Zootopia: ZPD Mysteries: Case #4: The Curse of The Pirate's Eye

Chapter 1: SS Indivisible

To Judy Hopps, the quiet glurp-glurp-glurp sound of the crystal-blue waves of the Zootopia Sound lapping up against the hull of the yacht Alegre was oddly soothing.

Or, at least, it was soothing until Nick Wilde, her boyfriend, dove into the water next to her, splashing the refreshingly cold seawater all over her.

For the fifteenth time.

"Nick," Judy complained, eyeing the young red fox with "the look", "I'm trying to enjoy the ocean down here! Do you have to do that all the time?"

Nick, dressed in his green swim trunks, popped up from beneath the surface and ran his fingers through his fur, turning to his violet-eyed, grey-furred rabbit girlfriend.

"Yes," he replied with a wink. "It's always fun watching you get wet, Carrots."

Judy rolled her eyes and, turning her palm flat and pushing straight forward, doused Nick with a splash.

"See how you like that, my Wilde thing," Judy said, laughing as she hammered Nick with splash after splash.

Nick coughed as he tried to shield his eyes from the salty water.

"No! Assault! Cease and desist!" Nick yelped. "Call the cops; we've got an armed felon out here!"

"We are the cops," Judy called out over his protests, "and you've committed a 10-45!"

"What's a 10-45?" Nick asked.

"Splashing an officer of the law!" she replied, cackling playfully. With that, she leaned back in the water and began kicking in Nick's direction, sending up huge sprays of water as her powerful legs and feet churned up enormous waves.

Judy's hearing was just sensitive enough to hear Nick shout "Uncle!" over the water's splashing.

Deciding to show mercy, Judy let herself float back upright in the water.

It was then that they heard another voice join them: a female voice with a Hispanic accent.

"Don't you two ever let up on each other?" the pop star Gazelle asked from the stern deck of her yacht, the Alegre.

The yacht, Nick, and Judy were all floating about two miles off the coast of the scorching-hot district of the glimmering city of Zootopia; Sahara Square. The district's many canyons and low, rounded-off buildings were visible in the noonday sun, dominated by the gold-and-green silhouette of Palm Hotel and Casino; home to many celebrities (and Gazelle, too.) But at this time of day, Sahara Square's main attraction was the vast expansive, beach across the entire coast. Lined by palm trees, the white-gold sands of the beach were one of the most attractive sites in the city, especially on a nice warm day. Most animals would flock to the beach in droves on weekends such as today, a sweltering Saturday in late July. Animals dressed in swimsuits would laze on the sand, play a bit of volleyball, or swim in the refreshingly cool waters of the Sound.

The animals with a bit more money might even take a ride or two on their boats, a more private way of enjoying the summer which was now in full swing.

And Gazelle's yacht, the Alegre, was one of those special private boats.

The yacht was a 150-foot long, low, powerfully-crafted Donkzi RJ500, made from the finest-quality fiberglass and filled with all the amenities a rich animal such as Gazelle might need. The majority of the lower deck held a spacious, cozy bedroom, equipped with a silk-sheeted bed and dressing facilities. With the only other space on the lower deck occupied by a small bathroom, the majority of space aboard the Alegre was set up on the main deck.