Shivre Mountain Rescue

[reddaddy]

"So this is what you've been up to Al? This is why you didn't come to find me? And what's worse, I'm the one who tried to court this lovely lady and gave her the room number here! What the hell Albert?!"

Albert kept laughing. Berry didn't know if the old man heard anything he said. Nonetheless, the frustrated redhead kept speaking,

"I thought something happened to you. I thought old age took you, or you were robbed and killed at the port, or something else might have happened after you hadn't come for me. You've always been able to find me when I've hit a snag and couldn't return. Do you know how worried I was?"

"Aw, that's so sweet that he was worried about you Albert", the young waitress commented. Berry just stared at her. She then picked up her clothes and walked out the door. As the redhead saw her walk out he couldn't help but stare at her backside, and an ero look temporarily took shape on his face. Shaking his head to rid him self of such thoughts he then stared at Albert, waiting for him to speak.

Albert sighed, his laughter finally played out, and stood up from the bed. "Well as you can tell I'm fine. The first thing I should tell you is I trust you. I didn't look for you because I know you can handle yourself. The second thing you should know is while you were resting at the hospital Dr. Gasbuu came to me. He told me what happened and told me you were ok; that you sustained some injuries but you would recover. He also told me you had questions about me."

Berry was elated; He was happy to hear that Albert trusted him, so much that his quirk from his devil fruit had him jump up and down a few times. What also pleased him was that Albert indirectly admitted to having some ties in his past to Shivre Mountain. Finally some answers would come to Berry about his mysterious benefactor.

"About my past", Albert continued,"I have nothing to say. I'm sorry."

The redhead hung his head low and clenched his fists, his anger visible. Berry then said quietly "as you wish", and then turned to walk out of the room. He then stopped and turned to face his old friend,

"The Piper will be completely restocked with all provisions needed for the next trip. I contracted that with Dr. Gasbuu. I did this because I intend to go my own way. This has nothing to do with this discussion... I love you Al, so I'll come see you before I set out on my own to say goodbye."

Berry then walked out, stifling tears. Albert said nothing. The businessman then walked out of the inn and proceeded to the port. Looking for a shipyard, he eventually found one. It was a large shipyard and there were many shipwrights working, but it looked like they were all settling down as they were going to quit work for the day: it was early evening now. Berry approached one of the working men as he was grabbing his lunch box to head home,

"Good day to you sir. I was hoping you could tell me where I could find the owner to this fine business."

The shipwright kept walking. He didn't say a word but he pointed to an office building. Berry tipped his hat as a way of saying thanks. He then walked to the office and knocked on the door. A young woman answered. She had brown hair and a muscular build. She wore overalls and had a tool belt around her waste. A pencil for drafting ship design was tucked behind one of her ears. She looked up at the merchant, as she was quite short, and asked,

"Can I help you?"

Berry took his hat off and stretched out his hand for a handshake. "My name is Berry Kane. Are you the owner here?"

"Yup. Name's Eve."

"It's nice to meet you." She shook Berry's hand. Berry then pulled his reward money from his envelope and counted out 7,000 beli. He then handed it to the owner. "I want a caravel built. Give it a luxurious interior if you can. You can design it as you wish, with the exception that a gym is needed for exercise. There is another 1,000 beli here to make it a rush job. I need it done in 3 days. You can build the ship from scratch or modify a ship you already have on hand to help with the interior."

She took the money from the redhead's hands and counted it. She then said,"ok, 3 days should be all I need for a restoration on an old caravel we've had in drydock for the last 2 years. Consider it done."

Berry was astonished there was no effort to negotiate, but then he looked at where she was looking, which was directly at his bandages that covered his chest. Apparently she had a soft spot for the injured. The merchant put his hat back on and then tipped it to her and left. It was time to find another inn, as Berry wanted to created distance between him and his mentor.

Once the businessman was back in Shivre In and on his way to an inn he noted a general store was about to close. Berry ran in before it did and placed an order for all provisions needed to supply a crew of 2 out on the sea for a month. He made a special emphasis to order extra food and water. David and himself were big eaters, and Berry was going to ask the young fighter to join his crew once he recovered. The thought of having the strong young man be his first mate excited him. His first crewman; his right-hand man. It was a nice distraction from the concerns he had about his old friend.

Finding an inn that looked like a hole in the wall, Berry looked up and saw the sign over the building that read,"Hole in the Wall Inn". "How appropriate", Berry thought.

Berry got a room and rested for the night. Unfortunately for him, it would be a restless sleep.

The next morning Berry awoke and after shaving, showering, and getting his laundry started he went to a clothes shop about a block from the inn he was staying at.  After spending about 20 minutes looking at different clothes a tailor working there had walked up to him to ask what he wanted.  After another 20 minutes or so of conversation, measurements, and price haggling, the merchant left the store in a brand new black suit.  He had new shoes, a new hat, a new tie, new shades and dress socks with no holes in them, and a white vest to complete the look.  He also had a new briefcase to complete the ensemble.  After acquiring what Berry thought to himself as "awesome duds" he went to check on David at the hospital.  He was still unconscious.  His color was much improved and the nurse in charge seemed less tense about David's recovery.  Berry asked the nurse to contact him at the "Hole in the Wall" inn as soon as David was set to leave.

Over the next few days the merchant would prepare for his life of piracy, purchasing cannons, ammunition, sails and rope, spare material to patch the ship, sea charts and maps, sextants, writing materials, clothes, extra pistols and rifles (3 of each), cutlasses, daggers, extra tools for repairs as his carpentry tools he had on his own were too oriented to home construction, and anything else he could think of.  He even bought high quality cookware.  Berry also took the time to design and have made his Jolly Roger.  This was the most important purchase to him.  The appearance was to be a traditional skull and crossbones, but the skull wore 2 eye patches with bright golden beli signs etched on them.  

The last preparations Berry made was for a party.  The businessman met again with the council and apologized for his behavior after he awoke in the hospital.  He shook hands with Serl, Carak, and Asher and invited them all and the men of the rescue operation to a party he was going to throw at Shivre Inn.  There would be food and drink for all, and arrangements for music were also being made through the owners of the inn.  All the guests could come "plus 10", which was sure to mean the party would be huge.  The council readily agreed.  

From there Berry went back to the "Hole in the Wall" and awaited news of David's awakening. The call finally came from the hospital in the early afternoon. The excited merchant called Shivre Inn and had them set up the party and headed his way there. After he arrived he began to help set up for the party himself, invited Albert down, and welcomed guests who arrived early.

(The bill for supplies and party extravagance will set Berry back 5,000 beli) 

[Deleted]

After he left the hospital, almost immediately the nurse who answered his questions called for him. As he turned around, she held a note that seemed to be more like a letter, and as she spoke, his mind started to think about inviting the shooter into his crew, to be his first mate. When she caught the fact that he wasn't listening to a word she said, she actually snapped at him, shouting:

"HEY, LEARN HOW TO LISTEN TO PEOPLE!"

David having no idea what she just said just replied in a simple, 'huh' before continuing to daydream. He didn't really care until he got a slap to the face, and then he was listening. The young fighter was also quite angry, and hungry. His stomach growled, needing just one drumstick or a apple, or anything really that could suffice it's own hunger.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

David, who finished his daydreaming, decided to interact with the lady.

"I almost forgot to tell you, a man called uh.. Berry something decided to ask for you to meet him at the 'Hole In The Wall Inn'."

His ears perked up, getting information about Berry added into the lists of importance to him.

"Wait a second, where's the tailors?" David needed to clean himself up, he was dusty, his clothes was torn and he smelt like rotten dung. After getting back to Shivre In, he went to the nearest tailors to fix his vest and hat. Taking out 1000 beli, he paid the man and the tailors did a splendid job, but David's expectations was very low. Next, he needed a ship. He waltzed about, until he found a shipyard.

Seeing a office building, he entered in and found a female shipwright making some plans for a caravel. Going towards her, he simply asked.

"Oi, whose that ship for?"

She immediately jumped up, almost ruining the sketch. David's head almost steamed after getting hit from her. David was pissed, yet he got judging eyes from her. The feeling was not good.

"If you would like to know.." She took her breath. "I'm making a ship for a injured person, now shoo." Hmm.. using his AWESOME powers of thinking, he thought of Kane...

Meh, I'll just go to the Inn and see whats up, he thought.

So he went.

[reddaddy]

The party had really kicked off at Shivre Inn.  While initially everyone that was invited brought their "plus 10" with them others in the neighborhood couldn't help but notice the music and the crowd gathering into the building and decided to check things out.  Berry was so drunk he just started inviting anyone in to the party that was interested in having fun.  There was no longer a need for secrecy; once the militia had to charge up the mountain pass to assist with the mayor's rescue operation it didn't take long for the town to find out what had happened.  The party was mixed with shouts of joy in the rescue operation's success, militia victory, and pride that the bandits took a beating.  There were literally hundreds of people who were coming and going in the early afternoon that were partying as if it was the weekend.  

Berry sat with Albert and they were having lively conversation about the past; the perils of navigating the "Warring Route", all of their close calls at sea, and all the times Albert knocked out Berry during their training (only Albert laughed at those moments).  It was a conversation full of laughter but had an underlying sorrow that no one but the apprentice and mentor could understand; one last trip down memory lane before they went separate ways.  The 2 men were interrupted by 2 militiamen who approached the table where they sat.  One of them spoke,

"Mr. Kane, I'm Carl, and this is Rick", he then pointed to the militiaman standing next to him and handed the redhead the rifle he had dropped when he had first met the council, "We were the 2 soldiers that fought along side you during the rescue operation."

Berry stood from his chair and immediately shook both of their hands,

"That was you two?  Man you guys sure were tough and crazy!  Can you believe everythin' that happened?  It was nuts!  I'm sure glad that you both made it outta there okay!"  The merchants formal way of speaking was abandoned after becoming drunk.

"Ya it was!", replied Rick.  Then Carl spoke,

"We just wanted to thank you for coming to help.  Even if Rick and I toughed it out because of our training and the fact we were lucky enough not to get wounded, the mayor, the wait staff, Lawrence, and David all woulda been goners if you hadn't showed up."

"Aw fo'-get-a-bout-it!  If I had shown up as I am now I'dda just been shot full o' holes.  Its Dr. Gasbuu's robot that saved the day.  I'm just glad you're all alright, alright?"

Carl and Rick both smiled, then Rick spoke,

"We're glad you're okay too.  But we have to ask, if you don't mind, how did you fly like that?  I mean, that was incredible the way you jumped down the pass like that.  We've never seen anything like it!"

"Aw that's nothing!  I ate this fru-"  Albert quickly jumped in,

"Berry, you shouldn't say anyth-"

"Aw it's alright, these guys are ma new friends!  Anyways I ate this devil fruit called the Hazu Hazu no Mi, so now I'm a bouncing man.  Pretty neat huh?"  Berry then started to laugh.  The party stopped suddenly and everyone stared at him.  Whispers could be heard from the crowd after the merchant stopped laughing.  "There's a devil inside of him", and "Isn't he dangerous?"
The atmosphere suddenly became serious.  

Albert started to shake his head.  He grabbed the redhead by the arm,

"It's time to go Berry."  He then pulled on Berry's arm, but the merchant wouldn't budge.  The old mentor stared at his apprentice with a questioning look on his face as to why Berry was being defiant.

"Albert, I don't want want to live like that anymore."

"Berry, we have to go.  We have to go now.  You know how people react."

"It's cuz they don't know!", shouted Berry, who then turned to face the crowd.  "Yes, I ate a devil fruit.  Here's what you should know:  Number one, they taste horrible, and I mean HORRIBLE.  Two, they give you powers.  Three, they put a devil or a curse or somethin' in you that turns you into a hammer.  Four...they can be lots of fun!"  The merchant then ran to the bar and slapped 4 recently poured glasses of ale in one swing of his arm.  The drinks all went flying towards a table were Lawrence, the mayor, Serl, and Carak sat, and landed right in front of them without a drop spilled.  "Oooh", and "Ahhhhh" could be heard from the crowd.

"Ok, everyone drinks er on me!  Raise yer hand if ya want one!  And barkeep keep 'em comin!"  

People started raising there hands and Berry began goofing off, knocking drinks across the room, sometimes spinning, sometimes curving, sometimes even bouncing off objects and ricocheting, only to end up in the end in the hands of those that raised them.  People soon started making requests for crazy tosses.  "Between the legs!"  So Berry would pass bounce one between his legs to a partygoer.  "Underneath the waitress' skirt!"  The drunk merchant did that and everyone laughed.  Then the waitress slapped him for her skirt being blown up, which made everyone laugh harder.  "Blind folded!"  The redhead tried that one and completely missed, tossing the drink outside.  Then someone from outside yelled ,"Thank you!", and everyone started laughing again.  The businessman himself was laughing hard, and when he looked over at Albert, he was laughing too.

It was mid laughter when Berry noticed David walk through the door.  Berry stopped laughing and just smiled.  He didn't know if David noticed him, but the party was just beginning.  He would wait to talk to David when the fighter seemed ready.

[Deleted]

After getting some information from the female shipwright, David decided to go to his last destination, the Hole in the Wall inn, yet first he had to go back to Shivre In. David really hated that, since the last time the fighter and the rescue team, it even felt like it was years since they saved the mayor, had to go to the mountain pass it was a painful and wet experience, yet to ask the man to join his crew would be more then a better will then bothering himself about the rain. When he finished getting more supplies, more meat and just two apples, he headed out to go Shivre In.

Taking a breath, he headed out towards the direction of Shivre In, hoping not to get very furious by the time he got out of there, and yet the determination to deliver a punch to the nearest person he saw was almost eating him inside. Just like a miracle, he managed to get into Shivre In and he ticked off one of the objectives in his mental mind. Get through Shivre In, check. Don't be shivering until you got out of there however, not check. Oh well.

Walking through the inns just like a person who has no idea where they are going, he tried to find a sign saying the specific location, and yet he couldn't find it. A few minutes of searching around, he thought would show him where he wanted to go, yet it just made him more lost. His hearing sense was much more developed though, thanks to his dad's brutal training. It made him smile when he thought of home. Now, he just needed to think of - wait, laughter? What the hell? David turned around to see a door that was brighten to the max, and went towards it like a dog.

The words, oh my, so shiny, repeated itself into his subconscious, as his curiosity got the better of him as he started to open the door. What revealed to him however, was the sounds of people enjoying themselves, a proper party. It almost blown him away, as he stared, dumbfounded at the people who was having a great time. A glass cup, filled with a orange substance that he would have called beer just passed his head, before ricocheting to a man's hand. The man was very happy, even drunk, possibly.

David then used his eyes to identify people, to use pieces of his memory to find out who was who, what was what and why was why. Wait, there is Carl, and wait, wait, was that Rick?! Why are all these people who were in the rescue team here- wait wait wait.. Did they, oh hell no, they had a party while he was recovering? Well, the feeling of recovering while fighting a 'epic battle to save the mayor' was fine as well. And in all his glory, the person who David would say was the most drunk out of all of them, mister Berry Kane. He made a sigh of relief, and also judged him. He was supposed to be a wise person. He found a seat next to Berry, and soot down. Noticing him, Berry spoke.

"Oi."  Berry's head turned to David, his face filled with ecstasy.

"Why'd you leave me out of the party?"

His smile turned into a smirk of mischief.

[reddaddy]

Berry could see David scanning the room after he entered the inn.  The drunk merchant pretended not to notice the fighter, even as he approached, as he wanted the young man to think he was somehow excluded from the celebration:  It would make the surprise the redhead had for him all the much better.


"Why'd you leave me out of the party?" asked David as he sat down next to Berry, a sort of mischievous smile on his face.

"Hey David, ya made it!"  Berry smiled and then jumped to his feet.  He wobbled a bit and braced himself on the table due to being intoxicated, but then he grabbed the glass he was drinking from and a spoon next it and clanged the spoon on the glass to get everyone's attention.  It took a few moments for everyone to quiet down.  Once they did Berry cleared his throat and spoke,

"Alright everyone.  This guy here is DAVID.  He went on the rescue mission ta save the mayor!  He got paid preeeetty good for it too!"  The drunk merchant then let out a loud belch but put his hand up to his audience indicating he had more to say.

"But there were things up there in dat mountain he did dat he wasn't paid ta do!  When yer in trouble and yer a resc-u-er, well, who rescues the rescuer?  The answer is- THIS GUY!"  Berry then pointed to David as he sat there.  "He wuz fightin' for da lives of not only da mayor but every other hero on dat mountain.  He carried wounded men on 'is shoulders.  He faught the werst of da werst, and when his own time came, when he musta thought it was curtains for 'im, do yall know what he told me?"

The drunk paused for a second and put his hand on his ear while leaning forward, as if to illicit an answer from the crowd.  Someone yelled "What'd he tell you Berry!"  Another yelled "You're too drunk!"  Berry put his hand down from his ear and yelled,

"He said: RESCUE EM!!  GET EM OUTTA HERE!!"

"Ya see folks his only concern, when death was starin' him in da face, was fer the lives of others!  When a man's gonna die, dat's when you find out what ee's made of, THAT's when ya find out what matta's!  Up to dat point he was fightin', he was savin' people, and ee was protectin' his comrades, and even before he was gonna kick da bucket continuin' to protect them wuz all dat mattered to im'!"

The redhead then turned to David.  Berry knew even though he was drunk he had the crowd eating out of his hand so he used it to his advantage.  He raised his hands up and down in a waving motion as if to ask everyone to stand up.

"David, fer conspicu- conspicuo-, for being really SUPER brave and COMPASSIONATE in da face of death, I hereby award you the "Kane ovation"".  The merchant started clapping, and everyone joined in.  There were people whistling and cheering David.  They all had smiles on their faces that depicted a gratitude and aw for their savior.  

Berry wondered what must be going through the young fighter's mind when seeing the display before him.  He then walked up to David and shook his hand before he could say anything and shouted at him,

"DAVID...JOIN MY CREW!!!"

[Deleted]

Time was slow for the brawler, as the boy examined everybody's happiness. He thought of these people as family, as he started to get more and more included in the partying. All too soon, David found himself sat back down on the chair as Berry tapped a glass with a spoon that he held. The redhead then began to speak, yet the fighter barely understood since most of his speech was blurred and in a way, you could already tell he was drunk by looking at him. 

"Alright everyone. This guy here is DAVID. He went on the rescue mission ta save the mayor! He got paid preeeetty good for it too!" The drunkard merchant said, David's face blushed a bit as he hid his face, he loved fighting yet he just didn't like to be in the spotlight for some reason. Unless it was for beating up a gigantic monster, that is.

The young lad watched as the merchant raised his hand, yet David didn't understood what he was trying to do. He was about to say something, something that was important to David and would hope to start up his pirate crew, when the drunk man continued. 


"But there were things up there in dat mountain he did dat he wasn't paid ta do! When yer in trouble and yer a resc-u-er, well, who rescues the rescuer? The answer is- THIS GUY!" David got pointed at, his face was still confused. "He wuz fightin' for da lives of not only da mayor but every other hero on dat mountain. He carried wounded men on 'is shoulders. He faught the werst of da werst, and when his own time came, when he musta thought it was curtains for 'im, do yall know what he told me?"

The shouts of a few men didn't bother him, as the young boy was now intrigued, latched onto his intoxicated speech. He hoped that the redhead would recover from his drunken state, as seeing him talk like that was stabbing him in the back.


"He said: RESCUE EM!! GET EM OUTTA HERE!!" Well, the only reason he said that was just because it was in the moment. The fighter clenched his fists, as he realized how desperate that phrase was. The chef didn't want to get forgotten, as he really thought his life was going to end. His thoughts was shot through as the man continued.

"Ya see folks his only concern, when death was starin' him in da face, was fer the lives of others! When a man's gonna die, dat's when you find out what ee's made of, THAT's when ya find out what matta's! Up to dat point he was fightin', he was savin' people, and ee was protectin' his comrades, and even before he was gonna kick da bucket continuin' to protect them wuz all dat mattered to im'!"


The brawler's eyes met with the drunkard. The redhead made a signal for everybody to arise. The so called savior was sweating.

"David, fer conspicu- conspicuo-, for being really SUPER brave and COMPASSIONATE in da face of death, I hereby award you the "Kane ovation" The ginger started clapping, and so did everybody, and all David could do is just scratch the back of his head while awkwardly laughing. His eyes was closed as he couldn't see the gratitude from everybody in the crowd.
David then felt a sticky hand reach his, and he opened his eyes to see Kane shaking his hand. He was about to try and give the invitation to his crew, before getting asked..

"DAVID...JOIN MY CREW!!!" Damn. He asked first. Well, he wouldn't mind being the first rate of a captain. And he is older then him, so that saves him from doing stupid decisions. It even seemed like he was planning to go to seas. Sure, he'll go with him. With a smile on his face, he replied.

"Of course, captain."

[reddaddy]

When David answered in the affirmative that he would join his crew, Berry was ecstatic.  He gave the young fighter a pat on the shoulder and the handed him a pint of ale.  Taking one for himself as well, he then yelled "CHEERS!" and the two men clanked the glasses together and drank.  After this the crowd of party-goers cheered a little more themselves and then went back to partying on their own, as the merchant's big speech was over and people could see he wanted to talk to his new crewman.  When it seemed everyone around the 2 men were suitably distracted Berry began his talk with David as they sat at the table.

"David, we'come ta da "Fortune Pirates."  That's what we're gonna call ourselves, cuz wherever we go, I'm zure good fortunes gonna be wit' us.  On da morrow we will part, so Imma gonna get some rest an' sleep so's I don't 'ave ta set sail wit' a hangover.  Erly in da mornin we'ze gonna see da new ship.  It's fully stocked already.  Enjoy da party; all of da staff at dis inn 'as been ordered to cater ta all your rekuests.  You need somethin' jus' ask em'."

The redhead then looked at Albert who was the only other person sitting with them and listening in on the conversation.  "Al, help me to ma' room, I'mma nap."

Albert allowed the seemingly super-stupored Berry to lean on his shoulder as they walked on the stair well and headed for room 11.  It was an odd sight for anyone watching; how could a man as seemingly frail, small, and old looking as Albert help carry the big redhead up the stairs?  Yet he did so without difficulty.  Once the door closed behind them after entering the room the merchant took his arm off of his mentor's shoulder and sat in a red, decorative chair next to a small brown coffee table that was in the room.  Albert decided to sit on the edge of the bed.  Berry let out a big sigh, then told Albert,

"Tomorrow morning is the last we'll see of each other for a while Al."

Albert, with a calm expression on his face, laid on his back and stretch out his arms on the bed as he was trying to get comfortable, and replied,

"I know.  You still want to hang on to that dream do you?  The one your father left you?  The dream of living a life so grand that Gold Roger himself would be jealous?"

Berry smiled and then lit up a cigarette.  Blowing out a plume of smoke, he answered,

"Yup, that's the one.  I owe it to my parents Al.  I owe it to myself.  But the person I owe it most of all is you."

Albert let a small smile appear on his face.  "You don't owe me anything berry, you've always-"
The redhead cut him off.  "Let me finish what I was saying first."

The old man let out a sigh of his own and then motioned with his hand to suggest that the his apprentice carry on.  Berry put out his cigarette on an ash tray that sat on the coffee table.

"I'd be dead if you didn't discover me when you did.  I had nothing left; everything was taken from me.  I wanted to die; to join my parents in death, but you wouldn't let me.  You saw something in me that I didn't even see in myself.  Hell Al, I'm not sure I see it now, but I can start to feel it.  Like there's something out there that's great, and it's just for me, and if I carry on living just a little longer I can grab a hold of it."  Berry then got up from his chair and got on all fours.  His knees both bent and he put his forehead on the floor.  Albert stood up from the bed and looked down at his apprentice.  "For everything you've done for me...you have my heart felt gratitude!  I'll never forget any of it and I'll NEVER turn my back on what you've taught me!  Thank you Albert!"  The redhead heard a sniffling noise coming from in front of him and when he looked up, he could see Albert crying.  Berry stood up and gave his mentor-no, his adoptive father a hug.  After hugging for a few seconds Albert asked,

"By the way, what happened to your drunken slurring?"

"Oh, I'm not that drunk.  I just wanted to lighten up the atmosphere of the party.  Do you think it worked?"

Albert laughed, "It sure as hell did you fool!"

The next morning came.  Berry was able to eat and get to bed early, successfully ridding himself of any chances of a hangover.  Before leaving his room at the inn he gave Albert one last handshake.  His mentor then handed him a small sack; inside of which was a vivre card linked to Albert and a flash dial (OOC:  this was gained when I made an entry in the October perk).  It was 7 am when the new pirate captain and his first mate met at the port of Shivre Mountain after eating a hearty breakfast at the inn.  Once there they were directed by Eve, the shipwright  and owner of the shipyard called "Ship R' Us", to the ship in which the 2 pirates would set sail.

It was a caravel as Berry directed.  It didn't look brand new as it was refurbished, but to the new Captain it was a sight to behold.  It possessed 2 sails, a square sail in the front and a lateen sail in the back.  The front mast had a crow's nest on top. The ship was painted jet black.  On the main deck there were 2 quarter decks, one at the front and one at the back of the ship.  The helm was a wheel in the middle of the main deck.  Close to the wooden wheel of the helm were cranks on each side that were connected to pulleys that connected to the sails, so that whomever was guiding the helm could also direct the sails to catch the wind of the seas.  Inside the back quarter deck there was the kitchen and the Captain's quarters.  In the front quarter deck the entire space was dedicated as a gym, with weights and workout machines of various sorts.  

The lower deck had 2 bedrooms in the back half of the ship with each one being across from each other as they were connected to opposite walls of the ship.  In between them was a bathroom, that had a toilet and a shower stall and a kind of bike-peddle system with which to draw water, that was connected to the rear wall of the ship.  It also came with a sink and cabinetry for storage.  The bedrooms and bathroom were rather large, as the "luxury" design of the ship meant less rooms but more space for each room ( a non-luxury design would have meant 5 bedrooms and a bathroom that was just a toilet)  The middle portion of the ships had 4 cannons, 2 stationed at each wall of the ship, with plenty of gun powder, oil, cannon balls, and fuses.  The very front of the of the lower deck held the anchor and stored the crew's supplies; weapons, preserved foods, rigging, medicine, etc.  There was still plenty of room left in this area, but it was left as an undedicated free zone for the crew to decide what to do with later.

Finally underneath it all was the hold, which was almost completely empty except for the extra food provisions Berry ordered to stockpile the ship as he knew David and himself were big eaters.  A couple of "smuggler" hatches were installed in this space to hide contraband items or people.  Once the tour was finished Berry turned to Eve,

"Eve this is fantastic!  You must have really gone all out!  To do this in 3 days, I'm really amazed, what compelled you to throw in all these extras?"

The young female shipwright blushed as she stared at Berry's bandages that could be seen popping out from the top of his new suit.  She answered "I like muscles" and then kissed him on the lips quickly.  Saying nothing else and leaving the Captain himself stunned and blushing, she ran out of the ship.  After she did, the merchant couldn't help but wear a look of stupid happiness on his face.  David stared at him and seemed disturbed by the sight.  The redhead snapped out of his funk,

"I hereby name this ship "The Gambit".  Mr. Fisuto, let us make preparations to set sail!  Our journey as pirates begins!"  Then Berry's nose started bleeding.

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After saying yes, the redhead handed him a pint of ale which he desperately needed, and joined in in saying "CHEERS!!" His voice was more louder then Berry's however, due to the fact that the brawler was now in his partying mood. Finishing the ale in almost a entire gulp, the rest of the party cheered themselves and went onto celebrating their own. The young lad was confused on how nobody was staying around them, yet they knew that the merchant would probably would have wanted to talk to David. He got leaded to a table, and he sat down. The drunken Captain then spoke in a slurred manner, about the name of the crew.

"David, we'come ta da "Fortune Pirates." That's what we're gonna call ourselves, cuz wherever we go, I'm zure good fortunes gonna be wit' us. On da morrow we will part, so Imma gonna get some rest an' sleep so's I don't 'ave ta set sail wit' a hangover. Erly in da mornin we'ze gonna see da new ship. It's fully stocked already. Enjoy da party; all of da staff at dis inn 'as been ordered to cater ta all your rekuests. You need somethin' jus' ask em'."

While Berry's attention was diverted to a old man, David thought to himself, 'A cooler name would be the Cracked Skull Pirates', however the boy just went with it, seeing how he had respect for his leader and wouldn't really disagree with his choices unless it was a VERY bad decision that would have costed them both their lives. Once done with his inner monologue, he listened onto the conversation with the merchant and this 'Al'.

"Al, help me to ma' room, I'mma nap." To David's surprise, he watched as 'Al' granted Berry to lean on his shoulder as they walked up the stairs. How could such a old and possibly weak geezer carry a big, and a good chance heavy, bloke? His pupils even grew as the senior did it without difficultly. The fighter wondered how strong 'Al' is, and if possibly, was Berry's mentor. Something felt off to David, so he decided to knock on his Captain's door to see if everything was okay. The warrior, or a small warrior, then went to knock on the door, before hearing some speech.

"Tomorrow morning is the last we'll see of each other for a while Al." Wait a second, was he faking the tone? HOW DID DAVID NOT KNOW?! The boy couldn't deepen in his thoughts however, as the conversation continued.

"I know. You still want to hang on to that dream do you? The one your father left you? The dream of living a life so grand that Gold Roger himself would be jealous?" A sound of a cigarette was lit as the brawler thought to himself, his captain had a dream? He didn't think to himself, just let the conversation develop more and more.

"Yup, that's the one. I owe it to my parents Al. I owe it to myself. But the person I owe it most of all is you."


"You don't owe me anything Berry, you've always-"

His voice was cut off.

"Let me finish what I was saying first."

"I'd be dead if you didn't discover me when you did. I had nothing left; everything was taken from me. I wanted to die; to join my parents in death, but you wouldn't let me. You saw something in me that I didn't even see in myself. Hell Al, I'm not sure I see it now, but I can start to feel it. Like there's something out there that's great, and it's just for me, and if I carry on living just a little longer I can grab a hold of it."

There was a pause.

"For everything you've done for me...you have my heart felt gratitude! I'll never forget any of it and I'll NEVER turn my back on what you've taught me! Thank you Albert!" David's tear fell, and so did this 'Albert'. The respect for the Captain grew more as David rubbed his eyes. He went back to the party and soon blacked out from exhaustion. 

It was the next day, when David and Redhead Berry ate breakfast at the inn and met each other at the port. The same lady that David bumped into a day.. or more ago he thought was the one that leaded them into a shipyard called 'Ship R Us'. The ship that the newly formed crew was going to sail in was there.

It didn't really look new, yet it looked like something that a evil pirate crew would use. A jet black color, a square sail in the front and a triangular looking sail at the back. The front mast had a place for someone to look out for, enemy ships or bad weather perhaps. Going through, the only things that caught David's attention was the kitchen and the gym, as the chef was going to use both very frequently. After the tour was finished, the fighter stayed silent as the two other people spoke with each other. His Captain exclaimed:

"Eve this is fantastic! You must have really gone all out! To do this in 3 days, I'm really amazed, what compelled you to throw in all these extras?"

The boy's face went to a disgusted expression as she blushed and replied with the following: 'I like muscles.' Oh boy. She gave him a kiss, ergh, and went off. The lad's Captain had a smile of happiness, the stupid kind. The younger of the two gave him the 'really' stare. His face deepened into the 'Oh god' stare as he noticed the Captain's nosebleed.

They both set the sail, and after drawing the flag that his Captain wanted onto the sails, kinda 'OK' in his opinion, they set sail. The crowd of people that was at the port cheered, until they found out that they was pirates. The cheering stopped for a while, until it up roared, the people giving a approval even though some still stayed silent. It was now a crew, and it was a damn good one that would have more adventures and more people.

~The End~