Fredrick and Samuel found themselves once again marching down through the forest towards the strange structure on the other end of the island in search of a log pose. They had left Kilford behind at the boat once they returned to it. He was so tired by the time he had finished healing them he simply collapsed. It also meant that Kilford wouldn't get anyone else killed, something he was still having trouble getting over it.
It was growing dark by the time they found themselves at what supposedly had been the door to the main structure. It had since been broken and shattered by a ferocious strength. Fredrick was reminded of the building back at the town and silently pulled his gun off his back and closed his hand's reassuringly around it.
The main hallway near them was quite, but the faint echos of industrious work could be heard further down the hall. In order to avoid recognition, at least for now until they knew if the real Henry Pelton was here. They quickly attempted to duck down on one of the closer doors, only to find it locked. Samuel quickly changed that creating a thin key with his power. The door opened silently and led to a small stair case which descended down into the darkness. With a shrug Fredrick looked back at Samuel and began the descent down into the darkness. After a short while the stairs ended in what should have been a large room, but due to excessive clutter felt strangely claustrophobic. A large stove stood in one of the corners still burning, evidently not having been properly put out after a recent use. Various plants and herbs lied strewn about on the ground. The plants all looked foreign defiantly not local, and not exactly appetizing. It seemed to Fredrick that occasionally some of the larger parts of plants especially the those parts with flowers seemed to wheeze and cough slightly as if slowly dying on the floor in front of them.
"Okay Samuel, there has got to be a log pose buried some where in all this junk. So I guess just start looking." Fredrick said as he begin to scrounge around looking out from underneath various papers and plans and heavy books or glass jars filled with good only knows what, making extra carefully to not tread on any of the plants lying on the ground. It wasn't long before he had found at least something of interest in the massive piles of junk that built up all around him. Carefully setting a large pile of scribblings, plans, and books off to the side he uncovered a strange sight. The table top, well actually while seeing the table top amidst all this junk was a strange occurrence the actual thing was resting on top of the table top. It appeared to be made of a stiff burlap sack material that had been cut and reshaped into a vaguely humanoid shape with all the proper arms and legs, very similar to a practice sparring body, sort of a body with no sharp angles; it was all soft curves. The sides of it were tied tightly together with thick heavy duty rope and unlike most practice sparring dummy this one had a large mouth across what was suppose to be it's head. The mouth a simple line that was cut halfway through the the dummy head, what it left was two black felt half circles that made up the upper and lower mouth respectively that could be viewed when the head was tilted back. It's arms ended in rudimentary three finger hands also strange for a test dummy. Of course all that was inconsequential when compared to what was adorning the dummy's neck.
It was a large heavy duty choker that wrapped tightly around the dummy's neck a large blue stone was inset into the middle of it. It seemed counter intuitive to place such a rare gem, Fredrick guess topez or sapphire on such an ugly utilitarian device like the collar. But upon close inspection Fredrick realized that the large gem was actually a rather large chunk of seastone. He also noticed that who ever had put the choker on had left the small key in the lock. He quickly unlocked the choker turned to Samuel to show him it.
"Looks like someone here had dealt with Devil Fruit user's before." Fredrick remarked somberly. "Maybe this actually is or at least was The Devil Octopus's last hideout?" He said looking incredulously around at the rather strange surroundings.
"If that is the case" Samuel remarked "then we best not spend more time here then necessary, and definitely not make a scene."
Just as he says that, a heavy boot stomps on the floor. A door opens in one of the many shadow filled corners of this room. A man fully enclosed in shadows emerges. He was big, strong and ugly. His muscles seemed almost excessive giving a hulking appearance of something not quite human. His neck muscles were strained, the skin pulled tight across his face and his eyes dead.
"Thereby dooming us to do just that," Fredrick smiled grimly out the corner of his mouth at Samuel. Both slowly began moving to face the new man. Then all three just stood still, each waiting for the other to make their next move. Time seemed to be frozen for that second as all three party's wondered how this was going to play out.
The fourth party was blissfully unaware as he stuck his head up from between the tables where he had been investigating the discarded foliage. And just like that the tensions was broken, and like a super-ball time bounced back into motion at what seemed like an accelerated rate. The hulking man lifted a hatchet clutched in a meaty fist and flung it. Fredrick saw the head come up and bounded over the table slamming his entire body into it as the hatchet flew harmlessly over head. Samuel caught the hatchet a large wooden board and flung it aside, as the hulking man pulled a second one out.
Fredrick began to attempt to pin the form he was currently wrestling with. However the the body seemed fluid lacking an internal rigidity that allowed for most pinning moves to be effective. Giving up he rolled the form over out of the shadows of the table to get a good look at it. It was the dummy from the table. Same burlap body as before except on top of it's head he wore a mopy patch of multicolored hair, brown, black and gray, and his rudimentary hands had gained a more form ending in small stiff points. It's blank face scrunched up on one side as if winking with eyes it didn't possess. Fredrick stared blankly at the spectacle, so intently that it was only after the hulking man had launched the table he was under straight off him that he had even noticed that the dummy seemed to just melt out of his grip and into the shadows.
Quickly Fredrick rolled to the side as the hulking man's hatch swung down chipping a small bit out of the rocky floor. Suddenly a the loud patter of many little feet filled Fredrick's ears as the ground below him seemed to move below him in waves of shadow which began to swarm up the hulking man eventually forming a vaguely humanoid shape and then Fredrick realized what they were. They were rats or many colors, each of their beady eyes staring at exactly the same thing, the hulking man. Immediately the rats melded together and suddenly formed the dummy right on the back of the hulking man. Quickly the dummy opened his mouth and ineffectively chomped down on the hulking man's neck, his cloth mouth simply forming around the man's bulging muscles leaving both party's slightly confused.
Once the initial shock was over the hulking man grabbed at this form now clingy to his back. Grabbing an arm he attempted to throw the dummy off his back only for the arm he was pulling to immediately melt into a small swarm of rats which immediately began biting, The hulking man now panicking began to bring his hatchet to bare on the back of the dummy, the hatchet cutting quickly through the soft burlap but seeming to do no actual damage as the dummy simply dissolved into more rat's covering the entire man with cuts and scratches as they brought him screaming to his knees.
Fredrick and Samuel simply stared at the spectacle as the dummy reformed from the pile of rats swarming the now downed hulking man's form. The dummy got to his feet and gave a thumbs up to Fredrick the top of his burlap sack crinkling inquisitively. Fredrick could do nothing but return the thumbs up with a weak shrug and get to his feet. Samuel looked at him. Fredrick just shrugged.
"Looks like you got a new friend," Samuel replied slyly glancing over at the dummy who was currently sitting on the big man smiling at Fredrick.
"Yeah, I guess it does?" Fredrick replied "unfortunately getting new friends seems to create more problems then they solve."
"So what's it's, his, her name?"
"How am I suppose to know." Fredrick replied pointing at the thing.
"Hey I'm just saying you guys look pretty familiar rolling on the floor over there." Samuel stated innocently.
"Shut up" Fredrick replied Samuel just smiling coyly at Fredrick raising an eyebrow. "Well what are we going to call him?" Fredrick persisted. Samuel just shrugged. Fredrick looked over at the dummy. "Does Sack work?" Fredrick said, the dummy smiled and nodded Fredrick wondered if he could understand any of this..
More footsteps echoes down the stairway. Fredrick swore "Well it will have to work, come on let's get out of here." He said, Samuel looked at him and nodded drawing his hands together and forming a massive wooden wall, the exact dimensions of stairway. Fredrick grabbed Sock's arm and stood behind Samuel, who began a bull rush. The guards, same blank eyed expression as the hulking man saw either turned and ran backwards up the stairs after realizing they couldn't fight against the moving wall of else got smacked back up the stairs.
With a heavy smack Samuel and the two or three guards stupid enough not turn around slammed straight through the door throwing the guards and the portable wall heavily against the opposite wall.