Arranged

By Calypso Calista

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I do, however, own Mihawk's daughter, Calypso.

Chapter One

It was a cool night on the water, and, despite the gentle rocking of the waves, Shanks was tossing and turning in his bed. Of course, being sexually frustrated will do that to any man. The problem was, there was no women aboard the ship. Not a single one. And it was driving him crazy. He'd, of course, heard of other ways to relieve such frustration. However, as attractive as Ben was to the ladies, he wasn't about to test that particular theory. Not that he would mind trying it, but he had no desire to come out of his cabin the next morning walking funny with a sore ass, to boot. Besides that, he simply didn't swing that way. No, he needed a woman, one who wouldn't mind pirating, and wouldn't complain too much. He did not need a lady who was high maintenance. Rather, he would probably want a pirate's daughter. What he didn't know was that the kind of lady he had in mind was right under his nose ...

Morning came and as the sun rose over the waves, Ben noticed that his captain seemed to have lost a lot of sleep the night previous. He went up behind him, broaching the subject a little coarsely, "You look like hell. What kept you up all night?" To be this blunt toward his captain was unlike Ben. However, if something was wrong, Ben wanted to know about it.

"So you noticed," said Shanks with only a slight amount of sarcasm in his voice. There was a quiet moment. Then, Shanks said something Ben thought he would never hear: "I need a wife."

If Ben had been eating anything at the moment, he would have choked. "You ... want a wife?" he asked.

"Yes, I want a ... Ben why are you looking at me like that?"

Ben was silent for a moment, then, choosing his words wisely, said, "I just never thought you would want to settle down. Are you planning on retiring?"

"No, but it's not that unusual for me to want a companion, is it?" asked Shanks, "I mean, no offense, Ben, you're attractive, but not that attractive. The point is I'm trying to make is -"

"You're lonely," interjected Ben.

"Not quite," corrected Shanks, "but no sex for months on end is not a good thing for any man." Shanks was quiet for a moment, then said, "You wouldn't happen to know any single women, would you?"

"There's only one that I can think of," said Ben, "and she happens to be Mihawk's adopted daughter."

"Daughter?" asked Shanks in disbelief, "I never knew he had a daughter. How old is she?"

"About twenty years old," replied Ben, "And I guess you got lucky, because Mihawk is looking for a man to marry her off to."

"Hmm," muttered Shanks, "this is rather convenient. Where are they currently?"

"Not far from here," said Ben, "probably in the next town."

"How far off is that?" asked Shanks.

"We should be able to get there in a matter of hours," Ben answered.

"Is she beautiful?" asked Shanks.

"Very," replied Ben, "However, from what I've heard, she's got a rather nasty temper on her when she gets mad."

"I can handle that," said Shanks.

"So, in other words," remarked Ben, "You want someone to sleep with on nights like last night."

"Yeah," replied Shanks with a smile, "and it wouldn't necessarily matter if she was good in bed."

"Why not?" asked Ben, "I thought you were looking for a woman to sleep with?"

"I could teach her what she needs to know," stated Shanks, "So long as she's willing, I don't care."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," said Ben, grinning, with a voice full of sarcasm, "You, of all people, get married?"

"It's not that difficult an idea to conceive, Ben," Shanks grinned back, "I'm just tired of sleeping alone at night, and you're right. Most women aren't fit for a life like this one, and I know that, but I'm going crazy. I'm just thinking: a woman wouldn't be so bad."

"Well, it's good to know that you haven't lost your head," said Ben, "I was beginning to wonder."

"You don't need to worry, Ben," Shanks replied with a smile, "In the meantime, I've got a phone call to make."