The Cook and The Rotten Work
Atlantis hummed as she brought a mug up to her lips to sip as she leaned against the rail, watching Ace run around the deck showing off Luffy’s bounty poster. She turned her eyes slightly as Marco the Phoenix leaned against the railing next to her, “Has Ace offered to take you back yet?”
“Nope.” Atlantis chuckled as she turned to stare out at the ocean with a smile, “He’s just trying to delay the inevitable.”
“Hmm,” Marco hummed as he continued to stare at her. “He must get that from you.”
Finally, he looked away as Atlantis stopped to turn and face him head-on, “Excuse me?”
Marco smiled at her lifting his own drink, “Can’t you see it? A marine and a pirate?”
Atlantis breathed out a laugh as her shoulders relaxed, “Yeah, that's not happening.”
Marco's eyes twitched as he turned to face her, “What did you think I was referring to if not that?”
Atlantis smiled at him brightly before pushing off the railing to leave him behind with a shrug, “Who knows man.”
She ignored Marco’s eyes as she traveled away from him to jump into the fray with Ace. She jumped onto his back with a laugh, causing him to shout in glee as he spun around the deck with her holding on tight.
Finally, as everyone began to turn in, Ace eagerly dragged Atlantis down to his room. “Check it out, I get my own because I’m a division commander.”
“Nice,” Atlantis giggled as she kicked his dirty clothes out of the way before dropping into the bed. “God this takes me back.”
Ace smiled as he dropped down beside her staring at the slightly scorched roof. “Yeah. We’re just missing Luffy.”
Atlantis dozed off with Ace before abruptly waking with a grumble in her stomach with a laugh. “Oh my god, I’ve been around you less than a day and those habits are already coming back.”
She pushed Ace away from her as she stood and made her way from the room towards where she remembered the kitchen being when Ace had shown her around earlier. As she reached the deck she glanced around before her eyes lit up at the sight of Thatch sitting beside himself on the deck, “Thatch!”
He turned to her in surprise before smiling gently at her, “Oh? Where’s your little barnacle?”
“Asleep,” She sighed as she rolled her eyes. “What else does he do aside from eating?”
Thatch chuckled as he threw his cigarette overboard and stood to approach her, “I take it you're hungry since you didn’t eat earlier? Too busy running from Marco yeah?”
“That obvious,” Atlantis chuckled as she rubbed the back of her neck.
“We’ve all been there.” Thatch nodded as he left her alone with a gesture, “I saved you some food, give me a second.”
Atlantis moved up to sit above where he had originally been sitting, it gave her a good view of the empty dock to wait for his return. It didn’t take him long before he brought a plate out, slowly unwrapping it with a small smile. Atlantis took it with a smile. “Thanks, Thatch.”
He chuckled slowly as he turned to stare at the fruit behind her with a far-off look, “You're welcome, kid.”
Atlantis huffed with an eye-roll as she walked away, “Just because I’m Ace’s family doesn’t mean I’m a kid.”
Atlantis continued back to the room with a hum before stopping as she coughed after swallowing a dry piece of meat. “Shit I need a drink.”
Turning on her heel to go back to Thatch with a sigh she picked at the food, pushing open the door. She stopped as her eyes found Thatch’s hunched form, sitting in thought with the devil fruit in his hands.
She smiled fondly before freezing in fear as a shadow passed behind him, her breath leaving her as someone began to approach Thatch from behind.
“Thatch!” He turned towards her in surprise, slipping his shoulder in time for the dagger to instead clash with Altantis' sword curling over his shoulder causing him to fall in surprise as Teach darted back with the fruit in hand, wild eyes trained onto Atlantis’ form.
Atlantis stepped forward as she tightened her grip around her blade with a tense smile, knowing the noise had already woken the crew.
Teach also sensed this retreating as he stared at her weapon with confusion and unusual alertness.
Thatch groaned on the ground as he pressed his opposite hand into the wound, staring up at Teach with rapidly fogging eyes. Atlantis jolted as she realized he was already injured, turning with a sneer back to Teach preparing herself to attack when the commotion began.
Crewmates ran onto the deck in shock, while Teach smirked at her before pointing at her. “She attacked Thatch!”
Immediately the crew turned on her, holding their weapons out at her while she tried to move forward to stop Teach’s retreat. “Stop right there, marine!”
“Wait!” Atlantis protested before looking into their eyes and realizing they wouldn't believe her, why would they believe a marine over their brothers. She sighed aggravatedly as she raised her hands dropping her sword so it evaporated before it hit the ground.
“What are you doing?” Ace protested as he immediately interjected the confusion pushing his brothers away from Atlantis with a growl.
Atlantis watched as Marco crouched beside Thatch to begin treating his wounds, only glancing at her briefly as he worked.
“It was Teach,” Atlantis finally spoke as she faced Ace causing him to jolt before turning to stare at her in shock.
“Teach… stabbed Thatch?”
“For the devil fruit.” Atlantis nodded her head before gesturing with open palms to the crowd, “He’s probably already made his escape as well.”
The crew paused as they looked around with alarm in their eyes, slowly lowering their weapons as Whitebeard approached the situation, staring down at Marco and the nurses.
Marco muttered lowly to the nurses with a nod as he backed up for the nurses to crowd the man in question. Nodding slightly in Atlantis’ direction, “He got you too. Are you okay?”
“What?” Atlantis asked, tilting her head while Ace swirled around to search for blood before approaching to put pressure on her shoulder. Atlantis looked down to see she had been nicked with confusion, when? When had his blade come close enough to touch, no it never did. How had Teach gotten her?
Ace growled as Marco approached to look at the wound turning around to storm away, only to be held back by his crewmates. Then Whitebeard spoke, drawing everyone’s attention, “It’s okay. This is an exception. I have a bad feeling about this.”
“I'll take care of this!” Ace angrily shouted as he stormed from the deck turning back to stare at Atlantis and glance at Thatch. “No one hurts my family and just gets a pass.”
“Ace wait,” Atlantis called out, moving her arm only to grunt as the pain finally registered. By the time she looked up, Ace was already gone. “Fuck! That boy’s always ignoring me!”
Atlantis stood shrugging her shoulders as she turned towards the nurses before walking away, “Thanks for everything Whitebeard, but I can’t just sit aside.”
“What are you going to do-yoi?” Marco questioned as he followed her to the extra boats.
“What I do best,” Atlantis grinned at him as she undocked. “Be a marine and hinder pirates.”