Chapter 18

In his defense, Marshall had every intention of turning around and going back to the island to drop off their stowaway, but nature had other plans, as the freaking maelstrom that formed above the Coddiwomple proved.

They wound up blown seriously off course, soaking wet and exhausted by the time the storm eased enough that they weren't in danger of capsizing. He had barely started on figuring out where they were when they ran into the flying walrus migration, and after that the rescue of the merchant ship being attacked by Sea Kings, and then another storm happened and Marshall threw up his hands in defeat. They were so far away from the island by then that there was no point in trying to turn around.

To the kid's credit, Jesse Wilde had done his best to help out, but it was obvious that the teen had never worked on a ship in his life. Marshall sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. It was night now, not a cloud to be seen and a bite to the air that told him they were close to a winter island. He had a great view of the stars as he leaned back against the railing, letting out a long breath as he tried to figure out what the hell he was doing. Vertara was one thing, but the thief? He might understand the reasoning, but that didn't mean he wasn't still pissed about it; not to mention the brat stowed away! By all rights, he should have just tossed the kid overboard and been done with it. He hadn't, but that didn't mean the idea wasn't tempting.

He let out another sigh, this one coming out as a cloud of mist as the temperature dropped. His Observation pinged a minute before the very person he was thinking of slipped out onto the deck, footsteps silent as the teen walked to the opposite railing to look out over the sea. Wilde didn't notice that he wasn't alone, staring thoughtfully out over the water, so he took the opportunity to take a good look at the teenager.

Jesse Wilde wasn't the tallest person, barely coming up to the bottom of Marshall's ribcage when standing up straight, but he was cleanly muscled and quick on his feet - and quick with his fingers, as he'd proved when he'd pickpocketed a certain ungrateful merchant who was complaining about the damage to his cargo instead of thanking them for saving his crew's lives. Marshall had caught the flicker of movement, but the merchant had no idea until they were already sailing away and the man's enraged screams reached their ears. The teen's black, shoulder-length hair was ruffled from sleep, showing that until recently he'd been making use of the improvised bed Marshall had made him in one of the empty rooms. His emerald green eyes were distant, expression showing that he was lost in thought. Combined with his pale skin and attractive face, the kid was going to be a heartbreaker when he grew up.

Dressed all in black, the kid blended into the darkness, a melancholy air around him. Marshall silently groan, rolling his eyes and admitting defeat. He was a sucker for the lost ones with more guts than sense.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Wilde jumped when a deep voice spoke from beside him. Whirling around, he saw the captain of the ship leaning on the railing next to him. Even with the other's relaxed posture, he still had to crane his neck back to look at the man's eyes. The man was tall.

He could admit, if only to himself, that stowing away had been an impulse born of self-directed anger. There had been no thought or reasoning involved, just pure emotion. He'd braved the ocean after dark, swimming out to the lone ship anchored offshore and sneaking onboard in an act of desperation, the clock ticking in the back of his mind before Krystal was forced to go through with that farce of a marriage. He'd heard stories about Devil Fruits and how powerful they made those who ate them, so when he peered over the railing of the same ship he was now standing on to see the captain examining one of them, preparing to eat it, he'd taken it as a sign.

Looking back, it was a miracle he'd gotten away. His back still ached, the marks left by Vertara's claws still in the process of healing. Though it was by a hair's breadth, escape he had. Once he got back to shore and run out of sight of the beach, he hadn't wasted any time in eating the stolen fruit. The taste was excruciating, his tastebuds had been screaming in agony even as he forced himself to swallow. Just the memory of the cursed fruit's flavor was enough to have him turning green, bile rising as he fought back the urge to vomit.

Time had been running out, so he'd pushed through the disgust and rushed to the marine base where the 'marriage' was to take place. Sneaking in had been easy, as had finding the secret room where Krystal and the Vice-Admiral were. The fight...

His fists clenched at the memory. It didn't even deserve to be called a fight. It was more like a slaughter, and not in his favor. Even when he figured out what his new power was, he'd been completely outclassed. His body still ached all over, the bruises still throbbing in phantom pain as he remembered the beating the late Vice-Admiral had given him. He'd thought for sure that he was about to die and worse, that he'd failed Krystal. And then Vertara had showed up.

Breaking down the heavy, firmly bolted door like it was made of paper, the blood-covered woman had taken one look at the scene and darted across the room to start ripping the Vice-Admiral to shreds. That was the last thing he saw before blacking out, and the next thing he knew, both he and Krystal were being carried passed the remains of a massacre by the very man he'd stolen the Devil Fruit from.

(Krystal later told him about what the man had said when Vertara identified him as the thief.

Considering the carnage the two of them had caused while chasing him, he was profoundly grateful that Krystal had explained the situation and talked the man out of holding a grudge.)

He'd passed out again, and woke up the third time in the care of the town doctor. His injuries were extensive, but the worst of it, the internal bleeding, had already been resolved. He slept for two days, the few times he was awake he was either talking to Krystal or dwelling on his own weakness. When he heard that the two strangers were preparing to depart, he remembered how strong they were and his choice was made. He snuck onboard and stowed away. He'd planned to wait a while before revealing himself, but the man found him in scarcely half the time.

Whether by coincidence or design, the captain's plans to take him back to the island had fallen through, and now he was on the ship indefinitely.

"Yes. Life on a ship is very different from life on an island." He answered belatedly. Feigning composure, he turned back towards the railing, crossing his arms and leaning against the painted wood. He never saw the thoughtful way the captain watched the emotions play across his face while he remembered the events that led up to him stowing away.

"It is," the captain agreed.

Silence descended, the quiet lasting almost an hour before the captain broke it. "Why did you stow away, kid? You have to know I'm not too happy with you."

"I know," he admitted, sighing and looking down at railing, idly tracing the grain of the wood with his eyes, "Back on the island...I couldn't do anything. Even after eating the Devil Fruit, I was still helpless. The only reason Krystal is safe is because you chased me and Miss Vertara killed the Vice-Admiral." The confession tasted like ash in his mouth. "I want - No, I need to get stronger. You and Miss Vertara are strong. If I tag along with you, my hope is that eventually some of that strength will rub off on me."

The captain hummed, head tilted back to look at the stars as he said, "Strength comes in many forms, kid. Don't make the mistake of thinking it's just one kind that counts." It was a strangely philosophical comment, but one that nonetheless rang with sincerity.

Nodding, he absently muttered, "Yes, captain," and then froze as he realized what he'd just said. He tensed up, prepared for either a reprimanding cuff or for the man to say that he wasn't part of his crew, only for the captain to once again surprise him.

"Hmph, the name's Marshall D. Teach. Call me Marshall."

Blinking in surprise, he looked up at his captain and smiled, his first real one since 'Bear Claw' Bruno had set his eyes on Krystal. Pushing away from the rail and spinning on his heel to take off towards his room, he shot over his shoulder, "Yes captain!"

"Cheeky brat!"

He laughed at the growl, relief making his steps lighter as he headed into the ship, pretending that the moisture at the corner of his eyes were from laughing too hard.

Well, that conversation could have gone a lot worse, Marshall snorted, watching as Wilde disappeared through the door to the inside of the ship.

Sure he was stuck with another crewmember - not that he had a crew - but, well, when he thought about it maybe the kid wasn't that bad. He shook his head, smiling slightly as he looked towards the shadow of the mast and called out dryly, "Happy now?"

A pair of vivid gold eyes blinked at him, then Vertara emerged from her hiding spot. Grinning, she walked up next to him and nudged him in the side with her elbow. "See? I knew you'd like him." She teased.

Mock scowling, he dryly informed her, "If I didn't know for a fact you'd never met, I'd say you were spending too much time with Rouge." A beat, then he grinned, causing the redhead to eye him uneasily, "And just for that, you get to cover the rest of my watch and yours."

Vertara's jaw dropped.

He walked off towards his quarters and savored the sound of her frustrated whine.

The Coddiwomple docked at the next island, which turned out to be a winter island like he'd thought, and he headed off in search of supplies while Wilde wandered off to explore and Vertara stayed behind to guard the ship.

He was in the midst of loading the purchased supplies when the first explosion happened, shaking the ground and causing the ships in the harbor to rock alarmingly. A quick exchange of glances with Vertara and he sighed, leaving her to finish loading the food as he ran off to see what was happening.

Unsurprisingly, the explosion was Wilde's fault. As were the next three. When he found the teen, the kid was running away from a group of armored guards with a bulging sack thrown over his shoulder and somehow managing to keep ahead of them.

A quick application of Shave and Moonwalk and he was dropping Wilde on the deck. Completely deadpan, he asked Vertara, "Is it too late to throw this brat overboard?"

Turns out Wilde stole the island's crown jewels.

Vertara was too busy laughing to answer him and Wilde just grinned, the definition of smug. He sighed and went to get the ship ready to leave.