"I'll admit...she's a gorgeous ship..."

Paulie ran his hand along the outer hull of the Victoria Punk, inspecting it closely.
"Of course she is. Designed her myself, and made the figurehead from scratch." Kid replied, as smug as ever.

"I'm guessing as pirates you want to reinforce the structure, and add more canons?" Iceberg asked curiously, already starting to jot things down in his handy dandy notebook.

"Yeah, and I've got a few other ideas too..." Kid seemed preoccupied with planning, so I took that opportunity to drag Paulie onboard, straight up to Wire and Heat who were standing by the helm.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet my big brother, Paulie! Pauls, meet Heat and Wire!" I motioned to each man in turn, smiling. "They're my good friends, too!" Paulie looked unnerved by the sight of them, but thankfully the pair were polite, nodding in greeting.

"The legendary Paulie. Nice to meet you." Wire greeted, and Heat gave him a little wave. He wasn't much of a talker outside of the crew circle. He offered his hand to shake, and Paulie reluctantly accepted.
"Likewise..." He murmured, glancing to me as though to ask 'what the hell kind of company do you keep?'.

"Oh! Oh oh oh! Come here come here come here!" Dragging my brother along once more, I brought him into Kid's study, rushing over to pick up my adorable feline blob. "Meet your nephmew! Missy! It's short for Missile Launcher! Isn't he cute?!"

Paulie's face scrunched up as Missy looked at him with one of his eyes - the other in the opposite direction - and gurgled like a clogged sink.
"Wh..What happened to it..?"

Gasping in offence, I squished the cat to my chest, turning my nose towards the ceiling.
"Why does everybody insult my son?! He's prettier than everyone I know combined!" I huffed, Missy starting to messily gnaw on one of my buttons.

"Maybe it's because he has the texture of month old boiled chicken?" I turned to find Killer in the doorway, thumbing over his shoulder. "Hate to interrupt, but I think we'd all rather avoid Kid having a hissy fit over all of us being in his study without permission."

Rolling my eyes, but not arguing, I set Missy back down and nudged Paulie into a walk. We ended up back on deck, standing in a triad away from the others.
"So...You're the one who said he'd die for my sister, aren't you?" Paulie spoke up, and Killer nodded.

"I am, and I meant every word." He replied, and I felt that slight pang of upset I had felt back when he had originally said it. Paulie analysed the other blond for a few long moments before patting me on the shoulder.
"(Y/N), could you give us a moment?"

Ah shit.

"But-"
"I'm asking you nicely." Paulie pressed, and I heaved a sigh of defeat, turning on my heel and plodding off towards the ramp.
"Fine, but if I hear you've been an asshole to him I'll literally disown you."

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
***PAULIE POV***

Once (Y/N) was out of earshot I turned back to the man in the striped helmet, folding my arms across my chest in an attempt to match his dominance. It was impossible, however. He was far more intimidating than I was without even trying.

"You've got concerns." Killer spoke before I had the chance, reading my mind. "I'll do my best to ease them. It's hard to get me mad, so don't worry about that."

Well, that's a relief, at least...

Giving him another once over with my eyes, I decided to just get on with it, ignoring the chatter coming from the other side of the ship.
"How did my sister end up with one of the most notorious crews of the Worst Generation?"

Leaning back against the railing, Killer mirrored the cross of my arms, the buttons of his shirt around his chest threatening to pop.
"She tried to steal from us late one night. We caught her, and she was our prisoner for a little while until we got to know each other better."

I really had to keep a check on my temper. I wanted to immediately snap at him, maybe punch him right in the helmet, but I had promised (Y/N) I wouldn't lose my cool. Taking a deep breath, I nodded and continued my interrogation.

"This is a ship full of men. You can't possibly tell me that none of you ha-"
"Let me stop you right there. I'll admit, it's likely that more than one member of the crew has a thing for her, but as bastardly as we look, we aren't the kind of men who force ourselves onto any woman."

Sure, you say that...

My irritation was likely obvious, but I didn't care. He had to know I meant business, not that I could take him on in a fight. I'd seen his wanted posters and I had heard stories about the Massacre Soldier's combat skills. It would he suicide.

"You said you'd lay down your life for her. Does that mean you're included in the count of people who have a thing for her?" I asked bluntly, and I could see the man lean a little, looking at her from over my shoulder with the others.

"She's an incredible woman. Brave, painfully stubborn, and smarter than people give her credit for. I respect her, and I care for her, but don't worry about me trying to win her heart. Our relationship isn't romantic, or sexual."

He sounded impressively sincere, but the way he spoke about her made me question his words. It sure sounded like there was more to it.
"Is there anybody on this ship I should be worried about, then?" I asked, suspicion building.

"Yourself, for being so invested in who your sister is into." Killer stated, and I was abruptly taken aback for a few moments. "She's an adult, Paulie. I know you care about her, and you want to protect her, but regardless, she's going to make her own decisions."

You're right, but I can't help it.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I moved to sit down on one of the crates by Killer, pulling a fresh cigar from my jacket and sparking it up.
"So that's a yes. There's someone she's involved with, is what you're saying."

I didn't like it, but the pirate was right. What could I do? As much as I wanted to, I couldn't keep her from venturing out again. She loved Water 7, but I had witnessed how it had slowly been killing her as she grew. All I could do was fret and support her simultaneously.

"Hey! Quit it! You're heavy!" I looked over to where (Y/N) was carrying on, the captain of the Kid Pirates with his arm resting atop her head and a smirk playing on his lips.
"Am not. You're just weak."
"You are too! Eustass Fatass!"
"Haaah?!"

Oh. Shit.

"He's starting to change, and it's all thanks to her." Killer stole my attention away from the bickering duo, and I was thankful for it. I could feel my blood pressure rising immensely. "Ever since he was a brat, Kid's always had trouble when it comes to people. He's never been the type of guy people flock to, or even like, to be honest. It's trial and error, but he really tries for her. There's a lot more to him than what people care to see."

That doesn't make up for the things he's done, or will do...

We sat in silence for a little while, me choking my stress out with nicotine and him just standing there, stoic as they came.
"Killer! Killerrrrrr! Call off your Neanderthal!" (Y/N) yelled out, Kid having her by the scruff, still smirking, which caused my fists to ball.

Heaving a sigh, Killer stepped away from the railing and started off towards her to the rescue, hands in his pockets.
"Trust her, man. Cotton wool wrappings don't suit her." I just watched as he made his way over to my sister and the hulking captain, plucking her out of his grip and setting her feet on the ground.

The way she looked at them. Both of them. She obviously had deep, intricate relationships with them, as well as her other crewmates, but it made me feel uneasy. (Y/N) had always been a magnet for trouble, but now that she was on the open sea, on a pirate ship filled with wanted men, trouble turned deadly, whether she had people looking out for her or not.

Just by watching I could tell that there was something between my little sister and Eustass Kid. Even as they argued back and forth, getting up in each other's faces with snaps and insults, there was a spark. A strong, hazardous spark with teeth and claws, drawing them closer to one another.

It scared me.

"Hey, Pauls, you good, man? You look constipated again. You'll never get yourself laid looking like that." I nearly squeaked when (Y/N) appeared in front of my face, my quick, unintentional intake of air causing me to hack and wheeze on far too much smoke.

"Sh..Shut up..." I grumbled, standing up and ruffling her hair so she wouldn't get a good look at my face, which was likely still pinched with concern. "I'm gonna say that the work that criminal you sail with wants will probably take a week, week and a half, max. You can stay with me for the time being."

Flattening her hair back down, (Y/N) peeked up at me, shaking her head.
"Thanks, but I'm not running the risk of Mama or Papa dropping by unannounced. Besides, Iceberg already said we can all stay at Galley-La HQ."

Great. They'll all be together. Just great.

"You better have your own room, then. With a lock..." I muttered, following her as she began to walk.
"Nah, where's the fun in that? Besides, we have our nightly kinky rituals to do."

I nearly tripped over my own feet, cigar falling down the loose front of my shirt and burning my chest.
"Owowowowow! Shit! (Y/N), you better not be serious?! What have these creeps done to you?!" I shrieked, feeling my face blaze when she threw back her head and cackled like a maniac.

"Oh my god, I've missed this! Learn to take a joke, Pauls! It'll do you some good!"

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
***Donate here for Paulie's mental health fund ------> 🪣

A little more Kid next chapter - there's a lot I want to fit into this arc but we'll see how we go.

Next Time: Sight Seeing***