Queen of the Pirates

Canon Side Stories #2: Iceburg

And with that, we leave Willow and Paulie in their budding romance to switch over to a relationship that started long before those two. Back when Water 7 was divided with no idea of the kind of city it would be become. Before Iceburg was mayor and president of Galley-La, before the sea train had become functional, before Franky was a cyborg. Back when Tom was on a ten-year time limit to create something the world had never seen before in order to stay out of prison for simply building a ship that the King of Pirates would sail.

The new face that we meet now is that of a sixteen-year-old girl that spends most of her time with Tom's Workers. Maya has lived in Water 7 her entire life but knows that if things don't change her father is going to get them the hell away from the dysfunctional city. Except she believes that Tom and his apprentices are going to be able to change the entire world with what they're working on now: a Sea Train.

My ponytail swishes with each step I take towards the one place I look forward to going each day: Tom's Workers' headquarters. A basket full of sandwiches, a small pot of soup, and a small salad held in front of me by the handles. My father's small business might be kept alive by the patronage of the small shipbuilding company, which is fine by me if it means we can stay in the city.

These treks out to Toms' Workers are made all the better knowing that I'll get to see my boyfriend, Iceburg, the older of Tom's two apprentices. We met a couple years ago when my father decided I was old enough to start doing delivery runs, and I found myself hoping that my first delivery recipients would order again so I could see the cute boy wearing the white bandana that opened the door. My little heart was thrilled when they did, and they've done so every single day since. It was after a week of deliveries that Tom's secretary, Kokoro, mentioned that they had ordered an extra sandwich for me to eat with them, so I've been doing that ever since as well. A month into eating my lunches with them, Franky, the younger apprentice, let slip Iceburg's crush on me. We've been dating ever since.

Now I'm making my daily trek with a giddiness stirring in my stomach. Tom's Workers are trying to create something Tom's dubbing the Sea Train in order to connect Water 7 with multiple cities, push off his sentencing for building the Pirate Kings ship, and help to stop the pirate pillaging that has decimated our city in recent years. If live improves here, which I am sure that it will with Tom and his apprentices on the job, then I can finally stop worrying about being whisked away.

My walk comes to an end not much later as I reach Tom's Worker's headquarters. It's nothing extraordinary, but enough of a space to hold the small group that lives and works out of it. It is still the coziest place that I have ever found myself. It's where I want to spend all my time, but I don't have anything to offer in terms of help quite yet. Instead, I'll just keep delivering meals to get a few hours with some amazing people.

"Hello!" I call out as I stand at the front door. "It's Maya! Can someone open the door!? My hands our full!"

I hear footsteps within before the door opens to reveal Iceburg. "Hey babe, need any help?"

"Is the table clear?" I grin, walking past him as he slides out of the way and making it straight for the round table in the middle of the room.

"I made sure it was. The least I can do since you bring us lunch."

I place my basket on the center of the table before I open it up and start to parcel out the food. "Where is everyone?" I look around the space that is void of the other members of Tom's Workers.

"Frankys out building whatever the hell it is he builds."

"Battle Frankys," I comment. "Maybe you should listen to him when he's gushing about them?"