𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐊𝐍𝐎𝐖𝐍

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞

───── "OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME."

Eniya's bags slipped off her shoulder, landing with a resounding thump on the wooden dock. The noise—and her loud, exasperated tone—drew the attention of the pirate, who brightened upon seeing her.

"Eniya!" Luffy cheered, his booming voice reaching her from his high position on a scaffold.

"Luffy," she greeted, her voice bland as she recalled her vow made just an hour prior, "I should stab you."

That made him pause. "No. I don't think you should."

She rubbed a hand down the side of her face and took a deep breath. "Luffy, why are you here?"

He gestured wildly at his surroundings, swaying on his feet. "The same reason you are here, obviously! Looking for our ship! And I found one!"

Eniya raised a brow. She let her hand fall away and looked from Luffy to the ram-shaped figurehead. It was a lovely ship, but it was too nice. With three masts and a fighting platform, she doubted that the Straw Hats had the berry to pay for it.

"It is very nice," she said placatingly before holding up the poster she had brought to explain, "but I'm not here for a ship. I'm just here to talk to," She glanced down at the flyer, scanning for a name: "Merry about getting a job."

She had asked around, but it seemed that no one could tell her where to go to find the ever-elusive Merry. And to make things better, nobody else would be able to conduct an interview since Merry managed the yard entirely on his own.

"I know Merry." A voice chimed from above: "And, uh, I could help you with the ship."

Slowly, Luffy turned to the ram, his jaw slack. "You can talk?"

There was a scoff, and a long shadow shifting caught Eniya's eye. She tilted her head, watching as a dark-skinned man leaned over the railing of the ship, a rag in one hand and something sharp in the other. "No! Over here."

He looked between Luffy and Eniya, absentmindedly swinging the rag back and forth. "How can I help you two?"

Eniya ventured closer to the ship, once again lifting the poster to show the stranger, "I'm loo—"

"This ship is amazing!" Luffy interrupted, running his hands along the carvings of the figurehead, his fingers dipping into each groove. "What can you tell me about her?"

At that, Eniya had to bite her tongue. She had left on a pleasant note—or, at least, as agreeable as she could manage. She wasn't going to ruin her goodbye with a ruder hello. Or, that is what she would do if she had any self-restraint. Unfortunately for Luffy, she didn't.

"Sure, speak over me," Eniya snarked. "I don't mind."

The stranger laughed nervously, muttering a weak apology that had her blankly staring at him before turning back to Luffy and jumping into a salesman's pitch. He shifted to hold both tools in one hand, allowing him to gesture for emphasis as he spoke, "Caravel class, top-of-the-line. Ninety-six feet of pure luxury. Whipstaff rudder, full galley. Cannon decks—fore and aft."