A Pirate's Life For Me [Mission Pt. 1]

I was perched on the top of the crow's nest on the ship i had "borrowed" from my Shiokage, Dominic Edrick. While I was in Dominic's office I had noticed the slip of paper that was now in my hand, and stolen it. It was interesting to me. Apparently, Dominic had been planning to send me on this mission long before I became interested in it. He was worried as to if I would be able to survive.. he was.. he was worried for me. A tear rolled down my face, and dropped from my chin to the deck below. No one had ever cared about me even that much before, and my own father died while I was barely old enough to remember his name. The note read:

"To Rohim, my friend,

I understand how hard this life for you is. Your parents died in the Edrick betrayal many years ago that I too am a survivor of, much as yourself. I wanted you to know that I understand. I understand that you feel misplaced, I understand that you feel that the world has turned its back on you, and I understand that you will do anything to find your place. That is why I have confounded a mission for you to go on. This will be no ordinary mission, but it will be a test, and a journey. It will be a journey for you to figure out exactly who you are and what you want, because I can't find it for you. I can only give you the opportunity to find it yourself. At first, I couldn't send you on this mission because I was scared for you. I was worried that the Rohim Edrick I had become to teacher of would not make it through these tests, but I know you can now. I want you now to go out and get that treasure. But don't do it for me. (Well, i want some of the treasure because I am, you know, the Shiokage, but you get what I mean) You need to do it for yourself. Go on this journey. I know you can do it. Make me proud, Rohim.

- Your friend and mentor,
Dominic Edrick -

"

And then the back of the letter went on to explain the details of the mission itself, completely coinciding with what I had been planning to do all along. I would use this letter as a guide. I folded up the paper, and tucked it in my belt. I would complete this mission, I would. I would make Dom proud, and I'd make myself proud.

So on this day, in this hour, a new man was born. No longer Rohim Edrick, the Eagle Assassin, but now I was Captain Rohim Edrick. This adventure would be one to remember, and it had only just begun.

The new Rohim Edrick:

Spoiler:

Word count: 501

And so I set out to see on my one-man pirate crew on the S.S. Hurricane, the largest ship in the docks of Harikengakure. I was excited to begin anew out here on the watery depths outside the village. Setting out on my own, away from the diplomatic assassinations of my every day life in Harikengakure as an ANBU operative. I was now a swashbuckling cutthroat, and I liked it a lot.

I sailed North with the wind, away from the village. It was the first day, and I could only imagine the challenges I was about to face before me. On the table behind the helm, I stood with a map of the ocean pinned down against the wind.

"Hm... I'll have to sail around this cape to the west to get there.." I stated to myself as I traced a long line with my right index finger across the parchment before me. "I wonder what the weather will be like while I'm out here." I then reminisced to the last time I had been out in the oceans near the Shivering Isles to hunt for crabs to catch for a dockworker in the Ao Phalanx harbor many months in the past. I had come a long way. I needed to train, however, so I left the table and walked up to the helm. Using a rope, I tied the helm in place so as to keep the ship on path without me being at the helm. I let loose all the sails so as to get to my destination as fast as possible.

I then walked down to the cannons on either side of the top docks and tied them in place to keep them from rolling around with the waves. "Main mast secure.. portside and the starboard both look secure as well.. helm tied.. I think we're good." So I went down to the main docks and took off my shirt. I was now dressed in my satin pirate pants tied with a red sash at the waste. I had an eyepatch over my scarred eye, and black boots over my feet. My katana, the Koroi, was loosely tied at my hip. My white shirt and jacket were both now tied to the main mast as I prepared to start my scrutinizing training.

Word Count total: 894

I began to punch out push-ups as the day rolled on. The most I did in one set was 450 with a cannonball strapped to my back. I was getting ready, but I also needed rest. One of the other items in my workout stratagem was my imagination. I would imagine an enemy in front of me, and dish out elaborate kick-chains and combos to incapacitate them in any way I knew how. Then I would picture this image to begin fighting me, and I would have to counter to the best of my knowledge. I didn't do the second part of that as much, because countering was my favorite way to fight, and I needed more work on initial attacking. Just as I was finished training, I noticed a heavy storm cloud to the south, gaining speed on my ship. It was about to be a bumpy ride.

I made sure again that all lines were secure on the cannons and masts, and took my position at the helm. I buttoned my shirt back on and threw my jacket back over my shoulders. I drew my blade and slashed the roped tying down the helm. I needed to outrun this storm, because I doubt with even my speed that I could say this magnificent vessel by myself through a maelstrom. Forcing chakra into my lungs, I took a huge breath and exhaled wing through the air in front of me with a gale-force. It didn't even have the force to knock over a small child, but it caught the sails and sped the ship up. Good, that's exactly what I wanted.

Word Count total: 1,171

I was about to the islands, maybe 6 hours away, when the storm caught up to me. It was a nasty hurricane, only a hurricane that would spawn from the depths of the hurricane lands would be this strong. The winds tore at my sails and ate at my skin, where the heavy drops of water pounded down relentlessly upon the deck, causing it to fill with water. With the Compass activated, I was quickly sprinting from one station to the other in less than the blinks of an eye.

At the helm, I could barely hold it. Even with the strength of a Jounin, the helm was almost too much for me to bear. The winds forced the sails to pull, yanking the main mast in every direction except straight. This storm would surely run me aground to recover if my arms gave into its strength however. I needed to remain strong.

I then sprinted to the cannons, having to tie the snapping ropes into place every few seconds when the rocking ship would make the cannons rip away with the momentum. The lines connecting the sails to the masts were equally as stubborn. Requiring me to divide my attention to retying them as well when they snapped.

Eventually the storm subsided, and I was finished. The boat listed lazily into port, because I had miraculously been able to keep it on course throughout all of this. With a deep breath, I brandished my blade and swam ashore.

The hunt was on.



Word Count: 1,433

Goal: 1,400