*One Week Later*
"Captain, a vessel has appeared on the radar." Jean Bart's voice declared through the den den mushi. He narrowed his eyes, fingers instinctively tightening their hold on the medical book in his hand.
"Can you identify them yet?"
"Not at this point, but we are still advancing. I'll report when they are identified." Grabbing his hat from the desk, he glanced once more around the room to make sure nothing was left behind. Spotting three daggers resting beside his bed, he swiftly snatched them up and strapped them onto his belt.
"See that you do." Was all he said. Exiting his room, a quick glance confirmed that there were no men in the hallway. Stepping out, he turned right and made his way to the infirmary.
"Liam-ya." He said, pushing open the double doors. "How are you feeling?" The medic looked up from the toxicology book and shrugged.
"Same as yesterday. Just let me out of this bed and I'll kick Kid's ass for him." The Surgeon of Death couldn't help but smirk slightly, amused by his medic's enthusiasm. Looking once more on the clipboard at the foot of the bed, he nodded.
"Fever gone?"
"Yes."
"You've finished the pain medication?"
"Yup."
"Then you are released from my care." In an instant Liam had tossed the blanket aside and swung his legs over the side.
"Thank God…" He muttered. "I couldn't stand sitting still any longer." He hopped to the floor and grabbed his stuff from the table.
"Jean Bart-ya spotted a ship ahead of us on the island." He announced. Liam stopped dead in his tracks and looked suspiciously at the Captain.
"Is it Kid?" Now it was his turn to shrug.
"Still waiting on confirmation." With narrow eyes, Liam continued out the door.
A few seconds later, the den den mushi rang in his jacket pocket. Pulling it out, he answered.
"Report."
"We've confirmed the ship to be the Kid Pirates." Law grinned wolfishly.
"Perfect." He hung up the snail phone.
"Fifteen men on a dead man's chest,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Drink and the Devil had done for the rest,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"
Summer cracked open an eye, gazing blearily into the dark as the crew partied on the deck above. Dimly, she could make out the lyrics to the song.
"The mate was fixed with a bosun's pike,
The bosun brained will a marlinspike.
And cookey's throat was marked belike."
The headache that had plagued her over the past week now returned with a fiery passion, pounding against her skull like a hammer. There were no port holes in the hull like the sub had, so she had no way of knowing if it was day or night. If the crew was singing songs, most likely drunk, then it was probably late at night.
"It had been gripped by fingers ten,
And there they lay all good dead men.
Like break o' day in a boozin' ken,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"
That song in particular brought back a memory of a time on the sub when everyone was happy and nothing was so complicated. It had been Penguin's birthday, and the whole crew had thrown together a party with cake made by Casper and herself and Bepo eating all the fish in under an hour. The booze had run freely that night and so did everyone's good moods.
"Fifteen men of the whole ship's list,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Dead and be damned and the rest gone whist,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"
She vaguely remembered Law singing softly to himself, under his breath so no one would hear. But she had caught him mumbling along to the lyrics when she passed by with a bowl of ice cream. It had made her smile and she had badgered him about it for the rest of the night. Of course, he denied the whole thing.
"The skipper lay with his nob in gore,
"Where the scullion's axe his cheek had shore.
And the scullion he was stabbed times four.
And there they lay and the soggy skies,
Dripped down in up-staring eyes.
In murk sunset and at foul sunrise,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!"
Summer smiled faintly, glad that she could still recall those happy moments, glad that Viper wasn't able to take away everything from her. He couldn't take her memory. Or her family.
"Fifteen men of em' stiff and stark,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
Ten of the crew had the murder mark,
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
'Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead,
Or a yawing hole in a battered head.
And the scupper's glut with a rotting red,
And there they lay, aye, damn me eyes.
Looking up at paradise,
All souls bound just contrariwise,"
Summer closed her eyes once again.
"Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum..."
"How much longer on the mast?" Kid called, nursing a broken right arm. Heat inspected the thick wood critically, rubbing his chin with his hand.
"Probably a day or two. It's not too badly damaged but if we set sail now it could break in a storm." With a sigh, Kid nodded and wandered the deck once more. The battle had left much structural damage, mostly to the lower decks, but the railings were broken and several holes littered the hull.
Killer approached from behind, limping slightly on his left ankle. "The holes might take a little longer. We're also running low on boards for patching."
"Just take some from the island then." Kid huffed, walking ahead of his first mate. The masked man shook his head, struggling to keep up without looking like a severe cripple.
"The trees aren't pliable enough for repairs. We'll have to choose between the mast and the hull in terms of resource conservation."
"Dammit…" Kid muttered, rubbing his forehead in frustration. What else could possibly go wrong? Glancing at the sky for rain clouds, just in case, the clear blue heavens were a welcome bright side.
"Ship approaching!" Wire called, pointing towards the east. Turning swiftly, Kid watched a certain yellow submarine closing the distance between them.
"It's those Heart Pirates…" Heat muttered. The crew gathered at the railing, watching as the vessel sailed smoothly through the water.
"What do you think they want?" Wire asked. Kid rolled his eyes at the stupid question.
"Their nakama, idiot."
"What do you think they'll do when they realize we don't have her?" Killer asked, leaning against the wood.
Kid sighed, scratching his head. "Nothing pretty."
"We're too injured to fight." Wire stated.
"The ship is still damaged." Heat added, rolling his neck to get the kinks out. The whole crew knew they couldn't move or fight. So the only thing left to do was wait.
"Think they'll be in a good mood when they get here?" Killer's sarcasm was very evident, to which Kid gave a single humorless laugh.
"Probably not."
1274Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnDFsPBrKN
Song used is titled "Yo Ho Ho And A Bottle Of Rum."
