Cloud Nine? More Like Cloud Mine!

Cloudy With A Chance
Chateau stood at the helm of Antoinette. The wooden ship which he was sure that Meredia stole from some poor unsuspecting sailor. It rocked ever so gently in the rarely calm waters of the New World. There, the ebont captain stood dressed in his usual outfit. Black denim pants complimented by a pink dress shirt with a black blazer closed by one button. His dress shirt ubuttoned at the top to reveal his hairless chest.

Despite his serene appearance, they had just survived Steelworks Island with their coffers intact. The Chateau Pirates. A New World Rookie crew making waves upon the second half of the Grand Line. But they were different from traditional crews. Most pirates considered the World Government their sworn enemy. They fought against Marines and promised to enact freedom upon those around them. But the Chateau Pirates operated against the Underworld. The same organizations which many other pirate crews aligned themselves.

Perhaps this stemmed from the fact that most members of his crew were, at one point, innocent. Barring Maredia, each member who bore his flag faced false accusations of the crime which gave them their bounty. They were good people at the wrong place at the wrong time. But it was this reason that Chateau felt as if he needed to be there. To give them a place to belong just as his master done before.

Regardless, the crew needed to restock in order to continue their journey. The Log Pose pointed to a nearby Island which Sinclair's journal named Gaia. There wasnt much information regarding what weirdness occupied that island. Whether it was overrun with lightning or fiery tornados. Still Chateau believed in both the power of his crew and himself. They would be able to stand against any threatening force.

Drifting along the calm waters of the New World was a small fishing boat. It was made of a sturdy and pretty wood made apparent as the dark ebony color of the boat would shine under the beaming sunlight. It would seemingly be drifting aimlessly, being steered by the quaint waves of the oceans at its complete mercy. It would soon approach the Antoinette on its path to nothingness. If someone looked closely enough a young girl could be seen taking a nap on the deck of the small ship, a scarf wrapped around her neck covering half of her face as she slept in a bed of her own long and gorgeous hair. The small ship would cross paths with the Antoinette sooner than some would think, almost as though the ocean was pushing the two ships together.

Not too far away from a different angle, a small one-seater boat sailed the sea. Guiding the boat as though he was the helmsmen, was a dark-skinned teen of purple hair. Strapped over his back was a backpack, showing that he was indeed traveling in some manner. It'd been about three weeks since his last restock and supply had been growing short. Along the floorboards of the small boat, gold, diamonds, and other treasure could be seen spread out. His foot rested on the back of the head of a captured Marine.

During that three-week time frame, the teen crossed paths with plenty of pirates and Marines, destroying both parties and claimed their spoils for himself. But he didn't really need the money. It was fun to him. And he really liked his fun.

"Let me go!" The Marine demanded, "You're scum even to pirates! You're a wicked boy who needs his ass spanked. The New World isn't as easy as you think it is!"

The teen grinned. "Well how about you spank my ass then, Joistin. That's right, you tried, didn't you? It's exactly how you got in the situation ya' in now, right?" Kneeling down, the teen gripped Joistin by his hair and lifted his head slightly. "If the New World isn't as easy as you claim it to be, then that's exactly what I'm looking for. It'll be a shit ton of fun! Clahahahahahaha!!"

"Let me guess, the prince wants to be a big bad boy, rebellious to his mother? You think you can take down the Emperor's of the New World? Good luck you runt."

"If you think I want to be a big bad boy to rebel against my mother, you navy personnel honestly are retarded." Squatting down, the purple-haired teen locked his golden eyes onto the Marine's own eyes. "I'm not a Prince by birth, those are my adopted parents. And it was boring there! Every time I saw a pirate my adrenaline rushed, it just felt like I was destined to live my life as free as I wanted... that's how I'd have my fun! Gah, I don't owe you an explanation." With force, the teen slammed Joistin's face into the plank of the boat.

Grunting, the Marine began to leak blood from every possible portion of his face. "Bryant D. Kobe, that 80,000,000 of yours is child's play in the New World!"

"Yeah yeah.." Kobe responded, placing his foot on the back of the boat allowing a white substance to spit from it, pushing the boat forward at extravagant speeds reaching the coast of Gaia in no time.

Chateau felt something upon the seas. A powerful presence and one which appeared to be waning by the second. However this disturbance was overwhelmed by the sight of a woman seemingly floating atop the waves in a small fishing boat. "Someone's there, and they're going to crash into us." Chateau said. Of course the evil witches of the sea drew the small boat into the path of the Antoinette, a battle between ships which would result in the woman's lost. Picking strangers up from the ocean was perhaps one of the most dangerous things to do in the Grand Line. Hell, there were stories of Shichibukai often napping atop wooden planks and other World Government psychopaths in random situations.

But Chateau had an obligation to keep. He quickly leaned over the edge and lifted his arm to the incoming boat. It seemingly vanished before the craft was lifted up and dropped atop their own ship's deck with a slight thump. His arm returned to normal by his side. "It's a woman." He said aloud while slowly approaching her. "Maybe she's stranded. Which, by the Law of Xenia, means we have to help her."

The young girl would lie, still motionless, sleeping in the boat now on the deck of the Antoinette. As the man would approach her the girl would still not budge, though low snoring could be heard emanating from under her scarf. As Chateau would approach the girl her scarf would become a point of confusion, having a very lifelike snake pattern on it almost undulating, as if it was... Alive.

In an instant, the scarf around her neck would unravel itself revealing that it was truly a snake and by the looks of it a species of, who's is capable of killing 100 men in a single bite, Its venom is about 50 times more toxic than that of the king cobra. The snake would wave from side to side before diving low, though only to distract the man shooting up to take a bite at the man's neck. "HISSSS!" The snake would utter as it flew towards the man at high speeds, it's mouth open and ready to bite.

Despite the short distance. Chateau felt the intention to kill from the snake. And thus the sudden threat allowed Chateau to weave the sudden strike. His body dipping to side in a rapid, jerking motion. "What the?!" Chateau loved snakes...but he'd never seen a woman who wore a snake around her neck. Albeit it did a good job of protecting her. He couldn't get close enough to fully commit to scan over her. But as one without fear, he continued to press on towards the girl. He stared at the deadly snake...unconsciously pulling at a power bubbling in him which caused animals to hesitate in their movement.

After a moments hesitation the snake was back on the offense, he would then lunge at the man once again. This attack was different, as the snake lunged at the ebony mage he would shoot his tail forward in a slashing motion across the pirates face. As he motioned his tail at the mans face it would sharpen, almost as if the end of his tail was no longer a tail, but a sword.

In the midst of the snakes impending attack on the pirate the sleeping girl would shift her body to the side rolling in the opposite direction of the the man and her snake before drifting back into sleep.

"Dammit!" Chateau spat. If not for his finger, which vanished, the snake's venomous fang would have probably ripped through his skin and burned his face off. He could feel the threatening power that the snake wielded. It sent shivers down his spine. All of this was going on while this girl remained sleeping. Peacefully floating atop cloud nine. "Hey! Why don't you wake up?!" The ebony captain barked. He quickly jumped out of the snake's rang and held his hand up. The invisible finger, now a massive skeletal digit, aimed to nudge the girl. However, he kept it invisible to remain from alarming her and hoping to bypass the snake's senses. "We save your life and this is how we're repaid. Know what, we haven't had snake in a long time!"

“What do you wan’t, Kuro. Your food is in the bag by my feet, you know that!” The girl said as she rolled in her back rubbing her eyes. As she arose from her resting position her eyes widened at the sight of her boat now no longer on the water but in a ship and her snake in combat with what looks like a pirate. “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS!”

The girl shot up from where she would lie in her boat, flipping from where she stood to soon land in front of the assumed pirate man and her combative snake. She kneeled down holding her hand back out to the snake motioning to to climb upon her arm. Without a second thought the snake slithered into her hand, but rather than being her scarf once again it stiffened it’s body reminiscent to that of a sword being held in her hand. In an instant the snake would begin to shift from reptile to weapon before their eyes as she quickly got into stance pointing her sword at the man.

“I’ll give you exactly 1 minute to explain to me why I’m not still drifting on the water and dreaming of my very own treasure pool.” The girl still drowsy said as she shared a bit to much of her current situation.

In his own little corner of the deck, Rowing bit into a green apple. A simple tank-top and shorts covered his body as he basked in the sun. He was completely unaware of his captain's usual antics. That is until he heard the hiss of a snake. He immediately jumped with concern. "What the hell!" he exclaimed and he soon ran over to assist Chateau. He then saw a young woman and was immediately stunned by her beauty. "We're.... the... Chateau Pirates. Why the hell were you just drifting on the sea alone? do you realize how dangerous that is!?"

"I mean, who wouldn't? It's the grand fucking line, everyone knows of its dangers, that's why I carry a highly venomous snake around my neck." The girl would say sarcastically to the newly arriving man, redirecting her focus to the man who was engaged in combat with her beloved snake. "The clocks ticking, you've answered one part of my question but I'm gonna need to know a bit more, and just in case you didn't know one minute isn't very long, get to explaining." The girl said holding her stance, growing tired of waiting for a response to her question.

Chateau was mesmerized by the constantly shifting sword which appeared to have consumed a Zoan fruit. "Amazing." He uttered, ignoring the two arguing before him. Still, Chateau wasn't one to be pressured by rushed demands and meaningless threats. "I'm sorry but you're aboard my ship. By the laws of Xenia, I'll answer any question you have. But only as long as you respect our home." The ebony captain approached Sayuri. His golden eyes lowered in a state of calmness. "Your ship was simply in the way and would've crashed otherwise. But if you like, you're more than welcome to leave." Chateau wasn't one to hold hostages. And he motioned for that the girl could easily be on her way after getting her ship back in the water. A tedious task indeed. "Otherwise, as our guest, we'll be more than happy to host you till we arrive at Gaia."

The black haired girl twirled her wrists her blade slicing through the wind as it did so. As her hand returned to its resting position her blade would shift back into a snake, the snake slithering up the girls arm and twirling around her neck once again in a scarf like fashion, concealing itself once again. "I'm willing to stay for a while, I have some important business to attend too on Gaia." The young girl pulled her scarf over her face and moved toward the ebony pirate holding her hand out. "I'm Hagakure Sayuri, It's a pleasure to be aboard your vessel." Sayuri said slightly blushing under her scarf after realizing just how much she overreacted.

"Chateau Noir of the Chateau Pirates." Chateau shook her hand with a firm grasp and a gentleman's smile. "Excellent. Why don't we have wine and you can tell us about yourself!" Chateau said cheerfully. He dragged her to a nearby table and looked to Rowing. "Come and join us! Mori and the others are probably asleep right now." He grabbed 3 glasses and set them up with a blood red wine.

Sayuri took a seat at the table, crossing her legs and leaning back in her chair. "This is a shock, not many pirates I know have wine on deck like this. Honestly, I was expecting something a little stronger, if you know what I mean." Sayuri said as she swirled her glass in her hand. Her snake revealed its head from her neck licking at the glass in attempts to taste the drink. "Oh shit, I never introduced you Kuro." She said as she spoke to the snake before going on. "This is Kuroyuri, as you can see he isn't a normal snake, well, he's not a snake at all. He's actually a sword who ate his own devil fruit." Sayuri said as the snake snuck his head deeper into the glass liking at the wine.

"Ate his own Devil Fruit? I've heard rumors that such a thing was possible...and honestly always dreamed of such a weapon." Chateau said with a slight smiled. He stared at Kuro. "it's a pleasure to meet you. As for my wine, I prefer to keep my senses about me while sailing. Never know when we'll run into a bunch of marines." Chateau's milky, soft voice started to laugh at the thought. "If you don't mind me asking," The captain continued after a sip of his drink. "What's this important business on Gaia?"

Kuro would hiss in response to Chateau's greeting, this time far more welcoming and seemingly kinda than before still licking at the wine.

"My business on Gaia is simple, I must acquire an item, the item being very similar to Kuro here." Sayuri paused contemplating on whether to divulge any more information or to cut the information short. She stared at the two men who sat across from her and thought. "Why give up this chance? I'm in the presence of what seem like capable pirates if I can get them to help me out, acquiring this blade could be a piece of cake" She would say before going on.

"It's a special blade that I must get my hands on. I actually have a request for you. You all seem like capable fighters, would you help me acquire my blade? Payment may vary depending on results." Sayuri would speak eyeing the man even further, her enchanting and snake-like eyes would peer into their souls more desperate for help than she seems, awaiting an answer.

"A special blade?" Chateau asked as he cocked his head. But what really caught his attention was the sensation pulling at his own heart. As if something came from her chest and wrapped itself around his soul in need of protection and help. "Gachichichi!" Chateau chuckled. "Well, as a guest aboard our ship and one who we shared a drink with...We'll be more than happy to assist. We're going to Gaia to restock anyway. I'm sure one or two of the others wouldn't mind a little adventure!"

"Great!" Sayuri said happily her volume muffled under the snake wrapped around her face and neck. Sayuri placed her now empty wine glass down on the table, Kuroyuri still licking at the little remains in the glass. "So, is there a place I can rest my head before we arrive? Since my earlier nap was...cut short, to say the least." Sayuri said with a slight laugh in her voice.

"Of course, we have a spare bed right through those doors." Chateau said with a slight smile as he nodded in the direction. He took a sip of his drink as the ship continued towards their destination. "We'll awake you once we land." The Antoinette arrived in due time to the shore of Gaia. The busy seaport of the island was refreshing to those who been at sea for quite sometime. Chateau knocked on the door of the room which Sayuri occupied with a slight smirk. "We're here!" He headed towards the dock, expecting those who agreed to come along to follow after. This task didn't seem like too much. A simple breaking and entering followed by some petty thievery. Chateau didn't like committing crimes like this. But his crew needed money for more supplies. After restocking, their coffers would be quite empty and ever since the reveal of their impressive bounty, jobs like these were the only way they could get by without resorting to more violent crimes.

"What's the plan?" Chateau asked Sayuri.

Sayuri made her way to the door, Kuroyuri slithering back up onto her neck once again after she arose from her sleeping position. She then opened the door, greeted by a very chipper Chateau. "The plan?" Sayuri said confused before going on. "What plan? There is no plan. We're just gonna rush in guns a blazing and hope all goes well, were you expecting a plan?" Sayuri said skeptically as if the fact that she was without a plan was not odd in any way.

Rowing, who was beside Chateau as usual, donned an unbelievable expression. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN WERE WE EXPECTING A PLAN?!" He yelled loud enough that the ship shook.

Chateau smiled to Rowing and lead the makeshift group outside. "Plan's are easy to discern. Sometimes the best plan is none at all. Especially when we lack any useful information on potential threats." The Skeletal Captain remarked. "The others will focus on restocking and guarding our ship. I think the three of us will be enough for this. Please, Sayuri, guide us to your target."

Sayuri nodded at Chateau, acknowledging his words while also ignoring Rowings prior scream in dismay. "Follow me." Sayuri said as she walked forward, aiming for the center of the town, the merchants street. Sayuri quickly maneuvered her way through the crown, going unnoticed and untouched as she swiftly cut through and around the greedy merchants and buyers. Sayuri would then stop abruptly, looking behind her at the pirates who would surely be far behind her due to the pace at which she moved. "C'mon guys, it's just through here." Sayuri spoke in a hushed tone, standing in front of an alleyway that housed a small metal door near the end of it, camouflaged in the darkness of the narrow walkway as she awaited the arrival of her new companions.