Chapter 2: Haves and Have Nots

The rain and thunder echo thru the divot. The wind stirred the leaves of the trees creating a symphony. With his conscience fading in and out, Simon laid amongst the undergrowth and turned soil. He looked around the best he could to get a grasp of his surroundings... but he was too exhausted and sore to make much of it. He let out a heavy sigh and let his thoughts carry him away. It was a day, similar to this, many many moons ago. He was still a young chap back then, still able to jump and leap with the best of them. Simon was known around town for being a trickster, one with hands as deft as the wind itself. His pranks were always harmless, never anything truly bad. Just whoopy cushions and a few water buckets strung in such a way to douse any unsuspecting visitors. With such a boring island, you have to make your own fun.

"Don't you think you're going too far, Simon?" a young and spiteful Sara tailed behind the venturous Simon. "You know we arent supposed to be this far out when its raining!"

Simon smiled, whistling a simple tune. He hopped over any roots that grew into the path and carefully dotted around the forming puddles in the road. "Don't worry, Sara! You always make a mountain out of a-" the dirt beneath his foot gave way and he slid. Sara hastily grabbed his hand and helped him regain his balance. "T-thanks, hya hya. You're always quick to the rescue, ya know! One of these days, I'll pay you back!" Simon laughed whole heartedly while walking backwards.

"Simon, wait!"

"Just you watch, I'll make it big and we'll have an awesome trip! Somewhere where its fun! Where kids can be kids! Then, we'll be as right as-" his foot slipped yet again. This time however, Sara wasnt as lucky. Simon slipped and rolled over the edge of the path, tumbling over the side. Simon fell several feet, but as said before, the falls aren't that extreme... for an adult. he twisted his ankle pretty badly that day. Unfortunately, his ankle never healed completely the same. It took hours before his parents found him, but in that time, he tried hobbling back up to a concerned Sara yelling for him and calling him... unrepeatable names. Thats when he saw it, the first time he saw-

Lightning struck nearby sending its energy thru the branches, trunks, and roots. The energy almost guided by fate, gave Simon the shock he needed to revitalize himself. He coughed up some dirt he stomached while falling down the cliffside. Simon gazed up at the sky from his side, before rolling to his back. He could feel the rain, every drop. He looked at his hand, felt his chest and found a wound. One that wasnt from a fall. He looked at his hand again and say blood. He was shot, thats for sure. "What luck... all I had to do was find a fruit, and I find the Straw Hats... Heh, figures." Simon sat up, leaning against the freshly fried tree above him. He applied pressure to his wound. He was no doctor, but he at least knew that losing blood was bad. "I wonder how... far I fell this time..." Simon thought to himself. He stood up, mostly fine, but with the soreness, it was a bit stiff. "I gotta get that fruit... maybe, just maybe I can get a bonus if I turn it in early... that way" Simon hobbled to the down flowing river nearby. Once he reached it, he splashed his face with water and cleaned himself off a bit. The forest was too dark to travel in. And with him being 2 hours away from town, he was on his own with this one.

"Careful what you wish you... You big idiot," Simon mumbled to himself. He was at a low point, but not his lowest. He had been thru many a mundane ordeal. But this? This was all too real, and way out of his league. "Made my bed..." He looked up at the sky one last time, closing his eyes. "You guys suck, you know that? Always doubtin me... But ya know what?!" Simon clenched his fist as tight as he could. "Ya know what... you guys were always lookin out for me... but I was too stubborn to see it... thats what you're gonna say... right Sara?" Simon opened his eyes, and took in his surroundings. His clothes were soaked, his body is ragged, but his spirit seems to be mostly untouched. Thou he has his doubts, he can feel the wind talking to him, almost like as if it was goading him to push on. The dirty old man smirked and picked up a fallen, burning branch that got blasted off the tree he was under. He used the embers to give him the minimal light he needed to not stumble about. He knew the several rivers led to the center of the divot, all he had to do was follow it. "I promise... Im goin on the straight and narrow, just let me do this much guys... I swear on it..." Simon pressed on with his hand on his wound, and his other supporting his weight using the makeshift torch.

Back in Town...

"Its almost closing time... and that idiot forgot his coat. He'll catch a cold in this rain! I swear he doesnt think!" Sara paced back in forth in the now emptied bar. She sighed and turned back to Celer. He quickly looked away as soon as her eyes met his. "Don't you just stand there! You're his friend aren't you?!"

"W-well yea, but-"

"But nothing! Im worried sick about him, Celer! That has never been right! He always- AAAAARGH!"

Celer scratched his head, "well unfortunately there isn't much we can do for now. This rain has yet to let up and we aren't sure if he really went to the boat in all this mess." Celer stroked his mustache and placed one hand on his hip, thumb under his belt. "He may be dense, but he isn't dumb enough to go out in this weather. That's a deathwish." Unfortunately for us all... he is. "I'll let Officer Pepper know whats going on so if anyone needs to go looking, we'll have a lookout team."

Almost on cue, the doors swung open. Celer and Sara looked at the unexpected visitor. It was the man in the ivory suit. Celer's eyes focused on the man's strange attire, well, not strange for him. "I'm sorry, sir. We're closed for the night," Sara explained as she points to the closed sign in the window. The man continued walking, hands in his pocket. He made it to the counter and reached for the newspaper, his guess was right- nothing on it. "Excuse me, sir?"

"I heard they let a blind man into the navy, didn't know they let a death one in as well," Celer interrupted with a scowl on his face. "I thought this island was too small for naval occupancy?"

"No island is too big, no island is too small, Celer," the man smiled and took off his glasses specked with rain. "It's rude to not offer a man a drink, you know." Sara gave a questioning look to the two men before her, before putting her apron back on and washing her hands. "I'll take an orange juice, with 2 cubes of ice."

"Thats all?"

"Keeping it simple is best for us all, my dear."

Sara gave a blank expression as she turned away from the peculiar man. Celer came and sat beside him, "why are you here, Salt?" Celer's face never letting out of his sight. "I thought you were stationed at Marinefold, they just had that big war not too long ago. Shouldn't you and you're men be heading there to clean up the mess?"

Salt clicked his tongue and put his glasses back on, "that doesn't concern you."

"But you being on my island does, what does the navy want? Does it have to do with... that ship?"

Sara placed the beverage in front of the ivory man and looked expectantly at Celer then back at the man. "I want something on that ship, that's all." Salt took a small sip, and smirked. "Extra pulp, just my luck." Sara groaned and walked to the window to lookout for any coatless men pouting their way back to claim their lost item. "I sent someone there to get what I seek. Once he returns to me in a week, I'll be gone."

"A dirty blonde fool who can't rub 2 Berry together, I presume?"

"The very same *gulp*" Salt placed the glass down, and tapped away the oj left on his lips. "You don't happen to know WHO's ship that is, do you?" Sara's ears perked, as not even she knew who's it was. The only thing the natives know of the ship is that it somehow got stuck in the island. The divot clearly wasn't a natural formation, but no normal being could have made such a thing. Celer remained quiet, expecting Salt to answer at any moment. "Have you heard of a man by the name of John Silvers?"

"John... Silvers...?" Sara looked confused for a moment, but of the 3 in the room, she was the lucky one.

"JOHN SILVERS? THATS HIS SHIP?!" Celer jumped up at a speed thought unimaginable for a man his age. "Thats..." he looked at Sara, his face as pale as a ghost. Salt's expression remained the same, sipping his orange juice. "I-I have to stop that idiot! He'll be a dead man!" Celer made for the door. He stopped shortly outside, turning back to yell to Sara that if he wasn't back by sunrise then think the worst for him AND Simon. He disappeared into the night, lighting striking more and more as time progressed.

Salt chuckled. Sara turned to him, "just who are you? Why are you stirring up so much trouble?"

"Trouble? My dear, when it comes to pirates, trouble is all they bring. And Silvers, is one to be remembered. He is a vile man, one who even the navy fear to face on even ground. If he still lives, I think that would spell the end for this island." He took his last sip and walked away, almost as if floating on air with his swiftness.

Back at the divot...

Simon's torch finally tuckered out as he reached a clearing. A clearing he knew all too well. "So, this is the place... looks slightly less pleasant in the rain." He tried to make light of his seeping anxiety, and it somewhat helped. He winced slightly at his pain, but continued to examine the ship. He was looking for an entrance, or some kind of damaged siding that he could enter thru... but no luck. Without his light, he had little options of getting inside and finding what he needed. Simon's body was finally feeling the effects of the building fatigue. "Just my luck..." He found a toppled log and sat on it for a moment... it was dry. The whole are around it was dry! With a little clearing up, it could be a decent spot to call it a night... but in this condition, it wouldn't be wise to let his guard completely down. "Hmph, guess I got too little options... This bleeding aint lettin up, and I don't like waitin!" Simon gathered some of the dry debris in the area and made a fire using friction and a lot of persistence. He managed to get the flame to a decent size, one that built warmth and light. He relit his torch and turned back to the ship, now in a new light. His eyes traced the sides of the ship, and there he found it. An old tattered rope, but there was something odd about it... the whole ship was even more odd now that he was up close. Simon walked up to the ship and noticed that the ship was almost completely rusted over. He tapped his hand on the face of the ship and realised it was entirely metal. "What could have caused an entire ship to turn to metal like this? This... doesn't seem like it was built with metal materials... its like it was fully coated in metal..." Simon continued to walk along the side of the ship. He placed his torch in his mouth and climbed the rope to the top and entered the deck. It felt surreal being on a REAL pirate ship. He had heard of them before, but never imagined himself actually seeing or being on one. "Its a wonder no pirates ever came to our island... guess its such a bore that they stay clear of it like the navy." Simon solemnly thought to himself as he worked his way across to the entrance of the ship.

It was an old ship, one that probably predates himself. I had fine decorations scattered about, all in tact and incased in metal. The air was stuffy, no air flow due to half the ship being in the ground and the other half rusted over. Simon covered his mouth until he managed to get back outside. Getting into the lower levels of the ship would be difficult. The air quality inside was unbearable, and while having a light source would be nice, Simon didnt want to cause the dust to ignite and cook him inside the metal ship. He had to take a gamble, if he got lucky the treasure would be in the captain's quarters which is a little ways up. But if not... well he tried not to think about that. Simon walked up the flight of stares and felt a chill in the air with each step he took. For the first time in his life, Simon could feel what it felt like to be prey at a hunter's behest. The feeling grew and grew like as if stepping ever so closer to the depths of the ocean, until his body froze over. The door stood before him, Simon face to face with the handles. His blood cold and his palm's sweaty. If this is how his evening would be, he'd be losing years off his life by the moment. "W-what is this feeling... its almost like... death is looming over me..." Simon placed his hand on his wound again, the bleeding had mostly stopped but infections were the main concern on his mind at this point. He reached out his hand and turned the knob. The doors were heavy, far heavier than downstairs. He pulled with all his might, only getting an opening far enough to barely slip inside. The rain was at its peak, but the trees and vines holding the ship in place shielded it from its onslaught. Simon raised his makeshift torch, his eyes stinging from the thick dust. The air was moving, slowly but surely. He spotted something out the corner of his eye. It was a chest, an opened chest. He peered inside and found 2 fruits. One that was already bitten into and decayed, while the other sat perfectly still as if freshly plucked from whatever tree it came from. Simon picked it up, he had never seen a fruit such as this. It was just as Salt described, it was hollow to the feel, light as a feather and had a flaky textured skin. The flakes would almost melt to the touch from how light and airy they were. Curious, Simon held the fruit close to his nose to smell and he drew back in shock. The fruit smelled like the morning dew, the air around it as fresh as a flower's sweet nectar! "H-How can this be? What is this thing?" Simon, without any pockets or bags to stash his findings in decided he would just carry it with him outside and wait until morning to travel back out. However, something was following Simon's movements from the moment he entered the room.

Outside Simon caught his breathe and peered over the edge of the ship to see how far up he was from his fire. He couldn't see his creation, but he did hear a voice, "you seem mighty lost boy." Simon froze in place. The mighty doors that proved too difficult to surmount, were effortlessly shoved aside by an unknown force. "Don't ye know, it makes a fool of a man to steal from a pirate." The pirate's voice was as cold as ice and as harsh as boiling magma. Without seeing the man, Simon knew that whatever was behind him, gave up humanity a long... long time ago. "If ye truly a man, then ye would be foolish to leave yer back to a man such as me." Simon turned around slowly. Lightning coursing above, almost laughing as Simon's idiotic and satirical fate. The man stepped from his cabin, with one hand pulling him out the door frame, one foot leading him out, his head rising to the clouds from his enormous height, and then a loud, resounding thud that shook the ship's frame to its core. One of the man's legs were a metal contraption. He used a crutch to balance himself out the door. Simon took a few steps back at the sight of such a giant of a man, he had to be at least 12 feet tall. "I'll be takin' back whats mine, Red-Heart" The behemoth outstretched his hand waiting for the prey to surrender its plunder. Simon was audibly shaking in his boots. He barely could hold onto the fruit, let alone his bladder. He had never felt such fear before, it was like a bad nightmare- the kind where no matter how loud you scream, you can't make a sound. Simon used every fiber in his being to try and release the fruit back to its owner, but a part of him resisted. It wanted to run for the hills and make it back to town where he knew comfort, safety, and the mundane boredom. It wanted Simon to go back to the simple life, ignorant of the existence of pirates. Ignorant to the path of the rebel, the one show seeks adventure and excitement. He wanted out... "Now, thats a good boy UYEEEHAHAHAHAHA! Now go back to yer mother's bosom, where fool's belong!" The giant took his fruit, and lurched back into his cabin, with the doors, unassisted, slammed behind him.

Simon's knees finally gave out, after what felt like an eternity. He couldn't muster the strength to get back up. The fatigue finally settled in, his body grew limp. Simon, in his entirety, was defeated. Not by any man, but by a force of nature. A realm where only gods amongst men lay dormant. And to them, Simon was merely a speck of dust blown by the winds to be in their way. The feeling he felt, was like no other. It was like a new feeling was born in that moment. It could only be described as a black seed that stretched out its tendrils to the very essence of Simon's being. One that ate away at who he was at his core, replacing it was nothingness.

Hours had past, the storm was beginning to let up. Luffy and his gang were sound asleep. Zoro, who was on watch for any trespassers, woke himself up with his snoring and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Once he finally yawned and regained himself, he noticed a figure slowly wobbling its way up the path. "H-Hey guys, look who's back!"

The others slowly woke themselves and looked at where Zoro was pointing. It was the slouch from earlier. Luffy grinned and blocked the path in front of Simon. "So, you came back out huh? Looks like you finally learned your lesson!" The group laughed at Simon as he drew closer, an emptiness in his eyes leading his forward. Luffy grinned, thinking that his antics earlier finally got to the utterly defeated wimp in front of him. Luffy and the others laughed at Simon and threw rocks at him as he continued out the divot. But their words didn't reach him, Simon was off somethere else. His body, almost willed by the black seed, worked its own way to where it knew it could survive. Thats all, survive and nothing more. Luffy pulled his pistol out and aimed one more time to Simon's turned back. He slowly pulled back his finger, but suddenly stopped. "I already wasted enough ammo on this welch. Lets head back to bed, guys. Let the insect be," and they all snickered and giggled back to their hiding place among the brush.

Shortly after, Celer found Simon covered in dirt and blood. He shook Simon to try to get him out of his daze, but to no avail. The Simon he knew, was gone and in his place, was a shell of a man who saw a world he was not ready for. A world of gods and monsters.