The Life I Live

Unfavorable Circumstances

        "Come on, no one will know!" Penguin encouraged feverishly. Shachi shook his head adamantly, holding his hands out in front of him.

        "No way, man. Captain will find out. He always does with these stupid plans of yours." The two stood in the submarine's dimly lit kitchen, speaking in fevered whispers. After the initial escape from Marineford and stabilizing Luffy's condition, the crew could take a breather. So far, things had gone pretty much back to normal. As it so happened, no one was in the kitchen that afternoon.

        "My plans are not stupid. And Captain's too busy making sure Strawhat and that fish guy live to notice." Penguin reached out for the handle to the storage room, but Shachi pushed it away.

        "Even if he doesn't find out, Casper will filet us if he hears we stole food!" He was referring to the stoic old cook onboard. The two had felt firsthand what lengths he was willing to go to protect his kitchen.

        "He won't find out, I promise! Please?" Penguin begged, clasping his hands together. Shachi shook his head again.

        "No."

        "But I'm hungry! I can't wait until dinner. It's only a little snack!" Penguin moaned. His friend sighed dramatically and began to walk away.

        "You do what you want, but don't get me thrown into it." Penguin's hand appeared on his shoulder, holding him back.

        "Rock, paper, scissors. If you win, we won't do it. If I win, we get the food. Both of us." Never one to pass up a challenge, Shachi hung his head and turned around.

        "Why does this always happen to me?" He complained. They held their fists out.

        "Ready? Rock, paper, scissors!" With every ounce of his being thrown into it, Shachi played scissors, hoping beyond hope that luck was on his side.

        Unfortunately, Penguin held out rock, a pleased smirk on his face. Shachi slumped over in a depressing state, muttering about how the gods hated him.

        "Yes! Let's do this!" Penguin turned around and opened the door to the food storage. Something blocked it from opening all the way, leaving only a small slit to squeeze into. It was a tight fit, but they both managed. The aroma of all the different foods filled their noses. It was dark inside, and Penguin began searching for the light switch.

        "Where is it? Shouldn't it be closer to the door?"Penguin asked to which his friend shrugged, but quickly realized he couldn't see it.

        "Well, Casper's always looking for ways to keep us out. Maybe he moved it?"

        "Idiot, you can't just move a light switch. It has to be here somewhere." Seconds later, Shachi heard a loud crash close by.

        "Dammit!" His friend cursed quietly.

        "What was that?" He asked, still trying to locate the lights.

        "I just tripped over something. Our escape from Marineford wasn't the smoothest, so there's a ton of stuff on the floor. Hey, if anyone comes in we can just say we were tidying things up!" He exclaimed happily.

        "Do you really think anyone would believe that? And try to be a little quieter!"

        "Of course, it's foolproof! Ah, I found the lights!" The room instantly lit up and revealed the shelves of food in a state of disarray. Boxes and barrels were strewn everywhere. Thankfully, none of them had opened in the process.