Newbie's Skill

Six

Marco had given me a check up against my will to see if anything was damaged. While I fought against it, Champ sat like a good boy his entire check up. Then, he dried my hair after giving me fresh clothes, and I changed. Again, my pride wouldn't let me sit still. Why was I being treat like a little kid? Sneering, I refused to take the food Marco offered me. I was pouting like a child. My pup, on the other hand happily scarfed down his meal.

"Just let the brat starve if he won't eat!" someone argued with Marco.

"I'm not going to let the poor kid starve. He's starved long enough," Marco disagreed.

"Well he's not going to learn anything if you baby him. He can get his own meal if he doesn't want what we give him. He can't be picky at sea. If he doesn't want it, he can either not eat or catch his own meal. How's that?"

"Don't be ridiculous. He's just a kid feeling kidnapped right now. He feels out of place. He's gotta warm up to us," Ace intervened. I thought about jumping ship right then and there, and I wouldn't look back. It's not like I'm completely helpless.

Then again, I didn't know how to fish. I usually just snacked on whatever I had, and when I was low, I went to Ryker's island. I never strayed far from him. I had an eternal log pose for there, but now I don't even have a regular one. I sadly stared at the broken log pose. Nobody wanted me on the ship, so why should I be on the ship?

"We're all brothers out here on the sea, okay? We got to treat each other like it. Can we do that?" Marco asked the crew. A few looked displeased.

"We are all children of the sea. It doesn't matter our origin." I glanced up as a giant old man sat down in a huge chair. He had IVs in him. Was he dying? I swallowed thickly, moving my eyes away.

That must be the famous Captain Whitebeard. The only man who could go toe to toe with The King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger. I've only been on this ship for less than 10 hours, but I was still terrified. Now that I've seen his true condition, I'm even more scared.

"Afternoon, Pops," Ace said. Whitebeard smiled at him before looking back at me.

"How are you feeling?" I avoided eye contact. I heard a few guys scoff before leaving the deck, probably to go down to the hammocks to avoid me. I felt like the plague. I was trying to avoid any type of contact with them. I heard the old man sigh heavily. "Marco," he called. "How was the check up?"

"Nothing seemed to be broken, Pops," Marco replied. "However..." I felt his eyes on me. "He doesn't seem to be opening up. He won't eat, either. At this rate, he may never trust us."

"He just needs time, Pops," Ace reiterated. "I was the same way, ya know."

"True, but still," Marco heaved. "We can't just leave it like this."

"Maybe he just needs to come to us," Whitebeard stated. His boys looked at him. "Don't force yourselves on him. Let him come to you." I glanced up at him. Did he know my personality already? But how? Did I accidentally give him a hint? If not, I just did. I was such an idiot. I bit my thumb nervously. Then, I looked back at my log pose. Still damaged. Why?