A Fairy's Tale (Eustass Kid & OC)

Chapter 21: Memoires of a Little Hero (Part 4)

Eleven years ago...

A few weeks had passed since the delightful new acquisition to the Red Haired crew. It was a typical night, the stars lazily winking down at the Red Force as it gently bobbed over the sleeping water.

Yet something felt... off to Shanks.

It wasn't a bad feeling per say; It was just a little tingle of anticipation telling him something was going to happen that night. He decided to take his watch shift early, dismissing Punch to look out at the sea himself.

Sure enough, an hour into his watch, a small dhingy approached the ship, carrying a presence that was all too familiar. He watched the vessel approach, grinning all the while.

"You lost, old man?" Shanks quipped impishly as he peered over the guardrail. The man's silver hair- ha, silver- parted and fell back as he tipped his head up to show his face.

"Why yes indeed, young man," he smirked. "Could this poor, unfortunate old soul trouble you for shelter from the cold? Maybe a few drinks to warm these aching bones?"

The captain rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. "Yeah, yeah, no need to overdo it. C'mon you old drunk, let's get you up here so you can start raiding my booze stache."

Silvers Rayleigh chuckled and obliged, ambling his rickety boat over to the starboard side to moor. The two men embraced heartily on deck.

"It's great to see you, Rayleigh. I missed that legendary sarcasm of yours!"

"I am a legend, you little scamp," Rayleigh laughed as he stepped away with one last slap to Shanks' back. "Wanna tell me why you didn't stop to say hi back in Sabaody a month ago?"

Shanks froze.

"Ah. Sorry. I was busy?" He petitioned sheepishly. The Dark King cocked a dubious brow, and Shanks dropped the act with a defeated sigh. "You... already know everything don't you?"

"Yep."

"Ugh. Figures. Let's just go get the booze."

"That'd be best."

Shanks lead him to the kitchen and plopped down lazily at the head of the table while Rayleigh sat across from him. His old crewmate leveled him with that damn enigmatic smile that always made him feel like a little kid again.

"Alright then, out with it," the captain huffed with a lazy wave of his hand. "Let the interrogation begin."

"No drinks?"

"Let's wait on that a bit, Ray. You know I'm a closet lightweight," Shanks brittled dryly at his own expense.

"So I get to suffer with you, then... I see how it is," Rayleigh snickered. "Well, if you insist, we'll get right down to business. Saoirse D. Loklynn," He folded his hands before his face with a pensive expression, "What all do you know about her exactly? Did you somehow already know about her, or was there another reason you initially tracked her down?"

Rayleigh, sharp as always, was asking the right questions off the bat. It was true that Shanks hadn't known who exactly she was at the time; all he'd known at first was that a slave girl had eaten one of the fruits he'd been watching out for.