Chapter 1: A New Family

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.

" Captain we got some bad weather rolling in!"

Crow would was sitting in his nest was looking out in the sky to see the same thing through his binoculars. The dark cloud in the sky was something that was not a friendly thing at all it made the young Crow have a worried expression on his face since when he was with his father he learned just how dangerous storm clouds could be.

He looked down towards the Captain before finally saying to him with a serious tone in his usually chipper voice.

" Should we wade it out sir or just set out today."

Hyouga looked to Crow with an expression of caution. He looked back out to the sky and saw that the dark ox-eye clouds spread across the entire horizon. The storm would hit them, no matter how far they sailed. It seemed destined that upon his return to Frigid Heath, he and his crew would have to undergo such a frightening trial.

"We must go through it. If we stay in port, we would still be hit by the ox-eye storm, there is no escape." Hyouga said through clenched teeth. "We must leave today..."

The clouds, a dark menacing figure seemed to close in upon the island. Across the water, all was a dark gray, the sign of intense rain and high waves. This would be no laughing matter, a storm was approaching, and the crew had to be ready to sustain the ship, no matter what the cost.

She'd finally done it. Every step of her plan had worked except for one. Her escape.
Lydia frowned as she sprinted from the mansion down towards the docks, her mind on how easy it had been to kill everyone. As the head chef Lydia had sole acess to the supplies of wine.

That night her master held a grand party with the other traders of the island. Lydia had killed them all with a simple tampering. The shifty salesperson who supplied her with lyle knew nothing of her sinister plot. What a simple plot it was too.

She turned onto the dock and sprinted up one of the awaiting ship's gangplanks, her mind on the roomful of high-society corpses, 50 bodies total when you added in the maids.

Hyouga was still at upon the Top Gallent on the Mizzenmast, looking nervously at the ox-eye clouds that were making their way toward Frigid Heath and their ship. The horizon was being drenched in rain, and the waves were presumed as being quite violent. He looked down to his crew, who all strained their heads to look at the Captain high up in the rigging.

"We are departing! Undo the mooring, pick up the gangpl-" Hyouga was interrupted as he saw a lone women run up their gangplank on onto The Tempest.

The women looked out of breath, and stood standing on the main deck, bent with his hands on her knees, regaining her composure. Hyouga, high above, lifted an eyebrow at this and started to climb down the mast by the rungs running along the sides. When he reached the deck, his crew was gathered around the women, all with puzzled expressions upon their faces.

Hyouga made his way through the crowd of crew-mates and stood before the women. He peered down at her, a curious smile on his face.

"Do you have business with me and my crew?... we are about to depart from here." Hyouga asked.

Lydia looked up at him with a half smile. Her eyes gleamed with a mix of emotions, though her voice remaind confident.

"Well Cap' how would you like a world renoun cook at your desposal?" She straightened up, brushing off her apron. "I just need off this island before the authorities discover the bodies."

Hyouga laughed at this, and looked back to his crew. He pointed back to the moorings.

"Alright, de-moor the ship and lets set off for departure. And now, good news, we have a new head chef!" He said.

The crew laughed and cheered, not because of the new crew-mate who joined, but more or less because they were finally able to leave Frigid Heath. The Gangplank, by the efforts of two deckhands was released from the docks, and stored by the Gangway. Hyouga stood at the open gangway and shoved a foot into the docks, setting the ship slowly adrift from the coast. He turned back to the latest member of the crew and gave her a smirk.

"Welcome to The Tempest, newest head cook of the Glacier Pirates. I hope you know what you got yourself into!"

Hyouga stood by the fo'c'sle (forecastle) and started to shout out orders at his men. The deckhands started to climb the rigging and the masts. A snap was heard as the Mainsail whipped forward, caught by the wind. The ship started to move forward faster and the wind pushed. The other sails and jobs were unfurled by the mates upon the lines. Crow sat in the crow's nest, most likely watching the ever-growing ox-eye clouds grow nearer.

As the white coastline started to fade off behind them, Hyouga looked with a cold stare before him. The dark clouds, almost black, lay in front of the ship as far as the eye could see. He walked from the fo'c'sle to the top deck and stood behind the wheel, relieving the helmsmen to tend to the rigging.

"All hands, prepare for a dark day ahead, for it could be our last." Hyouga commanded as he spun the wheel hard to port, directly toward the menacing clouds.

Lydia smiled and nodded, the wind whipping her hair into her face. She pulled it back with a peice of ribbon and headed below deck.

"Thank you Cap'. I'll get to work in the Kitchen."

She smiled as she walked down the stairs, knowing she would be unable to retun to Frigid Hearth for a good while. Fifty murders on her hands. Oh well they had it coming. Lydia giggled softly and rounded the corner walking into the kitchen.

"Alright, lets see what I have to work with down here."

OOC: The kitchen on a ship is called the Galley, Duckling... yarg. ^_^

This topic will be continued in our next chapter:

"The Voyage Begins" watched out for it. =)