"Ugh, where am I? Are they taking me back to jail?" murmured Lucien as he felt a familiar shake caused by the sea. But he knew he wasn't on a marine ship as he opened his eyes and could slowly feel his entire aching body.
Slowly turning his stiff head, Lucien could see his bandaged arms and torso. It almost looked like he was a mummy from the amount of bandage wrapped around him. He slowly pulled himself up, hissing in pain, and got a chance to look around.
It was his would-be captain's room on their soon-to-be new boat. But the question was, why was he on the new boat that was not yet finished instead of on a marine ship, cuffed in sea stone, in a prison cell?
"How did Idris even get us out of there? Did Borsalino just not care?" murmured Lucien as he pulled himself up, wanting to walk his way out onto the deck.
He groaned as he felt his muscles scream in pain from the small movement he had just made. Just as he pulled himself up on sheer will, the door opened, and Lucien saw Law come in with a water basin and more bandages in his arms.
"Looks like you are taking up your doctor duties on the ship quicker than I thought," commented Lucien as Law quickly walked in and started creating a bubble around his arms.
"What are you doing?" asked Lucien.
"Checking if there has been any damage from you moving. You shouldn't be moving for at least another month. Just let your body heal," replied Law as he closed his eyes and concentrated on the bubble.
"Oh, your fruit can even do that? Looks like you used me as a guinea pig while I was passed out," replied Lucien as he lifted his right arm and patted Law's head before slowly taking a step toward the door.
"Don't move too much. Because of the magma, some of your skin cracked and burnt. If you move too much, even the little healing that has happened will become undone and will just have to heal again," said Law as he supported Lucien and helped him walk toward the door.
Lucien nodded and walked out onto the open deck. Idris, who had already heard Law talking, stepped away from the helm and looked at the mummified Lucien.
"Looks like you finally chose to wake up. Took you long enough."
Lucien nodded in response, knowing Idris was just joking, and asked, "Where are we going now? How did both of you even get me off that island? I was sure I would be arrested after fainting there."
Idris went on to explain the entire sequence from the moment Lucien fell to the short talk he had with Borsalino and then his quick chat with Hendricks.
"So how long until we reach Reverse Mountain?"
"At our current pace, probably another week at most. We should be able to see the mountains soon," replied Idris as Lucien nodded and leaned against the railing. It seemed like they would need to earn more money as soon as they got to the Grand Line. He wasn't confident about how much they could afford at Water 7, even with Tom's discount.
"Also, here is the new bounty on our heads after Lake 4," commented Idris as he held up the newspaper, with a photo of the damaged Lake 4 right on the front page.
"The Disaster at Lake 4"
It went on to explain how Lake 4 was destroyed by the evil pirates Lucien Vosgrave and his crew, who used the people of Lake 4 as a shield to escape the clutches of the Marines. Lucien already knew the Marines were behind this framing, so he skipped past it and got to the bounties.
As soon as he saw them, Lucien let out a whistle. His bounty had nine figures.
Lucien Vosgrave
Wanted Dead or Alive
100,000,000
Then he saw Idris's bounty, which had also increased, but not by as much.
Idris Vane
Wanted Dead or Alive
50,000,000
Finally, he saw Law's picture and noticed his bounty had increased a little too, even though he had stayed behind Idris and run the entire time.
Trafalgar D. Water Law
Wanted Dead or Alive
10,000,000
"Looks like we have just upgraded ourselves. From having no bounty to this in just a couple of months. It's been quite a year. But oh well, the future should be better," said Lucien as he handed the newspaper back to Idris.
"I wish I knew how Sakazuki is faring now. The little boy he pummelled to the ground and treated like a rag doll all those years ago just knocked him out," muttered Lucien with a grin on his face as he could already imagine it.
"Alright. Let's get going and get out of here as soon as possible. I can't stay caged in this place forever. I wonder what the most dangerous place in the entire world has to offer," announced Lucien as he clapped his hands.
"Oh, right, we also need to decide on a name for the crew. Do either of you have any suggestions? We are officially pirates now, and we need a name. Can't have people calling us Lucien Vosgrave and his people," said Lucien as he turned to look at his two crew members. He had noticed how they were referenced in the newspaper and knew it was time.
"Can't we just call ourselves the Vosgrave Pirates? You are the captain after all," replied Law.
"Or the White Haired Pirates," commented Idris.
Lucien shook his head. Law's suggestion felt narcissistic and Idris's sounded too similar to the famous Whitebeard Pirates.
"How about the Horizon Pirates? After all, I want to see what the world has to offer and what lies at the end of it," said Lucien.
Law and Idris, who were not particularly interested in the topic, just shrugged. Lucien nodded before turning back to face the front and muttering.
"The Horizon Pirates."
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Author's Note: A few words to close out Volume One.
This has been quite the experience. Writing my own fan fiction has had its ups and downs and I hope the later chapters show more ups than downs. I have been relying less on AI as I've gone along and I hope that is coming through in the writing.
The crew name, I know. Names are not my strong suit. Hopefully it lands well enough.
Most importantly, thank you for making it to the end of Volume One. It genuinely means a lot.
If you have a minute, please do drop a review for the fanfic. It helps more than you might think and goes a long way toward helping it grow and reach more readers.
Once again Thank You.