Smokeless War - One Piece

(30)

Olly grabbed Samara's hand as the words left her mouth and the blood had left her face.

"I thought we'd explained to you there is no proof lass! It's a dangerous sea to say anything against the Whitebeard Pirates, much less that they'd kidnap someone of another crew."

"You know it's true! He's not the type to give up even to someone as powerful as Whitebeard!" Samara ripped her hand from the chef's calloused hands and I let go before she could do the same to me, scooting her chair back hard as she stood up.

"This is why he sent you here in the first place, lass. Please, for your own good, let it go. He will come back to us someday, but before then you know Captain didn't want you saying that freely for the crew to hear, much less anyone else."

I already knew that look though, the one where you'd not listen to what anyone else had to say. Not only that but even if I wanted to, it wasn't my place to say a thing and I felt like disappearing right about now.

No one had to say it, but pirates as far as I know, or at least these pirates are like a family and that intimidates me greatly.

"Don't you dare run away now. I don't like wasting my time, much less chasing after anyone."

"You're just going to scold me like everyone else does." Samara took a step back with a scowl on her face, turning away from both me and the chef.

"Not this time." It was about right now where I felt myself slowly inching towards the back door. The last thing I wanted was to be involved in any more personal problems that I had no business hearing.

After a moment, Olly took that chance to not quite scold Samara but rather try to coax her back but she underestimated the other girl's power of bargaining. It now looked like dinner would be entirely made by the ship's chef.

All the while I was slowly creeping away because I sensed I had learned something rather delicate once again. After Jackson poked his head in through the kitchen's doorway and his wife started picking him apart about what he'd been doing all day I thought I had the all clear.

"Ah, no Mae! Don't you even think about escaping!" Samara hissed and I sweat dropped at the look on her face. There was nothing I wanted more.

"I'm not escaping, I'll..be right back."

Before today I was convinced nothing short of Mihawk running after me with Yoru would get me to run this fast and boy was I wrong. Samara's cries echoed through my ears as I used the forest as cover and easily made my way through the green, dewy undergrowth once again.

As I planted myself near the dangerous rushing waters of the river, I sighed deeply until the crunching of gravel alerted me of another's presence.

Putting my hands up in surrender I stilled and waited but the intruder only bursted out with laughter.

"Mae calm, calm yourself. Don't worry, I ain't here to arrest you." Samuel grinned, settling down next to me.

"Good heavens boy, you..have no idea what I just escaped." I held a hand on my chest as I stilled my breathing and smooth my skirts down gently, hoping I didn't look so dirty though with Mihawk's unexpected ambush earlier I wasn't sure.

"Oh no, I saw it all. They might have sent me after you, were you aware of your 5000 berry bounty, little lady?"

I gaped at the number and shuffled a little away from him as I flicked a rock out from my shoe after a moment.

"I'm sad, am I not worth a few thousand more?" I frowned, and he chuckled as he easily skipped a smooth stone across the river before leaning towards me.