yun_miyake

 Title: The Man of the Sea

Pairing: Ohmiya/Sakumoto/Yama (friendship)

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Friendship

Rating: PG-13

Length: Chapters (seven in total)

Disclaimer: I only borrow their name for this fic

Summary: Sho, an Admiral of the Navy was assigned to find a hidden island. The only one who could help him to accomplish the mission was a freelance navigator who happened to hate the Navy. However, when Sho had just made an agreement with the navigator, someone snatched him away – a high-ranked pirate that Sho had anticipated.

Note: betaed by my best ladygiggles. Thanks so much for sparing your time, you’re awesome and I’m sorry for my horrible grammar

Note 2: It was inspired by One Piece in term of magical power and setting, but the storyline is originally mine.

Nino opened his eyes, he’d had a very beautiful dream which involved a huge portion of hamburger, delicious wine and a room with hundreds of books that he really wanted to read. The dream was so solid in details, that he couldn’t distinguish it from reality. He slowly looked to his surroundings, but it was clear that he wasn’t inside his room in the Navy headquarters. He could hear people cheering outside, he could smell the salty air, and he could feel that the room was swinging.

He slowly climbed down the bed and peered outside. A man with strange sailor outfit was checking the sky as if expecting something would fall down. A second man approached the sailor; he was short and skinny. He wore a kimono, a traditional outfit from a faraway land named Yamato. He whispered something to the sailor and both of them giggled amusingly.

Nino was about to push the door open when someone pulled it from the outside.

“Oh, good morning, nice to see you awake. You slept like a sleeping beauty last night.”

A man with a nice hairstyle and an outfit which looked like a rock star was on the doorstep. He was smiling at Nino like an old friend.

“We borrowed you from the Navy. We’re going to sail somewhere far and to do that, we’ll need your help,” the man closed the door behind him and entered the room. He was way taller than Nino, his broad chest was clearly seen under his checked shirt.

Nino was still trying to pull himself from the dream he had just seen; he was afraid that he was hallucinating, but the man in front of him was in-the-flesh real, there was no way that he was dreaming.

“My name is Jun, I’m the cook on this ship,” the man said, extending his hand to Nino.

Nino confusedly shook Jun’s hand, not knowing what to say. If it was in normal circumstances, he would have already spilled his comments on the man’s outfit, but now, he was in an unknown place with people he had never seen and they seemed to overpower him.

“Nice to meet you, Nino,” Jun continued. “We brought you here last night from the Navy headquarters last night, the Admiral must be very upset.”

“Wait,” Nino finally found his voice. “Are you kidding me? I have just signed a contract with the Navy. They agreed to pay me an incredible price. Take me back.”

Jun laughed as he heard what Nino said. “I’m afraid we can’t do that, not before you assist us.”

“Who are you?” Nino looked at his surroundings. They were on a ship and from the interior of the room, Nino could tell that the ship wasn’t a fisherman’s ship nor a trader.

The man rose off from his chair, “Follow me, young man,” he gestured to Nino to follow him outside. They walked towards the sailor and kimono man whose eyes locked on Nino as he came out.

“Captain, he’s awake,” Jun said to the kimono-man who appeared to be the captain of this ship.

The man gave Nino an intense gaze as if checking him with some kind of X-ray. He smiled mysteriously and nodded at Jun, “Sho-kun won’t be happy.”

Nino looked back and forth from Jun to the captain. They knew Admiral Sakurai, and the way the captain mentioned Sakurai’s name was like an old friend. 

“Welcome to our ship, Ninomiya-kun,” the sailor man patted him on his shoulder. “I’m Aiba. I’m the doctor of this ship.”

“This is Ohno-san, our captain,” Jun introduced the kimono-man. “The one who abducted you away from the navy headquarters.”

Now Nino recalled that sleepy-looking-captain. He appeared all of a sudden in Nino’s room the night before after making all the guards sleep like the dead. He was the one who wrote all the murals inside Nino’s chamber and made Nino watch it.  This man must possess some kind of magic since Nino was unable to move as he appeared inside the room. He eyed the three of them; none of them looked like a bad guy, but this ship was fishy and abducting a navy employee was considered a high-class crime.

“You seem to have so many questions,” Ohno said with a lazy tone.

“Who are you? Why are you abducting me? Where are we going?” Nino tried to speak with his usual confidence.

Ohno’s lips curved into a smile; he glanced at Aiba and Jun before answering. “We’re pirates,” he answered. “And like every other pirates, we’re looking for treasure and to do that, we need a high-skilled navigator.”

“The Navy will not just sit down and let you get away,” Nino said, trying not to sound like a coward, even though he was scared. He had dealt with pirates, but none of them had abducted him with magic tricks. They paid him to lead them towards a certain island and let him go afterwards. Pirates were his least favorite to work with because they brought out the worst in people.  

“I’m expecting them,” Ohno replied. “It must be interesting, the pirates and the navy fighting over a single navigator.”

Nino averted his gaze away from the captain, he couldn’t do anything at the moment. He was truly alone in the enemy’s nest. It was better to behave and do as they tell him until Sakurai’s troops came to save him. He was sure that Sakurai would come; Nino was their potential key to cross Naraku Sea, losing him to a group of pirates wasn’t an option.

“You must be hungry, let’s have some breakfast,” Jun said, turning around towards the inner deck of the ship.

“Nice idea, come, Nino,” Aiba said and followed Jun inside.

Nino cringed as Aiba addressed him with his nick name. He wasn’t good at making friends; the conversation with the people he met was mostly about money.

“You look like you’re starving to death,” Ohno approached him. Their height was almost the same, only that Ohno’s skin was way darker than Nino’s.  “Sho-kun will be angry if we don’t feed you well,” Ohno continued while grabbing Nino’s wrist and leading him to the main deck.

Nino freed his hand from Ohno’s grip which gained a questioning look from the man, but he said nothing. He followed Ohno’s steps towards the deck where Jun was preparing the meal, he tried to keep the distance between him and the captain as far as he could. He was afraid that this weird guy would hypnotize him and make him sleep again.

There were four other men around the dining table; all of them with a different outfit. When Ohno approached, all of them stood up and bowed to him with respect. Nino planned to return to the room where they kept him last night, but his stomach growled loudly at the wrong time.

“Nino, come here. Jun’s cooking is the best thing on earth,” Aiba called him with a broad smile, as if Nino was a part of them since the very beginning instead of a man they abducted from the Navy.

“A storm will hit the sea soon, let’s eat before you can’t even stand on the deck,” Ohno said, glancing to his underlings around the table who nodded in agreement.

“I know, I’m a navigator, I can tell when the storm will come,” Nino answered. “And the one approaching us is one of the worst.”

Nobody made a surprised expression upon Nino’s statement. They continued eating as if a bad storm was just a usual part of their days. Well, what could Nino expect from pirates whose life was all about crossing the seas?

“The food will be gone if you don’t join us,” Ohno said, gesturing to Nino to sit beside him.

Nino frowned, he did as Ohno said and filled his plate with salad and a piece of bread. He glanced at Jun who was busy cutting a big slice of cheese and dividing it for everyone around the table. These pirates weren’t just pirates, Nino thought while observing them. All of them looked well educated and well groomed. The way Jun prepare the meal was no different compared to the high-class chef in the Navy. Nino began eating and listened to Aiba who was voluntarily introducing everyone around the table to Nino.

 “That is Kamenashi kun, Fukushi-kun, Suda-kun and Chinen-kun. They are very nice, you can talk to them later,” Aiba said cheerfully.

Nino glanced at Chinen, he was probably the youngest among them and now was looking at Nino with narrowed eyes.

“He’s always gets a little jealous if someone gets close to Ohno-san,” Aiba explained from his right side.

“Not my business,” Nino mumbled from the corner of his mouth.

Aiba giggled, as if Nino’s cold attitude was something funny. He happily introduced Nino to everyone and named him as the best navigator of the century. Nino only nodded slightly and enjoyed the meal in silence. All of the crew talked of their last cruise to Azuki Island where they found many pretty women. Ohno, on the contrary was quiet during breakfast. He turned to Nino when he felt the latter’s gaze and flashed a slight smile which Nino couldn’t return.

As predicted, the storm came right after they finished their meal. Jun had just disappeared to wash the dishes when the strong wind hit the ship.

“Everyone, get to your station!” Ohno ordered.

All of the crew members ran towards their respective stations; Suda and Fukushi worked together to roll up the main sail. Kamenashi and Chinen worked on the second sail, Ohno meanwhile held the wheel, ready to fight the storm.

“Nino, here!” Jun grabbed his hand and guided him towards the inner deck. “Don’t go to the upper deck, until the storm stops, do you understand?”

“I can be of help, you know,” Nino argued instead of obeying Jun’s order. He had experienced several storms during his career as a navigator. Although he mostly ended up vomiting, but he was still able to navigate the way, leading the ship to a safer area.

“This is not just a storm, stay here,” Jun said with a last commanding voice and Nino had no choice but to obey.

The ship began to swing wildly as the huge waves swept it. Nino could hear the thunder, the sound of the wind and the upset ocean. He had been on numerous voyages before, but never aboard this size of ship. He only worked for the richest guys who hungered for sea treasure. They normally possessed a yacht which didn’t really swing even on turbulent seas. But, this ship was rather small and Nino was sure that it would sink anytime soon.  

Nino could hear Ohno’s voice giving commands and he was surprised to find how calm the captain was. Well, storms were basically a daily thing for pirates, but no matter how much they get used to it, Ohno’s calmness was too odd. From the glass window, Nino could see the high tide outside, the sea water filled half of the front deck. Ohno was on the helm, he controlled it as if they only went past a current instead of a storm.

Nino was so busy admiring the captain that he loosened his grip from the pillar. What happened next was too fast for his brain to catch. He fell down to the slippery floor; the door of the inner deck fluttered open and he was thrown outside as the high tide hit the ship. Nino tried to yell for help, but his voice was muffled by the wind. The ship tilted to the right side, sending Nino into the tumultuous sea. This is how he was going to die, Nino thought as his skin touched the cold water. But just as he thought that he was sinking, something strange happened. The water under him didn’t swallow him, it brought Nino back to the deck of the ship. He tried to grasp what was happening, but it was too fast. A pair of strong hands grabbed his shoulder; Jun’s face in front of him, screaming angrily.

“I told you not to go outside!”

Nino tried to answer, but his voice seemed to leave him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Ohno holding his right hand. He was bleeding.

“If you do stupid thing again, I’ll be the one who will throw you into the abyss,” Jun said, gripping Nino’s shoulder and dragged him to the inner deck once again. Nino tried to check on Ohno, but the captain couldn’t be seen anymore, Jun had brought him to another deck to make sure that he wouldn’t go out again.

They finally got out of the stormy sea, but the rain was still pouring hard. Nino was shivering in his wet clothes, he curled up on the wooden chair, waiting for the other crew. He didn’t want to risk his neck after Jun’s harsh warning and chose to stay inside.

The door finally fluttered open; Jun entered the deck, followed by Aiba and Ohno who were arguing about the captain’s wound.

“Let me take care of it,” Aiba said.

“It’s just a small wound, Aiba-chan. You don’t need to waste your bandage on it,” Ohno replied, glancing at Nino.

“Captain, Aiba-kun knows better than you. Do as he says,” Jun chirped in, crossing his hands over his chest with a dark expression. He shifted his gaze to Nino before approaching him. The latter grimaced, anticipating a punch, but all Jun did was placing his hands above Nino’s shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

Jun’s expression was different this time, he was no longer angry, on the contrary, he showed worry and concern.

“Falling into the sea during a storm is not a pleasant experience,” Aiba said while examining Ohno’s wounded arm. “Don’t worry, I fell all the time,” he continued. His way of speaking didn’t indicate that falling into a turbulent sea was frightening; Aiba said it as if he was falling into a swimming pool during a hot summer.

“Don’t put more of a burden on the captain than you already did,” Jun frowned at Aiba.

Nino looked at Ohno’s wounded hand; it wasn’t a normal injury. The blood poured from a hole in his skin as if there was a needle stabbed there. His puzzling expression must have been reflected on his face as Jun started to explain.

“Have you heard of the Orion power?” Jun asked.

“Yes, I have. But I have never met anyone with that power,” Nino replied.

“You have encountered one,” Jun said. “Admiral Sakurai, he can control the wind. Our captain here can control the waves.”

Nino looked at Ohno whose expression was rather bored as Aiba applied antiseptic on his injured hand.

“Their power is unlimited, but under one condition,” Jun continued his explanation. “They must not use their power against nature. For instance, the storm. If they try to control the nature, they will get hurt. If they don’t stop within the allowed time, they will die,” the man looked at Ohno and returned his gaze to Nino.

“Does that mean…?”

“The Captain got hurt when he saved you from sinking, he used his power against nature, that’s why he got a hole on his hand,” Jun said.

“It’s alright, Matsujun,” Ohno lifted his healthy hand. “It’s just a small wound. We can’t lose our navigator to a storm,” he continued lightly.

“Thank you, Captain,” Nino muttered. He hated himself for losing his confidence every time he met the Captain’s eyes. Unlike Admiral Sakurai who was so easy to manipulate; Ohno seemed to possess some kind of controlling aura around him.  

“You’d better get some rest,” Aiba said to everyone.

“We’re heading to an island to get our supplies before we depart for our main destination,” Jun explained to Nino. “That’s when we need your help.”

Nino nodded, not knowing how to argue that he didn’t want to work without payment. “What if Sakurai-san follows us?” he voiced his concern.

“That will be the most interesting part of our cruise,” Ohno answered; flashing a weak smile at Nino.

Nino grimaced, he believed in Ohno’s unlimited power, but Sakurai’s troops would outnumber them. Well, it was none of his concern if the Navy arrested Ohno and his crew; nobody would hurt him anyway. Both, the Navy and pirates needed his presence and they would keep him safe all the time.

The three of them left him inside the deck. A few minutes later, Chinen came to bring him a pair of dry clothes. He didn’t say anything to Nino and left as Nino took the clothes.

Nino couldn’t sleep that night; he thought of too many things. Was it okay to trust Ohno? What should he do if Sakurai’s soldiers come to take him back? What if Ohno decided to kill him in order to shorten the story? But the captain seemed kind-hearted, despite of being a pirate. His image was far from the pirates Nino had known. What kind of pirate wore a kimono?

He climbed down the bed and walked outside. The sky was bright that night, the sea was calm, and the wind blew weakly; it was chilly though as Nino only wore a thin shirt. The crew was asleep, except the one who was in charge of the ship’s wheel. Nino tiptoed until he reached the edge of the deck; he tilted his head to the sky, towards the stars in order to locate their position. He fished the compass from his pocket and found out that they were near Spiral Island. It was the last island before Naraku sea; the sea which was mostly avoided because of its darkness and mystery.

Nino shoved the compass back into his pocket and jerked surprisingly when he saw Ohno on his right side; he hadn’t heard the man coming.

“We’ll be arriving at Spiral Island by dawn,” Ohno said as if reading Nino’s mind. “Have you been there?”

“No,” Nino shook his head. “The island doesn’t hold any gold; my employers don’t go to that place.”

“You’re quite popular, you know,” Ohno said, looking at Nino with a playful smile. “I’ve heard you charge a very expensive price for your service.”

“I do,” Nino answered immediately. “How much you will pay me for my service?”

Ohno chuckled lightly as he heard Nino’s question. “We have no money to pay you,” he said.

“What makes you think that I will work for you?” Nino asked, ignoring his increasing heartbeat.

Ohno stepped closer, his nice-shaped lips curved in a smile. “I just do.”

“How do you know that I will not lead you to the wrong destination?” Nino asked again. His back bumped to the cold wooden deck in order to get further from Ohno as the captain was too close.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Ninomiya Kazunari,” Ohno whispered, he lifted his fingers to Nino’s face and caressed his cheek. “What you’ve been doing is not so different than pirating. I bet you’ve known what the Navy is planning, do you think you can get away with such precious information? Everyone will hunt you down to pry out what you’ve heard.”

Nino shivered as the stronger wind hit his skin, he tried to jerk away from Ohno, but he couldn’t move. The captain’s face was just a few inches before him.

“I will protect you if you cooperate with us,” Ohno said with another whisper which sent another shiver through Nino and it had nothing to do with the cold air.

“Sakurai-san said the same thing,” Nino said with a shaking voice.

Ohno finally drew away, his eyes locked to the dark sea ahead of them. “Sho-kun is a great soldier, I admit it. I never stood in his way for all of this time, but for now, I have to.”

“Wait, do you know each other?” Nino asked. He had heard how Ohno mentioned Sakurai’s name with a familiar tone ever since he boarded this ship.

“Sort of,” Ohno shrugged.

“How?”

Ohno touched his wounded arm and said nothing for minutes. When he spoke again, his tone was lighter. “Get some sleep, Nino. We have a long day ahead.”

Nino looked at the captain; he had known this man for less than a day, but he began to put his trust in him. It was something beyond his understanding and he had never experienced it before. Was it Ohno’s other power which made people obey him? Or was it because Nino simply admired the captain for his calmness and readiness?

He could tell that Jun and Aiba as well as the rest of the crew  have a high respect for their captain. But it was different than what Nino witnessed in the Navy. Sakurai’s underlings were afraid of him instead of respecting the Admiral. Although Sakurai fulfilled every aspect of a leader; he didn’t possess something Ohno had.

 

Nino finally fell asleep past midnight. Someone shook his shoulder to wake him up when the ship had arrived at Spiral Island. Nino opened his lids slowly and found Aiba, smiling at him.

 

“It’s morning, Nino. Wake up.”

 

Nino groaned and blinked a few times; it was still dark outside.

 

“Come on, we have many things to do,” Aiba said with a cheerful tone.

 

He lazily followed the doctor outside the inner deck. Ohno and the rest of the crew were ready to leave the ship. The captain turned his head to Nino briefly before returning his attention to his crew.

 

“We’ll gather here at two,” Ohno said. “Our cruise after this is more dangerous than what we have been through. Don’t buy too many things which weigh us down in the end.”

 

“Yes, captain,” all of them answered at the same time.

 

Nino and Aiba approached Ohno; the captain smiled at them both and glanced at the sunny sky.

 

“You will travel with me,” Ohno said to both of them.

 

“Where to?” Nino asked before he could hold himself.

 

None of them answered; they only offered a soft smile to Nino.

 TBC 

***  .