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BeyondDandy

Dandy Connoisseur
Roleplay Type(s)
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CHAPTER ONE: IHEO

The festival of trades; a yearly occurrence since the creation of Central City in Cozia, was first started to improve the economy of the new city. It then over the years became a way to increase the city’s population and establish relations with neighboring islands - a diplomatic move to ensure the city’s growth. Founded by King Bambo and Queen Horvath, the festival has gone beyond their wildest dreams - even after their departure from the throne it continues to triumph. Now overseen by young Queen Horvath the Second, the festival kicks off for its fortieth year anniversary.

Central City has grown to house over three thousand people in the last four decades. The housing architecture is very unique, buildings lay atop each other and reach heights beyond imagination. This allows for multiple living quarters and still gives room for the population to grow over time. On the northern side of the city is the Queen’s palace, an enormous estate built against the dormant volcano Iheo. The palace overshadows any other building and nothing compares. It is a compelling sight for anyone entering city limits for the first time. All the buildings have one thing in common however despite the discrepancies of size, they appear to be an extension of Iheo. The volcano sits silently behind the palace and watches over the city as if it were its child.

Surrounded by a shielded wall and guarded day and night by the city’s military force, Central City’s security goes unmatched. Led by none other than Queen Horvath’s own brother Ragnor, the city has seen a positive shift in crime rate over his watch - meaning it’s gone down. He is a man that holds no room for nonsense and goes above and beyond to keep his people safe. With the festival starting and the influx of people, security runs sparse. The population doubles during the festival but Ragnor and his men do their diligence to protect.

A single entrance allows passage into the walls of Central City. Two guards check all those who enter, traders, citizens and pirates. Traders from all around the East Blue arrive at the gates to gain access to Central Square where most traders set shop and sell their goods - a small designated space in the middle of the city with the most civilian traffic. Traders not fortunate enough to pay for a spot in Central Square will set up shop down the five mile passage into Central City - which is free but outside the city walls. There is five miles of green terrain from the docks of the island to city limits so their shops and goods can be noticed by all of those who arrive.

The docks are full of ships, an array of beautiful machines. Small-time traders typically arrive in long boats from nearby islands while big traders arrive in their large sea cutters, gorgeous vessels crafted by the best shipwrights in the world. Their luxury ships are however minimal in comparison to the ships of pirates, who come to the festival to enjoy drinks, purchase weapons, jewelry and clothes and catch a breather from naval pursuit. The death of Gol D. Roger kickstarted the golden age of pirates years ago and since pirates have received both good and bad publicity. Central City forces everyone attending the festival to parlay, primarily pirates - having them turn their weapons in if they hope to enter the city. This helps prevent and enforce a safe environment for everybody and improves the festival of trades experience.

Surrounding the city walls and Iheo itself is a seemingly endless forest. Central City residents and guests are warned to not enter the forest for the dangers that lay inside are of legend. It is said that carnivorous natives live in the trees and hunt any and all that cross into their territory. Many believe the natives were created by the fires of Iheo when it first erupted. They are said to have eyes of fire and steel teeth. Their limbs are that of spiders and they have horns like the devil. No one has ever laid eyes on them for when one does, they die. All legends derive from the same place, Iheo.

—-

The clicking of heels echoed through the chambers of the quiet palace. Queen Horvath hurried through the halls towards the dining hall in search of her brother. She paced quickly, eyes shifting left and right down every runway. “Brother! Ragnor!” She’d call out, reaching the kitchen with a disappointed look when he wasn’t there. One of the servers turned to face the Queen.

“Queen Horvath, good morning. We are preparing your breakfast,” he explained, a smile on his little face. Behind him were three other servants cooking and prepping for the Queen to start her day.

“Lupe! Have you seen my brother?” The Queen asked, eyes scanning the room to make sure she had not missed him. Lupe responded and informed her of her brother’s whereabouts - the armory. Without hesitation, the Queen took towards him, making her way down the spiral stairs to his location.

—-

Two guards stood at attention at the front gate - the only entrance into the city. Sun reflected off their metal armor, keeping them cool in the heat of summer. They checked everybody that came in for weapons, following all safety protocols so they wouldn’t be punished by the boss. Down the five mile green road traders had already set up shop and were hitting off their sales pitch - trying to get people that came down the path to buy their goods. They were relentless, their livelihood sometimes depending on this day.

At the gate, the two guards tagged weapons and threw them into a wheeled cart that would be transported to the Palace Armory bya crew of three or four more guards. There the weapons would be stored until the end of the day where they would be returned back to its rightful owner. This rule was to force pirates into parlay and gave them the option of leaving their weapons in their ship or turning them over to Central City Security. Either way the weapons would be kept away from the festival which would ensure safety.

Four decades later and the rule still stirred drama. “What do you mean I have to give you my pistol?! How the hell am I supposed to protect myself from these…these savages?!” A rather rotund, brown bearded pirate exclaimed, pointing to other pirates who waited patiently behind him to enter Central City. “This is absurd!!!” He yelled out at the top of his lungs, his forehead sweating and his breathing staggered from the effort he put into that yell. The two guards looked at each other like “this mothafu-“

“How about you just give him that pistol…” a deep voice suggested behind the burly man. The pirate turned red, his eyes grew almost triple in size with rage. He started to twitch, clearly not amused. Turning with aggression he prepared for battle. “Who the hell do you think you ar- ugh….” Those triple-sized eyes grew even more which seemed impossible. His aggression quickly turned to fear as he eyed the scared man before him. His hands started to shake, but his body lay frozen in place - sweating profusely from the magnitude of his mess up. Even the two guards gulped at the sight of the newcomer and every other person around took three steps back from the situation.

“Marine Officer Jon Rosehill!” people shouted in shock. Pirates around acted quickly and reached for their weapons but no one drew. “Relax guys,” Rosehill insisted. “I’m on vacation, there’s no need for violence.” The devil fruit marine turned in circles smiling at everyone, gesturing them to put their hands down and refrain from an unnecessary battle. “I’m just here to check out the shops,” he added.

United gulps could be heard in the silence that brewed. Pirates weren’t sure of Rosehill, he was known for notoriously catching pirates - low or high bounties. He prided himself in it and has gained scars on his face to prove it. Rosehill turned back to Pistol Pirate Brow who failed to head instruction from the fellow guards. “So what do you say? Can we have a nice afternoon or do we need to handle this in a different way?”

All of a sudden the weapons cart was full of tagged weapons.

—-

In the armory Ragnor began stocking weapons where they belonged. Weapon carts from the gate were brought to him to inspect and put away until the end of the festival. Having been doing the task for so long, his system was flawless and very direct. As he continued his work he could hear the taps of heel ends coming down the spiral steps. Immediately he knew who it was.

“You’re awake. It’s almost time for your speech. The festival has already started, they won’t wait for too long sister,” Ragnor commented as he continued to go through cart after cart of guns, swords, axes and all kinds of different weapons.

“I don’t want to do it anymore! Why does it have to be me? Can’t you do it this year?!” Her voice cracked a couple of times as she pleaded with her brother. The speech was a simple rehearsed paragraph that made way to a great and memorable festival. It was an opportunity for the Queen of Central City to address her people and lead them into the new year.

“It cannot be me. I was not chosen by mother to lead, you know that.” A tone of resentment lingering after every word.

“But you are the right choice Ragnor. I am not strong enough to lead these people. You do it all anyway! What if I resign and give you the throne? Don’t you want that?”

A silence grew between the siblings as Ragnor stopped his work. His back remained to his sister as he bit his bottom lip in thought. “I was not chosen. I am a spitting image of father and his doings have brought a stigma to our family. Having me lead will just bring everyone bad memories. You were the correct choice.” His response was very dry but it allowed him to concentrate back on his work.

“Father wanted One Piece and it stained his old heart, but mother always loved you. You know she would have chosen you if she…never mind.”

“But she didn’t. She chose you so now it’s your responsibility to go out there and give the people hope. You have the power to inspire the next generation of our people, don’t let them down, because this isn’t about you Amia, it’s about them.”​
 
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Kasumi Hyuga
Kasumi made her way up to the gate which she knew she was going to have to enter. To which she arrived a little late as Rosehill walked through the gate a few moments before. Kasumi only caught the back of his head, Well that certainly looks like I'm glad that I showed up a little later than when I wanted to. She thought to herself letting out a sigh of relief. She had heard about the festival when she was a little girl, though she never thought that she would come to it. Let alone come to the festival under the circumstances that she was here for.

Upon reaching the front of the line at the gate, a few of the guards mentioned her silver hair which she had grown used to hearing about.
"One katana, one pistol, and five sticks of dynamite. I look forward to receiving those back at the end of the day." Kasumi spoke as she walked through the gate now entering the festival. She had been on the run from her homeland for about a year now and had gotten used to moving about from place to place via ships. She had thought about joining a pirate crew a few times, though she hadn't found any that really interested her.

On top of that, she knew that if she joined a pirate crew it would be very hard to return home someday if she returned at all. She remembered the many nights in taverns that she heard people talking about the legendary One Piece, the treasure of the legendary pirate Gold D. Roger. Though she never really got excited over it to say the least, at this point she just wanted to find a place she could rest for a while and not have to constantly watch her back.

The silver-haired girl walked through the lively streets as the various shops were set up. People would walk off the street and examine the merchandise that the merchants were selling. Upon coming up to one merchant she leaned in to look at a bracelet that had caught her eye.
"Oh, that looks nice, though I think I've seen that design before. But the material looks well crafted." She complimented the merchant who then tried to sell it to her which she refused. She didn't want to waste what money she had on that, plus she had come here for a specific reason and that was to find a crew of pirates to join.

So she once again set off down the street coming to a larger area, there were barrels and such off to the side as well as plenty of space for people to sit down if they wanted to. Smirking, she walked over to a barrel and hoped on top crossing her legs as she looked out over the crowd from her position.
 
Clarence Alfingo

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Location
1-ish mile outside the Central City of Cozia
Time
Day, Summer
Mentions
---​

"We're finally here..." Clarence sighed from her cramped seating position, still wondering how on earth this longboat managed to remain afloat with all these people. It was absolutely cramped to the brim, with people sitting squashed on deck like a huddle of penguins amidst a blizzard. It was hard to even catch a glimpse of the wooden floorboards! Cozia's festival of trades was really no joke! The city had seriously grown in the past decade. Maybe with all this popularity, she'd hit a lucky break here? To be honest, she was running a little low in the money department, though she was more still in disbelief that she got robbed of half of her savings just a week ago... A lack of money didn't usually bother her, but it still hurt losing so much all at once. Stolen, no less! With the culprit unknown!

Clarence couldn't help sighing again whilst stretching her stiff limbs, watching as everyone started noisily crowding around the departure point, eager to get off the hell that was this boat ride. Putting on her backpack, she turned back and reached out to the new friend she had made on this hellish journey. "Let's get going Granny." She smiled at the small wobbly old lady, dressed in plain deep-purple robes with wooden sandals that clicked loudly against the floorboards. They were both here to sell wares rather than spend the day enjoying the festivities, and had chatted a lot in order to distract themselves from the discomfort of the journey.

"Yes, these old bones need a good stretch." The old lady chuckled as she took Clarence's hand for support and stood up more confidently. Standing side by side, the height difference was somewhat amusing to look at, with Clarence being more than two heads taller than Granny. But she adjusted her pace to her companion's as they slowly made their way towards Central City. Neither were in a rush, so they walked leisurely through the fields of green amidst their chatter, just one ordinary young woman and one ordinary old lady enjoying their time together.

---

"Hmm, I don't think we'll be able to get a spot outside the city walls like we planned..." Clarence spoke up delicately, standing atop the last hill before the city with her new friend. Glancing below, it was absolutely packed with vendors. So much so that officials were on a wary lookout to ensure that people didn't sneakily set up on the roads themselves. It was both amusing and discomforting watching the swarms of people below, but Clarence was still kind of shocked at how late they arrived at the city. Didn't the boat arrive in the early morning? Well, they did walk a bit slow... and a lot of people did pass them by... hmm...

"It's no matter. Let's head back and find a quieter spot by the roads, I don't think these old bones could deal with all that noise and bustle anyway." Granny spoke up with her usual calm tone and smile, leaning on her curled walking stick for support.

"I'm with you, especially after a whole day on that longboat." Clarence chuckled briefly, before they decided to setup a small stall much farther down the road with some friendly merchant neighbours. It was a little close to the rumoured dangerous forest but, well, the pair didn't want to walk anymore so they stuck with it. It was a good location too, on a slight flat hill so that it could be seen even from afar in all directions. The harsh summer sunlight was also filtered by a tall tree gifting them the blessing of shade and coolness.

The pair helped each other setup, Granny with her exquisite pottery that had that homemade antique touch which Clarence couldn't help praising repeatedly, and Clarence with her trinkets and treasures, formed out of the many things gathered from her constant travelling. In the end, as they opened for business, they decided to do a trade. A small jade-painted clay jar for a bracelet woven from iridescent pink flower petals. They didn't receive that many customers, but time seemed to fly regardless, and those that did buy all seemed to leave satisfied which made them smile.

Still, Clarence couldn't help but be curious about the situation inside Central City. How many years had it been? 10? 12? The city seemed to have grown wildly in the past decade, and she couldn't help but wonder if there was anything new or interesting going in within those high city walls.
 
Ray Bryce

In a bar in town, the lively atmosphere as the festival was about to start, many travelers were looking for some liquor to shake off the long trip. Of any size, of any shape, people merrily passed along drinks and sang shanties to the air, even chasing around with the girls. And in any place where sin seems so rampant, there were people willing to bet their money for a simple thrill. Of course, where the possibility of easy money seems so close, the bitterness of defeat is always lurking. As some gentlemen are about to discover.

"Well, my friends, read them and weep" A young, rather gleeful voice as he showed four aces, filling the table with groans as a pair of gloved hands took all the money on the table and pulled a few Beli before signaling to the waitress to bring the people on the table a few drinks more. A white-haired young man seemed pleased with himself as he paid for the drinks and smiled at the pretty girl, getting a giggle in response. Golden eyes twinkled as he took the party on sight. He was wearing his blue shirt and black pants, with gray boots completing the ensemble.

"Well, gentlemen, I apologize, but I think I already took enough money from all of you, so I'll take my leave" With that he took the money and picked up his cash and his grey and black jacket, but a hand tried to stop him.

"Come on, one more round" One mustached man with a clover on his head seemed to beg, even if the younger man just kept doing the counting.

"Maybe some other day, although I hope you have better tricks next time" He casually said, pulling a card from the sleeve of the man. When the other people at the table started getting up in a threatening way, the youngest just wrapped his arms around a few players and started to sing a shanty, trying to get everyone in the mood. As the song kept going, he slipped drinks into their hands and paid for the last few ones before walking out as things kept going.

Once outside, the man sighed and stretched as he looked over his winnings. He set the amount aside as he thought about sending some of it to his mother. Beyond that, he could at least get himself through for some time. The last trip was lucrative, if uneventful. Just had to knock off some wannabe pirates with bigger ambitions than skills. And those guys wanted to go to the Grand Line? Get real. That place is a meeting point for monsters.

And that's your next stop, Bryce? He thought to himself, rather ruefully. His last job ended when the ship arrived at Cozia and they entered the city. He still wasn't too happy with leaving his swords in the door, but it wasn't worth starting a fight and they seemed professional enough to at least have some reassurance that he'll get them back in the way out.

I better, those aren't so easily replaceable. In many ways.

Oh, well, maybe the next job will lead him into the Grand Line.

Talks of treasure abounded in this place, including the legend that Roger left behind. Man, that's one hell of an adventure worth having. If only because it'd take a trip to the ends of the world to reach.

But beyond those thoughts, he had some stuff to get.

May the wind guide him...
 
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A figure came out of the Central City Security building with a fuming face that make her looks almost like boiled. Maika just spent almost an entire hour arguing with a security officer whether the scalpels and various chemicals inside her briefcase were considered weapons or not, she claimed everything inside were her work tools but the officer didn't want to take any chance. She refused to hand her briefcase at the gate so they bought her here for further inspection and in the end, they still took her briefcase. At least they promised to handle it with more care rather than throwing it together onto the cart like other weapons. Well, it's true that she didn't came to this place for work though. So she probably wouldn't need her briefcase, but it felts like a part of herself was missing and it made her uncomfortable.

Shaking her thought away, the merfolk donned her coat and made sure that none of her tentacles would be exposed, she simply didn't like any unnecessary attention. Now she looks like a slim blue fishman in a coat that somehow glides instead of walking. She tried her best, really. Time for some window shopping.

"What?! How can it stays there? It must be rigged!" A young man in front of a stall yelled at the muscular man behind it. Maika couldn't help but look at the commotion, it was a game stall. Throw a ball, hit a pile of wooden cups, win a prize. Sounds easy enough, but as the young man said, the game was indeed rigged.

"It is not, boy. Here, take a look." The muscular man picked up the only remaining cup and show how easy it was to be knocked over by repeatedly picking it up and then putting it back again. It was very subtle, but Maika noticed the man slightly twisted and pushed the cup before leaving it alone.

"Can I play?" Maika decided to try it. She handed over some money before receiving the balls from the stall owner. While the young man who tried before decided to observe her attempt.

"Three balls, three chances. Knock all the cups. Good luck, Miss Fishy!" The muscular man explained the rules with a big grin on his face, meanwhile Maika seemed irritated by the 'miss fishy' part but she didn't said anything about it.

Maika raised the first ball and launched it towards the cup. The balls accelerated at incredible speed and hit the pyramid of cups right in the middle, collapsing its structure and make the cups tumbling down onto the floor. The stall owner yelled loudly to hype up his customer and hopefully attract another one to play next. Only two cups remaining. Both were the most bottom. One was the leftmost cup and the other was the rightmost. She thought there would be only one problematic cup but it seems there's two of them. Maika took a deep breath before raising the second ball, and threw it.

Just like before, the ball was thrown at incredible speed. Unlike before however, this ball completely missed both cups. It passed through the middle without touching anything and for a moment a brief smirk could be seen on the stall owner's face, until he realized what was happening. The ball hit the wall at the back of the stall, bounced back at the opposite direction while deviates enough for it to hit the leftmost cup before once again bounced and hit the rightmost cup. Knocking both cups from behind with one clean throw. The muscular man couldn't hide his surprise as Maika completely defeated his trick, both cups were locked in place with a hooking mechanism that only triggered when the cups were rotated at certain angle. Making them really hard to knock over from the front.

"I want the biggest one." Before the stall owner recovered from the shock Maika was already pointing at a giant plushie of a whale with some scars on its head.

"Calm down, Miss Fishy. T-that's the jackpot that can only be obtained after a special challenge. Which you now can enter as the winner of the first round!" The stall owner was stumbling for words as he tried to take the situation back under his control.

"I am NOT miss fishy." Maika openly displayed her annoyed expression while pointing at the man, the fins on the side of her head where ears were supposed to be started flapping eagerly. "Maybe, you are the mister fishy here, with those cups-"

"Oh, my. It looks like you are the 100th challenger today! Congratulations!" Cutting Maika's words, it seemed the muscular man realized that she would spill the secret if she didn't get what she wanted. "Apologize for my foolishness, but you are now eligible for any prize you want!"

The man shoved the large whale plushie towards Maika's hands. He threw a few winks as a silent plead so she didn't say anything about the secret. Maika threw the man a sharp gaze before taking the plushie.

"Yeah. Wink. Wink." She said dismisively, turning her back towards the stall and slided away looking for something more interesting. She didn't spoil the secret, afterall, she didn't need to. She could heard the young man from before eagerly challenging the game once more, this time his voice was full of confidence.

Maika completely forgot about how she didn't want to attract unnecessary attention. With a giant whale plushie three times her size on her back. Everyone would definitely notice her, and there's a line of kids following her while giggling at the bouncing whale on her back.
 
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The clicking of heeled boots would echo off the cobbled streets towards the prestigious festival of trades, an extremely tall woman could be seen walking with her arms casually crossed

September set on heading within the city itself once she had made it through the makeshift customs of course. A woman clad within a deep purple bodysuit that had been embroidered with several darker patterns beneath a deep black dress with more colourful decals. There was also of course the somewhat bizarre-looking makeup, hair flowing down to the calf, piercings and other accessories making her somewhat of a standout amongst the rest of the crowd.
To her knowledge, she had been within this blue for a few months now, and with it had gained something of a reputation, a reputation that did make moving through checkpoints like this somewhat troublesome if done directly. The main troublesome aspect was the fact that if the guards or the Marine in question were aware of her identity, then there would be no way to pass through without a very thorough search unless, of course, she made a bit of a show so they found what they expected, and overlooked the rest.

The Marine in particular was a concern, with him around there was also the chance of everything going to hell should somebody do something foolish, and the potential of backup from the boys in white mixed with the number of pirates in the area was certainly not going to end well for anyone involved.

Coming up to the inspection point she gave somewhat of an annoyed look to the guard as he request the weapons, rolling her eyes at his gestures. so weapons she did remove, and to a somewhat unnerving extent. Two daggers from behind her, several from her boot, her gloves, strange orbs that were no doubt dangerous, twin sharpened pins from her hair, and more from who knows where until the table was full. Raising an eye to them as if to say "Happy?". Watching the guards share a look, she would go to walk onwards through the city's gates with an idle wave behind her, leaving the guards to label up the small armoury.

Now that was out of the way she could get down to the smaller business that brought her here, namely deliveries to several merchants in the market goods of the more regulated variety that would allow her to charge a premium for her services. This was one thing she was good at due to her special ability, be it even as much as a crate she could conceal it and walk it in outside the notice of others...or walk it out naturally. Stopping on the street she would spare a glance up at the palace in thought, while full of treasures of its own, it would take quite a bit of preparation to breach it undetected, her expression would widen slightly in a smile, she did love a challenge after all. The deliveries had paid for her trip here, and for the information on some of the City's finer details, now it was time for the real job.

Returning to the gate she returns to the guards from the side and awaits until an opportunity arose for the first step in her plan. Extracting a broader dagger out of the sight of the guards she would run her hand across the surface creating a strange pocket of sorts above the metal and throw it behind one of the guards while they were dealing with checking in another, her body seeming to vanish at some point during the action. If the guards did their job correctly they would take the weapon along with the rest off to the armoury, and step two could then begin.
 
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Lars

The annual festival of trade was bustling per usual as a river of people trickled into Central City. With such a busy place bound to bring joy and fun, there'd be no other such place for Lars to go. Lars had managed to creep into the ongoing stream of visitors and gradually made his way towards the entrance. Something that confused him was the fact everybody he was around either stared at him or gaped at him out of the corner of their eye. "Sir! We cannot permit you entrance with your current attire." Lars raised a brow.

He was practically naked other then a raggedy loincloth-like bottom piece and some open-toe sandals. That explained all the looks. Unfortunately, the half-tattered cloth he had strapped around his waist primarily covered the front. His toned buttocks were almost entirely exposed in the back. "Yeah, put some clothes on you freak!" A disgusted man behind him yelled.

This sudden comment urged Lars to turn around, brow still raised. "What are you looking at?! Ugh, don't look at me barely dressed!! Don't you have-" Lars' strong baritone voice cut him off. "Thy voice offends me! Be thou silent and bring me food!" He was seemingly unaffected by all the insults thrown his way. The man was about to speak again before one of the soldiers spoke up. "Uh, sir! Please! Um... We've fetched you some simple clothes to wear so that you, and *ahem* everyone else, can enjoy the day's festivities. Please take them, give up your weapons, and head inside!" The soldier refused to look at Lars being as at that moment his behind was right in front of him.

Lars turned again. The corners of his mouth curled into a warm smile. "You have my thanks." He gave up his mace and took the clothes offered to him.

Once inside and, well, dressed, Lars immediately looked for two things. Women and liquor. Not too far from the entrance of Central City stood what appeared to be a nice bar. The perfect place for Lars. The brawny half-giant walked into the bar, earning him a few looks and stares.

Not nearly as many as when he was less dressed. The clothes given to him by the soldiers fit his figure tightly. They hugged his muscles in a way that made it seem like the clothes were about to rip. Lars sat at the first seat he spotted at the counter. "Hello! What can I get for you?" The bartender wiped his hands with a cloth before slinging it over his shoulder.

"Bring me your finest ale!" How excited Lars got about liquor was truly humorous. Like a little child getting a sweet treat. Without another word, the bartender turned and began preparing his drink. Just then, a woman sat next to Lars and ran her gentle hands up and down his arm. "Hey there big guy." Lars turned and raised a brow, but a smirk was apparent on his face as well.

"Ho, what shimmering vision doth gleam before mine eyes?" The woman giggled. She was indeed beautiful. She had lovely gold locks that sat delightfully on her chest and seemed to perfectly frame her symmetrical face. Her eyes were an alluring green that shined like emeralds. Her lips were full and light and her smile seemed pure, yet corrupt.

"What brings you here? Well, I guess I'm asking if there's anything specific since it seems everyone's here today for the festival." "I have always loved festivals! It is there where the crowds are, where reveling and merry-making are to be found! And who can enjoy them as much as a venturing giant?!!" At that moment, a wooden mug filled to the brim with grog slid in front of Lars. The bartender gave him a thumbs up before taking care of another customer. Lars took a sip of the amber-colored liquid. It was tasty and sweet. "Ah, now this is a worthy brew!" The girl beside him's face twisted into a wicked smile as she briskly slid her hand off Lars. Suddenly, a man placed his hand on Lars' shoulder.

"Just what do you think you're doing with my girl?" Lars turned to the man who was significantly smaller than he was. "Your lass came to me." "Yeah, right!" The man immediately threw his fist towards Lars' face. The half-giant caught his fist with his free hand. With the other hand holding his grog, he took a moment to finish off the rest of it before setting the mug down. "My turn." Lars shoved his fist into the man's gut, causing him to hunch over. He then got up and pointed to the man as he left. "He's covering my drink!"
 
Kent Shugarl

Having come here a few days before the festival was a magnificent choice for Kent, not having to go through such a rigoristic search at the entrance definitely helped him, though losing his knives could be considered a loss, but he could always get some new ones but he would need to tinker with them for a bit.
Thankfully they did not realise that his gloves were hiding sharp metal wires otherwise he would be screwed, but even then he does not want to hurt anyone, why would he do that, he has no reason to, so they are more for a self-defence reason or if things go south.
‘Ughh the days before the festival are boring, thankfully it's picking up. But now I need to find a place to play some music. Probably by some gatherings so they can relax a bit.’
Kent thought to himself as he wandered the city streets with a guitar on his back and a cigarette in his mouth.

He even saw a funny sight of a group of kids in a line following another one with a whale plushie on her back, as he walked past he said softly under his breath.
“Mama duck with her little ducklings.”
Before laughing for a bit and continuing on, then he found himself by a fountain on a plaza.
So he sat by the fountain, took his guitar case from his back placed it on the ground, opened it and took out his guitar.

After checking if his guitar is properly tuned, he began to play one of many songs known to him, one of happiness and nostalgia, after a bit he even began singing to it, and while his voice was not the prettiest it was calm and soothing.
While his performance did not gather a lot of people near him, it was still a good one, for he could see that people gathered on the plaza at least had a little smirk after hearing the song, so he started playing another song to pass the time.
 
Chapter One: Iheo | Post Two

With the Sun hitting its highest peak, the entire island of Cozia now shone under its rays and the festival of trades grew hotter. Central City however was protected from the deep heat as the sleeping Iheo cast its shadow over the Queen’s property - keeping its people calm and cool during the hottest time of the year. Thus far the festival appeared lively, people of all shapes, sizes, and colors mingled together to enjoy the festivities that came about. It was a beautiful sight to see such diversity enjoying the company of one another without the risk of starting unnecessary battles.

Inside the palace, Queen Horvath’s security detail prepared for an escort. A few selected soldiers, each with a specific set of skills, were tasked with the safety of the Queen. These men and women were handpicked by Ragnor to keep his sister safe at all times - wherever the Queen went, they would follow and they would lay their lives for the Amia. Now they prepped to escort the Queen to the center of the city for her to give her speech to the masses. It was a yearly tradition for Amia to address her people and thank them for their dedication to Central City. It increased morale and made sure people would come back to the festival the next year.

In the meantime, Ragnor received two more weapon crates for storage. Each of them filled to the very tip of the crate - weapons seemingly oozing out like an infection. The man huffed in ignorant disbelief, hoping this year would be different than the last - just like he had done the year before but secretly knowing it would never change. “How are things out there, men?” Ragnor asked the two soldiers who brought forth the weapon crates.

“Quiet sir. No incidents thus far,” one of the soldiers spoke up while the other appeared to cower behind him with something on his mind. Ragnor quickly picked up on the man’s body language and asked assertively his question one more time - his eyes not allowing the men to lie.

“Umm…” the cowering soldier started, gulping as a single drop of sweat slid down the left side of his face under his helm. “A marine walked through the gates,” he confessed, a sign of relief when he let out the revelation. It was known that marines kept their distance from Cozia during the festival of trades. The number of pirates attending would outnumber any marine convoy one hundred to one and there were too many civilians for a war between the two factions. Having a marine inside the walls amongst the masses could show to be dangerous. “You two are on weapon duty, storage these like I have. I’m going to confront our guest.” With that, Ragnor headed up the spiral staircase and left the storage room. The two guards started to argue with each other in the background as the steps faded away.

PlusUltra PlusUltra

—-

A childish feud occurred inside one of the many taverns in the city. A colossal red-headed giant enjoyed his ale at the sight of his fallen enemy - a poor dimwitted idiot who dared challenge him on behalf of his lustful mistress. With the man now gasping for air from the stone-sized knuckles he’d just received to the abdomen, the giant appeared to have his fun and exited the bar. What he failed to realize is who was waiting for him outside of it.

“The Giant, Lars!” a smooth voice rendered over all the commotion of the festival. A scarred-faced man with arms crossed stood before the giant bearing a half smile with devious intention. What was more noticeable than his scars was the coat resting over his shoulders. The white coat with gold trim made a statement to everyone that the marines were here and this man did not shy away from the attention.

“You have quite a fascination for bars don’t you?” Rosehill exclaimed sarcastically, his eyes locked on Lars like he was a treasure. The story of Captian Rosehill is long and vast, but his reputation was undoubtedly known. Nicknamed the Devil Fruit Killer, Rosehill has been known to have killed the most devil fruit users in all of the seas - giving the world government control over the rebirthed fruits. Rumors have it that he hunts users down relentlessly to no end for personal gain - enjoying the chase and even more the kill. Those that get to see his pedals bloom end up beheaded or turned to shreds - completely unrecognizable. His powers were unknown to everyone that’s seen them has met their unfortunate demise.

“Lars, old friend, why don’t we-” as his proposition escaped him, Ragnor appeared from the crowd to greet the marine and cut his conversation with Lars short. Rosehill turned to eye the man of smaller stature than himself with curiosity. “Hey, I know you! You’re the Queen’s brother…Raymond? Rhodunt?” he picked, already knowing it was neither of those names.

“Ragnor…” he corrected the soldier, trying not to get worked up. “I got word of your arrival Mr. Rosehill and wanted to give you a proper tour myself. I’m sure your conversation with this gentleman can wait while we explore this beautiful city, there’s a lot for me to show you. What do you say? I’ll even show you the palace,” Ragnor insisted, signaling the man to follow. He’d seen the way the marine was speaking to the giant pirate and decided it best to separate the two before things got out of hand - better yet it was best to separate him from all of the pirates that flooded the city. His soldiers were in every crease of the city watching silently awaiting to strike if necessary. Though shameful to say, Rosehill could have annihilated all of Ragnor’s men with a single strike.

“Maybe next time Giant, Lars…”

Optimo Optimo

___

Through the busy streets of Central City, a group of guards held a perimeter as they walked the Queen towards her destination. Citizens and guests went nuts, waving and screaming to get Amia’s attention. The Queen sat silently in her carriage, horses wheeling her towards the center of the city as the guards made sure she remained untouched. Through the insane sounds and hollers, a beautiful melody whispered through the crowd. The Queen herself couldn’t help but peek through the blinds of her escort to see what or who was singing such a beautiful song. As the carriage approached center stage near the Iheo’s Fountain, a lone guitarist shone amongst the chaos. Amia blushed at the sight of him but was forced back into her carriage upon seeing the masses.

She gulped as her heart raced in anticipation. She’d been doing these speeches for a couple of years now, but each one felt like the last - new. So many nights had she dreamed of her mother returning to take back the helm but she never did. Each night ended with sadness as she realized how many responsibilities came with the throne. To balance the madness within the city with the one outside was the hardest thing for her. This fusion of citizens, pirates, and traders was almost a little much for the young girl. She however had been picked over her older brother because of her skin color. Unlike her brother, she was born with skin like her mother, white and beautiful - something the citizens of Central City could accept. Her brother Ragnor was born to the skin of her treacherous father and in his image - one attribute that would not go unnoticed. Despite her brother’s reputation now as an elite guard and soldier for the city, the citizens have yet to fully accept him. Like their father, he would always be an outcast.

Despite the circumstances and thoughts that roamed her mind, Amia prepared for her speech. She shook off the nerves, practiced a couple of lines in solitary, and exited the carriage with a fake smile no one would ever know was false. She waved at the crowd as everyone roared at the sight of her. The lone guitarist’s voice went numb in their cheers, but she smiled at him and said apologized with her eyes. “Please, please…” she started, trying to calm the hordes of men and women with her gentle voice. As the crowd went silent, her speech began.

“Thank you all for coming out today. From the bottom of my heart, I appreciate every single one of you and welcome you to our beautiful city. Central City has been my home for as long as I can remember and I have grown alongside many of you. It is my privilege to give back to my community, my friends, and to my family. The annual festival was created to bring people closer together. To vanquish the divide between islands, traders, and people. My mother believed that this festival would become more than a chance to help our neighbors and ourselves, but a way to spread love and joy. These men and women that surround you are all different, look! Mother believed that by spreading love we can cure the world’s problems and that Central City and all of Cozia could be the tipping point. I have taken an oath to make that a reality! I wish for you all to continue and enjoy your day and make it a memorable one! Spread love, spread joy, and be happy! Please, enjoy the festival!!!”

The short and sweet rehearsed speech gave Amia goosebumps as she waved at the roaring crowd. Again the people went nuts and the guards stood at attention as they prepared for anything. However, they were not prepared for what would come next.

Megilagor Megilagor

___

On the outskirts of the island, the biggest ship yet landed on the docks. A devil horned jolly roger flaunted its grandeur upon all the pirates lingering about. Any shipwright would have an aneurysm at the sight of such a majestic ship. It was clearly made of out-of-this-world materials, like three-dimensional art. It had creases that did not make sense but still cut the water like a serpent, cannons in the frontal plane of the ship that no one had ever thought of, but more importantly, it was run by none other than the infamous pirate, Lion Horned Bambo.

The giant pirate was known only by legend, most had never really seen him. He bore ancient marks on his skin, given to him at birth by the natives of his country. With a shining blonde beard and a Lionshead over his shoulders, the horned pirate did not appear welcoming. His white eyes of death scared most notorious pirates and his sudden appearance in Cozia would bring judgment to his enemies.

The people at the docks scattered with fear as the giant pirate suddenly jumped off the tip of his ship and landed on Cozia soil. A small tremor erupted under his boots as he straightened himself and looked about. His giant ax and heavy armor glistened in the sunlight, but his intentions were not holy. He turned and gave a nodding signal to his crewmates - other pirates with high bounties - and a sudden cannonball shot forth towards Central City!

A large puff of white smoke encompassed the docks as another shot was fired off. Five miles away from the city the cannonballs had no chance of reaching the walls. Instead, they started to fall on helpless traders who were too unfortunate to get a spot inside the city. The screams of the innocent filled the trail to Central City as explosions continued to go off. People rushed towards the city walls in the chaos. The guards at the gate were too occupied with disbelief that traders, citizens, and pirates flew passed them into the city, behind the walls.

At the docks, Bambo started his walk towards the city. People froze in his presence as he walked passed them without acknowledgment. “I’m here for my city!” he huffed, eyes blank of soul. Lion Horned Bambo’s real name was Ragnor Bambo, King of Cozia.

SilverFeathers SilverFeathers
 
Clarence Alfingo

09246e4a2d71d0bee195d5b06d5598cb.jpg

Location
Central City of Cozia
Time
Day, Summer
Mentions
---​

Clarence saw it, whilst watching the birds fly by in the serene summer skies and listening to another of Granny's old tales. The little black dot over the horizon. For a moment, she pondered what kind of bird or festival balloon it was. Then she blinked, and wooden splinters flew into the air, followed by the splatter of blood and shrill screaming.

"Hey... Hey! Get up! Please get up!" A man cried, roughly shaking the limp body plastered over their shared stall, the remnants of plant pots and dirt scattered over his feet.

A direct hit... I don't think he can be saved.

Clarence thought slowly, still frozen in place. The stench of gunpowder and burning wood brought forth a wave of nostalgia, but mixed with the abrupt shift in circumstances, her mind swirled with confusion as to whether this was reality or a sudden dream. It took her a bit longer than the others to even begin comprehending what was happening, but fortunately, an old wrinkly hand pulled her to her feet.

"Young lady, we need to get going..."

Granny's calm, but concerned voice brought her back to reality. Shoving whatever she could into her backpack, including some of her friend's precious pottery, she followed the swarms fleeing into the Central City, tightly holding onto Granny's hand as they ran. Oddly enough, the old lady kept up with relative ease, but now was not the time for idle questioning.

That was definitely a cannonball. Clarence was certain of it. Whether it originated from cannons mounted on land or those from a ship, she couldn't be sure, but seeing as they came from the direction of the docks she had her suspicions. Clarence was far from knowledgeable enough about Cozia and its political whatnots to know who the enemy could possibly be, but she couldn't help but try to rack her brain about it, thinking about whatever news clippings and oral rumours she had heard about the island country. In the end, even after the mile run, nothing of worth came to mind.

Breathing a sigh of relief once they were behind the formidable walls of the city, the pair wandered to the side where there was less people and more breathing room. Clarence took a minute to catch her breath, surprised by how much her fitness had deteriorated over the years, before briefly looking around the praised Central City of Cozia. Chaos was everywhere, both inside and out of the city. Though by now Clarence had tuned out the repetitive sound of explosions, she paid acute attention to the angry and fearful yells echoing throughout the city's entrance.

"Hey, what's going on?!"
"We're under attack!"
"Is anyone a doctor?!"
"My leg!"
"Oi, give us our weapons back!"

Things were getting rowdier by the second, especially due to the pirates who seemed ready to throw hands with the city's soldiers any minute now.

"But, a weapon huh."

Clarence couldn't help but mumble. She... didn't want to go down like her parents did, unable to fight back properly in a final show due to being weapon-less. But, how could she get one? Where were the weapons stored? She wasn't here when they were taken away to their likely very secure and safeguarded storage, so she had hit a pretty big dead end with her idea already. Though, even then, if she somehow managed to pick one up, she had little confidence in being able to wield it well after all these years...

"Don't be scared. Everything will be alright." Granny's words once again broke her trance, as she put a band aid on her cheek and pat her hands comfortingly.

"Ah, thanks, I had no idea I was bleeding haha." Clarence smiled a little sheepishly, though her cheerful tone was a bit strained.

It's not that she was scared. How could she be? She'd encountered situations far more dangerous before when she was a mere child. But... she was alone this time around. No crew, not even her parents were by her side. She had no one behind her anymore. It was only now she seemed to realize... just how much she had relied on them all, watching their strong backs stand tall in front of her that always seemed to say 'everything will be alright'.

But whether there was fear in her heart or not, she would absolutely not let herself cower away in fear at a time like this. "Granny, stay here with the soldiers." She smiled determinedly, leaving no room for comment before she took off deeper into the city. Even if all the pirates weapons were taken away, she was sure she could find something else she could use to defend herself and old Granny with. Even if that meant she had to break her way into someone's house and steal their kitchen knife, she would do it.
 
RAY BRYCE

Ray considered things had been going plenty well. The sights were quite charming, the short speech from the queen seemed to enchant the crowd, and during all of this, he managed to purchase a nice little hat. As he took a moment to what was going on, he made sure to clap as hard as he could, with a big grin on his face. What else can one do in front of such a queen, and a beautiful one at that?

But all that came to an end when the first shot seemed to ignite a barrel of gunpowder, as the crowd seemed to react to that. His own instincts seemed to direct him as he moved people out of harm's way as the soldiers worked at calming down the increasingly restless people and moving through the crowd like a ghost, running to the nearest wall and using it to jump into the opposite wall and so on to the nearest rooftop.

He tried to scan the city to see the most fortified locations, or any location that'd be easy to defend, and started trying to send people over there, even if he doubted he would get listened to.

"Hey, soldier boys!" He yelled "We need to calm the people down, lead them to a safe place"

Still a Knight, it seems, He thought, with some sadness. But there was a clear destination. His hand reached for his waist, but he remembered he left his swords in the door. He nearly fell from the roof as that thought came to him.

"Ah, to hell with it" He said. He can find something to use in there, even if he has to beat some bastard and rip the swords out of their hands. He took some impulse and jumped to the next one. Running from a fight was not an option. Let's see what these maniacs pack.

A risky gamble, just how I like 'em.
 
After the queen's speech, Maika spent her time in the plaza and ended up as some sort of baby sitter since there's now at least five kids around her, they're playing with the giant whale plushie by pulling, rolling and climbing over it like cavemen who never saw one. She's starting to consider to just dump the thing.

"Do your parents never tell you not to follow stranger?" She decided to ask the kid directly. The one who answered her was a boy who seemed to be the oldest among them, by oldest, she means 7 years old or something.

"My house is just right there! If you try something funny I will just scream and my father will flatten you in no time." The boy finished his answer by sticking his tongue at her. The boy irks her, but she's relieved to found out that their houses were nearby, that means it won't matter if she just left them right no-

BOOM,

It was faint, muffled, distant. Yet Maika instantly recognized what noise it was, canonballs. More of it could be heard. She thought the explosions would go off adter the guard managed to secure whatever or whoever caused that ruckus, but it didn't. Everyone at the plaza seemed uneasy.

"Go home." She told the kids, and they unsurprisingly obeyed her this time. If things went south, a lot of people would be harmed. As a doctor she couldn't just stay there. She must prepare for the worst. Unfortunately, her tools and supplies were all confiscated so there's only one thing she could do: Take it back. Dragging her whale plushie along, the merfolk glides towards the direction of Central City Security building.

BeyondDandy BeyondDandy PlusUltra PlusUltra
 
From a small gap within the Daggers edge, September was listening closely, the clinking of metal and the number of steps and the feeling of motion in each turn to track precisely where she was being taken. While she did have a rough estimate of the layout of the place, it never did hurt to have a little more information to go off. One thing that did grab her attention was a voice speaking with a great deal more authority than the standard guards, perhaps a Captain? Hmm no the guard's tones put him at quite a few paygrades above them.

In any case, the fact he would be distracted by the Marine made her job all the easier, it was much better to deal with the normal guards than a person with much higher competency after all. Waiting Patiently for the man to leave, she decided to Capitalize on the arguments of the two guards, silently sneaking from the blades pocket, her full size emerging from the impossible space and appearing up behind the men without notice. With one quick motion, she took hold of each of the men's helmets and brought them together with great force, a single ringing clang sounding out before both crumpled to the floor unconscious.

Well that was one job done, now for the jobs appetizer, the woman turned to look over the hoard of weaponry within the Armory and began methodically picking it apart and storing each item within a pocket on her waste, each item vanishing within. Given the number of items, it did naturally take some time, though the sorting of most of them did at least speed it up.

With her first doubt of larceny completed she would turn to the guards on the floor and haul each into the now empty crates to hide them away, removing the armour as she did with and gifting them a few good tight knots of ropes and gags for good measure. Redressing herself within their armour and exchanging the dented helmet for a new one, she was finally ready to make her leave to the real prizes, complete with a disguise she would make her way to the Palace, intending on cataloguing her various targets before the big distraction gave her the signal to start the job.

Sometime Later. September would be pretending to Patrol the Palace's many halls, having already located the treasure room and notable antiques in other areas she would pass the time giving occasional glances from the Palace Windows, catching snippets of the queen's speech as she did. It was then she noted the smoke off in the distance, looking out further with curiosity she took out a spyglass to try and get a better look, though while all she could make out was a larger dot amount than the others, she did attempt to make an educated guess at what it was. A larger ship that wasn't there previously had arrived, and cannon fire had taken place...while there was a Marine present in the city she thought it would be much more likely to be ever an incredibly confident pirate, or a foolish one. In either case, it was perhaps a far better match for the powderkeg than her whole weapon theft idea...though also far cruder. After it's pointless to destroy something when you can just take it instead.

Hearing the command to leave for the guards to investigate, she took that as her cue to start, pretending to make her way hurriedly out before slipping away for a while and returning to start her pilfering in true. A few interesting sculptures, a painting or two, several long-term loans from there Library's vast collections all before eventually making her way to the vault itself.
 

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