prompt 45

[aibamods]

 

Title: Caught by the Song of the Sea

Pairing: Generally Aiba/Ohno

Rating: G

Words: 8,800

Summary: To answer the prompt that called for Aiba as a villain, I present you with Pirate AU Arashi. What happens when the trading vessel, the Yamanami is attacked, and what is really going on behind the scenes?

~*~

 

Being named Captain on a trade vessel bound through the treacherous Moau Sea Passage after a bloodless mutiny had ousted Captain Shelby, was not how Ohno had envisioned the trip. Captain Shelby had been a poor leader; his decision to jettison crew belongings in a lifeboat in order to make better time through the winding shallows had been unpopular at best. When it was discovered he had contributed nothing of his own considerable luggage to the sacrifice, but he had offloaded two barrels of fruit from the stores instead, the crew seethed.

Morale was already down, and their progress slowed anyway when the weather calmed, so that Captain Shelby’s unpopular decree became meaningless in hindsight. Then, when a young deckhand grew sickly and the ship medic declared it scurvy, a decision was made by the First Mate to relieve Shelby of duty.

It was swift and brutal – for all its bloodlessness— in only the way Sakurai could be.  He and a handful of officers had apprehended Shelby during the night, tied his wrists to the oars of a landing skiff, and cast him towards the unwelcoming shores of the Debikuro Isles. It was quick and efficient. Not an action was wasted when the officers had passed their judgement on the failings of their former Captain, and the crew cheered as they called for Sakurai to accept his new post.

That didn’t happen, of course. Sakurai had only apologised for being unable to keep Shelby from his folly. “I could not steer Captain Shelby from ruin, I am not fit to steer the crew of the Yamanami.” He insisted. Taking himself out of contention, he called a vote among the crew to choose from the officers who they would follow. It was an unusual move: a process more common among pirates and thieves and not within the normal operating policies of Lu-Ong Johnny’s Trading Company.

Ohno had not been with the officers who had removed Shelby from his post. He had been present when Sakurai had called on them in secret to answer the will of the crew, but he had barely paid attention. He was an officer, he felt, in name only. In charge of work assignments, rota’s and making sure each member of the crew knew their task each shift, he considered his position nearly redundant. The Yamanami boasted a skilled compliment; each person knew their work and knew it well. Ohno only had to put them where they were best suited – where their efforts would best harmonize with the rest of the crew – and it truly was plain sailing from there. He intervened rarely; to settle a dispute or accommodate illness or fatigue, but otherwise, his work was simple. Easy even.

He did not understand why the crew would name him for command. Ohno did not think he had it in him to have the fates of so many in his inexperienced hands, and he made that known at the time. He tried to refuse. He told them it was a bad idea, that it would be dangerous to look to him for leadership. He did not trust himself to safely deliver the cargo and the crew to the Kingdom of Goldharbour.

Still, Sakurai insisted. He stayed as First Mate, a quiet pillar of strength and reassurance for Ohno, but he made sure the crew knew Ohno was the man in charge. And if Ohno was uncomfortable with command, he took it seriously, nonetheless. In the days that followed, he came to understand that being the Captain of a well-run ship was little different to his former role, delegating tasks and thinking about how each choice he made could impact the performance of the crew and the progress of their journey.

He relied heavily on Sakurai’s greater knowledge of the running of the ship to guide him and did the job he always had done. To his mind, Ohno thought of himself as a figurehead for the crew; Sakurai could safely run things as a capable leader, and he, himself, would shield the man from any residual ill-feeling that lingered from the coup. Ohno did not mind that role. He had a lot of respect for the First Mate, and he appreciated the patience he granted when Ohno was so unsure of himself – so uncomfortable in the regalia of his new office.

The forced disbarment of their former Captain had brought with it an air of change, but it did little to affect the actual weather. There was still little to no wind, the tides remained fairly static and the craggy shallows meant the oarsmen could not be put to use to speed them through the Passage. They crawled along at a frustratingly slow pace; the Debikuro Isles visible from the starboard deck for six uncomfortable days after the Yamanami crew had abandoned their former Captain to his fate there.

The trade goods they carried were meant to reach Goldharbour in less than a week, and the Yamanami was days behind schedule. But Ohno did not berate the crew or bemoan their lacklustre progress as Captain Shelby had. In the Captain’s cabin, surrounded by tightly wound officers and a few inexperienced swabbies serving their meal, Ohno had shrugged at the officers worries. “It can’t be helped.” He’d mumbled. “We can’t change the weather, and if we try to push on too quickly we might damage the ship. If that happens, it won’t matter how fast or slow we were if we don’t get where we are going.” His tone was often quiet, uncertain, but his words were always decisive.

He did listen to good ideas, though he would not be goaded into anything he did not one hundred percent believe in. Within days, Captain Ohno Satoshi earned himself a reputation as a Captain who cared about the crew as much as he cared about the reputation of Lu-Ong Johnny’s Trading Company, and the faith the crew had put in him seemed well justified.

But it was a long trip, and crew stores were running low even before Ohno had accepted his new post, so when the wind picked up suddenly after too many days of calm, the men and women on board rejoiced. The shallows were dangerous to the underbelly of Yamanami, so it was a back breaking day of work for the crew, constantly having to adjust the sails just so to steer them safely, and not too fast. Holding mainstay ropes to precise angles for a time before switching with the wind to a new position.

It was endless, heavy work, one that required perfect harmony amongst the crew and a steady rhythm so that the vessel did not deviate an inch from her course. Ohno rolled up his sleeves and helped too; it really was all hands on deck, after all. And when time wore on and exhaustion made the rhythm falter, Ohno led them in shanty; his voice clear and strong as it filled the air. Wind roared and the heavy sails whipped and cracked, but Ohno’s voice would not be drowned out. In fact, the sounds of the ocean, of a working ship seemed to carry his song like musical accompaniment, and the crew took up the call and response with renewed vigour.

For more than twelve hours, the crew of Yamanami kept their pace. When Ohno ran out of words, Sakurai would take up the call, his voice pitched perfectly to take up where Ohno had left off until his Captain had had the time to think.

Not wanting to waste a moment, they worked through dusk, pushing on as it grew dark because they could see the end of the Moau Sea Passage close ahead, and the promise of clear sailing the next day spurred them on. The end of the Passage was marked by the tall outcropping of rock that jutted like a pillar from the sea known as the Devil’s Finger. Jagged and sharp, it was said it pointed to the heavens to curse the gods who had protected the sailors who had made it through, and to warn away those that would enter from the other way.

It was a dark, but the crew was jubilant as they cleared the Devil’s Finger, and Ohno called for a halt. Sails were stowed by tired, hungry men and women, lines tied and secured for the night in the hopes that the morning would bring even more favourable winds. If they were lucky, away from the risky shallows, the Yamanami might be able to deploy her sails and ride the wind all the way to Goldharbour.

The skeleton crew from the night had already helped through most of the day, so Ohno resolved to stay on deck with them until the next watch had gotten enough sleep to be useful. Sakurai did not agree.

“You’ve been up far longer than the auxiliary crew, Captain.” He pointed out reasonably. “And we’re out of it now. Go and get some food and some sleep. We’ll make better time in the morning if you’re rested.”

“What about you?” Ohno did not mind that it looked like he was pouting; he didn’t pay much attention to his image as a Captain, but he did spare a thought for the fact that Sakurai had been up just as long, and had worked just as hard.

Sakurai wasn’t concerned. “I’m more used to it. Besides, it's not like anything is going to happen now that we’re back on the open sea.”

Finally, Ohno agreed. “I’ll got to bed first then.” He turned to head below deck, but paused to shoot Sakurai a smirk over his shoulder. “Promise not to mutiny while I sleep, OK?”

Sakurai’s burst of laughter filled the night.

*

It wasn’t his First Mate that came to wake him hours later; not directly anyway. It was the shouting from the deck, followed by the chilling echoless bang of some sort of firearm and a sudden awful, shuffling silence.

Ohno’s eyes were open, although not yet accustomed to the dark, his heart thundering in his chest as he scrambled to his feet. His soles had barely touched the floor when the door to his cabin flew inwards from a kick that splintered the hinges. The force of the surprise made Ohno fall back again, sitting on the edge of his bed like he planned to take his time with waking.

The silhouette in the doorway was backlit by the moon, and by lanterns and torches moving quickly on the deck behind him. Still, it was frightenedly devoid of voices, although the heavy foot falls and the clang of shackles was telling enough. He did not know this figure though, he was sure, although the hat seemed familiar; Helmsman Ikuta had one just like it to keep the sun from beating down on his face so harshly.

“Are you sleepy Captain?” The voice that taunted him from the door was a breathy rasp, like the speaker was forever on the edge of laughter. “I don’t think the rest of your crew have enjoyed their wake up call any better.”

His blood went cold. Ohno did not consider himself a brave man, he was stubborn and wilful only in his pursuit of minimising conflict. But if some ill had befallen his crew at the hands of this interloper, Ohno wasn’t sure what he was capable of. “What do you want?” He was surprised by how cold he sounded, how unmoved. He was ice; frozen, unforgiving and glassy. He rose slowly to his feet, the normal rocking of the rolling ocean making each step forward a practiced flowing dance as he advanced towards the stranger.

If the intruder had wanted him hurt, Ohno gave him plenty of time to strike, but the man just stood there. He waited as Ohno advanced, getting closer and closer, the strangers features slowly coming into focus in the dim light from outside. He was smiling, a big friendly grin that dimpled his cheeks and framed his mouth with lines of mirth that gave him an almost boyish charm on a grown mans face. His dark eyes seemed to reflect light; impossible, with all the light behind him, and yet they shone in the darkness like polished coal, dancing with the same joy that seemed to try to spill from his voice every time he spoke. “We came to do some shopping.” He tipped his hat to Ohno then, and Ohno knew it wasn’t just the same style as Ikuta’s.

His eyes flicked over it briefly. No matter how he trembled on the inside, his voice did not waver. “That belongs to my Helmsman.”

“Oh no, Captain, Toma and I traded for it.” He was the stranger here; the one who had boarded the Yamanami and burst into the Captains cabin in the middle of the night, and yet he made it sound as though Ohno’s implication of wrongdoing on his part was a terrible insult. And insult he was nevertheless, amused by.

“Traded?”

“Oh yes.” Whatever this man wanted, Ohno did not flinch when he put his arm about Ohno’s smaller shoulders and pulled him hard to him side like they were long time companions. “He gave me his hat, and I gave him his life. Quite the bargain, don’t you think?”

“What is happening out there?” Ohno bit out. “What have you done to the crew?” He was unarmed, wearing little but his undershirt, and the silence outside was ominous, but Ohno did not cower from the hard questions.

“You want to see?” He was too cheerful. He didn’t sound manic or cruel; he sounded happy and at ease, which made what Ohno saw next so much worse. The man drew him out of the cabin, pulling him along as if he was taking a friend on a casual tour of the deck.

The deck swarmed with people Ohno did not know. Armed, stern eyed brutes manhandled rows of silent, frightened crew to their knees, dragging them from their posts and their beds. They didn’t shout instructions or make threats, but their blades and the barrels of their guns glinted in the night; cold steel and stern looks enough to make their victims pliant. For the first time, Ohno saw the enemy ship. It was an inky blot on the ocean with not one light lit upon it, dark wood and sails meant to make it hard to spot in the night.

Pirates.

They must have acted swiftly and with quite some numbers to overcome the skeleton crew before an alarm could be raised. Even now, some men seemed like they were sleepwalking from their beds. Far toward the bow, Ohno caught the sound of whispers, the first angry voice he had heard beside his own. He strained to hear at first, but it became easier as the pirate lead him in that direction.

Relief washed over Ohno as he saw it was his First Mate, bound to the rail with shackles that had not come from the Yamanami, defiant and glowering but unharmed. Sakurai was guarded closely by a more dangerous looking man than the one who had Ohno in his clutches. The pirates matched near enough in height, but Sakurai’s captor had an aura of menace; his lips twisted in impassive disinterest at the quiet chaos around him, his eyes hard and cold as Sakurai pleaded for the crew’s safety. Or argued for it.

“Why would they?” Sakurai hissed. In spite of his own capture, his pride seemed unbroken. “There’s nothing of any value on board anyway. They shouldn’t die over it.”

“You’re a trade vessel mid-journey.” The man snapped, and judging from the way Sakurai blinked in surprise, Ohno suspected it was the first time he had responded to the First Mates words. He wore a mocking sneer as his eyes watched Ohno being brought closer. “Your cargo might not be worth their lives, but it’ll fetch a good price for us in any number of ports.”

“So take it and go.” Sakurai was focused on the pirate in front of him. “We won’t pursue you. We don’t have the supplies to give chase.”

“The First Mate is right Matsujun.” The pirate at Ohno’s side noted. His voice was the loudest in the chill of the night and it drew the eyes of the terrified crew. So far, the almost unnatural affableness of the man had made Ohno nervous, but nothing about him inspired fear on its own. Then Ohno saw the way Sakurai paled, cringing back at the sight of the smiling pirate. Sakurai’s obvious shock only seemed to please the outlaw more. Gleefully, he informed the pirate he called Matsujun that the crew would starve if they tried to match the pace of Black Dawn.

“Leaving survivors is bad business Captain.” Matsujun groused, but he seemed ready to accept the word of his own Captain.

“And killing is messy. I don’t want my whole new wardrobe covered in blood and unnecessary holes. Look, I got you a new hat.” He plucked the item from his own head as he spoke, styling the other man with it. “Oh, it suits you.”

Sakurai swallowed audibly, a look of sorrow crossing his face when he met Ohno’s gaze for a second, before he addressed the Captain of the pirates. “We’ll give you whatever you ask for Aiba, won’t we Captain? But our cargo…. It- it really is worthless to you…”

Matsujun rolled his eyes at Sakurai then, pulling roughly on the chains that circled his wrists in a show of impatience. “First you tell us to take it and spare your crew, and now you’re asking us to abandon our prize? Seems like you change your mind a lot; what if you change your mind about coming after us?”

Threat emanated from the pirate that held Sakurai and Ohno feared for the wellbeing of his friend in a way that caused his stomach to roll. “It’s just medicine!” Ohno rushed to Sakurai’s defence, made frantic for the first time by the way Matsujun appeared to relish Sakurai’s torment. “Tojo hospital in Goldharbour is under quarantine and…” He faltered slightly at the way all the attention had fallen to him, but Ohno barrelled on when no one voiced any interruption. “Well…. It’s useless to anyone else, right? That specific medicine…. People need it, but only the people there.”

Captain Aiba seemed to think on that a moment, his smile growing as he came to some decision within himself. “Matsujun, you go and do your shopping.” He suggested, dismissing his subordinate easily. His fingers dug painfully into the joint of Ohno’s elbow as he dragged him to stand next to Sakurai at the rail. “This crew is quite fashionable, so it might even meet your standards for a change.”

Still, the pirate stuck close to his side. Oddly, Ohno was not concerned for his own safety, or worried about what Captain Aiba would do to him, but the brutes that patrolled the stricken crew were too much of an unknown risk; he did not dare risk their lives by some reckless action of his own.

Matsujun did as he was told with an air of reluctance, walking away to join the other bandits as they ransacked the belongings of Yamanami’s crew. Aiba called out one final bit of advice: “Don’t waste your time looking through Sakurai’s things though. Oh, and have the guys stow the cargo in our hold.”

Sakurai’s head dropped in defeat. “So you’re taking it after all?”

Aiba nodded. Cheerful and at ease, like his plundering amounted to nothing more than taking the last slice of cake at a feast. “Medicine is expensive. I bet desperate people would be willing to pay more than it’s worth.”

“You’re going to hold a hospital full of sick patients to ransom for it?” Sakurai sounded as sick as Ohno felt.

Aiba sighed, and for the first time, Ohno saw his smile slip. It didn’t disappear entirely, but it turned wry, and his response was murmured in quieter, but harsher tones. “Black Dawn is a faster ship Sakurai, and better provisioned. We will get there much sooner than you could hope to. Who cares if it costs more when it will save more lives, eh?”

“The bounty on your head is worth more than any cargo; you’ll never get away with something so risky.”

“You’ve always been such a worrier—But all I need is someone disposable to act as middle man.”

Ohno had watched their exchange in a fog of confusion, so even after Aiba’s assertion, it took him a moment to understand what his words might mean. At least in part. “You know each other.” It wasn’t a question because it was pretty obviously the truth the moment he realised it.

“We go way back.” Aiba agreed, but he did not elaborate.

Sakurai hung his head once more, and after a whispered apology from him, the silence became complete again. Ohno could only watch as what was left of the crews personal belongings were taken, the cargo too, and so many innocent people left to shiver in their shifts on the deck as pre-dawn light mottled the sky.

They were fast, as least, Ohno thought, and the Yamanami might limp into port with nothing, but he could be grateful that nobody was hurt. Finally, they began to disembark, in large clusters to discourage any sudden bouts of heroism. Captain Aiba was last, surrounded by a ring of his meanest looking men, he left Sakurai chained to the rail.

He did look for the key to the shackles in the pockets of his long coat first, but when he came up empty handed, he only shrugged. “I must have left them in my cabin.” He chuckled. “Sorry Sho. I suppose it’s as good a place as any to stand when you’re acting as Captain anyway.”

He started heading towards his own vessel as he spoke, and in all this time he had not let Ohno go. “Captain…?” Sakurai gasped, and surged against his bonds. “Wait! No, you can’t. Captain Ohno is—”

It was Ohno who sought to reassure Sakurai then. “It’s fine.” He’d finally come to understand his fate some time ago, and he was prepared to accept it. As a Captain of a Lu-Ong Johnny’s vessel, he was the best bargaining chip the pirates could hope to have to ensure their own freedom. It would be assumed that Ohno would have the same standing—the same special status—as other Captains in the fleet. The pirates did not know that Ohno was just an unimportant officer, raised briefly to the station for the last leg of their ill-fated journey.

No, it was better if he was the hostage they chose. Sakurai, as the more capable leader would ensure the rest of the crew made landfall safely, and the pirates would find their leverage much diminished when Ohno’s true worthlessness became known.

“I leave the Yamanami in your care.” He intoned formally, as if he had every right to do so.

“….Captain….”

Ohno allowed himself to be led away. He did not look back until he was caged below decks on the unfamiliar ship and he could spy the hull of his former home from a gap in the chalking of his wooden prison.

He was a captive, with little hope of escape but a chance to survive if he behaved, so Ohno wasn’t surprised by the lack of crew set to guard him. It was more unusual when Captain Aiba brought him his meal personally. He sauntered down the stair into the dank hold some time later with a large platter in hand. Like a genial host, he placed the tray in front of Ohno, filling a goblet with some liquid from a small cask tied at his hip, through his wide belt. He drank deeply from it himself before filling it a second time and handing it to Ohno.

The meal was generous, not the usual scraps offered to inmates, or even the plain fair of short rations that the crew of the Yamanami had been enduring lately. Cured meats and fresh vegetables all seasoned and spiced so that the aroma itself could fill a stomach. There was a plate of sweets too, milk breads and sweetened fruits. It was far too much for a single prisoner, but it was clear that Aiba intended to join him anyway.

“It’s missing a few of my favourites.” The smiling pirate lamented without any rancour as he laid everything out. “We had to leave some of our surplus food stores on your ship to fit the loot on. Our holds are a bit full right now.”

He was helpless anyway, and Captain Aiba did not seem so dreadful when they were alone, so Ohno accepted the food without comment. Sometime, a lifetime ago it seemed, Sakurai had told him to eat before he slept for the night, but Ohno had been too tired to find his way to the galley.  He shovelled food into his mouth hungrily as Aiba picked more carefully at his own. His bites were just as big, but less frequent, and Aiba had no compunction about talking with his mouth full.

“We set sail for Goldharbour as soon as we cast off from your boat.” Aiba told him conversationally. “If the wind stays steady, we’ll be within sight of her shores in less than three days. That’s fast, right? Matsujun says we should dump the medicine and head to Lu-Ong Johnny’s headquarters with you instead. You know, to throw Sakurai off, and get some ransom for you. But he’s just mad about his cuffs; they’re his favourite pair, and he’s crabby because Sakurai is going to have cut them off.”

Ohno had nothing to say. He let the pirate rattle on with only a low hum or meaningless noise as response until not much remained of their shared meal.

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

“What should I say?” Ohno’s curiosity had always come in odd fits and starts, so it wasn’t like he had a million questions of Aiba. He had been captured and would help deliver the medicine to Tojo hospital once the pirates had their money. Maybe they would ransom him off at the same time, maybe they wouldn’t – nothing Ohno said or did would make any difference to that, so it seemed pointless to wonder about it.

“Usually, you’d thank your host for a meal, I suppose.” Aiba suggested. “Not that I cooked it or anything. Or you could try begging for your life or something. Isn’t that what prisoners are supposed to do?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Ohno pointed out.

Captain Aiba laughed. “Me neither. I don’t exactly have a reputation for taking people alive.”

“I don’t know your reputation.”

“That’s just rude.” The pirate feigned a pout. “I can’t believe Sakurai was your First Mate through the Moau Sea Passage and he never even mentioned me to his Captain!”

“We were kind of busy.” Ohno offered by way of weak explanation.

“Then I’ll give you the short version.” Aiba tidied as he spoke, cleaning up the dishes and utensils and leaving them outside of the hold itself, far from the door that he would lock behind himself when he was done visiting his hostage. “The Sakurai family are the reason the price on my head is as big as it is. And Sakurai Sho is the reason I had to steal my first ship from a dockyard in the Chiba Republic with a handful of old seadogs I’d sprung from the local lock-up on my way there.”

He closed the door and began to climb the stairs. Ohno scrambled a little. “Wait, wasn’t that too short?” Was that really all the pirate was going to say?

“I’ll tell you at dinner.” He was laughing again.

Then Ohno was alone again.

*

He must have slept through most of the day, but it wasn’t the Captain returning with more food that woke him later; it was another member of the crew. Ohno had not seen him on the deck during the take-over of the Yamanami, he was sure: The pirate was softer looking than the louts who had terrified his crew, his small stature and youthful face wouldn’t have inspired much fear in anyone. He wasn’t carrying a platter of food, but every step he took, the large hoop of keys at his waist clanged a flat, untidy note.

If he was Ohno’s jailor, he was a lax one, unlocking the door then the chains that held him without bothering to warn Ohno against any heroics. “Captain Aiba said you should join him for dinner.” He did not seem gruff, or reluctant – didn’t give the impression that he found his Captain’s actions odd in any way, and Ohno began to wonder what kind of ship Aiba was running. Nothing about his experience so far made sense.

These pirates did not act the way Ohno expected pirates to act, but then, he had never met one before, and his assumptions were based purely on stories meant to frighten children and greenhorns. As he followed his jailor up the stair, through the bowels of the ship, he considered making a break for it. Black Dawn was a large ship; he might be able to hide as a stowaway on board if he could fake an escape to the water.

His arrival on deck ended that half-baked idea immediately. The vessel was not short of crew and if most of his direct dealings had been with the more personable pirates, those standing between Ohno and freedom were a cutthroat bunch. They’d be able to stop him like a parent plucking a child from a crowd.

Much like the Captain’s cabin on the Yamanami, Aiba’s quarters were accessed from a door on the deck, which he was made to stand in front of, and knock, while a full compliment of crew eyed him suspiciously.

Aiba’s answer – a welcoming reply – was actually a relief, as it allowed Ohno to go inside and escape the scrutiny of strangers.

“You look kind of spooked.” Captain Aiba observed from his place at a lavishly appointed table.

Ohno was honest. “Your crew is scary.”

“Aren’t they?” Aiba looked so pleased and proud. “You can sit down. I thought we could hang out together up here. Like a Captain’s Club.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s fun. Because you’re interesting. Because this is the most boring part of being a sailor and I’ve run out of conversations to have with Matsujun or Kazama or anyone else.”

“I’m not interesting.” Ohno countered the only claim he remembered as he sat down opposite the pirate.

Aiba drew Ohno’s attention to a large tome sitting on a desk across the room. A tome Ohno immediately recognised as a log-book from his former ship. “For a quiet guy, you keep pretty good records, Captain Ohno. Even more thorough than Sakurai, I bet. Tell me, why didn’t you help with the mutiny, eh?”

“I slept through it.” He shrugged. “Tell me what happened with you and Sakurai?”

The pirate had promised to share, and Aiba didn’t appear to hedge any detail as he explained their history. The Sakurai family ran a private commerce navy much like Lu-Ong Johnny, and Aiba Masaki, the well-bred eldest son of a Chiba Republic family worked his way up to a Captain position early on. Then, on one journey, the temptation proved too great, and he stole the entire cargo he was supposed to be carrying for himself. He’d convinced many of the crew to remain loyal to him, and cast any who disagreed into the sea.

He had not become a pirate right away. For one, the Sakurai vessel under his command, the Shomaru had been seized the moment authorities had found it at the dockyard of the town he had fled to. The crew he had convinced to join him had scattered, going into hiding and on the run in their own ways, and Aiba planned to do the same. Until Sakurai Sho had happened upon him in the market and had him taken into custody.

The Sakurai family were calling for the return of their goods, for Aiba’s return to their shores to face trial and for his head. And Sakurai Sho visited him every day in the provincial little prison for three days, desperately trying to understand Aiba’s crimes. On his last visit, Sakurai made the mistake of telling Aiba that he was to be taken back to face his charges. So Aiba reacted when Sakurai got a bit too close to his cell, and pulled a small blade from Sakurai’s own hip to secure his release.

Using Sakurai Sho as a hostage, Aiba bartered for his own freedom and for that of every inmate he’d met and talked to during his incarceration. They made it back to the docks, and together, with Sakurai as a human shield, they took back the Shomaru and made their escape.

Ohno listened to the tale throughout dinner; Aiba was a good story-teller, although he sometimes went on tangents about some fishmonger’s strange haircut or his favourite bathhouses to visit. He did have some questions when the pirate seemed done though. “What did you do with Sakurai after that?”

“We left him on a beach of one of the Debikuro Islands and sent a message to his family about where they could find him.” Aiba seemed to relish that detail, eyes shining at whatever humour he saw in his actions. “Then we renamed the ship Black Dawn and gave her a makeover.”

“Why would you do that?”

“Captain…. I’d just become a pirate; I had to disguise my new ship a little.”

Ohno shook his head. “No, I mean, why would you tell the Sakurai family where to find their son?”

For the first time, Aiba seemed genuinely caught off guard by Ohno’s question. He blinked rapidly, his mouth pulled into the first frown Ohno had ever seen him wear seriously. “You think I should have killed him?” He asked, then after a pause, he added: “I’d just stolen his boat and his dignity; it was more fun that way.”

They had finished eating mid-way through the story, but Aiba had not seemed in any rush to have Ohno returned to his cell until that moment. Ohno’s escort and jailor came when Captain Aiba called him, and Ohno learned his name was Kazama. “Take the good Captain back below.” Aiba ordered, not bothering to dismiss Ohno directly. “Oh, and tell Matsujun that I want to see him before second shift.”

Ohno was led back to his dark cage in the underbelly of the ship and left alone once more.

After the rather abrupt end to his dinner with Captain Aiba, Ohno was not surprised when the next morning came and went without visitors. The small bowl of water in the cell with him had been empty for hours by the time the sun was high in the sky, and he thought briefly about calling for more. He never quite reached the point where he needed to, because Matsujun marched imperiously down into the hold. He threw a flask of water through the slats into Ohno’s lap and glared at him from the bottom step as Ohno drank thirstily.

Matsujun did not speak for an uncomfortably long time. Ohno did not usually mind long stretches of silence, but there was something about the other man that filled the air with expectation—Ohno felt the tension of someone poised to speak words he didn’t want to hear. It made his skin prickle, and he rubbed at the back of his neck to chase away the chill.

Then Matsujun broke the tension; not with a snap, but a thoughtful sigh, it was far more unexpected than the rage he had shown before. “He wants you to sing.”

Ohno was thrown off-guard. “Huh?”

“The Captain. We heard you while we were moored at the Devils Finger. He wants you to sing for him.”

“You heard—? I—” Ohno’s thoughts tripped over each other; nothing about these pirates made any sense to him. “Is that why you attacked the Yamanami?” The idea made him cringe. “Did… did I ….cause it?”

Matsujun’s face twisted in confusion, brow furrowed and eyes casting around the empty room like he was searching for Ohno’s logic. “Are you an idiot?” He questioned in disgust. “We’re pirates. Your ship had stuff we wanted so we took it. Simple as that. And Captain Aiba wanted you.”

“Because… he wants me to sing?”

Matsujun rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well he is an idiot. We should have taken Sakurai. He might only be a First Mate on the Lu-Ong payroll because he doesn’t want to trade on his family name, but he’s still a Sakurai. We could have traded on his name rather well, and sold him back to his family once we delivered the medicine.”

Ohno didn’t know why but hearing about all the ways that Sakurai would have been a better hostage made him feel protective of his First Mate. Sakurai was hard working and kind, keen to do right by the crew and eager to teach those who wanted to learn from him. He didn’t deserve to be anyone’s bargaining chip. He was so much more than just his father’s son. “He would have gotten away from you.” He found himself saying.

“Sakurai would have escaped by now. Or he would wait until you got to Goldharbour, and he’d find a way to have you all caught.” Why was he saying all this? Ohno didn’t understand himself why he was antagonising one of his captors in such a way, but once he started, it was hard to stop. “He’s smart. Smarter than me, smarter than you, and he’d find a way to deliver that medicine and make sure you never got paid. He’d see you hang first.”

Matsujun listened to Ohno’s diatribe without a word, and the only hint he gave of really hearing Ohno was the small scoff he made at the final denouncement.

Then Aiba’s bubbly voice travelled from the hatch above. “We’ve already been paid though.” He wandered more leisurely down the steps and Matsujun moved aside so his Captain could join them.

“What?”

“Tojo hospital have already paid for the medicine. Lu-Ong Johnny Trading Company might be willing to accept cash on delivery, but I require payment in advance.” Aiba was busy unlocking Ohno as he continued speaking. “Not that it matters. If Tojo couldn’t pay the asking price, you wouldn’t have handed over the medicine either, right? Those are the rules, aren’t they? Lu-Ong’s Johnny’s ransom is just more legal than mine. And twice the price.”

Aiba had drawn Ohno half way up the stair when Ohno stumbled, so taken aback by this new information that he’d missed a step. Matsujun was behind them, and it was his bejewelled hand on his back that kept Captain Ohno from falling.

“We were hired by Tojo to intercept the cargo.” Matsujun spelled it out for him, bringing up the rear as the made way back towards Aiba’s cabin. “For less than your esteemed employers were planning on charging, they can get the same from us faster. Plus we get to keep any extras we pick up along the way.”

“Our shopping.” Aiba added from the front.

Ohno could only stare at the back of Aiba’s head, so he twisted instead to meet Matsujun’s eyes, behind him. “Pirates do that?”

“Not all the time.” Matsujun replied. “Not for everyone. For some people, in some places. It’s important to have a few ports and harbours that are safe for us.”

“Goldharbour?”

“One of the safest.” Matsujun smiled then, almost as big and as bright as one of Aiba’s.

The trio had arrived at the Captain’s cabin and the two pirates were making themselves comfortable when a new thought occurred to Ohno. He voiced it without pause. “If Tojo arranged this, why do you need me? They won’t stop you from delivering the stuff they paid you to steal.”

The other men shared a look that said volumes in its silence. Ohno still didn’t quite understand.

“Matsumoto was telling the truth: I do want you to sing for me.”

Ohno would not be brushed off. Boldly, stubbornly, he crossed his arms over his chest, and addressed the Captain of Black Dawn as if he himself were the one in charge. “Aiba? What else?”

Aiba seemed awkward as he answered; a man admitting an uncomfortable truth. “We do need you to make the delivery. Sakurai was right; the bounty on my head is bigger than what even L-J wants to charge for the shipment. Goldharbour isn’t a rich place. It might be too tempting for some people there.”

“He said it was one of the safest places for you.”

Aiba hadn’t been smiling for a while by then. He tried to force one, and it didn’t fit him at all. “Safety is relative.”

“Then don’t go.” Ohno was startled by his own words. By the feeling behind them.

“Captain Oh—”

“I’m serious.” He barrelled on, his cheeks heating as he warmed to the idea that percolated quickly and spilled from his lips unfiltered. “You’ve already been paid, you said? So just go. It’s not safe, right? Not really. So don’t go there.”

Aiba’s smile ghosted back then, but it seemed to be coloured with pity. “And what about you, Captain Ohno? Will you join my motley crew for a life on the run on the high seas?”

Ohno didn’t know what he might have said to that. The meaning of his words had not yet sunk in when Matsumoto pointed out the true cost of Ohno’s ill-considered suggestion. “And what about the patients?”

Ohno slumped. Of course. If the medicine was not delivered as promised, the pirates would be responsible for the suffering of all those afflicted. Ohno didn’t exactly know where Aiba drew his moral lines, but he’d already begun to suspect that it stopped well in advance of mass murder.

“When we get to Goldharbour,” Aiba spoke with authority, but he did not talk down to Ohno. “You will go alone to take the cargo to Tojo hospital. Ask for Ninomiya. Once you’re done… you’re free to go. Well, I suppose you’ll be free as soon as you’re off the ship but I hope you’ll take the medicine there first.”

Ohno nodded. He didn’t owe Aiba any promises but gave it anyway. “I will. What about you and Black Dawn?”

Aiba opened his mouth, but a sharp tsk from Matsujun had him hold his tongue. “It’s better if you don’t know.” Matsujun explained instead. “Port Authorities are going to have a lot of questions for you, and you are going to have to be very careful about how you answer.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if you implicate anyone in Tojo, or in Goldharbour in general…. You won’t know where we are, but you can be sure that we’ll be coming for you. Understand?”

Ohno did not doubt that threat. Even Aiba’s expression was grim, echoing the dire warning. Ohno was not the least bit reluctant to agree.

Shortly after, Matsujun had sent for their meal, and the three had eaten together before Matsumoto returned to his duties on deck. With a better understanding of what exactly was going on, Ohno was much more relaxed. Pirate or no, he found himself enjoying Aiba’s company. His gaiety, how honest he was with his emotions and how observant he was of the people around him. It was little wonder that he inspired the kind of loyalty that had men abandon their normal honour, Ohno thought.

There was a nobility to Aiba, a charisma that made his every action seem more righteous than those bound by the letter of the law. And when he talked about actions that could not be justified by simply turning the moral compass, he made them sound like harmless youthful misadventures. Ohno Satoshi had never wanted to be a Captain, but sharing drinks and stories with Aiba, he began to think he might like to be a pirate.

They feasted and drank for hours without interruption, Ohno relaxed enough to begin singing merrily into his cups, and Aiba encouraged him after each note. They had left the table, settled further into the cabin with Ohno lounging more comfortably on the armchair bolted next to Aiba’s bed. The pirate was sprawled lengthways on his stomach over the mattress, bouncing around excitedly whenever he joined Ohno in a song they both knew.

When he ran out of songs, and it was clear that they were both about to fall asleep where they sat, Ohno asked with a yawn who would be taking him back to his cell.

Aiba chuckled, half on the edge of sleep himself; eyes barely open. “You can stay here… if… if you promise not to murder me in my sleep.” He replied generously.

“I’d never get away with it anyway.” Ohno played along. Whether Aiba had meant for it to be that way or not, Ohno pulled himself from the chair to wedge himself into the sliver of space on the mattress between Aiba and the deck.

Aiba didn’t protest, shifting back slightly to accommodate Ohno’s smaller frame and throwing his arm around Ohno’s waist to secure him in place. “G’night C’ptain.” He mumbled against Ohno’s neck.

“Goodnight Captain.” He echoed, but Aiba was too far gone to appreciate his joke. Ohno was asleep moments later too.

Morning broke with the news that Goldharbour was in sight, and Ohno opened his eyes to find Kazama grinning at him from the foot of Aiba’s bed. Aiba was nowhere to be seen. “Where’s the Captain?”

Kazama seemed more inclined to tease Ohno, than to punish him for being out of his prison, and the jailor proved that a moment later. “If he’s going to have his way with my prisoners, he really should let me know first. Who knows what I might have walked in on if Matsumoto hadn’t warned me last night?”

“Uh….?”

“We have arrived at Goldharbour. The Captain in overseeing the loading of the medicine onto a landing boat ready for you. If you hurry to the galley now, you just might have time to eat something before you leave us.”

A strange panic took him. “What’s the hurry?” He wondered. “It’s not like a need to go as soon as the boat is loaded.”

“I’d rather you did though.” Aiba walked in. he dismissed Kazama with a nod.

“Why?”

“Sakurai has made good time; catching the same winds we did. Black Dawn is the faster ship, but our holds are full and we have a greater number of crew. They’ll be half a day behind us, eighteen hours tops.” Aiba pulled Ohno to his feet, standing with him so that they were only inches apart. He didn’t release his hands right away though. “The boat is ready now.”

“Ah! I—”

“Remember, you need to give the medicine to a Doctor named Ninomiya at Tojo.”

Ohno had no belongings to pack, nothing to prepare to delay his departure. He took his hands back, sparing one moment to squeeze Aiba’s shoulder reassuringly. “I’ve got it.” That same hand slid up to caress Aiba’s cheek before he could think.

Aiba allowed it. Smiling gently, he dropped a soft kiss to Ohno’s brow. “Take care, Captain.”

Ohno walked away. He wasn’t Aiba’s Captain. He wasn’t anyone’s Captain. After today he would only be an accomplice or a victim, depending on his audience. After today, he would never be as important to the Dread Pirate Aiba as he was in that moment.

It was a hard journey by landing boat for one man alone, and the Black Dawn was nearly gone from his sight by the time he made it to the small jetty. He rented a cart with coin Matsujun had given him for the purpose and asked his way all the way to the entrance of Tojo hospital. Under quarantine, it was eerily quiet, but someone must have seen him coming, and a man in a clean surgeons apron and an oversized white facemask raced to him.

“Is that the medicine?” His voice was muffled by the mask, and aside from the urgency in his voice, there was caution too.

“I was told to deliver it to Ninomiya.” Ohno explained.

“That’s me.” The doctor dropped his mask, tucking it under his chin and smirking at Ohno. “So Aiba’s raid was successful? Well, I suppose the other two were there to make sure that numbskull didn’t blow it.” He took the cart from Ohno, obviously eager to take his prize and start treating his patients. Ohno, however, had no idea what to do from there, and Ninomiya must have noticed right away.

“What? You waiting for a tip or something?” The surgeon didn’t sound like he thought Ohno should actually get such a thing. “Well come on then, help me get this to the ante chamber so the staff inside can administer it quickly.”

Getting the medicine to Ninomiya’s colleagues had not really required them both, and the handover itself lasted seconds. Once done though, Ninomiya invited Ohno into an empty office, offering him a place to rest and a drink after the exertion of the morning. “So, I haven’t seen you before, are you new?”

“New?”

“To Aiba’s crew, dummy.” For a doctor, Ohno wasn’t sure about the guy’s bedside manner. “How are you going to catch up with them when you’re done here?”

Ohno could only shrug. Ninomiya seemed to want to talk, but he seemed happy enough to put words in Ohno’s mouth and have a conversation with himself, so Ohno left him to it for a while. He wasn’t sure why he stayed as long as he did, while Ninomiya alternated between work Ohno didn’t understand and conversation Ohno couldn’t follow. He just knew he had no where else to go in that moment, and Ninomiya was the only person connecting him to the strangeness the last few weeks had wrought.

It got stranger still, when there came a knock, and Sakurai Sho walked calmly into the room. “Captain Ohno! You’re still here.” He was positively beaming, the apples of his cheeks perfect circles above his broad smile.

Sakurai closed the door behind himself, and Ninomiya cleared his throat imperiously. “Normally, you’d greet the person whose office it is first.” He grumbled, but he was trying too hard to look stern, and his mouth kept twitching into a grin.

“Oh, Sorry Nino. I just wanted to check how much you plan on claiming you paid in Pirates Ransom before I report the Yamanami’s plunder to the Portmasters.”

“The same as Lu-Ong Johnny was asking. We already told them that it’s all the funds we could raise anyway. What happened to your wrists?”

Sho blinked, rubbing the marks and bruises there in embarrassment. “Matsujun.” He confessed sheepishly. “He cuffed me an—”

“Again? Nevermind, I don’t want to know.” Ninomiya turned to Ohno, completely ignoring Sakurai’s spluttered attempts to correct the doctor. “So it’s Captain Ohno, is it? You’re not a pirate?”

Ohno shook his head. “I’m not a Captain.”

“Not a Captain, not a pirate… what are you Ohno?”

“Maybe…. Maybe I am a pirate.” He replied at length.

Ninomiya’s burst of laughter nearly toppled him backwards out of his chair. “Aren’t we all?” He winked, gesturing to include all three of them. “What about you First Mate? What’s the plan now?”

Sakurai had obviously thought ahead. “Once I’ve filed my report, I’ll be giving the entire crew shore leave, so they can recover from the trauma. Then I’m taking the skeleton crew to pursue the Black Dawn.”

Ninomiya nodded sagely. “Meeting in the usual spot?”

Sakurai nodded. “Ikuta wants his hat back.”

“I’m pretty sure it was Jun’s to begin with, but who can even tell at this point?”

Realising just how orchestrated the whole thing had been might have bothered someone else, but Ohno only felt relief. And a small measure of awe at the machinations he was only just beginning to see. He had been just another pawn in their game at first, but somewhere along the way, someone had decided to make him a player, and Ohno had earned his freedom by playing along.

Ohno spoke up. If he was free to go and do as he pleased, then he should be free to return to the game. So he gave one last order, a final command to the First Mate who got him involved in the first place. “You’re taking me with you.” He said, thinking of Captain Aiba and the adventures waiting for him on the high seas.

-End