Chapter 1: A New Family

Before all of his new crew-mates left to go retrieve their things, Hyouga yelled out his commands.

"We are leaving here tomorrow by 6:00 am, so be at The Tempest by then. You can sleep on the ship tonight, or you can sleep in town, either way is fine by me. You can find our ship by looking for my Jolly Roger."

Hyouga tightened his belt and saw that his pistols and cutlass were still there. He sighed and headed off to a Blacksmith to get his blade fixed up. As he made his way down the street, he glanced at his first mate and his crew mates who watched the brawl.

"You can go back to The Tempest, I'll be there in a while."

He left them behind and headed up a hill to another street, reached the local Blacksmith. The smith's name was Rakann, a man he knew quite well. He was an elderly fellow, with a long white beard. His arms had faded scars from his own previous life as a pirate, but his eyes were still sharp as a nail. As he entered the small shack with a straw roof and smoke billowing slowly from a long stack, Hyouga met with Rakann.

"Yo, I need a little something repaired. It shouldn't take all the long." Hyouga said.

The old man looked to Hyouga's cutlass and sighed. With a mallet, he knocked Hyouga on the top of the head. Hyouga held the top of his head and looked to the old man.

"Oww...Oosan, what was that for?"

"Fool, I can't mend a blade like this.. it's ruined. Once the top cracks like this, I need to make an entirely new blade. Not to mention, the hilt and guard are worn down on this... utterly useless!" Rakann said impatiently.

"Fine, then just make me a new blade." Hyouga said.

The old man started up his smithy, getting the coals burning bright and red. From another end of the shop, he gathered an odd piece of metal. Looking brightly at Hyouga, he smiled... something rather unusual.

"What's wrong with you, Oosan?" Hyouga said questioningly.

"I will make you a blade that won't ever break again... then maybe you won't come back here as much. This is a rare metal that I found around here buried beneath the soil of Frigid Heath. It's name is Arkonium.. one of the strongest metals that I will ever use to smith. No other blacksmith has used this metal before." Rakann said.

"Ho... that would be helpful... a sword that won't break eh? Yeah, I'll take that. How much do you have?"

"Enough to make ten blades, a total of 50,000 Beli's worth."

"Is it worth it?" Hyouga asked.

"Fool, of course it is!"

"Fine, I'll take ten blades.. I'll just distribute them around the crew to my best swordsmen." Hyouga said.

"Humph.. how is that crew of yours doing anyway? What are ye called, the Glacier Pirates?" Rakann asked.

"Yeah."

Rakann grunted at this and immediately started to work on the new blades. Some were made into a broadswords design, other into a cutlass, and some into a wakizashi's form. Before Rakann started to form the last blade, Hyouga asked that he made a full-tang with a curved handle for him. Rakann laughed at this and nodded.

"Always wanted to be different than everyone else, hehehe. Fine fine, I will make you a full-tang." Rakann said.

For ten hours straight, Hyouga stayed with Rakann, sometimes helping to smith the swords. It was a long and arduous process, but soon the blades were formed. It was quite early the next morning, only hours before he was to set out of their voyage. The blades were beautiful, in the design and workmanship. The blades stood out as appearing like stainless steel, but much harder, and oddly lighter. Hyouga's full-tang was given a grand sheath, which he strapped to his side. On the pommel of the new sword, was a large ruby of the finest red, which glimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.

The rest of the Arkonium Blades were put into a large bag, and given to Hyouga. He hefted the bag by its strap, onto his shoulder. As he was about to leave, he nodded to Rakann, who sat by the cooling rack.

"Thanks Oosan, these should come in handy. Here's the 50,000 Beli, worth every bit." Hyouga said with a grin.

The old man merely nodded and shoo'd him away with a hand, saying that he had much work to do. Hyouga left the shop, and headed off toward the portside. The journey was about to start.

~~~~~~~~~~~

btw, for those of you who care, this is what the swords would look like:



^^^ My Full-Tang



^^^ The Cutlass'



^^^ The Wakizashi



^^^ The Broadsword (Basket Hilt)

Lydia sighed as she walked back towards her master's house. The fool lived up a hill overlooking the port. She shook her head, carrying three dead chickens in one hand and a package of lamb in her other. Her steps were steady as she walked towards the south, mentally preparing herself for the barage of questions nodoubtly to be asked by the maids.

"If only I could permantly silence those fools....well...this side of mass homicide. Such a thing is far too messy to pull off in a matter of hours."

Cecil had decided to stay at the ship that night. He didn't have a home anyway, as he used to stay in one of the rooms at the inn (mainly because they didn't get much business anyway). He was happy to be accepted in this crew. He wasn't too fond of pirates, but this Captain Hyouga seemed like a good guy, and a very good fighter. If that wasn't reason enough to join, he didn't know what was.

He sat at the bow of the ship with his mandolin, plucking the strings and making a slow and mellow tune. It was very calming to him and he felt bored, so it was a nice way to pass time...

Early that morning, Hyouga returned to the ship, bringing with him the bag of new swords. His crew was small, only a total of thirty, plus himself and his first mate. He had twenty warriors, two gunners, two scouts (including Crow), three gunners mates, and three cooks aids. He was able to gain three new crew mates, a cook and a gunner as well as a musician, a swordsmen, and another warrior.

As he walked up the gangplank, he looked at the pirates who were up. He thought about how he still could use some more fighters, and more gunners. Some more cannon and shot would have to be purchased that morning from the naval shop. Frigid Heath luckily catered to pirates. Hyouga was in high spirits as he stepped foot upon his main deck.

"All hands on deck!" Hyouga yelled in a commanding voice.

Soon, from the crew-quarters below deck, the sound of many feet on the ladders became audible. The hatch on the deck flew open and his crew assembled before him. Usually pirates looked like a rag tag band of brawlers, but Hyouga was famous for especially picking the best fighters he could find. They all wore good durable clothes, carried the best weapons affordable on the crew's budget, and shared the same pride and sense of honor as Hyouga himself did.

But, as every pirate, the rule was solid... in a battle, there are no rules. They listened only to their Captain and first mate, they fought for the crew... and would die for the crew. Each had their own special ambitions, each wanted the other mate's ambition to come true as much as their own. They were more or less a family, and the newest members had arrived.

"Morning Cap'n." Many of the crew-mates greeted.

A couple of them were hung over, the telltale sign showing with baggy eyelids and black and blue marks on their cheeks from where women had hit them. The women who were in the crew laughed upon seeing this, obviously knowing what they did to deserve such abuse.[/i]

"Hope you all had a good rest, we are setting sail today." Hyouga said.

Walking out from the nearby inn, Zein marched calmly towards the Tempest. Today was his first day as a Glacier Pirate, and to be honest he was quite content about it. The fight yesturday really got him pumped up and ready for more adventure, but he didn't leave thought of what he had to do. He reached the docks as the crew was scurrying around and preparing for departure. He had gathered what materials he needed and hopped on deck.

Looking for Captain Hyouga wasn't a problem, he was standing out in the open. Zein held his hand out in greeting with a light rutsack over his shoulder filled with his belongings. "Mornin' Captain Hyouga." Glancing around, he got a good perspective of the Tempest's main deck. Everything seemed ready to go. "Where should I drop off my stuff?

Hyouga smiled upon seeing Zein board the ship. He shook his hand and clapped him on the shoulder. He pointed to the open latch down below deck.

"Go down two floors, and there is the crews quarters. Pick a hammock or a free room, your choice. Oh! And here, I have a little something for ya." Hyouga said.

He reached into the bag of swords and retrieved one of the Arkonium Wakizashis. He threw it over to Zein, who caught it immediately.

"That is made from a rare metal called Arkonium... a metal that is very light, but will never break. Guaranteed, and it only cost me a tenth of the 50,000 Beli that I payed for them." Hyouga said, he laughed sourly as he looked to his near empty wallet. "Ahhh... oh well, it was worth it, eh?"

He nudged Zein in the side and then climbed up to the Forecastle Deck. There, where the wheel stood, Hyouga started to yell out many commands to his many, who ran off to complete them.

"You, set the rigging. Climb the mast and make sure the sails are in good shape for departure! Untie the moorings! Check the keel for damages!"

Sidd had slept at the inn. He didn't have a problem with ships, but he still preferred dry land. In the morning he made his way to Hyouga's ship, made himself comfortable and began sharpening his knives, which was the way he liked to relax.

Cecil awoke from the bow of the ship, where he had dozed off in the night, and stretched. He felt a little cramped from sleeping on a wooden floor the whole night, but was otherwise wide awake and full of energy for the day. He picked up his mandolin and walked around for a bit until he found the captain yelling commands to everyone.

"Mornin', Captain," Cecil said, attempting a salute with his free hand. "Today looks like a good day for sailin'. Would you mind if I went into the storeroom and got some stuff to make a quick breakfast for everyone? I guarantee they will work twice as hard with the extra energy."

Zein held the new blade firmly as he made his way below deck. He walked into a free room, it was as if no one had touched anything in here yet. Setting his belongings on a bed, he drew the Wakizashi from its sheath and identified it thoroughly. Then glancing at his worn out long katana, his decision was made. "Even though this blade has been with me since I started my practices, it's been completely worn out." Zein set all of his swords to the side of the bed he had chosen as his own. Still holding the Wakizashi in his hand, he kept in mind what the captain had said.

"That is made from a rare metal called Arkonium... a metal that is very light, but will never break." The hilt had a nice firm grip, just like his old katana. It was a little longer too. A half-smile wiped across Zein's face. Hyouga had done a lot for him already and they've only just met. He got back to his feet and returned to the main deck. It looked like we were ready to set sail.

Crow would be up in his nest just listening to the breeze briskly go by. It didn't seem all that cold to Crow, but then again he was kind of use to this kind of heat. He then looked down to the Captain handing out the swords. How useful people actually got new swords now they were set. He then remembered something.

" Captain, I have something for you. "

He chucked down a map towards him that was pretty important, it contained a treasure map that many people didn't even have. Sure it was only 500,000 beli, but you have to take what you could get so he began to give some information to the Captain.

" That is a moderate size treasure, but it is okay to a point. It is 500,000 beli and it is in the middle of the ocean. It's not around any treacherous waters and it is pretty uncharted for a lot of other pirates. The old man who I got it from said that it was dropped by a pirate who came into town a while back. So I thought we could go get it. "

Crow said this with a smile on his face as he looked down at the Captain, before biting into a piece of fruit. He just hoped that the Captain liked his idea. So he relaxed in his chair and ate the rest of the fruit with a sour look on his face.

Hyouga peered at the map. It was relatively well done, and he could easily navigate the Tempest there. 500,000 Beli did not sound too bad right about now. He just spent half of what he himself had on the swords. He folded the map up and looked to the crows nest. A big grin was set upon his face.

"Thanks, Crow! This will be the first stop then!"

At that, Hyouga left the deck and sat within the Captains Quarters at a small mahogany desk. All along the walls were tacked maps that he himself had created. On shelves next to the desk and a bed, were various instruments such as the Azimuth Circle, which he used to measure the bearings of celestial objects, a Beaufort Scale, which he used to measure wind force, and a Sextant, which he used to measure the longitude and latitude during the journeys. In a small chest, he had something that he valued above the ship itself, and that was a Eternal Pose, something that was like a compass, but would guide the ship to certain islands in the Grand Line only. He received it from his father long ago.

Cecil, before he had started cooking, went into the storeroom to check up on supplies and find a fitting breakfast. There wasn't a wide variety, especially in the fruits section, but it looked like he could make a bit of bacon to start the day. He took the top off of the bacon barrel and put a bunch of bacon in a carrying pot that he had with him. When he guessed that there was enough, he resealed the barrel and went to the galley to prepare the food for some good eating.

He got a large pan and set it on the wood stove there after lighting it. He didn't feel safe lighting stuff in the boat, but as long as the person cooking was responsible and didn't overuse the stove, there wouldn't be many problems. He set a bunch of bacon on the pan and started to heat the food up, making it sizzle and make a delicious scent. After they were cooked and crispy, he took the pan and set it on the main table. He grabbed a piece for himself and went up to the deck.

"Breakfast is up!" he called out. "We got rum 'n bacon, a good meal if ya ask me! First come first serve!"

Hyouga looked to Cecil and nodded.

"Aye, that does. How about after breakfast, you take a couple of mates into town and get some food supplies. That is one thing I almost forgot." Hyouga said.

In the galley of The Tempest, the men all sat at a long table and ate what they could possibly grab. Hyouga sat down at the end and toasted to the new members. Breakfast was finished quickly, and many of the deckhands left to go and prepare the ship. Hyouga talked to a couple of his men as they ate. As he looked to Cecil, he threw a small sack to him. It was filled with gold pieces, equaling a total of 50 Beli.

"Use that for the food, aye?"

"Aye, Captain," Cecil replied, tossing the sack of money in the air and catching it. After Cecil finished the simple meal, he went off to the market with a couple strong mates that could carry the barrels. He asked for food such as pork, hardtack, and other long lasting things for the journey and gave the money to the shopkeeper. He beckoned for the others to each grab a barrel or two and grabbed one himself.

He picked up the heavy barrel of pork and started to walk back towards the ship with it over his shoulder with the other pirates following him behind.

After enjoying a satisfying breakfast, Zein returned to his room and sat down on his new bed. Digging through his bag, he pulled out a few weights and strapped them to his ankles and wrists. Becoming a pirate didn't mean his training was over, he had to keep himself in top shape. Zein took hold of the new sword that the captain had given him and unsheathed it.

"Even with the added weights, it's as if I'm weilding my old katana. Maybe I could.." Zein's body froze as his arm was reaching for the bag. He glanced at the bandanna tied around him. Flashbacks ran through his mind, but he caught himself a few moments after. Grasping extra weights, he made sure to give himself much more of a challenge. He couldn't get the images out of his head. This fueled his motivation, he had to become stronger. The weights were strapped as Zein began his training.

Sidd walked down to the galley ate his fill, which at the time, happened to be quite a bit. He then sat in the galley and returned to sharpening his knives. He looked at the captain.

"Say, Hyouga, what are we doing now?" He asked him, "I sit around too long I start getting itchy... and hostile."

"Just wait for Cecil to get back, and we can get outta here!" Hyouga responded. "And don't get blood-lust Sidd, that only causes trouble for the crew."

Hyouga finished his breakfast and left the galley. On the main deck, he started to climb the Mizzenmast, and further up to the Top Gallant. From higher than the Crows Nest, Hyouga stood upon the shortest Yard, keeping himself steady in the wind by holding the mast tightly with one hand. His other hand shielded his eyes from the sun that was slowly rising over the sea. The salty air called to him, beckoning him.

Hyouga's eyes glinted in the sun. His wore his smile as he looked all around, from the port and tall snow capped mountains, to the everlasting sea that stretched to the horizon. His life was just beginning, grand adventure awaited. From a rucksack at his side, Hyouga grabbed a pair of binoculars. He looked far out to the sea, and then to the sky. Something caught his eye.

"Ox-eye..." Hyouga said to himself, a cold expression overtaking his face.

Cecil and the two others following him crossed the plank and immediately put the barrels in the storeroom, wiping the sweat off of their brows afterwards from carrying all that weight for so long. Cecil went to the deck. He looked up to see the Captain up on the mast, looking at something. I wonder what the hell he thinks he's doing, Cecil remarked to himself. I'm not sure if I'd trust my footing enough to climb that high.

Nevertheless, Cecil went and inspected all the guns of the ship, checking to make sure they were properly cleaned and working. He might as well get used to them before they ran into some sort of battle.