Why Pirates Hate Water

15. Palm?

The rest of the short trip to Yuuei was lively. The crew had felt much better and were very grateful, even if Izuku had fudged the truth as to how they got better. He had told Katsuki and Shoto the truth, but the three decided not to tell the rest of the crew lest they become the next greedy fool to take the throne.

The water was mostly smooth sailing, besides a few small storms. None of them knew what to expect when arriving at Yuuei, but they still attempted to devise a plan.

The forest covered island approached quickly, barely giving the crew enough time to lower the anchor before getting beached. Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto were the only three that would go after the map, but Mina, Sero, and Denki would follow behind and stay with the jolly boat. Eijiro was in charge of the Dynamite and was loving the power he had over the remaining crew.

The island was far nicer than expected, just looking like an overcrowded jungle like most other islands. Other than the fact that it hid the world's greatest and most sought-after treasure, and they were going to be the ones who would retrieve it. None of them knew what the treasure was, but hopefully, it would be more than worth it.

They sped towards the island with a gleam of determination. Izuku, Katsuki, and Shoto had every right to be nervous, but somehow, they weren't. Izuku was a tad bit worried, but only because he was having such a hard time not telling the other two of his feelings. He didn't want it to slip during the most important mission of their lives. Being a pirate meant that the goal is treasure, adventure, and freedom. Izuku couldn't care less about the treasure, but he knew that Toshinori must have had a reason for continuing the journey without him.

Katsuki was the first to get out of the jolly boat, reaching out his hand as a support to help out the other two. Shoto got out next, nodding as thanks and walking to shore. Izuku grabbed onto Katsuki's hand, steadying himself so the water wouldn't splash up above his boots. Katsuki offered a smirk that made Izuku blush and his stomach flutter. Izuku instantly knew that was a bad idea because it quickly distracted him, and he slipped on the edge of the boat. Luckily, Katsuki had caught his waist and steadied him before setting him upright and making his way to shore hand in hand.

Shoto smiled at the two as Izuku called back a quick 'later' to the three staying with the jolly boat. His smile dissolved when he saw the determined look on Katsuki's face. Shoto was not looking forward to this adventure because he wished that the treasure never existed. Seeing the hopeful looks on the others' faces almost made him want the treasure, almost.

Katsuki was bound and determined, so of course, he was the first to march into the thickets of trees. He was followed by an anxious Izuku and an emotionless Shoto. What a great start. Nevertheless, he trudged forward to.... wherever looked the least suspicious. That's what Izuku had said, Toshinori was a smart man and always left the answer somewhere you would never think of looking. But, so far, the only nonsuspicious things were a few parrots and some rocks.

Izuku had been the one distracted, and yet that helped him focus on their surroundings. He scanned every nook and cranny of the forest for any sort of clever entryway, seeing just how elaborate the way to the map was. The most out of place thing he found was a lone palm tree. One that looked exactly like the rest and only a few extra feet away from the grove. Izuku knew that this had to be it. The initials AM were carved on the tree, All Might. It was a nickname Izuku had given him on their first adventure.

"Kacchan, Shoto. That's it." Izuku pointed towards the tree.

"Are you sure?" Shoto questioned, looking at the rather normal palm tree.

"Each tree is between 3-10 feet apart in the grove. This one is 12. It has his initials on it, too." Izuku inspected the tree.

"Those aren't his initials, plus sailors mark where they've already been all the time." Katsuki added sharply. He did honestly believe Izuku was right, but he wanted to be the one to find it.

"He intended for me to find it. This is it. Also, Toshinori never marked where he'd been." Izuku stated firmly as he messed with the sides of the tree. He felt the deepness of the engraving. It got deeper and shallower throughout. It was morse code. "Shoto, write something down for me."

Shoto scrambled through his small belt satchel for some lead and paper.

"Dot, dot, dash....dash, dot...dash, dot, dot....dot....dot, dash, dot." Izuku slid his fingernail against the carving as he deciphered the deepness of the marks. He quickly walked up to Shoto, looking at the paper of random markings. He translated it letter by letter. (••- -• -•• • •-•) "Under." He muttered.

"Under?" Katsuki questioned. "Like under the tree?"

"No. He's smarter than that. Over there." Izuku pointed to a large group of palm trees. It was a crowd of trees surrounding a deep drop to a body of water. If anyone went down there, there would be no way up. Thankfully, Izuku was not just anyone. Katsuki and Shoto shared a glance before deciding not to wait a second more. They were going to find that treasure.

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☆Hello Lovelies, here's another chapter. I had to remember all of my old morse code studies for this, so it took a while. We're almost to the end, so stay tuned for next week's chapter. Also, 1.6k reads!♡☆
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