Where the first introduction with the Captain of the Reapers goes rather unpleasantly for Geno and a shocking revelation awaits around the corner to shake him up.

No one's POV:
-

Geno snapped his head to the direction of the voice that had 'welcomed' him to the ship, up to the masts. He saw no one there.

"What the..." He thought and suddenly felt a cold shiver running down his spine, at the same time hearing a low chuckle. He turned around and again, he saw no one. Well, there were the pirates, but none of them was close enough to say one of them had laughed so close to him. He kept snapping his head to all directions.

"Sir, ya can stop playin' with the boy." Alter commented then huffed and crossed his arms. Geno looked at the priest and then, he felt an invisible presence very close to him. Again.

"Boo~"

Cursing in an incomprehensible language Geno turned around in the speed of light to stab whoever was standing behind him with a small pointy bone he had summoned. He felt his wrist being stopped and a black hand clenching just enough to not feel pain but also be unable move much. He started struggling aggressively.

"@*#*,%*×>@,$*@(!!!" As he kept cursing.

Thank goodness he didn't overreact!

"Oh ho ho~ You're a feisty one ain't ya?" The one who was holding him by the wrist spoke cheerfully. Momentarily Geno froze hearing that deep and calm voice. He almost lost touch with reality.

Yes, that was the voice that had caused him so much surprise the first time he heard it back at Hondarribia, minutes before getting kidnapped. The voice he heard on his first day entering the ship. He recognised the pitch, even if the first time it was then talking in that language Geno had no idea what it was. That voice sounded... it felt like...

Well...

From all incomprehensible sensations and emotions that clashed inside him, Geno had only recognized the threat. He snapped his head to look in front of him and without hesitation opened his mouth ready to bite off the hand that was holding his wrist.

As if the other had read his mind however, his free hand moved swiftly and caught Geno by the chin firmly and stably. Now the white-dressed skeleton was finally facing normally the one holding him.

And for the second time, only mere seconds after the first, Geno felt loosing touch with reality again, as a huge wave of cold caused his limbs to go numb and stop struggling. No command from him could make them move, because his mind and mouth had been shut.

"Let's see this face from closer, more clearly..."

It was also by locking his look in those eyesockets of the other skeleton monster just a step away from him.

The right one was hollow. The left one had an orb of white magic and light in it, right now inspecting Geno's characteristics from close, perhaps a little too close for the white and red skeleton, who however still couldn't bring himself to get away from the other.

Matter of fact he... kind of started checking him from top to bottom. The other was about a head taller than him. Dressed almost completely in black clothing. The coat, the shirt, the belt, the hat which had the same symbol like the flag of the ship, a skull and 2 crossed scythes behind it.

Only the trousers were white, a tone more pure than the paleness of that man's skull, which seemed a little too unusual for the standards of a skeleton monster. But unlike Geno's, something about it didn't make it seem unhealthy. This skeleton... there was no mistaking. In front of Geno was the notorious Captain Reaper, of his namesake pirate crew.

There was arrogance in his expression.

Confidence.

Knowing very well he was in control around here, amongst the other huge monsters of the crew.

All these captivated momentarily Geno, forgetting where he was, what he was doing and what was going on.

"Si es fan un petó, vaig a vomitar." The black canine monster commented with a sour expression as he looked at the 2 small skeletons staring at each other so close.

Whatever that meant, hearing him talking caused Geno to finally snap out of his daze. He returned to reality and felt just how strong the aura of the Captain was. He realised just how cold it was, unwelcoming.

And deadly.

The Captain wasn't even touching him directly, the gloves he was wearing on his hands, with the one of them still gripping the shorter's chin, were being the only short of thing seperating the 2 skeletons from direct contact. If he was already this cold, just how much colder would it feel if his hand was holding Geno's chin bare?

Just what was he thinking?! He would be dead the moment he felt his real touch on him!

Geno panicked by his own questionable thoughts, he realised he was just standing and allowing this filthy pirate having a hold on him without even doing anything much. And then, much to everyone's surprise and confusion he hissed, shook his head abruptly left and right, opened his mouth wide and went for another attempt to bite Captain's hand.

Luckily for the dark-dressed skeleton, he was fast enough to take back his hand so Geno bit only thin air. The clack his teeth did was so loud it made some pirates flinch from the sound.

"Woah, would ya look at these teeth!" The Captain said slightly off guard.

It wasn't just him who had seen the other small skeleton's shape of teeth. Many others who were facing same direction as their Captain saw, quite clearly in fact, what could be described as this:

Literal fangs, as if of a predator.

"Senyor!" On Geno's offensive action to bite Reaper, a deep snarl was heard to his left following the word, from the black canine monster. He had already folded the sleeves of his coat as if ready to beat somebody up, in this case Geno.

In that moment the small white and red skeleton almost thought he was screwed. Luckily it was just two seconds, as Reaper raised his hand in a gesture as if silently commanding the dog monster to stop. Which he did, but didn't stop glaring at Geno. Then the mainly dark-dressed skeleton turned his head to look at Alter.

"Priest!" He called. With a calm and patient pacing, Alter walked closer to Reaper, stood next to him and literally fell on one knee while leaning his head closer to Reaper. Geno couldn't help but internally snort over this, how the priest had just to lower so much for Reaper to whisper closely to him.

But that was cut short seeing the expressions of the 2 skeletons before him, serious as they stared back at him while talking. For about a minute they were at that before finally Alter stood up and take a few steps away, while crossing himself 3 times and looking up to the sky with a concerned expression.

"Uh oh?" Geno thought. The Captain looked at him and grinned widely.

"So. I suppose the priest was a dear to ya and he explained the situation. You know where we're going and what's gonna happen."

"Straight to 'business' huh?" Geno thought as he rolled his eyesocket. 2 days were enough for him to think about the fact he was send to get killed. Alongside many other things. Didn't mean however he wasn't going to try and reason with the Captain, even though a big part of him knew he wouldn't even bother to process his arguements. "Your plans are gonna fail, you know."

"Oh? How so?" Reaper asked grinning wider.

"I ain't expecting anythin' more from the likes of you, but just givin' me away to the mermaids like a piece of meat so you become even more rich ain't gonna do the trick. You're sending lil' fragile me to do your dirty job, setting me up for failure, cause I have no idea myself what shall I really expect and what to face. Do I look like I can really fight wild fish people? Kick the butts of your crew sure, but mermaids are a whole different thing. Ya sure you're takin' seriously this whole salvation thing CaPtAiN?"

"What salvation shortie? For the only reason you're here is just to sit down, die and make us rich!" Dave decided to get into the conversation, still rubbing his carotid from the hit Alter gave. Ah, right. Alter had told Geno that no one of the crew knew of what was his real purpose on this trip.

They had all stayed to the fact the little skeleton was just their little key to unlock and take the treasures easier, not banish a world-threatening threat from the depths. They had no idea of what he was really needed for, except from the 3 skeletons, the priest, the Captain and Geno. Confidential information, for now at least.

"And what if my mouth slips and I say more than what your oh so glorious Captain wants to let out, breaking havoc?"

"Because alongside havoc the pressure will befall you even more. It will not just be me and Reaps silently rooting for ya, 'cause yes he does too, everyone will fall on you and start judging you, forcing you, constantly doubting or urging ya to be the hero ya never thought you'll be and probably still don't wanna." Fair arguement, but...

"Right and wrong, I don't want at all to be the hero, if I even prevent to be before my time."

"And that's why your real purpose had better to stay a secret from the others for now, while I will slowly try to guide you."

That was a part of conversation Geno had with Alter on the beginning of the second day.

"Did somebody ask ya to talk kitty? Go throw a hairball outta your mouth or don't talk at all unless you're given the allowance to do so." Geno said sarcastically and the tiger monster snarled at the smol skeleton.

Captain Reaper laughed as he signed Dave to not move. The very next moment he dissapeared, only to reappear in the blink of an eye in front of Geno, who stepped back and hissed, burying half of his face behind his scarf.

"Ya really are a feisty one. Almost too cute when you let out this lil' hiss of yours~." He said very calmly that last sentence, so no one heard him.

Geno looked at him confused. Did he just-?! The dark skeleton sharply moved and grabbed Geno by the chin with a somewhat thrilled and excited expression, almost like Satan the white and red skeleton could describe him. The saints almost never smile in the pictures.

Demonic representations do though. At least from whatever he had seen in Hondarribia's church. While every magic cell inside Geno was telling him to push Reaper away and resist, something had him paralysed again and so he tried to keep his glare stably at the pirate.

"I suppose personal space is an uncommon term to ya." He managed to say, receiving the other's chuckle.

"Sharp mouth, literally and metaphorically. You're not afraid of me?"

"Oh please, I've seen worse terrors. Why would I be afraid of someone like you?" Geno talked back and he wasn't lying at all. Loosing his brothers and most of his health 7 years ago was no little thing...

"Ya stare at all of us with this look as if you're gonna kill us." Reaper kept going amused, not suspecting to the slightest what could Geno possibly mean. "So wild, militant, determined..." Geno slightly shivered as he felt the thumb of the hand that was holding his chin, brushing his cheek gently, getting off guard even more as Reaper leaned a little bit more forward. "... beautiful." He chuckled quietly seeing the confusion on Geno's face. Who then snapped out of his paralysis. And everyone watched, surprised again as he slapped the Captain's hand away and stepped back.

"What is wrong with you gizon?!" He asked as he hissed, proceeding to hide his mouth behind his scarf.

"Ya bring me in a mood to tease, way more than with anyone else." Reaper commented as he rubbed his hand with the other, not angry at all. "So the priest was right after all. I see what he meant with all those little... extra signs 'bout you." Geno stood motionless.

"... The what now?" He asked raising brow. His eyesocket momentarily stopped at Alter, looking at Reaper with an unreadable expression.

"You're trynna give me the impression you can't be of any use. That you're a clueless nobody. Oh, but I don't think you're here out of bad luck, or some mistake. I think you're a lot more than what meets the eye. Or eyesocket. Heheh. After all, it's not everyday that we get and intruder wearing such unique and fancy jewelry on 'em." Reaper said and casually took out of the pocket of his coat...

"GIVE IT BACK!" Geno dashed at Reaper and tried to get out of his hand the golden necklace with the fish people on them. He could have sworn he was wearing it those 2 days, how did the pirate remove it from around his neck without noticing?!

"Ah ah ah!" The dark-dressed skeleton did and laughed seeing Geno trying to take the necklace but without touching him. "I think imma keep it for myself."

"I'LL KILL YOU!!! You DOGFISH! YOU BIG SEA SH*T! BASTARDO!" Geno kept swearing as he kept trying to take the necklace.

"Ya finished dear being cuter by getting mad and cursing?"

"ISILDU!"

"Heh heh heh... Too much hate and power in ya. Not gonna give up, are ya?" The pirate asked.

"UNTIL I KILL YOU WITH MY OWN BARE HANDS!"

"Now I've got an interesting question out of this statement!" Reaper said then cheerfully cramming the necklace in his pocket. Before Geno knew, he had appeared right in front of him, grabbed him by the wrists and forced him to go backwards until the smoller skeleton felt being pinned against a wall, presumably the one of the forecastle deck. He looked at Reaper shocked and almost paralysed, as the cold that befell him became even more obvious. As the other's eyesockets were empty, the voids got nailed down to the smaller. "Is ıτ ρøssıɓłə før τhə ρərsøŋıfıcατıøŋ øf Ðəατh τø đıə?" The Captain asked in a distorted voice while his smile was unhinged and wide.

Geno couldn't tolerate his stare and turned his head to the right while shutting his eyesocket. But he opened it again wide feeling the touch of Reaper's glove-wore fingers running down his cheek, then his neck, as he had let go of his hands.

However the white-dressed skeleton couldn't move from the sudden panic keeping him down, to even at least push the other away. He almost felt ready to faint from the sudden pressure and change in the air caused by the dark-dressed skeleton, his low chuckle causing a clench in his soul.

He was enjoying this. This damn pirate scum.

"Captain."

The pressure in the air suddenly reduced and Geno felt a little bit of calm returning. He turned to look ahead and saw Alter approaching towards the 2 small skeletons, his hands together dissapearing beneath the wide and long sleeves of his cassock. He was staring at Reaper serious, the Captain however didn't turn to look at the taller. His smile only grew wider.

"What's the matter priest?"

"That's enough." Alter said strictly as his eyesockets slightly daggered. "You've played around enough."

"Oh? Are you tellin' me to be serious?" Reaper asked and laughed quietly with closed eyesockets. "Hmmm. Perhaps yer right..." When he opened them again the left one was glowing cyan, with a dark dot in the middle.

Geno almost felt loosing his sh*t, but tried to keep his stare at Reaper, who stepped back slowly. As the Captain let go of the smaller skeleton's wrists, the other realised there were handcuffs on them now. Glowing cyan. And the more the Captain stepped back, the chains attached to the handcuffs would elongate.

"What is this?! What is he doin'?!" Geno thought frantically, the process interrupted by feeling Reaper tugging the chains and making him fall forward.

"Then it's time to make sure that we know with who, rather what guest we're dealing with!" Reaper grinned wider. "One long scar at his bare chest can be seen, on the water's sight with a deep scarlet tail like blood, Deep hidden grief in his lonely eye, with a forgotten past of his, left behind." He said quietly.

"Say what now???" Geno thought confused alongside panicked, once again being the only one hearing his quiet talking. The dark skeleton then looked all around him at his crew.

"Throw him in the water."

For 6 good seconds the smol skeleton watched as the other pirates looked at each other in confusion and curiosity. As if silently questioning that order from their Captain. But not long after, they looked at Geno with glaring smiles and started approaching him. The smol skeleton stood up and tried to run as far as the chains were allowing him to. He looked at Alter, who was just standing there with lowered head and thoughtful, sad expression.

He wasn't helping him.

He wasn't defending him anymore.

"Oh so that's the protection and aid ya said you were gonna give me!" Geno thought as he nailed his glare at the priest. An abrupt push from a pirate surprised him as he almost fell backwards, but simply stepped back until he felt touching the gunwale.

He turned around and looked down. He clenched his fists, dead end and the sea waiting to swallow him up. And once he turned his look ahead, all he saw was another pirate giving him one last strong push that made him loose his balance.

"Bye bye shortie!" He recognised Dave's voice as the world turned upside down for Geno and he saw the sky for a few seconds before dissapearing beneath the water.

SPLASH!

The magic chains with which he was tied proved to be heavy, as the water covered him almost instantly. He tried to flail his arms and swim upwards. In vain, by being able to move only his legs comfortably there was no way for him to reach the surface. Plus he was very panicked. The deep breath he had prevented to take had quickly started running out.

Just a few more seconds and he would die. A few more seconds and goodbye world. In such tragic, pathetic way he was simply going to drift into nothingness. With these thoughts, Geno shutted his eyesocket and with the last drips of oxygen he had coursing through his bones, he screamed.

"ARRAIOAAA!!!"

A desperate and very clear scream. He heard himself very clearly. After that, he started remembering again his brothers. Oh, how he longed to see them again. Geno hoped to find them, wherever it was monsters go, inhaled and sighed frustrated. Wait a minute... Inhaled? If he was breathing then he was...

"When did I surface above the water?!" He asked himself and hesitantly opened his eyesocket. With terror saw everywhere the blue of the sea still covering him, many feet beneath the water's surface. He shutted his eyesocket and covered his mouth and nose quickly. But then he started getting slowly more and more suspicious. "Something weird is going on..." He thought. He soon had started running out of oxygen again but this time... he was less panicked. He opened his eyesocket again, looked all around to the endless blue and slowly took his hands off his mouth and nose. Even more hesitantly he took a very slow and small breath. With shock he felt the oxygen coursing through his ribcage normally. He took a bigger breath and again he felt taking oxygen. While he was still underwater, 6 feet below! He couldn't believe it. How was that possible? Geno stayed silent trying to think of a logical explanation. But then, as he was thinking, he saw something from a long distance swimming. Worried, he realised that it was a shark. "But wait! How am I seeing things underwater so clearly? I'm not supposed to!" He thought closing his eyesocket. Then chuckled. He told himself that he was still in the process of dying but it wasn't complete yet, being on that part where he was seeing hallucinations. He wasn't actually breathing underwater and there was no shark. However when he looked again around him he realised he wasn't hallucinating and he was totally wrong. The thing he saw, was a shark, specifically a white one. But not only that. It was coming towards him, with it's little eyes nailed at the smol skeleton. Geno immediately started struggling to try and swim to reach the surface. But the shark was approaching fast. So, when he realised that there was no way to avoid the animal, upon his panic and desperation he did the nonsense to yell. "PLEASE DON'T EAT MEEE!!!" Desperately, as he shutted his eyesocket. He mentally facepalmed next. "Stupid! Idiot! Really?! As if the animal understands you!" He thought and waited for anything to happen. But seconds passed and nothing was happening. Hesitantly he opened his eyesocket again.

The white shark had stopped swimming just 2 breaths away from the small skeleton and wasn't approaching. Geno looked at the animal confused and wondered if it had actually understood anything. Soon after he assumed it had just found its words funny and wanted to have fun with his fear first before eating him for dinner.

"... One long scar at his bare chest can be seen, on the water's sight with a deep scarlet tail like blood, Deep hidden grief in his lonely eye..."

Impossible.

Nooo way.

NO WAY!

"You... You're talkin'???" Geno whispered shocked. The shark didn't seem to understand the small skeleton's shock as it was consumed by its own monologuing. Suddenly it screamed and seeing it opening mouth, Geno yelled back. "Wait, don't eat m-!"

" Oh Oceans! I can't believe it! You're the firstborn of the Coral Queen!"

"The WHO now?!" Geno yelped then, by the second more and more confused.

"Oh, it's a miracle!" The shark started doing circles around itself from excitement. "Prince Geno, firstborn son of the Queen of the Loyals is alive! And he's here, right in front of me, being blessed to hear his voice!"

"Holyyy... I can understand what the shark says?! Am I dreaming?!" Geno thought and shook his head left and right many times, trying to 'wake up'. But when he stopped he realised that everything was still the same. "H-Hold on!"

"Our hero and savior! The one foretold to save the seas and stop the corrupted mermaids from taking over the world, is ali-!"

"STOOOP!" Geno yelled impatient and even more bewildered by the second. "One minute, pause, time out!" Finally the shark stopped from rambling and looked at Geno confused and surprised. "WHAT are you talking about?! Coral Queen? Loyals?! Me, a prince?! Since when?! Ah yes, also, why are you talking?! How are you talking?!" Geno lowered his head feeling his skull ready to explode. "And why-?!"

Only then he saw it. And he started screaming again.

"Prince!" The shark said concerned and surprised. What Geno had seen by first glance was something long and red below him waving lightly to the water.

"WHERE DID MY LEGS GO, WHAT IS THIS, IS THIS A-?!!!"

Tail.

His legs had dissappeared. From the middle and below, a long beautiful scarlet scaly tail had replaced them. After the screaming, Geno kept looking at it with wide open eyesocket, blinking many times. One surprise after the other.

First he could breath underwater, he could see things clear as day, he could understand what the shark was saying, the animal was calling him a prince, of the sirens specifically and to top and prove it all, he had a tail. A fish tail!

"Prince?"

"I'm a... a..."

No, it didn't make sense.

He had gotten in the water many more times in the past and he had never grown a tail in the place of his legs. Why now, why of all times he had now a tail?

"Prince?!"

"Perhaps... perhaps it only appeared because I really was about to drown! Because I was in danger?" Geno tried to explain to himself murmuring.

"Uuum..."

"Or this whole situation, is all but a very strong and intensive dream, in which I'm so deep in it, I can't easily wake up. A simple pinch will not help me, I need something stronger to shake me!"

"... Princ-?"

"When I wake up, I'll find myself back to Hondarribia, sleeping like a baby bird on one of the houses' rooftop, I'll see the sun rising like any other day and I'll go about my routine to steal from somewhere. Sirens and mermaids? Pirates? Talking sharks? Heheheh... Alright, I can stop tryin' to fool myself." Geno gave up and accepted that as he was right now it was the reality and what he was experiencing wasn't hallucinations.

He was alive, breathing underwater, seeing clearly everything surrounding him, instead of the shark eating him he had ended up chatting and he was apparently... a siren. The small skeleton looked at his tail again and hesitantly waved it. He smiled nervously, but yet impressed. At the same time breaking apart a little bit.

How had the priest say that? About not knowing anything about himself at all? Because yes, right now he was seeing himself in a way he had never seen before. Or couldn't remember? Was he like that from always? There were those 7 years of his life, the first ones, where the memories were all a blur, almost darkness.

He could only remember his brothers, being happy and playing. But tails? Sirens? Honestly he had no idea. And others seemed to know more than he didn't! The priest, the Captain *sshole, the talking shark!

Alter had basically call him the chosen one to stop the mermaids and their evil plan. The Captain seemed to imply that he knew something more about Geno's real nature, proved right now by the tail. And the shark was calling him... a prince?

No wonder Geno couldn't believe this all was real and it was happening right now to him!

He felt more stupid than that pirate Captain up in the ship for not knowing himself better. Oh wait, that was right. He hadn't leave away from the ship yet!

And despite Geno could really use somebody who could tell him more of what was going on with him, the real depth of his mission, his identity, who he was and such, he realised that as he was right now, he possibly had in his hands an opportunity to escape. And that shark in front of him might was what he needed.

He had already wasted enough time thinking and having an identity crisis! He could be pulled up any time soon and then he would most likely be dragged along for the Tearful Cave having to tolerate the company of those stinky pirates. His look turned again at the white shark, who was at this point greatly concerned for the small skeleton's mental health.

"Prince Geno? Are you alright?"

"You!" Geno suddenly said.

"Yes prince!" The shark replied quickly in interest and focus. Geno frowned lightly.

The prince title sounded way too exaggerated for him. But no frowns right now! The shark could be useful. Even though still shocked that he could understand him talking, it benefited Geno for being a siren. Nature which of course it was still way too early to accept he had. But he needed help.

"What's your name?" Geno asked. He decided to start being more friendly if he wanted to get the shark to do what he wanted, since it seemed to... admire him or something? Had better to have him on his good side.

"Around here they know me with the name Randall!" The shark said immediately.

"And who am I?" He asked, in a way as if wanting the animal itself to confirm what he had said about him.

"You are prince Geno, firstborn son of the Queen of the Loyal sirens and the last hope of the Oceans and the whole world."

"Riiight." Geno thought but didn't betray that thought. "Alright Randall. And as a prince, will you do whatever I ask you to?"

"Yes of course! Say it and it shall be done!"

"Thank stars." Geno cleared his throat and raised his still chained up arms for the shark to look at them better. "So you see these chains?" He asked.

"Yes, who did this to you?!" Randall asked and showed his teeth angrily.

"Not like I want to scare you but, some bad pirates did this to me."

"PIRATES?! WHERE?!!!" The animal asked looking left and right enraged.

"Up." Geno said looking up. Then he looked again at the shark, taking a desperate, but not too desperate expression. "They are holding the chains that are having me like this. If you ask why they're doing it, ugh! They're torturing me by using me as some kind of fish bait." He said with annoyance, not so fake at all.

"How could they! Do such a thing to you prince!" So far the shark was taking more and more Geno's side. Good.

"Yeah. Listen! The chains are impossible to break. But I'm not going to ask you to tear them off with your teeth. Besides if ya were trying to chew them, the pirates would understand that I've attracted something and pull me up. And they are buffy. Plus, you would break your teeth in the process. But if you can, pull them down abruptly, so much they don't expect it, the chains escape from their hands and I can get away. Do you think you can do this?"

Randall placed his flap at his bottom jaw (animal logic) and thought about it for a little while.

"The situation is telling me it will be very difficult if I pull the chains alone..." Geno felt the world getting darker by hearing that. "... but luckily I was passing by with some friends from that area! I can call them and together we will pull down the chains. And if the pirates fall with them, we're gonna eat lunch!" Randall completed and Geno's soul turned back in his chest. Randall turned and started calling out the others. "GUYS! COME QUICKLY! YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE WHO I FOUND! IT'S MIRACLE! HURRY, I NEED HELP!" Soon, Geno saw 9 more white sharks approaching. He thanked his messed up luck for being a siren, at least in this situation. Then grinned evilly.

"If Captain *sshole is still holding the chains by himself, I'm going to laugh so hard seeing him falling in the water." He thought.

After escaping though, how was he going to find answers to his questions that were only becoming more and more.

Where was he was coming?

How had he ended up on land if he was an aquatic creature?

Who was he really?

What had happened to his past already and he couldn't remember???

5270 words.

EDIT DONE, FRIGGIN FINALLY-!

*pat pat pat* U-U