The Black Lagoon
Nik observes ‘Revy’ and ‘Dutch.’ The latter may seem unassuming at first glance. But the bald, black hunk commands a certain calm despite the unnerving situation. Nik knows he would freak out if someone wrapped a metal pipe around his arm before his adventure in the previous world. Yet, Dutch seem oddly in control, undisturbed. And the exact opposite is Revy, leveling his gaze with a rather bloodthirsty scowl that he would not have understood if not staining his hands in blood before—and he doesn’t mean Zhao’s blood. Compared to what he did to the triplets, Zhao had it easy.
Revy’s black tank top reveals the strange tattoo on her upper right arm, reaching her neck. Her glare intensifies with every second of his observant gaze. Her nostrils flare further as she grounds her teeth together.
“Does the metal hurt, or that’s just some resultant mental issues you’re showing?” Nik speaks up. “If it’s the pipe—”
“I’m going to kill you the second I get my guns!” She snarls, “You emo-looking bastard!”
“Pfft!” Ray breaks into giggles as Nik shrugs. He could call Revy a bitch, but why would he rise to her level? He quite likes his depths of depravity that barely needs to verbally insult strangers.
“So?” Nik glances at Ray. “Where are we going?” Unlike starting cluelessly in his previous two worlds, he does have an ally to depend on. Unless Ray gives him a good reason to not trust her, Nik isn’t planning on revealing his caution all that much despite keeping it to not unintentionally strain their partnership.
His words make Ray look at Dutch.
“Only I steer my boat,” Dutch proceeds calmly. “And ignore Revy’s ramblings. We’re alive, and you took temporary care of the Assassin meant for us. We owe you.”
“Hah?! We didn’t need them! I would have handled the bastard alone!” Revy snarls, snapping her glare at Nik and Ray again.
“Don’t you know how to steer a ship?” Nik walks past the bound hostages while questioning Ray and glancing at the open sea through the boat’s bridge. ‘I wonder if this world has spirits. I hope not.’
Mokshi agrees with the sentiment, given how warm he feels about their connection.
“I don’t,” Ray pouts. “Unless you could teach me?” She smiles at Dutch with her leading tone. If her bloodline’s charm worked, the man didn’t let it show on his face.
“Tch,” she clicks her tongue as Dutch offers again. “We can move past the misunderstanding. We only pointed our guns at you two because of your sudden intrusion during work.”
“I suppose I tied you two for a similar reason,” Nik glances at the man before looking back at the sea. ‘Spirits! I want to surf!’
Ray frowns.
“Usually, I’d agree with you,” she smiles at Dutch. “But you compromise in a partnership. And my partner has valid concerns. We can’t trust two ‘Blessed Souls’ who would point guns at naked, almost drowning strangers.”
“We should have shot you two instead,” Revy grunts, earning her a narrow-eyed glance from Ray. “What? Got your nerve, you little bitch?”
And revealing herself to be not the least bit more compassionate than Nik, Ray smirks, “Hmm? Who hurt you? My, you sound like a ball of mess! Was it something from your childhood?”
Revy’s expression twists as Ray continues with a smug, unrelenting smirk. “What? Got your nerve, you big bitch?”
“Just let me out of this pipe and see what happens,” Revy snaps.
“You couldn’t stop us from binding you when we were naked and momentarily defenseless. What makes you think your situation will become any better?” Nik offers as Dutch’s eyes widen from behind his shades.
Their boat, HIS Black Lagoon, is moving!
Revy senses the same thing, and the duo hears Nik mutter, “Let’s see where the boat takes us in this direction. Ray, you don’t mind leaving them tied if we get into some trouble, right?”
It didn’t take a genius to figure Ray seemed oddly intrigued by Black Lagoon’s crew as opposed to others. Maybe she knows them through some media—he doesn’t care. Nik decided to live his experiences instead of ‘reading’ or ‘watching.’ Perhaps he will watch a few movies here and there or even some animes. But it won’t be with the express intent of learning about someone to get in their good graces, as Ray suggested back when he met her for the first time.
It just felt like a shackled way of living.
As expected, Ray reveals a complicated look momentarily before attracting his attention. “Let’s talk outside.”
“Sure,” Nik smiles at her.
They close the door behind them before Ray begins. “Do you have an introductory phase planned?” Noticing his blank look, Ray works her jaw before admitting. “Look, they are somewhat similar to Aang and Katara.” She continues in a low voice. “Usually, Paradise sends us to different ‘camps.’ In your last world, you met Aang. But there’s a similar chance to meet someone like Ozai or someone close to him in that verse.”
“So,” Nik tilts his head. “We’re in the ‘villain’s’ contact.”
“More like a twisted protagonist?” Ray muses before smirking. “Anyway, I have a magic compass to solve our problems. But getting to know Dutch and Revy is better.”
“You’re doing a poor job for that.” He rolls his eyes. Who bluntly insults someone’s emotional issues like that? Nik would rather just kick Dutch or Revy down there.
“Nah, don’t worry,” Ray giggles.
“Why don’t we free Dutch?” Nik inquires. “I didn’t sense lies from him when he spoke of them owing to us. Although, I could be wrong.”
Ray considers the idea for a second before shaking her head. “Wait a minute! How is the ship moving?”
‘Rather slow to catch on. Scatterbrained, perhaps?’ Nik notes before shrugging. “Waterbending.”
“But your body isn’t moving.”
“I’m just that good.”
Looking quite impressed, Ray nods, “How about I let you handle Dutch? He would rather take it well from you than me.”
“But you’re a—”
“Sweety,” Ray winks. “If my natural charm doesn’t work the first time, it won’t work no matter how I try unless I use my skills.”
Nik cringes, walking into the bridge. “Don’t call me that!”
“Hehe~! See? It works on some and not on others.”
Nik ignores her and glances at the tied duo before offering, “Turn around.”
“Finally!” Revy snorts, turning around as Nik tosses her an unimpressed stare before adding, “I mean Dutch.”
“Hmm.” Dutch nods and turns around. Yet, the man and Revy watch Nik with rapt attention to see how he bent the metal pipe around their wrists. For all they know, it could be valuable to them in the future. Yet their eyes threaten to fall out of their sockets when Nik grabs the metal pipe and unwinds it right before their eyes.
“Oi,” Revy begins slowly. “Dutch! Check that pipe! These fuckers are screwing with us!”
Dutch glances at the pipe before looking at Nik and nodding. “I will take you to the port. We’re on our separate ways then. Now, I’d like my gun to take care of him and them.” He points at the unconscious, well-suited assassin before glancing outside the room at the cold sailors as Nik chuckles. His hand swats the man’s back with enough strength to drive the point about the difference in their power.
“Refrain from killing when I’m around. Just take us someplace safe, and you’re free to do as you like.”
Dutch frowns, masking his expression to keep from showing the sting he feels on his shoulder.
“They will not like that,” Dutch addresses with a cautious expression.
“The Table?” Nik questions.
“Hightable,” Dutch corrects him. “I don’t know anything about them except their name and they exist. That’s how good they are at keeping things a secret. And leaving that Assassin alive is in nobody’s interest.”
“Just steer your boat,” Nik thinly smiles as Ray gasps behind them. “Woah! You’re tall!”
Dutch did stand a few inches taller than Nik, so even the latter agreed.
“We kill them before anchoring,” Dutch ignores Ray, choosing to level his gaze with Nik instead.
“I’m Nik,” he introduces himself. “Just rat my name out if someone asks about us. Now you have both of your names and how we look. But as I said before, refrain from killing when I’m around.”
“What are you? A pussy?!” Revy frowns. “Just shoot him and be done with it. It’s not like he can beg for his life.”
“What are you? A Deaf Broad?” Nik glances at her, unable to help himself from ‘alleviating’ to her level. “I’ll ask your opinion when I need one.”
“Say that again!”
“You’ll be the first gal who wants to hear herself being called a Deaf Broad,” Ray shrugs as Dutch’s voice interrupts their budding argument.
“Hrrm. Nik and Ray. Fine. Part of the reason to kill them was to keep you out of trouble since we can handle ourselves. I also need Benny down in the communications. Can you wake him up?”
Nik walks over to Benny before unwinding the metal pipe around the blond man’s wrists and pressing it a few times around his body. Before Revy could cook a scathing remark, Benny’s eyes snap open as he jolts with a pained yowl, “My back!”
He practically jumps before looking around cautiously and nearing Dutch the second he notes an incapacitated Revy alongside two new faces.
“Benny,” Dutch takes his usual seat. “Back to your position. We’re returning to Roanapur.”
“Uh? Huh. Oh, right!”
“Hey~!” Ray smiles at the man flirtatiously, making the man swallow a nervous lump in his throat. “How about I tag along. That way, I can ensure my partner doesn’t surprise you again.”
It was more for ensuring Benny doesn’t contact anyone else, and the bespectacled man knows it well. But he still has to admit the little lady is damn cute!
“What about me?” Revy demands. “We’re on the same page, right?”
“We?” Nik smirks. “Dutch and I are on the same page because he doesn’t look resoundingly as crazy as you.”
“Good call!”
They hear Ray’s echoing giggle as she follows after Benny under the ship.
“Fuck you,” Revy spits in Ray’s direction before stamping her boots on the metal floor, causing loud thunking noise. “Just let me out! The fuck’s am I supposed to do against a guy who bends metal like rubber without my pistols? What are you? Some experiment gone wrong?
The one thing he learned from Azula is to always expect animals to bite back! The former Fire Princess loves doing crazy things and driving others crazy. Perhaps Revy was different. But Nik ignores her for the remainder of the journey since her actions barely affect her boss and Nik, who has had practice to steel his nerves.
However, their journey wasn’t so peaceful.
“Dutch! We have the Malaysian Border Patrol surrounding us. How the hell are they so far off their routes?”
Dutch gazes at the distant ‘dots’ zooming in before glancing at Nik with an ‘I told you so’ look. Heck! He didn’t even have to lower his shades to exchange such a look.
Ray’s voice sparks from the communicator as she giggles. “Can you take care of them?”
“How are we supposed to with your asses on board?!” Revy scoffs. “To think I’d die with a pipe up my ass.”
“I can,” Nik hums. “But I’ll have to catch them by surprise.”
“There are seven units!” Benny issues hurriedly.
“Just let me go!” Revy demands again. “Seven boats can’t handle me!”
“Ray,” Nik speaks into the working communicator.
“On it. Since I got the first steal, you get these seven.”
“Of course, I will,” Nik snorts. “I’m the one working for it.”
He walks out of the room as Dutch frowns. “Benny? Connect me to one of their ships. We can—Benny? Are you hearing me?”
“As a matter of fact, he can’t,” Ray giggles from the open entrance to the boat’s bridge, her delicate pink pupils flashing hazily.
---
“Hrmmm,” Dutch grunts as he slowly wakes up from his daze before noticing a figure sitting beside him.
“Nik?”
“Oh, you’re up. Let’s continue our journey,” Nik smiles as Dutch looks around, finding a knocked-out Revy, and further—
“Why are they on my boat?” Dutch notes a mound of uniformed officers drenched from head to toe lying on his deck as Nik shrugs with one of the most infuriatingly ‘odd’ answers he has heard in a while. “I can’t just let them drown, can I?”
“You do understand things won’t end well with so many soldiers just waking up in Roanapur, correct? They will die more gruesome deaths there.”
“It’s their and their murderer’s problem. I didn’t have any issues with them, so I didn’t kill them,” Nik hums.
“Ugh,” they hear Revy’s groan as Nik thins his lips, preparing for the—
“ARE THOSE MALAYSIAN BORDER PATROL?!”
“No need to scream,” Nik grumbles.
“Peachy,” Dutch snorts as he sails the boat across the sea to their hometown.
---
“A city of exiles, scums, drifters, prostitutes, and the lowest of the lows—free of law and order, steeped with crime and corruption~!” Ray cups her cheeks while excitedly gushing over the introduction as they see the harbor city in the distance past the giant Buddha statue. “My! What trouble! I sure hope I don’t string a line of wanted sexual assaulters!”
“Pedophiles, maybe,” a crude snort makes Ray’s lips twitch as she glances at Revy with a smug smirk. “Not everyone’s interested in a crude freak like you! Bleh!”
Revy snorts before closing her eyes, significantly calmer. “Dutch, just be sure to take my pistols from them.”
The man nods while Nik jabs a thumb in the city’s direction. “Any advice on where to go after getting off.”
“Straight to hell!”
Nik ignores Revy as Dutch shrugs. “Go wherever you’d like. Many in the city can use people like you.” He glances at the mound of hostages before shaking his head. “Maybe not.”
“Heh,” Nik smirks. As if he will kill anyone on someone’s orders. “Any other jobs I can take? I’ve only ever worked in a bookstore and a brothel, so I’ve got experience in sales.”
Ray blinks in surprise at that, while Dutch barely seems affected, one of the reasons why Nik didn’t bother acting too out of place around the man. Nik might even consider the man similar to an older brother. But that’s probably due to his calm and silent disposition.
“No bookstore around these parts,” Dutch snorts in moderate amusement, equally taking to Nik except his callousness about taking another’s life. “And Revy’s the one you should talk about brothels. She worked in one and frequented a few.”
Revy rolls her eyes when she meets Nik’s glance, “Just go down the road, watch the other side of a gun’s barrel, and you’ll find a neat brother called Hell.”
“I didn’t leave a brothel to work in another,” Nik shrugs. “But I suppose I’ll find something for myself.”
“If you two live.” Dutch nods.
“We could work for that woman,” Ray smiles, crossing her arms. “The one who was on the other side of the communicator.” She gazes at Dutch with rapt attention. “Care to introduce us?”
“Let us kill these men,” Dutch proposes. “And she will welcome you with open arms for an interview, of course.”
Ray glances at Nik, who shakes his head, leading Ray to click her tongue in annoyance.
“Heh,” Revy grins. “Why are you listening to that pussy? Just do what you like!”
Dutch momentarily tenses when he hears Ray’s giggle.
“Why don’t I kill everyone on this ship? Nik is really the only one who would stop me from doing so. So? Should I start with you?”
“Free me and try all you like,” Revy grins.
Ray’s smirk broadens as she walks over to Revy before pressing her foot on the latter’s shoulder with a surprising strength to pin the woman on the floor. Revy tries to kick Ray’s leg and sweep her down to somehow get hold of her as a hostage, but her kick meets a leg no less stiff than a steel rod!
“Would you like a second try?” Ray looks down at the woman. “Maybe I should free you. Then there’s nothing between us. Or would you like your gun, too?”
Nik keeps staring at Dutch instead of Ray, staying cautious despite his strength.
Meanwhile, Revy’s expression morphs from humiliation to rage before settling on bone-numbing killing intent!
“Yeah,” Revy grins despite that. “Free me and give me my guns.”
Ray giggles. “Well, aren’t you a dumb one?” She takes her foot back before returning beside Nik and leaning on the back of his seat. “No. When we leave, we leave with your guns.”
“What?!” Revy yells.
‘Wouldn’t that put a target on our backs by these guys?’ Nik wonders. Maybe that’s what Ray wants. Is she an M?
Whatever. Nik has a week to find a good place and relax before completing his mission. The city of crime does sound like an odd place to relax, but the exemplary salesman inside of him thinks he can thrive just as well without using his powers.
***
Alternate Title: Nik Gets Called Worst Than An Emo-Looking Bastard on a Daily Basis; The World Is Significantly Safer Without The Nut/Coochie Crushing Messiah Rearing His Beautiful Head; Dutch—A Chad If There Ever Was; Ray: Oh, No! What Are These Ugly Men Going To Do To My Pure Body?!; The No-Kill Rule Is An Illusion; The Freaks; Getting Off On The Wrong Foot?; Ray’s Unique Introductory Phase; Scatter-Brained; Nik, The Hostage Collector; Ray Is Secretly Swole!; The Metalbender’s Exemplary Student; Waterbending Without Moving Body!; Nik Doesn’t Need To Move To Make Things Wet; Zoro: Never Trust An Animal Not To Bite—Wait! Did I Get Lost Again? What Is Roanapur?; Zoro: The True Traveler; Nik May Just Make a Killing By Returning To a Brothel; Free Revy Damn It!
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