Heart of a Pirate
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Kingdom Hearts. They belong to Eiichiro Oda and Square Enix respectively.
Chapter 15: Return to Traverse Town (Part 1)
Title Page: In the foreground, Hades hides behind a pillar in the shadows and watches as Zoro walks out of the training area away from Hercules and Phil in the distance, an evil grin on his face.
Subtitle: I think I've found another sucker!
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Gummi Space—o0o0o0o0o0o0
A humanoid figure sailed through the space between worlds within a shower of multicolored sparks, giving the appearance of a comet. Had the sparks not been there, an observer would have seen that the figure within was a man; a rather skinny, wizened old man with short white hair and a long white beard with a bushy mustache. He wore a baggy blue robe with matching blue slippers and a pointy blue hat, with a small pair of round spectacles perched on his nose. His name was Merlin, and he currently had his sights set on Traverse Town.
The events of the past few days had been rather unexpected. First the stars in the sky had begun winking out one by one. Then his old friend King Mickey popped up and asked him to head home to Traverse Town to provide help, advice, and training to the new Keybearer, who was currently traveling with Mickey's two most trusted friends. Then his communication line to Yen Sid went dark. What was happening out there?
At least two out of the three happenings could be attributed to the Heartless beginning to run amok throughout the worlds after years of little to no widespread activity, and Mickey had taken it upon himself to find out more about it. He knew that it couldn't just be that the Heartless grew restless; something or someone out there was controlling and using them. To what end, they could only speculate, but they knew it couldn't be anything good.
It would also explain Yen Sid's radio silence. Whoever was using the Heartless knew that Mickey's teacher could prove to be a major thorn in their sides, and it was likely that rather than let him act on his own, they beat him to the punch and cut him off from the rest of the worlds somehow. Merlin knew that Yen Sid was far too powerful and skilled to be finished off so easily; no, it was far more probable he had been incapacitated in some form or fashion. It would only be a matter of time before he returned; a man like him could only be kept down for so long, after all. But perhaps the point was not to end him, but keep him out of the way long enough for their plans to succeed.
But with or without Yen Sid, Merlin and Mickey would not allow said plan to reach fruition. They would stop the scourge of the Heartless and the one controlling them, one way or another.
It was then that Merlin spotted Traverse Town in the distance. He smiled; hopefully he would make it in time for the Keybearer's arrival. With that, he increased his speed and made for his house.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Elsewhere in Gummi Space—o0o0o0o0o0o0
"WHOOOOAAAA! This is so cool! An actual spaceship! Sailing between the stars! First sky islands, now SPACE! Wait'll we tell the others about THIS!"
Usopp was currently marveling at the sight of Gummi Space, along with all the features of the Gummi Ship. Whenever he had a question about anything, Goofy and Jiminy would explain, which took up the majority of the time between leaving the latest world and their destination of Traverse Town.
Luffy, meanwhile, while also enthralled, couldn't muster up much of the same energy due to how hungry he still was. He had even taken a bite out of one of the walls, prompting Donald to spend a significant amount of time chewing him out for damaging their ship.
"What's the big deal? It doesn't even taste good! Or fill me up!" Luffy complained back.
"OF COURSE NOT! IT'S NOT FOOD OR CANDY!" the Court Magician screamed. "AND THAT'S NOT THE POINT! YOU DON'T EAT TRANSPORTATION!"
During all of this, only one member of the party remained quiet, staring out the window into space with a glum expression on his face. Despite their victory against the boss Heartless, as well as Mr. 3 and Buggy, Sora was feeling a bit down in the dumps. Sure, they had found Usopp, but he'd still seen no sign of Riku or Kairi.
On top of that, he was once again feeling doubtful about his abilities as the Keybearer. At one point, Usopp had come close to dying because he couldn't beat Mr. 3 by himself; it had been pure luck that the Mad Hatter and March Hare had appeared to give Usopp the opportunity to get them out of there. And even he himself came close to losing his life to Mr. 3 if not for Usopp saving him. And on top of all of that, Alice was taken out from under them. If he couldn't protect himself or his own friends, what chance did he stand of protecting entire worlds from the Heartless?
Just then, he felt something grab the corners of his mouth and pull backwards and upwards, forcing his mouth into an odd smile. "Hweh? Whud the?" he garbled.
"Cheer up, Sora!" came Goofy's voice from behind him, apparently the one forcing the smile. "We'll find yer friends! There're as many worlds out there as stars in the skies! They're bound to be on one of 'em!"
"Yeah!" Donald agreed, before putting on a bit of a chiding tone. "And if you wanna live to see 'em, you better cheer up right now! Your depression's affecting the power supply!" He then pointed to a meter that seemed to be reading a bit low.
"Eh? Your mood affects the power?" asked Usopp.
"Yep! This ship runs on happy faces!" replied Goofy with a grin.
"Just when I thought I'd gotten away from all the crazy…" Usopp groaned as he slumped his shoulders.
Donald and Goofy's words seemed to have an effect on Sora as he looked thoughtful, then smiled. "You're right," he replied, looking more cheerful already. "No use crying when there's still work to be done!"
His expression then gained a serious edge as he looked down and clenched a fist. "But all the same… I need to get stronger."
"Hm? What makes you say that?" asked Usopp.
"We almost died a couple of times," Sora replied. "And Alice got taken away right out from under us." He then looked up with a determined expression. "I need to make sure those situations don't happen again! That's why I'm gonna get stronger!"
"Sounds good to me!" Luffy grinned with a thumbs-up.
"Yeah!" Usopp, Goofy, and even Donald agreed in unison, to which the Court Magician then freaked out about having actually agreed with something Luffy said.
Sora's smile broadened upon seeing that he had his friends' support. His expression then changed to surprise as he noticed something ahead of the ship.
"Hey, look! It's Traverse Town! We're here!" the spiky-haired boy said, pointing.
Everyone turned their heads to see the spherical landscape covered with several red-roofed buildings and houses, the most prominent being the building with a big golden "Accessories" sign, and attached to the landscape was a big grey fountain.
"It looks so different from space," Sora remarked.
"You mean it's different when we land?" asked Usopp.
"Yup!" said Goofy. "In Gummi Space, each world looks a lot smaller from the outside; some kinda 'compression' or 'refraction' of light or somethin'. When we land, it'll look a lot bigger!"
"GAH! Enough with the crazy!" Usopp complained while clutching his head. "I've already had enough for a hundred lifetimes, thank you very much!"
With that, the ship carrying the quintet moved in for landing.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Traverse Town, First District, Rooftops—o0o0o0o0o0o0
Unbeknownst to the group of Heartless fighters, a petite, shadowy figure was perched on one of the rooftops close to the gummi ship hangar entrance, watching as they landed. If one were to observe this figure, they would swear they saw its eyes glowing red and a glowing white slasher smile spread across its darkened face. The figure let out an unsettling laugh as the gummi ship disappeared from view into the hangar.
"That's right, ya pirate bastard, come to Mama…" the figure said in a soft voice, crouching in preparation for the arrival of a certain rubberman.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Traverse Town, First District, Hangar Entrance—o0o0o0o0o0o0
Once the gummi ship was docked and the gang stepped off the ship, they stepped through the hangar doors to enter the town proper. It felt good to come back to a peaceful place after the insanity of that last world; Usopp in particular was happy for some normalcy. It being his first time here, he was rather enamored with the warm, welcoming atmosphere its streets exuded. Even though it wasn't Syrup Village, it still felt like home.
"Wow, I like this place already!" said the sniper, grinning from ear to ear as he looked left and right, taking in the sights. "It's so cozy and peaceful! No need to worry about anything crazy jumping out and…"
"RAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
"What the… AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
WHAM!
A primal shriek of absolute rage rang out as a certain green and beige-clad kunoichi came barreling down from the rooftops and tackled Luffy to the ground, the two of them rolling and sliding a short distance before coming to a stop. Before anyone could react, Yuffie began punching and kicking the stuffing out of the rubberman, kicking up a cloud of dust that roamed about the district square, the occasional limb popping out and retracting as she did so.
"YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST GET UP AND LEAVE WHENEVER YOU WANT?!" the ninja shouted. "PREPARE TO FACE THE MUSIC!"
"GET IT OFF ME! GET IT OFF MEEEEE!" Luffy screamed.
"Yuffie?! What the…?!" Sora choked, caught completely off-guard by what was happening in front of him.
"Be right with you, Sora!" Yuffie called out from the dust cloud, her voice casual as ever as if she were not currently beating the snot out of someone. "Just got a little steam to blow off here!"
"Goodness gracious, that's not just a little steam!" exclaimed Jiminy.
"What's going on?!" cried Usopp, now freaking out. "Who is that?! Why is she attacking Luffy?!"
"That's Yuffie," Sora sighed. "She's on our side, but as you can see… she has a major bone to pick with Luffy right now."
"What did he do this time?" Usopp asked in exasperation.
"Ate a bunch of people's food at a restaurant without paying… aheheh," Sora replied, nervously scratching the back of his head.
"Oh yeah, you mentioned that before," said Usopp. "But how does that explain being THIS angry?!"
"He also pissed off the rest of the customers and caused a riot! And I was the one stuck doing damage control!" Yuffie yelled from her dust cloud, still hitting Luffy as she did so. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to calm down a whole restaurant's worth of angry people?! By YOURSELF?!"
"Ok, now it makes sense," replied Usopp before shaking his head with a sigh. "Damn it, Luffy…"
With that, the foursome (plus Jiminy) and whatever pedestrians were nearby could only stand and watch while Yuffie exacted her long-awaited revenge on Luffy. They would occasionally let out an "Ooh!" or an "Ouch!" or a "Yikes!" accompanied by a wince; Goofy even covered his eyes at one point. Donald, meanwhile, was busting a gut laughing at the proceedings, holding his sides as he struggled to breathe.
"WAAAAAHHHH! SOMEBODY HELP!"
"SHUT UP AND LET ME POUND YA, YOU SONUVA…!"
10 Minutes Later
Yuffie had finally let up on her assault, wearing a satisfied smile as she clapped the dust off her hands. Luffy, meanwhile, sat tied up, looking thoroughly disheveled with several bumps and bruises all over and his face looking quite swollen. He also had several senbon needles sticking out of various places, making him look like a human pincushion.
It was a beating Nami and Sanji would have been proud of.
"S-So… a-are you done?" Usopp asked timidly.
A menacing chuckle escaped from Yuffie's mouth at that, her bangs shadowing her eyes.
"Oooooh, no. Not yet," she grinned sadistically, making Sora and Usopp shiver; they could have sworn her eyes started glowing right then. She then grabbed Luffy's ropes and began dragging him towards the Third District's doors. Not knowing what else to do, everyone else in the group followed, Donald being the most eager.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Traverse Town, Third District—o0o0o0o0o0o0
Yuffie tossed the thoroughly thrashed Luffy into the middle of the empty square where they had fought the big armored Heartless several hours ago. Luffy tried crawling away like an inchworm, but Yuffie grabbed a large carabiner hook connected to a rope from above and clamped it onto some of his bonds. She then ran to the base of a wooden structure that vaguely resembled a crane that the hook's rope was attached to and began rapidly cranking a winch, lifting the Straw Hat captain off the ground to hang in the air. He wiggled and writhed, but could not get loose, much to Yuffie's satisfaction. She then cupped a hand to her mouth and took a deep breath.
"Oh, CUUUUU-STOMERRRRRRS!" she sang into the air before scuttling away.
The next thing anyone knew, several angry-looking people came walking out of every corner of the area surrounding the square, most of them holding baseball bats, clubs, and other such blunt instruments.
Luffy yelped and struggled anew to get free of the ropes, but Yuffie had secured him in place quite well. Within seconds, the crowd was upon him.
"Oh no…" Usopp groaned.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Luffy screamed as the mob proceeded to beat the life out of the Straw Hat captain like a human pinata.
Several Minutes Later
The crowd had finally gotten their frustrations out and dispersed, leaving Luffy looking even more battered than before, if that was even possible. One of his feet twitched periodically, and one could even swear they saw smoke coming off of his body.
"Yikes…" said Sora, teeth gritted.
"Got that right," agreed Jiminy, also gritting his teeth.
"Is he still alive?" Goofy wondered, poking the rubberman with his finger.
"Believe it or not, he's had worse," Usopp sighed.
"Now what do you have to say for yourself?" said Yuffie, moving her face in close to Luffy's and giving him a hard look.
"I'b sowwy," Luffy said in a thick voice.
Donald said nothing, still struggling to get his laughter under control.
"So anyway, welcome back, guys!" chirped a now much more cheerful-looking Yuffie. "I see you've got a new friend with you!" Sora and Usopp could only sweatdrop at the display.
"Did you really have to go that far, Yuffie?" asked Sora. "Was getting those people to beat him up necessary?"
"Hey, it was a concession I had to make to get everyone to stop rampaging through town; who do you think built this thing?" the kunoichi replied in a casual tone, gesturing towards the crane-like wooden structure that Luffy still hung from, before putting on an evil smile. "Not that I needed much persuading, mind you!"
"Are you done NOW?" asked Usopp.
"Yup!" Yuffie grinned. "All is right in my world!" She then extended a hand to the sniper. "I'm Yuffie Kisaragi, by the way, but you can call me The Great Ninja Yuffie!" She then tilted her head with curiosity. "You're a friend of Sora's, I'm guessing? Found on another world?"
"Um, y-yeah," replied Usopp, reaching out a trembling hand and grasping hers. "M-my n-name's Usopp." Note to self, do NOT piss her off, the sniper thought.
"Nice to meet you, Usopp!" the ninja replied with another grin as she vigorously shook his hand. She then turned to Sora. "Nice going, kid! You found a friend on your first world! Good thing, too; a nose like that should be good for all kinds of things!"
"Hey! I'm proud of this nose!" Usopp spluttered.
"So…" began Sora, ignoring the 'kid' comment. "Can you tell us where to find Leon? We need to ask him something."
"Leon? You can probably find him in the waterways in the Second District," the kunoichi replied. "He usually trains there around this time."
"How do we get there?" Goofy asked.
"There's a grate in the alleyway behind the hotel; you can get in through there!" replied Yuffie.
After thanking her, Sora, Usopp, and Goofy got Luffy down and untied him while pulling out the remaining needles from his body, then poured a healing potion down his throat. Once he was fully re-energized, the group set off for the Second District.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Traverse Town Second District, Water Tunnels—o0o0o0o0o0o0
The Keyblade group found themselves up almost to their knees in dark water in a dimly-lit tunnel. The only source of light for them were small dots of light glowing faintly in the rock walls on either side of them. Did some of the minerals in the rock have magical properties?
"Are we sure this is the right place?" asked Usopp. "I don't want to have gotten my shoes soaked for nothing!"
"You're telling me," said Sora with a crooked smile.
"That's why ya gotta wear sandals like me! Hahaha!" Luffy laughed.
Just then, in the distance, they heard swinging and grunting; the telltale sounds of a training swordsman.
"That must be Leon!" said Donald as he made his way forward towards the sound, the rest following after.
They soon found themselves in a medium-sized cavern with a bit of land above the water level. A pair of torches on the other end of the space provided the majority of the lighting, but Sora and the others could see more small dots of light coming from the walls regardless. To their left, they saw another tunnel going a short way, leading to a mural of a crescent moon surrounded by stars at the end. Each wall also had a painted design of their own, consisting of spiral patterns and long rows of triangles, almost like intersecting teeth.
In the middle of the cavern stood Leon, swinging his Gunblade to and fro. Several drops of sweat trickled down his face and neck as he breathed heavily; evidently, he'd been down here for a while.
"Hiya, Leon!" Goofy called out with a smile and a wave. "How're ya doin'?"
Leon halted his swings, turning his head to see the group approaching. "Oh, you're back," he said simply.
"Um… yup. Hi," Sora said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "We just had a couple of questions to ask…"
"I see," said Leon, holstering his weapon and grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off his face. His eyes then fell on Usopp. "Who's this?"
"You're looking at the Great Captain Usopp! The greatest warrior to ever set foot out to sea! Nay, to SPACE!" the sniper declared, doing his usual grandiose pose. Leon stared for a moment, then looked at Sora.
"Care to explain why he's here?" the Gunblade wielder asked.
"Well, we found him on the first world we visited, and he's one of Luffy's crewmates, so we had to take him along," Sora said.
"I see," Leon replied.
"Not much of a talker, is he?" Usopp whispered to Donald and Goofy, who shook their heads.
"Well, anyway…" said Sora, getting the conversation back on track. "We wanted to ask you about something that happened in the world we just came from."
Leon nodded, before sitting down against the wall next to a plate of food; likely there as a post-training meal. The gang followed suit, sitting in a semicircle in front of him. Leon then motioned for Sora to continue.
"We took out this really big Heartless," the Keybearer spoke. "Then this glowing keyhole appeared, and all on its own, the Keyblade shot a beam of light into it!"
"We heard a sound, too! Like a lock turnin'!" Goofy added.
"Sounds like you found that world's Keyhole," Leon replied, stoic as ever.
"The world's Keyhole?" Usopp repeated, confused. "Worlds have dedicated keyholes?"
"That's right," replied the Gunblade wielder. "Ansem wrote of such a thing in his report."
"Who's Ansem?" asked Sora, cocking his head. Leon raised an eyebrow at his response, before appearing to realize something.
"I forgot, me and Yuffie never got around to telling you about him," he said. "To put it simply, he was a scientific researcher from our home world who was studying the Heartless," he explained. "He recorded his findings in a detailed report, which we managed to read before coming here to Traverse Town."
"Do you still have it?" asked Usopp. "Maybe it could help us!" Leon shook his head.
"Unfortunately, our home world was lost years ago, and as a result, the pages of the report have been scattered throughout the various worlds," said the Gunblade wielder.
"We think King Mickey went out to find 'em!" Goofy replied.
"We believe that too," said Leon with a nod, then continued. "In any case, in his report, Ansem talked about a keyhole hidden in every world; one that led to the heart of that world."
"The… heart of the world?" Usopp repeated. "You mean entire worlds have hearts?"
"Correct," the scarred man responded. "And a world's heart is no safer from the darkness than any other heart, which makes it a prime target for the Heartless. Each Keyhole is well-hidden, but when the Heartless begin to infest a world, it's only a matter of time before they find it, use it to infiltrate the heart of the world, and corrupt it with darkness."
"And… then what?" Sora asked with a gulp.
"The world disappears."
"WHAT?!" everyone present exclaimed.
"That's why your Keyblade is so important," Leon continued. "With it, you are able to lock the Keyholes, thereby preventing the Heartless from claiming the worlds." He then gave Sora a serious look. "In fact, you're the only one who can."
"Geez… no pressure, huh?" Usopp commented with an awkward laugh.
Sora swallowed, feeling rather intimidated. His responsibilities as the Keybearer just kept stacking up higher and higher. Where would it end?
"I-I don't know if I can…" the spiky-haired boy stammered.
"Seeing the other worlds would serve you well regardless," Leon replied.
"Yeah! We can do it while lookin' fer yer friends! And the King!" said Goofy.
"Yeah!" added Donald.
"If you say so…" said Sora, still not feeling all that confident.
It was at that moment that Leon chose to reach for his plate of food…
…only for his fingers to grasp thin air.
Quirking an eyebrow, he looked at his now-empty plate, then raised his head to see Luffy shoving the last rice ball from his post-training meal into his mouth.
"Mmmmm, dat wash good!" said the rubberman with a grin on his still-stuffed cheeks, some rice grains stuck to the area around his mouth. He then swallowed, picked up the plate and raised it towards Leon. "Seconds?"
All five of Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Usopp dropped their jaws at Luffy's stupidity. Even after that beatdown from Yuffie, he still went and ate someone else's food?! The group then turned their eyes back towards Leon, whose face had darkened.
"I was going to eat that," the scarred man said in a low voice, causing everyone minus Luffy to begin sweating bullets. He then made to get to his feet, his hand reaching for his Gunblade.
"Hold on, Leon, I've got some more here. There's no need to hurt anyone."
The Keyblade group jumped at the melodic, feminine voice that came from nearby. Turning their gaze in its direction, they saw none other than Aerith standing in the archway between the two torches that lit the cavern, dragging a VERY large stack (at least twice as big as her, from the look of it) of what looked like large wooden bento boxes, all tied together with rope. Once she got the boxes through the archway, the green-eyed girl let go and wiped some sweat from her brow before turning towards the group with a smile.
"Aerith!" said Sora, Donald, and Goofy all at once.
"Hey, it's you again!" said Luffy.
"Who's she?" asked Usopp.
"Hello, everyone; welcome back!" said Aerith. Her eyes then turned to Usopp. "And I see you've brought a new friend!"
"Pleased to meet you, ma'am!" the sniper replied with a grin as he stood up, placed his fists on his hips and threw out his chest. "Consider this an honor! You're looking at the Great Captain Usopp, living legend of the seas!"
Aerith stared with raised eyebrows for a moment before giggling and holding out her hand, which he shook. "Nice to meet you, captain. I'm Aerith Gainsborough," she replied good-naturedly.
"Just so you know, he's not actually a captain," Sora pointed out.
"Shhh!" Usopp shushed Sora.
"What are you doing here, Aerith?" asked Leon, still looking irritable from having his lunch stolen right out from under him.
"Yuffie told me everyone was back, and I thought they might be hungry," the pink dress-clad girl replied as she patted the stack of boxes. "There's some for you too if you want it, Leon."
"Wait… you mean…" began Sora.
"…that all of that…" continued Usopp.
"…is FOOD?!" finished Luffy.
It was then that a variety of delicious smells hit their nostrils, making them remember their hunger and causing all three of them to begin drooling.
"That's right!" smiled Aerith.
"YAHOOOO! Time to eat!" crowed Luffy as he jumped up and dashed towards the stack of food.
WHACK
Before he could reach it, though, the pirate captain found a wooden staff connecting with his skull, stopping him in his tracks. Looking up, he saw said staff in the hands of the girl who brought their meal.
"Hold it," said Aerith, her voice and facial expression now uncharacteristically firm, like that a mother disciplining a misbehaving child. "I know about your stunt at the restaurant, and I won't have a repeat of it here. You're going to let your friends take their share first, and then you can have the rest." Her eyes narrowed further. "Understand?"
"Awww! But I wanna eat now!" Luffy whined. But the green-eyed girl was unmoved as she pressed her staff down harder.
"Understand?" she repeated, more insistently this time.
"Ok, ok," Luffy relented, pouting.
Sora, Usopp, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy all looked on with awestruck expressions; even Leon had his eyebrows raised. "Wow, she's good," said Usopp, everyone else nodding in agreement. Aerith then turned back towards the rest of the group with a bright smile.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" she said, pulling out a pair of scissors from a pouch on her hip and cutting the rope on the stack. "Eat up!"
That snapped the group out of their trance, prompting them to scramble towards the stack of food and each take a large box for themselves, with Leon stepping forward last. Aerith then removed her staff from Luffy's head and gestured towards the remaining boxes with a friendly smile, at which he then sprang forward and began wolfing down the contents.
For the next few minutes, all that could be heard in the cavern was the sound of chewing, swallowing, and muffled sounds of appreciation as everyone dug into their long-awaited meal, Aerith's excellent cooking filling them up nicely. As they ate, Aerith roamed around the group with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of iced barley tea to help wash it all down, which they gladly accepted.
"When did you have time to make all this?" asked Leon between bites.
"I started getting the ingredients together about an hour after everyone left," she replied. "Since it would be Sora's first outing as the Keybearer, I figured they would be back fairly quickly and would want something to eat when they did. Plus…" She looked over at Luffy as he gorged himself. "Yuffie told me about how much he eats, and I thought we could avoid more chaos in town if he didn't go to any of the restaurants."
"Good thinking," said Leon, returning to his food. It was almost scary how perceptive the green-eyed girl could be…
After a while, upon finishing their meals, everyone let out a collective sigh of satisfaction, though Leon chose a more muted reaction.
"So good!" Luffy sighed with a blissful expression, patting his distended belly.
"Yeah! It was delicious!" agreed Sora, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you so much!
"Yeah! Thank you!" Donald, Goofy, Jiminy, and Usopp said simultaneously.
"Thanks," said Leon in his usual monotone.
"I'm so glad you liked it," Aerith beamed. She then turned to Sora. "By the way, Sora, I overheard your conversation about the Keyholes on the way down the stairs; you sounded a bit unsure of yourself." This made the Keybearer sober up a bit.
"Um, yeah," Sora said nervously, scratching the back of his head. "It's a lot to take in…"
"Don't worry, you'll do just fine," said Aerith as she placed an encouraging hand on his shoulder, causing the Keybearer to blush a bit at the contact. "I'm confident you'll succeed."
"Yeah! You can do it!" agreed Usopp, with Luffy giving his trademark grin and a thumbs-up.
"I guess you're right…" Sora replied, now feeling much more sure of himself. He then raised his head with a confident smile. "OK!"
"That's what we like to hear," smiled Aerith.
"Oh yeah!" piped up Donald as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out the teal-coloured gummi block that had come from the previous world's Keyhole, showing it to Leon and Aerith. "We wanted to ask you about this too. It's not like any of the other gummi blocks; any idea what it might do?"
"Can't help you there, I'm afraid," replied Leon with a shake of his head. "Ask Cid, he should know."
"The guy who owns the Accessory shop?" asked Goofy, to which the Gunblade wielder nodded.
"Guess we'll go do that, then," said Sora as he got to his feet. "Thanks for the advice!" He then turned to the others with a grin. "Come on, guys, let's go! No time to waste!"
With that, the Keyblade group all got up and left, going back the way they came through the same water-filled tunnel. Leon raised an eyebrow at this.
"They know there's a staircase right here, don't they?" he said to Aerith, jerking a thumb towards the archway. The green-eyed girl could only shrug in response.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Traverse Town First District, Accessory Shop—o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Howdy, fellas!" came the gruff but welcoming voice of Cid Highwind from behind the counter as everyone came strolling in. "Was wonderin' when I'd see you all again." He then turned his gaze towards Luffy and Usopp. "And I see you've picked up a coupla new partners, too!"
"They're not partners!" yelled Donald. Usopp raised an eyebrow at that response; what did he mean by that?
"So you two got names or somethin'?" asked Cid.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy!" the Straw Hat captain said with a thump of his chest. "Future King of the Pirates!"
"And I'm the Great Captain Usopp! Friend of Giants! Banisher of Spooks! All-Around Hero!" the sniper announced with a pump of his fist.
Cid stared at the two of them with an odd look, then shook his head. In the nine years he'd been in Traverse Town, it still wasn't the weirdest thing he'd ever seen.
"Anyway, we wanted to ask you about this," Donald continued, pulling out the gummi block from earlier.
"Do you know what it is, gramps?" asked Sora.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO CALL ME…! Ah, never mind, there's no point; yer just gonna say it anyway," grumbled Cid. He then took a look at the gummi block in question. "Yer kiddin' me!" he exclaimed.
"What? What is it?" asked Usopp, to which Cid looked at the group with an incredulous expression.
"Y'all gotta have the collective brains of a brick if ya don't know jack about navigation gummis; gummi space ain't no playground, ya know!" he replied.
"Hey, come on! There's a lot we don't know!" Sora protested. "We need to use the gummi ship to go to the other worlds! We don't have a choice!"
"Ok, ok, simmer down, I didn't know. No hard feelings, alright?" Cid replied, looking a bit mollified. He then picked up the navigation gummi block from Donald and got to explaining.
"In any case, a navigation gummi upgrades yer coordinate database with locations of new places in known gummi space; basically lets ya go places you haven't been yet with none a' the guesswork." He then brought the gummi block up to his eye level. "Can't hurt to install it; guess I can lend you a hand."
"You'll put it in for us?" asked Sora, looking hopeful.
"Hey, said I'd help out, didn't I?" said Cid with a small grin. "Ain't never broken a promise before; bad business, that is."
"Great! Thanks, gramps!" exclaimed Sora with a grin. Cid twitched a bit, but otherwise maintained his composure.
At that moment, a trapdoor in a part of the ceiling next to the counter opened down into the store, followed by a ladder that slid down on a pair of rails. A small white creature then came climbing halfway down before turning to face Cid.
Everyone in Sora's group all stared at the creature; it vaguely resembled a teddy bear, but had a big oval-shaped red nose, slanted, foxlike eyes, tiny purple bat wings on its back, and a red pom-pom on an antenna that extended from the top of its head. Altogether, a very odd sight.
"Hi, Mr. Highwind, kupo," the creature said in a high-pitched voice.
"Hey, Kupop," Cid greeted. "What can I do ya for?"
"Just wondering, did that shipment of Blaze Shards arrive yet, kupo?" the now-named Kupop asked.
"Shoot! Totally forgot!" Cid replied, snapping his fingers. "One second…" He then knelt down and started rummaging behind the counter.
All was silent for a moment as the group stared at Kupop, who seemed to be staring back. It was Goofy who broke the silence.
"Hi there, little fella!" said the Knight Captain with a friendly wave.
"Um, hello, kupo," said Kupop with a small wave of his own. "Nice to meet –"
"BAT-BEAR!"
Startled, everyone jumped at Luffy's shout, while Cid bonked his head on the shelf just above him. As the shopkeeper let out a stream of expletives, everyone turned to Luffy, his gaze fixed on the white creature with stars in his eyes.
"It's another bat-bear! I saw one at the restaurant earlier!" the Straw Hat captain said excitedly. "I wanna see your pom-pom!" He then dashed forward with his hands out in front of him.
"Kupo!" Kupop squeaked with fright before scrambling back up through the trapdoor. He then pulled the ladder up before snapping the opening closed just as Luffy came barreling in.
WHAM!
The rubberman stumbled forward and hit the wall face-first, slowly sliding down to a prone position on the floor.
"The hell d'ya think yer doin', dumbass?! Ya tryin' to give me a concussion?!" Cid cursed as he stood back upright, rubbing a knot forming on his head. "And anyway, that ain't no damn bat-bear! It's a moogle!"
"A… moogle?" Sora asked.
"Yep, and he's one 'a my business partners!" the older man replied. "He and a buncha other moogles live upstairs and make all kinds 'a stuff with magic materials; they make 'em, I sell 'em. And every so often we work together on new inventions; 's'how I got this building all fixed up with defensive countermeasures in case the Heartless show their ugly mugs in town."
"Inventions?" said Usopp, perking up.
"Yep," replied Cid as he bent down and picked up a medium-sized box marked 'DO NOT SHAKE'. "You'd be surprised by the kinds 'a stuff they can come up with. Moogle ingenuity is a great thing." He then walked over to a section of the wall and pulled a panel open to reveal a dumbwaiter. Cid placed the box inside, closed the panel and pushed a button next to it. A muffled buzzing sound rang from above the ceiling, followed by the sound of a chain on a pulley moving upwards.
While Cid was doing that, Usopp's mind was racing with possibilities now that he knew who could help him work with Blaze Shards and Frost Shards; from the sound of it, he could create some truly incredible gadgets with the help of these moogle guys! It was a chance of a lifetime!
"Would it be alright if we go up and visit them?" the sniper asked, looking excited. "I'm something of an inventor myself!" Cid gave him a curious look, then shrugged.
"S'pose it couldn't hurt; there's a door up on the other side of the building to get up there," the shopkeeper explained while jerking a thumb in that direction. "Thing is, they can be a bit skittish, so make extra sure ya knock first." He gave Luffy a hard look. "Otherwise… who knows what could happen."
Everyone looked at Cid oddly; what did that last part mean?
"Anyway, while I'm busy workin' on yer ship, I want y'all to deliver somethin' for me," the shopkeeper continued as he ducked down behind the counter and came back up holding what looked like a large book with a metal clasp.
"A book?" asked Donald.
"Yep, some old geezer asked me to restore it for 'im," said Cid. "Practically beat up beyond repair, it was, but I think I did a decent job puttin' it back together. Ya mind deliverin' it?"
"I guess not; it's the least we can do if you're helping us with the ship," said Sora, taking the book from the older man. "Where do we bring it?"
"The old house beyond the Third District," Cid explained. "Look for the big wooden door with a fire symbol on it; it's on the other side."
"Awww! But I wanna see the bat-bears!" Luffy whined, pouting.
"We'll go later! Let's do this first!" said Usopp, grabbing Luffy by the arm.
After thanking Cid for his help, the group exited the shop and set off for the Third District.
0o0o0o0o0o0o—Traverse Town Third District, Old House—o0o0o0o0o0o0
After a bit of searching the district, the team had found the door Cid mentioned in an out-of-the-way alleyway. At first, they were unsure how to open it, but once Donald hit it with a Fire spell, it immediately slid open, disappearing upward into the wall.
Once inside, they found themselves on the shore of what looked like a small lake enclosed by tall stone walls. In the center of the water was a small island with an odd-looking house built upon it. It had a circular structure, vaguely resembling a teapot without the handle or spout, with windows on all sides and some yellow buttress-like decorations. It had a red roof in a shape that resembled a witch's hat, with some smaller windows built into it. The path leading to it had a wooden archway that framed the entrance to the steps, though it had fallen into obvious disrepair. And to top it off, the front door had been haphazardly boarded up. Altogether, the place looked abandoned.
On top of everything else, the only way to reach the house was a set of stone platforms floating in the water that moved back and forth, as if by magic. Was it meant as a deterrent for intruders or burglars? It certainly made things trickier when they had to leap across them just to reach the house.
"Is this really the place?" wondered Sora once they reached the island. "It looks like no one's lived here for a long time."
"Helloooooo? Anybody home?" Goofy called out. He got no answer.
"Aw, phooey, let's just find a way inside and leave the book somewhere," Donald grumbled. "I'm sure whoever it belongs to will find it just fine."
"B-b-but wh-what if th-this p-place is h-h-haunted?" Usopp stammered.
"Why would it be haunted?!" Donald said impatiently.
"Just look at it!" the sniper sputtered, gesticulating towards the building. "A run-down, abandoned house on the outskirts of town! It's exactly the kind of place g-g-ghosts would inhabit!"
"You really think there could be ghosts in there?" said Jiminy, looking skeptical.
"You never know! We're in a different world now! The rules of reality could be different!" Usopp protested. "I speak from experience!"
"Hey, there's a way in over here!" came Luffy's voice from the side of the house. Everyone moved to his position and saw him poking his head in through a hole in the wall, large enough for someone to duck down and enter through without much trouble. Seeing no alternatives, everyone made their way inside, though Usopp first geared himself up with a large crucifix, a back-mounted banner that spelled 'Evil Be Gone' and a bandolier of garlic bulbs.
The inside of the house was dark and largely empty; the only thing of note was the circular plinth in the middle of the room with a set of steps to get onto it. Aside from that, there were only cobwebs and dust bunnies, and the air was rather musty, further reinforcing that no one had set foot in here for a significant amount of time.
"Helloooo? We're here to make a delivery!" Goofy called out again. Still no reply.
"Talk about boring," Luffy groused.
"Shhh! You might wake the ghosts!" Usopp hissed, looking every which way as he held his crucifix close. Donald rolled his eyes at the display.
Sora said nothing as he looked about the place, looking for any sign of life. He strolled over to a spot near the front door, wondering what he could find.
"There's something about this musty place…"
Sora froze, not daring to believe what he'd just heard. Turning in the direction of the voice, he saw none other than Kairi standing there, pacing along the wall. She had a bit of an ethereal appearance about her, as if she were there, but at the same time not there. It was similar to how he had thought he'd seen her at the hotel hours ago, but turned out to be Yuffie. The spiky-haired boy rubbed his eyes, thinking they might be playing tricks on him, but she remained in place.
"It kind of reminds you of the secret place back home, right?" she said with a smile. "Where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?"
"Kairi?" said Sora, reaching in her direction. Was she actually there? Could he…?
"Sora?" came Goofy's voice, distracting him for a moment as he turned his head towards the Knight Captain. But upon turning back to his female friend, she was gone, surprising him.
"What were you looking at, Sora?" asked Luffy.
"I… I thought I saw Kairi just now," said Sora, now feeling uneasy. "But she's not here; am I seeing things?"
"I knew it! This place IS haunted!" Usopp cried, clutching his crucifix harder. "The ghost takes on the appearance of people close to you to lure you in and suck out your soul! WE GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE!"
"Where the heck do you get these crazy ideas?!" Donald yelled.
"Crazy?! Crazy is talking flowers, birdcage birds, giant whales you can build a house in, walking talking polar bears, and shape-changing ballerinas!" the sniper yelled. "That's crazy! This is full-on SCARY!"
"The only scary thing here is your imagination and lack of spine!" the Court Magician countered. "We're not in that kind of world anymore! This world is safe and comfortable! What makes you think something's going to jump out and –?!"
CRASH!
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!"
Just then, a piece of the wall close to the front door exploded inward, kicking up a considerable amount of dust. Usopp and Donald both screamed and clung to each other in response, while everyone else tensed up, wondering what had come their way this time.
"Phew!" came an unfamiliar voice from the cloud of dust. "Blast it all, I meant to land in front of the door! Now I've got another blasted hole in the wall!"
Just then, an old, bespectacled man dressed in all blue came stepping out of the dust and debris, patting some of the dust off of his robe and pointy hat. He sported a long white beard and carried a brown handbag and a long straight cane, though he held it like a wand. Once he was satisfied that the dust was removed, he looked up to take in the sight of the Keyblade group.
"Well, well, seems I have guests," said the man. "You've arrived sooner than I expected."
"Wait, you were expecting us?" asked Sora.
"Of course," the man replied. "I have my ways of seeing into the future, though the clarity can be a bit spotty at times."
"IT'S THE GHOST!" Usopp screamed, raising his crucifix like a protective shield. "THE GHOST THAT HAUNTS THIS PLACE HAS SHOWN ITSELF! STAY BACK, FOUL DEMON!"
"THAT'S RIGHT! BEGONE, GHOST!" Donald agreed as he shot behind Usopp's legs, before appearing to realize something. "Wait, what the heck am I saying?! I swear, I'm being infected by his stupidity!" he grumbled as he waddled back out.
"'Ghost'?! 'Foul'?! Hmph, I should rather think not!" the man huffed, rather irritated by Usopp's words. "I happen to be a sorcerer, thank you very much!"
"A sorcerer?! COOL!" said Luffy excitedly.
"And what am I? Chopped liver?" Donald mumbled, but Luffy didn't hear.
"Anyways," the man continued. "My name is Merlin, and I'm here to render aid on request of the King."
"Ya mean King Mickey?" Goofy asked, with Donald also perking up.
"Yes, indeed," Merlin replied, nodding towards the two Disney Castle envoys. "Donald. Goofy." He then turned to Sora, Luffy, and Usopp. "And who might these three young lads be?"
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy! Future King of the Pirates!" the Straw Hat captain said proudly.
"A-and I'm the g-great Captain Usopp!" said the sniper, his legs still shaking as he held his crucifix close. "And you best watch yourself! Even ghosts quiver at the sight of the greatest warrior to ever sail the seas! As well as my 8000 followers!"
"For goodness' sake, that will be quite enough of this ghost nonsense! It's rather rude, you know!" Merlin snapped as he rapped Usopp on the head with his cane, eliciting an 'ouch!'. He then turned to Sora. "And yourself, young man?"
"I'm Sora," the Keybearer said simply.
"Am I to assume one of you has found the Key?" the sorcerer asked all three of them.
"Yes, sir," Sora said, stepping forward and summoning the Keyblade to his hand. Merlin nodded an acknowledgement.
"Very good," the wizard said, looking satisfied. "We're all set then."
"What did the King ask you to do?" asked Donald.
"Just a moment," said Merlin as he stepped toward the plinth, climbing the steps to get on top before putting down his bag and opening it. "I spend a lot of my time traveling, and it's good to come home. But first, we must make it look the part!" He then tapped his cane on the floor before raising it like a conductor's baton.
"Higitus Figitus Zumbakazing!" the sorcerer announced with a few whirls of his cane. "I want your attention, everything!"
He then began chanting more incantations, waving his hands and cane to their rhythm as if conducting a symphony. As he did so, various objects came floating out of his bag, starting small, but growing to a normal-looking size as they came out; a teapot, teacups, several books, lamps, torches, and even several pieces of furniture, including a table and chairs, a wooden desk, and an armoire. Within minutes, the house was fully furnished and organized, with the torches, candles, and lamps providing some much-needed lighting to the interior.
"There we go, much better," said Merlin with a satisfied smile.
"COOOOOOLLLLL!" Luffy marveled.
"Yeah! You gotta teach me how to do that!" said Usopp excitedly, his earlier fear now forgotten.
"Sorry, lad, trade secret," Merlin replied, much to the sniper's disappointment. The sorcerer then turned to walk towards the table on the plinth.
"To answer your question, Donald, the King has asked me to do one simple thing." He then sat in the high-backed chair at the table and steepled his fingers while looking in Sora's direction.
"I shall train you in the art of magic."
Author's Note: And so begins the second visit to Traverse Town! What awaits our heroes in this town? Only one way to find out!
Sorry this took so long, folks; if my job didn't have me working such unholy hours these past few months, I'd probably have more time and energy to dedicate to continuing the story, but as it is, I barely have time just to eat and sleep during the work week. Luckily, this chapter ended up being easier to write than the previous one; possibly because I knew it would be shorter, and therefore it was less intimidating to tackle.
For those who may not be convinced of Yuffie's beating of Luffy resulting in some actual injury despite being made of rubber: The way I see it, Luffy's Devil Fruit ability, thanks to his yet-unawakened abilities, operates to a certain extent on the Rule of Funny (similar to the toons in Roger Rabbit), hence why the other Straw Hats (namely Nami and Sanji) are able to give him lumps and bruises. Does anyone agree?
And for those wondering, yes, I used the names of the moogles in Final Fantasy 6 as a reference for the moogles in this chapter. Don't worry, you'll see a lot more of them next chapter.
Also, this may be late, but RIP Akira Toriyama; you will be greatly missed.
Big thanks to FictionReader98 for beta-reading this chapter!
The group has made their grand return to Traverse Town, with many possibilities awaiting them! What will Sora learn from Merlin? How will Usopp and Luffy's first meeting with the moogles go down? And will the group encounter a familiar face? Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of Heart of a Pirate!