One Piece The Skull Pirates Chapter 27: Storm's End, an one piece fanfic

One Piece: The Skull Pirates

Chapter Twenty Seven: Storm's End; the Palace's Last Day!

"Jack. Hey, Jack."

Nose grinding against the coral, Jack mumbled some half-words. The last thing he needed right now was a lecture from-

Wait.

He forced his head up, but not fast enough for their tastes. A wrench whacked across his nose, then waved in front of his face. "Really now. With as much beer as I've seen you put down and still keep upright, a little bit of gas should be no problem, right?"

Jack stared at the girl before him. "You're not real." he muttered. Well, tried to, anyway. Somewhere along the way it turned into 'Ur Ot Eel', but she seemed to get the picture, judging by the second smack she gave him.

"What a way to talk to someone you haven't seen in a while. I've said it before and I'll say it again; you're lucky you're so good at ship repair."

The skeleton man stared, and then said, "If you're a figment of my imagination, I should be able to talk to you fine, right? And you're lucky I worked for peanuts, just for the record." The words came out crystal clear.

"Yeah, sure. It almost made up for you bringing around trouble every week. When it came to sticking your neck out for people, you were the champion."

"Your point?" Jack replied. Even if she was just a figment of his gas-addled imagination, she wasn't someone he really wanted to see again. But it wasn't like he could get up and walk away right now, could he. "Shouldn't you be happy to see me not able to do that?"

"No." He tried to duck, but nothing doing, and the wrench hit him again. "Why the hell would I be happy about my shipwright half-assing something, exactly?"

He growled. "You always pulled this kind of crap. Don't do this, but oooh, don't do that, either. You're really-"

A well placed boot sent his nose grinding into the coral. "I'm 'really' what, Jack? You sort of cut off there, all of a sudden."

She sniffed. "Huh, you're talking pretty big for a guy lying on the ground like this. Probably should have saved that spirit for, y'know, the actual fight."

Jack glared. "So is this the best motivational tool my head could come up with? Sending you in here to bitch me out? That's a miracle treatment right there."

"Like it wasn't back then? I can think of a dozen times I got your hands to start working after you'd spent the whole last night using them to pour that poison down your throat. The principle's the same, right?"

He stared. "Yeah, but back then it was a matter of you telling me exactly what you were gonna do to me if I didn't, and after how we met, I believed you." Jack frowned deep. "But you...she's not around anymore, so that doesn't quite work."

Silence filled the hall for a moment, and then the girl nodded. "Yep. Just like always. You look like a total creep, and then suddenly you're one step away from bursting into tears. There's no-one like you for caring about people's problems, even if it's after you shove your nose into 'em."

"Well, that is how we met. Not like you can complain about it too much."

"Says you." she replied quickly. "But I know for sure that if you let that guy get away with this dumb plan it's gonna mean a hell of a lot more than you shedding a few tears. So..."

He blinked as she leaned in closer. "So?"

"SO GET THE HELL UP, YOU LAZY ASS!"

She disappeared. Jack lay there, thinking. "Lazy ass, huh? Lazy ass. Lazy...ass..."

His head shot straight up from the floor. "NOBODY calls me lazy! Not even me!"

"There's one thing I don't understand." Drake said aloud to the dark water around him. He knew Johnny was out there somewhere, listening. "Rather than taking your time with me, wouldn't it be better to go help Ahab? Your entire goal here relies on him keeping hold of Emelia. Can you guarantee he'll be able to fight my captain off while doing that?"

A derisive snort came from somewhere behind him. "What, that idiot? You're way more a threat. Sorry, but I'm not going anywhere."

Drake turned, but saw nothing. "I see. That's surprising. I wouldn't have expected someone like you to be able to trust anyone. Especially not someone so much like you."

He still couldn't see Johnny, but he could sense the pause. "After all, you've seen how deep his hatred for the ocean runs, and you're part of it yourself, even if you act like that's not the case. If he gets control of that many whales, who's to say he wouldn't use them to get rid of some loose ends first?"

"Oh, shut the hell up." the anglerman replied, this time from off to the side. "What are you expecting, me to freak out like I'd never thought of that? Who do you take me for, you?"

He laughed. "I spent over a month worming my way into that girl's good graces, and look how easily I did all this to her. You really think a guy like me wouldn't be prepared for someone doing it to me?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." Drake replied. "And that's because I've met people like you before, Johnny. As long as you're the one on top, then everything's fine. But when the tables are turned, you don't like it very much, do you?" He tapped his nose. "I can feel your anger about what I did to you with this from here. You're barely holding yourself back from charging at me. And that's because you're very small minded."

"Shut up." Johnny spat back.

Drake didn't. "You think you're a genius, but you really don't think much at all." He suddenly smiled, grimly. "After all, you haven't even realized what it is we sharks smell best in water."

Johnny's eyes widened, and then swiveled over to his throat wound, still leaking into the dark water. The shark man clenched his other first. "Salmon..."

"Damn IIIIIIIIT!" the angler cried, diving forward. He tried zig-zagging, but it was pointless; with that wound he might as well have had a flare strapped to him.

"CORRENTE!"

This ripple attack was exactly what you'd picture from the name: countless projectiles shaped like the fish, charging ahead in a relentless stream. Johnny dodged the first few, but the rest struck him, halting his dive and holding him there while the rest battered across his body. When they had passed by, vanishing into bubbles, the fishman was left with countless bruises. He swayed, groaning.

But Drake wasn't done with him yet. Far, far from it. Before Johnny could rally and move, one of the martial artist's hands wrapped around his throat. He let out a grunt, preparing to grab hold of the arm, when he caught sight of his opponent's eyes. If he had been angry before, Drake was furious. "See? It isn't so funny anymore, is it? Shark MORDER!"

The thing about being punched in the face while someone held you by the neck was that it hurt, a lot. Especially when it was done three times in a row. Drake let him go, drawing his leg back. "Dolphin..."

Johnny's hand snatched out, stopping the kick cold. "Nice try." He did the same with Drake's other leg. "Ooh, and again. Now wh-"

Drake spat. Ordinarily this would be like trying to breath at someone to hurt them, but the of course the Ripple was anything but ordinary. Johnny flinched as two rock-hard bubbles struck him square between the eyes; both the shark man's legs hit him afterward. The two blows flung him back, going underneath the bulk of the steam ship. Quickly he grabbed hold of the metal and kicked, disappearing up past the far end. Just as quickly, Drake pursued.

A bit too quickly. The first thing he saw on the other side was the steamship's anchor, being swung at him. Drake tried to twist to one side, but Johnny grinned as it still struck a blow on his left shoulder. Was that a crack he heard, or was it just his imagination?

The hit sent Drake tumbling down. Johnny was all too happy to help there with a shoulder tackle. He grabbed hold as he did, pushing the shark deeper into the water.

"Can't let him take advantage of the water pressure..." the martial artist grunted. He reached up, grabbed his opponent's arms, and pulled. His new injury burned, but slowly Johnny's arms were pulled apart, as he gaped.

He noticed the position Drake was moving into and made to shine his light, but a knee to the gut put a stop to that. Drake tightened his grip. "Lobster, ALZATA!"

The throw sent Johnny right back up into safer waters. But - Drake grabbed his left arm. If things got that close again, he might not be able to save himself.

The inner hall of the temple would have been seen as a work of art by many. Statues of Ketos and murals of his interactions with the people here dotted the room, leading up to an altar at the back. Its four sides were carved in the shape of fish native to these waters.

Many people had felt at peace within these walls, but it was lost on Ahab as he marched up to the altar, dropping Emelia down before it. "Well? You know what I want you to do, right? So do it."

Emelia stood there for a moment. Then Ahab snarled as she threw the flute onto the ground with a clatter. "No."

With a click, the cannon rested barely an inch away from her face. "Come on," he snarled, "I have a gun, you've got nothing. I thought priestesses were supposed to be smart."

"I..." she hesitated, but shook her head. "I'm not going to let you hurt Ketos' brothers and sisters!"

"Cry me a river." Ahab said, towering over her. "Do you know how long I've been wanting this? Too long for some little brat's whining to make me stop. Now play that flute, or I'll make you wish I could kill you!"

She tried to back away, but he pushed her to the ground. A heavy foot pressed down on the girl's chest. "I have hours to spend convincing you, brat. Nobody's coming to save you." He snatched the flute off the floor and pushed it into her hands. "So, play. Now."

Emelia dropped it on the floor. Something within Ahab, already frail to begin with, snapped. "PLAY!" He said, lifting his foot up - right above one of her arms. She didn't need both to play, after all, and he'd tape the damn thing to her mouth if he had to.

Just as he was bringing it down though, he gasped and stopped short when Emelia suddenly grabbed the flute and brought it underneath his foot. Trying to jerk it back so suddenly made him stumble and slip on the coral floor. By the time he got up, she was halfway across the room. "You...little...BRAT!"

Anger can make you do many things that calmer people might notice were bad ideas. Lifting your gun and shooting at the child who was the linchpin of your plans, for instance (shooting at a regular child, of course, would be perfectly ordinary). The shot blew a hole in the coral floor behind her - luckily for all three visitors, it didn't break through to outside - and she stumbled, but kept going. Eye twitching, Ahab pounded after her with a roar.

Emelia ran as fast as she could into the hallway, only to skid to a halt as she was faced with the cave-in Ahab had caused.

"Forgot about that, eh?" he sneered as he walked up. "Come on now, girlie, there's a time when even the thickest people have to face facts." Ahab smiled wide, spreading his arms. "Right now the only way out of here is to do what's best for you. Not some whale, not people that are bones and dust now - you. Everyone makes a choice like that, sooner or later. There's nothing wrong with it."

His one good eye locked onto her. "That's how people are in the end, really. What about your whale friend? Him saving you...was what was best for him, wasn't it?"

"Shut up! You don't know anything about him!" Emelia said, backing into the pile.

"I know about people, girlie. If it can talk and think, it's no different from a human, even if it does have a blowhole. You showing up was probably the best thing that happened to him in years, I bet." Ahab took another step forward. "Someone who will listen to every word he says, and has no home to go back to - it gave him a perfect chance to act like a king again, even if he only had one subject."

"BE QUIET!" Emelia shouted, suddenly running forward. But even an angry child was no match for an adult of Ahab's size. She was thrown to the floor, one hand across her face.

Ahab didn't look so angry anymore, but that somehow wasn't much better. "I think you're the one who needs to be quiet. Ha, I don't know why I'm surprised; you can't teach a brat anything new, can you? It doesn't matter if you want to take the truth or not, girl. The only way you're heading back out through there is to do what I want. After all, the only one who can possibly get through that rubble is-"

"MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

It had taken tears, sweat, and concentration for Jack to get up, move, and build up enough speed to break through that pile of rubble Ahab had so thoughtfully left for him. But like all great tasks, it had a terrific payoff: the look of surprise on the asshole's face just before his fist landed there. Ahab went tumbling back, and Jack made a three point landing.

Or nearly tripped and fell on his ass. Either or. He waved a hand at Emelia. "Hey...m' back. And I'm fine, so you can s...top looking at me like that. Oh, and get behind me." Jack held up his fists, a bit unevenly. "He looks a bit pi - uh, mad."

That hadn't been his first choice of words for good reason. Ahab got up, looking both at Jack and at something much, much further away. "Haaaa..." he breathed out. "I left you behind in that storm, but you found your way to this island somehow. Then you were bait for the whale, but you got him on your side somehow." His bloodshot eye actually throbbed. "I left you lying there with enough gas in your lungs to choke a half dozen people, but you're still. Alive!"

He slammed his cannon against the floor. "You're not human, are you? You're some ghost, sent by fate to keep me from getting what I've worked for. What I DESERVE!" Phlegm and spit was on the corner of his mouth. "Well it doesn't matter WHAT wants to get in my way! Those whales are dead, and so are YOU!"

Ahab flicked his wrist, and his hook hand began to vibrate from some hidden motor. He charged forward, slashing wildly, but Jack did the same with more precision, tackling him straight in the midsection. The pirate winced as the hook cut through his coat and the back underneath, but pushed forward, driving Ahab out into the open hall. "Stay there! This is gonna get ugly!"

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Ahab pounded the cannon into Jack's gut, sending him rolling back. He got up, slowly.

"Ah," Ahab said, smiling, "still got some of that gas in your system, eh, bone-man?" He cocked his cannon. "That's too bad."

"Wait, you can't-" Jack said, but he might as well have tried to negotiate with a wild animal. The cannonball barely missed as he lurched to one side, blowing a hole open in the coral wall. No water gushed out - thank whoever was most appropriate here. "Are you crazy!?" he cried before Ahab could shoot another. "If one of those goes through, all three of us are gonna...drown! It won't matter what anyone wants then!"

The whale hunter sneered. "If I can't get what I want, then nothing you or that brat want matters to me - especially not if it's staying alive! So hand her OVER!"

Jack glared. "Make...me."

"So, what do you think's happening in there?"

Mary turned and gave him a glare. "Shockingly, turning into a plant doesn't let you see through solid murs. Especially not ones underwater, I might add."

Michael shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask."

The girl looked unsympathetic. She was still annoyed at this. What was the point of being pirates if you couldn't settle things like them? "But Gerald wasn't a pirate before, was he?" That was one thing she'd been thinking about the past little while. Apparently Jack had met him in a prison cell, and that had been it. Their captain didn't seem to know anything about him before that, and so neither did the rest of them. It was possible that he had always been a pirate, of course - just like it was possible for bananas to suddenly rain from the sky. He'd been a completely different person there, and she hadn't liked it.

"So, getting along, I see." the man himself said, walking up. "Happy to see that. So much better than a pointless brawl, isn't it?"

Mary had no comment. The whalers who weren't working the moteur had come out of hiding, and were now lounging about the deck, like there weren't two life and death fights going on right now, one right underneath their feet. She couldn't help with that one, but part of her was screaming at herself to go aid Jack. If that wouldn't have left Gerald and Frank alone with people who'd been helping Ahab until very recently, she'd gladly have listened.

"If you say so." she replied. Her gaze had turned downward, at the rolling sea. "What do you think of that?"

"I think it's not worth much worrying about, especially for you; if he wins, it won't be because of our help." He smiled. "You'll get wrinkles, thinking about it that much."

She ignored the lame joke. There was no better time than the present. "Who are you, exactly, Gerald?"

He looked bewildered, which she'd expected. "Is this a trick question? I'm Gerald, of course."

"Yes, of course," she said, staring at him, "but who exactly is Gerald? I won't lie, I still have a few secrets left; I'm sure all of us do. But you're nothing but one big mystery. Jack might be fine working with an enigma, but I have questions."

Aware this probably wasn't something that involved him, Michaels slowly edged away.

"Questions, eh?" Gerald murmured, stroking his mustache. "Well that is a problem. I was really hoping no-one would ask about that, you know."

Mary drummed her fingers on the railing. "Really? Why, exactly?"

Gerald...shrugged. "Because I have no intention of telling anyone. If that was a deal breaker, I'd have left this ship a while back. But I thought that would be a bit blunt to actually say, no?"

Sighing, she walked off. He nodded. "See? Definitely not what you wanted to hear, is it?"

"You're getting tired, right?"

Drake glared as he swam at Johnny. The angler had changed up his tactics again; since he knew the shark-man couldn't afford to wait for his injuries, why bother even attacking him? It hadn't worked out so far, but with his wounds he could keep ahead of the idiot easily enough. Once he'd bled out, then Johnny could enjoy himself. But not before. "It's only natural, you've had quite the day after all. Maybe you should just lie back and relax. Take a load off."

After another of his punches was slid aside from, Drake came to a halt. "You know, you're right. Struggling blindly like this is very pointless."

Johnny's mouth had half opened for a remark, but shut. The idiot didn't sound beaten, not yet. He backed off a bit more.

Drake breathed in, causing some of his injuries to flare up, but that couldn't be avoided. He had never actually tried the technique he was about to use, but he was one of Jack Bones' crewmates now; doing something rash was only natural, wasn't it?

He breathed out and in, feeling the water all around him, the life within it. It was difficult, with the growing storm; not many that fit that category were around save him and Johnny. Obviously he couldn't gather energy from himself, and even if it were possible, the thought of taking it from the angler revolted him somehow.

Then something came to him - something a ways away, but large. Very large.

Are you ready to accept my help now?

"...fine." Drake said. He took a deep breath, taking in the life energy of Ketos the Ocean Master. The effect was immediate, and great.

"What the-" Johnny began. He never got to say what exactly it was (even if you could probably guess), because the sound of roaring water drowned out everything. Drake now held two orbs of the substance in his hands, deeper and darker than that around them. The roar from within was equal to a waterfall. Or a...

"Scylla VORTISE!"

Johnny didn't know what that meant, or really anything about this shark's mumbo jumbo karate, but he knew when it was time to move. Turning, he sped way as quick as an anglerfish could move - which was more than you might think.

Unfortunately for him, they were far too deep underwater for it to really matter. Drake thrust out his hands, collapsing the orbs and sending them forth in two thick currents. They spiraled together, forming a miniature whirlpool that was no less strong for its size. Johnny let out a cry as it scooped him up by the legs, spun him around, and brought him down toward its center. Contrary to the name, there was no mythical monster at the bottom of this whirlpool - only Drake and his very normal fists. From the angler's perspective, that was little comfort.

He didn't give up, though, that much you could say for him. Drake ducked under a shoulder block he attempted at the last minute and pulled back one fist. "Shark Morder!"

This blow had a spin on it, and it sent Johnny hurling into the side of the steam ship with a muffled thud, his legs clanging against its steel surface. Dazed, he looked up, and grit his teeth as he saw Drake coming at him with another. He could take hits, sure, but ones that sent his head through metal? No way.

Forcing himself off, Johnny turned to watch Drake break his hand. Or at least that was the idea. Instead he saw the other fishman land smoothly on the boat feet first. As their eyes met, Johnny gulped.

"Hammerhead..."

Johnny tried to swim out of the way, but the impact had wounded his legs just enough to make that impossible. It was small potatoes compared to what was about to happen to him, though.

"AGGRAVIO!"

This charge didn't miss. It caught Johnny straight in his mid-section, driving the wind right out of him. Worse than that, actually: Drake's nose struck right through his flab, and he spat up blood. The power behind Drake's strike carried them both through the water. If this fight were taking place a few hours ago, they'd be traveling through simple empty space. But one big change had happened just recently, and there was only one place left for them to go...

Jack had decided to stop asking Ahab things like 'are you crazy?'. It was true, felt pretty good to say, and made him look forward to the bill he was gonna collect (some people probably would have said he was a flawed figure for thinking about a crazy person this way - he would have replied, maybe, but not as flawed as what was running the show for Ahab now), but it was still pretty much empty air.

Dodging another cannonball, he called over, "So, are you more sea-worthy than you look, Ahab? If you are, I guess this isn't as really stupid as it looks!"

It was a cheap taunt, but anything to keep Ahab from realizing that dodging them while holding Emelia was still easier with than that hook. If he had to deal with crap either way, he'd pick the kind without chunks in. ...weird comparison, actually. Somehow being underwater made him think of toilets.

Ahab fired another cannonball, and Jack hopped aside, but his foot caught on a part of the floor that had been destroyed, and he stumbled. Emelia fell from his arms with a cry, and he caught her - right as Ahab was watching. A slow grin spread across the metal man's face as the gears turned behind his mad eyes. Then after firing one last shot, he was charging across the room.

Jack swore, and moved backward, but the guy wasn't just built like a bull. He dodged the first few swings, but he kept pressing forward. The skeleton-man prepared for a spring when Ahab swung his hook straight and true - just not at his head. Emelia's eyes widened.

"Sonuva-!" he said, flinging up his hand and biting his lip at what happened next. Ahab grinned as blood dripped down his hook.

Then the grin turned sour as Jack took a step forward, pressing his hand deeper into the hook, but also making sure the whaler couldn't back away easily, or fire his gun well. "Not a smart move, Ahab." he growled, dropping Emelia and pulling his fist back. This was gonna be-

Jack wasn't egotistical enough to think any punch of his could shake a whole room (a whole bone structure maybe, but not a room), but that was what happened. And before he'd even hit him, too.

The coral wall behind them broke open as a massive shape came hurtling through, along with a torrent of water. Jack tugged his hand off the hook with a wince and hit the deck, just before Johnny slammed into Ahab and sent both of them spilling across the floor. He snickered at the sight, and then pushed himself up.

Pushed himself up, yep. With his arms that were...now submerged in seawater.

"Oh, yeah." He thought dimly. "That problem, right. ...not the kind of thing you get a second chance to forget about, is it?" Jack stared as the water moved uncomfortably quickly up toward the top of his head. "Uh, Don't panic. Don't panic...PANI-!"

A strong arm lifted him up by the collar out of the water. Jack opened his mouth to express his gratitude, or at least meant to. That probably would have been a nicer thing to come out of it than what did: a mouthful of water.

"Charming." Drake said, wiping off his face with one hand. The other rested on Emelia's shoulder. "Sorry about the sudden hole, I got caught up in the moment." He jabbed a thumb toward it. "I hope you can hold your breath after that, because it's time to leave."

Jack took a look at the fishman, up and down. "Leave? Yeah."

He turned and hopped over to where it was still dry. "Take her and get outta here. I'm not done yet."

"Are you-" Drake began.

"Crazy!?" Emelia butted in. "You can't swim!"

Jack winced. It was a hell of a thing to have a kid call you stupid while you were trying to be noble. "Yeah, I can't," he called behind him, "but I don't think Drake can either if he has to carry both of us with those injuries." He could imagine the frown on Drake's face. "No way I'm giving Ahab the satisfaction of all of us drowning, so I'll leave where I came in. Now get going."

The shark's stare bored into his back, but then he sighed. "Fine. I'd tell you not to do anything rash, but I think we both know how that would go. Just don't die, that's all I ask."

"I'll see what I can do." Jack muttered as the fishman dove out where he had come. He moved deeper into the room to keep away from the water, and would have ran for it right then, but Johnny had knocked Ahab in-between him and the exit. Now both of them were rising. Neither one of the conspirators looked particularly happy, but Ahab's eyes bore right into him, while the angler's twitched away to the oncoming water. He could see the calculations behind them; Johnny might be able to swim, but if the debris of this place fell on him he'd be crushed like any human.

"Ahab, c'mon," he said, tugging at the man's arm, "it's all over, and we're dead if we stay here."

Ahab's one good eye rolled toward the fishman, but ultimately stayed fixed on Jack, inching forward slightly. "Over. Right, yeah. Over..."

"For you."

Johnny's body jerked, and he looked down at the hook now sticking out of his chest. He looked shocked - but not entirely so, Jack could tell. Someone completely caught off-guard wouldn't have done what Johnny did next, which was to slam both his fists into Ahab's head, one after the other. "I knew you were crazy," he grunted, "but I didn't know you were this stupid."

He was already beat up pretty bad, thanks to Drake, and moving around much with a wound like that wasn't helping matters. Not that he had much choice this far down, and without help nearby: Johnny's fate probably would have been sealed even if Ahab hadn't struck out with his gun, sending the angler stumbling back with a vicious crack along his skull, then raised his gun and-

"You know, I can't really blame you for that." Jack commented as he ducked under the wide slash of the hook, while Johnny's body tumbled to the ground. "He was probably going to do the same thing to you eventually." The pirate evaded another slice, then landed three jabs to Ahab's chest. "But y'know, he probably would have been smart enough to wait, and attack me together. Just a thought." He drove his elbow into his enemy's face, driving him a step or two back. Beating him wasn't the goal anymore; as long as Jack got out and he didn't, that was enough of a victory as far as he was concerned. The first chance he got, he was running.

"I don't need some fishman's help to-" Ahab spat, swinging out again. Some of the phlegm hit Jack in the nose, but it was better than the hook doing that, at least on some level. He caught it between his hands, then tugged the man in for an uppercut.

The thud of his fist on the shithead's jaw felt good, really good, but he didn't have time to enjoy it too much: the water was almost to his feet. As Ahab reeled backward, Jack took a step or two ahead, made a feint, and then dove for the legs.

Ahab fell for it, line and sinker. Thankfully Jack was in the clear before his body fell on top of him - drowning together with that asshole would not be a fun way to die. And then he was off, sprinting down the hallway. "See ya Ahab! Hope you don't mind salt!"

He didn't mind one kind of it, anyway. Behind him came a vicious roar, and then footsteps. Surprisingly fast footsteps.

Then from deeper behind came the sound of coral and stone not taking it any longer. Then the sound of water got a lot louder.

"That's what happens when you put your building underwater for...however long it was." Jack thought in a builder's tone. He reached the stairs. Yep. So many stairs. "At least I can't get oil dunked on me this time."

He ran up quickly, and was at the first landing when Ahab burst out of the hallway. His good eye swiveled up like a cross-hair at Jack, and he raised his gun.

"Come on now Ahab, this is just getting-" Jack snickered, rolling to one side - the landing hadn't been too wrecked from earlier, at least.

It burst open before it hit the wall, but even that wouldn't have been a problem. The trouble was what was inside; a thick bundle of rope. It spread out like an octopus, one end wrapping around Jack's foot in mid-step and dragging him to the floor.

Thankfully it wasn't lined with sea stone, but the rope was heavy. The other end trailed down, and then there was a vicious tug as the rope went taut. Ahab couldn't grab onto it properly with that hook, so he'd probably just stomped down hard on it.

However he'd done it, Jack went slipping off, and barely managed to grab hold of the landing's edge. He stared down at Ahab, standing there as water swept into the new room, and raised his middle finger a tad.

As Jack tried to scramble back onto the landing, then get the rope off him. Ahab couldn't have that. He raised his hook hand and then flicked his wrist in a particular way. The appendage shook as something within activated, and then a thick, ugly flame coated the weapon. Grinning like a devil, Ahab touched it to the rope...

The rope must have been coated with something, too, because the flame sprang up it in seconds.

Humans had certain reactions built into them. When you touched a hot stove, you sprang back. When you stepped on a nail, you swore at the top of your lungs. When someone was nice enough to put a drink in front of you, hey, just because you had work in the morning didn't mean you had to be rude, right?

And when you were on fire, your first instinct was to put it out. Perfectly normal. And here was a pool of water, right underneath him...

When he hit the water after letting go, it didn't do much to dull his impact - common mistake about water, really. It could be as hard as it damn well pleased, especially with so little of it between him and the floor. But it was enough to take away both his powers (besides those keeping him a skeleton, anyway) and sap his strength. He craned up his head to get a few gulps of breath before the water overtook it, and got a good view of Ahab's boot as it came crashing down on his head.

"Ha. Ha ha ha." he laughed slowly, raising his foot and bringing it down again hard. The water sloshed around his legs, but he didn't seem to care much. "Ever hear of Davy Jones' Locker, boneman? I don't believe in it, but this should be the next best thing!" The next kick went for Jack's mid-section, over the lungs. He gagged as more water forced its way into him.

"Okay, seriously? Of all the ways I thought I might end up going...somehow this one never popped up. Hah...bet he'll be sorry he didn't get to punch the ticket."

His vision clouded...

Ahab was as mad as a hatter, but because of that his instincts were top-notch. He sensed something swimming up behind him and turned, but not quick enough. Whatever it was smacked into his legs and sent him spilling into the water. It was black and smooth, and quickly slid under Jack before rising quickly.

"...buh?" Jack murmured, spitting out water onto his savior again. This one was a manta ray - not a fishman, but regular one. If you could call this one normal anyway; it was bigger than any Jack had seen before. You could lie right down on it and not reach either end of its body. "Great timing." he said, patting it. "Good boy, I guess?"

Ahab sat up, seething, and opened his mouth for another swear. Jack didn't hear what it was. The hole must have widened again, because the water pressure increased, nearly driving him off his feet again. He glared at the pirate and his new mount, but survival won out, and he sloshed his way through the water and began climbing the stairs.

Jack sneered over at him. "Better hurry, Ahab - if you do you might get out before-"

"Oops. Guess not."

It was the kind of noise you prayed you wouldn't hear while out on a voyage. The whole wall must have burst, and the water in the hallway quickly rose up toward its roof. His new friend began to jostle in the water: he held on tight as the water began to rise up the shaft. "Like an outhouse tube, but in reverse...man, I'm kinda weird."

He spied Ahab running up the stairs above them. Okay, maybe he couldn't keep the guy down here, but the only thing that way was their crews, and Jack would bet anything his were the only ones standing at this point. Yep, no matter how you looked at it Ahab was-

Stopping at a landing right above him, judging the distance with his good eye. "No way, he wouldn't. He's not crazy enough to to OH MY GOD!"

Jack stared up at the metal man as he performed probably the most potentially lethal belly flop in the history of West Blue. No time for the springs, and fighting momentum like that was a recipe for bad news, so Jack edged backward as much as he dared, hoping manta rays had good bone structure. It was smart, at least, and tried to take evasive maneuvers.

Not ones that were good enough, though. Ahab touched down near its tail with a wet thud. The manta buckled, nearly hurling Jack into the rising water, but it stood its ground. Cool. Now there was just the problem of being trapped on non-solid ground with a crazy person.

One flick of his hook, and Ahab's weapon was ablaze again. Of course, there was plenty of water around, but somehow that wasn't much comfort. He swung it out wildly at Jack, and this time avoiding it wasn't so easy. It zipped past his neck, flames licking uncomfortably close to his clothes. The pirate lunged in for a punch quickly, only for the hook to nearly take off a chunk of his noise as Ahab slashed it in-between them.

"You dumb bastard!" Jack cried as he ducked away from the sparks, trying to keep his footing on the manta. "If you tip this guy over, we're both dead!"

Ahab's eye twitched. "You ruined my life's work, you boney bastard! You think I care!?"

"Your life is stupid!"

Well not every insult could be good, right? Not like Ahab could really make a good one right now either - the hook would have to do. He swung it out again and again, quickly. Jack ducked, batted the hook away as delicately as he could with the flames, but there was only so much you could do without proper footing, and eventually-

Thunk. "I hate thunk." Thud, thunk - 'thu' in general, really. He looked down at the hook protruding from his side. Jack wasn't too big on science, but having flames go inside you was probably a bad thing, right? It sure felt like one. He reached down and grabbed the hook, swinging out his other arm in a punch as he did, but Ahab was ready. Jack grunted as he was snatched and thrown judo-style, ending up with his back on the manta, hook still in his side, and a pig leg on his neck.

Ahab's eyes weren't something you wanted this close. The glass one was rolling so hard it looked like it would come out of his socket. "You know what's going to happen, pirate?" he breathed. "It's simple. You're going to die." He pressed the leg down further, grinning as he got a gasp from Jack. "I'll throw you into the brink myself, and you won't even have an empty grave, because I'll kill everyone who could bury you!"

He grinned as Jack's hand reached out, grabbing hold of his leg weakly. "Don't like that?" he asked, staring into the pirate's glare. "Good! You can take the thought of it to the grave!" He lifted his peg leg, extended its blade, and then stomped it down.

Grabbing it wasn't happening, and taking it was out of the question too. So what to do? Something that sounded really, really dumb on paper.

"Skull Skull CHOMP!"

Ahab stared. Jack sort of did, too: he'd never actually tried his powers on his teeth. But it worked, alright. His teeth, enlarged to bear-trap size, broke the blade like a twig (some of which ended up in his mouth; that was gonna be a pain later). It was a moment's distraction, but one he used well, shoving Ahab away and kicking at the hook. He winced as it came out, and then tackled the metal man, spitting the shards in his mouth off into the water as he did.

The first punch went right into Ahab's metal jaw. "This is what happens when you make claims you can't follow up on, Ahab." Jack said, turning his red eye into a black one. "And there's no bigger claim than threatening a pirate's crew!" The third one made his glass eye as cracked as a funhouse mirror. "You have the stones to follow through on that? I don't think you do!" The next punches weren't really targeted anywhere: Jack just wanted to hit the bastard.

He was so caught up in it that he didn't notice just how close they were to the open ceiling. A jolt sent him flying off Ahab as the manta was carried up through by the pillar of water.

It was Frank who noticed it first. "Look!" he said, pointing up. Everyone on the boat (this included Drake and Emelia now), looked up at the fountain of water that came out the temple's topside. Along with the manta ray, that flew down into the sea safely, two figures came down, one faster than the other.

Jack's jaw shook as he fell head-first into the coral, and instantly started slipping straight down. He snatched out one hand and winced: coral wasn't the nicest thing to grab. Digging in his feet, he pushed himself back up toward the rim.

It wasn't fair, really. He'd just taken a fall like that, not to mention a bunch of punches from the good guy, and he didn't even have the decency to be stunned for a little while? Ahab's gun arm certainly did that to Jack as it slammed against the side of his head. The coral cracked against his head as he fell, and Ahab's boot landed on his chest a second later.

"No more tricks, skull man." the metal monster hissed. "Now you die." He lowered the gun to rest not an inch from Jack's face.

This situation was one it would take a miracle to get out of. And fortunately, someone up there thought Jack was due another. At that moment something came flying in from behind Ahab, outside his peripheral vision but well within the pirate's. He tensed low, attracting Ahab's attention, but far too late.

It struck him square in the shoulder of his gun arm, where the metal met flesh. Ahab flinched, and then there was a horrible sound. He screamed, stumbling backward, as his weapon backfired, spilling smoke and heat down what was left of his arm. If he'd been anyone else, it would have been hard not to feel bad instead of the other way around.

Down on the ship, Frank lowered the kunai he'd been about to toss and looked round at Michaels, who sat down looking very satisfied.

Ahab was scrambling with his hook, trying to get now red-hot cannon off. Jack was all to happy to help him with that, dashing forward and kicking out hard at the lodged harpoon. It came loose with a grinding sound, along with the cannon; both spun off into the rising water.

By this point the temple was beginning to lurch dangerously under their feet, but Jack had a job to finish. He dove forward, under the hook Ahab flailed at him, and went for the stump of his arm, pummeling him with blows as lightning struck overhead. "See? Told you you couldn't back it up! If you give up now, maybe I'll decide I don't feel like beating a one armed man. Maybe!"

"...NEVER!"

This was way past something you'd give respect for. Jack hit him hard, knocking the piece of trash backward. Seemed like even his crazed endurance had its limits: Ahab's breath was starting to run ragged. Well, getting your arm ripped off probably didn't help much there, especially if it wasn't the first time.

Whatever. Jack started forward, not done yet in the least, when another tremor ran up the buiding, and his footing slanted sideways. He stumbled, and there was no way Ahab was about to let that opportunity get away.

Jack's fist whistled out when his foe lunged, catching Ahab in the jaw to a breaking noise. At the same time, the hook slashed across his neck, making him fall.

Ahab was on him in seconds, pressing the hook toward his juggular. Jack reached out and snatched it with both hands, and they struggled.

"Want me to...break off your other arm, huh?"

"If it'll let me take your neck...that's fine by me!"

So he still wanted to play hard ball, huh? Perfectly fine by Jack. If it came down to who was willing to hurt themselves here, no way was he backing down.

Ahab pressed the hook further down, and Jack prepared to make his move - when suddenly, there was a noise that was very quiet and very loud at the same time. Ahab froze, eyes swivelling slowly upward. The color and bravado in his face both drained. The pirate craned his neck, and his own eyes widened.

He'd seen that Ketos was pretty big back on the island, but there had been trees and solid land there. Somehow out in the open sea he seemed to be much bigger. Hell, he might have actually been, for all Jack knew about what he could do.

He knew one thing for sure, though: he wouldn't want to be the one under the whale's gaze right now. Just being near the subject of the ire in those eyes was sending a chill down his spine.

Ketos didn't say a word. Ahab wasn't really worth wasting a thought on, after all. He just glared.

You didn't have to tell Jack twice. He pulled back his legs. "Skull Skull - ANCHOR!"

Jack's legs, formed into one, slammed into Ahab's gut with an oh so satisfying crunch. He was hurled up, and came down onto Jack's shoulders. "L-leggo!"

"Oh, you want to get off, eh?" Jack said, and grinned widely. "Suuure."

He lifted the man higher, ducking out of the way of the hook as his skull began to spin round and round...

"N-no..." Ahab grunted. "What I deserve...everything I worked for..."

"It's all scuttle. Just like you." The rotation intensified. "SKULL SKULL CANNONBALL!"

The shot sent Ahab flying like a screaming, ugly dart, right at Ketos. Jack expected him to do some of that water hocus pocus, but he had something more...special in mind. The pirate's grin widened as the whale's bulk slowly turned round.

The sound his tail made as it struck Ahab mid-flight was something to hear. Jack raised his arms in triumph as his head fell back onto his shoulders, watching his foe rocket off into the distance.

Then he collapsed, exhausted.

"Oh, this is nice." Jack let the coins from the chest run through his fingers. "Ahab didn't just have you guys shooting old whales, did he?"

Michaels grunted. "You sure you should be up now with that wound?"

"Pffft." the pirate said, reaching deeper into the chest. They were in the hold of the steam ship. Since Jack had beaten the person was technically the captain, he'd reasoned they were entitled to some spoils. Since the Skull Pirates were capable of wrecking his entire crew and snapping his ship in half, Michaels didn't feel much liberty to refuse. He'd felt dirty having it on his ship anyway. "No way I'm staying in bed after that. If Ahab's still alive somehow, no way he can walk now, so I'm doing it as much as I want."

"Okay, so if you're fine," Michaels jabbed a thumb behind him at the room's door, "then what's she doing here?"

Mary was there, filing her nails.

Jack waved a hand vaguely. "Well duh, making sure you don't-"

"Have to carry his idiot self up the stairs by yourself if that neck wound opens up." she said casually.

"...whatever." he said, shutting the lid. "I guess this'll do. I should really be taking more than this outta you, but hey, I'm in a generous mood."

"Clever." Michaels snorted, turning and walking past Mary. "Just remember you wouldn't be here to be generous if it weren't for me, okay?"

Jack opened his mouth, and then just shrugged. "Expected to come back to these guys tied up in the cargo hold. You said Gerald took care of it?"

Mary nodded. "Spoke to them, and that was all. Jack, I'm starting to wonder about him. You said he was in the same cell as you, and as far as the marines were concerned, both of you were just common thugs."

"And then he turns into a negotiator all of a sudden." Jack sat down on the chest. "Yeah, I've been thinking about him too. They said at the base he'd been arrested for impersonating some bigwig marine. Seemed like he was good at it, too."

"So, a master of deguisement and speaking, huh. Those two together doesn't exactly scream 'common thug' to me." Mary looked serious. "We could be traveling with someone really dangerous, Jack. I mean, fair enough, I've done a few burglaries, but there's still plenty of things I wouldn't want to be abetting."

Jack looked unsure. "Maybe...but it's kind of a leap to go from dressing up and talking well to...what do you think, kidnapping? Murder."

"I'm not sure what I think." Mary replied. "And I'll keep on not being sure for as long as he's a mystery. You've known him the longest: try talking to him the next time you're alone. Depending on what it is, I'll understand, but I think we all have the right to know."

He nodded. "Yeah, of course." Jack stood back up, and then looked thoughtful. "Y'know, if you dislike secrets this much, I'm surprised you haven't really hit me with any questions. It's not like you know too much about me either."

She got a funny look in her eye. "Oh, well, you know."

"...no, I don't know." he leaned forward. "What do you mean by that?"

"W-well," she said, twirling a bit of her hair, "I ask this about Gerald because he makes me wonder about him. While you, um..."

Jack stared. "Aw come on!" he said after a moment. "I'm from the Grand freaking Line! You really don't think I have any secrets?"

"Oh, sure." she walked out of the room. "Just none I'm really concerned about about."

He opened his mouth to retort, then sat back down and grumbled loudly. Then, when he was sure she was gone, Jack toyed with the skull pendant. "You sure about that?"

The steamship and the Flying Skull had docked near the islands after things had calmed down. Ketos had disappeared (probably for the best - having him that close would probably have made some of the whalers need a change of pants), but Jack knew he wasn't too far away. He'd been half awake when they pulled him off the sinking temple, and he'd seen the old whale watching it go down. There'd been a funny look in his eyes.

He walked past the whalers, who gave him a wide berth, and clambered back onto the Flying Skull. Frank gave him a salute as he hammered a loose bit of railing back into place. "Not too bad with your hands there, Frank. Everything alright with the ship."

"It took a few scrapes, Captain, but nothing as bad as your injuries. I think it will be alright."

Jack held up a finger. "Ah, but if we're playing comparing ships to humans, Frank, they do have one thing in common. Just because you can't see injuries doesn't mean they aren't on their last legs." He jabbed a thumb downward. "I'll take a look at the keel later. It'll probably be fine, though: Marines always have pretty good shipwrights working for them."

"You know an awful lot about ships, Captain." Frank said, impressed.

"Eh, not like I'm a master or anything; just used to do some work on them. Any time's fine to start learning, as long as it's not when the prow's pointed at the sky."

He walked over to the other side and looked down. "Hey Drake, you up for leaving soon? I want to make sure these guys don't try hanging around."

Drake turned and raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you the one calling Ketos paranoid? I think they're harmless now, unless you'd rather tow the to the nearest Marine base."

"Can't really do that when I owe him, but they still shouldn't be here. Nobody shou-"

"You're wrong about that." Jack looked over from Drake at Emelia, who had spoken up. "There should be people here again. If there were, this wouldn't have happened!"

Jack seemed to consider this. "Maybe, maybe not. So what do you have in mind?" He leaned back. "People think these islands are haunted, y'know. You sure you'll get anyone to stay here?"

"Of course." Emelia said. "There are lots of people out there who need a home, who aren't happy with where they are now. These islands were meant to be for people like that all along, and we'll make them like that again!"

He raised an eyebrow. "'We', eh? So I guess your big friend has come around then, huh?"

Against her will, there was only so long I could hold out. Ketos said from wherever he was. Especially when my own feelings were clouding my judgment. What happened in this land before was a great tragedy. But rather than wallow in anger, I should have been focusing on making this land great again. And it will be! That I swear.

"Swearing something to a pirate?" Jack said cheerily. "That's something you don't hear everyday. But I guess I'll hold you to that." He waved a hand at the thick jungle. "When we come back from the Grand Line, I expect to see a whole metropolis here. With a statue of me."

Assuming you do survive. You very nearly died to defeat Ahab. The whale murmured, dampening the pirate's mood. I am far from a god, but I will keep you in my thoughts. You are a man who would go through hell for the sake of others. I commend you for that. But in my lifetime, I have seen many humans like that find early graves. I hope that this is not your fate in the future.

Jack shrugged. "Can't really hope for the future - it always has its way of proving you wrong. But I'll be careful. I have my own people to think about, just like you'll have yours."

Indeed. I wish you good luck. And thank you.

"You're welcome." Jack said with a smile.

He turned away as Emelia gave Drake a hug. "I'll be strong like you, Drake. These islands will be a home to anyone who comes here."

"I believe you." the fishman said with a warm smile. "When I'm done with the Grand Line I'll come back here. That's a promise."

And that seemed to be that. Drake climbed aboard, and stood there watching Emelia wave them goodbye as both ships set off from the mysterious islands.

Jack could see a few of the whaler's faces from the railing - they looked deep in thought. Maybe they'd make some decisions, and maybe not. Either way, they were someone else's concern unless the Skull Pirates crossed paths with them again.

"So, see what I mean? I told you this place would be interesting, and it was; no way we'll forget any of this, right? Did I pick a good deTOUR!?"

He flinched, whimpering until Mary unpinched his neck. "Yes, I'll remember you nearly dying again for the rest of my days. It might even be a montage of them by the end of this voyage. But now I'm certain we need a navigator. You might be able to handle yourself in a fight fine, but I doubt Log Poses are anywhere near as sturdy as you, Jack."

"Hmmm...yeah, that's a fair point." Jack nodded. "We'll look for a navigator next, I guess. And just for you, Mary, it'll be someone as normal as we can find."

She rolled her eyes as she leaned against the railing next to him. "Normal? I turn into a fleur to fight. Another down to earth member would be what I'd ask for, after all this. I have a feeling it won't be the last extraordinary thing we see on this ship, and I wouldn't mind someone who felt as lost as I did during all this." The gardener looked rueful.

"I have to agree, actually." Drake called over. "Someone serious should probably have that job." He shrugged. "Assuming you're fine with another person like me, anyway."

"As long as they get into a fistfight with Jack, it shouldn't be a problem." Gerald put in. "And that's not exactly unlikely, all things considered."

Frank swung upside down on the mast from his legs, giving a thumbs-up...or down, technically. "I'm with anyone the Captain wants."

"Okay then." Jack nodded. "Our next crewmate: as boring and dull a navigator as we can find. Some stuffy academic type shouldn't be too hard to find." He smiled. "But it doesn't matter how down to earth they are, they're still gonna be sorry they missed this."

Comedic convention normally states that when someone is being talked about while unaware of it, they should sneeze. But it was nonsense to apply that sort of thing to the real world, and so she didn't.

She did raise on eye out of the book she was halfway through as the door opened. "Yes? I heard people arrive. Judging by your excitement, I assume the bird delivered your message?"

"Yep. All of 'em look pretty strong, too. The colony's as good as saved!"

When a moment of chilly silence passed, he looked sheepish. "Look, I know you don't like this, Ikki-"

"As well you should, since I've told you my thoughts on the matter several times."

"Look," he said, expression stricken, "I didn't exactly want it to come to this either, you know. We came here to avoid a fight, not pick one. But what choice do we have now? You can't protect this place forever. And you said yourself you might be able to end this peacefully if you just get inside."

Ikki turned the page on her book. "That was taking the assumption I would be going in alone, not with a group of strangers. What if all of them prove incompetent, or untrustworthy? If they are as strong as you say, all of them attacking me at once could pose some difficulty."

He shook his head. "Well, you're gonna have to trust them if you want to get in there and out in one piece, Ikki. It's not going to be just a few of them to deal with this time."

"I am aware of that. And I still consider my chances alone higher than with a band of mercenaries."

The man sighed again, scratching at his bald spot. "Look on the bright side for once, okay? It's not like any pirates answered the message, right?"

Not everyone was as stubborn as Ikki. Jack sneezed, scratching the inside of his nose. "Damn tropical weather."

To be continued...

Next time on One Piece: The Skull Pirates...

?: You picked a bad time to visit, fellas.

Mary: Is it just me, or is the ground shaking?

Jack: Is it just me, or did it get colder all of a sudden?

Arrival on Nameless Island - the Icy Scholar appears!

Ikki: Allow me to deal with this.

Scylla Vortice: Vortice is Spanish for Whirlpool. Scylla, obviously, is a reference to the Greek mythological beast...who I guess is a One Piece mythological beast too, then.

Hammerhead Aggravio: 'Aggravio' is Italian for Charge.

Smilingdamnedvillain: Yeah, I had to give him quite the arsenal to make up for him not having a Devil Fruit power. Hope I did a good job of that.

Paladine: That's a pretty lewd review, sir.

Lupineking: I do see a lot of OC stories for One Piece, but it's usually ones that ask people to send in their own characters, which I don't see the point of. If you didn't make the character yourself, you probably won't right them to the best of your ability, which sort of defeats the whole purpose. Glad you like this one, in any case.

Well, that took a while didn't it? I'm going to promise right now that the next story arc won't take as long as this one, and will have a new crew member besides. Look forward to it next time.