The Masked Warrior of Sarabanto, Part 5

 Chapter 10: Captain Cleaver 

''Night has fallen over Sarabanto again. The town is ominously quiet, which is somewhat less surprising after the previous day's revelations. Caspian is sitting on the roof of Cathcart's inn, watching out for any signs of the fake attacks.''

Caspian: Well.. I did it. I actually did it.

''The response to his request had been predominantly surprise. Byrn had spoken first, suggesting they talk it over in their own time, but it almost immediately became apparent none of the pirates actually objected to him joining, and Jessica was quick to point out they still needed a doctor. So Caspian hadn't been kept waiting for an answer after all. For some reason, he nevertheless found it almost impossible to sleep after they'd gone back to the inn.''

Caspian: I'm not worried. Why would I be worried? These guys are alright. And this was the plan wasn't it? I'm going to be a pirate. Same as you, dad.

Dimitri: Your dad was a pirate?

Caspian: Gwaaah?!!

''He suddenly recoils as he realises that Dimitri is also on the roof, having apparently just climbed out of a window. He nearly topples off in shock, but steadies himself at the last second.''

Caspian: Da- uh darn.. You move seriously quietly for a guy with armour! When did you get here?!

Dimitri: Umm... about ten seconds ago. So... what was that about a plan anyway?

Caspian: Oh... That’s nothing. I just wanted to become a pirate for a long while.

Dimitri: Why?

Caspian: Gotta start somewhere, right? I'm just not the kind of person who can sit back and let things happen. I want to go places and do things. Leave an impact, you know? Isn't that how it is with you?

Dimitri: Kinda the opposite with me. I already left an impact somewhere.

Caspian: Already? Where?

Dimitri: I don't know. I don’t remember anything before a few months ago. I'm trying to find out what it was I actually did. Whatever happened, it really annoyed the government though. My bounty's about a hundred million.

Caspian nearly topples again, flailing madly to regain his balance.

Caspian: It's what?! How can you not remember doing something that big?!

Dimitri: I've no idea. But it made things simple, really. Pirates have the most freedom in the world, in exchange for being criminals. If I'm already a criminal then there's really no downside to being a pirate.

Caspian: Right. I get that. I mean, I don't have a bounty or anything, but my father was a pirate, so when I was growing up-

Dimitri: I get it. Family business, right?

Caspian: What? No! Not even close! All I know about him is he dropped me off in a village in east blue right before he died of a serious wound. I was only three or something at the time. So it’s not really anything to do with him. It’s more because of old Gally.

Dimitri: Gally?

Caspian: He was the guy who taught me how to be a doctor

.

 ''Algin island, East Blue. Ten years ago. ''

Caspian: Have at you! On Guard!

''The Seven year old raises a stick in challenge, flourishes once, and then rushes forwards, swinging wildly at his target as though he is wielding a sword. This has no effect whatsoever, since his target is a tree, but he enthusiastically keeps up the attack anyway, right until the point where the stick splinters in his hand and falls apart.''

Caspian: Arrr! Not again!

Boy: Arrr? You still sound like a pirate!

''Caspian turns around suddenly, at the noise. Three of the other children from the village have turned up in the forest clearing while he was attacking the tree, and gathered behind him to watch. The one who spoke was the taller of the three, and wore blue. The one to his right, wearing yellow, was the shortest, and also somewhat fatter, almost rounded in appearance.''

Shorter boy: Because he is a pirate! Right?

Caspian: I am not a pirate! I'm not going to be a pirate!

Boy: Whatever. Just drop the act already. I heard your dad never pretended he wasn't.

Caspian stops moving, and goes quiet.

Caspian: My dad died. I'm not going to be like him.

Shorter boy: Why not?

Boy: Because he got himself killed in East Blue, obviously. You don't want to be that weak when you become a pirate, right?

And then Caspian loses his temper, snatches up another stick, and runs towards them, swinging.

Caspian: Stop talking badly about my dad!

Boy: Uh oh! Run!

''The first two boys scatter and run in panic. The third one, a relatively nondescript figure who wears red, follows after them, but not without pausing at a safe distance to hit Caspian with a suddenly thrown stone.''

Caspian: Arrrr!! Ouch...

''A few hours later, Caspian is back at the town proper just as the sun starts to set. And somehow, despite him being the one with bruises, the whole incident is his fault, or so the mayor, Fisher Arthur, seems to think.''

Fisher: I heard what happened from the others. There’s really not much to be said about this anymore. It’s the third time this week! You have to stop picking fights.

Caspian: They started it!

The two are sitting at a table in the front room of the mayor’s house.

Fisher: We took you in because we couldn't abandon a child, even a pirate's child. But we cannot have pirates in this village. If you insist on causing trouble for other people, then it would be better to stay away from them.

Caspian: I was staying away. I didn’t ask them to come and find me!

Fisher: Perhaps you didn’t go far enough. What were you doing out there anyway?

Caspian: I was trying to teach myself to use a sword. But sticks are no good, they break too easily and they don't weigh enough. Maybe I should try a pipe instead-

Fisher: And just what, pray, would you need to learn to use a sword for?!

Caspian smiles and jumps up suddenly

Caspian: I'm going to join the marines!

Fisher: Ah?!

Caspian: I’m not going to be a pirate at all, you see? I’m going to fight them off!

Fisher: It would take more than hitting things with a stick to achieve that. And anyway, it is unlikely ever to happen.

Caspian: What?!

Fisher: Whatever you do, you are a pirate’s son. The marines would never allow somebody with such close ties to piracy to join their ranks. They would never know for certain that they were able to trust you.

''Caspian, clearly upset by the blunt statement, angrily slams both his fists down on the table. It shakes from the impact, and a lamp at the far end overbalances and falls over.''

Caspian: You’re lying! I hardly knew him at all! I don’t even remember anything before we came here! You just think I’m nothing but trouble!

Fisher slowly turns to the cracked lamp, and picks it up.

Fisher: You really aren’t helping your case!

Caspian: ARRRR! I hate you!

''He turns and runs from the room before either of them say anything more. In fact he leaves the building entirely, as well as the town, and keeps running far into the forest that covers most of the island.''

''He finally stops running when it gets dark. By this stage he is well and truly out of sight of the village, and, as he realizes when he calms down, somewhat lost.''

Caspian: Ah… those guys.. Blast it.

And then, as if to illustrate his mood perfectly, it starts to rain.

''As it turns out, getting back to the town in the increasingly heavy downpour is difficult, especially when you don’t have a clear idea of how you left it. Caspian quickly finds himself wandering aimlessly rather than trying to go anywhere with purpose.''

Caspian: This isn't good. I guess I should just find shelter.

''He climbs onto a fallen tree, grabbing at the remaining branches to steady himself. He is just pulling himself up on top when a branch snaps in his hand. He tries to regain his balance but the trunk is far too slippery. He flails for a few seconds, then topples backwards with an abrupt yell, splintering the branches he hits on the down''

Caspian: Woa-

The next thing he remembers, and the last for a long while, is a crack and a thud.

''Caspian wakes up in a ditch. His leg refuses to move properly when he tries, and the odd angle it’s at gives him a good idea why.''

Caspian: Oh.. no...

''It's still raining, and he is soaked through. It's somewhat painful to get up, but Caspian keeps trying anyway, first propping himself up, and then starting to crawl, dragging his leg behind him. He makes extremely slow progress, but he makes it out of the mud and starts to pull himself up the shallower edge of the ditch. At which point, while he is trying to figure out how to get further, he realizes he's no longer alone. ''

''There is a huge figure standing over him, a woodcutting axe in one hand, and a sack of timber over one shoulder. The person wears a heavy, dark coloured coat to keep the rain off. He has a short but thick beard, and his intimidating glare that scares Caspian a little, but not as much as being stuck all night in the rain with a leg that's almost certainly broken.''

Caspian: Old guy... help...

Old guy: Old guy? Is that how you ask for help?

Caspian: please..

Old guy: Hmmph. Better, I suppose.

He puts the axe away somewhere, and then reaches down with his one free hand and hoists Caspian onto his other shoulder.

Old guy: My place isn't too far anyway. Just hold on and try not to whine.

''The guy's "place" turns out to be a small wooden hut in the forest, backed up against, and partially underneath, a large grass covered boulder. The reason for this unusual design choice, as it turns out, is to allow access to a small cave under said boulder, which forms part of the back room of the hut.''

''Having dropped off his firewood, axe and coat, the old guy lights a fire in a small wood burning stove. After that he turns his attention to Caspian's fractured leg, eventually fixing it with a splint and a lot of bandages.''

Old guy: Seems pretty minor for a break. Should be perfectly normal in a month.

Caspian: A month?!

Old guy: You did break the damn thing, kid. Though if you're really determined you'd at least be able to walk within a week.

Caspian promptly climbs to his feet.

Caspian: I can walk now! See?

He then immediately topples over sideways.

Caspian: Ouch!

Old guy: ..........

Caspian: I'll be fine tomorrow.

Old guy: Huh. That's some spirit you got there. But humans are never invincible, no matter how much will they have. You'll have to give it at least a few days before you waste time trying again.

There is a faint boom of thunder.

Old guy: Besides, not like you'd get far. Half the forest is probably flooded by now.

''A kettle on top of the stove starts to whistle as it boils. Leaving Caspian to pick himself up, the guy swaps the kettle for a pot of what smells like soup, and starts making tea.''

Caspian: Who are you anyway?

Old guy: I could ask you the same question. At this rate you're gonna cause me a lot of trouble for somebody I just met in a forest.

Caspian flinches at the off handed statement.

Caspian: Caspian. My name's Caspian.

Old Guy: Call me Gally. It does alright as a name.

Caspian: Gally, huh..

Gally: You're pretty damn lucky you know. I'm the closest thing this island has to a doctor. You villagers come running any time there's a problem like this. Nobody else would have been able to sort it out. You're welcome, by the way.

Caspian: Oh right.. yeah. Thanks for fixing my leg.

Gally: What the hell were you doing so far from the village anyway? Going out in this weather was foolish.

Caspian: It wasn't raining when I left! Besides, I don't care. I hate those guys!

Gally: Oh you do, do you? You know they're probably worrying about you right now. Did you think about that?

Caspian: They won't be. They hate me as well. They're always telling me I cause trouble and I should stay away from them. Just because my dad was a pirate!

''He stops suddenly as he realizes he might have said too much. The only noise is the stove burning, and the rumble of the storm outside.''

Gally: Pirate, hmm? And he gets you into trouble?

Caspian: He died. Somehow he got them to take me in, but because I’m a pirate’s son they'll never trust me. Honestly, I think it would suit them just fine if I disappeared.

Gally stares hard at him for a long while, then pours out a bowl of the soup and passes it to him.

Gally: Well, as far as they're concerned you really have disappeared now. Let’s just wait and see how they react to that. We can't get word to the village until the rain stops anyway.

 Present day, Sarabanto 

Caspian: And that has to be the luckiest break I’ve ever had. Literally. And figuratively.

Dimitri: You broke your leg?

Caspian: Yeah. And then ran into the one guy on the island who didn’t hate pirates. When he found out I wasn’t exaggerating about the villagers, he took me in himself. They warned him no good would come of it, but really everyone was happier that way, especially since it meant I was out of the village a lot more.

Dimitri: And he taught you about doctoring?

Caspian: Oh yeah. That’s really the point of this whole story. I said I was planning on joining the marines right?

Dimitri: Oh yeah. Wondering what happened there.

Caspian: Bit of a silly dream. What I really wanted was to be like the heroes from the stories. So I thought I should join up with the guys who fight pirates.

Dimitri: There’s nothing silly about that! It’s a good dream! What’s wrong with wanting to help people?

Caspian: Heh. Absolutely nothing. But that doesn’t make it any less ridiculous. There’s good pirates and bad marines. Right and wrong don’t exist as absolutes. Gally taught me that. No matter which side you join you’re going to be a bad guy to somebody, eventually. Anyway, another important thing Gally taught me is that there’s better ways to do good than fighting.

Dimitri: Doctoring.

Caspian: Bingo. With that kind of knowledge, a guy like me could save more lives than any marine ever would. And even if good and bad are all mixed up, how could healing people ever be wrong? Gally taught me everything he knew, and it suits me far better than fighting ever did.

Dimitri: But if you wanted to do good, why become a pirate?

Caspian: Because good and bad are all mixed up. The marines answer to the world government, in the end, not justice. Bounty hunters and mercenaries answer to whoever pays them. Pirates don’t answer to anybody. They have the freedom to actually do what they want.

Dimitri: That doesn’t make us the good guys.

Caspian: No, because there’s no such thing as the good guys. Just people with good and bad sides, like everyone else.

Dimitri: But I thought you wanted-

Caspian: Not any more. Like I keep saying, there are no heroes, no good guys. Look, I never finished the story. It doesn’t end well.

 ''Algin island. Four years ago.''

''The now thirteen year old Caspian wanders through the forest somewhat aimlessly. It had been a good morning. Him and Gally had recently been dealing with a small flu outbreak in the village, and a somewhat inspired combination of medicines suggested by Caspian had proved incredibly effective against it, impressing the normally aloof Gally and even getting some words of gratitude out of the mayor. Since he didn’t have anything else planned for the afternoon, Caspian decided to have a look around one of the more remote parts of the forest on the island, an area not even he had been to that frequently. He hadn’t expected to find much of interest setting off, but apart from a few mushrooms that may or may not have been poisonous, the area of wood is particularly lacking in notable features. He is just at the point of heading back towards the village when he abruptly stumbles into a low ditch that was hidden by a thick bush growing over its top.''

Caspian: Uh oh!

''He probably wouldn’t have been hurt by the fall anyway, but he manages to snag on the bushes as he falls through them anyway, slowing himself down enough that he actually lands on his feet perfectly. To his surprise, the ditch is deep enough that he can actually just stand up in it, with the bushes forming a low canopy over his head. Enough light filters through them that he can just see along the ditch, including a large, flat dark shape lying much further down it, which he stumbles towards to take a closer look at.''

Caspian: Ok. Didn’t see this coming.

''What he’s found is an old longboat, of the kind often carried by much larger ships. Despite its age, the hull is entirely intact, and it looked to be in sufficiently good shape that it would survive sailing between islands, particularly in competent hands. Lying in the stern is an oblong shape wrapped in dark cloth, and this draws Caspian’s attention more than the folded mast and oars.''

Caspian: Huh?

''He pulls the cloth free, and it unrolls in his hands. The cloth appears to be a flag, and is adorned in white with a skull above a crossed pair of axes.''

Caspian: A Jolly Roger! That means..

''Realising the boat must have come from a pirate ship, Caspian turns his attention to the object he had just unwrapped. It is, of course, a treasure chest, and doesn’t even appear to be locked. Unable to resist his curiosity, Caspian opens the chest. ''

''Even under the cover of the bushes, the gold coins almost seem to glow in the faint light. The chest has more gold in than Caspian has ever seen in his life, and he can’t even begin to guess at the value of the whole thing. And furthermore, there is something else partly buried in the gold, which he pulls loose to peer at closely. The object appears to be a fruit, but one entirely unlike any Caspian has seen before. It is bright blue, and covered with swirling patterns which seem faintly yellow.''

Caspian: What the heck is this? Looks weird. But if it was with the gold, then maybe it’s… treasure?

''He momentarily considers taking a bite, and then immediately dismisses the idea, wondering why he even thought it. There are enough poisonous plants, even in East Blue, that taking a bite out of an unfamiliar fruit of any kind is almost unforgivably stupid. Instead, he puts the fruit back in the chest, taking care to place it exactly as he found it, and then closes it up.''

Caspian: Was this my father’s boat? How could anyone get that much money?

At which point he hears a distant shout that surprises him back into action

Gally: Caspian!

Caspian: Ulp. The old guy! He carefully replaces the flag, again exactly as he found it first, and then scrambles out of the ditch and runs off in search of Gally.

''He doesn’t mention his discovery to Gally at first, although he isn’t sure why he keeps it secret. Instead he does some research in his own time, trying to identify the fruit. None of the books on herbs or plants he finds can identify it, and the only thing even remotely similar is an almost certainly fictional reference to a “cursed fruit” he finds in a book about the grand line. He considers using the crossed-axes Jolly Roger to try and find out more about the crew the boat came from, but has no idea where to look one up.''

A week after that, the pirates arrive.

''Caspian is in town when he hears the mayor arguing with somebody in the centre of the village, and moves closer to look. The person Fisher is arguing with is instantly recognisable as a pirate captain, wearing a dark brown coat and hat, trimmed in actual gold. A set of vicious looking curved knives are slung through a belt at his waist, and a second belt across his chest holds several pistols.''

''Caspian isn’t the only one watching. Most of the villagers had gathered when they heard the first of the shouting, and more pirates, all wearing similar brown coats, are standing in the shadows behind their captain.''

Fisher: That’s absurd! Mr Kragan, where do you propose we are going to get that amount of beri?

The pirate captain chuckles

Kragan: I’m no Mister, you hear! It’s Ripper Kragan! And, like I keep saying, the money isn’t the important bit!

Fisher: three hundred million Beri would be a significant amount even for an established country. That is hardly unimportant.

Kragan: Weren’t you listening the first time? What we want is worth that much. But it’s not hard money we want! It’s the treasure!

Fisher: There is nothing here worth even close to that amount.

Kragan: Don’t lie! We know it’s here. He could only have been coming here all those years ago. Bring us Captain Cleaver’s Treasure!

Fisher frowns suddenly

Fisher: Cleaver?

Kragan: Oh, the name means something to you, does it? Cleaver stole a treasure from us, twenty years ago. A very valuable treasure. And he hid it right here on Algin island!

Fisher: Pirates are not welcome in this village. There has never been a captain here, and certainly not one with that much wealth-

The captain abruptly cuts Fisher off with a snarl, drawing a pair of his knives and flailing wildly in mid-air in an almost childish tantrum.

Kragan: Don’t lie to me! Don’t you dare lie to me! Stop lying! Enough lies! Where is it! We know it’s here! Give it to us or we rip and tear!

''He almost composes himself slightly, and though he is still somewhat twitchy he at least lowers the knives. When he speaks again, it is much quieter.''

Kragan He probably died years ago, so it’s ours by rights. All of it. The gold, and the Devil’s fruit.

''Caspian freezes at that last comment, and thinks of the longboat lying hidden in the forest, that he had kept secret all this time. Fisher is also looking somewhat shocked, and has gone rather pale.''

Fisher: Died years ago…

The pirate smiles at the reaction

Kragan: So you do know him. Bring it to us, and you get to keep your lives. You have two days. Try to hold out longer, or leave or get help, and this entire island will be stained red.

''The pirate puts away both his knives, and walks away, his crew falling into step behind him. In the aftermath of his departure, a long silence falls. Eventually one of the townspeople speaks up.''

Villager: We’re doomed, aren’t we?

Fisher: Unless we can give him what he wants.

Villager: But we don’t have it. And he might just kill us all anyway!

Townsperson: Can we fight them?

Villager: Don’t be ridiculous. Ripper Kragan came from the Grand Line. Nobody here could hope to threaten him! And we can’t call on any marines or bounty hunters or he’ll slaughter us anyway!

Townsperson: Well we can’t give him the treasure! We don’t have it.

Fisher: Perhaps. But perhaps he was here after all.

Townsperson: What?

Fisher: A pirate who came here and died, years ago. We do know one who that could be.

Caspian suddenly realizes everyone’s eyes are on him.

Villager: His father? He brought them to us?

Townsperson: Could he have been Cleaver?

Older Villager: He did carry a huge sword, didn’t he?

Villager: But what about the treasure? He never had anything like that with him.

Amid the muttering, Fisher walks slowly towards Caspian.

Fisher: Boy… Caspian… Do you know anything about this at all?

''Caspian doesn’t know how to reply. The muttering in the crowd is making him uncomfortable, and he really needs time to think, so he turns and runs without another word.''

Gally meets him outside his hut, and realizes immediately that something is wrong just from Caspian’s expression.

Gally: What’s happening?

Caspian: There’s pirates threatening the village. They say they want the treasure of Captain Cleaver, and they think we’ve got it.

Gally: Cleaver? Tell me everything.

''Gally listens calmly while Caspian relays everything he heard and saw in the village. When he’s finished, the old man nods, unusually calm under the circumstances.''

Gally: Ripper Kragan, and Captain Cleaver. I’ve heard of both of them.

Caspian: You have?

Gally: Kragan turning up here is a bad sign. His crew came from North Blue first. And they were on the grand line for years just targeting merchants and islands. They’re very fond of violence as well as wealth. If they’re here in the east, it’ll be because they want easy prey.

Caspian: And Cleaver’s treasure is it?

Gally: It is now, maybe. Kragan would never have dared try this if he thought Cleaver was still alive. That captain made his name and his fortune by fighting and winning in hard fights. As I recall, Kragan’s old captain and crew were once decimated by him in battle. That must be why Kragan claims the treasure is his.

Caspian: What if we actually found the treasure? Would they really go away if we gave it to them?

Gally: Probably. If they never gave quarter then they couldn’t make threats anymore. But that’s the least of our problems. They explicitly said they wanted a devil fruit, didn’t they?

Caspian: Yeah? What about it? Is it valuable?

Gally: They aren’t going to sell it. They’re going to eat it.

Caspian: Eat it? What is a devil fruit anyway? Gally: Some say a devil’s gift. Others say a curse. Nobody really knows what they are. But what they do is quite well known. Those who eat devil fruit sacrifice their ability to swim, but in exchange gain supernatural powers that defy all explanation. I’ve seen devil fruit users dissolve into dust and stand unharmed by weapons that should have killed them, or make the ground rise up to crush their foes with a mere stamp of a foot. Some of the strongest and most powerful beings in the world have powers from eating those fruit

Caspian: What?! How can something like that even exist?!

Gally: I don’t know how, or why. But you see the danger, don’t you? A power like that, in the hands of somebody like Kragan, would be an everlasting nightmare for anyone he went after. And most of the people in his path are defenceless civilians to begin with. Whatever happens, if we really found a fruit like that then our responsibility would be to make sure he never got hold of it. Whatever the cost to ourselves.

''There is a long silence. Then Caspian nods.''

Caspian: You’re right. I get it now. I know exactly what I have to do.

Gally: What?

Caspian: I’m going to clean up my father’s mess.

And with that Caspian runs off decisively, ignoring Gally’s attempts to call him back.

''Night has fallen completely by then, but it still doesn’t take Caspian long to find the old longboat again, and the box in the stern. It had been untouched since he’d left it the previous week. The box in the stern is still there, and both the gold coins and the fruit are still inside it.''

Caspian: This is what brought Kragan here.

He holds the fruit up curiously.

Caspian: Whatever happens, he must never get to eat it, right?

He takes several deep breaths.

Caspian: Ok then.

He puts the fruit in his mouth, and swallows whole.

As he learns later, at this time Gally had entered the village in search of him, and approached the mayor.

Fisher: It’s a terrible business, Gally. We can’t do anything unless-

Gally: I know. Caspian told me everything. Then he ran off. But where is he now?

Fisher: I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since this afternoon when the pirates made their threats. Perhaps he has gone to try and hide or escape.

Gally’s expression turns grim.

Gally: No. He hasn’t. He said he knew how to stop this. If he’s not here then …

Fisher: His father is likely the pirate who caused this. Perhaps the boy actually has the treasure, or possibly knows somebody that can help.

Gally: His father is nothing to do with this. I think I know exactly what he’s done. And I know what needs to happen. I’m going to need to borrow a boat.

''By this time, Caspian has made it to Kragan’s ship, the taking the chest of gold with him. He had decided to borrow one of the villages’ fishing boats rather than waste time dragging the old longboat back out to sea and getting it prepared to sail. It doesn’t take him long to reach his goal all the same.''

''He has some trouble heaving the chest onto the deck of the much larger pirate ship, and by the time he has succeeded, and audience has gathered, including Ripper Kragan himself. Caspian faces them and tries not to feel scared''

Caspian: I brought it.

Kragan: Cleaver’s treasure.

Caspian gestures to the box and steps back.

Caspian: It’s here. The flag with the crossed axes is Cleaver’s, isn’t it? You can have it all. Just leave this island and the people here alone.

Kragan: We’ll see.

''Kragan levers the chest open with a knife, ignoring it’s fastenings. The gold glints in the light of the few lanterns hanging on the deck. Kragan grabs a handful and holds it up for inspection, and some of the other pirates laugh excitedly. Kragan, however, continues to dig through the coins, and slowly starts to look annoyed.''

Kragan: It’s not here. Not here!

He straightens up

Kragan: Where is the fruit?!

Caspian: That’s all there is. Are you sure Cleaver ever had a devil fruit?

Kragan: He had it. He had it! He must have hidden it. Tear down the whole village!

This last command is addressed to the other pirates, who suddenly draw weapons with a deafening metallic clatter.

Caspian: No don’t! You said you’d leave!

Kragan: The fruit is the real prize. Gold has value, but with that power all the gold in the world could become ours! Now bring me the fruit!

''His voice rises to a screech and he takes a sharp step towards Caspian, slashing in mid air with both his knives. The boy, unable to hide his fear, takes several steps back.''

Caspian: I can’t! We don’t have it! It’s gone!

Kragan is flailing as though almost in a tantrum at this point.

Kragan: Don’t lie! Don’t lie! Where is it! Where is it! It must be somewhere-

He stops suddenly and stares at Caspian.

Kragan: Gone. It’s been eaten, hasn’t it?

Caspian: I don’t-

Kragan interrupts him by scraping his knives together sharply.

Caspian: Yeah. It was. It’s all gone.

Kragan is almost trembling with fury.

Kragan: You ate the fruit. After we told them to give it to us you went and ate it. Just so we couldn’t have it.

Caspian: Yeah. The gold is all that’s left. Take it and leave. Or I’ll use the fruit’s power against you

''And then Kragan snaps and starts flailing again. Caspian is surprised to find himself thinking perfectly clearly despite being terrified. He takes in the weapons and the pirates around him, and wonders how likely his is to escape the ship alive. The odds don’t seem to favour him, since despite his earlier bluff he isn’t quite sure what the fruit’s power is or how to use it. But he can’t swim either, so it definitely did something, according to Gally.''

Kragan: Damn Children! I’ll twist him into rope! I’ll flay him for fishbait! AARRGH!

''He stamps away, becoming increasingly incoherent, and seemingly oblivious to Caspian. Another pirate, presumably the first mate, steps around the flailing captain, and stares at the boy flatly, adjusting a black bandana on his head.''

First mate: Captain overboard.

Caspian: I’ve delivered your gold. I’m leaving. Don’t come back to the island.

''Immediately two pirates near to him draw swords. The first mate aims what looks like a rifle.''

First mate: Can’t be having that just yet. After all, you did take the fruit, and that’s caused us a lot of bother.

He pauses as Kragan stamps past again, still flailing and ranting.

First mate: They say devil fruit can’t reappear in the world while the person who ate it still lives. But if we killed you, it just might come back somewhere.

''Caspian takes a deep breath. He has a few surprisingly good ideas for tripping up the sword wielders, but he still has no idea what to do about the rifle.''

First mate: Of course, exactly where it comes back is uncertain, so that’s not ideal. Maybe we should just have you do the fighting for us to pay it back. Think you could slaughter our enemies if your life depended on it? How about the lives of everyone here as well? That’s a more than generous offer.

''Before any of them can speak further, there is a loud slicing sound, a crack, and then a heavy thud. All of them suddenly look around, just as the main mast of the ship slides cleanly off its base, cleanly cut through, and then slowly topples over sideways. Silence falls, broken only by the loud splash as the mast hits the water. A dark figure is standing next to the base of the mast.''

First mate: Who?

The figure strides into the light of the lanterns, and the woodcutting axe in his hand glints.

Gally: This is between us.

Caspian: Gally!

''The sword wielding pirates near to Caspian turn to face the old man, just in time to be caught by a flying barrel that he hurls at them. They are both knocked sprawling, and the keg rolls past the group of pirates, leaking gunpowder as it goes. Gally moves up to stand next to Caspian.''

Gally: You’re alright kid. Right?

Caspian: I messed up. I thought I could get them to go away, but it just got worse.

Gally: You did your best. But I’ll see them off. After all, it’s my fault they came here to begin with. I should have picked a quieter island.

''Caspian was going to ask for an explanation, but sees the axe in Gally’s hand and suddenly makes the connection. The pirates are just watching silently, although the first mate and a few others are looking increasingly uncertain. Kragan has frozen entirely mid rant, and is staring at Gally as though transfixed.''

Kragan: Cleaver.

Gally: Captain ‘Cleaver’ Galahad, yes. We met before. I’m just old Gally now though.

''Clearly not all of the pirates present had fought with Cleaver in the past, but the expressions of those who had, and the particularly unusual reaction of Kragan, is enough to make them hesitate. None of them want to be the first to attack.''

Caspian: Old guy. You were-

Gally: I made my choices. Good and bad. I regret none of them. I always knew I was going to pay for them eventually. But I won’t let any of the people who live here pay with me.

''He picks Caspian up, and almost hugs him. Kragan has started to twitch slightly.''

Gally: It’s time you got off this ship, kid. It won’t be safe much longer.

Caspian remembers the gunpowder keg Gally had thrown, and realizes what’s about to happen.

Caspian: But what about-

Gally: I got everything I wanted from life. I enjoyed my years of fighting on the grand line. But, thinking about it, I enjoyed using the other half of my skill more. Healing people, saving lives, fixing injuries. I’m glad that’s what I got to pass on, in the end.

''The pirates seem to be regrouping, and have raised their weapons again. Gally calmly puts Caspian down in a small boat, possibly a lifeboat, that is suspended above the waterline just off the side of the deck. Caspian is almost in tears.''

Caspian: Gally…

The old doctor smiles.

Gally: important advice was never my strong point. Just decide what you want to do in this world, and then do it. That’s probably the best choice anyone can make. Good luck Caspian.

''He swings his axe, and cuts cleanly through all the ropes holding up the boat, sending it hurtling away from the pirate ship. Then he turns just in time for Kragan’s knife to lodge in his shoulder.''

Kragan: Get Cleaver! Kill him! Kill him! KILL HIM!

Gally: Heh.

''The old pirate knocks Kragan away across the deck with a single swing of his axe, the same action tearing through several more kegs which scatter their contents across the deck. Pulling the knife out of his shoulder, Gally grabs the nearest of the lanterns, and turns to face the assembled pirates.''

Gally: Time I went. But you’re not staying behind.

''All of their guns start firing at once. Caspian, drifting away in the lifeboat, is too far from the ship to see them hit in the darkness. But he hears the sound of the lantern shattering when Gally drops it. The gunpowder ignites, and the entire deck is suddenly lit up in fire, throwing the pirates into panic.''

First Mate: You idiots! Somebody put that out before the powder room-

Swordsman: He’s still fighting! Look out!

''Silhouetted against the flames, Gally raises his axe and then charges into the group of pirates, swinging one last time. Caspian doesn’t hear anything more except more crashes and the sounds of weapons clashing. His boat continues to drift away from the pirate ship. Moments later the fire gets to the remaining gunpowder supplies, and there is a deafening boom as a huge explosion tears up the decks of the ship. An almost solid wall of flames rushes up from within the hull, and the burning wreck slowly starts to sink. Caspian barely he notices when he starts to cry.''

Caspian: Gally….

''By the time the boy has drifted back to the island, all that remains of the ship is a burning prow rising above the water. There is no sign of any other survivors. The noise had alerted the villagers, and they had all gathered at the village’s edge to meet him.''

Fisher: What happened, Caspian?

Caspian hesitates slightly before replying, but forces himself to look up and meet their assembled gazes.

Caspian: Gally defeated the pirates. They’re all gone.

Fisher: Gally stopped them?

Caspian nods.

Caspian: He… gave his life to get rid of them. There weren’t any survivors

Fisher: Then we’re safe.

The villagers start to mutter again, sadness mixed with relief

Tonwnsperson: He saved us all.

Villager: The man was a hero. A true hero.

Older villager: A great loss.

Caspian feels people staring at him, and it suddenly occurs to him that none of the villagers found out that Gally was Captain Cleaver.

Villager: If only they hadn’t come.

Townsperson: It’s terrible, what pirates will do.

''Part of Caspian wants to scream at them that it was a pirate who saved them, but he doesn’t want to risk tarnishing Gally’s reputation. He just stares back at them in silence instead. Nobody blames Caspian or his father out loud, but Caspian can tell at least some of them are already thinking it. As far as they’re concerned Caspian’s father is the one who brought the pirates to the village, and Gally gave his life to stop them. Caspian decides there and then never to tell them the truth of what happened. The villagers deserved their comforting belief in right and wrong, and Gally deserved to be remembered as a hero. But Caspian has no intention of waiting to shoulder the blame for it all.''

Caspian: Goodbye.

''He turns away from the villagers and walks off into the forest. He stops briefly at Gally’s hut to gather up a few things of his he had left there, and then heads straight for the old longboat in the forest. By the time dawn breaks over Algin island, Caspian has sailed far away.''

 Present day, Sarabanto 

Caspian: And that’s all. I never did go back there.

Dimitri: So the reason you wanted to be a pirate was because of-

Caspian: Gally, yeah. Old guy was more like a father to me than the real thing, I guess. Thing is, he’s right. There’s good pirates and there’s bad marines. The side you claim to be on doesn’t mean anything in the end. What you do is all that matters.

Dimitri nods.

Dimitri: Yeah. I can’t argue with that.

Caspian: You said it yourself, pirates have the most freedom in the world. But there’s more to it than that. I was sitting here four days getting nothing done while a local shipwright patched up my longboat. You guys turn up, and before the night’s out you’re trying to track down the missing mayor. It takes you just two days to find them, and you also run into a vigilante and a town-wrecking conspiracy that just happened to be in the area. And by the sound of it some pretty crazy stuff happened wherever it was you came from as well. And I can’t even imagine what must have happened before that. I just get the feeling you guys run into chaos and adventures everywhere you go. And that’s something I want as well.

Dimitri: Tsahahahahahahahaha! I can’t argue with that either!

Caspian starts to laugh as well, and then suddenly breaks off as somebody else lands on the edge of the roof and runs up to them

Rokku: Hey!

Dimitri: Oh hello! Umm... Which of you-

''The vigilante takes their mask off. It's Kat, and she looks almost terrified.''

Kat: It's me. I wasn't sure who else to come to. There wasn't an attack tonight. But Corvus never showed up. They've got him!

Caspian: They? Who-

Kat: You need to help. We're in big trouble!

To be continued