Chapter 39 Doubt of Strength

Sora and the gang ran into the town and witnessed carnage all around. The Heartless were running all over the place as the townsfolks screamed and ran in fear. Strangely, the Pirates weren't around at the moment, but that was the least of their concerns. There were solders fighting the heartless, dressed in red coats with rifles in hand, though they were having little to no success.

"GAH!" A voice cried out.

The group turned to see a young man with slicked back brown hair wearing a white shirt with bishop sleeves and a brown v-neck. His pants were navy blue breeches along with light grey knee-high socks and brown buckled shoes. In his hand was a sword that he was using to try and fight a group of Heartless, but was knocked back into the wall of a nearby building.

"Wh-what are these creatures?" The man groaned in pain.

Sora and Corrin immediately ran in between the man and the Heartless with their weapons ready.

"Hang tight. We've got this." Sora said as the two got to work slicing the Shadow creatures.

At this point, Sakura ran up to the man with her staff out as the others went to deal with the rest of the Heartless in town.

"H-Hold still. I can help you." Sakura said quietly as she raised her staff. "Cure."

A bright green light engulfed the man as his injuries healed.

"I-I feel great. Thank you miss." The man said as he got up.

As this was going on, Sora and Corrin finished killing the Shadow Heartless that attacked the man Sakura was healing. However, as soon as they did, a group of Air Pirate Heartless they once saw in Never-land appeared.

"Looks like the second wave is here." Corrin said getting ready for another round.

The Air pirates started diving towards the to Islanders who dodge rolled out of the way.

Corrin slashed at one, destroying it, but another came down and attacked him.

Sora zapped one with a thunder spell destroying it, but then three more charged at him.

"This looks like a job for Wisdom Form." Sora stated as he readied to transform. 'I'll use Wisdom form and put up a stronger reflect around me. That'll knock them open for a strong blast of magic.'

"WIS-" Sora suddenly stopped as an image of Vanitas appeared before him.

"What's wrong? Why'd you stop?" Vanitas taunted. "You have no idea what you're missing out on. Give into the dark. Maybe then you won't be such a weakling."

Sora's inter thoughts was cut short as the three Air Pirates slam right into Sora, sending him flying.

"SORA!" Corrin shouted as he summoned his magic. "Hydro Shot!"

Corrin fired a blast of water at the three Air Pirates, destroying them in a single shot. Corrin then made quick work of the remaining Air Soldiers, before going to Sora to check on him.

"You okay?" Corrin asked helping Sora up.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Sora muttered.

"What happened back there? You just froze up?" Corrin asked.

Before Sora could speak, Sakura and the man they saved approached the two.

"Thank you for the help." The man said to the two swordsmen. "My own fencing skills are nothing to be ashamed of, but those creatures were something else."

"Not a problem. I'm Sora. This is Corrin and that is Sakura." Sora said introducing himself and the two royals.

"I'm William Turner, but call me Will. And I'm sorry to ask of another favor, but I need your help. Those pirates took Miss Swann. I was giving chase to them when those creatures attacked me. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm strong enough to save her on my own should those creatures attack again." Will said.

"Not a problem. Which way did they go?" Sora asked as Will pointed towards the harbor.

"Then we better hurry!" Corrin declared as the three followed Will to the harbor. He would need to talk to Sora later, but for now, they had a job to do.

Takumi in the meantime, fired another arrow at a Heartless.

This Heartless was shaped like a blue canon with a black base. The barrel of the canon was black with red markings on it in the shape of the Heartless Emblem. The creature also had the same type of face most Heartless had on the front with yellow eyes. There was also a red fuse in the back.

The arrow hit the Cannon Gun dead on destroying it immediately.

Once it was gone, Takumi turned to the child that was hiding behind him.

"Okay. Let's see if we can find your mom." Takumi said to the kid.

"Mommy!" The kid cried out.

Takumi turned to see an older woman running towards the child. As soon as she reached him, the woman picked him up into a hug that he returned.

"Thank you so much sir." The woman said as she hugged her son tight.

"Get him out of here." Takumi urged.

The woman nodded and ran off with her kid.

"All right. That seems to be the last of the Heartless in this area. Strange that the pirates from earlier aren't here though." Takumi muttered to himself.

"Takumi!" Sora called out.

Takumi turned to see Sora, Corrin, Sakura, and some other guy run close by.

"Head to the harbor! The pirates are there!" Corrin shouted.

Takumi nodded and joined them.

Just then, Donald, Goofy, and Kaze arrived.

"The Heartless are taken care of, but those pirates are missing for some reason." Donald said.

"They're at the port. We have to hurry." Sora said as the group headed to the port.

At the Port:

Sora and co along with Will finally arrived at the port, but they were too late.

The pirate ship was already sailing off. Its distance was too far for even a glide to catch up.

"No! We're too late!" Will cried out.

"Too late for what?" Takumi asked.

"Those Pirates kidnapped Miss Swann, and took her to their ship." Will explained.

"So those Pirates were looking for your friend? Not sure why, but that dose explain where they were in town since we only saw Heartless." Corrin said.

"Same for me." Takumi said.

"Same here." Donald said with Goofy and Kaze nodding.

"Now she's gone. And I'll never find her." Will slumped in defeat.

"Hey, it's not too late! We'll grab a ship and chase after them. If we hurry, we can catch up." Sora offered with his usual optimism.

"She's long gone there. The Black Pearl is nigh uncatchable. Best find yourself a new girl mate." A voice said. The group turned to see a man with dark brown hair in dreadlocks and decorated with many beads and a red bandanna over it. He wore a white shirt under a black vest, black pants, and brown boots. His clothing were rather dirty as well. The man was also currently aboard another ship that was fancier than the ones the pirates were in.

"What are you doing above the Interceptor? She is off limits to civilians." Will demanded.

"Commandeer her of course. She'll make for a fine pirate ship." The man said.

"You're a pirate?" Sora said with some excitement.

"Captain Jack Sparrow if you please." The pirate known as Jack said.

Will was silent for a moment before speaking up. "Please take me with you. Help me haunt down the Black Pearl and save Miss Swann. I got you out of that cell back when the town was being raided. Help me, and your debt is repaid."

Jack just shrugged dismissively. "I don't see any profit in it for me. You'll have to win fair lady's heart on your own."

"Then do pray tell captain. Are you able to sail a ship that big? All on your own?" Will challenged.

Jack frowned for a moment as he looked at Will. "What's your name?"

"Will Turner." Will said.

"No doubt short for William I'd imagine." Jack said before going silent for a moment. Then a smirk appeared on his face. "Very well then. You have a deal."

Takumi, Corrin, and Kaze were still left skeptical on how easily Jack was willing to cooperate, but said nothing, as they needed a ship.

Sakura, Donald, and Goofy were rather concerned of making a deal with a pirate.

Sora however was overjoyed.

"Well then, best we board and ship off before the guards get here." Jack said as the group boarded the Interceptor.

"I'm Sora. This is Donald, Goofy, Corrin, Sakura, Kaze, and Takumi." Sora introduced.

"And I am Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack greeted.

"This is going to be awesome!" Sora cheered as he got onboard.

"Sora, do you really want to be a pirate?" Goofy asked concerned.

"Of course not." Sora said simply leaving everyone minus Corrin confused.

"He's more into the adventure than the treasure of a pirate. When you grow up on the islands, you tend to hear a bunch of sailing stories. Sora's ideal of a pirate is a free spirit that goes off exploring." Corrin sighed as he explained to the others.

"So, he's just acting like a child?" Takumi guessed.

"More or less." Corrin shrugged.

"Great." Takumi groaned.

Once preparations were set, the ship took off.

The Interceptor sailed through the sea at night as everyone took a break from working the ship.

Corrin and Sora were leaning on the side of the ship watching the waves.

"Been a while since we've been on a boat, hasn't it?" Corrin asked.

"Yeah. If I recall, we were helping some fishers to make some extra munny." Sora said. "Though it kind of makes me wonder. If the Heartless never attacked that night, where would we be now? Where to do think the seas would have taken our raft?"

"I don't know honestly. Looking back, I do wonder how far a raft could even take us." Corrin admitted.

Sora just chuckled awkwardly. "Funny that the raft was Riku's idea."

Corrin laughed. "I know. That sounds like something you would come up with."

"Hey!" Sora pouted before laughing with his brother.

Corrin was silent for a moment before speaking up again. "What happened back in town?"

Sora was silent.

"You looked like you were about to use your drive, but you just stopped." Corrin said.

Sora didn't say anything. He just looked down upset.

"Are you worried about that dark form you took last time?"

"I..." Sora muttered, but Corrin didn't need an answer to know he was correct.

Sakura and Takumi watched from afar, though for different reasons. Takumi was more caution of Sora, while Sakura looked rather concerned for Sora's issue.

Will and Kaze at the moment, were watching Jack man the wheel as he kept looking at a compass.

"Why are you so fixated on that compass?" Will asked.

"It'll be she that leads us to the Isla de Muerta. That is where Barbarossa is heading." Jack said.

"How do you know that?" Kaze asked with some suspicion.

"He and I once had our eyes on a treasure. Aztec Gold. Twas hidden on the Isla de Muerta." Jack said with a sigh. "But then he turned traitor and stole my ship."

"The Black Pearl?" Will asked.

"Aye." Jack nodded.

"So, this Barbarossa guy is after treasure?" Sora asked as the rest of the group joined in on the conversation.

"The treasure is already his. As is the curse upon it." Jack said.

"Curse?" Corrin wondered before it came to him. "Wait…when the pirates fell under the moonlight, they turned into skeletons. Is that the curse?"

Jack nodded. "I have no desire for such treacherous spoils, but I will take back what is mine. The Black Pearl."

"That still doesn't answer why they took Elizabeth." Will said.

"We'll be approaching soon. Best get ready." Jack suddenly said as the island started to come into view.

Isla de Muerta was an island that was covered by rocks. Thanks to that, Jack was able to find a good spot to disembark out of sight from the Pirates or Pete.

"So, is this where that Barbarossa guy went?" Corrin asked.

"Aye. This is Isla de Muerta. A hidden place only known to those who know where it is located, and the resting place of the Aztec Gold." Jack said as he moved a large plank of wood to connect the Interceptor to the island. Once he was done, Jack turned to Sora and the others.

"Young Turner and I will rescue the lady. The rest of you will guard the ship." Jack said.

"Seriously?" Sora complained.

"It is a task only given to the bravest pirates." Jack said.

"Fine." Sora sighed.

"Guard her well." Jack smiled before turning to Will. "Shall we?"

Will nodded and the two headed off deep into the island.

About an hour or two had past, and the group quickly found themselves rather bored.

"Anyone think he was trying to fast-talk us?" Sora asked.

"And you fell for it." Donald said flatly.

"Not like you said anything!" Sora retorted.

Corrin was left in deep thought. "Considering that this is a rescue mission, I can understand the need to bring in as few people as possible."

Kaze nodded. "That's right. It's easier to slip in undetected in a smaller group, than a larger one."

"Still, we know that Pete is working with those Pirates, meaning that there are Heartless in there…" Sora said getting worried.

"Will didn't know how to fight the Heartless back in town, and it's likely that Jack doesn't ether." Sakura said getting worried.

"We'd better go in after them." Sora said.

"What about the ship though? Fast-talk or not, we can't leave it unguarded. It's our way out." Takumi argued.

"Plus, a large group could put them in danger if they actually weren't spotted." Kaze added.

"I think our best bet it to split up. Some of us will go take a look, while the rest stay here and protect the ship." Corrin said.

"Okay then, so who goes and who stays?" Sora asked.

"I-I think I should stay. I don't think I'll be of much help." Sakura said remembering her encounter with the pirates when they first arrived.

"Sora will stay with you." Corrin said immediately much to Sora's shock.

"WHAT?! WHY?!" Sora shouted.

"Because of what happened in town." Corrin said firmly. "It's not that I worry about you turning into that dark form, but if you were to freeze up like that again, it could be fatal. You were lucky that I was with you in town, and it was a small group of Heartless. But with them and those Pirates, I don't want to risk you freezing up like that out there."

Sora didn't have a response to that.

"I'll stay then as well." Takumi said. Not wanting his sister to stay alone with Sora, and he didn't feel much of a reason to assist a pirate like Jack. He never answered why the pirates kidnapped Will's friend, and he was pretty quick to agree to help only AFTER Will told him his name.

"Okay then. Kaze, Donald, Goofy, you three will be going with me then." Corrin said turning to the ninja and Disney castle residents.

"That's fine. This is my field of expertise after all." Kaze said.

Donald and Goofy nodded, holding no arguments.

Corrin turned back to Sora with a look of sorry on his face. He didn't want to exclude his brother, but he also wanted him to be safe.

The four headed off leaving Sora alone on the ship with the two Hoshidan Royals.

Sakura approached Sora.

"A-Are you okay?" Sakura asked.

"O-Oh. I'm fine." Sora stuttered but Sakura frowned.

"Sora." Sakura said in a stern voice.

Sora just sighed. "I don't know honestly. But back in town, I wanted to use my drive form since the Heartless were becoming a bit too overwhelming. But when I did, I froze. I was afraid of turning into that dark form I became when I fought Vanitas."

Sakura nodded. "I see. So that's why you froze."

Jiminy hopped on his shoulder. "Sora. I understand you concern. I saw the form myself. But you can't let it hold you back like this. If you freeze up in a fight like that, it could be big trouble for you."

"But what do I do?" Sora asked. "What if I turn into that dark form again and attack you guys? I could never forgive myself if I ever did that you you guys, Corrin, Donald, Goofy, Kaze, Riku, Kairi, or any of my friends.

"Sora…" Sakura muttered.

Takumi was rather silent as he watched this exchange. Oddly enough, he was starting to feel sorry for Sora. And even a bit guilty for what he said back on the ship. The more he thought about it, while he was right to be cautious, Sora has been trying to be friendly and welcoming to both him, Sakura, and Kaze. As opposed to Corrin who hasn't even...

Takumi's thoughts were cut off by the sounds of fighting not too far away.

"What was that?" Sora asked looking ahead.

Just then, Will and a woman with long dirty blond hair, wearing an elegant gold and white laced dress with floral patterns on the sides ran towards the three.

"Will, what's happening?" Sora asked.

"The pirates are after us. Corrin and the others are stalling them. We need to get the ship ready to leave and fast!" Will urged.

Sora nodded as Will and the woman ran onto the ship and got to work preparing it for sail. Once it was done, the woman shot a flare into the sky, causing Corrin and the others to ran back onto the ship. The Interceptor took off, as Takumi and Donald stayed to the side of the ship shooting any pirates with arrows and magic that tried to jump for them.

"Thank you all for your help. This is Elizabeth." Will said gesturing to the woman next to him.

"So, you're Will's friend?" Sora asked and Elizabeth nodded. "I'm Sora. This is Corrin, Donald, Goofy, Kaze, Sakura, and Takumi."

"It's nice to meet you all. Thank you for helping me." Elizabeth said with a smile.

Sora then looked around and noticed someone was missing.

"Wait a second…Where's Jack?" Sora asked.

"Come to think of it, we didn't see him when the pirates were chasing you." Goofy added.

Will frowned. "Well, it went like this..."

And that's a wrap!

I am deeply sorry for the wait for this chapter. Many things happened sadly.

First, I was in a slump. This world was more of a pain to write than I thought it would be. I don't hate the Pirate movies, but I don't enjoy them as much as some of these other worlds I did. Then after that, I got a bit lazy, and finally, life got quite busy as of late to where I wanted to spend my free time relaxing rather than typing. Plus, I've been going back to previous chapters to revise them.

Still, I appreciate the patients. Sadly things are still crazy, so uploads will likely happen at a slower pace.

But enough about that, lets talk about this chapter:

While Sora was distracted by the pirate stuff going on, that doesn't mean his anti form experience was forgotten. That's definitely something he's going to need to work on.

As for Takumi, he is starting to warm up to Sora, but not with Corrin. The outburst that some of you have been waiting for is coming soon. (Next world before anyone asks)

Next chapter, Will and Elizabeth tell the others what happened as Will comes to the truth of his heritage and Barbarossa makes his next move. Stay tuned.

Reader: I apologies for the wait. As for your question, I'll say that Corrin and Kamui will met again in the Fates Arc.

Now onto another thing I've gotten asked about. Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memories. Yes I've played through the game. What do I think of it? It's alright. It's a fun rhythm game and Kingdom Hearts has a lot of great music. There is also a lot of cute stuff to collect as well. Give it a shot.

Spoiler Warning:

As for the story, well like Re-coded, it's a game where the only thing that matters is the last few minutes. About 90% of it is just yet another retelling of the series at this point, which we really didn't need. How many retelling of the story are we going to get? I mean, I wouldn't say it's as pointless as Recoded but still...If you are planning on looking at the story, most of it is just Kairi giving an incredibly brief summary of the games from Kingdom Hearts 1, to Kingdom Hearts 3.

As for Kairi, I don't really hate it. I can see the frustrations people have of her not going with Riku to find Sora. And I also know that people are frustrated that she couldn't beat Xehanort in a one on one...Which is crazy as to why people thought she could. She lacks experience, going up against an experienced Keyblade Master. Still, she did pretty well, even before the Sora possession thing. (Which was weird, but I do enjoy a little Sora vs Xehanort 1 on 1) Even Xehanort complimented that she's gotten better.

I get people want her to be useful, and I would like to see her more physically involved as well, but she still lacks experience that the others have. As for Sora and Riku, since I've seen that being brought up to being immediately useful at the start, keep in mind that Sora had Donald and Goofy to help him and Riku was using darkness in the first game. Which is usually shown as a short cut to power in fiction. After that, he had Mickey at his side. (And yes, we all make fun of Donald's 'incredible' AI, but in terms of story, he and Goofy were vital for helping Sora get through the odds for most of the journey)

Still, her going to continue her training with Aqua is rather interesting, and when you consider the fact that Maleficent and Pete are still a thing, and the fact that they have Seven new princesses of hearts could lead to things she could be doing in future games. All I'm saying is to just wait and see, instead of immediately jumping on the "Kairi is going to be useless again" bandwagon.

Also, anyone find it funny that Mickey got mad at Riku for running off alone and not telling anyone at the end when he's been doing that multiple times in the series?

And finally, what will this mean for my Fanfiction? Nothing. It's not changing anything of my story. As I've said several times before, this story is ending at Kingdom Hearts 3.

Well enough rambling. I don't want this to be too long. I'll see you guys next time.