Ameliorate ✦ One Piece

30

Sitting on the quarterdeck with a book in her hands, Akira let out a small sigh as she found her reading interrupted once more, realizing all the blabbering had her entirely missing the last few sentences her eyes had passed over. "But you said five degrees starboard?" Usopp questioned the clown head as he stood at the tiller, doing his best to stir the ship.

"Yeah, its' the other starboard, Captain Shit-tastic!" Buggy yelled back at him from his spot atop one of the barrels nearby.

"Thought clowns were supposed to be funny." Usopp muttered out, sharing a highly annoyed look with Akira.

"What was that?" Buggy questioned loudly, his head jumping up and down as it spun around so he could look at them properly. "Why don't you say it to my face?" He challenged, making Akira slam her book shut as she rose from where she'd been sitting on the floor.

"Thought clowns were supposed to be funny." She repeated Usopp's words loudly and clearly so he could hear every word. It made the clown's eyes turn to her with a sharp glare which was anything but intimidating considering his current state.

"Everything okay here?" Zoro's voice had all their attention turning to him as he climbed up the steps to the quarterdeck, glare focused entirely on Buggy and Buggy alone.

"Hey! Morning, champ!" Buggy greeted him in a happy voice which did nothing to change Zoro's sourly disposition towards him.

"I know Luffy made a deal with you to find Arlong, clown, but if this is another one of your tricks-" Zoro began to threaten only for Buggy to interrupt him before he could finish.

"What are you gonna do?" He questioned with a mocking laugh. "Bleed on me?"

"Mind if I do the honours?" Zoro asked in a monotone voice, eyes turning to Akira who let out a disappointed sigh.

"A little, but I'll live." She said, smirking over at Buggy as Zoro plucked his head from the barrel, the clown instantly voicing his protests and pleas as he was carried over to the edge of the boat and dangled above the sea.

"Because I said bleed on me' You can bleed on me if you want. I mean, a deal is a deal, right?" Buggy questioned in an attempt to save his head. "You want your map back. I want my body!"

"How do we know you're not leading us to a trap?" Zoro questioned now that he had given Buggy more incentive for honesty.

"Zoro, buddy! Honour amongst pirates, right?" The clown questioned with a nervous laugh, the answer not a rather reassuring one. "Come on, how about I sing a nice sea shanty to pass the time?" He offered before diving into song that made Akira wish she was death in the moment. "Oh, there once was a girl with tangerine hair! Stole my map and left me stranded somewhere!"

Ignoring the rest of the rather pointless lyrics, Akira moved over to the closed barrel on top of which they'd let the clown's head sit until now. Sharing a look with Zoro, she pulled the lid off. With a pleased smile, the swordsman walked back over, dumping Buggy's head inside without a single care as the pirate groaned and grumbled about landing on his nose while Akira closed the lid again.

"You can still hear me!" The head continued to scream and screech its song from within the barrel. "A conniving pirate truly was she! Betrayed me in a way I couldn't foresee!"

"Nope!" Akira announced with a shake of her head, realizing if she had to endure this any longer, she'd cut out his damn tongue. "Good luck!" She said to Usopp as she walked past him and Zoro and off of the quarterdeck in an attempt to spare her own nerves. Instead she walked over to join the calmer of the two groups spread out on the ship. "Any bites?" She asked curiously, stepping up next to Sanji and Luffy who were busy fishing over the side of the vessel.