Looking for balance

39. Between us

Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

***

Sergeant Tashigi was watching the ocean under the bright morning sun. She remained focused on the sight of sparkling waves, trying to forget the fact that she was surrounded by pirates.

She took a few steps down to the deck and leaned against the railing of the Thousand Sunny. She was finally standing on her feet and the funny doctor of the crew had allowed her to walk a little. Her stomach was still sore and she had gained a large scar but she was forced to admit the little reindeer had probably saved her from death. And by extension, the entire Straw Hat crew, even if one of them was responsible for her injuries.

She sighed, remembering the last three days. At first, she had been completely panicked when she had realized she was on the Straw Hat ship and she had been quite sure that the worst tortures were going to be inflicted on her but strangely, they had let her recover. A little later, the doctor had explained to her they had been forced to set sail to escape but they intended to drop her off at the next island the Log-Pose was indicating in a few days.

Taken aback, she had thought it was a trap to allay her distrust, but she had quickly noticed that no one really seemed to pay attention to her presence and the reindeer was leaving without even closing the door of the infirmary. However, the navigator had taken the precaution of confiscating her sword until she disembarked and officer Tashigi was feeling completely vulnerable without her weapon.

At last, she had begun to observe as closely as possible the room where she was lying while looking for clues about the crew. The smallest detail could be precious and she wanted to take advantage of her unique position to make a full report to her commodore if she had a chance to see him again one day. Unfortunately, she had quickly realized that the infirmary was completely ordinary and contained nothing but decoctions, creams or pills.

So it had taken her three days to get up, but today, she was breathing in the fresh air of the sea for almost two hours and she wasn't getting tired of it. Deep down, she was still unconvinced of the real intentions of the pirates. She couldn't believe they had simply decided to save her life, a high-ranking marine officer, without consideration.

She took a deep breath. The Straw Hat crew was freaking her out. She knew them all in theory, but seeing them walk around in front of her gave another meaning to reality. They weren't just wanted posters or ruthless fighters. They were all totally insane and she felt like they could kill each other at any time.

At that thought, her gaze turned to the redhead who was sunbathing. Tashigi had almost believed she was the real captain of the ship when she had heard her screaming her orders and threatening the others. Beside her, the archaeologist Nico Robin was reading a book with a serious look. This woman was worth tens of millions of berries since her early age and Tashigi shivered as she imagined what she could do. A little further on, a skeleton and a cyborg were repairing some part of the deck. They were the most recent recruits and she knew less about them. So she preferred to try to ignore what they were doing here.

The captain of the Straw Hats was without a doubt the strangest. He was spending half his time laughing and the other half begging for food. This is why the cook was constantly rebelling against his insistence by means of kicks which were leaving the young man disfigured. Finally, she had decided that the most normal beings on this ship were their sniper and their doctor, even if one was a coward and the other a reindeer who could speak. At that moment, she noticed the swordsman was missing, and she frowned before seeing him a little further, asleep like a log, which visibly occupied half of his days.

"Let's eat!"

Immediately, the captain propelled himself with his hands towards the galley and rushed past her. Tashigi instinctively backed into the shadows and watched the others follow him more or less quickly. She then cautiously took refuge in the infirmary. No one had paid attention to her since she was out and she didn't want it to change. Who knows what twisted idea they might have...