𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻.

thirteen.

013 ⎯⎯⎯ vice admiral.

   "Did you just call that guy grandpa?"

   Luffy isn't given a chance to answer as they fire another cannon, narrowly missing us and sending a wave of water at the ship.

   They don't give us a break, sending another immediately after.

   "Hit the deck!"

   I drop to the ground as this one crashes through the railing, sending splinters of wood flying everywhere.

   "Everyone okay?"

   "I think so," Nami mumbles, helping me up.

   "No! Not okay! Not even close to okay!" Usopp complains.

   "Usopp! Fire back at them!"

   "How about we just sail away as fast as we can?"

   I roll my eyes, turning to Zoro, "you can't be serious. Please tell me he isn't serious."

   Zoro sighs.

   "Run from the marines?" Even Luffy seems shocked.

   "No! Never! Nami, trim the...sail thing! Let's sink their ship!" he orders.

   "We don't have time, if they pull up alongside us we're finished!"

   I turn to her, "you're the navigator, figure it out."

   She glares at me and I shrug, "I'll help."

   "Okay, fire the cannon!"

   "Shit!"

   I turn, watching the cannon balls roll away down the steps.

   Have these people never been on a pirate ship before?

   "Pirate vessel!"

   I look up, a voice echoing over the sea.

   "By order of the marines, lower your sails and submit to my authority."

   "Never!" Luffy yells.

   Why do I feel caught in the middle of a family spat?

   The man launches a cannonball at us in response.

   Luffy sucks in a breath, inflating his stomach to the size of a house and allowing the canon ball to bounce off him and back to their ship.

   It hits their sail, tearing it down.

   Holy shit.

   "We did it!"

   "Woohoo!"

   I watch as Usopp and Luffy jump up and down together.

   "Nami, get us out of here!"

   "On it!"

* * *

   "How's the ship look?"

   "Broken railing," I shrug, "could've been worse."

   "Can't see the marines anywhere," Usopp comments, looking out in the fog.

   "Can't see anything in this soup," Nami rolls her eyes. "What we need is a place to lay low, wait out any reinforcements they send after us but my charts are useless in this fog."

   "What did Luffy say?"

   "He's on the bow, hasn't said anything since we hightailed it."

   "Well somebody needs to talk to him. About this and that other thing."

   "What other thing?"

   I glare at Zoro. How dense could he be?

   "Oh gee I wonder." Nami jokes.

   After seeing he seriously doesn't get it she expands, "the vice-admiral-of-the-marines-is-my-grandfather thing??"

   "Oh, that!" Usopp sighs, "I don't really know the guy that well."

   "Doesn't seem like a big deal," Zoro shrugs.

   I feel eyes on me.

   Please no.

   "Sora, you were with him first. First mate kinda thing, seems like that falls under your job description."

   I groan, "seriously? I met him like a day before you guys did!"

   They all just stare at me.

   I hate them.

   I sigh, spinning on my heel to walk over to the bow. Luffy is sitting with his hat in his lap, picking the fuzz from it. I take a seat next to him, contemplating what to say.

   "So...how are you?"

   "Great, my hat took a couple of hits during the battle."

   I nod, pursing my lips, "wanna talk about it?"

   "Nope!"

   "Great," I stand, walking back over to Nami, "seems fine to me."

   "Did you even ask-"

   "Hey!" Luffy jumps up, sniffing the air, "do you guys smell that?!"

   "...smell what?"

   "There's something on the breeze," he sniffs again, "smells like butter, soy sauce, and meat!"

   "You think he has brain damage?" Zoro is suddenly beside me.

   "I think that everyday."

   "Look Luffy," Usopp makes his way over, "playing follow-the-smell is fun and all but we really got to get out of this fog."

   "I know, but I smell food."

   Always the first priority, I roll my eyes.

  "That means there's someone, somewhere, cooking."

   I guess we're doing this.