Chapter 5: John Silver

Celer opened his unlocked door. The house seemed to have a tranquil air to it. The walls were decorated in pictures of Celer, his wife, and his fellow navy men in their youth. Medals lined the cabinets and the smell of a lit cigarette seemed to top the metaphorical icing. "Took you long enough." The voice echoed from the next room. Simon followed behind Celer and both were met with the doctor they had been searching for. "So, this is the trouble maker in the flesh. Your wounds are gonna get infected if we don't treat you now." Broth pulled out her bag filled with supplies and pulled out exactly what she needed. "We can talk as I work, and for the record," she turned to Celer, "you're out of booze."

"A-already? I just stocked up 2 days ago!" Tears ran down the old man's face as he fell to his knees.

Simon smirked as he sat down. It felt good to have the tension lifted for even a moment. The doctor had swift hands, even faster than Simon. He couldn't keep track of her hands as she bandaged and treated his several cuts and bruises. She was done in a matter of minutes, with her cigarette still burning in the ash tray on the table behind them. She let out a sign and hit her cigarette. "So, you boys poked the bees nest I hear." Celer opened his mouth to explain the situation but was quickly silenced by the now enraged doctor. "YOU IDIOTS!"

"I can explain-"

"Don't bother, this little stunt was all over the comms earlier. I overheard them sending a fleet out to confront Straw Hat. That was hours ago, there's no telling how long it will take for them to get here."

Simon sat up and eased into a comfortable position. "So they are coming... this isn't good. We lost sight of Straw Hat back in the divot, my father took something and bolted off before we got to town..." The room drew silent. "He took a devil fruit from a certain pirate that was living in the center of the island."

Celer nodded in agreement, "we need to find him. Simon told me that the pirate was dead set on having what was his. And if he gets provoked to leave his ship-" He gulped and wiped the sweat from his head. Celer was strong, but in his old age, he didn't have what it took to take on Straw Hat and another pirate. "Simon and I can talk to Pepper, but the navy... that's what I need you for, Broth."

She put out her cigarette and leaned against the edge of the kitchen table. She pulled out her pocketwatch and checked the time. After closing it, she finally spoke. "You're on your own."

The 2 fell on their faces and shouted, "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" in unison.

"No, Im not. I don't have a direct line to the navy. I only have a line to the base 2 islands over. I already checked to see what the fleet launch was about they didn't know anything." Doctor Broth looked out the window and pointed to the shoreline. "If they do show up, I doubt its on official orders. That means 'accidents' are prone to happen if they deem it necessary." This was beyond bad news. Had it been a joke, the punchline must've taken the wrong subway for delivery, because the 2 were waiting for nothing. "There may be a chance to minimalize the issue... but it won't be an easy feet."

Simon pulled his hair back to a ponytail and tied it off. He threw on his jacket to keep the drafty air from cooling him off too much, and spoke solemnly. "Let me guess, capture Straw Hat and turn him in?" Broth gave him a thumps up for a correct guess. "Only problem is not only catching him... but also getting the navy to come and get him... right?"

"Bingo, 2 for 2. If they feel like the guesswork is too much to handle, they'll wipe us clean off the map. What's a few thousand retired farts and nameless nobodies, right? For Straw Hat, they'll bring out the big irons for a claim of that bounty!"

Celer groaned and shook his head, "what has this world come to..." He raised his head and looked to the pier. "There's no way we can get everyone off the island fast enough to avoid casualties. And in this panic, its already too late to try and get everyone to work together to find Straw Hat turned in. It'll be like lookin for a needle in a haystack!"

Broth held up her finger at that thought, "what did you just say?"

"I... uh... needle in a haystack...?"

"Yes... yes, thats it!" Everyone turned to Doctor Broth. "We don't need to have anyone look for him! We can have him come to us!" Simon looked to Celer who shrugged. "If we turn the chaos to a 10, he'll be wanting to jump ship too! And where is the only spot for those ships to dock?" The 2 got a grasp as to what she was coming up with but didn't understand how exactly they'd get this to work. "If we can somehow get the message out to have everyone in one spot, looking for ships... we could nab him out the crowd and easily take him!"

"But," Simon interrupted, "what about his crew? There were about 4 in total here. And they wouldn't be against taking hostages to get out of here."

"Who says we gotta stop em, give em a ship!"

"HUH?!" the 2 dropped their jaws to the ground. This plan was getting nowhere fast.

"If Straw Hats on the water, what can he do to escape the navy then? They'd have the whole island surrounded, ready to sink any ship that tries to leave. They'd be sitting ducks."

"Now we're getting somewhere, but what about the navy? If we let them slide too soon, they'll slide right past the navy and we'd still be in trouble. If we do it too late, they won't be willing to take a ship to be caught."

Celer had a point, the timing had to be perfect. Noone would willingly be sent to the slaughter like that. And with the chaos coming about, there is little areas for error. Simon was drawing blanks at this point. His wits were at their end, not to mention that wasn't including his father's situation with the pirate on his trail. If the navy caught wind of 2 notorious pirates on the island, it'd be a worst case scenario. They had to be able to take care of both situation swiftly enough to avoid further issues, and that was proving impossible. "We have to figure something out, if we don't then-" Something suddenly struck Simon, what if HE was the bait. Straw Hat was easily riled up by Simon's repeated involvement. If he called out Straw Hat for one last fight, they could catch him then. He told the others his thoughts and they seemed to agree with it being a decent plan. Only problem being where, and Simon had an idea for that too. "The southern beach!"

"Why there?" The doctor asked. She couldn't see why that would be a better spot than the docking area itself.

"There's a small fishing hole right down the bend! If we can lure him there, with a promise of a boat and a fight... then he will come running! Trust me!" The 3 agreed on the plan and sprung into action. Celer and Broth went to go get an old boat and bring it to the fishing hole. It was a popular spot for the locals and easy to find. They would set up signs to point Straw Hat to the exact spot they wanted and set up a trap for him and his crew, with a nice bow on top. Simon, however, took to the plaza. He managed to grab a megaphone from the police station along the way- and with so few officers in the station- he doubted they would mind. Countless people were filling every inch of the streets, it had to be people from all over coming to try and avoid the upcoming danger. Simon scanned the crowd the best he could but didn't see his targets. He decided that if he wanted to try and get their attention he had to make sure everyone could hear him. He took a deep breath and let out a deafening shout. The mass of people drew silent and turned their attention to the lone figure standing above them all. "Listen up! I, Simon... Red Heart Simon!" he pointed his thump to his bandages, "challenge Straw Hat to a duel!"

The crowd looked amongst themselves and broke out into an immediate laughter. "This guy thinks he can beat Straw Hat by himself?" One commented. "What an idiot!" Another mocked. "Stop wasting our time you drunkered! We're not buying it, you'll be slaughtered by that villain!"

Their words did cut deep but Simon steeled his heart and continued his message. "Face me Straw Hat! I'll leave a path for our duel! Follow it to the south! I'll even throw in a prize for you! So don't keep me waiting!" Simon marched through the plaza amidst a sea of laughter and mockery. The crowd was ruthless, the once cheery and peaceful town being turned into nearly the complete opposite with all that's going on. Familiar faces were shouting, spitting, and shouting at Simon for what he thought was a brave and just thing to do. He wanted to fix the pandora's box he unknowingly opened but with all this, he did have his doubts. It was too late to turn back on it now, he was already too deep in. He had to make things right, for the island... and himself.

Nearby, certain onlookers caught wind of the situation and gave each other a glance. "Looks like we might have our ticket out of here!" The onlooker and their raccoon dog snickered and turned to go and tell their leader of the sudden development. They ran back thru the alleys and side streets back to their captain to report in.

Nami and Zoro scanned the buildings along the main road. Most of the people were distracted so they didn't notice the 2 loading bags of supplies. "Did you hear something?" Zoro asked as he lifted his head from the basket of vegetables and grains. "Sounded like someone was shouting something." Nami shook her head stating she didn't hear it clearly so it must not have mattered. She walked out thru the back door and bumped into a large statured man and let out a short 'Eeep'. Zoro grabbed one of his swords and slung the bag over his shoulder, running to Nami. "W-what happened?" he said out of breathe. The large man turned around to see what the commotion was about. Zoro looked up at the large man and a few sweat beads ran down his head. "W-w-who are you!?"

The man quickly turned and tried to calm the situation. "S-sorry, im not from here. I was trying to get to the next island over, but the ships haven't left since that bad storm yesterday," the man said scratching his head. "I-I don't want any trouble, Im just waiting til things clear up, thats all."

Zoro and Nami both looked at each other. They had 2 big bags of supplies and were gonna have trouble getting them to a ship, let alone back to Luffy. They shrunk together and whispered amongst themselves. After a few seconds, they nodded and smiled to their new 'friend'. "Why don't you catch a ride with us, pal?" Nami ran up and took his hand. "See, we have these big ole bags of supplies we're stockin up on. Those ships have been crowded lately and we have a way out! If you can help us get these supplies to our Captain, we can take you with us!"

The man was taken aback by this, it didn't take a decently smart person to realize was what was going on but this was no ordinary person. In fact, he saw nothing wrong with the blatant thievery and decided he was be a good samaritan and help out. He lifted up both the loaded bags of supplies with ease and hoisted them over his shoulder. "This is nothing for a guy like me! The names Mounblutain, nice to meet ya!" Zoro and Nami looked at each other with widening smirks on their face.

Simon made his way down the beach to get to the fishing spot they agreed to meet at. He had a lot on his mind but so much was piling up and he didn't have time to filter thru it. He tries to fix one thing and another takes its place. He fell to his knees and leaned back to see the sky. It was clearing up from yesterdays storm but out at sea it was pretty dark from a storm in the distance. The sun was beginning to hit the edge of the sea, the darkness was creeping up towards the summit of the divot. After a moment of self reflection and a clearing of the mind, Simon noticed he wasn't alone. Nearby was an onlooker who was out of breathe from running around searching for him. It was Sara, and she was both confused and furious at the turn of events. "W-what is goin on Simon? The people... everyone's lost their minds! And and there was this man... he was all tall as a house, he was looking for you!"

Simon stood up and walked toward the frantic Sara. He dusted off her shoulders and got her to refocus on him. "Don't worry, I got this covered-" After a moment he realized what she said. "Did you say... a tall guy was looking for me?"

"Yes, he was rather rude. And smelled of rust or something."

Simon drew silent and his body went limp. "We're so dead..." he thought to himself. "If he is already in town, there's no telling when he is going to pop back up. Everyone is in danger if they get caught up in all this... I can't catch a break..." Simon facepalmed himself and began pacing back and forth. He had to think of a way to deal with Straw Hat and John Silver. Celer is probably already at the fishing spot which is still another 10 minutes away. Not to mention, Pepper... Simon didn't want to think of it, but if John Silver finds Pepper... he'd be the one getting the worst of it. At least when Simon took the fruit, he gave it back and didn't suffer and consequences. But Pepper, he took a different approach. John was probably gong to make sure Pepper paid for turning tail on him. Things are getting worse and worse...

Sara could sense the conflict stirring in Simon and spoke softly, "you always were a trouble magnet, you know." Not exactly what anyone needed to hear in this moment, but Simon kept listening. "For a guy who never seems to amount to anything, you do manage to get yourself out of any situation."

"What's your point?"

"Hmmm," she paused to think for a moment. "I guess, to sound like Celer, you know how to play your cards right! No matter how bad a hand you get, you always manage to win in the end!" She reassured as she dug in her pocket, searching for something. "I want you to have this," she outstretched her hand.

Simon took whatever it was and she gave a big smile. He was confused, but was gracious of her concern. It did lift a big of the weight off his shoulders. He opened his hand and looked at the 'gift' he just received... and disappointment etched across his face. It was his bill from yesterday... "I... I thought I paid this..."

"You did!" Sara swiftly responded. "And look!" She pointed at the total, the zeros were... more than one would want to count, but he played along. "Simon, if you could find a way to pay this off and manage to make it this far all bruised up- then what's stopping you from seeing the rest of this thru? You gotta believe in yourself, Simon! Like you used to, when we were kids!" It was... a bit butchered, but Simon understood what she was trying to say, but what she said next caught him off guard. She pulled out her next gift and showed it to him outright. It was his father's first volunteer badge from the police station. "Remember when you used to always steal this from your dad and pretend to fight evil pirates in the divot?"

Simon was awe struck. He had completely forgot about that old thing. He clutched it in his hands and could feel some deep emotions beginning to stir. "Y-you still had this? Where did you keep it? I thought I lost it..."

Sara smiled, "I kept it in the bar, always in the same spot- right under the register!" Simon was confused as to why she would keep such a thing, but she followed up with something Simon needed to hear for a long time but never could face. "Simon... what is it that you want to do with your life? Do you really wanna keep doing the same ole thing on this island?"

Simon was taken aback, utterly speechless. He had to face the music some day, but to hear it from her- his childhood friend- made the knife sink so much deeper. "I..." before he could finish his thought, the sun had set and he cut the conversation short. He had to meet up with Celer and Broth so they could deal with Straw Hat... but he didn't know how to respond to Sara. He didn't think about before now, at least not seriously. What did Simon want to do with his life, what dream did he wish to fulfill? It wouldn't matter if his island was blown into next week and erased from the world. He promised Sara that he would tell her before anyone else. Tell her his dream, the one he lost long ago. "You should find somewhere safe to hide... it could get dangerous."

"Don't worry about me, Im a bartender. I can handle myself."

"That's not what I meant," Simon said flustered as he began to walk off. "This'll be over come sunrise, I promise!" Sara smiled one last time before heading home for the night. He didn't know how she could do it, but she's never been a person to show her fears. Simon, on the other hand, has always held his heart on his sleeve. One thing he did wish, at least in that moment, was to be half the person she was. She had a business, a family that cared for her, and would pursue her dreams to the very end. What caused such a divide in their fates... why was Simon stuck being the one who had to keep crawling thru the mud, when someone like Sara was always free to soar the skies. His thoughts continued but once he reached the clearing to the boat location, he perished them so he could focus on what was at hand.

Celer and Broth both sat, drinking under the moon's light. The cool steady breeze from the ocean definitely would have made this a tourist attraction. But such things are always taken for granted, we never truly relish the simple times. We only grow to miss them amidst the sea of happenstances we face each day. Is this why so many marines chose such a secluded place to retire? What Simon thought was just an elaborate prison for the bored and depraved... was really a dream that so many people fought and wished for. And because of him... "You're souring the brew, chap! Come have a seat! There's still time before the main event!" Celer smiled, all be it drunk and swaying. He had always been there for Simon, but in this time of reflection, he couldn't help but wonder why. They had know each other for years now, thanks to Simon's many... many different ventures into the workforce on the small island of Palm Shores. He could work anything that you asked him with ihs experience. But due to his lack of motivation and persistence, he never could keep a decent job. "Here!" Celer broke up Simon's bombarding thoughts with a glass of Sake. "To a bright, and eventful future!"

Simon couldn't help but smile a little at this. He took the glass and cheered with Broth and Celer before taking a big sip and finally letting his worries fade. He looked down at the boat. It was a decent sized one. It bobbed on the water as they idled the time by. "Hey Celer..."

"What's up pal?"

"And you too, Doctor... what's it like out there? On the vast ocean?"

Celer was surprised at the question, but had a feeling that one day it would eventually pop up. "Well, its a world of endless possibilities! No one person could chart it all in their life time! And even if they did, it'd only be a fraction of what the world could offer! The people! The cultures! Each island almost like its own universe, completely different from the next, yet sharing just enough familiarities to make you feel welcome!" Celer hopped up and pointed his glass to the moon. He held the pose for a second, and turned to Simon. "I can tell ya, Simon. It'd be a world that would try to chew you up, and spit you out... but if you can find your way thru it. Find you something to strive for... there's no other feeling like it! Makes you feel... makes you feel like..."

"Liberated," Broth chimed in taking a sip of her sake. "The word is Liberated. You feel free, like your soaring the seas with the fates guiding you to your destiny. That's what it feels like."

They both looked at each other and laughed, but Simon was silent. He couldn't quite understand what it felt to be 'liberated'... or at least... he didn't remember. He couldn't understand why such a thing kept urging him forward... but to what. A sound could be heard approaching them. Simon gave his glass to Celer and eyed the direction of the sounds origins. It was a familiar face, grinning ear to ear. More and more silhouettes appeared along side the others. "I see you made it... Straw Hat."

Straw Hat tipped his hat just enough that his eyes would meet Simon's. The others stopped beside him and all had a menacing look among their faces... with one new addition. "Heard you had a present for us?" They looked over and saw the boat in the water nearby. "And all we gotta do is fight you for it, correct?" Simon nodded patiently. "Well then, why don't we get this show on the road! The sea isn't going to sail itself!" They all busted out into laughter.

Broth scoffed and Celer handed her his glass as he stood beside Simon. "Don't worry Celer, I won't be needing help this time..." The retired marine was surprised. "I want to face Straw Hat myself... or better yet.." Simon started to walk toward Straw Hat, who followed suit shortly after. "Tell me, Straw Hat..." They both stopped 10 paces away from the other. Their eyes locked on their target. Simon shifted his legs apart and took up a fighting stance. "You've been to several islands... haven't you?"

Luffy was confused as to why Simon would ask such a question now, but he played along as he readied his weapon. "Yea I have, I am the MIGHTY Monkey D. Luffy, after all!"

The leaves shifted in the wind, and the waters began to stir slightly. "Then tell me one thing, pirate!" The winds drew a large gust thru the clearing and clouds began to shift their way. "If you came face to face with a challenge you couldn't overcome... would you sacrifice yourself to save your crew?"

Everyone was shocked by this question, but it was a serious one. Simon could tell these pirates had been together for some time. His father always taught him that pirates were lowly thieves and cut-throats that would sell one another for a Berry if the price was big enough. And since these were some pretty big fishes, what better way to judge their character than to see their reactions. Zoro, Sanji, and Nami all looked at each other and then back Luffy, whose broad back gave them reassurance. Straw Hat's smile slowly receded to a serious leer. "You obviously don't know what the REAL world is like. Im a pirate, we'd do anything to get what we want..." Simon's face drew equally as serious, but he held his tongue for Straw Hat to finish his thought. The pirate then took aim at Simon and his smile grew back. "But I'd never sell out my crew, no matter what happens. If one of us goes down, the rest would try their damnest to rescue them!" His crew let out hearty cheers behind him.

Simon then asked his second question, "does the lives of those effected by your actions matter? Or are they just back drops for your adventure?" Straw Hat was visibly confused by this question. "This whole island is going to be erased because you are here... if we don't turn you in to the navy, that is."

"And why should I care about that? Maybe next time, you shouldn't trust those scummy marines!"

Simon clicked his tongue and launched at Straw Hat, who was ready to take the shot at Simon midair, but they were stopped by someone rushing out the nearby brush. Both parties turned to see who it was... it was Officer Pepper. "I've seen enough!" Pepper was frantic, his uniform was covered in dirt and debris from his constant running. But he was dead set on something. "I've seen enough of this! You all... you were working with those damn pirates all along?!" Celer and Broth shouted at Pepper to stop speaking non-sense, but it fell on deaf ears. "You... all of you... deserve what's coming to you! Im turning all of you into the marines!" He pulled out a transponder from his coat pocket with his free hand and yelled, "I have Monkey D. Luffy and his crew on Palm Shores! Send backup immediately!" Celer and Broth were confused as to why Pepper was overreacting, but then quickly realized WHOSE transponder snail that was- Salt's. Salt was a commander in the navy, if they get the wrong idea about the situation now, then the Buster Call is going to be waiting for them at the other end.

"Pepper, you need to get your head together! If you finish that call now, you'll be killing us all!" Celer rushed towards Pepper with all his might. Straw Hat turned his pistol to the distracted Celer, but was intercepted by Simon who shoved the gun toward the air. Straw Hat struggled to free his weapon from Simon, but managed to get a quick command out for his crew to steal the boat. Simon used his haki to push back Luffy and watch has his crew dispersed in multiple directions to fan out of Simon's reach and go for the boat. Sanji and the raccoon dog were the fastest, with Nami shortly behind. Zoro on the other hand was far behind and already exhausted. Celer kept his pursuit up trying to snatch the snail from the manic Pepper, but just before his hands could reach his target, an even larger threat tossed Celer aside with ease.

Celer was sent flying thru the air into the dense woods outside the clearing. Pepper tried to jolt away from this new presence but was snatched by his collar and slammed into the ground, causing the snail to hide away in its shell- too afraid to come back out. The fruit rolled across the ground, stopping a few feet away. The figure placed its peg leg onto the subdued officer's back. It smiled a toothy grin and loomed far above all the others who shriveled around him. Straw Hat caught a glimpse of the figure but was too focused on evading Simon to get a full picture. Once Simon saw his father on the ground he stopped and assessed the situation, only for fear to take him over. The worst case scenario was unfolding before his eyes. "I reckon ye 'ave something that aint yers mate. I'll be taking it back." The figure calmly said as a tendril of some kind stretched out to grab the fruit and quickly pulled it back to its owners hand.

"W-what is that thing," Straw Hat commented as he took a few steps back. He shot a few shots at the intruder but all the bullets bounced off with a metal *TING* sound. "You.. you're a devil fruit user?!" The figure was hardly bothered by the pellets that flew off impact. Straw Hat turned and shoved Simon, who wasn't paying attention, out the way and made way for the boat. "Don't bother getting in our way, or else you'll end up dead!" Straw Hat fired a shot toward Broth who drunkily, maybe not intentionally, ducked out the way of the bullet. The Straw Hats boarded the ship and tried to untied the knot holding it in place but were struggling. The figure formed a small pellet in its hand and flicked it toward the boat, the impact alone torn a gaping hole in the side of it. Water began to pour in. The Straw Hat crew frantically began scooping out the water and trying to plug the hole. "Q-quickly! It's our only way off this cursed island!"

Simon turned back to the threat before him, who finally took notice of him. "H-how did you find us?!" Simon called out in a cold sweat.

The light finally shone once more and John Silver's face was menacing alone. He kept his gaze on the thief who was bold enough to take his treasure and didn't break eye contact for a second. "So, we meet again Red Heart... I knew if I kept me eye on ye, I'd find what I was lookin fer." Silver examined his fruit once more, ensuring no one took a bit of it. "Just as I told ye before, I won't takin this lightly, Marine!" Silver lifted his leg up slightly and prepared to stomp onto Pepper's back...but it stopped at its peak. Simon held up the peg leg with one arm and used the other to throw his father to the side. "Mighty brave of ye, but why are ye savin that filthy marine fer?"

Simon tossed back Silver's leg, causing him to stammer back a few steps. Pepper was still catching his breathe and regaining his strength. Simon stood up and squared away with John Silver. He was afraid, but not like before. Before he was afraid for himself, but now he was afraid for the island he loved. The island he betrayed for the chance at a new path in life. The island that he selfishly put on the knife's edge and stole away its peace. This was the only way to pay back the countless years of peace and life that the island gave to so many people. Simon filled all these pure emotions into his armament haki, causing it to change color. It started at his heart and started burning the black coating on his arms into a bright iron hot red. "It's time you pirate got off MY island!"