-Chapter Three Hundred and Thirteen-
-A Few Days Later-
-Everybody's P.O.V-
"That bitch!" Devin shouted in frustration upon seeing the mess he once called his home. He had known something was wrong these past couple of days, he had known she had been planning something, but he didn't expect her to do something like this. Her tight lip smiles she gave him and his brother should have been the first clue, but he had only brushed them off as her still being in shock over the news of the war. Next was how she would just silently stare, as if observing every little thing he and his brother did—perhaps that was the biggest red flag he could have ever asked for. But, no, he was too late in figuring out what she was planning as he clutched the savings box that usually he kept their funds in.
Skylar had almost robbed them completely blind, quick to pick up in their everyday life patterns—quick to pick up in knowing when they'd fell asleep and when they'd wake up....
...As well as learn where exactly Devin kept their savings hidden...
Silently she had made quick haste that morning in taking as much of their money as she could to help aid her in bribing whoever she could at the harbor. There was also the fact about the missing clothes as well...though Devin barely cared about his ransacked closet or for the reason why the woman would even bother stealing some of his clothing. Although...he had an inkling she thought it would help her greatly in passing through the island without the risk of Marines recognizing her—an inkling that she planned to use the clothes she had taken from him to disguise herself like that of a young man all so she would be able to slip by without notice. No, he didn't about any of that, he only cared about the money and the little bit of food she had taken with her.
Perhaps she could have easily slipped out of the house without any of the brothers waking if it hadn't been for her accidentally knocking something over in the fridge—waking Devin up and confusing the tired brunet the minute he stepped out of the room and watched as she zoomed right on out of his home, one of Shawn's bags attached to her back and hair pulled up before she pulled the hood of her jacket up and over her head. Devin growled as he angrily threw the box in his hand down to the ground, causing what little money was left inside to spill out onto the floor. Sure, she left enough to last them for the rest of the month, but that didn't matter to him because thanks to the mess that this war had caused, the brunet hadn't been able to collect any of the bounties of the pirates that had flooded into town.
"I don't understand...she...she was...these past couple..." Shawn didn't know what to say, hurt by this sudden betrayal. Hurt to find that this woman who had been kind and nothing but smiles towards him and his older brother had now just left them with barely nothing. She took the things they needed and ran, now leaving their food and money supply short to the point that it now worried the blond to think about what they were going to do—his head soon perked up though the moment he heard his brother storm through the house, loudly the cursing the woman's name up and down.
"I'm going to kill her! Break her fucking legs and drag her by her hair to the Marines, filthy wrench!" he snarled in frustration as he gathered up his throwing knives. "How fucking dare she rob us blind, wretched pirate! Who the fuck does she think she is?!" Shawn winced at his brother's frustration—he understood why the man was upset, but still wasn't pleased with what he was saying. Despite being hurt himself, the blond felt that there had to be a reasonable explanation for the brunette's sudden and cruel actions towards them.
She didn't look like the type to rob poor people and leave them to rot, even if she was a pirate with noble blood. No, after what he had learned about the Straw Hats from her—which he was still thankful that she had been willing to quell his thirst for knowledge and wanting to learn all the things that confused him—he was sure that her and her crew weren't like that...
So why?
Shawn flinched the moment he heard the front door slam into the wall after suddenly being jerked open, silently watching as his older brother now tore through it—quick to chase after the woman that had left them behind. Strongly believing that she couldn't have gotten far.
"Devin, wait! Maybe we can all talk this out!" Shawn called out, already knowing what would happen if it was discovered that his brother killed a noble woman—let alone the supposed successor of an Admiral—out of anger. Just as he prepared to give chase, he stopped when the morning paper was suddenly dropped onto his head the minute he stepped out before watching as the News Coo quickly flew away towards its next destination. Shaking his head, the blond bent down and picked up the paper as he curiously hummed, letting his eyes read the leading article. "Oh..." he breathed out as he stared at the head picture that was use before clutching the paper in his hand and rushing after his brother and Skylar—this was definitely something the woman needed to see.
-With Skylar-
Skylar panted as she ran along the edge of the forest—even though the clothes she wore made a perfect disguise in making her look like a young boy, she felt it was safer to run along the edge of the forest then straight through town. Sure, she would have blended well into the crowd and would have easily lost both Devin and Shawn if either of them were to give chase...which she was certain the older brother would after witnessing her flee. But she felt that would only slow her down and there was a possibility that one of the many pirates lurking around would try to start trouble if she made the mistake of bumping into one of them while in her rush. Not many were like Luffy and could laugh off such a mistake...no, many felt they needed to prove just how tough they were by picking mindless fights with any unlucky chap who happened to catch their attention. It was best to keep away.
This disguise of hers helped more in the sense that if someone saw her, they would only assume she was a young boy making his way to the docks either with fresh bait for the fishermen or just someone who was currently running errands for someone else in town. She hoped that it would also help in securing her a place on a vessel without issue, hope that along as whoever she asked to take her back to Sabaody would leave her be during the voyage as long as they believed she was a man. She could feel her hair close to falling out of the messy bun she had put it up in as a few strands fell in her face with only the hood on her head to help keep the rest conceal. She tightly held onto the strap of the bag as she ran, gritting her teeth as she felt her chest now ache with guilt as she screwed her eyes shut—body leaning forward as she started to run faster. She needed the money to use as bribery, but the food...she had only taken it in case things went bad and she had to steal a boat and head out to sea on her own.
Before she could react, she cried out when she suddenly felt her own two feet get tangled up with one another—her body falling forward as her jaw painfully smashed into the ground below just as a throwing knife whizzed by and embedded itself into a nearby tree.
"I finally caught up with you, you sneaky little whore!" Devin sneered, jaw clenched as he started to advance towards the young woman before halting the minute he heard a low whimper leave her lips. Opening his mouth, he was ready to snap at whatever pitiful attempt she was planning before drawing back the moment he heard the heart wrenching sobs that now left her lips—her fingers soon digging into the ground and clutching the grass as she loudly began to cry. It wasn't pretty a pretty sight. No, she had tears and snot running down her face as she wailed...as she finally just released everything. Released all of the stress and guilt and frustration that she's been feeling ever since she discovered what had happened to her captain—it was all spilling out like a flood now with no signs of stopping.
"Dammit!" she smashed her fist against the ground—suddenly screaming at the top of her lungs in an attempt to get it all out before finally, her loud cries began to die back down into nothing more than pitiful whimpers just as Devin heaved out an annoyed sigh. Walking forward, he stopped right beside her—peering down with uncaring eyes as he watched how she turned her head to glare up at him. "Go on! Kill me—I know you want to!" she snarled before groaning as the bag on her back was ripped away from her and a swift kick was delivered to her stomach and another soon to her jaw the minute she lashed out and tried to bite him. Devin watched as her body was knocked back away from him—watch as she glared through teary eyes.
"I just want the damn money and food you took—you want to leave then leave" he spat as he opened the bag and peered inside to make sure everything he wanted was indeed there. Sure enough, he found what he had come for as it was all sloppily stuffed into the bag without much thought. He noted how a large majority of the food she had taken was mainly fruits, but still, he and his brother couldn't afford to lose a single ounce of food or cash if they were going to survive. Before anymore could be said—before Skylar could scream or Devin could make another remark, they both closed their mouths and turned their attention to the fast approaching footsteps as Shawn came to a screeching halt behind them. His body practically bending over in the process as he began to pant in an attempt to regulate his breathing.
"I...I don't care for the reason why you did what you did," he heavily breathed as he calmly started to approach the brunette, "and I'm not going to hold any resentment towards you unlike my grouchy brother" he held up a hand the minute he saw Skylar open her mouth. She looked ready to either argue with his decision or apologize to the only one out of the two that she felt bad for hurting. He was such a sweet boy and his childish attitude sometimes reminded her of both her twin and captain that she couldn't really help but to like him...just like with Luffy and Sora, she felt like there should always be a childish smile on that face of his.
"Oi!" Devin snapped upon hearing his brother's words before crossing his arms, turning his head away from the two as he began to grumble. Though he hated how passive his younger brother could sometimes be, he understood that out of the two of them, one of them needed to show compassion and kindness from time to time—one of them needed to be positive and sweet to keep that house of theirs from rotting away in dreary misery or bitter frustrations that were caused by resentment. His body still tensed as he watched from the corner of his eye as the blond kneeled in front of the pirate, he was far to close for his liking and such an act enough to cause him to ready his throwing knives in case he needed to step in and protect his baby brother.
"I still haven't gotten the chance to read that last newspaper and find out why you're so upset, but something tells me that today's paper might lift your mood just a bit..." Shawn softly spoke as he held out the paper that was clutched in his hand—giving the brunette a gentle and reassuring smile as he watched her hesitantly take it from him. Swallowing thickly over the lump in her throat, Skylar shakily let her eyes peer down at the front page, already scared for what she might see before she felt her breath suddenly get caught in her throat the minute she spotted the picture that was being used alongside the article.
"I see...," she mumbled as she peered down at the image, "if that's what you want, then so be it..." she breathed out, a small smile tugging at her lips as she now began to wipe at her eyes upon reading about the events that had taken place not that long ago. Curiously did Devin and Shawn watch as the young woman's mood seemed to just turn around completely—her small smile quickly widening as she chuckled and closed her eyes, tightly hugged the paper close to her chest in the process. Shawn couldn't help but smile at the sight, glad that the woman's spirits were finally lifted while Devin seemed to only roll his eyes and grumbled about just how weird she was now being.
-Fair Haven Island-
"Cloud, have you seen today's paper?" Sora asked as he poked his head into the kitchen of his and his brother's shack. "That Luffy fellow sure is crazy" he commented, recent article that had been published pertaining to the aftermath of the war and a certain young man.
"Tell me about it..." Cloud grumbled as he stared down at the newspaper sprawled out on the kitchen table before him. In a way the blond was both curious and worried sick—curious to know what the raven-haired captain had planned for the world with his quick return to Marineford shortly after the war had ended and worried sick about his baby sister who's whereabouts were now currently unknown to him. It was obvious to see that she wasn't with Luffy...which in a way he was thankful for seeing as that meant that she was still far away and out of Varen's reach. But...that didn't change the fact that there was a possibility that she was alone and maybe even hurt wherever she was. A thought that seemed to just persist within that skull of his after he had read about what happened during the war that had broken out in Marineford—he was sure that had probably tore the young woman apart when she had gotten the news.
"Did you see his arm though?" Sora suddenly asked, walking closer to the blond before draping himself over his older brother's back—chin now resting on his shoulder as he peered down at the paper himself.
"His arm?" Cloud owlishly blinked before squinting his eyes as he curiously peered down at the picture that had been used for the article once more.
"Yeah," Sora nodded, "what a strange tattoo...is that even a tattoo?" he pondered, pointing at the young man's arm were Cloud finally noticed the numbers and letters that were written up and down it in bold, black ink. He frowned at the sight, eyes narrowing in thought as he began to examining the words a bit better...it didn't really look like a tattoo, but more like a message. In fact, just rereading the whole article made Cloud feel like Luffy wasn't just paying his respects to the dead—it felt more like he was trying to convey a whole message at the same time. What though? He didn't know.
"Hey, Cloud..."
"Yes, Sora?" he hummed as he turned his attention away from the paper the minute he heard how quiet his younger brother's voice had sounded.
"Do you think Skylar's alright...?" Sora quietly asked. "Do you think this news will make her happy again...?" Cloud felt confused by what his brother was asking before realization struck him. It always did creep him out how the twins could basically feel whenever one of them was suffering an emotional breakdown—even when they were nowhere near each other they always seemed to know when something was wrong with the other.
"You want my honest opinion?" Cloud asked, lips twitching up into a small smile as he watched his baby brother nod. "I think she's going to be just fine knowing that her captain's alive and well."
-Zoro's P.O.V-
"You going to sleep there forever?" Perona frowned as I slowly blinked my eyes open. "Would you get up? Quit trying to leave—do you like getting stomped by a bunch of baboons?!" she scowled. "Look at it from my side, I got to take care of you."
"Leave me alone, will you?" I grunted, turning my head to the side as I really wasn't in the mood to listen to her complaining.
"Very well, I guess you don't need this" she hmphed as she upturned her head and held up a newspaper. "I brought today's newspaper from the News Coo because I thought you might want to read it—aren't I considerate? There's an update on your captain too, but you don't care."
"What?!" I shouted, shooting straight up and scaring her in the process. I groaned immediately though at the pain that shot through my body at my sudden movement. "The paper, you have to give it to me!" I grunted, opting to now reach for the paper in her hand instead of trying to get up.
"Okay, okay, you're freaking me out" Perona whimpered as I carefully laid back down—letting my gaze scan over the article as she held the paper above me. "Hey, are you done yet?" she asked. "My hands are getting tired."
"Hold on a sec, there's something going on here" I grunted, scanning over the words once more while paying close attention to the picture in the center. I was having a hard time grasping exactly what I was seeing. "Normally, Luffy wouldn't do something like this...Rayleigh's with him, so it must be some idea he cooked up..." I mumbled, watching as Perona's arms started to shake. "There's got to be a catch here."
"I don't care! Just hurry it up, will you!" she snapped as I clenched my jaw—thinking long and hard over what I was seeing as I tried to figure out what exactly the catch that was surely there was.
-Skylar's P.O.V-
I didn't move an inch, just sat there for a few minutes as I held the paper close—ignoring the two brothers who quietly sat and stood there, staring at me with looks of confusion and curiosity on their faces.
"Shawn" Devin suddenly spoke up, causing my eyes to slowly open as I looked towards the brunet. Silently watching as he retrieved the throwing knife he had thrown earlier from the tree it was embedded in. "Let's go, I got what I came for" he motioned for the blond to follow as already was he beginning to take his leave.
"Yeah, but..." I watched as Shawn cast a quick glance towards me before slowly nodding and standing. "What about Skylar...?" he quietly asked as he followed after his brother.
"I already told her, if she wants to leave then she can leave—I don't care if she wants to go out there and get her stupid ass killed" Devin shrugged, not bothering to look back. "Fucking bitch doesn't know how to navigate and here she is expecting to take out to sea..." he grumbled.
"Wait..." I quietly spoke up, clearing my throat the minute the two stopped and let me know that I now had their attention. Curiously did Shawn peer back at me as Devin continued to stare ahead, not bothering to look back at all. "I know this is sudden, but...I have a favor to ask of you."
"A favor? What kind of favor?" Shawn tilted his head as I straightened my back before slamming the palms of my hands down into the ground and bowed which took the blond aback as his brother finally turned his head to look back with curious eyes. Sucking in a deep breath, I pressed my forehead hard into the ground and screwed my eyes shut before loudly speaking.
"I know what I did was wrong, and you probably hate me, but please know that I'm sorry! I'll do everything I can to make up for my selfish actions—the only thing I'm asking in return is that you let me continue living with the two of you!"