"I've been a liar, been a thief..." I sang, playing a calm tune on my guitar as I sat on a small stage inside a bar in Bighorn as the patrons, along with several of my crewmates, sat, drinking as they listened to my song.
Another week had passed since the Doc's surgery, and I'm currently at Bighorn, waiting for Don Chinjao's arrival as he should be here any day now.
Elly, Laffite, Byron, Law, and Bepo were with me, and the majority of the rest remained in Drum castle, except for Wilson, who finally got over his dislike for the snow and was now making up for the last time, exploring the island.
However, Bepo and Law were nowhere to be seen inside the bar, as Law, being the broody emotional wreck he was, didn't like such rowdy places as he put it, and Bepo went wherever Law was.
"Been a lover, been a cheat..." I hummed, smiling at the good mood everyone seemed to be in, drinking and merrymaking. "All my sins need holy water, feel it washing over me..."
I kept singing for a while until I suddenly halted as my ears picked up a familiar set of footsteps, heading towards the bar in a frenzy, causing me to frown.
It seems Elly has picked up on the same thing as she too frowned, while Laffite and Byron immediately noticed our behavior, causing them to stop what they were doing as they turned to the bar's door.
An injured Bepo with a few batches of charred fur suddenly burst into the bar and started looking around in panic until his eyes met mine.
"It's bad, captain!" Bepo exclaimed in a panicked tone as he darted in my direction. "We're under attack!" he added as he finally reached me, tripping over and almost falling before I caught him.
"Calm down, Bepo," I said in a calm tone, frowning as I did. "Take a deep breath and tell me what happened," I instructed as I helped Bepo regain his balance.
"We're under attack by another pirate crew!" Bepo explained after taking a deep breath, his tone still a panicking one, but less so this time. "They found Law and me on the port, and they were looking for you!" he added as he leaned on his knees and began panting.
"We fought them, but they were strong, and Law told me to come and get you as quickly as possible!" Bepo remarked as he raised his head to look at me with a complicated expression.
"Law is still there fighting them!" he added in a distressed tone, seemingly ashamed of the fact he left Law there alone.
"You did good, Bepo," I said in a calm tone, nodding in approval. "Don't worry. We'll go and help Law," I concluded as I stood up, signaling for my companions to do the same as I made my way outside the bar.
...
"What's going on, captain?" Laffite asked with a frown as all rode on Byron's back, heading for the port.
"Some pirate crew came here looking for me," I replied in a calm tone. "They found Law and Bepo at the docks and figured out they were part of our crew somehow," I added, my eyes looking straight at the horizon.
"So they started fighting, and it looks like they weren't pushovers," I added in a neutral tone while gesturing towards Bepo, who was wincing while holding the burnt batch of fur on his shoulder.
"So Law stayed behind to stall them, and Bepo came to get us," I concluded, not showing any anger as I spoke in an even tone.
"We'll make them pay, captain," Elly said from the side with a sigh as she saw through my facade, causing me to grunt with a nod. I may have appeared calm and indifferent, but anyone who truly knew me would know that I was shimmering in rage.
As ridiculous as it may seem, considering the short amount of time I've spent with Bepo and Law, the idea of some piece of shit targeting them to get to me drove me wild in anger.
I had nothing, and no one in this world other than my crew, and my time in the sea, short as it may be, had changed me in many ways that I didn't expect when I first opened my eyes and found myself in this world.
I had slowly adapted to the mentality of a pirate. As far as I was concerned, my crewmates were no different from family, and anyone who lays a hand on my family would pay, regardless of the reason.
I was always overprotective by nature, even in my past life. I still remember that one time when I beat the living shit out of some guy who tried to bully my kid brother.
While it was thoroughly stupid to do as I did, as I got into a lot of trouble for that and almost went to jail because of it, I would still do it if I found myself in the same situation again, but I digress.
"We're almost there," Byron said in a deep rumbling voice, flames leaking out of his mouth as the port finally became visible to us. We immediately spotted a broad transparent dome engulfing an area near the docks with sparks of flame occasionally flying into the air inside it.
We quickly flew our way there just in time as Law was kneeling on the ground, panting as a man with fire covering his fist charged him, preparing to punch him in the face while the man's crewmates watched from a distance.
I quickly jumped off Byron's back, landing in front of Law just as the man closed the distance, and caught the man's flaming fist just before it hit him in the face.
"Fire Fist Ace..." I flatly remarked as I looked at the man with an even expression. "We have no grudge between us," I stated as I squeezed on his fist, enforcing my hand with Haki.
"What do reason do you have for attacking my crewmate?" I asked, letting go of his hand as he pulled it back and jumped backward, looking at me with an astonished expression.
My crewmates had finally landed during this time, and they immediately dragged Law away, standing at a distance as they waited for the music.
Ace quickly regained his composure and pleasantly smiled at me while rubbing his fist. "I could say the same thing about you and my friend here..." He remarked while gesturing with his hand as a man walked over from behind his crewmates, and things suddenly started making sense.