Big Things in Small Sizes (One Piece Fanfiction)

Chapter 8: An Unwanted Visitor

Four Months Later

"D**n. We need a new ship, and soon." Lucius groans, standing in front of his ship that was docked on the next island.

Four months of more sailing, four months of more changes. A new crewmember was gained, which made the ship really overcrowded. It could only hold four people and the ship's captain was beginning to hate two certain crew members with a passion. Reed and Ryan have been the bane of his existence ever since the fight occurred. Hattie, on the other hand, loved the twins. She found them positively interesting, and they found her quite enjoyable to be around. The three of them becoming friends so quickly made Lucius a bit on the jealous side. He knew it was a petty thing to feel, but he worried about Hattie and didn't want her getting into trouble.

Yeah, right.

Hattie was the definition of trouble, and now that the twins were at her side, the three were now the definition of mayhem. Pranks were made at least three times a week. There was an explosion on the ship at least once a month. It was horrendous. Unfortunately, the schemes were taking a toll on their poor ship. Their newest crew member, Keaton (or as Hattie likes to call, "Kibble"), was assigned to the position of shipwright. But alas, as great as Keaton was with tools and working with his hands, the ship was damaged faster than it was repaired.

Along with new changes and adjustments, Lucius began seeing problems. Realizing it needed to be done, but not really happy with giving him two positions, he gave Ryan the job of manning and maintaining the cannons. He did have a better aim than his brother, plus he always cleaned the ship in a very short amount of time. It left him with a lot of free time, and someone like Ryan never needed time on his hands. Another problem was that his crew didn't have a name, they didn't have a Jolly Roger, and Lucius was the only one with a bounty over his head. He expected the process of establishing a crew to be much quicker.

Now here they were, Lucius and Keaton standing beside the ship's ramp, discussing how they needed another ship. Reed, Ryan, and Hattie were walking up the ramp with supplies, whispering and laughing quietly to each other. Lucius studied them from the corner of his eye.

"Mmhm. The question is, how are we going to get another one?" Keaton wonders aloud, looking up thoughtfully.

Keaton was tall, burly man in his mid-twenties, standing a full head over Lucius. He had dark hair, eyes, and skin, wielding two large axes crossed on his back. Scars covered his hands, one across his forehead, and he wore two yellow bandanas wrapped around his wrists. He gives Lucius a sideways look.

"How'd you get this one, Captain?" He asks, and Lucius looks back up at the ship.

"Let's just say it wasn't easy to get," he replies.

Keaton nods, watching Hattie, Reed, and Ryan walk back down the ramp. Hattie looks over at him and grins, sprinting in his direction. She climbs up his leg, nearly pulling down his pants, and latches onto his back. She makes sure to avoid his weapons, nuzzling her head against him.

"Kibble!" she exclaims.

"Kibble" sighs, shaking his head. "Hattie, how many times do I have to tell−?"

"HUSH!" She climbs higher onto his shoulders. She covers his eyes with her hands. "Do you hear that, Kibble?"

"No." He sighs.

Hattie squeezes her eyes shut, and farts, making the hem of her shirt float up briefly. "How about now?"

Keaton yells, eyes widening in shock. He grabs her and turns around, throwing her at Reed and Ryan, who were on the ground laughing their a**es off.