Run For My Dreams

Chapter 8

Kairi pov
I watched from my hiding place as the Navy attacked them. I glanced down at the water, "I cannot allow the Navy to take away my chance at killing Whitebeard!" I bent down to the water and signaled them to back off. The Moby Dick jolted forward and began to speed away from the sudden retreating Navy ship and further out into the open waters. I stood up out of the water and jumped down on the deck away from everyone else, "There, that should help." I let out a startled yelp as a large hand covered my mouth and jerked me out onto the main deck of the ship, "Pops! There's a stowaway!" The crew all turned to face the two. I glanced at everyone with narrowed eyes. Maybe changing out of my Navy disguise would have been better before jumping on a pirate ship. I struggled against the person hanging onto me and growled out "Let go of me!" Whitebeard turned to me with a recognizable look. "Kairi...?" He asked softly and once I froze at the name, we realized that we had both survived. My hat was knocked off in the struggle before I looked up at Whitebeard, I wanted to yell and shout at him for murdering Newgate but I was completely taken aback. "Edward?" He looked different. He was much larger and more muscular since I had last seen him. He still had his giant white mustache and his blonde hair was much shorter than it used to be. He wore his cloak on his shoulders, accompanied by a green shirt, and exposed his chest. On his head sat a captain's hat that had the symbol of his jolly roger.
"You're alive?"
We both stated.
"Of course I'm alive!"
I pointed at him "What's the big idea! The stupid newspaper said a pirate by the name of Whitebeard killed you!" I glared at him with annoyance. "Well I didn't tell the press to write such a story." He told me "And you?" "Well I nearly drowned and ended up on the island known as Grey Hel. The doctor nursed me to health but wouldn't let me leave until I paid my debt." I explained quietly then stepped closer to Newgate as I looked him over. He stepped to me and pulled me into a tight hug "I missed you." "I missed you too." I tried my best not to bawl. "Let's celebrate!" Someone hollered out to the crew and everyone rushed to get a party started.

No pov
The party had gone on for several days before Mad Eye arrived on the ship to speak with Whitebeard. His haki easily knocking out those weaker than him as he was an enemy on Whitebeard's ship. He held out a giant gourd of sake as a peace offering. Whitebeard took the bottle and opened it, taking a swig before he set it down. "What do you want Mad." He grumbled. Mad Eye sat down and took his own drink before glancing over at Kairi sitting on the arm of Whitebeard's chair, "What a lovely woman." Kairi shifted uncomfortably and remained silent as Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, "If you are only here to flirt with my woman, I suggest you get off my ship." Mad Eye held up his hand and made a calm gesture. "I mean no harm." His smile was quickly replaced with a stern look, "I am searching for the Lady of the Water. The Navy is after her." "Who is this Lady of the Water?" Whitebeard asked as this was the second time that the mysterious woman had been brought up. "There is a rumor going around about a woman who has been under the control of the Navy." Mad Eye answered "I am not sure what the Navy wants with her but she is in a lot of danger."
Whitebeard chuckled, amused at Mad Eye's words.
"Whether it is true or not, the entire Navy is searching for her. The bounty is that anyone who brings her to Sengoku will immediately jump rank." Mad Eye took another swig of his drink, taking in that the woman was tense. He set his drink back down and gave her a gentle smile "Do not worry Miss, I won't hurt you." She gave him back a fake smile "Ah, I am not worried." "Then why are you so tense? Do you know something about this woman?" He asked her and she shook her head no, "I have never heard of a woman of water." Marco walked over, usually he wasn't around for Captain talk, but he felt that something was off. "Kairi, would you mind helping me?" He asked her softly. Mad Eye looked up from his drink "Kairi, the Pirate Bounty Hunter?" He was confused on why she was on a pirate's ship. "I don't know what you mean." She spoke softly, waving her hands to dismiss him, "Maybe this hunter and I share the same name." She slipped off of the arm of Whitebeard's chair to walk away with Marco when Mad Eye stood and walked over a bit closer "I think you know exactly what I am talking about." "Mister Eye, I really don't-" She was taken aback as Whitebeard roughly placed his naginata in between the two of them "Back off Mad." The elder glared at the younger man. "Best take care." Mad Eye waved at the two and turned around to make his way off the ship. It was better than angering Whitebeard anymore.
Kairi watched the white haired man start to leave their ship before she turned to him. "Mom?" Marco asked her. "Please excuse me." She hurried over to him and placed a hand upon his shoulder "Mister Eye..." The man stopped in his tracks and faced her "Yes?" She gave him a glance before she looked back at the deck, muttering some words to him. He glanced at the other two before he looked back at her and just gave her a solid nod. "It's was nice to see you again, Whitebeard." Mad Eye waved at the giant man again before he hopped off of the Moby Dick and headed back to his own ship. Kairi turned back around, "So what did you need help with son?" She walked over to Marco. "Well I didn't exactly have anything. You just looked uncomfortable." Marco explained as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, thank you." Kairi gave him a gentle smile before Whitebeard shooed Marco away and then turned to Kairi "You seem tense, would you like a shower?" "Lead the way." She gestured to the ship that she wasn't familiar with. Whitebeard stood and took her to the bathhouse on the ship.

Kairi looked around the room, after she slipped her shoes off at the door, and over to the big tub that sat comfortably at the end of the room. "Wow." She awed. Whitebeard gestured over to the shower part of the room, "You seem exhausted, why don't we have a nice soak?" Kairi glanced up at him and nodded, "That sounds like a good idea." She made her way carefully over to the shower part and shut the curtain behind her. For some reason this didn't really feel awkward.
She was silent for a second as she heard the shuffle of clothes being removed and set onto a chair before a separate showerhead turned on. Kairi just closed her eyes before she removed her own clothes and set them on the chair outside of her shower. She rested her hands against the wall in front of her, letting the hot water just drain off of her body. She began to forget why she was here on this ship, her mission didn't matter anymore now that she had discovered that Uragirimono lied to her all those years ago.
Once she was done, she wrapped herself in a towel and carefully made her way back to the giant tub where Whitebeard sat. Kairi stepped into the already warm water, sat down on the bench and rested her head against the back of the wall. Her clean towel sat behind her as she slowly relaxed in the water.
"This is nice."
Whitebeard chuckled at her words, "Been a while hasn't it?" She gave him a small nod. Whitebeard rested his arms on the outside of the tub as he leaned back to get comfortable. Even though water technically weakened him, he didn't mind relaxing with his woman. "So this is your dream." Kairi asked in a soft voice as she looked around the room. "Yes." He closed his eyes "I have achieved my dream." "It's a beautiful dream." Kairi mumbled and closed her eyes as well, completely relaxing in the water.
"Harder!"
A strangled scream broke out and echoed down the empty hallways. "Harder!" The man yelled again followed by a whip crack that smashed against flesh before pulling back and tearing away leaving a long bloody line across the person's back. "Either work for us or I'll tear you apart!" The man hollered at the person being held up by chains, tears of pain streamed down their face as their body was racked with powerful sobs "N-never-!" "Do it again!" The man demanded and the man with the whip pulled back his arm and cracked it against the person's lower and cleaner back. "AHHHHH!!!" The victim screeched out at the new pain, struggling to hold themselves up by the chains that hung their wrists from the ceiling. They leaned forward and glanced down at the blood pooling at their knees, panting heavily.
"Anything yet?" Sengoku walked out of the shadows and the first man shook his head no, "Nothing sir. She's tough." Sengoku put his hands behind his back as he turned to the woman, "Well then we put it like this: work for the Navy and I guarantee Newgate and the young boy will be ignored." "W-what do you mean?" Her body shook as she tried to face the man. "As long as you work for the Navy, the Navy will overlook Newgate." Sengoku repeated himself. The woman huffed out and turned back to face the wall. "You have been here for years, you are bound to break." Sengoku spoke up "Either take the deal or be shipped to Impel Down." Usually the name of the underwater prison would shake fear into people's heart but the woman just closed her eyes. Nothing could be worse than the pain she was receiving. "Do you promise to leave them alone?" She asked him quietly. "Yes." Sengoku answered without hesitation. "Okay...I will work for you." The woman answered weakly. "Brand her and then get her cleaned up and in my office for instructions." Sengoku told the two men before he walked away.
The two men looked at each other before unchaining the woman and pulling her roughly to her knees, one which almost gave out immediately.
Kairi sat up with a start, looking around the room to see she was still soaking in the bath against Whitebeard's side. They had both dozed off in the warm water. She glanced at him before she placed her left hand against her right shoulder, giving a soft wince at the ghost pains. The haunting memories of her torture made her shake. "Are you alright?" She looked up at him, "Yes, yes, just a small ache, no big deal." She grit her teeth together as she looked back at the water. "Uh? How long have we been in the bathhouse?" Kairi asked him and he sat up, "Oh, probably just an hour." He stretched his arms up and then loosely shook his shoulders, "But I do believe it is time to get out." "Agreed." Kairi giggled softly as she swam over to the side that had her towel and reached out of the water to grab it. "Are those whip scars?" The words that left his mouth made her freeze in place. Her arm shook as she took in a deep breath, "N-no, it's nothing." Her voice shook with fear. "What happened?" He asked her as he made his way over to her. "Newgate please," She began to stress, "It's seriously nothing." "Kairi." He muttered her name and she snapped "It's nothing Edward!" She gripped her towel and jerked it to her, covering her back as quickly as possible and her tiny feet took her over to her clothes. She gathered what she could with one hand "Please excuse me!" She glanced at him then sprinted to the door.