43

"Let me just say, captain, I don't like this," I say quietly, leaning on the rail and staring at the bulk of the Offshore Battery as we sail near it. The weather's been rough- duh, it's the fucking Grand Line, enough that the Marquis handed out a bunch of Eternal Poses to keep everyone on course. Ends Justified, Offshore Battery, and Knutte's collection of longships have managed to stay together, but the Marquis's galley and the ships of the Ranger and Gear Pirates have been separated.

Good fucking riddance.

"What is it you don't like? Sailing?" Vinci asks.

"You know what I mean. Not exactly fond of ending up as some royal asshole's jackbooted thug."

"Jackboots aren't the worst thing to wear, you know. Quite useful."

"Captain."

Vinci grins disarmingly and raises his hands. "I get it. Rebels probably have a point, might even be completely justified. We don't know yet. And when we do know…"

"We'll be under contract to crush them," I say morosely.

Vinci laughs, and I glare. "You think that's funny?"

"I think you forgetting who we are is funny, yes," Vinci says, a scalpel suddenly twirling in his fingers. "We're pirates, Kaneki. Minute this Doge turns out to be rotten, we can slit his throat, loot his treasury, and turn our coats to the rebel side, if the morals bother you so much."

I blink, then chuckle. "Misjudged you, then, Captain. My apologies."

"None needed. You're supposed to be the moral compass around here. And having said that, realizing that the anthropovore is our crew's moral center terrifies me," Vinci says, utterly deadpan.

I laugh. "Fuck off, Captain," I say, walking away from the rail and picking up my guitar from where I'd rested it against the foremast. "Well, got nothing else to do, how 'bout some music?"

"Sure, so long as it's not depressing."

"Pff, there you go asking for the impossible from me again," I say with a grin. "Fine. How about…"

"Well

Reverend, reverend please come quick

'Cause I've got something to admit

I met a man out in the sticks

A good old mess

He rode a big black thoroughbred and wore a cigar on his lip."

Some of the crew on deck look up as I play, and several begin to nod along with the music.

"Don't you know the devil wears a suit and tie

Saw him riding down the 61' in early July

White as a cotton field and sharp as a knife

I heard him howling as he passed me by."

My grin widens as I let my eyes shift, turning black.

"And he said

I know you, I know you young man

I know you by the state of your hands

You're a six-string picker

Just as I am

Let me learn you something

I know a few turns to make all the girls dance."

Out of the corner of my eye, far distant, I see Grenzer look up from the deck of the Offshore Battery, the man's grey braided beard bristling and the sleeves of his black coat billowing in the wind.

"Don't you know the devil wears a suit and tie

Saw him riding down the 61' in early July

White as a cotton field and sharp as a knife

I heard him howling as he passed me by."

My grin widens as I see the old man walk to the rail of his vessel, clearly listening intently.

"Oh...

Foolish, foolish was I

Damn my foolish eyes

'Cause that man's lessons

Had a price, oh sweet price

My sweet soul, everlasting

A very own eternal light."

Even as far away as he is, I can see the sharp intake of breath he makes.

Don't you know that the devil wears a suit and tie

Saw him riding down the 61' in early July

White as a cotton field and sharp as a knife

I heard him howling as he passed me by

Well, the devil wears a suit and tie

I saw him riding down the 61' in early July

White as a cotton field and sharp as a knife

I heard him howling as he passed me by..."

Jack read the first sheet of the large stack of papers Kaneki had produced.

By the third bullet-point his eyebrows were threatening to hit orbit. He forced his expression into normalcy with a grunt, and looked at Kaneki, who was visibly fidgeting.

"This is all true?"

"As much as I can accurately remember, yes," the ghoul said.

"Hmph. Might as well shoot myself now, then. And- oh God damn it."

"What?"

"Most of the damn crew heard you talk to Kuma, right?"

"Probably. I can't imagine anyone slept through it."

"That means they heard you talking about the Empty Throne. Fuck. I'll have to keep them off shore leave."

"Why?"

Jack's eye twitched, and he took a deep breath. He had to remember- Kaneki didn't understand this world. Didn't grow up in the Blues, or the Line, or anywhere else the ideals of the World Government held sway. "Do you understand just how important the Empty Throne is? The idea that no one nation is able to trample over another? The fact that the entire time, it's been occupied...the Marines will slaughter us if they get word of such a thing and take it seriously. And with how Kuma backed off, it's a guarantee they will if they do hear about it. The last thing we need is someone dropping an Admiral on our heads because our men talked too much while drunk."

Kaneki leaned forwards slightly. "Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid?"

"With how you're certain that they murdered an entire nation of scholars because of them knowing about the past, not. In. The. Slightest."

Kaneki nodded. "Fair. Want me to break the news?"

Jack shook his head. "No. I'll let the captain handle it. Just...how bad is all this?"

Kaneki sighed, then cracked his neck. "Government's rotten to the core, the Celestial Dragons are raping, enslaving assholes who are utterly immune to prosecution thanks to the threat of an Admiral intervening if you lay hands on one, Donquixote Doflamingo is selling artificial Devil Fruits to Kaido under the alias Joker and using his combination of Warlord and ex-Celestial Dragon status to keep it secret, Vice Admiral Vergo's a plant in the Marines for Joker, Amber Lead Syndrome isn't contagious and I'm fairly sure the island was killed off because there was a family carrying the Will of D. living there, there's a fellow named Blackbeard running around with the Dark-Dark Fruit and plans to usurp Whitebeard who succeeded a few months from now in the old timeline, Straw Hat Luffy is the adopted brother of Fire Fist Ace and the Revolutionary Chief of Staff, the son of Dragon, and the grandson of Garp the Hero, Cipher Pol 9 is real and murderously effective, ditto Cipher Pol Aegis Zero...also, there's islands in the sky that are inhabited by, arguably, angels."

Jack facepalmed, and held up his other hand, cutting off the torrent of words. "If I hadn't had proof from the snail's mouth I'd be calling you a liar," he muttered. "Anything usable?"

Kaneki shrugged. "Not unless we train to the point of being New-World-class and plan on undoing Doffy's operations, not yet. Might come in handy if we run into the Straw Hats somehow. There's a few bits that could be interesting."

"Hmph. Alright. Keep your mouth shut. The fewer people know secrets like this, the better."

"I'd prefer not to be disintegrated, frozen, or incinerated, so yes," Kaneki said flatly.

Lauren gathered up her courage, and knocked on the lab door.

Her captain answered, grinning. "What is it?"

"I need your help."