You're The Music That's Been Playing In My Head: Book 2

Captain Hardrock: Part 2

"Beautiful and correct as always," I say with a smile, which he returns.

Looking around, I notice in the middle of his frame on the wall that held guitar pics was the signed Jagged Stone pic I had given him. 

"You still have it," I happily state as I grab it. 

"Yeah, it's my favorite pic to use. I keep it there so I won't lose it." 

"I'm glad to hear you like it that much." 

"I think I'd better join the 'groove' you said," He then teases me, while playfully rolling his eyes, and I let out a groan. 

"Did I really say that? Oh no..."

"You're such a funny person (y/n)," He comments before heading out.

I put the pick in my purse/bag just in case he wanted to use it, and head on up back to the deck. I sit down next to Alya and Marinette when Alya looks between Luka and me. 

"I still can't believe you asked him out." 

"What? Why?" I ask, giving her a look of disbelief. 

"You did deny having feelings for him for the longest time," Mari giggles, and Alya nods, soon lightly shoving Mari with her shoulder.

"I thought we were going to have another Marinette situation in my hands where I'd have to force you to tell Luka how you felt." 

I let out a laugh. "I don't let my emotions control me." 

At least not these ones... 

"Yo ho sailors! Let's give 'em a show! Whenever you're ready, Luka!" Anarka calls from the sound system, and Luka pulls down a drape to reveal the large stereo that you would see at a Jagged Stone concert. 

"You're going to need these. Believe me," Mylène tells us, offering earplugs, and I nod. 

Yeah, we would, especially this close. After we put them in, Luka plays one chord, and it blasts at us very loudly. So loud, apparently, that it wasn't long before the cops were swarming us with helicopters, cars, and boats. Officer Roger comes walking up the doc with his stern face on. 

"Ms. Anarka, are you completely out of your mind?! I'm reading 160 decibels, that's ten times the sound of a jet engine! You just can't do this, you'll have to turn the volume down." 

I blink in shock.

160 decibels?! That was practically eardrum rupture, how ours didn't is beyond me!

"It's the National Music Festival today, Officer Roger! My crew is allowed to play as loud as they want!" Anarka argues, and I kiss my teeth.

True, but at the same time, we were playing at the loudness equivalent to being in front of a jet engine, which can rupture the eardrum! 

"It's a music festival, not a noise festival. If you don't turn the volume down, I'll ban your concert altogether!" 

"Surely we can turn the volume down," Mari mutters, and I shake my head. 

From what I've seen and heard from Juleka and Luka, Anarka wasn't going to be willing to do that. Marinette still tries to suggest it to her, though. 

"Uh, maybe we can just turn the volume down a bit, Captain? Then there'd be no more problems." 

"No! Out of the question! I didn't name my gallian Liberty for nothin' you know! It's a matter of principle. Haven't you ever heard of freedom of speech, Roger? This is me home, I do as I want!" 

Juleka, Luka, Rose, and I let out a sigh and slightly shake our heads, the four of us knowing this would happen.

"Do you have a document stating that authorizes you to moor your boat house in this location?" Roger asks after taking notice that, indeed, this was a boat. 

"The sea belongs to everyone!" 

Except that this was a part of the Seine River, not the sea. 

"You're not allowed to moor here without a parking permit, which means you can't play your concert here either," That's when he notices the cluttered space. "Not to mention this incredibly messy deck, which is a public visual disturbance." 

Roger hands her a ticket before giving another because the decorations were too decorated. We all gave him a blank stare. Whenever he was this mad, he abused his power and gave tickets for the stupidest things. Rightfully so, Anarka shreds the faulty tickets into pieces, only earning her more for using too many tickets, one for her attitude, one because he can't sleep, one for him being seasick, and one final one because he said so. I facepalm at him; none of that was a crime or Captain Anarka's problem.

The cops leave, and Anarka runs straight into the wheelhouse angrily while the rest of us exchange worried glances, unsure of what to do next. That's when a very familiar purple mist starts surrounding the ship. I look up at the wheelhouse in utter dismay as the boat turns into a pirate ship. 

"Oh no!" 

When the purple mist fades, the now akumatized Anarka steps out looking like a red-haired pirate with yellow eyes. 

"Raise the mainsail, me deck hands, and let's get swashbuckling around here!" Anarka laughs, Juleka soon muttering in shock.

"Mom?"

"Mom, what's going on?" Luka calls to his mother, who shakes her head. 

"Your mother weighed anchor me, lad. I am Captain Hardrock, and today Paris's timbers are about to be shivered by my canons," Captain Hardrock corrects him before directing Liberty to head straight for Jagged Stone. "Soon there will be only one concert in Paris, only one music festival. We will destroy all the others. Now get to your instruments, sprogs, and rock those decibels!" 

I groan, this was not how I saw my birthday going at all. 

Understandably, the gang starts protesting. 

"Mom, please! You can't ruin the music festival!" 

"You can't force people to listen to your music!" 

"No way we're playing like this!"

"Mutiny? On my ship?! Liberty seize these scallywags and throw them down into the haul!" Captain Hardrock orders and chains appeared out of nowhere, trapping all of us before the deck drops, and we all roll into the haul. 

Marinette and I exchanged worried looks. We had to get out of this to help Juleka and Luka's mom. We look down to see Flaake and Tikki popping out sneakily before flying into the chain's lock. A moment later, and the chains fall. 

"Wow, how'd you do that?" Luka asks, causing Mari to jump as she tries to think of an excuse. 

"With this," I quickly say, holding up the guitar pic. 

"You're amazing, a real magician (y/n)," Luka compliments as he helps us up. 

"Amazing? Uh...R-Really?" I ask, my cheeks flaring up when we look at the rest of our friends once Alya speaks up. 

"Excuse me, but some of us are still chained up here, you know."

Before we could help them, we heard Captain Hardrock start to come down, and we ran towards the twins' room, looking around. 

"Hurry, get in," Luka ushered Marinette and me into the drawer under his bed. 

"What about—" 

"I'll be fine, just hurry and get help," He cuts me off, soon closing the drawer and opening a window, shouting for us to get help before we hear a yelp. 

We hear Captain Hardrock walk around before muttering, "They won't get very far." 

She walks off. Once gone, we silently transform.

Last Edit - September 19th, 2022

Revised - December 7th, 2025