Pirates Secret

The KH party reached their destination. However, upon reaching the so called 'Treasure Realm,' they ended up running into a rather violent maelstrom. The wind and rain slammed into the ship with utter force, causing the gummi ship to shift off course.

"Man! Things just never seem to work for us!" said Sora.

"Just be thankful it's just rain and wind, and not bullets, or bombs this time!" said Riku.

"Are you sure this is the right place!" asked Mickey.

"The coordinates are correct!" Donald replied. "This is definitely the 'Treasure Realm!' Right now, we've reached the planet Montressor!" Donald eased the ship onto one of the landing docks. After killing the engines, he sat back down with a sigh of relief. "Now, that was a challenge. Especially in a storm like this."

"Well, I don't know about you," said Sora, "But I could use something to eat."

"Me two." added Donald.

"Me three." chuckled Goofy. "I could go for a club sandwich."

"Well, let's stop at that inn over there and see if we can get some shelter for tonight." Riku suggested.

The party made their way through the hailing rain to the establishment known as the Benbow Inn. The party walked in, soaking wet, to a warm and cheerful atmosphere. A young woman walked up to them, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Good evening, gents." she said. "I'm Sarah Hawkins. I'll be your hostess tonight. How may I be of service?"

"We'd like a place to stay for the night." said Riku.

"Well, of course. We have some nice rooms vacant at the moment. Just one moment. Jim! Jim!" There was no sign of the lad she beckoned. "Jim Hawkins! Where are you!"

Nothing came forth amongst the masses of cheerful inhabitants.

"Who's Jim Hawkins?" asked Sora.

"Oh, I forgot to mention." Sarah Hawkins explained. "He happens to be my son. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be around right now. But that's alright. I'll just show you to your rooms." She led the team up a flight of stairs to a long corridor with several doors. She opened to first two on the right. "I hope you enjoy your stay here gentlemen. These are the best rooms in the house."

"We'll take 'em!" chuckled Mickey. Pulling out a sack of gold, he gave it to Sarah.

"Thank you, Sir. But I couldn't accept all this."-

"Think of it as a bountiful fee from those desperate for shelter."-

"Thank you so much." She walked out of the room. "Well, I'll leave you gentlemen alone while I continue with my work downstairs." Taking one final glance, Sarah smiled and walked down the hall, back to the busy dining area.

"Well, now that's we're settled in," said Sora, "let's go down and get something to eat."

"I'm with you there, Sora!" chuckled Goofy.

"Me too." added Donald, subsequently looking at Goofy. "I could eat a horse."

"Well, don't look at me when you say that!"

"I said a horse, Goofy! Not a Jackass!"-

"But do we have enough to pay for a meal?" asked Riku.

"We have more than enough." Mickey replied. "I think we can afford to splurge a little bit. So why not. Let's trip the life fantastic!"

The five rushed down to the frantic and happy mass of song, food, and drink. They sat themselves at a table and waited to be served. Sarah Hawkins walked over to them.

"I see you guys are hungry." she chuckled. "Would you like the house special?"

"What is it?" asked Sora.

"It's a twenty ounce steak sautéed in a special marinate and grilled to perfection, sided with mash potatoes, and a side of coleslaw."-

"That sounds alright to me!"-

"Me too!" added Goofy

"I'm game!" chuckled Donald.

"Then, It's unanimous!" said Riku. "Five house specials then!"

"Alright!" said Sarah, writing their meals on her bill pad. "I'll bring it out as soon as I can."

Sora gazed about the room, seeing many people talking and bickering about their own business and realized that it was only Mrs. Hawkins that was working about.

"You don't seem to have much help here do you." he said.

"Well, it's only me and Jim." Sarah replied. "We manage the whole thing by ourselves."

"Well where is Jim?" asked Mickey.

"I'm sure he'll come about soon."-

It was then that a distinguished gentlemen approached the table. Carrying several books in his hand and fixing his glasses, he came up to Mrs. Hawkins.

"Excuse me, Sarah?" he uttered.

"Delbert." she replied. "What brings you here?"

"I've come to dine here if that's alright."-

"I would welcome you, but we have seemed to run out of tables."-

"That's alright." said Sora, getting up. "We have an extra seat if you'd like to join us."

"I really couldn't, Sir." said Delbert.

"I insist. There's nothing I hate more than someone who doesn't have a place to seat themselves at."-

"Well, that is very generous of you indeed. Very well, I shall take you on your kind offer, Sir. Mr. name is Dr. Delbert Doppler."-

"I'm Sora." The two shook hands. Soon after, the KH team stood up to give a handshake, introducing themselves one after another.

"I'm Riku."-

"I'm Mickey."-

"Name's Goofy."-

"Donald Duck."-

"The usual, Delbert?" asked Sarah.

"That sounds delightful, Sarah." replied Delbert.

"I'll have your orders out as soon as possible."-

She withdrew to the kitchen as the party sat down and engaged in conversation.

"Tell me, Delbert." asked Sora. "How is it that you are acquainted with Mrs. Hawkins?"

"Well, I've been an old friend of the family since Jim was a young lad." Delbert replied.

"She's a very busy woman." Riku uttered. "So many guest to serve. And you say she does it all by herself?"

"All by herself. Many people here, including myself, insist on giving her a hand, but she insist on bearing the weight."-

"What about her son, Jim?" asked Mickey.

"Jim helps out as well. More times than what many give him credit for. But ever since his father left them, he's never fully recovered. Recently, he's been rather depressed and has gotten into trouble lately."-

"That's too bad." said Goofy. "Poor guy."

"I wouldn't be surprised." added Riku. "It's just the two of them. And running a business at such a tight end makes the situation even harder."

Mrs. Hawkins returned to the table with their drinks.

"Here you go, gents." she said.

"Tell me." asked Delbert. "How is it with Jim lately?"

"Well..." there was a silence amongst the party, before Sarah could utter the rest of her statement. "I know that he's had it a little rough lately, but I believe he'll turn about soon."

It was then that the doors burst open and two mechanical officers, with a boy placed before them, entered the inn.

"Mrs. Hawkins." said one of the officers.

"Jim!" cried Sarah.

"Ooh. Wrong turn." said Delbert.

"OK, thanks for the lift, fellas!" Jim uttered, trying to cover the issue.

"Not so fast!" said the second officer. "Your son was caught operating a solar vehicle in restricted air space."

"Again!" Sarah uttered.

"This is the second time he's been warned, ma'am." said the first officer. "As a result of this violation, we have impounded his vehicle. You must understand that this violation has breeched the agreement of his probation. Any further violations will result in immediate relocation to Juvenile Hall."

"I understand, Officer." said Sarah, pulling her son towards her. "I won't happen again."

"We see these things all the time ma'am." said the second officer.

"Wrong choices." added the other officer.

"Bad decisions."-

"Losers."-

"You take care now?" They tipped their hats.

"Let's motor!" said the first officer. With that, the two officers left. Business continued soon after the incident had passed. Sarah sighed, frustratingly.

"Jim. I have had it." she uttered, angrily. "Do you want to go to Juvenile Hall? Is that it?" Jim only turned around and began picking up the dishes on the dirty tables. "It's bad enough that I have to do things here on my own, but now I have to contend with all this..."

"It's not what you think, Mom!" Jim blasted out. "Those cops just won't get off my back."

"I don't want anything to happen to you! I'm just concerned about your safety that's all! I don't want you to ruin your future!"-

"Yeah. What future." Jim uttered, entering the kitchen with his load.

"As you can see, things aren't going well with them." Delbert stated.

"He just hasn't been the same since his father left us." said Sarah.

"I don't know how you manage to put up with it. Running a business and having to raise a felon... I mean fellow like Jim."-

"I'm at the end of my rope now. He's never been like this all the time. You know how smart he is. I mean he built his first solar surfer when he was eight. And yet, he's failing in school, he's always getting into trouble, and whenever I try to talk to him, it's as if I'm talking to a complete stranger. I've done all I can." She lowered her head and tears began to form on the lower lids of her eyes. She wiped them off and sniffled a bit. "I'm sorry. I have to get you involved in this."

"It's quite alright." said Delbert.

"Is there anything we can do for you, Mrs. Hawkins?" asked Riku.

"That's quite alright. I can manage. I always have."-

Just then, the doors burst open again, but this time a band of roughnecks came waltzing into the inn. They helped themselves to a table, forcing the customers sitting there to leave the inn altogether. With the arrival of these ruffians, many of the customers left without a word.

"Hey! How about some service here!" shouted one of the party members.

"We're starving!" shouted another.

Mrs. Hawkins walked up to them.

"Please, gentlemen." she uttered. "Don't cause a ruckus while there are other customers about."

"Stop your cake hole and give us some service!" said one member. Mrs. Hawkins soon realized they were armed with cutlasses and pistols.

"Hey, you're a good looking woman." chuckled another, pulling here down onto his knee. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to turn her head at him. "I would love to know more about you!"

"I know what you want to know about her!" guffawed another, daring to lift her skirt with his scabbard.

"Stop!" Sarah cried.

"You unhand her now!" Delbert protested.

"And what are you gonna do about it, pretty boy!" one ruffian chuckled. Delbert, not wanting to cause further trouble, backed off.

"Now where was I before we were so rudely interrupted? Oh Yeah!" He continued to use his scabbard to lift up Mrs. Hawkins's petticoat.

"You leave my mother alone!" shouted a voice. The ruffians looked to see Jim standing there, armed with a butcher's knife.

"Well, looky here." chuckled the first ruffian. "We have a little hero!"

"Hey, kid." said the second. "You really think you can stand a chance against pirates!"

"Pirates!" cried Delbert. "You're pirates!"

"That's right!" said the first pirate. "And now that you know we're pirates, you'll do as we say!"

"You're not getting anything!" shouted Jim. "You let go of my mother, or I'll make you sorry!"

"Is that so." a voice uttered from above. Jim looked up and suddenly and giant spider pirate landed on the floor. Using his claw, he grabbed Jim by the throat and held him against the wall. Jim struggled in the spider's grasp, his feet flailing about in the air.

"Give it to him, Scroop!" shouted the second pirate.

"Don't you be worrying about that notion." said Scroop. "I'll make sure this boy gets what he so strongly desires. More, or less anyway." He glared at Jim with those bright yellow eyes. "Tell me, have you seen any spacers come around here lately?"

"Why do you wanna know!" Jim uttered.

"Tell me straight and we'll be on our way. Have any spacers come here recently? If so, did they go by the name Billy Bones?"-

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you!"-

"You are a fool!" Scroop held him higher, tightening his grip. "I'm giving you a chance to be cooperative, boy. But you refuse to take it. Either you are extremely brave, or your ears aren't functioning properly."

"My ears may not be working properly, but I know my nose is!"-

"Why you little...!" Scroop tightened is grip around the boy's throat. Jim began to choke violently, his legs giving way to violent thrashing.

"Jim, please!" cried Sarah.

"Leave him alone, Scroop!" shouted Sora, standing up to face the pirates. "Or you'll have to answer to me!"

"Hmm. Another hero." said Scroop. "Either you are extremely brave, or remarkably foolish. You think it's wise standing against a pirate?"

"Don't you worry about that. I can take you on."-

"Well, try saying that after I kill this boy." He took his other claw and held it against Jim's jugular. "Try any heroics and this boy meets a sorry end indeed."

Sora sneered and dropped his guard. One of the pirates ran up, grabbed a hold of Sora and slammed his head against the table.

"Not so cocky now are you!" chuckled the third pirate. "I don't here you making any cheeky remarks anymore!"

"Why those..." Riku uttered, standing up. Mickey, however placed his hand on his shoulder forcing Riku to sit down again.

"Don't do it, Riku." he said. "If we try to interfere, we'll only end up becoming hostages as well. They intend to kill Jim and possibly Sora if we try to rescue them." Riku sat back down, clenching his fists in utter rage.

"Now!" shouted the third pirate, throwing Sora against a table. Sora hit the table and fell to the ground, bits of food fell on his head. "I'll have a little fun with you."

"Excuse me." said a voice. The pirates and the KH party looked to see a dark skinned figure sitting at the table that had recently collapsed. He stood up and wiped his mouth. "I don't know where it is you came from, but from where I come from, disturbing someone during a meal is considered extremely rude."

"You stay out of this, stranger!" said Scroop. "Our business is only with these two boys!"

"But I can's just sit here and allow you to get away with spoiling my meal. To add on to the situation, you have two young boys and a woman as hostages. I personally find that an unnecessary action. Hiding behind innocent blood to protect yourself from harm. Therefore, due to such a cowardly act on your part, I have no other choice but to interfere."-

"And how do you plan on taking us on?"-

"Like this." the stranger lifted his right hand with index and middle finger erected. He suddenly swooped his hand at a downward angle. Nothing had happened, no visible attack, no sudden weapon activity, nothing whatsoever had occurred. Or so they thought. Suddenly, Scroop's left arm stung with great pain. Releasing Jim from his grasp, he grabbed hold of his arm in pain. His hand suddenly developed a bruise which streaked down his arm.

"What...what did you do?" said Scroop.

"Wouldn't you like to know." said the stranger.

The pirates drew their weapons, but realized that Sora had released himself from their clutches and already had his sword drawn. Riku as well, jumped up and unsheathed his sword. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy took their weapons and stood ready to face the pirates.

"You're outnumbered here." Sora stated. "Give up while you can!"

"You think you can win against battle experienced pirates?" said Scroop.

"We'll take our chances." said Riku.

But it wasn't long before the doors burst open again. In the doorway, a cyborg stood with his one mechanical eye glaring at the individuals in the room.

"What is going on in here, ya scurvy dogs!" shouted the cyborg.

"Captain Long John Silver." said the second pirate.

"I thought I told you not to be causing a disturbance to these citizens! Your mission was to find out what you needed to know without stirring up further conflicts! Instead, you decide to be daft about the entire situation and blow the entire operation before it's begun."-

"The situation has already passed though." said Scroop. "Now, we have no choice but to extract the information we want by force."

"Very true! Very true! And you'll never know more than a particularly stupid pilchard!" John Silver walked about the group. "I'll be making this as short as possible! Where is Billy Bones!"

"We don't know who you're talking about!" said Delbert.

"I'm sure you don't! But I have already heard enough from a reliable source that he be seen in this area already! And since you know we be pirates now, you hesitate to tell us what we be wanting to know." Using the accessories from his leg and arm, he created a portable beam cannon. "Now, by thunder, will ye be telling us what we want to know, or are ya still gonna stay quiet about it until we have to tear the place apart."

Suddenly, Mrs. Hawkins fell to her knees and cried.

"Please, Sir!" she said. "There's no Billy Bones here! There never was! I swear it! Now please just leave!"

"Very well, then." said Silver. "But if I find out that ye be lying to us, our retribution will descend upon you like a tidal wave!" Silver withdrew his cannon and walked out. "We're leaving, gents! So don't be making a fuss over anything! Understood, Mr. Scroop!"

"Transparently." Scroop uttered. With that, the five pirates exited out of the inn and disappeared into the driving rain.

Sora and the other withdrew their weapons.

"That was too close for comfort." said Sora.

"I'll say." added Riku.

"Well, I'll be on my way then." the stranger uttered, wrapping his cloak around him.

"Hey! Wait a minute!" said Sora. "I never got to thank you for helping us."

"It's nothing, kid. I was just doing what I thought was the right thing to do."-

"My name is Sora."-

"Standing Eagle." With those last words, the stranger disappeared into the storm. Sora rushed out, but he had disappeared without a trace.

"Standing Eagle, eh?" said Riku. "Well, I doubt this'll be the last time we see him."

"You might be right about that, Riku." Sora replied. He saw Jim standing up and dusting himself off. "Are you OK, Jim?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." he uttered. "Listen. Thanks for doing what you did for me back there."

"Jim!" cried Sarah Hawkins, embracing him.

"Mom."-

"Don't ever scare me like that again!"-

"Do ya think those pirates might come back?" asked Goofy.

"Without a doubt." replied Mickey.

"It's a good thing we came here when we did." said Sora. "They were looking for this guy named Billy Bones. Who's Billy Bones anyhow?"

"I be Billy Bones." uttered a voice from the staircase. The party looked up to see an old salamander descending the staircase. He took heavy breaths descending down the staircase.

"You're Billy Bones?"-

"I thought you said there was no Billy Bones." said Mickey.

"I lied." said Sarah. "If I had told them the truth, they still would've ransacked the inn looking for valuables."

"Are you OK, Mr. Bones?" asked Jim, running to assist the old pirate.

"They be after me chest." said Billy. "Lad. Bring me chest here."

Jim nodded and ran to the kitchen. Hidden behind the cupboard, he pulled out Billy's sea chest. Bringing it before the old salamander, Jim backed away as he Billy inserted the code to open the chest. From his chest, lay a golden sphere of some sort. Strange markings and inscriptions were embroidered onto its surface.

"What is that?" asked Jim.

"What that scurvy cyborg was after." Billy replied. "He'll never get me map. He'll never get his hands on that great..." Suddenly, old Billy Bones collapsed to the ground.

"Oh no!" said Sora. They ran up to assist the old pirate.

"Silver won't stop. He'll keep coming for it. And he'll kill anyone who stands in his way."-

"What is this map for?" asked Sora.

"Flint's Trove..."-

"Treasure Planet?" said Jim. "You mean Treasure Planet?"

"The loot of a thousand worlds?" added Delbert. "Can you believe it. The loot of a thousand worlds. Anyone who finds it would have their names inscribed into the history books throughout the galaxy."

"No wonder those pirates were desperate to find it." said Riku.

"Hey, Riku." Sora uttered. "Isn't that the reason why Lu Bu and Osiris are here? They've come looking for that trove?"

"You're right, Sora. The reason for them being here is to find Flint's treasure and take it to increase the financial capita of the Dark Empire."

"So it's not only pirates looking for Flint's Trove ." said Delbert. "These two individuals you speak of are after the gold as well?"

"The gold..." said Billy Bones. "You must not let them have the gold. Take me map Jim, me lad. Ye always have been a help to old Billy Bones. Don't let Silver and his band of cutthroats get their hands of Flint's gold." Handing the map to Jim, he took one final breath and fell dead on the floor. Delbert ran to check for a pulse, but it was too late already.

"He's dead alright." he uttered.

"Well, now what do we do?" asked Goofy.

"We'll look for Treasure Planet." said Jim. "I plan to get my hands on that gold."

"That is out of the question!" his mother protested. "That's the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard of!"-

"But Mom! All those stories!"-

"That's all they were! Stories!"-

"But with the treasure, we'll be able to build the Benbow Inn to a greater grandeur than it is now! We'd be able to live like royalty!"-

"Delbert! Will you talk to him and tell him how ludicrous this plan is!"-

"Yes! It's utterly ridiculous for you to go alone!" said Delbert.

"You see."-

"That's why I'll be going with you, Jim!"-

"Delbert!" shouted Sarah. "You're not helping!"

"All my life I've been waiting for this moment and here it is screaming! Go Delbert! Go Delbert! Go Delbert!"-

"Enough! You're both grounded!"-

"Mom, please." Jim uttered. "I know that I've screwed up in the past and that I've...I've let you down. But this is my chance to make it up to you. To make a better life for the both of us."

"Jim I..."-

"He won't be going alone." said Delbert. "Besides, you said yourself that you've tried everything. A few character building months in space will be good for him anyway."

"Are you saying this because it's the right thing to do?" asked Sarah. "Or is it because you really want to go?"

"I really, really, really want to go. And it's the right thing to do."-

She could only sigh and walked up to her son. Holding his hands, she looked into his eyes with a great sadness.

"Alright. Just don't get hurt."-

"Well, it's settled then." said Delbert. "First of all, it's best that we all return to my estate. I want Sarah to stay there for the time being until this thing blows over. I'll gather the necessary items for the journey, hire a captain and a crew and then we'll be off on our journey."

"You don't have to go through all that trouble." said Sora. "We can take you to Treasure Planet on our gummi ship."

"Oh no we're not!" Donald protested.

"Why not!"-

"You want to know why! One, we only have so much fuel and rocket power left to complete our journey! Two, the gummi ship has only so much space! So we all can't fit in it along with all the supplies needed! And three, we'd be providing unnecessary transportation. Our real objective will be denied."

"That's alright, Donald." said Mickey. "We can afford to give them a hand."

"Do not worry." said Delbert. "Whatever costs you your objective, I will pay in full! I will pay for the fuel necessary to get us to our destination and back."

"That still hasn't eliminated the fact that we still don't have enough room for everyone else!"-

"But we can always use our other gummi ships." said Mickey. "Don't forget, we have the Leviathan stored for backup as well."

"Alright. If you say so, your Majesty."-

"Well then," said Delbert. "Gentlemen. Tomorrow, it's off to the space port."

However, misfortune awaited the troop, which watched them from a sheltered area in the driving rain. A man in heavy armor and a grand head dress placed upon his head and reached the ground ending with two large feelers. Lord Lu Bu it was, observing the KH team's movements.

"So, you are positive they have the map leading to this Treasure Planet?" he said.

"That is correct." a hooded man, standing next to him said. "That boy, Jim Hawkins has a map."

"Without a doubt, those pirates will be after the treasure too."-

"They will easily be subdued, my lord."-

"You don't need to tell me that." Lu Bu observed the party, now leaving the Benbow Inn and heading for the Delbert estate. "We have to somehow capture that boy and force him to lead us to the treasure. Once he does that, and we achieve our objective, then the Empire will gain strong financial support."

"But what about Sora and the KH team?"

"There is nothing to fear! They wouldn't stand a chance against the mighty Lu Bu."-

"Tell me Lu Bu. What is it that you're fighting for? Do you truly fight for the sake of the Empire?"-

"I fight for myself and only for myself. I could care less about the Empire. Power and justice can only obtained through victory in battle."-

"Your rebellious and belligerent nature will get you into trouble, Lu Bu. You've gained a reputation of being a traitor. What is it that you're trying to gain?"

"Absolute strength."-

"In that case, you have a lot more to learn about what it means to fight."-

"Being a true warrior, I've already found my reason to fight. I need no further explanations."-