Chapter 16

Traveling with Vertara was a new experience in a lot of ways.

One such way was because of her complete lack of modesty and sense of personal space. He quickly lost count of the number of times he woke up to find a naked Vertara cuddling into his side. He finally gave up on asking her to stay in her room and just moved the pelts and pillows he gave her back to his room, converting her room back into a storeroom (he thought it was supposed to have been an officer's quarters, but whatever). She also tended to walk around naked unless they were near a winter island, but he didn't mind that so much as waking up in the middle of the night to go to the restroom and falling flat on his face tripping over her.

Vertara took every opportunity to ask questions about the workings of the ship and the islands he'd visited. His heart ached every time she looked surprised when he answered, but the ache lessened when the surprise gradually changed to delight and anticipation whenever she came bounding over to him with a new question on her lips. She soaked up information like a sponge, and soon she was helping him adjust the ship's course and perform basic maintenance.

Somehow, he was surprised to find that she'd picked up his habit of talking to his ship.

(She also followed his lead and called it Coddi, but he only found that out a few weeks later during a storm where they had to navigate through both waterspouts and whirlpools. It didn't seem like too big a deal, all things considered.)

"Gather up all of the crew,

It's time to ship out Bink's Brew,

Sea wind blows,

To where? Who knows?

The waves will be our guide~"

Marshall hummed, the sound of waves against the hull providing soothing background noise as he stood at the wheel. He was in a rather good mood as he sang, occasionally checking the Log Pose on his wrist to make sure the New World waters didn't pull a fast one and send the ship off course.

Caw!

A News Coo landed on the railing, interrupting the song and successfully attracting his attention. Squinting, he thought the bird looked kind of familiar. Approaching, the pattern of black feathers around the albatross's eyes jogged his memory. Snapping his fingers, he noted, "You're the one I bought that first paper from, aren't you?"

Caw!

The bird answered in affirmative, ruffling its feathers and looking at him hopefully.

"....You want some fish, don't you?"

...Caw?

The bird tried to look innocent. It didn't work, and Marshall snorted in amusement as Vertara approached the railing curiously. "What is that?" She asked, tilting her head.

"That's a News Coo; they deliver newspapers and bounty posters all over the world. Pretty tough birds, considering the skies in the New World are about as friendly as the oceans." He explained.

The News Coo puffed up proudly.

Vertara nodded, then asked, "Bounty posters?"

"Pieces of paper showing how much the World Government wants certain people dead. Most big-name pirates use them to keep score."

He'd already given her a rundown on the World Government, so she got it quickly. He went and got the bird a few pieces of fish, then gave the bird a thousand Beri with a nonchalant, "keep the change," as he accepted his newspaper. The bird cawed joyfully, looking at him with shining eyes and actually saluting before taking off.

Vertara watched the albatross fly away, blinking in bemusement before saying, "That was...interesting."

His lips quirked up and he laughed.

"You don't know the half of it!"

Four months after finding the Devil Fruit in one of the Orango chests and Marshall was still wrestling with himself over whether or not to follow his first thought to its logical conclusion.

It wasn't the Dark-Dark Fruit. He didn't know which fruit it was, but all that mattered was that it wasn't that. It was strange, but once the shock had worn off, he had felt a surge of elation. If he ate this Devil Fruit, then whatever happened afterwards, he couldn't eat the Dark-Dark Fruit. He couldn't become like the canon Marshall D. Teach, couldn't become like Blackbeard. It would be the final step towards putting the nail in the coffin of Canon.

Sitting on the deck of the Coddiwomple and staring down at the cursed fruit in his hand, he was still thinking about it, unable to take the last step. All it would take was one bite, one bite and he would have a new power and lose the ability to swim. Which he really didn't want, he liked swimming! But between being unable to swim and the Dark-Dark Fruit, it was clear which was the lesser of two evils.

"So...are you gonna eat it?" Vertara's voice came from behind him.

He grunted, brow furrowed as he kept his eyes on the fruit. "Thinking about it," he admitted.

Vertara came up beside him, looking down at the fruit with distant curiosity. She was wearing one of the new outfits he'd gotten her, a red v-neck crop-top and vibrant flower-patterned sarong along with a necklace of blue-green and rose-colored glass beads that he'd made her. When he'd given her the accessory her eyes had lit up, almost literally glowing as she squealed happily.

The Coddiwomple was currently anchored off the shores of a spring island, the temperature pleasantly warm in the early morning hours. They hadn't yet gone ashore, but were planning on it a little later. The rising sun painted the sea in shades of orange and gold, and he would have enjoyed the sight more if his thoughts weren't focused on the toughest decision he'd ever had to make.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out in a sigh, he steeled himself. He was going to do it.

Lifting the fruit to his mouth, he prepared to bite down-

"Raaaaaaawwwwwwwrrrrrrr!"

A blur of motion struck his arm, knocking it upward and catching him off guard as the fruit went flying. The blur jumped after it, a blur that he could now see was a person, and as the person grabs the fruit and makes for the railing, Vertara took off in hot pursuit, shrieking in fury. He recovered from the surprise just in time to sense the thief's spike of sheer terror as Vertara caught up with them two feet from the railing and raked her claws down their back, bits of fabric and flesh flying as they toppled over the railing.

He darted over to the railing, hearing the splashes as first the thief and then Vertara hit the water, the woman having jumped after the thief. He gripped the railing and gaped in shock at the ripples.

A beat of silence, and then:

"What the fuck?!"

Vertara came back twenty minutes later, soaking wet and spitting mad as she informed him, "Bastard got away, but I got a taste of him before he gave me the slip." She bared her teeth, "As soon as we make land, I'll be able to find them again."

He had spent at least ten minutes of her absence freaking out because what the hell, but by the time she got back he had mostly calmed down. And then gotten pissed, because what the hell?!

He was just pissed enough that he gives her a savage grin in response and snarls, "Good."

Somewhere, he had the feeling that something was laughing at him and damn if he didn't want to punch someone in the face. Preferably the person who stole his chance at putting a stop to any chance of him eating the Dark-Dark Fruit in the first place.

That asshole was going to pay.