"Vice-Captain….uh, Vice-Captain, are you alright?"

Ryoga's eyes flickered open, moving to stare at the crewman staring at his cot. "Me? I'm fine, thanks to the doctors here." His gaze move down to his right leg, currently in a thick cast. "I'll be off this for a bit, so I was meditating."

The rookie chuckled. "You never stop, do you Sir? If the rest of us worked that hard, you wouldn't have gotten hurt like that saving."

"No, not at all," Ryoga replied bluntly. "Not everyone went through the same training I did, and shouldn't. I wasn't the only one hurt in that fight, either."

"M-Maybe not Sir, but…" The crewman's face twitched, and he averted his eyes from Ryoga's gaze by going into a deep bow. "Please forgive me, Vice-Captain! We've never spoken, but…since I joined up, I've looked down on you for being a former criminal. I feel so ashamed now!"

He heard Ryoga sigh and braced himself for the worst. "Don't do that in the infirmary. Come on, stand up straight." The green young man did so. "I can't change how people think, and if you felt that way, it wasn't totally wrong: I did use to be a criminal. If Captain Brandy had been any different, I'd be in jail now."

The Vice-Captain leaned back. "To be frank, until recently it's been hard to think of myself as a Marine. For a while, I wasn't doing things very differently from before."

"The ones who joined up before me always say you've changed a lot, Sir," the rookie offered. "I didn't believe them until now. But it doesn't matter what you were before: you're a Marine now for sure!"

"Hm," Ryoga murmured. "I suppose if everyone thinks that, then that's what I am." He half-smiled. "I suppose that's fine."

One Piece: The Skull Pirates

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Expedition Commences! What Lurks Beneath?

Jack stared at the showdown before him with a clinical eye. After the first failed hit the lizard and its rider had begun to circle Ikki, waiting for any opening or opportunity. The scholar for her part wasn't moving either, standing as immovably as an iceberg. She had smarts on her side, and although Jack had only just met her, he had the feeling she was the kind of person who'd look into every possibility a Devil Fruit offered. There wasn't much more dangerous than someone who knew exactly what their fruit was capable of.

Trouble was, her opponent had intelligence too - not the lizard, but its rider. The beast didn't seem to make a single move without its say-so, and where a regular animal might have attacked blindly or run off by now, this one had purpose and intent behind it. You didn't need to have a mind like Ikki's to know what that probably was, and this couldn't be the first time they'd tried to go through her. If they'd been fighting her this long, they must know how she fought, and at least a little about how her powers worked.

Not that knowledge would make it easy to deal with them, anyway. On an island like this winter was almost unheard of, let alone the kind Ikki had to be used to. The worst this place got was probably the occasional heavy wind, but the coat she had taken off was meant to keep out no less than frostbite. He held it in his hands now along with her glasses: it felt heavy and thick, enough to shrug off your average punch and take the wind out of worse. And she'd been wearing this how long? Jack had known from just a glance that she was far more than your average egghead, but she was becoming cooler by the minute in ways that had nothing to do with her powers.

"I see why I have been able to stand against this race and their animals is readily apparent to you, Mr. Bones," Ikki said in that strange whisper of hers. "I was born in the North Blue, the sea with the coldest climate in the world. Many would of course assert the Grand Line to be this, but considered scientifically, its countless examples of localized, extreme weather cannot be said to give it any true consistency."

"Makes sense to me," Jack replied back. Ikki had said that with ice-hard certainty; if she'd claimed the world was flat in that tone of voice he would have at least considered it. "I'd pay attention to the current situation, though. Unless you think those two would be interested in a lecture."

Ikki shrugged. "If that were true, these people would not require my assistance. And the world would be a very different place. Sadly, situations where words or knowledge can resolve conflict are becoming all too rare."

That made weather, politics, and a bit of philosophy so far, at the very least. Plus a Devil Fruit power, she was probably a decent fighter besides...when you were a kid, they'd often tell you nobody was perfect, but then you got older and learned some people could come close.

"Yep, sad but true." Ricardo nodded. He was leaning against the tavern wall, the hat down over his eyes. "Out on the sea these days, weapons do the talking more than common sense. Nice to see someone who's not a fan of that either."

A haughty sniff replied to that. The woman with the sword was staring at the battle with a dismissive eye, and looked a few seconds away from joining in herself. "I've no interest in hearing about people prattle on about the sins of combat when there's an enemy right before their eyes. You're clearly capable of dealing with that beast and its ghastly rider, so do so!"

Ikki didn't look like she'd even registered the complaint. "Patience."

"Bah!" the swords-woman seemed to have a short fuse, and it lit with the drawing of her sword.

At that moment a sharp whistle from the enigmatic rider made its mount stop its circling and abruptly peel off, charging straight at the new aggressor. While surprised by the sudden turn of speed, the woman drew her sword with the air of someone who was well-versed in putting it to use.

With a sigh you didn't need to strain your ears for, Ikki quickly interposed herself between the two. The lizard didn't skip a beat, snapping its jaws right toward her; going for the other woman had probably just been to goud her into moving. Before it could strike first, Ikki took a step forward, planted her feet, and swung her left arm in a vicious lariat.

One that pulverized a whole lot of innocent air right in front of the lizard's snout. Jack's mouth dropped open, and his eyes swiveled downward at Ikki's glasses. Nearby, Stanley sighed.

A moment later the wild animal was on her, its teeth slamming shut on her shoulder. That seemed to do the trick better than bare claws; Ikki grimaced in pain, and true to form for a meat-eater that seemed to incense the reptile more. It moved to wrench its head to the side, trying to break or rip off her arm entirely. The sound of its teeth tearing through the ice and quickened, hot breath filling the air was almost deafening.

Enough for it not hear its rider's frantic notes. They seemed to realize what their mount hadn't: if you made a move that put you up close to Ikki and didn't put her out of commission, your next move had better be away from her, and quickly. The lizard didn't listen, but it received a harsh lesson in the form of her hands chopping into either side of its neck.

The creature reeled. Jack noticed its scales were discolored where she had struck it; her temperature must have leaped across for a moment with the blow. That couldn't feel pleasant, but it was about to get worse, as Ikki was far from finished.

It got the message loud and clear, but retreating meant the lizard would have to disentagle its teeth from Ikki's shoulder, which now proved a bit difficult. Ikki took the opportunity to reach out and grab hold of the creature by the stomach. The rider's whistles grew frantic, but it didn't have to tell its mount to move, not that the command would help anyway. The scholar's hands were so cold they stuck to the scales completely. Then, planting her legs, she heaved.

"Falling Snow."

In one smooth movement, the lizard went up, was flipped around, and found itself thrown bodily into the ground back-first. It hissed as its head smacked against the hard wood. Definitely a good hit, but not enough to end the fight by itself. Then Jack looked past it and saw the mask-wearer flipping up from a roll; the little sucker sure could move.

But so could Ikki, as it turned out. She burst into a run without a moment's thought, and while the warrior was quicker, she slid in front of the hole it had made to cut it off. Skidding to a halt with its eyes bugging out on the other side of the mask, the warrior played another tune on its flute, frantically this time. Jack wondered if this was one of those cases of animals hearing things differently, because one second the lizard was sprawled on the sidewalk, the next it flipped straight up with its tail, bounding toward Ikki before she could make a move on its master. She saw it out of the corner of her eye and held her ground, turning to catch it again.

He saw the lizard's back legs tense up too quickly for him to shout a warning. Before Ikki could grab hold of it, the creature sprang back, thrust its head forward and-

The only ones whose jaws didn't drop open were the island residents, and Jack. Even he was surprised, though: it wasn't every day you heard of a fire-breathing animal outside of the Grand Line. Well, 'fire' was a bit of an exaggeration: it looked more like a hot kind of gas. Either way, it passed right over Ikki, making everyone watching gasp in shock - everyone who wasn't a villager, anyway. Steven's expression hadn't changed at all.

There was movement within the cloud, and the lizard's mouth snapped shut with a cry of pain, cutting off the gas. Ikki lowered her fist; although some of the ice had been melted away, the bulk of it seemed too sturdy for that to work completely. It may as well have been going at a glacier with a torch.

Ikki wasn't going to just let it attack again, though, and quickly pushed forward, shoving its head skyward. The gas continued for a moment before a brief squeeze from Ikki sent it choking for breath. She moved in closer, trying to go for another throw again.

From nearby, there suddenly came the thump of hurried footsteps on the wood streets. One of the villagers appeared from around the bend in the street, nearly tripping over his feet. "S-Stanley! Ikki! It's-"

That seemed to give the intruder and its mount a signal. With a final hum on its flute, it darted toward the hole, too quick for anyone to stop it. Once it had disappeared, Ikki released the lizard from her headlock, and the reptile followed. "What happened, Tom?" she asked, walking up as the ice flaked away and vanished.

"I...I..." Tom gasped, trying to catch his breath. Sucking in air, he ran up to the tavern porch. "I came from your house, Stanley, I - I'm sorry, we couldn't-"

Walking up, Ikki raised her hand and slapped it lightly across the man's face. "Calm yourself. What happened?"

"Stan's wife and son." He blurted out. "They're, they're gone."

Stanley's house wasn't any better for being the village's leader, and looked as slapped together as the other buildings. From outside you wouldn't have seen anything amiss, but the inside had a few subtle signs. The massive hole in the kitchen, for example.

"No good, I'm afraid," Frank said, climbing out. "It's collapsed after a few feet."

"Probably just as well," Stanley said calmly. "Hate to think what they'd do if we popped up right in the middle of them all." He gestured off to the side, where a door led into a living room. "It'll be a bit cramped, but take a seat, all. Only fair I fill you in now."

Jack lingered a bit, mostly because Ikki was as well. "Wouldn't blame him one bit for panicking," he remarked, "but I guess you have an ice-man around these parts too." The captain grinned.

One look could tell a thousand words. The stare Ikki gave him could make a man believe there were a thousand of them for 'idiot'. "Yes, I suppose so." she murmured.

"Get it, 'cause you can turn into a..." Jack nodded to himself as she walked away. "Right, got it."

Once those who felt like sitting down had, either on the living room's scant furniture or its floor, Stanley stared up at the ceiling, clicking his tongue. "Well," he began after a moment, "it's like this. We're from an island up in the North Blue going through some trouble. Not enough mouths to feed, and not enough space either. Me and some others volunteered to head off for greener pastures."

"Awfully noble of you," Gerald murmured, "especially to go so far. It's a ways between the different Blues, after all."

Stanley nodded. "Wasn't exactly by choice. Couldn't find anyplace we wouldn't feel like a burden at." He waved a hand at the nearby window and the wilderness outside. "Obviously, this island didn't have that problem, and we figured it was a sign."

He sighed. "As you've seen for yourselves, that wasn't the case. About a month or so after we arrived, it turned out we weren't as alone on the island as we thought. I don't know what these things are, exactly, but they're not fans of us. It was all we could do to drive the first one off," the mayor couldn't surpress a shiver, "and I'm not sure what would have happened to us if Ikki hadn't come along when she did."

Jack nodded, looking over at her. "Right, I did think you weren't an ordinary sailor. You've been here fighting those things yourself? For how long?"

"Oh," Ikki replied, looking surprised at the attention, "for about a month myself. According to Stanley, at least. I docked on this island with research on my mind, but I did not expect this. It has been quite fascinating."

"Fascinating?" Said the swordswoman, her lip curling upward. "Both of those creatures could have killed you."

"Possibly," Ikki admitted. "But many things could. Falling into the ocean would certainly cause my death, but no-one would say the ocean is not fascinating." She looked down at her book, evidently feeling the matter was settled.

The white-haired man, silent until now, spoke up. "The tiny one had that lizard acting like a horse. How?"

"You noticed the flute it was playing, I would hope," Ikki replied, not looking up from the pages. "The others that came here possessed similar instruments. I believe this species is able to influence the animals of this island with their music, similar to a dog whistle."

"I've been wondering about that myself," Ricardo said, raising his hand, "'cause if these things understand music that means they're intelligent, right? Like us?"

Stanley looked at Ikki, who said nothing. He nodded. "That's what Ikki's been thinking for a while, and with this I'd say she was spot on. Animals don't kidnap people."

The mayor sighed. "Which makes things a lot more complicated, right? I couldn't tell you what these fellas are, and I don't care to give them a name, but there's no sense starting a fight if they can think like us."

"That explains not sending him out for the Marines," Jack thumbed at Striker, currently perched on the windowsill, "but I'd hazard a guess that nobody here is negotiator material. Not to mention these guys probably don't speak our language. Got a plan for that?"

He heard the sigh Ikki just failed to suppress. She shut the book. "I dislike rhetorical questions, Mr. Bones. I have had ample opportunity to study the language of the island dwellers, and yes, if given the opportunity to speak with their leaders I do feel I can express that these people are not their enemy."

Jack opened his mouth, but the swordswoman spoke up first. The haughty tone in her voice was now outright contempt. "So what are we then? Just your escort?"

"Yes," Ikki replied, as blunt as the ice she'd become earlier. "If my chance of succeeding alone were realistic, I would do so. But even if that were possible, it would mean leaving the village without my protection, which as you have seen would be unwise."

She sweeped her gaze across the Skull Pirates and the others. "Your job, therefore, would be to keep both these people and myself - though, as you have seen, I am much less in need of that. Is this acceptable to you?"

Jack nodded right away. "Can't just leave people in the lurch - and I've never had the chance to be an ambassador to a whole other race before. Could be fun, right?"

"Oh, yes," Mary murmured, "I can't imagine a single problem with having a skeleton man be one of the first humans they meet. But I agree, this seems bigger than a single pirate crew."

The rest of the crew seemed in agreement. They looked over as a cracking noise filled the room. "The interloper earlier looked like a tricky opponent," the tattooed giant rumbled with another flex of his neck, "one that few warriors have the chance to face. I will gladly take that opportunity."

The white-haired spoke after that declaration had sunk in, his whisper almost a mirror of it. "Never been a fan of pro bono. How you paying?"

"Not quite the appropriate level of tact, I feel," the swordswoman sniffed, "but I agree. Experience with my sword is one thing, but immaterial as a reward. I hope you do not expect us to fight for free?"

As Stanley rose wordlessly, she stared at the Skull Pirates and folded her arms. "What? Good heavens, you're pirates aren't you?"

"No need for any stinkeyes, they're both right." Stanley called from across the room, pulling a chest out from one corner. "Even if you're fine with it, sending anyone into danger for free wouldn't sit well with my conscience."

He sat the chest on the table and popped it open. Everyone stared: inside were stacks of Berry, filling it at least halfway. "Let's see," Stanley mused, "I couldn't say what the going-rate for manpower ought to be in this case, so stop me if you think it's unreasonable."

He stacked out a pile in front of Jack and the three others. "Fifty-Thousand for you three, and double that for the Captain and his crew. That alright for starters?"

The giant man shook his head. "Keep it. It would only buy extravagance, and my training needs none."

"That will do, I suppose," the woman nodded. "There are worse ways I can think of to make that amount of money." Next to her, the albino quickly pocketed his share with a grunt of approval.

Ricardo held up a hand, shaking his head. "Not with the good captain here, but I'll pass. I'd probably just waste it on something."

Jack just stared, scratching his chin. "That's a lot of money. You sure about handing it over to a pirate crew?"

Stanley nodded without hesitation. "We pooled all this together before we left. Figured it'd help finance whatever claim we picked, and that's still sort of what we're doing now, right?" He smiled wearily. "This island would be perfect if we could all come to some agreement with the locals."

Ikki abruptly stood up. "Now that that business is settled, please come meet me in the tavern. That will be better for explaining our route. As time is of the essence, I intend to leave in the morning if at all possible."

Before anyone could reply, she was gone. Ricardo smiled. "Kind of a firebrand for a woman with ice powers, eh? Almost my type."

A few minutes later all of them were assembled back in the tavern, watching as Ikki unrolled a sheet of sketch paper. "This is a rough map of the area from my time here so far. This," she pointed to a series of vague rectangles, "is the town. There is a rough path through the forest that goes upward, toward the mountain. Incidentally, I shall repeat once more that there is no evidence at this time to support it being active."

"'This time' as in this year, or this hour?" Gerald asked.

"A fair question," Ikki said with a nod, "And I believe it to be the former." She indicated several marked spots on the map. "My reasoning for that is where I have determined the natives dwell: underground. In addition to their actions today, I have found numerous tunnels out in the jungle near food and water sources."

Ricardo nodded. "I can see why you felt you needed help. Sounds like their territory could go across the whole island."

"Quite possibly," Ikki said, her gaze flicking to him. "Many of these entrances are a great distance away from one another." Her finger stabbed out at one, north-east from the village. "When possible I sat watch at each, to determine when their builders were most active. This tunnel seems to be used the rarest, which makes it our best entrance."

She picked up the pace on that last sentence, and for good reason, since the group wasn't slow on the uptake. "Using their own tunnels?" the white-haired man muttered. "Dangerous."

"Suicidal is more like it!" the swordswoman cried, stomping one foot on the floor. "That's the best you can come up with after all that big talk? Using their own front door?"

"There is always the option of their back door," Ikki replied calmly. "That is to say, the mountain's crater. This would be less obvious, but also, I feel, somewhat warmer. Beyond that..." she shrugged. "Shovels are available, if that sounds more appealing."

The woman folded her arms, smoldering like a crater herself, but said nothing. Jack looked around the table; if anyone looked ready to quit, they didn't look it. "Right, if everyone's all in we may as well put all our cards on the table, so no-one steps on anyone's toes. Sound fair?"

No-one voiced any objections, and he continued. "I'm Jack Bones, Captain of the Skull Pirates, you may have heard of me...no? Damn. I ate the Skull Skull Fruit, turned me into the fine specimen you see before you. Need something pummeled, or to borrow a limb or two, I'm your man."

"Mary, also known as 'The Thorn'." She bowed, extending a thorn from one finger. "I ate the Rose Rose Fruit. I'm not exactly the brute strength type, but I can handle myself in a fight."

"I'm Drake, a martial artist," was all the fishman offered. "I'm good underwater of course, but it doesn't sound like that will come up much. But I can fight, and it sounds like that will."

A moment passed before one of the two remaining Skull Pirates cleared his throat. "Gerald Riviera - very charmed." He fiddled with his moustache and shrugged. "Can't say I'm a juggernaut like these three, but I'm at least an extra pair of hands. Talking is more my wheelhouse, for how little that's worth here."

Their last member raised his hand. "Um, I'm Frank Goldfinger, a - well, I shouldn't actually say, because it could be dangerous for you. But you still have my blade, and everything else too."

"Two Devil Fruit users, a Fishman, and whatever you two count as, then," sniffed the swordswoman. "I'm shocked to see a circus like this isn't already at the Grand Line."

She made an odd motion then, raising her right arm up to the opposite shoulder with her palm toward them all, before bowing for a half-second. "I am Gloria, a wandering woman of the blade. Now that I've been compensated, you can rely on me. I'll show those imps a real weapon should it come to that."

The white-haired man clicked his tongue when they all looked to him. "I go by Chase. Been operating as a hunter in these waters for a few months. I've never seen anything like that thing in the mask, but if they're riding animals, it's still no problem." He gave a smile devoid of ordinary mirth. "You can kill any animal, if you know how."

A thump came as the giant, tattooed man place his hand on the table. "I am Cadmael, a warrior seeking to test his mettle. My weapons are my fists, and if helping you all will give them a challenge, so be it." With that he fell silent.

Ricardo flashed them a smile. "Ricardo Restos is the name: amateur spelunker and experienced romantic. You might want to remember that name, 'cause you'll be hearing everyone say it before long." He gestured to his bag of tools. "Good thing you ran into me when we're going underground, eh?"

"That just leaves you, boss," Jack said, looking at Ikki. "Seemed like that was a Devil Fruit power earlier - unless it was just your cheery disposition, anyway."

"No," Ikki replied, in a tone that could make you think otherwise, "you were correct the first time. I have eaten the Temp Temp Fruit, allowing me to drastically alter the temperature of my body at will. I would demonstrate, but this would be both redundant and dangerous with you all so close."

She adjusted her glasses. "Rest assured, the battle earlier was an accurate display of my skill with it and fighting in general. My safety need not be your concern, within reason. So long as I can still walk and speak that will be enough."

Her gaze went toward the window. "It will be dark soon. I plan to leave at dawn: is that acceptable to all of you?"

Gloria made a slight noise too slight to tell whether it was derision or amusion. "There are a woman and child in danger now, I'll note. Or has that ice seeped into your bloodstream?"

"Concern and foolishness are two different things," Ikki replied as she barely glanced in the woman's direction, "and I feel embarking now would be the second. This is not a peaceful island at the best of times, let alone at night. If we are on a mission of diplomacy, it would also be a mistake to enter the islanders' dwelling while they are slumbering."

"Ah, how kind of you," Gloria said with a smile that had fangs. "A shame your friends didn't feel like being so courteous."

The swordswoman had picked the wrong person to try and instigate. "Yes," Ikki said calmly, "it is a shame. If you feel total war would not be, you may leave at any time."

"I'd begin to consider it, but leaving these people after all I've heard would weigh on my conscience." Gloria stood up. "With that in mind, I'll bid you all goodbye for now. I must sharpen my blade; I've a feeling I'll be needing it."

A gloomy moment passed through the rest of the group, one only concluded as Gerald cleared his throat. "Not exactly a people person, is she? For the record, I think you have the right of it, Ikki. If they wanted to really send a message, they wouldn't have stopped at just hostages."

He clasped his hands before him on the table. "But that brings up another wrinkle you may not have considered. If they are planning to negotiate, they'll most likely come here. What's the plan then?"

Ikki frowned, looking flappable for the first time. "A fine question. Stanley's people did bring communications equipment, a pair of Snail Transponders, but the connection may not reach underground, or we may only receive word when we are too far out to return in time."

"Damned if we do, damned if we don't, eh?" Jack whistled. That was Gerald for ya: a total dandy until he suddenly scored a bullseye. He looked around at his crew. "In that case - Mary, Drake, you two okay staying behind?"

The fishman looked surprised, while Mary only fiddled with her hair. "That just leaves you as far as our heavy hitters go, Jack," she pointed out. "Are you sure?"

"Sure am." Jack nodded back. "If we don't know what'll happen here, better safe than sorry, eh? Besides, we're already heading in there with two Devil Fruit users, one of which is my charming face."

He gestured to the expedition's leader. "Ikki might be the first one these guys have ever seen, so imagine seeing three crawl through your front door at once, not to mention a fishman. No need to go asking for trouble, right?"

"That is very sound logic, Captain Bones," Ikki said. "I suppose I should not be surprised. Living opposite to the law must force you to think quickly."

Jack grinned. "Logic would be not becoming a pirate in the first place, wouldn't it? Or not accepting weird messages by hawk. But I do usually think things out - in my own way, of course."

"We ought to put out a patent," Gerald sighed. "I suppose that means Frank and I will be coming along?"

"Yup, if anyone on our crew is harmless, you two are probably closest." Jack looked to his left. "And you too, right Ricardo? You're the underground guy."

"That I am, water guy," the spelunker said, flashing another smile. "I can handle any cave-in or pitfall in our way, just so long as you all stay in front of everything else. I bruise easily."

Jack flinched as he was suddenly under the gaze of Cadmael, who then looked to Ikki. "I will go with you. If there is no battle to be had in the end, the hike will do my body better than waiting here."

Another silence was broken, this one belonging to Chase. "I'm good in wide open spaces, not some pit. I'll keep the shark and rose company."

That left Gloria unaccounted for, but Ikki didn't seem to care. "Three or four to mind the village, Six or Seven to journey outward," she murmured. "But the three of you do seem capable, and it makes little sense to leave Mr. Rolento behind given his skills." The scholar nodded. "I believe this will be sufficient. Are there any other questions?"

"Are ya single?"

"Why, yes, Mr. Rolento," Ikki replied as she stood up. "I am a single person." She waited a moment longer for any other comments, and then departed.

Jack reached out and patted the spelunker on his shoulder. "Rough. Expected, but still rough."

"No worries," Ricardo said, flashing another golden smile. "I can be a pretty stubborn guy when I want."

A few hours later night had fallen. In the corner of the ramshackle village there was nary a sound to be heard. Save, that is, for the turning of pages.

And approaching footsteps. Ikki didn't glance up. "Mr. Bones. Are you unable to sleep? Some of the villagers did find it difficult at first." One eye swivelled toward him. "Though I see you have not been resting, unless you do so differently than most."

Jack grinned, apparently oblivious to the dirt and scratches on him. "Went exploring for a bit, just near the village. The animals here are no joke."

He sat down next to her. "How about you? Wouldn't have pegged you for a night owl myself."

"You have known me less than a day," Ikki pointed out. "I may do several things that surprise you." She turned a page, sagging a bit under her coat. "You are correct; I typically sleep and wake early. But I felt the need for a moment to myself. I am unused to a position like this."

"Can't say you're doing too bad at it." Jack shrugged. "I can think of plenty of worse plans I've come up with before. You never know when someone might be a natural leader."

Ikki turned to him and shook her head. "No, I do know. Know I am not one, that is. I was traveling alone before this, and once this situation has been resolved and my curiosity satisfied, I will be on my way."

"Like pirates and treasure, eh?" Jack grinned. "I can get behind that. After anything in particular?"

The woman turned another page and was silent a moment. "Knowledge," she said in an odd tone of voice. "Anything that counteracts ignorance. Whatever logic I can find in this strange, cruel world. Does that make any sense to you, Mr. Bones?"

Devil Fruit powers and having issues: it was like pirates and water. "Not totally, at least not without asking questions you might not want to answer," Jack replied. "But that answers why you're so dead-set on solving this without a fight. Would be pretty hard to learn anything from these natives if a war breaks out."

"Few things are ever learned from killing," Ikki murmured. "I am glad to hear you say that, Mr. Bones, and pleased to see the books I have read on pirates were not entirely correct." He'd have to take her word on being pleased, because her face was the same as ever.

"Ah, 'cause now we understand each-other more, and you know something you didn't?"

Ikki blinked. "Well, yes. But I also found those books very poorly written. Them being truthful regardless would be a shame."

Ah well - she'd probably known the book in her hands ten times as long as him. Ikki turned back to it and was quiet for a moment. "Mr. Bones?" she said finally.

"Yeah?"

"I do not mean to sound rude, but would you mind terribly leaving me alone now? I feel I have spoken enough tonight."

"...'kay."

Even a short distance away from this conversation and the village's lanterns, the surrounding jungle was the near pitch-black of nature at night. One bit of it was broken now by a tiny spark, just barely illuminating a crop of trees that had grown into a natural barricade for anything too big, which included a lot of things on this island. Perfect for when you needed a moment to yourself.

With a deft moment Stanley produced both a lighter and cigarette. Taking a breath, he exhaled a puff of smoke into the tree-line above. "You know, I wouldn't second-guess your crewmates taking a look around," he murmured without looking over, "but you sure you should be out by yourself, Gerald?"

"Not any more than you, Mayor," the first mate said, stooping into the area. "No-one could blame you for feeling stressed, of course. But it'll be even worse for the town if you end up something's snack."

Stanley looked him over. "I have been here a while, so I like to think I'm not in too much danger. But y'know, somehow I get the impression you know that perfectly well. What are ya really after?"

Gerald leaned against a tree, shrugging. "You have me there. I'll be frank, then: your story doesn't add up to me. You leave because your island is crowded, and travel to an entirely different sea?" He waved a hand at the surrounding jungle. "The island you end up picking is one no human seems to have set foot on in years, if ever? The only reason I can think of to live here is if-"

"You don't want to be found?" Stanley interrupted him in a mild tone. He took another breath of his cigarette. "Well it's not exactly a grand secret after you saw that stash, is it? I imagine your captain knows there's something more to us being here, but just doesn't care. Guess suspicion's your job."

The first mate remained silent. Stanley appeared to mull it over. "Well, I guess if anyone deserves to know something it's someone sticking their neck out. You don't mind if I keep things a bit vague? The full story could you into even more trouble than a pirate normally is."

Gerald nodded, so Stanley went on. "Right. Let's say we're from an island to the south. Way to the south. Not a terrible place, but not perfect either. Until one day the powers that be there go through some changes. Not all of them are good."

His face darkened slightly at some old memories. "Actually, pretty near all of them aren't, and everyone knew it. Some kept quiet, but others didn't mind telling those powers that they weren't fans, and telling them good and loud."

"Sorry, need a moment." Stanley took another drag, his hand shaking a tad. "When two groups like that are at odds, sides don't end up mattering for much. Things were unpleasant for long enough that home didn't seem like it any more. We decided to look for a new one."

He shrugged. "The powers that be weren't exactly fans of people deciding that. I'm not sure if they'd be looking for us, but I don't know what's been going on there since we left and I'm just as fine not knowing. That money you saw was something we pooled just in case we needed to buy some land or silence."

"I see," Gerald said, nodding thoughtfully. "Seems like there's nothing else to say but be amazed at your bad luck. Almost enough to make you reconsider leaving, isn't it?"

"If you weren't a pirate, you'd make a pretty good comedian," Stanley remarked. "So, satisfied now?"

"Well, no," Gerald admitted. "But only because it's hard to be satisfied with people having to go to such lengths because of their government. The ones in charge should do everything they can to avoid things like that; I'm sorry yours couldn't."

Stanley couldn't help looking surprised. "Awfully philosophical for a pirate. Guess that opinion has to do with why you're not living under any kingdom for the moment?"

"Ha, fair's fair," Gerald chuckled. "Something like that, I suppose. I will say this: you're doing a better job than the ones in charge where I come from."

He turned and bent low again. "Now then, since my Captain was kind enough to volunteer me for a hike, I'd best be off to bed. Good night, Mayor."

"G'night," Stanley said mildly. He finished off his cigarette and ground it into the dirt. "So that's what passes for a pirate these days? World might be changing all over, I guess."

"Ahhhhhh..." Jack closed his mouth and blinked up at the sun wearily. "Who's idea was it to wake up at the crack of dawn, anyway?"

"The people paying us a hundred thousand Beri?" Mary offered as she inspected one of the bags of supplies the town had prepared. Food and water for at least a few days, matches, and ropes were inside, among others.

"Oh, right," Jack muttered, falling into the silence of someone proven wrong. "Well, everyone ready?"

"I think we all are," Mary said, looking around. "We've been ready since before the twenty minutes it took to drag you out of bed."

Gloria was sitting on the tavern's steps, polishing her sword. "Hmph," she sniffed, "this is good information. If my island ever sees your flag on the horizon, I'll know not to be afraid of an attack before noon."

"Huh, well that's where you're wrong, lady," Jack said, jabbing a thumb at himself. "I'll have you know I fight as easily as I breath. Even fought our helmsman here to a draw before he joined us, isn't that right Drake?"

"Definitely," Drake nodded as he stretched nearby. "Frankly I'm not sure he even needs to think to fight."

"Yeah, see, I-" Jack stopped, and then glared at the pair of his crew. "Well, if you wanted to make me feel less bad you're both staying behind, mission accomplished. If we find the discovery of the century don't come crying to me you missed it."

Ikki adjusted her glasses as Jack hefted his own bag. "Are you prepared then, Mr. Bones? Once we leave I expect we will not be returning for some time. Have you any experience with the wilderness?"

"Not unless my home town counts as 'wilderness', no," he chuckled. "But I've been through my share of storms, and it's not like they don't have teeth themselves. How much worse could it be?"

The young woman looked grave. "Never worse than when someone enters them thinking something along those lines. You should never assume there is nothing that can surprise you, even - especially, I should say - in realms with no written knowledge."

"She couldn't be more right, Jack," Rolento said with a nod. "I can tell you for sure there's no books about cave-diving. That's 'cause anyone who does it either doesn't need the help, or never did it long enough to write anything down, heh heh."

"Alright, alright, it's dangerous," Jack said, scratching his nose. "But y'know, the fact I've never been in the wilderness means it's never seen me." He jabbed a finger at the treeline. "So it better watch out too! Let's goooo!"

Ikki stared at his receding back. A moment passed. "Mr. Riviera, is he aware-"

"That he's going back toward the shoreline? No, but he'll probably realize eventually." Gerald shouldered his bag. "Come on, all. No reason my Captain should be the first to find danger every time, eh?"

With those inspiring words (inspiration technically being a neutral term), the expedition set off.

To Be Continued…

Gloria: You're reading that? I thought you were supposed to be a scholar.

Mary: These will do a lot more than just trap, no?

Ikki: I am used to dangers far greater than this.

Darkness Around: The Island's Underbelly!

Ricardo: In my experience, you never trust other people on an expedition too much.

Diving Dart - Well, eh, better late than never, right? Thank you for the compliments, sometimes I'm not sure how well this stacks up compared to the actual thing. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

So, hi. You all probably deserve some explanation for where I've been, since it's been oh, four years? For that stretch of time I was in University which didn't leave me much time for writing casually, and for some time after I wasn't in a great mood for it either. I guess you could say I lost my muse, and then recently I just sort of started again. I plan on trying my hardest to keep this consistent for the coming year, since I forgot how fun it was. Cheers for anyone still following this, and apologies it took this long.