Author's Note: Another spooky-ish chapter. I won't spoil anything, but, this chapter does end very suspenseful and kind of in a horror story-type way.
Disclaimer: Eichiiro Oda still owns One Piece.
Ch .27: "The Royally Dark Court."
The Capricorns entered what was the exact opposite of a royal palace. Instead of pastel colors, the walls were made of gray stones with some purple tapestries. Instead of sunshine, there was only candlelight to light everyone's way.
"Different, isn't it?" Kartik commented.
"Well, it's still creepy as hell," Holden added.
"That's odd. I thought you and your brothers liked castles like these," Kartik commented.
"Not when there's a monster that will eat us all! Haven't you heard ANY creepy stories? Anybody who is dead weight, like Hatori, will be killed first!" Heathcliffe explained.
"What are you saying?" Hatori cried.
"I'm saying that we're all in danger of being eaten! After Hatori dies, the clumsy one, Sebastian, makes an error chalked up to his clumsiness and dies because of it! Then, the Baba Yaga will go after an adult couple, like Kartik and Matsu. Then, the Baba Yaga will kidnap the pretty girl, like Aki, and take her back to her lair, where she will be beaten and tortured. Then, -" Heathcliffe explained before Aki cut him off.
"Sarutobi-kun, quit scaring me!" Aki pleaded. Heathcliffe chuckled as he patted Aki on the back.
"Don't worry, guys. If that really happened, we'd all be dead by now," Heathcliffe re-assured his nakama, who began to scream.
"No! I'm too young to die! I have so much to live for!" Hana cried.
"I haven't even met Dracule Mihawk yet!" Kazuma sobbed as he curled up into a fetal position.
"I haven't even married Kartik yet!" Karin sobbed as she hung on to Kartik. Kartik calmy pushed Karin off of him.
"Heathcliffe, please stop scaring everyone. We are already on edge enough as it is," Kartik requested. Heathcliffe sighed.
"But, it could be true! Don't say I didn't warn you!" Heathcliffe advised Kartik. Oliver entered the room.
"I hope you don't mind, but, we've prepared some food for you," Oliver said. A few minutes later, the Capricorns were sitting down to tea and coffee with teacakes, mini sandwiches, cookies, and other snacks.
"Forgive us for the light meal. Due to the Baba Yaga's attacks, people have bought their food in bulk and locked themselves in their homes. I believe that King Akio – Akari's father – has just left for the Island of Eternal Day to buy some more food for us," Leni explained.
"Has the Baba Yaga only been attacking this island?" Yuki-Rin asked.
"It appears to be, since the Baba Yaga can use the darkness as a cover to attack, kidnap, and/or kill her prey. Never have we heard about an attack in the Island of Eternal Day," Shikari explained.
"How many people has she killed?" Holden asked Akari's servants.
"She's killed about twelve people. Four missing people have been reported to be killed by the Baba Yaga," Thierry said before drinking from his bottle of whiskey. "We must be on a heavier guard tonight. The skies are clear and the moon is shining. Perfect conditions for the Baba Yaga to hunt for her prey."
The room grew very silent. Footsteps echoed into the room as Queen Ai entered.
"At ease, servants!" Queen Ai commanted. On cue, Nan, Oliver, Bixby, Leni, Ein, and Shikari stood before Queen Ai, in the order of the spelling of the word "Nobles". Akari gulped.
"Anything wrong, milady?" Thierry asked Akari.
"No, Thierry," Akari answered dully.
"I will be joining King Akio on business at the Island of Eternal Day. If the Baba Yaga attacks the castle, go down to the catacombs and take the tunnel that leads into the palace on the Island of Eternal Day. Other than that, DO NOT leave the palace unless it is an emergency," Queen Ai explained.
"Yes, Ai-sama," Akari said. Queen Ai glared at her.
"That's 'mother' to you," Queen Ai said sternly before she left. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"That was close," Sebastian commented.
"I thought for a second that that was the Baba Yaga," Maki-chan commented.
"I guess there's really more to this place than meets the eye," Yuki-Rin commented.
"Aye," Molly agreed. The room grew deathly silent, once again. This time, the silence lasted a few moments longer, until Aki spoke.
"Excuse me, I would like to take a bath. Do you know where the bathroom is?" Aki asked Akari.
"It's upstairs. I'll show you," Shikari said as she got up from her seat.
"Aki, don't go! Anybody who leaves the room to take a bath or shower is usually the first to die in these types of situations!" Heathcliffe pleaded.
"Don't worry about Aki. We don't need any more protection here at the royal palace. We're fine, worrywart," Shikari explained before she and Aki left the room. Heathcliffe began to tremble.
"Bro, anything wrong?" Soren asked Heathcliffe.
"Am I the only one who suspects that one of Akari's servants or parents is the Baba Yaga?" Heathcliffe asked his brothers.
"It could be possible. I wouldn't be surprised if Queen Ai IS the Baba Yaga after all," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Why Queen Ai?" Sebastian asked Yuki-Rin.
"There's an air of suspicion surrounding her. She didn't even notice ANY of us when she was still here," Yuki-Rin explained.
"Come to think of it, I don't think Thierry EVEN got noticed," Kartik added.
"That's actually pretty common. My parents look down on Thierry, because he was from a farming and hunting family and got into the royal army training school with a scholarship. She has always looked down on prostitutes, farmers, peasants, traveling merchants, Fishmen, and, most of all, pirates," Akari explained. Sebastian sighed.
"Everything in this castle is depressing – the mood, the whole Baba Yaga ordeal, the people, the food, and the conversation. Isn't there anything that can cheer us up for a while?" Sebastian asked everyone.
"We actually have a collection of animals that King Akio has aquired over the years if you would like to see that," Ein explained.
"You mean… You have a zoo?" Yuki-Rin asked Ein.
"Technically. But, we let the animals roam free on the property sometimes," Ein explained. Yuki-Rin's eyes widened.
"Cool! I'd love to see the animals!" Yuki-Rin said. Ein chuckled.
"You're so high-spirited. What's your secret?" Ein asked Yuki-Rin.
"It's all of the adventure I see out on the seas. It's like a fantasy epic that can write itself," Yuki-Rin explained with a grin.
Upstairs, in the bathroom, Aki was trying to relax in a hot bubble bath.
"It's too quiet in here to be relaxing. Maybe I should really check on the crew," Aki thought to herself. "Then again, I haven't had the chance to take a relaxing bubble bath since before mother died, so, maybe I should stop worrying about everyone."
Aki sat deep in thought for a few, long, relaxing minutes until somebody knocked on the door.
"Just a moment!" Aki called out as she got out of the tub. She then dried herself off and put on a short, white kimono with a light pink sash. "Come in!"
Because Aki's back was turned to the door, she didn't see who came in.
"Ah, Shikari, I was about to look for you. Do you happen to have some lotion? I forgot mine back at the Hyperion," Aki said to whoever came in as she dried her hair with a towel. "Shikari? Shikari?"
There was no response. Aki turned around, only to see that it wasn't Shikari, but, somebody else. Aki screamed very loudly, hoping her nakama would hear the noise and come save her.
Ending Note: Oh, dear Oda-sensei! Remain calm, people! Please read "The DysFUNctional Pirates" if needed and wait for further instruction! You can still worry about Aki, but, for right now, let the Capricorns do their job.
Review if you want to see what happened to Aki.