Screw It, I'm Going Out to Find It!

Chapter XXVII: Out of the Sky and Into the Frying Pan

The floor of The Bucket crumpled from the impact. Water sloshed everywhere, seeping into the ship. Jaune tried to stand, but the water surrounding him sapped his strength away, rendering him immobile. It felt like a wonder he wasn't dead — how far had they fallen? If they didn't have aura, he certainly would be dead. In the future, they might need a better landing strategy.

Just as the water was starting to seep farther up him, Jaune felt an arm wrap around him. He couldn't see them, but the grunts sounded like Ren. He was dragged through the interior, out, and then placed on the roof. Along the way, he spotted Ruby desperately trying to patch the holes, and Sun carrying Neptune in a similar fashion to Ren with himself.

"Well, that's just what we needed," he heard Sun say once they were on the roof. Now away from the water, he could feel his strength returning. The shimmering, blue waters would have been a welcoming sight if not for their current situation.

Next to him, Neptune took a sharp breath. "Fuck," he hissed. Jaune followed his gaze out, and felt the same way. Headed there way was a large ship: a marine one. Jaune echoed Neptune.

***

It wasn't often that fortune fell straight from the sky, but Ozpin wouldn't say no to it. He had been reading the vexing report he received from outside the Grand Line when he heard the commotion. He made it to the top deck just in time to see a large splash in the sea, and out of it came the bobbing form of a metallic ship.

It was too far to see at first, but a quick look through a spyglass showed him what he needed. Especially when some of his former students climbed atop the vessel.

"Full sail ahead!" Ozpin called out. "That's a pirate ship — we're taking them prisoners!"

Smoker arrived on the deck shortly after. "What's the commotion, Vice Admiral?" He crossed his arms and looked down at Ozpin.

Ozpin simply handed over the spyglass. As Smoker looked across the horizon, Ozpin answered, "It seems we have finally found where the Straw Hats had disappeared to."

"And where was that?"

Ozpin pointed up toward the dense clouds above them, just passing by enough to let light onto the sea once more. Smoker looked at him incredulously before putting the spyglass away.

"You're already being watched closely," Smoker commented as he turned away from Ozpin. "Having a cheeky attitude like that won't help you." With that, Smoker left. As he reached the stairs, Tashigi met him, but quickly turned heel to follow him. Team PWNY, who had been with Tashigi, made their way over to Ozpin. He noted the presence of Winter, watching from afar.

"Sir, what's going on?" Pyrrha asked.

"As I told Smoker, we have found your friends." Determination quickly took the place of intrigue on their faces. "Prepare yourselves for facing them, but this will be much different from last time. After all, they don't have anywhere to go at the moment."

***

The entire situation felt bitter to Jaune. Their ship's systems were broken and there wasn't much they could do. The only option they had left was to wait for the marines to come to them — and what then?

Cardin was quick to propose the blunt option first. "I say we kick their asses, use their ship, and get to an island."

Jaune shook his head. "I want to be optimistic, but I'm not sure how well we can do right now. We haven't rested from our last fight, and they outnumber us greatly."

"Then, are we just going to let them walk over us?" Cardin challenged, his eyes pinning down Jaune.

"I'm saying that we need to keep our heads." Jaune closed his eyes to think for a moment. "We need to prioritize getting out of here as soon as possible, but I don't think we're strong enough to take their ship from them. That means we need to look for some sort of ship, so keep your eyes out."