And at long last, this arc finally draws to a close...phew.
One Piece: The Skull Pirates
Chapter Seventeen: Celebration of Freedom! Goodbye, Newport Island!
Brandy and Helsing's former men were just about to go searching for Ryoga - he had to have finished up by now - when the shock of Jack's little quake hit the marine base. Most of the seamen tumbled to the shaking floor, but Helsing and a few others were able to stay standing. Several of Helsing's prizes weren't quite so lucky, falling from their perches and shattering. The marines barely noticed.
Soon enough it was over, and those who had fallen got to their feet, looking around cautiously.
"What was that just now, Captain Brandy?" asked one of the seamen.
For once, he looked stumped. "Well...I don't know. But if it happens again, I think we should all be out of here when it does; this isn't a good place to be in an earthquake. Come on, and grab the wounded."
He slung Ryoga's unconscious form over his shoulder and walked out the door. The marines began to pick up their unconscious enemies before leaving; there were enough that they'd have to make multiple trips. But most of these marines had been their friends or acquaintances - just because they hadn't shown people mercy didn't mean they should have the same done to them.
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Drake felt the quake too, just as he was climbing out of the hidden tunnel. With the wounds Ryoga had given him, walking back down it had taken longer than earlier.
Without hesitating a moment, he turned and ran back into it. "Come on!" he called back to the Skull Pirates. They followed quickly.
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Meanwhile at the village, Karen quickly grabbed an elderly merman nearby her before he could fall under the weight of a heavy wood board.
"Dammit, what now?" she growled. Hadn't this island seen enough problems without bringing natural disasters into it?
"...you'd better be alright, Drake..."
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"W-what on earth?"
Gerald's reaction was understandable. The four of them were staring at the remains of Helsing's escape tunnel, slightly in awe.
"Jack did this? Vraiment?" Mary murmured in disbelief.
"W-wow..." Frank breathed.
Without comment Drake walked forward, stooped, and began digging away at the cave-in, his great strength more than enough to move a few rocks.
Quickly he was joined by the Skull Pirates, each shifting the debris as best they could.
It was slow work; whenever they moved a rock out of the way, it seemed two more fell down to take it's place. But they kept at it, and if anything Drake even sped up his pace, tossing rocks as big as he was out of the way.
They worked for what felt like hours, and was probably at least a few. One by one the Skull Pirates grew exhausted and sat down against the tunnel wall, but Drake kept going, sheer adrenaline holding the pain of his wounds at bay.
Then, at last, Drake threw away a small rock to reveal a very familiar bony hand. The merman's eyes widened, and he redoubled his efforts, focusing on the rocks around it. Slowly the rest of Jack's arm came into view, followed by his torso.
The merman was about to move another rock, but suddenly shook his head and turned around. "Come on. Help me pull."
Having all caught a second wind they got up, walking forward and grabbing hold of the skeleton pirate's arms.
"One, two..." Drake counted down. "...THREE!"
Each of them pulled as hard as they could to free the captain. At first it seemed to have no effect at all, Jack's body and legs held fast by the rocks. Then, he slowly began to squeeze free, inch by inch. Finally, with a hard pull and a sudden pop he was ripped right out of the rocks, sailing over his companions' heads and face-planting in the ground behind them.
"...ow..." he slowly groaned.
Drake nodded. "Well, he's alive."
Quickly the rest of the Skull Pirates gathered around their captain. Mary gently moved him into a sitting position, and Frank held up two digits in front of his face. "How many fingers am I holding up, captain?"
"Too many to have shoved in my face after I got hit by a cave-in, thanks." Jack muttered.
Gerald chuckled, smacking him on the back lightly. "Well, if you're well enough to complain, you should be fine. A thousand pounds of rock are no much for our captain's hard head, eh? Hah hah."
"Tell that to it. But not my doctor...agh...I do get one, right? Saved the day and everything, so I think I'm...oh...entitled."
"That could be a problem." said Drake. "There are no doctors in any of the villages here; the marine base might have one, but considering you just buried their commander under ten feet of rock..."
Mary smiled. "I don't think they'll be lacking in motivation." A thorn poked out of her index finger.
Drake nodded knowingly. "Alright then. Excuse me."
The three of them stepped aside, allowing the merman to stoop and lift up Jack. They all began walking back to the entrance.
"Aw, dammit, didn't we have enough of this earlier!?" the skull pirate protested verbally, but lay still.
Mary tilted her head. "Hm? Earlier?" Her lips spread in a devious smile. "What does he mean by that, Jack?"
"Nothing." Jack said instantly. "Forget it."
Drake shrugged. "Nothing much. We just had to spend the night in a cave, that's all."
"Oh, really?" the girl purred. "How curieux."
Jack glared at her. "Nothing happened. At all. So keep any weird fantasies to yourself, okay?"
"Oh?" Mary raised an eyebrow. "You seem more fixated on this than me, captain. Aren't you being a bit defensive?"
The skeleton ground his teeth and shut up. No matter what he said Mary managed to twist it into something else...if she weren't a woman...
They reached the slope upward, and something occured to Jack. "You know, with all that digging that went on everywhere, it's kind of amazing I only caused one cave-in, huh?"
Beside Drake, Gerald frowned. "Really, Jack, at least wait until we're above ground before you start gloating. Just saying 'If I had really been trying, I could have caused five earthquakes!' won't make it come tru-"
He was interrupted by a rumble from just behind them. He sighed. "Right. I'll accept the blame for that one."
"Um...run?" suggested Frank, as the sound of rocks falling neared.
They began to - thankfully they had all regained some stamina since earlier. The collapsing rock was just as fast, however, and the sloped, cramped nature of the tunnel made it difficult to run in; evidently cave-ins hadn't been factored into it's construction.
Somewhat amazingly, Gerald was able to keep up with the other three quite well. But then, he hadn't contributed much to the battle physically, had he?
Just before the collapse was about to overtake and crush them, the Skull Pirates (and Drake) reached the tunnel's exit. Diving out in a rush of dust, they all ended up sprawled on the grass.
The five of them coughed wildly before the cloud dissipated, and when it did they looked at each-other...and started to laugh. Near death situations could be hilarious provided that was all they were. Besides, all of them were in a good mood.
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Some distance away, on the other side of the cave-in, a few rocks fell away from to reveal something shimmery and black: a bubble of oil. It split open, revealing a battered, beaten, bruised, but still very much alive Helsing.
The captain panted, spitting up a bit of blood. "D-damn pirate..." He muttered.
Climbing up out of the rock pile, Helsing dusted his uniform off, trying in vain to make himself look presentable again. Then he began to walk forward barely even stumbling as his thoughts swam. "...d-damn pirate...how dare he do that to me!? But..."
He looked over his shoulder, at the rock pile. The captain grinned. "Hah. He got what he deserved, didn't he?"
The beach was ahead, and there was his boat. He could easily spare some money for a doctor...he just had to get off this island, and they'd never find him.
Helsing was close enough to touch the small craft now. He reached out to pull himself in, when he heard a noise behind him.
Gulping, the captain slowly turned around...just in time to catch a liquor bottle to the face.
"Yo," said Brandy cheerfully as Helsing collapsed. "Not gonna make a snarky comment, or anything, but...you're under arrest. It's over."
Helsing let out a pitiful moan, falling unconscious for good this time.
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"Alright, does this hurt?"
The doctor instantly regretted it; people in his profession tended to develop durable eardrums, but even he had to wince at Jack's yell. "...alright then, I'll take that a yes."
They were back in Karen's village, and oddly enough, so were the local marines. Evidently their doctor and his assistants had been treating the mermen here, but exactly why the Skull Pirates didn't know. They hadn't really asked, frankly, just glad that Jack was included among the patients. It was quite a tense atmosphere despite that fact, and they were trying to remain inconspicous. It wasn't really working - three out of five of them had bounty posters, after all - but thankfully they didn't seem to care.
"Well," began the doctor, "as near as I can tell, your friend has a badly sprained leg and arm, a few cracked ribs, and numerous other damaged bones. He should be fine without any casts, but he'll have to take it easy for a while."
Jack snorted. "Yeah, I'll try not to get hit by another rockslide any time soo - OOOOOON!"
"Sorry," said the doctor, "my hand tends to slip when I'm mocked."
Mary sighed in relief. "There's a load off our minds." She cocked her head. "Should I be wondering why he isn't almost dead?"
Gerald shrugged. "Well, it's probably safe to assume his Devil Fruit makes him a bit tougher than normal. We're still not sure about everything it does, frankly."
"Yeah," said a voice behind them, "that's the way it works with those things. We don't have complete knowledge on even half of them."
The Skull Pirate's first mate nodded. "Yes, that's certainly...true?"
The crew turned around to see Brandy standing there. He raised a hand at them. "Yo."
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The captain leaned back in the chair he was sitting in. "So...the Skull Pirates, eh?" He nodded. "Pretty original, I guess. Just..."
"'Just' what?" Jack asked indignantly. He wasn't in the mood for people to make fun of his names.
"Weeeeell," Brandy wheedled, "Just...why the Skull Pirates, exactly? I know your name is Jack Bones, but there's plenty more than just that one in a body, you know."
He grinned. "Like, why not the Femur Pirates? Or the Spine Pirates? Heck, the Cervical Vertebrae Pirates has a nice ring to it!"
Jack looked unimpressed. "Yeah, sure. Sorry if getting chased around by all your goons didn't make me very creative."
"Hey," Brandy shrugged casually, "you should never understimate what good marines are capable of."
While her captain fumed silently Mary cut in. "Um, Captain Brandy, you said?"
The marine smiled. "That's correct, Miss The Thorn - or is it just Thorn? What do you need?"
"Either one is fine, thank you." Mary smiled back. Pirates and marines generally called each-other by their bounty head / authority nicknames, in an odd way of one professional addressing another.
She clasped her hands together on the table. "You seem to be beating around the bush, if I may say so. Are we under arreter, or not?"
The situation wouldn't be good for them if the answer was yes. Marines were one thing, but this captain looked like a bumbling idiot, which, if their captain was anything to go by, meant he could beat them all single-handedly. His ship also had to be docked somewhere nearby, likely with the cannons readied...not that that mattered, since The Flying Skull was still dry-docked.
Brandy leaned back in his chair, spinning a bottlecap slowly between two fingers. "Well, let's count up your crimes here then, shall we?"
He began to tick off the fingers of his free hand. "Firstly, you trespassed on marine territory without anyone's knowledge, hid your presence here for quite a while...but another pirate crew was already doing that, and for way longer.
A second. "You then proceeded to attack that same pirate crew, beating them all into the ground. Not really that big a crime, and one that's actually encouraged so long as civilians don't get caught up in it. You also did that after saving this town from getting burnt to pieces, which is sort of the exact opposite of a crime."
"However..." Brandy's face grew grave. "Then there's the matter the vicious beating your captain awarded Helsing. By the time I found him, he was barely standing under his own power."
A moment of silence came, during which the other Skull Pirates shifted uncomfortably, while Jack just folded his arms and stared.
Finally, Brandy's mouth spread in a smile. "Which I'd give you a medal for, Jack, if I could."
The pirates all relaxed. Jack put his elbows on the table and looked Brandy in the eyes. "Well, thanks, but that doesn't really answer her question, does it?"
The captain's smile didn't change. He shrugged. "Kidnapping, slavery, extortion, harvesting a precious resource for his own gain...the crimes Helsing commited right under the noses of us marines is almost unbelievable. But, a crew of just five pirates showing up here, discovering all these crimes, and saving the day all by themselves? Who'd buy a whooper like that? Kinda makes us look bad, y'know?"
He leaned back. "I can't exactly arrest people who were clearly never here, can I?"
Jack returned the smile. "No...no, I don't think you can, Brandy."
The Skull Pirates relaxed again.
"Anyway..." the marine captain looked around. "I have enough work to do here without apprehending you guys. Rebuilding everything Helsing dismantled will take a long while. We'll have to get another replacement captain here, and-"
"Excuse me." a voice cut in. They all turned to see Karen standing there. "Can I say something?"
Brandy nodded. "Of course, miss. Go ahead."
"Well..." began the merwoman. "We don't want another captain on this island. We never wanted to come here in the first place. It was a stupid idea; there's probably plenty of people in West Blue that hate mermen, but cooping all of us up here won't do anything to change that. No matter what kind of amnesty we get, it won't change other's opinions if they really think we're monsters."
The marine nodded. "I see your point, miss. I can't imagine anyone really thought this idea would be at all productive. But what do you want me to do?"
Karen shrugged. "Just...leave. Don't send another captain here, and let us live for ourselves. That's all we need, really."
Brandy leaned back in his chair, arms folded behind his head. "Hmmmm..." he hummed to himself. "Well, let's see here..."
The Skull Pirates watched intently, as did the mermen. Finally, Brandy nodded. "Okay, I'll see what I can do."
There probably wouldn't have been a cheer, even if the answer had been a definite yes. After receiving the short end of the stick for so long, it just stood to reason the mermen didn't react too hopefully, especially not for what was essentially a 'maybe'.
Then a sound pierced the silence; two stomaches growling in unison.
Brandy frowned in mock-sternness. "Letting loose such a baser noise in front of a marine officer; don't you have any shame, Jack?"
"Doing the same thing in front of the guy who did your job for you." snarked Jack pointedly. "It's pretty obvious you don't, Brandy. If you didn't have other good qualities, I might not like you."
"Oh no," Brandy deadpanned, "a pirate likes me. What a blasphemy on me, my record, and the entire marine organization."
He turned to look at the collective mermen. "Hey, you guys hungry too? I'm guessing yeah, right?"
An embarassed shuffling of feet and murmuring told him this was indeed the case. Brandy turned to the Skull Pirates. "How 'bout you guys? You want something to eat?"
Jack shrugged. "Sure, why not? I already took your ship, so at least there's a precedent, right?"
Brandy scratched his head. "Don't remember offering you that..." He turned to some of his men. "Hey, you guys run up to the base. I'd bet good money Helsing had some 'un-noticed' rations in his pantry."
As they walked off, he turned to another group. "You all, move some of these tables into the middle of town."
There was an average of one table to each household, and they were one of the only competent pieces of furniture within them. Dragging them out was relatively easy, and Brandy turned to the mermen. "Can some of you guys tell your friends to come over here?"
They did, and finally he looked back at the Skull Pirates. "I don't suppose you guys could contribute a little to this? At least my booze, anyway."
Jack blinked. "Oh. That alchohol we threw overboard?" He grinned apologetically. "Sorry."
"...what."
Jack shrugged. "Hey, I did feel bad about it, for what it's worth."
"Well, you-"
"I mean, even if they're corked and in that box we stuck 'em in, any fish that goes near is dead meat for sure. Sure, I'm a pirate, but causing serious environmental hazards is something I try to keep off my conscience."
"Some of those bottles were older than any fish!" Brandy cried. "And you!"
The skull pirate nodded slowly. "Yeah, I could tell. The explosion from a cannonball hitting them probably would have been spectacular; a sight to see for miles. I'm just so sorry my partiality to staying alive had to deprive the world of such a sight."
"Yeah...yeah, you better." Brandy said sulkily. That seemed to the end of the subject.
"I still think we should have kept some of those, captain." put in Frank. "You never knew when a corrosive acid can come in handy."
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About an hour later, the tables had been set up, and laden down with food a good sight better than the rations these people had been receiving until now. The merman were all seated at them, staring at the meal like it was a mirage.
Brandy stood up, clearing his throat. "Excuse me. Can I have your attention?"
The mermen all looked to him silently. Brandy gulped slightly, grinning hesitantly. "Uh, hi...most of you probably don't know who I am, huh?"
Silence. Brandy scratched the back of his head. Maybe he could tell a joke...the only ones he could think of were about fish. Probably not a good idea.
He sighed. "Well, my name is Captain Brandy. I'm a marine captain that was sent to investigate this island's situation. And I have to say one thing..."
Everyone assembled there blinked as he bowed low, nose nearly touching the wood surface. "...I apologize. I can't begin to say how sorry I am for what's happened here. It's a disgrace to the entire marine organization, and I'm ashamed you had to be the victims of it.
If you never trust another marine officer again in your life, I'll understand, and I know just giving you a good meal won't do anything toward making up for this. But I have to show you not all of us are like Helsing, and that the law isn't just a tool foe evil. That's what our duty calls us to do, and that's all I can do."
Brandy sat down. "So...that's all. Sorry."
An awkward silence then came. Jack looked around; no-one seemed sure what to say to that. The mermen looked unsure, while his crew seemed shocked: who knew Brandy had a speech like that in him? Ryoga and Jade (who had arrived along with the marines from Brandy's ship) were looking at the captain with expressions of slight awe.
So, abruptly, Jack clapped his hands together. "Welp, how 'bout we eat?"
Instantly the spell of silence was broken, and the impromptu party began.
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Broken arm in a sling, Ryoga turned to his superior. "Commander, I have to protest again about breaking bread with these pirates."
"I can hear you, y'know."
"I'll admit they were responsible for Helsing's arrest, but the fact remains that they're criminals; just ignoring their presence is extremely irresponsible."
"Very commendable of you, pushing this after your arm got broken."
"After all, we came here in the first place to root out illegal activity, and here it is right now!"
"Drake, do you think he would shut up if you gave him autre?"
"...I really don't know, actually."
Ryoga looked across and glared at the Skull Pirates. "Do you people mind? I'm trying to talk to my captain."
"Shut up and eat, Ryoga."
"...yes, sir."
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A couple of the mermen looked down at the body that lay before them.
One shook his head sadly. "It's really terrible when young people can't hold their liquor."
"Yeah..." deadpanned the other. "Especially when they only drink a third of a bottle."
"Hey, did you smell that stuff? I'm surprised he could even do that much."
"Yeah," the merman nodded, "but I'm even more surprised that captain said he meant us no harm, and then let us drink that stuff. Seems counter-productive. At least the stuff they gave us down there didn't give off fumes...usually."
"...nee-san, why can't I sleep with you...?" murmured Frank after hiccuping. Apparently the shinobi laws of conduct didn't count when you were inebriated. You'd already broken most of them by that point, anyway.
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"Um, excuse me?"
Mary looked up from her meal and blinked. "Hm? Pardon?"
The marine shifted uncomfortably. "Well, uh...you're really Mary the Thorn?"
"The last time I checked." she said, offering him a smile. This didn't help his awkwardness much.
"Uh, um..." he looked around and then finally held up a sheet of paper, along with a pencil. "Could you please give me your autograph? Even if it's just the initials, I don't mind..."
Mary smiled. "Well, why didn't you just say so?" Taking the slip of paper, Mary wrote down her name and bounty title, with neat, graceful strokes in cursive.
"There you are," she said, handing it back to him, offering another smile.
"...t-thank you." he mumbled, walking away. The target of the mumbling quickly changed to himself.
Mary looked amused. "Nice boy, I suppose..." She sighed. "Even if he can't hold a chandelle to Martin."
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"It was terrifying! He must have been ten, no, twenty feet tall! His very steps quaked the earth!"
The children were all held captivated, and even some of the adults stared attentively as Jack recounted his fight with Helsing. Of course, he was embellishing events slightly (apparently he had taken on all of the Road Warriors singlehandedly, after his crew were tied up), but considering how the fight had ended he'd more than earned the right to boast.
"He swung his fist forward, and the air shook! I blocked, but the blow pushed me back, back, back...it seemed like I was doomed. But THEN!" He shouted bringing his hands up in a grandiose motion.
"Then I remembered that my crew, and you guys, were all counting on me! So I struck out, punching at Helsing with all my might! A left, a right, another left...slowly but surely, I gained ground! Then, with a mighty uppercut," Jack paused to thrust a fist into the air, "I sent that rat sailing straight into the ceiling! Why, he hit it so hard, the very cavern collapsed around us!"
This didn't have quite the effect Jack had been looking for, unless he'd been fishing for silence. Appropriately enough, a cricket chirped somewhere.
One of the mermen child coughed politely. "Um, mister, you don't have to exaggerate. You're already a hero."
"...who's exaggerating!? I totally did that!" Jack yelled, knocked right out of his storytelling persona. "I'm like, really strong, so it was easy, too!"
"Yeah, seriously, come on." put in one of the adults in-between bites. "Even for a pirate captain, that's pretty far-fetched."
"IT HAPPENED!"
"Okay, okay, sure." the merman said reassuringly.
Jack ground his teeth in frustration. "Goddammit...no respect, no respect at all..."
"Problem, hic, Jack?" Brandy said from behind him, sounding greatly amused. He took a swig from his battle.
Suddenly, inspiration struck Jack. He walked over quickly, sitting down in front of the other captain and leaning over at him. "Hey, Brandy, I wanna talk to you."
Brandy did the same. "About what, hic, pray tell?"
"I saved this island, and you'll be getting the credit for it, right?" when Brandy nodded, Jack grinned toothily. "So I want something in return. Listen up..."
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Drake watched all of this going on, and smiled slightly.
"Fruits of our labor, eh, Drake?" said Gerald, appearing suddenly and handing the merman a drink. "Nice to see, isn't it?"
"It is," Drake agreed with a nod, "after all this time, I'm glad I was able to save these people." He turned and smiled at the first mate. "With all of your help, of course."
Gerald nodded, and sighed. "Rather odd, isn't it? We're meant to be pirates, but we did something like this, just...because, really."
"...well, people like to help other people." Drake said simply. "That's the case, more often than not."
The first mate nodded, patting "A very nice view of things, I suppose, ha ha."
Drake stared down into his glass. "You're drunk, aren't you?"
"You know, a gentlemen could get very irate at an accusation of that magnitude." Gerald admonished. "You're just lucky I have more self control than most. Why," he paused to let out as distinguished a burb as he could manage, "you can barely tell I'm drunk! Not as easy as I make it look, either, let me tell you."
"I wouldn't know. I don't drink alchohol, or anything else like that. It clouds the mind, you know." with that, Drake dumped the offending liquid onto the grass.
Gerald nodded. "The general idea, or so I am..." he paused to pinch one cheek, "...often told. I only partake of it on special occasions, though, don't worry. Ha, Jack won't even touch the stuff at all - hardly befitting the image of a fearsome pirate captain, eh?"
Drake shrugged. "Well, he's certainly not as tough as he'd like to think." He smiled. "But that's because he's a much kinder man than he lets on."
"It's why he's our captain, after all." said Gerald, returning it. "He has this odd way of attracting others to his side, despite outwardly being a fool." His expression grew ponderous. "Someone could really misuse such a talent...good job he's not clever enough for that, eh?"
"...I can't deny either of those points."
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Ryoga sighed, picking at his food. "Captain, I'm aware your authority is uncircumventable to me at my rank...but, again, I'm not happy about this."
He suddenly shivered as a pair of slim arms wrapped around his chest from behind. "Hmmm...Ryoga, are you happy about anything? Like me, for instance?" Jade purred.
"I-inspector, I-I'm not sure that's a very proper question to-"
"That's a-a...no, I think, Jade." Brandy slurred nearby. "It's like, like, hic, not crying when you see a mewling kitten; the p-precedent, don'tcha know."
Jade pouted. "Awww...that makes me so sad..."
"W-w-wait, Inspector," Ryoga backpedaled instantly, "I d-didn't say that, really!"
Brandy snickered as Jade tightened her grip. He turned to Jack, who was also watching the display with the usual expression other men had when the fairer sex were around Ryoga, which was a lot. The captain cleared his throat to draw his attention away.
"Anyway, Jack, are you sure about this? I mean, I get that you have an ego, but is seems like a bit much."
This didn't actually work, as Jack bristled for that reason instead. "What, you don't think I'm tough enough to deserve it? I'll have you know, I'm a pretty rough customer when I need to be!" He punctuated this by slamming the table with one fist - the wood cracked in response.
Brandy looked impassive. "Right, okay, real tough. But I don't think you're quite getting what these things are for."
Jack shrugged. "Does any pirate? We all just wave them around like they're yard sticks of how manly we are, instead of, you know, death threats. We're stupid, crazy idiots, what can I say?"
"Ah." Brandy nodded slowly. "Kind of an eloquent description of 'em, Jack...albeit deflated a bit by the fact that you want a higher one."
The skull pirate shrugged, a grin crossing his face. "Well, I'm pretty stupid and crazy myself."
"Heh, I can drink to that."
"I would too, but I want to live."
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The party went on for most of the night, and by the time morning came most everyone who'd been involved were fast asleep. Almost everyone, anyway.
Stretching, Jack rose, gently lowering a merman who'd been leaning against him to the ground. Looking around, he quickly located his crew and walked over, nudging them gently. "Hey, guys, time to go." he whispered.
"W-what...oh, yes, alright..." Gerald muttered, getting up and holding his head.
Mary rose, yawning as elegantly as she could before looking around and nodding. "Ah...leaving before the marines awake? Good idea, Jack."
"..."
Jack walked over to their third member and nudged him with his foot. "Hey, Frank, wake up."
The shinobi bolted straight upright, drawing his katana and putting it to Jack's throat. The skull pirate looked unimpressed, flicking the shinobi's mask. "Right, great shinobi trick. Now knock it off."
Frank shifted, and stepped back, sheathing the blade. "I apologize, captain - my reflexes can't distinguish friend from foe."
"Right sure." Jack nodded. "Be grateful you're...you, Frank, or I might be suspicious at that."
"Of course, captain."
Case in point, really. "...anyway, we're moving out now, so come on."
Frank nodded. "Right away, captain."
Together they quietly left the merman village. At it's edge, however, Jack looked up and stopped. "Hey guys, go on ahead. I got something to take care of."
"Ah, right, of course." Gerald said with a knowing nod. Mary mimicked the action.
They turned and started walking off. "...um, why were you two nodding?" Frank asked.
Watching them go for a moment, Jack turned and walked toward the forest that bordered the town. On it's edge was Drake, sitting silently against a tree.
"Yo, Drake." Jack called as he came close. The merman's eyes were closed, and they didn't open to his call. The pirate frowned - reaching down, he snapped his fingers. "Oi, Drake, I'm talking to you. Wake up."
Still no reaction. Jack sighed wearily, and then nodded to himself. Balling one hand, he drew it back and threw a punch forward as strong as he could.
Without opening his eyes or shifting position at all, Drake caught the blow easily, the force of it pushing him deeper against the tree trunk. "Was there something you wanted, Jack? I can't train properly if you distract me."
The skull pirate pulled his hand away. "If you don't want to be distracted, don't train where I can see you." He pointed off toward the shore. "Well, me and my crew are leaving now, and after everything that happened on this island, I figured I should come say...goodbye, you know?"
Drake raised an eyebrow. "Saying farewell to someone who tried to kill you? You're a strange man."
Jack shrugged. "No duh. But hey, we fought together, and you saved my life twice." He extended a hand. "Even if you're a big blue jerk, I'm glad I met you, Drake."
A moment passed before Drake smiled slightly. He grabbed Jack's hand and shook it firmly. "Same here, I suppose. Goodbye, Jack."
With that, he leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes again. A moment passed. Jack tapped his foot on the floor.
"Well!?" the pirate finally shouted. "Are you coming with us or not!?"
This got Drake's attention, and his eyes snapped open. "W-what? Why on earth would I do that?"
Jack nodded firmly. "It's just how it works - I'm supposed to make a manly farewell to you, and you're supposed to go "no, wait, take me with you!", or at least say something! What are you, made of stone?"
The merman. "Well, excuse me if I don't fit in with tradition; but I don't really have any desire to join your crew. Just the fact that we fought together doesn't mean I'd fit in with you at all."
"What do you mean?" Jack frowned. "Me and the guys don't have a problem with you, and I'll even put up with your needlenose just fine."
His face grew serious. "More than that, we're headed for the Grand Line - and if you're gonna find him anywhere, it'll be there."
"..." Drake slowly shook his head. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, Jack...but I swore to find and kill that man myself. I can't accept outside help, and I won't drag you into it, either."
Jack was silent for a long moment, and then sighed. "Fine, then. But don't whine that I didn't offer later!"
With that he turned and walked off. Drake watched for a moment, before shutting his eyes again.
"So, you're just gonna let him walk away?" a voice asked from close by. Looking up, Drake saw Karen standing there, hands on her hips.
The merman shrugged. "I'm sure you heard me; I have no reason to travel with them."
"That's crap," Karen said curtly, "and you know it. Ever since you arrived here, he's the first person I've seen who's made you act like that. You want to go with him right now, I can tell."
Drake turned away. "I doubt that, Karen; I'm not a very understandable man."
Karen snorted. "Well, he does, and you're turning away for no good reason." She frowned. "Well, there probably is one; you're a coward."
"...what?" was all Drake could say in response.
"You lost someone, didn't ya?" Karen asked, looking him in the eye. "Anyone here could see that, since we all have too. You're scared that one day you'll lose them too, huh?"
Drake was silent.
"What are you, a goddamned wimp!?" Karen yelled. "So someone you cared about died; but that doesn't mean you should never care about anyone else! That crew have all lost something, too, but they're together now. Hell, if it weren't for Lyn, I probably would have lost my mind when they dragged my family down there!"
She pointed at his muscular frame. "What's the point of you being that strong if you can't even protect your own heart, huh?"
As if on cue, a brief gust of wind swept through the trees; Drake was silent. Then finally, he stood up, grabbing his dufflebag and starting away.
"Karen." he said, stopping briefly. "...Thanks."
With that, the merman was gone.
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Not long after he had set off, Drake heard the pattering of tiny footsteps behind him. He stopped moving. They stopped as well.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping, Lyn?" he said to thin air.
Meekly, the mergirl walked out from the trees. She shuffled her feet. "Drake-aniki...you're leaving now, aren't you?"
Drake frowned deeply. Stooping, he nodded. "I'm afraid so, Lyn - I've kept my promise to you, but now I must go. There are other people who need protecting out there, and I have to go find them." He smiled, ruffling her hair. "You'll be a good girl, won't you, and not cry anymore?"
Lyn looked up at him, eyes slightly misty, and nodded. "Uh-huh! I'm not gonna cry, not even once...but you have to make another promise!"
"Oh?" Drake smiled. "What's that?"
The mergirl sniffed. "You have to promise...to come back here one day! A-alright?" She extended a hand.
Drake's smile didn't waver in the least. "Oh, is that all?" He gripped her hand gently and shook it. "Alright then, if you like."
"Y-you have to promise!" Lyn said again. "I'll never forgive you if you break it!"
"Well, then I'll just have to make sure I don't, won't I?" Drake said pleasantly. "Be a good girl while I'm gone, alright Lyn?"
The girl nodded, and he ruffled her hair once more before standing up. "Well, I'll be off now."
Drake turned to walk off, and Lyn watched him go sadly. Cupping her hands, she called to him.
"GOODBYE, DRAKE-ANIKI!"
She smiled through her tears as Drake turned to wave.
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"Oh."
The skull pirates were currently staring at The Flying Skull, which was right where they had left it: On the rocks.
Gerald slapped his forehead. "Yes, I knew we had come to this island for some reason."
Mary sighed, restraining herself from doing the same. "I suppose we're probably under arrest, then."
"Should we go back and ask for assistance?" said Frank.
Jack shook his head behind them. "Nah, that won't be necessary."
"Drake's coming up behind us, isn't he?" Mary asked without skipping a beat.
Jack, who had been raising his finger to point, drooped. "How the hell did you know that?" he grumbled.
Mary just shrugged. "Well, I did, didn't I?"
"Oh." Jack blinked. "Yeah, right, you did."
Drake slowly approached, and gave Jack a nod. "I decided to change my mind - I hope that's not a problem."
The skull man jabbed a thumb at their ship. "Not if you can move that, it's not."
"Hm?" the merman looked over at The Flying Skull. "That's a problem?"
Walking past the Skull Pirates, Drake approached the ship. Dropping the dufflebag, he cracked his knuckles slowly before putting his hands on the ship's surface. Then, Drake pushed.
With a slow grinding noise, the ship began to move, slowly sliding off the shore. Drake grunted as his muscles bulged, until finally The Flying Skull was back in it's correct terrain. Nodding, the merman dusted his hands off while the Skull Pirates watched, wide-eyed.
"...I coulda done that, too, I was just worried about hurting the ship." Jack couldn't stop himself from putting in.
Mary shook her head. "Non, you couldn't have."
"But I-"
"You know, you keep attracting people who show you up in some way, Captain." Gerald mused. "Perhaps you have a self esteem problem?"
"..." Jack began to mutter under his breath. The word 'no respect' could be picked out here and there.
Drake called to them from afar. "Are you all going to board, or should I? Assuming that's alright, of course."
"Right, right." Jack recovered quickly, walking up to the ship. As he passed Drake, he slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Welcome aboard, Drake. Just remember, I'm the boss." He yelped as a thorn vine caught him in the legs, scything him straight over.
Mary smiled daintily as her own leg came back. "Just ignorer him, Drake; we all do when he gets like that."
"I'd already figured that out, but thank you anyway." the merman said with a polite nod. "I hope we can all get along."
"Shan't be a problem, I should think." Gerald said, grabbing his hand and shaking it firmly. "Good to have you, Drake."
Mary curtsied. "Indeed - it will be good to have another gentlemen aboard, even if I'm still the only lady on the crew."
"Oh, and you're a-" Jack was cut off with a choked gasp as Mary stomped down on his windpipe...in lady-like fashion, of course.
Frank nodded stoicly. "As we gain new friends, we ourselves grow, and become stronger. Ancient shinobi saying."
Jack got to his feet. "Think I got that one in a cookie once." He dusted himself off. "Alright, boys and girls, shall we blow this popsicle stand?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain." Frank's mask looked apologetic. "I'm all out of explosives at the moment. Would freezing it be a good alternative?"
Jack resisted the urge to slap his face. "Figure of speech, Frank...and freezing popsicles wouldn't really - nevermind."
With that dramatic line well defused, the now five Skull Pirates all climbed their ship's gangplank, Drake pulling it up behind them. Instantly, Jack was all business, or at least as professional as he could be.
"Frank, crow's nest. Gerald, Mary, take care of the rigging." He turned to Drake and jabbed a finger toward the ship's interior. "Drake, take the helm - it's in the mess hall there, don't ask me why."
Drake raised an eyebrow. "Did you only recruit me so I could lift things for you?"
"...partially. And anyway, this is pushing, completely different!"
The merman sighed. "I probably should have expected...what will you be doing, then?"
Jack grinned, jabbing a thumb at the ship's wheel. "What other job is the captain capable of?"
"Certainly not our own, at least." Drake said simply, walking toward the mess hall. Watching him do so, Jack drooped.
"Yeah, I can see you're gonna fit in juuuust fine." he muttered low.
Straightening up, Jack walked over to his ship's wheel, grinning as he grabbed hold of the spokes.
"Alright...let's GO!"
Turning, The Flying Skull sailed away from Newport Island, and toward further adventure.
To be continued...
Next time, on One Piece: The Skull Pirates...
Mary: I've heard rumors about this place before, but I never imagined it really existed.
Drake: This is 'their' territory...we shouldn't be here.
???: I'll never let any of you set foot here!
Mysteries Abound! Adventure in the Rainbow Archipelago!
Jack: This...I can't forgive this.
LordGambit508 - Yeah, that line just sort of came to me. Sums up Jack's character quite well, doesn't it?
Shinobi-dono - As always, I'm glad I lived up to your expectations. Helsing will probably make the case at his trial that the sheer odds of a guy with oil powers finding something like this was a sign from on high. Not a very GOOD case, admittedly, but when has that ever stopped guys like him.
At long last, this arc has drawn to a close, and the Skull Pirates have acquired a fifth member. Look forward to the next arc, where a new setting, quest, and villain will appear...and be resolved in less than a year. I promise. Really. Until next time, see ya.