A Cutthroat Business (Pirate POV)

[King Serperior]

Story Elements:  Humor!  Puns!  Rivalries!  Pirates!  Ninja!  Hilarious takes on said rivalry!
Premise:  The crew of a successful pirate ship have decided to go legit and open a themed (Bakery OR Restaurant).  As luck would have it, there was also a ninja clan that had the same idea.  The two opened their places across the street from one another, not realizing that there was a rival place opposite of them until opening day, which happened to be the same day for both places.  From that moment on, they decided to use their skills and abilities to drive the other place out of business.....all while keeping the facade of being completely, totally legit and not look like the places are run by actual pirates or ninjas.
Story Guide Notes:  The story will follow from the point of view of the pirate crew as they try to protect their business from the ninja while also trying to drive the ninja rivals out of business.

Writing Turn Order:  Turn order dictated by Random.Org

• Liam Dale Skyler2813
• Bedroom Lazarus
• Oreo
• Amaris Temporary

[The Green One]

Ah, finally, it was opening day. Bucko "Red" Morgan walked into the store through the back door, making one last check to make sure everything was perfect and the place was ready to receive people. Everything was in order, it seemed, the counters decorated and showing all the samples available for all the curious costumers they were expecting. Cupcakes, macarons, muffins, cookies of all kinds, and of course, cakes. Chocolate, coffee, strawberry and mint, and more. The soft and nice scents mixing in the air and the amazing look of every one of their products would definitely ensure their success, unless the guys swallowed it all before anyone could step in, as they did a few times before.

Their Captain, and Chef Patissier was certainly a skillful person and had surprised the whole crew with the tastes and textures and colors of the most exquisite sweet delicacies. Who would have thought? To think the crew laughed at first, when the Captain wasn't present, of course, but after trying sample after sample, and some more, the idea of opening a bakery didn't seem that bad. But of course, to make sure, they had to try another whole round of macarons, just to make sure.

Bucko waltzed through the store, humming happily some old song. It was time to roll up the curtains and unlock the door. With a flick of his hand, the black Open! sign let everyone know they were ready for business. Looking out through the light red tinted glass of the door, expecting to see people eagerly coming their way, his eyes narrowed, his smile quickly disappearing, the pirate's hands fisted tightly.

Bloody ninjas!

[Bedroom Lazarus]

This was made to be a message, an open declaration of war between the accursed Ninja scourge that had infested the building across the way had decided to franchise into the same area as The Salty Caramel.  Parley was no longer an option and the civilized discourse.  The savages didn’t even know that Arrr had seven different meanings depending on tonal inflection, twas no wonder that they relied on such heavy-handed tactics as this.

Crystallized syrup shuriken that faded from red to blue and then to green had found themselves lodged in the body of Pete “Eleven toes” Kirby, leaving his body lain out across the floor in gruesome fashion behind the counter.  Bucko had made the man the store accountant, on account of the fact the extra toe let him count higher than any other man who had served aboard his ship.  He’d be near impossible to replace.

Bucko reached beneath his apron, pulling out a black powder pistol that he’d kept primed with him, his head swerving around looking for signs of trouble as he cocked back the hammer, ready to blast what ever came into his purview. Checking the rafter for those devils of dark cloth and honor less skulduggery.  He could almost smell them in the air.   *cling - cling* the small bell that announced a customer's arrival suddenly sounded from the door, causing the Captain to spin round, face splitting into a false smile of teeth of mixed wood and Gold.  "Welcome to the Salty Caramel.  Where we plunder the world o exotic baked goods teh bring you the treasures your taste-buds be seekin"

[Oreo]

Lady Betts had been gifted not only with a keen sense of smell and taste, but also a proficient eye for gossipy tidbits. Her need to be the first to know anything new going on in her little slice of heaven; the Center Quarter - where east meets west was renowned among her peers. She had been waiting for the opening of The Salty Caramel for weeks. Her gloved hand lifted slightly as her head tilted toward the proprietor, "pleasant to meet you, finally, I'm sure."

Bucko caught himself just before instinct had him pointing his pistol at the woman, and switched the primed weapon to the other hand behind his back. Extending his arm, Lady Betts allowed him to escort her to the baked goods. "They all look so delicious, and well crafted." Her eyes peered through the glass cabinets missing nothing of the legs sliding along the floor into the back room. Nor the small trail of blood smeared into the scuff mark. Her instincts had not led her wrong. Something was definitely afoot.

"The macarons look simply divine. Did you bake them yourself?" She asked with a nonchalant air, as if she had seen nothing. "Arrr, ye caught me out, ye did. They happen to be me specialty. If ye be waitin a minute I'll fetch me cashier to box some up for ye." He began leading her toward the far side of the shop where the cashier stand stood empty, but her feet remained obstinately planted, refusing to being moved. "Hold your socks, sir. I'm not quite finished looking." She could sense it, but not see what she really wanted. "Where's the rum...cake?"

[Amaris]

Squaaaawk! "Rum's always gone! Always gone!" The high pitched tone rung out from the back room making Bucko curse under his breath. "Shut it, Pol---err Patricia!" An uneasy smile came over his face as he looked back at Lady Betts. "Sorry about that, ye don't be payin' her no mind!"

"The treasured rum cake be gone, I fear, but we do have some donuts that will put wind in yer sails!" Gesturing with his right hand, he led her away from the cashier - and the blood - toward the assortment of donuts. With every step, a soft click was barely audible as he showed her the vast selection they had to offer. The pants he put on did cover the leg, but no matter how he stepped, the sound of wood against tile seemed to follow. Hopefully, the sprinkled donuts were enough to distract her! Bucko couldn't lose her business to those Kung-Shmoo's across the street.

Lady Betts face did indeed seem to light up, her eyes looking over each and every one before muttering to herself. "Well, the doctor did say I needed to eat more hole foods..." A finger came up to her thin lips as she tried to decide before pointing to a cinnamon one to be removed, trying not to make it obvious as she tried to peak through the door to the back, to maybe catch sight of this 'Patricia'.

[Bedroom Lazarus]

Bucko ambled just a touch to the side, the better to place himself between the prying she devil’s eyes and the distraction that was settled in the back of the room.  “Oh ye have excellent taste if I do be sayin’ so myself.  But that were evident the moment you came to the Salty Caramel.  This one here is a secret recipe, passed along to me by me grandmum.  Keeps the skin extra smooth you know and helps with that pesky agin blight.  Why to this day, people be thinkin me grandmum is me sister and this I do swear.”  The grin that split his beard could not have looked less re-assuring of sincerity as the Captain did his best to give a slight batting of his eyes as he handed over a doughnut that was mixed with cinnamon and a touch of grog. 

“Cor, We’ll never Toe-Tally recover from this loss will we?”  The sound came out as the back door opened as Davey Shipman, the cashier arrived for his shift.  Bare arms were covered in nautical tattoos that involved mermaids en flagrante with various marine life covering every inch of skin from wrist to shoulder were the most striking thing, next to flashy purple pantaloons that billowed around his hips and the long thick apron decorated with a floral motif.  “What happened to ol Pete then?”

Squaaaawk! “Done in, done in for all his sins!”  The sound echoed from the back.  Bucko was still trying to hold onto his smile in front off Lady Betts, even as the veins started to pop out at his brow and he flushed a distinctly ugly shade of red.  “Ye’ll be wanting this to go will ye?”

[Oreo]

Miss Betts was about to agree to having the doughnut to go, when she noticed the strained look on the proprietor's face. "You know, I was considering having the delightful confection to go, but you do have a lovely tea service display. I believe I will have a cup of Earl Grey to go with my doughnut." Scanning the room she caught sight of the table out front through a slit in the window blinds. "If you don't mind the trouble, I'll wait out front to enjoy my treat." Placing a five dollar bill on the counter she meandered outside..."Keep the change," mingled with the sound of the door's bell clinging.

"Arrrr," muttered Bucko under his breath - the fifth meaning Arrrr, if there ever was one. "Ring it up, Davey," was accompanied by a more heavy sound of wood striking the tile floor. "I be needin teh check teh storeroom. Might be requirin a bit of swabbin the deck so to speak. Meet me back there when ye be done with the sale." Bucko turned to head back to the crime scene fer certain, an there'd be sumun to pay fer it! "Oiy, an don't be pocketin that keep the change stuff. Put it in the Curse-ed jar, or me name isn't Bucko: Dread of the..."

*cling-cling* Officer Malone poked his head in the front door. "Ha ware ya tis foin murnin?" He glanced around the shop and quickly headed for the doughnuts. "now, tha is a gran selection ya have dar, it is." Bucko's deep scowl turned up into another plastered smile. "We does ouer best we do." Could things be any worse? Hopefully the coppers' eyes weren't as keen as Miss Betts'...who was presently staring across the street with decisive intent.

[Abraxos the Fallen]

Officer Malone wasted no time heading right to the donuts. He had heard that this place and another were opening on this street and had thought he'd be winning the lottery. This was his normal beat, and now he had two different options. He also loved the pirate theme they had going on.

"I see that, there," Malone replied to the Captain. "I thought I'd get a dozen from ye here and a dozen from across the way. See which one of yous ends up getting police business. Gimme your best 12, Captain," he said, getting into the spirit of the motif.

The Captain smiled and looked at Davey, "Me matey here will tend to ye sir. And if it be me, thems across the way seem like the 'organic' type. I hear they use lemon grass in their lemon filled donuts," the Captain said. "Finish up here then get to the back," the Captain said to Davey before giving the officer one last smile.

[Bedroom Lazarus]

The Captain, for all the he was a man of considerable talent plundering, murdering, extorting and baking had perhaps in his sense of aggravation over having to deal with bodies, parrots and loud mouthed associates, nosy old ladies and the authorities was that in leaving this task to Davey..a pirate...and a man who had no particular taste for authority might be a bad idea. 

"Ello there officer.  Lovely day Ain it?  Cor, quite the accent you got on you.  Fancy yerself a proper outlaw now do ye?  Well, iffin that is the sort of thing yer interested in....I got just the thing fer ye I do."  Davey winked at the man with his one unpatched eye.  "Just give it a try, see iffin more will do for yeh"  He reached under the counter and pulled forth what looked like an especially ... ill crafted pastry that oozed old chocolate from the sides...what it lacked in artistry it made up for in garish delight as various little sugared pieces of fruit seemed somehow....well the word glued seemed most appropriate in the way they were stuck into the concoction.  "Ere you go"

"Avast"  Officer Malone said in a good natured way as he cupped the doughnut, it was a bit odd looking, but he was an overly friendly sort, taking a bite from it.  Instantly he regretted it...the thing tasted like it looked, a mixture of flavors that had all the harmony of a whiskey jug band trying out a novice musician who's instrument was a cat he kept pulling the tail on.  "Ehk"  The man said, wiping at the back of his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt...before the world went a bit hazy and he found himself suddenly crashing to the ground.

[Oreo]

Bucko turned for a peek from the baking area to see what the commotion was. His ears were as sharp as his cutlass, and he fer sure heard something akin to a melon hitting a brick. "Davey, wat ave ye done?" an ARGGGG of the third magnitude issued from his lips. Pondering on how to resolve the issue, his eyes lit with an unholy glee. Officer Malone seemed to be totally unresponsive to any stimuli. Bucko even tried breathing a rum soaked exhale directly onto the man's face. There was a barely perceptible eye-roll from the officer.

"Quick Davey," Bucko had slipped his beefy hands under Malone's shoulders, "be grabbin his feet there an help me get him into the back room." With ungraceful stumbling and much clicking of wood against tile, the two placed Malone next to the mostly dead Pete eleven toes. "Gor, an I hate doin this to ye Pete, ye were a good un." With swift accord Bucko used the black flag curtain from the store room to dress Pete in a haphazard ninja outfit. His head was wrapped so only his eyes showed. The captain made quick use of the food paint gun to color the striped socks as black as he could get them, as well as any exposed white skull and crossbones on the cape and headdress.

"I need to get back out front, Davey." A bead of sweat dripped from Bucko's brow. This was not the grand opening he was hopin fer. "I want you to get these two into the delivery wagon and drop them off over behind the bloody Ninja bakery. With a little luck bein with us, might be we can make it look like they done the dirty work."

Pete's not dead...Pete's not dead chirped Polly. *cling cling*

[Abraxos the Fallen]

Davey nodded enthusiastically as he ran out back to get the wagon. Placing the wagon outside, he dragged the bodies into the wagon. Officer Malone proved to be the heaviest body. If he represented the cops in this town, Davey figured they'd have no problems at all.

Bucko went back out to the shop as another cop came strolling in, this time a female. She looked around as Bucko came out to meet her.

"Arg dearie. How migh I be of service to ye?" Bucko asked, forcing a smile onto his face.

"I'm looking for my partner. I was just up the street and saw him heading this way. I thought he went into your shop?" the female officer said. Her Asian features made her look a lot like them ninjas from across the way. Bucko wondered if this might be a trick or something.

"Nope, not tha' I a reckon'. Saw one across the street tho', headed into that other  there bak'ry," Bucko said, hoping that this would get the female officer out of his shop. The officer pulled out her radio and pressed a button.

"Sugar 101 to Charlie 93..." she began but then she heard the echo of the radio in the back.

[Bedroom Lazarus]

Davey wasn't built for stealth, so as he loaded the two men into the wheelbarrow or "Delivery Wagon" as Bucko liked to call it located behind the shop.  Looked a little indecent with that fat ol copper on top of his old mate.   He wiped the sweat off his brow then tried to move on his tippie toes in that way you see stealthy folk do till  he peered round the corner to the main street.  There was some lady officer who was walking all puffed up and with purpose moving across the street.  Best to wait for her to get over there before he started.  Once she was out of view he took the handles to the wheelbarrow and started to move across the street, hiding behind anything he could. 

"What on earth are you doing over there young man?"  Cripes.  It was that there snoopy lady from the shop, starting to move towards him.  Davey just kicked it into high gear, fleeing for his life through the open, the wheels on the wheelbarrow churnin round and round as he made to get around back with an elderly woman waving a half eaten pastry at him and hobbling along in his wake.  She was going to bring the ninjas down on him fer certain!

Bucko looked out the front window. a sigh escaping his lips.  "Ah Davey.  Good arm with a sword, fair hand with a sail, but more crooked then a church vicar and dumb as a seal what got its head stuck up its own arse.  Polly.  There's gonna be trouble soon.  Put out the squeak to the lads right quick!   We'll be needin the muscle."  Why was it every time he went up front he had to go back again, opening up the parrot cage to let his messenger bird spread the word.  Much as he wanted to sell his wares, there was a storm brewin and it was time to pull down the sail and get ready to weather it!

[Oreo]

Polly let out a squawk, and flew out the door and up two floors. "Bucko be needin ya. On yer feet mates. PETE's NOT DEAD."

Old Fareye was up in a flash, his bed bein right next to te window. The Crows Nest he liked to call it. Squinting, with full attention to all that was going on, he spied Davey rounding the corner with the Scallywagon. "Hail and fire, on yer toes mates. Davey's in a right nasty spot of it." Fareye grabbed the boom box, shoved in his favorite Arrogant Worms tape, hopped onto the balcony and yelled out a "heave-ho... fer Bucko!"

In moments the crew had slid down drain pipes, leaped from the windows, and started dancing in the street...cutting off the curious Miss Betts in the process, as well as Sugar 101. ♪ Cause it's a heave-ho, hi-ho, comin' down the plains stealin' wheat and barley and all the other grains ♫

Onlookers gathered round with their cell phones in the air, one cried out.."An opening day Flash Mob!!"

Attention diverted, Davey dumped the bodies around the back of the Ninja Bakery. Pete Eleven Toes moaned I'm not dead yet...

[Abraxos the Fallen]

Once Davey had dumped the bodies, he made a mad dash back to the doughnut shop, certain that the ninjas would be right on his heels. When he ran into the back door, almost falling backwards because he forgot that it was a pull door and not a push door, he stood there dazed for a moment.

The crowd was really getting into the supposed "Flash Mob" that had started, unbeknownst to them a Live Facebook feed was also being done and the hashtag #piratesaltycaramel. It even caught the notice of one of the ninjas who had left to go to China Town for some special ingredients for their big opening. Master Oonagi was not pleased to get a notification on his newsfeed that the Salty Caramel was getting so much publicity. He watched the Live Feed for a moment before exiting out of Facebook and calling the shop.

"What the hell is going on? Why aren't we doing a Flash Mob? Why are those Bloody Pirates even open, didn't you take care of the problem first thing this morning?" Oonagi asked. There was a lot of Chinese pleading coming through the line but Oonagi cut them off.

"Just get your asses out there and show the Salty Caramel what we do to pirates!" He ended the call as he pedaled faster on his MoPed to the shop.



Eleven Toes Pete groggily opened his eyes, feeling a lot of weight on top of him. He hurt all over, and he doubted he could move much. Once his eyes adjusted, he realized quickly that he was outside and that he was lying underneath what appeared to be a very fat cop.

"OY! What the bloody 'ell is this?" The pirate screamed, which was his first mistake.

Suddenly the body of the cop was yanked off of him and a massive masked giant of a man was standing on the open end of the cart, with what could only be a midget ninja standing on the corner of the cart perfectly balanced.

"You talk funny? Why you talk like that, Blancason?" The midget asked him. Pete looked down at himself realizing that his clothes had been changed or something had happened to them because now he looked more like a ninja than a pirate. A pirate must always think on his feet.

"Yeah," he said, his Chinese accent being horribly butchered by the fact that he was not Chinese, "I try kill fat pirate man, but this fat cop get in my way. I killed him, but he land on me and make me no move," Pete said hoping that it was enough to convince the midget, and more importantly his very large friend.

[Bedroom Lazarus]

By me grandma's chin whiskers, these were low class ninja's Pete thought to hisself.  Not only couldn't they finish him off with their candy shuriken, but they didn't even have the right ethnicity to be ninja!  All he had to do was wok away peaceably now.  No one had to notice.  After the cop was dragged off him, he made a few steps back away from the two of them, still reeling from the fact that he wasn't all dead, but just you know, mostly dead.  He hoped his staggering gait towards the street would be enough for him to slip away.  But would those hopes be realized?

Meanwhile back on the street Bucko knew that the only chance they had was to make this into a day to remember.  He took up his wide black captain's hat from beneath the counter with the white plumes on it and stuck it on his head, waiting as Polly came swooping in to settle onto his shoulder as he strode into the street, a massive metal tray in his hands from which he tossed various cookies and cake parts into the crowd, not really minding if a few people got some in the eyes as he whirled through the impromptu dance number that was going on around him.  The parrot bobbed her head on his shoulder in time with those sick piratical beats.  But then it happened. a sudden blast of smoke erupted through the center of the flash mob, men and women dressed in dark silk suddenly stepping forth to take back the honor of their establishment "The Jade Dragon's house of Dango"...apparently not only confused about their own ethnicity but also lacking common sense naming conventions was something that was supposed to be brought up at the next clan gathering but for now it stuck.  Things were looking tense now as the Pirates and Ninja's circled one another, the music still pounding in the background giving it a west side story vibe that wasn't going to dissipate soon.  The general public was eating it up however. 

Suddenly  the beats on the boombox changed, Captain Bucko standing beside it as he placed a Karaoke microphone up to his bearded set of lips.   

"Now throw your hook hands in the air, and waive em like ye just don't care!   ARRRR!
Me name be Bucko and I'm the Pirate MC, and the best damn baker on all the seven seas.
Just look to the sign marked the Salty Caramel, for the most temping Devil's food cake this side oh hell. 
Want a flavor cannon ball that goes right through you? I got that with this here espresso laced Tiramisu.
I make Macaroons better 'an gold Doubloons, time teh toss Betty Crocker down teh Davey Joneses locker.
I'm the best and the baddest from Jamaica to Shanghai,  No one messes with a pirate who makes key lime pie.
Now these fellahs round us lookin dark and glum, think they're going to make plunder against me Bunt cakes made o Rum?
Fine folks just come to the Caramel for some flambe Bananas, there ain't nothin worth having from these lubbers in pajama's"

Mic drop from the Captain.

[Oreo]

Pete staggered out into the street, with a scurvy eyed wink te Bucko. If he could keep up this ninja facade just a little bit longer The Jade Dragon's house of Dango would be out of business fer sure. With a slight tilt to the side he grabbed up the mic, nearly falling over, but luckily that eleventh toe came in handy yet again. He was about to bend into the mic with a hefty 'Arrrrrr'...but at the last moment remembered Ninja's couldn't say the word Arrrr. At least not with any real conviction - lacking the ability to say R....

"ALLLLlll, you say Hai, say Hai, Sai HAI! We be House of Dango but we can't make pie. We can crunch numbers and leap sky Hai, but no matter how we try we can't make pie. We have plenty tea to fill the sea sea sea, and if you don't like that we got trays of mochi. We can make a Pocky stick to the air while we slide down banisters or vault up stairs." It was getting hard to think with the shuriken stuck in him like it was. Then he grinned this will do em in "We make candy weapons, be sure to tell you kids, this is where to get them if you know what it is. One thing more if you ask real nice, we can sell you a cake made entirely of rice."

Yes! The crowd was heading across the street to the Salty Caramel, some even wandering inside.

Malone staggered out from behind the Dango House as Oonagi rounded the corner, knocking the officer flat while his moped flew into the air with a whoosh. Sugar ran to her partners side..."See I told you donuts would be the death of you." Malone just smiled, higher than a kite, "Awwww Sugar...watch out!!"

The melee was on ...and everybody was kung-fu fighting.

[Abraxos the Fallen]

Bucko watched as Pete continued his rap which was driving people right into the Salty Caramel. Bucko left Pete to his rap as he ran inside to start selling donuts like crazy.

Oonagi, being the ninja he was, managed to back flip and nail the landing, which was more than could be said for his Moped which sailed through the air right into Pete as he finished his rap. Poor Pete just couldn't catch a break today.

Oonagi watched in horror as the customers went to the Salty Caramel. He was about to call for reinforcements when he realized all his boys were already out and now the two cops were going at it along with the pirates and ninjas out in the street. Oonagi was getting angry!

Bucko on the other hand was selling donuts faster than he could restock. He did pull the donuts that the cop had sampled (save those for a rainy day!). But he sold out of everything else. He began taking orders to be made for the next day.

[Bedroom Lazarus]

Never had such rage filled the heart of Oonagi as it had that day.  Defiantly he stood amidst the crowd, those dark eyes flickering around as the meeting of cutlass and ninja-to filled the streets in a deadly ballet fueled by the cheers of people who had taken this as a social media spectacle.    The strange Ninja he did not recognized sprawled out with a destroyed boombox at his side, the police asking if someone had a permit for this and the rush of the crowd to flood the Salted Caramel confection shop.  It had somehow gone so terribly.   Terribly wrong.

There was a reason he had named his shop the Jade Dragon Dango Shop.  First of all, it sold Dango, which made sense.  But the second was the far grislier secret that he would unleash in his arsenal.    There could be no simple recovery from an opening day travesty like this.  It would require him to scorch the earth clean of his foes.  Oonagi places his hands together, index, pointer and thumb upwards and pinkie and ring finger folded down, gathering his ki for the coming slaughter.  None would say he would go down without a true fight.  Even over the sound of swords clashing, black powder pistols firing and whirling of flying knives made of steel and candy moving around him he drowned it all out with the screaming of one single syllable.  “YOSH”  It was then that he took out the small device he had hidden under his sleeve, a red button in the end that he pressed.  Then the world rocked beneath him, sending customers, ninja’s and pirates alike flailing around in confusion.

Suddenly in the ocean, massive geysers of water flew into the air as  small nuclear explosions were set off,  the sudden scream of something truly massive echoed across the bay area.  Laughing in the sinister voice only a c-list actor arch villain could truly achieve Oonagi watched as from the depths rose the great rubbery skinned monster of dark green coloration.  The one.  The only.  Chinese knock off Godzilla was coming to wreak havoc on everyone for the shame that they had made the arch ninja feel this day.

[Oreo]

Bucko was selling and taking orders faster than he thought possible. He really could use Pete for this, but he was stretched out in the street, dead for certain this time. He'd think about that later. For now there were doubloons to be had and orders to be taking. This was a good and proper grand opening. Then the floor shook...it shook again. Not the earthquake kind of shake, but rather one with porpoise. He could smell the salt in the air. One look out the window was all it took, what a cheap trick...calling Godzilla, and not even the original at that!

Little did that conniving ninja rat Oonogi know that Bucko had his own tricks. With a quick stepped stride he grabbed the cookie jar from the shelf and headed straight toward the smirking owner of the Dango shop. "Kill poor Pete will ye? I'm gonna knot yer legs together ye butt ugly, dung diggin Rat Rump! You think that liver lilied lizard from the sea can compare with what I have in this here cookie jar?"

He reached down toward Pete and yanked the flag off from around him...there was a faint I ain't dead yet Cap'in. Wide eyed, Bucko shook 'is head. "Hang in there...we've got this." A grand laugh rose from deep in Bucko's belly as Godzilla pounded the stores between himself and the sea. He lifted the lid of the jar, "Hey Fae, I be needing yer assistance."

A small voice rose from the container, "Say the word, Sir," as she zipped into the air, a blaze of sparks in her wake. Captain, dropped the jar and flipped the flag upward toward the skies. Most everyone believes the old tales of the skull and crossbones, but the little known secret is the true worth of the flag is the symbol of Mothra! "I SUMMON THEE CREATURE OF MAGIC, PROTECTOR OF THE RIGHT!"

Fae slipped behind the cloth letting herself shine brighter than the sun, the image of Mothra filled the sky. In moments the brilliant light wavered as it became solid, wings flapping, a breeze billowing between the Salty Caramel and the ocean.

The terrified crowd suddenly began to cheer and point! "Look, everyone, look...it's Mothra...we are saved."

[Abraxos the Fallen]

Oonagi jumped back as Mothra made herself show. The creature was impressive, but Chodzilla (short for Chinese Knock Off Godzilla) had a few tricks of his own.

"Now my beast, let these fools feel your wrath!" Oonagi screamed at his creature. Chodzilla let loose a shot of flames from his mouth, aiming toward Mothra.

But Mothra was cunning, she extended her wings and with a mighty flap, pushed the flames back out to the sea. Bucko laughed at Oonagi's attempt to take down the mighty Mothra.

"You think your lizard knock off can take down the mighty Mothra? My Queen, send that rubber bellied beastie back to the depths!" Bucko screamed. Mothra swooped toward Chodzilla, preparing to attack.

Bucko looked down at Pete, who by some miracle was still alive. The bastard had more lives than a cat. He knelt down next to him and patted the man's cheek. "You really have a knack for not dying, don' ye?" Bucko said as he helped Pete to his feet. Most of the customers had come out to the streets or were simply huddled in the store. Hopefully Mothra would be taking care of Chodzilla soon so Bucko could continue making sales.

[Oreo]

Well, there is no hiding the rest of the story. Mothra won the day and became legendary among the populace. The poor ninjas limped away with their devastated leader, Oonagi. All that remained of their shop were a few bits of wood left to drift on the oceanfront property of The Salty Caramel. Every now and then a sugar shuriken melts into the midday sun. This always brings a bit of a twinkle to Bucko's eye. Dreams really do come true.

Miss Betts gets her daily rum cake and tea while observing all the gossipy things she sees. She is writing a book you know.

Malone and Sugar make their morning rounds, though Davey is still trying to come to terms with sweetening up to the man.

Eleven toes Pete now walks with a limp, but he can still count higher than any pirate on the mainland.

Bucko had to change their store hours to 24/7 on account of all the business.

If you happen to be craving something sweet, be sure to drop by, Patricia will be happy to ring ye aboard.




THE END