Chapter Text
I really should have taken that vacation, Vauban thinks as she spits more blood on the floor. She’s heavily chained to a wall in a cell of some pirates’ ship. Honestly, she could have gotten away easily if the fuckers hadn’t put an explosive collar around her neck (and where the hell had they even found one ?). Contrary to what others might say, she values her life, thank you very much.
From what she overheard, the idiots are planning to sell her in an auction house somewhere further North. She has to give them credit : they did their homework well. They managed to drop on her when she was scouting the island alone, one of them shot her with a neuro tranquilizer that had her going down in less than ten seconds (she still managed to bash the skull of one of the idiots on a tree before everything became dark).
Honestly, when she heard of their plan, Vauban could only do one thing : she laughed in their faces.
She’s pretty sure her men are already tracking them down, so she just has to wait. It should be pretty easy. Vauban lets out a resigned sigh before leaning back against the wall. She’s just closed her eyes when her ears pick up the sound of shouting up on deck.
She hears one of the pirates screaming “It’s her !” before the sound of a cannonball colliding with the water deafens her. She’s sitting straighter in her cell (she can’t stand up, the fuckers really tightened those chains), trying to figure out what is happening.
Something tingles her Haki, a presence she knows well, and when it finally registers in her mind, she laughs out loud. Of course something like this would happen. Fucking Ds.
She doesn’t have to wait long before the door at the top of the stairs opens, and standing there, in all her red attire, is Rouge. She grins at her while she makes her way down the stairs.
“Well, you look a little tied up here.” Rouge throws her a smirk, and Vauban really wants to shove her face in a wall. She’s twirling a set of keys in her hand she pulled out of nowhere. “Need some help, Vice Admiral ?”
“Shut up.” Vauban snorts, leaning back a little. She still smiles at Rouge. “I was distracted.”
“Sure.” Rouge doesn’t trust her words at all. She makes quick work of the chains and the collar, and Vauban stretches a little after standing up. Damn, she can feel bones cracking in places she didn’t know existed before today. “Want us to give you a lift ?”
Vauban thinks about it while they go up to the deck of the ship. “Hm, maybe. It depends on where the fuck we are.”
“We’re near the Red Line.” Nuno answer her, a map in their hand. “Looks like they were ready to cross it.”
“From what we gathered, they wanted to sell you at Sabaody.” Sal tells her, and Vauban feels a sense of relief wash through her. She has no doubt her crew would have gotten to her before the fuckers arrived at Sabaody, but there was always a little voice in the back of her mind who would whisper This is it when she found herself in very shitty situation.
She accepts the cigarette Taïro hands her, lights it and breathes. When she exhales, she looks at Rouge, an exasperated expression on her face. “In light of what you did for me, you can hug me for four to five seconds.”
Rouge squeals. “FORTY FIVE SECONDS ?!?”
Vauban feels her eyes grow wide. “Wait no ! I said four to five seconds !”
“Too late !!!” Rouge replies, already throwing herself at her. Vauban just manages to catch her without falling on the ground. “No take backs !”
She looks to Sal for help, but the woman only smirks at her before ordering the rest of her crew to start looting the ship. Traitor.