Chapter 12

In hindsight, giving him a ship might not have been the best idea even though the Olympiosans meant well.

The trip out of the Cloud Sea was exciting in a different way than the trip up had been. Both he and Rouge whooped in glee, laughing as the Jet Dials on the bottoms of their ships turned their descent into a slow glide. Rouge's crew was a lot more relaxed, only clinging to the railing instead of wrapped around the mast. Her newest recruit was the most unbothered, walking around the deck and peering over the railing curiously, prompting sheepish looks from his new crewmates. The ships landed in the water with only a small jolt, the Jet Dials shutting off without anyone having to go down to the engine room and miss the view.

(He was impressed by how the controls were set up; those shipwrights were geniuses.)

It was only after they landed back in the New World that he realized that he would have to learn how to crew an actual ship.

By himself.

In the New World.

He sighed.

Joy.

The two ships drifted beside each other for a day or so; he helped Rouge sort out her loot from Olympios and enjoyed the feast that Jane whipped up in thanks.

She was a great cook, and he couldn't help wondering how she'd compare to Sanji. He figured it'd be a close call - that goulash was incredible.

He'd organized his own stuff before they left, moving his clothes and other things to the captain's quarters (because he had one of those now), so he spent the time learning how to manage various parts of a ship. He might have to figure out how to use Shave to pull it off, but he could do it. He also gave some thought to what he would name his ship.

...Yeah. He had nothing.

He stuck some stuff in the treasure room, keeping the four chests from Orango in his new room. He still didn't know what was in them, but whatever. They were there. Then he took inventory of his supplies and found he was running low on pretty much everything. He'd have to restock on the nearest island.

The farewell dinner on the Queen of Spades was delicious, and they parted amicably.

(Rouge tossed him a Transponder Snail and shouted that he had no excuse not to keep in touch now.

He looked at it. It was green with a dark purple shell.

He named it Chuckles. The snail looked distinctly unimpressed.)

The Moby Dick was anchored off the shores of the first island he stopped at. He saw both Marco and Whitebeard at the market, along with...Kozuki Oden? Yup. That was him. The hairstyle gave him away.

Marshall bought enough supplies to make it to the next island and bolted.

He was not dealing with this!

Thanks to a storm and an unanticipated encounter with a traveling dance troupe, he got to the next island a day after the Whitebeards.

Damn it.

He wound up running into and running away from the Whitebeard Pirates on the next six islands he stopped at. He kept his head down, got supplies, and then high-tailed it out of there. He was pretty sure some of the crew saw him, but hopefully they wouldn't think anything of a tall guy walking quickly (not running!) away from them. Probably happened all the time.

("Hmm." Whitebeard hummed thoughtfully, watching a lad take one look at Marco while his first mate haggled with a merchant over prices, turn and run in the opposite direction.

"Everything alright, Pops?" One of his daughters asked.

"Fine, fine," he waved off, still looking after the fleeing lad.

Rather strange, but nothing to worry about.)

He decided to backtrack and take a different route to avoid going the same direction as the Whitebeards.

It was a sound plan, up until his ship nearly collided with a merchant vessel drifting aimlessly, the rudder apparently having been destroyed by a Sea King. He didn't have anything else to do, so he shrugged and helped them out, towing them to the closest island. They gave him food to thank him, so he considered it time well spent. Then they reached port and he found out this merchant group, Weatherby Inc., was feuding with a different one, Jacoby Corp., and both groups controlled half of the island he'd towed them to.

Jacoby was pissed their rivals made it back and blamed him, so he was stuck on the Weatherby side until the daughter of the head of Jacoby fell in love with the son of Weatherby's leader and he accidentally helped get them together. How was he supposed to know that that sweet girl asking for directions wasn't supposed to be on that side of the island?! He pretty much threw his hands up after that and just went with it.

The merchant companies and the island were united in the end, so it all worked out. At first he just gave a girl directions and then didn't say anything when some shady-looking guys came up and asked if he'd seen her. Somehow that turned into hiding the couple in the backroom of a bar and uncovering a conspiracy inside both companies. (The Butler really did do it, oddly enough). When it was all over, he was the best man at the wedding.

He shrugged and took a bite of cake. Yum.

He didn't want to talk about the island with the ninja squirrels.

(They stole Chuckles! He was lucky he got the snail back before they corrupted him!)

Or the one with the cult worshipping a bunny god.

(The statue was solid gold. Why.)

Or the one with the crazy artist who ate the Stone-Stone Fruit.

(The guy's 'models' staged the uprising, so that one wasn't technically his fault. That was his story and he was sticking to it.)

On all three he left a trail of destruction in his wake, so at least he lived up to his name.