Devil's Luck Pirates

The crew wakes fairly late thanks to the events of the previous day. Gravy, however, has been awake for a while now, having prepared breakfast for the rest of the crew.

-Good morning. Please take a seat, breakfast will be ready in a minute. – Gravy says.

-Good morning, my friend! – Duros salutes him with enthusiasm – You didn't have to wake up so early to make us breakfast.

-Oh, don't worry. I had to wake up even earlier when working for the Marines.

The crew sits down at the table as Gravy puts down a plate with buttered toasts and a glass of orange juice in front of them.

As the group enjoys their simple, but satisfying meal, William ponders on how to approach the topic of Pearl's recently discovered title. He didn't see her having any particular reaction when Hubris blurted it out. However, this revelation seems to have settled in her through the night considering how reserved she's been acting.

Fortunately, he wouldn't be the one to bring this issue up.

-So, Pearl… Yesterday that guy said you were a "Princess". – Duros mentions as he puts his now empty glass down.

William and Verona immediately freeze. Ragnar continues to devour his breakfast, oblivious to the situation, and Gravy keeps on humming a tune to himself back at the kitchen.

Duros was always a rather direct person. Him wanting to know Pearl better when he first met her comes to mind. Now that they think about it, Duros always had an unusual concern and interest in her.

Pearl's eyes stay glued to the empty plate in front of her. She would be hiding under her hood if she still had one.

Silence fills the room for a few seconds. Ragnar is still oblivious to the situation and Gravy opting to stay out of the conversation.

-I guess there is no point in hiding it anymore… – Pearl says with a sigh – I-

-Pearl. – William cuts her off – You don't have to tell us if you don't to. – Again, he doesn't like to be this serious, but the moment kind of demands him to be.

-It's fine. I've already endangered your lives once by keeping secrets. I don't want it to happen again. – She says before taking a deep breath – I am, or better yet, was the Princess of the Tarako Kingdom. You guys may remember it from the treasure map Frigeworth gave us.

And is where Captain Marrow is currently going to, William and Verona think.

-Thanks to this… Devil Fruit. My father, the King, kept me as a prisoner for the majority of my life. Saying that if I don't do whatever he told me to, I would just bring pain and suffering to everyone. He made me do horrible things… – Her eyes tear up a little bit as the memories of her cruel past come to the surface once again.

Duros' reaction to this is curious. His face has been taken by what seems to be anger and regret. It's normal to feel sorry for someone with a tragic life, but his reaction seems a bit more... Personal.

Peal swallows the sadness and cleans her eyes with her sleeve

-Years after, when I was nine years old, my brother started an uprising against our cruel father. He also managed to free me from my prison during his revolt. However, he and his knights couldn't do much against the Marines who supported the King. They locked him away while I fled through South Blue.

-And I presume your father was the one who issued the wanted poster. – Verona comments.

-It must have been him. I haven't committed any crimes or anything like that. Well, not until I joined the crew, anyways. – A small smile appears on her face.

-Pearl, I didn't listen to all you just said, but I at least heard that your dad was a piece of shit. So I promise to kick his butt when we meet him! – Ragnar declares, slamming the table.

Pearl lets out a small laugh – Thank you, Ragnar.

-And he must have tons of money considering how high your bounty is… – William thinks out loud – I also promise to take all his money for all he has done to you! – He says. It's been a while since he cleaned the coffers of a King.

-I say we should go there right now! – Ragnar suggests as he stands up with determination in his eyes.

-Whoa Ragnar, calm down. – Verona says – We're talking about a kingdom full of knights and Marines. Also, Marrow will be there too.

This doesn't seem to discourage Ragnar in the slightest. He seems even more eager to go there.

-Verona is right. – Duros comments – We must get stronger to liberate the people there.

William didn't agree to liberate anyone. But killing a corrupt ruler might have that effect, so everybody wins!

A couple of days later, the shores of Krendor Island finally appear on the horizon.

Ragnar asked if Gravy had any experience in drawing, to which the cook responded with only being good at cooking. Although, he also suggested that the crew should look for a dyer on Krendor.

Krendor Island is rather unique when compared to the islands near it. It has a more desert-like look to it. The town near the shore also has a very dusty atmosphere. With wooden buildings and little to no green to be found naturally. It's as if it came right out of a wild west novel.

The crew decides to dock outside the harbor to evade any docking fees. However, another vessel that appears to have the same intent is docked there as well.

It's a rather small ship, with no Jolly Roger, and most striking of all, a bright, purple color covers the entire vessel with multiple bomb figures all around it.

It is Atom's ship. Without a doubt.

The crew's mood immediately sours as they remember how the bastard attacked Pearl and left them to die in that cave.

-Is this the ship the man you were talking about? Atom, was that it? – Gravy asks. As they sailed, the crew did comment on their hatred for a certain bounty hunter who screwed with them.

-We didn't see his ship personally, – William says - But considering the looks of it, I would be surprised if it belonged to anyone else.

They dock the Yogi Pooh right next to it with the clear intent of demolishing it with their newly acquired cannonballs. But William and Verona come up with a better and less noisy idea.

Both of them will sneak into Atom's ship. Mostly to take everything of value he has, but with the hopes of finding the man himself. Just so they can settle the score with him.

William and Verona board the vessel silently and go below deck. Atom is nowhere to be seen and neither are his explosives. He must carry them wherever he goes.

So, all that there's left for them to do is steal all his valuables. However, Atom doesn't seem to have much. His food supply is very low, being comprised of expired canned food, and less than appealing fruit. The coffer beside his bed which William was able to lockpick, has barely any money inside. Only a couple hundred Belly at best.

-Well, for a bounty hunter he seems to be down on her luck… – William comments, looking inside the chest.

-It's kinda depressing, really… – Verona adds.

-He did try to kill us, but there's nothing of value here for us to take so… wanna piss on his bed and call it a day? – William suggests being left with no option but still wanting retribution for Atom's crimes.

-Sign me up, Captain. – Verona says completely in agreement.

After finishing their deed, William and Verona return to the rest of the crew who are now on land.

-So, anything good? – Pearl asks.

-Yeah, he lives a rather depressing life. He only had like a couple of hundred Bellies to his name and nothing worth it. – William responds.

-He also tends to wet the bed… – Verona adds.

-Yeah… COUGH, so I don't think we should burn the ship or anything.

-Everyone has their circumstances. – Duros says – I'm glad you decided to be a good man and not tarnish his poor heart!

-Y-yeah… – William hesitates – The bastard tried to kill us, but I know when to pull my punches. – He finishes with false humility.

-Tell that to the old man on the cabin… – Pearl says under her breath.

William moves to argue, but Ragnar interrupts him. – So, where do we go now?

-I rather not walk around while looking like this. – Pearl comments, pointing to her claws, horns, and tail – So you guys better go and get me something to hide all this.

With no one wanting to go, buy some clothes, and come back, William instructs Gravy to go on this errand. The cook happily complies and after a few minutes of waiting on this dusty shore, Gravy comes back with the clothes as requested by Pearl: shirts, gloves, a cloak with a hood, and trousers.

-Are we ready now, "princess"? – William asks mockingly when Pearl comes back after changing. She only gives him an angry look.

And now, the group is finally ready to go to town.

Walking down the main street they can see several shops and houses lined down this main road. Not many people around, and the ones who are don't seem very friendly.

-If Atom is not on his ship, he must be in here somewhere… – Verona thinks out loud.

-We'll look for him after we get what we came here for. – William says – It's a small town, but I don't think we would come across him that easily.

The best place to get information is always a tavern or inn. Luckily, the group spots a building with a big sign that says "Saloon". It's the closest thing to a tavern, so they decide to check there first.

William pushes open the Saloon doors. A busty barmaid wearing a ponytail is behind the counter wiping some glasses welcomes them.

Other customers are sitting at the tables, drinking and chatting amongst themselves.

But most importantly, there is Atom, sitting on a chair with his legs up on the table with a cigarette in his mouth at the corner of the room. His purple jacket is very hard to miss.

William stops in his tracks, dropping his jaw when he sees him. Atom lifts his head slightly to look at the newcomer and has the same reaction. His cigarette dropping down to the floor.

-Ah. – They both say at the same time, clearly not expecting to meet each other so soon.

The world surely is a small place, huh…