[center][h3]COVER STORY 1: THE STRUGGLES OF THE TARANTULA PIRATES 
PART 1[/h3][/center]
SOUTH BLUE; SIX MONTHS AGO.

The Crimson Arachna was sailing the south blue seas, after a year in the grand line. The Man O' War was busted up, and the crew looked like nothing more but a cabin of ghosts and ghouls. Two thirds of the crew hadn't made the journey back to the blue, the ship had barely managed to hold up during the travels. The crew were all tired, depressed and lacking any kind of conviction to keep fighting at this point. All they wanted was rest and retirement. All of them but the two cabin boys. Two big-eyed lads whom they had picked up before cruising over the Reverse Mountain on their way into the grand line. The boys were named Hazel and Kaspar, and they had stars in their eyes.

"C'mon Kaspar! I see the port!" Hazel shouted, his blonde hair blowing in the wind as he stood on the bow, looking out. Kaspar leaned over, nervously eyeing the mold-infested railing Hazel was leaning against, worried that it would break at any moment. "Finally. A place to relax at." The ginger-haired boy confessed.

"Dude! Are you also tired? Did the geezers rub off on you?!" Hazel's energetic tone picked Kaspar up, who shook his head.
"Nah. But I need food. And water. And I've never been in the South Blue before."
"You think they have funny accents?" Hazel asked and Kaspar giggled. The boys were no older than 15, and in many ways were too young to be out on the seas like this.  Too young to have dealt with the hardships of the Grand Line. Yet, they were loyal to their cause and more importantly, each other. Their captain, Erwin Goldstinger never fucked around. He was a tough man to serve under, especially as lowly cabin boys whom, to many pirates, were worth nothing more than dirt, and Erwin often treated the boys worse than the bugs that lived on the ship.

However, the cook, James Hook was the one who had practically raised the boys into pirates. He had taught them how to do every chore on the ship, and punished them when they were stupid kids by forcing them to do all of the ship's dishes for the month. And a vessel with hundreds of messy pirates, the dishes piled up incredibly fast. But Mr. Hook was worn out from the struggles of the Grand Line, too. They couldn't have prepared themselves for that kind of hardships, surely.

Hazel knew James was cooking down in the mess hall, he could smell his food and hear the tune he was humming. Kaspar joined in and soon both of them were whistling along and humming the melody that the cook was letting out. Salmon stew was on the menu, South Blue salmon, even. They had only been in the south blue one day, and they weren't used to eating food that wasn't made from poisonous fish. 

The harbor of Rootport came into view and Kaspar looked up, seeing the sail tatter, he whistled for Hazel to pay attention, and the two boys sprang into action, running as quickly as they could to grab the rope that had come undone, while Hazel used his meat-hook to quickly climb the mast, tying the rotten rope back together, cutting it off on the one end where it was the most rotten, making a better knot. They needed provisions, that's for sure. 

"We need new rope, man." Hazel said, mellowly, once he climbed down, and Kaspar nodded. Thinking of their vice-captain and Quartermaster, Evie. She hadn't made it back from the Grand-Line, sacrificing herself to cover their escape when the greatest threat the Tarantula Pirates had ever known came for them. 

[i]Terra.[/i]

A Man who's name would put fear into the hearts of any pirate.