A/N: I do not own Cardcaptors, Pirates of the Caribbean, Sailor Moon, Pokemon, Shrek or Kingdom Hearts(Kingdom Hearts is only mentioned. None of the characters will appear in this story).
CH6: Escaping into a Trap.
A day later since the Black Pearl, it's crew and the Sailor Team had passed through the dead souls, though it seemed a whole lot longer for everyone. There was simply nothing to do, and if there had been something to do, it would have been to no purpose. The truth was slowly becoming clear to them: they were lost, lost upon a trackless ocean where true navigation was impossible. They were literally trapped beyond the edge off the world, and there was nothing they could do to change that.
To make things worse, the food and water supply were dangerously low and if boredom didn't kill them first, then dehydration and starvation certainly would. Sailor Venus looked into the basket of pickles...or at least...it used to be full of pickles. The basket was full of it. Now it was just empty. She sighed, as her stomach growled loudly due to the lack of food. Everyone was on the deck, with nothing to do. Most of them just layed on the wood floor. Among them were Sailor Venus, Sailor Jupiter, Pintel and Ragetti, the two latter would've happily drowned in their sorrow in rum, which was rather difficult to accomplish since there was no longer any rum, or water, or food.
"Great. That was the last of the pickles." Sailor Venus groaned, and, unable to help herself, muttered, "I would give just to have a cheeseburger."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Sailor Jupiter groaned in agreement.
"No wa'er." Pintel said, as he tipped one of the water flasks, only to feel a few sparse drops on his parched tongue. "Why is all but the rum gone?"
Gibbs, realising that rum bottle didn't have any droplets at all, glumly said, "Rum's gone too."
Pikachu, who had found a jar, peeked in to see any traces of apples or fruit, was dismayed when there was nothing inside. Tearing up into a panic, Pikachu shook the jar repeatedly in futile before becoming dizzy and collasped onto his back, whining and upset and hungry. Sakura and Ash, who stood by Sailor Mercury and Will by the Black Pearl's railing, noticed this and realized what happened.
"Oh, and we forgot to bring Pokemon food too." Sakura sighed.
Ash, feeling guilty for his best friend ending up starving in this situation, and feeling history repeat itself to both of them, told the small poor Pokemon, "I'm sorry, Pikachu." before going over and scooped up his hungry Pikachu, cradling him to make him feel better.
Sakura sighed, before she gazed at Elizabeth who was still in mourning for the loss of her father, seated on the steps a few feet away. Sakura couldn't blame her friend. So much has happened, and things just went from bad to worse. The shock of the murder of Elizabeth's father was replaced by a numbing grief and sadness which none but Will were able to rouse her from, and even he questioned sometimes if he was doing any real good. The young Cardcaptor in the meantime, didn't know what to do. All of this started just under the shade of thirteen years previously here in the past. But as far as it went, it went far further than that in two occasions.
One was that Davy Jones had become a monster, feared by humanity all over the world for a century, ruining the lives of others who either died at sea or just forcefully taken them onboard the Flying Dutchmen. He betrayed his lover, the Sea Goddess Calypso. Or so Jack and Barbossa both claimed.
The other was Lord Beckett, who cared nothing more than power. He took pleasure in killing lives just to make himself good, lying through his teeth without even trying, even to his majesty, the King of England. He used slaves and brutually tortured them as though they were not people, but merely Heartless. Jack had saved those people, freeing them to live a better life somewhere away from the East India Trading Company, which costed his life as a normal person and forever as a Pirate. It costed him his ship, and in desperation and love for the Black Pearl, stupidly made a bargain with Davy Jones.
Both men had ruined Jack's life and many others. What's more, Jack had inadvertedly brought in people who had become his friends into the situation that should never had happened. But Sakura didn't blame Jack for either of the two's existance. She didn't blame him for what happened to Will's father, Boostrap Bill Turner. Sakura didn't blame Jack for inadvertedly dragging Will and Elizabeth into the case of both the Atzec Gold that cursed Barbossa and his crew. Gosh, even Barbossa had been dragged into this mess, but again, it wasn't Jack's fault, even though Sakura still found it hard to trust him. But so far, the former cursed Pirate wasn't hostile towards her or her friends.
No, the blame was all on Beckett's and Davy Jones' heads. They would ruin lives just to get what they want...just like Ansem in the future, Sakura realised, and that terrified her even more. How many bad people were really out there in the world?
As Sakura gazed back out at sea with Will with the sun rapidly disappearing into the horizon, Tia Dalma suddenly appeared beside them and Sailor Mercury, her face grim. The voodoo woman then said, grimly, "If we cannot escape dese doldrums before night, I fear we shall sail on trackless seas, forced to road de reach between worlds, forever."
"With no water," Gibbs began as he, came up to stand beside them, "Forever seems to be arrivn' a mite too soon."
Sakura left the rail and looked up towards the stern, where Barbossa stood, seemingly unmoved by the feeling of uncertainty that pervaded over the entire crew. Below him, sat Jack, who was idling away his time by fiddling endlessly with Sao Feng's map. Sailor Moon stood at Jack's left, once and a while gazing at what the younger Pirate Captain was doing.
Sakura glared up at Barbossa, asking in frustration, "Why can't he do something?" as the man had got them into this mess. So why couldn't the Pirate Captain figure out how to get them out like Jack was doing.
"Me eye! Gi'e it back!" Ragetti cried out to the monkey, chasing after it as it stole his wooden eye again. Little did he know, the eye itself had been slowly rolling back and forth on the table where Jack had the Charts placed onto.
Ash, with Pikachu seemingly alright for now as he once again rested onto his human friend's shoulder, paced on the deck with Sailor Mercury and Gibbs while Will just continued to gaze out at the ocean.
"It doesn't make any sense at all." Ash muttered.
"You're right." Sailor Mercury agreed, for once just as lost and normally she prided herself to have the highest intelligence at all of her schools. "A green flash happens at sunset, not sunrise...'Over the Edge'." she muttered after repeating what the Charts had said before they all became trapped here in the Locker.
Gibbs, clearly annoyed by the message, grumbled, "It's drivin' me over the bloomin' edge. Sunrises don't set." and both Ash and Sailor Mercury nodded in agreement.
Ash had been struggling to remember how he and Pikachu got out the first time. He had planned on using his memory to get everyone and the Black Pearl out the same way that happened or will happen in the future. Unfortunately, having doing this again blocked his memory as though he wasn't allowed to reveal all this, which makes sense despite the Time Paradox.
Whether or not Jack heard any of this exchange, it would have been of little matter to him. He was completely absorbed in studying the map. Thus far, the map had produced no definite answer, that didn't stop him from trying. Besides, he had nothing else to do.
During one of the idle turns of one of three rings, he revealed an interesting message. "'Up is down.'" He repeated, before frowning in disappointment, "Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful. Why are these things never clear?"
Sailor Moon, who had noticed this, approached her friend and asked, "You're not giving up, are you?"
"Well, unless you're a philosopher and give me a few mind reasonings from the future, even you wouldn't understand what this means." Jack, fully aware of the teenger's pressence, replied.
"Hey, I wasn't here before in the future. Ash and Pikachu were the ones who ended up stuck here before meeting the rest of us, for your information!" Sailor Moon blurted out in annoyance before she realised what she just said until it was too late.
Jack blinked, "What?"
Realising this, Sailor Moon flinched with a sweatdrop, before quickly saying before Jack could even think, "Uh-ah, never mind." before looking over the Charts herself to see what had Jack disappointed.
After staring at the map for a few seconds, Sailor Moon blinked before leaning back and said, dumbfounded, "Well...the only thing I can figure out is that it's a reminder. Like down is below us, and up is above us. Unless we it's a riddle for us to play a game of standing on our heads to make everything upside down."
"That's even more than less than unhelpful." Jack grumbled.
"Not my fault I once nearly drowned in a sinking ship that flipped itself upside down during a storm before travelling back in time." Sailor Moon pouted in annoyance, "And that time as Ash, Brock, Pikachu and Misty's second time when that happened."
Jack rubbed his temples, "You don't have much like with ships, do you, luv'? It's a miracle that you and your friends manage to survive it as long as you have."
"Well, aren't you the Legendary Captain Jack Sparrow?" Sailor Moon pointed out, "You went through alot before the you-know-what. Seriously, you cheated death."
"Thank you for the reminder." Jack rolled his eyes in sarcasm. "But in case you've forgotten, we're all trapped in this God-forsaken place with the real possibility of remaining trapped here for all eternity if we don't end up getting out by Sunset."
Sighing, Sailor Moon gazed out at the said sunset to the west as it was getting closer and closer to disappear completely, she couldn't help but feel a drift coldness coming from it rather than the radiant warmth from it that would turn cold. Unlike at the beach where she and the others had reunited with Jack and the Black Pearl which was undeniably hot, since this morning, the sun had been like it wasn't there at all. It's been downright freezing which was very unusual.
Sure, when Fiona was cursed in the future, at sunset, she would turn into an Ogress at night which Sailor Moon and the others didn't know until the wedding of her and Farquaad...which ended with the short-man to be eaten by Dragon and Shrek and Fiona's true love's first kiss rendering Fiona to remain in her Ogre-Form permamently 24/7. Both Rini and Donkey discovered the spell from Fiona the night before that time too.
"Speaking of sunset..." Sailor Moon changed the subject of the conversation as she gazed at it, in which Jack followed her eyes, the teenager continuing as she wondered aloud, "This sunset kind of feels like it's not sunset at all since it's...cold like nighttime."
No sooner were the words out of her mouth than it became clear to both of them what was going on. They stared at each other for a few seconds, the light of comprehension beginning to dawn in their eyes. Combined with Sailor Moon's memory of being in an upside down cruise in the future, and the fact that this sunset did indeed feel cold, they both looked down at the map, and suddenly the confusing riddle was as clear and simple to understand as if it had been written out for anyone to see.
"Not sunset...sundown..." Jack whispered in realization, before he reached out and turning the ship etched on the center ring of the map upside down. Suddenly it became clear to both him and Sailor Moon, an idea, now combined with the green flash of the legend, both of them suddenly knew the answer how to get themselves and everyone else on the Black Pearl back to the Realm of the Living.
"And rise...up!" Jack immediately stood up in excitement as did Sailor Moon who smiled at him happily.
"Jack, sometimes while you're an idiot, you're a genius!" Sailor Moon praised, and for once didn't regret in saying this, before winking as an idea on how to get everyone else to go along the new plan filled onto her expression.
Jack needed no further encouragement. He then pointed to the starboard side of the ship from his and Sailor Moon's point of view and cried out, "What's that?"
Without waiting for a reply, they both rushed to the starboard side of the Black Pearl. Jack and Sailor Moon were quickly joined by a rather alarmed Ash, Pikachu, Sailor Mercury, Will and Gibbs, who looked incredibly confused. It didn't help that Sailor Moon seemed to be just as silly as Jack was, as she asked, shielding her eyes with her hand, as she played along, asking, "Whoa, what is it?"
"I don't know. What do you think?" Jack replied, sharing a glance with Sailor Moon.
"Where?" Ash asked, dumbfounded, as he and the others with him tried to see what Jack and Sailor Moon were seeing, but all they saw was the ocean.
"There!" Both Sailor Moon and Jack said.
The two then started running back and forth from one side of the Pearl to the other. Everyone joined in merely because they had no idea what was going on, but at least it was some sort of excitement. Gradually more of the crew joined, including Sakura, and Elizabeth, who had been roused from her grief stupor. Hastening to the side where everyone was currently grouped, Sakura asked, "What's going on?"
That was the question on everyone's mind, and no one knew the answer. However, as more of the crew joined Sailor Moon and Jack's mad dashings back and forth across the ship's length, something gradually began to dawn on all of them. The Black Pearl was beginning to sway from side to side, dipping ever closer to the water's edge. Sailor Mars and Barbossa, who both climbed onto the deck and watched the performance that was going on, at first not knowing what was going on. In the meantime, Ragetti, who finally noticed his wooden eye on the table, made to grab it, only for Barbossa to snatch it first, thinking it was a piece of food.
Both Sailor Mars and Ragetti grimced as Barbossa placed the eye into his mouth before immediately spitting it back out, realising what it was and why it tasted wooden, slimy and disgusting. In irritation, the pirate Captain forcefully shoved the eye back into Ragetti's socket before smacking him on the right cheek for not telling him sooner. Ragetti gave the older man an apologetic glance before they, Sailor Mars and Pintel, and soon everyone else realised what was really going on.
"They're rockin' the ship." Pintel muttered in realization.
"We're rocking the ship!" Sailor Jupiter cried.
Sailor Mars and Barbossa both did a quick study of the map and then realised Jack's plan, which made sense now that they saw what was going on; To flip the entire ship upside down before sunset, and wait until the green flash which would take all of them back into the Realm of the Living, which was precisely the real answer to how the Flying Dutchmen would do it before Davy Jones' betrayal. To add it all up, even Sailor Moon played along with Jack's plan.
"Guess they found our exit." Sailor Mars muttered, very impressed.
"Aye." Barbossa agreed with a smirk, for once liking what his rival had in mind. "Jack's onto it!"
"They're rockin' the ship." Pintel repeated, getting excited.
Ragetti came scurrying up to him, a large coil of rope on his shoulder. "Tie each other to th' mast," He explained excitedly to his companion, "Upside down, so that when the boat flips, we'll be the right way up."
Pintel couldn't exactly see the reasoning behind this idea, but he had never been one to argue or think about logic anyway. So instead, he joined up with his friend and two eventually managed to tie themselves to the mast, upside down while they watched everyone else continue to do what they're doing. How they even managed to do that before going underwater is beyond me.
Barbossa, having an idea on how to help make the rocking go faster, called out, "Time it with it swell!" while he went below deck as Sailor Mars joined the others in racing back and forth across the deck.
"Loose the cannons, ya' lazy bilge rats!" Barbossa roared to the rest of the crew who had been resting below deck before they all immediately fell out out of the hammocks, one of them hitting his head on the wooden floor. Immediately the Chinese crew as they were told, unhooking the cannons, while Barbossa himself helped by grabbing hold of an axe, continuing, "Unstow the cargo. Let it shift."
Barbossa, along with the crew with him, cut away the ropes that held the barrels of gunpowder that all collasped and rolled back and fourth by everyone else's movements above. Soon once this task was done, he raced back up to join everyone else in rocking the ship. Back and forth, back and forth. The Sailor Team and the crew ran, while in the hold, the cannons and cargo were loosed to add extra force and weight. A few almost missed in grabbing hold the railing to prevent themselves from falling backwards, though one Chinese man wasn't so lucky and he ended up falling overboard and into the ocean, lost forever.
Sakura, the Sailor Team and the crew didn't have time to know this. Instead, with the final heave as they all knew was the final movement that would flip the ship upside down, they all raced up to the west side of the ship, making it just in time to hold onto the railing tightly for dear life. Finally, the ship gave a groaning heave as it listed over the water, and everyone could feel their legs dangling in air. Another Chinese man, unable to hold on, fell onto the netting ropes of the ship, and was then crushed to death by a cannon that got loose, causing Ash, Pikachu, Sailor Jupiter and Gibbs to mutter in sympathy for the now dead man, "Ooh!"
Ouch.
"Now, up..." Jack began, as the Pearl fell to the sea below, "...Is down."
As the Black Pearl turned over into the water, two things happened at almost the same moment. Beyond the world's end, the sun sank rapidly behind the horizon. Everyone held their breath once they were underwater, waiting for the right moment. Will almost lost his grip but had managed to grab onto the rope before he could be lost forever. The Sailor Team and the crew only had to wait for at least maybe three or five minutes before at last, no sooner had the sun sank behind the horizon, a brilliant flash of emerald flashed upward with a soft distant boom.
Sakura, Jack, Sailor Moon, Ash and Pikachu all looked down and their eyes widened in confusion and then alarm, as did everyone else's when they noticed that the ceiling of the water was no longer above them, but underneath them. With a deafening rushing roar the Black Pearl surged up out of the water, and surfaced with a cascade of water. It caused everyone to lose their grip, but instead of falling into the water, it was more of a short drop that caused everyone to collaspe back onto the deck of the ship, water rushing off the Black Pearl and back into sea, now right way back up. Everyone then spluttered, coughed and gasped gulps of air and spitting out sea water that managed to get into their mouths and dangerously close into their lungs.
Pikachu, Cotton's Parrot and the Monkey all shook water off of their fur and in the Parrot's case, it's feathers. Pintel and Ragetti, once again upside down, and soaking wet as were everyone else, spat out water like vomiting, before Pintel groaned at Ragetti for the stupid plan, "This was your idea."
As everyone was recovering from nearly had drowned, there was an immediate, perceptible difference in the air around them. The air seemed less cold and dead; a sweet, warm west wind was already beginning to swell the sails. Gibbs was the first to notice this. "Blessed sweet westerly's!" He cried as he scrambled to his feet, "We're back!"
As soon as Gibbs said this, Sakura, Sailor Moon, Ash, Pikachu, Jack, Barbossa, the Sailor Scouts and the crew began to notice the difference. Ash gazed to the east and cried out, "Hey look!"
"It's sunrise." Sailor Mercury muttered, seeing the sun rising in glorious splendor. They all saw it, and knew that they had made it back to the Realm of the Living.
They did it. They successfully found Jack and the Black Pearl, and with Jack's and Sailor Moon's help, successfully returned to the real world. Barbossa, while relieved to feel the sun's warmth once more, knew that it was time to debate now that they were back. He then suddenly whirled around and pointed his pistol straight at Jack. Will and Elizabeth drew out their pistols and aimed them at Barbossa. Jack took advantage of their distraction and pointed his pistol at Will. Will pulled out another pistol and aimed it at Jack. Elizabeth did the same thing. Jack pointed another pistol at Elizabeth. It seemed that the time for cooperation had passed. Now, individual goals took precedence. Sakura and the Sailor Team froze before glancing at each other, wondering what to do.
Jack the Monkey then took out his own tiny pistol and aimed it at Cotton's Parrot who, seeing this, squaked, "Parley?"
Pintel and Ragetti, seeing this did not want to be left out when they sensed a fight was about to happen. "We need out pistols." Cried Pintel as he and his companion began wriggling to get loose. "Get untied. 'urry."
The tense moments following the sudden turning of everybody upon everyone else were broken by Barbossa, who suddenly began to laugh, which was soon followed by Jack, then Will, then Elizabeth, and soon, everyone else of the past was laughing, and they lowered their pistols, seemingly very awkward. Sakura and the Sailor Team sweatdropped at this bizarre and awkward situation before them. But the next moment, all laughter faded and the pistols were instantly pointed at their former targets. It didn't seem as if anybody were going to let their guard down.
"All right, then!" Barbossa said, calling this rather bizarre meeting to order, "The Brethren Court is a-gatherin' at Shipwreck Cove and Jack, you an' I are a-goin' and there'll be no arguin' that point."
"I is arguin' the point." Jack countered, "If there's pirates a-gatherin', I'm pointing my ship the other way."
The Sailor Team collasped onto the deck(anime-style), groaning when they heard this, before standing back up and gave their friend, whom they and everyone else had done so much to get him back, a scolding and annoyed looks. Trust Jack to immediately want to stay out of the situation such as the Brethren Court.
"The pirates are gathering to fight Beckett, and you're a pirate." Elizabeth told him, now aiming both of her pistols at Jack who in turn did the same to her.
"Fight or not," Will added, doing the same at Jack who returned his other pistol aimed at him, the younger man continuing, "You're not running, Jack."
"And not just pirates either." Sakura added as she and her group approached while careful not to have pistols aimed at them, "But all of us too. As far as reality goes, we're the only ones who can stop Beckett from taking over the world."
"If that goesn't happen, then everybody who goes up against that slimy weasel will end up dead...and if you're lucky, except you." Sailor Moon continued, "If the bad guys let you live, you'll be the only pirate left."
Jack, much to everyone's shock, perked up when he heard this, "Quite like the sound of that. 'Captain Jack Sparrow: The last pirate'."
Starting to lose his patience, Barbossa took a step closer to his rival, saying, "Aye, and you'll be fightin' Jones alone. But how does that figure into your plan?"
"I'm still workin' on that bit." Jack admitted, "But I will not be goin' back to the Locker, mate, count on that." he raised his pistol and fired.
Click and splat!
The only sound that issued from the barrel was a harmless wet click which also splattered a few twinklets of water right into Barbossa's face, which startled him. Jack and the rest of the pirates looked at their pistols in major confusion. They tried firing their pistols and a series of wet clicks filled the air.
Gibbs then realised and concluded sulkily, "Wet powder."
While Sailor Moon, Sakura, Ash and Pikachu all sighed in relief, the four Sailor Scouts all sighed. Unfortunately, while the crew were disappointed by this revolation(which also held off any bloodshed), Pintel and Ragetti, who had only managed to untie themselves after it was too late, were perfectly willing to try and make the trouble continue. "Wait!" Pintel cried out, "We can still use 'em as clubs."
Ragetti looked at his pistol, and then decided to test the theory by bopping his companion on the head with the head of his pistol.
"Ah!" Pintel grunted in pain, glaring up at his skinnier friend.
"Sorry." Ragetti responded, before admitting as he gazed at his wet pistol, "Effective, though."
Sailor Mars, reaching her boiling point, snapped and yelled out to everyone else, which, given how she tried to make herself taller, made everyone briefly think she'd made herself larger which made them stunned(not to mention terrified, even by Will's and Barbossa's standards, and especially Jack's), "HOW CAN YOU ALL THINK ABOUT TRYING TO SHOOT EACH OTHER WHEN WE HAVE ANOTHER MAJOR PROBLEM TO WORRY ABOUT!?"
Sailor Mercury, not at least a little imitated by her friend's outburst, instead angrily added, "That's right! With our enemy somewhere possibly very close to where we are is very worrying. Besides that, the food and water supplies are so low that we'll have to make a quick stop somewhere to get more!"
Despite how much trouble the two women were getting themselves into for the outbursts, given on what they said, the crew, as much as they hated to admit it, realised that the two Sailor Scouts were right. It came clear to them immediately that the food and water supplies were dangerously low. This was added when Ash's stomach growled loudly, and the ten year old boy, flinched, before wrapping his arms around his stomach while blushing sheepishly, chuckling in embarrassment, "Well, they have a good point."
With this in mind, the Sailor Team and the crew focused on drying off which, with the real sun's help, only took a matter of at least fifteen minutes. Next up was figuring out where they were. After quick calculation, they concluded that they were back in the Caribbean, so islands shouldn't be too far off. Will had only to study the map for a few seconds when he pointed to the charts. "There's a fresh water spring on this island. We can resupply there, get back to shooting each other later."
That part of the plan seemed sensible. However, both Jack and Barbossa had distinctly different ideas as to how it should go from there. "You lead the shore party," Jack said to Barbossa, adding "I'll stay with my ship."
Barbossa shot Jack a dark glare. "I'll not be leavin' my ship in your command."
The Sailor Team groaned, before Ash held up a hand and suggested while voulenteering, "How about I lead the shore party and you both stay onboard the ship so that you can both continue to argue over it?"
While the two Captains didn't like the sound of that, they had to admit that the boy did make sense. Since neither wanted to leave the ship to the other, it was logic that the two men could keep an eye on each other so that one wouldn't take off with the Black Pearl.
Unfortunately, before anyone else could agreed to this, Will suggested just after Ash made his suggestion, "Or the three of you and the Sailor Team go ashore and leave the ship in my command?"
Both Jack and Barbossa, for once in agreement, stared at each other in horror as both realised how much they hated the idea of leaving Will in command of the Black Pearl. The Sailor Team also gave Will looks of shock at this suggestion, causing Will to quickly add, "Temporarily." before tensions would rise for everyone surrounding him.
To everyone's dismay, most of the crew agreed with Will's suggestion and thus, it would be a team of Sakura, Ash, Pikachu, the five Sailor Scouts, Jack, Barbossa, Marty, Cotton, Pintel, Ragetti, Tai Heung and some of his men to go ashore. As they were nearing the island, both Sailor Mars and Barbossa once again pulled out their binoculars and spy-glass, this time seeing the island coming into distance. However, to Sailor Mars's shock, and somehow Barbossa's amusement yet slight disappointment, Sailor Moon held out a 4'1 foot long binoculars while Jack held out a black 4'4 foot spy-glass both of them pulled out of nowhere to beat the other two after their humilation the day before in the Locker.
"Where'd those come from?" Sailor Mars asked, dumbfounded as her eyes bulged out in disbelief.
"That's secret." Sailor Moon replied, without turning from her task.
Barbossa just smirked, finding the sight to be absolutely ridculous. Trust Jack to come up with a sort of plan-B to outsmart him. And how his rival had got Sailor Moon to add up into this. Had Sailor Moon not gone for this 'Darien/Tuxedo Mask', she and Jack would've made a perfect couple.
When the group that would go find supplies on the island made shore(though Pintel and Ragetti once again got caught in a wave and were thrown overboard from the longboat and briefly engulfed by the sea water for the second time in less than 24 hours), the island itself was small, but a perfect location to find fresh water and safe fruit to eat.
However, as the rest of the crew piled out of the boats and began unloading the empty water canteens and bottles, a gasp from Sailor Moon caused some of her friends to turn to see her her raise a hand to cover her mouth in horror and possibly, sorrow and sympathy at the sight before. When Sakura and and the others looked, the Sailor Team's eyes widened in shock and disbelief at the sight before them.
"Is that...?" Ash trailled off, unable to believe what he was seeing, memories of what he experienced came flooding back, but not all of it, unfortunately.
"The Kracken?" Sailor Mars finished, her eyes not peeling away from the sight before her and the others. A little ways up the beach, scores of seagulls were coming together to feast upon a mass of dead flesh: the remnants of the once mighty kracken.
"That's the Kracken?" Sakura asked, stunned beyond belief. It was the horrifying sight of the giant octopus she'd never seen before. She'd seen and battled the illusion of a giant Ursula from Riku's memory in Castle Oblivion, but that seemed nothing compared to the Kracken's dead body. It was scary and yet...upsetting.
Even Barbossa, who had heard many stories of the Leviathan of the seas, was silent at the sight of the sea monster as well. He'd never seen it alive before and had actually been one of the few lucky pirates to not have endured the foul odor of the beast's breath, or the feeling of being eaten alive. He'd been dead when Jack, the crew and the Sailor Team had encountered. Sakura had been in the future, unaware of the events that occured nearly two months ago.
Jack, silent and his heart freezing, just gazed at the mighty sea monster that had killed him in the first place and while he had come back to the World of the Living, that monster that he somewhat feared would find him again, was right there on the beach, dead. Without a word, he somberly began to approach it, as though drawn by it's pressence. Sakura, Sailor Moon, Barbossa, Sailor Jupiter, Sailor Venus, and the curious and stunned Pintel and Ragetti made their way up the beach to get a closer look at the dead monster. Ash, Sailor Mercury and Sailor Mars stayed put, continuing to gaze at the Kracken's corpse.
Pintel and Ragetti were the first to approach the kracken. They poked at it with a big stick for a moment to make doubly sure that the creature was dead. Once they knew that it was, the two pirates then burst out laughing and scrambled up to a perch on the stinking mass. "You stupid fish." Pintel crowed.
"Actually, it's a cephalopod." Ragetti corrected, out of the store of his largely useless knowledge.
While the two pirates were ranting on how it served the Kracken right before beginning plots on how to make themselves famous like on how people would pay shillings to see this and sketch a picture of it, calling themselves 'Kracken Slayers' and such.
The others payed no attention on the two bumbling idiots imagination. Instead, Sailor Venus actually patted the dead sea monster's body, muttering, "Poor thing. Even though it was dangerous in the ocean, it didn't deserve this."
"I bet that Beckett told Davy Jones to go and kill it so that the stupid Company wouldn't have to worry about getting themselves eaten." Sailor Jupiter grunted in disgust, and while Beckett done everyone else in the world a favor in getting rid of one problem, it still made her hate the guy even more.
Jack in the meantime, stopped in the front of the kracken, staring at the huge beast's opened and dead eye and could see his reflection in it, almost sadly. It was odd that he should be feeling such a thing for the very creature which had destroyed his ship. The last thing that he should be feeling was remorse, and yet, he also could not help but remember the power with which the beast had attacked. If there had ever been a single monster that personified the power and strength of the sea, it had been the kracken. And now, it was dead. The legend always said that there was only ever one in existence at any one time. And if this was truly the last of it's kind... Jack couldn't help but see similarities between his own circumstances and that of the kracken.
Sakura approached him worriedly as she noticed how he was gazing at the sea monster. She never heard of any legends of that, and only heard about sea monsters in scary stories in the future. To think that she was gazing at the very beast that killed her friend next to her and brought down the Black Pearl as well as other ships in before all this happened, and devoured so many people, pirates and non-pirates alike. It was also hard to believe, that she was actually this close to it's dead body. It was terrifying, imitating, and yet...so sad. Sakura then couldn't help but gently place a hand onto the giant beast's cold skin, as though trying to make sense on how the massive monster actually died.
"I've seen other sea life before, but I never thought I'd see the Kracken...especially not like this." Sakura spoke after a few moments, lowering her hand to her side before gazing up to Jack, continuing, "Before people and other life in the world, there were other things that gone extinct that no one can bring back. The only thing left of them are just skeletions or...other things that a lot of us know in the future."
Jack finally turned his gaze to his younger friend, saying to the girl while smiling half-heartedly, "Sometimes things come back, missy. Barbossa and I are livin' proof, me and him."
"I guess so." Sakura realised, lowering her head, sadly. "But now that you mention it, I have no idea why it came to me on how desperate I was to bring you back. But like you said, sometimes things and people come back. But I wouldn't want to do this often. Not when not everyone can't be saved. Like the Governer. The only thing we can do is to try and stop Beckett and Davy Jones from keep on doing this to everyone."
That was true, Jack had to admit. The Governer, while admittedly given a possible chance to return like Jack himself, didn't allow it. Besides, the dead man had been a ghost in a boat, unable to be saved, and was in peace. Tia Dalma's reason to bring Barbossa back was for one, to help the others to rescue Jack who had been taken body and soul into the Locker, and two, since he was a Pirate Lord, both of them were, needed for the gathering.
"Summoing the Brethren Court then, is it?" Jack questioned.
Sakura shrugged, "I'm not sure, but the others and I can't think of anything else how to stop Beckett and the East India Trading Company." referring to the Sailor Team when she said this.
"That's a sad commentary in and of itself."
"I guess the world got smaller, huh?" Sakura sighed, referring to the fact that Earth, and many other worlds, both in this Universe and in the Multiverse, while large to the human eye, were small within the Realm of Light.
Jack shook his head. "The world's still the same. There's just less in it." turning to leave, followed by the would-be Kracken slayers and the others.
While Sakura and Jack had their own conversation, Sailor Moon, who had gazed sadly at the Kracken, couldn't help but remember that this was the monster who had taken Jack and the Black Pearl into the Locker. The mighty monster of legend with giant tentacles that suctioned faces of men and women clean off, dragging ships into the darkness of the ocean, crushing them like splinters. She would've thought she would've felt anger towards it, but she didn't. While it did upset her to be reminded on how Jack died in the first place, just to see it's dead body right now, sympathy and sorrow filled that blame in it's place. It made her even more determined to protect her friend now, and to save Earth.
But at times like this, Sailor Moon doubted herself. Was she really capable at such a task? She was reminded on how hard it was, and she felt powerless and weak. It wasn't a task she could do on her own. She always had to rely on others to help. But Sailor Moon felt guilty for that. Jack was saved, but even when he was returned to life, and would one day become immortal and meet the Sailor Team, and history repeating itself, this wasn't something Sailor Moon could forgive herself for. For some reason, this lingered images in her mind of something similiar; a similiar guilt for unable to save a friend who was lost before recovered. For some reason, her mind whirled once and a while to Cloud Strife, the man whom she and her friends in the future, along with Sora, Donald and Goofy, had met at Olympus Coliseum. Jack's personality in the meantime, reminded her of someone else with the similiar quirkiness, but again, it was blurred.
She felt useless. How could Sailor Moon be the leader of the Sailor Team when she couldn't save anyone on her own that much without help? She was then reminded on how Ash still held the guilt of Darkrai's death, and how King Mickey came him the comfort that made the young Pokemon Master recover enough to continue on, while still holding the sin within his heart.
Barbossa came up behind Sailor Moon and regarded her reaction, as though he knew what she was thinking. "Still thinkin' of protecting Jack, missy?" He questioned in a pointed fashion, but without any antagonism for once. "Think you can save the world?" He came up to stand next to her. He knew that he had to Sailor Moon that she would have to eventually come up with difficult decisions and the burden of being a hero.
"You know, the problem, in protecting anyone, by and by there be none left to save at all." He continued.
Sailor Moon gazed away from the Kracken finally and up to the man who, once and while in the future, would give a piece of advice. Barbossa may be a pirate and gruffy, but his future-self, while still the same in mannerism, still brought some strange feeling of comfort. Despite not being a father, as far as she knew, Sailor Moon had regarded Barbossa as a strange fatherly type.
"I can't bear of losing anyone." Sailor Moon finally said, her heart aching as she said those words. She then admitted, "There were times when I died too and came back to life." referring to the fact thta Queen Metilia had killed her as Princess Serena in the Moon Kingdom with Prince Darien, and then both of them, along with everyone else in the Kingdom, were sent here on Earth to be reborn with no memories by her mother, Queen Serenity. She then smiled a little, adding, "You and Jack are both the first proof of being revived as far as I can tell."
"Aye, but that's a gamble of long odds, ain't it? There's never a guarantee of comin' back. But passin' on, that's dead certain."
But what if there was no one to pass on with? What if time changed unexpectedly and destroyed everything Sailor Moon and her friends in the future fought so long to fight to protect for? She didn't know why, but she couldn't help feel like she wasn't fully honest about Jack and Barbossa being the first proof in having been brought back to life. Someone else...someone close to her heart...had also died and been brought back, and that too was in a far off past. Sailor Moon found her heart to be in confusion. It didn't make sense.
Closing her eyes briefly to will that pain of somehow forgetting back into her mind, Sailor Moon then questioned what had also been on her mind, "Can the Brethen Court really stop Beckett's evil?"
"It's our only hope, lass."
That was all she needed to hear. "I'm not a pirate, but I feel like this isn't the first time I was a fugitive." Sailor Moon admitted, and she knew that that feeling was right.
"The world used to be a bigger place." Barbossa conceded.
Sailor Moon shook her head, "It's still the same...it's the inside that changed alot."
She turned to follow the others at the same time as Jack did. Both Sakura and Barbossa lingered behind a little, the former gazing up at the latter who did the same. Both of them, once enemies, were silent. Sakura found herself confused. After a few tensed moments, Barbossa didn't plot a munity on them. Maybe he wanted the crisis of Beckett and Davy Jones sorted as much as anyone else. Maybe he was planning on betraying them just as he had betrayed Jack eleven years ago here in the past, Sakura couldn't tell. Without a word, she jogged into a quick run to join her friends, leaving Barbossa to follow more slowly.
He knew what she was thinking. The girl had doubts, and he wouldn't blame her for her supicisions.
As the group trooped into the forest, weighted down with empty canteens, a sight greeted them that made them all suddenly nervous. In the clear water of one of the pools of water of a small waterfall, was a dead human body, dressed in the armor of a pirate of Singapore.
Sailor Mars, using her pyschic abilities, sensed for any signs of life within the man before lowering her arms, announcing, "He's dead. Possibly for a long time."
"But what is he doing here and where did he come from?" Ash asked, uncertainly.
Barbossa tried the water, but immediately spat it back out. He turned to everyone else, announcing, "Poisoned. Fouled by the body."
That would have been bad enough, but it was about to get worse. Pintel, on sudden impulse, stepped forward and lifted the body half out of the water. The grisly corpse of death was all too apparent. The unfortunate man had a large wooden spike shoved up through his mouth and sticking straight out of the top of his head. Despite the distorted face, Pintel managed to recognize him.
So did Sailor Venus. "Wait a minute, I've seen that man."
"Hey, she's right. He was in Singapore." Pintel realised in agreement.
Just then, Pikachu's ears perked, which meant that he sensed something before turning to look behind him and the others, "Pika pi!" the small Pokemon cried out.
"What is it, Pikachu?" Ash asked, immediately sensing that something was wrong.
Just as Ash asked, this, Cotton's Parrot squaked Singapore, quickly followed by Marty calling out to the others, gazing at the shore. Jack, Sakura, Sailor Moon, Ash, Barbossa and the Sailor Scouts all turned in unison as did everyone else, to see Ragetti, who was keeping watch on the beach, wave his arms out, calling out, "Oi! We got company!" pointing out to sea frantically with the other. There, out at sea, the impressive ship of Sao Feng, the Empress, was pulling up alongside the Black Pearl.
Too late for Sakura, the Sailor Team, the small crew of the Black Pearl, Jack and Barbossa to realise, this was the signal Tai Heung and his men had waited for. All of the Chinese men suddenly had their pistols aimed at the rest of the group, making them realise that this had been a trap all along. Tai Heung had never been on their side. Most pistols were aimed at Jack, while the Sailor Team and the small crew of the Black Pearl raise their hands up for surrender. Barbossa just stood there, mutely shocked but not reacting as much as the others were.
Jack, quickly surrounded by dangerous men, quickly pointed at Barbossa behind him in order to save himself, "He's the Captain." which not only had the Sailor Team all groan loudly in unison with huge sweatdrops, but also Barbossa to roll his eyes in sheer annoyance.
Trust Jack to say something stupid in a situation like this. Then again, he was infamous of getting himself into trouble, whether he knew it or not. In this case at least, he'd been fully unaware, as did everyone else with him.
The deck of the Black Pearl was crowded with Chinese pirates, screaming and yelling in triumph that the infamous black ship had at last been taken. As the Sailor Team, Barbossa and Jack boarded the ship along with the rest of the prisoners. They saw that the remainder of the crew, among them Elizabeth and Gibbs, also had been taken prisoner. Needless to say, the two groups were surprised to see each other.
Except for Barbossa, who greeted Sao Feng, as if he had expected to see him there all along. "Sao Feng, you showin' up here, it be a remarkable coincidence." while Jack, a little frightened, hid behind his rival like a scared child, which was both cute and very embarrassing.
Sailor Moon, Sakura, Ash and Pikachu were forced standing next to the two Captains of the Black Pearl, glaring heatedly at Sao Feng, but none more so than Ash who was furious that the Chinese pirate had gone back on his word to leave them alone. Sao Feng smirked momentarily at Barbossa, before he turned his eyes to Jack Sparrow, having seen him hide behind the latter.
"Jack Sparrow," Sao Feng grunted at Jack, who knew the charade was over, inched out to face the angry pirate Captain. "You paid me great insult once."
"That doesn't sound like me." Jack replied, only to rechieve a punch right into the face by the Chinese Pirate, nearly breaking his nose. The Sailor Team, Gibbs and Elizabeth cringed in sympathy at Jack, who shook his head to rid the dizziness, before cracking his nose back into shape, before asking painfully and sheepishly at Sao Feng, "Shall we just call it square, then?"
At that moment, Will, conspicuous in his lack of any sort of restraint, pushed his way through the crowd. "Release her!" He demanded, of Sao Feng angrily, pointing at Elizabeth. "She's not part of the bargain."
"And what bargain be that?" Barbossa questioned at Will, finding himself confused for once.
Sao Feng didn't answer Barbossa directly. He turned to Will with a sarcastic smile hovering at the corners of his mouth. "You heard Captain Turner, release her."
"Captain Turner?" Jack, Sailor Moon and Sakura muttered in unison, shocked.
"Aye, this perfidious rotter led a mutiny against us." Gibbs grumbled darkly, glaring daggers at Will for the betrayal.
Sakura, shocked beyond belief, demanded in horror and hurt, "Will, how could you!?"
"Why are you doing this, even to us?" Sailor Moon demanded, especially since she, the four other Sailor Scouts, Sakura, Ash and Pikachu were taken prisoners themselves despite that they were not pirates.
"I need the Pearl to free my father." Will answered. "That's the only reason I came on this voyage." before turning to Sakura and her friends, muttering half-apologetically, "It's nothing personal. I'm sorry, but you left me with no choice. You never should've come back. Neither of you, so you wouldn't have gotten into this."
Sakura was hurt by this. Will had gone this far only to have Elizabeth not as prisoner but to have Sakura herself and the Sailor Team prisoners since he knew that they wanted to rescue Jack? Did he see them as traitors?
The rest of the Sailor Team glared angrily at Will, with Sailor Jupiter hissing darkly, "Traitor."
"Why didn't you tell me you were planning this?" Elizabeth demanded as she approached Will, who avoided her gaze.
Due to the fact he wasn't sorry about this, but wanted to keep both Elizabeth safe as well as free his father, nothing else mattered to Will. Still, he felt guilty for keeping this from her, but since she kept the fact that she left Jack to his death and prevented Sailor Moon from keeping him alive, all he answered was, "It was my burden to bear."
Elizabeth stared at him in muted shock. The pirates, she could understand, but Sakura and her friends as well? That was the ultimate betrayal, especially since the eight of them(Pikachu included) were not Pirates.
By this time, Jack had managed to work himself into a highly indignant frame of mind. He pointed to Will and said, in a highly sarcastic voice. "He needs the Pearl. Captain Turner needs the Pearl." he then turned to Sakura and the Sailor Team, adding, "And you kids came here to save your future." which caused them to flinch, knowing that he was half right. Jack then looked at Elizabeth. "And you felt guilty." Then to Barbossa, "And you and your Brethren Court."
Jack then spread his arms out, as though he was adressing to the world, "Did no one come to save me just because they missed me?"
Dead silence. A lot of the crew exchanged either uncomfortable or slightly impatient looks. Suddenly Marty's hand shot up. Jack instantly turned around and pointed at him gleefully. In the next few seconds, both Pintel and Ragetti also slowly raised their hands, embarrassed smiles appearing on their faces. Even Jack the Monkey raised his little paw. Life had not been much fun without his favorite object of torment.
Jack noted each other raised hands with increasing satisfaction. "I'm standin' over there with them." making his move to join those who missed him, only to be caught by the shoulder by Sao Feng, holding him back.
"I'm sorry, Jack, but there's an old friend who would like to see you first." Sao Feng whispered coldly, which earned questionly looks from both Will and Elizabeth. Did that mean the Chinese Pirate Captain didn't come here alone?
Jack, suddenly nervous, admitted, "I'm not sure as I can survive any more visits from old friends."
Sao Feng dragged Jack to the side of the Black Pearl, saying roughly, "Now is your chance to find out."
When Jack and everyone else looked off into the ocean, his, the Black Pearl crew, and the Sailor Team's expressions turned to that of shock, most of their hearts dropping at the mere sight of the Interceptor, sailing towards them. The vessel of Lord Cutler Beckett himself.
"But you won't be going alone." Sao Feng continued, turning his head to gaze at the Sailor Team, or more directly, at Sailor Moon, concluding, "Your little friend there is also to meet with him." causing Jack to gaze behind him at Sailor Moon as much as possible.
"Me?" Sailor Moon asked, stunned while everyone else gazed at her in confusion. What was she to Lord Beckett? She thought that it was Sakura who Beckett wanted to meet and kill.
Realising that Sailor Moon was in danger, Ash then denied it and yelled, "No way! Let me go with Jack instead!"
Sao Feng, finding the boy's courage rather amusing, smirked cruely at him and pointed out, "My apologises, Ash Ketchum. But you are to remain here. It is only Jack Sparrow and Sailor Moon their old friend would want to meet."
Ash could only glare angrily at Sao Feng, realising that there was no other choice. His only hope was that something would happen that could gain him, the Sailor Team, Jack, Sailor Moon, and the Black Pearl crew freedom to escape so that they can head to Shipwreck Cove.
But if Beckett actually wanted to get to Sakura, what did he really want with Sailor Moon along with Jack?
A/N: Sorry that I wasn't able to post two chapters today, but as the chapters are getting either longer or shorter, well, this is better than nothing since I managed to find time to at least post one chapter today. See you real soon!
