Chapter Text
“You know, you’re the reason I’m a part of the guard here,” the young man said, looking at the pirate prisoner with contempt.
“Good for you, it seems you’ve come into good fortune serving the people,” the pirate happily congratulated him.
“I─ Just why!? I thought being a soldier was the right life, yet here you are a pirate!”
The tall pirate shrugged. “It’s not that I particularly chose to be a pirate, it just happened, if you must know. I really do applaud you for the turnaround you’ve achieved.”
Really, the young guard was just disconcerted by the pirate’s conduct. Here was a man who once served as a royal soldier (if for a different kingdom than the one they were currently in) who had spared a lowly pirate cabin boy for the chance to quit piracy like the boy had cried, yet now he was a pirate himself and that boy had arrested him. What do you do when your hero has become the villain?
“I won’t save you like you did me,” the boy stated. “I can’t, even if I owe you my life for a situation just like this one.”
“It’s time,” another guard said, coming in with a third guard to take the pirate to the execution platform.
“Our roles may be reversed, but there are differences, you know,” the pirate said as one of the guards entered his cell, unlocking his manacles from the wall.
“Firstly,” the pirate’s hand whipped up, slamming the hilt of a dagger stolen from the guard’s waist into the owner’s head and knocking him out, “I am no wet-behind-the-ears boy.”
He stepped around the unconscious body and the two remaining guards reached for their swords.
“Secondly,” the swords came free with a rasp, “I am not alone.”
The third guard slammed the hilt of his blade into the young guard’s head, rendering him unconscious as well.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes, Finnigan-san.”
“I’m surprised you could pick me out with the helmet on, Brook-san,” the false guard replied, flipping up the visor.
“It wasn’t a bad impersonation, but soldiers tend to walk a bit more in sync than you were,” Brook replied as Finnigan unlocked his handcuffs. “Also, you didn’t tuck the guard shirt in correctly under the armor. I do hope the man you borrowed it from is alright?”
“Well enough, sir. He seemed to be suffering a mother of a hangover, so I ‘spect he’s rather enjoyin’ being unconscious ‘bout now.”
“Yohoho, you may be right. You have a couple of the boys getting my things out of lock up?”
“Yessir. Knew you wouldn’t leave without that sword of yours and the Captain would have our heads if we left without you.”
“Then we’d best be making our escape!”
Brook would one day look back on this escape fondly and wonder why the Straw Hats couldn’t do something so cleanly.