Act 2 Chapter 2: The Lunathra Isles
The cannons fired at the speeding row boat. The rag tag pirates managed to dodge the assault by narrowly rowing from side to side. Straw Hat Luffy and Silver, however, had their arms crossed as they stared each other down. Their crewmates were rowing ferociously and watching on as the tension thickened between the 2. Finally the silence was broken by Simon. He stood up and pointed his oar at the 2, "will you 2 get over yourselves? If we don't make it to land, we're sitting ducks!"
The 2 captains scoffed and turned their heads, and said in unison, "like I'd follow another captain's orders!"
A cannon whizzed by the boat and rocked it to one side causing the others to stop rowing. With the boat stalled, and the members now turned against each other, the navy ship had its crosshairs locked on its target. "Are you serious?! Come on, get real! We have to keep going! We're literally within reach of the shore!" Simon pointed at the shore that seemed to greet them thru the vines and overgrowth across the rippling water. "Once we get on land, you can pick as many fights as you want. But for now, we gotta-"
The cannons fired another volley at the boat. Without any momentum keeping it safe, the target was guaranteed to sink. The cannon fire whistled thru the air. The 2 captains didn't flinch, continuing to stare each other down to the very last second. The crews began to sweat as their doom approached them. Silver clicked his tongue and raised his crutch to the air. Everyone turned to him, awaiting what he would do. A smile grew upon his face, he turned his crutch downward and slammed it into the boat, causing it to dip into the water with a wide hole. Half the cannonballs flew over their head, shortly after the water returned to its origin and tossed the boat into the air, dodging the next volley. Simon and the others were shocked at the masterful display, but had their emotions turned on their head when they realised that this act caused the boat to spring a hole and take on water. "WHAT THE HELL?!" Everyone proclaimed, as Silver laughed maniacally. The crew, including Straw Hat, grabbed what they could to row and keep the water out.
The navy men loaded their rounds but where stopped by Jelry. "You heard what those masked men said. Those pirates are as good as dead. We need to find a way to get more supplies and leave as soon as possible. This may be a problem far beyond what we can handle." He turned his look to the enormous 'Tree' before them that appeared to block out the sun, save for a few rays that would peak past the branches and leaves. After a moment he turned to head to his chambers and prepare for his next move. Pepper stood firm and soluted Jelry as he passed. "You," Jelry locked eyes with Pepper. The 2 seemed to be of the same mind, they wanted nothing more than a person desire that seemed to be held up at ever possible moment, but this time would be different. Jelry held out his hand, "I have a special mission for you. And a team to match, but-" he glanced at Pepper's attire and condition. "We need you in top condition, go grab some medical attention down below. Once you're in a good enough condition, come find me in the control room."
Pepper nodded and stammered to the infirmary. A few of the navy men shivered at the ominous aura that seemed to seep from Pepper's wounds. "T-that man has the makings of a beast-" one commented. "Y-yea, I can feel it" another replied. All the men and women on the ship quickly ran to get what they could to help their commander get ready for the day to come.
On the new island...
The boat was barely holding together but managed to make it to shore. The pirates were gasping for air as their muscles were tightening and the fatigue was settling in. Silver, however, was unfazed as he did none of the work. He threw one leg over the side of the boat and stood up with the assistance of his crutch. "What a sorry lot." He commented as he examined his surroundings. " 'bout time I found some booze." He laughed as he made way inland.
"H-Hey!" Simon yelled to Silver, but he didn't seem to care enough to stop. "You old bastard! You almost got us killed! Hey! Stop walking away!"
"Ye gonna keep whinin," Silver said as he continued to walk away. "Ye be best to find a boat. Best not to stay this close to those navy men."
Simon groaned to himself and looked over his shoulder as the Straw Hats gathered themselves and made way toward a separate part of the island. "Great, just my luck... how am I supposed to get a boat with no money and these cuffs screaming that im a criminal..." He tugged at the cuffs again. He found a few rocks nearby, one of which was pretty sturdy looking. He walked up to it and readied his arm to try and smash the cuffs off, but after striking strong enough to shift the surrounding sands and shatter the rock, the cuffs remained in tact. "...great... guess I'll have to play it safe..." He pulled his sleeves down a bit to cover the cuffs and snatched off the dangling chains.
After making it a ways up the road Silver took, he noticed there were more strange trees littering the road side. They gave off a sweet scent and he went closer to examine it. But as he did, he noticed some animals clawing the base of the tree in a craze, almost hypnotized. Threw their efforts, sap began to spill out. As soon as the sap came out, all the animals fought to get a taste. Simon felt something off about this and stepped back. The animals didn't even take notice to his existence, the only thing that mattered was the sap. A soft voice caught Simon's attention. He didn't quite catch it the first time, but after feeling a tug on his sleeve, he jumped a bit at the pressence of a thinly girl. She gave a wheery smile and raised her hand to offer assistance, "h-hello. Im Tea! You must be one of... the people from the boat!" Her voice of hoarse, but she still had a cheery attitude. Simon nodded to confirm her guess. "You must be hungry, please... don't eat the sap. It's bad for you." She pointed down the road to the town. "A big man went to the bar... but if you're hungry there is food there too."
"H-hey, you really are a great help. But what happened here? Has is always been like this?" Simon asked, but Tea didn't seem to know anything useful. "Well, lets go grab a bite to eat-" Simon remembered he didn't have any Berries on him, as the navy confiscated all his stuff when they were detained. "O-or better yet, why dont we go to that bar for a bit... I have an idea. You take me there, and I'll help you get something for yourself as thanks. How's that sound?"
Tea's face it up, "like a mountain of FOOD?!" she drooled a bit as she said it, and Simon couldn't help but agree. It was the least he could do, especially for a person who'd be willing to help a complete stranger.
The 2 made their way to the bar, going slightly slower due to Tea not being in the best of condition. Whatever was going on with her, had been going on for a while. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."
"Well, I don't have any money... so I help others for tips and food." She said with a smile on her face. "I live with my father... but he hasn't come back from his call to service..." She stopped to catch her breathe for a moment, and Simon stopped beside her and patiently waited with his hands in his pockets. "I thought... I thought that boat was my dad rushing back to shore. But it was you guys... He'll be back before long... The navy comes by all the time." She started walking again and before long they arrived at the bar. Simon pushed the door open for Tea and followed her in. The place was a bit dusty and rather empty compared to Sara's place.
"Alright, why don't you grab a seat. I'm gonna pay you back for helpin me in the best way I know how." Simon said with a grin on his face, he went over to a table with some guys playing cards. "So, you guys playing for keeps?"
The 2 guys laughed at the newcomer. "Like you can beat us, we play every game known to man and haven't lost to anyone except each other. Best save the showman ship for a REAL woman punk!" The 2 laughed at Simon and continued their game.
Simon looked back at Tea who was humming and rocking from side to side dreaming of all the food she was going to eat. He sighed and tapped his finger on the table. "How about this, you guys. The girl obviously needs help, but im doin this moreso for me. I need a boat." Simon leaned in. "Im not askin for a ride, but something to keep. I want info and some Berries to eat with. If I lose, I'll give you the clothes off my back if it means to at least get her a meal!"
The 2 men looked at each other and scratched their heads. "Fine, you're funeral. If you lose, you gotta do whatever we say for the day! Thats a bit more humane." They passed Simon some cards and the game commenced. However, it didn't take long before Simon mopped the floors with them. If there was anything he could do, it was bet on his chances. "W-what?! No way" One said, as he clenched his bad hand. The other dropped his to the table as he was short one more card from having a royal flush.
"Sorry fellas, its just how it goes. But-" Simon pulled in his winnings. "I did say I was out for more than Berries." He picked up a few and pushed them back to the men. "So, first things first, where can I get a boat?"
The 2 men looked at each other and hung their heads. "Well... you see..." It was already beginning to sound like a bit more than a simple task. "You might have guessed already, but the island is covered with those pesky vines... hard to do anything nowadays, even get to the port to grab the bigger boats. We have smaller fishing boats, but they aren't good enough to handle the open sea, just off shore."
"Guess that leads me to my second question, what happened here?"
"Hmmm, well that's more than a quick story... but the short of it is that stupid tree... it came out of nowhere. And ever since it took over the island, the people have been... acting strange." The sore loser leaned back in his chair and sipped his booze. "You ask me, I think it's got something to do with that stupid mayor. Hasn't done a thing since we elected him," he groaned as he finished his drink.
His friend, the slightly annoyed loser tried to hush him. "You know you can't go sayin that aloud. HE might be listening." The 2 gulped and began to sweat.
"So, this mayor," Simon cut in while pocketing his winning. "Where is he? Can he help me get a boat?"
The 2 losers shook their heads. "I'd stay away from that guy, if you ask me. More trouble than its worth... and one more thing..." He motioned to Tea. "I'd stay away from that girl... she ain't nothing but trouble. Even her own father ain't come back for her..."
The annoyed loser leaned in toward Simon, "ignore him... well, on that last part. She is sick, like real bad. Her mother passed away from a mysterious illness. And from the look of it..." the 3 looked back at Tea. "Im sure you get the point... we'd love to help her... but in her condition... you know..."
Simon thanked the 2 men and left them a few more Berries for the extra info. He made his way to the bartender and ordered a large meal for Tea and a small meal for himself. He didn't have much of an appetite. The bartender was shocked at the total and stopped Simon before he walked away. "You sure you have enough for all this? Its bad enough I have that other ogre of a drunk drinking out my entire supply!" He pointed at the lump of a drunk in the corner merrily drinking his share. Simon shirked at the sight of his drunk of a captain.
"Don't know em," Simon said with a backhanded motion. "And don't worry, I got it covered. I'll pay up front. Oh and add an Orange Juice and a Milk for me. Our table is over there." Simon pointed toward Tea.
The bartender wiped his glasses and squinted, "hmmm... you're really helping her out? Well... fine sure... but one word of advice... she's sick you know... I wouldn't-"
Simon stopped him with a handwave and walked away. He sat down with a plop and glanced over at Tea. "Tell me, Tea. Are there any doctor's nearby? You don't look too good." She shook her head and continued to hum side by side. "But why not, you don't want this to get worse, do you? We can find you one, its the least I can do!"
The bar grew silent, all eyes were on Simon. A few drunks laughed at Simon's plea. "You sure about that, bub?" One mocked as he downed a mug. "The docs here aren't interested in helpin the public. They're all under the thumb of that no good RAT!"
An individual off to the side opened his eyes, and raised the visor of his apple cap. Another drunk stood up, "you can't just get them to help out! They aren't even on the island anymore!" More of them laughed.
"Then so be it," Simon smirked as his and Tea's food came to the table. "I'll go to them, and MAKE them help her. You can believe that!"
All the drunks looked in silence, with the fuzzy bubbles of their booze breaking the silence. They erupted in cheer and slung their booze around causing a mess. The bartender began to rip his grey hairs out at the thougth of cleaning up the mess, but gave up after the atmosphere began to become uplifted. The pair ate their fill and made their way outside. Simon patted Tea on the back. "You're a tough one, but look Im serious about that doctor. Do you know where they are? I can take you there and get them to heal you."
Tea thought for a moment as the food made its way thru her malnourished system. "Yea, I think I do... But they are far away on the other island... hmmm..." She held her hand up to her head for moment and thought of how to get her point across. "I think the Mayor can help.. he has a ship, and goes to the other island often."
"Thats it Tea! We can ask him to let us borrow it! Once we can do that, you'll be better in no time!"
"You really think it'll be that easy? You're an idiot," a figure pushed the door open and intruded on their conversation. It was a young man with white swept back hair with 2 bangs peaking under his apple cap. His eyes were a deep black and his white shirt classed with is black and red coat. "You must be new to the island..." He looked over the pair before him and smirked as he tipped his visor up.
"Oh its you! You're back!" Tea said with a cheery voice. She ran up and hugged the young man who objected by shoving her face away.
"So you do have friends, thats good to know." Simon remarked.
The young man finally broke away and glared at Simon. "Don't lump me in with her. I have no acquaintances." He crossed his arms and walked past Tea toward Simon. "You and I will go see this Mayor for ourselves. I need to get off this island as well. And you" he shoved his finger in Simon's face, "will do that for me."
Simon slapped the young man's finer out his face before leaning in to return the glare to this unlikely ally. "And why would I help you? How do I know you won't just stab us in the back to go yourself?"
The man had irritation growing on his face but it subsided. "Because, this island is cursed. If you stay for too long, you'll end up like them." The man motioned to an odd tree in the center of town. It was much larger than the others Simon had seen, but from it there were people carrying buckets of what appeared to be sap to their homes. "One taste of that sap is all it takes... not to mention the smell, its almost hypnotizing." The man cleared his throat. "My name is S. -" he stopped for second, and Simon turned back to him. "Squall... call me Squall."
"Nice to meet you, Squall... Im Simon."
"Sure thing, Simeon." Squall said as he made way down the road. Simon all the while trying to correct him to no avail. "This place, its called Lunathra Isles. A collection of 3 islands a fair distance from each other. The closest would be the Luna Cove, it has a lot of plants and wild life that the doctor's would be using to make their medicines. If you want the best chance to help her, we'd need to go there." Squall continued to walk thru the town, followed by a slightly better Tea and Simon. His eyes were searching around for something, as if scanning every last corner for 'guests'. "The mayor should be in his meeting right now, we catch him before he leaves to his manor out of town. Saves a lot of walking."
Simon now fed up with being led like a dog, ran before Squall and stopped him in his tracks. "How do you know all of this? Are you from around here?"
Squall stared at Simon for a moment without saying anything. After a brief moment, he placed his hand on his hip and shifted his weight to one side. "You want to get to the other island or not? And no, Im not from here... I was just... passing by." he answered. He didn't appear to be lying, but there was still something that kept Simon on edge. "Come on, we're almost there. Stop wasting time."
Tea came up and broke them up with a hearty gesture, but someone reached down and lifted up the young woman with one hand. "And what do we have here?" A large man stepped out from the alleyway. He had very luxurious clothes on and a mask to match, etched with gold. "You lot are causing a ruckus, the mayor is handling rather important business and shouldn't be bothered."
Squall took a more serious stance as his face focused on this a new person. "Out of the way," he squared off with the man. "I won't ask twice." he pulled out a sword from under his coat, but there was something off about it. It was a broken blade, that resembled more of a dagger than a sword of the size its handle suggests.
Simon held out his hand to Squall to try to hold him back, but Squall simply ducked under it and walked past. "Knock it off! He's only doing his job! We're soooo sorry for all this, we only need to-"
Squall pointed his blade at the man with a scowl. The man laughed and slapped his large belly before tossing Tea to the side, being caught by Simon. "Such riff raff, leave now, before I have you forcefully removed." He snapped his fingers and several masked men came out from behind him with weapons at the ready.
Simon helped Tea stand up and rushed over to Squall lowering his blade. "What are you thinking?! We can't do anything like this. Its called a negotiation for a reason!"
"Out of the way Simeon. I know a rat when I see one." Squall didn't flinch and Simon grew more and more nervous about the situation. Tea joined Simon and weerily stood firm against the mystery men.