Summoning Contract, so they know I'm trustworthy. Still, unless they're messengers, no shark will come unless I have worthy prey for them to hunt. I'm just another member of the pack to them," Kisame said with a shrug.

The Fishman was a bit perplexed at that, given that he'd only really communicated with Whale Sharks, who were far more peaceful. Still, talking with sea life wasn't particularly common amongst Fishmen. So naturally, he was eager to learn more.

At this point, the Cutty Sark was starting to return to Shipwreck Cove proper. Halibel took things at a leisurely pace, strolling through the air and gently stepping onto the deck. Jinbe and Kisame were right behind her.

Once the three were onboard, Franky came up from below. "YEOW…That was SUPER!" he bellowed as his forearms slammed together. Jinbe actually laughed at that. "I'd forgotten how much I missed that cannon," he admitted.

As the ship docked, the strings started to retract into Sasori, their tasks done. He then turned to his old comrade. "Why am I not surprised that you jumped right into that swarm?" he wondered. "Heh…what can I say?" Kisame mused.

The puppeteer let a small grin cross his lips. "Still, you and her kept the swarm contained long enough for us to deal with them without any damage to Shipwreck Cove. You have my thanks."

Kisame had a thoughtful expression. "Never thought I'd hear those words from you. Guess dying really does bring perspective." He tentatively extended a hand. Sasori raised an eyebrow. Then, he accepted that handshake.

Halibel watched the exchange with interest, hoping she wouldn't have to constantly watch her back with the puppet around. Still, she was kind of feeling left out without anyone from her world here.

Back at the tower, Burns looked at the Cutty Sark passengers with interest. Davos turned to him. "They could go far with a ship like that."

Burns just had an enigmatic smile as he absentmindedly stroked his dog's head.

The old captain gave a thoughtful stare. "You knew those three would come here…didn't you? Is that why you sent me to La Entrada this week?"

Burns' expression didn't change in the least. "Davos is a smart man, isn't he Spot? Yes he is." Said captain simply rolled his eyes at Spot getting some lovin'. He would have pressed matters if not for the roar of cheering coming from the cove.

Back at ground level, Kisame, Sasori, and Halibel found the cheering to be surreal. They'd never really received any before, what with living as Ninja black-ops, criminals, or as Hollows. The three looked at each other, not quite sure how to react. Jinbe gave a subdued wave, similar to ones given at parades. Franky was drinking it all up, posing and dancing with the crowd.

"YEOW…Time to party!" cried the cyborg.

The Ninjas and Hollow all turned to him. "What?"

Franky gave a bemused look. "Don't ya know? We always had parties after saving an island's worth of people."

"It is tradition," added Jinbe with the utmost serious face. Although, a small smirk could be seen if one looked close enough.

Once docked, Franky and Jinbe got off and let the crowd lead them to a massive grill and bonfire being set up. Sasori, Kisame, and Halibel tried to stay towards the back, but the utterly confused trio were overwhelmed by people praising everything from their swords, to those 'cool sharks', and 'awesome lasers'. While Sasori was being bombarded with technical questions on his Jutsu and the Cutty Sark, Kisame and Halibel had shrimp cocktails shoved into their hands.

The two looked at the cocktails, then at each other, then back to the cocktails. They took a quick sniff, making sure there was no poison, and hesitantly dipped their shrimp. It was good enough that the two marginally relaxed, taking seats behind the small crowd preparing the feast.

Halibel turned to Kisame. "This new for you too?"

The Ninja shrugged. "My line of work wasn't exactly something to cheer for."

"What did you do?" she asked in an apprehensive manner.

"Jobs that my village didn't want getting out."

Figuring he wouldn't elaborate, Halibel turned back to her shrimp cocktail. There was a moment of awkward silence. She took a deep breath as she considered what to say.

"How many people are you looking for?" she asked.

Kisame paused in thought. "Just my old partner, I'd like to see if he's doing alright."

Halibel gave a considerate look. "You were friends?"

"…yeah, I guess we were," he said with a somber smile.

"I'll help you find him." She didn't know why she was saying it, but something just felt right about it.

"I feel obligated to ask, but who're you looking for?"

"Apacci, Mila-Rose, and Sung-Sun. Those three ended my solitude in Hueco Mundo, and stuck with me to the very end."

"Well, since I'm already helping you find three people, I don't think it's fair if you help me find just one," he added with that fierce grin of his.

Halibel was just about to retort, when she realized that Kisame had decided to help her. Still, she'd refrain from thanks until she figured out what else he wanted.

"Finding Itachi and a one-on-one with you sounds like a fair trade."

'Well…so much for being surprised," Halibel thought to herself. "I'll…consider it after we've found everyone."

"Who knows," the Ninja mused. "Maybe I'll find a true opponent that'll kill me before our little quest is over."

Before the two could continue their conversation, the crowd around them burst into song. Apparently, it was the last thing on the agenda before the main course.

YOHOHOHO-YO-HO-HO-HOOO! YOHOHOHO-YO-HO-HO-HOOO!

YOHOHOHO-YO-HO-HO-HOOO! YOHOHOHO-YO-HO-HO-HOOO!

Gather up all of the crew, it's time to ship out Binks' Brew.

Sea wind blows, to where, who knows? The waves will be our guide.

O'er across the ocean's tide, rays of sunshine far and wide.

Birds they sing, of cheerful things, in circles passing by.

Jinbe and Franky had completely frozen when the song started, their eyes going wide. Sasori was the first to notice the reaction, wondering where this would go. Kisame and Halibel were already tapping their feet when they noticed.

Bid farewell to weaver's town, say so long to port renowned.

Sing a song, it won't be long, before we're casting off.

Cross the gold and silver seas, a salty spray puts us at ease.

Day and night, to our delight, the voyage never ends.

"Is it possible?" asked Jinbe.

Franky was just as shocked. "This is the first time I've heard it, and I've been on this island for weeks."

Burns seemed to appear out of nowhere, with his dog happily howling along with the song. "Someone dropped in months ago with this song. The oddest thing too."

Jinbe was clinging to every word. "What exactly was so odd about him?"

"Well…he had such a wonderful voice…for someone without a throat or lungs."

Franky's eyes nearly popped out in shock at hearing that. Jinbe would've groaned at the cringe-worthy joke, if it didn't give a solid lead towards reuniting his crew.

"Where'd he go?" the Fishman quickly asked.

"He was heading northwest, said someone gave him a lead on finding his crewmates," Burns casually revealed.

Franky, who was simultaneously holding back tears and restraining himself from throttling his boss, stomped up to Burns. "Why didn't you tell me when I first asked about my crew?"

Burns had this far too innocent look when he faced his employee. "I figured that you needed a ship before I gave your heading."

That brought the cyborg up short. "Are you saying…"

"It's time for the Cutty Sark to set sail," Burns proclaimed.

Franky just stood there, stammering.

"Don't act so surprised," Davos nonchalantly added in. "You only saved this town and their whole livelihood. Of course you'd be rewarded."

"Hold on a minute."

Sasori stepped up to the Pirates, quite annoyed at the direction this was going. "You are not just going to take my greatest work of art into the most dangerous sea in existence just for sentimentality's sake."

Franky then chose to get right up in Sasori's face. Although, considering the height difference, the former Sand Ninja barely reached the cyborg's pecs. "The Hell you saying?! That friendship means nothing to you?!"

Davos started backing away with the rising tension.

"While I can't argue with that, you misunderstand me. You're not taking my greatest work of art without me being there to guide it to posterity," Sasori claimed while crossing his arms.

"Hehehe…"

Everyone turned to Halibel and Kisame, since the latter was chuckling at his former companion. "I guess the only good way to prove a 'work of art' is a good fight, eh Sasori?"

The other Akatsuki rolled his eyes. "Must you put everything in such a crude manner? Still, you do make a fair point. Only by surviving all the way to Fiddler's Green will the Cutty Sark be proven to be the ultimate work of art."

Halibel couldn't help but wonder why Burns would part with such a vessel if he was the one who wanted it built in the first place. She was about to ask, only to find that he had vanished.

"Hey Kisame?" she hesitantly asked.

"Yeah?"

"Where did Burns go?"

"I thought he was right…huh…that's a good question." Kisame's face morphed into a bemused expression.

"Eh," Franky brushed off. "We only see him when he wants to be seen. Personally, I think he's someone who ate the Clear-Clear Fruit."

Sasori massaged his forehead at that comment. "Still can't believe so many of your world's abilities come from rotten fruits."

Kisame raised a brow at Jinbe. "Are they being serious?"

The Fishman shrugged. "Personally, I've never seen the benefit of eating the most rancid thing and giving up life in the water."

Halibel glanced at Kisame. "My God, they are serious." The Ninja's head was spinning. "I have so many questions," he muttered.

So, the night passed with food and drink aplenty as the lyrics of Binks' Brew filled the air. The Ninjas and Halibel abstained from the strong stuff, leery of being caught off-guard. Franky had no such compunctions, and was leading a round of Karaoke after his second gallon, courtesy of Davos. Jinbe had found a very comfortable bench and was dozing off.

Still on edge from the crowd of strangers, Kisame turned to Halibel. "Hey, do you mind keeping an eye out for a few hours?"

She mulled it over for a bit. "Sure, I'll wake you up if something happens."

"Thanks." With that, Kisame put Samehada at his side and removed his torn Akatsuki cloak. While he bunched it up into a pillow, Halibel couldn't help but note the Ninja's lack of a shirt. She was incredibly perplexed by the unblemished pale blue flesh. There were absolutely no scars, scratches, bruises, or anything on his chest. She knew that the Fijis had bitten and scratched everything they could, so why?

Still, that was something to consider later. Kisame had closed his eyes and started breathing deeply, prompting Halibel to remember that she promised to stand watch. That did not include staring at the man's chest.

Halibel stayed up half the night, watching the party slowly die out. Davos and Franky were out like lights. Jinbe had claimed the bench as his bed. Eventually, only she and Sasori were up. He made his way to her.

"He ask you to keep watch?" the Ninja wondered.

"Yeah, what of it?" the Hollow snapped.

Sasori held up his hands. "Easy there. I'm just trying to figure out how he convinced you."

"He asked." As though that explained everything.

"Why would he even ask someone he's only known for three days?" Sasori mused, almost as much to himself as to Halibel.

"Maybe it's because she's not from our godforsaken world." Kisame's voice snapped through the tension, startling both of them. "Thanks for keeping an eye out, want me to return the favor?" he asked.

Halibel bowed her head, visibly drowsy. "Maybe in a little bit. I do have some questions bothering me."

Kisame raised a brow at that. "Really? Well, fire away."

"What's Akatsuki?"

Both Ninjas sighed at that. "How do I put this…we were the worst gang of criminals in the history of our world," Kisame admitted.

After Halibel processed that, "How many of you were there?"

Sasori chose to speak up. "At our height, we had 10 members. Although, I heard that Tobi replaced me."

"And all of them were as strong as you two?"

Kisame laughed at that. "Well, Zetsu and Hidan weren't. But everyone else could at least give me a good fight." His expression morphed into an apprehensive look. "Still, there's three who I know could beat me, no matter what tricks I pull."

Halibel, who had sensed how much Chakra Kisame had, was not reassured in the least by that. "And is your partner one of those three?"

"Yep"

"And you want me to help you find him."

"Uh-huh"

"…Please tell me he's at least reasonable," Halibel nearly begged.

"Don't worry about that," Kisame assured her. "He's a pacifist."

"That's rich, considering we are talking about the man who wiped out his whole clan." Sasori couldn't help but point out.

Kisame frowned at that. "That doesn't change the fact that he hates violence…and I'd advise you not to talk about what you don't know."

Halibel was utterly confused at the contradictory picture the two Akatsuki were painting.

Noticing she was about to press the subject, Kisame decided to cut that off. "If you want details, you'll have to ask Itachi himself when we find him. I'd rather not have to explain why a complete stranger knows his life story."

"…Fair enough, but you do count him as a friend, right?" she wondered.

Kisame was quiet for a bit, seeming to consider. "Yeah, and I get the feeling he'd like you."

Sasori scoffed at the exchange. "None of us joined Akatsuki to make friends, and I certainly didn't see Orochimaru or Deidara as comrades."

Halibel just gave up trying to remember all the names being dropped at point.

Kisame chortled at his old 'co-worker's' comment. "I can't blame you for that attitude with such shitty partners. Well…Deidara didn't seem too bad if the subject of 'art' wasn't brought up."

Sasori settled for rolling his eyes. "Still…as long as you only seek out Itachi, and not anyone else, I won't mind you being on the Cutty Sark. Just try to keep your fights off my ship."

"So glad to have your approval puppet-boy," Kisame couldn't help but joke.

Halibel interceded at that point. "You have my gratitude," she said as she gave a respectful bow of the head.

Sasori chuckled at the formality. "It's been so long since I've met someone with proper manners." Another moment of silence. "I do look forward to seeing your capabilities my dear. If Kisame is already speaking highly of you, I know you'll be impressive. Should be quite the inspiration for my art."

'Again with the art…this boy is obsessed,' came Halibel's belated realization.

Unnoticed by the three, Jinbe's eyes were open, and he had heard everything. His mind was racing. While he was fine with Halibel tagging along in the Straw Hats' attempt to reunite, he was far more leery of Kisame and Sasori. Unlike Halibel, the Fishman made a point to remember all the names being dropped. The prospect of possibly running into 8 more people like them was definitely keeping him up.

There was something else troubling him. He'd seen organizations similar to what he had heard of the Akatsuki. And he knew that the only way to keep people as different as Kisame and Sasori together was through force of some kind or other. There had to be one person with such strength and drive that they felt they had no choice but to follow. From what he'd seen of Kisame, whoever led the Akatsuki had to at least be equal to an Admiral, or maybe one of the Emperors of the New World. Jinbe wasn't eager at all to face such a person, not without a full Straw Hat crew and some serious help.

Still, it wasn't all doom and gloom for Jinbe. At least he knew that Halibel had a good heart, so he would have no issue having her or any of her friends. Plus, the Fishman was actually starting to trust Kisame, much against his better judgment. In spite of being bloodthirsty to the point of sadism, the Ninja was still honest and reliable in his own way. Plus, if Franky had managed to work with Sasori, Jinbe was confident that the puppet wouldn't cause too much trouble. On top of that, he had a serious lead on where Brook was. All this combined for a sense of carefully optimistic hope on Jinbe's part.

Deciding to quit with the eavesdropping, Jinbe allowed his eyes to close, and began drifting off. Sasori had walked off to work on the Cutty Sark, since sleep wasn't a requirement for him. Halibel was flat on the ground.

"Remind me again why I agreed to let you stand watch," she wondered.

"Because you know I'll only ever settle for a fair fight with you, not some cheap move like attacking in your sleep."

"True enough." Her eyes closed and her chest started to steadily rise up and down. Kisame watched the rhythm for a bit, and then turned away for his watch. He quickly put aside his thoughts of 'those things could put Terumi to shame,' after noticing Halibel growl in her sleep.

This was the scene that Burns observed, a small smile on his face. Hearing a whine from Spot, Burns stroked him behind the ears. 'I hope I made the right choice with those three.' With that, he put his hat on, completely vanishing as it touched his head.

A.N. Hooray for vague foreshadowing! So there's a few things I want to explain.

1. Every Straw Hat and Akatsuki will be making an appearance…so you have that to look forward to.

2. Shu, Mo, and Ku: Their names are from the Japanese word for Hammerhead Shark. I just took out the Shark (same) out and split the rest. I'm definitely going to be having fun with the Shark Summons. Really was a shame that the Toads were the only tribe we got real in-depth with.

3. Fiji Mermaids: In real life, someone sewed together the top of a juvenile monkey and the back of a fish. P.T. Barnum used that as a display for his show, pawning it off as a fantastic discovery. I was combing through Mythical sea life, and wanted something small and nasty. I'd say they fit the bill.

4. The Cutty Sark: I was inspired by what some call the fastest sailing ship ever made. It's still in Greenwich if you want to check it out. The figurehead comes from a poem by Robert Burns (about a drunk man getting on the wrong side of some witches), which is where the 'Burns' name comes from. BTW, my character here, 'Burns' isn't his real name. He just took it from the poem. I'll just let you all sit on that little detail.

Thanks for all the Favs, Follows, and Reviews (Definitely more than I expected). Will try to post every 2-3 weeks. Til Next Time…Have Fun!