Al and his best friend Owen are peering into an old sea trunk in Al s attic when, all of a sudden, they find themselves sitting on a small rocky outcrop in the middle of the ocean. Before they know it, a strange, three-legged cat joins them, seemingly scared out of its wits. And then, to top it all off, a pirate ship sails in to rescue them! The boys hop aboard The Booty, where they meet Captain Gunner, Mahoot, his cabin boy, and Slicer, the cook. Mahoot tells them the cat s name is Snakeboot, a legendary pirate cat that once belonged to the terrifying Vicious Victor, and that they are sailing the Dragon Blood Islands in search of treasure. Bewildered, Al and Owen realise they must have travelled back in time. Al then comes across a map showing where the infamous Death Diamond is hidden, and Captain Gunner and his crew decide to go in search of it. However, they don t realise they are being followed by the nasty one-eyed Snotty Nell, captain of The Tormenter. While Snotty takes them all hostage, with a bit of quick thinking Al later helps Captain Gunner to overthrow her. He finds the diamond and wins the approval of Captain Gunner. Unfortunately, Snotty Nell later steals all of Captain Gunner s treasure, leaving him poor once again. But Al has a surprise for him, which he manages to hand over just before he and Owen find themselves back home again...