A/N: This Pirate AU was inspired by the song "Gay Pirates" by Cosmo Jarvis. There happens to be a YouTube video of Yumikuri fan art with this song playing in the background, so I don't know if this has been done before, but I'm hoping that I'm the first! I can't put a link to the video, but please go check it out! Also, I apologize for not using like breaks, but it's difficult on mobile. Cheers!

~X~

By golly!" rang the lookout's voice. "Sloop of war, starboard side!"

Each crew member cried out gleefully, including Ymir. The wartime sloops, while small and fast, carried only less than thirty guns. In other words, easy pickings for a large battleship such as the Rose Princess. It surged across the waves, clearly a looter's ship thanks to the blistering sun, but the sloop's crew noticed too late.

"Positions!" cried Captain Ian Dietrich. With a growing smirk, Ymir raced to her assigned gun. Accepting a bag of power from on of the runners, she loaded it into the cannon and then shoved in some wadded cloth before dropping the six-pound cannonball into the hole. Thanks to the help of Sasha, a shipmate, the cannon was aimed and the fuse lit. A nearly deafening boom sounded, and the ball of lead rammed into the dainty sloop of war.

"Yes!" Ymir slapped the boat's railing in delight. "Look at that, it's taking in water because of us!"

Sasha shrugged. "If it doesn't earn us extra food, then I'm actually not that interested."

Ymir laughed. "C'mon, help me load another one. I'll give you half of my potato!"

Her friend's eyes lit up at that. "What are you waiting for?" she yelled, stuffing another bag of powder into the cannon. The cloth wad followed, and Ymir loaded yet another cannonball. She struck a match and lit the fuse.

"Another hit!"

After hardly another minute of barrage, the sloop hauled up its white flag of surrender. A cheer rang throughout the pirates as the Rose Princess sailed triumphantly up to its prize. Along with a few other boarders, Ymir leapt down onto the low deck of the sloop. Hands were tied, gold was plundered, and cannons were dumped overboard. There weren't many officers from the Royal Navy, and the ship had a strange lack of strategic documents. Nonetheless, they were all thrown in the brig.

Back on the Princess, a bizarre turn of events came into play. A blonde girl was discovered, too young to be in the Navy but too old to be a runner or a powder monkey. Nobody was quite sure what to do.

"Just look at 'er," a crew member said, laughing. "Kinda cute, if ya think about it."

There was a murmur of agreement, but the girl in question didn't seem to be afraid at all. How odd.

Reiner Braun laughed. "Gordon, you're such a pervert. Isn't there anything else you think about?"

"Nah." Gordon grinned.

Chatter broke out amongst the crew. Most were arguing over what to do with her, as the captain had already retreated to his quarters. When Gordon finally decided to make a move, Ymir stepped in.

"Now don't you boys lay a hand on her," she said. Her tone was mocking, but her eyes sent the message to stay away. "She's going straight to the Captain, whether you like it or not." Once she had pushed through the crowd, Ymir grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her along, receiving no protest. A few men sighed in disappointment, but appeasing them was hardly a concern.

"Thank you," the girl said quietly as they moved at a brisk pace.

"The hell are you thanking me for?" she countered quickly. "We're pirates, you should be terrified."

"Of those guys, maybe, but you seem nice enough."

"This is no favor to you," Ymir insisted. "This is to get good with my captain."

"Captain Ian!" She shouted as she approached his door and knocked. "There's a situation that needs your judgement!"

The man opened the door with his usual frown. "Is this the situation?" he asked, eying the blonde girl. "I don't see the problem."

Ymir shrugged. "We're not sure what you want us to do with her."

"Hmph." He stared down at the girl, his height acting as an intimidation factor. "Who are you?"

"Me?" After a nod from Ian, she added, "Christa Lenz.

"Well, Christa Lenz, are you a part of the Royal Navy?"

"I… um…" She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" he echoed. He turned to Ymir. "Bring her to the brig, separate cell. You're keeping watch down there tonight."

"But Captain," Ymir protested, "That's supposed to be Reiner's job today."

Ian narrowed his eyes. "She's young and there are men on this ship. I trust you more than them right now. I explain this out of respect for you, but as my subordinate I expect you to follow my orders without question."

She nodded and gave a salute. "Yes sir."

"Wait here." He ventured back into the cabin and returned secondary later, handing her a ring with several brass keys on it.

Without another word, the captain closed the door, sending the pirate on her way. Ymir held a loose grip on Christa's arm as she escorted her to the brig. The brig had a large containment unit for mass prisoner storage, but there were a few single-person cells for unusual cases. As they descended down the stairs and passed the long segment of iron bars, Ymir could see the glaring faces of the prize sloop's crew. At first, she was tempted to laugh, but after a moment she realized that the angry stares were directed at Christa. Ushering the girl along, she found one of the single cells and unlocked it with one of the keys from the ring.

"Here you are," she said in a sarcastically courteous manner. "Home for an indefinite amount of time."

Christa hesitantly stepped inside. "Are you sure this is necessary? I don't exactly think I'm a danger to you."

"Of course you aren't," Ymir scoffed. She swung the door shut, and the lock clicked back into place. "Suppose you were wandering out and about, though. What's to say you don't slit our throats with a spare knife?"

"I wouldn't do that!" she argued, clearly flabbergasted by the notion. "Why would I-"

"It's hypothetical, darling. Don't get so offended." Ymir dragged over a wooden chair and sat down so that she could view the entire brig. Christa's cell was positioned at a corner, giving Ymir a perfect view of the whole room.

"Do I look like I would do that?"

She shrugged, leaning forward to analyze her for a second before responding. "You look like you have something to hide. Care to share?"

Christa instead crossed her arms."I don't need to give away my life story to a pirate."

"I don't think you're having the effect you're intending," Ymir said with a chuckle. "That's more endearing than stubborn."

"In that case, I don't think you're having the effect you're intending," she countered.

"Oh really?" Ymir smirked.

"Really."

"And what would that be?"

Christa paused as if collecting her thoughts. "You act all tough, but you would never hurt anyone."

"You gathered this through ten minutes with me?" She laughed. "That's bullshit. I've killed before."

"On purpose?"

Ymir was taken aback by the query, making her hesitate before giving an answer. "Yes."

"I don't think so," Christa said. "If that were true, you would have answered informally or nonchalantly. I expected you to get defensive, maybe get louder."

"What are you, a damn psychologist?"

"I can read people pretty well." She grinned. "See, now you're defensive. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you're not the fearsome pirate you think you are."

"Like I'd care," Ymir said, brushing off the statement. "Just because I don't kill doesn't mean I won't put a bullet through anyone who says otherwise." She pulled aside the edge of her crimson coat, revealing a shiny new pistol. "You included."

"You wouldn't kill me."

"I never said I would." She let the coat fall back into place, concealing the weapon once more. "There are places someone can get shot and live, you know."

"You'd shoot me?" she asked skeptically.

"Well… no." Ymir sighed. "Only because the Captain has a strict no-maiming policy when it comes to prisoners. They're more valuable that way."

"So you plan to, what, auction me off the highest bidder?"

"In a sense, I suppose." She shrugged. "You were traveling with the Royal Navy. I'm sure you're worth something back in the capital. We could even demand a ransom."

A new voice entered the scene. "Good luck with that." Gruff, sarcastic, and undeniably male.

Ymir stood from her chair to find the voice's owner; a sailor leaned against the bars of the brig, his arms hanging out. He had a scowl twisted across his sharp features.

"Have something to say?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's not even worth a gold piece," he spat, glaring at her. "You'd be better off dumping her in the ocean."

She stared at the man for a few tense moments before barking out a laugh. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

"We sailed all the way out here to do just that," he continued. "Might as well kill her."

Ymir looked back at the blonde girl, and her face held an expression of anger with a hint of surprise. Turning her attention once again the the seaman, she narrowed her eyes.

"Keep yapping and I'll break your fingers, one at a time. Got it?"

He backed away from the bars, hands raised submissively. "Sure." His sudden change in demeanor revealed his cowardice; Ymir knew that simple threats could strip away the outer character of many men. "Not another word."

With an exhale that could pass for a laugh, she sank back into her chair. What a fun job I have, she thought to herself.

"Hey, Ymir!" She looked over to see the tall blond-haired boy walking purposefully towards her.

"Reiner." She acknowledged his presence with a nod.

"This is my shift. What are you doing?"

"Ian's orders," Ymir said simply. "Says he doesn't trust any of the men with her." She jerked a thumb in Christa's direction.

He frowned. "Did the captain really say that?"

"Yes, he did. If you have an issue, take it up with him."

"I don't really care." It was clear that he did, but he let her alone, walking towards the stairway from which he came.

"Oh, Reiner?"

He stopped and turned to face her. "What?"

"Can you grab me my hat?"

He furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. "Fine. You owe me."

"For a hat? If that's what you want."

Reiner returned shortly, tossing Ymir the black pirate's hat. It was stereotypical in design, with gold stitching around the edges, however instead of crossbones, the front face held a pair of roses embroidered onto the fabric.

"Thanks!" she called as he stalked up the steps. Setting the hat onto her head, she grinned. While it was inconvenient at best and no one used it in battle, the hat made her feel like the pirates from legends. Of course, the swashbucklers were always depicted as villains; the Princess' crew, for the most part, were not villains.

"So it's Ymir?"

Ymir cast a sideways glance at Christa. "Yeah."

"That's… unique."

She scoffed. "Thanks for the input."

"Sorry. I've never heard that name before."

"That's because I'm not from Leithal."

"You aren't from Leithal?" Christa echoed. "But there aren't any other nations in existence. How could you-"

"Hush," Ymir interrupted, silencing her. "You don't get to hear a life story if I don't get to hear one." Christa just crossed her arms again, and Ymir laughed in her head at how adorable it was. "Now then, if you'll be kind enough to pipe down for a while, I'm getting my rest."

"Aren't you supposed to be keeping watch?"

"Nothing happens down here," Ymir answered, pulling the brim of her hat low over her eyes. "It's not as if you'd be trouble."

Christa was, thankfully, quiet for the rest of the night. Ymir drifted off to sleep, and when she woke up, she nearly choked.

Christa was gone.

And so was her gun.

~X~

A/N: Okay, first chapter! Be sure to let me know what you guys think. If there are any characters or ships other that you want to see more of, don't be afraid to review! Thanks for reading!