Author's Notes: Yeah, yeah, I know it took a while to get this out BUT that was only because of how long it took to edit! I won't promise that Chapter 6 is coming soon, only that it's coming!
So, sit tight, and see you soon!
Chapter Five:
The Color of Hunger, Part 2
His head was dizzy.
Although Ace was conscious and aware of his surroundings, his entire body felt weak and heavy - and physical, not wispy and floaty like a mass of fire contained in one space. His blood felt like it was pumping sluggishly through him and he blinked repeatedly to clear the dots from his vision. It did little to help; it only made the dizziness worse than before. He knew this wasn't just the work of the Sea Stone - Sea Stone never made him feel this weak; sure, it cut his strength down significantly, but he was always able to move around and think clearly, or even fight if he needed to. But now, he could barely keep his head up. Which meant it could only be something they'd given him. Could it be a drug? Maybe it was in the water they'd forced him to drink earlier? Or maybe he still had some lingering effects from whatever they'd shot him with in the jungle…?
Releasing a deep breath, he pulled a bit on the chains they'd wrapped him in; two Sea Stone cuffs connected his hands together, and from there, they were attached to the damp stone floor beneath him. Though he was able to move his fists, it wasn't much - just forward and to the sides. For the moment, he'd chosen to sit cross-legged on the floor; it was the most comfortable position he could sit in, without the chains pulling on his arms. He'd been disarmed long ago - his dagger was missing from its holster, and though he rarely had to resort to using it, it still irked him that it was gone, leaving him with little hope of breaking out of the chains.
Slowly, he lifted his head, looking towards the door as it opened. In stepped more of the mysterious and hooded figures. He could never tell if they had shifts watching him or if they were the same two people from the first time he'd woken up. They stopped a few feet from him, their hands and faces thoroughly hidden. The only difference he could spot between them was their heights - one was much taller than the other one. It was the same difference as before, but again, it told him nothing new. Ace only watched them calmly, face completely neutral.
"Are you ready to talk yet, pirate?" the taller one asked. Ace remained silent, staring them down as his mouth pulled into a thin line. A pause passed through the tense room, before the tall figure sighed. "I see. Then perhaps we need to use more… extreme methods."
The door opened once more, and this time, three people came through the door. His eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat as he recognized the familiar mop of mahogany-brown hair and often-bright blue eyes - though now they were dull and unfocused, struggling to take in their surroundings.
"Allen!" Ace cried out, trying to stand - but it was no use; the highest he could get was on his knees, the chains immediately stopping him from raising to his full height. "You can do whatever you want to me! Just let him go, he has nothing to do with this! "
"I certainly think he does - this child knows our tongue, which is highly rare for outsiders. That tells me you and your group know something that you haven't told us." the figure answered. They spoke in that weird language from before, and the two other figures came forward, half-dragging Allen with them. "And you… You seemed to react quite well the last time we tried this method with the girl. Maybe you will tell us what we need to hear this time."
Ace gulped, panic crossing into his face. He managed to get to a semi-standing position, worry etched into his face as the chains pulled his arms taught. "I already told you everything I know! Please, just let them go!"
"Now how will we conduct this procedure?" the figure continued, ignoring Ace. They casually walked over to the other side of the room, where there was a table. On it rested all manner of devices, most of which Ace hadn't seen before. But he had already witnessed what some of them were used for…
His heart dropped as he remembered them toying around with Pomona earlier, using her as their personal punching bag.
"Please…" Ace begged quietly, the dizziness from before making his vision swim. "Please let them go. I don't know anything else."
The hooded person tsked as they made their way back over to Allen, lifting his chin gently and examining his face. The hood turned towards Ace, and he swore he could see the smug grin on their face through the shroud hiding them. "Such a lovely face for a young child… A lovely face indeed. If you cooperate, perhaps it will stay that way."
They dropped Allen's face, before fully turning to Ace and opening their arms wide towards him.
"Shall we begin?"
~lolblooptoanotherscene~
"I only have a few hairpins - you must take care not to lose them!" Pomona advised as she stuck her hand through the bar. It was wide enough for her to push all the way up to her shoulder.
With a strained grunt, she threw the first and second pin across the wide hallway as hard as she could, while she tucked the third and fourth back into her hair. Both arched wide, before landing just shy of Sam's hand. With a low groan, he pushed his arm through the bars, ignoring the pain of his wrist - and his fingertips touched the first pin. Grinning, he slowly pulled it towards them, then grabbed the second one as well. Now holding both pins, he handed them to Elena, who eyeballed their measly collection of "tools": two bobby pins, a paperclip, and the small screwdriver she always kept in her bra. It would have to do for now.
"Let's see if I can make this work," she said with a determined glint in her eyes, "and hopefully get us out of here soon."
She traded places with Sam, who massaged his injured wrist while watching her work. Pomona was on guard duty, and would signal them with a three-note whistle that someone was coming. If they got out, they'd go looking for their friends, bust them out, and get out of… wherever they were. And in order to do that, they needed to find one person first.
The duo waited quietly and tensely as Elena tinkered with the lock, occasionally cursing as she did so. Finally, a click snapped through the silence, and the mechanic grinned, kicking the door open with her left foot. "Thank goodness; now hold on Pomona, I'll unlock yours soon!"
It took considerably less time to get hers open, and soon the three were ready to leave. They approached the doorway cautiously, with Elena in the front, Sam behind her, and Pomona bringing up the rear. From this point, they weren't sure what to expect, so they decided if they were forced to fight - they were going out strong and fast.
"I don't hear anything on the other side of this door," Elena hummed as she held her ear against it. There was no shuffling, no yawning, no indication that there was a guard at all. That seemed too good to be true, and too easy… "Do we want to go now, or wait?"
"Let's go - we don't have a choice," Sam responded quietly, backing away from Elena to give her space.
The blonde mechanic nodded, before kicking it down. She rolled through the open doorway, fists prepared, and was welcomed to an empty hallway. The walls were the same color as the jails' stone walls, but lacked windows - the only light they were given were torches every few feet, and the light now pouring in from their busted doorway. Down at one end of the hallway, she spotted an iron door; on the other end, another door made of iron. Quietly, Elena stood from her crouched position, grabbing a nearby torch and waving the other two through the doorway.
"The hallway's clear," she whispered, holding the torch up so the little navigator and the sharpshooter could see her face. "I spotted one door at each end; wanna take a chance?"
"Left." Pomona piped up, looking at that direction with narrowed eyes. "I'm sure I came from that direction earlier."
"Then left it is," Sam decided as he followed in Elena's footsteps, making sure to put Pomona in between them this time. Once more, they reached the door, and once more, Elena crouched next to it, putting her ear against the door. She frowned, noting the shuffling of feet and voices echoing, and backed away quickly.
"Two people behind the door - and their voices don't sound familiar," Elena reported, reaching into her bra once more and pulling out the screwdriver. She handed it to Sam, who looked a bit perplexed. Elena smiled thinly. "You're no good in fist fights and your wrist is injured - a screwdriver is the only defense I can give you, unfortunately."
Understanding, he nodded, then took up a defensive position as Elena stood in front of the door. She rapped on it with her knuckles, then heard the voices getting louder. Finally, the door opened, and the hooded figure gasped in surprise at seeing Elena. With a smile, she waved, then proceeded to kick them across the narrow hallway. Briefly, she noticed it was similar to the jailroom she'd woken up in - meaning they had more than one; the only difference here was the door at the end of the hall, presumably leading to another part of the building or cave or wherever they were... Entering, she dodged a throwing knife from the second person and danced her way into their vicinity, keeping an eye on their openings while dodging the slashes from the small dagger they'd produced. Behind her, she could hear Sam struggling with the first hooded guard she'd knocked down.
With a quick glance, she could see he was circling the hooded guard, the screwdriver held tightly in his non-injured hand. Behind him stood Pomona, who shuffled closer and closer to the door, while trying to make herself appear as small as possible in the chaos. Sam, in the meantime, jabbed his screwdriver threateningly at his enemy as they approached ever closer, one of their daggers in hand. Surprisingly, Sam managed to block some of their quicker jabs, but it was clear he was no master at any type of bladed weapon, and their attacker knew it. Not to mention the strain the fight would put on his injuries...
A stinging sensation notified her that she'd been cut - which meant they were close enough to land a hit on. Snapping her hand out, she struck the hooded person in their throat, forcing them to bring their hands up to it. She followed with a quick knee to the gut, and once they were bent over, a drop-kick to the back of their head. Their body collided with the pavement with a loud crack, and their muscles relaxed as they passed out. Elena released a breath, then turned to dodge another knife thrown at her as the second attacker suddenly grabbed Pomona, who squealed as she was held forcefully, the knife biting into the skin of her neck. Elena stopped her advancement, limbs tense, while Sam growled, concern lighting his face.
"You," they motioned to Sam, who narrowed his eyes, "drop the screwdriver. And you, hands up in the air where I can see them. Comply, and this young lady won't get her blood spilled across the floor."
The duo did as they were told, and Elena saw their enemy relax slightly. "Now, I don't know how you managed to get out of your cells, but you will be going back immediately, and to separate ones so as not to-!"
They stopped speaking as they let out a surprised cry, letting go of Pomona to pull the dagger out of their side. In the midst of the fighting, the blue-haired girl had grabbed the discarded throwing knife and hid it in the folds of her ripped skirt, intending on protecting herself should she need to.
That was the only opening Elena needed as she sprung forward, jumping into the air and yelling "Pomona duck!". The little navigator obeyed as she hit the ground quickly, allowing the blonde haired shipwright to fly over her with a jump kick. The attacker didn't see it coming until it was too late - their head had already collided with the wall and they fell unconscious. The hallway became silent once more, and the three regrouped by the now-closed door.
"Is there anyone in these cells?" Sam asked as he and Elena threw the knocked out guards into an open cell. Pomona had gone on to check the remaining three, then waved her friends over to the last one at the end of the hall.
They reached the cell and gasped in shock. There was only one person in it, curled in on themselves tightly as their body shook. From the heavy breaths and sobs that escaped them, they seemed to be in excruciating pain - but from what, the trio was unable to tell. Slowly, their head lifted as they gagged, spitting out a bit of blood as they did so. But the watery green eyes that hatefully stared at them through the mess of silver hair were all too familiar. Her eyes had softened once she recognized they weren't her capturers, and even widened in hope. "S-sam…? Elena? P… Pomona?"
"Evierose… Hold on, we'll get you out!" Sam cried out, handing Elena the screwdriver. She nodded gravely, bending down in front of the lock and got to work, while Pomona anxiously watched the two doors for more guards. It wasn't long before the cell door opened, and Sam stepped in, worry on his face. "Can you stand up? Where does it hurt?"
He might not have been a doctor like Daphne, but that didn't mean he couldn't do basic first aid. Daphne, along with the rest of the doctors and nurses, had insisted everyone learned, reminding them that she or another doctor might not be there in times of need, and that knowing a bit could be the difference between life and death. Sam had thought she was being too morbid, but now? Now he was glad they'd forced it on everyone. He made sure to look for any signs of broken or fractured bones, or internal bleeding, but found none. The only thing she had were cuts and bruises that would need disinfecting. But that left one question: why was she in so much pain? The answer came as she weakly held her trembling arms up to them. It looked like it took a lot of force to move her body, and the longer Sam watched, the more he realized she seemed to be paralyzed in some parts of her body - like her legs, or hands.
"Th-the handcuffs…" she whispered, desperation thickly lacing her voice and fear clouding her unfocused eyes. Tears ran down her face as she looked at the trio, the only thing holding her together being sheer willpower - but even that seemed to be waning. "Get th-them… off. P-please… It's… i-it hurts so m-much…"
"What the hell did they do to you?" Sam whispered as he moved out of the way for Elena to step in. She gripped the handcuffs in her hands, and with a quick snap, she broke their locks, discarding them onto the ground next to Evierose.
The moment they came off, a sharp and quick burst of power blew through the air. Pomona let out a small, surprised squeal, and Sam felt goosebumps rise on his skin. Elena looked shocked as well, wondering where it had come from, and was shocked even further when Evierose collapsed into her, catching the mechanic off guard. She shook her quickly, and got a tired mumble in response.
"Just… I need a minute… Sea Stone handcuffs… and being drugged as well… not good." she replied, sitting up once a few minutes had gone by. She flexed her fingers for a bit, then rolled her wrists. Finally, she stood, and although she wobbled for a bit, she stayed upright. "Those bastards are going to pay for those handcuffs."
"Before that, we need you to find everybody else - we don't know where they are, and you're the only one who can sense people." Elena said as she stood as well, leaving behind the cell. Evierose followed, making sure to carefully step around the shackles. "Then we can get out of here!"
"I can sense them… sort of." the thief responded, closing her eyes. Her face was scrunched in concentration and her arms were folded across her chest. "It's… fuzzy. Probably because of the damn Wi… damn handcuffs. Plus, they drugged me. I have a general location for Allen and Daphne, but you'll have to figure out where in that location they are."
"Wait, what are you gonna do?" Sam asked.
"I'm going to go get our missing 'leader'. It'll be faster if I go by myself." She simply responded, still flexing and stretching her limbs. "But first, let's get you some weapons. Here, grab my hands; we need to make a circle."
The three did as she asked, linking hands with each other. Pomona grabbed Evierose's left hand, while Elena held her right, and Sam held their other hands. Taking a deep breath, she grit her teeth. Around the four of them, the air started to shimmer with power and glowed a bright purple. She watched Evierose, but she looked to be concentrating hard on whatever it was she was doing. Then, the shipwright blinked…
And they were suddenly in another room.
It looked to be some sort of storage room, with weapons and abandoned knicknacks lying all around the small space. There were boxes stacked haphazardly on the ground, on tables, and shoved onto shelves. The air in the room felt stale - and judging by the lack of a window, it made sense. And the dust- the dust was everywhere, covering the old wooden tables, lightly coating the walls, and piled up in the corners of the room. Though it seemed like this room had been abandoned to rot, the presence of footprints meant someone had been in this room before, and recently.
The blonde-haired shipwright gasped from the rapid change in location, feeling dizzy all of a sudden, and looked to Pomona and Sam to see if they had the same reaction as she did. She found they were slightly disoriented, and in shock about the jump as well. Pomona looked as if she were going to throw up, and Sam shook his head from left to right, placing a hand on the wall to steady himself. The silver-haired thief gave the trio a guilty grimace.
"Sorry… it takes a while to get used to teleporting…" she apologized, before turning to rummage around in the small room. "But this was faster than wandering around; they're going to realize we've escaped soon so we need to use our advantage now."
"Air manipulation, lightning, teleportation, sensing people… Just how many abilities do you have?" Elena asked, a slight edge to her voice. The longer Evierose stayed on the ship, the more she learned something was off about her, that she could never quite place her finger on.
"Elena. We don't have time for this." Evierose answered simply, refusing to look at the girl. She busied herself with studying a pile of swords and daggers. "Help Sam find his guns instead of questioning me like some common criminal."
"No, we're talking about this now; you've never fully explained your powers to any of us!" She argued, crossing her arms. She noticed how tense the thief had become as she held an old sword in her hand tightly. "Just answer me this: is it really a Devil Fruit?"
Evierose glanced at Elena, putting the sword down as she slowly walked towards her. "We are currently trapped who knows where, with no way of contacting our other friends or the Moby Dick. Sam and Pomona are injured, as are you; as am I, and the rest of our friends, most likely. We don't know who our attackers are or what they're capable of… All of this is going on… and you choose now to throw a fit and act like a child because you don't understand something?!"
"I am not 'acting like a child'!" Elena snapped back, balling her hands into fists. "You're the one acting like Ms. 'Too Cool and Mysterious' to explain to us what you're capable of! You've been on the ship for over two months now and no one - not a single person - knows what the hell you can do!"
"I don't have to explain myself to you!" Evierose bit harshly, her voice rising as she glared at her. "I'd like to remind you that once again, we don't have time for this! Right now, I'm the only one capable of getting us out of here; you're going to have to trust me, so we can get out of this mess!"
"But I don't trust you!" Elena said, shaking her head as she glared at the thief. "You do this all the time: You deflect. You avoid. You refuse to answer anything. How can I trust someone who won't even acknowledge the simple questions?!"
"Because it's not simple!" Evierose shouted at her, throwing her hands in the air. "It's never been simple, Elena. But since you're going to keep hounding me and get us all caught with your shrieking, yes, it's a Devil Fruit. Paramecia. And I'll explain it to you once we're back on the ship, but right now, you need to stop obsessing over me and focus. Help Sam find his guns."
"Elena, come on, just let it go for now," Sam reasoned as he stepped in between the two. He looked down at her, pleading in his brown eyes.
"Oh, so you're going to take her side, huh?!" Elena accused, crossing her arms and turning away with a scoff. "Of course you would."
"No - I'm not taking any sides." Sam responded, shaking his head. "But she has a point; they're going to realize we're escaping eventually, so we need to move now, and quickly. Otherwise, it'll be harder to find Ace, Allen, and Daphne. You can pester Evierose once we're safe and sound; but please, if not for our friends, then for me, El… Can you work with her for now?"
Elena sighed, scuffing the toe of her boot on the floor; she hated it when Sam used her nickname against her - it was always her weakness. The girl shrugged and looked back up at Sam and Evierose, a hard and deadly look in her eyes. "Fine, I'll work with her for now. But know this, Spearwoman: I don't like you and I will never trust you. And I'll find out about your 'Devil Fruit' one way or another."
"I don't care if you don't like me; I'm only here for a ride. You can hate me 'til the Fighting Dugongs come home and I still won't care." Evierose responded back, just as cold and unfeeling. "Now go away, and go help Sam."
Elena opened her mouth to throw a retort back at her, but Evierose must've been irritated enough with her, as her green eyes flashed with barely restrained anger. The mechanic felt a strong gust of wind push her towards Sam, who grabbed her arm and led her away. "Hey…!"
"Elena. You promised you'd work with her." Sam warned, letting go of her arm. Elena huffed, crossing her arms.
"I did, but I didn't say I would like it!" Elena argued, lifting a lid from a box and throwing it to the side. "Do you see how she acts, how she treats us?!"
"Yeah… she can be unfriendly at times, but she's our best bet at finding our friends." Sam replied, rummaging through a discarded pile of weapons. He frowned, not finding his holsters or his guns in the pile, and moved on to the next one. "You can harass her all you want back on the ship, after all this is over."
"But you agree, right…? That her power is strange?" Elena asked quietly. Sam hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at the thief, who seemed to be preoccupied with a pile of small knives and daggers.
He looked at Elena, nodding his head and lowering her voice. "We all do; she keeps calling it a Devil Fruit, but… it doesn't seem to line up with what a Devil Fruit is, or does. You were right about her deflecting or not really answering - Daphne tried asking her last week, and she barely got an answer out of Evierose."
"Whatever it is, we need to figure it out. I meant it when I said I don't trust her." Elena said in the same tone of voice. "She's dangerous to have around; I don't know why the Old Man thinks she's good to have on the ship. I wouldn't put it past the thief to stab us all in the back when it benefits her the most."
"No… I don't think Evierose would do that." Sam disagreed, his face becoming perplexed. "There's something about her… The things she says and does - they have a hidden meaning behind them, but I don't know what. It seems almost… melancholic. Like she wants to be open with us but something is holding her back..."
"Oh, you're just saying that because you think she's attractive," She accused with a teasing tone in her voice. Sam stuttered, trying to respond, while Elena let out a quiet giggle. "One of these days, flirting is going to be the end of you, Samuel."
"Well, it hasn't killed me yet, so go big or go home, am I right?" He joked, leaning on a crate next to the blonde as she lifted another box and dropped it down for Sam to rummage through. He picked at it until a familiar flash of silver, blue, and gold caught his eyes. A large smile grew on his face, and he pulled one of his guns out. "Jackpot! Oh, how I've missed you Phoebe - now, if only I can find Selene…"
"You named your guns?" a new voice interrupted. The duo turned to see it was Evierose, who held a moderately sized dagger and holster in her hand. "If that one's Phoebe, then I guess this one's Selene?"
She reached into her pocket, and to their surprise, pulled a gun that looked similar to the one in Sam's hand. A happy squeal escaped from Sam's mouth as he held the guns lovingly to his chest, while Elena once more eyed the girl suspiciously.
"You had his gun in your pocket this whole time?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "How come you didn't say so earlier? And how did they not notice?"
"Honestly? I had forgotten about it. And, it was just an old summoning sp… system that I learned. Using my Devil Fruit." Evierose answered, waving her hand.
"Oh look, another power she explains away with her 'Devil Fruit'. Lovely." Elena sarcastically chirped, a smile on her face. "What does that make it now, five?"
"Elena…" Sam began to warn, as she turned to face him.
"What? I'm being honest!" she quipped. Her next sentence was cut off as Pomona called out to the three pirates. They headed towards her, and found her looking at a few weapons that had been neatly hung up. They had a strange - yet familiar - glow to them, and the young pirate frowned as she studied them. In her hand was a dagger that gave a soft, silver glow around the golden blade's edges.
"These weapons… Is there something familiar about them…?" She asked the trio as they approached. "Their glow… it's almost like -"
"Like the machines we fought." Elena finished, nodding her head as she began studying them. "These are definitely made from the same components that those machines were. See, look here: these parts were fused together out of two separate parts. But it doesn't look like they were originally meant to go together."
"So what does that mean?" Sam asked, picking up a bow. Next to it were glowing arrows. "Did these people create the machines?"
"No… I don't think they did…" Evierose said as she eyed the weapons. "Think about it; those things were hard to destroy, even with all our efforts combined. Maybe the only way to do real damage is with something made from the same thing…"
"Maybe…" Elena muttered, taking a piece of weaponry and pocketing it. She was about to say something else when the doorknob to the storage room door turned.
The four pirates all looked at each other, and scrambled to hide. Pomona balled into a tight corner behind a few boxes, while Sam and Elena dove behind a rack of spears and swords. Evierose dashed underneath one of the long tables in the middle of the room, backing away as light from the hallway flooded the room briefly. Two hooded figures stepped into the room, conversing in their language - though from the tone of their voice, it seemed to be rather urgent; whether or not they knew of their prisoners escaping, the pirates were unsure… They moved around the room, picking up weapons and placing others down as they did so. Underneath the table, Evierose followed them as they spoke, though she couldn't understand a word they were saying. However, they sounded urgent, which only served to worry the thief. Was it possible…?
Her eyes widened in worry as they got near Elena and Sam's hiding spot, and without waiting, she jammed the back of her foot against the bottom of the table, causing a shield to fall to the ground.
The duo turned to the noise and noticed the shield falling. Confused, one moved away to go pick it up, while the other watched. Underneath the table, Evierose hurriedly motioned to Elena and Sam to move to a different hiding spot, so as not to get caught. They lowered themselves behind the rack and tip-toed their way out of sight, while their capturers were distracted, and sparing Evierose a grateful glance. The thief herself quietly clung to the bottom of the table as the shield was picked up, only lowering once she saw their long robe retreating from her view. Finally, the duo left the room, throwing it into silence once more.
"That was close…" Elena sighed, climbing out of her hiding spot. Sam followed, eyeing the door. "I wish we knew what they were talking about…"
"We can figure that out later - right now, we need to go." Evierose said, closing her eyes once more. "Allen and Daphne are somewhere down the hall, to the right. Once you rescue them, stay there - I'll go there with that walking Campfire."
She handed Pomona the dagger she'd been carrying around, and the girl paled as she shakily took it. "Wh-why are you giving this to me…?"
"It's a weapon; you need to protect yourself too, Pomona." Evierose bluntly stated. "Once we're back on the ship, I'll show you how to properly use it. If you want to learn more though, you should ask Thatch to teach you."
Pomona frowned, before nodding and strapping the holster to her waist, then headed towards the door. Sam followed, with Elena bringing up the rear. She gave Evierose a hard stare before she spoke. "Bring Ace back in one piece or so help me-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll bring that idiot back alive, don't worry." Evierose said, giving the pirates a gleeful smile. "Now, let's get the hell out of here."
~ohpoothisisgonnabelongerthanIthought~
Something was not right in the base.
The old man chuckled, shifting around the weights and shackles he'd been chained up in. He noticed the guards were anxious, from their hushed tones and whispers, especially when they fed him or when his personal cell came within earshot. Though he couldn't understand most of what they were saying, he knew enough of their language to understand the words "intruders" and "pirates". Now that was interesting… Given how hard this island was to find, how did pirates manage to stumble across it? Perhaps they would be useful…
And just when he needed one of these new arrivals, they appeared. He said nothing as the intruders dragged in a salmon pink-haired girl, throwing her into the cell across from her. She seemed to have fallen prey to their sleeping poison, as she continued to soundly doze on the floor. The more he studied her, however, the less he thought she was a pirate. Honestly - she was dressed in a burgundy skirt, long sleeved yellow shirt, and white jacket, not to mention the high-heeled shoes she was wearing. The girl had to be 20 or so years his junior; there was no way she was an actual pirate. And as cute as she was, she couldn't have been that smart, making her useless to him.
He sighed in frustration; guess he would be trapped here until some other idiot stumbled onto this island….
Across from him, the girl stirred, opening her dazed eyes. They were an interesting shade of sunset orange, and at first, they slowly studied the area. Then, she stood, eyes swiveling back forth more quickly, after the realization she was somewhere new dawned on her.
"Well, shit." the girl stated, and the old man smirked. He always enjoyed seeing a new prisoner's first reaction upon waking up in a cell…
He calmly watched as she approached the bars, sticking her face in between them as far as it could go. "Allen? Pomona? Are you there?" When she got no response, she frowned, a worried look creasing her face. "Evierose? Ace?... Elena? Sam? Anyone?"
Still getting no response, she leaned against the bars, falling to her knees. "What do I do…?"
"You're the first person I've seen come to this island in a while… What's your name, little miss?" It was at this point the old man decided to speak up. There was a lot he wanted to know, and there was only one way to get it. "And how did you find your way here?"
The girl jumped, turning around and trying to locate his voice. Her orange eyes finally landed on the cell across from her, and they squinted, locating his shadowy figure in the cell. "... My name is Daphne. You… haven't seen anyone else? Anyone at all?"
"Not for a long while, no." He cheerfully answered, stroking his beard. "Other than these guards, who've been my constant companions. So to ask again, how'd you get here little miss?"
The man watched the uncertainty cloud Daphne's face, and she gnawed on her lip, before slowly replying. "I came here… on a pirate ship."
"Oh ho, so you are a pirate!" He smiled. "You certainly don't look the part, young lady! They must not be very scary then, if you are a member of their crew."
"I wouldn't say that; we can be scary when we need to be." A wry smile crossed her face, and he noted the dangerous flash that passed in her eyes. His own gapped grin grew - without meaning to, she was telling him everything he needed to know.
"I see… well, if you and your comrades would be so kind as to help out an old man?" He asked, watching her face fall back into skepticism. "I'm an inventor, and I've been trapped here for a long, long time. I got shipwrecked on this island and they've held me prisoner, forcing me to build machines for them and teach them how it works. The only reason I'm still alive is because I'm the only one who can update their defenses if they stop working."
"Wait… you mean you're the one who built all those horrible monstrosities…?!" Daphne gasped. "But… hold on, they made you build them…? Do you know how to disable them?"
"Of course! I created them, and I made sure to put in a failsafe for whenever I'd get the chance to escape!" he responded, his shoulders shaking from his short laughter. "Though it doesn't seem like that will be happening any time soon…"
"Well…" the salmon-pink haired girl began, her eyes brimming with a thought. The old man threw a charming and innocent laugh her way, though he already suspected she'd say what he wanted her to say. "Perhaps my friends and I can help you out, then. They're going to rescue me eventually, and when they do, we can get you out of here as well; so what do you say?"
He paused for a moment, giving the illusion of thinking about it, before he replied. "I think I'll have to take you up on that offer, Daphne."
And it didn't take long, either. It must've been only a few hours since Daphne was brought to her cell, before there was a loud blaring noise and flashing lights - ah, that was the alarm system he'd built for them. They must have realized their prisoners were escaping. For a moment, the only sounds occupying the space were the alarms, until there was commotion down the hall. The knowing and smug look on the girl's face only confirmed what he suspected. The door blew off its hinges, with three guards having been pushed into it. All of it landed in a heap in front of his cell, with the guards having lost consciousness. He could hear the sounds of more fighting, followed by a high pitched voice yelling, "Daphne?! Are you there?!"
Daphne stood, sticking her head through the bars again. "I'm here!"
Four people came running down the halls, stopping once they spotted the pink-haired girl. Two looked to be a young boy and a young girl, while the older pair were a man and a woman. Even though Daphne had insisted they were pirates, looking at this motley collection… his doubts were starting to rise again. The blue-haired girl looked too soft to be a dangerous pirate, and that young boy with the brown hair… he had quite the feminine air about him as well, no matter how much he tried to hide it. The blonde-haired woman stooped down in front of the jail cell, pulling out a rather complicated looking lockpick and set to work on opening her cell.
"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" the orange haired boy asked, massaging his left wrist. Upon further inspection, it looked to be a bit bruised and swollen; he must have injured it previously.
"I'm fine Sam. I've only been here for a short time, I think… How did you escape?" she said, stepping out of the cell and setting to work on examining her friends' injuries.
"Oh, with two hairpins and a screwdriver," the blonde answered, a devilish grin on her face as she twirled the lockpick. "But now that I've got this bad boy back, unlocking things has been so much easier!"
"We also got your things too; they must not have had time to put them anywhere else," the young girl supplied, handing Daphne a black belt with pouches on them and a mace. "We found them on the guards outside this jail area."
"Thank you, Pomona." She fervently checked each and every pocket, giving a sigh of relief once she did. "Good, everything's here. I'll take care of everyone's wounds once we -"
She was interrupted as a bright flash erupted into the room. The old man covered his eyes, lowering his hand to see that two people appeared out of the flashing - another man and woman. Upon closer inspection of the man, however, he recognized the symbol on his back, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. So the girl wasn't lying; they really are pirates…
"Good, you found them." the silver haired woman said, as she shifted the taller, black-haired man over to Sam. "They're already aware we're missing, so it's only going to be a matter of time before they come here. We need to go."
"Well, we can fight back now! No need to run!" Elena charged, raising an arm in the air. But Daphne shook her head at the girl.
"No, we need to leave - Sam's wrist isn't getting any better, Allen and Pomona are wounded, and from the looks of it, they drugged Ace to keep him in check. We're outmatched, still, but we can hit them where it hurts the most."
She motioned towards the cell, a small smile on her face. "Everyone, meet The Inventor. He's the one who made those machines we found. Our attackers have been forcing him to use his knowledge to build them and make defenses for them."
A surprised gasp rippled through the five pirates as they slowly crowded the cell she pointed at. The lack of light made it hard to see him, and the chains he'd been put in kept him from approaching the bars. Despite that, he could read the skepticism lightly dashed through their curious looks - especially coming from the green eyed, silver haired girl. She only narrowed her eyes as she looked in his general direction. Now that he thought about it, something about her felt familiar. Green eyes… now what did that mean again…? But he shook his head, ending that train of thought in favor of making a good impression on the small group.
"A pleasure to meet such infamous pirates like yourself," he responded with a chuckle. "I had no idea Whitebeard was in the business of gathering such… interesting crewmates."
"He made those things?!" Elena gasped, an excited gleam in her eyes and a wide grin on her face. "I have so many questions about them!"
"What do you suppose we do with him…?" Pomona hummed as she tilted her head.
"We take him with us." Daphne suggested. "If he's the only one who can repair, update, and fix those machines, then we can weaken them by taking the one person they need. Plus, he knows a failsafe to deactivate them!"
"How do we know he can do what he says?" Evierose asked quietly, arms folded across her chest. She still looked at him skeptically, a hard frown on her face. "He's locked up, with no way of getting out. We're his only chance of escaping - which makes it very possible that he'll say and do anything to escape."
"What makes you so sure about that?" Elena said with an eyeroll, stepping forward with her lockpick. It only took a minute before the cell door was opened, and she stepped in, squinting as she tried to locate his body. "You're just saying that because you think everyone has an ulterior motive."
"Because they do." Evierose answered, turning to the wall and grabbing a torch. She stepped into the cell as well, letting the light wash over the body of The Inventor and finally giving a clear view of his hidden body. He didn't shy away from the light - it was only a matter of time before they saw what he looked like, anyway.
Of course, the lack of sun had made his skin pale considerably - to the point it looked paper white. He hadn't been getting a lot of exercise either and his muscles had shown that. Tufts of hair the color of pepper stuck out all over his head, and matched the long mustache and braided beard he'd been growing for a lack of grooming tools. His clothes were mere rags - washed out and worn down, and from the way they hung from his body, they showed he'd lost considerable weight since being trapped here. Despite all this, his eyes were bright and focused, clearly understanding his surroundings and what situation he was in.
Calmly, he held his hands up to Elena, showing the multiple chains attached to them. "Would you care to undo these, young lady?"
Nodding, she grabbed onto the chains and snapped them with ease, holding a hand out to help the old man to his feet. He gladly took it, making note of the girl's strength. A Devil Fruit, perhaps?
Slowly, the duo made their way out to the cell, with Evierose closing it behind her. She placed the torch back on its stand, allowing it to light the hallway. He carefully let his gaze fall on each pirate, making sure they didn't see him as a threat. The young lady of blue hair, Pomona, and the brown-haired boy, Allen, were not wary of him; the girl, Elena, seemed to trust him as well. The boy with the orange hair - Sam, his name was - regarded him skeptically, but couldn't find fault with him. And he'd already made sure to gain Daphne's trust, so he would have at least one ally on his side.
That left the half-dressed man with the orange cowboy hat, and the green eyed, silver-haired girl. It seemed she would not trust him, no matter what he did. And the other lad was too out of it to follow what was happening.
"Thank you for freeing me; I do humbly appreciate it." He gave a slight bow to the group of six, before turning to them with a smile. "Now, the only thing I need is my toolbelt - it will have everything required to deal with my Paladins - those are the machines you ran into earlier."
"What does it look like?" Evierose asked, unfolding her arms. "While the rest of you get out of here, I'll grab that."
He gave the girl the most detailed description he could, and though she raised an eyebrow in curiosity, she said and asked nothing, only nodding along. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elena looking on in disbelief.
"You're seriously gonna go off on your own again?" She asked, an accusatory glare on her face. Well, well, well… it seemed the pirates didn't all get along with each other. Yet more useful information to have. "If you're gonna go, you should take someone with you!"
"I'm a thief, Elena, this is what I do. I run a higher risk of getting caught if you send someone inexperienced with me." she bluntly answered, not bothering to hide the frosty tone in her voice. "The exit shouldn't be far from these cells; take The Inventor and get out of here - I'll catch up."
She didn't give Elena or anyone else a chance to respond, as she turned to walk away, stepping into another bright flash of light. Then, she was gone. The old man raised an eyebrow, wondering about her strange display of power, and again, he felt something tickling the back of his mind, telling him he'd heard or seen something like this before…
His thoughts shifted as Pomona held a hand out to him, a gentle smile on her face. "We should go; here, I can help you walk, sir."
He took her hand, a small grin on his face as he followed the ragtag group out of the hallway.
Oh yes, everything was going quite well.
~thisisnotadrill,Irepeatenotadrill~
Ace was still dizzy.
Though he was no longer wearing the Sea Stone handcuffs, whatever they'd given him was still circulating in his system, making him disoriented. He could barely catch snippets of the conversations that were happening around him, and his poor brain was struggling to keep him awake. Using his Devil Fruit abilities was out of the question, unless he wanted to explain to Pops how he accidentally set one of his friends on fire… So he was essentially deadweight, and he hated it with every fiber of his body.
Luckily (or not so luckily) Sam was also out of commission, with his sprained - though now it was swollen from fighting - wrist and an evil glare from Daphne, so the two of them were in the middle of their little band of escapees. Pomona and The Inventor (as he insisted on being called), were in front of them, with Daphne and Allen taking the rear and Elena, their current strongest fighter, taking the front. Somehow, they'd only had to battle a few disguised guards before reaching the exit, which was good news for them - it meant they would possibly be able to sneak out of here, with no more mishaps and no more fighting.
Except he should have known by now that nothing was ever that easy.
They did manage to get out of their prison easily. The only problem was that it was on the edge of a village, and it was quite obvious that they did not belong. Everyone in the village, from the young children to the elderly, were dressed in similar attire of skirts, pants, and shirts, that were colored with greens and yellows. They hadn't seen the pirates yet - thankfully, the prison sat on a little cliff that overlooked the small buildings. Behind it led to large trees, which Ace assumed was the jungle area they'd first explored.
There would only be a few minutes at the most before they'd be spotted and ambushed…
"What now?" the hot-headed Commander heard Allen ask. "If we go down there, it'll be obvious that we're escaping!"
"Has that girl come back with my belt yet?" The Inventor questioned. "They have quite the few alarms set up around here, not to mention the Paladins that patrol the area. I might be able to get us an escape into Albius Fields if I had my tools!"
"No, she hasn't." Elena huffed out, crossing her arms. "I swear that Spearwoman is the most useless, unreliable, troublemaking woman in all the-"
"Those aren't very nice things to say about someone who's risking their life to help save your butt, Elena." a voice said next to him. Ace lifted his head, spotting the smirking thief. She tossed the belt over to The Inventor, who caught it with a pleased grin. "A little thank you would be nice every once in a while."
The Inventor set to working on something he'd pulled out of his belt, and ignored the pirates. Within minutes, he held what looked to be a remote full of buttons and switches. With a smile bordering on maniac, he began flipping random switches, looking up and around as he did so. All around them, blaring sirens went off and Ace winced, bringing a hand up to his ear. Down below, the villagers were scrambling, running around as the hooded people gathered within the village - seemingly appearing out of nowhere - motioning and making orders to them, and to each other. In the trees behind and around them, loud clanking noises could be heard. The six pirates tensed as multiple machines jumped out from the trees, their eyes scanning around and on them. Ace noted that these were different from the crab-like and spider-like ones they'd seen before. Instead, these resembled horses - they didn't have the eight long and flexible legs of the other two they'd seen before - they had four legs, all with spiked wheels where the hooves should be. On their backs were two seats - that would be enough for everyone to sit comfortably; from their side hung two slender arms, which were free of any weapons.
"Don't worry, I'm controlling these - they'll give us a lift!" The Inventor yelled over the shrill sirens. Faintly, the screams of the villagers could be heard, and they pointed up towards the prison. "We need to go now!"
The four Paladins that appeared reached out with their claws and firmly grabbed everyone in their group, making sure they were secure, and placed them on their backs. Then, without waiting, the Horse Paladins took off, tearing through the jungle and leaving the village behind. Ace was seated on a Paladin with Allen, who made sure to keep the dizzy Commander upright as the rode - though the arms held them securely as well. The longer they rode, however, the more clear his head became; the drugs must have been wearing off. And soon, he was back to normal. While he sat on the Horse Paladin, he flexed his arms and stretched his legs as best he could. Once he was off, he would test out his Devil Fruit and see if he had his control back... Finally, the Horse Paladins stopped just a few dozen feet shy of a snowy field. Ace raised an eyebrow in confusion; wasn't this a Summer Island? Why was there snow this close to the jungle, of all places? He'd been in the New World for years now, and yet he still found a way to be surprised by its secrets.
"This is as far as this type of Paladin can go - they don't do well in the Winter, as I've learned." The Inventor said as he got down. With a click of a few buttons, the pirates were set on the ground by him, and the Horse Paladins rode off, back into the jungle. "There are ones for the Albius Fields, but in order to get access to those, we need to reach my shop. The Kokarikans could never discover its location, so it will make a great base."
"Thanks for your help, but… we have to get back to the beach." Sam responded, shaking his head. "That's where our ship is. I think we've discovered all we need from this island."
The rest of the pirates all shook their heads in agreement, and The Inventor frowned, before shrugging and turning away from them.
"That's alright; I won't keep you hostage. The beach is just west of these fields; follow the split between Albius Fields and the Jungle, and you should reach the shore in no time. However…" he paused, turning just slightly to the pirates and giving them a sly smile. "I'd like to thank you someway for helping me escape. I know you're here for the Champion's Challenge, and I happen to know quite a bit about it."
Ace perked up at the mention of that, and a smile split his face. "I knew we'd find more about the Champion's Challenge eventually!"
"Ace, are you serious right now?!" Elena said, a disapproving frown on her face. "Let's just go back to the ship!"
"No, I have to answer my question, and this is the best way to do it!" Ace argued back, shaking his head. "If we can figure it out, then we could get the item, answer my question and leave. And besides, this adventure is better than I could have imagined!"
"You are going to be the death of us, you fire-breathing idiot…" Evierose muttered with a sigh. "But, I have to agree with you, somewhat. I've noticed for a while now… Something feels different about this island, and I want to know why. So I'll be staying until I get my answer too."
Slowly but surely, the rest of the pirates conceded to Ace, and he gave them a broad smile. He turned back to The Inventor, who nodded in acceptance.
"Very well. I shall tell you the history of the Kokarikans, and the Champion's Challenge that is bound to them. But first - let us find shelter." And with that, The Inventor turned, plunging headfirst into the snowy field. Ace nodded to the rest of the crew, following him as he walked.
Author's Note: I've been working on Chapter 6 for a while now, as well as some other stories that are posted on my AO3 account sooooo if you wanna check those out, maybe head over there? :3 It's the exact same username, CommanderCampfireKat!