Pirate Time Chapter 3: Sailing The Aratian Waters

Max popped open a Shellshack Rum bottle, before pouring the rum in cups. "...A toast, to this crew.  We're three schmucks, sailing on these waters.  And with my bro Mao, and the new hot chick Carmen, we're gonna SHOW this world, a thing or two."

Carmen downed her shot. "...Ahh... *hic* I joined... ya know... I'm one of those hot chicks..."

"...Right on." Mao replied, downing his shot. "Woah... uh... why... didn’t it take long to get a hot chick...?"

"Bitch, you, like, da ONLY boy who questions that shit..." Carmen answered, downing three other shots at this point, already looking buzzed. "...You're like, studs and shit.  Just go for chicks who have low self esteem!  That's all you have to do!"

"...No, I want a challenge." Max said.

"Well good fucking luck, then," Carmen said. "...No I'm serious, you gotta have sex with these higher-up ladies, show them what fucking for.  Same with me and higher-up dudes.  Maybe you and I will have sex.  Who knows~?" She then paused. "...With consent, of course!  We have standards!"

"I was just gonna say, doing that without consent is a BAD idea." Max said. "...Where to next?"

Both Mao and Carmen just stared at Max.

"...Bitch, you don't know?" Mao asked. "We're out, in the middle of the ocean, with at least ONE whole island nation pissed off at us."

"...Shit, good point." Max conceded.

"...How about we head back to where you guys came from?" Carmen asked.

"Nah, those guys are just apathetic." Max answered. "Plus, there's Blonde."

"I... don't know who that is," Carmen said, "but he sounds just like this one guy I knew from church seminars."

"Well Max and I are atheists." Mao said. "You know all those people who go on about how the 'Mythical creatures' out there are mythical, and nothing more?  Well... I'm not sure I buy that whole 'magic' shit.  Firm believer in science.  Has to be some weird, radioactive shit going on."

"...Wait, isn't this supposed to be 17th century exploring?" Carmen asked.

"It normally is." Max answered. "But then, check the guy who writes this crap."

(A/N: Ayyyy.)

Max then took out his phone, and began playing the song When Doves Cry, by Prince. "Also, we're not the pirates who don't do anything, because again, I stole Novana's money.  We're more the Pirates Who Do Stuff On A Whim."

"I knew Novana for YEARS." Carmen said. "She means well, takes her job seriously... but she's SO... UPTIGHT... and it makes it a lot harder to talk to her."

"She's probably had to deal with a lot of racial-based issues." Mao noted. "A black woman is the lieutenant of Morellos Island, and apparently the commanding figure.  It was PROBABLY a struggle to get there."

"Either way, she's our rival now." Mao said. "As is Blonde, but like, who are we kidding?  He's BLONDE."

"Hey, I stole this, BTW," Carmen said, bringing out a map. "From the map store, RIGHT at the edge of the harbor.  It's FUN committing piracy!"

"Well, there's the RPB of Piracy." Mao said. "And that is to rape, pillage, and burn.  Now, considering how we REALLY aren't comfortable with sexual assault, we won't ever be doing the rape.  But we WILL pillage and burn."

"THAT, I can handle." Carmen smiled, before opening up the map. "So you guys came from... HERE." She pointed at the island called Basil Island. "And I came from... HERE." She then pointed at the island to the northeast of Basil Island, Morellos Island. "And since we're sailing south, we're going... HERE." She finally pointed at a red-looking island, aptly named Scarlet Island. "Oooo... you guys unintentionally chose a pirate hellhole."

"Scarlet Island, huh?" Max asked. "Wasn't that a pirate base for years, before the Navy made it into an Aratia Navy Base, before the pirates all reconquered place, thus forcing the Grand United Aratia Navy to pack their bags, and secede the territory back to every pirate ever?"

"...My God, dude, you know way too much about this shit." Mao said. "Fucking nerd."

"Hahaha, very funny," Max said. "But for your information, knowing about shit, separates the smart people from the dumbasses of the world." He paused. "Also, thank FUCK that the author ended up not making me into a fucking edgelord.  Seriously, THAT would have been awful."

"Agreed," Mao and Carmen replied, the two of them downing more rum.

The three of them soon collapsed on their backs, onto the boat, looking up at the orange sky.

"...So we're gonna do a whole bunch of island hopping, eh?" Max asked.  "That should be fun."

"You know, it's probably good that we ARE headed to Scarlet Island." Mao suggested. "We gotta get our names out, not just to the UAN, but also to other pirates.  We're just three peeps!  And three is all we need."

"You fucking hypocrite." Max said. "You said that there wasn't anything to this stuff.  And now you're actively excited.  You don't fool me ONE second, dude."

"...How long does it take to get there, anyways?" Mao asked.

"A few days." Carmen answered. "We're likely going to bump into a few other islands as well."

"...Fuuuuuuuck..." Mao cursed.

"Dude... dude... dude..." Max said. "I'm not rushing this.  Relax... we're just three pirates, chillin' out in these waters... with Music Scene playing... and some cool stars shining... right about now..."

As the sun was setting, the stars began to shine through, with the night sky twinkling brightly, and the grandiose scale of it all, soon reaching the Max Pirates.

"...Woah..." Carmen said.

"Rushing... rushing ain't how we doing this..." Max said. "This is gonna be a LONG trip of ours... and I'm gonna keep it that way."

"Like fuck, man." Mao said. "...Hey.  I just came up with the perfect BS excuse, in case you need to feed someone a traumatic backstory."

"...Dude, like... lay it on me." Max said. "Does it involve the orphanage?"

"Alcohol bottles thrown at you, foster mother beat you up, abusive childhood." Mao answered. "ALL that shit.  Ends with you killing the foster mother, believe it or not.  And some winged Mitch dude, who is revealed to be your half-brother."

Max paused, before looking at the rum bottle. "...Shit dude, this is some strong stuff...!"

Carmen began writing the fake backstory down. "...Boss... boss... boss... I got the backstory written down."

Max gave a thumbs up. "Carmen... *hic* you're now the second-in-command..."

"...I'M PROMOTED, BITCHES!!!" Carmen shouted, standing up... before tumbling off the dinghy, landing in the water. "AHH, COLD WATER!!!" She rushed back on the dinghy, soaking wet. "...Fuuuuck...!"

Mao just faced Max, before facing Carmen. "...Small crew, Carmen.  Small crew.  We don't pay for taxes and shit like that."

"...R-Right... o-on...!" Carmen said. "...That water might be causing me to sober up."

"...Where are my manners?" Max asked, facing Carmen. "Carmen!  Who the heck are you, and what are you all about?"

"Ooo~!  I get to present now?" Carmen asked, straightening up. "In that case, my full name is Carmen Amelia Rodriguez.  I speak fluent Spanish, I'm extremely devoted to the job, to whatever cause I'm working with, I’m Catholic, really... and I've been known to get into fights." She then brought out her sheath belt. "And THESE... are my weapons." She pulled out two katanas.  "Forged THESE suckers when I was looking up Japanese weaponry at Ryuga."

"...Well FUCK, if it's Ryuga...!" Max said, his excitement immediately showing. "And, um... how old are you?"

"18." Carmen answered. "As you could see... I've always had a violent streak.  Whenever I'd deal with bullies, who try to pick on me and all that... I've retaliated with force.  SO many black eyes, scratched, bruises, all that shit.  Soon enough, things got so bad, that they sent me to the Catholic school on the island, to try to free my mind of my 'inner demons'.  Ya know, shit like that."

"...And, like, Novana?" Mao asked.

"Ugh, don't get me STARTED with her." Carmen answered. "She and I were enemies, since elementary!  The worse I got, the more insane SHE got in comparison." She then paused. "...But I don't hold it entirely against her.  She's had it REALLY hard, growing up.  Her father leaves, to pursue piracy, her mother goes all misandrist, she has to go through racism... needless to say, she toughened up.  At the age of 16, she applied for the Morellian Navy, and here she is, two years later, serving as the lieutenant, not letting her past get the better of her."

Max smiled in satisfaction at that. "And now she's our collective rival.  I like the sound of that."

"You like the fact, that a naval lieutenant officer, is now hot on our trail, and wants us dead." Mao said flatly.

"No one said that my priorities make sense." Max said. "But I know what I'm doing.  I just know, so help me God."

*BOOM!!!*

Three cannonballs fired around The Lowrider, forcing Max, Mao, and Carmen into action, with the three of them in high alert.

"ALRIGHT, WHO HAS THE BALLS?!?" Max asked, fists prepared. "IT'S THE NIGHT-" He froze instantly, when he saw what was in front of him. "...Time?"

Four watchtowers, all of which held red flags with black jolly rogers, had cannons aimed at The Low Rider, along with bright searchlights.

An older blue-haired male pirate, with an eyepatch, and red pirate clothes, pointed his cutlass at the Max Pirates, with his right arm. "Argh!  Ye scallywags aren't sailors or navy men, now are ye?"

"NO DUDE, WE'RE PIRATES!!!  WE'RE CLEAN!!!" Mao weeped.

Carmen aimed her own knife at the blue-haired sentry. "And you are...?"

"Copper Jones, be me name!" Copper Jones answered. "Now if ye want to pass, go through obliteration!"

Cue the three other sentry guards rising their heads up, all three having wild maroon-colored hair.

"...Wait, do you guys have a freaking DINGHY?" The sentry at the far right asked.

Max responded by giving the sentry a middle-finger.

Cue Carmen speaking up. "...Wait a minute...!  Scarlet Island is a FEW days away!  There's no chance, that we'd run into Scarlet Island just yet!"

Copper Jones began to sweatdrop. "...Uh, well, I mean..."

"And why would they have four sentry towers, anyways?" Mao asked.

The three maroon-haired men exchanged glances, unsure as to how to answer.

"Wait a minute... you're a PIRATE crew!" Max realized. "A crew, that's trying to dupe navy men, navy women, sailors, citizens, and all other people, and who's trying to take advantage of upcoming pirates!  The Copper Pirates!"

"...Shit, the fog machine isn't going to work." Copper Jones cursed, before leaping backwards into what appeared to be nothing... before the apparent fog cleared up, revealing a bigger pirate ship, than the small boat that the Max Pirates were on. "Alright, lads!  These are sharp pirates, that they are!"

The three maroon-haired men soon followed Copper Jones, before a whole CREW of them joined, with all of them aiming their swords at Max.

"...Why do all of you guys have maroon hair?" Mao asked.

One of the Copper Pirate members in red clothes answered, "...We don't have a fucking clue, man.  Our captain really has a thing for maroon hair."

"Just the sound of it, really." Copper Jones said. "Maroon... what a fun word~!" He shook his head. "Nah, but I'm all about swindling other pirates, taking their goods, their members, all that!  And... well..." He then pointed at Carmen. "I've... NEVER seen a girl, with hair as red as yours!  Why, you'd fit right in, high position offered!"

Carmen responded by flipping Copper Jones off. "Don't make a move on me, because of my hair, dick."

"It's official!" Copper Jones said. "I want you to marry me!"

The tallest of the maroon-haired pirate members, a man with a maroon goatee, green eyes, crimson T-shirt, white pants, dark grey boots, red bandana, and a hefty sword on him, said, "...Get away from this guy.  He isn't worth your time."

Copper Jones faced the maroon pirate with a goatee, with a comical reaction. "WHY ARE YOU DISCREDITING ME IN FRONT OF THE PREY, NIGEL?!?"

Nigel shrugged. "Eh, these guys are my brothers, with that same hair, different goals, but close bonds.  And..." He then pointed to Max. "...That guy... I kinda have an interest in."

Before Copper Jones could argue back, a dagger suddenly landed on wood right next to him, which caused him to freak out. "AH!!!" He then saw where the dagger came from: Carmen. "...WHY?!?"

"Cap's got a preposition." Carmen said, nudging to Max.

"We go to the nearest island." Max said. "You win, Carmen is ALL yours."

"...And what if YOU win?" Copper Jones wagered.

"We want you to leave us, and other new pirates, the hell alone." Max answered. "And the challenge is a fight."

Copper Jones faltered at first... before a shit-eating grin formed. "...Right this way then, lads...!  If you'll just follow me..." He faced Nigel. "Nigel, get the crew to turn The Maroon Heart around!"

"Turning," Nigel replied as he, and many other sailors, turned the ship around immediately, with the wind blowing, pushing the ship forward.

Mao faced Carmen. "...Wait, you're wagering the possibility, that you might turn into that guy's trophy girl pirate, for a change to have him shut up?"

"It's a test." Carmen answered.

"And just who is it a test FOR?" Maxwell asked.

"You two knuckleheads." Carmen answered. "I think you guys got this in the bag!  I just wanna fuck with these guys."

"Considering you're the secondmate, your logic is respected, and considered." Max said. "Let's fuck with these Copper Pirates."

Mao sighed in exasperation. "...I'm surrounded by crazy people."

And so with that, the Max Pirates steered The Lowrider, in the direction The Maroon Heart was going, with Max, Mao, and Carmen rotating on night-shift, with the aim being one thing: following the Copper Pirates, to whatever island they would settle things at.  It wasn't something they were particularly looking forward to, but if Max Slateman was anything to go by, he was a man, who would do what he would do, if it meant that his goals would be achieved.

Or something, I don't fucking know.

Max played Turn To Stone, by Electric Light Orchestra, and began to light some weed on fire.

"...Yo, that the strong shit?"

Max looked up, to see Nigel, from the back of The Maroon Heart, facing him. "Oh, hey.  You're... Nigel, right?"

"First mate of the Copper Pirates, yeah." Nigel answered. "The crew used to be called The Maroon Pirates, with me as the captain.  Things were chill, nice, relaxed... like you three dudes right now."

"...Why do I get the feeling that I might end up hating Copper Jones?" Max asked.

"That dude... came out of nowhere." Nigel answered. "I mean, he knows what he's doing, and he's been working hard to give this crew some big notice... and I don't HATE the guy... but like, shit wasn't the same since he came around.  I dunno." He looked to the side.

"...Right..." Max said, unconvinced. "...Well... you ever thought about becoming the captain again?"

Nigel paused. "...Eh... not sure how to get that position now." He shrugged. "Besides, it's not like we aren't cared for.  Plus, you guys got, like, that fiery redhead with you guys."

Max pointed to Carmen. "You mean Carmen Rodriguez?  She's our newest member.  She rocks."

Nigel gave a satisfied smirk at that. "Well how about that." He then gave a serious glare for a moment. "...Never let go of your leadership role, Maxwell Slateman."

"Oh~!  Uh... sure, no problem, man." Max was caught off guard. "...You okay, there, ma-"

"Whoops, look at that, time's up," Nigel said, turning around. "Get wrecked, scrubs." He went inside his ship.

Max merely just sat there, slightly confused by what he saw. "...Wait... how did he know my name...?"

To Be Continued...