-
He acted like you weren't even there.
He grabbed the poor girl's arm and put it behind her back. She screamed.
"I don't go easy on stowaways, even if you are a girl."
You walked back towards the captain and backhanded him across the face. In the moment of shock that followed, you noticed a bandage slightly sticking out of his sleeve. The blood that stained it looked new. Since your stand was able to inflict damage on the stand in the water, you put the pieces together.
"Akira! What was that for?" Mr. Joestar yelled.
He loosened his grip on Anne, and you grabbed her and put you behind her.
"Being an asshole is one thing, but being unnecessarily harsh on a child is another."
"Akira, don't treat the crew like that!"
Mr. Joestar walked to apologize, while you took Anne to a chair. Once she was seated, you walked to Jotaro.
He was sitting on his lounger. You tapped his shoulder and bent over.
"The captain has a cut on his arm. My stand made contact with the stand in the water," you whispered in his ear, "I think it's him. I just need some way to prove it."
"I'll handle that," he whispered back.
You nodded, as he took out a cigarette and started to smoke. He held out the carton to you, but you declined.
Anne sat on her chair, while Jotaro walked to his grandfather. You walked to Kakyoin, Avdol, and Polnareff.
They were talking, and while you were participating in the conversation, you were also keenly watching the captain, looking for any other sign that would prove your suspicions.
He made his way over to Jotaro, and snatched the cigarette out of his mouth.
"This guy must have a deathwish" Kakyoin said, "First with Akira, and then with Jojo."
"If I wasn't holding back he may have found himself-" you started but Avdol put his hand over your mouth. Once he removed his hand, you walk towards the others.
"I request you refrain from smoking aboard," the captain said. "What do you plan on doing with it when you're done? Were you planning on throwing it into the water?" His words pissed you off. If he wasn't the captain, he would've been swimming with the fishes.
"You may be a guest on this ship, but you still have to abide by my rules."
He walked closer to Jotaro and put out the cigarette on his hat, the ashes left falling to the brim.
Jotaro didn't move a muscle. He had something up his sleeve.
"Hold it," he said, "If you're going to put it out, put it out. Don't be a condescending prick about it."
"Jotaro, not you too," Mr. Joestar complained. "We don't need to deal with two rude teenagers today."
"I'm fully aware that I'm being rude, but I figured it out."
"What?" the men asked.
"The captain is the stand user."
"Stand..?" The captain looked puzzled.
"That can't be right, Jotaro," Avdol said. "Captain Tennille was recommended and verified by the Speedwagon Foundation. We can trust him."
"Stand? Well I have no clue what you all are talking about!" He acted surprised.
"Random guesses will only make this more confusing!" Polnareff said.
"Do you have proof?" Kakyoin asked.
"I found a way to differentiate stand users from normal people," he said. "Once they inhale smoke, a vein on their nose pops out."
Everyone but you, Anne, and Jotaro put their hand to their nose.
"You can't be serious, Jotaro!" Polnareff yelled.
"I'm lying," he said. "But, we found the idiot."
"Jotaro, how'd you know he was serious?" Mr. Joestar asked.
"Akira saw a bandage sticking out from his sleeve, and she said she was able to land a hit on the stand that was in the water"
The captain removed his hand from his nose and took off his hat.
"You're damn cold," the man said. "I'm not the captain, you can find your real captain on the ocean floor back in Hong Kong"
"Then you can crawl the floors of hell," Jotaro said.
The captain laughed. You sensed an aura getting closer. Then you realized that meant the girl wasn't a stand user, therefore she couldn't defend herself.
"Anne-" Your sentence was cut short.
You sent your stand out to grab her but it was too late. A blue aquatic stand was holding her up over the railing.
"A hostage," you say. "You're one lowly bitch."
Anne started struggling. she's probably so confused.
"If my Dark Blue Moon and I fought all of you at once, we'd probably break a few bones," said Tennille. "I was planning on picking you off one by one, but I suppose that won't work now. Having this girl is a sign that luck is on my side. If I take her into the water where I'll have an advantage, you'll have no choice but to follow us in."
"Don't underestimate me by taking a hostage," Jotaro said. "Don't think that I'll be shaken by something like this."
"Underestimate you?" he questioned. "I'm just making a prediction."
He started to brag about his stand.
You were seriously getting irritated. But you knew Jotaro had this under control. Jotaro's speed just about matched yours, and if you had to fight him again you knew it would be difficult.
"Follow me, only if you're prepared to risk your lives and choke on saltwater."
He jumped backwards off the railing. Anne screamed.
Jotaro called out Star Platinum, and the stand went over the railing, landing multiple blows to Dark Blue Moon and grabbing Anne in a matter of seconds.
The fake captain drifted off into the sea.
"The only one choking on saltwater is you," Jotaro said while giving him a thumbs down.
"He really talked up his stand's powers for someone drifting at sea," Polnareff said.
Jotaro started getting pulled over the railing.
"Jotaro, what's wrong? Pull the girl over," Mr. Joestar said.
With strained breathing he said, "I'm being pulled in."
Just then, Jotaro's hand was cut open. You leaned over the side to see barnacles going up his arm.
"He's trying to get the advantage by pulling Kujo in," you commented.
Mr. Joestar, Avdol, and Kakyoin were trying to pull Jotaro fully on board to no avail.
"He must've attached them to me when I punched him."
The barnacles were multiplying.
"My stand's energy is being drained..."
You climbed the railing to try and look for the enemy.
"He's gone," you tell everyone.
"Jotaro, bring in your stand!" Mr. Joestar demanded.
"I'm trying old man, that's why I'm sweating like an animal."
Jotaro fell over the edge.
"The universe!" you called out.
Your stand attempted to reach for both Jotaro and Anne, but he threw Anne up and allowed himself to fall in the water.
You caught Anne and brought her on board.
You joined everyone else at the railing.
After waiting a minute for Jotaro to resurface, you got worried.
That worry wasn't diminished when a giant whirlpool started to form in the water.
"Shit, we have to get him out of there," you say.
Kakyoin launches Hierophant Green into the water. Kakyoin's hand got cut. Pulling up his stand, there were scales in its hand.
"The scales are like razors," he said.
"There are countless scales in there, it's a death trap," Avdol observes.
"I'm going in. I can win this if he's making attacks like that."
"Akira, you can't swim!" Mr. Joestar says.
"Yare yare daze, Thanks for reminding everyone," you sighed. "If I managed earlier, I can manage now. I just need to land in the middle of the whirlpool."
You look at Avdol who nods.
"Remember our conversation."
"Aye, aye, captain," you salute with your unemotional expression while climbing over the railing.
You held yourself back by one arm and looked for an opening.
"Change in plans," you say as your stand launches you in.
"What do you mean change in plans?!" Polnareff yells.
If you predicted right, you would've entered the whirlpool behind him. And if you did, you could do some damage on him and send him after you while Jotaro regains his strength. This could only work if you built up enough momentum while you jumped off.
Luckily, as they usually are, the odds were in your favor.
As you made contact with the water, the scales started to cut your body, but you hardened it on impact. Just as the captain noticed you, you had used the water to swiftly maneuver in a way that allowed you to knee his solar plexus, successfully knocking the wind out of him. But you weren't done.
Your wounds unhardened on your stand, plasma and cells multiplying to send a number of rods in his direction. While sending them out, you ensured that only one would hit, and the others would serve as an agitation. This was Jotaro's fight after all. You proved as enough of a distraction for the whirlpool to slow and for Jotaro to break through the barnacles.
"Star Finger!" he called out.
Star Platinum's finger extended out and impaled Dark Blue Moon's face.
The man lost whatever air was left in him and began to sink.
You started to surface with Jotaro following you up.
You took a deep breath once your head was above water.
You soon realized that you couldn't use your stand to move around in water if there was nowhere to push off from. To avoid sinking, you doggie paddled in circles as Jotaro surfaced.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you going in circles?"
"I'm swimming," you replied. "Isn't it obv-"
Your response was cut off by a flashing light followed by a boom coming from the ship.
"Bombs?" you questioned. "That jackass."
-
Your group, Anne, and the rest of the sailors were now adrift at sea in lifeboats.
Everyone on the boat was sitting in silence. It wasn't a comfortable silence. Everyone in your group knew that this was lengthening your trip, which wasn't good.
You pulled out tarot cards from your pocket. Avdol had taught you how to read them so you could help in his shop.
You shuffled through them.
"Anyone want to play blackjack?"
Polnareff snapped out of his dazed state and looked at you excitedly.
"Blackjack?!" he questioned with this giddy look on his face."Of course!" he said.
"let's make this interesting," you started. "Since we don't have playing cards, we have to use tarot cards. Zero through ten are represented in order by: The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, and then Wheel of Fortune. The highest value is the world, and that comes up exactly to 21. We'll play with the zero through ten cards, and mix the world in. Best three out of five."
"What'll the winner get?" He asked.
"If I win, I'm going to make you buy me some fancy foreign cigarettes."
"Alright, alright. If I win, you have to buy me a fancy dinner."
"Okay, but make it three packs of cigarettes then."
"Deal," he stuck his hand out for you to shake, which you did.
"Avdol," Polnareff said. "Could you please shuffle the cards?"
"Do you think I'm planning on cheating?" you smiled.
"Who knows?" Polnareff said.
"I won't need to," you responded. "Luck is a lady, and we've been together for so long that we're practically married."
"Well, the ladies love me," Polnareff stated proudly.
"With that haircut, tube top?"
he pouted.
"It's fashionable in France," he whined with crossed arms.
At this point your match had caught everyone's attention on board.
"Enough of that, let's start playing."
-
Since Avdol shuffled, he also agreed to dealing the cards. Polnareff was being overly cautious of you cheating, so he refused to let you be the dealer like in a traditional game.
Your first two cards were Wheel of Fortune and Strength, which put you at eighteen. It was too close to draw.
The card Polnareff had turned facing you was the Empress. That means the most he could've had was thirteen if he too had Wheel of Fortune.
"I'll stand," you say.
"I'll hit," he responds.
Avdol passes him a card.
He groans and throws his cards down.
The Hermit, The Empress, and Wheel of Fortune (22).
He was over.
You set down Strength and Wheel of Fortune (18).
"Akira takes round one," Avdol proclaims. He was never fond of gambling in the first place, but especially not when you gambled.
-
You get your cards.
The one facing upwards is the Hierophant. You peek at your other card. The Lovers. That leaves you at eleven. If you take a card, it's impossible for you to go over twenty-one. But if he also takes one, he could get closer.
"I'll hit," he says.
"I will too."
Both your cards are haunted back to you. You had received the Emperor, making your total come out to fifteen.
"I'll hit again,"
"I'll stand," Polnareff said with a smug look on his face. He must be close, or he's just bluffing.
You received your next card
The Chariot.
"Shit..." you mumbled.
You set your cards down to reveal a total of twenty-two.
Polnareff set his down to reveal the High Priestess, Strength, and Wheel of Fortune, leaving him at twenty.
He starts laughing.
"What happened to luck being on your side?"
"Calm down smokestack, I still have at least two rounds left to win."
-
The third round was upon you, and you were dealt a shit pair.
The Magician and The Empress, leaving you with only a four.
"I'll hit," you say.
"I'll stand," Polnareff says.
You get handed The Hermit, putting you at thirteen.
"One more," you tell Avdol.
The last card you got was The Chariot, putting you at twenty.
"I'll stand."
You reveal your cards, and you were both tied at twenty.
"Push," you comment.
"I thought I was going to win that one," he pouted.
"Well, whoever wins is decided with the next match," you responded. "This is getting exciting."
He laughs as Avdol deals the cards.
You turned one of them up, and it was The Fool. His upward facing card was Wheel of Fortune.
"You're screwed," Jotaro comments from behind you.
"Oh, shut up."
Lifting your other card, you side smiled.
"I'll stand," you say.
"What?" Polnareff questions.
"I said I'll stand."
"Alright, I will too then."
Flipping your cards, you revealed your pair.
The Fool and The World (21).
Polnareff had Wheel of Fortune and The Lovers (16).
The look on his face was one of pure defeat.
The only card that would actually work with The World was The Fool, combined they came out to an even twenty-one.
"I can taste the cigarettes already," you laughed.
-
To be continued...>