Drought Out West

Dagnabit
Like always Zack stood on the mast of the ship. He looked over the sea with his hand over his forehead to block the sun, elbow just barely covering the crew's jolly roger. It had been about four weeks since he'd been traveling with this crew, yet, he trusted them with his life. He knew the other crews that took part in that great breakthrough had been way further along than the Busters. Hell, he'd even seen a few new crew's names in the newspaper, but it did not knock his motivation.

He had a goal that, no matter how many times he had to stumble, he vowed to reach. One he had been willing to bet his life on. "Henrietta!" He shouted, looking to the grand island in the distance. "Can we dock at the island up ahead?!" Pointing towards the island, his stomach let out a sinister growl. "I'm starving!"

Seeing Zack's morning eagerness did not make Bro Dude snarl, not at all, even as he closed his eyes and lightly concentrated, letting himself bask in the sunlight. Still, "That wouldn't be a problem-" He slapped the very air, teeth sharp in a comical manner, "-if we hadn't made our presence known!"

The island before they, the Buster Pirates, were actually managing to not draw attention for themselves, they didn't have to steal any milk bottles nor even attack cows.

Yet, for some very reason, a fight broke out with some resident Marines and of course they found themselves setting sail after beating the crap out of them. Dude pointed at the oceans that surrounded them, "Furthermore, didn't I risk myself drowning so I could catch you some fish?!"

"We are running short on food again unfortunately..." Another woman said, sighing briefly. "I wish we could live off hunting fish, but our dear Captain has to live off milk and fruits, so we are bound to stop on this island."

Holland Sherry, the crew's current "chef" was sighing at the recent turn of events. She had just hoped this island wouldn't involve being ambushed by other crews.

“That’s because that fucker is the most spoiled, ass brat I’ve ever seen!” Henrietta, the one who manned the helm of the ship, replied in response to Sherry’s statement. “How in the fuck do you only eat fruits and vegetables? No wonder he’s always getting his ass beat every fight. He doesn’t have any protein, at all! Or any fuckin’ calcium either. Doesn’t he use bone powers? How about I get him some milk from my titty, or something?!”

Bitter Rosemary currently was eating a fish while sitting on the prow of the ship, watching the surrounding sea. Her cat eyes narrowed as she stared at the island in front of them. As a half-cat mink, she absolutely loved fish. She was more than willing to eat any that Zack would not. "I don't think you have any of that Henrietta." She hollered back at the driver. "But you really should eat protein captain. It's good for you."

Pushing from the mast of the ship, Zack flipped and landed onto the deck of the ship. He walked to Rosemary and began to shake her hand vigorously. "No no no," Zack began, shaking his head left and right. "I'm allergic to fish. You're so nice," he squinted his eyes at Sherry and Henrietta. "Those two are mean, so, mean. How can she even offer a tit she doesn't even have? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Eyes widening, he looked to see if Henrietta heard his sly remark.

He stood on the railing of the ship and held his hand over his forehead once again. "To be honest, I don't even know where we are going. We need a navigator!" Zack gripping his hair with both of his hands and began to tug on it. "GAH, I DID NOT THINK THIS ALL THE WAY OUT!" He then turned to Dude. "DEVIN WHERE ARE WE?!"

Zack paused for a moment. "I got it. Instead of getting just a little bit of fruit. We buy this whole town ou-, wait," He sulked his head into his bare chest, "I don't have any money!" looking to Henrietta, Dude, Sherry, and then Rosemary accordingly, he began to cry. "WHAT KIND OF PIRATES ARE WE?!"

"My name is Devin, not Dude-" Dude roared, only to gape and blink rapidly, his head whipped around for a second. "-WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME?!" He stood on something like a fighting position, his hands out as if ready to grab something, but he only snarled. "Without any money, we may as well call ourselves the Busted Pirates now!!"

"That means we are bound to find a navigator on the next island we see." Sherry said. After listening to Zack ramble on, she only had a deathly expression on her face that could be read as absolute horror. At one point, Sherry was helpless even with a scary face. Now? Not even Zack chose to raise his words too much around her.

"Though, we are also equally bound to potentially losing our way..."

“Okay, okay, listen everyone just shut the fuck up,” Henrietta began, stepping from behind her helms to join the rest of the crew momentarily. She put up a single digit. “First of all, I have more titty than that fuckin brat knows what to do with.”

Her second finger went up in the air. “Secondly, I don’t ever get lost. I know exactly where the fuck we’re headed. Do you guys remember who you’re dealing with? I’m a fuckin genius!”

"Oh yeah?" Zack asked as sarcastic as ever. "Oh yeah?! Then tell us, where are we going? Huh, Henrietta. And how are you so smart?" Zack asked, placing his finger on his chin. "Besides, if you're so smart and you built this stupidly large ship, then why don't you have any money to show for it?"

But then, a light flicked on in his head. Hammering his hand into his palm, he acted as though he'd gotten the most intelligent idea. "Alright, when we get to where we're headed. We'll rob 'em dry! If there are any Marines, ya' take em for everything they got. And we'll sell their weapons to those shitty merchants that stand on the side of the road. I don't know, we can say something like. 'This is the same saber Fleet-Admiral Kurama used to slay.. uh... I dun know.'"

He looked to each of the members of the crew, "Seems legit, riiiiight?"

"So we're going to be actual Pyirates?" Rosemary will ask as she tossed the fishbones into the sea. "Though I suppose I yam already a thief to begin with." She'll muse for a second.

As she talked, Rosemary pointed her bow toward the water, looking carefully at the sea while she took aim.

With a twang, an arrow leapt from her bow, piercing a fish below the surface, which was quickly hauled back up via the gummy rope attached to the arrow.

"You knyow, now that I think about it, what happened to all the money from the fruit we syold?"

Opening his jacket, Zack pulled out the devil fruit and held it in his hand. "We never even sold it! What the hell, I forgot!" Holding his head with one hand, he looked up and cried to the gods above. "I MISSED THE APPOINTMENT I HAD SET WITH THE ONE GUY!" Eyebrows lifting, another lightbulb flicked on in his head.

"NEW PLAN! We will make sure we sell this devil fruit on this island. But not for anything cheap... we don't even know what it is. I remember I heard Legs and Jack talkin' about a devil fruit they were willing to sell once before." Zack tapped his temple and entered a deep thinking state.

"The Ome Ome no Mi, that's its name!" Finally, he got it out nearly blowing a brain cell from how hard he had to think. "Legs said she was gonna' sell it for 100,000,000. Finesse, finesse, we can get three times that."

"You best tell your boys, watch how they storm in here, Captain Knauer." Said a woman dressed in a long-sleeve tee-shirt covered by a red cape, bootcut jeans, boots with a gold spur, and a cowboy hat. She removed the cigar from her mouth and dumped the ashes onto the head of one of the Marine soldiers standing next to her. Snickering, she gave the man standing across from her a devious glare.

He huffed and patted his Marine Jacket, brushing the dirt from it. "I had to make it seem real, woman. You know what it would cost me if headquarters caught wind of my operations here. I'd be fired and thrown into that hellish realm they call "Impel Down".

"Well, the Captain' don't need you and your little Marine girls comin' in here throwin' hissy-fits. It sure would give the rest of us headaches that only a cow's milk could cure." Reaching into her pocket, she drew a silver-framed lighter. She flicked the cap on and off as though it were a time passing hobby. She looked to each of the Marines and then placed the cigar back into her mouth, lighting it with the light in hand. Smoke drifted from it and spread throughout the room. Once the Marines inhaled it, they'd notice that it was not tobacco that had been coming out of it, but something much more settling and relaxing--if you know what I mean.

Waving his hand to knock the smoke away, Captain Knauer let out a slight cough. "Now, where's the money that damn Captain of yours promised. I stay out of your business and in exchange, you give us a portion of the profits. Let's make this quick, Martha Jane."

Martha the Outlaw Jane, worth 100,000,000, for the documented things she'd done in the past couple of months. Her most recent feats have gone underground, thanks to having the compliance of Knauer who keeps the World Government off of her back.

Swooooooooooooooooo, the sound of the woman inhaling on the cigar rang through the room. "You'd best slow yer road, Knauer." She said with a stuffy voice and puffed chest trying to hold the smoke in. "The Captain' ain't here today, I can take as long as I want." Without another moment's breath, she reached to her side with her free hand and gripped her revolver from its hoister with her index finger. Spinning her gun twice around her finger, she stopped it with her thumb and aimed it at one of the Marines while still holding it at her side then pulled on the trigger, striking the man in the right side of his chest with her bullet. It all happened so fast and without access to an extra source of sensory no one saw it coming.

"Arrgh!" The Marine cried out in agony, falling to the ground gripping his chest. "Captain! Captain Knauer, help me, please! It hurts."

"Quiet you, I'll help you once I receive my payment!" The Captain barked back.

"That's how ye treat yer comrades? The Marines sure're a corrupt bunch. Ain't no way they could pay me to sit there and wear that fancy uniform just to be as backstabby as the Pirates." She reached behind the desk she stood in front of and threw a suitcase at Knauer. "Don't bother checkin' it. All of its there and some extra, the Captain' managed to pull off more than he expected this time."

Lifting the suitcase, Knauer flicked the latches open and lifted the case slightly to see if there were actually berri in it. "Can't leave something as good as money up to chance. But yes, I agree, all of the money is here and then some. The Yeehaw Pirates are free to continue their operations."

Turning around for the door, he instructed his men to lift the shot soldier and carry him out of the room. "Please remind Chuck to not be so vocal in the town though. He does make my efforts more troublesome than I'd like. The people are starting to contact other Marines on the accord that pirates are taking away their family members."

"Yeah yeah yeah, I'll be sure to relay it to the Captain!" She responded, returning to her desk as they left. "I get a bad feeling about today..."

Henrietta placed her hand thoughtfully on her chin. “You know what, that’s a pretty good idea kid. We could sell that to some stupid fuck like you for so much more than what the spider demon was going to sell it for. Still can’t believe a dumbass like you even know her,” Henrietta replied, pacing around the deck.

“And once we do that, you can give me my fucking cut for spending all of the money I fucking had on stupid apples.”

Running over to Rosemary, Zack wrapped his arms around her as though he had been terrified. "Rosemary!" He yelled, shivering in his own skin. "I'm so glad you aren't as mean as Henrietta!" Releasing her, he jumped into the middle of the deck among his crewmates. "Wow Henrietta, I can't believe you want to be paid back. I'm confused anyway," He began, scratching the back of his head almost as if he were trying to think of something.

"How is it you had enough money to build this big ship, but nothing else to show for it? I dunno' maybe you're in debt?" Shrugging his shoulders, he looked over the ship's main hull to the island they'd been much closer to than he thought.

Pumping his fist into the air, Zack smiled wide. "Even then the Rave Skull is sooooo cool! Hurry Henrietta and dock!" As he instructed, though she added an attitude, she did just as he ordered. It took the crew little time to reach the dock and station their ship.

Getting the edge over the rest of his crewmates, Zack jumped from the ship onto the land and stretched his arms out. "FINAAAAALLY!" He shouted, looking at the many folks of the island. This was something he hadn't been accustomed to or ever seen before. Most of the men around wore hats, jeans, and long-sleeved shirts and pistols at their hips. The women wore dresses as though they prepared themselves for weddings.

Scratching his head once again, he looked to his crewmates. "Where are we again?"

"I hyave no idea," Rosemary said as she dug into her new fish. "Maybe Henrietta may knyow?"

"We appear to be on a desert island. I suppose I should start stitching up some clothing appropriate for the occasion...or is that not necessary?" Sherry asked, looking around at the arid sand and feeling the hot wind touch her skin. "At this rate, we're bound to be completely dried out before we even find someone else..."

Dude sighed again, holding his hand from yeeting Zack. "It's common courtesy to pay her back... but, anyway," Looking ahead into the docks and the island itself, Dude maintained a normal expression. "That could be very good, Sherry-dono..." After all, the citizens before them had a pattern to themselves, "Because this is Wildweyst, it's a very cultured place!"

Oh, how those kind of places prompted a smile to sprout on Dude's face, they sort of reminded him of his own home. More or less.

Henrietta sighed and shook her head in disagreement. "Unlike the fuckin kid over here, I don't got no melanin," she explained, gesturing towards Zack. "His dark ass ain't going to burn here, but I am. So, how about I just chill here on the ship and let this little fucker run around the desert."

"I wyouldn't mind some different clothes, Shyelia." Rosemary commented between bites of her new fish. Technically her summer dress wouldn't be terrible in weather like this, but she preferred to blend in after all. "Also Hyenrietta, couldn't you just use a pyarasol?"