Ch. 17- To the Sacrificing Room
Disclaimer: One Piece isn't mine…but this story is.
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Friday, November 22
The Sacrificing Room, as Kristina called it, is where our musician is. I didn't believe Zoro when he ran up to the first floor, screaming that he knew where she was, but I heard Joshua's story and then believed it. The Sacrificing Room is like a maze, it's very easy to get lost in and there are tons of doors that lead to different rooms on the way, but nobody's worried about it. All we're worried about is getting Emily back before it's too late.
-Sanji
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"I know where Emily is!" Zoro's voice echoed throughout the castle. The rest of the pirates walked up to him with surprised looks on their faces.
"You know where she is?" Nami asked him with hope in her voice.
Zoro nodded, "Yeah, she's four floors under this one."
"The Sacrificing Room? Are you sure?" Kristina asked him.
"Yeah. I heard Joshua's story about the room when he went down there with you when I asked where Emily is." Zoro answered.
"Wow…didn't think that dumbass remembered going down there." Kristina said, remembering the incident nineteen years ago.
Zoro told her Joshua's story then asked, "Is that what really happened?"
Kristina nodded, "Oh yeah, that's what happened."
Zoro dragged the rest of the pirates down to the room where both Robin and Nicole stood, still in shock from hearing Melissa's story. He gave out instructions on how to hear Joshua's story and demanded that the others listen to it. The crew's eyes widened in shock.
"You mean she never even left the castle?" Nami asked in annoyance.
"I guess not. That asshole just made it look like they ran away from the castle." Chopper muttered.
"You…" Zoro pointed at Kristina, "You're going to lead us to Emily."
"Uhhh…I can't." Kristina sweat dropped.
"What do you mean you can't?" Zoro exploded.
"I don't know the way to the Sacrificing Room." Kristina admitted. Now Zoro was starting to get pissed with her.
"What do you mean you don't know the way to the Sacrificing Room?"
"On the way to the room are tons of traps, dead ends, and doors that lead to different rooms."
"You seemed to get to the Sacrificing Room fine."
"I had a map the last time I went down there."
"What happened to it?"
"After Dad caught Joshua, Stephanie, and me down there, he took away the map I used, but I had a spare."
"Where's the spare?"
"I gave it to Chelsea to hold so I wouldn't get caught with it."
"Who's Chelsea?"
"She's a fairy."
"You gave a map to a fairy?"
"Yes, I did. I think she still has it. You just have to find her. She lives in the deepest part of the forest, right next to my garden."
"Damn! It's not sunset yet!"
"It should be soon and then you can go find Chelsea."
Zoro groaned, "Dammit!"
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"What do you think is in this ship?" Kim asked while walking towards Pam's ship.
Ryan shrugged, "Who knows."
Kelly agreed, "There might not even be anything on the ship."
Tashigi nodded in agreement then stopped in front of the ship. "Get ready. There may be something prepared to kill us." The other Marines obeyed her and got their swords out.
One of the male Marines put his hand on the doorknob on the deck of Pam's ship, turned, and pushed. Standing inside the room was Desiree and Doug, both not ready for battle. At first the Marines weren't going to fight them, but then both Desiree and Doug pulled out a sword each and started to attack. The Marines attacked them.
There was so much fighting that nobody even noticed Kim, Kelly, and Ryan walking into the next room. Kim, Kelly, and Ryan stared around the room the second they closed the door. All around the room laid many jail cells, most of them full of the barely alive bodies of nymphs, sirens, and other magical creatures.
"Oh my God…" Kelly gasped, stepping in front of Kayleigh's cell, "Are you okay?" Kayleigh opened her eyes halfway and slowly turned her head towards Kelly.
"Hey! What are you kids doing here?" A voice from behind them yelled. Kim, Kelly, and Ryan jumped and quickly turned only to see the annoyed face of yet another of Pam's servants, Joey.
"Uhhh…I…" Ryan began.
"Get out of here, you damn filthy Marines!" Joey screamed, pulling out a pistol. Kim, Kelly, and Ryan didn't move. They were frozen in fear at the thought of Joey shooting at least one of them down. A bullet then shot out of the pistol and just whizzed by Kim's head and hit the wall. Now they were able to move.
Quickly, Kim, Kelly, and Ryan ran at Joey with their swords drawn. At the same time, the three of them sliced Joey with their swords until his life was completely gone. For a minute, they stared in horror at what they had just done. But they shook off the thought as they remembered what their fathers, also Marines, told them: "If something tries to kill you, then it's okay to kill them."
Ryan walked over to Joey's bleeding body and pulled out a set of metal keys. Without wasting a second, Ryan stepped in front of Kayleigh's cell, unlocked it, and stepped inside. "Can you stand?" Ryan asked, kneeling in front of Kayleigh.
Kayleigh shook her head and looked at the iron shackles on her ankles, chaining her to the floor.
Ryan let out a sigh and experimented with the keys to see which would unlock the shackles.
Two minutes later, Ryan had found the right key and unlocked the shackles. Kim and Kelly helped the weak Kayleigh to her feet.
"Can you stand on your own?" Kelly asked Kayleigh. Kayleigh again shook her head and moved a hand onto her extremely thin stomach.
"What's wrong with her?" Ryan asked.
"I think she's hungry." Kim told him.
Ryan smiled, reached into his pocket, and pulled out something in a plastic bag.
"Ryan, what the hell is that?" Kelly asked with a gross look on her face.
"The tuna sandwich I didn't eat for lunch." Ryan answered.
"Eeewww! Ryan, lunch was six hours ago, the sandwich is smashed, it was by your ass, AND you added peanut butter and salsa to the sandwich." Kim squealed.
"Yeah," Kelly added, "No person in their right mind would eat it."
"Well, then how are we going to get her food?" Ryan asked.
"Maybe from the Marine's ship." Kim suggested.
"Good idea." Kelly agreed.
"You're right. And I think Kim should go and get the food." Ryan announced.
"WHAT? Why me?" Kim asked.
"You're the smallest and it was your suggestion." Ryan simply answered.
Kim turned her head towards Kelly for support, but got none. Kim frowned, "Fine. Just be sure to unlock all the cells."
"Okay." Kelly smiled. Kim then ran out of the room.
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"Where am I?" Emily asked fearfully.
"Welcome to the Temple of Almani Secrets." Pam answered, laughing. Bryce, Lyssa, and Sabrina joined her.
"What do you want with me?" Emily asked, tears stinging her eyes.
Pam stopped laughing, "You will be the one to give us the secrets."
Emily blinked and shook her head, "No. I won't do it. You can't make me!"
Pam laughed and cupped her hand under Emily's chin, "Honey, I was able to possess you earlier, so don't tell me that I can't make you."
Emily turned her head towards Pam's power sucking pendant. It had no power in it and was not glowing, so Emily smirked knowing that there'd be no way for Pam to possess her again. "You don't have any power to make me do anything." Emily pointed out.
"Oh really?" Pam asked before turning to Bryce, "Give me the green jar." Bryce obeyed her and placed a green jar in Pam's hands.
"What's that?" Emily asked.
"This, sweetie, is power made from the bones of an Almani family: a mother, father, and little boy from a little town called Kupeviru."
Emily stopped, her smirk disappeared, and her eyes widened. She didn't say anything at first, but when she could, she asked, "Mother, Father, and Aron?"
Pam smiled and nodded, "I heard that you were a smart girl, smarter than the average twelve-year-old and I guess this proves it. Don't worry; they won't feel a thing when I use them."
Tears rolled down Emily's cheeks, "No…"
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"Hey, Zoro! It's sunset!" Luffy cried out loud, pointing at the pink and golden sky.
"Finally. Now we can go out." Zoro sighed, walking through the front door of the castle and feeling relieved that Kristina didn't stop him. He walked to the part of the forest that Chelsea was in and watched the creatures dancing around the forest, all singing, dancing, and having fun even though Pam was still around.
A little girl with long blonde hair and big green eyes stopped in front of Zoro. The girl tilted her head and asked, "Are you one of Pam's friends?" Zoro shook his head. "Are you her enemy?" The girl asked. Zoro nodded. "What's your name?" the girl asked.
"Zoro." Zoro answered.
The girl stuck out her hand and announced, "Nice to meet you. I'm Shelby and from now on, you and me are friends."
"Ummm…okay…so, what are you? A nymph?" Zoro asked.
Shelby shook her head, "No, I'm a siren. And when my best friend comes back, I'll be able to grow up and lure sailors here."
"Do you know where Chelsea is?" Sanji asked her.
Shelby nodded, "She's in the big flower bushes with James and Janelle. They're so mean. They're always making fun of me and Alexandra."
"Yeah." a voice from Shelby's shoulder agreed.
The Straw Hat Pirates took a closer look at Shelby's shoulder and noticed a small blonde haired girl with fairy wings and a blue dress, obviously the girl called Alexandra. The pirates nodded and went to the direction of Shelby's finger. Before opening up the bushes, they stopped to listen to a little conversation between three others that had been going on:
"Then, before anybody could say anything, I gave Jennifer a slight shove and she fell right into a huge blackberry."
"Wow. Then what happened?"
"Yeah, I can't believe it was you that did it."
"Brian had all the fairies not training under Holly dig her out. Jennifer was so dark red when we got her out."
"She still is."
"Yeah, and I didn't even get caught. They think she tripped.
"You are so mean, James."
"Yeah, I know. But, hey, she deserved it."
Zoro opened up the bushes and stopped the conversation between three fairies.
"What do YOU want?" A black haired girl asked.
"Which of you is Chelsea?" Zoro asked, ignoring the girl's rudeness.
"Who wants to know?" A dark haired girl asked.
"So, you're Chelsea?" Zoro said, pointing at the second girl.
"I may be, but I may not be." the second girl answered.
"Look, are you Chelsea or not?" Sanji asked.
The second girl sighed, "Fine. Yes, I am Chelsea. Now what do you want?"
"I want you to give us the map to the Sacrificing Room of the castle." Zoro told her.
"Fuck you! I'm not giving anybody that map. It's mine." Chelsea yelled.
"Give it to me." Zoro demanded.
"No!" Chelsea shouted.
"Please. We really need the map." Robin pleaded.
Chelsea shook her head, "I said No!"
"Why won't you give us the map?" Nicole asked, slightly annoyed at Chelsea.
"Because this map is mine and I refuse to give it to my enemy." Chelsea answered.
"Yeah." The other girl agreed.
"We're not talking to you, brat." Zoro said to the other girl.
"My name is Janelle. And whatever has to do with my best friend has to do with me." the girl yelled. The 3rd figure, a boy called James, agreed.
"But we aren't the enemy." Nicole tried telling Chelsea, James, and Janelle.
"Then, what do you need the map for?" Chelsea asked, placing a hand on her side. She did not want to give up her map unless she really had to.
"Our musician is the last of the Almani. She was kidnapped and taken to the Sacrificing Room by Pam and we heard that you have a map that leads us to the room." Zoro told Chelsea.
"I see…" Chelsea said before getting into a huddle with James and Janelle and started whispering.
"So now do you believe that we aren't the enemy?" Luffy asked. James, Janelle, and Chelsea stopped whispering, looked at Luffy, and shook their heads.
"To get us to believe you, we have to take you to King Brian. He'll decide if you are the enemy." James told the pirates.
Before anything else was said, the fairy king suddenly appeared as if on instinct. Brian looked at the pirates and Nicole with his wise eyes.
Then, after a few minutes, Brian announced, "They are not the enemy. They were helping the final Almani." Then he quickly disappeared. Zoro turned his head to Chelsea,
"Now can we have the map?" Chelsea shrugged, "Fine. Just give it back when you're done."
Chelsea's small body grew bigger, about the length of Zoro's arm, and stuck her hand inside a pocket of her dress. She then took out her hand and brought out a detailed map of where all the traps were, what they were, and the path to the Sacrificing Room.
Zoro took and map and handed it to Nami, knowing that she'd be able to read it better than anyone else.
"Oh, by the way," Chelsea called out as they left, "Use the stairs. You'll have a harder time finding your friend if you use the elevator."
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Kim was lucky to escape Pam's ship, sneak into the kitchen on the Marine's ship, stuff a bunch of food in a bag, run off the ship, sneak passed the battle with the Marines and Pam's servants, and back to Kelly and Ryan without getting caught or hurt. After kneeling in front of Kayleigh, Kim dug into her bag and pulled out a bunch of bananas. She partially peeled one and handed it to Kayleigh, "Do you want a banana?"
Kayleigh quickly devoured the banana in less than a second.
"Wow…" Kim gasped. She held out another banana, "Want another one?" Kayleigh devoured that one, too.
As soon as she was done, Kayleigh looked up at Kim, "Thank you."
"What's your name?" Kim asked.
"Kayleigh." Kayleigh answered, standing up on her feet with a slight wobble.
"Careful. You don't want to fall over." Kim told Kayleigh.
Kayleigh shook her head, "No, it's all right. Nymphs can get their energy back rather quickly. All we need to have is something to eat. Actually, that's how it is with the rest of us in these cells."
"So, you're okay?" Kim asked.
Kayleigh nodded, "I'm fine. Just save everyone else. I don't know how much longer we can last in these cells."
Kim obeyed Kayleigh and ran to the other cells, offering food and the bit of water she took from the kitchen. All the jailed creatures devoured their food and drinks just as Kayleigh had done and stood up on their own legs, their strength now restored.
"Who trapped you creatures in here?" Kelly asked Kayleigh.
Kayleigh's eyes filled with horror as she answered, "Pam."
Ryan's blue eyes widened, "We're on Pam's ship?"
Kayleigh nodded her head, "Yes. This jail is where all of us were trapped, weakened, then had out powers sucked out to make Pam's magic items or to help her powers work. All the smaller creatures are in that room." Kayleigh pointed at a nearby door.
"Did you hear Pam say anything about our friend?" Kim asked.
"Who's your friend?" Kayleigh asked.
"Emerald Emily." Ryan told her.
Kayleigh thought for a moment then nodded, "Yeah. I heard Pam say after Emily escaped this ship that she'd find Emily and take her to a special room in the castle. Then, she'd force Emily to cast the ancient forbidden spells to rule the world then sacrifice her."
"That sick bitch." Ryan muttered.
"Ummm…before you leave, can you please free the trapped creatures in the next room? They deserve to be free." Kayleigh asked.
Kim, Kelly, and Ryan nodded. "I just want the rest of you to escape to the forest." Ryan told her. Kayleigh nodded and ran off Pam's ship with the others in the jails.
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"I won't let you put them in any more pain!" Emily yelled. Pam frowned. The possession wouldn't work unless Emily was emotionally weak and Emily was determined to save the souls of her family, but it didn't matter. Pam had a way of getting Emily weaker. She stuck her hand in a bag and pulled out a framed picture.
The picture was of a beautiful young woman with silky brown curls, sparkling hazel eyes, and smiling cherry red lips. "Do you remember this woman?" Pam asked Emily, smirking. Emily thought really hard, but couldn't remember. She shook her head. Pam's smirk stayed on her face, "Think really hard, Emily. Think back nine years when you started working with a little brunette named Misao." Emily thought again and now she remembered:
- - FLASHBACK- - - -
"You two! You call this a clean floor? I've seen a pig pen cleaner than this!" A beautiful brunette woman screamed at three-year-old Emily and Misao.
"We're sorry, ma'am." both girls muttered, dipping sponges in the huge buckets full of hot, soapy water.
The woman frowned and kicked the two little girls so hard that they slid across the kitchen floor and hit the wall. The buckets tipped over and spilled the dirty water all over the floor.
The woman ignored Emily and Misao's small cries of pain and stared at them with hate in her eyes. "Start over!" she demanded the little girls. The woman looked at a nearby stove boiling a large pot of water. An older boy and girl walked into the kitchen and the woman stopped them, "You two. What is that water used for?"
"It's for Master's bath, ma'am. But if you'll be needin' it now, we can just boil another pot for the bath." The girl told her with a light accent.
The woman told the boy and girl to move the boiling water into the larger of the two buckets. Following the woman's commands, the girl mixed some cleaning fluid in the still boiling water and stirred with a spoon while the boy got out two extra sponges. As soon as the tasks were done, the woman looked at the boy and girl and demanded their names and ages.
"My name is Kelsey, ma'am. I'll be turnin' fifteen in the summer." the girl answered.
"My name is Keith, ma'am. I am fourteen years of age." the boy answered.
The woman turned to Emily and Misao, "You see this, girls? Kelsey and Keith know their place over here and can do their jobs in perfection." She dismissed Kelsey and Keith with a nod then turned back to Emily and Misao, "Now, start scrubbing." Emily and Misao didn't move. "Didn't you hear me?" The woman screeched.
"But ma'am…the water is boiling." Emily said, noticing the bubbles in the bucket.
"So what! Do it or I will not hesitate to whip your little backs."
Emily and Misao grabbed their new sponges and dipped their hands in the boiling water. Emily and Misao took the sponges out of the water and began to scrub the floor. A red color was being painted on the ground also, but it wasn't from the fluid Kelsey put into the water and the girls were crying in pain.
"Keep scrubbing until I get back and the floor better be spotless and free of blood." The woman demanded before leaving.
Emily and Misao cried constantly in pain, but did as the woman told them to do. The woman came back, slapped the girls because they were still crying, and sent them back to their room.
Misao's father was already in the room when the still sobbing three-year-olds came in with their hands behind their backs. "What's wrong?" Misao's father asked. Emily and Misao held out their small hands.
Misao's father let out a gasp. The girls' small hands were plagued with blisters, fresh ones. Now he knew why they were crying. "That woman did this to you, didn't she?" he asked. Emily and Misao nodded. Misao's father let out an angry sigh. He really hated that woman more than the angel of death that took away his wife and little daughter. Quickly, he treated the girl's wounds and placed both girls on his knees, "I'm so sorry, girls."
- - END FLASHBACK- - - -
"That's the woman that forced us to dip our hands in the boiling water. Is that you?" Emily asked.
Pam's smirk grew bigger, "That's a smart girl. I was the master's younger sister. Oh, and do you know why Misao's father wasn't given a trial before he was killed?" Emily shook her head. "I suggested that he didn't need one." Pam laughed.
Emily's eyes got wider, "Why?"
"Because, sweetie, he was giving you girls future dreams and goals. He was making it so you girls weren't seeing your place in life. Besides, he was just a slave." Pam told her. Emily stared in shock. "And ever since you joined the pirates, you forgot your place. Well now, Emily, I'm putting you back as my own slave." Pam laughed louder as she looked at Emily's tearstained face.
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Footsteps echoed down four flights of stairs as the Straw Hat Pirates and Nicole walked to the very bottom floor that led to the Sacrificing Room. The floor was dark, but luckily before they came down, Usopp and Robin grabbed a few lanterns, so the paths in front of them and the map in Nami's hands was lit up. Finally, we're on our way, I just hope we're not too late. Zoro thought inside his head.
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A/N: Ah, another chapter done. Shelby and Alexandra are real people (they're my sister's best friends. I promised them a part in my story). I know that in a few of my earlier chapters I had another character named James, but…let's say that the second James I introduced is another person, okay? Hope ya liked this chapter.