It was early - far too early - the following morning when you found yourself startled from a deep dreamless sleep, by the unmistakable incessant sensation of being repetitively poked in the back by a glove-clad finger in the most irritating manner. Your mind being still sleep-muddled and confused, you naturally let out a faint groan of protest and attempted to move in order to escape the persistent jabbing finger. Ok, so the mattress you were lay on was a bit lumpy, and the room smelled faintly of old wood and liquor, but you were much too comfortable and warm to move just yet.

But your mind then blearily registered two - no, three - things....firstly, the bed you're sleeping on is quite narrow, so you're restricted in your attempts to roll away. Secondly, the offending jabber was now trying to nudge and gently shake you awake, and thirdly.....the culprit had to be none other than Buggy.

"Alright, alright....I'll get up—" you yawned as you rolled over to face the clown captain, only to realize with a jolt that he was casually learning against the cabin wall, not within reaching distance of you.

How the hell?

Your eyes darted down and instantly bulged at the sight of his gloved, disembodied hand hovering in front of you in mid-air. Of course you let out out a startled shriek and frantically scrambled to prop yourself up against the pillows, and instinctively seeking some form of comfort, you drew the sheets up to your chin, as if to put some barrier between yourself and the detached hand.

Looking thoroughly amused with himself, Buggy's red lips curled upwards in a slow smirk, "D'ya like that? You look surprised. Don't tell me you wasn't aware of my special......abilities"

Fighting to steady your uneven breaths, you absently pulled the sheets up further so that they covered your mouth, meaning your next words came out muffled, ".........I heard rumors. You...you ate a devil fruit..."

"Uh huh. The chop-chop fruit" he exclaimed proudly, as he folded his arms; an action that only served to accentuate his well-defined biceps, but also drew further attention to the fact that his right hand was missing at the wrist, "what's the matter, Amby, you afraid of me now? Surely it's no surprise to a so-called fan like yourself, that I'm a freak!"

Lowering the sheets slightly, you forced yourself to keep your gaze affixed on his face. Not on the hand hovering close by you, or his handless wrist, just his face, "I've heard a lot of rumors working in the Sea Shell, you just caught me by surprise is all, seeing your...powers....for myself"

"Powers? Hm. I like that. Oh and I didn't mean to startle you by the way, I thought me waking you up and being stood over you, shaking you, would've freaked you out more"

The smirk adorning his irritatingly good looking face suggested otherwise, you sensed. His malevolent expression was quite at odds with the air or innocence he was so expertly cultivating with his words. He had been hoping to shock you, perhaps even scare you by waking you up this way, but you were determined not to allow yourself to be intimidated, or act hysterically just for his own twisted amusement.

"You wouldn't have scared me if you'd have just nudged me awake"

"Is that right? So.....my face leaning right over you like this...." he cleared the distance between the wall and your bed in two long strides, in order to loom over you in the most intimidating manner, ".....you're saying this wouldn't have scared you?"

You blinked rapidly at him; your eyes quickly taking-in the cross bones tattoo on his forehead, and those aquamarine eyes of his; adorned with their outrageously long lashes "startled maybe, but that isn't the same as being scared, captain"

Those mesmerizing ocean eyes of his narrowed in confusion, his painted brow furrowing in apparent bewilderment. If you hadn't known better, you would of strongly suspected that he was dissatisfied with your answer. That he actually wanted you to fear his appearance, and possibly his chop-chop abilities too.

Suddenly without warning his disembodied hand darted forward and gripped your face gently: tilting your chin upwards for his perusal. A habit of his that you weren't so keen on in all honesty, but being held by a hand floating in mid-air made it all the more unlikable. You suppressed a gasp as he forced you to meet his intrusive gaze. Yes you had been right. He seemed to be testing your mettle for some reason and going all-out to try and freak you out.

"So the removable body parts...." he stated in a low, monotone voice, "don't bother you at all, huh?"

"I wouldn't say it bothers me....it might just take a little getting used to, that is, if you're going to make a habit of waking me up with your, uh, removable hands"

Buggy's eyes then crinkled at the corners, giving away the fact that he was genuinely amused. He chuckled low and deep, a sound which seemed to cause a strange stirring within the pit of your belly.

Ok, you were so confused now. Was he relieved that you hadn't completely freaked out over the fact he was clutching your chin with his disembodied hand? It was so difficult knowing how to stay on his good side. The last thing you wanted to do now that you'd formed such a fragile understanding (of sorts) with him, was to piss him off.

"Aww, ain't you just full of surprises, Amby baby, I like that. Keeps me on my toes. But hey, if you're not fazed by that...." he held up his forearm and his hand instantly reattached itself, "......wanna see what else I can do?"

A saner person would've perhaps stopped to consider the question at great length. Or at least, the sensible thing to have done would've perhaps been to stall for time or ask him to elaborate further on his meaning. Because......had he felt so inclined, it would've been possible to easily wrongly interpret his poor choice of words as bearing some hidden form of innuendo. Like he was offering to show you a good time.

But no, he'd made it abundantly clear the night before that you were not his type. You weren't at any risk of being sexually harassed. So, perhaps feeling emboldened by some false sense of security, you blurted out your response without any consideration...

"Yes. I actually kind of would"

Taken aback, he recoiled away from you slightly, now surveying you as if clearly seeing for the first time. He hadn't anticipated your almost childlike, excitable response. For all you knew, perhaps he was now questioning your sanity. Not that he'd be an adequate judge.

"Okaaaay..." he swallowed roughly; his Addams apple visibly bobbing in his throat, "....well, they'll be plenty of opportunities to see me in action, right now there's more important things to attend to, so.....turn over"

"W-what?"

"Did I stutter? You heard me, turn over! I need to read my map!"

"Oh, right, of course—Ah!" you failed to stifle the gust of breath that was knocked from your lungs as Buggy unceremoniously flipped you over onto your front with alarming ease, and began pushing your shirt up your body, "hey, hey! I can do it....enough with the.....grabby-hands"

"Well hurry up, we haven't got all day!" he huffed as you struggled to maneuver yourself so that you could lift your shirt up passed your shoulders with some modicum of dignity, "and, just for the record, I'm the one who makes the jokes around here, sweetheart."

As you lay with your beet-red face buried in the pillows, you thanked the stars that he at least wasn't able to see how your cheeks had turned crimson, just by the simple act of him leaning over your bare back: studying your tattoo with the magnifier. Not that he would've noticed anyway, as he seemed so engrossed in his task; jotting down a brief sketch on a piece of parchment, plotting the course ahead. And just to add to your growing shame, he had no qualms in using your back as a makeshift table. The oblivious clown even had the gall to snap at you to keep still, if you even so much as dared suck in a shaky breath.

"Right. That'll do for now." he finally proclaimed, standing abruptly and folding the paper, "that should set us on course for the next couple of days at least"

You heaved a huge sigh of relief and hastily corrected your clothing, once again feeling the sting of humiliation, though you wasn't sure why. You had agreed to let him "use" your so-called map, after all. It had been the one thing that had sealed your bargain.

"Ok, you got two minutes and then I wanna see you up on deck. Remember, Alvida will be expecting a lot from you today"

"I know, but she's going to be disappointed no matter how hard I try. I don't have the first clue what to do" you climbed off the bed to see that he'd slipped on his long coat, but was still minus his hat. His long, lapis lazuli braid now hidden.

"True, but at least you'll have the added advantage of being taught by the very best"

"you mean......you?"

His look darkened momentarily, like a thunderous cloud passing over the sun.

"Duh, who else would I mean? I'm the best, most flashiest pirate to ever have sailed the East blue. And don't you forget it, you little shit" the insult, you could tell wasn't meant unkindly, and you couldn't even bite back a faint smile when he winked and clicked his teeth.

And then he was gone. Leaving you alone with your thoughts for a full two glorious minutes, before you had to haul ass and join the rest of the crew up on deck

<<—————————————->>

Just as you had been fearing, nothing you seemed to do throughout the remainder of the day seemed to suffice as far as Alvida was concerned. Any hear 'say you'd heard being discussed back in the Sea Shell tavern over the years regarding her being an unnecessarily cruel and hard-hearted captain, you were now witnessing with your own eyes and felt sure you would've bore the brunt of her wickedness had it not been for Buggy, your unlikely gallant defender. For it was he who volunteered to take you in hand - albeit at times quite literally as well as figuratively - in order to show you the ropes.

Now, the clown pirate himself, was far from blessed with patience. During that morning alone, you'd lost count of how many times you'd seen him pinching the bridge of his nose; his eyes screwed tightly shut whilst muttering a string of profanities beneath his breath, as you once again failed to grasp something that he was trying to demonstrate or teach you. But in the most part, he wasn't unnecessarily mean or anywhere near as verbally abusive as he could well have been. Each time, he would suck in a deep breath through gritted teeth, and then start over. To some extent, you were so eager to please him, it was taking it's toll on your nerves, so by midday you were practically becoming a nervous wreck.

"Is your little play-thing really worth such a headache, clown?" Alvida yelled down to the pair of you from where she stood on the top deck, observing the pair of you with blatant contempt, "do yourself a favour, be rid of her for a while, send her down to clean out the bilges. That is if you can stand the smell of bedding her tonight!"

The scathing taunt was met by a raucous chorus of laughter; as the majority of the crew who were in ear-shot all practically fell about clutching their sides like braying mules, clearly amused by their captain's witless joke.

"What and miss out on the only decent company there is aboard this old pile of junk, not a chance, Vida!"

"Watch your mouth, clown! This ship is one of the finest to have ever sailed the east blue!" a very large, angry looking crew member piped up, before spitting coarsely onto the wooden decking by Buggy's feet.

"Well I guess a couple million woodworm can't all be wrong" Buggy responded with his usual sarcasm, but his tone grew noticeably vicious, sounding more barbed wire than honeyed asphalt, "and you're the one who better watch his mouth, you scurvy bag of shit! Now get that cleaned up, NOW! That's an order!"

Without another word, Buggy grabbed you by the wrist and led you away, leaving the disgruntled looking pirate behind to scrub the deck. You darted a quick glance back over your shoulder to see the huge, mountain of a man glaring back at you. His scornful gaze mostly seemed to be trained on Buggy, as though he were attempting to burn two holes into the back of the clown's head with his blazing retinas.

"He's....clearly not a fan of yours. And I'm really not making matters any easier"

"Pay no attention to Heppoko, he's just pissed that I've temporarily taken his place as first mate. That was part of the deal. I'm a captain and I told Alvida we'd team up but no fucking way am I gonna be demoted any lower than a quartermaster. I've been in the game too long to go back to slumming it with the bilge rats"

You remained silent for a moment; digesting all of this new information as you allowed Buggy to steer you towards an upturned barrel. Presumably in order for both of you to take a well-earned break.

"So......the bilge, that's where Alvida thinks I should go, to get out of your hair—"

"Look, screw Alvida, she's just being a bitch. You're not doing her dirty work for her. She has her own crew for that kind of work. Cleaning out and maintaining the bilges is one of the worst jobs. You get all wet and gross and trust me, being stood in a foot or more of filthy water and algae covered wood the whole time, won't just ruin your boots, sweetheart, like she said, you'll stink! And there's no chance of taking a bath until we reach coral island. This pile of shit only has one bathroom and it's for Alvida's personal use only"

"Coral island......isn't that where the Big Top's going to meet us—"

"Sssshh!" he hissed you harshly, pressing his gloved forefinger to your lips. Once he spoke again he lowered his tone, casting nervous glances around to ensure that no one was in earshot, "yes. But she doesn't know that. We made a deal of sorts back at that inn, before I realized that you were my best bet for....getting to where I need to go"

Pursing your lips, you nodded understandingly. Of course he was going to double-cross Alvida somehow. However you couldn't even bring yourself to care, the woman was so unlikable. No. Your main concern now was that the clown pirate didn't somehow double-cross you too.

"Can I ask what the deal was exactly?" you ventured cautiously, watching him with keen interest as he pulled a silver hip flask from one of his inside coat pockets and unscrewed the cap.

"No. It doesn't really concern you. I haven't asked you why you want to go to Cactus island, have I?"

"No. No you haven't that's true." you admitted with reluctance, "......I suppose I could tell you though, if you wanted to kno—"

"Nope. Nothing to do with me, darling. The only thing of any interest to me, is that unique little tattoo of yours and who inked it for you so skillfully, and why"

You watched him take a long swig from the flask and didn't even bother to refrain from concealing your amusement. You let slip a deliberate chuckle, and even dared to make a big show of rolling your eyes. Much to his instant chagrin.

"What? What's so funny?!"

"Oh nothing. I was just thinking I might be able to propose another deal then. One that would interest you"

Lowering the flask, he leaned back slightly to sit on top of the wooden barrel. "......go on" he urged, though it seemed evident he was trying hard to cultivate an air of indifference. As if he wasn't really interested in your proposal at all.

"Ok.....I will tell you all about the map tattoo, only if you agree to tell me the details of this deal you've struck with Alvida"

Visibly vexed, his painted brows forged into a hard scowl; as though his expression had just been carved from granite, "Now why, oh why, must you concern your pretty little head over such trivialities, hm? The only thing I dislike more than a smart-ass is an over-inquisitive little shit!"

Wait, all else aside, did he just say you were pretty?

Ugh! Damn it, Amby. What was wrong with you?!

You shook your head, undeterred. Buggy possessed a certain kind of charm, a charm that might prove lethal if you allowed yourself to fall for it. No. He'd said that to try and divert your attention. Well, false flattery would get him nowhere.

"The way I see it, captain, is we're meant to be partners, business partners...." you hurriedly clarified, "so I think I deserve the right to know what exactly is going on. There has to be more to it than you just simply hitching a ride"

After considering your offer at great length and taking several more swigs from his flask, finally he turned to you with an expression that gave the outward impression he felt physically pained, and gave a small, almost imperceptible nod of the head, "Fine. It's a deal" he grumbled.

Allowing yourself the feeling of a small victory, for heavens knows you needed one today, you grinned unabashedly "wanna shake on it?"

Shaking his head, he once again made the cross symbol over his heart, "No need. Cross my heart and swear to die. Or better still, we'll drink to it!" he then proceeded to offer you his hip flask.

"Uh, I'm not really much of a drinker to be honest" you admitted, sounding no doubt like the worlds most boring prude.

"More of a de-hydrator then? Jeez, I'm surprised your kidneys haven't shriveled like walnuts"

"I meant alcohol, obviously, not liquids in general. And I especially wouldn't drink alcohol this early in the day"

"That'll change, sweetheart. But don't worry, not all of us pirates swing from the rigging wasted all day just for shits and giggles, liquor is just easier to store. Fresh water has to be kept in wooden flasks and it isn't filtered. It doesn't keep long"

"Oh. I see"

Sheesh. You really still did have an awful lot to learn when it came to life at sea. You felt so out of your depth and naive, so in spite of his sarcasm, you really were inordinately grateful to Buggy for at least having the patience to educate you. Even if you didn't seem to be taking to it naturally at all.

"And this....." he forced the flask into your reluctant hand, "is Bumbo, it's just the tiniest bit of rum mixed with water, sugar, lime....and a sprinkling of cinnamon, I prefer using cinnamon to nutmeg. Try it. You won't get drunk off it"

Figuring you had absolutely nothing left to lose, you cautiously raised the flask to your lips and took the smallest of sips. To your immense relief and delight, it was utterly delicious, so you helped yourself to another generous glug.

"Good, huh?" he remarked upon seeing your reaction, "see, when are you going to start trusting your captain? I'm getting real bored of having to keep repeating myself"

"You're right, maybe I should. I'm sorry. It's just....all of this" you handed the flask back to him and gesticulated vaguely around you, "It's so much harder than I thought it would be. And I'm surprised you haven't thrown me overboard by now because I'm just not getting the hang of it!"

"Well as tempting as that might be, I guess I'd have to throw myself overboard then too, because it'd be my fault"

Your head whipped around to stare at him in surprise, "why, you mean because you'd blame yourself for me not learning?"

"Uh, no. I mean it'd be my fault for losing my temper and throwing my best asset overboard" he responded dryly, sounding mildly offended.

"Ah, right. Of course. How silly of me to think you'd doubt your