☠Twenty-First Reel: Secret Keepers [Written]

[redcinemareel]

[Red, cursive script appears on the journals.]

Dear Captains of Various Crews of Those Spirited Away by Davy Jones,

Would you ever keep a secret from your crew? Why or why not?

Personally, I'm not sure what secret would be deemed worth keeping away from my crew, but I'd think I'd be able to confide in at least my first mate. It could depend on the secret, itself. Is it one that will spare them my tragic end from an incurable illness? Then perhaps I'd keep it for a bit, until I knew that it was truly incurable.

Really, being captain is a harder job than one may think. I took that role on knowing the difficulty, however.

Overall, I would not keep secrets that directly influence my crew or their interests if I could help it, whether or not the secret would affect those secrets positively or negatively. If I can't trust my crew, then I might as well end their lives right now, since their presence would be unnecessary.

[The next part is added a moment later.]

As if they would go down easily, or at all!


Best Regards,
Captain Grell the Red


P.S.
If there are those who held positions of leadership in your world who also wish to reply and aren't captains, it would be appreciated.

Comments

[Voice]

[redcinemareel]

[Excellent. Although it doesn't count for much since she can't revel in it.]

Only if you have good taste in clothing. [Which should be a 'yes' because he always keeps his shirt open.]

I certainly hope that is the case. It's not challenging to fight a crew already at such a handicap such as disorganization.

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

Second or third best, I should think. But I have a fantastic eye for colors. [And legs.]

They seem to be falling apart just in fear of you, Kitten.

[Voice]

[redcinemareel]

Then you may assist me. [She's got some of those. Maybe four.] Don't let me down~!

That was the initial plan, but now? It's pathetic! [SIGHS DRAMATICALLY] We should just put them out of their misery!

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

[Are the stolen extras well preserved?] I'll do my best.

It might be better for them, but do you really want to do the navy a favor like that?

[Voice]

[redcinemareel]

[Proooooobably not. Don't worry, they don't stick around long.]

And let the navy take all the glory? Honestly, Marco! You should know the answer to your own question!

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

[Gross!]

[And he laughs.] What glory? You said yourself this isn't even a fight between a spider and flies caught in a web.

[Voice]

[redcinemareel]

But they're our targets! Not theirs! Just because it's an uneven fight doesn't mean we won't fight!

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

So long as you have no regrets, eh?

Go get 'em, Kitten.

[Voice]

[redcinemareel]

I don't plan to have any!

Such a supportive birdie you are~!

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

[You know what? He blames Thatch for this. He has some sort of Pavlovian reaction to being called a birdie now.]

Well, I was never one to root for the underdog.

And your crew is sweeter.

[Tracing patterns idly on the wood railing of his ship.]

[Voice]

[redcinemareel]

Awww~! So cute! I like your crew, too~!

[Gosh, all they need are spiral phone wires to curl around their fingers and they'll be teenagers.]

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

[Seriously.]

Clearly you should come visit more often. But your crew is so bright and feisty! And hella loyal, eh?

Re: [Voice]

[alwaysgrumpy]

I'm just trying to put this thing to bed before people get hurt, Marco. That's not falling apart, it's bustin' my ass to set things right.

Re: [Voice]

[fierybluebird]

[It's a hell of a strange thing to Marco really. Watching a rookie crew this deep in over their heads. The kind of crew that probably should still be wading around the early waters of one of the four blues. He can't even truly reconcile it all told.]

And what do you think would be an ideal outcome, friend?

Re: [Voice]

[alwaysgrumpy]

Codi apologizes, I destroy Crocker's machine so badly he never thinks about it trying it again, and once all that's settled I leave.

I originally liked bein' there because I felt needed. I felt I could protect people. There's a difference between protectin' people and throwin' myself into enemies we don't have to make. I've been down that road in my world, and it doesn't lead anywhere.

Re: [Voice]

[fierybluebird]

And your individual personal relationship to the Bloody Roses?

Re: [Voice]

[alwaysgrumpy]

I only really know Faye so far. I couldn't hurt her, and I couldn't let one of my crew hurt her. I also don't have anything against the rest of them.

Re: [Voice]

[fierybluebird]

Yet you wish to leave your crew over this?

Don't underestimate the value of nakama, even ones you disagree with.

Re: [Voice]

[alwaysgrumpy]

There's a difference between makin' enemies because it's unavoidable, and makin' enemies for no good reason, Marco. You can't tell me it's a good sign of decision makin' capability.

Re: [Voice] 1/2

[fierybluebird]

[Snorts.] I can't begin to pretend to understand your Captain's thinking, Akira. Nor am I entirely sympathetic since she tried to involve my brothers and someone I care deeply about in her mayhem.

I'm just saying, if you're going to openly question your Captain, you better be ready for consequences twofold what she's braced herself for.

Only you can decide who you want to follow or not, and what is the right path for you. But if you're going to cut ties with a crew, you might want to consider a backup plan. The ocean is a cruel mistress to those who are alone.

Re: [Voice] 2/2

[fierybluebird]

There are even more alternatives you may not have considered yet.

Traditionally pirate captains can be taken down by their crew in two ways without mutiny. The first is that anyone has the right to challenge the captain to a duel, one on one. And the strongest winner becomes the leader.

Another way is a game known as "Davy Back." Which I have to think exists in this world since Davy Jones himself brought us here.

You cast one, three, or five coins in the ocean as Davy Jones' cut in tribute. That signifies the number of rounds. Each round comes with a different game, race, or duel that the two captains agree upon. Generally it takes place between two pirate captains of course. But if a crew no longer feels respected and loyal to their captain, they can choose not to fight for their captain, this lets them join the opposing crew without any dishonor, only shaming the captain. Each round won by a crew allows them to take a crewmember of the opposing crew, or even the captain's flag. If the flag is taken, it can never be raised again, and any crew member taken must swear fealty to their new captain.

[He doesn't say it out loud, but he figures Akira is smart enough to see that even if a crewmate is taken back, it usually does earn them some respect for the captain for fighting so hard to retrieve them and showing how wanted they were.]

[not here]

[redcinemareel]

[Wow, Grell is not playing that 'game'. It's tantamount to slavery and using people as objects. She's been down that road, and not traveling down for memories.]

[not here]

[fierybluebird]

[Wow. Marco would kick her if she said that.]

[He would also go on to explain that it's all about pride. If you trust your crew and Captain enough you know full well you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. You don't bet things, you bet friends, because it's very all or nothing. Nakama are the greatest most important treasure of all. Besides, you don't even bet food and ships, so that you can leave the survivors alone and totally humiliated.]

[Voice]

[alwaysgrumpy]

Well, the first one is kinda' what I considered as "mutiny". It was pretty much gonna' be just me, tellin' her to either apologize, or I take over and do it for her.

Truth be told? Her gloating over killing Navy personnel I could eventually get over. Her mouthiness, well, that's just youth and pride talking. Believe me, I've been there. You can unlearn it.

But usin' fairies to power a fuckin' machine? Granted, she didn't make the it, but she's the CAPTAIN. She had to know. Hell, he posted a schematic of it. Only reason I did nothing is that it seemed so silly and crazy that I didn't think Crocker would actually MAKE it. Did neither of them consider that I might take issue with usin' supernatural creatures like batteries, against their will?

[Voice]

[fierybluebird]

[Again, Marco cannot even begin to imagine this entirely. He's trying, but it's a lot like trying to imagine being an apple for him. What must it be like to get sucked into a strange new world, told "now go be a pirate" without any idea how or where to begin, and of varying degrees of desperation and not a lot of options. It's so far backwards to where Marco's line of thinking usually is. He's damned honored to have the two captains he's had, but both said captains had to fight hard to get him to be their first mate. And as such, they earned his faith in them. If they hadn't, he wouldn't have joined.]

[So there's a decent pause as Marco rubs the bridge between his eyes trying to think it all over.]

If you've unlearned it, you'd be the first I've ever heard of that happening for. Ace is still the same mouthy brat he was as the first day I met him, and Shanks has gotten unbelievably worse with the decades... damned bastard.

[Sigh, that's not the point though.] Honestly, I don't really give a damn about your crew. [Because he's an asshole, who really generally hates rookies. And Codi definitely rubs him the wrong way for all that he's playing devil's advocate here.] But you do. And you should.

Mutiny is exiling the Captain by agreement of the rest of the crew and force, or an attempt on the captain's life. The duel I mentioned is a more peaceful resolution, assuming you were willing to leave her alive and still under your command.

[As for using fairies, and trying to bring Grell down along with her...]

It's hard for me to remember that most of you are only months new to piracy. These are things that I've been ingrained in longer than a lot of your crew has been alive. [A SMALL SIGH. AGAIN. Codi didn't even know what a swash is!] Ace and I can just punch each other and fight it out. And if anyone insulted him I'd tear them apart limb from limb. [The idea of not being so loyal to his captain, of having a captain betray their crew so pathetically was just... such an anathema to him. Even Kaidou wasn't that messed up. Not even Doflamingo.]

I will say, if you can't trust your captain, either their decisions, or their capacity to find a way to work it out satisfactorily to protect yours and your crew's best interests, all of you, then it's definitely time for a change. A drastic one. Whether it means leaving as you said, or taking over if you value the others' lives.