(AUTHOR'S NOTE: HAPPY LATE HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY! Hope everyone had a great time Tuesday and were all safe! I spent my time at home this year because my grandma was in town and she was leaving for home the next day, but my brother was going to a party and my parents and sister were going trick or treating. I also wasn't in too big of a partying mood and was kinda tired, sleep schedule's been all over the place. Also there's a lot of POV swaps so-sorry. Hope you enjoy the chapter and I'll see 'ya later!)
Chapter Six:
" Isaac Makes A New Friend "
(tell no tales/pirates are coming; part one)
(NO POV)
Isaac sat on the deck looking at his reflection in the water, messing with his hair, bewildered by how his hair had gotten so long. "God, I gotta either cut my hair or find a way to pull it up because this could be hazardous..." He mumbled to himself. "Hey Isaac, Nami!" Luffy piped up and Isaac turned around as Nami asked Luffy what he was talking about, to which he raised a flag with a drawing of a skull and crossbones wearing a straw hat. "It's ready!" Luffy exclaimed. "And what is it?" Nami asked disinterested, "Our Jolly Roger. Every pirate crew needs to have one, and now we do!" Luffy replied still smiling. "We're not a crew and you're not hanging that on my boat," Nami said and Isaac stood up, walked toward Luffy, and put a hand on his shoulder with a smile. "I think it looks great, Cap! I didn't know you were a fellow creative!" He said, and Zoro then walked out of the small interior of the boat, Luffy being quick to present to him the Jolly Roger. "Zoro! Zoro, check it out." Luffy raised the flag to Zoro and Isaac narrowed his eyes at Zoro as a warning to say not to insult their captain's artwork, "That's unique." He said and Isaac gave a thumbs up to the swordsman in approval. Zoro looked at the orange-haired girl, "Nami, I think the toilet's busted." Nami looked at Zoro raising a brow, "We don't have a toilet."
"Oh. Well, then something back there's leaking." He replied. "What?" Nami quickly got up from the boxes she was sitting on and went inside, shutting the door behind her before coming back out a moment later. "We're taking in water. What did you do!?" She scolded Zoro, "I didn't do anything." He replied. "The way you're clanging those swords around all the time, you must've broken something." "Well, maybe you should've stolen a better boat."
Isaac was too intimidated by the two to intervene himself so he tilted his head to gesture to Luffy that he should do his job as captain, "Guys, guys, guys. Okay, crew meeting."
"Not a crew."
"We're gonna need a better ship to make it to the Grand Line. A real pirate ship." Luffy explained. "Worthy of the Straw Hat crew." Nami and Zoro looked at him as if he were joking, "Wait. Straw Hat crew? Really?" Nami asked and Luffy nodded. "Yeah, I thought it had a nice ring to it." Zoro shakes his head, "'Demon' has a nice ring to it. Headgear? Not scary." He said. "Who says pirates have to be scary?" Luffy asked and Nami and Zoro looked at each other wondering if he was for real, "The point Luffy's trying to make is that we need a new ship, and so we need to find out where to get one." Isaac interjected and Nami pulled out a map. "Our closest bet is the Gecko Islands, we can probably make it before our ship sinks. Ditch this one, find a better one."
Zoro nods, "Good. With a working toilet." Isaac smiles, "I hope we can get one with a kitchen! I miss cooked food so much! Maybe I can make some baked goods too!" Luffy looked at Isaac, "Can you cook, Izzie?" And Isaac gives a 'so-so' gesture, "A little. I can cook a few things, but probably nothing that would be good to eat constantly on a journey. I'm a bit more of a baker than a cook." Luffy smiles, "Oh, so you can make cookies and stuff like that?" Isaac nods, "Yep. Maybe if we get a ship with a kitchen I can buy some ingredients and bake some to celebrate!"
Luffy looks at Nami with a grin, "Alright, we're gonna get a new ship! Great job, Navigator!"
"You're still not hanging that on my ship."
(ISAAC'S POV)
"You've gotta be kidding me. That clown was worth 15 million Berry, we should've stuffed his head in a bag and brought it with us." Zoro complained, and Luffy who was lying on the ground with his legs up against the wall said, "What Marine would give you that bounty? You're kind of a wanted man yourself." And Zoro went silent for a moment before replying, "Didn't think of that." I let out a sigh of relief looking at the board and noticing the lack of my own wanted poster, "I'm just glad that they don't seem to have anything about me around here so I can walk around without being completely paranoid..."
Luffy gets up and wraps an arm around Zoro and me, "All the more reason to get to the Grand Line, fresh start!" And enthusiastically and for Zoro, unenthusiastically we say "Right." in unison. Nami meets back up with us and Luffy asks her about the status of our new ship, "I'm working on it. But did you push the sloop out to sea like I told you?" She asked Luffy. "Yeah, no Marines are gonna be following us here!" He replied. "Well, we won't be here very long. Turns out Syrup Village is known for its shipbuilding. Lots of options." Nami explained, "Well what are we waiting for!?" Luffy exclaims before walking to the left with Nami following him as he seems like he might've been going the wrong way. Zoro ripped the poster of Buggy off the board, crumpling it up and throwing it on the ground, "Stupid clown." He muttered. I stomp on the paper and put my hands in my pockets, "Glad we can agree on something, Roronoa."
As we all made our way to the shipyard, Luffy was astonished by all the ships surrounding us, "How much do these cost?" Zoro asked looking around, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it." Nami replied. Luffy began listing off his requests for the perfect ship, "We need to get one with a very, very impressive figurehead. At least two-no-three masts! And a very high crow's nest." Had it not been for my 3 months of prior experience with this ship-dependant world I wouldn't have understood anything he had said, and honestly I still don't completely get it, but Nami had to be the realist and tell Luffy that a ship that size wouldn't work with only the four of us. "Listen, we're going to need something a little less flashy if we wanna sneak out of here." She explained.
Luffy stopped walking, "You want to steal a ship?" He asked, looking at Nami who scoffed and asked, "How else do you expect to get one?" as she crossed her arms. Luffy shrugged, "I dunno, but we can't steal one." Nami raised a brow, "What kind of pirate are you?" Luffy seemed dumbfounded by the question so he moved on. "A ship isn't just a ship, it's a part of our crew. We're gonna need the perfect one, and we're gonna get one the right way." He explained. "Okay, pitch that to the salesman, I'm sure that'll win him over." Nami replied sarcastically, which Luffy didn't seem to catch because he nodded and chirped, "Exactly!" Before walking off.
Nami sighed, "So what are we actually gonna do?" Zoro asked. "Find a ship and see how lax the security is around here." Nami said and I crossed my arms, "As much as I don't want to upset Luffy, stealing probably is the only option we've got...Unfortunately, I have experience stealing some boats, but it probably won't be as easy this time if we're trying for something bigger." I explained. We then all went in the same direction Luffy had, and I looked at Zoro, "Soooooo, 'ya think whenever we get our ship we can start official training lessons?" I asked with a smile and he nodded. "Yeah, that's the plan. But remember I expect your full effort and commitment, especially because I'll only go easy on you for a little while."
"I'll be sure to work hard! Can't wait to get started!"
We found Luffy up a wooden staircase looking at the figurehead of a ship with another guy tending to it, "There you are!" Nami shouted getting Luffy's attention. He waved, "Guys! I found it! I found our ship!" Luffy began walking down the stairs to meet us, "And this guy will sell it to us." He explained referring to the guy on the ship who was following him down, looking a bit unsure. "Wait, what?" He asked, and Luffy exclaimed, "Yeah! The ship, we'll take it." Usopp rubbed the back of his neck, "Technically she's not for sale." He said, "And technically, I'm not a salesman." I raised a brow and Nami asked if he was even an employee. "Of course I am! I'm Chief Technician in charge of encrustation removal and aviary waste eradication."
Luffy was confused, "Encru-what?" and I was trying to hold back laughter before Zoro stated bluntly, "He scrubs barnacles and cleans bird shit." I covered my mouth with my hand to try and be polite, "He can't help us." Nami said. "Wait, wait, wait! I can help you. The owner of this ship happens to be my closest friend in the world." Usopp explained and Nami gave him a skeptical look, "Your friend owns this ship?" Usopp gives her a confident nod, "Not just this ship, but the whole shipyard. She's rich rich. I'm sure you could strike a deal with her."
Nami smirks, "Well I guess it couldn't hurt to say hello."
(NO POV)
"I've never seen a house this big before." Luffy said staring at the huge estate in front of him, "Impressive, right? Kaya's given me an open invitation to drop by anytime I want." Usopp explained. "All this just for one person?" Luffy asked, "Well, she lives here with her butler and a few other staff." Usopp replied. "Money really shows you who people truly are. Most people only care about themselves and what's theirs. But a small staff makes for easy pickings." Nami said and Zoro gave her a look, "You gonna rob the place blind?" Nami smiled to herself, "At least a little blurry." Isaac sighed, "Well don't go asking me for help because I only have experience with pickpocketing and boat stealing. Also because I feel like there's only a few staff for a reason..."
"So if you have an invitation, why are we going around the back way?" Luffy asked, "Oh I never use the front entrance. This is more of a VIP entrance for special guests." Usopp explained. "This guy's full of shit." Zoro said and Isaac sighed, "Hate to say it because he seems nice, but you're probably right..." Nami shrugs, "As long as he gets us inside the house, who cares?" Two people, a man and a woman in uniform were outside working and the sight of them made Usopp's expression turn into a nervous one, "Oops. You know there's actually a way more exclusive entrance this way." Usopp stammered as he scrambled to move the others away but the man noticed them and threw a knife his way, the knife landing right at Usopp's feet.
"The Hell you doing here, Usopp?" The man asked walking towards them with a displeased look on his face, "Buchi, buddy-uh, Kaya's expecting me." Usopp tried explaining to the man known as Buchi. "Another one of your lies." Buchi gripped Usopp by the straps of his overalls, "You ain't welcome here and you know it." Buchi said threateningly but Usopp smirked, "I know nothing of the sort. I'm here to give Kaya an extra special gift." Isaac cringed hoping this poor guy didn't get his ass beat and just in the knick of time, a woman's voice called out, "Usopp!"
Isaac watched as a blonde girl in a pink dress and a fancy-looking man who he assumed was the butler walked over, "What a wonderful surprise." The girl says with a smile and Buchi begrudgingly let go of Usopp who flashes a smug smile at him, "Kaya!" He exclaimed before walking to the girl aka Kaya. "Happy birthday." Usopp said making Kaya's face light up, "You remembered." "Of course I did." Isaac had a big smile on his face as he internally gushed at the display of the two, 'They're so cute!' Zoro looked at the male, raising a brow, "What's got you all smiley?" He whispered and Isaac looked up at him still smiling, "Can you not see their connection? Whether they're friends or more I can tell they care for each other a lot!"
The butler cleared his throat and pushed up his glasses, "Usopp, we've discussed this before. You mustn't show up unannounced." He said calmly but Kaya looked at him with her warm smile, "Nonsense Klahadore." Before looking at Usopp, "Have you come to tell me another story? I do love hearing about your adventures."
"I'll do you one better, I brought some of my crew!" Usopp turns to gesture toward the four pirates behind him, Isaac looked behind them before realizing, "Oh, I guess we're the surprise..." He muttered. "It's so nice to meet you. you must all stay for dinner." Kaya offers and then Klahadore quickly looked to her and lowered his voice. "Miss Kaya, it is a bit last minute. I'm afraid the kitchen hasn't prepared for any extra guests." Kaya looked back at her butler with pleading eyes, "Please? It's my birthday, it can't be too much trouble can it?" She begged.
Klahadore pursed his lips, unable to refuse the girl, "Of course, Miss Kaya. Anything for you." Luffy, always down to eat claps his hands together, "Alright! When do we eat?" The butler narrowed his eyes at the pirates, "You don't. Not dressed like that." He directs himself to a woman with teal hair, "Sham, kindly show Usopp and his friends to the guest suites. You will bathe and change before dinner." Sham nods and leads the way for the pirates and Usopp to follow her, but as Isaac passes Klahadore he heard the butler mumble something.
"He's much smaller in person..."
He felt shivers run down his spine and he looked up at the butler who he briefly made eye contact with and was met with a smile, "Something wrong, Young Man?" Klahadore asked and Isaac shook his head. "N-No...I'm fine." Kaya smiles her butler, "You smiled! I feel as though you hardly ever smile." Klahadore hums in response, "It's not that important of a matter, Miss Kaya. I can just sense something...unique about this young man." Isaac chuckled nervously, "Heh heh...Thanks...I guess..."
"Hey, you coming Puppy?" Isaac looked to see Zoro turning back to look at him. Isaac nods, "Yeah, I'm coming." Zoro walks to him and gently pushes on his back, "Come on, let's go." Zoro guided himself and Isaac back with the others, Kaya looking at the two walking away together with a smile.
(ISAAC'S POV)
I was in my guest suite, savoring the time I had to myself, and once again looking at my partially pink hair. I heard a knock on my door and when I opened it I saw Kaya and I raised a brow, "How'd you get here without your butler or staff with you?" I asked and she giggled. "I was able to sneak away easily because they're busy prepping for dinner. I wanted to talk to you more!" She said. I couldn't help but smile back at her sweetness, "Well if you're willing, could you help me get ready?" I asked and she nodded vigorously, "I'd love to!" I invited her in and she led me to the vanity I was looking at before and pulled out a hairbrush. As she brushed my hair she asked, "So is it that you need help finding something to wear or something to wear to look nice for your boyfriend?" I looked at her raising a brow, "Boyfriend?" I asked.
"You know-the swordsman you were with." I felt my cheeks heat up, "Zoro? No! No. It's not like that, we barely know each other...I don't even think he thinks too highly of me..." I admitted. Kaya shook her head, "Nonsense, he called you 'Puppy' before, didn't he?" "I'm pretty sure he does it to make fun of me...It's because he thinks I'm weak and scared..." I replied. "Well, you never know. There might be an ulterior motive to it. Because while some puppies may be considered cowardly, do you know what else they are?" Kaya asked as she pulled my hair up into a type of bun. "I don't entirely get where you're going with this Kaya..."
She chuckled, "Puppies are also cute. Which is what I'm sure is another reason why he calls you one." I look down, embarrassed, "Well don't get your hopes up for anything..." I looked in the mirror, "You did a great job, Kaya. Thank you."
Kaya nods, "You're welcome. Do you need help picking out a suit?" She asked. I looked in the mirror again, thinking to myself before sighing and looking back at Kaya. "Actually, I was thinking of going a sort of different route with my outfit...If you know what I mean?" And Kaya beamed, "Really!? Well in that case I know the perfect thing for you! I'll get it ready and have someone bring it to you!" She excitedly went to leave before looking back at me, "Oh, one more thing."
"Yeah?"
"Do you by chance need glasses? I've noticed you squinting a lot since you got here. If you're near-sighted then I can definitely provide you with a pair, because that's what Klahadore wears his for too." She said and I nodded, "Th-That'd be great actually! Thank you!"
"I'll see you at dinner!"
I smile, "Yeah, I'll see you."
About an hour before dinner Sham entered with a dress, a pair of nicer boots, and two small boxes, one that I knew contained a pair of glasses. I opened the other box and saw a two-toned gray earring and a small note that said, 'I couldn't help myself, I thought this would look good on you too! And I'm letting you keep it, no takebacks! -Kaya'. I chuckle, "Guess I have a new friend." I look at the dress and smile, "She was right, it's perfect." I went to take a bath and then changed for dinner.
TO BE CONTINUED...