Monster Mash

Just as I promised, the next chapter much sooner! Things are pretty much in the home stretch, with the showdown beginning soon. But expect an interesting twist in the end, and a few others in the upcoming chapters.

Chapter 9 ~ The Midnight Hour approaches! The final mask?

The noon sun was gradually rising higher and higher into the sky over the island, but murky clouds loomed on the horizon, threatening to damper the brilliant light. Onboard the Sunny, the crew was gathered on the deck, sitting in a circle by the tree. Franky's head was propped up on the swing, allowing him to be more or less eye level with his friends, who sat quietly as their navigator scanned over a freshly drawn map. Most of them were either sitting or lying, Luffy fidgeted on his spot, bothered by the constraining materials of his cloak.

"Ok, we're here at the docks, and Wes' place is near the eastern corner, just a little ways from the town. Judging by people's reaction to us yesterday, we shouldn't have to worry about causing a panic if we go out in public. But that doesn't we can just go barreling to the mansion, Drake could very well have spies somewhere in the town." Nami said, tapping her finger on key parts of the town that she designated as likely ambush spots.

"Then what would you suggest as our best course of action, Ms Navigator?" Robin asked, lying on her side with one hand propping her head.

"Like I said yesterday, you and Sanji will head to Wes and try to find out anything useful regarding Drake. In the mean time, the rest of us will head for the mansion and scout the area." Nami pointed to a spot on the map that depicted the mansion.

"But aren't we gonna just bust down the doors?" Luffy asked, brushing the hood of his cloak with his sleeve to look properly. Nami shook her head.

"Don't be stupid, they obviously know we're gonna try and do something. We have to at least try and see if we can gain an advantage. And it's not like all of us know how to use our new abilities...." Nami trailed off, glancing over her shoulders to her tiny wings, which flapped pathetically.

"Like being unprepared hasn't been a concern for us in the past." Zoro murmured, lying on his back, allowing the sun to wash over him. An annoyed growl spilled from Sanji, his crooked teeth rattling, "Better shut that snout of yours before I put a muzzle on it, hairball!"

"I'd like to see you try, ogre!" The swordsman sat upright, fangs bared. But before the two could lock into another struggle, they were both beaned in the head by Franky, tossed at them by an irritated Nami.

"If that's it for discussion, then perhaps it would be wise to get moving." Robin said, standing up, brushing off her dress, the root like hairs rustling from a gentle breeze. Nami nodded, getting up as well. As the crew filled off the ship and headed for the town, Nami turned and looked towards the clouds.

"Nami?" Sanji asked, being the first to notice.

"A storm's coming, but I swear I hadn't sensed one a while ago." The angelic girl said, feeling a strange chill.

"It's probably nothing..." Luffy said, continuing to stroll dock the dock, the others following quickly behind. Nami gave a sigh, "I hope you're right."

#

"We'll rendezvous with you at the mansion grounds as soon we can." Robin began, she and Sanji standing near the mansion road with the others.

"Right, and if we don't hear from you within an hour, we'll go on ahead." Nami finished. Franky was tied to Sogeking's Kabuto, the cyborg's head dangling with an annoyed look. Nodding once more in agreement, the two groups headed their separate ways, with the archeologist and cook making their way to the pumpkin patch. They quickly arrived, but found no one in the fields, which had long since been refilled from Ichabod's assault.

"Hmm, perhaps he's inside the shack." Robin suggested, and the two waltzed over to the small wooden structure, knocking on the door. But when no one answer, Robin decided to use her powers. Crossing her arms, she closed her eyes, and opened another pair that appeared inside the shack.

"Strange, it appears no one is home, it's almost as if Wes hasn't been here since the incident the other day." The Nymph said, opening her real eyes once more.

"Maybe he went to stay somewhere in town, I wouldn't be surprised if the mess caused by that pumpkin freak was too much for him to handle alone." Sanji said. The two then returned to town, where they soon noticed a few looks, namely from the men. Whistles and catcalls were made towards Robin, who merely ignored the comments, while Sanji was livid.

"HEY YOU SHITTY BASTARDS! EYES OFF!" He bellowed, pumping his arms into the air, scaring away the closest men. Robin ignored the Oni's outburst and calmly garnered the attention of a woman who was reading next to a fountain.

"Excuse madam, but would you have to know where we can find a man named Wes?" She asked. The woman closed her book and shook her head.

"Sorry, miss, I don't. But you could try asking Miriam at the local tavern, she knows everyone, old and new." The woman pointed to a small saloon style building a few yards of where the two women spoke. Robin nodded, smiling.

"Thank you. Mr. Oni-Cook, let's go." Robin said, turning slightly to see the blonde demon still threatening idling men. Immediately all the rage and fury vanished from cook's face as he turned to acknowledge the woman.

"Yes, Robin my darling!" The oni said, hearts popping up in his eyes as he quickly followed after the green skinned woman as she entered the bar.

#

Luffy and the others were half-way up the path to the mansion, being careful of their surroundings. Luckily, it appeared that no one, or nothing, waswaiting for them. Soon they emerged into the large open clearing, the mansion seemingly more ominous than ever before. The sky was now a misty grey, the storm clouds building up and blocking the sun.

"Alright, we'll wait here. If today is the day Drake makes his move, he's more than likely going to begin an attack on the town." Nami started, motioning for the others to stick by near a line of bushes.

"I see you kids have really gotten in deep, huh?" A voice said, nearly making everyone jump out of their skin (yohoho). Turning they came face to face with Wes, who chuckled lightly, his wrinkled face creasing to show his jovial response.

"Wes!" Nami said, clutching her chest, her heart feeling ready to explode from the fright, "What you doing here?" She was about to ask, but was silence by the old man who motioned to hush.

"No need to say anything, I know why you're all here. Come, we have to get inside that house and bring an end to all this!" Wes said, pointing to the mansion.

"But we need to go find Robin and Sanji, they're back in town looking for you." Luffy said, about to make a dash for the path, but Wes grabbed his arm and pulled. A surprisingly strong grip kept the rubbery vampire from moving too far before he stopped.

"There's no time! The ritual is about to begin!" The geezer said. The others shared reserved looks, but nodded in the end, figuring that Sanji and Robin would find their way to the house in time. Wes led the way, surprising moving more quicker than the last time he had encountered the Straw Hats.

"How did you learn about Drake?" Nami asked, jogging up alongside the old man.

"I had my suspicions. So I went snooping around the house not long after the lot of you left after that fight. Didn't take me long to piece together all the clues." Wes said, pushing open the doors, which were now just propped against the frame. It was completely quiet inside, as if the house was no longer occupied at all.

"This is too easy." Zoro said, a claw reaching for a sword.

"Like it'd be fun if it wasn't." Luffy chuckled, throwing off the heavy cloaks. Reaching the end of the hall, Wes opened the doors to the ball room, which echoed as the group stepped inside. Outside, the gentle patter of rainfall could be heard.

"Wait, shouldn't we head for the chamber below? That looked like it had something to do with the ritual." Nami asked aloud, but Wes seemed to ignore her, instead walking briskly to the center of the room.

"Young lady, you really have no understanding of what's really going on here, do you?" A familiar voice said. Then the room shook violently.

"What the hell?!" Sogeking said, looking down to see the floor crack, spidery fractures appearing all around. The shaking became a rumble, and it became difficult to keep ones balance. The floor then gave way completely, dropping Luffy and the others. But instead of falling a long distance, they found themselves landing on solid stone. The ceiling above fell, showering the ground below with heaps of debris.

"Look out!" Luffy cried, using Gum Gum Balloon and floating over Nami and Brook as a large chunk of the storm painting fell towards them. All around, the walls crumbled and fell, revealing tall pillars, and from the far end of the room, an alter.

"What's going on?" Franky bellowed, his head swinging around on the kabuto and making him nauseous. Meanwhile, the spot where Wes stood remained unphased by the shifting architecture, the center spot now one of the pillars, kicking up dust. As things began to settle, the sound of rainfall pelting the ground could be heard.

"Ugh... man that was crazy..." Luffy coughed, the dust clinging to his throat as it dissipated. He then looked up to see Wes, standing high above on the central pillar.

#

Robin leaned over a polished bar counter, where a portly woman was cleaning out a glass.

"Excuse me, but I was told you might be able to help us locate someone." Robin said, trying to be as clear as possible over the sounds of the bar, where patrons hollered and jeer, drinking, smoking, and playing games.

"Sure, dear. Who do you need help tracking. Let ol' Miriam be your guide." The woman winked, setting down the glass.

"Yes. We're looking for man named Wes, he lives in the shack at the pumpkin patch, but he's strangely absent. It's vital that we find him as he may have some crucial information." Robin stated, but as she finished, Miriam gave her an odd frown.

"Oh deary, I'm sorry but you must be seriously mistaken..." She said. Robin quirked an eyebrow.

"And how so?" The nymph asked.

"You must have been misinformed, dear. You see..."

#

"Hey! Wes, what's going on here?" Luffy called to the old man, but was met with a long, overdrawn laugh from the old man.

"You're such a fool. You still haven't figure it out yet?" The old man said, letting his walking cane drop to the ground below and standing perfectly fine atop the pillar. Luffy frowned in confusion. The old man narrowed his eyes, which glowed a bright amber color.

#

"The man known as Wes has been dead for over 30 years." Miriam said, "Shame too, he used to love the festivities that took place on this island, why I remember this one time..." But Miriam's reverie was ignored by the looks of shock on Robin and Sanji's faces. Just then a loud bang could be heard... Thunder...

#

The roar of thunder seemed deafening as the words sunk in, leaving Luffy and the others in complete shock.

"What did you say?..." Luffy muttered in disbelief. Wes gave another cackle, which dripped with mockery.

"I'll say it slowly this time; Wes is dead, the old coot bit the big one decades ago!" Then the old man clutched at the sides of his face, his wide grin on display. A sickly suction like noise could be heard as Wes' face was pulled away from his head! His height, posture, and form all shifted in the blink of an eye.

"DRAKE?!" A collective gasp was shared as the ghoulish man pulled away the wooden mask of an old man. Tossing to the floor, the mask shattered as the man gave another derisive chuckle.

"Ah, it feels good to be out of that thing. I swear, having to talk, and act, like an old is harder than it look!" Drake said, casually stretching out his limps, letting them crack back into place. Then he thrusted a finger into the air before bringing it down to point towards the bewildered crew.

"And now, it's time for the ceremony to begin!"

TO BE CONTINUED

Stayed tuned for the next chapter; "The War of the Monsters begins! Wizard Chopper's grand duel!"

I wonder who saw that coming? I mean, I'm sure some people might have been picking up on the amber eyes, but I wasn't terribly sure. Well, it's now pretty much going to be fight central from here on out. I would estimate maybe another 3-4 chapters. Things are definitely gonna be crazy, and I'm sure you all can't wait, lol. Til the next time!