So KH X has been released and I've been playing that like crazy. So addicting. Anyway, now we return to Luna's story as our heroes last found themselves in quite the predicament.


Chapter 75

Black Sails

On their way to wherever it was that they were being taken, Luna kept an eye out for any landmarks or structures in land distinct enough that they could provide as a guide in escape. Her ears were much useless in this situation, as though she tried to listen in to what the indigenous tribe who had taken them hostage were talking about, she found herself unable to understand them. It was only then that she remembered that they were using a completely different Gummi Ship, an inferior version to the Highwind that couldn't translate speech in different languages.

She looked to her right, noticing that had passed at least five incredibly well-crafted totem poles by now. Studying the position of each totem and the direction they faced would probably serve her well in the long run.

They reached yet another camp, as well as the origin of the smoke they had seen earlier. So they had been making a fire, but for what purpose? As far as Luna could tell, there was no trace of food anywhere. Considering also that the tribe seemed to live on an island completely lacking in animal wildlife, they had to be herbivores.

Goofy's assertion made her turn in his direction. "Hey, isn't that Jack?"

Donald squinted, looking at the only person in the area that was sitting down on a chair. "Jack? What's going on here?"

Jack blinked at them as if startled. He had similar looking tattoos as all the other tribal members with a key difference being three creepy looking eyes on either side of Jack's face. The only feature about him putting her mind at ease was that he definitely didn't look like a native of the island, tattoos aside.

"Jack, what is this place?" Donald tried again. It seemed like Jack was either a mute or unable to say what he wanted to, perhaps because he too was being held hostage. That was when Luna decided to make a stand. She only hoped it was the right one to make.

"Okay, listen here!" Luna summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at them. Gasps followed from all around her with their captors backing off slightly. "Yeah, that's right, it's a key."

"Really, did you have to be so dramatic about it?" Donald asked. "Don't tell me Sora's rubbing off on you."

"Well, what else are we going to do? We don't have time for this," Luna said. She raised her Keyblade into the air and cast Blizzaga. A giant block of Ice appeared over the fire and slammed down upon the gathered sticks and twigs, putting the fire out in the process. That would certainly cause them to run for it.

"Now, if you folks don't mind, we'll be takin' Jack with us now," Goofy said amicably.

"You read my mind," Jack finally spoke for the first time. He reached for his hand and took off the unusual looking hat on his head and chucked to one of the tribesmen nearby. "A leaving present for you. Let it be the reminder of the man you almost tried to eat, but never could. Captain-"

"Yeah, that's great, no time for introductions, run!" Luna hurried him. The four of them took off in the direction they had come from and it was not long before they heard the warrior cries of the tribe following closely behind them.

"Jack, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" Donald yelled at him as they passed the totems that Luna had seen before.

"You're on Pelegostos Island, not exactly a resort for those looking for fun and relaxation. The Pelegostos are… well, for the sake of keeping it short, they believe a god is caged in human form and want to free it," Jack said.

"So that explains the fire! They were about to sacrifice you?" Luna asked.

"Yes, but they may have just changed their target."

"What does that mean?" Luna asked. Jack looked at her briefly before focusing back on the direction they were heading in. Realization dawned on Luna's face. "Oh."

Their escape from the island took them across a bridge and back into the small village they had been captured in. Not stopping to check whether anyone was waiting for them there, Luna picked up her pace and took the lead, racing through the camp in a zig-zag pattern before heading down the slope that led straight to the beach.

Luna came to a halt as she touched sand and tried to catch her breath but the yells behind her warned her that she had no time to take a breather.

"Who are those guys?" Donald asked ahead of her. Luna looked up to see a group of men at the far end of the beach attempting to unmoor the ship, a second mob of natives right on their tail.

"Ah, it's Mr. Gibbs and the crew," Jack identified, running off without looking to check if Luna, Donald and Goofy were following. Luna took a deep breath before hurrying after Donald and Goofy.

They were halfway to the Pearl but the Pelegostos were getting closer, and unless they could get the ship onto water in time then they would be swallowed by the oncoming swarm. Luna spun around and summoned her Keyblade before stabbing it into the sound. Tall spikes of rocks shot up in front of her and divided her and the others from the mob. It was easier to perform than usual, given that the environment she was standing on allowed for easy formation of what were tiny grains of rock already.

Luna's chest rose to reflect her pride at the situation but someone grabbed her hand and tugged on it, snapping her out of her little moment.

"That was awesome, Luna, but we really need to be going now," remarked an incredibly familiar voice. Luna could only briefly turn her head in surprise before was dragged along by her best friend.

"Astra?"

The girl she had not seen in more than three months was in front of her again; what with her shoulder length raven hair and a smile confessing she knew more than she was letting on even when she didn't. Luna's first thought? She must have been in a wonderful and yet utterly frightening dream.

Luna and Astra reached the ship and climbed on board just as it hit the water. As the Black Pearl set off, Luna and Astra looked back at the islanders and waved at them with grins.

"Goodbye. It was nice meeting you," Astra yelled out.

"I'm sorry we were off to a rocky start," Luna added, cringing soon after at her own pun.

"Oh, don't worry. I think they got the point," Astra commented. The two looked at each other for a second before laughing. Luna soon found herself pulled into a hug. It seemed that Astra had managed to get a hold of a different type of shampoo from the one Luna remembered her using, but that was alright. It felt nice to be resting against her friend's warmth again after so long. "How're you doing, Sea Salt? Miss me?"

"Pfft, I think it's the other way round. You just couldn't wait to see me again," Luna rebutted with a smile. She leaned off Astra and took a few steps back to take in her friend as a whole.

"True." Astra looked around quickly before settling on Luna once again. "Where's Sora?"

"He's… occupied with other matters at the moment," Luna decided to say with some consideration. If Astra was with Moira's Crescent then she didn't want to give away anything about Sora just yet. "Oh, you've met these guys before, I think, but I should probably introduce you."

Luna led Astra over to Donald, Goofy and Jiminy and proceeded to introduce them to each other. There was something quite humorous and charming about seeing two groups of friends from separate parts of her life coming together. Goofy and Jiminy, as she expected, were the most welcoming and jovial of the four, with Goofy in particular wasting no time in offering his hand for Astra to shake. Donald, again as expected, was the most wary, and though he offered a nod when Luna introduced him, he said nothing in contrast to the other two. Astra just outright seemed awkward meeting both of them, which was incredibly weird because she was not usually the type to hold back when meeting new people.

"So are you still with Moira's Crescent?" Luna asked. The question had to come up some time and it was better to ask sooner than later.

"Luna…"

"Where have you been? What have you been doing? Why are you here? If I were to have asked that a year ago, I would probably know all the answers without having to wonder about it. It's been so long. I have missed you," Luna admitted, biting on her lower lip.

"It has been a while, hasn't it? I may not have been deserving of your friendship when I left you back in Radiant Garden. It was selfish of me. Well I'm going to rectify that now. Yes, I'm still in Moira's Crescent. No, I'm not going to abandon them for you, but I can't just leave them either. Not after what they've done for me," Astra told her.

"What's the story between you and Moira's Crescent anyway?" Goofy asked, prodding at his head. "Now that I think about it, we don't really know much about them anyway."

"They want to kill Sora, what else do you need to know?" Donald snapped but a glare from Luna silenced him.

"No, he's right. Some of them do want Sora out of the picture. I'm sure you know about the seer's prophecy though, that a Keyblade Wielder who saved the worlds will be the one to bring them to ruin. That and… we received a video from someone. Rhea thinks it might have been KRONOS. In that video we saw a boy that looked like Sora… well there were children and-"

"Wait, did you say children? You don't mean what happened back in Ratigan's lair, do you?" Luna asked. "No, Astra, that wasn't Sora's fault. That did happen but those children were turning into Chimera and at the time, there was no way to save them. Sora asked me to leave him. I offered to share the burden but he didn't want me to. He sacrificed his own well-being in order to protect me and stop them from turning. He's still suffering because of that and much more, but he chooses to keep it inside," Luna said, moving her hand to her own heart. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered what she was doing here. She should be by his side, helping him through that pain, but she had succumbed to her own selfishness. True, she didn't know herself, and she hoped by fighting and seeing other worlds she could find that missing yet most important piece that connected everything, but she felt like she knew herself even better when Sora was with her. Maybe then it wasn't all that selfish. If she were leeching of Sora purely to fill a hole in her heart then that could only be the most selfish act of all.

"I see... well, that certainly changes things. It was definitely a trap set by KRONOS then. Actually, that's why I'm here. I'm looking for one of their members but let's just say things have become a little complicated," Astra said.

"Complicated? That word so does not fit you. This can only be a bad thing," Luna said.

"Give me a little credit, Sea Salt. I don't like dealing with complicated things but I will if I have to. It's why I'm still your friend," Astra said.

"Hey, I'm not that complicated!" Luna called out in an offended tone. "So who exactly is this person we're looking for?"

"His name is Davy Jones-" Astra cut herself off as she heard the sound of spluttering and coughing behind her. Passing by them was a rather scruffy looking sailor with baby blue eyes and a lot of gray in hair that was smoothed back and ended in a short ponytail. In his hands was a bottle of rum.

"Ah, I see you've met my first mate, the amazing Mr. Gibbs," Jack said, appearing in between them. "Mr. Gibbs, this is Donald, Goofy, and… where's the other one?"

"You mean Sora?" Donald asked, watching as Jack searched behind Donald and Goofy for the missing third person. He seemed not to have notice Luna and Astra yet.

"Something like that," Jack replied indifferently.

"Not something like that. That is his name. I'm sure he'll be happy to know you forgot his name," Donald said, looking quite irritated.

"Ah, but what's in a name, savvy? For example, people tend to leave out the Captain part in Captain Jack Sparrow. Now that part is just as important as the other two," Jack replied. He finally looked to Luna and Astra and eyed them both up and down. "I trust you won't be forgetting at least, misses-"

"Luna. Just Luna. And this is my friend Astra. So, you guys are pirates? That's awesome! I've always dreamt of being a swashbuckling buccaneer on the high seas," Luna said, seeming to have lost control over her level of excitement. Now that she had time to take it in, she really couldn't believe. She was sailing on a ship. A Gummi Ship was one thing but the idea of being on a pirate ship caused her to squirm inwardly with delight.

"Oh, we're nothing like your fairy tale pirates, I assure you. Still, it's a life worth live, I'll give ye that," Gibbs said.

"Would you care to join us?" Jack asked. Gibbs looked at him quickly and cut in before Luna could respond.

"But Jack, they're… you know." Gibbs then mouthed a certain single syllable word that Luna was unable to understand before returning to normal volume. "I don't think they're the best company to have on a ship. Anamaria was one thing but two of them?"

Luna leaned in and murmured lowly in Astra's ear. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Some stuff worth a beat down or two, I'd reckon," Astra said.

"Oh you. Ever the confrontational," Luna sang in reply.

"Donald? Goofy?"

Jack and Gibbs' argument was cut short as a rather dashing and slightly tan young man walked towards them. There was something about him that didn't exactly scream pirate like Jack and Gibbs had.

"Will! It's nice seeing ya again. Where's Elizabeth?" Goofy asked.

"Will? Will Turner?" Astra said aloud, surprised by the name.

"Yes… so you've heard of me. Are you an acquaintance of Jack's?" Will asked.

"No, it's something else. I need to talk to you for a moment. Alone," Astra said, trying hard to ignore the suspicious glances coming from everyone, even her best friend. Will nodded and told her to follow him. Jack watched as the two walked off before detaching something from his waste and opening it. It was a compass, a standard instrument that Luna actually had little idea how to read.

"Have a date with a lovely lady, captain?" Luna asked in banter.

"Yes actually, how did you know?" Jack asked back.

Luna frowned. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Would I lie to you? Ah, don't answer that. Aye, we're going to meet a woman but as for lovely, that's such a… how would you describe it, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack asked.

"Hmm, best ye see her with your own eyes," Gibbs said to them. He shuddered and took a swig from the bottle before leaving for the bottom deck.

"So, Jack," Luna called, turning her attention to the dreadlocked pirate. "Who exactly is Davy Jones?"


"Mom, don't you think Kermit's acting a bit strangely?"

"What do you mean, Steph?"

"I don't know. He just seems a bit different from usual. It's okay though, it's really funny!"

"Shh!"

"Sorry about that. Hush, Steph."

A vibration from his PHS suddenly shook David Xanatos out of his absorbed state. He quickly fished into his pocket and pulled out the device, staring at the lit up screen for a second. He deleted the message before putting the phone back in his pocket. His date, Colette, looked away from the Muppets performance that they were watching with a worried glance.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Business trouble, you know how it is. Say, you don't mind being alone for a while, do you? I have to use the men's room," he replied.

"Aww, you're going to miss Kermit's confession to Miss Piggy. You're going to miss it!" Colette pouted as if she were a child. Looking at Stephanie, who was also with them, it was remarkable to him how much they looked alike, especially when Colette did that.

He placed his hand on her cheek and leaned in. Their lips brushed against one another, and Xanatos pulled back with a smile. He knew Stephanie would be doing her best to ignore them both, having not warmed up to him. It didn't take a major in psychology to understand that Stephanie feared him replacing her father. Well, she had no reason to fear in that case. Other than romantic teasing and a few of the things couples were known to do, Xanatos had no drive for pursuing a relationship further than what it currently was. His kind of profession wouldn't allow for that even if he wanted to.

"It'll be just a moment. You'll tell me everything that happened, won't you, Stephanie?" Xanatos asked her. Hearing an "mmph" in reply, he chuckled. At least their conversations were getting better. He excused himself from the table and made his way to the back of the hall, turning left as soon as he passed the glass divider.

As he reached the men's room, he turned and sighed. "Are you going to watch me take a dump too?"

Cloud, who Xanatos swore had his arms folded every time he saw him, was leaning against the wall with the same cold, piercing gaze in his eyes that seemed permanently frozen on his face.

"Your phone," Cloud said, holding out his hand.

"Well if you just wanted to play a game of snake, all you had to do was ask," Xanatos said. He pulled the PHS back out of his pocket and handed it over before opening the bathroom door and closing it behind him. Heading for the second stall to the left, he went inside and slid the latch to the right before sitting on the seat.

His brow furrowed. "Couldn't have chosen a more comfortable place, I suppose? You have my itinerary down to a tee, it seems."

He heard his assistant, Owen Burnett, reply almost immediately from the stall next to him. "I sincerely apologize for interrupting your lovely evening, sir, but this is an urgent matter we need to discuss."

"No, it's fine. Any less persistent and I would have fired you by now. What is it?" Xanatos asked.

"Mr. Xanatos, we need to discuss Kefka."
"Ah," was all Xanatos said. Burnett wouldn't have been able to see it but he was slowly nodding head.

"He's become a liability and threatens to destroy everything we've worked for up to this point," continued Burnett, as cool and professional as always.

"A problem with one small cog won't keep this clock from turning. Yes, he's a mad man, but for now, he's more useful than detrimental to our cause. We've only been able to stay in the shadows for so long because of him," Xanatos replied.

"To be honest, I don't think even the definition of mad fits him. He's something completely different. Unhinged. Unpredictable. I think he actually believes at this point that he really is in charge of KRONOS at the moment."

"Let him believe what he wants. Loose ends often find a way of tying themselves up. The more pressing issue we have to attend to right now is Sora. He's given up using the Keyblade completely," Xanatos told him.

"Strange," Burnett murmured back.

"Maybe I applied just a little more pressure on him than I intended back in Atlantis," Xanatos said.

"Don't tell me you used that weapon?" Burnett asked. "An artefact dug up from over three thousand years ago and you use it to almost ruin your own plan. You may very well be as reckless as Kefka."

"Come now, Owen, you don't think a sword like that can really destroy something as amazing as the Keyblade, do you? Or I would hope not, at least. Six hits. I left the seventh on purpose so that the next time we met, I would know for sure," Xanatos replied.

"You'd torture yourself over something like that? You would do something like that, wouldn't you?"

"Anyway, I need to get back or my bodyguard will start to miss me. Just keep in contact with KRONOS as much as you can and do your best to run the corporation in my stead. I have a feeling I won't have much flexibility for at least a month," Xanatos said.

"You don't have a plan for Sora? Or will you use someone else?" Burnett asked.

"No, it has to be Sora, otherwise what else has our playing him and Moira's Crescent against each other been for all time? I know just the thing that will spur him on to act. Just make sure Project Rebirth is ready in time."


Luna would learn very little about the fisher of souls until the dead of night. Even in his answer, Jack had been incredibly vague, only referring to Jones as being the exception in the chain of life and death, whatever that meant. When she, Donald and Goofy pursued Astra about the question, she stated only that she knew he had cut out his own heart and placed it in a chest. It was something that had left her incredibly baffled, especially because Astra could offer no explanation.

Goofy had been the one to explore the possibility that Davy Jones was some kind of Nobody, though because Luna had never seen one before she couldn't really contribute and could only listen as Donald, Goofy and Jiminy threw theories at one another. From what she understood, the process wasn't exactly the same because a Nobody was a by-product that occurred when someone lost their heart, in turn becoming a Heartless. Unless Davy Jones was one, and from the little Jack told her about him she didn't think so, then this was a different case entirely.

Night soon fell and the ship slowed until it stopped dead in its tracks. A smaller boat was slowly lowered into the water with Luna, Astra, Donald, Goofy, Will and Jack all squeezing in to accommodate what small space they had. In addition to them, Jack was also carrying a monkey in a cage. When Donald asked what it was, Jack answered that it was the pesky little animal of a recently departed person he, Goofy and Will knew very well.

After crossing into a small inlet, they travelled down an illuminated archway of trees. Luna turned her head from left to right to see people holding lanterns. Her eyes widened, reminded of that night at the lake in Corona. Though she had a group of people alongside her, she suddenly felt very lonely.

They boat soon reached its destination—a small shack at the end of the river. The group made sure the boat was tied securely to the dock's support before stepping through the doorless entrance. The room they were in was absolutely crowded with eccentric looking items, dully revealed by the light of flickering candles around them. The proprietor of these objects was a mysterious woman sitting at a table in front of them, looking as if she had been expecting their company.

"Well if it isn't witty Jack Sparrow," she purred. "Are you hiding from me, handsome?"

Luna looked to her side to see Jack ducking cowering behind Astra. Annoyed, the raven haired girl grabbed Jack by the collar and dragged him out of his cover.

Jack faked a smile. "Why, aren't you looking as lovely as always, darling."

"Huh? You seemed quite hesitant to call her lovely earlier today, Jack," Luna said with an innocent smile. The woman's smile froze on Luna for a moment before looking back to Jack with an expectant look.

"You just gonna stand there sucking your thumb or are you going to introduce us?" she asked.

"Er, these are my crewmates— Luna, Donald, Goofy, Astra and last but not least, Will Turner. Everyone, this is… Tia Dalma." He muttered the name quickly and looked away.

Tia Dalma rose from her seat and strode over to Will, swaying like the ocean waves. "William Turner? You have a touch of destiny here!"

"You know me?" Will asked.

Tia smiled and leaned in before purring. "Mmm, you want to know me."

"I think I'm going to puke," Astra said, looking quite unsettled.

"Be sure to pass the bag once you're finished," Donald agreed.

"Oh can't a girl have her fun? I don't bite," Tia replied in a flirty tone but Will eased away from her.

"We came here because Jack needed help with something," he explained.

"Jack needing help with something? Doesn't sound like the Jack I know."

"It's not so much for me, as for young William so he can earn a favor from me. Of course, I know you love your strange little antiques so I have just the thing. Look, it's even alive! Sort of…" Jack took the caged monkey that Goofy had been holding in his hands and presented it to her. Tia Dalma took possession of the cage and set it on the table before unlocking it and setting the monkey free. It buzzed about the room for a moment before disappearing farther in.

"It'll have to do. So what services do you require?"

"This key… it goes to a chest, doesn't it? Where is the key and where is the chest?" Will asked, showing her a piece of fabric with a drawing of a key on it.

"The compass you bartered off me. It can't help you find what you're looking for?" she enquired, looking at Jack.

"Doesn't work-"

"Don't be foolish, of course it works," Tia cut in quickly before smiling. "But maybe it is you that don't work, hmm? Desire can be a cruel mistress. Speaking of which, the key you seek leads straight to the chest of Davy Jones, but of course you know this."

A look of puzzlement captured Luna's face as she saw Tia Dalma gaze briefly at Astra before returning to Will. It was something that she had considered the moment she had met Tia Dalma but she definitely seemed the person who knew more than they were letting on. Next to her, she could feel Astra uneasiness somehow wrapping itself around Luna, causing her to shiver.

"Excuse me for interrupting but who is Davy Jones?" Luna asked. Donald and Goofy nodded in unison, wanting to hear the full story as well. "I mean, I heard that his heart isn't even in his body. Is that true?"

"He was a man of the sea, a great sailor. His proclaimed love for the sea soon came into conflict with that which vexes all men. A woman. He fell in love," Dalma explained.

"With the sea," Jack said. Everyone turned to him and he looked elsewhere. "That's the way I heard it."

"Different versions, same story. It was a woman tame and yet violent as the sea. But she betrayed him, or so he felt, and the fleeting joys were all too much for him to bear but not enough for him to die. Loneliness would be his savior and so to prevent himself from ever hurting again he cut out his own heart and stored it in a chest. The curse laid on him by his lover would prevent him from dying from such a thing as ripping out his own heart. His life was and is now bound by his duty to serve the Flying Dutchman. The key to the chest, he keeps with him at all times."

"But if you have control of the heart you have control of Davy Jones, so he must still need the heart," Astra said.

"If you destroy the heart, the body naturally must go with it. Davy Jones is no exception. To that end, he is still mortal," Tia Dalma confirmed.

"Then our course is charted. We board the Flying Dutchman, swipe that key, find the chest and reunite you with your bonnie sweetheart," Jack said, pointing at Will.

"Yes, you need a key, but do you need the key?" Tia asked. Jack turned back to look at her with a puzzled expression. "What? Expecting an answer?"

"Not from you," Jack answered quickly. "Alright, no time to waste. We have a ship to catch."

As he and the others turned and left the shack, Luna was about to follow when she felt something wrap around her shoulder, trapping her in its clutches. She and Astra turned around to see Tia Dalma directly behind her. Luna hadn't even heard her get out of her seat.

"You two are not from this world, am I correct?" she asked with a slight smile.

"We have no idea what you're talking about," Astra said before Luna could say anything.

"You don't have to go out of your way to conceal from me. I understand what you can and cannot do and say. You know you're not to interfere with the affairs of other worlds?" Dalma's hand fell off Luna's shoulder and she nudged her head in the direction of the hut's entrance. Luna looked in that direction to see the others waiting for them by the boat. "Jack Sparrow has a debt with Davy Jones, one that needs repaying. His is not your debt to manage, but I trust you know that."

"If it comes to it, we won't interfere," Astra answered. "But if it just so happens to get in the way of what we're here for then I won't say sorry either."


"So when you said that things have become complicated, that's what you meant? That his heart wasn't in his body?" Luna questioned Astra after they had arrived back on the Black Pearl. The ocean carried on endlessly under the moonlight as far as she could see. Everyone else was getting their rest on the lower deck, or everyone save for Luna, Astra and Jack who had been at the wheel for a while. "How did you know that?"

"Er, Moira's Crescent information," Astra made up. Luna had spent so much time around her that it was incredibly easy to tell when Astra was holding something back. Most conveniently she used this developed power of hers on her birthdays usually. That reminded Luna—this last birthday had been the first one since they had become friends where they hadn't spent it together.

"Come on, Astra. You really can't tell me?" Luna asked.

"Okay. There's this guy I met in Port Royal. He's so sweet and sensitive and-"

"Astra."

"And he was totally none of those things. Dude was kinda creepy actually. Anyway, he was a part of some company, the… East India Trading Company, I think it was called?" Astra ended her sentence on a high note as if she were questioning her own memory. "Oh, yeah, that was totally it! So he told me that he wanted the chest and that whoever had the chest controlled the seas. Don't ask me what he intends to do with the darn thing, I have no clue."

"The East India Trading Company?" Luna asked. Something seemed to click in her head for a split second and vanished just as quickly. There was something about the name that she couldn't put her finger on.

"Yeah, but they're anything but just a trading group. They have a lot of power and influence it seems. A private military firm under the guise of your humble traders of goods," Astra explained.

"What kind of stuff do they trade?"

"Hey, I'm not an expert at these things. I really didn't ask, mainly because I didn't want to look any more suspicious than I already was. I was on their ship while I was heading to this place called Tortuga and I saw a few crates but I couldn't get close enough to check what was in them. But if they have a monopoly in the business then I'm sure they trade all sorts of things that importers need."

"That's it!" Luna hammered her fist into her palm in realization. "Back on the Pelegostos' island, we were in these little huts and there was silverware there that didn't look like it belonged. They had the abbreviation EITC on them. East India Trading Company?"

"Okay but how did they get onto the island? I can't imagine them trading with those guys," Astra asked.

"Not sure, we don't have much information to go on. Hey… it's like we're detectives again!" Luna remarked joyfully.

"Can't really say any of the mysteries we solved back at school were anything like this though. I still can't believe you made me stay at school for an entire night just to find out whether there was a ghost in the bathroom. You made me stay in a place I hate for an entire night. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't have gone through with it," Astra said.

"We had fun though, didn't we? We brought a bunch of snacks and drinks with us like we were having a stakeout. You kept hogging all the potato chips, you pig," Luna groaned.

"Hey, I was trying to save your butt from all that starch. I'll take a thank you now," Astra said.

"Oh glorious Astra, my butt thanks you," Luna replied with a cheeky grin. She looked past Astra to see Jack walking up to them. "Hey Jack, just how do we go about finding the Dutchman anyway? And finding is one thing but boarding it without any problems? I just don't see that happening."

"And yet it is the only solution available to us. As the Captain of the Dutchman, Jones isn't allowed to step foot on dry land. I wonder… is that a gift or a curse?" Jack questioned perhaps more to himself.

"What do you mean? That's obviously a curse. Who would want to be confined to a ship for the rest of eternity?" Astra asked.

"Well, put it this way. Have you never loved something so much that you wish you could to do it forever if you could? Whether it was fair maiden's heart that ultimately betrayed him or not, Jones can at least live comfortably knowing that he's at sea," Jack said. Luna said nothing. It would be hypocrisy for her to disagree when she herself had given up everything else to live the life she was currently living. This was now the life that defined her. It was all she wanted to be.

Astra was not so keen to agree however. "It doesn't change the fact that the guy was cursed into this life. There's a difference between doing something of your own volition and being forced into it. Even so, his involvement with KRONOS is something he did choose and I don't forgive bullies."

"Astra…" Luna murmured. It became clear to her then that defeating KRONOS meant something different to Astra than it did to Luna. Luna wanted to do it because naturally they were a threat and because they had done things that were completely inexcusable, the least of which involved kidnapping children and turning them into Chimera all for the purpose of, considering Astra's recent information, turning Sora and Moira's Crescent against one another as well as trying to break Sora's heart. For Astra, Luna figured out her reason as soon as she called them bullies.

"And just what is this KRONOS exactly?" Jack asked.

"Not your problem. Hey, what's that on your hand?" Astra asked back. Luna looked at Jack's free hand to see something weird on it. It looked like a black circle but it didn't seem drawn on with a marker or anything like that.

"Not your problem," Jack repeated Astra's words.

"Good. I hate complications," Astra replied with a smile. Luna's eyes averted from the two, having noticed something farther off in the distance.

"What's that? It looks like a ship was wrecked by something," Luna notified the two.

"That… would be our destination. Time to wake everyone up," Jack said, snapping the compass shut in his hand.