While Jack was busy in port, I also made myself busy making my own acquisitions with the local Moogle, Morlock. While my savings of munny could not be used in place of the local currency, as a Moogle he was quite willing to accept my munny in exchange for obtaining local items on my behalf. With the assurances that my Samurais were in fact working for me, he assisted me in surreptitiously improving my ship's armaments and restoring the supplies needed for the cannons, both the original few on board and those I added while there.
To further complicate the issue of getting aboard for the Organization, Morlock also sold me two Dark Shards, each one attuned to the little-used darkness in me. One was on a bracelet that I kept on me at all times after then, the other I hung on a hook next to one of the lamps in my cabin.
That doesn't seem like it'd have much effect, but it allowed me to effectively nullify the darkness both aboard my ship and around me, either completely or selectively. I could block out dark corridors so that not even the most powerful wielder of darkness could open one to my ship, or anywhere near me. What's more, the two shards were linked – I could use them for instant travel from wherever I was to my cabin, even if there was someone else blocking out my darkness – because while they might have been blocking it out where I was, the chances were they weren't also doing it aboard my ship. Essentially it allowed me to form a dark corridor backwards, from the destination to where I was. A little emergency 'get me out of here' trick that I felt I could have done with a few times before then.
And then because even I had to do something to keep myself busy, I passed myself off as a cargo merchant, with Morlock's help picking up a cargo of, what else, rum. No, I didn't sample any. Maybe Jack insists it's necessary for any successful voyage, but I wanted my wits about me. Besides – I'm under-age.
Jack returned just as the last of the cargo was being tied down in the hold – well, actually the brig, since there wasn't a proper hold aboard – rather predictably for him being pursued by a number of the king's men.
"A little help here, Roxas!" he called to me as he ran down the jetty.
"What have you done this time, Jack?" I shouted back, heading down the gangplank.
"Little misunderstanding, now will ye leave a mate to perish or not!"
"Stop him!" the men yelled to me.
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this," I muttered, then replied, "What's it worth to you?"
"There's a bounty on his head if you catch him and hand him over!"
"Not interested. Better luck next time," I added as Jack ran right past me and onto the ship. The men tried to follow, but I set the jetty between me and them alight to bar their path, then joined Jack aboard.
"Neat trick," Jack noted.
"We're not clear yet. Get those mooring lines loose, get the gangplank back on board and bring us about!" I commanded.
"Stop in the name of the King!" the various collected soldiers shouted over the growing gap. Jack winked at me then went to the rail.
"Alas, you will always remember this as the day you almost-" he broke off as one of them took a shot, knocking his hat onto the deck behind him. "Captain Jack Sparrow," he finished hurriedly, grabbed his hat and then took cover.
"They are readying another ship, Captain," one of the Samurais warned. "It is the H.M.S. Dauntless."
"Is our heading clear?"
"Aye Captain."
"Get those sails down and get us moving then. I'll provide the wind myself if I have to – unless any of you happen to know some magic, in which case I suggest you use it."
"What are you going to do if they catch up?" Jack asked.
"That depends what they plan to do."
"They're hardly going to come aboard for a tea party mate," he told me sardonically. "They'll be coming after you with their own guns ready, and probably won't be afraid to sink your ship."
"Then I'll have to sink them first, won't I?" I replied.
"That's a ship if the fleet you know," Jack pointed out. "A man could get in trouble for firing on it."
"I do believe you're right!" I exclaimed in mock surprise. "How is it that I didn't notice that before? Fortunately I have a solution. Do we still have the flag that came with the ship when we acquired it?"
"Of course, Captain. We have not yet removed it, it has only been taken down."
"Not to worry. What is it you say at times like this... oh yes – hoist the colours!" Then to Jack," I knew there was a good reason for keeping it around.
Hook's old flag was, of course, the typical skull and crossbones pirate flag.
"And there I was told by your friend that you were just rum-runners," Jack said.
"Oh, that's just a sideline," I replied dismissively. "There's much more profit to be made this way."
"Dauntless is in pursuit," the Samurai in the crow's nest reported. "She is gaining on us."
"Let's see just how long that lasts, shall we?" I said fiercely, then sent Aeroga howling into our sails. Several Samurais, much to my surprise despite my earlier remark, also cast varying levels of wind magic to join my own. The sails bellied out with a boom, the edges flapping in the new wind that seemed almost to try and tear the sails from the masts, which in turn creaked and groaned under the force.
"The Dauntless is still approaching," the report came down.
"I've got a suggestion for you," Jack said. "If you can create wind out of nothing to get us along, why not sent it their way – to send them back into port?"
"I never thought of that. Would that work?"
"Always has when the weather doesn't cooperate."
"Worth a try. Alright, you heard Captain Sparrow's idea – any of you with magic left, work with me to get these troublesome pests of our back!"
The blast of wind our combined magic caused this time took a few moments to reach the Dauntless. We could see the effect on the waves between the two ships, causing the waves to rise up when they headed the same way. Then the sails of the Dauntless stopped billowing out in our direction, fell limp for a moment, then were blown back against the masts holding them up. With the last of our original magic still filling our own sails, the Dauntless rapidly retreated behind us.
"I think you've just more than paid for your passage aboard," I told Jack. "Now, where do you want to make port?"
"Tortuga. Aim generally north. Sort of. It's somewhere in that direction."
"You know, your compass could probably help here."
"True, but my compass is directing me somewhere aboard your ship that is below decks. Why is that, Captain Roxas?"
"Probably because I picked up a cargo of rum, which I plan to sell when we make port at this Tortuga of yours. I believe I can handle the more immediate need however..." I trailed off, made some show of searching myself, then pulled out a bottle of rum I'd stashed earlier on. "Ah. Here. Now, Tortuga?"
Jack took the bottle off me and handed me the compass in return. "I hope you've got more hidden on you somewhere. I may just make my way through this before we reach Tortuga."
"Well you'll just have to make it last then, won't you?" I said with a broad smile. "Because the rest of the rum is for the people of Tortuga – and I don't think they'd appreciate you very much if I told them you were the reason the rum was gone."
Jack looked suspiciously like he was regretting handing me the compass in exchange for the rum.
Somehow Jack managed to survive with his one bottle of rum, and I was able to guide us safely into the port of Tortuga without further incident thanks to his compass. I did not choose to ask it to show me anything more this time, since I had enough troubles to worry about without anything else intervening and giving me more.
Jack took it back off me when he disembarked the ship, only to run into a certain two ladies of his acquaintance that after a short conversation where Jack appeared to be talking very quickly to them, they both slapped him and headed back into Tortuga.
Since this was a free port that asked no questions and had no mooring charge except for the threat of being blown out of the water by anyone who wanted the same spot as you, I had little to worry about when I went looking for the resident Moogle, who chose not to give me his name.
Interestingly, he even sounded somewhat like a pirate, though that may just have been his way of fitting in. Either way, thanks to him I was able to offload and sell my cargo at a nice profit, which he converted – for a fee – into more munny for my usage, along with a further deduction when I also opted to pick up the last few Keyblades, which left me with all but one of Liam's original round of Keyblades – Ultima Weapon being the missing one, of course.
Then as I figured I'd spent enough time playing pirate with Jack, fun as it had been, we set sail again. Once I was certain there was no one else around, I took the Dark Shard aboard the ship, replacing it with the one I should have kept hold of, went to Neverland, and used it to bring my ship to me. It saved me the trouble of finding the way back again.
After that, it was with obvious and understandable reluctance I headed back to the Castle that Never Was.
"Where have you been?" Saïx demanded as soon as I arrived. Ah, it was almost like I'd never left.
"There were some errands I had to run so I wouldn't attract too much attention," I shrugged. "Luxord gave Jack Sparrow the cover of us being rum runners, so I had to improvise a little to persuade him of that. It just took a little longer than I expected."
"And your ship? When did you plan to tell us about that?"
"I didn't. It wasn't any of your concern, it was a private acquisition for my own private interests and activities. I made it available to Luxord so we wouldn't have to waste time finding a ship, that's all. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to have a quick word with your Replica to see if I can find out something useful for handling Xion, then I'm going to bed. It's been a long day."
"You have other work to do," he told my retreating back.
"Tomorrow," I brushed it aside with a wave of one hand. Never mind that I had no intentions of ever doing a day's work for them again.
Saïx's Replica was of course, still in the old lab of Vexen's where he seemed to stay. He was dozing when I came in, but was awake in moments once I shook him.
"Oh, it's you again," he said. "I thought for a moment it was old fatguts coming to annoy me."
"Up to no good as usual, I take it."
The Replica snorted. "He's got some stupid idea that he can use Vexen's data on you to make me pick up a Keyblade. So far all he's manage to do is completely destroy that empty Replica he showed you and leave me with a nasty burn on one hand."
"How'd you like to give me a hand annoying him back?" I offered.
"What've you got in mind?"
"Oh, nothing," I replied innocently. "I thought I might just quit the Organization and carve down anyone in my way. Then I got to thinking you might like to come along and join in the fun. I've got it on a fairly good authority that old fatguts will try to stop us – well, me at least."
"I'm unarmed, in case you've forgotten."
"Easily solved. Xion picked up the weapons of the defeated Organization members in his room, in the draw under the bed. Mind the trap behind the door when you go in, just duck down really low underneath it. Pick a weapon and meet me in the upper half of the Hall of Empty Melodies in the morning."
"You're really going to do it? Leave, I mean."
"It's probably about time," I answered. "Too many things here are out of my control. At least this way I can handle things my way."
"True enough. Alright, I'll meet you. Don't me late, will you?"
As if I would be. Saïx wouldn't know what hit him, if everything went to plan.