Chapter 61: do you fear death?
I do not own kingdom hearts or the properties shown in this fanfic. They belong to the respective owners and the original story is based on the works of Darius Almighty. Kingdom hearts and trials of the keyblade is owned by square Enix, Disney, and Tetsuya Nomura. Please support the official release.
Right. Now time to meet tia dalma and davy jones! Oh and silver's in the mix after that treasure planet fiasco!
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
Elizabeth was sitting huddled away in a corner of her jail cell, far away from the begging and pleading pirates in the next one over, when her father suddenly opened hers up. "Father?"
"You must come with me," Governor Swann said hurriedly, hauling her to her feet and out of the cell with the pirates whining behind her. "I've bribed the guards, there should be no trouble."
"What exactly is happening?" Elizabeth demanded as she was dragged along.
"I've arranged passage to England. I still have some standing with the King. But we must move quickly!"
"But what about Will and Sora? They've gone to find Jack!"
"Oh, please! This is no time for innocence!" Governor Swann snapped. They left the dungeons to find a black horse-drawn coach waiting outside. The Governor hurriedly put his daughter inside. "Young Will and Sora may be obliged to do good, but can you say the same for Sparrow? And besides, Beckett has offered only one pardon, and that is promised to Jack Sparrow! I will not endure the sight of my daughter walking to the gallows."
"The two of them will be hanged for this!" Elizabeth pleaded.
"Then there is nothing for you here." With that the Governor slammed the coach door shut.
It wasn't long before the horses pulled to a stop before the docks where the captain of the ship stood waiting, back turned to the carriage. "Captain! What are you waiting for?" Governor Swann demanded, walking from the coach. "We have to get moving before-" Suddenly the captain crumpled to the ground, a sword withdrawn from his corpse by Lord Beckett's right hand man, the scarred Mister Mercer. The Governor recoiled in horror. "Oh my-"
Mercer calmly wiped the blood from his blade. "Evening, Governor," he said casually. "Shouldn't be out this late. It's dangerous." Suddenly, red uniformed soldiers emerged from their hiding places all around, surrounding the Governor and the coach.
"Elizabeth," Swann whispered in horror. "No! Stop! You can't!" But the soldiers held him aside and they made for the coach. Mercer made his way between them, swung the door open - and found it was empty.
The Governor's mouth fell open in shock, while Mercer's eyes flared with anger. "Where is she?" he demanded.
KHKHKHKH
"Okay," Beast sighed, rubbing his temples as they walked the dark streets of Port Royal. "Run this by me one more time just to make sure I'm absolutely clear." He cleared his throat. "Why are we here?"
"Because Sora's been gone way too long," Kairi replied, leading them. "If it was just to find Jack and get the map back it shouldn't have taken this long. Something must have happened."
"You're overreacting," sonic insisted. "He's been gone a day and a half. Hardly enough time to call in the troops."
"That's not the point," Mulan interjected. "The point is we shouldn't have let Sora do this alone. We all know how...tricky Jack can be."
"Tricky?" Kairi repeated anxiously. "Jack is like the white dwarf star of tricky, waiting to turn into a black hole and take us all with it."
"Nice analogy!" Jack Skellington complimented.
"And it's not like we can go anywhere else for awhile," Aladdin pointed out, rubbing his sore neck. "Not after what happened to our ship."
"I thought I could steer with my eyes closed!" Jack Skellington argued indignantly. "And for once in my life I was wrong! Can't we just drop it?"
"Besides, I've always wanted to see the Captain's world!" po exclaimed. "A guy as cool as that can only come from a cool place!"
"Great, that explains why all of you are here," Beast grumbled irritably. "Now why am I here?" Out of all the worlds in the universe, the last one he wanted to be on was the one that spawned Captain Jack Sparrow.
"Oh, come on, Beast," Kairi chided. "You've been here before, remember? It wasn't so bad then."
"I was pelted by stones, then almost shot," Beast replied, irritated. "Yeah, real good to be back here."
"Being with you makes me sad," sonic said nonchalantly.
Suddenly, a woman ran into view, wearing a very beautiful embroidered dress, her face haggard and stressed as she looked around for some kind of way out. "Hey," Beast said, narrowing his eyes. "Isn't that-?"
"Elizabeth!" Mulan called. Elizabeth Swann swung around, her face breaking out into a hopeful smile. She quickly ran to meet them.
"Mulan! Beast! Thank goodness you're here!"
"Oh my God! It's Keira Knightly!" Jack Skellington shouted with glee. "Miss Knightly, I loved you in 'Pride and Prejudice'!"
"Elizabeth, is something wrong?" Mulan asked. "What's going on?"
Elizabeth buried her face in her hands. "Everything is wrong! It's all going wrong! Will and I have been arrested! Sora as well!"
"Sora?" Kairi repeated in shock. "How? Where is he now?"
Elizabeth regarded Kairi. "Is your name Kairi?" she asked. Kairi nodded. "Of course! Sora often spoke of you. But I'm afraid you've just missed him."
"So he was here?" sonic asked.
"Yes. He went looking for someone with my fiancé, the man responsible for our arrest. We helped him escape the law in the past and were convicted for it. Perhaps you've heard of him? Jack Sparrow?" Kairi scowled angrily.
"Figures," Beast mumbled. "The moment Jack comes back here everything goes to hell."
"Do you have any idea where Jack or Sora might be?" Mulan asked. Elizabeth thought for a second.
"Tortuga," she soon said. "Will said he would look there before he left."
"Of course!" Kairi suddenly remembered. "Jack said Tortuga was his favourite place to go when we were last here."
A loud commotion could be heard from a few blocks down, as well as the heavy footfalls of approaching soldiers. "Something tells me you shouldn't be out of jail yet," Aladdin said dryly.
"We have to get out of here," Elizabeth whispered urgently. "I have to get to Jack, find out just what is going on."
"That makes two of us," Kairi growled. "Well then, let's go!" All together they ran off for the docks, just as a battalion of soldiers passed by.
"We need a ship!" Elizabeth said when they arrived at the docks. Unfortunately, it didn't look like any of the ships here were heading out for a while. And they didn't have a while.
Kairi looked around the area, but couldn't see anyone. Then she spotted a large portly looking man standing on the docks throwing nets into the water. "Come on. Let's see if he can help us."
"'I gave my love a cherry, that had no stone'," they heard the man singing as they approached. "I gave my love a chicken, it had no bone. I told my love a story, that had no end. I gave my love a baby, with no crying'. Ha! I should've gone into showbiz."
"Excuse me?" Kairi called. "Do you think you can help us?"
"Why certainly, lassy," the man chuckled as he turned to face them. "What can I-I-I," he suddenly stammered when he caught sight of Kairi. He was a rather large, old faced man with dark tanned skin and an eyepatch over his right eye as well as a pegleg on his right foot, wearing a coat and hat. He quickly turned around again, avoiding eye contact with her. "What, uh, what can I do for ya?" he asked, much more nervously than before.
"Well," Kairi said. "We were just wondering if there were any ships leaving-"
"No, no! No ships leaving now!" he replied automatically. "Now move along! I've got a lot of fish to catch!"
"Are you certain?" Elizabeth asked. "It would be a great help to us if-"
"Look, I said I didn't know anything and I meant it!" he snapped angrily. "Now leave me be!"
Mulan frowned. "Do I...know you?" she asked uncertainly. The man stiffened, and quickly turned away again. "You look kind of familiar."
"Yeah, he does...," Beast muttered now that she mentioned it.
"He looks familiar too," Inuyasha said. "I just can't put my finger on it." Kairi looked at the man again. In a way, she did feel like she had seen him before.
"Have we met?" Kairi asked.
"No! Not once! Ever! I'd remember a lot such as you!" po, meanwhile, had grown pretty bored with this conversation that was getting them nowhere, and looked around idly. When he looked at the man again, he saw something the others didn't. A mole on the his right arm was...blinking like a Christmas tree light. He couldn't explain it, but was drawn to it with child-like curiosity. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to - NO, DON"T TOUCH THAT!" po had snuck up on him, and pressed the flashing mole.
The man's right arm suddenly shimmered and changed, the tanned skin melting away to reveal metal and steel. His wooden leg became metal. "ARRRGGHH! DAMMIT!" The man then ripped off his eyepatch, revealing his right eye to be mechanical, and glowing with red light. "Blast ya for living, ya bottom feeder!" he shouted at po.
Kairi's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Silver?" she exclaimed. "Silver, is that you?"
"Yes, it's me. You know any other pirate cyborgs?!" John Silver snapped, his mechanical right arm swinging wildly.
"H-His arm," Elizabeth whispered in astonishment. "And his leg. It's like he's part man, part machine!"
"Take a picture, lass, it'll last longer than your staring!" Silver yelled.
"What the hell are you doing here!?" Beast growled angrily.
"You know this magnificently interesting looking man?" Jack Skellington asked curiously.
"Sure we do," Mulan growled. "This guy nearly had us killed."
"Oh come on! You're exaggerating!" Silver argued indignantly. "I merely held you all hostage with the threat of being killed!" Their glares didn't let up in the least. "Uh, it was an empty threat?"
"Silver, what are you doing here?" Kairi asked in amazement. Silver sighed tiredly, rubbing his head with his metal hand.
"Well, after the whole Treasure Planet fiasco, I needed to construct a new life for myself. Getting over a lifetime obsession isn't an easy thing to do, but I had to start somewhere. I wanted to leave the pirate life behind me, start fresh somewhere where me old life would never trouble me again." He inhaled the sea air pleasantly. "So I came here! A small, backwater world where being a sailor means nothing but the strength of your back and the sweat of your brow. It's just what I needed."
He chuckled amusingly. "Unfortunately, people don't take too kindly to the ole' arm here," he said, tapping on his metal arm. "You should have seen the looks on people's faces as they ran away screaming! So, I made this handy little holographic projector to avoid any other situations." He pressed the button po had pressed earlier, and his arm, leg were suddenly engulfed in a holographic illusion. He now looked just like a normal person.
The hologram slipped away when he switched it off again, staring at his metal arm sadly. "It'll never be the real thing, though," he whispered. "But tell me, lads! What brings you here? Not here to bring me in, are you? If you are, remember, I saved your lives!"
"We're looking for Sora," Kairi explained.
"Sora? Me old cabin boy? Ha! Why are you looking for him? Gone and got himself lost?"
"He came here looking for Jack," Mulan answered.
"Jack? Jack Sparrow?" Silver asked, then laughed at loud. "How I've missed that son of a gun! A fine pirate he was! Birds of a feather, he and I. It was his stories about these seas that made me want to settle down here in the first place!"
"Jack stole something important before he jumped ship and left," Kairi explained further.
Silver's one eyebrow raised. "And Sora didn't see this coming?" Everyone shrugged awkwardly. "You'd think the boy would learn some sense after I pounded it into him."
Shouts of soldiers could be heard not far off. "We have go now!" Elizabeth whispered anxiously. "Sir, do you know if a ship is leaving now? One that's going to Tortuga?"
"Tortuga?" Silver muttered, stroking his chubby chin. He then grinned broadly. "I'll tell ya what. Since I was such a trouble to you all in the past, I'll take ya there myself! We'll take my ship!" He pointed proudly to an old, worn out life boat with torn sails waiting beside the dock. Everyone was less than happy.
"I think we'd be better off swimming," sonic pointed out.
Silver chuckled knowingly. "Now, now, lads and lasses. I'd think you'd know me by now. When you're dealing with Silver, you'll find that looks can be deceiving." He pressed another button on his arm. Suddenly his small rickety boat grew, expanding. Rocket boosters sprouted from its backside making it hover off the water, its sail replaced with one made entirely of light. The transformation was complete, and a solar sailor now hovered before them.
"All aboard!"
KHKHKHKH
Sora leaned back in the rowboat he shared with Will, Gibbs, Marty and Cotton. Jack Sparrow was in the boat ahead of them, Pintel and Ragetti doing the rowing, him standing on the prow like he was George Washington himself, staring straight ahead as they sailed down the dark, silent, perhaps even haunted, bayou. Every so often Sora would see people on the shore, staring at them silently, their gazes almost glowing in the night. Sora thought they would attack like the previous natives, but they did nothing, merely watched them as they passed on.
"What is it that's got Jack spooked?" Will asked.
"It's said that Davy Jones has at his command a monster of a terrible nature," Gibbs answered glumly. "A monstrous creature with giant tentacles that can suction a man's face clean off, and swallow an entire ship and its crew in one gulp. It goes by many names, but we know it by one name only." Gibbs gulped nervously. "The Kraken." Sora and Will also gulped. "Imagine, the last thing you know on God's green Earth is the roar of the Kraken and the stench of a thousand unlucky sailors bombarding your senses all at once!"
Gibbs got shivers just thinking about it. "It is a terrible thing to know that such a beast is after you, so terrible that Jack would even be willing to see her."
"Who?" Sora asked. "Where's he taking us?"
"A witch with frightening powers over men, beasts and nature itself. Her knowledge is as vast is the ocean and just as deep. Some say she is a god in human form, cast out from the heavens for her deceitful ways. Whatever the story is, she is not one to be trifled."
"But why are we doing this?" Sora asked. "What did Jack do to have Davy Jones after him?"
Gibbs shook his head. "Sorry, lad," he sighed dourly. "That's something I don't know much about. I'd say you ask Jack himself, but I don't how much he'd be willing to tell."
Soon they pulled into a lagoon surrounded by tall cypress trees, lighted only by the fireflies buzzing around them, as well as more mysterious onlookers watching from the shores. The whole place seemed to radiate with an atmosphere of myth and mystery, an old kind of magical voodoo that enveloped them the farther they went in. Where Jack had lead them seemed to be the centre of it all. Up in the largest tree was an unusual hut, eerie yellow lights shining from the windows. Someone was obviously waiting for them.
"No need to worry, mates!" Jack assured when he docked at the hut. "Tia Dalma and I go way back! Thick as thieves! Nigh inseparable we are!" Everyone looked at him skeptically. "Well, were." He grinned nervously. "Once." He sighed. "Before." Everyone nodded agreeably.
"I'll watch your back, Captain!" Gibbs declared.
"It's me front I'm worried about," Jack muttered as he climbed up to the hut.
"Mind the boat," Gibbs ordered Will and climbed after Jack.
Will scoffed at such an order and turned to Sora. "Mind the boat."
Sora sniffed disdainfully at such an idea and turned to Pintel. "Mind the boat."
Pintel sneered at being told what to do and turned to Ragetti. "Mind the boat."
Ragetti contemplated this then turned to Marty. "Mind the boat."
Marty slapped his forehead and turned to Cotton's parrot. "Mind the boat."
The parrot turned to Cotton. "AWK! Mind the boat!" Then it flew off after the others. Cotton pouted in defeat, with not a person to order nor a tongue to do it with.
They all followed Jack through the door of the hut and into the domain of Tia Dalma. Jars dangled from the ceiling containing all manner of disgusting items, from toes and eyeballs to lizards and insects. Hundreds of lit candles filled the room with a creepy glow. A woman sat at a round table, pouring over several objects, and raised her head only when all had entered. She was a sight to behold, long black hair reaching down to her waist, strange tattoos circling her eyes. In a weird way, she was sexy, but disgusting at the same time. She smiled at them all.
"Jack Sparrow," she laughed, walking up to meet the Captain.
"Ah, Tia!" Jack greeted spreading his arms. "Been long enough for you as it has for me?" Tia Dalma approached Jack, then paused, her eyes seeing something the others didn't.
"Something different about you, Jack," she muttered. "You glow with a certain light that I've not seen for years."
"Ah, but I was always glowing, wasn't I? On that note-"
"You!" Tia gasped promptly shoving Jack out of the way and going straight for Sora. Sora in turn cringed when she got right in his face. "You have a touch of destiny about you, boy! A light within that outshines the brightest of stars! Sora, wielder of the Keyblade." Sora gaped in shock. She was good.
"How do you know?" he asked.
"I know many things, child. I know you wield the legendary weapon of the Cetras, as does Jack now." Jack puffed out his chest and grinned proudly. "But you are THE Keyblader! Compared to you, Jack is joke!" Jack deflated like a balloon. "Yes, I see many things in you, child. Things that were, things that are, and some things..." She smiled, a smile that both repulsed Sora, and excited him. "...that have not yet come to pass."
"Yes, well, that saves me the introduction," Jack muttered sourly quickly taking Tia away from Sora. "Fortunately, we are gathered here today for something of much more extravagant importance - me!"
"Fine, Jack. What services do you require of me this time?" Tia asked sitting back at her table. "You know I don't work for free. What payment have you brought me?"
"The most extraordinary of payments!" Jack grinned. Pintel brought in a bird cage with a cloth over it and Jack ripped it off, revealing the chattering clothed monkey inside. "An undead monkey!" He pointed his pistol at it and fired, causing the monkey to shriek but other than that, no harm done. "I've outdone myself this time, eh?"
"It'll do," Tia muttered, opening the cage for the monkey to quickly jump out, causing everyone to groan.
"It took us forever to catch it," Gibbs sighed.
"Now then," Tia said, leaning back. "What is it that you wish to know?"
"We want to find what this unlocks." Jack slapped the picture of the key down on the table. Tia stared at it, her face twisting into some unknown emotions, before she smiled.
"Why do you need my help for this, Jack?" she asked. "Is the compass you bartered from me not doing its job?" Jack sniffed and shrugged. "Ah, Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants! Has the Keyblade gone and got your priorities mixed up? Very well, then. Your key go to a chest, but not just any old chest. This key go to the Dead Man's Chest."
"The Dead Man's Chest?" Sora repeated.
"Aye, and it is what is inside the chest that you seek, yes?"
"What is in the chest?" Will asked.
"Gold? Jewels?" Pintel asked excitedly.
"Nothing bad I hope," Ragetti gulped.
"Nay, tis not riches but something much more valuable! You all know of Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman?" There was of shuffle of uncertainness that went through the group. Tia chuckled. "He was true man of the sea, a sailor the likes of which would put any other to shame. Or he was until he ran afoul that which vexes all men." Everyone was clueless to this one.
Amazingly, it was Jack who filled in the blanks. "A woman." All the men were slow to come to this conclusion but soon realized that was the best of all answers.
"Aye, a woman," Tia laughed. "He fell in love."
"I heard it was the sea he fell in love with," Gibbs interjected.
"Sea? Woman? They are the same story, merely different versions, all of which are true! It was a woman as changing, harsh and untamable as the sea itself. He loved her as much as a man could. But with such a love could only come great pain, but not enough to cause him to die, as Davy Jones soon came to realize. There was one thing he could do to relieve him of such pain, and he placed that very same thing in the chest you now seek."
Will gulped. "What did he put in the chest?"
Tia smiled creepily. "Him heart."
Sora's eyes widened in disbelief. "His...heart? Literally, his heart?"
"He can't literally put his heart in a chest!" Pintel stammered, then gulped. "Can he?"
"He can, and he did. It was simply not worth the small, fleeting joy life brings. So he carved out him heart, locked it away in a chest, and hid the chest from the world. The key he keeps with him at all times."
"Yes, but we don't need that key anymore!" Jack declared, crumbling up the parchment and throwing it over his shoulder. Will picked it up and put it in his pocket anyway. "For we have the best key that ever be found. Me! Me the key! I am the key! Key me!" He grinned devilishly.
"Are you sure about that, Jack?" Tia asked mysteriously, her face twisting into a knowing smile. "You have it all figured out? Captain Jack Sparrow is now free to do as he pleases." Her smile widened. "Or maybe there are things about the Keyblade that you do not yet understand." Sora looked at her in amazement.
Whatever hope or confidence Jack had was dashed when Tia said that. "Always a pleasure talking with you, Tia," Jack grumbled sourly. "Perhaps it's time to pay ole' Davy Jones a visit and look for this key, eh? Now, with that in mind-"
"Let me see your hand," Tia ordered, standing up. Jack stopped in his tracks.
"Uh, very well!" He showed her his left hand. Tia frowned scrupulously. Jack sighed in defeat, and showed her his wrapped up right hand. Tia sniffed and ripped off the bandages, revealing on Jack's hand-
"AH! The Black Spot!" Gibbs gasped in terror. He quickly spun around, rubbed his hands on his chest, and spat on the ground. Pintel and Ragetti looked at each other, shrugged, and did the exact same thing.
"You are a marked man, Jack Sparrow," Tia Dalma sneered contemptuously. "You owe a debt to Davy Jones and you've no choice but to pay it."
Sora put together what he'd been told, then turned angrily to Jack. "That's the only reason you came with us, isn't it? It wasn't so you could help us, it was so you could get away from this Davy Jones guy!"
"What! No!" Jack gasped dramatically. "No. No! No, no, no, no, no, no!" He grinned innocently. "Well, yes."
"Ya cannot hide from Davy Jones, Jack," Tia laughed. "He is the sea itself! Wherever there be water, Davy Jones is but a heartbeat away. No matter where you are, no matter what world you may hide on, Davy Jones will find you." She went into the back of her hut, muttering to herself as she did so. "Davy Jones cannot step foot on land but once every ten years. Land is where you'll be safe, Jack Sparrow, but not forever. So you will take land with you at all times." She returned carry a jar, and handed it to Jack. The captain stared into the jar and its contents.
"Dirt?" he dead panned. "This is a jar of dirt." Tia nodded. "You're giving me a jar of dirt." Tia nodded again. "Is the jar of dirt going to help me?"
"You don't want it, give it back," Tia said.
"No!" Jack pouted, suddenly very attached to his jar of dirt.
"Alright, enough," Sora growled, stepping up. "If this helps you, Jack, and gets me the map back, then I'll do it. But after that, I'm leaving, and this time, Jack, you're not coming with me." Jack sniffed disdainfully, clutching his jar of dirt tighter.
"That was cold," Ragetti whispered.
"Tell me about it," Pintel grumbled.
"Tia, tell us where the Flying Dutchman is so we can end this," Sora declared.
"Very well, then," Tia said with a sly smile. In her hands she collected bones and stones, tossing them on the table. She hummed to herself, reciting some kind of ancient chant, reaching across distance and magic to find what she wanted. Her eyes reopened once the chant was complete.
"The Flying Dutchman will appear here," she said as she jotted the coordinates on a map. "I hope you're ready for him."
"Tia, your freaky voodoo never ceases to amaze me!" Jack grinned, taking the map. "Alright, mates, back to the Pearl. Wipe your feet, now." Sora followed them as they all began to leave the hut, when Tia Dalma grabbed him by the arm and spun him back to face her.
"Beware, Sora, scion of Skywalker," she said, giving a smile. "You and Jack...you're not the only Keyblades that sail these seas."
KHKHKHKH
The Black Pearl moved stealthily through the maze of rocks presented before it. Not far off lay a ship, completely marooned on the rocks, never to sail again. Sora and Will looked at each other awkwardly as rain poured down heavily from above. "That's the Flying Dutchman?" Will asked incredulously.
"It doesn't look like much," Sora noted.
"Neither do you," Jack said coming up behind them. "But don't underestimate her, there's more than meets the eye. All you have to do is find the key, and get your butts out of there. Now, what did I tell you to do?"
"Kill anything that moves," they sighed.
"There you go! There may be hope for you boobs yet! Alright, off you go. Your chariot awaits!" Sora and Will climbed down the ladder to the rowboat Pintel and Ragetti had prepared for them. "One last thing!" Jack called down to them. "If you happen to meet old Jones, tell him Jack Sparrow sent you to settle his debt! Might save your life!" Both of them frowned at each other but nodded. They cast off the Black Pearl and headed for the shipwreck.
Jack watched them go, his eyes narrowing. "Gibbs," he muttered to his first-mate. "Douse the lamps." Gibbs nodded resolutely and he and the crew went off to do it. Sora and Will, meanwhile, rowed on, oblivious to the Black Pearl disappearing into the darkness behind them.
"I'm surprised you're still willing to help Jack, Sora," Will whispered as they came upon the broken vessel. "After what he pulled, I'd figured you' be furious."
"I know," Sora sighed. "But whether he lied or not Jack still helped us, even if he didn't know it. I owe him this much at least." Will nodded understandingly.
They reached the ship, which for some reason looked like it had been ripped in half rather than crashed on the rocks. Will tied the boat off and they went aboard. "Hey, look," Sora whispered. Up ahead a man was pulling frantically on a rope as if trying to raise the sails except there were no sails to be raised. His hands were raw and bleeding from doing it so much, mumbling incoherently to himself as he did.
"Sailor, it's no use," Will said as they approached him. "The ship is lost. You've run aground."
But the sailor shook his head frantically. "Not aground," he whimpered, eyes filled with madness and fear. "B-Beneath us. It came from...beneath us." His widened further. "Foul breath..." Sora and Will looked around, finding there were other sailors huddled here and there, whimpering in terror like children.
A loud splash behind them made them draw their weapons, and they saw someone crawl weakly out of the water. "Hey! You okay?" Sora shouted as they ran to help him. They rolled him over. "AHHH!" they both screamed. The man's face had been suctioned clean off, leaving only a slab of skin in its place. "What the-?"
WHOOOOOOSSSSHHHH
Sora spun around, gripping his Keyblade tighter when it burst from the water, a huge galleon the likes of which he had never seen in his life. It looked like an underwater reef, covered in barnacles, corral, anemones, starfishes, its sails made of thick kelp, and its mast resembling that of a gaping crocodile. The words Flying Dutchman were imprinted on its hull, and Sora realized they had walked right into a trap.
That's when they came. Bursting from the very wooden deck around them came a hideous collection of men combined with beasts. They resembled eels and shrimp, seahorses and sharks, barnacles and pufferfish, all terrifying mixtures, twisted parodies of their original forms. They laughed and swarmed over the ship, its surviving sailors screaming in terror as they were gathered up, and soon moving on to Sora and Will.
"Down on your marrowbones and pray!" snarled a hammerhead shark, and they all attacked. Sora Swung his Keyblade and Will his sword, fighting the creatures back to back with all the skill they could muster, but were quickly surrounded.
"Look out!" Will shouted. He smashed the lantern he had brought, the oil and fire igniting his sword, and he swung it about to fend them off.
"Will! Look out!" Sora yelled, but he was too late to save Will from getting clubbed by a ball and chain. "Will! No!" He swung his Keyblade, slicing open a monster's stomach, guts and fish and seaweed spilling out. Sora gagged at the sight, wanting to throw up, and that was all the distraction that was needed for him to be punched right in the face by a broad muscled monster.
When Sora came to he saw that he, Will and the terrified survivors of the doomed ship had been lined up on their knees, the freakish monsters surrounding them. As his eyes began to focus again, he saw the one that had slugged him. He was broad and muscled, still retaining some humanity to him unlike his friends. His skin was a pale green, with corals and anemones growing along the length of his left arm, his right hand gripping three golden-clawed brass knuckles.
Sora's eyed widened. "Sa'luk?" he whispered. Sa'luk turned to him when he was addressed. It was the last remaining member of the Forty Thieves alright, but what was he doing here? Sa'luk growled angrily, obviously recognizing him, then strode off to mingle with the rest of the monsters.
Thud. The survivors shivered. Thud. They clasped their hands together and prayed to whoever was listening. THUD. The time for praying had past. The captain of the Flying Dutchman had arrived. Slimy green skin and a beard consisting of probing tentacles and other valves and pustules, a lobster stump for a right leg, and an enormous lobster claw for his right arm. This was Davy Jones. He looked over the assembled prisoners disdainfully, and inserted a pipe in his mouth, blowing out the match with one of the many blow holes on his face. Slowly, he bent down to the closest survivor, which happened to be the man trying futilely to raise the sails earlier, and took a few puffs of his pipe.
"Do you fear death?" he asked the whimpering man. "Do you despise the void? Do you fear that dark abyss? Are all your deeds laid bare, your sins unpunished?" The man could only whimper, shaking uncontrollably. Jones smiled cruelly. "I can offer you an escape." The man's shaking seemed to lessen, as he brought his face to meet Jones' eyes.
"Don't listen to him!"
Jones rounded to the sailor who had said that. The man quickly looked away, clutching to his chest a small crucifix and rosary beads. Jones scowled, marched over to the man and clamped his claw around his throat. "Do you not fear death?" he asked.
The man bravely shook his head best he could in Jones' grip. "I'll take my chances." Davy Jones sniffed in disgust and released him.
"To the depths," he ordered coldly. It was none other than Sa'luk who grabbed the man's hair and raked his gold claws across his neck. Sora gaped in horror as they unceremoniously dumped his body in the sea.
"You cruel monster!" he shouted in righteous anger.
"Life is cruel," Jones replied calmly, putting out his pipe on his claw. "Why should the afterlife be any different? I offer you a choice!" he said to the same terrified sailor. "A hundred years in service of me. Postpone the judgement and become part of my crew."
"I-I-I will serve," the man whimpered. The monstrous crew around them laughed cruelly.
"Welcome to the crew," Jones laughed harshly. Two monsters grabbed the man and carried him off, with him screaming and whimpering the entire way.
He came to Sora and Will next. "And what's this?" He raised an eyebrow at Sora, leaned down and grabbed his head with his disfigured hand. He examined the boy throughly, and his eyes flared in anger. "You stink of the Keyblade, boy. I did not think there were any of you left after the war." Sora's mouth fell open in disbelief. "Tell me, what brings a Keyblade bearer neither dead nor dying to my waters? What be your purpose here?" Sora and Will looked at each other awkwardly.
"Jack Sparrow sent us to settle his debt," Sora answered. Jones tentacle beard curled up tightly, his eyes growing dark and angry, before he sneered.
"What be your purpose here?" he asked amusingly.
"Jack Sparrow?" Will repeated again. "Sent us to settle his debt?"
Back on the Pearl, Jack Sparrow watched it all unfold from his telescope, smiling as Jones confronted Sora and Will. All according to plan so far. Then suddenly, Jones straightened up, and he looked right at Jack. The Captain winced and lowered his telescope, immediately wishing he hadn't.
Davy Jones stood there not less than three feet in front of him, frowning as he gave Jack the stare down. Suddenly, Jones' monsters appeared out of the shadows, surrounding Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, Pintel and Ragetti. They yelped and whimpered as they were quickly taken captive.
And all Jack could say to all this was, "Oh..."
Jones walked towards Jack, so obviously Jack backed away. "Davy Jones!" he stammered. "Long time no see! You look well!" Jack's Keyblade suddenly appeared and Jones caught it with his claw inches from his neck. Jones looked at the Keyblade in astonishment, then in turn at its owner, before he wrenched it from Jack's hand and threw it across the deck. Jack could only grin helplessly. "Can't take a joke?"
"You have a debt to pay, Jack Sparrow," Jones growled. "Thirteen years ago you begged me to raise the Black Pearl from the depths so you could captain her once more. I did so in exchange for your very soul. Now it is time for you to pay up. A hundred years service aboard my ship should more than settle it. Wielder of the Keyblade or not!"
"Technically, I was only captain for three of those years, then I was viciously mutinied upon."
"Then you were a poor captain but a captain nonetheless. Did you not introduce yourself all these years as 'Captain' Jack Sparrow?" He and his crew laughed harshly. Jack winced. Who knew that would come back to haunt him?
"You've got a soul to serve!" Jack declared, pointing back at the shipwreck. "See? Threw in another one just to sweeten the deal! Two strapping young souls all for you!"
"One soul is not equal to another!" Jones thundered. "And that goes for two as well!"
"Aha! So we've established my proposal, now we're just haggling over price!" Jones frowned. Jack had suckered him into this one but good. "Just how many souls do you think my soul is worth?" Jones sniffed and smiled.
"One hundred souls," he declared, smiling cruelly. "In three days."
"I'm flattered you regard me so highly, mate. Just send me the boys back and we'll be on our merry way."
"I keep the boys," Jones stated. "That leaves ninety-eight souls to go." Jack frowned and puckered his lips.
"Very well, then. Though, I'd say Will Turner is worth at least four souls. Then there's Sora, worth at least ten, that one! Saved the universe, or so I've heard. I never seem to be around when he does. Oh, and did I mention..." Here Jack smiled. "He's in love." Davy Jones scowled. "With a girl," Jack quickly added. "They both are, in fact, although the latter is loath to admit having fallen for said red-haired lass. Never again will they see each other. Never will they experience young love. To separate him from her and her from him before such feelings could be confessed, would only be half as cruel as to allow them to be spoken."
A sad and far off look came over Davy Jones' face, remembering a time long ago, and a face...
Jones turned back to Jack. "I keep the boys. Ninety-eight souls."
Jack shrugged. He tried after all. "You're the boss, er, squid!" Jones suddenly grabbed Jack's right hand making him jump with fright.
"Three days," Jones whispered again. He pulled his hand away, leaving a great deal of slime on Jack's hand but, when he looked at his palm, he saw the Black Spot vanish. "Good luck, Captain Jack Sparrow. You're going to need it!" Davy Jones laughed and so did his crew, releasing the terrified Black Pearl captives and following their captain. Soon, they all disappeared into the shadows.
Jack was still staring at his hand when they left. "Captain!" Gibbs hissed. "You don't mean to leave young Master Sora and Turner?"
"Nothing I can do, Gibbs," Jack sighed, wiping the slime off on Gibbs' shirt. "Besides, it was either them or you."
Gibbs recoiled. "You made the right choice then, Captain!" he stammered. "Now, how exactly do you intend to harvest these ninety-eight souls?"
"Fortunately, Jones never specified in what condition these souls need be," Jack remarked smugly.
A knowing smile spread on Gibbs' face. "So we be setting course for Tortuga, then?"
"Aye, Tortuga! Set sail, get us the hell out of here!" Gibbs nodded and ran to take the helm. Jack meanwhile, watched out in the sea as the Flying Dutchman sailed away into the darkness of the night, taking with it its two newest crew members.
And that concludes another chapter. Be sure to write nice reviews, adapt the original story (Darius Almighty's work) on DeviantArt, turn it into a webcomic or post the story on TV tropes or follow and favorite it. And remember may your heart be your guiding key!