Chapter 62: keyblades of the caribbean
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 visit Tortuga for the second time! Sometimes I wish Tortuga would play a part in actual game!
With that out of the way, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!
"Tortuga!" Silver laughed in his hologram disguise as he led the Keyblade bearers into the pirate capital of the Caribbean. There were pirates everywhere, drinking rum, chasing wenches, getting into fights, doing everything one would expect a pirate to do. "This was the first place I came when I first arrived here! Jack always spoke of the fulfillment you'd find only here! I may have left the pirate life behind me, but there's always room for a bit of fun in me diet!" He snatched himself a bottle of rum from a passed out man.
"We're not here for fun, we're here for Jack," Kairi said looking around. "Except we don't know if he's even here or not."
"He is here!" Elizabeth marched up with Beast and Aladdin at her sides, now wearing the clothes of a cabin boy, having abandoned her frilly, expensive wedding dress for something more practical. "The Black Pearl is in the harbour. The crew said Jack went into town to take care of some business, whatever that is."
"You know this is exactly the kind of place I would expect Jack to come from," Beast noted disdainfully. "Loud, drunk and bad smelling."
"Still," Aladdin said looking around with amusement. "It does look like fun!"
"This place is awesome!" po cheered.
The doors to a brothel burst open and dozens of wenches ran out screaming. "Oh, come on!" Jack Skellington called after them. "I said I needed a lovely assistant! But you guys will have to do! Oh, don't run!"
Mulan and sonic walked up then, both looking ticked off. "We can't find him anywhere," Mulan reported, looking over her shoulder every so often. "We asked around but couldn't get any straight answers. These people are insane!"
"Not to mention shameless," sonic growled. Everywhere he went saucy barmaids would follow, fawning over how adorable his spikes were.
"Of course you didn't get any answers," Silver chuckled, shaking his head. "You're doing it all wrong. This is Tortuga! You have to ask like a pirate." He grabbed the closest man by his scuff and shouted, "We're looking for Jack Sparrow, you seen him!?" The man yelped and ran in the other direction.
"Now you're talking," sonic growled anxiously.
"AWK! Join the Black Pearl!" All their eyes, or in Silver's case eye, turned to the sky, where a colourful parrot flew by overhead. "AWK! Join the Black Pearl! AWK! Join the Black Pearl!" it squawked and flew off elsewhere to deliver its message.
"Did it just say-?" Kairi asked.
"It did," Elizabeth growled.
"Join the Black Pearl!" Pintel shouted, he Ragetti, Marty and Cotton passing out fliers to any sailor who was drunk enough to consider but wasn't too drunk to stand. "Do you think you have what it takes to sail under Captain Jack Sparrow? Sail the seven seas on the most famous pirate ship in the Caribbean! There'll be gold! Jewels!"
"Unclaimed properties of a valuable nature!" Ragetti put in. "Hello, good sir, would you like to..." The wooden eyed man's voice trailed off when the very intimidating Beast stepped up, squeaking in fear when one of the fliers was snatched from his hand. Beast quickly read it over, his face twisting into a scowl.
"I think I found him," he grumbled, holding up the flier for the rest to see. A crudely drawn picture of Jack Sparrow was drawn on the page, and the words 'Join the Black Pearl' were written in big bold letters.
"Aw, hey there little fella!" Jack Skellington exclaimed cheerfully, rubbing the head of Marty. "Out here playing pirate? Isn't that cute! Where are your parents?" Marty's face scrunched up angrily, and punched Jack straight in the gut. Jack keeled over clutching his stomach. "So not cool..." And he went down like a champ.
In a tavern full of drunkards, wenches and a band of pirates creating a harmonious melody with their instruments was where the recruitment for said pirate ship was taking place. Gibbs had set up a small table in the back where a long line of wannabe pirates had already begun to form. They weren't the cream of the crop, but it wasn't like they had time to be choosy.
"How we doing, Gibbs?" Jack asked cheerfully as he walked up.
"Let's just say your reputation precedes you," Gibbs replied dourly.
Jack winced. "That bad, eh? Well, what do you have to complain about? I'm the one who's out of rum."
"It's a good thing we're in a tavern, then."
Jack mulled that over. "Good point! Keep up the good work, Gibbs, I'll return with rum." He turned around for the bar, and suddenly walked into a very hairy chest. The pirate's eyes slowly turned upwards, and met the eyes of one irritated Beast. "B-B-Beasty!?" Jack stammered jumping back, finding Beasty wasn't alone. All his old Keyblade friends were with him, and none of them looked very happy. "H-Hey! You're all here! W-Why?"
"Where's Sora?" Kairi asked angrily.
"Eh?"
"And what do you think you're doing Jack?" Mulan demanded.
"What?"
"You think you can just take up and leave?" sonic growled.
"Huh?"
"So what?" Beast asked grudgingly, crossing his arms. "You just decided to ditch us and play around with your pirate buddies again?"
"And one angry little boy," Jack Skellington groaned, still clutching his stomach.
Of all the things that could happen to Jack, them showing up right now was the worst. "I'd love to answer all the questions you may or may not have regarding anything, but first I'm going to need rum. A lot more rum!"
"Jack Sparrow!" Silver laughed forcibly pulling Jack into a one-armed hug. "How ya been, man? Still the same ole' son of a gun, I see! Why didn't ya tell me you were back?"
"As much as I love to be complimented, have we met, mate?" Jack asked. Silver grinned slyly and flipped up his eyepatch, revealing his bionic eye. Jack's mouth fell open. "Silver!" he chuckled nervously. "Me ole' cyborg chum! Uh, hope you're not still sore about that Treasure Planet incident?"
"You mean when you tried to take the treasure yourself and left me and me crew for dead?" Jack winced and nodded. Silver only laughed, though. "All in the past, mate! It all worked out in the end!"
"Jack, where is Sora?" Kairi demanded. "He came here looking for you, Jack, because he's your friend. It wasn't because you stole the map it was because he wanted to know why you left. I know he was here, now where is he?" Jack hid a distraught look. This was the last thing he needed right now.
Until a wicked idea formed in his wicked idea-forming mind.
"Alas, poor Sora," he suddenly sighed. "Very well, my friendly friends, I will tell you why I abandoned ship the way I did. It was to protect all of you! For you see, Captain Jack has a little outstanding debt to the one known as Davy Jones."
"Davy Jones!?" Silver gasped in horror. "The cursed captain of the Flying Dutchman?! What in the samhill did you ever do to get on his bad side?"
"Probably just being himself," Beast mumbled. Jack opened his mouth to retort but, mulling it over, closed his mouth and shrugged.
"Who's Davy Jones?" po asked curiously.
"Only the lord and master of all things wet!" Jack announced boisterously. "He rules the seas with an iron fist, er, claw! You can't take a bath without him knowing about it, which is why I don't take them. I left because I didn't want to involve all of you in matters of my own. But Sora, brave Sora, good friend that he is, came to help me. I should have seen it coming. But as valiant as Sora and William were, they could not stop old squid face."
"They were captured?" Kairi asked worriedly.
"Uh, yeah sure! Captured in the service of their captain. How I wanted to give Davy what for, but they had none of it! They fought tooth and nail to ensure that old Captain Jack and his crew could escape! It brings a tear to me eye just thinking about it." Jack tried his hardest but no tears came to his face. "Oh, must've let them all go earlier on."
"So what's this crew thing for?" Aladdin asked.
"Oh, I'm forming a crew to, uh, save them." Jack smiled wryly. "Aren't I a blooming hero, eh?"
"Is this true?" Kairi asked in all seriousness.
"Cross me heart and hope to fly!" Jack declared at once. "If Sora was brave enough to come help me than I'm going to save him too, dammit! But of course, I could use some help. Will you do me the privilege, nay, the honour, of joining my crew, that we may rescue my friends, our friends, from the clutches of that nasty, slimy, puke-face Davy Jones?"
Jack Skellington wiped a tear from his eye. "Aye, aye, Captain!"
"If it's for Sora," Kairi muttered.
"Aye, I can't let my cabin boy down," Silver announced bravely. "Even if it means spitting in the face of Davy Jones himself."
"There you go!" Jack grinned. "Stand together or fall apart, right? Now, go on and mingle. Leave all the work to your friend, Captain Jack." Everyone walked off into the tavern. Mulan happened to catch Jack's eye on the way. He smiled and winked at her, which she returned with a glare before she, too, walked off.
Jack sighed tiredly after giving the performance of his life. "Seven more for the list, Gibbs," he whispered. Gibbs nodded and jotted it down on the roster.
"Who's next?"
"I am." A surly man stepped up to the table. He wore what must once had been a fine officers uniform, a ruined powdered wig on his head, and he reeked of alcohol. But to Gibbs, he looked awfully familiar. "I once knew a Jack Sparrow. I spent a great deal of time chasing him, in fact. I sailed right through a hurricane to catch him. Cost me my ship, my crew, and my life." When he finished he downed a bottle of rum.
Gibbs' eyes widened. "Commodore Norrington?"
"No, not anymore! Weren't you listening!?" James Norrington snarled, slamming his rum on the table. "I lost everything thanks to him. Thanks to ONE MAN!" He knocked the table over, Gibbs with it. All music and talking in the bar stopped and all were now focused on the clearly drunk former Commodore. "So do I make the crew? Am I worthy to sail under Captain Jack Sparrow?"
"Friend of yours?" Kairi asked Jack. But when she turned around, Jack had disappeared. She caught him trying to sneak out of the bar, using a palm leaf as poor camouflage.
"So this is what it's like when Jack ruins your life," sonic muttered.
"I've underestimated him," Aladdin commented.
"I've often wondered what would happen if I met Sparrow again!" Norrington rambled on, stomping around the tavern like a madman, everyone giving him room. "Should I run my sword through his gut? Make him walk the plank? Hang him like he was meant to be?" Suddenly, he spun around, and pointed his pistol at Jack. "Or should I simply shoot him through the head?"
Jack peeked out from behind his palm leaf and grinned sheepishly. "Uh...you're hired!"
Norrington smiled as well. "Sorry," he said, cocking his pistol. "Old habits and all that."
"What's this fic rated?" Jack Skellington asked po.
"Not high enough!" po replied. He knocks Norrington's pistol off course when it fired, the bullet shattering someone's rum bottle. The man next to him laughed, so he was promptly punched in the face. That was all it took to start an entire barroom brawl...which didn't stop the band from playing a merry jig.
Beast grabbed two men and slammed them both painfully together. "I think that's our cue to leave!"
"Are you kidding?" sonic shouted. "This is the most fun I've had in days!" He punched a man clear through the window and into the street.
"What is it with you men?" Mulan groaned, holding pirates at bay with her martial arts. "Do you like to fight just to see who can hit the hardest?" She rounded and kicked a pirate, sending him spinning.
"Hey! Don't lump me with them!" Aladdin cried indignantly. A pirate rushed for him and he flipped him over his shoulder, crashing him through a table.
"It's not like that at all!" Silver laughed, dodging the under a swinging chair. "It's merely a bit of fun between friends! And besides, I can hit the hardest!" A man brought his sword down on him and he blocked it with his arm, damaging his holographic projector and dropping his disguise. The pirate gasped flabbergasted when he saw he struck an arm made of metal. "Yeah, that's right! I'm a freak!" He promptly punched the man with his other arm.
Jack Sparrow and Gibbs sneakily avoided any physical contact as they made their way through the ruckus, though Jack did peruse a fine selection of new hats; none of them suited the pirate's fine taste in head wear, though. "Time to go!" he announced calmly.
"Time to go?" po cheered, swinging upside down from the chandelier above. "But I'm just getting started!" He let go of the chandelier and stomped on the head of the closest man.
"We've got to listen to him, po!" Jack Skellington called, grinning at in excitement. "After all, he's our captain now!" Grabbing po by the hands he spun him around, letting him kick the pirates, knocking them back in a circle.
Elizabeth entered the fray then, astonished at the goings on, but even more shocked when she saw Norrington fencing in the middle of it all. "Come on then!" he yelled, guzzling more rum. "Who want's some?! Form an orderly line! James Norrington will no longer be life's whipping boy!" Suddenly Elizabeth was beside him having fought her own way across the room. He ogled her in disbelief, easily recognizing her despite the boy clothes she wore. Taking the rum bottle from his hand, she smashed it over his head, effectively knocking him out.
All fighting and horseplay stopped and everyone looked at her in surprise. "I, uh, just wanted the pleasure of doing that myself!" she stated. They all cheered unanimously, gathered up the unconscious former Commodore and headed for the exit.
"One...two...three!" Norrington was hurled out the door and into the pig sty outside, the pirates laughing as they went back inside. He blubbered in the mud miserably as he tried to crawl out of the slippery pit, when a hand reached down to help him up.
"James Norrington," Elizabeth sighed sympathetically. "What has the world done to you?"
KHKHKHKH
Through the seas and the storms sailed the Flying Dutchman, a haunting sight to behold that dark night. Wherever it went the sound of ominous organ music followed. From the captain's quarters before a massive organ that sprouted with aquatic life forms sat Davy Jones. With hand and claw and tentacle beard he poured his very soul into the music he played, the only outlet for the pain he carried always, and always felt, heart within his chest or not.
"Faster, you seadogs!" the Boson snarled, cracking his cruel whip across the back of any unfortunate crew-monster caught in its path. "I'll flay the skin from your bones if you don't hurry up!"
"Not exactly a motivational speaker, is he?" Sora laughed, nearly tearing his arm out as he and Will helped the other monsters tie down the errant lines.
"I'm impressed you can still make jokes at a time like this!" Will screamed amongst the storm and the organ music.
"Well, just thinking about all the things I'm gonna do to Jack when we get out of this is all I need to keep going! You should try it!"
"Arghh! Secure the mast tackle, Mister Turner!" the Boson shouted cracking his whip.
Will spat out more sea water. "I'll be back!" He stumbled past Sora and up the steps to the line that threatened to snap at any given moment. The cannon it supported swayed precariously above the other crewmen, where it would fall if the rope was not secured in time.
Will quickly grabbed the line before that could happen, but some other crew-monster grabbed it right after him. "Move aside! I've got this!"
"Step aside, boy! Unless your name be Turner!" the monster shouted back.
"As a matter of fact, it is!" At that moment, lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the features of both men. For a moment, neither spoke or moved, both lost in realization.
"No," Bootstrap Bill Turner whispered in abject horror. "No. Not you! Not you, too!" In his state he accidently let go of the rope, letting it fly and taking Will with it. Down came the cannon, knocking all the monsters underneath it off their feet.
The Boson roared with fury. "Haul him to his feet! We'll teach him how things work 'round here!" A crab and an anemone grabbed Will by his arms and held him face-first against the mast. The Boson stepped up, whip clutched in his hands.
"Will, no!" Sora gasped when he saw what was happening.
"Heh, nice to see it happening to someone else for a change," Sa'luk chuckled cruelly, crossing his broad arms, ready to enjoy the show.
"Five lashes ought to remind you where you're at, boy!" the Boson roared, rearing back for the first lash.
"No!" Bootstrap cried, grabbing the Boson's arm before the strike could fall.
"Impeding me of my duties?" the Boson sneered without contemp. "You'll share the punishment!"
"I'll take it all!" Bootstrap snarled with newfound boldness.
"Will you now?" All nonsense stopped and lightning struck above when Davy Jones himself joined the party. "And what would make you go so far for pond scum such as this?" Jones' smile tightened. He already knew the truth behind the matter.
Bootstrap's arms fell to his sides in defeat. "He's...he's my son." He turned to look at Will, who was staring back at him in shock. "He's my son."
Davy Jones laughed cruelly. "Isn't this a beautiful reunion? Now, I think it's time to discipline your child." Jones grabbed the whip from the Boson and held it before Bootstrap. "I believe it was five lashes that be owed."
Bootstrap shook his head at such a horrible order. "No. No! I won't do it!" Sora suddenly leapt from the assembled monsters, Keyblade drawn to cut Jones down, only for the captain to turn and clamp his claw around the boy's throat. Sora was forced to drop the Keyblade and clutched the claw as he was lifted off his feet.
"It seems we have quite the upstart among us," Jones growled, roughly throwing Sora to the ground where he was easy prey for the monstrous crew. "Perhaps he should bear the punishment as well! Be it by your hands, Mister Turner, or the Boson's!"
"No!" Bootstrap shouted, and he took the whip. "Enough. I'll do it." Davy Jones eyes narrowed, stepping aside for it to be done. The crewmen holding Will down ripped open his shirt to expose his bare back. Bootstrap frowned miserably, reared back with the whip, and let it fly. Snap! Will clenched his jaw when the whip struck bare flesh. Snap! Sora looked away when another lash fell. Snap! Tears mingled with rainwater as Bootstrap was forced to lash again. Snap! Snap!
When the deed was done Will was dumped aside, his back bloodily carved open, the crew going back to their work. Will refused any help Sora or his 'father' offered him. "The Bosun prides himself on cleaving flesh from bone with every swing," Bootstrap explained as best he could. "You'd be dead if I'd allowed him to do it."
"So what you did was an act of mercy?" Will spat angrily. Bootstrap could only nod sadly. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead."
"Sorry to disappoint you," Bootstrap chuckled. "I almost did die that day, William. But by swearing an oath to Davy Jones, I was able to live again."
"What do you mean?" Sora couldn't help but say.
"Once you've sworn an oath to the Flying Dutchman, you must serve its captain for a hundred years. One hundred years before the mast." Bootstrap idly touched the starfish suctioned to his face. "With each day that passes, we lose ourselves bit by bit, until we become part of the Dutchman ourselves."
Will shook his head. "We swore no oath."
"What?" Bootstrap gasped hopefully. "Then why are you here? What would have possessed you to come to such a place?"
"Two words," Will answered angrily. "Jack Sparrow." Bootstrap's mouth fell open. "Yes, looks like we have a lot to talk about."
KHKHKHKH
"You get involved in one brawl and suddenly you're stuck cleaning up the place," Beast muttered sourly, propping an overturned table back up.
"Would you rather be with Jack and the others loading up the ship?" sonic asked throwing an unconscious man into the streets.
"I would like to be as far away from Jack as possible," Beast growled. "And yet, for some reason, here I am, on his world!"
Aladdin came in the broken doors. "We're just about ready to cast off," he reported. "Kairi! Did you hear! We're almost ready to go!" Kairi sat by herself at the bar, not drinking or anything, just kinda sulking. Aladdin frowned when she didn't answer him. "What's wrong with her?"
"Come on," sonic sighed tiredly. "The person she likes has been abducted by an evil villain. You should know what that's like."
"Uh, ouch?" Aladdin said indignantly.
The saloon doors at the entrance swung open and someone strode inside. No one noticed when he casually walked inside, past the busy sonic and Beast and heading straight for the bar. He leaned against it right beside Kairi. "Hey, can I buy you a drink?"
Kairi shook her head. "No, sorry, I'm just-" Her words caught in her throat, and her blood ran cold.
Aradan smiled beneath his helmet. "Hi," he said, just before he slammed his Keyblade through the bar. Kairi screamed and fell backwards.
"What the!?" Beast gasped in shock. Aradan dislodged his Keyblade Armageddon's Key from the wrecked bar.
"Uh, who is that?" Aladdin stammered.
"Bad guy," Kairi explained jumping back to them, whipping her Keyblade out in the process. "REAL bad!"
"Now, is that anyway to treat an old friend?" Aradan asked mockingly. sonic pounced, clashing his Keyblade against Aradan's. "Now that's more like it!" He easily knocked the hedgehog back then followed up with a firaga to his chest. Aladdin went in next with higher than average speed, only to be clotheslined across the chest.
"I think I'm getting the idea," Aladdin rasped painfully from the floor. Kairi fell to the ground soon after him. Beast was doing a bit better, trading blows with the Chaser skillfully, when Aradan kneed him in the stomach. Beast hunched over and Aradan quickly hit him with his Keyblade's hilt, sending him down too.
"This is all good fun, I assure you," Aradan sighed irritably. "But tell me, where is Sora?"
"What do you care?" Beast snarled, wincing painfully from the hit he took.
"What do I care? Sora is the only one who provides me with good sport. He's the only real challenge I can find amongst you. And Xemnas was quite particular about doing away with him. But now it seems he has disappeared off the face of the earth. Care to explain? He's not dead, is he?"
"No!" Kairi snapped fiercely. "If you don't know, why don't you go ask Davy Jones?" Aradan tilted his head.
"Davy Jones?" he whispered questioningly. "The Davy Jones? He's still around?" He shook his head. "Boy, do I feel sorry for Sora." Kairi growled angrily, and despite her better judgement, charged the Chaser head on. He swatted her aside and she painfully fell to the floor.
"Kairi!" Aladdin shouted. With a wave of his hand Aradan summoned Berserker Nobodies all around him, sonic and Beast, effectively cutting them off from helping.
"Or maybe it's you I should feel more sorry for," Aradan went on, stalking towards her. "What's the matter? Miss your boyfriend?" The Chaser deftly tilted his head to avoid Kairi's incoming fire spell. "You don't belong here, Kairi. Damsels in distress don't do the fighting." Again Kairi charged, but this time Aradan grabbed her by the throat. She gasped and flailed in his grip, dropping her Keyblade as he lifted her off the ground.
"I wonder how Sora would react if I did away with you?" he mused. "Maybe he would finally become the Keyblade bearer he was always meant to be." His Keyblade vanished from his other hand, and he flexed his fingers. "I was saving this for your friend Riku. But I don't mind sharing it with you as well!" Suddenly and without warning, Aradan shoved his arm through her chest. Kairi gasped as his hand simply phased through her body like she wasn't even there, searching inside her until he found what he was looking for. He grasped her heart in his ironclad grip. Kairi knew this feeling. I was the same years ago when the Heartless stole her heart. The Chaser was about to do the same thing.
Unbeknownst to any one of them, Aradan had opened the floodgates.
"ARRRGGGGHHHH!" Aradan suddenly screamed in pain. Kairi's eyes burst with bright light catching everyone by surprise. He quickly removed his hand and dropped Kairi. He stared at that same hand in shock. His armour had been burned clean off, leaving his normal flesh-coloured hand in its place. He breathed heavily, half from pain, the other from shock. What was that?
sonic cut clean through a Berserker and leapt to take down Aradan himself. "GRAVITY!" the Chaser shouted, and sonic was instantly pulled back to the ground, the sudden weight pressing him down to the floor. "Nice try," Aradan growled, summoning his Keyblade in his unarmoured hand. "But nothing can surprise me." Aradan would soon eat those words, when he suddenly sensed a powerful presence, directly behind him.
It was Kairi, on her feet, her normally blue eyes glowing with radiant light. She just stood there, staring blankly at Aradan like a zombie.
Aradan scoffed disdainfully. "What is this?" he chuckled amusingly. "Some kind of new tri-"
KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Aradan was blasted through the wall and into the street outside, colliding with a well in the town square.
sonic, Beast and Aladdin stared dumbfounded in disbelief at the hole in the wall, then at Kairi who calmly lowered her Keyblade. "Uh, Kairi?" Beast asked carefully. The remaining Berserker Nobodies charged at her, and with a wave of her Keyblade a blinding light incinerated them all. That's when they noticed that her Keyblade had changed. From its flowery form it had become sleek white, with a small star hanging from the hilt. Oathkeeper whistled through their heads. Without a look at them with her glowing white eyes, she strode outside.
Aradan dug himself out from the pile of bricks, growling at the pirates and wenches around him to scare them off, turning angrily to Kairi when she walked outside. "Little witch!" he yelled. He shot off a powerful fire spell, only for her to fizzle it out with a wave of her hand. Aradan gaped in disbelief. Readying his Keyblade, he ran to meet Kairi headlong and swung; Kairi deftly dodged it.
The other three soon ran outside to witness the spectacle. They watched as Kairi swiftly and gracefully dodged every attack Aradan made at her, performing jumps and flips that they had never seen her do before, as well as attacks that kept Aradan second guessing, that glowing light in her eyes shining all the while. They weren't sure who they should be more afraid of; Kairi or the Chaser.
"Shouldn't we help?" sonic asked. Aradan was thrown to the ground, barely rolling away before he was impaled by Kairi.
"Which one?" Aladdin responded.
The Chaser pressed his blade against Kairi in a test of strength. And against all possibility, she was winning. No matter how powerful Aradan was, Kairi wouldn't budge. "What...are you!?" he snarled. Kairi's response was another brilliant flash of light that sent him flying once again. He crashed into a warehouse, which must have been housing gunpowder, because the entire thing exploded soon after.
Kairi stood there stock-still; the glowing look in her eyes started to fade back to her weary blue ones. She started to collapse like a rag doll and Aladdin quickly caught her. She was asleep. Beast and sonic came up, and they all stared at her in astonishment.
"Time to go?" Beast offered.
Down by the docks, the Black Pearl's new crew was readying her for departure. "Almost ready, Captain!" Gibbs announced cheerfully. "We've recruited over fifty men! We've nearly made that hundred."
"'Nearly' doesn't pull my soul out of the fryer, Mister Gibbs," Jack Sparrow grumbled crankily.
"Captain Sparrow? I'm here to find the man I love."
Jack stopped dead in his tracks. "I'm...deeply flattered, son. But my first and foremost love is the sea."
"I meant William Turner." Jack's mouth went dry when he realized that he recognized that voice. He turned around and winced. He hated being right. Dressed in men's clothes Elizabeth Swann marched up to him, with a drunk Norrington swaying precariously behind her, who then vomited off the side of the dock.
"Elizabeth!" Jack exclaimed in nervous enthusiasm. He turned to Gibbs. "Hide the rum." Gibbs nodded and quickly went to do just that. "Hardly recognized you in those clothes. If you want, Mister Cotton owns a lovely dress I'm sure he could lend to you." Cotton, who had been standing nearby, quickly shuffled off before anyone could question him.
"Jack, I came here to find Will and Sora. They left Port Royal to seek you out. Where are they?" Jack nervously tugged on his collar.
"I'd love to answer such question, love," he began carefully. "But last I heard you were locked up tight in jail. How did you get here?"
"We brought her," Mulan explained casually as she boarded the ship.
"Yes, of course you did...," Jack growled angrily after her.
"Jack, answer me. Where are they?" Elizabeth demanded.
Jack cleared his throat. "Very well, love, but I'm afraid you won't like the answer. It seems, dreadfully, tragically, and unexpectedly, young Sora and Will have been press-ganged into Davy Jones' crew."
"Davy Jones?" Elizabeth repeated.
"Oh please," Norrington sneered, wiping the vomit from his mouth. "The captain of the Flying Dutchman?"
"I'm sorry, but why are you here?" Jack asked obtusely.
"You hired me, remember? But if I knew you chasing fairy tales I would have reconsidered."
"Lot's of strange stuff out there, former Commodore," Silver chuckled, hauling a large crate aboard, his steel implantments clear for anyone to see, including the shocked Norrington (and even more so when Jack Skellington walked past him, waving cheerfully).
"Is there anything we can do to save them?" Elizabeth asked worriedly.
"There is! All we need is a certain bargaining chip with which to persuade old Jones. For you see, there is a chest-"
"Oh dear Lord," Norrington groaned.
"There is a chest," Jack went on, despite the interruption. "Of unknown size and origin."
"We know what's in it though," Pintel sneered, carrying a box on board with Ragetti. "The still beating heart of Davy Jones!" Ragetti emphasized this by pretending he held it in his hands, his fingers flexing in and out, him laughing at Elizabeth's startled look.
"Yes, seems Jones carved it out of himself over some tiff with a girl. Figures, eh?" Elizabeth scowled at him. "Well, anyway, he carved out his heart and he locked it in a chest and hid it somewhere in this big wide world. All we need to do is find said chest, open it, take out the heart, and make old Jones see things our way, savvy?"
"And how do you intend to open this 'chest'?" Norrington asked bitingly. "With your skull?"
Jack smiled wryly. "Why the only way possible. With a key." When his Keyblade appeared in his hand Elizabeth and Norrington stumbled back, the later actually falling over. "Like it? Sorry, but you can only get one once you're as amazing as me."
Elizabeth snapped out of her stupor. "Alright then. Do you at least know where this chest is?"
Jack's smile quickly fell. "Well, not in a...literal sense. More of an 'it's out there somewhere and we'll find it' kind of sense." Elizabeth sighed hopelessly.
"Jack," she said patiently. "All I want is to find Will." Jack Sparrow groaned tiredly. Why was everyone coming to him with problems when he had problems of his...
Not for the first time, an idea formed in Jack's head. "Are you sure that's you want?"
"Of course," Elizabeth answered.
"I mean really sure? Positively, absolutely, without a doubt sure?"
"Yes, yes! What is this about?" Jack grinned widely. Still holding his Keyblade, he grasped onto the compass hanging from the hilt, and unhooked the chain. "You see this compass? Very special, it is. Not just because it hangs from a magical key. This compass points towards what you want most in this world."
"You've got to be kidding me," Norrington groaned.
"Quiet, you. Now, Elizabeth, my dear. What is it that you want most in this world right now?"
Elizabeth frowned. "To save Will."
"Exactly! And how do you intend to do that?" Elizabeth frowned bitterly. "Don't fret, love. You already know of a way. The only way to do that, is to find the heart, and therefore, find the chest. Ergo, coaxing Jones to free dear Sora and William. Am I right?" Jack placed the compass in her hands. "Think carefully now." He then stepped back to watch the magic at work.
Elizabeth held the compass in her hands, unbelieving that this could ever work. Still, all she wanted was Will back, and if that meant finding Jack Sparrow's stupid chest then so be it. So she concentrated with all her might, thinking only of Will. The wild spinning of the compass needle slowed to a steady stop. Her eyes widened in astonishment.
Jack managed himself a peek, and grinned at the result. "We have our heading!" he cheered. "Well, done, love. On the ship you go! And I suppose you can bring drinkity drunky with you." Norrington glared at the pirate. "All we need to do is recruit a few more souls - I mean, sailors - and we'll ready to cast off before you can say-"
"RUN!" Beast screamed at the top of his lungs, plucking Jack and Elizabeth off their feet and carrying them up the gangplank.
"Hey!" Norrington shouted after him. "Get your hands off her you filthy creature!" sonic quickly kicked the disgraced officer in the butt, effectively punting in him aboard the ship. Aladdin followed close behind carrying an unconscious Kairi.
"What happened?" Mulan exclaimed when she saw Kairi.
"Oh you know, this and that," sonic explained hurriedly. "But one other thing; WE HAVE TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"
"NO! Belay that!" Jack Sparrow shouted wrestling out of Beast's grip. "We don't leave yet! We can't leave yet! We don't have enough souls!"
"Uh, you mean sailors, don't you, Captain?" Gibbs whispered.
"Right! Sailors! We don't have enough of those! I might not have called the shots on our little adventures, but on my world, on my ship, I'm in charge, you hear?" Beast walked up to Jack, grabbed his head, and turned it so he could see what was happening in town.
A building suddenly exploded not far from where they were docked, as Aradan, an unstoppable juggernaut, crashed right through it, people running screaming to get away from him. He snarled ferally beneath his helmet, until his eyes landed on what he was seeking, the Black Pearl, docked not far off. He roared furiously and broke out into run straight for them.
Captain Jack's pupils constricted, and in the tiniest voice said, "Raise the anchor."
Aradan seemed to be picking up speed as the Pearl began to pull away from the pier. "Lord Almighty," Silver gasped when he spotted the monster. "Not another one of them. Man the cannons!"
"Oi! I give the orders on this ship!" Jack Sparrow shouted as he relieved Cotton of the helm. "And I say man the cannons!" Pintel and Ragetti hurriedly rolled up a large cannon and were ready to fire if it weren't for one thing.
"Fuse! We don't have a fuse!" Ragetti exclaimed in horror.
"What do you mean we don't have a fuse!?" Pintel cried. "How can we not have a fuse?! Fuses light cannons!"
"Stop yelling at me!" Ragetti whined.
"Move, you idiots!" Mulan snapped, pushing them aside to light it with her Keyblade herself. "Fire in the hole!" The cannon fired with a loud boom, and cannonballs hurtled towards the Chaser. With a swat of his massive Keyblade Aradan knocked them away one after the other, not even slowing him down.
"That's not good," po whimpered.
"Shoot at the docks! The docks!" Aladdin shouted urgently. Taking his advice Pintel and Ragetti quickly re-aimed the cannon and fired ball after ball into the wooden docks until the entire structure began to come apart. Aradan stumbled and fell when his footing gave out, giving the ship the time it needed get to a safe distance.
"Ha! Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!" Pintel laughed derisively. "Nobody messes with Pintel and Ragetti! You hear?!"
"Uh, Pintel?" Ragetti whimpered, pointing nervously back at the docks. Aradan suddenly sprang to his feet and ran along the length of the pier and jumped an impossible distance just as the dock collapsed beneath him. As Aradan hurtled towards the two pirates, Pintel and Ragetti screamed and held each other in fear.
Suddenly they saw a flash of red hair, and Kairi was in front of them, that same glowing look in her eyes, her Oathkeeper Keyblade raised at the quickly approaching Chaser. A burst of brilliant light exploded from the tip, hitting Aradan head on. He cried out in pain and was shot back over the water, where he landed with a giant splash. Aradan roared, flailing helplessly under the weight of his armour as he quickly sank down, his angry shouts becoming incoherent blubbering.
The glow in Kairi's eyes faded, and Pintel and Ragetti quickly caught her when she slumped backward, unconscious. "Well, then," Captain Jack said grinning as he steered the ship. "Pretty good trip all around then, eh?"
Aradan burst from the water with a sharp intake of air, coughing and spluttering as he crawled back onto the shores of Tortuga. Weak and injured, he could only watch as the Black Pearl sailed away; he let loose an enraged and loud bellow, one that promised swift revenge.
KHKHKHKH
"I wager ten years."
"I'll match ten years."
"Agreed."
Will watched silently as first-mate Hammerhead removed the cup covering his dice, and gasped in dismay. The ever present organ playing of Davy Jones was nearly drowned out by Pufferfish and Conch Shell's laughter. "Wondering how it's played?" Bootstrap asked as he came up behind his son.
Will shook his head. "I've got the gist of it. It's a game of deception. Your bet includes all the dice, not just your own." He frowned slightly. "What are they wagering?"
"The only thing we have left; years of service. A good player can shave off a few years, while a bad one could end up serving here forever. It's risky game, but else can we do?"
Will nodded slowly. "And anyone on the ship can be challenged?" Bootstrap nodded. "Where's Sora?"
Bootstrap shook his head sadly. "Bathroom detail." Will recoiled involuntarily but recollected himself.
"Good," he whispered. "He won't be interfering then." He stepped forward and with a clear voice said, "I challenge Davy Jones!" Whatever anyone was doing, they stopped when they heard that. Everyone looked at him in astonishment. Bootstrap looked at him in horror.
The organ music stopped.
The ominous clank of a stump on wood came from the top deck, the very wood shuddering under the approaching evil. Upon hearing this the crew laughed harshly at the foolishness of Will, who stayed calm regardless, with Bootstrap begging him to reconsider. But it was too late. The captain of the Flying Dutchman had arrived.
Lightning struck through the sky when Davy Jones stepped down. "I accept that challenge."
They pulled some crates together to form a makeshift table and chairs, with two cups filled with dice placed before Will and Jones. "And what will you be staking tonight, Mister Turner?" Davy Jones asked amusingly.
"My soul. An eternity of service to you," Will answered without missing a beat.
"No! You can't!" Bootstrap gasped. Jones smiled cruelly and nodded.
"Against?" Will slowly reached into his pocket, and pulled out a parchment, tossing it on the table. Jones frowned uncertainly and unfolded it with his claw. His eyes widened and his tentacle beard curled, all his blowholes puffed in and out in rapid succession.
"How do you know about the key?" he demanded quietly.
"That's not part of the game, is it?" Will replied smugly, setting down to play. "You can still walk away. It's all up to you." A chorus of whispers went up amongst the crew, causing Jones to scowl further.
Davy sat down at the table and slowly, with one of his many tentacles, reached into the folds of his slimy beard, and pulled a key made of iron, dangling it just before Will. It matched the one imprinted on the cloth. The key to the Dead Man's Chest. Jones quickly put it away and collected his dice, as did Will, and slammed them on the table. Slam. Slam.
Slam.
"What is this?!" Davy Jones growled, glaring at Bootstrap Bill who had cast his own dice.
"I'm in. Matching his wager," Bootstrap replied decisively.
"No!" Will cried to his father. "You don't have to do this. Get out!"
Bootstrap shook his head. "The die has been cast." Jones curled his bubbly lips into a smile and nodded.
"Agreed." They all looked under their cups. Will saw that he had five fives. Not a bad start.
"Eight fives," he said flatly. Jones looked at his own dice and sneered.
"Ten fives," he countered. His crew laughed and chuckled amongst themselves. Will was a undaunted, however, took a deep breath and-
"Twelve fives," Bootstrap declared. Will looked to him in shock. "Twelve fives or I'm a liar!"
Jones scowled. He yanked up Bootstrap's cup and scoffed. "And call me a liar for my troubles! Bootstrap Bill you will serve for an eternity on my ship! Mister Turner, you're free to go to ashore...provided we ever make port!" Everyone laughed and followed Davy Jones out to resume their normal duties.
"You fool!" Will shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "Why did you do that?"
"I couldn't let you lose," Bootstrap whispered. "I couldn't let you share in my fate."
"This wasn't about winning or losing," Will sighed.
Bootstrap narrowed his eyes in thought, but they suddenly lit up. "The key. You just wanted to know where it was." Will nodded. "But...why? From what I've heard of your friend, his key-sword can open any door or lock. Why risk your freedom when he could do it for you?"
Will looked his father right in the eye. "Because I don't want Sora to open the chest. I want to do it. And when I do, I'll be the one to kill Jones, once and for all!"
Above deck, Davy Jones burst into his cabin and slammed the doors behind them, settling himself down before his organ, but he wasn't sure if even his music could calm him. Seeing that damnable key again had brought back all sorts of memories that were better off locked away.
The expression on his slimy face seemed to soften. Slowly and methodically, he reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a small heart-shaped locket. He still kept it even after all this time, simply to remind him about the cruelty of life, or so he told himself. How had that boy had known about the key? Who had told him about it? Where had-?
Davy Jones suddenly scowled, putting the locket down on the organ. "I was wondering when one of you would finally arrive," he muttered. From the shadows emerged a figure clad in dark armour, the Chaser known as Brisen. "To be honest I'm glad it's you," he said turning in his seat to face her. "You always were such a kind lass."
"Davy Jones," Brisen whispered, almost uncertainly. "It's been quite a long time. You look...different from what I remember."
"I can say the same for you." For this Brisen had no reply. "Now then," Jones said, turning back to the organ. "To what do I owe the 'pleasure' of your company? Come to talk about the old days? You're a bit young for that. Or maybe you've finally come to kill me and take what is rightfully mine?"
"Don't toy with me, Jones. You know as well as I do that you can't die. Yet, at least." Jones scowled.
"Then what business do you have aboard my ship?" he asked irritably.
"We're looking for someone," Brisen answered, looking around the cabin. "A certain boy. He's a bit special, you see. He wields a Keyblade. We've always been able to keep some kind of track of him. But now, he's completely disappeared from our sight. This was the last place we detected him. You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"
Davy casually played a few notes on the organ. "I'm afraid not. I was not even aware that there were any other Keyblade wielders still alive."
"Oh, but there are, Jones. There are more out there then just me...and you." Davy Jones' face saddened. He then did something he hadn't done in over a hundred years. A column of light filled his hand, and a Keyblade appeared. Death's Deity flashed through Brisen's mind. Like everything else belonging to the captain, it was covered in wet and slimy sea life. No keychain hung from the hilt.
"I remember when you first got that," Brisen noted amusingly. "Yes, was it not she who requested that the Cetras forge one for you?" Jones didn't reply, still looking at his weapon in silence. "She wanted you to have it so you could govern and protect the seas just as you were charged. You were supposed to. And look what became of it. The man has truly become a monster." Davy Jones' face darkened.
"Monster?" he whispered. "MONSTER?!" he then roared, jumping from his seat and storming over to Brisen, who quickly whipped out her own Keyblade. "You are hardly one to be talking of monsters, Aqua!" Brisen recoiled like she had been struck. "The name you choose to hide behind can never take away what you and the other two did! Worlds destroyed, millions dead, and for what? The twisted ambitions of a madman? Xehanort was a fool and you're a fool for helping him!" Jones leaned down, his tentacle clad face coming right up to Brisen's helm. "So answer me this, missy. Which one of us is looking at the real monster?"
Brisen gave no answer to any of these questions. She had no way to defend herself. Instead, she grasped her helm, and slowly removed it.
Bright, short blue hair met Jones' eyes immediately. He had forgotten how young she actually was; barely older than sixteen, with dull, sad eyes that matched her hair. Those same eyes suddenly angered, and she ran her Keyblade right through Jones' chest. Davy stared calmly down at the weapon sticking through him, and sneered condescendingly at the Chaser. Without uttering another word, Brisen withdrew her Keyblade and walked away, disappearing into the darkness.
Davy Jones stared at where she left, the wound in his chest already healing, then looked at the Keyblade in his own hand. "BAA!" he snarled and threw it across the room, out of sight and out of mind. He then sat back at his organ once again. Not even it would soothe him this night.
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!