"Welcome aboard," Jack said.
They were still on the deck of the Black Pearl, the Red Line already far behind them, the sky settling into the uneasy calm that followed revelations too large to process in one breath. Ginny sat near the mast, Bonney cradled against her chest, rocking slightly with the rhythm of the ship. Gibbs stood close by, arms folded, like a silent guardian.
Augur broke the silence.
"Why did you tell us?" he asked, voice level, eyes fixed on Ginny. "You know who we are. Pirates. You know what your life is worth to the World Government."
Jack's eyes flicked instantly to Gibbs, then back to Augur. Gibbs stiffened, already inhaling to argue.
"She had no choice," Gibbs said sharply. "You saw her. You saw the child—"
Augur lifted a hand, not aggressive, but firm. "I am not accusing. I am asking."
Ginny's fingers tightened slightly in Gibbs' sleeve. She looked up at him, then gently pressed her palm to his shoulder, grounding him. Her touch was light, but it carried weight.
"It's all right," she said softly. "I'll explain."
Gibbs exhaled through his nose, frustration bleeding out of him, and stepped aside, though he didn't move far.
Ginny turned her attention fully to Augur. For a moment, she studied him—his stillness, the weapon never far from his reach, the kind of man who measured people not by words but by what they might do next.
"I didn't trust you because you are pirates," she said. "I trusted you because of her."
She lifted her chin slightly, eyes shifting toward Robin.
Robin had been standing a little apart, quiet as always. She froze under Ginny's gaze, then instinctively took a small step back.
Ginny continued, "I recognized her. Not from her face exactly, but from the bounty posters. I saw them while I was… there." Her voice tightened, but she forced it steady. "The Demon Child of Ohara."
Robin flinched.
Ginny's eyes softened. "But when I saw her on your ship… the way you spoke to her, the way she moved freely, the way she laughed without fear… I knew."
She looked back at Augur. "If a crew protects a child the world has marked for death… then they are not the kind of men who would sell another child back into chains."
Augur held her gaze for several seconds. Then he inclined his head a fraction.
"That is… reasonable," he said.
Jack let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "See?" he said lightly. "We're trustworthy. Terrible reputation, but excellent childcare."
Pintel puffed up. "I told you I'm good with kids."
Ragetti slapped the back of his head. "You scared her earlier."
"That was character building," Pintel protested.
Jack waved them off and turned to Ginny. "Right then. Gibbs—take care of Ginny and the little one. What was it?"
Ginny nodded. "Bonney."
"Bonney," Jack repeated, tasting the name. "Get them clothes. Warm ones. A bath. Food."
He pointed at Ragetti. "You don't cook."
Ragetti opened his mouth. "Captain—"
"You might kill the child," Jack finished.
Ragetti shut his mouth.
Jack turned to Robin. "Can you cook?"
Robin blinked, surprised. "Yes."
"Excellent," Jack said. Then he glanced at Augur. "You're helping."
Augur raised an eyebrow. "I am a sniper."
"And tonight," Jack replied cheerfully, "you're an assistant chef."
Augur thought about Ragetti's soup. He nodded. "Understood."
Ragetti crossed his arms. "This is discrimination."
Ginny bowed her head slightly. "Thank you," she said to Jack, voice quiet but sincere.
Jack waved it off and stepped away, reaching into his coat. He pulled out the compass.
The pain came immediately. Sharp. Sudden. Like someone driving a spike through the bones of his hand.
Jack hissed and clenched his jaw, but he didn't drop it. He watched the needle spin wildly, faster than usual, as if confused—or excited. Slowly, painfully, it settled, pointing toward a direction that made his stomach tighten.
Jack closed the compass and slipped it away before anyone noticed his wince.
Dinner that night was… chaotic.
They ate together, all of them, crowded around the long table below deck. Ginny sat stiffly at first, Bonney in her lap, as if waiting for the moment kindness would expire. But Robin and Gibbs took it upon themselves to prove otherwise.
Robin made faces at Bonney, sprouting an extra hand to wave from behind her own head. Bonney stared in awe, then burst into giggles. Gibbs laughed along, leaning closer, letting the child grab at his hair—
"Ow!" he yelped as a tiny fist yanked a strand free.
Bonney giggled harder.
Gibbs froze, then sighed. "Worth it," he muttered, even as his eyes watered.
Ginny watched the scene like someone witnessing sunlight after years in the dark.
Pintel and Ragetti, meanwhile, were arguing.
"I'm telling you," Pintel said, chewing loudly, "this tastes better."
Ragetti scoffed. "You don't have taste buds. You ate a devil fruit by accident."
Pintel looked at Jack who gave him a warning look, then said, "That was an accident!"
Jack leaned back in his chair, watching it all with something like satisfaction. Then he looked at Ginny again, the humor draining from his face.
"Why did they let you go?" he asked.
The table went quiet.
Augur's attention sharpened instantly. Gibbs stopped smiling. Even Pintel and Ragetti fell silent.
Ginny's fingers tightened around her bowl. She looked down at Bonney, who was busy smearing food on the table, blissfully unaware.
Then Ginny looked up, fear flickering across her face—followed by something harder. Determination.
She took a deep breath.
"I was a commander of the Revolutionary Army," she said. "Before I was taken."
Jack's jaw tightened.
"I was kidnapped," Ginny continued, voice steady now, as if repetition had dulled the pain. "Forced to become the wife of a World Noble. The eighth."
Robin's breath caught.
"One of the Five Elders… Jaygarcia Saturn," Ginny said. "He knew. He oversaw things."
Jack's hand clenched around his cup. He said nothing.
"When Bonney was born," Ginny went on, "they experimented on her. They extracted a Devil Fruit essence and fed it to her. To see if it would work."
Everyone froze.
"It did," Ginny whispered. "She ate the Toshi Toshi no Mi without ever biting a fruit."
Bonney laughed, smacking the table with a spoon, because Robin kept tickling her.
Ginny swallowed. "They experimented on me too. It failed. I contracted a disease—Sapphire Scales."
Jack cursed under his breath, venomous and low.
"They threw us out," Ginny finished. "Like garbage."
Silence settled like a shroud.
Jack finally spoke. "How long?"
Ginny smiled faintly. "I don't know. Months. Weeks. Until my body decides it can't take it anymore." Tears were streaming out of her eyes.
Robin reached out, taking Ginny's hand without thinking.
Bonney looked up. "Mama, why crying?"
Ginny broke.
Jack panicked for half a second, then pointed abruptly at Pintel. "Because she looked at him."
Bonney turned.
Pintel puffed up his cheeks and went, "Raaahhh! Fear me!"
Bonney shrieked and burst into tears.
Ginny scooped her up immediately, Bonney once she felt safe, glared at Pintel, "Scary man. Don't make Mommy cry."
Weak laughter rippled through the table.
Jack cleared his throat. "We're heading to Drum Island," he said firmly. "Best doctors in the world. If there's a cure, they'll find it."
Ginny managed a small smile. "Thank you."
Two days later, the Black Pearl docked at Drum Island.
Snow blanketed everything. The cold bit hard. They wrapped themselves in coats and furs, breath fogging the air. Gibbs supported Ginny as they walked, steady and careful. Robin carried Bonney, bundled up like a tiny marshmallow. Augur and Ragetti flanked them protectively. Pintel tried to lighten the mood with jokes and was promptly silenced by Gibbs' glare—though Ginny laughed anyway.
Jack led the way, compass heavy in his pocket.
Augur frowned. "Where exactly are we going?"
Jack smiled over his shoulder. "No idea."
That didn't give them much confidence.
He stopped.
Smoke curled up from a wooden shack ahead.
Jack's smile widened.
"There," he said.