Yawning, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes and forced yourself to leave the warm cocoon of your small, but nonetheless cozy, bed. The first early morning slivers of daylight creep through the gaps in your threadbare curtains like strands of silver, providing just enough light in order for you to see to dress without having to switch on the light.
It was 5:30am, far earlier than you're accustomed to rising in order to prepare for a day at the Sea Shell. Sure, guests who require a room often requested breakfast which has to be prepared, but ordinarily they didn't appreciate being disturbed before at least 10:30.
But today was no ordinary day. Not for you, anyway. Today you were on a mission of sorts. After turning the idea over and over in your head all night; almost driving yourself crazy with your overthinking, reviewing, and reassessing of the situation, the conclusion you kept returning to seemed unavoidable. If you wanted to speak to Buggy the clown in relation to your proposition then your only opportunity to speak to him in private and away from prying eyes and ears, would be first thing this morning. Relatively early, as you needed to catch him alone. Alone as in by himself without not only the presence of fellow work colleagues or patrons, but specifically his newfound companion, Alvida.
You were painfully aware that your actions could be described as somewhat stalker-ish, and unarguably manipulative; especially given your choice of clothing. You'd selected it with the deliberate intention of, hopefully, maybe gaining the pirates' attention. After all, he was a man, and from the little you knew about the art of seduction, you realized your usual attire just wouldn't cut it if you were hoping to attract him with your so-called "feminine wiles"
pfft. You didn't go in for all that crap but desperate times called for desperate measures. So for once you had chosen to forgo your usual outfit consisting of men's oversized clothing, opting instead to wear a white, form-fitting shirt and a pleated leather skirt. You smiled as you found that particular item buried at the back of your closet, it never having been worn as you'd purchased it on a whim, liking it purely because you thought it had a piratical look about it.
Quickly you brushed out your hair, opting to wear it down and uncovered by the bandana you usually used to conceal it. As you checked your reflection you ran through the plan in your mind once again....you would make breakfast for him and take it to his room, either claiming it to be on the house - you had professed to be a fan after all - or you could play dumb and make out like it had been ordered by mistake, you still hadn't decided which excuse to use as yet. You could iron out the finer details as you cooked his breakfast.
Then....once you had him all to yourself you couldโ
creak
A sudden noise caught your attention, abruptly shattering your thoughts. The distinguishable creaking of the well-trodden wooden floorboards out on the landing, and as you strained your ears to listen more intently it became more than apparent that somebody was up and about already, which wasn't exactly commonplace within an establishment who's guests usually drank hard liquor late into the night. And if you wasn't mistaken, whoever it was were deliberately trying to creep along the hallway undetected; making the minimum amount of noise. Such consideration was also a rarity within an inn. No, whoever this was had ulterior motives for such sneakiness.
Without giving a moments consideration to your next actions you crossed the room in three strides and flung open the door, only to be greeted by the sight of the individual who'd been the cause of your sleepless night...or rather, the sight of his retreating back as he was attempting to negotiate his way quietly passed your room. Before thinking through what to say, your mouth overruled your brain as you wasted no time in confronting him directly,
"Captain Buggy" his title slipped from your mouth as if on instinct. You want to get on this man's good side - that is assuming he had one - and you get the distinct impression that he's more amenable when addressed with respect, especially as you're about to confront him, "leaving us so soon?" you add, attempting to keep your tone firm but playful.
He whirled around with such comedic haste his quick movements caused the blue tassels on his hat to swirl about his head.
".....and so early too" you added pointedly.
His painted face was very expressive, you had come to realize, as his look of startled surprise rapidly gave way to one of annoyance at having been blatantly caught out, "Listen sweetheart, I don't like unwanted surprises, and the only thing I dislike more than unwanted surprises, is beingโ" it was at that exact moment he faltered, his words dying on his tongue as a look of vague recognition, swiftly followed by apparent disbelief, skittered across his features.
You waited expectantly but he remained irritatingly mute, "I'm sorry, you were saying...?" you urged him to continue.
"What? Oh, forget that it doesn't matter," he made a dismissive gesture with his gloved hand and took a slow step towards you, his sea-green eyes scaling you from the very tips of your boots to the roots of your hair, "aren't you the one who gave me the rum yesterday?"
You nodded, feeling slightly less emboldened now that your image overhaul seemed to be having the desired affect. You had his full attention. He gave a low whistle of appraisal, further indication that he approved of your new look.
"Well don't you polish up real nice, I hardly recognized you, but I'm pretty good with faces I gotta admit"
"Thanks, uh, I appreciate the compliment" you wasn't convinced it was one, but you still needed to win the clown over, "but I think we need to discuss the issue of your unpaid bill..... you were leaving, weren't you"
This was not part of the plan. But you had little choice other than to wing it.
His appreciative smirk was now replaced by a slow, deliberate smile. One that displayed all of his teeth and made his eyes look almost innocent and boyish, "yeah, I was just heading out to the bank"
"The bank isn't open this early"
His smile remained eerily in place, and he scrunched his red nose as if he found your basic observation endearing, almost relishing your gaul for daring to challenge his blatant lie, "hmm, you're a smart one. I like that. So, seeing as you claim to be such an avid fan... how's about we call the last two nights accommodation a freebie, a token of your appreciation of my work? After all, having me stay here must be quite an honor for you"
You pretended to consider his proposal for all of about five seconds, before you boldly reached up and grabbed his fur-trimmed coat collar, "I have a better suggestion..." your actions caught him off guard as you maneuvered him like a mannequin on wheels so that his back was facing your open door, and to your astonishment he allowed you to gently shove him backwards inside. He could've stopped you, you were blatantly aware of that. But he didn't.
"Ohhh, you want me to settle my debt like that, huh" his raspy chuckle caused heat to crawl up your neck; tinging your cheeks a deep shade of pink, "I'm almost offended that you fangirls think us pirates are all alike. I hate to disappoint you, but one....I'm pretty pushed for time right now, and two.....I'm not an easy lay, darling. I usually prefer more of a challengeโ"
"No! I don't want...that" you cut him off quickly. Your cheeks and even the tips of your ears were beginning to burn with embarrassment, "I mean, not that I'm not flattered, but...it's a business proposition I have for you"
His green eyes narrowed skeptically, "you.... have a business proposition....for me?" he quirked a painted eyebrow in barely contained amusement, "well do tell....I'm all ears"
Steeling yourself, you sucked in a deep, calming breath "I heard rumors that you're sailing for the grand line. I....I want to come with you. Just as far as Cactus island, that's all. I have berry....no offense but I think it's safe to presume you don't have any, otherwise you wouldn't be trying to sneak out of here without settling your bill"
"Uh, has it escaped your notice that I'm a pirate, sweetheart. I mean, come on, d'you think paying for two nights spent in this shithole is going to be high on my list of priorities? And that me leaving without paying is going to keep me up at night?"
You forced yourself to eye him steadily, your gaze unwavering, "so....you do have berry?"
He heaved an exasperated sigh, "Supposing, just supposing, I didn't....I now know that you do, which is a pretty dumb move on your part by the way, so there's nothing to stop me from searching this room from top to bottom until I find it, and taking it, minus you of course. No business deal required" with a swift and well-practiced hand movement he produced not just one but four knives from the inside of his coat.
Your eyes widened in alarm. How the hell did he even manage to hold them all like that in one hand?
"To be fair I don't really have time to rummage through your odds and ends looking for your berry, I can just persuade you to tell me where it is...if you catch my drift?" he jiggled the knives slightly between his knuckles; needlessly emphasizing his point.
"There's n-nothing stopping you doing that, but....there's something else. Something else I can offer you, and...." you swallowed hard. This was the possible deal clincher. "it would be an honor to sail with you...to-to serve the man who I believe...will be king of the pirates"
Boom
Your proclamation hit home like a well-aimed arrow; striking the bullseye. The impact your words had on him were visible as well as palpable. His jaw slackened. His entire body language seemed to shift, his tense muscles relaxing as he lowered the hand clutching the knives, and one even slipped from between his fingers, clattering to the floor.
"Shit!" he exclaimed, hurriedly swooping down to retrieve it. He then proceeded to tuck the knives back into his inside pockets.
Biting your lip, you cautiously asked, "So.....are you interested?"
Clearing his throat, Buggy swiftly attempted to claw back his composure: feigning a cool nonchalance, "Let's just say I'm curios....what is it you have to offer me? If you're such an avid fan then you'll know that my crew of freaks are specifically chosen by me, so you'd have to be bringing something special to the table"
Nervously you shifted from one foot to the other. Trying to choose your next words even more carefully, "You want to go to the grand line, but.....I heard you don't have the map"
"You hear a lot" he remarked tersely, "and it's MY map"
"Sorry, I wasn't aware of that" you gave a casual shrug, "I hear things because a lot of sailors pass through here, sea-related gossip is mostly all they talk about, it's what they seem to live for, actually. Anyway.....I happen to know that there's another....copy....of the map, I mean, your map"
He blinked in blatant surprise, and in the next instant he was standing right in front of you; towering over you due to being irritatingly taller than you.
"Where is it? I've never even heard of there being another copy of that map!"
"I-it's not exactly what you'd call a paper copy....it's..." you swallowed hard, feeling your throat clench with nerves, ".....look, I'll just show you...but you'll need that magnifier from over there" you pointed towards your bedside drawers with a shaky hand.
Perplexed but undeniably intrigued, Buggy practically ran to search for the small magnifying glass, almost tripping over the old rug that covered the floor in his haste. As he grabbed the magnifier, you desperately tried to ignore your blushes and gripped the hem of your shirt: slowly proceeding to pull it up at the back. You could already envisage the confusion on the clown's face in response to your actions, so you turned away from him, not wanting to see his expression as you exposed your bare back to him. Well, bare except for your bra strap.
His silence unsettled you even further as you sensed his approach behind you, and then you almost jumped right out of your skin when the distinct sensation of his forefinger traced surprisingly delicately over the area of interest. Thank God he was wearing gloves, you thought, with some relief, but the contact still managed to cause a cluster of tingles to wriggle down your spine even through the material that separated your skin from his. You wouldn't even allow yourself to dwell on why his touch elicited such a reaction.
Not knowing yet if he'd put two and two together, coupled with the fact you couldn't bear the tension a second longer, you broke the weighted silence; stammering even more than usual as you so often did when nervousness got the better of you, "if you use the....t-the magnifying glass you'll see it'sโ"
"A map" he cut you off, letting you know that your explanation was unnecessary. He'd figured it out, "my map"
Yup. He was smart as a whip.
"Now that.....is impressive!" he exclaimed, the excitement evident in his voice as he continued to lean over you, examining the needle point tattoo that adorned your back; between your shoulder blades, "a miniature map of the grand line, that's.....fucking ingenious! Whose idea was this?"
Straightening, you hastily pulled down your shirt. He'd seen it for himself now and you really didn't trust yourself to suppress a shudder from him keep tracing over the micro inked design with his fingers.
"I'd rather not talk about it" you replied honestly. It had taken a great deal of courage - courage driven by sheer desperation - to even share such a secret with him. You weren't prepared to divulge any further details.
"Fine, it's no skin off my noโ AAAGH, UGGH!" he suddenly growled, startling you, "I HATE that saying, gah, why did I even say it?" he gesticulated wildly with his hands, "what I mean is.....it's no matter to me if you don't wanna share! I don't give a shit, frankly. All that matters is you have a copy of that damn map, even if it is quite literally under your skin!"
It then dawned on you that his sudden angry outburst was a result of frustration from his own poor choice of words. The phrase, no skin off my nose. Of course. You'd heard the rumors regarding Buggy's hangup over his bulbous red nose. Now you'd seen his insecurities for yourself. He was indeed highly sensitive about it.
"Um, so....do we have a deal then, captain?"
He flashed you a crooked smile, his eyes twinkling with pure unadulterated mischief as he unceremoniously gripped your hand in his much larger one and gave it a firm shake, "sweetheart, you have a deal! But you better take that berry you mentioned earlier, unless you were talking shit that is.....?"
"No, I have berry savedโ"
"Good! Then grab it and let's get the hell outta this shithole, 'cause we have less then five minutes to get down to the harbor!"
This was all so much to process you had to mentally shake yourself in order to make your legs move. As you hastened over to the bed and reached down underneath to grab your rucksack, you paused momentarily. Still wary that this was actually happening, and could you trust him?
"Really? You mean it? And you're not going to try and double-cross me?"
Clutching a hand to his heart dramatically as if you'd mortally wounded him, Buggy gave a mocking gasp, "Ouch! How could you even think such a thing?"
"I'm serious"
"So am I. D'you think I'd wanna lose my best asset?" rolling his eyes he made a cross symbol over his chest; somewhere in the vague area of where his heart would be, "you have my word. We're business partners. Now for fucks sake, hurry up and move your ass....time's ticking, darling, and we're gonna miss the tide"
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