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ajremixI don't know if it's supposed to be 'Bart' or 'Jean Bart' but considering there's also a Bartholomew Kuma and Bartolomeo, I'm going with the full name to avoid confusion. Also how the hell do you title.
Title: At the Heart of the Matter
Fandom: One Piece
Rating: PG for a couple curse words
Word Count: 1521
Characters: Jean Bart, Penguin, Shachi
Summary: Jean Bart's introduction to being a Heart Pirate.
It took every trick Law knew to get the Kuma lookalikes off their backs and a couple he invented on the spot to get away from Kizaru, after which Jean Bart had to sling him over his back to stay away from the admiral. Law eventually passed out around the time they saw the Heart Pirates' sub bobbing in the distance.
Penguin pulled out a baby den den mushi, calling into it, "Prep for emergency dive!" Something behind them exploded, washing the world in a brilliant flash. No one wanted to turn around to see who exactly it was shooting at them. "Start moving- we're diving the moment the hatch shuts!"
The baby den den mushi called back with a crisp, "Aye aye!"
Another beam shot out, this time slicing through the waves by the sub as its propellers started churning. It was already twenty feet out and all but the sail already submerged when the group made their leap, practically tumbling through the door where another Heart pirate was shutting the hatch even as he called into a den den mushi, "Dive!" A good half foot of seawater splashed over them before it shut. Then the sub lurched sharply downward, sending a flailing pile of five men and a bear sliding into the first seal hatch.
From underneath someone's leg, Penguin said, "Welcome to the Heart Pirates."
The newcomer- relatively speaking -poked his head out from around Bepo's shoulder, straightened his bandana and asked, "Is Captain alright?"
Law, spared the worst from the fall by Jean Bart's great bulk, remained oblivious to the world around him. "Yeah," Penguin winced, fumbled a bit and found Law's sword had been jammed uncomfortably between his shoulder blades. "Pushed himself too hard is all."
"He hasn't done that in a while." There was a decidedly worried tone in his voice, even as his words came out light and joking. "Sounds like you've got a story to tell at dinner."
"No kidding. What's the headcount?"
"All plus one," with a nod toward Jean Bart.
"Yeah, he'll come up in the story. You and Bepo take care of Captain, we'll head to the control room." It took some maneuvering and sharpy, pointy body parts finding accidental purchase in soft, vulnerable bits of anatomy, but half of them managed to get on their feet (or, in Law's case, on Bepo's back) and through a tilted doorway. After finally figuring out which limbs belonged to him, Penguin asked, "How's the traction on your shoes?"
The question was so random that Jean Bart said, "What?" at the same time Shachi, who was unfortunate enough to be in prime position to see the bottom of Jean Bart's feet, said, "They're shit."
"Ah well- you've got long arms, you should be fine. We'll deal with footwear later." Penguin stood at the hatch everyone had slammed into- which opened to what was ostensibly a long pit. "I know it's tempting to slid down it, but that's a really easy way to break your legs and/or the ship. Some of us had to learn from experience."
Shachi, finally free of Jean Bart's bulk, sulked as he crouched over the edge of the hatch. "Do you have to tell all the new guys about that?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
With a parting scrunched-up pout, Shachi slipped through the hatch, Penguin following close behind. Jean Bart watched the two bounce down the hall like a pair of monkeys, using handholds that were embedded in what was normally the ceiling and the occasional doorframe. He followed after in a much more gingerly pace but as no necks were broken by the end, no one complained. They passed by several other hatches until they reached one labeled 'control room'.
That opened into a room lined with panels, screens, and boilersuit-and-hat-clad people strapped into seats. Penguin slid across the room, coming to rest by the one who seemed to be in charge at the moment. "What's our status?"
"We've reached almost 450 meters," the answer made Jean Bart's none-existent eyebrows jump: this ship could really move.
"That guy didn't send anything after us, did he? Ships? Torpedoes? Depth charges?"
Shachi scoffed from where he'd come to perch on the chair of someone in front of a panel what regularly went 'bleep'. "Where would he pull out torpedoes or depth charges from?"
"He shot a laser beam out of his face. I'm not putting anything else passed him."
"Nothing's come up on sonar at all," the person occupying Shachi's perch said.
Penguin nodded, "Alright. Go ahead an level us out. How're we on fuel?"
It was a little unnerving being able to feel the ship halt its descent, but it was nice not having to stand at an angle to floor anymore. The one that had been strapped to the 'room's most important person' chair unstrapped himself from it and stood up. "We filled up before you called but a dive like that probably burnt through a lot."
"Do we have a heading?" Someone else called out.
"Keep us close to Sabaody, stick to currents when you can, only use fuel if you have to. When Captain wakes up, he'll tell us where to go. Until then," Penguin turned to Jean Bart with a wide grin, "guess we should get you situated. Captain didn't really have time to go through the checklist, but do you have problems with being in dark enclosed spaces for extended periods of time, possibly up to days?"
He thought about how his 'room' in Mariejois was a cage meant for average sized people. "No."
"Blood?"
"I'm a pirate."
"Doesn't mean you don't get nauseous when it comes to needles or rooting around someone's guts. How's your medical knowledge?"
"Basic."
"That's alright, we can catch you up. Everyone should know their way around the surgery room- never know if Captain'll need you to play nurse." A thoughtful almost-frown crossed Penguin's lips. "You've got a brand, right? There's some good tattoo artists on the ship if you want to cover it up. Captain might be able to get rid of it if you ask him. We'll have to find you some clothes. And good boots."
Jean Bart eyed the man's boilersuit, the same one all save Bepo and Law himself wore. "Are those required?"
"Nah," Shachi chirped, "they're just super easy to get things like grease and blood out of. Also less fights break out over stolen clothes."
"You're probably going to figure it out pretty quick but our crew doesn't have a lot of heavy hitters," Penguin explained. "We prefer to come at things sideways. The suits and hats are pretty conspicuous, but if we get outta those..." he nodded to something over Jean Bart's shoulder.
He turned to find an almost lanky guy in a tanktop reclining against a console, auburn hair pulled back in a small ponytail with the kind of mischievous eyes and grin that gave him a perpetually young expression. If it wasn't for the hat and sunglasses by his elbow or the sleeves of the boilersuit tied around his waist, Jean Bart would have thought it was a new person entirely and not Shachi.
"Interesting," the lack of offensive strength was a little worrying but the possibilities of an unrecognizable crew was undeniable. Besides, Jean Bart had plenty of raw strength on his own. "So what do you do?"
"Spying, sabotage, theft, dismantling slave rings. Whatever Captain feels like," Shachi said, pulling his suit back on.
"Dismantling slave rings?"
"Yeah. Captain hates slavery more than anything. The worst of his reputation comes from dealing with them." His hat was pulled firmly back down on his head. "A lot of times we go to auction houses like the one back on Sabaody and he waits until all the bidding is over before going around back and sets the slaves loose. Captured people go free, entitled assholes get upset and the aftermath is generally pretty amusing to watch."
If fighting slave traders was something Law was known for, Jean Bart wasn't going to regret joining him.
Penguin spoke up again, "All operations on and off the ship, including chores, are done in teams. Once Captain's assigned you, we'll teach you everything you need to know."
"Speaking of the captain," Jean Bart tossed his head in the vague direction the man in question had been taken. "Is that normal?"
Penguin and Shachi looked at him blankly for a moment. "Oh- you mean passing out? He hasn't had to do that since we first entered the Grand Line. His Devil Fruit ability is tied to his stamina, so using it too much exhausts him. He'll wake up in a couple hours, just cranky." When others around the room snickered, Penguin amended, "-er than usual."
"Captain can be kinda high maintenance sometimes," Shachi said. For some reason he put his sunglasses back on. "Hope you can work with that!"
Jean Bart thought about the life he'd known for years and the people he'd met and fought and escaped from all within the span of an hour. His lips curled slightly, "Seems like it'll be exciting."
Title: At the Heart of the Matter
Fandom: One Piece
Rating: PG for a couple curse words
Word Count: 1521
Characters: Jean Bart, Penguin, Shachi
Summary: Jean Bart's introduction to being a Heart Pirate.
It took every trick Law knew to get the Kuma lookalikes off their backs and a couple he invented on the spot to get away from Kizaru, after which Jean Bart had to sling him over his back to stay away from the admiral. Law eventually passed out around the time they saw the Heart Pirates' sub bobbing in the distance.
Penguin pulled out a baby den den mushi, calling into it, "Prep for emergency dive!" Something behind them exploded, washing the world in a brilliant flash. No one wanted to turn around to see who exactly it was shooting at them. "Start moving- we're diving the moment the hatch shuts!"
The baby den den mushi called back with a crisp, "Aye aye!"
Another beam shot out, this time slicing through the waves by the sub as its propellers started churning. It was already twenty feet out and all but the sail already submerged when the group made their leap, practically tumbling through the door where another Heart pirate was shutting the hatch even as he called into a den den mushi, "Dive!" A good half foot of seawater splashed over them before it shut. Then the sub lurched sharply downward, sending a flailing pile of five men and a bear sliding into the first seal hatch.
From underneath someone's leg, Penguin said, "Welcome to the Heart Pirates."
The newcomer- relatively speaking -poked his head out from around Bepo's shoulder, straightened his bandana and asked, "Is Captain alright?"
Law, spared the worst from the fall by Jean Bart's great bulk, remained oblivious to the world around him. "Yeah," Penguin winced, fumbled a bit and found Law's sword had been jammed uncomfortably between his shoulder blades. "Pushed himself too hard is all."
"He hasn't done that in a while." There was a decidedly worried tone in his voice, even as his words came out light and joking. "Sounds like you've got a story to tell at dinner."
"No kidding. What's the headcount?"
"All plus one," with a nod toward Jean Bart.
"Yeah, he'll come up in the story. You and Bepo take care of Captain, we'll head to the control room." It took some maneuvering and sharpy, pointy body parts finding accidental purchase in soft, vulnerable bits of anatomy, but half of them managed to get on their feet (or, in Law's case, on Bepo's back) and through a tilted doorway. After finally figuring out which limbs belonged to him, Penguin asked, "How's the traction on your shoes?"
The question was so random that Jean Bart said, "What?" at the same time Shachi, who was unfortunate enough to be in prime position to see the bottom of Jean Bart's feet, said, "They're shit."
"Ah well- you've got long arms, you should be fine. We'll deal with footwear later." Penguin stood at the hatch everyone had slammed into- which opened to what was ostensibly a long pit. "I know it's tempting to slid down it, but that's a really easy way to break your legs and/or the ship. Some of us had to learn from experience."
Shachi, finally free of Jean Bart's bulk, sulked as he crouched over the edge of the hatch. "Do you have to tell all the new guys about that?"
"Yes. Yes, I do."
With a parting scrunched-up pout, Shachi slipped through the hatch, Penguin following close behind. Jean Bart watched the two bounce down the hall like a pair of monkeys, using handholds that were embedded in what was normally the ceiling and the occasional doorframe. He followed after in a much more gingerly pace but as no necks were broken by the end, no one complained. They passed by several other hatches until they reached one labeled 'control room'.
That opened into a room lined with panels, screens, and boilersuit-and-hat-clad people strapped into seats. Penguin slid across the room, coming to rest by the one who seemed to be in charge at the moment. "What's our status?"
"We've reached almost 450 meters," the answer made Jean Bart's none-existent eyebrows jump: this ship could really move.
"That guy didn't send anything after us, did he? Ships? Torpedoes? Depth charges?"
Shachi scoffed from where he'd come to perch on the chair of someone in front of a panel what regularly went 'bleep'. "Where would he pull out torpedoes or depth charges from?"
"He shot a laser beam out of his face. I'm not putting anything else passed him."
"Nothing's come up on sonar at all," the person occupying Shachi's perch said.
Penguin nodded, "Alright. Go ahead an level us out. How're we on fuel?"
It was a little unnerving being able to feel the ship halt its descent, but it was nice not having to stand at an angle to floor anymore. The one that had been strapped to the 'room's most important person' chair unstrapped himself from it and stood up. "We filled up before you called but a dive like that probably burnt through a lot."
"Do we have a heading?" Someone else called out.
"Keep us close to Sabaody, stick to currents when you can, only use fuel if you have to. When Captain wakes up, he'll tell us where to go. Until then," Penguin turned to Jean Bart with a wide grin, "guess we should get you situated. Captain didn't really have time to go through the checklist, but do you have problems with being in dark enclosed spaces for extended periods of time, possibly up to days?"
He thought about how his 'room' in Mariejois was a cage meant for average sized people. "No."
"Blood?"
"I'm a pirate."
"Doesn't mean you don't get nauseous when it comes to needles or rooting around someone's guts. How's your medical knowledge?"
"Basic."
"That's alright, we can catch you up. Everyone should know their way around the surgery room- never know if Captain'll need you to play nurse." A thoughtful almost-frown crossed Penguin's lips. "You've got a brand, right? There's some good tattoo artists on the ship if you want to cover it up. Captain might be able to get rid of it if you ask him. We'll have to find you some clothes. And good boots."
Jean Bart eyed the man's boilersuit, the same one all save Bepo and Law himself wore. "Are those required?"
"Nah," Shachi chirped, "they're just super easy to get things like grease and blood out of. Also less fights break out over stolen clothes."
"You're probably going to figure it out pretty quick but our crew doesn't have a lot of heavy hitters," Penguin explained. "We prefer to come at things sideways. The suits and hats are pretty conspicuous, but if we get outta those..." he nodded to something over Jean Bart's shoulder.
He turned to find an almost lanky guy in a tanktop reclining against a console, auburn hair pulled back in a small ponytail with the kind of mischievous eyes and grin that gave him a perpetually young expression. If it wasn't for the hat and sunglasses by his elbow or the sleeves of the boilersuit tied around his waist, Jean Bart would have thought it was a new person entirely and not Shachi.
"Interesting," the lack of offensive strength was a little worrying but the possibilities of an unrecognizable crew was undeniable. Besides, Jean Bart had plenty of raw strength on his own. "So what do you do?"
"Spying, sabotage, theft, dismantling slave rings. Whatever Captain feels like," Shachi said, pulling his suit back on.
"Dismantling slave rings?"
"Yeah. Captain hates slavery more than anything. The worst of his reputation comes from dealing with them." His hat was pulled firmly back down on his head. "A lot of times we go to auction houses like the one back on Sabaody and he waits until all the bidding is over before going around back and sets the slaves loose. Captured people go free, entitled assholes get upset and the aftermath is generally pretty amusing to watch."
If fighting slave traders was something Law was known for, Jean Bart wasn't going to regret joining him.
Penguin spoke up again, "All operations on and off the ship, including chores, are done in teams. Once Captain's assigned you, we'll teach you everything you need to know."
"Speaking of the captain," Jean Bart tossed his head in the vague direction the man in question had been taken. "Is that normal?"
Penguin and Shachi looked at him blankly for a moment. "Oh- you mean passing out? He hasn't had to do that since we first entered the Grand Line. His Devil Fruit ability is tied to his stamina, so using it too much exhausts him. He'll wake up in a couple hours, just cranky." When others around the room snickered, Penguin amended, "-er than usual."
"Captain can be kinda high maintenance sometimes," Shachi said. For some reason he put his sunglasses back on. "Hope you can work with that!"
Jean Bart thought about the life he'd known for years and the people he'd met and fought and escaped from all within the span of an hour. His lips curled slightly, "Seems like it'll be exciting."
