NOTICE!I do not own anything in this fanfiction, save for two characters.
It was now the afternoon. By now, Hogarth and the other escapees found out about Ren and Stimpy'shideout. As Ren led Hogarth, GIR, and Chopper (who was carrying a still wounded Midna) inside, the castaways couldn't help but look around with wide eyes.
Things were scattered all over the inside of this hideout; clothes, medical supplies, etc. Also, the place had a horrible smell hanging in the air. This smell was, I'm sorry to say, coming from the back, where there was a small hill of used cat litter.
"Uh, sorry about the mess, people," Ren apologized, "You'd think during our...hiatus from the world, we'd have dusted a lil' more, among otherthings, but, y'know, when you're batchingit, you tend to let things go." A pile of kitty litter hit the side of Ren's head. "...And the fact that Stimpy makes a LOUSY HOST doesn't help!" he snarled.
Stimpy looked up from his "work". "Hm?" he asked, before noticing Chopper coming in, carrying Midna in his arms. A warm, goofy smile oozed onto the cat's face. "Aww..." he cooed, "Look, Ren! Isn't that cute?"
Ren saw and smiled a little, his eyelids lowering a little. Then his eyes widened when he remembered something. He ran back behind a white hanging sheet and came out with some cups of some frothy green substance.
"How about drinks for the young couple, huh?" Ren said, grinning mischievously and offering the "drinks" to Chopper and Midna.
Chopper blushed. "Um, n-no thank you," he answered politely, "we don't drink, and we're not a (gulp) couple."
Midna nodded, an amused smile on her face. "I'm gonna be honest, he's not really my type."
Chopper cleared his throat and decided to change the subject. He looked up and noticed something odd about the walls and ceiling. "Hey, look!" he pointed out, "There are markings on the ceiling that look like the ones on the map! Robin once told me that when two objects have similar markings like this, they likely come from the same source, like an ancient culture."
Hogarth looked up. Chopper was right; there were indeed markings that were identical to those on the map.
"Hogarth," Midna grunted, catching Hogarth's attention, "Stop anyone who tries to approach, OK?" She then doubled over and groaned in pain.
"Yes, now listen to me," Chopper instructed, "stop giving orders for a while, and lie still."
Midna gave Chopper an impressed look. "Forceful," she commented, grinning, "Go ahead, say something else."
Chopper blushed again, but before he could start performing one of his trademark dances, Stimpy shouted from the door-hole, "Hey, look! More of your friends are here!"
Poor Stimpy didn't realize it, but their "friends" were actually the pirates they were hiding from. He shouted to the cutthroats, "HEY, FELLAS! OVER HERE!"
Gunshots were heard, and Stimpy started dodging bullets. Hogarth and Ren grabbed him and pulled him back into the tree.
"You stupidfeline!" Ren snarled, "There's a reason the captain said, 'Stop anyone who tries to approach!'"
As Ren scolded his friend, Hogarth shot back at the pirates with his BB gun.
"Stop wasting your fire!" Jumba ordered.
The gunfire ceased. "Hello up there!" Jumba called.
Hogarth cautiously peered out of the hiding place, BB gun ready.
"Hogarth?" In place of trigger-happy pirates was Jumba, waving a white flag. He had a large ice bag on his head. "If, er, if it's all right with the captain, I'd like a shortword with you." Of course, Hogarth was unsure. "No tricks," Jumba continued, "Just a small palaver."
Still unsure, the boy turned to Midna and Chopper. "Uh, I'm open to suggestions, guys."
"He just wants the map, I know it," Midna muttered, "Overgrown-- Ugh!" She doubled over in pain again.
"Captain..." Chopper warned.
Hogarth's face lit up. "That means...that he thinks we still have it." The gears in Hogarth's head started turning...
A short moment later, Hogarth walked out into the opening over to Jumba. GIR sped out with the boy and hugged Jumba's bloated belly.
"Ah, GIR!" Jumba exclaimed happily, "I wondered where you ran off to." Then he winced and clutched his head. "Ow, ooh..." He looked up at Hogarth. "My poor head has been burning like the sun since that play fight we had in my office." He smiled at Hogarth, but it was only met with a cold glare.
Jumba's smile faded and he looked down in shame. "Whatever you heardback there," Jumba explained somberly, "at least the part concerning you, I meant not a word of it." Hogarth's glare didn't disperse. Jumba pointed at the crevice where the other pirates were. "Had that bloodthirsty group thought I'd gone soft, they'd have gutted us both!" For emphasis, he scraped his fingers across his belly in a "tearing-open" manner.
Hogarth wasn't buying it.
Jumba then glanced at the crevice, then whispered to Hogarth, "Listen to me. If we play our cards right, we can both walk away from this rich as kings!"
Hogarth seemed interested now. "Yeah?"
Jumba chuckled. "You get me that map, and, uh..." He looked around again, then leaned in. "...an even portion of the treasure is yours!" He chuckled again and held out a pudgy hand to shake.
Hogarth looked at the alien's hand, then at its master, then looked down and sighed. "Boy," he muttered, glaring at Jumba again, "you are really something." He started circling Jumba, who started getting a bit uneasy. This was Hogarth's plan. "All that talk of finding a path in life, 'Never mind failing'... What a joke."
Needless to say, Jumba was taken aback. "N-Now just wait a minute, Hogarth--"
"I mean," Hogarth interrupted, "at least you taught me one thing. 'Stick to it,' right? Well, that's just what I'm gonna do." Here Hogarth stopped in front of Jumba. "I'm gonna make sure that you never see one doubloon of MY treasure!"
"WHAT!? Fate owes me that treasure!" Jumba exclaimed.
"Well, try to find it without my map!"
Now it was Jumba's turn to glare. "Oh, you still don't know how to pick your fights, do you?" Here, he got up, not shifting his glare. GIR started to get uneasy, looking back and forth worriedly at the two. "Now, mark my words; either I get that map by dawn tomorrow, or so help me..." He pointed at the ship. "...I'll use the ships cannons to blast you ALL to Kingdom COME!" Here, Jumba started to storm away.
But GIR didn't move.
Jumba looked back at the little robot. "GIR, come."
Still no movement.
"NOW!" Jumba barked.
GIR screamed in fear and hid behind the glaring Hogarth.
Jumba hesitated for a second before turning away. "Drat!" he muttered, heading angrily to his crew.
Hogarth stood, watching Jumba for two seconds, then turned and walked back to the tree with GIR.
As the alien pirate walked away with his crew, he paused for a moment, looking back at Hogarth, GIR, and the tree where the others were. He seemed disappointed that GIR, his longtime companion, didn't go with.
He sighed and kept walking, thoughts of Gold Roger's trove driving him on.