Chapter Text
What do I do?
Apoo pondered quietly to himself. He felt his mind surf alongside the low crashing of the ocean as it brushed against his ship. Trips like these weren’t a rare occurrence by any means, but he always felt a strong sense of excitement course through his body every time he embarked on another.
Ever since the alliance was formed, that stupid red-head would send him and Hawkins on trips for supplies and whatever-the-hell-else-it-was while he went on raids. There was no doubt he and Killer were having more fun- those nearby villages were big and wealthy. The day they didn’t come back with a ship full of Berry and other possessions was the day they had taken over the last little bit of civilization they could get their hands on. These mini quests were nothing but entertainment to them. Taking all that money, stringing up helpless victims for others to gawk at, and sailing back home to their base to revel in the aftermath of it all.
And yet… Apoo didn’t feel as though he was missing out on these mini adventures. All of it was lacking a crucial element that often led to a boost in the tall pirate’s mood.
He focused his mind again. The sky was a beautiful mirror that reflected the ocean’s cool, dark tones. He turned to see his delighted crew dancing on the deck. All they had to do that day was run yet another boring errand, but acted as though they were celebrating having found the ultimate treasure. A crooked smirk pulled itself into place as he watched them. Music played faintly throughout their space, as there was never a silent moment on this party boat. It was quieter than usual- only because their captain wanted to be semi-courteous to his neighbor. Had it been anyone besides the strange voodoo pirate with him, he wouldn’t have given much thought to lowering his tunes.
As he saw past the little party, his eyes caught the ship docked right next to the Stay Tune. While Apoo’s crew were loud and moving all around, Hawkins’ crew was much more static and had an eerie atmosphere around them.
Although the farther figures looked smaller, he could still make out who was who and what all they were doing. Most of the robed members sat neatly in a small circle and seemed to be either discussing something or chanting. This was quite typical and cultish of them. Others were spread throughout the ship, probably talking about whatever witchy stuff they were into.
His gaze followed every person until they landed on the captain of that creepy craft.
He was leaning against the rail talking to that big black cat of his.
Whatever thought process was going through the DJ’s mind was quickly stolen away by the sight of those glistening golden waves.
He was unsure what it was about that man that captured him so. There was something about him that he just couldn’t figure out. At the beginning, it was the allure of his devil fruit. What was it? What were his abilities? What was he?
But as their time together continued, more questions filled his head. What’s the deal with the cards? Is he a cult leader? What’s with the funky eyebrows?
He still wasn’t sure about the answers to any of those, actually. Outside of the boring meetings Kid held, they didn’t talk all that much. He wished they did, though. He wanted to learn all he could about him.
His eyes look magenta in this light, He thought as he continued to stare.
The far away pirate blinked.
Apoo felt a jolt go through his body as he realized they had been holding eye contact for who knows how long. He could see the displeased furrow appear on Hawkins’ face from that distance. He quickly turned to face the ocean once more, feeling an uneasy chill against his skin. The last thing he wanted to do was give him the wrong idea and make an enemy out of him as well. Kid? He couldn’t care any less about him if he tried. But he wanted to keep on Hawkins’ good side for plenty of reasons. He had so much to discuss with him, he was quite terrifying, and that third thing he still had issues with figuring out.
Whatever it was, it was getting annoying. He didn’t enjoy not knowing why the magician occupied his mind so much. Did he curse him? Did he put something on Apoo that plagued his thoughts with neverending thoughts and images of himself? Was it a projection?
He shook his head. That’s silly, he thought.
“C-captain!” a meek voice chirped from behind him, snapping him out of his daze. He turned to see shaky fingers pointing towards the neighboring ship.
Hawkins had fashioned a tightly-knit straw bridge connecting the vessels together. His footing was meticulous yet effortless as he ventured across it. He seemed to have no fear as he walked above a body of water that could so easily lead to his demise.
As his men scurried out of the way, Apoo had to think quickly. Nobody was following after the blond man, but he knew how strong he was. There was no need for assistance if he was planning for a physical altercation.
“Did you need something, Apoo?” He questioned, although this wasn’t an invitation for favors. He stepped off the makeshift walkway and onto the deck below, allowing the bridge to retreat. “You were staring for an awfully long time.”
“Was I?” Apoo chirped. The man before him remained stoic in his expression. Deflection wasn’t the best choice, but he couldn’t think of anything better. “I didn’t realize, apapa~” he added. Nothing.
“I tend to zone out sometimes-”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve caught you eyeing me,” Hawkins cut in. The taller pirate’s body tensed at this remark. Before he could open his mouth to deny this accusation, the blond continued. “During our meetings, in the hallways, on trips like these…” he trailed off. “I’ve felt no concern from this, as my cards have yet to alert me of anything to be afraid of, but I do find it odd. Is there something about me that bothers you so?”
“No no no! I…uh, I guess I just look at you a lot.”
“What’s your reason?” he asked, stepping closer to Apoo. The DJ felt his face heat up.
His crew inched closer as well, making sure nothing would be done to their captain. He was hit with the realization of how warm he was and just how many people were around him.
“Guys, I’m fine!” he shooed at them. “We just need a little captain-to-captain talk.”
“Are you sure?” one of them peeped up in the hesitant crowd.
“Yes! Now, give us some privacy!” he answered, watching as they all scrambled inside. They weren’t totally trustful, of course. Many of them huddled against the door to spy on what the two were about to discuss.
He took a moment to collect himself. Standing before him was the man that disrupted his every waking thought. Hell, he was sure to lurk in dreams here and there. All the things he wanted to ask him about raced through his mind at once, but he couldn’t banter with him right now. He had to figure out how to cure this misunderstanding before anything else. As he met with those striking eyes again, he took a breath.
“I think you’re really cool.”
What the fuck was that?! That was lame as shit!!
As if Hawkins could hear his inner monologue scolding himself, his face contorted. “What?” There was no flattery in his voice. Just confusion, and probably some irritation. “You stare at me because you think I’m ‘cool’?” he emphasized that word, making Apoo sink into himself having it be repeated to him. “I would rather you have some unfounded resentment towards me than this oddly patronizing attitude,” he added.
“I’m serious!” the brunet defended. “You’ve got this weird mysterious aura to you,” he gestured at him. “I don’t know what it is, but you’ve got all this stuff going on and I want to ask you so many things. Like your devil fruit! Do you realize how cool it is? How does it work? And-and what’s with your cards? I always see you doing things with them- and-”
He was met with a hand being pressed against his mouth. “You’re rambling. Can you slow down and have a meaningful discussion with me?” the magician asked him. He nodded meekly as the other man’s touch left his lips. He caught himself missing it, but tried to ignore it for now. He cleared his throat.
“I’m not kidding about thinking you’re cool,” he started. “In Sabaody, I’d never seen powers like yours before. I thought you were interesting, so I made it a goal to try and talk to you at some point… but that never happened. You left after the fight, and so did I.” So far, so good, he thought to himself. Hawkins didn’t seem to be unnerved by his explanation yet, so he continued.
“So when that shit-head summoned both of us to be a part of this alliance, I realized that meant I had another chance at talking to you. I suck at that though, as you’ve obviously noticed. Instead of striking a conversation with you, I just… looked at ya. I know it’s stupid, but you’re kinda scary dude!”
Hawkins scoffed. Praise wrapped in fear was new to him. Typically, it was just the latter than was shown to him. “You’re in awe of my powers?”
“You in general, really.”
“Oh? What else?” he seemed to be playing along now.
“Nearly every time I see you, you’re always doing something with those cards. Like earlier- you said they told you not to be afraid of me?”
“They showed me that you posed no threat, was all. Although, they were a bit curious this morning.”
“What do you mean they were ‘curious’?”
Hawkins tilted his head ever so slightly at him. “They just told me I would have a pleasant interaction today.”
There goes that stinging in his face again. “You call this pleasant? I thought you were coming over here to slit my throat!”
“Yes, I would call this pleasant. I assumed that premonition would arrive after our conversation, but it seems it’s happening now. You’ve shown no signs of hostility. In fact, you continue to show quite the opposite.” His voice seemed to soften towards the end of that remark. Was he slowly letting his guard down or was the brunet just imagining it? Seeing as there was a small table and a set of chairs nearby, Hawkins gestured towards it before pulling himself a seat. The taller man followed suit. He would figure it out later.
“I, uh,” Apoo opened up again, “just think you’re an interesting pirate and wanted to get to know you better. That’s all.”
“What makes me different from other pirates you come across? Besides my powers? You seem to get along easily with others. I don’t see how talking to me was such a big issue for you.”
“Oh yeah? You just seemed like the type to hate anyone outside of your crew-cult thing. It’s embarrassing, but I was intimidated by you.” Under typical conditions, he would never allow such weak words to leave his mouth. But once more, something about this blond made it so easy to confess.
The faintest smile curved on Hawkins’ face. “I don’t hate you, if that’s any consolation. But, you’re not far off from your observation- I’m not fond of most people nor do I want them to treat me as though we were childhood friends. Although,” his eyes shifted down to his hands as they fidgeted slightly, “I wouldn’t have minded if you came and spoke with me earlier.”
Apoo continued noticing this change in his demeanor. He was opening up more. All those times the blond recalled noticing him gazing at him… was he looking too? Was he softer than he had assumed?
After a brief air of silence, the clairvoyant stood up. “It’s late, and we have to sail back to the base at dawn.” The taller pirate was still trying to process everything that had happened and found himself unable to stop him from leaving. He watched as the magician stepped onto the ship’s railing, summoning the bridge from earlier. “We should talk again tomorrow night.”
“Sounds good,” he mustered. He watched as the man ventured over the sea again and back to his vessel for the night. His crew burst from the rooms they were confined to as soon as the coast was clear.
“Captain! Are you alright?” A few of them rushed towards him, concerned about his lack of movement or reaction.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Everything’s good, I think.”
“Did he threaten you? Do we need to go after him?”
“No… but I do think we can make something good out of this alliance.”