Author's Note: Welcome to chapter 3.
I still don't own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy.
CH 2: Do Not Underestimate.
Meanwhile, back in the world of Caribbean, rained poured from the dark sky of night in great sheets and torrents. Lightning flashed brightly, though it did little to the world below. The growing distant thunder followed each flash of lightning, roaring like bombs.
Since the days of leaving the island that was both the home of Cannibals on one side, and Tia Dalma, the Voodoo woman on the other side, the Black Pearl reached it's destination where the Flying Dutchmen was supposed to be.
Or...what was supposed to be the Flying Dutchmen anyway. Will Turner gazed at a ship wreck in a distance on the hardboard deck of the Black Pearl. The ship in the distance must've hit the rocks at some point, which resembled to the crab claws Tia Dalma had thrown before Sora's four new friends, Lea, Isa, Roxas, Xion and Namine had left to...wherever they were going. Not that the five otherworldly people's destinations were Jack Sparrow's concern at the moment. He had more important things to worry about.
Will continued to stare out of the distance, before turning to Jack with strong skepticism, with a look that said, 'Really?', and asked, "That's the Flying Dutchmen?"
Gibbs nodded, while Jack fingered his face, before withdrawing his hand.
"She doesn't look like much." Said Will, stating the obvious as he turned to gaze at the wreckage again.
"Neither do you." replied Jack, as he and Gibbs joined him at the side. "Do not underestimate her."
There was a moment of silence, and Jack, realising that Gibbs wasn't joining in the conversation, elbowed him, causing his first mate to sputter quickly, "Must 'ave run afoul of the reef."
"So what's your plan then?" Jack questioned to Will.
Will, who knew that something was up, but also knew that it was too late to back down now, and that he had to make sure that whether this was the Flying Dutchmen or not, though he always had a plan in many of his situations, for he hoped to rescue Elizabeth.
So, he answered in strong annoyance, "I row over, search the ship until I found your bloodly key."
"And if there were either a crewmen or those black thingies from a year ago?" Jack inquired, also referencing on the Heartless.
"I cut down anything in my path." was Will's deadly and earnest reply, before walking away to get ready.
Jack considered the plan for a moment, before saying, "I like it. Simple, easy to remember."
Though neither one were even willing to bet that something else was about to happen. As Jack watched Will climb down one of the long boats that was lowered for the young man to use, the pirate Captain decided to have one last word to him, calling to him, "Oi! If you happen to get captured, just say "Jack Sparrow sent you to serve 'is dept". Might save your life."
As the Pirates watched Will row away, as Ragetti hollered to the younger man, "Bon Voyage!" cackling.
Once Will was out of earsdrop, Jack ordered Gibbs quietly, "Douse the lamps." which the latter and the other Pirates did as they were told.
Normally, when it came to the Heartless ever since a year ago in the Organziation XIII crisis, Jack had been wary in having the lamps doused at nighttime, somewhat worried that even in the slight darkness of night, the Heartless would jump out and easily capture their hearts. But in this situation, though reluctanted at first, the captain knew, there was little choice.
Will had climbed on the wreckage of the ship which was split in half at some point, everything in a complete mess, as though it were attacked by something more monsterous than just a simple giant Heartless he'd seen Jack, Sora, Donald and Goofy fight at Port Royal a year ago.
It seemed there was one man who was trying to climb out of the water on the other side of the half of the ship, but in the end, collasped. Will, with concern washing over him, hanged the lamp he'd been carrying and rushed over to see if the man was alright, thought deep in his heart, he knew that there wasn't much he could do.
He pulled the nearly dead man over, and to Will's horror, the man's entire face was suctioned clean of eyes, nose, and mouth, leaving behind only utter blankness that was completely terrifying. Will gasped as he backed away slightly, and, seeing this, he suddenly remembered the legend of the Kracken Gibbs told him earlier.
He then realised the truth about this ship. It fell to the Flying Dutchmen. To make things worse, he suddenly heard as if the sea itself began to shudder in an unearthly manner. But before he could guess what it was, there was the sound of a great rushing tide of water. Turning, he saw an enormous ship rearing up from below the water. Will hurried to the sides to get a better look.
Its bow resembled the mouth of a shark, filed with sharp, jagged teeth, ready to feast on any defenseless prey it could find. The ship was large, but sleek and deadly. Water gushed from multiple cannon ports and its thick hull looked well able to defend the interior. There could be no mistaking this ship. This was truly the legendary ship of Davy Jones, the ghostly Flying Dutchman.
Will was momentarily so absorbed in the awful sight before him; he didn't notice that he had company. Turning to look behind him, only for a heavy chain struck him across the face and he collapsed in a heap. A bunch of strangely fish-like human-like things appeared around him, having caught him off-guard.
To say that Jack Sparrow was terrified at the sight of the Flying Dutchmen appearing out of the sea like a whale was an understatement. Oh yes, he'd seen this before, years back, but that didn't mean it didn't freak him out now. To make things worse, he could feel not only his left tainted hand twitch uncomfortabley, but for a mysterious reason, his right hand was growing increasingly warm, which also was making his heart grow unusually warm and he was worried that if the Heartless didn't get to his heart first, then he would definately die of a heart burn.
"Cap'n." Gibbs' voice broke Jack out of his thoughts.
"What?"
"I think there's somthin' you might want to look at, sir." Gibbs continued, handing Jack the spyglass.
The captain peered through it and sure enough, something interesting was going on. And at the sight of it, Jack nearly felt his heart jump right up into his throat when a familiar monsterous form of Davy Jones turned and as though gazing at his very soul through both his eyes and the spyglass, glared at him as if he could see him, despite the darkness of the night without the lamps lit. If this was the case, then so much for hiding in the darkness like a Heartless or those strange Organizing trouble-making group that would put pirates out of business.
As if the darkness had incasted his doom, the moment Jack lowered the spyglass, there stood, just inches in front of him, was the deadly cursed Pirate Captain himself, his skin all slimely, pale and fish-like, clothing encasted with sea marines, one hand of that of a tentacle, and another of that of a crab claw, and the thick mass of tentacles that was once his beard at some point. Cold, ice-blue eyes, set above the lipless mouth, glared at the now terrified Jack Sparrow.
To make things worse, Davy Jones' crew then appeared out of nowhere as did their captain and all captured Jack's crew at knife and gun point, making them unable to do anything to defend their captain of the Black Pearl.
Realising that, with his crew captured, and that he wasn't getting out of this, Jack knew that he was in serious trouble. "Oh." he mumbled.
What he didn't know, though, is that Davy Jones knew something that Jack didn't, but the cursed Pirate decided not to reveal that, since he has his prey where he wanted.
"You have a debt to pay." Said Davy Jones in a harsh, Scottish voice. He came towards Jack, while Jack, looking decidedly nervous, retreated. "You've been captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years. That was our agreement."
Jack, wincing tried to point out the loophole, "Technically, I was only captain for two years, than I was viciously mutinied upon." though he didn't mention that said munity was added due to some fat guy-Pete, was it?-joined up just to gain control of the world or about the new secret Keyblades.
Davy Jones didn't call the bluff. "Than you were a poor captain, but you were a captain nonetheless. Have you now introduced yourself all these years as Captain Jack Sparrow?" The rest of Jones' crew laughed at the joke.
Ignoring the laughter in hopes to keep his dignity, Jack continued to drive his bargain, "You've got my payment, one soul to serve aboard your ship, he's already over there." referencing to Will.
"One soul is not equal to another." Said Jones.
Jack pounced on that. "Ah-ha, so we've established that my theory is sound in principle. Now, we're just haggling over price."
Jones seemed to be caught off caught off guard by this. He stared sideways at Jack and asked, "Price?"
Jack let the thought hang in the air, before continuing in his persuasive argument. "Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?"
Jones seemed to consider that before answering. "100 souls, three days."
"You're a diamond, mate." Said Jack, turning as he said, "Send me back the boy, I'll get started right off."
Jack was stopped in his path by a fearsome shark man. Jones' voice cut through the night. "I keep the boy. A good faith payment. That leaves you only 99 more to go."
As Jones and his crew laughed at yet another of his morbid jokes. Jack tried again to obtain Will's release, a none to easy task considering who he was up against, but then, neither Jack nor Davy Jones knew of Master Xehanort's demise or his youngerself returning to his time and lost his memories until his elderhood which still result his demise, as history would forever now repeat itself. As long as Davy Jones kept Jack out of the loop of the latter having gained something from the boy named Sora, nothing would get Jack out of the loophole.
But Jack was a man of cleverness and wittiness. "Have you not met Will Turner? He's noble, heroic, terrific soprano. Worth at least four, maybe three-and-a-half." Seeing that he wasn't getting anywhere, he decided to try for the one weakness that he knew Jones had. "And did I happen to mention, he's in love."
At the word love, he saw Jones' icy demeanor beginning to crack. Jack quickly moved to press his advantage. "With a girl. Due to be married, betrothed. Dividing her from him and him from her would only be half as cruel as allowing them to be joined in holy matrimony, eh?" Jack was behind Jones when he said this, but he could still see that Jones' entire face had softened and his eyes, awash in tears, were staring into a distance that was measured only in time, filling up the hole where his heart once was. Jack hoped that that softening would play to his advantage, but Jones' face hardened suddenly, and he turned a keen glance on Jack.
"So they be rumors that you met a boy with a so called Keyblade, eh, Sparra?" Jones suddenly questioned.
Jack froze. How in the devil's name did Jones know about the Keyblade? He hasn't said anything, that's for sure, or even mention about Sora except for when he met the three teenagers and the two young men earlier back on the Isle of Dead Meat(as he took to quickly like since he full heartedly agreed with Lea).
"That what?" Jack asked, as innocently as he could, doing his best to pretend that he knew nothing about the Keyblade. He still had sights on getting his own since he came to a conclusion that Sora would never depart from his what so ever. Not to mention that it wasn't even possible to even surrender the Keyblade anyway.
Davy Jones didn't call for that bluff either. "The weapon that was used not only by a boy whome I heard about weeks ago, but, used in war hundreds years ago. A Keyblade War, as they call it."
Jack bit his lip, before admitting, "I may have a bit of an aqquintince with those Keyblade thingies," then added with full confusion, "Never 'eard of them being used in a war before, though. You'd think you'd read up about that history in history books. And I'm quite fond of learning."
So Jack didn't know about his Keyblade inheritence yet. As if the Keyblade conversation never happened, and getting back to the point, Davy Jones declared, "I keep the boy, 99 souls." He looked at Jack closely, before asking pointedly, "But I wonder Sparra, can you live with this. Can you condemn an innocent man, a friend, to a lifetime of servitude in your name when you roam free?"
Jack seemed to consider the choice, before answering, "Yep, I'm good with it." The tone of his voice, though flippant, sounded somewhat forced. "Shall we seal in blood, I mean, er, uh…. ink?"
In answer, Davy Jones grabbed Jack by the hand, enveloping it in the mass of slimy tentacles that served as Jones' right hand. Jack heard himself gasping with shock, as that strange, alien feeling moved from his hand, up through his arm and through his entire body. It was a taste of the fate that those who were mad enough to accept the deal that Davy Jones offered. They were doomed to lose their humanity until they became monster, like the one standing before him now.
"Three days." Uttered Davy Jones, a dire warning to Jack at what would happen should he fail to keep his side of the bargain. He tried to untangle his hand from Jack's, but did so only after a little bit of difficulty. Turning, he began talking away, the last words he had spoken echoing eerily around the night air. "Three days."
With harsh laughter, the monstrous crew of Davy Jones loosened their grips on Jack's men and vanished along with their captain, leaving behind several fairly rattled nerves and not one of them able to say that he was unafraid.
And in the tense atmosphere around him, Jack lifted his hand, which was covered in slime from Davy Jones' tentacles. The Black Spot slowly faded, until it vanished completely. He was reprieved, for the moment.
It also irked him to admit, if Davy Jones knew about the Keyblades, then Jack had a supicious feeling, via Sora's explaination on Organization XIII and how much trouble those guys were, that Davy Jones met one of them, perhaps even Luxord or another trouble-making member of the thirteen men. Plus, why else call the organization Organization XIII?
If Jack didn't know any better, with even just holding Sora's Keyblade, he'd gotten himself into an unholy mess.
"Er, Mr. Gibbs?"
"Aye, Cap'n." Gibbs replied, coming to stand next to his captain.
"I feel sullied and unusual." And he wasn't sure if he meant the new knowlage of the Keyblade and this war Keyblades were used in or his disturbing encounter with Davy Jones.
"And what's this about this war with these so called Keyblades?"
Jack's answer was less then his usual confidence. "I don't know what this war is about. All I do know is that...Keyblades just lit up in people's hands. Sora was a good example."
"And how do you intend to harvest these 99 souls in three days?"
Jack was relieved that there was at least one question he could answer with some measure of self-assurance. "Fortunately, he was mum as to the condition in which these souls need be."
"Ah, Tortuga." Said Gibbs, catching on to Jack's measure.
Jack almost unconsciously wiped his hand on Gibbs' shirt as he murmured in confirmation. "Tortuga."
As soon as Mickey took Rufus and his Turks along with Roxas and Vincent to Midgar, he quickly arrived back to Radiant Garden to meet with Riku, Aqua, Terra, Isa, Namine, Cloud and Zack, before the group followed Isa back to the Castle in which Ansem the Wise once ruled before the events that happened eleven years earlier that caused Maleficent to take over the world until two years ago.
Luckly, his friends had only just arrived themselves and he joined up with them.
"Looks like Radiant Garden's getting better and better each day." Riku thought as he looked around, gazing at the new houses and shops and the recreated flowerbeds.
"What are you talking about?" Aqua asked, concerned, as this wasn't the Radiant Garden she remembered from twelve years ago. Then again, she'd been trapped in the Realm of Darkness for so long, unaging due to the time-difference between the Realm of Light and the Realm of Darkness.
"It fell into ruins on the same day Lea and I lost our hearts due to Xehanort killing us and Maleficent arriving and taking over." Isa explained as he lead the group towards the castle. "Fortunately, even before the two of us got our hearts back, the Restoration Committee had been working hard in rebuilding our city back to the way it was before. Who knows, perhaps even greater. Though I have to admit, I wasn't back long enough to get a full results, and in times when I did come here, well, I'd rather not talk about it."
"I'm going to go to meet with Leon and the others." Namine told the group as they passed the alley.
"When you do, can you check up on Tifa?" Cloud asked, "I just hope she's alright, after what happened in Nibelhiem." remembering that he sent the Gullwings back here with Tifa for the latter to get full recovery.
"The restoration committee?" Zack, Aqua and Terra asked.
"Members of Leon, Yuffie, Cid and Aerith. Tifa and I are aqquinted members since we both came here last year." Cloud explained.
"Never met them." Terra shrugged, and Aqua nodded in agreement.
"I'm sure we'll be able to introduce you. Besides, maybe Merlin might know something about Chaos and Bhunivelze." Mickey thought.
"Last I recall, Merlin and those three faries were helping Lea and myself in learning how to gain our Keyblades in such a short time." Isa thought.
"I remember Merlin." Terra said. "He dropped that book that wasn't his. I think it was "Winnie the Pooh" or something."
"I've seen that book too, and I think Ven saw it as well, twelve years ago." Aqua remembered.
"Am I the only one who's lost here?" Zack asked to Cloud who shrugged.
"It's some magical book that Sora goes inside and that he's friends with it's own world's inhabits or something. I mean, literally." The blonde-haired swordsman answered.
The other swordsman paused, before sighing as he placed his hands on his hips. "Boy oh boy. Some crazy things that don't hear about at the Coliseum everyday."
"Yeah, Sora once tried to get me to go inside that book to meet those friends of his inside that book, but I've always said no." Riku laughed a little.
"Why's that?" Aqua asked.
"It's...kind of embarrassing."
Mickey lightly laughed, "Aw, don't feel bad about it, Riku. Even I wanna one day explore the Hundred Ache Wood. One time, I climbed up a beanstalk and met a shape-shifting giant."
"How many adventures did you go on before meeting us, your majesty?" Namine asked, curiously.
The king shrugged, a bit sheepishly, "Well...lots of them. Though not all of them I'd like to remember." shuddering a bit at a certain memory that threatened to reappear in his mind.
"At least you had some good adventures." Cloud sighed.
"I'll say." Terra agreed.
"Anyway, let's go see if everybody's alright, and then we'll head over to the castle to find Aqua's Keyblade and armor." Mickey suggested, leading the group to Merlin's hosue, which, like the rest of Radiant Garden, was different compared to what Isa, Terra and Aqua remembered. As the group entered, it seems that they were in for a surprise at each reasons.
Leon and Aerith were standing each side of Cid who was again busy with the computer, Yuffie and Rikku were fighting over an Sea-Salt Ice Cream bar, while Yuna and Paine were finishing up the last of the tiny bruises on Tifa's arm as the latter was now awake and back to full health. Merlin was there already, for he was told by Yen Sid about what happened, but the biggest suprise and shock filled up in Riku and Mickey.
Ienzo and Aeleus were there as well, and there was an elderly white duck that looked like Scrooge, but a bit different, wearing a lab coat with a red and white shirt underneath, and he was busy building something, with a surprisingly awakened Even, and Dilan just stood there, arms crossed.
While Isa and Namine were surprised yet relieved that Even and Dilan were alright, Riku, only recongising Even, Aeleus and Ienzo as their Nobodies, tensed a little, until Namine rests a hand onto his arm. The teen gazed at the former Nobody of Kairi who smiled warmly to ensure him that the three other former Nobodies mean no harm. Riku relaxed just a bit, while Aqua and Terra both recongised the guard uniforms that were just like Braig's before he joined Xehanort's side.
Mickey on the other hand, recongised the newcommer and sputtered out, "Professor Von Drake?" which his voice caught everyone's attentions, and they were surprised, though some of them were relieved at Namine's return, that they had company.
"Namine!" Yuffie squealled, forgetting her tug of war with Rikku, and rushed over to give Namine a bone-crushing hug, causing the latter off-guard. "Where were you!? I've been worried sick! Where are Lea, Roxas and Xion? Are they okay?"
"I-I'm fine, Yuffie. I'm sorry." Namine finally managed to say, while awkardly returning the hug to her friend. "Lea, Roxas and Xion are alright, but, it'll be a bit longer before they can come home."
"Ah, I see that you returned, Isa. It's a pity that I wasn't awake when you left with Lea, Roxas, Xion and Namine earlier." Even greeted.
Isa sighed, "Had problems with Xehanort and all. It was my choice to go with them to find out more on what was happening."
"I take that you're Isa." Leon spoke up, approaching. "Lea told me a bit about you." as though not surprised. Then again, when the other former Organization members arrived and told on what was happening, he expected to see Isa.
"Cloud!" Tifa cried out, leaping from the chair and hugged Cloud who was caught off-guard by his childhood friend's affection. "I've been so worried!"
"Sorry that I'm late." Cloud managed to reply after a moment.
"Oh my, it's you two young people." Merlin spoke up, recongising Aqua and Terra. "You both haven't changed at all."
"Neither have you." Terra greeted with a smile. "Nice to see you again, Merlin."
"It's good to see you." Aqua greeted.
"Why thank you." Merlin chuckled.
"Riku. How have you been?" Aerith greeted.
"I'm good." Riku shrugged.
The flower girl then looked up and noticed Zack who noticed her, and, for some reason, both of them could only stare at each other, the strange feeling that was fluttering inside them.
"Well, if you ain't in top shape. O'l wizard boy here wouldn't keep his mouth shut in talking about what happened." Cid spoke up, pausing at his work, while Rikku, Yuna and Paine all rolled their eyes.
Finally, the white duck, Von Drake, approached Mickey and said, "Ho ho, it's good to see you again, your majesty."
"What are you doing here in Radiant Garden?" Mickey asked, which caught the others's attentions again.
"Do you know him?" Terra asked, curiously.
The king nodded, explaining, "This is Professor Ludwig Von Drake. He's my hometown's inventor and who helped in building the Gummi ship with Chip and Dale. It's a long story."
"He came here just two days ago after we came back with Tifa from Nibelhiem." Yuna said as she stood up.
Riku blinked as he, having met the Gullwings when Sora brought him and Kairi over a month after Xemnas was defeated, and back then, the three women were faries. "Um...how come you're...people size now?" he asked, awkwardly.
Rikku was the first to realise what Riku was saying, and she told him, "Oh, we weren't always fairies. A witched turned the three of us like that. It was when those Remnant guys came that the witch returned and had turned us back to normal, though it her case, that was an accident."
"And what about you guys?" Riku asked, a bit supiciously to Ienzo.
"As you may have noticed with Isa, like him and Lea, we are no longer as we were in the Organization. I assure you that we have no intentions to cause problems any more, Riku." Ienzo answered, with Even, Aeleus and Dilan all nodding in agreement.
Despite his supicions, Riku decided to believe them for now.
Riku's group then went on to explain the things that happened to Leon and everyone else, and about why they came here.
A/N: I know it's a lack of action, but I will try and make up for it in the next chapter. Professor Von Drake is another Disney character who made his debut in "Disney's Ducktales", "Mickey Mouse Works" and "House of Mouse".