the devil fruit pirate.

A wager

Izuku stood dumbfounded as he stared at Hawkins, wondering how he should respond to the man's request. Normally one wouldn't think twice about accepting the request of someone so powerful but if there's one thing Izuku learned from all the memories of previous devil fruit users and growing in the battle tower he's learned to trust people so blindly. Izuku turned his head to Nami who was frantically shaking her head no before turning back to the man who was waiting patiently for an answer.

"Why?" Izuku finally said, choosing to use the blond man's reason to decide. In response the man took out a deck of cards. "Fate instructed me. I want to find my destiny." Basil explained getting a confused look from Nami. "And you think you'll find it traveling with us?" She questioned getting a nod the the lanky man. "Indeed, though there is another reason why I want to travel with you." Basil revealed. "Believe it or not I am a fortune teller and I use these cards to help with my predictions." Hawkins explained placing the cards in the air only for them to be held in the air by strands appearing out of them air creeping Nami out a bit.

"U-Uhm what are those?" She questioned while pointing at the strands causing Basil to look up at them before turning to her. "They are straw, I ate the Straw-Straw Fruit and became a straw man." Hawkins explained briefly before turning back to his cards. "Like I said I use these cards to see what fate has in store so I can prepare accordingly. Which leads us to me coming here.

A few months ago I was planning on heading out as the captaIn of my own crew. Fate had given me a high percentage of success so It seemed logical to what I should do." He explained before looking up at Izuku. "That is until something strange happened." He said getting confused looks from the pair and the clones. "What happened?" Nami couldn't help but ask. "I couldn't get a proper reading." He revealed. "Ever since I started this path I have always been able to get readings to determine chance of success or failure. Except for this one time. I couldn't understand what happen the day I was supposed to set out to sea I did one last reading to make sure everything was as it should be." He said before shaking his head." "nothing, no matter what I did I could get any consistent reading. I always jumping back and forth. I canceled my plans to look into this only for this to continue for several months. It was absolutely maddening." Hawkins said though the way he kept his voice monotone you'd have a hard time believing it.

"And then one day a few weeks ago I got my first proper reading since this began. It said if I truly wanted to find my destiny I would need to head east and find those who would heap me find it." Basil finished hist tale as Nami looked at Hawkins a little skeptical. "And you think Izuku is the one to do that?" She asked her tone filled with more than a little suspicion. Hawkins nodded as he looked at the navigator. "I do." He said simply before turning back to Izuku. "I ask again, may I please join your crew?" he requested to Izuku who after a few moments nodded causing the magician to bow his head "Thank you."

"No problem now we need to get moving, the marines will be here in minute." Izuku instructed taking all the stolen goods inside his body using the Castle-Castle Fruit as he and his now to cremates left the area and before long the island.

Line break.

It had been a few days since the assault on the 16th branch and Hawkins joined the crew. Hawkins himself had fit in rather well to the crew having made himself at home in the men's cabin which Nami was thankful for was on the opposite side of the women's cabin. Izuku offered her the captain's room, but she turned it down stating that since Izuku was captain he should get it. Besides she just knew that when, not if but when they gained another female on the crew, they would just be constantly fighting over it.

Right now Hawkins and Nami were playing cards on the deck of the ship while Izuku was in the kitchen preparing lunch, having taken up the job of cook until the could find a proper chief. Back with Nami and Hawkins Nami was getting frustrated. Out of the 10 hands they've played she's only won 2 out of 10 of them, She hadn't had a losing streak this bad in years, the only silver lining being they weren't betting anything. 'Luckily that's about to change.' She thought while mentally smirking. "Pair of Kings!" Nami said lying down her cards before crossing her arms triumphantly. "Aces." Hawkins says simply laying down his cards on the table only for them to scatter as the navigator slammed her hand down on the table in frustration. "SON OF A-!"