Sarah watched as Nami disappeared into the waves, shaking her head slightly as if waking from a strange dream. The Marai’s parting remarks played on her mind, she did have no idea what the underwater mage was capable of, nor did she have any intention of doing something that might provoke her wrath. Drowning was one of those experiences that you only ever experienced once, and having used her time up already the Bounty Hunter had no desire to return for round two. She assumed that the Mermaid had marked her with at least some magic at the end there, which while invisible to her human eyes presumably left her with some way to contact Nami in future. For now however, she was cold, wet, and hungry, and the distant sounds of shouting and breaking bottles from the port seemed like the sweetest of calls home as she trudged along the shoreline towards the nearest Tavern.

*

It was loud and noisy on the dock front, the occasional wolf whistle or incoherent cries of drunken sailors the only thing that was directed towards the washed up pirate as she marched along the rickety wooden walkways, moving with purpose across the slums of bilgewater. She had passed many Taverns already, places she could have settled down and spent the night contently eating and sleeping while she dried off the day's worries, but now wasn’t the time for rest. She had only one place in particular in mind, one place she needed to visit, and one person she needed to see. It wasn’t long before the run down building was in sight, an especially grimy pub even among the usual assortment of cesspits that most sailors called home for the evening. It was here, a mere day ago that her journey out to Sea had begun, Her search for the man who had killed her parents, supposedly alone just beyond Highpoint Cove. She had gotten all the information from here, from a single man whose breath was worse than the rotting chum that lined the fisherman's wharf. A man who had sent her to her death.

She could hear the cheerful and boisterous shouts from the sailor’s inside as her hand rested on the splintered door, the rotten driftwood having acquired several new deep scratches and scorched holes in it since her departure the previous evening. She wasted no time pushing open the door, taking slow deliberate steps into the bar as the mummering suddenly stopped, the pirates around her freezing as the flash of fiery hair caught their eyes. Time seemed to move in slow motion for everyone but the Bounty Hunter, music stopped, conversation was silenced, even the darts in the corner seemed to hang in mid air as she strode confidently into the room, her eyes fixed with a focused anger as they scanned the room, finally fixing on a tall cloaked man in the corner.

“No.. it can’t be.. You’re dead! Your ship was destroyed we could see the explosion from… oh god!” The man suddenly exclaimed, standing from his chair and backing away slowly, his hands quickly pressing against the wall behind him. The pirates closest to Miss Fortune seemed to come to life before the rest, raising swords and pistols as quickly as they could manage in their intoxicated states, but they were far too slow. With a quick motion, Sarah smashed in one of their faces with her elbow, disarming him and taking his pistol into her hand. Without a wasted motion she turned quickly, facing the firearm at the cowering figure and firing the loaded shot, the crack of the gunpowder igniting echoing across the bar as he fell back, clutching his arm and crying out in pain. “I suggest you leave now, the Sea itself spat me back out today and unless any of you think you can do a better job then you better start running.” She had barely finished her words as the sounds of clattering chairs and broken glass signalled their hastened retreat, the door practically being forced off its hinges as the bar quickly emptied, even the barkeep retreated quickly into the back room. In a matter of seconds Sarah was left alone with the man that had ratted her out, a dark scowl crossing her face as she threw the pirates pistol to the side and marched slowly over to him.

He was bleeding badly, the bullet through his arm having clearly hit bone as he cried out in pain. With little ceremony, the Bounty Hunter lifted him onto the table, throwing him across the wood before pressing one of her own pistols into the hole in his arm. “I bet you enjoyed drinking the day away with the money you earned to sell me out, didn’t you Jarex?” She asked through his screaming, releasing the pressure for a moment only so she could flip him over onto his back so he could look her dead in the eyes. “My crew, my ship, all of it is gone thanks to you! So if you value what little is left of your scumy little life then you better fucking tell me everything you know about Gangplank or the next thing that is going boom is your brains across this table!” She shouted pressing the pistol against his head.
“Please.. Miss Fortune.. I don’t know anything! Gangplanks men, they caught me while I was snooping around, they were going to kill me! And they offered so much, more than you could imagine for your death!”

“What men? Who were they? How many?”

“I don’t remember please! I was blindfolded! Please don’t kill me, think of my family!”

“I know full fucking well that a rat like you has no family Jarex, don’t think your silver tongue is going to get you out of this one!”

“Miss please… I don’t know anything!” He pleaded, though his cries were quickly silenced as Sarah’s gun was shoved into his mouth, his eyes opening wide with fear as she pulled the trigger back. She watched for a few moments, the man closing his eyes as he expected what happened next. With a click, the hammer struck down, but nothing happened, Sarah knowing full well that the powder was still too wet to do anything with. She sighed removing it slowly as Jarex continued to whimper. She holstered the pistol again, sighing as her hands ran over her belt slowly. “Unfortunately for you Jarex, I believe you…” She replied sadly, before removing a knife from the belt and stabbing it directly into his windpipe, her other hand covering his mouth as his eyes opened wide, struggled for a few moments and then fell lifelessly, his body going limp as the spray of crimson coated the Bounty Hunter’s hands and torso, causing her to grunt in frustration.

Cleaning the blade on the cloth of his cloak she slowly walked over to the bar, propping herself on top of one of the stools as she examined the array of drinks that had been left on the bartop, examining them before taking the one that looked least rancid and drinking it in one gulp. The alcohol burned her throat, but it was the least dangerous burn she had experienced all day, and right now it was something she needed. She turned slowly at the sound of the door once again creaking open, a chiseled man walking over slowly as she raised an eyebrow curiously. “I’m afraid if you came for this evening’s festivities, you’re out of luck sailor, bar is closed.” Miss Fortune huffed, turning back to her drink as she continued to watch the man out of the corner of her eye, making sure he didn’t try anything while her back was turned.

“I assure you that it is not the bar I seek this evening, but the fiery Redhead that seems to be occupying it.” He laughed, before taking up the stool next to the Bounty Hunter, a smile creeping across his face. “I have heard the tales about the notorious Sarah Fortune, but after the most recent events I had thought you dead. My name is Rafen, and I think I may have a deal that might interest you…”