One Piece: Dream of Immortality

"Pffft! What do you mean there aren't any other seas?" Luffy laughed. "We were sailing the Grand Line just a couple hours ago!"

"Don't know rightly what you mean by any 'Grand Line', but the Cheribbean be the only sea in the whole world," a half drunken pirate known by the name of Rackham John told them. "I should know. I've seen the edge."

"Oh shut yer cake hole, Rackham!" another pirate shouted at him from a nearby table. "There ain't no edge of the world! Nobody who goes out that far ever comes back to tell the tale!"

A chorus of jeers echoed the sentiment, making it clear that other regular patrons were sick of hearing about it.

"And why do ye think that is, ye bunch o' bilge rats!" Rackham shouted back at them. "They fell off!"

The jeering turned to mocking laughter.

"Don't listen to these fools. They don't sail far enough from home to even miss their mothers," Rackham settled back into his seat.

Many angry complaints were barked in his direction, but nobody tried to start anything physical. A small mountain of muscle and fat called 'Brick' stood behind the bar, his tiny eyes watching closely for any excuse to enact violence upon misbehaving customers.

"I suppose it makes sense that there's an edge," Jinbe said.

"Right?!" Rackham seemed to gain a burst of energy from the affirmation. "Doesn't make a lick of sense for the world to be a ball! Obviously it be a flat disk."

Jinbe didn't comment on that.

"That's stupid!" Luffy did. "The world is round!"

"Well, o' course it's round," Rackham sneered. "Disks are round, ain't they."

"I've seen a map of the world! It's a ball!" Luffy changed tacks.

"And was that map also a ball? Or was it flat?" Rackham leaned back and smiled.

Luffy tried to think of any retort to that, but that point was just too solid. He groaned and thumped his head against the table.

"If no one ever comes back, how do you know about the edge?" Jinbe decided not to bring globes into the argument.

"Yeah, how did you come back, Rackham?!" that first pirate piped up again.

"Well…" Rackham shrank into himself slightly. "I was… rescued."

"Keep going, Rackham! Yer already halfway through, may as well finish!" A bark of laughter followed the taunt.

Rackham sighed. "Nevermind all that. Ye just wanted to know yer way around, right? I can help, but I don't come cheap."

"We already have a navigator," Luffy complained, apparently still annoyed.

"And we were split up from our ship. If they don't turn up here, what's the nearest port where we might find them?" Jinbe asked.

"Hm," Rackham thought for a moment. "Port Royal would be yer best bet. It's only two or three days from here, dependin' on the wind. Only…"

"Only?" Jinbe leaned in.

"Port Royal don't like pirates too much," Rackham sized the two of them up with his eyes. "Yer a lot cleaner than the standard fair 'round these parts, but you got the stink of pirates about ye."

Luffy puffed out his chest in pride. He rubbed a finger under his nose and said, "We do, don't we?"

"Ye do," Rackham agreed, taking some minor amusement in Luffy's antics. "Port Royal hangs pirates, and they don't drag their feet with the trial."

Jinbe and Luffy shared a look.

"They'll be fine," Luffy decided instantly. Jinbe huffed, but agreed with a nod.

"If yer determined to go, I could help ye get passage," Rackham rubbed his fingers together. "For a price, o' course."

"No, you're shifty as hell," Luffy stood up and started marching for the door. "Let's go find a boat, Jinbe."

Jinbe didn't argue and stood to follow.

"Hold on!" Rackham shot to his feet too, stumbling a bit. "I won't ask for much! Just enough to get a few ales!"

Luffy and wasn't swayed, and so Jinbe didn't pay him any mind either.

"Free! I'll do it for free!" Rackham staggered after them.

Jinbe frowned and half turned to look at him and Luffy hesitated. Rackham smiled in relief.

"Why are you so insistent?" Jinbe asked bluntly.

"Ye can't blame a man for wanting a little extra change in his pocket, can ye?" Rackham sighed.

"That depends on what else you stand to gain," Jinbe made no secret of his suspicion.

"I was headed for Port Royal as well, to be honest with ye," Rackham explained. "A few extra hands never hurt."

Jinbe felt like the old pirate was hiding something. He had the kind of face that you just couldn't trust, no matter how pretty words that came out of it. Rackham's words weren't even that pretty.

"Nami did say I should take free whenever I could get it," Luffy crossed his arms and tapped his foot.

"Sounds like a smart lady!" Rackham agreed whole heartedly.

"Alright then! Let's go, shifty old guy!" Luffy announced.

Jinbe would keep a close eye on Rackham, but since his captain had decided, he would follow. If he had to guess, Rackham probably owed a hefty debt to someone dangerous, and he hoped that Jinbe and Luffy could protect him until he reached somewhere safer.

"Harhar! Ye won't regret it! We'll arrive at Port Royal before ye know it!" Rackham exclaimed.

…

Brendyll Ben was sitting on a crate when he finally spotted Jinbe and his tiny captain leaving the Twelve Daggers. He perked up, wondering if they'd be in need of a cabin boy soon. It wasn't uncommon for pirates and other shady folk to recruit from this particular tavern.

Ben's mouth twisted into an ugly frown when he saw Rackham John follow them out, looking pleased as punch.

Ben never liked that old man, and he'd only gotten worse ever since he supposedly saw the edge of the world a year and a half ago. There was something off about him that Ben didn't like, something you'd only notice if you'd been close to the old pirate; or if you, like Ben, simply never let the creep out of your sight when he was around.

Still, though… Ben liked Jinbe. It wasn't often that you met someone approaching honorable in Tortuga; and Ben thought Jinbe might actually just be honorable, instead of approaching it.

He struggled internally for a moment before hopping off his perch atop the crate.

"Jinbe!" Ben called out, hopping and waving both hands in the air to get the large, blue man's attention.

"Hm?" Jinbe spotted him. "Is there something you need, Ben?"

That was another thing that Ben liked about Jinbe, now. He actually called him by his name! Maybe Ben could have a more permanent crew if he went along with them?

"Yer headin' out to sea, yeah? Ye'll be needin' a cabin boy, won't ye?" Ben looked up at the man with his best puppy dog eyes.

"Hm, I don't know. I've been told that Port Royal isn't the friendliest place for pirates like myself. Bringing you could paint a target on your back," Jinbe stroked his chin beard.

"Nonsense!" Rackham spoke up. "The more the merrier, right? We won't be going to Port Royal to cause trouble, anyhow. Safe as can be, yes sir."

Ben felt a shiver down his spine, but this could be his chance to stop living as an urchin in the slummiest port in the Cheribbean. "Take me with ye! Ye won't find a better deck scrubber, I promise ye that!"

Jinbe glanced at Luffy, only to find that he hadn't stopped for a moment and was still marching straight for the docks. "I suppose it'll be okay."

"Yes!" Ben cheered.