Chapter 20: The Island of Contigo

A day passed on the waters of South Blue… Jack was in her room rearranging what little belongings she had while Lamar and Fitts sat in the kitchen discussing what to do next. Wendy was at the wheel, Fitts thinking she should be up and manning the wheel. It wasn't too bad as Wendy preferred to the calm breeze of the wind flowing through her hair. It wasn't long before an island came into sight with Wendy calling out to everyone. The pirate crew began to converge onto the deck except for the cook.

"Finally, an island! Something to get rid of the tension!" Lamar cheered as he quickly ran to the front of the boat. It gently rocked causing Fitts to holler at Lamar to keep his excitement down unless he wanted to tip the boat over but his best friend ignored him. The sight of land got ants in his pants!

"I swear, sometimes I wonder if you're a child trapped in an adults body." Fitts mumbled as he came walking up behind him.

"It's because I am!" The captain laughed as he rubbed his head. "You can't kill youth no matter how old you get!"

"If you say so."

It looked like a regular island, if not large. There was a small dock that could be seen with the village of average size. It seemed rather localized with little bustling going on. If anything this was probably the only village on the entire island due to how small it looked but they couldn't judge until they land and get a little information on where it is they are exactly on the South Blue.

"If I remember correctly, I might have been here before and it doesn't seem like there is a whole lot here." Wendy said quietly as she leaned against the wheel of the boat. "Are we sure we want to stop here?"

"Do you want to skip this island then and keep going until we find another island then? I mean, I think we have enough supplies to last that long if you really want to." Fitts looked over his shoulder towards the woman. "It doesn't matter to me really."

"No way! We have to stop on the island! There might be some person here we can recruit to our crew!" Lamar intervened.

"Ugh… do we have to recruit a complete stranger without asking who he or she is?"

"Why not? Sounds exciting!"

"Are you insane?" Wendy shrieked as she looked to her captain who had the toothiest grin on his face. "That's dangerous and we risk bringing some nutjob onto the boat! Don't get me wrong, I think finding valuable crew members is essential but it should be someone that we could trust first for foremost."

"Thank you, Wendy." Fitts adjusted the hat on his head as he agreed with the sniper of the crew.

"There's a problem with getting to know someone before recruiting someone. We aren't here to be on vacation and get to meet with any individual who is willing to join a pirate crew. We're here to find someone that is willing to join us on the adventure and is willing to trust their lives with us!" Lamar huffed as he folded his arms over his chest.

"And vice versa… I'd prefer not to wake up with a knife to my neck." Fitts groaned. "Or maybe they can even sabotage our boat. It's small as it is and it already has a few dents and cracks."

"I highly doubt something like that would happen especially with all of us on board. If one particular person wants to mutiny I am pretty sure all of us would be more than capable of messing them up. And if the boat falling apart is such a problem then why can't we look around town? Maybe we can find a shipwright to fix up the boat some."

"He does have a point." Wendy spoke up.

"Yeah, he does actually but I'm still iffy on the idea."

Lamar cackled. "Then let us land and start looking around! We can get supplies and maybe some things for the boat. If we can't find a shipwright then the best we can do is repair the damages that have been caused by us and our new friend down below the deck. Something to keep this boat afloat!"

At this time, Jacqueline came up onto the deck, dressed in her tattered brown cloak with her hood draped over her face. Her eyes were averted over the side of the boat towards the island and she only grunted. The thought of people irritated her. No surprise there. Those black empty orbs then moved onto her fellow crewmates who stared back, except Lamar who ducked behind his best friend to avoid eye contact.

"I see we're landing…" Jack mumbled.

"We sure are dear. Care to join us once we dock?" Wendy smiled as she turned the wheel slightly, directing the boat towards the docks.

"And be around people? No thanks…"

And with that Jacqueline turned around and moseyed back down below deck barely paying any mind to Fitts and Lamar who stared awkwardly…

"I'm still awaiting the day I wake up to the boat on fire and Jack standing on the mast laughing manically…" Fitts said as he rubbed his eyes before pulling up the sleeves on his shirt. It was time for them to land and get the day started. The longer they dilly dally, the more time they risk getting found out that they are pirates. "Let's land, get what we need, speak to whom we need to speak too and get out of here. Even though it's a small island it's probably more vulnerable to other pirate raids leading to possible Marine patrols."

The captain of the boat was watching the doorway leading down to the inner sanctum of the boat before his attention turned towards his 1st mate. "The marines won't even know who we are though so we should be safe right?"

Fitts turned towards Lamar, eyes narrowed. "That depends… will the marines be looking for the man who announced to the entire city of Saluoon that the great treasure 'One Piece' still exists and that he wil become the next Pirate King? And considering that happened a couple of days ago, I wouldn't doubt they are still scouring the waters for you."

"Shit, I forgot about that."

"How could you? It was a rather momentus and stupid moment."

"Uhm…"

Wendy coughed suddenly. "Let's just focus on docking the boat…."

"A fine idea, Wendy. Since you were a bounty hunter in the past, do you have any idea what island or town this is?" Fitts asked as Lamar stood next to him scratching his head.

The woman laughed aloud as a hand went over her eyepatch, scratching the brow beneath the strap. "If my memory serve me right I think we are close to the island of Contigo. This is a small quaint town I used to visit in my amateur days. I haven't been here in so long but judging by the way it looks, it hasn't changed much."

Lamar came running up next to her, hands on the boxes close by as he listened.

"So they are friendly people then?" Fitts asked.

"Oh yes!" Wendy laughed again. "They are actually probably the friendliest people in the South Blue except for the fact they hate… uh… pirates." Slowing down her sentence as she slowly reached the last word.

The two men stared at her…

"Oh great what a wonderful time to be a pirate." Fitts threw his hands in the air as he groaned.

Wendy watched him walk away before facing forward again. Lamar still stared at her… "Don't look at me. I don't remember anything about this island and I'm the only one on this boat that has been here so if you need any more information, we will have to land first and ask." Closing her eye she went back to guiding the boat towards the beach. "For right now, I suggest you all go get ready… this is going to be a rather interesting day to be sure."

As they drew closer to the island, Wendy's eyebrow twitched as she noticed all the locals gathering around the beach and the docks to see the boat getting closer. Before they knew it, there was a large crowd and it kept growing and growing. She could hear cheers and see the little ones waving to them as they ran out to the shoreline. Maybe they thought they were going to swing around and go around the island... afraid not. Looking all along the coat, Wendy could only guess that the entire village was out and about to greet them.

"Oh…" Wendy smiled nervously. "I wasn't expecting this."

As the boat was closer and it was obvious the crowds of people weren't going to leave the area, most of which were fascinated to see a visitor. It was then Wendy remembered that this island rarely gets any visitors due to the lack of civilization on the island. This was the only real village on the island minus a few farmlands further inland. Perhaps this island would be a perfect place to relax for a while… if it wasn't for the fact Lamar's face and voice rumbled through the news and made headlines probably. Combing her hair out of her eye she let slowly turned the wheel and prepped the boat to make a landing.

Lamar and Fitts came back up on deck, both having a concerned look on their face. They could see land getting closer and a large crowd of people.

"Wendy, what's going on? Is this some sort reunion you got going on with the inhabitants of the island?!" Lamar hollered as he quickly ran for the wheel.

"I doubt any of them even remember or know who I am!" Wendy hissed as she concentrated with her eye focusing on the small wooden docks that were falling apart. "I just want to land this boat and get away from the docks. There's a lot of people and if anyone saw that public execution then they clearly saw Lamar's face." Palms facing down to the boat she let out a quiet yell as the boat rumbled.

"Fuck me..." Fitts slapped himself in the face. "Maybe we can hope that the newspapers didn't make it this far yet."

The boat creaked and moaned as it made its turn into the dock with the villagers eager to see the crew members. A majority of them whispered amongst one another that it's a trader vessel and hoped to bring about a bit of new materials and knick knacks. The excitement was too much to bear! It has been a few weeks since a ship has even came close to the island. As the boat settled and ropes being thrown over the side there was a bit of laughter and cheers.

"Fitts…" Lamar gasped as his head was peering over the side.

"What?"

"I think these people are cheering for us! Do you think they're cheering for us because of what we did at Saluoon?"

"I highly doubt that they would be so open to welcome us without a bit of suspicion. We are pirates after all and if what Wendy said is true these people don't very much like our kind." Fitts finished throwing tie down ropes before he patted his friend to go down onto the docks to tie them down. "I'm going to go get Jack."

"Sure thing bud!" Lamar saluted.

"Ugh…" Wendy sighed as she let her hands slip away from the wheel of the boat as her body slumped onto a nearby wooden box. "I'm glad we are going to be off the waters for a while but I still can't help but feel this might be a bit risky."

As the 1st mate walked he heard Wendy and agreed. "But it shouldn't be that bad."

"I hope so…"

Down below the deck, Jacqueline sat in the kitchen area merely looking about to see what it was she would be cooking for the crew when the sun went down. There was things obviously, but nothing that she liked… Jacqueline was so used to surviving out in the woods that all his modern cooking with all of these appliances was a whole new experience for her. Silently she grumbled.

"I guess we're eating berries tonight…"

"Jack!" A voice echoed through the interior of the boat.

"The long hair man…" Jacqueline whispered before shouting back. "What?"

"We've landed at the docks! Are you going to come up and look around with us or are you going to just sit here all day and sleep?"

"I'm not sleeping."

"Well you could."

"Meh… I'm staying here."

"If that's what you want then." The voice finished and before long it was gone with the sounds of footsteps going overhead. Fitts was gone.

"It'd probably be best anyways." Jacqueline growled angrily as she clenched her fists. "These people would probably treat me the same way as those in my hometown. Discrimination…"

Back on the deck, Fitts and Wendy were making their way towards the board walk to head into town where Lamar was awaiting them after being amassed by a crowd of people. He was laughing as he was talking to them and waving his arms around probably telling stories or just being goofy. It didn't seem like this was a problem as everyone around him was enjoying the small spectacle. A friendly group of people to say the least so long as no one finds out that they are pirates…

"This place seems a little disconnected from the rest of the South Blue. Don't they know what happened at Saluoon?" Fitts groaned as he stepped off the plank stretching his back and readjusting his hat.

"That works a bit in a favor then, does it not?" Wendy smirked as she followed close behind Fitts before patting him on the back.

Groaning, he walked over to the side of his captain to see the people surrounding them. They all looked average but they were all pretty shocked with smiles and clamoring.

"This is fun?" Lamar chuckled as he continued to shake hands with random people.

A few moments later after landing, the people starting to make room for the visitors as they themselves started to calm down. Minutes passed before a small group of people came up.

"Hello there strangers! Welcome to the island of Contigo and may I say for the entire village that we are quite happy to see a ship landing here! For a second there we thought you were going to just go on your merry way. However, I should state that before you ask, we are a rather tiny community with little essentials. We will do our best to make sure though you can get what you need!" An elder man laughed. He was mayor by the way he was dressed. Casual suit with a brown checkered vest on over it. He had a scrawny face with a full beard and a balding head.

"You make all make it seem like you're desperate for traders to come by." Fitts smirked. "While we weren't expecting such a large welcoming committee, it's pretty obvious that you're ready to deal in some commerce and business. Sadly, we don't have anything worth bartering."

The mayor shook his head and continued to speak politely. "My my, it seems you have us figured out. Indeed, we are desperate for some local business within the South Blue to get some more ships down this way but over the years the ships have become quite scarce. We've relied on our islands own natural resources but there's a large group of mountain bandits who have been hoarding all of it so it's been a bit of a pickle."

Lamar piped up. "Mountain bandits! Oh that sounds exciting."

Fitts quickly elbowed him in the ribs. "We're but simple travellers. Simply charting the waters as we go trying to get a better understanding of our area and where we stand on the South Blue."

"Oh that's a tough task to make out you know. No one in this village ever sets sail anymore because of all of the dangers on the waters. With the Sea Kings, pirates and other hazards mind you. 'm surprised you haven't had any trouble with the pirates." The mayor chuckled.

Lamar laughed nervously before Fitts groaned and spoke up. "Yeah… pirates."

"Why that last pirate who came here came here threatening us for not supplying her any large boulders. Large boulders! Of all the things she could've asked for. I never met such an interesting person who would get genuinely upset over such a thing… If it wasn't for her crew to calm her, it probably would've gotten a bit messy." The old man shuttered.

Fitts raised a brow as he leaned towards his friend. "Did you hear that, Lamar? There's another pirate making her way towards the Grand Line so no doubt we will probably run into that crew some time before then or in the Grand Line."

"Yeah, I wonder why she needed boulders though. Seems like an odd thing to ask for, yeah?" Lamar mumbled quietly back.

The two were interrupted when Wendy stepped up clapping her hands together, hair bouncing with every step. "I don't know about you all but I feel like I can use a rest at a bar and maybe have a drink or two. Sailing for a few days can really take a lot out of a woman."

"By all means! You can all call me 'Old Man' Randall, mayor of this here town! May I ask what your names are so we know who to address?"

Chuckling the captain of the crew scratched his scalp and played with the tuff of hair on his head. "I am Lamar, the captain of this here ship! This fine gentleman is my 1st mate, Fitts and the lovely woman before you all is… uh… Wendy."

Wendy covered her face as she blushed and began swooning around the docks. "Lovely? Oh Lamar, you make me blush. You know how to make me feel so pretty."

"Yeah… she's a weird one." Fitts coughed.

"And we have another on board the ship, our cook, Jacqueline who goes by the name Jack. She is going to stay with the ship for now. She isn't a very good people person judging from what we've already seen."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you and by all means make yourselves at home so long as your staying here." Randall scratched his beard as he walked off towards the village with a bunch of the elderly people and the younger kids. He quickly turned towards a young man to take over. It turned out to be the mayor's son who glared heavily at the group of people arriving on their island. Along with him was a group of military aged males and some females.

"Quite a ship you have there…" The man said jokingly as the crowd laughed. "I don't see why my father is so nice to every person that comes here especially with a boat as shitty as yours."

This caused Lamar, Fitts and Wendy to turn around and look at their ship. It was pretty beaten up and slightly falling apart at this point. The boat itself was just a horrid thing to look at overall due to the initial takeover of the boat from when the two men met Wendy. It embarrassed Lamar very much as his face turned red, yet he didn't feel as bad seeing as he was going to find a shipwright and have an awesome ship made in its place and make it better than every ship on the South Blue.

"I guess I should introduce myself I am Cordell, son of Randall, training to be the next mayor as my father steps down next year to retire. Since I'm waiting, I've taken up the military position to prepare whatever militia we have to fend off pirates should they try and invade. Don't be fooled, we're stronger than we look."

"Why do you say that?" Fitts asked.

"Because I don't trust you lot."

"Wow. A militia leader… You must be pretty strong to fend off against pirates." Lamar tilted his head at the comment. "Didn't your dad just say a woman pirate came to your island? Why didn't you deal with her?"

"We were occupied with training before we even heard what was going!" Cordell shrieked. Quickly he regained his composure, smoothing wrinkles out of his shirt. "Anyways, I don't think we have a lot to worry from you anyways. With a ship like that, I doubt pose much of a threat anyways."

Cordell laughed aloud and soon everyone began to chime in. The loud roaring of laughter caused Lamar to grit his teeth.

Wendy only raised a brow. "I see these people are real polite." Fitts nodded in agreement. The whole bunch seemed like trouble makers than a militia.

Cordell wiped a tear from his eyes from laughter as he dismissed the majority of the militiamen who stood behind him. "Go about your business sailors and don't cause trouble. I will be watching you and the moment there is any kind of trouble I will personally come for your head and end it before it even begins. Trust me." Before he left he pointed at his own eyes before throwing his points at the pirate crew.

Wendy rolled her eye pulling up a strap of her tanktop. "What an interesting fellow. If anything he might be the one causing us trouble."

"The guys a nut if you ask me." A grunt escaped the lips of the 1st mate as he took off his hat before moving down the wooden planks. "C'mon, let's get a move on before the sun sets. I don't think we should walk around at night with the mayor's son gawking at us. He might blame us for something just so he has a reason to get on our asses."

"They wouldn't do that would they?" Lamar blinked. "I mean, we don't give off that 'we want to pillage your belongings' vibe, do we?"

The other two looked to each other before shaking their heads. "Let's just get going. If the mayor is correct though about those bandits then maybe they'll be more distracted by their actions rather than ours."

It wasn't until Lamar looked over his shoulder towards the ship. Jacqueline was still hidden away in the belly of the ship not wanting to leave. Was it really safe for her to stay alone especially with her fire powers? A scary thought went through the captain's head as he tugged at his purple SMILE shirt. The last thing he needed was to come back to a pile of ashes that was once their ship.

"She'll be okay by herself, right?"

"Eh, who knows? Jack just needs time to herself to get comfortable. She did live in the wilderness most of her life so the company of others might is a new experience to her no doubt." Wendy smiled to try and reassure her captain. Lamar cringed until he felt a tug on his arm. "Let's gooooo! Jack will be fiiiine!"

"Okay." Lamar said quietly as he complied with the tugging and before he knew it, he along with Fitts and Wendy went into town.

The town was pretty average with mall buildings here and there and store stands littering the docks. The overall layout reminded the two young men of their hometown Tele'I. The memories began to flood back to the two and their lips curled to grins. Sheer excitement began to overwhelm them and soon the two began to walk a bit faster with Wendy close behind. People welcomed them with open arms and offered samples of the delicacies cooked. It brought a familiar feeling of peace and happiness to them. Who would've thought another place like home existed? If only it was closer to Tele'I…

As the three relished in the company of the village, Cordell stood at the corner of a building leaning against a pillar. He had his arms folded over his chest grumbling quietly to himself.

"I don't trust them... you two," Cordell waved over a couple of his men who were quick to comply with his order. "I want you two to follow them around and report back to me if anything suspicious happens. They may be nice now but all it will take is an opening for them to take an advantage of us."

"As you say, Cordell."

"If they threaten our people then by all means, you can take whatever action that's necessary." Hissing this as he stared at the three newcomers on their island. Lamar caught a glimpse of him staring and laughed as he waved childishly. "Fucking weirdo..."