Devil's Luck Pirates

Word of what happened back at the saloon has already spread. The crew starts attracting all sorts of looks and hushed comments while walking through town. The funny thing is, they would attract a lot less attention if the people of Krendor knew they're pirates. Thanks to the lack of a Jolly Roger and a clear presentation as most pirates do, William and crew are just some weird people that came to cause trouble.

They, however, pay little to no attention to their surroundings. Except for Pearl, who's constantly moving back and forth to be covered by either Duros or Ragnar.

-So, where's that casino you mentioned? – William asks excitedly. Hearing the word 'casino' is like music to his ears.

-Relax, partner. – Atom says as he walks at a fast pace in front of them – We have to talk to the Bun Man first.

-The "Bun Man"? – Verona asks confused.

-Well, I certainly can go for some buns right now! – Duros says with no sarcasm whatsoever.

As they continue walking, Pearl notices from the corner of her eye a weird expression on Gravy's face.

-Hey, Gravy. Is everything alright? – She asks while slowing her pace to match his.

-Oh… y-yes, everything's ok. No need to worry. – He responds with a forced smile, trying to reassure her.

-It's ok if you don't want to talk about it. When I first started sailing with these morons, I also had a lot of things I didn't want to talk about… – Pearl looks ahead of them as William and Atom continue to discuss the importance of the "Bun Man" – But that didn't stop them from caring about me and my problems. Even when I wasn't an official member of the crew.

Everywhere Pearl went people tried to deceive her, use her, or outright avoid her. So people she can truly trust and confide in are really precious and important to her. And now, she's willing to be that kind of person for a fellow crewmate.

-What I'm trying to say is, if you ever want to talk about anything, I'll be here.

Gravy smiles again. For real this time.

-Thank you, Pearl. I'll keep that in mind.

-We're here. – Atom says, stopping in front of a building not dissimilar to the others around it. Except for the sign above the door that has the words "Bun Shop" written on it.

Wasting no time, Atom opens the and heads inside. The crew follows him, coming across a nice, little bakery. A tall man with a big white, beard springs from behind the counter.

-Welcome! Welcome to the Bun Shop! – He greets them, full of enthusiasm – Are you here for some buns?

Atom immediately walks up to him – Nah. We're here for some meat. – He says ominously.

-Oh! Well then, right this way… – The Bun Man says before opening a door behind him and giving way for the group to enter.

Atom, again, wasting no time heads to the door. But is stopped for one of the silliest reasons imaginable.

-Ah… I'd like to have a bun, yes. – William says like a child asking for candy – Do you guys want some buns too?

With everyone agreeing on having some buns, they spend about five minutes getting a bun each. Except for Atom, of course. He even looks at the crew with hungry eyes as they savor the best buns Krendor has to offer.

-Sorry, Atom. I'll only buy buns for crew and crew trainees. – William says with a cheeky smile as he enjoys a delicious bun.

-Atom, would you like half of my bun? – Gravy asks as he offers him said half.

-That's mighty kind of you, partner. – He says as he takes the bun from the cook's hand and eats it – Alright, are yall ready to go now?

With their bellies a little bit happier, the group goes through the back door, descending the long set of stairs that leads them to another door where some faint music can be heard from the other side.

Atom opens the door at the bottom of the staircase, revealing a dingy-looking place with a few round tables where people seem to be engaging in different types of gambling games. A bar in one corner where a rather simple piano next to it is being played by a fancy-looking man.

-Since yall are looking for information about pirates, that girl right there is your best bet. – Atom says, pointing to a table where a woman is sitting down, with a grin on her face as she shuffles a deck of cards.

She has dark, black hair in a pixie cut that matches her eyes. A scar that runs across her nose, and arms covered in tattoos. She wears a red, crop top that exposes her abs with a padded, black vest on top of that, and a pair of black heavy boots and gloves. Her baggy, black pants are held up by a wide, brown belt. And, most strikingly of all; four guns traped to different parts of her body.

Ragnar immediately heads towards the woman and slams the flag of the Steam Pipe Pirates on the table in front of her.

-Wow… Howdy, there. – She says surprised with the same type of accent that Atom has. It must be something characteristic of the people on this island – Daggnabit, ya took me by surprise there, big guy. Can I help you with something?

-I'm looking for the owner of this flag. – Ragnar responds as he lifts his hand from the Jolly Roger, letting her have a closer look – His name is Eustass Valve.

-Ah, a very forward man. I like that. – She takes the flag in her hands and starts looking at it in detail – Well, I certainly have that kind of information. The question now is; what are you willing to bet for it? Also, no offense, but ya don't look like the brightest tool in the shed, so maybe ya want to leave this to one of your-

She interrupts herself as she scans Ragnar's group of friends and lands her eyes on Gravy.

-Is that Gravy?! – She asks with happiness in her voice. As if meeting with her dear brother after a long time.

-Hey there, Bullet. It's been a while. – Gravy greets her, feeling a bit awkward.

-It sure has been! Weren't you working on a Marine ship? What you're doing with these guys?

The group just keeps looking back and forth as these two share a moment, completely out of the loop.

-Well, it's a long story. And I think you have some business to attend to, right now. – Gravy quickly points out to the crew.

-No, no; now you'll have to explain what the hell is going on here. – William says, reflecting the feelings of everyone at the moment.

-Gravy used to work here at the casino as a cook. – Bullet explains – His cooking is the best I've ever had!

-Well, we certainly can agree on that, lady! – Duros says.

-Oh… I knew I've seen you somewhere before… – Atom comments.

-This is all good and dandy, but can we get back on track now, please? – Verona suggests, trying to get this matter over with.

-Oh, right. – Bullet says, composing herself – As I said; if you want the information, yall have to bet something in exchange.

-Well, I'm not good when it comes to this type of thing. That's more of a job for my Captain. – Ragnar says and, as if on cue, William steps in.

-That is, indeed, a job for me, dear Ragnar. – William says.

-Captain, huh… Not a Marine captain, I presume. – Bullet asks scanning him from head to toe.

-Oh, hell no. Quite the opposite. – He says showing off his wanted poster that he took from Hubris's ship. With the addition of several zeros to his bounty.

-You could've used the same color pen; you know? – She responds trying to hold back her laughter as she sees the 1,000,000,000 Belly bounty, clearly scribbled on top of his original 10,000,000 Belly with a red pen.

The rest of his crew only sighs, and facepalms.

-So you're 'the' Captain William, huh… The man who killed Captain Marrow's father. – Bullet comments as she leans back on her chair – He's really pissed about that; you know?

-Ahem, yes. I'm well aware of Marrow's feelings towards me. – William responds as he sits down; putting away his wanted poster – Now, you said we need to bet something in exchange for your services, correct? How much do you want?

-Oh, darling. We don't work with money here. – Bullet says with a giggle – It is illegal to gamble for money here on Krendor. But no one said anything about everything else… – A sinister grin manifests on her face.

-Oh… so, what could be a reasonable offer to you? – William asks.

-I like this Ragnar fellow. – She takes the deck of cards she was previously shuffling – How about this: If you win, I'll tell you everything I know about Valve and his crew. But if I win… – She starts to shuffle the card with such skill that even William is impressed by it – I get Ragnar all to myself.

A tense atmosphere settles between them. The idea of betting someone's life is very daunting, even for William. Especially when it comes to an important crewmate and friend.

-Wait a minute, we don't bet the lives of our friends here, lady. – Duros says with a serious tone.

-He's right. – Verona adds – Ask us for everything we have, but we'll never give away one of our friends.

-What a mighty loyal crew you have, William. – Bullet says with amusement.

-William, you can't accept something like that! – Pearl says with a bit of anger.

Bullet couldn't take a good look at her before. But now that Pearl stepped a little bit closer, she checks her out and smiles to herself.

Gravy again opts to stay out of this since he's not officially part of the crew yet, and Atom just pulls up a chair and sits a bit farther from the group, waiting for them to resolve this situation.

William stays silent as the crew puts forward their complaints while staring at Bullet, who in turn responds with the same type of look, albeit a bit flirtier.

-Ragnar, are you ok with her terms? – He asks without breaking eye contact with her.

-CHAHAHA! Don't worry about me, Captain. After all; you're gonna win this easily, right? – Ragnar responds without a care in the world.

-Damn straight I will. – William responds matching the confidence of his shipwright.

-That's what I like to hear… – Bullet declares, full of enthusiasm as she starts dealing the cards.