The Anatomy of Cross-Dimensional Pirates (One-shot Collection)

It's A Long Story

Lexi leaned on the metal railing of the sub, her head nestled on her crossed arms. It was a bright, windy morning, and she was fortunate enough to be spending it with the first mate, Bepo. The polar bear held a fishing pole in his hand, eagerly scanning the water for any sign of fish. They were due to arrive at the next island any time now, and Bepo wanted to get in some fishing in before they bought their food supplies.

The blue water lapped against the sides of the metal vessel down below, and she watched them crash and then recede, only for the next wave to follow. Truth be told, she was a little bored of just sitting there, but Law had insisted she take a break from studying to prevent burnout and exhaustion.

Sighing deeply, Lexi stretched her back. It popped and cracked, and she groaned in pleasure. "I don't understand how you can sit there for so long and just fish. You've been at it for like 2 hours. What time did you wake up anyways?"

The bear shrugged. "About 5:30."

"That's way too early to be doing anything." She grumped, peering out over the horizon to try to spot the next island. There was a mass of clouds low in the sky in the general direction of where they were heading, so she assumed they'd hit a storm before too long.

Lexi, still tired from being up even this early, leaned against Bepo sleepily, smiling as her face rubbed against his thick fur. He was really warm and soft, and she snuggled the first mate unashamedly. Bepo didn't seem to mind either, as he made no move to push her away.

"I'm used to waking up pretty early. Jean Bart and I switch shifts. He navigates at night and I take the day, mostly." He explained, content to sit there and talk with the brunette. He liked Lexi. When they'd been in her world, she'd given him fish, and she was nice. Plus, she always smelled sort of like Captain. That was a plus.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not a navigator then. I'll stick with being a medic." She grinned, watching as Bepo's pole began moving. She pulled away a little, so he wasn't so he wasn't so crowded. "Looks like you've got a bite!"

"Dinner, come to me!" He cried, yanking on the pole and reeling it in. The fish below the waves put up quite a fight, but Bepo was skilled in the art of fishing. No surprise there. Within minutes, he had a large green-scaled fish flopping on the deck. Looking rather proud, Bepo grabbed his catch and began walking towards the entrance doors.

"I'm gonna bring this to the kitchen, ok?" Lexi nodded and the polar bear bounded into the submarine. She laughed, shaking her head. Boy, what a life she led now, fishing off the side of yellow submarines with jumpsuit-clad polar bears. But she wouldn't have it any other way.

With another glance at the quickly-approaching clouds, Lexi followed the bear and closed the door.

"We're due to land on the island in about half an hour." Law explained, accompanying Lexi to one of the storerooms for cargo. The holds were on the lower decks, large double doors leading into the spacious rooms. "This is where we store our supplies. Basically, anything that isn't food, medicine, or treasure goes in here. But for what you'll be doing you won't be down here."

The brunette walked beside the Captain, stopping when he faced one of the doors, showing her the inside. "What am I going to do?" She'd been on the sub for awhile now, but hadn't participated in supply runs after landing before. Luckily, she was able to convince Law to let her help this time around. In response, he was showing her where all the cargo was kept, the whole reason for this trip below the decks.

"You'll accompany Bepo in finding food supplies." He opened the door and flipped the lights, stepping into the mostly empty room. Being at sea for several weeks had put a dent in their cargo onboard. "You'll need to visit with the chef and get a list of what he needs."