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Shivered Timbers - Chapter 18

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Shivered Timbers
by Kaline Reine

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the characters/settings. This is just a fanfiction story. I do own Shiori, she is my character. I also own a few other original characters in this story (not affiliated with One Piece), which will be introduced as they are needed. c;

WARNINGS: This story contains (or may contain) graphic adult content and language, explicit sex scenes, possible violence, gore, cursing, adult themes, etc. I do not censor my writing, but I do my best to warn people about the subject matter and potential subject matter. So if you don't like that kind of thing or can't handle it, then I suggest not reading this story. You have been warned. Also, I know this doesn't follow canon but it doesn't have to, that's why it's a fanfic. xD

Also... The beautiful cover image for this story is by my friend, EzariaUmiko on DeviantArt. All credit for the image goes to her. c:

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Chapter 18: Awakening


Shiori was busy swabbing the deck early one morning... It was something they all had to do when it was their turn, no matter what position on the ship one happened to hold. The only one who was immune to this was the Captain herself. Not because she refused, but because her crew were loyal without question, and they refused to allow her to engage in such menial tasks.

The young albino girl didn't mind at all. She hummed a playful tune under her breath, as she continued to swab the deck. The long sleeves of her pale blue sweater covered most of her hands, as she maneuvered the mop back and forth, careful not to let it catch on the floor boards. She was thinking about the last couple of years that she'd spent at sea with such a wonderful crew... What a shame it would be coming to an end soon. Her training under the infamous Whitey Bay was nearly complete.

'I'm going to miss everyone so much, once it's time...' She took a moment to reflect, pausing to lean on the mop she held.

They'd been at sea for so long, sailing around an enormous glacier that was at the center of the southern pole... The crew had taken many trips out onto the chunk of solid ice and snow. She'd also gone out there a lot for her training. Her life here had been difficult at times, but it had also been very peaceful.

Something off to her right caught Shiori's attention. It looked like a ship on the horizon! When she squinted in that direction, she spotted what looked to be several ships, each of them a black dot against the cool blue of the sea... No one else seemed to see it. The Aurora Borealis twinkled brightly in the distance, but even it was not capable of a distortion of this magnitude. Then, a call was heard from the crow's nest over head.

"Captain!" Chouko called down from her perch, setting down a spyglass and placing it to one side of the small basket. "There's an entire fleet off the port bow! I can't see any flags yet, they're still too far off."

Whitey Bay stepped forward, looking to where she'd pointed and seeing that there were indeed ships there. Lots of them. "Chouko-san! Go and scout for us!"

"Aye-aye!" With a salute, she was off, taking flight.

Shiori stopped what she was doing, noticing the worried looks that were being exchanged among the rest of the crew. She watched as her friend used her beautiful wings to fly over the vast oceans, all the way to where the fleet was spotted. She tried to do this without being noticed, blending in with a flock of snowbirds that were flying overhead. The moth girl then turned back without getting too close, flying swiftly back to the ship as soon as she noticed what the other crew was up to.

"Bay-sama!" She called to Whitey Bay, once she was close. "It's a whole fleet! Looks like they're flying Ahab's jolly roger! There are so many of them!"

"Shiori-chan," The Ice Witch placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. She patted her on the back. "It looks like you're about to take part in your first grand battle. Haha, I hope you're ready! I want you to stay here with me. As for the rest of you, what are you waiting around for?! Ready the cannons! Man your stations! Hurry!"

There was a flurry of movement, as everyone scrambled to do as they had been told. Shiori wasn't sure what she wanted with her, but she hastily abandoned her post, tossing the mop and bucket aside. She rushed over to her Captain, her short black skirt billowing in the unsettling breeze that blew in. It was at times like these when she especially loved her homemade sweater. She was thankful for the warmth it provided. And every now and then, she could have sworn that she caught the scent of-

"I need you to pay close attention," Whitey Bay was saying, looking dreadfully serious in the direction the fleet was coming from. "Do you remember when I showed you this?"

She gestured to her back with one thumb. It was easy to figure out that she was referring to the large scar that her pupil knew was there, permanently marring her once-perfect skin. It was something she didn't show to everyone.

Shiori began to fidget with her hair nervously. It had grown much longer during the course of her stay here. Now it reached all the way past her shoulders. She still preferred to wear it down and straight, like it was now. It made it easier for her to reach it when she needed to feel comforted and wanted something to fidget with. While her stuttering problem had somewhat corrected itself over time, her other nervous habits had grown to compensate for it. And although she had matured a lot, she was still just as shy as ever.

"Yes, I remember..." She waited to see what her Captain would do.

"The truth is... I got it from a man known as Captain Ahab. It looks like this is one of his fleets. And if he's among them, then there's only one thing he could be here for..."

"And what is that, Bay-sama?"

"To finish the job."

Shiori flinched at her words. She knew her mentor was not lying. In her entire two years here, Whitey Bay had never once lied to her about anything. If this man truly intended to kill her Captain, then there was only one thing she could do...

"I understand," Her eyes scanned the horizon, filled with determination. "I will protect you with my life."

Before she could figure out what to do, her mentor stopped her. "I know this is a lot to ask... But I need someone who can go out to meet them and find out exactly what they want. Try to get them to leave without incident, if you can... You can withstand these temperatures better than anyone else on our crew."

Shiori was silent. She knew this was serious... In all her time here, her Captain hadn't asked much of her. She'd continued to train and grow stronger. Now it was time to test her mettle and see what she was really made of.

She nodded, and without a word, she jumped over the edge of the railing that surrounded the exterior of the Icebreaker. The young Valkyrie paused, just before she leapt to a giant glacier, darting across the open snow toward the other ship. The black leather of her boots crushed the ice beneath them, leaving light tracks as they gripped onto the glacier's slippery mirrored surface.

She could already see the other fleet drawing closer... They barely noticed the girl that was walking at a brisk pace, alone in the snow. Several of the crew members seemed puzzled as to why she was there. The first ship stopped, waiting to see what she wanted. They were drawing near to the glacier, but not so close that they would hit it. They stared at her for several minutes.

"So they're sending us a sacrifice already, eh?! Hahah!" An older man with a big scruffy black beard walked out onto the ship's bow, laughing heartily.

He seemed to be the one in charge. His crew mates all stood around him, joining in the laughter. Even while laughing, they all looked really intimidating. These were big and muscular men that appeared to have a variety of skills. She really didn't want to fight these people... She was certain they would make formidable opponents.

"Actually," Shiori was quick to correct him. At this point, she was still trying to be polite. "My Captain asked me to come out here to see what you wanted... As well as to inform you that this is a territory protected by Whitey Bay and all of her crew."

"..." The man didn't respond to her at first, he just stared her down.

"Why are you in our waters?"

Normally she would have been shaking in those little boots of hers, but this was her chance to prove that she had what it takes to be a real Pirate. If she were going to back down from confrontation so easily, there would have been no point to any of this at all. She was determined that the last two years wouldn't have been for nothing. She'd learned a lot and under her Captain's careful guidance, she had also grown as a person.

"And who are you to ask such a thing?" He challenged her, suddenly becoming very serious. His pudgy fingers rested along the hilt of his sword. "Why can't she face us herself? Is her belly yellow too?"

"Ahh, well... She sent me to see what you w-wanted."

The other Pirates began to laugh at her again. She sighed to herself, silently cursing herself for stuttering. Now she saw why it had posed such a problem to her mentor. It was obvious that they weren't taking her the least bit seriously...

"I'm here to speak with your Captain, not one of her little mosquitos. We have an urgent message for her. You'd better get out of here girl, before you get hurt!" He waved her away, indicating that she should give up and go back to her own ship.

Shiori stood there, as stubborn as ever. 'I'll be damned if I'm backing down... I can't really let them get close to our ship... Can I?'

"Alright," She cleared her throat, knowing that her best bet was probably to play along for now. "A select few of you can come with me to speak with her. No more than ten people. Drop your anchor here. You can follow me across the ice. If you can keep up, you can meet with Whitey Bay."

It seemed like the only way to negotiate with them. She was sure Whitey Bay didn't want all these ships entering their waters or especially getting close to her own ship. And this way, it would be much easier to ensure their own safety if they outnumbered the other crew. If these trespassers really just wanted to talk, it shouldn't be an issue.

He seemed to consider her offer for a moment, scratching at his beard. He motioned for the people standing closest to him to accompany them.

"Drop anchor!" He called out to the rest of his crew. "And stop laughing! We'll do as she's asked. We really aren't looking for a fight today." He explained to Shiori, as he clambered over the railing clumsily.

Shiori wasn't going to wait around for them. She'd already started walking away. She noticed the men were scrambling after her, and already struggling to keep up. Her fists balled at her sides as she led the way. She was nervous being around this many Pirates, and this crew was no joke. They seemed pretty fierce. She was actually surprised that they were cooperating thus far...

The fearsome intruders followed her across the ice. They stumbled a lot and sometimes one would fall and the others would help them up. By the time they'd reached her ship, they were all marveling at how Shiori was able to walk over the giant glacier with so few problems. She just smirked. It was funny that they still hadn't figured out her boots had non-slip soles.

They boarded The Icebreaker, to the shock of her own crew. Shiori didn't bother explaining to them, there wasn't time for that. She just wanted to get them out of here as quickly as possible.

"We need to see Whitey Bay. It's urgent." Was all she said.

The others hesitated, before eventually obeying her and going to get the Captain. The rest of the crew definitely didn't trust these guys at all. They were quick to surround them, with their weapons drawn and at the ready.

The newcomers waited in silence for Whitey Bay to show up. When she did, she sauntered over to them in a diva-like fashion...

"What is it you want?" Her deep blue eyes glared daggers at them. She was determined not to turn her back on them. Even though this man was not Captain Ahab, she knew that any of Ahab's crew couldn't be trusted. "And make it quick!"

"We have an urgent message for you, Miss Whitey..." The man sneered, showing her even more disrespect than he'd originally shown to Shiori, if that were even possible. "Here. This is from Ahab, just for you."

"Whatever it is, I don't want it!" She snapped, crossing her arms in front of her chest defensively.

"Just take it and quit bitching," He smiled then, but it was a creepy smile. His beady black eyes narrowed. Not sincere at all... "It's a 'peace' offering."

Just to appease these people who had come all this way, Whitey Bay snatched the small piece of paper from his dirty hands. She rolled her eyes, already sensing that this was some kind of trick. She didn't like that they'd been allowed on her ship, but she also understood why Shiori had done that. It was better than having to face the entire fleet head on.

"Happy now? You can go."

"Aren't you at least gonna open it?" The bearded man, the apparent Captain of their small fleet, seemed to relax a bit. "I was told to make sure you did. Go on, then."

Shiori drew her sword, sensing an impending fight. She was using one that her Captain had given her during her training until she could get one of her own.

It was a tense moment, as the Captain opened what she assumed was a letter. But she noticed that it was printed... Did he type this out, or was it something more? Agile fingers worked to smooth out the creases until it was unfolded. Her eyes widened in horror. There was a single marking on the page, but she seemed to know exactly what it meant.

"Is this some sort of joke?!" She turned in their direction, snarling and seething with rage. It was clear that she was insulted by whatever was written there.

The page fluttered to the ground, and Shiori immediately noticed that it had a big black dot drawn onto it. The spot was etched over the words of a Bible passage. While it wasn't her religion, she had learned a lot about the different beliefs of the world while studying at the Monastery before it had burned down, taking all of that knowledge with it. She was aware that defacing a religious text was not good, by any means, but... She really didn't know what this meant.

"I don't understa-"

It all happened so fast... Before the page even touched the deck, the newcomers were going after their crew. They went right for Whitey Bay, trying to take her out. Shiori didn't have to fully understand the meaning behind the strange note to understand that they were now under attack. And that it was happening...

'Because of me...'

Her mauve rose eyes widened in shock, as she helped to fend off the attacks and protect her Captain. She would never allow them to cause her to break her promise, even if indirectly. Swords clashed together, the chill air filled with the loud metallic clangs of battle. Several of their small group were pushed overboard. The men tried to swim away, but they didn't have much time before they would succumb to hypothermia... The other ships from their fleet were already on their way, however.

Suddenly there was a large burst of air raking across their skin, causing all of them to shiver. A blonde girl who enormous bright yellow wings swooped down. She used them to shield her Captain, in a vivid display of eerie blue eye-like patterns, relying on the others to hold back the intruders.

Shiori was careful to avoid the edge of the ship. If she fell overboard, that would be it for her, not because of the frigid temperatures, but due to the fact that her Devil Fruit abilities would never allow her to survive being plunged into the sea.

"I'll get her to safety!" Chouko called out to her, still shielding Whitey Bay, even though she was doing her best to take out as many of the trespassers as she could. "You help fight them off! Get rid of these guys, and we'll try to leave before the rest of that fleet can catch up to us!"

Shiori nodded. "I'm on it! But what does this mean?" She gestured downward with a slight bow of her head. "They gave it to her from a man named Captain Ahab?"

The blonde hesitated for a moment, stricken with dread.

"What?" Her jaw dropped. "That's... A Pirate's death sentence! It's known as 'The Black Spot'. It's basically the worst threat you can get from another Captain. It's like they're swearing a vendetta against her life..."

"Oh." So that was why she'd reacted the way she did. "Go! Hurry and get out of here... I'll do the best I can!"

Chouko was already leaving, carrying their Captain to safety. She could more than handle her own, but this was a big fleet and they didn't know how many enemies they were about to face... The moth girl was lifting her off the ground, taking her above everyone's heads.

The other ships were already dangerously close by and everyone was struggling to get to their posts before they were properly invaded. This wasn't good!

"Weigh the anchor, hoist the sails, and let's get out of here!" Whitey Bay called, from her place high above the others.

Once she was in a safe spot, Chouko turned back to try to blow them away with her powerful wings. Her own crew was used to it, and their non-slip shoes really helped with that... Shiori knew better than to try to withstand her attacks and she'd already ducked behind some barrels to get out of the way. She knew they had to act fast, so she was gradually making her way to the front of the ship to help defend it.

A fury of winds assaulted the invading Pirates. They didn't see it coming, nor did they know how powerful it would be. Even their Captain was having a hard time standing up against it. Two more of his men lost their footing, screaming as they fell overboard. A few of the others seemed to have a sudden epiphany, and they used armament Haki to negate her efforts. This made them stronger and much too heavy to be pushed over, especially by a wind-based attack.

"If you think that's enough to stop this, you really are pathetic, hahaha!" The bearded man taunted them, shaking his head.

"That was nothing!" Chouko called down to him, while flitting away from them. "Just wait until you have to face the full ferocity of our crew! You'll be sorry you ever messed with us, you piss poor bastards!!!" She said it all with a big grin, even the insults.

Shiori had never seen anything like it. They didn't even seem to have a comeback for that one. Or they were too busy fighting, either way... Having done all she could, the Moth Devil Fruit user flew back to her Captain, who was kicking ass. She agilely sliced up several new intruders that had just boarded from one of the other ships. They could see it was already too late for them to run away.

Chouko escorted Whitey Bay to the cellar, where they kept dozens of their enemies as prisoners, encased in solid ice. It was also where they kept any treasure they happened to find while out on their travels. Needless to say, it was a place worth protecting. She didn't bring many people down here, but Bay had made sure to show most of her crew the door to said cellar, at the very least...

Thinking fast, she took out a scroll and placed it against the door. She whipped it around, opening it and performing a sealing spell. The door was immediately encased in solid ice, too thick for anything to get through. It would likely stay that way for hours, or days if it was cold enough.

"I'll be safe down here," She told her first mate. "Good job Chouko-san. You take the side exit and I'll seal it off once you're outside. I need you to go help Shiori-san, this is her first real fight out here, and please make sure the rest of the crew is safe too."

"Right! I'm on it!"

With a quick salute to her Captain, she was gone. With a flurry of her yellow poncho, Chouko bolted out the side door and heard the familiar sound of ice crystals forming right behind her... She flew high up to try to find her friend. She was worried because even more ships from that fleet were arriving. The other Pirates were pouring onto their ship. She wasn't sure what they would do now. They were clearly outnumbered and the fight could go either way, at this point. When she finally spotted Shiori, she saw that they had cornered her near the rear of the ship.

She was using the swordplay skills she'd learned during her training. Her friend had to admire her graceful movements, even while under this much pressure... She was incredibly focused and didn't appear to be panicking. Little did she know, that was far from how Shiori felt on the inside.

The albino girl was doing okay with holding them back, until yet another ship full of fierce warriors pulled up right beside them. They were only a few feet away and didn't even need the help of planks to cross over. The Icebreaker was being overtaken by hoards of angry Pirates, all seeking blood.

So much was happening all at once... Several of them were trying to break down the door to the cellar where Whitey Bay was. They'd managed to make a battering ram out of one of the smaller masts. Even if they did manage to get in, which they most likely wouldn't, they were in for a real fight if she was cornered. The only reason she'd sealed herself inside was to conserve as much of her strength as possible... She was planning a really bold attack, but it would take a lot of energy to pull it off.

Chouko was starting to panic, even if her friend wasn't. She helped the rest of the crew on her way there, continuously using her powerful wings to knock their enemies overboard.

"Hang on Shiori, I'm coming!" She called to her.

Just before she could get to her, the ship ran aground against a huge chuck of ice! There was a loud grating sound as the steel hull scraped against it. This one was a challenge, even for Whitey Bay's Icebreaker. But it was doing it's job, and the ice did break apart. The enormous chunks were threatening to capsize the vessel. The rest of the crew was doing everything they could to ensure that didn't happen... They were in clear danger of losing this battle.

Yet another ship was drawing near as well, and they couldn't possibly afford to take on any more enemies. Shiori was running out of room and being driven off the back of the Icebreaker! She managed to sidestep a few well-aimed attacks, but more and more just kept coming at her. Some of them were even Devil Fruit users like her. Others were very skilled with their swords, some used a bow and arrows, and a few of them even used guns.

She did the only thing she could... Summing all of her courage and taking a deep breath, Shiori jumped off the edge of the ship for the second time that day. Several of them chased her, even as she went overboard. Luckily some of them fell through the newly-formed cracks in the ice, thanks to the ship itself.

One of the other Pirates had made it, however, and was closing in on her. He had a pistol in one hand. He found her, grinning like mad, as he pulled the trigger...

And nothing happened.

Shiori was faster, and she'd used her abilities to shift her body into snow at just the right moment. The man fired several more shots. Each of the bullets plowed through her, creating ripples in the soft powdery substance. They then scattered out in all directions. She was so glad she'd learned how to change quickly back and forth during her time training with Whitey Bay. Her mentor had taught her so much, and she was eternally grateful. She hadn't even known how to pick up a sword when she'd first arrived here, and now she was fending off enemy attacks like a pro.

Meanwhile, Chouko was fighting like crazy to get to where she was. It was really hard to just fly overhead now, due to all of the bullets and cannons being fired. She had to make sure to protect her wings, or she would be of no use to her comrades at all...

"Chouko-chan!!!" Shiori's normally timid voice called out to her, seeing her friend soaring through the skies. "Let's go!"

She was pointing toward the latest approaching ship. Chouko wondered what she was getting at... Did she intend to meet them halfway and intercept them before they could get to the Icebreaker? She followed her, keeping tabs on her from above, as the two brave Pirates rushed toward their enemies.

Shiori continued to race across the massive iceberg to their ship. Some of the invading crew had jumped onto it without hesitation... Others stayed behind, seemingly intent on trapping their ship once it came out the other side, since they weren't equipped to follow directly. Little did they know it would take a while to get all the way through it. The ice was randomly breaking apart in places too, due to the pressure the Icebreaker was putting on it. The lesser glaciers bobbed in the water dangerously.

"Be careful!" The blonde called down to her.

Cannons fired at them before they could even get close. Apparently the others had some way of communicating with the rest of Ahab's fleet, because they were aiming for Chouko more than Shiori. She was glad they were underestimating her, if anything, but they were probably aiming for her because a flying opponent was much more of a threat. She had an obvious advantage over them, however she was also an easier target.

Suddenly, there was an entire hoard of Pirates between the two of them. They poured onto the ice from their ship, giving proud battle cries as they did so. They appeared to be trying to separate them from each other.

"Get back!" One man, a tall guy with a broadsword, was the first to reach her. "Stay away from our ship!"

"You stay away from ours!"

Shiori shrieked, already crossing blades with him. She glanced at hers nervously... She really hoped the sword Whitey Bay had given her would hold out. She'd mentioned that it was pretty old...

"Heh. Never!" He was arrogant all the way, but he grimaced when she finally pinned him against the ice.

It wasn't long before he kicked her off of him and she had to subdue him with some snow she'd conjured up from the glacier. It didn't hurt him much, but it had the effect of temporarily blinding him while it was in his eyes, which helped her get away from him.

The young Valkyrie had had it with this whole fight... She was getting tired and so were her comrades. She could tell that even Chouko was becoming exhausted, from the way she was flying kind of oddly at times. She eventually had to land on the glacier in order to rest her wings. While she could easily fly for extended periods of time, sometimes for several days or even longer, she'd been over exerting herself to extremes lately trying to help get the crew in shape for any battles that might come up. The problem was, it had left her somewhat drained.

The approaching crew surrounded her, taking advantage of her weakened state. One of them grabbed her from behind, while another held a dagger to her throat.

"Tell us where your Captain is! We're here for her, not any of you!"

"I'll never tell," She said, not even flinching. If she died for her Captain, then so be it, but she would never put her in danger. "Besides, I... I don't even know where she is!"

"We know you're the one who helped her get away from the first ship that was there," He explained, taking no pity on her. The man also took a small transponder snail out of his pocket, before waving it around and putting it back. "All of our fleets communicate..."

Shiori was doing her best to fight through the crowd to get to her, but she wasn't even close yet. She hoped they weren't hurting her friend... All she could do was keep defending herself against this guy, he was on her heels every step of the way! It was like she was just barely able to dance around him. At one point she fell, scraping her knee on a sharp rock. Her teal stockings were already torn in various places since they'd already gotten a lot of use during her training. Luckily, she scrambled onto her feet before he could get to her.

Chouko managed to get away again, wriggling out of the other one's grip and soaring through the sky to freedom. When she saw this, Shiori could only sigh in relief.

'They're trying to scare us on purpose,' The Valkyrie told herself. 'But I'm not afraid... I'm not! I won't let them get to my friends. I can save them all, I can-'

Meanwhile, there were others who were on their way to where the little scuffle with the bright yellow moth girl was just taking place. The other Pirates who had come ashore with them were closing in on her. Shiori glanced back at the ship while she was running, trying to lead them away... But there was yet another ship blocking the Icebreaker's path out of the glacier. That meant they were stuck there! And even worse, the ship was being bombarded with cannon fire and many more Pirates were piling on board!

The madness was endless! Just when she thought maybe they might be gaining the upper hand, they were being overrun again.

It distracted her and she was nearly caught in the crossfire when a large cannonball landed right next to her. When she jumped to get out of the way, there was an enemy waiting for her. They'd caught up to her!

Shiori knew she had to think fast, and in hindsight, going across the glacier had probably been a mistake. She didn't know why, but she headed for the edge, hoping to find some way out of here. She was hoping maybe another ship would pass by or something, and she could get back to the Icebreaker somehow. But no such luck.

Eventually she ran out of glacier... But the nasty crew belonging to Captain Ahab was closing in on her. They were almost there already, and there wasn't much time left... One man, sporting a peg leg, oddly enough, made it to her and when she jumped out of the way, he immediately tried to uppercut her with his sword. He didn't even say anything, just lunged for her and starting slicing. She countered with a quick strike of her own, which apparently surprised him. She kicked at him again, her boot made contact with something, and his sword fell away across the ice. It teetered over the edge for a moment before falling into the water.

'I did it!' She thought. And the surprise must have shown on her face, because the other Pirate used that as an opening to strike again, this time with his fist. She managed to dodge it just in time. 'Thank goodness for all that training! But I can't lose my focus now...'

Shiori was terrified, but she knew she couldn't give up. She'd never been in a real battle like this before. If she wasn't even sure if she could handle one opponent, there was no way she could take this many all at once... If the rest made it to her while she was cornered like this, it was all over!

"Get back here, you wench!" He yelled, shaking his fist in the air. It got the attention of the others and soon they were all chasing her.

She continued to flee, running along the outer edge of the iceberg, hoping against all odds that somehow things might turn in her favor... Luckily, some of the opposing Pirates were having a little bit of difficulty with walking on the ice. She was still headed away from the ship, even though she felt like she should probably just go back and help defend things there. At least there would be more of her own crew to back her up. The problem was, if she turned back, Ahab's men would catch up to her for sure.

'What am I going to do? I can't run forever...'

With a heavy sigh, she closed her eyes, pausing in her stride for a moment. Summoning as much power as she could, she used her Devil Fruit to conjure up some storm clouds. Snow began to fall from the sky in little white puffs.

Luckily, it seemed that the men pursuing her didn't catch on, and she was able to pull it off without anyone noticing that she was responsible. Maybe they wouldn't know she was a Devil Fruit user, hence knowing her weakness to the ocean. And if she were extra lucky, they would want to turn back now that it was snowing and cold out. She tried to concentrate her snow on the group, to further deter them.

It didn't seem to matter, however... The men did catch up to her, due to her hesitation to continue running long enough to let the storm begin. The small albino girl looked around helplessly, as she was surrounded by ruthless, vicious Pirates.

'This might be the end... Well... If it's over now, I had a good run. But I still can't give up!'

Unsheathing her sword for what felt like the millionth time that day, Shiori snarled at her attackers, fighting her way through them and cutting them to ribbons on her way. She even managed to disarm a few more of them, not that it completely stopped them, but it was a start. She was doing alright until she lost her footing and began to slip...

"You think you stand a chance against us?" One of them stepped forward, challenging her with a sword in one hand and a pistol in the other... "You're nothing but a weak little girl! This is what you get for messing with one of Ahab's fleets."

He'd spoken the last part so calmly, as he took one foot and shoved her the rest of the way over. Shiori could only scream in fright, as the waves drew nearer. She could already feel the bitter cold of the water, the stinging spray rolling off of the sea foam at the wave's crest...

Her hands moved frantically in front of her face. She felt the power surge within her, and just when things seemed bleakest... Shiori formed an ice barrier caused by snow meeting the water, and rapidly lowering the temperature enough for it to freeze quickly. This created a little ledge just at the base of the glacier where it met the water. To her enemies, it looked like she'd fallen overboard, but she hadn't.

Just then, she noticed a shadow forming right over her... The sound of tiny bells tinkling made her look up, to spot an anklet hanging from one of two bare feet. She grinned the moment she saw Chouko flying overhead! The moth girl had apparently come to save her, but she only offered a knowing smile when she saw that she'd already saved herself.

In hindsight, she should have known they would try pushing her over the edge anyway. After all, even a non-Devil Fruit user would have been at the peril of the icy waters out here at this isolated corner of the world. She didn't know what had possessed her to hope they wouldn't think of that. It had been obvious right from the start.

But she wasn't as worried now, with Chouko at her side. The Pirates had withdrawn and already started to head back to the other ship. The minute they realized that the girl hadn't fallen into the ocean, they began rushing back toward her, more ferocious than ever.

"Shiori-chan!" Her friend called to her, as she descended from above. "Are you alright?! I thought you were a goner for sure!"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine... Just a little shaken is all." She hesitated for a moment. "Want to do that move we practiced together?"

She instantly knew what Shiori was referring to. During her training, the two had come up with a hypothetical attack that consisted of combining Chouko's wind with her snow. It was only a theory, and while they'd managed to sort of pull it off once, that didn't mean it would really be effective in battle.

"Is it really the time for something like that though?" Chouko was just giving her a skeptical look, as she hovered over the waves nearby.

"I don't see how else we can win. I know it's a long shot, but we have to try!"

Her big brown doe eyes sparkled with mischief. It was too tempting not to give it a shot. "Alright... Let's do it!"

Before their enemies had too much time to approach them, Chouko flew in an intricate pattern overhead. Hopefully the others would think she was distressed over her fallen comrade or something... They seemed confused, and most of them started to head back to their own ship. Using the added maneuverability from her wings, she conjured a large channel of air, pooling it into a pocket close to where Shiori was. The edge of the glacier formed a short wall, about four feet high, that helped with that.

From the ice shelf, the Valkyrie used her abilities to bring up snow from the ground. She summoned snowflakes to her fingertips as they fell, and added everything she could to the pocket of air.

A transparent ball of energy had started to form. It grew more dense, as she added bits of snow to it, watching them swirl around as Chouko sent them in all directions. It was sheer chaos inside, and both girls had to move back away from it to avoid being caught in the blast or disrupting the flow. It took several more minutes of this intense culmination of their powers before it was ready...

"There!" Shiori said, with a small but determined smile. "Do you think it's ready?"

"Should be perfect now. Are you ready? That's the real question..."

"Mhm..." She nodded. "Let's go!"

She noticed that some of their enemies had managed to retrieve their lost weapons. They were taking their time in getting back, seeming nonchalant now that they thought the problem had been handled. It almost made her laugh. They didn't know the half of it...

The two girls sprang back up onto the ice, controlling the strange icy orb, and taking it with them. No one seemed to notice them yet. Then one of the men turned around, signaling for the others to do the same. They looked confused and kept trying to figure out what was going on. Cannons were still firing all around them and another ship was closing in. Arrows and bullets were firing in every direction, it was chaos! There wasn't much time left to get this right, and if they missed, it would all be over in a matter of minutes, as they were chased down by a crew of very angry Pirates...

"Centuryyyyy..." Both girls cried in unison, as they readied their attack and began to guide it into place before driving it home. "Blizzard Fusion!!!"

The large ball of frozen energy hit them dead on with a big blast. It was powerful enough to blow every single one of them over and send them flying! Most of them went into the water. They'd gained the advantage, at last.

"Well..." The albino grinned, stopping in her tracks to wipe the rapidly freezing sweat from her brow with her sleeve. "That wasn't as intense as I expected, but... It certainly worked!"

"I like to think of it as... Pirate bowling!" Came the cheeky blonde's reply.

"That's r-really cheesy..."

"I know." She said, with a smirk.

They'd been hoping such an attack would have frozen their opponents solid or killed them instantly from frostbite or something... It still needed a little work. But it did allow them to escape and it also lowered the number of enemies by over half, so... All things considered, it was a success. The ones who were still moving were doing so very slowly. And they hadn't seen it coming at all.

While headed back to their own ship, Shiori and Chouko exchanged knowing looks with one another. They had already begun to form another combo attack, so it would hopefully be ready once they got there. They had to do something to help their comrades, they couldn't just abandon them.

"You still good to go?" The moth fluttered above her, struggling to keep up, but knowing she had no other choice than to continue.

"Yeah... We have to help them. It's been too long and I'm worried about Bay-sama, and everyone else too."

She nodded, understanding completely. There had been a turning point when their attack finally worked. Some of their crew mates had seen everything that just happened, and when they arrived, they were greeted with cheers from their comrades. It caused a small gasp to be drawn forth from Shiori... Even though they were very busy fighting, they still took the time to encourage each other, and that was really amazing.

As soon as they got close enough, the pair unleashed their Century Blizzard Fusion attack against several of the larger groups of enemies that had boarded the Icebreaker. Just like last time, they went flying every which way.

"Where is Bay-sama?" Shiori stopped to ask Sam, now that she'd noticed a familiar face in the crowd.

He swept his white bangs out of his eyes, and smiled kindly at her- a gesture which she also returned. Although they hadn't really gotten along at first, the two had become friends during her time here.

"She's come out of the cabin. Hit everyone with a huge attack. Some of our own got caught in the crossfire though... We're already down several people, so be careful where you aim those attacks. Bay is alright. Last I saw, she was somewhere on deck fighting like the rest of us."

"Good, I'm glad she's doing okay. We were worried because she's their main target."

"Don't worry, we won't let them take her down... Or any of us." He said, right before pulling a pin on a grenade and launching it over into an enemy ship. It was a dead hit, puncturing the hull and causing them to take on water. But now they were angry, and began to return fire with their cannons. "Let's give 'em hell ladies!"

"Right!" She glanced over to Chouko, only to find her circling above the ship. She was probably trying to assess the situation so they could figure out a better game plan.

"I see her!" The moth girl swooped back around, hovering near her before landing beside Sam. The three of them ducked behind a large wooden box he'd been using as a barricade. "She's on the far side of the ship, near the port bow! Ahab's crew is keeping her surrounded, even though she's fending them off for now."

Before she could wait to see what the new plan was, Shiori caught a glimpse of someone as they ran by... It was the same man who had been in charge of the fleet, the one with the dark beard. When she'd led him here, she'd had no idea of the damage he and his crew could cause. They're used a dirty trick to get on board.

She watched as he slaughtered several people from both sides with his sword. It was really big, much larger and more sturdy than hers... He seemed to have no regard for his own crew either. She felt a surge of anger well up inside her... So this was the difference between being part of a respectable crew and one like his.

'What can I do?' She tried to think on her feet, even while fending off attacks. 'A lot of my friends have probably gotten hurt by him and his men. I probably don't stand a chance against him either, but... I can't let him get away with that!'

The Valkyrie also knew that if she could take down their leader, the fleet would most likely have no other choice than to retreat. The downside was that the same was true for their side as well... Once Whitey Bay was gone, her crew would no longer have any way to fight. Most often, things would fall apart without the guidance of a respected leader.

And if she had to guess, she would say he was on his way to hash things out with their Captain right now. It looked like the guy was headed that way.

"You stay here," Shiori told Chouko, even though she knew this was crazy. "I'll be right back..."

"Don't do anything crazy, please-"

"I'll be fine. You rest."

She wasn't kidding. She was aware that Chouko had already been overexerting herself to an extreme degree. She'd been flying almost nonstop all day, and they'd done two huge combo attacks together. While she could still fight on her feet a little if she had to, Shiori was sure that her wings must be extremely tired. She felt like she'd barely done anything today, so didn't have that excuse.

'I have to make sure I get to Bay-sama before he does!'

The albino let out a series of battle cries, as she fought her way through the dense crowd. With a determined scowl, she picked their Captain out of the crowd... She didn't even know his name, but she already hated the man with a passion. Anyone who was allied with the man who done such horrible things to her Captain was an enemy of hers.

Their crew seemed to be holding up just fine, despite being outnumbered. They were gaining back a little ground and two of the ships from his fleet had already departed. She wasn't sure if they were retreating or just going back for supplies... She really hoped they weren't going back to get reinforcements, but that seemed a bit unlikely, since they could have just called for help if they needed it.

As she danced around the numerous blows from the swordsmen who had her Captain surrounded against one of the crew's cabins, she was extremely grateful that she'd learned to master Baransu Jujitsu. Her people's fighting style had never let her down yet, and it had caused her to become more agile and graceful, over the years.

By the time she reached Whitey Bay, she saw that she had several of the men she was fighting begging for their lives.

"You can beg all you want," The Ice Witch snarled, pointing her sword at one of their throats. "But your sorry lives meaning nothing to me! You should have known better than to challenge my crew!"

And with those solemn words, she sliced through their necks with her rapier. Shiori gasped at all the blood that stained the Icebreaker's deck... Some of it was fresh and some was old, already seeping in and staining the wood a deep crimson.

She had no idea things could get this serious this fast. This was her first big battle, and she wasn't even sure how she was doing, but she felt like she kept messing up all the time. She was pretty sure she never should have left their ship to begin with, even if it was with the intention of leading their enemies away... And she definitely should have killed more of them off before they'd had a chance to get this far. She shouldn't have even allowed any of them to come anywhere near her Captain in the first place! Now she understood why she'd once told her that mercy was not a virtue.

"Bay-sama..." She called to her mentor, wanting to let her know that she was there.

Before Whitey Bay could respond, someone blocked her view. A big hulking man with a thick beard and a broadsword stood between them.

"I'll teach you to tangle with Ahab's Nakama!" He shouted in a gruff voice, lunging for her. "Now die!!!"

"Nooo!!!" Shiori screamed, as she managed to save her Captain just in time.

She leapt forward, stepping between the chaos of the fight and the person she'd sworn to protect with her life. She didn't care if her Captain was capable of handling it on her own, she had to do whatever she could because if she didn't, and things took a turn for the worst, she was certain that she would regret it for the rest of her life.

The man glared at her, and if looks could kill, Shiori would have been dead as a doornail right then. "How dare you show me such disrespect! I was once a Navy Admiral before this! Do you even know who you're crossing swords with?"

"No, and I don't care!" Shiori tried to growl, but it came out as more of a squeak. She may not look tough, but she was desperate to prove herself. This was her moment and it was now or never...

"Shiori-chan, go and help the others, I've got this!" Her Captain shouted, while still fending off attacks from around them. But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

"I have..." The tiny albino girl grunted under the weight of his sword bearing down against her own. "...have to..." He was so strong, she was losing her footing and sliding backwards across the deck. "...c-contribute too!"

She finally got the sentence out, just as the ship careened into another nearby glacier. She wasn't sure how they'd managed to get Ahab's fleet out of the way, but she hadn't even realized they were treading open water. There was so much happening at once.

Their swords left one another, only to clang back together many times as the fight wore on...

...

Back at the site where she and Chouko had initially re-boarded the Icebreaker...

"I think we need to get onto that other vessel," Chouko had explained. "I can't see anyone manning it right now. If we're careful, we could move it out of the way. Then we might stand a fighting chance!"

"You head that way," Sam nodded in approval, already exiting from behind his makeshift barricade and going that way. "But I need to take care of something first."

"Alright. Meet you there?"

He nodded, and left. Soon he was behind her, once he'd gotten a few more enemies out of the way. The two rushed over to the ship that had them cornered, intent on putting a stop to this, once and for all...

...

The large Pirate ship began to sail away from them. It worked! Soon enough, Whitey Bay's vessel was free from it's confinement. All of their enemies began to scramble frantically around the deck, upset that their ship was sailing off without them.

As soon as the Icebreaker started earning it's name and began breaking apart the next iceberg, the man she'd been sparring with leapt overboard. At first Shiori didn't understand why he'd do something like that, but then she realized he was taking his chance to get off their ship since his own had all departed, leaving him stranded, even if only temporarily. He was probably also trying to escape and then come back to get a few good shots in at Whitey Bay later.

'There's no way I'll let that happen!'

"Wait, Shiori-san, don't-" The Ice Witch tried to reason with her.

Gritting her teeth, Shiori prepared to go after him. Despite her Captain's protests trailing behind her, she was already over the railing and onto the open ice before anyone could blink. The man turned, seeming surprised that this mouse of a girl would dare to follow him onto the dangerous icebergs that drifted by.

Several large chunks fell into the oceans below, followed by a small avalanche. Luckily it was far enough away from them that it didn't cause any problems... But the rest of the glaciers they were running through could also go at any time.

There were many onlookers, as the fight waged on. Shiori knew Chouko wasn't coming to help her. She could see her friend hovering above the enemy ship that had just had them trapped, before falling to the deck only to be caught by Sam. At least he had good timing... She'd had her hands full with steering that other ship out of the way, and now all of her energy had been exhausted.

Whitey Bay was about to jump across to help her too, but the glacier they were standing on also crumbled and fell into the barren icy water. Shiori had managed to jump out of the way just in time, but unfortunately, so had the Captain of the enemy fleet. She'd fallen once she hopped to the next iceberg, and was currently down. The bearded man was fast and already back on his feet. Her Captain couldn't help her now, she was too busy fending off more enemy Pirates that had come over to that part of her ship. Every now and then, Whitey Bay could catch a glimpse of the fight that was happening out there, but that was all.

"Haha!" He laughed, seeing that he had her cornered. "I've got you at last! This will be too easy... Hahaha! You're so pathetic! You'd might as well just give up!"

The man stared down at her, aiming his sword right for her. She rolled out of the way, just barely. His sword plunged into the ice, lodging itself there.

"N-never!" She cried, unable to control her stuttering problem at such a stressful time.

Thinking fast, Shiori allowed her entire arm to turn to snow and packed it in against his sword, holding it in place. In no time, it was frozen in the ground. If she were lucky, he wouldn't be able to get it out any time soon.

"You think I need that measly weapon to defeat you?" He growled, cracking his knuckles trying to intimidate her. "Don't make me laugh! I could snap you like a twig with my bare hands!"

"Yeah? Just try it!" She spat viciously, really getting into the spirit of things now.

It was obvious that Shiori now had the upper hand. But she wasn't able to dodge the next blow. He threw a punch that landed right in the back of her head, in an effort to knock her unconscious. Despite her blurred vision and sudden headache, the Valkyrie hung in there...

She made her way toward him with her sword drawn, having regained her missing limb now that the ice had formed around his blade enough to seal it in. He gripped the hilt, pulling upward with all his might. The man kicked around the base of it with his steel-toed boot. He was doing anything he could to get it free. Eventually it worked, just before Shiori could charge in and stab him.

Then, wordlessly, he turned on her with his sword and they began the same dance all over again. The swordplay wore on, even as the unstable ground shifted beneath their feet. Shiori could barely think through the haze of her migraine. Even the snow below her seemed brighter and it was causing her temples to throb behind her eyes.

The vicious Captain continued to push her closer to the edge of the glacier they were currently standing on. The winds whipped around his cape, causing it to flutter in every direction. She'd already began to drum up a little storm, sending the snow and sleet his way. It helped, but didn't do much to deter him. He tried to send her into the water with one last long swing, but the albino was too quick for him and dodged it smoothly.

At the last second, she pivoted and lunged forward, swiftly slicing him with the sword she'd been given from her mentor... She'd been wielding it since the first time she'd sparred with Whitey Bay, and it had never once let her down. This time, however, she did not hit her mark. There was no blood on the shining silver blade.

'I should have known it wouldn't be that easy...' Crestfallen, she slumped to the ground, even as the snow fell around her.

She didn't even know if it was due to her abilities or if the white powdery flakes were actually real. But then she looked behind her, getting to her feet before the man could land a blow. All was not lost! During the quiet chaos, she was able to cut open his vest.

'That gives me an idea...'

Summoning more of her power from somewhere deep within, Shiori channeled some snow from the ground. Her movements appeared almost effortless, as she deftly guided the small white pellets into the opening she'd created. She pressed the snow against his flesh, getting it as close to his heart as possible. She'd really had enough and wasn't worrying about the repercussions of her actions anymore. She was exhausted and just wanted this fight to be over already.

The biting cold was enough to slow him down, but it was also creating the effect of hypothermia. His breathing rate started to drop, and his movements slowed, until he keeled over onto the glacier's surface, where the ice finished the job.

His eyes gradually drifted closed...

Shiori had long since relinquished control of the snow that was packed in against his skin. She stood over him, panting, watching her breath form wisps of smoky ice crystals, as her enemy lay before her, his life now forfeit to the frozen tundra. She stared at him, in disgusted awe of what she'd just done. Was it really right to take this man's life? Even if he did threaten her Captain, there was a small part of her that still felt some amount of pity for him.

It was a part she knew she needed to kill.

========================================================
Table of Contents: 

All Chapters: kalinereine.deviantart.com/gal…

[Previous] Shivered Timbers - Chapter 17 
☆You Are Here☆ Shivered Timbers - Chapter 18 ☆You Are Here☆ 
[Next] Shivered Timbers - Chapter 19

CLANG CLANG AND THEY ALL KICKED SO MUCH ASS FOREVER YES FTW THE END 
*hearts & stuff* <3

A/N: Don't worry, it's not really the end, lol... I just couldn't resist leaving that part in because I actually did a Join.Me for this chapter so my friends could watch me while I was writing it. So it's sort of an inside joke from that night, lol... It was a lot of fun, and I'll definitely be doing more Join.Me sessions for my writing in the future, (I probably won't do them for every chapter, but I will do them frequently) so if you follow me on Twitter or watch me on DeviantArt, I'll be posting the links to those when I do them. Just a heads up. (Consider that an invitation, if you will.) c:

That ended on a dark note, I'm sorry, I got carried away. It is what it is. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I have... I can't believe how long this story has gotten and it's still not even into the main storyline yet, lol. But things needed to be built up properly and everything. So if you'll bear with me, I promise Ace and Shiori will be reunited soon, but I don't wanna spoil anything. Hopefully I was able to keep it exciting enough anyway. 

I also have an illustration of their combo attack from this chapter posted here:
 I Wanna Feel Your Illusion... by KalineReine

Thanks for reading! ;D

-Kaline :iconkalinereine:

Credits:
Also, a reminder that I did not draw the preview image...
It was part of an art trade with the incredibly talented EzariaUmiko and all credit for the beautiful artwork goes to her. :heart: 
The full version can be found here: Ace x Shiori for KalineReine 

Thank you so much. ;w;
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UnbrokenNight's avatar
A genuine Treasure Island reference. I hope you know the origin of the black spot, and what it means that it was written on what it was.