Sparks *

After the conversation I shared with Thatch, I headed back to my dorm to go to sleep, thoughts running rampant in my head as I pulled the covers to my chin.

Now, it was morning and I was out in the open again, taking my usual pose of (no surprise here) looking into the ocean while leaning against the only thing keeping me from falling to my doom.

The crew was a rowdy mess of people going here and there, getting ready to sail or just speaking to each other. No one tried talking to me, which left me relieved as I listened to the water move about. The water caressed the side of the ship as it sailed, before ebbing away in a series of splashes and bubbles.

I remained in that area until I decided that it was time to leave, wandering around the ship once more. Men brushed past me, some ignoring me completely and some sparing me a curious glance as I walked past with my shoulders drawn back, my back straight, and my chin held high. It must be my captain days coming back to me. Although, they weren't exactly gone. Just... on hold... for now.

I purposely avoided faces I recognized, eyes cast downwards as I noticed them before briskly walking away. This went on for a good amount of time, and I stumbled across another quiet spot.

Declaring it as my own, I sat down on the floor, back towards a wall. I probably looked very odd, just sitting there, but it was better than isolating myself in a stuffy and dark room.

Besides, I could care less about what anyone else thought.

The ship sailed the seas at a speed that I thought would be impossible for a vessel this big.

"Guess I can't underestimate these people…" I mumbled thoughtfully, even though I never actually did. I knew other sailors would make the foolish mistake of doing said action, though, which would ultimately lead them to their doom. 

The noise around me never died down, which made thinking a tad difficult, but I supposed I couldn't help it. It was always the same in my ship, and it was ten times smaller than this one. I couldn't expect anything else as a pirate.

Especially with a person like Thatch around.

Speaking of the man with the odd hairstyle, I could already hear him calling 'Ace!' in a voice that would have had me jumping had I not been aware of his presence beforehand.

Curious about this new person, I listened to the two converse. There was a lot of teasing from Thatch, with annoyed retorts from this 'Ace' person. There was also another name uttered.

"Doma…" I'd never heard of them. Bored, I dismissed their conversation as daily gossip, returning to the more important matters.

The conversation I and Thatch had left me a bit in shambles, if I was honest with myself. For whatever reason, it made me want to join their crew even more, to bear a tattoo just like I'd seen a couple others do.

…

I was just confused, I told myself, eyes fixed on the sky.

An hour passed and no one bothered me. It was clear that today was a busy day, since there wasn't much talking, just orders being tossed around back and forth from multiple people.

I passed the time by thinking, and by distracting myself with the sky and what not. There wasn't much to do, seeing as I, again, wasn't part of their little club. I really wished for something to happen, though. Eyes still trained on the sky, my golden orbs bounced from cloud to cloud, naming whatever they looked like in my head. I hadn't gotten a lot, but hey, if I were occupied, I wouldn't complain.

That got boring really quickly, though, and soon I was left with nothing to do. Standing, I decided to continue exploring, since I didn't get a lot done yesterday.

I walked in some random direction, hoping for the best.

***

After some time, I learned the ship's outside (with some trouble, since people kept staring) perimeter, but I didn't dare enter any other rooms except for the one I knew. Now, I stood idly, watching things happen in front of me. Of course, I wasn't in the middle of the chaos, since I honestly didn't fancy the idea of being trampled over by some giant. People here were freakishly tall.

And now, it seemed like my wish had been fulfilled.

I knew the ship had a destination set. They weren't going to some island, though. It seemed like Whitebeard had decided to go after someone for whatever reason—to teach them a lesson, perhaps?

Unsure of the old man's true intentions, I went along with it, excited for some action from the most feared pirates out in the seas.

As I had predicted, these people were after some poor fool. The whale's head was directly pointing to another ship, closing in on them fast. There was another mention of the so-called Ace, and an agreement from him.

Soon enough, the ships were side by side, and from my location, I could see a man with short, jet black hair. He wore a large, red beaded necklace that hung loosely. Unable to see his face, my eyes drifted to the tattoo on the expanse of his back, the purple ink greatly contrasting with his slightly tanned skin.

What made me turn into a stuttering mess, though, was seeing him jump so high in the air so quickly, I almost lost sight of him. Blinking rapidly, my mouth fell open as I watched him land gracefully on what I assumed was the enemy's ship.

"What the hell?" I spoke breathlessly, eyes wide.

Whatever I had been planning on saying next died at the tip of my tongue as I watched flames engulf his fist, his being radiating so much confidence and power I actually leaned back, confusion slapping me in the face.

The captain of the other ship raised two swords, a monkey—a monkey latched onto his back. I didn't know what I expected when I heard the name Doma, but certainly not this.

Still, I continued to observe, eyes blown wide in absolute shock and awe. Ace pulled his fist back, and with a mighty blow, fire was sent flying the other man's way. Soon enough, the ship's masts were covered in flames that were only spurred on by the breeze, and the man had officially surrendered with a few stuttered words.

I seriously wondered how the ship was still afloat, seeing the flames beginning to rise and burn every nook and cranny of the vessel.

When the man, Ace, returned to the Moby Dick, he was followed by Doma and his crew. They all had their hanging in shame while Whitebeard's crew cheered in victory, congratulating fire-boy. Some ran up to him, clapping him on the shoulder with big smiles on their faces while I stayed behind, arms crossed over my bandaged chest as I continued to gape at him. This man really was something different.

Sensing someone's eyes on him, he surveyed the area around him, eyes locking with mine in a heartbeat. I froze, blinking in surprise but being unable to snap my gaze someplace else. The silver eyes that met mine were full of curiosity, and I knew that I was about to be asked for my name and whatever the hell he wanted to know. Jaw clenched, I grip the fabric of my shirt, heart pounding in my ears as time slowed down. The both of me stayed that way for what felt like an eternity, my ears feeling like they were plugged as I focused on only him. There was so much intensity behind those eyes, and I didn't know if he was doing that on purpose on not. His head cocked to the side innocently, and I knew that he hadn't done that on purpose. 

Needle-like pricks of fear trickled down my back down to my toes, and I finally, finally ripped my gaze away.

I whipped around, lips pressed into a thin line as I promptly left the scene, his gaze lingering on my retreating form.

Fortunately for me, he made no move to follow ne. Instead, he faced Thatch who had also paused and was about to ask him what he was so intently looking at, and inquiring:

"Who was that?"