Chương 2: Pirates of the Caribbean
Kai's sight got taken over by the densest blue flashes possible, and when the color receded, he found himself standing in a secluded alley.
The very first thing that hit him was the smell.
It was the smell of fruits mixed with the nauseous odor of overflowing sewers. Then there was the odd mixture of rum's flavor in that odor.
But when the last smell approached, it overpowered all.
Sea!
The fragrance of salty wind had not vanished from Kai's mind, despite the Pokemon World's retribution. At some level, he had already made his peace with it. Now, this retribution was something he would just have to deal with now and then, until finding a permanent solution to this problem.
No reason to fear stepping into the sea.
If it wasn't for the pressing matter of Identity Period and Comprehension, Kai would have rather faced retribution in the Harry Potter world there and then.
No matter how and what Kai felt, time remained important, especially with the limit of 3 days on his dimensional jump.
Like his previous jump to the Steins;Gate world, when Kai looked down at himself, he found the System had already changed his clothing.
He was wearing seamen's clothes; plain and airy.
There was a white shirt on his body, tattered and sewed. Half of the shirt's buttons were open, letting one see his chiseled chest and the several scars on it.
On his waist was a red scarf, and under that, he was wearing knee-length pants.
Kai lifted his hand and pressed down on his head, finding a crude straw hat over it. Under the shadow of the hat's brim, his hazel eyes glinted gold.
The notification appeared then.
[
In the switched world, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Contestant will be subjected to an Abnormality Limiter.
You have access to Switch World Timer as per your privilege. Once the limit of 3 days is crossed, Chaos will start deducting your Mission Credits. Once all Mission Credits run out, you will be thrown out of the switched world.
Timer: 72:00:00
Current Time: 07:00 am
Current Location: Port Royal
]
Suddenly, a black bar appeared in front of him. Kai had already expected its arrival, though.
Pirates of the Caribbean wasn't as unknown to the magic as the Game of Thrones world Kai had been to before, but supernatural events were still an uncommon sight for ordinary citizens.
However, it didn't change the fact that the world Kai had arrived at was way more familiar with the presence of magic than Manaless worlds.
That's why this Abnormality Limiter wasn't the same as others, either.
Even though the name was the same, Item-M had already let Kai know that this Abnormality Limiter's sensitivity was around 75% less than the one he'd experienced in the world of Game of Thrones.
This meant Kai enjoyed greater freedom in using his Abilities and Skills here. It didn't mean that he could just start flying in the skies over people's heads now.
That would just be stupid and courting death. Nothing more.
Time remained the prime issue for Kai, nonetheless.
'If I am to take the main storyline of the Curse of the Black Pearl movie in consideration,' Kai's mind raced, walking towards the main alley, 'then Jack Sparrow will arrive at Port Royal two days later and the Black Pearl will strike that very night. I don't have a second to waste. Before Jack's arrival, I must get my cards ready and in place as soon as possible.'
Kai pressed down his hat and entered the main alley. He had already gained a general map of the Port Royal from Item-M, so it didn't take him long to figure out his actual location and where he must go now. [Image 1]
"Tar! Ahoy! Brother, we apply the best! Only a shilling!"
"Did you hear about that lass getting promoted?!"
"Who? Norrington-something-ass?!"
"Shhh! Pipe it! The port's not the same as before, mate."
"Hey!" one of the wenches winked at Kai, trying to take a peek at his face. "Only a shilling for you."
The main route was full of drunkards, merchants going about their business, and half-awaken seamen still dreaming about the cunt they had last night.
Where there were hundreds of taverns and vast slums, it would be a miracle if one could remember faces.
Yet, some faces were bound to stand out even then.
Kai was just minding his business, his steps hurrying towards the Governor's mansion, when he suddenly paused. His eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed momentarily.
On the tavern's wall toward his left, there were several Wanted posters, some fresh, and some faded with time.
One of the fresh posters was almost glowing with the darkest ink possible.
The poster showcased a bloody face with white hair swaying wildly in the background. And there was such a demonic grin on this person's face that it unnerved the onlookers.
The word WANTED was towering like sturdy pillars over the portrait, and under the figure, the words DEAD OR ALIVE were written in bold letters.
But it was the name that had made Kai pause, to begin with.
BLOOD DEMON!
With a bounty of 13,000,000 berries, he adorned the tavern's wall like a piece of jewelry.
Kai's mouth pressed into a thin line and his steps grew springs.
The bounty in berries was something only he and other Contestants could see. For the in-world Characters, this amount must have been translated into local currency, Kai knew. This thought, however, didn't bring him any joy.
Kai couldn't afford a chase from the marines of the Royal Navy. Not now when any careless step could comprise his plans.
It didn't seem the case, but Kai had come to this world for many things, and not only for Jack Sparrow's Compass.
First, he wanted to see if the Pokemon World's Retribution would follow him into a Switched World as well if he hadn't experienced it in the Main Mission's world before.
The second reason was related to the fact that this Random World was known as Artifact Land among Contestants. Any random Contestant could obtain some Artifacts here. Much less needed to be said about a Glitched Contestant, who could use his Privilege and create missions related to the major-storyline characters.
There was an even more important reason, but this wasn't the time to think about it.
"Hey! Watch yeh steps, yeh fucker!" a seaman cursed.
"Sorry," Kai apologized.
The seaman snorted and marched off, disappearing into the crowd. After a few minutes, this seaman suddenly frowned and spat. "Fucker didn't have a single coin. Tch!"
As a habit, the seaman/thief brushed his right hand against the hidden pocket of his pants. It was then his eyes became bloodshot. "You twatting buggard! My money!!"
Kai weighed the sack of coins in his palm and let out a frown of his own. 'Not much,' he complained. 'A few more should do the trick.'
By the time Kai reached his first destination, he had already stolen enough money to last for 3 days.
Whale and Waterspout was an inn that many sailors frequently visited, looking for a hearty meal and a place to sleep for the night. Not all innkeepers welcomed pirates but at this inn, old Mr. Garret turned a blind eye, as long as his guests could pay their bill in full. [Image 2]
When Kai entered the inn, the thick smell of booze and rum hacked at his nostrils.
Even though it was early morning, the bar was almost full of sailors and "seamen" who were trying hard to not look like pirates. [Image 3]
Kai felt many gazes on his back as he approached the bar. Contestants? His eyes narrowed as he sensed hints of Mana and Breath in some of those gazes, backed by Perception.
It wasn't uncommon, however. Not here, in Port Royal. This place could be taken as the most open-gathering of Contestants from both Order and Chaos. And unless there were enormous benefits involved in it, none was ready to cause a commotion, attracting the attention of marines, especially when there were top-floor Contestants among the marine ranks here, just like One Piece Random World.
"Ale," Kai said, his voice hoarse as if he had just come from the sea. "Give me the spiciest."
An old man eyed him eerily from behind the counter. In return, Kai lifted his head for the first time and narrowed his eyes.
Mr. Garret's old pupils trembled. "I want no trouble," he drawled, but loud enough for all to hear.
Kai took out 3 shillings and tossed them to the old man.
Thud!
The owner handed Kai a large barrel-like mug and then forgot about him.
Kai drank the ale slowly as if he had all the time in the world, savoring each mouthful of drink. He was waiting for someone to take action against him early on. Otherwise, once he began with his plans, he wouldn't have time to swat random insects.
No one moved, though.
"One more," Kai shouted, his voice now thick.
Mr. Garret refilled his mug and then sat down on a bench behind the counter, lighting a cigar.
When Kai was half-done with the mug, a voice entered his ears. "Oi! Help a brother with a drink, eh?" He was obviously a Contestant. And a fool at that.
Kai didn't reply.
"Oi! Bast…" the lone shark couldn't finish his sentence.
Kai's hand, carrying the mug, moved so fast that it left behind afterimages. With a bang, it smashed into the Contestant's mouth.
All were watching this scene now. With Contestants like them, who were from the 4th to 6th floor here, this type of smashing of the mug was nothing.
Yet something unexpected happened then.
Kai snapped his fingers as he slammed the mug, infusing it with strengthening magic. So, the moment it struck the other Contestant's mouth, his front teeth shattered, blood splattering everywhere.
It wasn't the end, though.
Kai slowly left the stool as the other guy staggered. He then grabbed the hair and slammed his mouth on the edge of the table in front of them.
Queer, heart-wrenching, and squelching sounds reverberated with every next pounding. When Kai was done, the Contestant's face didn't even look like a face anymore but a broken melon.
Then Kai leisurely walked to the stool, sat down, and said, "Mr. Garret, next ale is on him."
The old man puffed out a cloud of smoke, gave the badly mangled face of the Contestant a look, and then nodded. At this nod, all the other sailors, pirates, and Contestants in the inn turned their eyes away from Kai as well, completely shocked.
With the Abnormality Limiter hanging like a sword on their necks, what Kai had done was a feat in itself.
"Sir Blood Demon is always welcome at my inn," Mr. Garret whispered, passing a fresh mug of ale. "What can this old man do for you?"
"I want a room for 3 days," Kai said, gulping down half-a-mug in one go. "And a woman."
"Rooms we have," Mr. Garret chuckled, a gold tooth shining among the whites. "A wench, though… You will have to arrange one by yourself."
Kai grunted a nod in reply.
Inwardly, he took a breath of relief. It was these words he had been waiting for. What he was about to do next needed all to think of him as a lecherous and murderous pirate. Nothing more.
The moment Kai entered the room, he sat down on the floor cross-legged, sensing his surroundings.
As expected, his earlier little stunt had made many feel uneasy, preventing others from prying into him unnecessarily.
Suddenly, a silver mist burst out of him.
-Selene,- Kai hissed out a command. -Go to the Governor's mansion and keep an eye on the maid named Estrella. She is the personal maid of Elizabeth Swann. Where she goes and what she does, I want to know all of it.-
-Hehe,- Selene laughed, her hisses sadistic. -I know what's going on, master.-
When Selene had slithered away, Kai took out a book and took a deep breath.
Even though there were tasks that needed his expertise, Kai truly wasn't the star of this Side Mission. For his plans to work, he needed a spy in the Governor's mansion, where the young Elizabeth Swann lived.
Not only Kai wanted to kidnap her, but he also wanted to replace her.
And there was one candidate who could take on this task masterfully, especially when considering her beauty, mind, and cunning.
"Come out," Kai said, opening the book, "Cersei."
Phase 1— Replace Estrella, the maid, with Cersei — had just begun.
*************
AN: Today's break got postponesd, as you can see. A break tomorrow, and the next would be on Sunday.
The Pirates of the Caribbean arc will follow first hour of the Curse of the Black Pearl movie's plot. If you want to, you can see it during the break to freshen your memories. Anyway, I will add some images to help you guys. You can access them on Discord, as always.
*************
1. Port Royal - Jamaican Island (setting of the movie)
2. Governor's mansion - Elizabeth Swann's house
3. Whale and Waterspout - Inn on the road leading to the governor's mansion
4. Estrella - one of the two Elizabeth Swann's persoanl maid
Revamped Fanfic
Please donate Power Stones to Chaos and Order only
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