Desires of Men ~SEQUEL TO THE LIFE I LIVE~

Sudden Change

"What am I supposed to tell him?" Albert clawed at his hair, pacing back and forth on the grass in front of the submarine. The Captain, as well as some of the crew, were lounging around and watching the con's strange behavior. He didn't seem to realize how maniacal and inane he appeared.

"Trust me when I say I wish we could help you." Penguin reasoned, shrugging his shoulders feebly. This only set the 'Seer' through another bout of frustration. Coming up on Penguin, his face was a mere few inches away.

"The King expects me to solve a ghost problem! Freakin' ghosts!" He retreated back into the circular pattern his nervous steps wore into the grass. The ring of stomped grass, now being partially torn up by the man's shoes, was a testament to his internal state.

"Well, you pretty much brought that on yourself." Blake muttered, looking idly at his fingernails. He didn't much care about the con anyway. The man in question spun in place.

"That's not the point now! The point is," He moved his hands to emphasize his words, "you have to help me think of a solution!"

The crew hummed, pondering their responses. They had orders to discontinue helping the con, but here he was anyway, forcing their cooperation. A few glanced quizzically at the Captain, leaning on the hull of the sub a few feet away, trying to discern his thoughts on the matter. Unfortunately, his hat, the new one from the chests, was conveniently covering his eyes. The casual smirk was set in place, leaving the men to question his intentions.

"You could tell the truth." Bepo spoke up. The con pointed a finger towards the castle, rolling his eyes.

"Do you really think that they wouldn't kill me after I admitted that? You think I could just go up there and be all 'oh, I'm sorry I've been lying to you all this time but I just did it to make some money,'" He said in a slightly higher tone to his normal voice. "and then they'd be all 'oh, it's quite alright sir. Let me just forgive you of stealing my money and let you go on your merry freakin' day?'" He emulated the King's lower tones, before shaking his head emphatically. "I don't think so!"

There was silence around the circle at the frantic display, seeing just how scared and unhinged Albert could get. He was breathing heavily, staring a still-silent Bepo straight in the eyes. A moment later, the bear lowered his head.

"I'm sorry."

'So easily defeated!' Penguin and Shachi thought.

"One of you has to have some good idea...right?" He looked around at the men, seeing their doubtful expressions. Suddenly, Parker spoke up.

"Just ditch the island. Steal some boat and take whatever money you've already made with you."

Albert gave a dramatic sigh, shaking his head in disappointment. "You just don't understand." Parker cocked his head to the side, not sure what the man was trying to say. Seeing the confusion, he went on. "I can't just leave money behind! I mean, there was still money left to take in the treasury! The villagers still have their own private fortunes!"

This started an argument between several men, whether stealing the innocent citizens' money was a good idea. Law's men were against it.

Unbeknownst to everyone, Law was peering stealthily under the brim of his hat, taking in the scene with disinterest and patience. Several times, his eyes flicked over to the log pose strapped to Bepo's wrist. The needles hadn't shifted from their positions yet, so they couldn't leave quite yet, much to his disappointment.

There was nothing else for them to do, nothing left to accomplish on this island. There hadn't been anything holding them there anyway, not even the con Law had promised to 'help out.' In all honesty, the supernova didn't care either way what happened to the man, whether he was hanged for his crimes or got away quite a few coins richer. What happened to him didn't affect Law in the slightest.