Chapter Text
A ship was gliding across the salty waters of the great sea, its black and white flag flapping in the fresh wind.
The soothing sound of the waves lapping against its wooden planks was creating harmonious notes alongside the birds chirping, while two members of the crew, upon the main deck, were squabbling and creating an incessant dim, disrupting the peace that accompanied their pleasant journey.
One of them was a man with a small white poet shirt, which showed a large part of his scars-adorned chest. He had light hair, partly hidden by a bandana, and hysterical eyes which looked bloodshot. Yelling in wrath, he pointed one finger towards his taller mate's chest while blurting out offensive remarks: “stop defendin’ him, Uzui! You know too well how irresponsible Kyojuro can be!”
Uzui, the second one in charge of the ship, merely rolled his eyes and pushed the other man away, waving a hand in dismissal while adjusting the black eyepatch covering his left eye. “You're acting like a feral ferret as usual, Shinazugawa! If he was assigned that position, it's ‘cause he earned it.”
Shinazugawa, like the rebel he had always proved to be, widened his eyes more when challenged: his veins appeared to be about to burst, and his teeth were clenched. He raised one finger as a warning before attempting to speak again, but was cut off by the familiar ear-piercing sound of their Captain's voice.
Indeed, moments later, to his dismay, the door that led to his leader's cabin was shoved open with a powerful kick, revealing the latter's presence to the few awake members of his crew.
Displaying his usual wild smile, he confidently strolled towards them, taking his time to enjoy the surroundings. A flap of wings made his crow's presence known, who landed comfortably on his shoulder and looked at his mates with a firm gaze.
“What a lovely day it is!” Kyojuro spoke with a raucous tone, unable to catch a glimpse of Shinazugawa covering his ears in the meantime. His voice was warm, loud and reassuring. He never failed to make his presence known.
The weather, as the Captain had already stated, seemed ideal for their journey, in search of great adventures that awaited to be experienced.
The Captain seemed as lively and energetic as ever, and his blinding, tender smile brightened his jovial features. It was remarkable how other pirates feared him and his reputation, despite his concealed sweetness.
Realistically speaking, Kyojuro Rengoku did not resemble a traditional Captain in some ways, including the lack of bandages to cover his eyes, or bandanas and a parrot – which was replaced by his beloved crow — and most crucially, a missing limb. He did, however, have multiple scars scattered all over his toned body, serving as a constant reminder of his previous battles. They had not faded with time, leaving light scratches on his tanned skin. On the right side of his face, a particularly long and slim one ran from his forehead to his eye and down his cheek.
Despite his grotesque marks, he proudly displayed them, charming ladies left and right, making them swoon at his rough yet gentle appearance. Long, unkempt, wavy blonde hair reached his buttocks on his backside, alongside two frontal locks that stopped just below his pecs. Additionally, a pair of large golden earrings dangled from his ears, and a single ring of the same color was placed in the center of his plump bottom lip. He couldn't go unnoticed. After all, he was such a young, brave, rich and attractive pirate.
Shinazugawa observed him with a grimace.
“Mornin’, Captain,” he muttered, relieved that the other man had not inquired what all that previous commotion had been for. It wasn't true hatred he harbored for him, but rather the terror of being led astray, of allowing a foolish decision to wreck their entire existence.
Uzui grinned as he greeted Kyojuro, and they became enraptured in their conversation for an unfathomable amount of time, inducing the third pirate to isolate himself, resting his muscular, bare arms on the ship's railing and partially closing his eyes.
“Should we make a stop for supplies and to check the sails, Captain?”
“We should! We must travel south, to Kibutsuji's main harbor!”
A laugh. Uzui, unlike Shinazugawa, seemed to appreciate their Captain's bravery quite a lot.
“Always jumping straight into the beast’s jaws, aren't we?”
The other Pirate, scowling slightly, ignored their needless dispute. However, before he could shut his eyes entirely, he spotted a faint scarlet tint blooming in the water beneath, and gasped in amazement upon realizing it was blood.
“A scallywag is in the water, I believe!” he shouted, and the two men's heads snapped to stare at him with surprise. Uzui was by his side in a heartbeat, glancing down to where the sea's transparency had been dipped in crimson. He heard his mate's breath hitch abruptly, and discovered the exact reason a few moments later: a tail, which was partly submerged in the water, gave it away immediately. The creature was lying on its stomach, a massive cut was evident on one side of its exposed hip.
A merman.
And a stunning one, indeed. Shinazugawa slightly moved forward to take another peek: the creature was barely visible from a distance, but the colors on its tail were simply dazzling. The higher half was a vibrant blue, which gradually faded into purple and finally pink. Furthermore, the stripes that adorned its body were the same bluish shade, and unmistakable against its pale, presumably silky skin. The creature had pink hair, but nothing else could be seen properly, since it was floating face down in the water.
Uzui couldn't help but whistle.
“Reckon that's a valuable catch?” he hummed, to which Shinazugawa immediately nodded with glee, and said: “let's lift it from there, let me go grab our net. We'll become even richer if we sell that fish to the market!”
But before he could go, Uzui grasped his arm and shot him a glare. “Belay that! We cannot do whatever we want! What do ya think, Captain?” he calmly called, and hush fell across the open space.
Soon afterwards, nothing but the rustling of clothes being removed could be heard. Due to that, blinking in bewilderment, Uzui turned around and addressed him again, only to stare in absolute shock at the sight in front of him.
Kyojuro's flamy red jacket, decorated with a black collar and stripes, as well as golden buttons, was hurled onto the wooden floor, along with his dark boots and hat, which had a fluffy red feather. Remaining only in his larger, somewhat open white shirt and his baggy black pants, their Captain was fully standing on the ship's railing, retaining his balance with ease.
Shinazugawa looked like he was about to faint, and supported himself on wobbly feet. “He is not going to… no, he can't be this foolish…”
But, just moments later, proving him wrong as he always did, Kyojuro leaped into the sea with a loud thud, leading his crewmates to yell in unison and dash off to find something that could aid him up again, bumping into each other along the way.
“He's going to get eaten! Whether injured or not, that thing is a darn merman! Have we learned nothing? Oh… he's crazy, he's absolutely insane, I did tell you!” Shinazugawa cursed out in indignation, grabbing a rope and throwing it into the sea. “Grab a hold of it, you idiot!” he roared, unconcerned about possible consequences.
Meanwhile, Uzui watched in horror as Kyojuro gripped the mermaid's waist and glanced at them while flashing a thumbs up, swimming closer to the rope and yanking at it.
Shinazugawa sighed deeply and passed it to Uzui, for if it were up to him, he'd leave the Captain where he was.
When the creature opened his eyes, he was met with four faces eagerly staring at him.
Blinking his lovely pink lashes at them, he began hissing as his survival instincts kicked in. He looked around in confusion, realizing with dread that he had finished straight into the Pirates’ clutches, tied up and unable to move a limb.
What a shameful way to die.
The woman beside him was most likely the one who had prevented him from bleeding out profusely, although he would've rather died than be held captive. She came to a halt when a hand was suddenly placed onto her shoulder: it belonged to a young and attractive man, one the merman recognized with surprised eyes. While in the water, he remembered catching a glimpse of that untamed golden hair with red ends, as well as his gentle, appealing stare. He recalled being hauled up by him, and then everything had faded to black.
The man, he just noticed, was still soaking wet, as his garments were damp and sticking to his skin. The white poet shirt grew transparent, revealing his muscular pecs, along with a few nasty scars.
“Thank you so much for your quick check up, Kocho!” he praised, and the woman simply smiled softly, taking a few steps back to contemplate her work.
“This male specimen is surely stunning, Captain,” she said, causing the creature to slightly shiver under her scrutinizing gaze.
The man, who apparently led the crew, offered a kind smile to soothe him down, then dared to caress his scales. “A magnificent kind for sure… I've never seen one like this,” he whispered, admiring him from head to tail.
But soon enough, the creature felt his vision blur again, his head spinning, so Kocho proceeded to help him lay down once more. “Are you going to sell him to the market, Captain Kyojuro?” she then inquired, directing her attention to the man.
Someone, who he couldn't see, scoffed behind them and offered a bitter remark: “who wouldn't? That fish is a gold mine!”
Ah, so that was it, the merman briefly thought.
Gold diggers, that was what all Pirates were, and these ones weren't any different.
Yet, to his surprise, Kyojuro – whose name had a delightful, musical cadence – crossed his arms against his chest and screamed out: “no, I made up my mind! We'll release the merman once his injuries have healed!”
To which, the prior crewmate gasped, and the mermaid heard him stomping towards his Captain with a furious walk. “No fuckin’ way, Kyojuro!” He shouted, discarding all formalities, “you cannot do that! What's the darn issue?”
The creature couldn't hear much else from the debate. Soothing, gentle hands took care of him as he drifted off again.
Kyojuro had ensured for the creature to remain properly hydrated while treated, having ignored all of Shinazugawa's disparaging remarks on the matter, as well as the fact that he was allowing that ‘fish’ – as he termed him – to stay on their ship without receiving anything in exchange.
Objectively speaking, Kyojuro didn't care much about it: they were full of gold and other valuable materials anyway, and the Flame Purgatory was a ship that was already widely respected amongst other Pirates.
It was late at night when the time finally came. Kocho was kneeling in front of the merman for a final control. “He seems to be doing well, Captain,” she sang, to which he grinned with satisfaction. “I'm not sure about what happened to him, but it appears he was probably sliced on his hip by a blade…” she kept going, slowly standing up.
“Maybe it was a hunter, or another Pirate that wanted to sell him and make a fortune!” Kyojuro stepped in, watching as Kocho simply nodded in response to his suggestion.
“What matters is that he's fine now! I say we immediately free him, especially since Shinazugawa and Iguro are sleeping,” he added, chuckling briefly before glancing up at the endless clouds above them.
Kocho, who put her hands on her slim hips, frowned before quickly flashing her normal smile. There had been oppositions, naturally, but their Captain was in command, and there was little one could do about it. Still, there had been some agreements as well: Kanroji had been moved by Kyojuro's heartwarming compassion. Tomioka had admired the merman, acknowledging his rarity and beauty, and Uzui had described him as flamboyant or something along those lines.
The others, aside from Shinazugawa and Iguro, had been somewhat impartial, not as worried about gold as those two were. Himejima hadn't been able to see the creature, as he was blind, but still trusted the Captain's decision with no hesitation. Kocho herself had opted to remain silent about the situation, as she would've loved to use the merman as a test subject, but knew it was improper. Tokito, who was too young to be on the ship but who had proven to be an excellent fighter, seemed content with anything.
She left to fetch the net to lower the creature down into the water, allowing Kyojuro to take advantage of the situation by crouching down on one knee and smiling kindly at the perplexed merman. “You look lost, but I promise no one's going to hurt you!”
It was quiet for a few minutes, and then, to the blonde's utter surprise, a velvety voice broke the stillness: “why did you help me?” it murmured, as the creature averted his gaze, his posture stiff.
Kyojuro had to blink and open his mouth several times before he could reply. “You… you can speak my language?” he inquired politely, raising a hand to his chest, where his heart was. It was beating loudly, faster than ever because of that discovery.
The merman tensed even more, but shifted his head slightly to peek at him. Despite his glaring, he did not appear to be poised to assault. “A little,” he finally said, and then fully turned his head around, leaving them staring at each other in silence. “I've been around humans for too long,” he simply added with a scowl.
Kyojuro, still in shock, felt a morbid curiosity arise in him, but chose not to upset the other by showing a bright, welcoming smile instead. After all, anyone – human features aside – could learn new languages, as it was all about identifying sounds with the objects and things that represented them. It was similar to teaching children their first words.
What a brilliant species indeed.
“I'll free you, and you won't be harmed, as I promised,” he murmured in a comforting tone, moving his hand to touch him, but hesitating mid-way. When the creature didn't seem to stiffen any further, the Captain permitted himself to touch his silky hair. “Do you have a name?” he asked.
The merman unconsciously leaned into the contact, eventually softening his eyes. Not only had this peculiar man saved his life, but he had also intended to liberate him from the start. Just what kind of Captain was he? No bloodthirsty Pirate would've made such a choice.
“Akaza,” he quickly said, cheeks slightly flushed; he hoped the man wouldn't notice the blush creeping onto them in the dark. It was inevitable to be drawn to him, as he was the most gorgeous human he'd ever laid his eyes on. Furthermore, he was the only one who had acted with respect and genuine kindness: Akaza was swooned by him in seconds, and melted at the simple brush of his fingertips against his flesh.
Kyojuro grinned widely, genuine excitement showing on his face and making his eyes shine. He allowed them to examine the merman's look, taking in his short, messy and slightly curled pink locks, as well as his pointed ears with pinkish tips. Another charming splash of pink colored his cheekbones, in contrast to the particular blue stripes that roamed over his body and face. His lashes were the longest he'd ever seen, smooth and delicate in appearance, and his irises were a brilliant golden, glowing in the night and observing him with interest. The creature's fangs were as sharp as his deadly claws, which were dipped in that same blue that covered the majority of his pale complexion. A coral necklace, which included a large shell at the bottom, surrounded by smaller ones, was sitting against his naked chest.
He was beautiful, mesmerizing and captivating.
“Well, Akaza,” he tested how that name rolled off his tongue and loved the outcome. “I'm Kyojuro Rengoku! And I think it's time for you to go back home,” he added, perhaps imagining the flash of hurt and panic coming across the other's visage. No merfolk wished to be taken away from the sea, he assumed.
When Kocho returned and everything was ready to go, Kyojuro briefly saluted Akaza before seeing him descend back into the water. Surprisingly enough, he had nearly grown accustomed to the merman's presence and quiet company. He watched him swim away before returning his attention to his crewmate. “Thank you again, Kocho!”
She simply nodded and went to sleep, without looking back.
“Land! We arrived, Captain!” Kanroji shouted the following day. It was getting close to midday, and they were in desperate need of supplies and, to be exact, some fun.
They docked nearby the Infinity Castle port, blending and disguising amongst plenty of other ships by changing their notorious flag.
The Crown kept several of its guards on watch, monitoring the areas visited by the commoners: it was messy and unwelcoming due to the population's poor living conditions; yet, Kyojuro took a breath of fresh air once they stepped off the ship and walked into the small space.
The Captain spun around, smiling as he admired his surroundings. He poked Tomioka's stomach with his elbow. “What about a few days of relaxation?” he offered, as if the others may be against it. Naturally, Pirates belonged to the sea and its awful depths, but they were still human beings with human necessities that needed to be met.
His crewmate, as quiet as always, shrugged and walked away. The others had already dispersed amid the crowd, so Kyojuro placed his hands on his hips, sighed, and grinned fondly.
Despite everything, he cherished his mates.