One Piece : Safety second

When Tom woke up from his nap, he got up and stretched his arms for a moment as he saw Jerry trying to hunt a bird in the sky.

Watching him miss and the bird fly far away, Tom asked.

"How many times does that make it?"

"16."

As Yuuki answered him, Tom started laughing and calling Jerry a loser, which made the latter puff up his cheeks in anger and vow to shoot one down.

"Nyahaha, keep trying then!"

When Yuuki heard his captain encouraging Jerry, he scratched his head and spoke.

"Uh Tom, I don't think it's good to try and keep doing that."

"Huh, why?"

"Well.."

Just when Yuuki was about to talk, Tyke announced he could see an island which made Tom walk to the front of the ship.

Looking at Tom, who walked away, Yuuki decided to talk to him about it later.

As they got closer to the island, Tom went over to Jerry and said.

"You'll be on the ship along with Yuuki while Tyke and I pick up some stuff."

As soon as those words left Tom's mouth, Jerry seemed as if he lost his life as he started protesting.

"No! You can't do this!"

Looking at his vice captain, who was getting ready to throw a tantrum again, Tom got ahead of the problem and took out a rope.

Jerry had a skeptical expression on his face while trying to manifest some tears as he watched Tom fiddle with the rope.

As soon as he was ready to start crying, a sock got shoved into his mouth and he started to get tied up.

Yuuki and Tyke watched as their captain finished tying Jerry to the mast and came over.

"Watch the ship and the brat, Yuuki. Don't fall for any of the crap he does."

As Yuuki nodded Tom and Tyke threw the fish men on board onto the island before getting off.

After he saw the two leave the dock while dragging away the fish men, Yuuki turned towards the mast where Jerry was looking at him, teary-eyed.

No matter where he went on the ship, he always felt Jerry's pleading gaze on the back of his head. As it happened even after he went inside the cabin, Yuuki could not bear it anymore and went to Jerry.

As he faced Jerry with his arms folded, Yuuki still felt like someone was looking at the back of his head.

"Okay! I don't know how you're doing it but stop it!"

As soon as Yuuki scolded Jerry, the latter immediately started crying. Realizing he made a kid cry, Yuuki got flustered for a moment before deciding to remove the sock from Jerry's mouth.

"Yuuki-san~, please untie me~"

"N-no, but Tom-"

"Please~!"

Looking at Jerry crying out loud, Yuuki felt conflicted for a while before deciding to release the boy.

"O-okay, but you have to stay on the ship, alright?"

Seeing Jerry nod with a teary face, Yuuki untied him. As soon as he did that, Jerry's demeanor changed as he stopped crying and flashed a wide grin.

"Nihihihi, I'm free!"

Looking at Jerry trying to run off, Yuuki grabbed onto him for dear life but it seemed he couldn't stop him as he was dragged away along with his vice captain.

"Why are you so strong?!"

**********

Over on the island, Tom and Tyke were walking down the street after ditching the fish men in a random corner and noticed most people were rather scared when they looked at Tom.

Seeing someone run away after yelping when she saw him, Tom shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Tsk tsk, you look too scary, Tyke."

Tyke could only deadpan at his captain when he heard him shifting the blame.

"That kind of expression is what scares people! Smile a bit more, like this."

Tyke saw his captain demonstrating how to smile after he said that. But as soon as Tom turned away from Tyke and turned towards a kid who was running on the side, the kid started crying and ran to his mother.

Tom dropped the smile when he saw the kid run away after seeing it. Hearing Tyke sniggering behind him, his eyes twitched as he started walking again.

The mother who was hugging her kid saw Tom and Tyke walk towards her and tried to hide her kid behind her.

Walking past the parent and child, both Tom and Tyke happened to overhear the mother saying they avoided the pirate.

Glancing at his captain for a moment, who was carrying quite a serious expression, Tyke asked.

"Why do they know you're a pirate?"

"Gotta find that out."

After looking around for a moment and sniffing the air, Tom started walking and soon reached a tavern. As soon as Tom and Tyke pushed in the door and walked in, the tavern fell silent.

Looking at everyone who were looking at the two nervously, Tyke narrowed his eyes when he heard his captain call for him. Walking towards him, Tyke noticed he was looking at something in his hands.

Leaning over Tom's shoulder, Tyke saw a bounty poster which had Tom sporting an evil smile.

–-< WANTED >---

< DEAD OR ALIVE >

< JASPER D. THOMAS >

< 30,000,000 >

After glancing at the poster, Tyke turned to Tom as the latter was smiling smugly while looking at it.

"I look handsome, don't I?"

"It's the same smile that scared away the kid."

"...."

"Anyway, if you have a bounty on you then we have to hurry."

As Tom turned serious when he heard that, Tyke continued.

"The marines might try to swarm us."

**********

In a restaurant, Yuuki was looking at Jerry, who had just finished eating all the food he had ordered and was rubbing his belly.

As he sighed and wondered what his captain would do when he found out that they were not on the ship, a waiter placed their receipt on their table.

After glancing at it, Yuuki looked up to see Jerry was looking at him. As they both stared at each other for a few moments, Yuuki finally broke the silence and asked.

"Y-you have money, right?"

"...."

Staring dumbfoundedly at Jerry, who started sweating when he heard that, Yuuki shouted.

"Why the hell did you eat so much then?!"

"I-I was hungry."

Gritting his teeth, Yuuki was thinking of what to do when realization dawned on his face.

"Do we have to pay?"

"What do you mean, Yuuki-san?"

"Aren't we pirates? Can't we just run?"

Surprised at the suggestion at first, Jerry laughed.

"Nihihi, then I can eat a little more."

Of course that thought vanished under Yuuki's glare. As they both got up and started walking towards the door the waiter, who gave them their receipt called out, only to get ignored.

Seeing Yuuki and Jerry slowly increase their speed and then run when they were near the door, the waiter shouted.

"Eat and run!"

Yuuki and Jerry looked back while running and saw a number of people chasing them as people started joining the staff of the restaurant.

Trying to shake them off, they started running and hoped they wouldn't run into their captain.

**********

Tom and Tyke were inside a shop when someone started talking behind them. Looking back, they saw a few marines at the entrance of the shop.

Seeing a lot more of them through the gaps of the door, Tom clicked his tongue and turned towards the shopkeeper.

"How much?"

"U-uh.."

"Pirate Jasper D. Thomas! You are hereby under arrest!"

Seeing the shopkeeper mumble around as he got interrupted by the marines, Tom just placed a note on the counter and turned around to face the so-called protectors of justice.

"Well, at least we got most of what we wanted."

Smirking at the marines, Tom cracked his neck and jumped into the crowd.

Seeing his captain beating up the marines in the store, Tyke charged outside, crashing into a few marines on the way and knocking them out.

Picking two of them up and swinging them around like clubs, Tyke blitzed through most of the marines in no time.

Seeing his comrades getting beaten up, one marine spoke in indignation.

"Damn it, if only Smoker-san was here."

Unfortunately he could not talk anymore as he was promptly knocked out bt Tom. Looking at the pile of marines that were knocked out, Tom looked around and saw no more as the last few standing were taken care of by Tyke.

Walking towards Tom after taking care of everyone, Tyke said.

"We should probably leave now."

"Yeah alright. Is our ship gonna get sieged as well?"

"Maybe."

"Those two, they better be on the ship!"

"...."

"Damn, if only we knew I had a bounty placed on me."

"It probably happened after Arlong park, we were on the sea for most of the time after that."

"Yeah, the only way to get that kinda info on your ship is.."

Tom suddenly stopped walking as he realized something. When he watched Tyke stop and turn back to him to see why he stopped, Tom tried to ask.

"That bird Jerry was trying to hunt.."

"It was a news coo."

"Why the hell didn't you stop him then!?"

"He didn't listen."

Pausing for a moment, Tom had veins throbbing out of his head.

"Hehe, I'll kill that brat!"

As they started to go back to their ship again, they heard a ruckus coming from the side and turned their heads and saw their other two crewmates, who were supposed to be on the ship were running from a mob.

Yuuki and Jerry glanced behind them and were wondering why the mob grew so big when they saw Tyke and Tom in front of them.

Seeing Tom stand with a kind smile on his face, Jerry ran into him with his arms wide for a hug.

But unfortunately he was ruthlessly hit on his head as he got closer. Clutching the top of his head, Jerry looked at Tom, who had started to scold him.

"What did you do this time, you brat?!"

"Eh, why do you think it's me?! It could've been Yuuki-san as well!"

"..Was it?"

"No."

"Then shut up!"

Getting hit on his head again, Jerry crouched down in pain, clutching his head. When he noticed the mob had gotten closer, he instantly hid behind Tyke along with Yuuki.

Tom looked at the people that were in front of him, who were glaring at Yuuki and Jerry and suddenly exclaimed while pointing up.

"A UFO!"

When the people turned to where Tom pointed, they did not see anything and turned back. But when they saw no one standing there, they realized they were tricked and started to seethe in anger.

Tyke put Yuuki on his shoulder and Tom put Jerry under his arm as they sprinted to their ship.

On the way, seeing the marines that were lying on the ground, Yuuki asked if Tom and Tyke had done it. Getting a nod from Tyke, Yuuki then asked him.

"Then why don't we just knock out the people chasing us as well."

"Well.."

"Even though we're pirates, we shouldn't go around beating up anyone. Fighting the marines is unavoidable, these people will probably give up soon anyway."

Yuuki looked at his captain who did the explaining and started to see him in a new light.

"Part of the fault lies on us anyway, this brat specifically."

As soon as Tom said that, he spanked Jerry.

"Gaah! What the hell, Tom-san?!"

"Bad kids need to get punished!"

"Stop it! This is humiliating!"

Amid Jerry's cries, they soon reached their ship and seeing it without any marines around, they quickly got on and took off, heading towards Reverse mountain.

Unbeknownst to them, there were indeed marines stationed at their ship but they were told to retreat since the force was weaker than the one that went after Tom and Tyke and hence would not pose any threat to the crew.

After some time, in the marine base of Loguetown, a lieutenant, whose head was wrapped in a bandage, banged his fist on the table and expressed his frustration.

"Damn it! If only Smoker-san was here!"

Looking at the ensign in front of him, he questioned.

"What are the casualties?"

"Um.. there are only injuries, they didn't kill anyone."

"Those bastards. Seeing how they came here, they must be going to enter Grand line. Pass on the information! Another dangerous crew is making its way into the Grand line."

"Y-yes! Um.."

"What?"

"W-what should we do about the fish men?"

"Aren't they pirates? Why are you asking me that?! Put them in jail!"

"Yes!"

**********

Over on the Flying mammy, Jerry watched Tom and Yuuki run around on the deck, trying to minimize the damage from the storm they were going through.

Flashing a calculating smirk, Jerry snickered in his mind and thought he was lucky to be exempt from any work as he was tied to the mast.

Seeing Tom come over, he wiped away the smirk and put on a remorseful expression.

"Tom-san, I have learned from my mistakes! I won't do it again!"

'Nihihi, there's no way he'll let me go. I'll just wait till we get through the storm first.'

"Alright, I'll let you go."

"Eh?"

With a face full of confusement, Jerry watched his captain untie him and put him back on his feet. As he stood for a moment it all made sense when he saw his captain going to his beach chair and lying down on it after opening up an umbrella.

Turning towards Jerry after lying down, Tom ordered.

"Get to work now!"

"...."

Seeing the antics of Tom and Jerry from the wheel, Tyke turned his focus back up front as he tried to beat the storm and enter Reverse mountain.

Watching his crewmates patch up the leaks that were happening on the ship, Tyke grit his teeth as he wasn't able to navigate through the storm properly.

"No one's perfect."

Tyke looked at his captain, who just said that with a smile, while still lying down on his chair.

"It's fine, we'll cover for you. That's what we're here for."

"What have you even done?! I'm the one doing everything!"

"What the hell did you say?!"

Seeing Tom get up and start arguing with Jerry, Tyke took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on his task. Soon, feeling a current under them, Tyke shouted.

"Furl the sails!"

With the sails rolled back up, the Flying mammy soon exited the storm and entered a current that was leading to Reverse mountain.

Looking at the stream that was going up the mountain, Yuuki was amazed as it was something he never even thought was possible.

"This is just the start, Yuuki-san! There are many more things in Grand line!"

Looking at Jerry who was smiling next to him as he stated that, Yuuki flashed a similar smile and said.

"I'll look forward to it!"

As the ship reached the end of the upstream, it leaped, along with the four pirates and entered Grand line.

__________

Author's note : I'm surprised I actually made it this far and didn't drop the story yet.