Don't Touch the Ink Sack

Using the last of the Lembas leaves, I wiped a layer of sweat from my forehead. I had about twenty pills. More than half of them failed, turning to dust. I could sort out the variables and refine the drug-making process later.

But the more important thing was I had a trump card I could fall back in if the need ever arose. One pill would give me enough energy to return me to one hundred percent.

"Hey, Soren, you've been down here for a while...Oh god, what is that smell?!" I turned around and smiled at Bane.

"That, my friend, is the smell of my newest creation. I suggest you put this on before you pass out." I handed Bane a damp cloth, and he quickly wrapped it around his mouth.

"You've been down here all day, so show me what you got." I smiled, and I showed him the small white pill, "This, my friend is a pill that I call Lembas. If you eat the plant, this comes from. It will feed you for a week."

Bane smiled, "Really, let me try." I smacked his hand away as I shook my head, "This is a refined version. Your body can't handle this amount of energy. Your cells will start to rupture from the surge in nutrients."

"I guess this has something to do with your devil fruit. You know there's a bet going on for what your power is. Maybe if we work together..." Bane trailed off as he had an evil gleam in his eyes.

"Sorry, if you want to know, you'll have to ask Whitebeard." I started to clean up my workspace as Bane looked like a puppy that had lost its bone.

Bane told me the sun seemed to have retreated into the clouds, so I breathed some fresh air. Whitebeard was out on his chair, drinking from a mug the size of a barrel.

"Marco told me about your past Boy, I won't betray your trust but don't hold onto something that pains you." I nodded, "I am not ashamed of my past, it made me stronger, and I plan to make those who hurt me pay."

Whitebeard smiled, "I knew I liked you. You reminded me of myself when I was younger." I looked up at my captain, "How so?"

Whitebeard smiled, "We both want something that will outlast us, for me that my crew, my family, my sons. For you, it's how you'll die. I see it in your eyes."

I grinned as I looked out on the open sea, "I was left to die alone once. No one would care. I would be forgotten. I was not too fond of how I was feeling that day. I promised to make a splash so big the ripples will be felt for decades later."

Whitebeard laughed out loud, "I'll drink to that. Just remember your part of my crew now." I left the old man to his beer. Walking over to the side of the ship, Bane was fishing though he wasn't having too much luck.

"How long have you've been fishing? I just saw you five minutes ago." Bane scratched his head, "Time flows differently. When you're fishing, you wouldn't understand." I pursed my lips before I smacked Bane on the back of his head with my scabbard.

I infused Haki into the strike so it would sting for a while, "Damn it, why would you do that out of the blue."

A sly smile crept across my face, "You wouldn't understand, and before you say anything, somethings on your line."

Bane's head snapped over, and he looked at the bending bamboo stick, lunging to grab his pole. Bane braced his feet against the railing as he started to reel his catch in. Looking over the side, I could see a long shadow frothing up the water.

Bane pulled the sea king out of the water with a final groan, revealing its true form. My stomach rumbled as I looked down at the giant squid trying to sink the ship below.

"It looks like we're having calamari tonight." Bane looked at me sideways, "What the hell, his calamari." I was personally offended, "I'm going to ask Thatch if I can make a dish in the kitchen. Oh, help me kill this guy, will you."

Bane sighed as he unsheathed his khopesh, "Try not to puncture its ink sack, that shit never, and I mean never comes off."

After Bane and I dealt with the squid, the cooks had caught wind of the catch, and they wanted to butcher it, "Hey Bane, Soren, thanks for bringing this guy in. There are so many dishes I want to make."

I smiled at Thatch, "Sure, also I have a question for you, do you know a dish called calamari." Thatch racked his brain for a while before he shook his head, "Sorry, I can't say I have. If you want, you can describe it to me, and I can try to make it."

"Actually, I have a bunch of dishes native to my homeland that I'll think you'll like, and I want to try my hand at making them."

"Sure, I don't see why not, but cause any trouble, and I'll make sure you're eating nothing but scraps for a month." I nodded.

"Okay then, we're going to lower a platform into the water to start butchering. Remember, if we pierce the ink sack, it will ruin the meat and everything else it touches.

The other chefs nodded, and Bane told me that as the people who caught the squid, we would be able to request a special meal from Thatch.

I rubbed my hands in glee at the prospect of making some of the food I hadn't tried since I left earth.

I watched as the chefs butchered the squid effortlessly, sending up baskets of the chopped up tentacles. It was a wonder how anyone could go hungry in the new world, all they needed to do was dive into the water to find food.