The next morning, it became apparent just what sort of island Ortygia was. The Heart Pirates awoke to the loud commotion of fanfare. Trumpets and drums shrieked. Bells rang. A choir sang in perfect harmony. It was all so loud, and Law awoke with a devil's glare. He'd managed to get a few hours of much-deserved sleep but now he was being very rudely awoken at...he glanced quickly at the clock on the bedside table...5:30 in the morning?
"What on earth is that noise?" He asked Bepo, who rolled over and glanced out the window to the street below. Drawing the curtains to the side just an inch, the first mate took in the sight of a parade or something of that sort.
Below, acrobats tumbled and spun in the streets. Drummers formed perfect lines down the street, followed by the trumpeteers. The choir took up the front, dressed in robes of sheer white. Behind the whole procession, a man on a large chair being carried by six other men was robed in cloth of purples and rich reds.
"I think the king is coming down from the castle." The bear said. Rolling over with a groan, Law sighed heavily.
"Of course there's a king. Why else would this island seem so nice…" The news of a king would surely make their stay more difficult. Law had always found that royalty was demanding and a nuisance. So much for a little bit of rest.
"Bepo, get the others up. Obviously something is going on."
Several minutes later, with the men grumbling about their sudden awakening, Law led them outside where a large crowd of people gathered around the central square. Looking around at the citizens, this sort of thing wasn't too uncommon. There were passive expressions and small children didn't wonder at the sight of their king, meaning they saw him frequently.
"Hear, hear!" An official-looking steward proclaimed, gaining the attention of those present. "An announcement from the Royal House of Farraday!"
The man unfurled a parchment and read the contents. "Her Highness the Queen is in the last few days of her pregnancy and a celebrational festival will be held on the day of the birth!" Around them, the wives chattered excitedly in low tones, the children happy because the word 'festival' came up in the announcement. Law, personally, was unhappy by this news. He had hoped their stay on the island would be uneventful and quiet.
"His Highness the King has a few words." The man stepped back and the older gentleman on the chair rose from his seated position. He brought his hands wide.
"My people, these days are surely to be the happiest of my life. I wish to share these wonderful events with you. For the next few days, I ask that you prepare for the arrival of my son or daughter. It should be a joyous occasion! Therefore, taxes will be withheld for a few days until after the birth!"
A cheer went up through the people, mostly from the men at the mention of no taxes for awhile. With that, the King took his seat once more and the fanfare commenced. The whole procession turned in place and made their way up the road, presumably towards the unseen castle.
Within a few minutes, the noise reduced and the crowd dispersed. Townspeople headed towards their daily jobs and talked animatedly about the upcoming child to the royal family. Law was about to go back inside the inn and get food for his men, but a strange sight stopped him.
A man, visibly agitated, stayed where the crowd was. He paced back and forth, pulling on his hair and muttering quietly. Nonchalantly walking closer to the man, he heard his whispering strange things under his breath.
"How? I need the money and quick, but this might throw things through a loop. How am I supposed to get noticed now? What to do, what to do…"
Law narrowed his eyes, wondering what it was that the man was saying. A part of him told him not to get involved, it would be more trouble than it was worth. The other half was curious, and his curious side almost always won out.
"The rest of you, you're free to spend your time as you wish." The Heart Pirates scattered themselves through the crowd, some exploring the market and some going back to sleep upstairs. Law made his way over to the man.
Grabbing onto the man's arm tightly, he pulled him towards the inn. The man tried to shout out in surprise, but Law clapped a hand on his mouth."I'd like you to explain what it was you were muttering." The man's eyes locked onto him in panic, but Law was too busy steering them through the door.
Inside the bar area, no one paid the two men and a confused crew any mind. They were too busy celebrating the news of the child soon to be born. They filed into Law's room, locking the door behind them and none too gently tossing him into the room.
"Hey! What's the big deal?" He demanded. His wide eyes glanced back and forth between the pirates. His initial shock was probably the bear in an orange jumpsuit.
"I'd like to know what it was you were talking about outside." Law replied, crossing his arms. The man looked similar to a startled deer.
"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about, man."
"You were talking about something earlier." Bepo added, trying to gauge the man's memory. He only froze in fear.
"Y-you...talk?" There was a pause, and then Bepo lowered his head in depression.
"I'm sorry." He muttered.
"Enough." Law demanded, walking a pace closer to their captive. "Tell me what you were talking about. I don't mind resorting to...less than pleasant methods to get you to talk."
The man gulped, realizing that he was in a dangerous situation. "I-I...I'm broke, alright? I've been trying to figure out ways to get some money quick, but nothing I've tried has worked."
"You're a con-man?" Law guessed.
"No!" Law's expression conveyed his doubt. "Well...yes." He finished, scratching the back of his head.
"I see."
"But it's not my fault, the king doesn't like me at all!"
"And why is that?" Law took up the desk chair, figuring that he might as well make himself comfortable.
"The guy's a total liar. You saw how he was with the town out there. That's not him at all. I knew him when he went to school. He was a bully and a thief."
"You don't perhaps think he changed as he grew older?" Law inquired, wondering to himself briefly why he was even bothering to listen to this man. What were his own motives? He found himself not really sure.
The man vehemently shook his head. "There's no way. The old Wesley would've cheated the entire town out of their money."
"That still doesn't explain why the king isn't very fond of you."
"Oh, right. Well, he knows that I knew what he was like. Cuz I used to be like that too. In fact, I still am." Law rolled his eyes, restraining himself from making too many snarky comments. This man was definitely of lower intelligence. "Anyways, he knows that I know and so he doesn't want me to tell anyone. So he made it really hard for me to get a job anywhere. He made people believe I was a liar!
"I can't earn any money, thanks to him. So I've been trying to find out a genius way to make some money quick and get off this island. You know, start over, begin fresh."
"Where would you go?" Law asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Anywhere, I guess. Just as long as it ain't got no king."
Law was struck by how ridiculous the whole story was. A petty grudge over absolutely nothing at all, fueling one man to do illegal things to accomplish nothing important at all. This is what he got for meddling, he thought.
However, the kidnapping of Summer from his ship left the crew with a lack of crazy antics and the energy that kept them all sane. Now, Trafalgar Law was a sensible man. He thrived under scenarios of reason and strategy. Mind games were his strong suit. You would never catch him dead while doing anything even remotely embarrassing or strange. That was his crew's personality. Thought the more he thought about it, the more he was unhappy. Law would never admit this to anyone, but…
He missed the craziness.
"Alright, I'll help you. But on one condition. You give me half of your profit." He concluded, taking in the man's surprised expression.
"You'll...help me? Why would you do that?" Law grinned, just a little bit excited for the chaos he could unleash with the right amount of prodding.
"It's been awhile since I've had a little fun."
"You want a quick way to make money?" Law asked. The man, who'd introduced himself as Albert, nodded vigorously. "Well, the only people I know who would be able to give you sound advice in that field would be these two." Law pushed Shachi and Penguin forward, closing the door behind them. The engineers looked confused, but nonetheless sat down with Albert.
"So, any ideas?" Shachi asked him, and he placed a finger on his chin.
"Hmm...what if I stole all the sheep on the island, held them ransom, then demanded a bunch of money for their return?"
Penguin looked doubtful. "Don't you think they'd find out who you were though?" Albert cocked his head.
"Well, yeah. I want them to know who I am so they know who to pay to get their sheep back." Shachi shook his head.
"That's not the way that goes. If you're gonna hold something or someone ransom, you gotta remain anonymous. Otherwise, people might form an angry mob and kill you."
"Oh." Albert's face fell. The men lapsed into silence, sorting through their own ideas in their heads. Finally, Penguin spoke up.
"Hey, what if you opened your own business?"
"Nah, too hard." He shook his head.
"You could steal a boat and get off the island?"
"Nah, way too easy." He still had that thoughtful expression, missing the fact that Penguin and Shachi did a sweatdrop.
'What is wrong with this guy?' They bought thought to themselves.
"Well, maybe...you could...become...a seer?"
"What's that?" Albert asked, finally focused on the two men in front of him. They shrugged.
"It's like an oracle. Or a psychic. You know, palm-reading, seeing the future, telling fortunes. That sort of stuff."
"Well, how do I become a seer?" Penguin scoffed.
"They're not real, you just say that you are. It's easy. People come to you asking for what their future looks like, you tell them some nice happy sweet prophecy and they give you all their money!"
"Really? That's all there is to it?" He started to get excited, liking the sound of how simple the plan was.
"Yep. The only thing you really need is some kind of 'magic' item. Like a wand or a crystal ball."
"Hmm…what about a book?" Shachi asked, thinking of something. Penguin thought about it before nodding.
"Yeah, that could work. Why?"
"Well, Parker's got some magic-looking books we could probably borrow. Let's go ask him."
Searching all over the inn for their nakama, they finally found him downstairs in the bar. He was leaning over the counter talking to the bartender. Unfortunately, Shachi and Penguin were never good at reading social cues.
"Hey, Parker! Can we borrow your magic, voodoo books? Or are they ritualistic ones? Either way, we need to borrow them!"
The bartender gave all three Heart Pirates strange glances before walking off to do her job. Parker clenched his fist before turning to the engineers.
"What in the hell do you need them for?"
"We're going to make Albert here a seer so he can make money."
Parker only stared at his friends. "A seer?" They nodded. He sighed tiredly. "Just don't lose them, ok? They should be in my room."
"Thanks man!" The three men ran up the stairs and towards Parker's room. Parker was left at the bar, shaking his head.
"What a bunch of idiots." Still, he grinned at the weird antics of the two engineers. It was about time they did something like this. The whole crew needed it.
ns 15.158.61.50da2
