After a couple more days later, the small boat continued it plucky trek across the ocean. Food was running low but due to plentiful fishing results was by no means a dire situation. Kilford sat on the side of the ship fishing poles in lazy hand, while Fredrick took the wheel. It was mid-afternoon when the island came into view. Samuel had once again taken residence in the ships small cabin, with the threat of capsizing gone, he went back to his original fear of falling overboard
"Land" Fredrick called out. Kilford and Samuel still not really listen turned to him with blank stares that often accompanied long sun exposure. "Not behind us look" He shouted thrusting a finger down the horizon where an island was quickly coming into view. It looked rather plain if very large a long sandy beach seemed to surround it, small inlets lead deeper into the island temperate looking forest. Further back strange structures seemed to peak out shyly from the treeline. Not much about them was clear except that the sun glinted off the very tops of them. Mooring the boat twenty feet from the shore, Fredrick jumped off landing in the shallow water and began the march up to the shore.
"Seems like a fall island" He remarked, the others followed.
As Kilford and Samuel were reaching the beach Fredrick had already gotten to treeline about fifty feet away and was examining it.
"What is it?" Kilford asked.
"Check this out" He responded tossing a chunk of board at the feet of them. "I swear I can remember that name but I don't know from what."
Kilford bent down and picked up the board and examined it. It was well worn as if it had weathered a lot of the elements. At the top of the rectangular piece was a hole, probably used to hang the bored up on the trees. The rest was just as easy to determine. The writing on it was big and black done with a thick brush by someone with little skill, still the message was simple enough.
Beware:
This island is claimed in the name of
Henry "the Octopus Demon" Pelton
Be you Pirate or Merchant steer clear
"Henry Pelton, now that does ring a bell" Kilford states, as he showed the board to Samuel who just shakes his head. Suddenly Kilford remembered"Oh yeah, he was an old pirate actually active for quite a long time, I remember because whenever I got the chance on marine's ships I would take a look at the bounty board. He was a rookie when Gold Roger was active, but a while ago he just disappeared off the radio his bounty wasn't something to shrug off either. A cruel man if half the stories told were true." He looks around down the beach squinting as if looking for someone in particular. "I guess this is where he ended up, suppose treading quietly would be the proper choice."
"Yeah if he is even here and that sign's not a hoax. It is out best shot at acquiring another log pose, I saw some buildings deeper in the woods." Fredrick responded. "How about we follow the river deeper inland, that way we can avoid the thickest parts of the wood."
"Good enough for me. Lead on."
A second boat rolled up on the shore of the strange island, a while later next to Fredrick, Samuel and KIlford's boat. Four figures emerged, first Janine jumping eagerly off the boat barefoot toes curling up reflexively when they hit the sand, next the lumbering Rolf toking away still wearing his furry coat and hat, after him was the multicolored man correcting his hat and gloves he stepped down with precision, after him was Leider who took in the surroundings from atop the boat before descending down the beach.
"Well this is a neat little surprise dontcha think?" Leider say with a grin.
"For you yes, for me I could care less where I found my man as long as he's there" Ashcroft replied coldly.
"Relax, this is good. We know the land like the back of our hands" Leider said throwing a hand around Ashcroft's shoulder, crossly Ashcroft brushes it off.
"I dunno Leider, have you ever really gotten to know the back of your hand" Rolf replied having only caught the end of the conversation. "I mean I thought I did but now it's like I've never seen it before in my life. WHO ARE YOU?" He screams crescendoing up to a shriek.
"Ignore him," Leider replies with a self satisfied grin.
Ashcroft bends squints looking down the beach for any sign of the people, as he reaches the tree line he spies the stream, and points to it.
"There, a stream, chances are they traveled up that in hopes of avoiding the thick forest and the possibility of getting lost" Ashcroft states as he begins to walk towards it.
"Right sure, in that case I know exactly where we need to go" Leider replies trying to take control of the situation. "There is a small village downstream that they will probably stop at we can set an ambush there. But why do you think they went in the forest?"
"Simple they saw those massive structures from the sea, and have gone to investigate."
"Why?"
"They lack a log pose and think perhaps they can acquire them from someone else"
"How do you know they lost their log pose?" Janine responds while putting her boots on. "We already told you the eternal pose for this island is in the wooden box."
"Yes, an eternal pose pointing to an unnamed island that isn't on their current path. The man I'm tracking isn't so careless, he doesn't take risks."
"Suppose the men he is traveling with convinced him otherwise" Leider stepped in.
"Unlikely, but regardless the river is the correct way, I am sure of it" Ashcroft replies without hesitation.
"Alright, then lets go, Rolf clear the way to the village."
"Sure leader" With one last quick glance at the back of his hand he growls, transforms into his lumbering self as he sets off crashing through the underbrush.
The bank of the river quickly disappeared, forcing the trio of explorers to alternate between traveling through the thick tree lines and wading along the shallow shore. Suffice to say the trek was a slow one. As they traveled through the tree line, Samuel was under constant assault from the tree's stiff bristles mostly due to his massive frame, and in the shallow water, Fredrick went ahead trudging first through the murky water, to determine where was a good step and where the shallow edge gave way to a deeper stream section, which could prove dangerous to the two devil fruit users. Still they continued on without too much excitement, until they saw that the tree line near the stream was becoming thinner, and then they noticed as they got up on the shore that not only was the tree line thinner, but that there was an honest to goodness dirt path right in front of them. Fredrick ,his pants soaking from the thighs down, suggested they take it, Samuel picking pins out of his hair, hat, and coat seconded it and Kilford obliged leaning on his cane with a grunt. The three continued the trek much happier now that they were on a crude dirt path even though it hadn't seen use in quite some time.
After a while on the path, the reached a clearing, on one end was the forest they were just emerging from on the other was a small town. It looked like it had once been nice once but like the path had fallen into disarray. Paint on the small wooden buildings was chipping off in the places it still existed. Windows were boarded up and same goes to the doors which were still there, in the cases that the doors no longer existed the doorways had a few board slapped across them for good measure. The three men approached the village and began to see more and more warning signs telling you to go back and turn around you're entering private territory under "The Henry Pelton's territory" . Kilford shifted nervously.
"You guys sure this is a good idea?"
"No" Fredrick replied casually. "but it is a plan of action."
"but not a good one?"
"Yeah that's about it."
"So why are we doing this?"
"It's the only plan we got that might yield results."
"Yeah, figures" Kilford responds as his eyes shift across the town's roof tops and windows. His hand gripped tighter on his cane as he limped forward on to the near street. The streets like the building were in disrepair, they had been paved once but most of the stones had been removed and grass now shot up in patches. They walked through the small town for a bit, it was all pretty much the same. There were buildings in disrepair and warnings scrawled on walls. They checked a couple of houses looking for anything that was left, and found that they had been ransacked and nothing of value was left in them.
After a short time of walking they found themselves in a quite large town square in much the same state as the rest of the town. On three sides were dilapidated buildings with large streets running through the middle obviously leading out of the square. On the fourth side was a small port its wooden dock looked moldy and damp, left weak from over exposure to the elements and improper maintenance. They walked into the center of the square and stared around, at the once nice facades worn over time.
"Nice town," Samuel said.
"Once." Fredrick corrected him.
"Wonder what happened?" Kilford asked adjusting the grip on his cane.
"I'd be more worried about what's going to happen to you then what already happened to some crappy town." A mocking voice echoed out from the tops of one of the buildings.
"Shit" Kilford swore as he began to run.