If Valentoons hated one thing more than physical labor, it was waking up early. Horsenado had tried to sleep early the night prior, but was too excited about the upcoming journey. He hadn't fallen asleep until well past eleven, and had to wake up at three to get ready. Surprisingly sleeping on the ship was quite comfortable. The boat had some pretty modern luxuries. Large, comfortable beds were provided in each individual room. While there was no electricity, there was running water through a complicated system of filters that Horsenado refused to even try and understand. Groggily walking out onto the deck, the red horse was surprised to see most of the crew was already awake and eating breakfast. "Morning, Five-o! Hope you're hungry!" John B sat at a small makeshift table that he had constructed from lids of other containers. "I made eggs, and there's some leftover spaghetti if you're feeling adventurous."

Stomach gurgling, the hungry horse made his way over and sat down. "Thanks John. I don't know what's worse; being hungry or being tired? Actually scratch that. They're equally awful. What kind of horrible being wakes up this early?"

"Hey, I resent that!" Calypso with a plate of eggs sat down next to his two comrades and chuckled. "You're still young. Once you have kids, waking up this early becomes the norm, and then you just sort of accept your fate." the Toons enjoyed a small breakfast, making small talk and nervously anticipating what lied ahead. The small amount of excitement that had built up was slowly being replaced with thoughts of large storms, larger fish, and who knew what else? Four o'clock rolled around, and the crew shuffled their way up towards the Captain's quarters where Scurvy was glancing over one last map that they had made several years ago. Pieced from stories, Calypso's book, and their own imagination, the blue cat smiled. Something about being out on the sea had reinvigorated the captain. A light knock let them know that the crew was awake. Walking over, Scurvy pulled open the door and grinned.

"Look it me crew! You all be the spitting image of Davey Jones! Look like everybody be here. Has everyone read their jobs? Can't be letting a weak link break anchor!" Scurvy winked their good eye and took lead of the crew, heading out towards the masts. "We got ourselves a strong wind coming blowing northward. We couldn't have picked a better day to set sail, mateys. It be a blessing, let us get out feet wet. Everybody ready to sail!"

A unified cry broke out from the other six toons. "Aye aye, captain!" with the cry, Edmund climbed the mast and unhinged the ropes that constricted the sails to their resting place. The remainder of the crew aside from Scurvy took place at large wooden oars that were locked into place as to not spill out into the sea. Pulling hard against the resisting water, the boat slowly began to drift itself out until it was facing their intended destination. Calypso called out orders, as Scurvy was focused on steering. Once they were ready, Edmund stood up and ran back to his post. Letting loose the remaining ropes, the sail flung open like a prom night dress, filling with a moderate gust and pushing the ship on its course at a brisk pace. Standing up, the crew waved goodbye to Toontown. For now, they were sailors, the ship was their home.

Calypso walked around the ship for what seemed like the hundredth time, looking for something to do. They had only been out on the open water for six hours, and he was already bored to tears. Scurvy said that it would be a pretty simple first day, but even they could not have anticipated this. The gusts had only increased, causing the boat to skim the sea with the power of a thousand oaring Toons. "Hey Mariner, how's it going down there? Need any help?"

The boat's chef, Mariner was young but quite skilled in cooking. The former restaurant owner knew a lot more about about chopping vegetables that chopping expenses. Looking up from a small cauldron, he shook his head. "I'm still okay. It's been like five minutes. If you really need something to do, why don't you go see if Cross needs anything." dipping a ladle into the soup, the dog took a sip and nodded.

"Gosh, I thought being an explorer would be a lot more interesting than this." Calypso whispered to himself as he climbed down a ladder into the lower decks. Pushing open a door, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Cross was in charge of maintenance, something she hoped that she wouldn't have to do. The yellow mouse had crept downstairs and found a very comfortable pile of rope to rest her eyes on. Unfortunately for Calypso, he did not see the sleeping Toon in the dark until he felt a very squishy part of the floor cause him to tumble forward.

Gasping for air, Cross flew up from her peaceful slumber and began punching wildly. "Hey, what's the big idea! Can't a girl get some work done without someone stepping on her?"

Reaching through the darkness for something to grab up on, the blue duck shook his head. "Sorry about that. Can't see a thing down here. I was just coming to check on you. See if you might need some help?"

"Nope. Nope. All good down here! I'm just uhh... finishing up some small stuff. I'll be up soon for lunch!" Cross rubbed her neck nervously, hoping she wasn't caught. "What's for lunch anyways?"

"Think Mariner is making some kind of soup. Honestly, anything that isn't spaghetti sounds good at this point." Calypso joked, feeling his way back towards the one shred of light emanating from where he entered.

Cross sighed. "Please don't tell me he's using sea water..."

"Um. You know Captain was joking about that, right? We have fresh water." trying not to laugh, he smacked his forehead.

"Oh yeah. I knew that." Southern chuckled. "Anyways, you go get some lunch and tell them I'll be up in like twenty minutes. I have a handsome sailor-mouse to dream of."

Scurvy gripped the smooth wooden paneling between the pegs of the steering wheel. Slowly turning faintly to keep the ship in line, a song began to form in their head. Whistling, the captain closed their eyes and began to come up with words to match the music. "Aye who lives in a vessel on top of the sea. Captain Scurvy! Salty, and blue-ish, and with a peg-leg. Captain Scurvy!" the cat was interrupted by a light tapping on their shoulder. Turning around, they smiled and clapped their hands. "Five-o me matey, how you feelin'?"

"Well, I have to say this is a lot different than I thought it would be. It's. Well it's kind of boring? A lot of sitting around. There's no TV or anything to watch!" Horsenado kicked his foot slowly back and forth. "How do you do this every day?"

"Sonny, you be seein' that life on the sea be more exciting than you could know. Every day be bringing a new adventure. Vittles be almost done cookin'. How about you go keep yourself fed and we check in later and I'll teach you a bit about steerin'"Smiling proudly, Horsenado nodded and ran back to the mid-deck to join the rest of the crew who were gathering around for lunch. Once the horse was out of sight, Scurvy took one last look ahead. Nothing but the beautiful dark blue sea and white foam. "Think it be time for me to get some grub. Me belly be a rumblin'."

Mariner's sweet and spicy vegetable soup turned out to be a hit among the crew. "I don't want to brag, but nobody cooks like a dog. We just have the right sense of smell." Edmund boasted, as he licked the edge of his bowl, tongue searching for one last morsel of the spectacular broth.

"You don't want to brag? You had nothing to do with it. I saw you taking a nap up on the lookout tower earlier!" John B joked. "Anyways, everyone knows crocodiles make the best chefs. We have an acute sense of taste due to our amazing mouths."

"Fellas, fellas. Let's not kid ourselves. Mice clearly have the superior understanding of food. Have you seen Ratatoonie? That guy was a rockstar!" Cross interrupted, nodding as her own intelligence.

Calypso looked around at everyone, most confused and some laughing at the mouse. "Um, Cross. You know that was just a movie right? Like as in, not a documentary?"

"Yeah - I knew that. Doesn't mean he wasn't an awesome chef though!" Cross defended herself.

Lunch continued to be just as lively as breakfast had been. The seven Toons' chemistry was growing by the second. Scurvy grinned on the inside with the knowledge that they had hand-picked the crew themself. About a half hour later, lunch had finished and now the group had returned to prior duties, which for everyone besides Scurvy was goofing off or trying to sleep. Then it appeared. Cresting in the distance was something other than blue water, but rather green grass. "Land ho!" Scurvy bellowed, capturing the attention of all Toons on board. Everyone ran to the front of the ship excitedly, pointing and whooping at the sight.

"Look! Is that a tree! It is... and there are pineapples growing on it!" John B screamed excitedly.

"Pineapple? I haven't had pineapple in years! I didn't know they grew in tropical areas!" Edmund salivated over the sweet, acidic taste. "Captain, we've been out on the sea forever. Can't we stop and take a break?"

Scurvy shook their head, disappointed. " 'Fraid not mateys. Every stop be wastin' time that we don't have. Besides, we don't be knowin' what's on that island. I been sailin' many years and ain't never run across a land mass I felt safe approachin'."

"Come on, Scurvy. Who knows the next time we'll run across land? Besides, we've been making wonderful time. I'd estimate we've already saved about two hours. I feel like the crew would benefit from some time on land. Gather some supplies. Who knows, maybe this ends up what we were looking for the whole time? It's a decent sized looking island. We certainly shouldn't rule out any possibilities at this point." Calypso joined in the crew, eager to have something to do.

"Mateys, you be breakin' this old walloper's heart. How can I be sayin' no to ye? I guess we ain't putting ourselves into a crunch if we make things quick. No more than an hour though. I want us back on the ship and ready to go before midday take its exit. Beside, ain't nothin' beats fresh pineapple. Prevents scurvy, too. Wait, I mean - not me. Okay, everybody, just get to your positions and prepare for landing!" With a newfound energy, the Toons worked like clockwork. Reeling in the sail, Edmund gave the go-to the oar-pullers to begin turning the boat towards the large sandy beach that was quickly approaching. Scurvy was a very experienced captain and knew exactly what they were doing. Putting on a master class of sailing, the blue cat easily directed the boat into a nice landing spot on the beach. Commanding the Toons, they cheered excitedly as the craft was pulled safely inward and the anchor was dropped. Stepping off their stand, the captain crossed the ship and descended down a large plank into the warm sand. Kicking their shoes off, they embraced the grainy and ticklish feeling. Clenching their toes, they felt the sand fill and exit the gap between their toes. "Alrighty' mates. Everybody best remember where we docked. Try not to stray too far alone. I want us gatherin' supplies. If things looking positive we can set out a bit further later. I be wantin' the hard work done with so nobody be complaining later!"

The Toons spent about twenty minutes gathering their fill of the delicious fruit. Mariner, in his infinite food wisdom, had found a small pond which was filled with king crab and other various seafood and was joined by Edmund to try and bare-hand the slippery creatures. Cross and John B had been sent to scour ahead to look for anything interesting while Horsenado, Calypso, and Scurvy prepared the next steps. Calypso pulled out a small diary and read through his notes. "Hmm. I don't see anything written about this place, so I guess the ancestoons must have passed it without notice. I guess I can't blame them. This is certainly no Toontown. It does seem to be a decent size. I'm going to keep our coordinates down just in case. There is plenty of food here. There's fresh water. Honestly, a Toon could live here just fine."

"Yeah. It's kind of a paradise. Why don't we just stay here for like a week? I could use some sun and sand anyways. Munch down on a pineapple? What say you, Captain?" Horsenado teased.

"Arrgh, I still be havin' an uneasy feeling. Tis' quite the paradise and that scares me. One thing I have learned from me many days in this world is if it be too good to be true, it is." Scurvy bit their lip as they scanned their surroundings. "However, maybe I just be getting pessimistic in me old age. Don't look like there's any chance of a storm comin' in. Not a sign o' life here aside from some fish and other grub. I guess it couldn't hurt to stay here a bit longer. When the crew returns, we can decide on who wants to go. We will be needing someone to guard the ship, so we can make arrangements at that time. For now, you two enjoy yourselves because we be on our feet soon." feeling their stomach flop, Scurvy ran their hand through the sand, writing a very small "SOS."

Boxer adjusted his bow-tie. Watching from backstage, the purple dog chuckled as the on-stage comedian was killing it with the crowd. Joke after joke seemed to land. Effortlessly the pink cat made wacky puns and silly anecdotes flow into each other. Capping off, the cat curtsied and thanked the crowd, before walking off the stage towards him. "Looks like we got a good crowd in here tonight. That was probably my B performance and they were lapping it up. You're going to knock them dead!"

"Thanks, Saturn. I hope so." Boxer had stayed up all night practicing in front of the mirror. He had studied joke-books and thought back to funny moments of his life. He hadn't quite worked out a routine in such a short period of time, but he figured he had some solid jokes and would just go out and see how things went. Waiting for his moment, he watched as Professor Guffaw walked out onto the stage amid a chorus of cheers.

"Thank you everybody. Next up is a rising star in the comedy scene. All the way from Valentoonia, please welcome... Boxer Garfunkel!" bowing, she motioned for Boxer to come on stage. Now the bright lights were on him. Burning heat soon felt secondary to the blinding glean. True to Guffaw's word, the place was packed. Every table was full, not to mention the servers who had intentionally slowed their orders to get a look at their co-worker on stage.

Now standing completely alone, Boxer walked up to the microphone and pulled it off the stand. Tumbling with the small device, he soon lost control and juggled it, before it soon dropped to the floor, gathering a small bit of laughter from the audience who assumed it was part of the routine. "Good evening everyone. My name is Boxer... Now this is a good looking crowd out here tonight. All the high rollers and elite Toons that couldn't make it in Retroville!" another small bit of laughter got the ball rolling. Suddenly confident, the purple dog went back to his previous night's practice. "You would think with a name like Boxer, that I would be a great fighter. Yet I'm terrible!" Boxer made a funny face and waited for the crowd reaction, but none came. After a few moments of silence there was a single "ha" from someone who realized that he had just unleashed the punchline. "Woof. Tough crowd tonight. Guess that one wasn't quite the hit I thought it would be! Get it... hit? Because I'm Boxer?"

"We get it!" a voice yelled out from the back.

Tugging his collar, Boxer breathed heavily into the microphone. Drenching himself in sweat, he scanned the audience. In theater he was taught to try and focus on someone with a positive reaction, but unfortunately for the wanna-be comedian, there were none. "Hey. What's brown and sticky?" holding up the microphone for a moment he chuckled to himself. "A stick!"

"Boo!" the same voice from earlier called out.

For the next ten minutes, Boxer tried everything he had read in his books. He tried puns, silly stories, and knock-knock jokes. Yet none of them had much of a crowd reaction. Other than a few pity laughs, the purple dog had completely bombed. Even worse, his co-workers were there to witness his humiliation, including Lollipop who was probably getting a kick out of watching him suffer. The biggest cheers from the crowd came when he finally walked off the stage dejected where Saturn stood with their head sunk. "Hey man, sometimes its not just your night. I still think you had some solid... definitely some solid material. Keep your head up."

"Yeah. Yeah... I'm Boxer. I'm a fighter... and a fighter never gives up." Boxer didn't bother to acknowledge anybody else on the way out the backstage. Pushing through the door, the dog pulled out his teleportation hole and made a swift exit to the safety of his hotel room."