Another day in Azur Lane.

The Eagle Union and Royal Navy had recently fended off an Ironblood attack, and was taking a day off. Well, most of them. You can guess who was keeping watch.

The ship girls of Azur Lane were doing their own things.

Enterprise was sitting by the docks, keeping a watchful eye out for any possible Crimson Axis ambushes.

All seemed to be quiet.

"Keeping an eye out?"

Enterprise turns around to see the Commander walking up to her.

"You know, I hear some of the other girls are having a karaoke event." The Commander said.

"With all due respect, sir, I need to be combat ready for if the enemy ambushes us. Or if someone else does..." Enterprise said.

The Commander sighed.

"I understand preparing for Crimson Axis. But honestly, Enterprise, how long has it been since a Pirate crew left the Sea of Thieves? They may be rowdy bandits, but they're also smart." The Commander said.

"I was unaware that bloodlust, greed, and poor hygiene counted as smart, sir." Enterprise said.

"It's easy to judge by appearances. But need I remind you that it was Pirates that managed to drive the Sirens out of the Sea of Thieves. Using inferior ships and technology, I might add. Whereas we seem to be equally matched." The Commander said.

Enterprise said nothing more. What else was there to say? The Commander was right. While the Sirens' goal is unclear, they do seem to resent humanity, and by extension, Azur Lane. Their superior technology make it quite difficult for the ship girls to fight them. However, for reasons that are still unclear to both Azur Lane and Crimson Axis to this day, the Pirates in the Sea of Thieves somehow not only managed to match the Sirens with wooden ships and rather unreliable weapons, but managed to drive the Sirens out of the Sea of Thieves completely. Now, for some odd reason, the Sirens haven't tried to strike back against them. Ship-girls and commanders in both Azur Lane and Crimson Axis assumed that they were a more immediate threat than the Pirates.

That being said, the Sirens leaving the Sea of Thieves is exactly what made it a lawless place. Pirates fighting one another over treasure and fame. Mutinies planned by conniving individuals or entire crews sick of working for a crappy captain. Entire fleets working for ruthless commanders. And of course, the worst of their crimes, freely coming into Azur Lane and attacking ship-girls.

The bright side about that last one however, was that they attacked ship-girls on both sides, which has saved Azur Lane a few times. The downside is that it also saved Crimson Axis.

"Well, if I can't convince you to take a break, then I suppose I shall take my leave. Have a good day, Enterprise." The Commander said as he turned around to head back.

Enterprise returned her attention to the ocean. She looked out on the horizon, watchful for anything...

...

...

...

That being said, she didn't actually expect to see anything.

But, as anyone who has read or heard a story like this...

"Sir? What is that?" Enterprise asked.

She pointed to something on the horizon. She couldn't make out what it was as it was too far away.

The Commander took out a spyglass he had taken from a Pirate a while back. He used it to look at what Enterprise was looking at.

"Well... me and my big mouth." The Commander muttered.

"What is it, sir?" Enterprise asked.

"A Pirate Galleon." The Commander replied.

Enterprise looked out to the distant ship with concern. Just as she feared, someone has come to attack while the rest of Azur Lane was celebrating the recent victory.

"I'll go sound the alarm!" Enterprise said.

"No." The Commander said.

"Sir?!" Enterprise asked, shocked at The Commander's order.

"Yes, it's a Pirate Ship. But I don't think it's an attack." The Commander replied.

"What do you mean?" Enterprise asked.

The Commander handed Enterprise.

"Take a look." He said.

Enterprise looked through the spyglass at the Pirate Ship. The first thing she noticed was an orange flag with a white rat. She then looked down at the deck. That's when she noticed that something was off...

"There's no one onboard. Not even in the Captain's quarters." Enterprise said.

"Well, they could just be below deck. But look closer." The Commander said.

Enterprise then noticed a few more things about the Pirate Ship. The first thing she noticed, though she was quite surprised she didn't notice earlier, was that the front mast had fallen over. The second thing she noticed was that the anchor was dropped. The fourth thing was that the ship was covered in wooden boards that had been hammered on, meaning that it was barely holding together. The last thing Enterprise saw was that, while the canons were loaded, they weren't in a bombardment positions.

The Commander was right. This might not be an attack. But that begs the question...

"Why is it here?" Enterprise asked.

"Yes, that's the big question, isn't it... gather Laffey and Warspite. I want the three of you to investigate. If no one comes to the deck when you close in, board the ship. And if you do find anyone onboard, bring them here." The Commander ordered.

Timeskip

Laffey, Warspite, and Enterprise all closed in on the Pirate Galleon. They managed to get dangerously close. And yet...

"No one seems to be on board." Warspite said.

"Laffey does not see any Pirates." Laffey said.

"Right then. Remember what The Commander said. Time to board the ship." Enterprise said.

The three ship girls then boarded the old wooden ship, riggings at the ready. The entire ship seemed in disarray. On top of the damage Enterprise and The Commander saw, there were also a bunch of items lying around the deck. Canon Balls, various fruits, wooden boards, some dead but not rotting fish.

"What happened on this ship?" Warspite asked.

"Maybe it was the storm last night?" Laffey suggested.

Enterprise suddenly realized that Laffey might be right. Last night, they had seen a huge storm to the west. It wasn't coming towards them, rather it seemed to head toward the Sea of Thieves. With that in mind, Enterprise started to wonder if this ship had been caught in the middle of the storm and washed up just off the coast of Azur Lane's island. That would explain why this ship was in such a state of disrepair.

"So, what now? No one seems to be onboard." Warspite asked.

"Check the captain's quarters. Let's see if we can find any clues as to what this ship was doing so close to the border." Enterprise said.

The three went into the captain's quarters to look around. Unlike the outside of the ship, the captain's quarters was much nicer and was well kept. There was a bookshelf, a small dresser, a model of the ship, the jaws of a shark. There were two animal cages, one of which had a rather colorful parrot. And of course, in the middle of the quarters, was a desk with a big chair behind it.

"Enterprise. On the desk." Laffey said.

Enterprise looked on the desk, where she saw a red book with a Golden skull stitched onto the cover.

Enterprise reached out to pick up the book, but then a monkey popped out from behind the desk, causing the ship girls to yelp in surprise. The monkey then hopped onto the desk. It picked up the book, then jumped over to the dresser, and climbed into the cage above the dresser.

The girls knew that some of the answers they were looking for were in that book. Enterprise felt something brush up against her foot. She looked down and saw a banana at her feet. It was then that she got an idea.

She picked up the banana and held it out to the monkey.

"Hey. You see this?" She said softly, trying to coax the monkey out of the cage.

The monkey poked it's head out of the cage.

The door closed behind Enterprise, but she kept her focus on the monkey.

"You want it?" Enterprise asked softly.

The monkey was about to crawl out of the cage, when suddenly...

"Uh, Enterprise?" Warspite said.

Enterprise turned around and saw... a Pirate in a bed that was hidden by the door.

Enterprise immediately readied her riggings.

"Is he... alive?" Laffey asked.

A loud snore could suddenly be heard from the bed.

Warspite then noticed something about him.

"Wait a minute... look at him! Fox ears and a fox tail." Warspite said.

Enterprise looked at the Pirate and also noticed these features. At first she thought he was part of the Crimson Axis, but then she remembered what kind of ship he was on and what kind of flag he sailed under.

"Is he part the Sakura Empire?" Laffey asked.

"That was my first thought, but why would anyone in the Sakura Empire want to become a Pirate? I've been to the Sea of Thieves once, and while it may be pretty, the Sakura Empire is much safer." Enterprise said.

"He can't be the captain... can he?" Warspite asked.

"Of course not. He's too young." Enterprise said.

Suddenly, the Pirate began to stir. His eyes slowly opened, and he sat up and yawned. It was only then that he noticed the ship girls in his quarters. He just kind of stared at them for a moment. When he finally did speak, his reaction to them was... not what the ship girls were expecting.

"Advanced technological weaponry in the possession of fairly attractive women... let me guess... Azur Lane?" He asked nonchalantly.

"That would be correct, Pirate." Enterprise said bitterly.

The Pirate sighed.

"It seems that Mr. Fish's concerns were well founded." He muttered.

He then looked back up to the ship girls.

"Considering that the ship hasn't been blown to splinters, am I correct in assuming that you're either Eagle Union or Royal Navy? Possibly both?" The Pirate asked.

"Yes, you would." Warspite said, far less bitterness in her voice.

"And would I be correct in assuming that you're commander wants you to bring my ship, my crew, and myself to them?" He asked.

"Yes." Laffey said, with no bitterness at all.

"Right then." The Pirate said.

Enterprise then registered what the Pirate just said.

"Your crew?" She asked.

"Aye. Come on, I'll introduce you. Better sooner rather than later." The Pirate said.

"Wait, you're the captain?" Warspite asked.

"Aye. Captain Isiah Sparrow, at your service. Welcome aboard The Dusty Rat."The Pirate, Isiah, said.

He then got up from his bed, then nonchalantly strolled passed the ship girls and walked out the door. The three ship girls followed him.

They couldn't shake the fact that he was eerily nonchalant about this.

"Is it just me, or are you remarkably calm about this?" Warspite asked.

"My crew and I live in the Sea of Thieves. This isn't even on the list of weirdest things that's happened on this ship." Isiah said.

He then turned his attention to the stern of the ship, up by the wheel.

"Mr. Fish! Wake up, you useless old man!" Isiah exclaimed.

The ship girls hear a yawn above them. They turn their attention to the wheel. Beside it, an older bearded man gets up.

"Mr. Fish, where is the rest of the crew?" Isiah asked.

"Uh, I believe they're asleep, Captain." Fish said.

Isiah sighs. Then turns to the ship girls.

"This is Mr. Fish, my first mate, and is a hair above useless. Thankfully he's good at numbers and managing supplies. Speaking of which..." Isiah said.

He then turned his attention back to Fish.

"Mr. Fish, if you would be so kind as to put all these items back in their proper places." Isiah ordered.

"Aye, sir." Fish said.

Then he noticed the girls standing with Isiah.

"Uh, if you don't mind me askin', Captain, who are these young women?" Fish asked.

"Let's put it this way, Mr. Fish, you were right to be concerned." Isiah said.

Fish knew what Isiah was talking about, therefore he just sighed and continued with his order.

"Now then... Men!" Isiah exclaimed.

...

"Boys?!" Isiah exclaimed.

...

Isiah then let out an ear piercing whistle.

...

Still nothing.

Isiah sighed, then turned to the ship girls.

"One moment." He said.

He then faced away from the ship girls and took out his flintlock. The ship girls thought that he was about to attack them, therefore they readied their riggings for a fight.

This thought process was immediately disproven when he aimed the pistol to the sky and fired.

*CLANG*

"OW!!!"

The ship girls looked over to a canon and saw a scrawny shirtless man with a mohawk crawl out.

"Mr. O'Shea, glad to see your awake." Isiah said.

Isiah turned to the ship girls.

"This is Mr. O'Shea, our weapons expert, speaks before he thinks." Isiah said.

"F*ck you! I am so sorry." O'Shea said.

He then looked at the ship girls.

"Who are these young bonnies?" The scrawny Irishman asked.

"Ship girls from Eagle Union and/or Royal Navy. Which is why I want you unloading the guns. All of them." Isiah said.

"Aye, sir." O'Shea said sadly.

"AAAHHH!!!"

*THUD*

The ship girls watched as a blond Pirate fell from the Crow's Nest and landed on his back.

"Ow..." He groaned.

This Pirate seemed to be around the same age as Isiah.

"This is Mr. Davis. Found him stranded on an island, and he asked to be a part of the crew after we rescued him. He doesn't really have a job, so he helps out wherever he can. He mostly keeps a lookout in the Crow's Nest." Isiah said.

Davis looked at the ship girls, then to Isiah.

"Azur Lane?" Davis asked.

"Azur Lane." Isiah replied.

The ship girls then heard footsteps behind them. They turned around and saw a bearded dark skinned man walking up a flight of stairs up to the deck.

"Perfect timing. This is Mr. Simon, who handles ship repairs and management. Doesn't really speak much to anyone he doesn't know." Isiah said.

Simon looked at the ship girls and nodded once. Then he looked to Isiah.

"Mr. Simon, you and Mr. Davis fix the forward mast and set the sails at docking speed." Isiah said.

"Aye, sir." Simon said.

"You got it, Captain." Davis said.

Isiah then walked up the steps and took the wheel. Enterprise followed to make sure he didn't try anything. Warspite and Laffey, however, were a little occupied when they saw Simon and Davis lift a heavy mast back in place. They then fixed it by using a hammer, some nails, and a few wooden boards.

Timeskip

The Dusty Rat docked itself at the end of Azur Lane's port. It dropped anchor, and the sails were raised. The Commander was standing at the other end of the dock. Behind him were multiple ship girls from both Eagle Union and Royal Navy.

Enterprise, Warspite, and Laffey hopped off the ship. They then made they're way over to The Commander.

"I take it the ship did indeed have a crew?" The Commander asked.

"Yes, though it wasn't an attack, like you had guessed, sir. They had washed up just off the coast after being caught in that storm last night." Enterprise explained, remembering what Isiah said.

The Commander looked at the ship and saw the ladder going down the side.

"I'm guessing that ladder is the only way onboard?" The Commander asked.

"Yes, sir." Warspite said.

The Commander nodded once, then headed towards the ladder. He then climbed up said ladder. When he reached the top, he looked around and saw four Pirates looking at him. He assumed they were going to walk towards him menacingly. But instead, they just looked at him, then went back to what they were doing.

"I assume you're the Commander of this fine outpost?" Asked a voice beside The Commander.

The Commander turned and saw Isiah.

"Isiah Sparrow. I'm the Captain of this magnificent vessel. And before you ask, your lovely ship girls have already made note of my age." Isiah said, putting sarcastic emphasis on magnificent.

"I see." The Commander said.

"Should we have this conversation in a more private setting? My quarters, perhaps?" Isiah asked.

"That would be preferable, yes." The Commander replied.

Isiah then led The Commander into his quarters and closed the door. Isiah then proceeded to walk towards his desk. He then pulled out two tankards and a bottle of grog.

"Grog? Informal, yes, but it's all we have." Isiah said.

"Well, when in Rome." The Commander said.

Isiah then poured the grog into the tankards, then handed one to The Commander. The Commander took a sip, expecting something strong. However, not something this strong.

Isiah silently chuckled, then decided to get straight to business.

"Now, shall we begin to negotiate?" Isiah asked.

"Well, you waste no time getting to the point." The Commander said.

"Normally I enjoy making conversation, however when handling matters such as these, I'd rather get straight to business. Especially if my crew is involved." Isiah said.

The Commander was rather surprised. He knew that not all Pirates were the same and that there were some captains that had good relationships with their crews. However, this comment from Isiah was enough to tell The Commander that Isiah valued the lives of his crew more than his own. A trait The Commander has never seen in a Pirate before.

However, he said nothing, as he thought such a statement might come off as insensitive, and he didn't want this negotiation to turn sour. He was extremely lucky that this Pirate crew was cooperating as much as they were.

"Very well. What exactly is it we're negotiating?" The Commander asked.

"Well, first there's the obvious. We intruded on your territory, and though we never intended to, I believe that gives you and your allies the right to take us into your custody. I would like to negotiate for our freedom, especially since we will have to remain in your territory for a small period of time." Isiah explained.

"What do you mean?" The Commander asked.

"My crew and I are the verge of a very profitable discovery. However, what we're looking for is within these waters. And don't worry, it's not anything that will give anyone an edge in warfare, though I would like for said discovery to remain a secret." Isiah explained.

"Let me guess. You wish to give us a share of this profit in exchange for your freedom." The Commander said.

"Normally that's what someone in my position would offer, however I'm fairly certain that people who make such an offer often go back on the deal. And forgive me if I'm under the impression that you'll refuse out of fear of us doing the same." Isiah said.

'He's a smart one, I'll give him that.' The Commander thought to himself.

"Then what is it you're offering?" The Commander asked.

"Well, for the reasons I just stated, I can't offer money. I'm afraid this ship doesn't have enough supplies to be of use to you. As for the ship itself, not only am I not willing to part with her, but I doubt she'll be of much use to you anyway." Isiah said.

"Forgive me if I'm beginning to think you have nothing to bargain with." The Commander said.

"We do have one thing." Isiah said.

"And that is?" The Commander asked.

"Our services." Isiah replied.

The Commander wasn't sure if he just heard the Pirate Captain correctly.

"I beg your pardon, you'll have to elaborate." The Commander said.

"Simple. We work for you for however long you see fit. Once you're satisfied with our services, you let us get what we came for and return to the Sea of Thieves." Isiah explained.

"'However long I see fit'? I'm sorry, it's just that it's not exactly a good bargain. It seems like it will benefit me quite a lot more than it will you." The Commander said.

"It may not be the greatest deal I have... but it's the one that get's my crew and I out of this alive. Besides, I'm not exactly in a position to make demands, only suggestions." Isiah said.

The Commander thought about it. Enlisting the help of Pirates? The idea was reckless and unconventional... but perhaps that was just what Azur Lane needed. After all, it was like he had told Enterprise earlier, it was the Pirates who drove the Sirens out of the Sea of Thieves. The Sirens. Using old wooden boats and unreliable weapons. Meanwhile, The Sirens nearly drove the rest of humanity out of the seas, and every battle Azur Lane had with them, Azur Lane won by a hair.

And yet, Pirates with outdated technology managed to drive the most technologically advanced enemy on the planet out of an entire sea.

That definitely was a pro to having Pirates working for him.

"And this is the only peaceful solution you have?" The Commander asked.

"It's the only one that comes to mind at the moment, yes." Isiah replied.

The Commander thought about it some more...

Then he came to a decision he hoped he wouldn't regret.

Timeskip

The Commander climbed down the ladder of The Dusty Rat and hopped back onto the dock. Then he faced the ship girls.

"Well... good news. It seems that we have new allies." He said.

The ship girls of Azur Lane were shocked at this news. Surely he didn't...

"Sir... you can't be serious..." Enterprise said.

"Oh, he's serious lass!" O'Shea exclaimed with a chuckle.

The Pirates then hopped off the ship and onto the dock into the view of the ship girls.

"It seems that we're your new partners. So you should get used to these faces." Fish said.

The ship girls couldn't believe what was happening.

Are they really going to be working with filthy Pirates?

Timeskip

It was almost night now. The sun was out of view, and twilight was the only light left.

And here Belfast was, walking down the dock towards a bleak looking Pirate ship.

Belfast wasn't the biggest fan of Pirates. She thought they were all the same. Bloodthirsty, illiterate drunkards who probably lick their lips at the mere sight of a woman like her.

Still, orders were orders. So, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for if they tried any funny business.

She then climbed the ladder. When she reached the top, she noticed that the Pirates were playing some sort of card game, similar to poker.

They then looked over to her. Belfast had expected them to suddenly smirk and start inappropriately flirting with her.

To her surprise, however, they did the exact opposite.

"Oh, uh... hello, lass. Can we help you?" O'Shea asked, surprised at Belfast's sudden appearance.

The rest of them shared a similar surprised reaction.

"Good evening. The Commander has tasked me with tending to you should you need anything." Belfast said.

"So... your a maid?" Asked Simon.

"Something along those lines, yes." Belfast replied.

"Huh... right then. You, uh... you got a name?" Isiah asked.

"HMS Belfast, at your service." Belfast said with a curtsy.

"Uh... Captain Isiah Sparrow... at yours. This is Mr. Simon, Mr. Fish, Mr. O'Shea, and... hold on, we're missing one." Isiah said as he turns to his crew, noticing that Davis isn't present.

Isiah looks around, but doesn't see him.

"Mr. Davis?!" Isiah called.

"Up here, sir!" Exclaimed a voice above them.

"Could you come down here? We got one more introduction for the day!" Isiah said.

"Aye, Captain. Coming down!" The voice said.

As the last Pirate slid down from the Crow's Nest, Belfast couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised. She had expected uneducated, vulgar men to try and make a move on her. Yet these men were surprisingly humble and polite.

The last Pirate reach the floor and turned around, revealing him to be a young blond man.

"Belfast, this is Mr. Davis. Davis, this is... Belfast." Isiah trailed off as he noticed something about Davis' face.

He noticed...

Isiah POV

He was staring at her. Wide eyed and slightly red. A look of awe adorned his face.

At first sight, he's completely smitten with the young maid who just introduced herself.

I look over to Belfast, half expecting her to be weirded out.

But no...

Instead, I see that she's staring him with the same look on her face.

At first sight, they're already in love with each other.

"Ms. Belfast?" I said.

They both shake their heads, snapping out of their love stricken trances.

"Uh, r-right. If you don't require anything as of now, then The Commander would like you to consider this your official welcome into Azur Lane." Belfast said.

Heh. Alright. If girls like her work for Azur Lane, then perhaps this will be more interesting than I thought.