Marauders in Mirstone

Lady Warlock · Aug 21, 2016

Scarlet Johanna Indigrid, Cletus T. Bass, Ryuu, Markus and Derek

Ryuu watched all of this and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at the lies the older man was spewing. The ignorance of the other girl was also pretty funny if he did say so himself. However as entertaining as it all was he still had a job to do. "Kaede is going to kill me if he found I let someone with a bounty get away... So I can't just let you walk off" With a smirk on his face he adjusted his jacket and stepped forward to go after Scarlet.

However, before he had a chance to do anything Markus extended his hand telling Ryuu to hold his place.   The other man did stop but only because he was curious what the marine had to say that was so important to stop him. "You claim she is a chronic pickpocket?" Markus asked the older man. "You are a fool sir! You have to keep a better eye on her! We saw her alone just a bit ago and she was planning to steal a flag! If you are her guardian I might have to right you up for being careless!"

"...................Brother.." The other marine said as he tugged on Markus sleeve.

"What if she stole something importnat when you weren't looking? If she stole from a marine or a pirate she would be in a lot of trouble! Would you take responsiblity for anything that happened to Summer's morning?!" Markus shouted as he pointed at Scarlet

"...Brother...She said she wasn't a pickpocket...."

At this Markus rolled his eyes. "Duh, that's what all pickpockets say, she's one of those liars that lie on the spot."

"I....I don't.."

"I think I would know a liar when I see one. Anyway! You! Answer my question!"

Cletus growled with irritation as Markus lectured. "If she stole something important I would've known about it and returned it," he grumbled, trying to appease the marine so that they would be on their merry way. Cletus didn't want to linger around the marines any longer than he and Scarlet had too, especially since Ryuu seemed to imply that Scarlet had a bounty; it was only a matter of time before he'd have to use his flash bang.

Scarlet sighed at the direction that the conversation was heading in. She really didn't understand half of it. However, she could clarify one thing, though. "Didn't you hear me!? I'm not sneaky enough to be a pickpocket!"

"Now that-" Before Ryuu could finish his sentence Markus annoyingly cut him off.

"Suuuuuure you aren't, then why would you want to steal a flag if you aren't sneaky enough? Look I'm nice enough to let her off with a warning but she needs to watch it."

"...Brother....She ha-"

"Has a lot to work on, I know. But lying isn't any good for a beautiful summer's morning!" Markus said as he he crossed his arms and nodded several times. "After all why would you pretend to be a summer morning only to have a howling winter later in the day? Its simply not right to lie about things like that, and you shouldn't."

Ryuu looked at Markus just having no clue what to say really. "Why are you talking about weather??"

Markus just looked at Ryuu for a moment as if it were obvious before looking back at Cletus. "Well if you promise to keep an eye on her we will leave you to it." He stated in a serious tone as he looked at the shipwright.

"Um...brother..." Derek mumbled softly as he fumbled through a few papers some how having lost his place from the rather thick stack of bounties he had.

Scarlet saw that one of the two matching twins was strugging and she walked up. "Let me help you with that," she said with a smile, reaching underneath Derek's arms and taking half the pile into her own arms. Whether good or not, it so happened that the page on the top of the pile she grabbed was her own wanted poster and her eyes quickly fell to the photograph. Staring in shock, Scarlet dropped the pile on the ground before exclaiming, "That is an ABSOLUTELY AWFUL photo of me! Carrying it around must be some sort of crime!"

She didn't look at the number. She didn't care to notice that it said "Wanted". All she saw was the picture and her face curled in total disgust.

Derek looked at her and then the poster. "See brother.... She has a..um..."

Markus blinked several times as he looked at the wanted poster. He immediately grabbed it and narrowed his eyes at the picture before looking at Scarlet. "Either A. You have a twin sister. Or B.... You failed to watch over her! I knew you were a fool you fog mist!" Markus shouted as he pointed at Cletus.

".................................................................." Ryuu looked at Scarlet in disbelief and then when Markus opened his mouth he faced palmed very hard. "....Idiots.... How did they make it so far up the ranks. Just...." A sigh left him as he used the hand on his face to run through his hair. "I don't even know where to begin with this. First you twins, just because you are twins doesn't mean everyone else has a twin. Secondly you girl."  Now looking over at the girl he let out another sigh as he shook his head his hand still in his hair. "You truly aren't the brightest of the bunch are you?"

"Hush! I'm certain there is a logical explanation as to why Summer's morning has this bounty. It may not even be her for all we know."

"......................."

Cletus honestly couldn't believe that Scarlet even decided to interact with the bounty papers. Was she trying to give him a heart attack? He let out another annoyed growl as the thick headed marine still didn't understand what was going on. At this point Cletus didn't think it was a good idea to continue the charade. With a frown on his face, Cletus let out a short, mocking laugh as he was called a fool.

He grabbed the flash bang near his hand, quickly pulled the pin, and tossed it down in front of the marines. Cletus grabbed Scarlet by the arm and started to make a break for it past the twins. "Has anyone ever told you that you could use some common sense?" he grumbled, with his luck she probably stared into the flash bang as it went off.

Scarlet did not, in fact, stare into the flash bang as it erupted in front of her. It was actually something she was quite familiar with and she knew how to react to such a thing. Feeling Cletus grab her arm, for a moment, she was unsure of whether she actually wanted to follow or not. The captain was still seething over the fact that the one quiet man had had such a horrible picture of her in his possession and normally that wasn't something she would take lightly.

Pulling her arm free of Cletus's grasp, she glared up at him, an odd and entirely new fierceness in her eyes. "Why are we running!?" she asked, rather than addressing his previous question.

"Because it's tactical," Cletus gruffly replied. "I thought you wanted a merchant flag. A merchant ship ain't gonna be docked forever with all this pirate, marine stuff goin' on."

Ryuu's eyes had been watching everything and the moment Celtus moved his hand back his first worry was it would be a gun. However that worry changed when he saw what was pulled out. "Grenade!!" He shouted as he pulled his coat up a bit to protect his face while also turning his back.

The twins rather than run for it looked up when Ryuu shouted......... Right at the flash bang as it exploded.

"MY EYES!!" Markus shouted immediately covering his eyes with his hands while Derek covered his eyes with his arm.

When the light was gone Ryuu stood straight again and looked at the twins. "Yeah genius idea, don't move when you hear someone shout grenade, next time you see a carriage come your way use the same tactic and see what happens."   With a roll of his eyes he watched as the two retreated though he soon got distracted.   "You two snap out of it an-" Cutting his own self off something shiny left his hand in a flash.   Seconds after it did Scarlet would feel a slight sting in her cheek, and a liquid running down the same cheek. Moments after feeling this a switchblade embeded itself right in a barrel a few feet ahead of them. "I missed." Ryuu mumbled just as a tiny fly flew away from where the knife landed.

Scarlet's hand, having just pulled free of Cletus's grip, didn't get to hang free for long. It flew up mere instants after the blade grazed her cheek, running fingertips along the line of blood before she looked at her hand and saw the crimson color.

Suddenly, she didn't care about tactics anymore. She didn't quite remember how important getting the merchant flag was nor was she in a mindset to be reminded. Scarlet's gaze narrowed so that the only person she saw was Ryuu and her voice yelled loudly. "You better hope for your life that that doesn't leave a scar!" she snarled. Without hesitation, Scarlet charged.

"Dammit, Captain...," Cletus muttered under his breath. He stopped running and turned around to face the marines, drawing his rifle as he did so. "Deadeye Chamber." Cletus firmly gripped the pump-back reload mechanism on his rifle and squinted as he looked down the sights. He began to calculate the angles needed to shoot the three men in his sights and how to bounce the bullets around Scarlet. He was too busy calculating to fire at the moment.

Ryuu watched as Scarlet charged at him and he scratched his hair. "I better? I really don't care if you get a scar or twenty." he said as he waved his other hand in a non caring manner. As she got closer however the hand on his head moved to his chest and he was about to pull a knife out, but before he did so something caught his eyes. It was a wanted poster on the ground that had a very familiar face on it. Raising a brow he moved his hand away from his coat and walked over to the wanted paper.

Ryuu paid no heed to that as he picked up the poster on the floor and looked at it. After a moment a smile went on his face as a light chuckle left him. "Well... Looks like I made a mistake when it came to my next target." Now looking over his shoulder at the twins. "Oi! You two handle the nobodies, I got my eyes on an ever so slightly bigger fish." Ryuu stated as he looked at the paper again before he stuffed it in his pocket.

His eyes now went to the waters again and there he saw his target. "Hm? Looks like the goblins only did a meh job." He siad with a sigh as he headed to the water's edge. Once he got there he rolled his shoulders once and took the paper out of his pocket. Balling it up tightly he lightly tossed it in the air. And seconds later he tossed a switch blade as well. The switchblade went through the ball and pinned itself right on the sinking canoe, centimeters from Arlen's hand.    If he were to unwrap it he would see his bounty in the paper wad, and Ryuu not too far off with a grin on his face as he waved at him....three knives in his other hand resting by his side.

Collab With: @shadowdude505 and @Peaceswore

Tags: @QuirkyAngel

Sinny The Fool · Aug 21, 2016

"Kasai Shinsui, The Prankster"

Kasai had been on this island for quite some time, however when first arriving a few days prior Kasai had been fixed on chasing a strange patterned fox he had seen and had been chasing it all over the island already before he saw it fleeing a fairly small but dense forest with brush obscuring the ground - or what could be hiding inside. However Kasai wasn't exactly the type to think about those things and wandered right in without hesitation and finding himself lost in the area for a long time searching for the small fox's new hiding spot he found. While Kasai did know his way out - he mostly figured himself lost because he felt he already looked everywhere but never found where the small fox was hiding. Today, he was doing the same thing and had already been searching for hours; although he heard some commotion in the town on the island - Kasai was too interested in finding the Fox and paid no mind to the sounds coming from a distance. In fact he figured it could lure the fox out; and suddenly he saw it. Right there he was, staring right into Kasai who was now holding back the urge to laugh in victory of his long pursuit and before giving the fox a chance to run away and lose him again Kasai pounced across a small lake in the middle of a forest to chase the fox down yet again.

The fox was alerted and because of it's instincts ran away from Kasai as quick as it could. However it wasn't quick enough, not when Kasai was good at being tricky - he didn't need pure speed to catch the fox and he was able to corner the Fox against a large rock and outstretched both arms with greedy fingers and snatched the fox and raising it into the air as he done a happy dance to himself "Yay, yay, yay! I got him, I got him!" after he finished doing his dance he put the fox down in level with his eyes as they stared for a moment - although the fox was struggling at first it seemed to have settled down. 'What should I name him?' Kasai thought to himself as he stared, and without taking much time he went with the first thing that came to mind and stuck with it. "Momo! Your name is going to be Momo" he said with a chirpy tone in his voice, his head nodding in agreement with himself - although it was a simple name Kasai was satisfied enough with his choice that he placed Momo onto his shoulder and began marching off to the 'exit' of the forest with purpose and humming along the way..

When he finally found his way out, he scratched the back of his head and come to a sudden halt, his expression revealing dread as he remembered..

"I'M SO LATE, AHHH THEY ARE GOING TO BE MAD!" he shouted and began crouching down into a ball before jumping up as if trying to express himself exploding, however his eyes showed a boy was currently terrified. 'So mad, so mad, they are going to be so mad..' he thought as he pressed on to the town on the island. He didn't really know where his Captain was, nor did he know where any of the other crew members were but his first guess was to check the docks for their ship - even if they weren't there he figured that he could always wait until they came back, right? The first thing he noticed was the island looked barricaded, which from Kasai's memory wasn't there before and it made him question what had happened in the time he was off chasing Momo. Looking back to Momo, who now laid around the back of Kasai's neck like a scarf with his head looking up to the direction in front - Kasai was very happy about finding him, not just because it took him so long but he always wanted a small animal of his own; and now he did.

"Oh Momo, you will really like them..I mean I do!" he said with a large smile on his face, although it was mostly shielded by his mask that he had on that covered the lower half of his face. After making his way through the hordes of people gathering up in the market area he had to pass in order to reach the docks for the island, hoping to see that a familiar ship would be waiting. Walking onto the docks, across the wooden platforms stretching out over a few feet of the ocean surrounding the island he looked around to each of the ships before finding the right one.

'Nope..Nope...Nope again...I FOUND IT!' he thought to himself as he chuckled to himself "Momo, this is the one!" he said with a grand smile across his face before leaping up and reaching out to grab a hold on thethe ship's railing before proceeding to pull himself up. Momo tightened his grip around Kasai's neck where he was lying when realizing they were moving up. After pulling himself up and jumping across the railing landing on the main deck, Kasai looked around and shouted out loud enough for anyone on the ship to hear "Hello!? Is anyone here!?"

@AllHailDago

(And anyone else in the crew, sorry I'm not really sure where anyone is or who exactly is in the same crew as I am xD)

MidnightStar · Aug 21, 2016

Laura Ray Young

Laura walked around puzzled at all the commotion. People ran towards there ships, some even fought with Marines. She kept walking around not seeming to care. Someone must still have their head on straight that can tell me about the map to the one piece. That was the reason almost any pirate would be on the island. Rumor was that someone knew or even maybe had the map to the one piece. She was traveling around so she thought she might stop by and see if the rumors were true. Which she highly doubt it was true. Why would someone risk bring such an important map here. Either the pirate was really stupid or... probably just really stupid.

As she walked a Marine officer who looked to be a young recruit walked around the corner. She "accidently" bumps into him. "I'm sorry officer I should be watching where I'm going." she says pretending to be embarrassed. She looked in his eyes. He was defiantly new, he was probably on his first mission today. The nervousness shown in his eyes. "That's okay, mam. However you should be getting off the island. I can't tell you why but everyone should be evacuating." She gives him a smile. "Thank you, sir, I'll be doing that." She walks away and doesn't stop until she walk around the corner. She pulls out the Marines wallet and looks inside. There was a few gold coins, s marines ID badge, and a picture of the marine and some other woman, probably a girl friend or wife. She takes the coins out of the wallet then throws the wallet on the ground. Hopefully the man would just come searching for the wallet. She starts for the docks hoping to stow-away on a ship to get off the island.

It had been only a few months since Derek's disappearance. She talk to many people but either they didn't know him or hadn't seen him. 'How could he just go missing?' she thought. That was the second reason she was here. She was hoping to find out if Derek was even alive. Sadly, so far no one on the island had seen him. It seemed this island was going to hell anyway, the Marines taking over the area and all. She finally makes it to the harbor but doesn't go out into the open. There was several fights going on and many people still fleeing to there ships. She looks around looking for an empty ship. The only one she say was a ship, the Keniji's, with three people in the middle of the ship. It was her only chance to get off the island at the moment, trying to talk to anyone would be hard since most people were getting ready to leave, also she didn't want to spend the money.

Laura dashes for the ship and hides at the front of the ship. She sees a rope ladder hanging of the side and decides to try and take a peek. Two pirates stood together talking and one just jumped onto the ship. It would be to risky sneaking on right then. She decides to wait a little while hoping the would turn there backs. If they seen her she could be quick enough to get away. She couldn't wait forever though other might be coming.

((If anyone would like to collaborate let me know))

Peaceswore · Aug 21, 2016

Scarlet Johanna Indigrid & Derek

Before Scarlet could reach Ryuu, Derek acted quicker than his brother and dashed right in front of Scarlet with his rapier out. "H-Halt you are under arr..."

Her eyes widened and then focused in on the new person in front of her. It made no difference to her which she tackled. Both had angered her and both needed to learn the proper ways to treat a lady, and that she intended to teach them. Derek now being the closer target, she had absolutely no qualms at all with leaping off of her feet and tackling him to the ground before pulling her fist back and striking at his face.

Having dropped his blade on the ground when he was tackled so abrutly. A shout of shock left him as he crashed onto the pavement. He was honestly suprised a girl like Scarlet not only ignored a blade that was pointed right at her but was able to tackle him to the ground. In this poistion he wasn't certain what to do, he didn't want to hurt her, after all she was a girl! And then...she punched him right in the face, and it wasn't one of the easiest punches either. Letting out a groan form the pain she grabbed her wrist and began to pull that up while he pushed her away. "O-Ow........ Why would you charge someone who had a sword pointed at you?????" He asked in genuine confusion as he continued to push her off of him.

Scarlet was easily pushed off of Derek's body. It wasn't that she couldn't have made it harder for him to get rid of her. Rather, Scarlet really had no intentions of remaining on top of a guy when she had another option. It just looked and felt weird and she wasn't going to go for it.

"Maybe I couldn't see you," Scarlet suggested. "Lord knows I certainly can't hear you." Her voice was sharp as the blade he had dropped as her eyes scanned him up and down. "And it's not like I was charging you in the first place. You just happened to jump in the way!" Everything about Scarlet's tone suggested she wasn't happy and even her demeanor showed it.

Turning her head back to Cletus, her voice rung with the command of a captain. "I've got this one!"

Derek looked up at Scarlet for a moment before he tensed up a bit simply from how she spoke. Unsure what to do he glanced over at his brother, but he had his own things to worry about. And Ryuu didn't seem to show any interest in the fight, so he had to handle the girl on his own. Looking her up and down however made him hesitate even more. She didn't have any weapons on her and she was a kid. Two things he didn't want to fight. Sure the other guy had a gun but at least he wouldn't feel bad after skewering him with his blade.

Standing up he dusted himself off a bit and looked at Scarlet. "Lo-Look I.....don't want to..to hurt you. So jus-..."

"You don't want to hurt me!? Why!? Because I'm a girl!?" Scarlet snarled at him. "I'll bet you wouldn't have any qualms with attacking the King of the Pirates!" Running forward again, Scarlet kicked his sword out of the reach of either of them and then she drove another punch straight at his face, aiming for his nose.

"Well guess what!? You're fighting the next Pirate QUEEN!"

"I um-excuse me...I.." Derek tried a few times to interject while she spoke, but speaking so quiet even a mouse wouldn't hear him.... Well, it really didn't help him. So letting out a small sigh of defeat he listened to her before blinking a few times when his sword was kicked away. "Ah I just cl-" Again cut off as his eyes went to her fist. He was going to defend himself but, at her very sudden and honestly shocking exclaimation he jumped, and in that moment the hit connected with his face sending him to the ground once again and making him skid just a bit.

Laying on his side he didn't move right away, he wasn't unconcisous he just needed to process what he had heard. Bringing a hand to his nose he flinched at the touch and noted the blood, it was likely broken... Or maybe just cracked. Either way the punch did damage. Pushing himself up now sitting criss cross he kept his head down and his hands on the ground. "I...um see....." He said softly now beginning to stand up.

The lost look or the bored one he had on earlier was gone as he looked at her with a glare. "If that is your true intetnion and not some joke... Then it is my duty as a marine to stop you pirate." He wiped his bloody nose with his sleeve once more before he ran staight for her. The sword was quite a bit away and he didn't want to turn his back to her. Moving pretty fast he balled up his fist as he sent a punch aiming right for her gut. "I can't hold back after a decleration like that!"

Scarlet couldn't hold back a smile when he finally decided that he did know how to be loud. "It's not a joke," she replied smuggly, taking the punch in the gut just to make sure he wasn't pulling his punches. She truly would've hated him if he was.

However, he wasn't.

Breath was forced from her lungs at the impact of the connection and she stumbled backwards, struggling not to fall flat on her ass in front of him. She managed to maintain her balance, but only just. Scarlet had to take a moment to recollect her breath, gasping quickly and replenishing the residual in her lungs. Looking up at him, she smiled again. "Good!" she affirmed. "Now I can get to showing you why you shouldn't hold onto such terrible pictures of me!"

Scarlet charged again, this time stopping a second before she would've impacted him and she aimed to sweep his feet out from underneath him.

A small sweat drop seemed to leave Derek as he looked at Scarlet. 'That.... That's what she is mad about?' He wondered before his body tensed while he got in a defensive postion. When she charged him he was ready to send another punch out but before he could the kick came. Acting fast he jumped back a bit barely dodging the kick. Once he landed he ran forward once more this time aiming an upper cut to the girls chin.

As Scarlet's leg sweep failed, her balance faltered. Not being the most experienced warrior on the seas, Scarlet wasn't able to regain it fast enough to dodge the incoming punch and she could feel the bones of her jaw shaking at the impact of his fist against her chin. A groan of pain escaped her as she started to stumble back only to swing her arm around, aiming for a quick jab at his throat.

Being one that is far better with a sword than hand to hand combat his punches weren't on the mark like many of the more experienced fighters. Really he was a bit suprised when the attack landed and was even more suprised how much it hurt to land the punch. Moving back a bit he shook his hand and flexed it a bit to get over the pain. When the incoming jab came he tried to move back just like before but he underestimated her reach.   Though not as strong if he were closer the blow hit him none the less. This cuased him to take several steps backwards as his hand grabbed his throat.

Rather than wail about the pain however he sucked it up and got back in his fighting stance quickly lunging foward to close the distance he sent a round house kick aiming right for her gut.

Taking the same moment that he took to recover, Scarlet's hand traced along her jaw as she opened and closed her mouth several times, reassuring herself that everything was working. Discomfort was clear in her eyes and she'd all but forgotten about the cut on her cheek from Ryuu's blade until a drip of blood fell onto her tongue, tasting of iron and flesh. She grimaced as she realized what it was.

Even then, she knew she didn't have much time because Derek was charging in again. Her eyes watched him closely, trying to figure out what would come next. To throw a kick, there was a subtle movement in the gait. That was something Spades had taught her. She wasn't very good at catching it but that was because she usually wasn't watching for it. This time she was, and she saw it.

Scarlet swiftly stepped to the side and turned herself. As the kick came in, she reached out with her arms, hugging his leg and keeping it from returning to the ground once the momentum was lost.

This girl kept doing things Derek didn't expect, and it didn't look like she was going to start being predictable anytime soon. Rather than dodge or take his kick....She actually grabbed it.   "???" And for a second he wasn't sure what to really do. He couldn't punch her the position he was in was to awkward and he couldn't kick her with his other foot for obvious reasons. So the only other option he had was to try and get his foot back becuase standing on just one foot made it really hard to do anything else. "H-Hey! Let go!" He shouted as he started to pull his leg back to get it out of her grip while he sort of....hopped on the other foot so he wouldn't fall.

Despite his attempts at struggling and despite his proclamation, Scarlet did not show any signs of releasing Derek's leg from her grasp. That being said, that didn't mean her hold was strong enough to fight him forever and it was clear he was slipping away slowly but surely. Using all the strength that she could, Scarlet pushed his leg up with as much force as she could muster, hoping the upward push would be enough to topple him off of his feet.

And her hopes were right the sudden push and the fact that he didn't have a good foundation to begin with just made it all too easy to make Derek topple to the ground hard. Hit his arms first on the pavement he crashed to the ground, his head had also hit the ground. Though not very hard, enough to put him in a bit of suprise and stupor.

Scarlet had created an opening, albeit a small one, and that was all she needed. Rather than taking advantage of him being on the ground and vulnerable, which would have seemed like the wise thing to do in her situation, Scarlet scrambled in almost the opposite direction of Derek's collapsed form. She very nearly dove for it even though she probably didn't have to, and her fingers clasped around the weapon before she turned and held it in front of her, watching Derek.

There were a few small things wrong with the picture that now stood. She was holding the sword wrong... if that was even possible. Her stance was not what it should have been for holding a sword either. Scarlet still looked like she meant to throw a punch. But she smiled and waited, tilting her head as she watched him.

"You know," she commented, "that outfit used to be cute, but now you've soiled it." She was finally seeing the blood he'd wiped on his sleeve.

Pushing himself up he looked at Scarlet as he shook his head a bit to get there to be only one girl instead of several. "........I....I got more outfits in my room...." He said in his soft voice once again as he began to stand up. "Not that...that it matters...Look you are h-holding the sword wrong....."

"I don't care!" Scarlet proclaimed as she charged with the sword in her hand. She didn't seem to realize it was quite possible to hurt herself with such a weapon as she moved, but she started slashing at him chaotically

Derek blinked at her exclaimation and reached forward to calm her down so he could get the blade back. However before he could she attacked once again. "W-Wait you are going to hurt someone like that!" He shouted at her as he backed up quickly. The chaos of the strikes made it really hard to time when he should attack. As he had no clue where her next stike would be. "Really! You should stop! You...You don't know how to use that weapon!"

"Hah!" Scarlet snapped. "Maybe you just don't want to get hurt!"

For some silly reason or another, Scarlet wasn't hitting. She was beginning to wonder if maybe he was right because she had been hitting him with her punches when she'd been dealing those out. If there was one thing that had been drilled into her, it was how to throw a punch. How to use a sword, though... well, even Scarlet knew she didn't know how to do that. It didn't seem like it should matter. If it didn't matter, though, she wouldve been hitting him.

Stopping her slashes with the sword but still holding it simply because she didn't want him to have it, Scarlet turned back to throwing punches with her free hand, each as wild as the sword slash had been. However, in her nondominant hand, something was bound to go wrong. Her right hand tried to join in. The blade pointing down poked into her leg, not deep, but enough that she would feel it.

"Ow!" Scarlet yelled, stumbling back.

With the attacks being messy Derek was able to move out of the way for a good portion of them, though a few of the punches got close. However when the attacks stopped altogether and a yell came from the girl he looked at her a bit surpised. "Ack! See! I told you, you didn't know how to use it! It doesn't look deep let me see the wo-"

"No! Get away!"

Scarlet threw the sword, hoping that he would chase after it. It was his weapon after all. As it was thrown, she realized where their fight had taken them. Though it only seemed like a few steps at the time, they were no longer on the walkway of the docks and instead standing rather close to the water as a ship was loading up goods, preparing to leave the port that was becoming more dangerous by the second. It was a fishing ship...

Derek.... He needs to work on his observation skill. For if he had he would have noticed where he was, was a horrid place to stand. His eyes went on the thrown sword, not becuase he was worried it would hit him, no her throw was too terrible for thtat to be a problem. He was more worried it would fall into the bay! Gods if that happened he would never hear the end of it from Markus!

The blade seemed to glisten in the sun as it flew threw the air, from Dereks view, the throw was pathetic. But to anyone else, this throw was...something else to say the least. As the blade flew threw the air it headed right for a huge net that was almost overstuffed with fish, and not the small salmon kind either. The fish that were being transported were huge each at least 6 feet and wieghing a good deal, hell the net seemed to be straining to keep them all in without breaking.

Damn shame a flying sword cut the bottom of the net huh?

It was at this second Derek froze, the strain from the packed fish was simply too much for the net that was in good condition. But with that small cut at the bottom, the entire thing tore in seconds.    The marine's eyes widen as he saw what was in store for him. "SHI-"   He couldn't even get this last exclaimation out before the first huge fish fell right on top of him....instantly followed by sevearl others till there was a huge pile of in front of Scarlet with no Derek in sight.

"Hmph!" Scarlet nodded in indignation. Walking away without another thought or comment, the Red Ribbon Pirate Captain made her way over to the pile of wanted posters that she'd dropped - which was quite a walk, actually - and she picked up the one that had her picture on it, shaking her head at the sight of it. Tearing it to pieces, she let paper shreds blow to the wind.

"No more terrible pictures of me now..."

She was content.

Collab with @DaughterofAthena

mention @shadowdude505

Lady Warlock · Aug 21, 2016

Stacy Beuregard and Norman "The Man Making Breakfast" Newman

Norman had taken immediately to the idea given to him by the Angry Lady from before. Breakfast sounded delicious, and he bet everyone was going to be hungry. Plus they looked like worriers, and while he didn't get it, people tended to worry when Marines showed up. Food will turn their worried frowns uuupside down. As such he made his best effort to make the best breakfast in THE OCEAN!

There were waffles, eggs, bacon, sausage, rice, tasty shredded potatoes some merchant called.... um slashed browns? Yeah yeah, slashed browns. Man, what a cool name for such a tasty food! He had prepared ten full plates in case they got any extra people before departing, and with fear of it getting cold he had plate covers over each serving. He bounced excitedly, wondering when people would come down for food.

It was then he heard the words Ninja Cook and stabbing in the same sentence. His eyes pretty much tripled then and there in size. Stabbing?! Score! He ran up the stair well to above deck, slammed the door open, and jumped out with a wild yell. "Stabbing? I wanna, I wanna. Where are they? I'll turn em into slashed browns!" His katana was drawn immediately as he looked around with a wide smile others could only see from his eyes. Cause.. yknow, scarf over his mouth.

After a moment of looking around he realized that no one was fight worthy aboard. There was one person aboard, and that was Ship Lady. Wait, Ship Lady was back?! "Heeeeeey, you came back Ship Lady! So did you miss me? Or was it the smell of my awesome cooking?" He sheathed his katana and stood up straight, his eyes closed confidently.

Stacy's face curled in small disgust though a look of total unhappiness wasn't quite possible because she was too busy catching her breath after running from the marines who'd been chasing her. 'Come to think of it...' She turned her head to look back, but the marines seemed uninterested, now. It was as though getting on a ship made her unimportant for some reason or another. Normally she would've considered it odd, but in the moment, she didn't really thing of it.

Finally, her full attention fell to Norman and she simply shook her head. "No." No, she had not missed him and no, she did not come back because the cooking smelled awesome.

Her head turned, glancing around and she wondered where everyone else was. As she had left the previous day, the ship had been flooded with people. "Where is everyone? Shouldn't we be trying to get off the island?"

Norman seemed to sulk for a moment when it turned out she wasn't back cause she missed him or his food. After all, he was super cool and his food super delicious. Who WOULDN'T miss it? However he bounced back, quick as ever when she asked where people had went. "Well..... let's see. You and Mister Grump left because.... Iunno why. Then Kenji left to go recruit anyone who might wanna join to run from the Marines. And the new Angry Lady went..... actually I don't know where she went. She asked me to make the best breakfast in the world and I went below deck. Maybe she's with Kenji, or having fun fighting Marines."

He rolled back and forth on his heels as he pondered where people were. If they bring back people they better be more fun than those the ones to join so far. He puffed out his left cheek. Everyone so far was grumpy and not ready for fun. "Anyways, did you say stabbing? Cause I could deal with some stabbing. I'm kinda bored with no one here to eat breakfast."

Stacy sighed at his explanation as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and back again while considering her options. As amusing as it would be to send Norman after the marines who had been chasing her, she really didn't want their departure to be delayed even longer because they had to wait for yet another person to get their butt back to the ship. Instead of telling him about the ones who'd chased her, she merely mumbled, "You know, I could go for some breakfast right about now..."

It was right after she'd offered her suggestion that another person ran on board the ship and Stacy's eyes turned to take in the sight of him as she heard his question. Before she could answer, though, Norman started rambling again.

Norman gasped, which was actually kind of an interesting sound. Almost like wind running across metal. "You could?! Well why didn't you say so?! There's fresh breakfast below deck! A huge plateful with YOUR name on it! Come ooon." He waved her back toward the door to below deck. Then he ran to head downstairs. Though as he passed another guy who's name he totally doesn't remember he said, "If you want some breakfast, feel free to come below deck." Then he bounded down the stairs to be there and hand Ship Lady her food!

Stacy chuckled at Norman's enthusiasm but frowned as he seemed to nearly completely ignore the newcomer. She really didn't want to think she was rising up on the list of the ninja cook's favorite people because it wasn't a list she wanted to be on. As she started following him, Stacy waved her arm to Kasai - though she didn't know his name a the time.

"Apparently he's excited about food," she commented whilst shrugging and heading down the stairs. "I dunno where everyone else is, but we might as well eat." It seemed simple enough logic to her. Without waiting to see if the man followed, Stacy pursued Norman all the way to the kitchen that she had already visited once on less than admirable circumstances.

"So," she dared to ask Norman, "what actually is for breakfast?"

Norman pushed a plate with a silver cover over it towards the closest open seat to Ship Lady. "Well a lot." He lifted off the silver cover. Underneath was a RIDICULOUSLY tall stack of waffles. A literal dozen in fact, with a couple of fried eggs on top, covered in syrup. Surrounding the waffles were sausage links, bacon strips, a small mound of rice with white gravy over it, and a pile of slashed browns. "Voila! Breakfast! Pretty tasty lookin huh?"

Stacy shrugged. It wasn't that she was unimpressed. She simply wasn't about to truly compliment him just yet because... well, she didn't want to. "I suppose," she answered, nonchalant as she could've possibly been in that moment. Taking a plate for herself, Stacy started out with the "slashed browns".

Munching on the first bite, she considered for a moment and then muttered, "Hmm. Not bad, I guess."

Collab With: @AllHailDago

Mentioned: @Sinister Clown

AllHailDago · Aug 22, 2016

Damian Havrick, Skorrig the Bloodied, and Shannon Laurel

Shannon couldn't help but wonder where things all went wrong. Verging on panick from underneath his cowl and cloak, the young Mink could only blame himself in a sense. Not ten minutes prior a man had come aboard and begun freeing everyone, telling them he was planning on getting them to safety, telling them that they would be free. It was amazing news and certainly something that lifted his spirits to hear. To think that he wouldn't have to see more children sold. He had never thought he would see a day like it.

And then the man opted to break the chain that kept him bound to the ship. It was literally a weight lifted from his shoulders. With no where else to go he had eagerly followed the man from the ship, hoping to see where this entirely new turn in life would have taken him. Now that he understood it was into a fire fight between a bunch of angry pirates and seemingly equally angry Marines.

Still, despite the chaos the Mink did his best to keep his head level as the man tried to sort out where to go, and as he did his best to keep the children from becoming too panicked like he had always done.

He may not have had a clue on where to go, but even he knew he didn't want to be here.

Damian had not liked being separated from his brother in such a serious operation, but accepted his orders nonetheless. His brother was much smarter than he was so he knew he had to be right about having him stay here. Plus it was to protect children, both from pirates and upstart marines, and Damian could not think of a more righteous duty than the protection of children.

For a while he stood watch as the man simply known as Keep got the children off the ship. He was content with how well it was going, and hoped his presence would remain unneeded. Unfortunately it was not to be so. Damian was in the middle of looking around to check that the other Marines were staying on task, searching ships and capturing fleeing pirates, rather than paying mind to the slave children being freed.

It was then that several dozen shots rang out from down the dock. Damian immediately hefted his shield and sword in preparation. Sure enough what had to be at least four or five pirate crews worth were running down the docks, swords and guns ready as they attacked the Marines checking ships. One ship was already leaving port, several dead or injured marines laying on the dock or in the water where the ship was tied off.

Damian bellowed out a command and mentally prayed for the safety of those still alive. "Marines, to arms! Do not allow these pirates to leave port." With that said Damian ran into the fray, shield up and sword at the ready. None of the immediate pirates were prepared for that, and were bashed aside by his shield as if they were flies. He swung his sword on a man drawing a pair of pistol and severed both of the mans hands as he leveled them at Damian. To think his brother was not here for such a large quantity of combat.

Having found himself to have been little use upon his craft, Skorrigg had instead opted to go stand at the beginning of the dock, somewhat out of curiosity for the Marines that were flooding the island. He understood, to an extent, why members of his crew were worried. The Marines weren't exactly known for their understanding nature or attitudes after all. Still, he didn't have reason to fear them, and as far as he was concerned they could likely return Mirstone to a safe town for the people that lived here.

Watching unflinchingly as the chaos ensued and the shots rang out, Skorrigg studied both sides carefully, the well trained Marines and the Pirates determined to escape, all while questioning why the fighting was even needed. It was, for the most part, utterly useless, and he couldn't fathom the point of letting such little differences cause such a huge issue. Climbing atop a pile of crates to gather a better perspective, Skorrigg only then noticed what appeared to be a man hunkered down amongst some crates, holding his bleeding arm. Skorrigg could also distinctly tell that he was surrounded by numerous smaller forms.

It didn't take a genius to understand that a man and some children were caught up in the midst of the action.

Leaping from his perch, Skorrigg quickly ran along the docks to reach the Marines. When he drew close enough he immediately began questioning why none had attempted to get the children out of harms way. Of course he didn't need their answers and bullets peppered off his armour and the crates around him. Without another word the armoured Northerner walked over to a nearby cart and grasped the side firmly before letting out a loud roar as he hefted the weighty thing and flipped it onto it's side. Seconds later he was pushing it forward.

As far as he was concerned he didn't care if the Marines followed, but his goal was simple, force his way to the children and get them out of harms way.

Damian was busy tossing a pirate who had jumped on his back into the sea when he hear a crash behind himself. He turned to find a rather large man compared to most pushing a cart, using it as a shield as he headed... directly towards the kids. Damian's jaw clenched in anger at the thought of someone laying a hand on those kids or the man who was helping them. He ran full speed towards the makeshift shield. He swung his great sword and cut the cart in half, then he followed it by kicking the bottom half at the mans legs.

Skorrigg shouldn't have been surprised by the attack at the other side of the cart, but couldn't help but stare at the Marine. If anyone should have been aiding these kids it should be the Marines, but lo and behold if it wasn't a Marine assailing him as he attempted to aid those in need.

Maybe he just didn't understand the world like he thought, but in his mind the military was to aid people in need, not harm them, and his jaw clenched in rage at the idea of a corrupt force being allowed to exist. Not even trying to avoid it, Skorrigg raised his right leg and stopped the cart piece kicked at him easily as he drew his axe from his back, knuckles whitening from the force in which he gripped the haft.

"You've gotten in the way of the wrong doctor today, boy."

Damian only became angrier that the man dared to condescent to him. Doctor's are supposed to heal, not attac the innocent. "Well, I suppose we'll see who's truly done wrong here, now won't we?!" Damian lowered his shield in front of him and ran straight at the man, prepared to put the full weight of his body behind a shied bash.

Being charged was nothing new to Skorrigg. His people had a tendency to solve anything with combat, and wrestling told him much about how to handle the charge of one larger and weightier than yourself. Kicking the piece of cart sideways, the Northerner used the momentum of the kick to push sideways, hefting his axe and spinning around with the full intent on striking the man in the back as he ran by. That said, death of the Marine was not on Skorrigg's mind, so he ensured that it would be the back of his axe striking rather than the head. No need to kill a man when you could have him dragged to a trial instead.

Damian felt the axe hit him in the back and for a second was afraid his oversight had led to a fatal wound. Thankfully the man had only hit him with the back of the axe, resulting in a resounding clanging sound against Damian's armor. He didn't waste time wondering how he had got so lucky and instead spun, swinging his great sword at the man. Though he swung it with the flat of the blade towards the man, rather than the blade. His intention was not to kill unless he had to, which he saw was something that separated him from his enemies. Though he would not give quarter to those that pushed him for too long.

With only just enough time to pull his axe back to block the blow, Skorrigg chided himself for not thinking that just because the man was armoured he wouldn't have been fast, and the swing that had been sent his way was most certainly fast. There was power behind it too, as his muscles grew taut from the strength needed to halt the sword's motion. The Northerner was getting a good feel for the caliber of enemy he was facing as even then the sword still came surprisingly close to tapping his face plate.

Narrowing his eyes fiercely, the man let out a roar as he pushed outward, intending on pushing the sword away from himself and swing in the haft from the man's non-dominant side. By the looks of things, as long as he could withstand or avoid the man's strike, this was going to be as easy as facing off against his own kinsman.

Damian couldn't believe how strong the man he was facing was to stop his swing, one handed or not. He didn't want to admit it but it was rather respectable in Damian's point of view. When the man swung the haft of his axe at Damian's face he realized he had to act fast. "Iron Body!", he said in a rushed tone. As the axe connected it knocked his helmet off his head, but left his face completely unharmed.

Damian stared with a grimace at the man. "You are clearly quite strong. Why would you waste your strength, and talents as a doctor, and instead attack unarmed civilians and children?"

Stepping back for a moment, Skorrigg let his right hand hold his axe easily as his left reached up and gripped the underside of his own helmet, lifting the peice of metal and bone off and revealing his own slightly scarred yet kindly face.

"Last I checked, boy, you are neither a child nor an unarmed civilian. As far as I am concerned your a degenerate of a Marine who would impede the rescue and protection of innocents. I heard tell of Marines that are heroes, but here you stand before me," Skorrigg thundered, a fearsome light growing in his usually soft eyes, "Nay, between me, and those that I have sworn oath to protect. I respect you as a warrior, boy, but if you continue to hamper my intent to escort those civilians to safety, I will see you cut down."

Understanding dawned in Damian's eyes as the man mentioned the civilians. It also made sense that the "accidental" strike in the back was non fatal on purpose. He sighed in annoyance. "If I am not a child then stop calling me boy, you condescending fool. I MEANT the civilians you were heading towards. I thought you were another pirate and were trying to kill them or use them as a hostage or something. Clearly I was incorrect." Damian pushed the axe harmlessly away from his face and lowered his shield and sword. "If you speak the truth we have no reason to fight each other."

Pausing slightly at the new understanding, Skorrig had to restrain himself from lashing out at the boy for having blindly assailed him. Instead he placed his axe on the ground and took a moment to count backwards from ten before heaving a deep breath and letting all anger or frustration leave his mind, returning his features to those of warmth and friendliness.

"No reason at all."

_______

Sitting in awe of the pair of behemoths as they had duked it out, Shannon did his best to keep the veritable flock of children calm as he had set to work cleaning and binding the man who had freed him's wound. It wasn't until the pair had ceased their fighting that he finally paid them heed, having been fairly surprised when all hostilities that they had, just seconds before held, seemed to simply melt away. From behind his face scarf and under his cowl, the young Mink let a smile take over his features as hope for a final peace seemed imminent.

Instead he nearly jumped out of his skin as the sharp retort of a rifle fired off from somewhere near the pirates, and he had to do his best to keep himself from scampering off for cover.

Damian turned to find the kids were thankfully fine as it appeared the scuffle between the man and himself had kept anyone from getting to close. He had to admit he was quite relieved as he hadn't thought the fight might distract him from protecting the kids. Damian turned to address the man he had fought and ask his name. Though when he went to open his mouth to speak a shot rang out through the area. Damian jerked to the side and yelled in pain as a bullet tore though his right ear.

He immediately tucked his head down to guard it with his armor as he looked for his helmet. "Everyone stay down, I don't want you getting hit by that idiots gunfire." He put himself between the kids and the direction the bullet came from. As he did another bullet his his armor and bounded off.

Any anger that had fled him returned in full force as his opponent took a bullet and then proceeded to use himself as a human shield. Eyes glowing with pure unadulterated rage, the Northener let out an ungodly roar as he spun his axe over his head thrice before releasing it with a mighty swing.

So shocked by the show of force, the pirates froze for a moment as they all turned to look at the shooter that had scored the hit on the Marine. For the unfortunate soul, time seemed to have frozed as he questioned why his legs seemed to be sprawled out under him. Seconds later his torso slid off the flat of the axe blade embedded in the wooden wall behind him, and with the muffled thump of the man's corpse the pirates suddenly regained their senses and opened fire again.

In response Skorrigg lifted the half of the cart still near him and hefted it up. Using it as a makeshift shield yet again, the man moved forward and took up stance next to the Marine, speaking loudly and clearly for both him and the children.

"Use me as a distraction and get these children out of here. Tell your Marines to lay down cover fire as well, you all need to get out of this clearing."

Damian simply nodded in understanding. "Men, covering fire! Do not let a single bullet reach these children. I am getting them out of here!" As he bellowed out the order those Marines that hadn't begun counter attacking since the pirate had been bisected started returning fire once more. Damian softened his previously aggressive battle face and took on one of a parent talking to children. "Come kids, we're getting you away from this."

Shannon couldn't help but watch in awe as these two men that had only just been enemies now worked together. Part of him knew it was their armour, but the small boy couldn't help but have his mind blown at the mere idea of men standing against bullets of all things. He knew what bullets did, and they didn't exactly have a tendency for bouncing off of people.

When the man that had rescued him began ushering the children away Shannon was quick to follow suite, his ears pinned to his head due to the din and his mind racing from the going ons around him. If it weren't for his habit of always double checking on the children he would have missed it, but lo and behold if it wasn't the youngest girl, likely only an older toddler, still curled up. Shannon tried pulling on the arm of the rescuer, but he didn't seem to notice, and neither did either of the two larger men.

Nerves rattled enough, Shannon was about to just continue running, but he froze as his hands drifted up to his collar, specifically where his rescuer had broken the chain. He wasn't some servant boy anymore, right? And what if that was him back there? Would he want to be left behind.

With legs like jelly and a heart hammering already Shannon nearly turned to run back to the group twice before screwing his eyes shut and focusing on the wailing of the girl that could only just be heard amongst the gun fire and fighting. Taking off full tilt he reached the girl and tried to lift her up, but realised that he wasn't strong enough. At the same time an odd almost pear shaped obect landed near him. He almost didn't recognise it, but by the time he did there was shouting, one of the large men running back and the sensation of being squished and flying all at the same time.

Seconds later there was a jarring stop and the young Mink realised that one of the large men had grabbed him, and while at first he thought the man had leapt to safety he almost immediately began noticing that his saviour's back was smoking fiercely and that he was wincing. As Shannon moved to check on him a pirate came running towards them, but the man stood up and began to wrestle the pirate despite his terrible injuries. Before Shannon could think of anything to help, the man began to practically yell at him, but instead of it being anything in anger it was a description.

Understanding it as a boat he was being decribed, and his shaking and adrenaline addled body trying to collapse on him as it was, when Shannon realised he was being told to run to the man's ship he did so immediately, panicking and scrabbling down the dock, his eyes sharp as it sought out the boat he was to find.

The boat would be safe. The boats were always safe.

Damian had barely registered the incoherent yelling over the gunfire and screams on the docks. Thankfully he had turned around anyway in time to see the large man from before toss the half of the cart over something and then toss a girl his way. Damian caught the child and handed her off to the man known as Keep. He then motioned for the rearmost Marines to escort them away from the battle.

He used Iron Body once more, this time keeping it on as looked around for his helmet. He found it and put it on as he ran back towards where the large man had seemingly been hit by an explosive. He passed by what appeared to be another youngish girl who was running full speed towards the docked ships. He stood between her and oncoming fire until she was safely away and then he went to check on the man from before. By the time he reached him the Marines were just finishing dealing with the last of the pirates still on the docks.

He ran to the man's side to discover him rather seriously burned and with a dead pirate lying a foot or two away, his neck at a rather unnatural angle. "Medic! Man down over here!" Damian yelled out. "Are you okay? I didn't catch your name."

"Name?" Skorrigg wheezed. He felt like trash and there was a lot running through his head following his short flight as his mind tried to take stock of all the damage that had been done to his body. It was a long list he wasn't overtly sure he wanted to know of. Huffing a pained laugh, Skorrigg weakly lifted a hand for the man to shake, "Skorrigg the Bloodied, though I'm sure Skorrigg the Scalded would be a more apt name at the moment."

Damian shook the man's hand lightly, careful not to cause any extra unwarranted pain in his condition. "Well Skorrigg, any man so willing to risk his own life for that of a single innocent is someone the Marines could definitely use. Would you perhaps like to use your strength aboard my brother and I's crew? After we get you back to being the Bloodied that is." He chuckled lightly at the dumb joke.

Nodding lightly at the man, Skorrigg let out groan as he laid his head back and closed his eyes at the pounding in his mind that had started after the grenade went off. Mulling it over, he was going to feel bad opting out of Scarlet's crew, but the truth was, as a medic, he knew that he wouldn't survive the night without intensive treatment. He didn't have the option of joining her now.

Furthermore, this man, the marine, had proved to him that perhaps there were Marines he could work with, Marines that did uphold the tales of heroes that would stand down dragons if it meant saving one life.

These tales were ones that he could take back home and be proud of.

"Sounds like a generous offer, one too generous for me to fairly refuse. I would proudly stand amongst your crew, you know, once I regain the capabilities to stand. Oh, I suppose you're sir now. Sorry, going to take a while to get used to that."

Damian laughed genuinely at the comment about being called sir. "Nonsense. If anyone will need to be called sir it's my brother. He leads our ship. Aside from when taking orders from a commanding officer, you only really need to use a persons rank. I'm Commander Damian, and I'll be glad to vouch for you to my brother, Skorrigg. Or i should say Seaman Recruit Skorrigg."

@Pequeno Burraidh

@QuirkyAngel(so you can sleep soundly, hopefully)

shadowdude505 · Aug 22, 2016

Cletus T. Bass & Markus

Gods the burning was unbareable! What time of person throws a flash bang in a populated area!   Why didn't' he blink!? Noooo he had to stare at the black thing that was falling to the ground! Just had to! And now look he couldn't see anything! With his hands covering his eyes he stumbled about a bit as he rubbed them trying to be able to see again. He heard Ryuu say something and then the girl siad something. But that didn't concern him! What did was the fact his eyes were stinging!

Forcing himself the best he could he focused, with only one eye open he looked over at Celtus. "You Foggy mist! Why would you throw that in a populated area!?" He shouted as he grabbed his sword tightly in his hand and drew it. "I don't know what your parents were thinking when they raised you! But throwing things like that in the street is not okay! At the very least I have to fine you!" He shouted obviously angered as he pointed his sword at him. "Lower your gun you Fog! Have you any manners!?!"

Cletus acknowledged Scarlet's "I got this one!" with a grumble. He would quickly find out that her fighting style messed up his chances for a decent shot on Derek. He ditched his combat calculations for Scarlet's opponent and tossed out his battle plans for Ryuu, who seamed distracted with something else. That only left Markus.

"It's a dog eat dog world out there, kid," Cletus scoffed. "The sooner that fact shakes ya out of your thick skull, the better." Finding his angle of attack, Cletus fired his rifle at a nearby crate and bounced a ricochet bullet off of it, sending the bullet at the marine's sword. As the bullet cut through the air, Cletus pumped his rifle and pointed it back at Markus. "This is you're only warning," he growled.

"YOU FIRED AT A MARINE!??!" Markus shouted obviously not happy when the bullet smashed into his sword. It didn't destroy the weapon, however it did leave a crack, one that went unoticed by Markus. "You are under arrest for attacking an officer of the law! Lower your weapons and give yourself up! You move that finger at all and I will be forced to cut you where you lay!"

Cletus just scowled at Markus. He was surprised that the marine hadn't tried to charge him with his sword. Ignoring the babbling marine's orders, Cletus aimed for one of Markus' legs and fired. No fancy trick shots this time.

The moment Cletus moved the gun Markus puffed out a cheek in anger. "Arrgh! Come on man!" When the bang sounded Markus ran to the side in an moment and started to run for Celtus in a circular approach, as he didn't think going straight would be the brightest idea. "Look! That didn't hit me so if you put the gun down we can arrest you! And to make it better you can have one of those cupcakes I've heard were so famous on this island!" He shouted being very serious about that offer.

Of coarse the marine would decide to dodge that. At least he had the common sense to use his sword in a gun fight. Cletus looked down his sights as he tracked Markus' circular running and fired at the wood floor, trying to bounce a bullet into the marine's leg.

Markus ran at impressive speeds heading right for Cletus however that speed decreased significantly when he felt something pierce his leg.   A gasp left him and he looked down at his leg, there he saw his clothes were becoming bloody. However he didn't stop running, it did hurt, however it wasn't a direct hit. It sliced his leg but not enough to stop him in his tracks. Closing a lot of distance Markus brought his sword and slashed right for Cletus chest.

Cletus had hit his target, but as Markus charged at him, he quickly calculated that he didn't have time for another shot. Preparing himself for the sword attack, Cletus gripped his rifle with his non-dominate hand and used the rifle stock to protect his chest. Now locket in close combat, Cletus quick drew his revolver with his dominate hand and aimed the barrel at Markus' sword hand. "This is gonna sting." Bang!

Markus couldn't react fast enough as the shot went off and the next thing he knew there was intense pain in his hand. Letting out a yell of pain he was forced to drop his sword. Letting out a low growl as he grabbed his bloody hand with his free one.   He moved back a bit as he glared at Celtus and before the other could fire a shot he thrusted one leg forward aiming a kick to his wrist to disarm him of the revolver.

Cletus growled when Markus kicked his hand and the blow managed to knock the revolver away; however, that wasn't the tool Cletus was intending to use for his follow up. Instead he resorted to trying to knock Markus out with a blow from his rifle stock aimed at the side of his head.

When the blow came for his head Markus almost got hit by it. However before it could actually hit him he ducked down. Keeping his wounded hand close to his gut he used his free hand to grab the dropped sword. This wasn't his sword hand but it had to do. Moving up at a fast speed but nothing impressive he sent a jab to his gut.

Cletus dove toward his revolver and felt Markus' sword cut his side. He tried to ignore the pain as he picked his gun up and rolled onto his feet. "I'm gettin' too old for this..." He thought. He could really use a smoke now, not that he had time to.

Cletus dropped his rifle and held his non-dominate hand over his revolver's hammer. Cletus fanned the hammer and rabidly fired three shots aimed at Markus' legs and knees, with the other three trying to hit his new sword hand and arms.

Markus was already wounded and he tried to move out of the way from the bullets that were raining down on him. He got lucky with two of the bullets missing him. However not so much with the other four. One hit his thigh and embedded itself deep, another hit his shoulder and arm while the last hit his sword cracking it even more. The pain from the bullets was becoming unbearable for the marine as he fell on his only good knee once more dropping his sword and growled in pain. "Damn fog pirate!" He shouted as his free hand held his wounded shoulder.

Taking several deep breaths he glared at Celtus. Shakily he started to stand again as he picked up his sword with his free hand. "You...are under arrest." He was struggling to get his feet again as he stumbled some and fell to his knees again. Using his blade he tried to push himself up. "Put your weapons down and com...come in peacefully." With a push that took a lot of effort he was standing once again as he held out his sword. Heavy breaths left him, his stance was messy and his body was unstable from the holes that were in it along with the pain it was enduring. "Now surren...sur... Surrender!"

Cletus watched as Markus struggled to stand. The fight wasn't quite over yet. "When you see your marine friends, tell 'em Deadeye Cletus says hello," he said before pistol whipping Markus.

Markus looked up at Cletus and before he could say anything he was hit upside the head. And with that he was out on the ground completely unconscious from that attack.

With the fight finally over, Cletus glanced over to check on Scarlet and saw that her fight with the other Marine was over as well. He quickly loaded his revolver before sticking it in his hip holster. Cletus picked up his rifle and reloaded three bullets to replace the ones that he fired at Markus earlier, before he also put that gun away. Cletus then pulled out a cigarette and lit it with his lighter. "Let's get movin', Captain. We still have that flag to snag," he said as he smoked.

Collab with: @Peaceswore

@DaughterofAthena

Sullivanity · Aug 23, 2016

Raine Braddock

Raine Braddock woke up to a wall of complete and utter darkness. At least, that's what it seemed like at first. But as his eyes slowly adjusted, flecks of light in the surface could be seen, illuminating the rough and knotted wood before him. He realized that he was currently crammed inside a crate. Raine began to panic, if only for a moment, as his mind raced trying to remember what had led up to this.

A day earlier...

"Wadda ya mean you can't find him!? The damn kid sticks out like a sore thumb!" Captain Jajon shouted. Meanwhile, below deck in a bunk/storage room, Raine cursed his bad luck. He thought he had finally found a man worthy of becoming pirate king when he joined the crew of the infamous pirate "black eyed" Jajon. As it turns out, he was just another greedy basterd looking to turn a former slave like Raine in for a quick buck.

Suddenly, the dull sound of footsteps resonated around a few corners not too far from Raine's room. He knew he needs to disappear, fast. Using his unnatural neck, he began to scan the dark, over glorified broom closet for a hiding place . Cabinet? No. Hammock? No. Blanket? No. Crate? Well, it was a bit small, but Raine understood that desperate times called for desperate measures. Just as he slipped the lid over his head, two shadowed figures came in the room.

"Damnit, he's not here either! Has somone searched the kitchen yet?" One figure said to the other.

"Dunno. Let's go over there and check" the other figure replied. The footsteps grew more and more quiet until fading completely. Raine sighed under his breath in relief, but he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet. He began to sift around the bottom of the crate. There were empty bottles, dust, some bits of cloth, and.... a book? Raine shifted his head closer to his hands, and strained his eyes to try and identify exactly what he had found. The book itself was old and worn, but it was obviously made with extreme care and diligence.

"One of the Pirates must have thrown it away after looting it" Raine whispered quietly. He began to sound out the title, his education being nearly nonexistent. "Dragon... Claw.... Fist?" Below the title, a stylized picture of a claw with three fingers was seen. It was still to dark to examine the contents, but Raine guessed it was some sort of training manual for a martial art. Placing the book in the waistline of his pants, Raine adjusted his abnormal body until he was so what comfortable. Despite the chaos going on around the ship, he managed to fall into a deep sleep.

Present day...

With a controlled push, Raine gently lifted the lid up, leaving just enough space for him to look around. He was apparently sitting in a shipyard, and since nobody seemed to be nearby, he completely removed the top of the crate. Raine allowed his three-foot neck to stretch out to its full night with an audible crack. He sighed. It felt good to finally be out of that cramped space. Further scanning the shipyard, one boat in particular caught his eye. It looked like a marine battle ship that had been modified heavily. It's dragon mast head gave it the apperence of a pirate ship. Raine began to head closer to the ship. If Jajon's crew had landed in Mirstone, they would likly be looking for him. He needed to get on another ship as soon as he could. And who knew; perhaps the captain would be the one he was looking for?

As Raine neared the ship, the aroma of delicious food reached his nose. His stomach rumbled in response. At the very least, he was determined to get a meal. He started to straighten out the wrinkles in his shirt and pants. Raine was wearing a simple outfit consisting a loose fitting, lavender, button up shirt tucked into dark grey, baggy pants that had been rolled up just below his knees. His shoes were simple black loafers with pointed tips. Around his waist, he had a black belt with a gold, jolly-roger buckle. Raine , satisfied with his apperence, called up to the ship.

"Yo! Permission to come aboard?" He called, loudly to the passengers of the ship. Raine didn't see see any on board, but he certainly smelled somthing.

Calling to: @AllHailDago & @DaughterofAthena

Lady Warlock · Aug 23, 2016

Yumi Tahiro and Robin Linwade

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]A woman chuckled to herself as she made her way away from the scene of her own theft, dragging along with her that which she had stolen against his consistent protests. Her captive’s protests weren’t even the main reason behind her laughter either. Instead, Yumi found herself to be laughing at the words she heard from the man she’d stolen from. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]‘Oh… you’ll get your goddamn satisfaction, boy! Don’t you worry about that. It’ll be so much fun.’ [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]She’d pass that message on to him later, though.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Finally, when there was enough distance between her and the man she’d stolen from, Yumi shifted out of the cloud of smoke she had become and laid her prey upon the ground.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Now… what I need you for is quite simple really,”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]she said to him with a smile of mischief.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“What’s the marine plan here? You can’t tell me they just showed up intending to capture as many as they could.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Robin chuckled before he found himself coughing incessantly from all the damage he had taken. He truly wasn’t in the best shape.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“You think I’m going to give that kind of information to you?”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]the marine managed to inquire despite the pain surging through him. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Yes, I do.”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Yumi commented.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“You’re going to tell me because I know there’s something you still want to do in this world. I don’t know what it was, but I could see it as you fought that pirate earlier.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Ahh… you saw th-that,”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he stuttered through a grimace.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Mmhm.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Robin considered, gasping and shifting his position slowly now that he had a few more pieces of the puzzle in his grasp. Finally he sighed. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Well, if you’ll do me the honor of allowing me to live through to see the end of this…”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he finally caved.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“There’s a timer… probably close to the end of it’s rope by now. First there will be smaller explosions along the docks to scare the rest of the ships out to the water. Then comes my favorite… I don’t even know if it’ll work, but if it does…” [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]He smiled and shook his head.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“The explosion will be worth dying to see.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Thank you sir. Enjoy the show!”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Yumi hissed out the words before slithering away, her body once more transitioning into the smoke that she was made of.[/SIZE]

Peaceswore · Aug 24, 2016

Arlen & 'Ryuu'

Arlen examined the crumpled picture of himself thoughtfully, his other hand absent-mindedly tossing the enemy’s blade up and down. It really was well done. Since the time he and Nerissa acquired a bounty, he’d changed his style, shortened his hair, even took off all the gold accessories, yet the 2D face staring back up at him was still recognizable as his own.

Emerald eyes flickered up to the knife-thrower who was waving at him from the harbor. “A bounty hunter or a marine then…”

Marine was the obvious choice, considering the current raid. Arlen rolled his eyes. What was the guy’s problem? First the man crashed Kaito’s stolen vessel into another ship, causing a fire. Then he damaged Arlen’s canoe with his little ugly minions. And now he was challenging Arlen head on.

Arlen crumpled the bounty in his left hand, his eyes brightening as he tossed it into the water. It was un-mistakably a challenge. And Arlen never turned down a challenge.

“He’s after my bounty,” Arlen told his current companion. He looked towards the Charbydis. “You go ahead to Captain Scarlet’s ship. It’s not far. I’ll join you after I deal with him.”

Water was filling the canoe, reaching his ankles. While Arlen didn’t like the thought of leaving the Mirage Island vessel behind, there was only so much he could do. He glanced down at what he had on the small boat: a grappling hook and rope (which he had used to scale the merchant vessel), duct tape, a pair daggers (which he’d hidden in his red jacket before tearing the fabric to patch his canoe), an oar, and the ugly gremlin taped to the side of the canoe.

“Hmm, what to do?”

Arlen pocketed his daggers in his shorts. Then he reached for the grappling hook, spun it, and tossed it so that the claws were lodged into a jutting pier. Arlen tied the other end of the rope to the canoe, creating a slackline…with one of its anchors steadily sinking. There was no time to think. Using the oar as a balancing tool, not that he really needed it, Arlen sprinted across the rope without an ounce of hesitation.

The moment he felt the tension of the rope dissipate, Arlen leapt, twisted his body midair so that he kicked off the side of an unknown vessel, flipped, and landed on the pier. Making his way to ‘Ryuu’ with an oar in one hand and the man’s knife in the other, the half naked teen grinned in exhilaration and pointed the bladed tool at the…marine?

“Here I am. If it’s a fight you want, you’ve got it!” Pause. Then Arlen tilted his head. “Mind telling me your name now?”

-------------------

With three switch blades in his hand, it would have been all too easy to toss them and see how many body parts he could pierce before the boy got even close to him. However he decided against that, after all, if he killed him before any blows could be exchanged or word. Well, that would be beyond dull now wouldn't it?   So return the knives to his coat he brought out a pen, and a thick journal as he waited. 'Ryuu' knew it would take a bit for the other to get to him so might as well pass the time. Glancing up from time to time to check the others progress he focused on what he did on the book more or less. However the moment he heard Arlen's feet hit the ground and approach him a small smirk appeared on his face though he didn't look at his opponent as he continued to write in the journal.

"Hm? Fight? Now that's adorable~" 'Ryuu' couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as he closed his book and returned his pen to his pocket. Having one hand in his pocket and the other rest against his side as he held the book he finally decided to actually look at Arlen. "You know how small your bounty is, so I don't think you should consider what is going to happen to you next a fight. I'm out of your league after all. As for names, why do you want to know? Not going to do you much good when you are gargling on your blood."

"Fine, don't tell me your name." Arlen rolled his eyes. Then he tossed the man's knife back at him, aiming for the face. Wielding the oar like a staff, Arlen spun it a couple times, testing it before darting forward. "If you won't tell me, I'll find out the hard way. After beating you black and blue!"

He swung the weapon horizontally at 'Ryuu's midsection. "I couldn't care less about you outsiders and your bounties."

'Ryuu' only let out a sigh when the blade was tossed at his face, as in a flash he caught it with his free hand. Moving his eyes off Arlen and down at the blade he blinked a few times. "Woops I threw the wrong blade, really don't want to lose this one." Chuckling a bit he put that in his pocket along with his hand as he went back to watching.   When Arlen stepped forward he said nothing and did nothing for a bit though a small groan did leave him.

When Arlen got close enough to attack 'Ryuu' merely stepped back far enough so the oar couldn't hit him. "Dull, does no one banter now in days before going to attack?" He asked as he opened his book and began to flip through the pages, again his eyes were not on Arlen as he did this. "I got to say, outsiders? What rock have you been secluded on?"

"Did anyone ever tell you talk too much?" Arlen growled, irritated that his opponent didn't even seem to be looking at him. It meant it wasn't being taken seriously. That was a first for Arlen. Ever since becoming the Leviathan, no one on Mirage Island had been able to defeat him. Loss wasn't an option. Even after leaving the island with the Priestess of Water, he'd yet to meet an outsider who could best him. "If you wanted small talk, magicking those creatures to destroy my boat isn't the way to go about."

Spinning, Arlen struck again with the oar, but this time aiming to knock the book aside. It was seriously annoying.

"All. The. Time. Never listen though, after all I'm sure everyone adores my angelic voice."   After saying this however even he had to let out a light laugh as he shook his head. "Really? I figured sending goblins to kill someone is a great conversation starter! Haha." Just as the oar came for the book Ken dropped down to the ground, both his hands now touching the pavement he shot his leg up at incredible speeds aiming to break the oar right in half. "It's not pointy enough to cause any damage. Let me help with that~"

Arlen blinked as the oar snapped in half, leaning back barely in time to avoid the foot and arching into a backflip. Fast. It had been a while since he had found a worthy opponent. Tossing the broken halves of the oar aside and drawing his scimitar, Arlen leveled it at his opponent. "This pointy enough for you?"

Getting up and dusting himself off a but he looked at the new weapon that was in Arlen's hand. "Depends if its for show or battle." he said with a calm smile as he glanced back at his book now scratching the back of his head with his free hand, with a slightly perplexed look on his face. "This entire time, I have been trying to figure out what it is the best way to deal with you in an entertaining way? Killing you right off the bat won't work for me, I'll fall asleep in the middle of it. Using my.....magic as you said, on you won't work either.... There's no thrill to it." Sighing and shaking his head he put his book away in his pocket.

Putting both hands in his pocket he thought about something for a bit before he smirked a rather mischievous one. "I will not use my hands or arms~ That should make things fun for me~" Giving himself a nod of approval he moved his eyes back on Arlen. "Force me to use my hands or arms, and you win. How's that sound~ I think that is a very generous offer~ Take it or leave it."

A tick mark appeared on Arlen's forehead. Really. The guy's level of annoying-ness knows no bounds. Here he was taking the fight seriously and the guy was offering not to use his hands. Clearly the marine, whoever he was, was completely confident in his ability to beat Arlen without handicaps. Arlen gritted his teeth. It struck at his pride.

Arlen's eyes flickered briefly in the direction of the Charbydis before returning to the marine. But the situation at Mirestone called for speed. As much as it galled him to agree to the terms, returning to Nerissa's side took priority. It was the duty assigned to him by the chieftans. And, unlike the opponent before him, he didn't think he could beat him before the marine's backup arrived.

"What do I get if I win?"

"How does your life sound~"

Arlen's blade sliced through the air a centimeter from slashing the marine's face. "Let's just see how good you are first."

"You missed~" 'Ryuu' Whispered under his breath as he pivoted his left foot before sending a swift kick to Arlens side. "When you get a chance to hit you shouldn't waste it on taunts~ Unless the enemy is easy~"

The kick hurt. A lot. But that was the moment Arlen had been waiting for. Digging his feet into the ground, the teenager immediately dropped the scimitar, his long fingers wrapping around the marine's leg. Arlen knew how to use a sword, but he wasn't a swordsman mainly. He was a grappler. Tightening his grip, Arlen twisted the leg.

'Ryuu' looked at Arlen and let out a low whistle. "Not shabby, most get sent flying from a weak hit like that~" He said as he stood there his hands in his pockets not an ounce of worry on his face. Before Arlen could twist it Ryuu gave it a light tug just to check how tight the grip was. "Good good, better than I thought you would be capable of doing~"

When his leg was twisted he used his free leg to push off the ground, allowing the leg to be twisted he helped by also turning his body with it. And with that the other leg moved at impressive speeds the leg aiming for the back of his head with a great deal of force.

Arlen saw spots of white as the attack landed, his vision darkening as he fell forward, one hand still holding 'Ryuu's' leg while the other reached into his pocket. In a blur of motion, he sent his hidden dagger towards the marine--a last ditch effort to wipe the smirk of his opponent's face before his body landed on the ground.

Thump.

"Damn...losing to someone like you...is really annoying ..."

The Leviathan struggled with unconsciousness for a few moments. Then everything faded into black.

As the other fell 'Ryuu' was able to yank his leg out of his grasp and land on the ground with one leg. However due to his position there was no way for him to dodge when the knife flew right for him heading straight for his gut. Taking a hand out of his pocket he grabbed the blade via the hilt before he put his other foot on the ground. Looking at the blade his face was blank before a smirk crept up to his face once again.

"Well, looks like you win~" He hummed as he took the dagger and placed it in his pocket. "Making me use my hands, got to say not shabby." Letting a small chuckle leave him he squatted down next to Arlen and rested his elbows on his thighs.   He watched as the other started to lose consciousness and soon a sigh left him.

"Be a damn shame if you already got captured and executed huh?" He asked as he grabbed the boy by his hair and lifted him up eye level. "Since you seem really interested in names, and since you weren't too dull.... I'll let you have a second prize. Assuming you can hear me in this pitiful state of yours. My name is Ken Tanaka~ and this is far from the last time you and I will have fun~" Chuckling a bit he stood up still keeping a tight grip on the other's hair. "You glanced at that ship didn't you, hm..... Okay lets go."

Knowing it would be easier to carry him over his shoulder he slung him up and adjusted him to make sure he wouldn't fall from sudden movement. "Geez you need to lose some weight." He muttered under his breath as he kicked the ground hard and soon he was soaring through the air. "Moon walk."   Hitting the air several times he soon came upon his destination and when he did he gracefully landed on the railing. Now grabbing Arlen by the back of his pants he held him out as if he weighed nothing while looking at the current crew available. "Oi! Is this guy one of yours right?"

Collab with @QuirkyAngel

@AllHailDago @vergil @Felix @QuirkyAngel @Anyoneon the Charbydis

Wang · Aug 24, 2016

Aria Rumiko

Aria turned her head to look out the window, her eyes struggling to stay open as the contrast of the shining sun to the darkness in her room was too much for her. Not only was the brightness overwhelming, but she had barely gotten enough sleep, and was hoping to sleep in until noon, having been through a lot the day prior. There was a gathering of what appeared to be nearly every single pirate on the island, and it all led to an argument which ended with a confirmation that the one with the map to the One Piece was still on the island, watching and waiting to make a move. Another thing she was busy with was searching for a crew suitable for her. Although she had been there for two days, she had yet to find a pirate crew which she felt that she’d fit in. She was exhausted to say the least, but she had to get up as she couldn’t get a clear view from inside and didn’t want to be in danger. She yawned and stretched her arms, rolling off the bed and looking at herself in the mirror. She was startled by her own reflection; the messy hair and the bags she had under her eyes made her look horrifying.

“Oh no…” She quickly grabbed her comb and brushed her hair carefully. Afterwards she took a glass of water and splashed it onto her face to make herself more awake. She then went to do some things and then grabbed a set of clothes to change to. It was her usual attire composed of a lavender-colored blouse, a white petticoat, and dark purple shoes. She walked over to a corner and picked up the bow and arrow which was on the floor, and placed them into her personal quiver. After equipping the quiver on her back, she strolled to her bed and wore her purse which contained smoke bombs.

“I think that’s everything…” She glanced around her before opening the door and walking out. She walked towards what she thought to be the source of the noise, becoming more and more anxious with each step. She raised her eyebrows when she saw numerous people running, all going in the same direction. What made them act like that? She was very interested in finding out, but at the same time a little nervous. Whoever was behind this must be very threatening if they can cause havoc like that. She caught a glimpse of what appeared to be an army being led by a single person and wondered if they were behind this. Once they came into view, her eyes widened. She had seen that uniform before. The white shirt, the blue neckerchief, the dark blue trousers, and the cap on which was written the name of the military group…

“The Marines!” She tried to stay on guard, realizing how much danger she was in. Fighting them this early was a bad idea for her, and she wasn’t sure if she could even defeat them. She didn’t know if they would attack her, given that she didn’t have a bounty yet, so she decided to try to speak to them. Out of all of them, the woman in front seemed to have the most power and authority, so she walked over to her and waited for her to act.

Mentioned: @DaughterofAthena

Pequeno Burraidh · Aug 24, 2016

Shannon came to a stop far further down the dock than he would have thought possible for how short a time he'd been running. Pulling in deep breaths, the boy pulled his head scarf from his face and relished as the cool air rushed down into his lungs, unhampered by the cloth that had obscured him from the world just prior. Sinking down to sit on the boards under his feet, Shannon couldn't believe what had just happened, and he could still feel his heart pounding erratically in his chest. Desperate to calm down he lifted his hands up to clamp down on his ears and closed his eyes, leaning his head back and he tried to let his mind slow.

Still, how was it going to slow?

He was lost, had no idea how to find the Charbydis that the man had told her about, and on top of not having a clue how to find the rest of the kids, he sure as heck wasn't about to head back into the town. Not again anyway. Ships were definitely safer than towns as far as he had anything to say about it. It was all just so much. He had always dreamed about getting anyway from the slavers and finding his own life somewhere, but he didn't want it to be hard, he hadn't expected for so much to be going on. People were dying! People weren't supposed to die like this, and this isn't what he wanted to happen to allow him to get away. It was kind of making him feel guilty.

Rising back up now that he'd had a moment to rest, Shannon began making his way down the docks as the noises of the battle filtered through his cowl and he couldn't help but wince at the odd scream or cry of pain was heard. He found himself wishing he could help more people, or at least find someone, as he wasn't a fan of being alone on the docks surrounded by potentially dangerous peoples.

"Hey, there they are!"

"You sure?"

"Yea, quick, let's grab the kid and go before anyone tries to stop us!"

Attention grabbed, Shannon turned to see two men in uniform running after him. If he would have thought about it, he would have realised the uniforms belonged to the group that had rescued him. He then perhaps would have realised that the pair of men were coming to save him. But as scattered and scared as he ways they didn't sound like they were there to help and Shae responded accordingly, taking off at dead sprint in the opposite direction all while looking around desperately for anyone that could potentially help him.

And as if fate had reached down and blessed him, Shae suddenly found his eyes falling upon none other than the name of the very same ship he'd been sent for, listing idly amongst the waves. Putting as much speed into his already burning legs, the cowled boy raced up the dock ramp and aboard all while looking back at the pair of Marines chasing him, his heart rising to his throat as he realised they were already at the gangplank. So worried about those behind him Shannon didn't even see the man that he ran into, but sure felt it as he stumbled back and fell on his rump.

"Stupid kid, come here, now!" on of them belted out angrily between breaths before the second Marine spoke up, "Stupid brat, just come back quietly and we won't have to worry about anything."

In blind hope Shannon stood back up and ran around the far side of the person he;d run into, looking up to see the face of a very calm looking man. All the Mink could hope for now was that this man would protect him and get these two Marines away.

@AllHailDago

Lady Warlock · Aug 24, 2016

Stacy Beauregard and Ferra McKlinnen

Walking calmly despite everything that had occurred, Ferra approached the Sea Dragon easily as she began to undo the clasps for her arm bracers, knowing full well that her longcoat would have been clean of any blood at this point. The first thing to draw her attention upon return however was that the Captain had not returned, the second being the tall and odd looking man at the dock side of the gang plank.

Thing was, he wasn't her problem. The only issue she had was that the Captain was missing, and they were running low on time.

Boarding the Sea Dragon Ferra dropped both her gauntlets before shrugging out from the wrap of her Blackheart's Recompense. Grabbing her long coat, she gave it a final shake before slipping into it and beginning to re-equip herself, only now speaking out.

"Has anyone seen Captain Kenji Kita?"

Down below deck, Stacy had only managed to eat not even half of the meal Norman had been serving before she decided she'd had more than enough for breakfast. Standing up from her seat, she glanced towards the ninja cook and gave him a subtle nod as if to say thank you. Then, she headed back up the stairs, intent on watching for the return of the captain and on keeping an eye out for any more marines.

She quickly noted that there were two new individuals near the deck of the ship. She nodded to each of them and caught the end of the woman's words.

"Kenji apparently went out to recruit more crewmates and hasn't come back yet," she explained simply. "There's breakfast, though. It's not bad."

Eyeing the woman up Ferra narrowed her eyes as she turned to look back towards the town.

"What's not bad, in your opinion, the breakfast or the Captain having not returned?" Ferra asked rhetorically, "Because we don't have time for this. It's not going to be long before the trap for the rest of the town closes, and then they're going to fall to this bay and begin sweeping the ships."

Walking to the side of the Sea Dragon, Ferra looked out towards the sea, imagining the Marines that were likely laying in wait or moving ever closer to storming the Harbor. There couldn't have been much time left, as she'd spent a fair deal meeting the Havricks.

"I think we may need to make a tough call, but first, I can't remember if we've been introduced. I'm Ferra McKlinnen, former Navy."

"Neither is terrible," Stacy admitted. "My first impressions of Captain Kenji were..." she rocked her head back and forth as she sought the proper term, "amateur at best. The only problem with the breakfast was that it was a bit much, honestly. The cook went overboard."

Stacy turned and watched as the woman made her way to the side and glanced outwards.

"As for not having time, I am aware. I'm not capable of sailing a ship on my own though and neither do I think that crazy cook would be much help. Sure, he can cook, but anything else... eh." She shrugged.

Stacy herself didn't think it would be too tough of a call for her to make, but for anyone else, she couldn't really claim to know. However, she could introduce herself.

"I'm Stacy Beauregard," she replied. "Mechanic..." She couldn't really give a fancy title like "Former Navy" so giving her trade seemed fair enough.

"Can't sail the craft?" Ferra mused as she made her way to the riggings and began to adjust the ropes. It was clear to her what was going to have to happen, and even if Stacy may have known about it first that didn't mean anyone could get the ship moving alone,and this was going to have to be a group effort. Or at least a paired effort, "Former Captain McKlinnen is a title that's been serving me well today it seems. I'm not a very good people person though, and don't want to assume command of anyone I don't have to. That said, anyone aboard this craft needs to know what's happening. They can stay and wait for Kenji on the dock, or they can risk escape with us, but I think you'd be better off putting that option out for everyone, not I. In the interest of time we may want to get this done quickly, I know there has to be more than just Captain Havrick commanding the Marines in Mirstone after all, and I also know there will be plenty that want us dead."

Walking back to the dock side of the ship Ferra gave another look at the long necked man and turned back to Stacy.

"What's up with him, friend of yours?"

Stacy promptly shook her head. "Nope. There's only really one who can claim to be a friend of mine and he isn't here. Although," she considered, "I suppose it wouldn't do us much good to turn down extra hands would it?"

Without waiting for too much confirmation, because she assumed she was accurate in her statement, Stacy gestured for the strange long-necked man to come aboard before she called out loud enough for anyone who was listening and nearby to hear. "Alright crew! This island's flooded with Marines! Sticking around is dangerous and our Captain is nowhere in sight! You have two choices: stay with us as we sail off the island or disembark now and take your chances against the marines!"

"Wait, Stacy, just out of curiosity, is the chef a far to excitable boy that makes you want to hit things? I think breakfast may have been my fault."

Collab With: @Pequeno Burraidh

Tags: @MidnightStar @AllHailDago @Sinister Clown @Sullivanity

Commander Evelyn Torack

[SIZE=14.6667px]As Evelyn remained at the lead of her little party heading inland, they encountered a group of people leaving an inn. She was surprised to find such a large group of people still remaining so far inland and turning to her group of troops, she called out to them, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Check the building! Make sure everyone gets out and direct them off the island! Evacuation is one of our primary duties otherwise we’re going to have injured civilians on our hands!”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]An echoing chorus of “Ma’am, yes Ma’am” came from the troops as they split off to search the building. Though unlikely, it was not impossible that some of the people who had stayed there still had no idea what was going on upon the island. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Evelyn remained where she was, directing the stragglers towards the docks where they could find ships to leave. By her reckoning, there was still some time yet before the docks turned into a mess so there was still plenty of opportunity for them to escape. [/SIZE]

… then again… Evelyn had no idea what fate had befallen Robin…

[SIZE=14.6667px]As she gestured for people to keep moving, Evelyn’s eyes fell upon a girl armed with a bow who seemed to be just standing there. It was… definitely odd, but Evelyn didn’t remark on the oddity. Instead she simply said, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“Keep moving. The island is not safe. Head towards the docks and get yourself off the island.”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px]Though her voice wasn’t as sharp as it would have been if she was giving an order, Evelyn made it clear in her tone that that really was the best thing to do. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Once the area seemed clear, Evelyn and her crew of marines headed further inland yet, checking for any more stragglers and for any notable pirates. [/SIZE]

Tags: @Yato

AllHailDago · Aug 24, 2016

Captain Sellick Havrick and Commander Evelyn Torack

As Evelyn meandered through the streets of Mirstone, searching for anyone who she might need to nudge towards the docks or for any potentially more important targets, she kept her eyes peeled. She wasn't really one who liked to miss things even if they were only minor details so she watched for anything and everything.

She heard them before she saw them. At the sound of voices, Commander Evelyn hugged herself close to the corner of a building and took her time to peer around the corner. What she saw were three males. Luckily for her, all three of them seemed to be lost in conversation so she had more time to look than she would've expected. However, she didn't really need too much of that time to learn what she needed to know. Two of them were pirates with bounties on their heads... 10 million beli and 15 million beli. She didn't remember their names, but she had seen their faces a few times looking through wanted posters. Evelyn wasn't one to forget faces.

Normally targets of those levels were not beyond her. However, there were two of them and Evelyn knew absolutely nothing about the third.

Gesturing to her marine party to stand down and stay away for the moment, she took a few further steps to distance herself from them before pulling out her Den Den Mushi and dialing up Sellick Havrick. He'd said to call if there were any problems or if she encountered any high level targets and Evelyn felt this qualified.

Sellick was busy patrolling with a group of Marines, intimidating a few straggler pirates towards the docks. He was trying quite hard not to worry about his brother who he had assigned to guard the children and the man who was helping them escape. Out of courtesy Sellick had refused to exchange names with the man. It was simply better for them both in order to have refused having met. He was in the middle of giving the returning Marines another order when his Den Den Mushi rang.

"This is Captain Sellick."

"Commander Evelyn speaking," Evelyn replied swiftly as soon as she heard the answer. Her voice was a sharp whisper but she made sure it was clear.

"I'm just outside the northeast sector of the city and I've encountered two high level targets. I'd appreciate some assistance." She desired to keep the conversation to a minimum because she wasn't sure if the targets would notice, and she hoped that came off in her tone.

"Understood. I will be there shortly." Sellick simply hung up and put his Den Den Mushi away. "Lieutenant Hawkeye. You're in charge while I take care of something. Keep the patrols moving smoothly, and should any high profile targets appear do not engage. Contact me and I will handle it accordingly." A young looking blonde woman saluted with a yes sir. With that Sellick disappeared in a blink, a bare whisper of Shave being all that was to mark his disappearance.

"Yes sir." Evelyn commented, unsure of whether her words would make it through before he hung up or not. All that was really left to do beyond that was wait, though, so that was what she and her companions did.

Moving at the speed granted him by Shave, Sellick made it to Commander Torack's location in approximately two minutes time. Honestly he felt as if he should have been faster, but that was an issue to deal with when training. He appeared a scant few feet behind her group where they took cover, appearing in a quiet manner. A footstep of landing being all that would give his arrival away. If he were to become a CP member he would need to eventually make it entirely silent, but that was also a matter for training.

"Commander Torack.", he said with a muffled tone. "Report. Who are the targets and have they been joined by any more since last we spoke?"

Turning to face Captain Sellick as soon as she realized he was there, Evelyn gave a brief salute and then dove into her explanation in a quiet tone. "Targets have been IDed as William Kidd and Kenji Kita. There's a third with them, but we have no record of him."

Sellick nodded. As he recalled that was.... a captain of a fledgeling pirate crew, Kenji Kita. Related to the Kita's in the Marines. And he couldn't quite remember what William Kid's bounty was for, but it was five million more than the Captain's. 25 million beli total between them, and an unidentified third individual. How perfect to find them here, so isolated from others and far from the docks. He knew he was supposed to drive the pirates to their ships and let the blockade handle them, but exceptions could be made if he felt he could capture or kill a high profile target on the island. And a meager 10 or 15 million was simple enough.

"Alright Commander. If you are prepared to fight, you and I will be taking care of these three personally. Have your men position themselves in what nearby buildings and rooftops they can to cover us." He pulled his bow off his back and nocked an arrow. "Simply say when you are ready."

Commander Evelyn wasted no time at all in nodding and turning her attention to her men. She didn't speak. There wasn't time for words, but simple gestures would be enough to get them moving towards the roofs of the buildings around them and they would have the sense, Evelyn knew, to watch for anything getting too out of hand or to watch for either of the targets making a move to escape. She supervised as they made to do as she'd instructed and then she turned to face the Captain once again.

Watching as he prepped his bow, Evelyn drew her shortsword and held it at the ready. Taking a deep breath, she knew she was presently a lot calmer about the situation than she would have been had she been charging in alone. "I'm ready, Captain."

Sellick simply nodded to the Commander silently stalked around the corner of the building, pointing his bow and arrow at the gathering of pirates. He moved in a bit closer and tilted his head to one direction for the Commander to circle around them. He would've just ended it there and killed the pirates while they were distracted, but generally the Marines wanted them alive rather than dead. So instead he simply fired an arrow into the heel of the foot he believed to belong to Kenji Kita. Nocking another arrow, he pointed it at the one he believed to be William Kid. "Nobody move. Don't draw a weapon. Don't turn around. You're under arrest."

At his subtle nod, Commander Evelyn took to making her way in an arched path around the three men and ended up in front of them with her sword at the ready.

Kenji cursed and turned as soon as the arrow hit his heel.

William drew his pistols and aimed them at Evelyn the moment he saw her.

The men on the rooftops had heard Sellick's words. They knew that it was the end for the two wanted men. Shots were fired and before either one of them could concentrate energy into an attack, both of them collapsed onto the ground.

Evelyn's sword remained raised as her gaze turned to Wil. "I suggest you leave, now," Evelyn said to him with an even tone. "These were wanted men. They've paid for their crimes. There's no need for you to get involved."

@DaughterofAthena @ChimpMan

Lady Warlock · Aug 24, 2016

Abigail Livingston | Kyoko Rinne | Yumi Tahiro | Garret Z. Allistair

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyoko was standing at a decision to make upon herself and Abigail's safety. The fastest way out would be the port, but as Abby has warned her, her captors were probably waiting for her to make a beeline there while at the same time, marines were flooding into the town.Their main mission was probably apprehending any pirates that were secretly hiding in Mirstone. Though Kyo wasn't a pirate herself and Abby looked like any normal girl, they could possibly escape by pretending to be locals of the island and sail off with the evacuation ships. But because Kyoko has never seen Abby's enforcers, anyone would be random people to her, but anyone in those moments of escaping could easily recognize Abigail and recapture by surprise. Given she had a big risk to consider, the next best option that Kyo thought of off the top of her head was to go on the other side of the island and escape quietly from there. Her only worries were how long it would take, and if there was any ship docked near the shores to even think about escaping on. Time was ticking, Kyoko struggled to make a decisive call. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Abby, while Kyoko seemed to be contemplating their options, was glancing in every direction frantically. Her head set upon a near constant swivel as she seemed to be searching for and watching for anyone who seemed to be coming their way. One thing of note was that the area around them was slowly clearing of people. Most seemed set on running towards the docks, and most of the crowds that would've made it easy for them to move unseen had now passed them by. The one good thing about that was even someone as short as Abby could actually see the area around them. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]It was then that Abby's eyes found and followed a rising pillar of smoke and the subtlest movement Abby made involved her moving to hide behind Kyoko, putting her friend between herself and the smoke pillar. Reaching out and pointing, Abby's hand was shaking as she said, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"That's... that's her..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyo was knocked out of her hypnotic trance and saw Abby in disbelief as she turned her head in response to Abigail's shaking hand. Kyoko focused her eyes a bit before seeing what seemed to be a figure slowly rising out of the smoke, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"That's her is it?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Abigail only nodded and mumbled, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Mmhm."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]The pillar of smoke, as it rose up into the sky, seemed to stop for a moment. Almost as though it was using the height it had managed to climb up as a vantage point to search for something more important. Then, as it seemed to find it, the smoke seemed to jetline straight for the cook and the child as they stood nearly stock-still. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]A growling hiss seemed to emit from the smoke stream as it wrapped around both Kyoko and Abby for that moment. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I found you! Finally!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] The smoke spiraled around them and then unraveled itself before it took on the shape of Yumi Tahiro... her sword at her side. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"So... is this going to be easy or hard? From what I understand, we don't have much time before the island blows."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] She smirked as she said it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Abigail stay close to me. I'll try to handle things from here but if the push comes to shove. Then..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Kyo couldn't finish her sentence in response what Abigail would say back. She gulped as if it was the last time she would, and took a stand against this situation that fell upon them.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyoko looked Yumi in the eyes as a gesture of a truce before things got out of hand, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"It seems you're looking for her, aren't I right? But before this conversation takes another path, I have to ask, why not just let this pass for just this once. She's badly scarred mentally and it seems she doesn't want to get into any trouble. You don't have to do this. No one will know you're lying if you tell "them" that you finished the job. Everyone will win on both sides. No need to even lift a finger, right?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyo at an attempt of a deal, knew that something like this wouldn't please a woman like her out of this, it was only a matter of time before things turn to worse. But even with her skills, it seemed hopeless against fighting a sword-wielding lady with powers that stacked against Kyoko. But she would rather fight trying then die knowing she coward out. Abby would have to escape by herself, knowing that the attempt of a battle against her would be suicidal.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I'm sorry, honey, but it just doesn't work that way," [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Yumi sneered in reply. "[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]You see, I'm not commissioned with killing the girl, but rather with returning her. She still owes my captain a debt you see, and he would find it very unfortunate to not be repaid as he is owed."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Every inch of her expression smiled as she spoke. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"If it truly were as simple as saying I did the job and everyone believing me, I might be so inclined, but without bringing her back it would be quite clear that I failed. Wouldn't you agree?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyoko seeing as this conversation turning sour for worst, knowing that she'll lose this fight, could only give Abigail the time to escape while the woman was distracted, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I see. So there's no backing out this. I understand. But, you see, I can't let you do that. Not because I want to, but I have to. For her. You understand right?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Yumi's smile grew brighter and she rolled her eyes. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Sure, I do..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] she mocked. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Good. I knew you'd understand." [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyoko turns her head in spite but suddenly draws a knife from under her shirt and throws it with speed at Yumi's head, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Abby! Go! Run!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Abigail turned and started running without further questions. The girl wasn't sure what she was more afraid of... Yumi herself or that Yumi would hurt her new friend. Both seemed equally terrifying but at the moment, she was just going to run because that was what she did best. It hurt the child to consider that, but she knew it was the truth nonetheless. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Meanwhile, Yumi stood her ground against the flying knife as it flew straight and true. It would've landed right between her eyes had it not been for the swordswoman's unfortunate ability to become smoke. The knife went right through her and landed in the wall of a shop behind her. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I'm beginning to wonder if you're even worth my time,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Yumi taunted. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyoko surprised at her attempt to finish this quickly failing as it seemed like she was in it for the long run. She rose her fists up and positioned herself in a battle stance, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Bokator!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] A gust of wind, suddenly and out of nowhere, circled around her as she moved in, striking at Yumi with the palms of her hand. If someone were to be struck by this technique, they'd probably have a lot of bones broken by now.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Before the swirling winds could make contact with Yumi, the wind swooped the smoke of her body up and smeared it across the air as though painting in gray. It was as though Yumi's smirk as she dodged was actually audible upon the wind that blew around. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Interesting..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] her voice sung out. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Unfortunate you don't have a sword... I might have found you to be just a bit of fun." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]As the fight began between the cook and the swordswoman, Abigail continued running on and on. She wasn't really paying attention to where she was going as long as she knew she wasn't going in circles and that was easy enough to confirm. However, the lack of attention to what was ahead of her also led her to run right into something... well, something strange. The girl fell backwards, landing on her backside, while glasses fell at her feet and cracked. It was only when she saw them that she looked up and realized she'd run into a man although it hadn't felt like a man at all when she'd collided. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I am SOOOO sorry!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Abigail swiftly apologized.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] "I..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] she glanced behind her, still clearly terrified, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I have to keep going... you should run too! She's... she's scary!" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret had been simply meandering along the streets of Mirstone looking for recruits. He thought the Marine attack might make someone a little more likely to join him, but apparently he was wrong per usual. He looked to the sky and played with his facial hair as he thought on what to do. That was, right up until a little girl ran straight into him. Were she a little bigger she might have knocked him right on his butt. Thankfully she just kinda cracked his chest and stomach a bit, and knocked his glasses off. Easy, if a bit painful, fixes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]He picked up his glasses, the lenses broken out and closed his hand around each lense spot. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"No problem kid. Though you should watch where you're going. This town IS full of pirates after all. Not all of them are very nice, little girl or no."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] He opened his hands and the lenses in the glasses were fully fixed and crack free. He placed them on his face and pushed them up his nose with a grin. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Anywho, what's this about a scary lady?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"She's a p-pirate,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Abigail stuttered. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I've been running forever and I can't get away... and... and now she's fighting my friend and..." [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Abigail's head swiveled as she looked back to where she was running from and then ahead to where she hoped she would be able to get off the island. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I know that pirates aren't very nice. They've never been nice... not to me." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret felt bad for the kid, she seemed rather sad. He didn't like sad children. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Tell ya what kid. I'll go help your friend fight the mean lady. Meanwhile last I saw there was a rather nice looking Marine man helping get kids off the island safety. You just go down to the docks over,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] he pointed in the general direction, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"there."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Abigail's eyes followed his hand as he pointed and she nodded. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Ok." [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]She started running again. Before she could get so far, though, she glanced back and yelled to him, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Thank you Mister!" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret gave the girl a friendly smile and a wave as she thanked him. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"No problem kid, leave it to me!" [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]He turned back around, hands up behind his head as he walked in the direction she had come from. While it wasn't really his fight he meant it when he said he'd help her friend. He wasn't fond of people who would bully a kid after all. Plus, maybe her friend might like to join his crew afterwards? Eh, either way works for him. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]As the fight continued to unfold, smoke started to curl around Kyoko as a hand reached out holding a sword that was now unsheathed. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"You know, I don't imagine you'd be nearly as annoying if you couldn't walk," [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Yumi threatened. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Strike after strike, swing after swing, none of her attacks connected at all. Kyo was breathing heavily, her palms sweating as she held her position, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"You don't scare me. In fact, you're just a weakling like me if you didn't have those annoying powers of yours."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Kyoko was out of ideas, retaliating was becoming more and more useless if the fight continued anymore. But what else could she do. Abby had to escape alive or fighting Yumi would have been a waste of time, but Kyo used that time. To let someone more important than her own life leave knowing she was given a second chance. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I guess my time is up..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] She thought to herself. She drew one last breath, as she held her position.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Feeling Kyoko's exhalations as though she was giving up, Yumi chuckled a bit and unraveled her trail of smoke from around the girl, taking on a human form once more only to swing her blade at the back of the woman's knees. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret basically jumped forward in order to get his leg between the blade and the woman. The sword made contact and cut through his pants, and then several inches of his leg as she broke the glass that made up his body. He grimaced as the sword stuck about halfway through his leg. He reformed the glass around the sword in an attempt to keep her there. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Y'know, I was gonna ask which one of you was the scary lady and all. But I think the one flying around as smoke and trying to stab people in the back is the likely answer. So, how about you back off for a sec and we all calm down here."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] He drew the bladeless sword hilt he had sheathed on his left hip. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Let's not do anything any of us will regret."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Despite a few quick and seemingly desperate yanks at her sword, Yumi could not manage to free it from its newfound sheathe in Garret's leg. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyo was prepared to die, but it seemed as if today wasn't the day she'd die. She turned her head and then her entire body as she stood behind a man who supposedly blocked the blade from hitting her back. She noticed Yumi's sword stuck in this man's leg as she wondered why this person intervened, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Who are you?! Why are you shielding me?! I was prepared to sacrifice myself! Though... I didn't want to die... But, why?"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] She was confused and worried but at the same time relieved that someone at least jumped in before the worst happened.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret delivered a quick sideways to the arm holding the sword, ignoring the painful cracking of his own foot and leg as he did so. He tilted his head somewhat sideways to speak to the woman behind him. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Name's Garret Z. Allistair, Pirate Captain. The reasons pretty simple, a little girl who seemed kinda panicked and sad mentioned her friend was in trouble. So I offered to help. You're that friend, right?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]At Garret's kick, Yumi tumbled off to the side, cursing herself for a moment of inattention before she phased out of a tangible state, swirling back to a standing position a few feet away from her now two opponents. Her eyes remained focused on the sword that she'd lost, not really caring what the two of them were saying. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Unfortunately for the both of you, I'm not leaving without that sword. I'd really love to go catch my true prey, but it seems you two are decidedly stuck with me." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Without giving them a further moment to contemplate their situation, Yumi coalesced into smoke and made to swirl around them both, hands reaching out of the smoke to try and pull the sword out of the glass that was Garret's body once more. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"A-a girl?"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Abigail. She saved Kyo's life without even knowing that something like this would even happen. As long as she knew Abby got away safely, she would have to trust the man before her, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Garret, is it? ... Thanks. And I am her friend. I let her escape while I was distracting this crazy woman." [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]The smoke suddenly swirled around them once more as Kyo stood back to back to Garret, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Not to be rude or anything but, would you know how to beat someone of this league? I've been fighting until now and still nothing happens."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret bit his lip as he looked around at the smoke the woman had become. She seemed intent on getting that sword from him. As such he spread the glass from his leg out and over it to encase it. Might not stop her but it'd definitely be time consuming to get to it. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Well uh... not really. I'm not exactly the smartest guy around, and generally you have to be pretty crafty to deal with Logia devil fruit users like her. I mean, if we could trap her in something maybe? But I dunno how we'd manage that. Though I suppose we can just distract her until the girl is with the Marines, then we can give her the sword and get the heck outta here." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Yumi nearly growled aloud as she was reminded that while she wanted her sword back - it was precious to her - neither of the two standing in front of her or around her were her actual target and if she managed to get to the marines... well, Yumi would have to find a different crew to escape the island with because going back to her own captain would be a waste at that point. She had to take some risks at that point and she knew it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]The woman's body solidified on Garret's left and she drove her fist down at his leg, fingers clenched tightly together. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyoko nodded at Garret's plan, as long as they played for time, Abigail would be long gone by now. The smoke suddenly disappears as the woman forms back to her original state and attempts to break his leg and retrieve her sword. Kyo was having none of that as she swung her arm and hoped to god that she wasn't fast enough to dodge her punch.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret freaked out for a second as the smoke woman coalesced on his left side. He wasn't expecting her to be so direct so soon. He saw the other woman attempting to hit her away from him. Though that didn't stop him from trying to jump to the side and get his left arm in the way of the smoke woman's punch. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Although Yumi had too much momentum built up to redirect or alter course now, there was one quick thing she could do. Her hand opened quickly and she grabbed onto Garret's arm and pushed it, turning it into part of her punch. Though the resistance he would likely offer would lessen the force of the blow, Yumi also imagined that it would do significant damage when his hand hit the hilt of her sword. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Glass shattered on impact, not only leaving pieces clattering onto the ground, but shattering into Yumi as well. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Not quite attentive enough to see it coming, Yumi was thrown off by an incoming punch from Kyo to which she tumbled onto the ground and rolled quite a ways. Her body turned back into smoke before she could take too many impacts against the cobblestone and then she slowly reformed once more, clearly not amused and clearly not enjoying herself. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyo wouldn't normally let vermin like Yumi get away without giving her a real, good old beating. But as of right now, Abby had to be long gone by now, and fighting Yumi was meant to give her enough time to escape alive. Kyoko turned to Garret, laying a hand on his shoulder, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"As much as it pains me to say, I think we've done our job here. Abigail is probably with the marines and even if we give her sword back and she runs for Abby, there's bound to be Navy Admirals strong enough to beat her instead. So, you can let go of the sword now." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret nodded with a grimace on his face. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Well, it's good to hear we wasted enough time to let her get away. Though I'm not looking forward to this. Gonna hurt pretty seriously."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] Garret took a few preemptive breaths and lifted up the leg with the sword as high as he could. Then he slammed it down, kicking the cobblestone street as hard as he could. Garret cried out a bit as nearly his entire leg shattered in a shower of glass. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"DAMN THAT HURTS!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] He gasped as he pulled the sword out of the pile of glass, tossing it in the general direction of the smoke woman. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"There, you got your sword. I wouldn't waste your breath trying to get the girl though. She's with the Marines now, and they look like a tough bunch this time around." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]He hopped on one leg as his leg grew back out of the hole left behind. It was an odd growth, like a sped up version of water freezing over, but completely vertical. He blew her off after that and turned to the other woman. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"By the way. You seem like a pretty cool person, and you can fight. Wanna join my pirate crew?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Yumi picked up her sword, slid it into its sheathe, and coalesced into smoke, slithering away without a word. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Kyo let out a sigh of relief as she straightened out her hair and considered Garret's invitation, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Now that I know Abby is at least in safe hands. I guess this side quest that I somehow gotten myself into is done... And now, back to the main reason why I'm even here in the first place."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] She entered "Wills" shop as she gathered some stuff in her handbag and walked out, standing in front of Garret, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"As to your proposal. Sure, I'll join. I've got places to be and I think I'm quite sick of this place now. Consider yourself lucky. Captain." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Garret threw his arms up into the air in celebration. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Yes! Finally a crew member! Things are looking up!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] He smiled ear to ear as he tested his newly formed foot on the ground. Seemed like it worked well enough. He brushed a bit of glass off of his shoulders and out of his ponytail real quick and gave his new crewmate a thumbs up. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Alright then. I'm Captain Garret Z. Allistair. Welcome to the Shattercrest Pirates! Come on, we’re heading back to our ship. We'll recruit more people on a less..... Marine filled island." [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]With that he put his arms behind his head and sauntered off towards the docks.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Collabed With: [/SIZE]@AllHailDago @UdonIrvine47

vergil · Aug 25, 2016

[SIZE=12pt]Cygnus had the biggest scare of his life as a young lady suddenly smiled down on him. Did she have to pick his barrel? Just my Luck. However, at that time he couldn't think any of those things. "Whaaaaa!" His scream was almost harder and higher than the one of the lady. How pathetic. His heart was pumping in his chest. He was discovered. Now they would throw him of the ship, or worse ... eat him alive. Cygnus yelled a small after-scream. He took in the face of the woman. it had just smiled at him a moment ago (which was also really scary, but now it was just as frightened and shocked as his.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Rena screamed at his scream, as it startled her. This lasted a full minute as the pair struggled to get over the shock of each other. Rena was on a new ship, secluded with an unknown male - this could end badly and the composure that usually filled her was off on vacation, leaving her and her anxiety to tackle this issue. It was like looking into a closet and finding a giant spider (Rena hated those bastards).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cygnus answered her scream with one of his own again. She was unpredictable, just like a wounded beast would be. How scary! Upon closer inspection, the face was not as frightening as he had thought, it was just so dark in here that Cygnus started imagining ghost and monsters. Maybe the lady was a ghost in disguise? Cygnus shivered. Then remembered the stories he always told about ghost and monsters. There were just so many scary examples to be found. He also remembered how those stories ended: the cowardly would die while the brave survived. Cygnus straightened his shoulders trying to look confident, but his trembling shoulders gave his true feelings away. He tried to look her straight in the eye, but couldn't manage to look fierce. Instead his eyes showed a plea for mercy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]What kind of person puts himself in a barrel on a ship? Maybe this was Scarlet's doing? Like, perhaps he was her little plaything, that she liked keeping locked up and at night she would come down and do horrid things to this person. Her eyes darted around. Were there any whips or candles - oh god there was a candle! The creature even had a look of "ohmygodpleasedonthurtme" on his face. Scarlet was into this stuff?! Rena screamed again as she realized just what she had got herself into.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Fear was a both a blessing and a curse, and as she screamed, the noise triggered a random memory; one that she had learned early in her journalism career. The first time she interviewed a criminal in prison. The buildup was terrifying. This was a man that had killed his wife in a brutal murder - used a 2x4 and beat her so hard that she was completely unrecognizable. She had seen the body of the victim, she had seen the blood soaked crime scene and thought to herself, what kind of monster could do this? All those thoughts raced through her head as she entered the prison and sat waiting for the guard to bring the prisoner in. Her heart raced, her throat went dry and a cold sweat formed across her forehead. The pure evil that she would be faced with would be nothing short or terrifying and she wondered if this was a mistake. Her panic set in and she was about to call the guard to call it off, but then the door opened and what she was greeted with was something else entirely.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A broken man. Eyes down, hunched shoulders and shuffling feet. He avoided eye contact with anyone and you could almost see the tremendous weight on the man's shoulders. He was not evil. This was a man whose very being was a torrent of anguish and regret. His eyes met hers and it was he who could not conduct the interview; tear flowing down his face as he recalled the events and the outcome. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Her scream diminished, growing quieter as the memory hit her - and the fear dissipated. The anticipation was always worse than the stimulus and Rena's mind came back from its vacation and her eyes focused and began analyzing the situation. She looked at the person more closely and noted that his eyes carried no malice. Just the opposite actually, they seemed timid and apologetic. It was always the eyes that gave away a person's true nature. The person was scared and posed no threat - that should have been obvious within the first few seconds of them meeting. She cursed herself at her earlier reaction Was this a person seeking shelter from the maelstrom of chaos outside? Rena didn't actually blame him, if that were the case.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Are you seeking shelter here? I should inform you that you are on a pirate ship - albeit, the crew are as friendly as pirates as I've met, but with the marines bearing down on us, perhaps this isn't the safest place."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Rena recalled what had transpired before the marines had come and added "Or perhaps this is the safest place on the island".[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cygnus was surprised with the sudden change in the girl's behavior. He didn't really buy it though, she was a pirate after all. Wait, Pirate?! He took pity on himself and his misfortune. On the other hand, every enemy of the World Government was technically a pirate, so he was too. He never looked at it from that angle. Cygnus was not really a fear-invoking pirate-like name. His shoulders relaxed a little. Maybe he could give the girl a chance to prove that she was not her enemy, before ... No, don't even think about it! She didn't know about his powers and it was probably better that way.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]He started panicking as the rest of the woman's words sank in. "M-marines?! I'm doomed!" He lamented while hyperventilating. "And the lot of you are too. Why are we still on this island? Couldn't your captain sail out early or something? Oh, Why didn't I leave on my own when I had the change? Why did I have to come here in the first place? Oh, what a world, what a world."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Rena looked at the poor guy, his words echoing her thoughts over the last 36 hours. What could she say to him that would tear him (and her) out of the feeling of hopelessness.[/SIZE]

"Um...we might be ok." she said with a smile, "we're not doomed yet. Not utterly anyway, so there's a chance we're going to be fine - honestly it's either that or 0 chance and I'll take that little glimmer any day over the unforgiving dark." So melodramatic! [SIZE=12pt]"We have a plan. We're going to disguise ourselves as a Merchant ship and just sail on outta here. If we get boarded then we will have a merchant flag and a decent story. If not then oh well, our merry little adventure ends - but at least we tried right?!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I'm not sure that helped....." Rena said scratching her head, "I'm good at writing but not coming up with inspiration on the fly. I should introduce myself, I'm not sure I did whilst I was screaming at you. My name is Rena." she said and extended a hand for a shake.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Cygnus looked at the hand, not sure what to do with it. Her words were not really reassuring either. The few merchants that had stayed on the island, regardless of it being flooded with pirates, were probably warned by the marines. It was not like the marines to leave this kind of opportunities in the open. It seemed as if the girl didn't really believe in their plan either. At least he felt that she wasn't really a threat to him anymore. Unless she was some kind of crazy mastermind, but in that case there was nothing he could do to escape. Still, complete trust was a different thing.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]He shook her hand halfheartedly, palms still cold and sweaty. "My name is C-Cy-Cyril." He lied. Better safe than sorry. Some pirates were sort of bounty hunters. "The honor is entirely mine." He gave a little smile, but it was still a little shaky. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]A serene, bell-like voice interrupted the pair that shook hands. "Is everything alright?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Drawn by the sounds of dual screaming, which seemed bounce off one another and grow in volume, Nerissa arrived at the storage area of the Charbydis just in time to see Scarlet's friend, the journalist, and an unknown person interact in a decidedly non-violent manner. Nerissa blinked, glancing around for a moment before her confused gaze re-settled on the couple. Nothing particularly scream-worthy. None of them appeared hurt either.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I believe so...." Rena said to Nerissa. "I was startled by a person hiding in a barrel. And then there were some assumptions and misunderstandings, but I think we've got them cleared up?" She looked at Cyril questioningly. "I don't believe he intends any ill will. In fact possibly the opposite."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Oh?" Nerissa focused her attention on the boy in a barrel. She tilted her head curiously, her blue locks falling over her shoulder. "Why are you hiding in a barrel?" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]The second girl seemed kinder than the first one, could be that she was playing along, but at least she asked if everything was okay. Cygnus let down his guard down a bit. "My intentions are far from malicious indeed. I just want to get of this god forsaken island as soon as possible." He said. "I should apologize before my behavior earlier, I didn't want to startle anyone. It w-was just ... eh ... I was looking for a ship last night and fell in love with the name of this one. W-waking up your scary trigger-happy guard was not on my g-get-to-safety-ASAP-list. B-Barrels are more comfortable then they look." He gave an apologetic smile.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Really?" Nerissa looked at the barrel doubtfully. She didn't think the barrel appeared especially comfortable, but, then again, she'd never tried sleeping in one before. She smiled at the boy in the barrel. "I'm sure Miss Rena didn't mean to scare you."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Ah, well I am a little jumpy, the situation I find myself is is a little unique to me but it is quite the story! This entire scenario would make a great article and honestly, I'm curious about you guys. If you don't mind I'd like to do an interview with you? I'm a budding journalist and I think you'd make great first profiles. I'll keep your names undisclosed and your history down to a minimum to protect any family members you may have. Would you mind? You are free to say no, of course." Rena whips out her trusty pad and pen and makes herself comfortable, her eyes lit up in anticipation and her smile as eager as a child's on Christmas.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I think I owe you at least some answers" Cygnus replied. "On the other hand, I would like to keep a low profile, so please don't publish it before my death, which might be sooner than expected.. Maybe you can write a biography, an epic. That would be, if my life wasn't so pathetic, but stories make everything seem better."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Nerissa blinked at the sudden question. The she smiled. "Oh, my. An interview? I certainly wouldn't mind."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"What prompted you to become a pirate? What could be so important to you, that you would risk your life and your future on becoming an enemy of the government?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt] "Miss Scarlet asked me to join her when we met at a pirate's meeting. That's all there is to it. Our goals are the same. To look for One Piece, the treasure of the pirate king." Sigh "I'm already an enemy to the government, so becoming a pirate isn't that big of a deal."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"P-Pirate, me? No, that's for heroic people and assholes and I am neither. The government already marked me as an enemy as well, so technically I am already a pirate. And so are you, my lady."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Assholes?" Pause."You have a good point. I've never really thought of myself as pirate...but I don't think they are bad people. Anyone who enjoys sailing the seas can't be a bad person."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"E-excuse me, the assholes part was of course not directed at the both of you. You just have to look around the island to see that I am right."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"There is no need for you to apologize. It's true that there are many who have strayed from the ways of Aquarius. But they aren't inherently bad people. I hope that by spreading the word of Aquarius, I'll be able to save some of these people and set them down a good path."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Given that you are now a pirate, and make no mistake, if you travel with pirates and aid in their endeavors, then you ARE (AARRRR) a pirate, There will be times that you are cornered by either the marines, bounty hunters or other pirates. At what point do you cross the line and take another person's life?[/SIZE]

"

[SIZE=12pt]"T-take another person's life? No, no! I wouldn't do that. Aquarius would not approve!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Indeed, that line may never be crossed. How could one live with himself after doing such a horrible deed?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"You seem like kind spirited people though awfully fragile. How do you expect to survive in a world that has devil fruits and ridiculously powered swordsmen?[/SIZE]

"

[SIZE=12pt]"Devil fruits...I think I've read of them, but I've never seen one. Well, no matter how strong the swordsman, they are all the same under Aquarius. I fear no mortal man. It's only Aquarius's wrath that I fear."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I, on the other hand, fear almost any creature under the sun. I am afraid that I run and hide in the face of danger. Not really heroic, I know, but after several years I've gotten quite good at it."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"You've mentioned the name Aquarius a number of times. Tell me about him or her." Rena's eye brow raised[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Aquarius is the god of my people and the embodiment of all that is water. He is the Lord of seas who guides sailors home"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"You should tell me about him someday. I am always eager to learn new stories."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I would love to. As his chosen daughter, it's my duty to spread his teachings."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Rena jotted down a couple of things and underlined the name for further investigation. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"What attracted you to this band of pirates? Do you believe that your Captain will lead you to your goal?"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"Miss Scarlet did. I think sailing with her will be a fun experience. The other members of the crew are very nice as well. Whether we find One Piece or not is in the hands of Aquarius. Only he knows what our future holds. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I never said anything about joining this crew. I would probably drag all of you down with me. You wouldn't want me to join, really. On what attracted me here besides an escape route, I came to find adventures and stories in Mirstone. I think I found plenty of both. No more adventures for me please!"[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Rena's notepad was illegible to those that were not trained in reading her shorthand - it kept thing encrypted too which was an added bonus to the speed of which she could write detailed descriptions. She clicked her pen spun it in the air and it landed perfectly behind her ear. It took her a solid year and a lot of cuts on her right ear to get that one down.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I can't thank you enough. I may have additional questions for you in private but this will be more than enough to get me started, however, I think we should cut it short. Marines and all you know?" She looks at Cyril, "I assume you are hiding in here so as not to be found. Would you....like me to keep it that way? I'm sure Scarlet would not mind you joining her crew - she seems very open to things."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]Nerissa nodded. "I agree. Captain Scarlet would surely welcome the opportunity to make new friends. We should ask her..." A sudden gasp escaped Nerissa's throat as she recalled what she had originally planned to do before she'd heard the screams. It was probably too late now. Shaking her head, Nerissa could only hope that the Captain of the Red Ribbon Pirates could handle herself against the marines and the mysterious 'Ryuu'. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"...once she gets back," the priestess finished as if she hadn't interrupted herself in the first place. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]"I think the word travel companion would fit better for now." Cygnus said. "It would be impolite not to get myself acquainted with your captain. It would be a big dishonor if I was found out about at the end of the trip. I don't want you two to get blamed for keeping me a secret." He sighed. "Let's go find her and face my ordeal." He was reluctant to meet this lady, but it was probably his safest option right now. Maybe he could even help them escape from this hellhole. Ha, in your dreams![/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]@QuirkyAngel @Felix[/SIZE]

Pequeno Burraidh · Aug 26, 2016

Jasper Pharos, Shannon Laurel, and "Ryuu"

Jasper was oddly enjoying the small measure of peace he had whilst his crew was either below deck or off with Lady Scarlet. Canon fire and explosions had rarely been anything but lovely sounds to him, and so he found it rather easy to relax to. Which was helpful in stopping his worrying about Lady Scarlet and how she was doing. However per usual when he found a measure of peace, multiple things decided to ruin it simultaneously.

Jasper was headed to check if Lady Scarlet was perhaps almost back when a young man seemed to run straight into him. The young man was rather well covered up so Jasper couldn't make out his features, but based on size he would assume he was rather young. Looking past the young man it appeared he was followed by a pair of Marines.

Almost at the same time another man's voice called out behind him. Jasper turned to respond to find the black haired man holding Arlen out by his pants. Jasper let out an exasperated sigh and drew his swords, pointing one in the direction of the two marines, the other towards the black haired man.

He got a sense the black haired man was more a threat at the moment and so addressed him first. "Yes. He is a member of this crew. If you would not mind gently setting him down and stepping away, it would be most appreciated."

'Ryuu' looked at Jasper and his shoulders slumped a bit as the weapon was pointed at him. 'Why can't I ever drop some unconscious man off and then go on with my life?' However despite the fact it seemed he had more work ahead of him he simply smiled at the blond. "No need to point weapons just yet~ Just your friendly every day passerby with some half naked guy." Ryuu said in a calm tone as he simply dropped Arlen to the deck rather than put him down gently like he was asked. Though in his opinion he had placed him down gently enough.

Remaing in that squating position he smirked at Jasper. "Am I going to get a thank you for returning your buddy alive and in one piece? With only his pride dashed to bits?"

Jasper raised an eyebrow as if to ask him if he were serious. "A thank you? Random passerby? You might have had a better time convincing me of that had you not so clearly taken joy in mentioning his broken pride. You will receive no thanks for injuring my crewmate. However I have no interest in pointless fights, so if you wish to simply leave feel free."

Shae took surprise when the other man on the ship spoke and dropped someone else. He must not have noticed the pair in his state as he fled aboard. Looking over at the downed man from behind the well dressed one, Shae moved to help him.

"Hey, brat, get back from there, and you, man, put your sword away, we're just here for the kid, stand aside, we're Marines and you have no business getting involved."

Freezing for a moment to look at the Marines, Shae almost retreated behind the well dressed man again, but the needs of the one not moving meant more to him. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled a small kit of supllies out and moved to the downed man's side, rolling him over so he could check on him.

Ryuu's was about to respond but his attention was caught by the other person that appraoched Arlen. He was quiet for a moment before he raised a brow. "Are you deaf?" He asked with a light chuckle before shrugging. "Does this guy have a bounty or something? I know Jasper here does, but does this cloaked figure as well have one?" Ryuu asked the marines as he now looked at them while rolling his neck a bit."

Always tucked in with his kit, once Shannon was sure that the man was alright, he eyed the one who had just spoken angrily. He loathed violence, and with a swift and well written scrawl across a paper, he threw the message at him in response.

~Perhaps you shouldn't be hurting others to begin with, pride or otherwise~

After throwing the parchment the young boy pulled a water flask out and soaked a rag before putting it on the unconcious man's forehead. The Marines also took this as their time to speak up.

"He's to come with us for reasons you don't need to know about! Keep your nose out of this, both of you. Now boy, come here!"

Ryuu was about to fully ignore the one that was tending to Arlen that was till he threw something at him. Rahter then letting it hit his face he swiftly caught it and read the message. A light chuckle left him before he tossed the message behind him and into the water. "Yeah yeah, so I heard fighting is bad right? Next time I will hold his hand and ask him to turn himself in~ Cause that's never goi-......" A sigh left him and he shook his head quickly now standing up.

"I am letting myself get sidetracked again." Now looking back at the marines he pointed at Jasper. "Oi, as much as I would love to slash you for ordering me around. You may want to focus on snow hair here, you know the one that has the swords pointed at us. Yeah not sure what healer boy here has, but snowy's bounty is probably a lot higher. Just saying, really got to get your priorities straight~" He hummed now placing both his hands in his pockets.

Sick of waiting, and since Shannon was distracted, the two Marines made their way on board, one levelling his sabre at the man in the suit, and the other walking up behind the preoccupied Shannon and grabbing him roughly by the back of his cloak. The Mink struggled fitfully as this occurred and in the process his cowl and headscarf came free, revealing his furred face to the crew, as well as his genuinely terrified expression.

"Gotcha you brat, you're coming with us!"

"And you," the other Marine growled to Jasper, "You're someone we have to worry about then? You a pirate?"

Ryuu looked at the two marines and let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes, still standing on the railing he simply rocked back and forth on his heels. "Ten seconds, I bet you won't be talking after that much time has passed. Since you didn't get your priorities straight that is."

Jasper's attention stuck for a moment on the black haired man's mention of his bounty. Not only that but he knew his name on top of that, meaning he paid more attention than most to them around here. Jasper was a touch satisfied in his instincts telling him this man was more dangerous than the others.

Speaking ofthe two others, he found their boarding of their ship and subsequent actions rather irritating. "A pirate? Yes, I suppose I am. But perhaps you know me better as ex Commander Jasper Pharos."

He flipped his falchion into his usual downward grip, along the length of his leg. "As for your names, I have little care. Trespassers are unimportant to me." Jasper took a few bounding steps toward the man pointing his sword at him before he lunged forward with his rapier, catching the man's sword in a twirling strike that flicked it out of his hand. The sword clattered off the side and splashed into the water.

Following that he simply hit the man in the mouth with the pommel of his falchion, and kicked him over the side after his sword. He promptly turned to the man holding the boy, who was apparently an animal child, and nodded at him and the gangplank. "You have three seconds to let the boy go and leave, or I will be decidedly less kind to you."

The Marine still standing watched as the suited man easily disarmed and then put down his friend. Shocked by how easily his friend had been dispatched he didn't even notice how much pressure he was putting on the boy he held. Well, until in desperation for breath Shae bit down on the Marine's arm. As soon as the Marine let him go the boy quickly fled back behind the suited man as the Marine shook his arm in pain for a few seconds before pulling his own sword.

"Alright then you little shit! I'm done! I'm going to skin you like a rug, the Commander be damned!"

"Ten seconds are up." Ryuu said with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head. "Geez you are slower than I was hoping for." He said as he looked at Jasper before looking at the Marine. "And by the spirits you are dumb. You are a petty foot soldier he's an ex commander. Why don't you go and challenge an admiral while you are at? Idiot." Feeling completely bored from what he was seeing he suddenly pivoted his left foot and his right one hit the marine upside the head sending him pretty far off the boat, which was shortly followed by a splash. "I hate things that bore me." He muttered under his breath.

Now looking at Jasper and Shae he scratched his head again. "Been doing a lot of kicking today... Oi you boy. The biter, do you have a bounty on your head?"

Poking his head out from behind Jasper, Shannon blinked twice, pointing at himself in disbelief as the man addressed him. Shaking his head, Shae took a couple steps back and distanced himself from the pair as he felt the hostility in the air. There was going to be a fight soon. He hated fights.

Jasper gave a disapproving glance to the black haired man. "Well one hardly needs to utilise their full strength to fight children, would you not agree?"

Ryuu chuckled at this as he looked at Jasper with a glint of mischievousness in his eyes. "Agreeing with a pirate? That's not something I do every day. Now to business, you have a clue as to who I am right? At least what my job is? Or do I have to go on the whole routine to explain things?"

Jasper pursed his lips in thought for a second. Gives off a feeling of unease, quite powerful but hides it, bored by menial tasks. Not to mention unknown by run of the mill Marines and highly informed on bounties. "Well given the information I would assume you are a member of one of the Cipher Pol's, no?"

At the mention of Cipher Pol Ryuu's eyes light up and smile went on his face. "Oh you are a very observant one aren't you~" A chuckle leaving him as he did a light bow. "And yes, I'm part of that group. I really was only here to do one thing but.... Well I got sidetracked~   Seeing a bounty like yours, thats something I can't just ignore. You are smart, you know what that means correct~" As he asked this he pulled out a switch blade and twirled it in his fingers.

Jasper sighed and raised his weapons into a ready stance once more. "Unfortunately yes, I do. And to think I thought we might have been coming to understand each other." He clicked his tongue in disappointment. "Well, if you must let us be on about it." He made a come at me gesture with the fingers holding his rapier.

Ryuu chuckled as he raised his switch blade up pointing at Jasper's chest while he moved his feet a bit to get in a better position despite still being on the railing. "Had you no bounty on you then we probably co-"

*Bera bera bera....bera bera bera*

At this Ryuu let out a groan. "Just when things are about to get fun hold on a second." He siad as he held two fingers up pretty much telling Jasper to not say anything as he put his switchblade away and quickly took out a den den mushi which was completely orange with a brown shell and a cow boy hat between the eyes. Holding this in one hand and picking the recevier up with the other Ryuu let out a sigh when the clatcha sound was heard.

"Ryu-"

"So.... Guess where I am right now?" A voice with a laid back tone said as it came from the snail.

"......Your ro-"

"Wrong."

"The kithc-"

"Lets cut this short.... I have a guest on board and we were going to have something to snack on. I went to your room and guess what was laying on your bed other than you?"

".........."

"Uh huh a few pillows. Your mission finished hours ago... Going to tell me where you are now?"

"......................You...You are breaking up... Cant really hear you over all this interference..." Ryuu said as he narrowed his eyes and looked away.

"Uh huh sure you can't. Anyway, I assume you are still there to get rid of pirates and their ships right?"

"Yes... And I'll have you know I'm doing that! I go-"

"Then want to tell me why I see a ship that belongs to Kenji sailing away from the docks?"

"Huh?"   Now moving to the front of the ship, still remaining on the railing, Ryuu looked around. "What are you talking about I don't see it."

"You would if you were in your last position, a place I assumed you went because you aren't in your room taking your so called nap."

A nervous laugh left Ryuu as he scratched the back of his head. "I was goi-"

"Get back here, you hid my snacks again and I can't have a nice chat with the guest without them."

"Wait, did you call me because of those cookies???"

"Ken, get back here. Everything is almost in place anyway. If you aren't here in five minutes..... You are banned from my room."

"Oi! That not fai-" And before Ryuu could finish there was another cltcha sound as the man on the other end hung up. Letting out a loud and annoyed groan he put the den den mushi back in coat before looking behind him at Jasper. "....... I want to fight you though......" He mumbled as he scratched his head one last time.

Jasper tilted his head almost curiously. "Going so soon? I had not pegged you as the type to turn away from a possibly quality fight." Not that Jasper was not relieved. He really wanted to check on Arlen and get things ready for departure.

"I'm not." Ryuu siad as he did a strech. "However orders.... Real orders are orders." Letting his hands fall to his side he looked back at Jasper and smirked. "I decided, I want to see this crew again you and sleepy head interest me. So take my advise, everything on this island is going to have a blast soon, but if I were you I would watch it from afar. Rather than join in on the festivites~"

Smiling at Jasper he gave him a wave and in a blink of an eye he was gone.

Jasper had to admit to part of himself that he was actually a bit disappointed. He had rarely come across opponents he would say were rather even in terms of strength to himself. Maybe next time they would get to flex their muscles a bit.

Jasper cast a glance back to Arlen and found the Leopard boy was helping him again. Jasper once read about a tribe of mammalian humanoids in the Grand Line. But he never would have expected that one of their kind, especially one so young, would come to the blues. He sheathed his weapons and approached carefully.

"How does he look? Will he be all right?"

Looking back at the man as she approached, his ears having picked up on the footsteps now that he was listening and paying attention, Shannon nodded and smiled warmly. Reaching into his pack he drew out his pencil and paper again and wrote a quick response, folding it coolly and sending it gliding easily to the man.

~Just knocked out it seems. Thank you for keeping those two men from me. I don't know what they wanted but they scared me~

Standing up, Shae looked closes at the rest of the ship before pulling another paper and scrawling out another message.

~I'm Shannon Laurel, but all the people I used to know called me Shae, especially the little ones. I was sent her by a big man with horns on his hat.~

Jasper read each message and silently nodded. Apparently Skorrigg had sent her here, perhaps as safety, perhaps for other reasons. "So then, is he following behind you or... did the Marines get to him?"

Looking behind him and down the dock towards where he'd come from, Shannon shook his head. Seconds later his words were formed.

~He helped Marines save the kids I was with. He got hurt protecting me, and the Marine leading the others helped him last I saw. He was very brave.~

Jasper gave a curt nod. "Unfortunate, but I believe he lacked a bounty. Thus he was not only a civilian, but one that helped them. He should be well cared for. I will report this to my Captain, and for now you are welcome to remain here."

The man's words did a lot to calm and reassure Shae, letting him understand that his protector and saviour wouldn't have been hurt. And even more he was welcome to stay. Looking over the boat, a sense of calm spread through the Mink's body as he found himself feeling a lot more at home than he had ever since he'd been taken onto the slaver ship.

~Thank you very much, I will do everything I can to ensure that I won't be a waste of space, I promise!~

@Peaceswore

@AllHailDago

@DaughterofAthena

AllHailDago · Aug 26, 2016

Zargo Marshton & Melissa Amunet V.S. Xiao Bamboo, Cait Merlin, & Marcus Gavarenton

Zargo and Melissa both initially took a step back when the panda mink landed on the dock. Though they did little else, even when he exerted his will in order to scare them. They felt it alright, but it did little to intimidate them. In fact he mainly just angered Melissa and annoyed Zargo. "Alpha Presence? Seriously?", asked Zargo.

"I don't know if you've really looked into the characteristics of the species each of us is. But last i checked neither tigers nor pandas have alphas. In fact their both generally solitary creatures. Both animal and mink forms for that mattter." Zargo pointed his sword at the panda man. "If you want to fight let's do this, but try something a little less stupid next."

Melissa simply sneered at the man, accepting Zargo's words as sufficient. However she bumped his arm as she drew near him. "Zargo, I have the fish woman, you take the panda. Whichever of us has the chance will deal with the doctor." Zargo simply nodded shallowly in response. He stretched his left hand and revealed his retractable claws. "Let's do this."

While the marines seemed unphased by Xiao's aura, Cait couldn't help but be a little unnerved by it. "Good thing this guy's on our side," she thought before hearing Zargo's challenge. Cait raised her arms to ready her dagger-like wrist fins for battle. "Fin Dash!" She started to charge toward Melissa, heading toward one of her sides as she intended to cut the marine as she dashed by.

Melissa sneered at the charging fishwoman. Did she really expect such a blatantly obvious move to work on her? As she chargred Melissa stuck her arm slightly out to the side, flexing the muscles and preparing to strike a few moments before the other fishwoman. As she tried to slash at Melissa on the way by Melissa threw her arm up behind her and swung it sideways at the level of the charging womans face. Melissa clotheslined the charging woman full force in the mouth. Not only stopping her completely, but tossing her five to ten feet across the dock with a gross snapping sound from her mouth.

Cait cried out in pain as her teeth were broken by the fishwoman's counter. Tears started to trickle down her face from the sudden pain. Now slumped on the docks, Cait got onto her knees and started to spit out her teeth and drops of blood. "Bloody hell!" she swore as she used one of her arms to wipe the blood on her lip. "You're a full blodded fishwoman alright," she said to Melissa as she started to stand back up. She flashed the marine fishwoman a grin that was toothless at first, until rows of shark teeth finished growing in place.

Marcus watched as the two fishwomen clashed, amazed by their strength. Though, the Marine seemed to vastly out-power the pirate fishwoman. When she was launched away, Marcus watched in awe as she flew backwards from the force. He turned and took a step towards her to check and make sure she was okay, but she stood up, seemingly fine aside from the blood on her face. Her teeth slowly began to grow back, and Marcus made a sound of amazement.

He walked up to the woman and leaned in to look at the new teeth. "Huh...dealing with you fishmen is always so interesting. You're teeth grow back so fast." Marcus grabbed the woman's lips and opened them to look better at the teeth. "Can I rip one out and keep it to do some experiments with?"

Cait brushed Marcus hands away. "Maybe later, doc. If you end up joining Sora's crew," she replied. "Though we're not going to get very far if the marines catch us."

Xiao laughed at Zargo's comment regarding the name of his technnique. "The reason it's called Alpha Presence has nothing to do with the laws, or characteristics of pandas, or the animal reign in general. But I guess you're just one of those narrow-minded marines. Which make up 90% of the organization, so don't feel too special, ok?" he mocked.

While the panda did make fun of the guy, the situation wasn't looking good. The marine fisherwoman was very strong, and given the fact that neither she or Zargo where fazed by his Alpha Presence meant that they had strong wills, thus they were without a doubt dangerous foes. But there was no reason to hesitate.

Xiao used Spectre Bullet again. He looked like he multiplied and went into various directions, before disappearig from sight and reappearing just a few meters away from Zargo. "Pan-da-HO!" by thrusting his paw forward with great force, the panda generated a blast of wind pressure, with destructive power comparable to a cannonball.

Zargo bared his teeth at the comment about Marines. Where did a pirate get off mocking the Marines?! They protected the people from those like this smelly panda. Sure there was a bad egg or two, but the majority were good people who wanted to help the innocent stay safe. It really pissed him off that a criminal would dare to generalize every Marine based off a few remote cases of corruption or cruelty.

Zargo's sword began to spark as he ran Electro into it due to his anger. The panda suddenly seemed to disappear as several moving copies took his place. It threw Zargo off for a second until he realized none of the copies had a scent. Instead the smell seemed to be coming from.... behind him! He turned as fast as he could, bringing up his sword in a deflecting stance as he did. As he thought the panda was behind him, preparing a strike.

The force hit him well and hard, but thankfully he deflected a good portion of it away with his sword. Though the remaining force still pushed Zargo back several feet, and would have more had he not dug his claws into the wooden planks of the dock. "Nice try pirate scum. But you're a little too strong smelling to use such a trick successfully on me!"

Xiao had a big smile on his face. All of his sharp teeth became visible. "Good for you" he said in a calm, but cold tone. He couldn't care less about Zargo's lines. The panda was having fun against a worthy opponent, and that was all that mattered. Of course, he didn't intend to die there.

This time Xiao performed Ghost Walk, another technique which he developed while watching a certain Marine perform Soru. With short bursts of speed and breaks between them, this technique made it seem like Xiao teleported on short distances every two seconds. Of course, he merely used it for a moment to close the gap between Zargo and himself.

"Orochi Bamboo" Xiao took the bamboo staff from behind his back and swung it at Zargo,but the peculiar movement and speed made it seem like he staff multiplied seven times and that it was bending, giving the impression that he was attacking the Marine with seven snakes.

Cait didn't want Xiao to do all the fighting, she'd be a bad crewmate if she let him do all of the heavy lifting. "Would you rather have fishman teeth from a hybrid or the real deal?" she asked Marcus, trying to convince him to help her. She'd have to fight smarter, not harder, against a full blooded fishwoman.

Zargo didn't understand the trick behind this technique, and honestly he panicked a little. He ducked backwards at the strikes and said in a huffed breath, "Paper Art!" His body seemed to flatten to a crazy degree and he was able to bend much farther back then normal and still keep his balance.

However despite dodging the strikes and backstepping, there was still something he saw that bothered him. There, in the sky above the town was a bright red flare. He grit his teeth painfully but immediately took several jumping steps backward, stopping with his back against Melissa's.

"Sorry to say partner, but we have to go now!"

Melissa gnash ed her teeth in anger, a bubble escaping between two particular gnashings. "No way furball, this one is mine! Besides what about the doctor?!"

"I know, I know but if you look up for a mere second you'll see they've sent up the flare. We HAVE to go now!"

She gave an angry glance up, only to find it was true. She inhaled and exhaled a few times before reaching out and grabbing Zargo by the back of his jacket. "Let's go, furball!"

She drew back an angry fist and drove it into the dock below her. The wooden planks in about a five foot radius splintered as she and Zargo fell through and into the water. In mere moments she got them a rather heavy distance away.

The half fish woman could follow, but what was the point. The full blooded woman seemed to have a clear advantage. Not to mention following them towards more Marines stunk of a bad time. At least, that was Zargo's thought process

@Refaulted @Azure Sky @shadowdude505

Lady Warlock · Aug 26, 2016

Scarlet Johanna Indigrid | Cletus T. Bass

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Just as Scarlet watched the paper shreds float into the wind, she heard Cletus's voice and she turned. For a moment, she almost looked surprised to see him, but that was because she had forgotten why they wandered out in the first place. Perhaps it was a good thing he reminded her of that as well, then. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Nodding firmly, she agreed. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Yes, yes we do have a flag to snag."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Waving her arm forward in a wide gesture, she intended for him to follow as they started walking along the docks once more, this time without having to deal with anyone getting in their way. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]As they walked, Scarlet had an occasional limp in her step after having stabbed her own shin with a sword, but it didn't seem to deter her enthusiasm much.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Let me know if you see anything, Cletus."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Cletus continued to smoke as he began to follow Scarlet. He briefly looked his Captain over and quickly noticed the limp. Other than that, she didn't seem that injured. He had fared a bit better with a scratch in his side, but between the two of them, at least they weren't full of holes.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Cletus replied Scarlet's lookout request with a nod. As per request, he shifted his eyes from side to side as he kept an eye out for any signs of trouble; the marines would be pissed if they found out about the fight the two Red Ribbon Pirates had been in. He also scanned the docks for the target merchant ship, counting the ships in his head.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Cletus spotted the seventh docked ship out in the distance.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Heads up, that should be the ship."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he said, remembering the information from Rena. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Unless they moved...,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] he grumbled mostly to himself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Scarlet's head looked up fast as soon as he mentioned it and her eyes immediately trickled to the mast of the ship. There was no pirate flag flying so that had to be a good sign if nothing else and she was determined to get closer and if possible, steal a merchant flag. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Cletus, are you good at sneaking? I'm not very good at it..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]she commented as she glanced back to her shipwright.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Or are we just going to run on and take it?"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Scarlet actually sounded enthused by the second idea, but she waited to see what he had to say. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Sneaking? In an orange jumpsuit? That's an impossibility Captain, unless you're a damn good ninja,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Cletus replied, sounding grumbily sarcastic. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Why sneak when you can blend in? I'm still a respectable shipwright, as far as they know… hopefully. If anything I might be able to distract them long enough for you to commandeer their flag."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Scarlet shrugged. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Alright..."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]she sounded unsure. She had warned him that she wasn't very good at sneaking, but she guessed he'd have to learn that for himself. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]By then, the pair of pirates had reached the ship in question and Scarlet gestured with a wave of her hand. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"After you!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]She would wait for an opportunity and [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]try[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] to sneak on and steal the flag. Keyword... try. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Cletus walzed up the gangplank of the merchant ship and stepped onto its deck.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Excuse me," [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he called out to the merchant crew as he walked near the railing.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"The pirate activity here hasn't inconvenienced you, has it? I'm a shipwright, ya see, and I'm willin' to work for free in exchange for a ride."[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]One man who seemed to notice Cletus immediately seemed to be shaking his head. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Sorry sir, the barracks are full. Per marine request, we're escorting some extra civilians who don't have transport and we don't have any more room. Ship is fully operational and we're pulling the anchor now. Please leave the ship."[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]The man was polite about it as he spoke, but he also appeared the slightest bit shaky about the whole situation. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Meanwhile, Scarlet had made her way around to the side of the ship and was using the ropes to climb aboard herself. Her head peered over the edge and no one seemed to have noticed her... yet. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Cletus looked over the ship's railing and rubbed his right hand against it.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Full ship, huh? That's my luck for you,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he grumbled nonchalantly. He was trying to look like he was thinking about a new plan on how to leave the island, or at least that's what he hoped the merchant would think he was doing. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Are you sure there's nothing to repair? Some repair jobs don't show themselves until it's too late,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he added, his left hand lingering near his side.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Sir, I'm sorry but we really really need to leave [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]now[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]! Please get off of our ship!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]His voice croaked, and it was apparent that there was an odd nervousness there. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]As he was yelling, Scarlet swung her feet over the rail of the ship and scrambled aboard. Luckily for her, everyone's attention was now on Cletus because he seemed to have angered the man in charge. Unluckily for her, that also happened to be a moment where three men came up from below deck, each carrying a pint of ale, and they spotted her with ease. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Hey Cap'n! Is this one of the stowaways?"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]A gasp quickly escaped Scarlet's lips as she ran for the ladder, climbing up to the crow's nest as fast as she could while the leader just turned and watched with the most incredulous look on his face. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Why is everyone trying to stop my ship!?"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he grumbled in an absolutely furious tone. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Because you're a merchant on an island full of pirates," [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Cletus said, drawing his rifle as the merchant crew's attention shifted to Scarlet. With ricochet bullets still loaded up, he shot and bounced a bullet off one of the ships wall, shattered one of the pint of ale, a bounce off the mast, another pint down, a bounce off the railing, the final pint gone, followed by a small splash in the ocean.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"I'd advise not moving," [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]he growled, trying to intimidate the crew. He honestly didn't want to make trouble for the innocents on board or damage the ship too badly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Scarlet could see now that Cletus had their attention again and she used what little time he could get them to snatch the flag from off the mast, balling it up so she could carry it in one hand without dragging it on the ground and then she made her way down from the ladder. Running towards Cletus, she used her free hand to grab his hand and drag him with her off the ship. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Running still, she yelled back to them,[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"Sorry and thank you!" [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]The men on the ship could only watch incredulously, wondering what on Earth had just happened. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]The two of them continued running until Charybdis was back in sight and then Scarlet finally slowed and released them, stopping to catch her breath and hobble a little because running certainly hadn't helped her condition any. Grimacing slightly, she shook it off and started walking towards the ship, glancing around and not really seeing anything interesting... until there was a small little boat with one man seemingly preparing it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Scarlet stopped and gestured for Cletus to continue. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"That little boat probably won't get you out of here,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]she warned the odd man.[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"We have a ship with room that way,"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] she pointed towards Charybdis. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"We're leaving soon but if you are quick, you can join us." [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Scarlet didn't even know why she'd stopped to say it. She just imagined everyone wanted to get off the island like the merchants on the ship had. Regardless, she ran to catch up with Cletus and the two of them walked back onto Charybdis. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]"We got the flag!"[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Scarlet yelled out[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]. [/SIZE]

@CelticHero37 @AllHailDago @Pequeno Burraidh @shadowdude505

Sullivanity · Aug 26, 2016

Raine Braddock

Raine was a bout to speak up, when another woman entered into his field of vision, and interrupted him. She was obviously a crewmate of the girl on board. He began to listen closely to the conversation between the pair. Apperently, the name of the Captain was Kenji Kita. Raine idly remembers seeing that name on a wanted poster somewhere, but he didn't give it to much thought. He also managed to learn the names of the newcomer, Ferra, and the girl onboard, Stacy. Apparently, Stacy had only recently been recruited into the crew, which was a good sign. That meant they were likley looking for more crewmates.

But then the conversation turned to the status of the island. Marines? This place was supposed to be almost completely lawless. If the navy was planning a full-scale attack on Mirstone, they needed to get out of here fast. Which was apparently the same idea the two women had. Raine was shocked, however, when they implied leaving Kenji behind. If a crew had to be loyal to their captain above all else. Wasn't that just the way things work? Raine tried to speak up in the middle of their conversation, but the two women spoke too quickly. Finally, Stacy, decided to acknowledge him and gestured to come on board, to which he eagerly complied. On the actual ship, the aroma of food grew even stronger. He inhaled sharply through his nose. Where those..... slashed browns he smelled? His mouth watered, and his stomach growled in agreement. But Raine needed to focus on the matter at hand

"Wait, first, thanks for letting me on board, but are you seriously considering leaving your captain behind?" Raine said, with no small amoun of disbelief in his voice.

Lady Warlock · Aug 26, 2016

[SIZE=26.666666666666664px]Stacy Beauregard[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Stacy’s attention turned to take in the sight of the newcomer as he stepped on board The Sea Dragon although she didn’t seem to be giving him much attention at first. Instead, her attention was drawn in by a brilliant red flare shooting into the sky near where the marine ship had landed. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]‘That can’t be good,’[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]she considered. Although that thought flickered in her mind, though, she said nothing of it. They were already getting ready to leave and there wasn’t much more that could be done. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]That didn’t take her eyes off of the ship, though. Sure enough, marines started making their way back to their ship and Stacy was the first to see it. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Hearing Raine’s question, her eyes glanced back to him for a moment. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“You see that ship out there?” [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]she pointed to the marine ship. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“That ship brought enough marines to this island to equally match all the pirates on this island and that flare… my best guess is they’re all being brought back. That means we’re about to have a crap load of marines right on the shore.” [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]Stacy was careful to emphasis only the right pieces of what she was saying so that it wasn't’ [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]too [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]rude. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“I can’t speak for you, but we have no interest in being caught up by them when they all get here.”[/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.666666666666666px]She hoped that set in to make him understand some of the reasoning behind their coming departure. [/SIZE][SIZE=14.666666666666666px]“And the longer we wait for Kenji, the higher that chance gets.” [/SIZE]

@Sullivanity

Felix · Aug 26, 2016

Emilie, Seth, Sora, Keya and Elijah

Emilie sighed tiredly as she trudged down the narrow cobblestone. It had been a long, fruitless day of trudging through this filthy city, asking various filthy people for leads on something most people seemed to think didn't exist. One Piece, the treasure of the Pirate King. Most of the people Emilie had asked had laughed right to her face, believing the treasure to be either illusory or so far out of her reach that the idea was hilarious. But the man she was searching for plainly didn't think that that so ridiculous or not the One Piece was her only lead. Even so Emilie was about ready to call it quits for the day, her legs and indeed pretty much all of her appendages were stiff and tired, she'd been trudging around the city carrying the sum of her worldly possessions on her back.

I'll just check the docks quickly, Emilie decided, covering her mouth with one gloved hand to yawn. Then find somewhere to slee- what in the?.. At once the girl stopped, any further progress halted by some... kind of goop. It looked hideous and sticky and Emilie had no intention of tracking her shoes through it. In addition to the goop there also two ships burning down to the waterline, furious fighting on a third ship and just ahead of her some kind of stand-off between a couple of marines and some dangerous looking types who might be pirates. Pirates, Emilie was learning, didn't have any kind of uniform or so it was a little hard to pick them out. Everything is so chaotic, what an unpleasant city. Emily mused, rubbing her temples. Was this just how things were in the outside world? Or was Mirstone exceptional? With no baseline to compare it against Emilie had no way of knowing but then again it didn't really matter. What mattered was that this mess stood between her and her duty so it had to go.

Seth had finally reached the top of the mast. Normally it would have gone faster, but his muscles were still a bit sore from his awesome adventures of the last day. He was still a bit tired too. He could do with a short nap if it wasn't for the small voice nagging in the back of his head. Something was not right. He rested his head against the mast and closed his eyes. "Could someone turn down the battle cries, I'm trying to sleep here." Oh right, battle cries. He had already noticed them when he woke up, but had forgotten about them. The sounds of chaos were just so familiar that his brain cancelled them out.

He looked around over the island. In various places puffs of smoke were emitted from the streets. He heard clashing metal and painful screams. Seth grinned, was this all because they had blown up the Bell Tower. Three creatures were running towards the boat. Seth enabled his magnifying glass. The front runner was wearing a lab coat, probably some kind of doctor. He was followed by two unusual creatures: a fish woman and a tiger man. Awesome! Almost like Cait and Xiao. His smile faded when he saw what they were wearing. Marines? Not cool, man! Not cool. Now he understood why the city was in turmoil. The World Government had decided that this pirate festival had to come to an end. The party-crashers! This had probably been their plan all along.

He moved his head towards the sea and got almost scared to death. Several huge marine vessels were almost upon them. Seth freaked out. How could this happen? Why today? Why- Wait a minute ... looking glass ... distance. Fine, they were not that close, but they were surely advancing in their direction. Seth had to warn the others. "Guys!" He shouted down hesitantly. "We might have a small problem!" No response. "Guys..." He tried again as he looked down. He understood now why they didn't respond. Trouble had already arrived. Seth started climbing down while he observed the problems at hand. The not-so-awesome-anymore weird marine duo were almost at the ship. And some other louche looking pirate crew were also on deck for some reason. It looked like they were looking for a fight. Well, they came to the right place.

The bang of the bullet got an immediate response from Sora who had moved to the side luckily avoiding the deadly projectile that was on a collision course for his mink. Pulling out his steel pipe and letting the end of it tap the floor he grinned as he watched three pirates from ten fall. One thanks to Caits attack, but the other two... From an unknown man who just brought trouble along with him. "Yes please bring as many marines here as you can. There is no better way to start a commotion the-" Before he could go on with his sarcastic sentence he watched not one but two of his crew members jumped from the ship to the Marines. "Oh joys."

He had hoped they could avoud marine confrontation, but that hope was dashed. A small sigh left him, he didn't have time to worry about that. He just had to hope Cait and Xaio could handle the marines before even more came, right now he had to make sure his ship wasn't jacked by these nobodies.   "Beat the pirates trying to jack my ship first, deal with marines second, escape last but not least." He muttered as he rolled his neck once a smirk appeareing on his face. "Well then, three down..... Seven left."

After whispering this to himself, something caught his eyes on the dock. A girl...dressed up like a maid? "What...What is she doing??" He asked in confusion as he watched her go up on the docks heading right for some....slime?? Another thing he just now noticed. "Hey!" He shouted out but before he could finish his sentence he was attacked by one of the pirates .

Tightening his grip on his steel pipe his eyes darted to one pirate that was trying to mow him down. Letting out a sigh he dashed forward to meet the pirate half way, and just as the blade of the enemy was going to fall on his head. Sora pulled out a dagger from inside his coat pocket and used this to parry the man.    Pushing the pirate away some distance he looked back behind him at the girl that was getting dangerously close to the other fight that was going to break out with the marines. "Hey! Maid chick! That is not a place you want to be right now! Trust me!" He hollered before Albi let out a warning squeak as she hugged her body around his neck tightly pretty much choking him right now.

Looking over at what she was alarmed about he barely had enough time to duck as a barrel went soaring for his head. Of course thanks to the forewarning the barrel missed him quite a bit. Though this was actually a bit hear breaking for Sora as he could tell that barrel was held some food that had yet to be put into storage. "My food..." he whispered as he extended his hand in a desperate but futile attempt to catch the barrel that was already out of his reach. Though his focus on the food only stayed there for a bit his eyes soon moved to the location the barrel was heading right for. "Hey!! Maid! You really should move it!" He hollered

This siad barrel hurled over the ship and due to how much power was put into the throw actually flew over the marines...... Before crashing a few inches form the girl, the landing destroyed the barrel completley and the contents spilt out.   Perserved fish meant for a long journey went all over the dock and any signs of it ever being cleaned...well were completely gone thanks to that one flying barrel.

Keya had pretty much hid in a barrel the entire time any conflict was going on. Conflict of the current kind was not something the girl did well in, it was far to risky to be out in the open around marines for her. For all she knew they were also looking for escaped slaves and not just pirates. Not to mention the pirates jacking the ship. She outright refused to go back to being a slave, and if it meant sacrificing her chances of easily joining a pirate crew so be it. She knew she'd have to confront marines later on down the line when she did join a crew, but she just didn't have it in her to do so now. She didn't know these people other than Seth and she felt Seth could handle himself well enough, at-least she hoped so.

Unable to see what was going on she simply hid in her barrel and hoped everything was going alright. She heard sounds of fighting, lots of it. Gunshots, yelling, shouts of pain. She wasn't sure which side was winning, she could only hope her friend would be alright. And then she remembered the wound Seth had suffered during their little escapades. "Damn it.." She mumbled to herself. She couldn't sit in the barrel, not while her only friend in a while was out there risking his life. A few moments later she quite literally burst from the barrel and looked around at the conflict at hand.

Rather than technically out-right fight, Keya ran around to be a distraction. "HEY LOOK AT ME! LOOK DOWN HERE! IT'S A DWARF! IT'S LIKE A FREAKIN' UNICORN!" She shouted as loud as she could, running around over their feet; sometimes punching or chopping said feet full force with her axe or fist depending on the action. Generally just being an overall nuisance.

With quiet certainty Emilie propped most of her tools down against a nearby building and, using her broom to extend her reach, lowered her bucket down to the water line to fill it up. Thusly armed she fetched her mop and put down the broom, before launching her attack on the slime. It actually felt good to be cleaning again after so much time away, the rhythmic, long familiar actions lulling her into an almost meditative state despite the chaos erupting around her. This was disturbed when someone started yelling at her.

"Hey! Maid chick! That is not a place you want to be right now! Trust me!"

Emilie turned to look up at the deck of the ship where the comment had emanated from but it was still covered in brawling figures and it wasn't clear who had actually spoken. Emilie shrugged, it wasn't like she was here because she wanted to be so the comment didn't even really make sense. Besides she was almost done now. Emilie was originally only going to clear a path for herself through the goop but she had been trained not leave a job unfinished and now the slime was almost completely eradicated. Just one more spot... Emilie thought, advancing towards the last enclave of goop when another shout rang out.

"Hey!! Maid! You really should move it!"

An instant later something solid sailed right past her, before shattering on the ground and spreading something disgusting all over the freshly mopped stones. Emilie stared, open mouthed, one eyebrow twitching slightly. She just wanted clean one thing and have it be clean for a while. Why couldn't people respect that? Why couldn't people just keep things clean? Emilie exhaled a slow, rattling breath and forced herself to unclench the fist that was shaking by her side. No matter how she thought about it there was no way she'd be able to focus on her duty until this travesty was righted. Judging by it's trajectory the barrel had come from the deck of the ship with all the fighting on it. By way of the gangplank Emilie boarded the ship with her mop and bucket still in hand. Making her way casually onto the deck where the brawl was taking place Emilie cleared her throat and then in a low, threatening voice asked

"Who. Threw. That." She was summarily ignored and Emilie was about to repeat herself when she spotted him. A broad chested, top heavy man with immense biceps and several missing teeth. He was positioned near a small pile of similar barrels and was actually picking up another one, his eyes firmly locked on a slender red head fending off multiple assailants. Emilie's eyes narrowed like a predator and she suddenly dashed forwards. The pirate had noticed her and was just starting to turn towards the approaching girl with a look of utter confusion when she closed the gap and jabbed the end of her mop into his throat with a nauseating crunch. Immediately the pirate dropped the barrel and clutched at his throat, gurgling miserably as Emilie caught the barrel and carefully placed it back with the others before turning back to the pirate. "You can't just go around making mess you know," She explained patiently but with barely suppressed fury, as though speaking to a small child she would like to murder. "Someone has to clean it up. Someone always has to clean it up."

"You little brat!" Roared the pirate, having got his breathing under control. "I'll kill you for that!" He promised, taking a wide swing at her with an a chipped and rust-stained hand axe that Emilie swayed around effortlessly before countering with a precise combination of strikes to his shins and knees. "You need to take better care of your tools as well," she chided him, catching his next swing with the bucket in her off hand and wrenching the axe out of his hand before inspecting it and shaking her head. "A well maintained tool will repay the time spent on it in double," she said, as the man roared incomprehensibly and lunged at her with outstretched arms. Before he could reach her however the mop lashed out once more and struck him on the temple causing the pirate to collapse in an untidy heap on the floor. Emilie sighed and straightened out her slightly rumpled skirt before turning back to the gangplank to leave.

Sora let out a low whistle when he watched a guy go down because of a mop. "Not, something you see on a daily basis." He said with a light chuckle before his attention was taken and he had to parry an attack from an incoming pirate. After he did this his eyes moved to the captain that shot at him and nicked his side. It wasn't a fatal shot by any means but it did sting a bit as it cut through some of his flesh and his clothing. Dropping his pipe to grab his waist he blinked several times as he looked at the man. "Hey.... Didn't I run into you earlier?? I ran into him earlier didn't I?" He asked now looking at Albi who looked at the captain and tilted her head to the side.

At the same time a light bulb went off in their heads as they both let out a sigh. "You are still mad about that not apologizing thing aren't ya? Dude your feelings really need to be re-" Before he could finish another gunshot rang out and Sora barely moved out of the way with that one.

"SHUT UP! I'M TAKING YOUR DAMN SHIP AND TOSSING YA OVER BOARD!"

"Now that...that is just rude." Sora said with a chuckle as he kicked one pirate in the face before grabbing his pipe again and smashing that same pirate over the side of the head with the pipe sending him over the side.

Seth was still looking for unicorns as he jumped the last bit of the mast down. He was quite sure they didn't exist, or did they? He was as not sure anymore, especially with all the crazy events of the last 24 hours. It fit right in with the dwarfs, pandas and fish people. The only new person was this maid woman and she was awesome. Who cares about unicorns when someone can do some insane broomstick geppo? "Hey cleaning lady!" He shouted. "You sure know how to take out the trash! Please don't go! We've gotten ourselves in quite the mess already, and I'm sure there is more cleaning up to come. Will you come-" A wave of primal fear washed over Seth. Just what he needed right now. Seths instincts kicked in and he was immediately on edge, his thoughts running wild. Nothing like an adrenaline rush to help the focus amidst all the awesome distractions. From now on he would take this fight seriously.

"No one touch the trigger happy trenchcoat dude!" He shouted so everyone could here him. "Wouldn't want to make gashes in that nice purple shirt that will soon be mine, now would we? ... Oh ... and avenging the death threat on Captain Ermine ... and stuff." Very seriously. He realized that now he had restricted himself too. He couldn't use his darts if he wanted to keep the shirt whole. He doubted if he was strong enough to take the guy out with only his Jo. Maybe he could do a Scarlet Ants to find his weak spot and then a Scarlet Mantis? Or maybe he could do several firm slashes after each other? It would be slower than the Scarlet ants, but he would deal more damage. Could he perhaps come up with a new attack? He could do a Bombardier Beetle, but there were too much people nearby? He was not as careless as the lab coat guy, or was he? What-

"Seth!  Today would be a great time to deal with shooty mc shooters!" Sora shouted as two more shots went through the air one getting very close to his head so much so that a cut was left on top of his right ear and the other missed his foot by a few inches. "....................." Caught off guard by how close of a call that was as the blood dripped from his ear he looked at the captain and smiled. "Ya missed~" He hummed, sure that was a bit worrisome, a few inches over and it would have been a head shot but now the captain was reloading so a strike against him at this moment would be optimal, Sora would do it but he was still dealing with one of the crew mates.

Seth snapped out of his thoughts and charged. Scarlet Ants it was. He frisked around the dude in purple. His eyes tried to follow him, but Seth was hopping really fast on his feet. Just as the man realized that he probably had to start his counter attack, Seth landed his first blow. Seth started to laugh childishly as he thought about what was to come. His Jo planted himself inbetween the ribs of the dude. The dude almost reacted as if he was electrified and staggered to the side. As he recollected his balance he was already poked again. This time in his belly. His reaction was already a bit less as he had foreseen another one coming. He straightened himself to defend against the next blow, which would probably land on his chin. "Wrong!" The Jo slashed against the side of his head. Seths laugh became louder and more hysterical with each blow. Knee bend. Shoulders. Private parts. Seth really enjoyed himself as the man tried to shield himself, but failed every time. There was no pattern or whatsoever in his attacks. However, the man didn't take much damage either. And he was brooding on what to do as he took in the annoying pokes. Seth picked up his pace and was almost like a whirlwind around the poor man.

Suddenly, a big hand was in his way. Totally out of the blue. Seth couldn't change his path or prepare himself for the hit. BAF! Seth flew a meter to the air before he landed on the deck. He saw sparks in his sight as the pain settled in. Damn, the only thing the man had to do was hold out his hand and keep it steady as Seth ran into it. How could he not have foreseen this? The man loomed over him and kicked him hard in the guts. Seth doubled over and coughed painfully. What a dick move! He could do nothing against the kick. He took the blow, this time in his face. From a distance he heard a crack as his nose broke. His thoughts felt clotted. He couldn't think of a way to get out. There were also still some leftovers from the head-injury of last night. A new shot of pain soared through his body. He heard a faint crack, but it didn't really sound like his bones this time. More like glass. His face was inflicted with pain as his lips cracked a smile. He tried to remember what vial was on his belt as his vision went dark. As all his surroundings faded he remembered. Blake toxin. Have fun insulting each other in rhyme. With a big grin on his face he blacked out once more.

After sending several more kicks to Seth stomach the Captain took his gun out and aimed for the unconscious boys head. "Your time is up you foolish pup." The man man growled not noticing what he siad was a bit different then what he had planned to say.

Seeing the danger Sora let out a small groan and shoved the pirate he was fighting away making the man stumble quite a bit and almost crash into the maid. Though luckily enough he regained his footing before he could do so. "Shoo I got more important things to do than fighting you."

"Hey cleaning lady! You sure know how to take out the trash! Please don't go! We've gotten ourselves in quite the mess already, and I'm sure there is more cleaning up to come. Will you come-"

Emilie turned at the sound of the voice and tilted her head slightly. A Slender, gaudily dressed boy roughly her own age was shouting nonsensical things at her. First of all there was a wide gulf between a mere 'cleaning lady' and a properly trained maid such as herself and secondly she couldn't just decide to go gallivanting off with these people when she had her duty to fulfill. Emilie had just decided to open her mouth and correct the boy on these points when yet another pirate came staggering in her direction, forcing her to neatly sidestep him. The newcomer regained his balance, looked down at the crumpled form of his comrade lying near Emilie's feet and came to an understanding of what had taken place with commendable rapidity. With a snarl he readied his dual daggers and charged at her, blades flashing.

Emilie dropped the bucket in her off hand and gripped her mop in a two handed grip and batted away a flurry of slashes, giving ground under the rapid assault. But as the pirate advanced she guided her bucket with a nudge from her foot so that his next footfall landed squarely in it then hooked her tows underneath the bucket's handle and yanked it towards her, upsetting his stance. In the same motion she jabbed forwards with the butte of her mop, catching him in the sternum and sending him staggering backwards coughing and flailing. Before he could recover Emilie neatly transferred the handle of the bucket from the her foot to the end of her mop and swung it like an improvised flail at his head, the heavy bucket impacting with a dull crack as the pirate collapsed next to his mate.

Emilie's mop continued its arc and the bucket swung around to rest at her feet, the mop resting against her shoulder like the rifle of a soldier at attention. Taking the moment of peace to survey the deck Emilie realised the fight was winding down, the side she had inadvertently sided with had gotten the better of it and only the two captains were still fighting it out. Emilie could tell one of the captains because he was dressed a lot flashier, wearing an eyesore of a purple shirt than any self respecting servant wouldn't let within ten meters of their master. The other captain wasn't visually as easy to distinguish but he simply had the air of a leader about him and the concern he showed for his subordinates shone through even in the heat of battle.

I wonder... Emilie thought, watching the red headed captains movements with hawk-like focus. Is it possible this man is searching for One Piece as well?

Elijah, meanwhile, was still standing at the side of the ship. He hadn't moved an inch, even with the sudden appearance of more pirates and Marines alike. He was tuning them all out as he looked at the flaming and broken heap that had been his ship. The ship he had built with his own two hands. His grip on the railing of the Lucky Nova tightened, his face showing no emotions.

Dropping his trench coat from over his shoulder onto the deck of the ship, the man leapt over the side of the boat onto the docks below, and then jumped from the docks to into the ocean, diving towards where the wreck was. He saw a few machines he had been working on sinking to the bottom, and the weapons he had been storing were also disappearing to the ground below. Of course, those things could be replaced, though it pained him to see it all go. He was only looking for a few specific things.

His eyes caught one of such items: a black duffel bag with the design of a blue mermaid on the side of it. He swam over and wrapped his hand around the strap, and hung it over his shoulder so it wouldn't drift away. He looked it over very quickly to make sure no holes had opened in it. When he was sure it was fine, he looked around at the descending rubble.

He swam around pieces of debris, scanning for any sign of his next piece of important cargo. He swam deeper and deeper, his lungs beginning to hurt from holding his breath for so long, until he saw the glimmer of a chest sinking. He put more effort into his paddling, and grapped the chest's handle before proceeding to swim up to the surface.

When he broke out from the water, he gulped in the air. He dragged his cargo with him back to the docks, and tossed the chest up onto solid ground before hoisting himself up as well. He shook his head, water splashing all around him, before he pulled off the duffel from his shoulder, letting the soggy mass fall to the floor. He took in a few large gulps of air, before he grabbed the lock on the chest. He had to make sure the contents were still safe.

As he pulled the key out from his pocket, he heard a cry of anger, and just barely jumped back as a sword swung past his face. Elijah stumbled backwards, and glared at the pirate who was now standing on the top of the chest, a cheeky grin on his face. "Well, what do we have here? Got yourself a bit of a secret in here, huh? It's not fair if you don't share with me, right?"

Sneering, Elijah jumped up and began charging at the man, yelling at the top of his lungs. For just a moment, his foe had a flash of fear on his face. But that was replaced by smug cockiness as he swung the sword at the shipwright. Elijah ducked under the blade, and brought his fist up in an uppercut. The pirate leaned backwards, just barely dodging the hit before swinging again at Elijah.

Backing up from the attack, Elijah's vision blurred a small bit, and he tripped over his feet, landing on his back. He swore under his breath, realizing he was still a little dizzy from being underwater for so long. As he tried to stand back up, he felt a blade drive itself into his shoulder. He yelped in pain, and fell back to the ground as he looked up at his assailant. The pirate smirked down at him. "Not so tough when you're stuck on the ground." Pulling the sword out of Elijah's body, he brought it above his head, preparing to pierce his chest. As he brought it down, Elijah brought both his hands together, trapping the sword just inches from his heart. The pirate had a look of surprise on his face, and Elijah took this chance to counter. He brought his feet under him and began to stand back up, forcing his foe to bend down to his knees. A look of pure fury was on his face, and he continued forcing the man back, until they had switched positions, Elijah standing over the man on the ground. With a quick twist of his rips, he pulled the sword out of the man's grip, and tossed it into the water.

As he brought his fist back, ready to deliver the final blow, he felt an arm wrap around his neck from behind, and was yanked back, his flow of air abrubtly stopping. He then felt a body collide with the front of him, trying to drag him down to the ground again. Another body joined it, and he knew they were the pirate and his buddies. Elijah struggled, wobbling around, but not falling. They kept trying to kick his legs out from under him, and punching the wound on his shoulder.

Elijah's vision began to darken, and a choked sound came from his throat. He tried to pull in air, and he felt the tiniest bit enter his throat. That was all he needed. With a roar, he swung his body in a half-circle with enough force to send the man on his back flying into the side of the Lucky Nova. He drank in the air, and grabbed the necks of the two men attached to his front. He pulled them off effortlessly, and with a wicked grin, smashed their heads together, knocking them both out. He then dropped them to the ground, and turned his attention to the cowering man beside the ship. He held a gun in shaky hands. "Wh-wh-who are you? WHAT are you?!"

Elijah walked towards him, the grin still dancing on his lips. The man raised the gun, and prepared to pull he trigger. Eijah just grabbed the barrel, and with a bit of force, bent it to the side. The pirate had fear in his eyes as the shipwright cracked his knuckles. "The name's Elijah. And I'm just your average everyday shipwright." Winding up, he drove his fist hard into the man's face, hearing the sound of cracking teeth and a broken nose.

He shook the blood off his hand as he turned away and walked back to the chest. He pulled a key out of his pocket, and quickly popped open the lid. Inside, a few items could be seen. One was a very delicately designed gun, a floral pattern etched into the handle and the words "Innocence and Justice" enscribed on the barrel. The next thing was the bag of mail, each wrapped in sets of three, and marked with a date. He picked up the bag to make sure no damage had been done to the contents inside, and was happy to see it was all fine. He placed it back in and picked up the last of the items in the bag, shutting it closed when he was done.

Putting on the weapons, Elijah flexed his hands in the steel gauntlets. They completely covered his hands, and reached up to his forearms. The metal fingers seemed to shine in the light of the sun overhead, and static danced off the fingertips. Elijah grinned happily as he turned to the remaining pirates, slamming his fists together. Sparks burst out from the contact. "Time to have some fun...who's first?!"

His eyes caught on to the dwarf-girl, who was running around and attacking people's feet. Groaning, Elijah reached down and picked her up when she got close to him. He stared angrily at her. "Hey, this isn't some place for kids to be around! You should run home, alright?" Elijah burped, and he was pleasantly surprised to feel some intoxication begin to form from all the drinking he had been doing today. He hoped he didn't reek of it.



"I see you just tried to kill him, aren't you rather dim."    Sora said as he slammed his pipe into the captains hand forcing him to let go of the gun from the powerful bash. Blinking a few times at what he said he shrugged it off and thought nothing of it.   His pipe stil being held out he smirked at the captain who drew his other gun and pointed it at Sora's head.

"Dim? You are a pirate ain't ya? Your life is going to be very grim. So suck up a loss, cause this kid has filled my anger to the brim!"

Sora looked at the other with a bit of confusion at his words. "What the hell is with all the im's in your lines? Honestly for nearly everything there's a time, but now I don't think is fine........... Why am I speaking in rhyme?" He asked before his eyes went down on Seth were a broken bottle lay. "I swea-"

Before he could finish his sentence Albi let out another squeak and Sora ducked on instinct just as a bullet left the chamber of the gun in the others hand. When it did Sora stepped forward and hit his pipe on the side of the man's knees making him fall to the floor. "No warning before you fire? Why must you make my situation so dire?"   Sora asked a tic mark now going on the side of his head as he spoke.

The captain let out a low growl of anger and stood up to fire again however before he could Sora kicked him hard in the face sending the captain in the air and making him crash hard into main mast.

No longer equipped with any guns the captain didn't give up his fight. Standing up he chuckled as he looked at Sora. "You won't stand a chance out there boy! All the other big times will play with you like toys! You ain't some merchant, that's for certain! Whatever your goals are, you will never be clever enough to win in these seas!"

Sora tapped his pipe on the deck of the ship as he approached the captain. "You done with your chattering? Because I need to get to battering. My name is Sora Z. Lachance... So let me tell you in advance. I'm the man that will find One Piece's hiding, and claim the title of the next Pirate King~" Now grinning quite a bit he had a very tight almost crushing grip around his pipe as he took a quick step forward.

"Now get the hell of my ship! You little insignificant blip!" And with that Sora swung his pipe with a lot of brute strength behind it. And it perfectly connected with the captain's face. There was a sickening crunching sound of bone breaking and the captain was sent sailing off of Sora's ship and quite some distance till a loud splash was heard. Resting his pipe on his shoulder Sora grinned as he looked behind him to see how much trash was left.

Collab with: @AtlannianSpy @Peaceswore @Mitchs98 @Refaulted

also at the ship: @shadowdude505 @Azure Sky @Refaulted

shadowdude505 · Aug 26, 2016

Cait Merlin

Cait took a battle stance. With out without Macus' help, she was ready to get back in the fight. Though before she could, a flare went off in the sky and the two marines began to leave. That couldn't mean anything good. Cait wiped the remaining blood trickling from her mouth with her arm and made a beeline back to the Lucky Nova. She assumed Xiao would catch up shortly; as for Marcus, she left him to act as he saw fit, he wasn't a part of the Red Wave Pirates...yet, if he even wanted to.

The deck of the ship was still a bit chaotic when she got on board. She started to make her way toward her captain. "We've got trouble, Captain!" she called out as she tossed one of the small time pirates out of her way and into the sea. "The fishwoman marine and her animal-man companion are retreating, something about a flare signal. I think the marines are planning something big. We need to escape sooner than later."

@Peaceswore

Nearby: @AtlannianSpy @Mitchs98 @Azure Sky @Refaulted @Felix

ChimpMan · Aug 27, 2016

Garret Z. Allistair & Wil D. Heart

Wil cursed. For all he had experienced during his jungle life, he was amazed he could still be caught off-guard and so abruptly at that. Though he supposed it just went to show how dangerous the pirate life was. The suddeness of it all made Wil freeze. Not out of fear. But how one doesn't move when staring down a lion who is ready to pounce. Despite the circumstances however, he was relatively calm and collective. If nothing, he knew how to operate under pressure.

Eyes slightly narrowed, he glanced down at the sword pointed straight at him, light seeming to reflect off it's tip to express its threat. So threatening, yet so cool. "Wooah nice sword!" He said while holding up his hands in the air in a compliant manner and listened to what the marine lady had to say and evaluating his options. Marines on the roofs and two especially strong looking ones around him. 'There's no need to get involved.' She said, and she was right. The pirate captain and his friend who lay face down on the roof before him looked pretty dead. At least, dead enough for Wil to not try anything stupid (even for him). Such a shame too, they looked tough.

Wil's eyes darted left and right while his head remained unmoving. "You guys looked like ya' got your hands full with uh..." - He gestured to the two dead pirates - "So I'll get outta' ya' hair." He said oddly merrily.

Evelyn nodded, her expresion stern despite the seeming nonchalant tone he spoke with. "Very well. I recommend getting off the island, sooner rather than later." Her eyes remained focused on him and they would remain as such until he was out of sight.

"...I'll see you around." said Wil with a mischevious smirk. Wil was no fighter, but running? That was his forte. So when he jumped he jumped high, only to jump once more, mid-air, leaping over the marines on the nearby buildings and out of view.

Garret was lackadaisically strolling towards the docks with his new crewmate shortly behind him, when the most interesting thing happened. Some frigging guy JUMPED OFF A BUILDING! Garret had hardly seen anything that cool since arriving on the island, and that meant one thing. New potential crewmate!

Garret leaned back to Kiyoko and said, "I'm gonna go chase that guy. See if he wants to join us." He didn't bother waiting for a response before taking off at full speed. It... wasn't exactly an impressive speed, but sufficient to nearly catch up to the man. Turned out he was jumping buildings and running fast..... while barefoot. Wow.

"Hey, hey guy. You lookin for a way off the island?" Garret tried smiling, while also running and talking. It had mixed results.

"Hmm?" Said Wil turning around with one eyebrow raised. 'He-guy-lookin-off-island' was all he managed to make out from the stranger simultaneously running towards and talking to him. Those words were all Wil needed to hear. A mutual smile creeping up on Wil's lips.

Going to reply Wil found himself suddenly distracted by the miscoloured eyes of the man. "Oooooh" Wil said aloud, displaying his lack of self-awareness at the fact he was gawking. Wil already made his instinctive impression, and it was a good one. "I am!" Wil replied excitedly while still staring at the oddness of the stranger's eyes, albeit a little less obviously.

Garret pointed a thumb at hinself and then back towards Kiyoko. "Well I'm Garret, and that's Kyoko. I'm starting a pirate crew. Wanna join us? Someone with such wicked jumping skills is welcome on my ship anytime!"

Taken back by the suddeness of events yet again, Wil paused a moment. He looked to Garret and then back to the pretty black-haired woman, Kyoko. At the moment, Wil was unsure about the prospect of joining another crew. Being in a crew meant responsibilities. Wil liked being irresponsible. "I'm not so sure about joining a crew. BUT, I do need to get off of this here island and I'm sure you do too. So, how's about I temporarily join you guys to wherever ya' go next? As long as it's not here." Wil said, thinking back to the two gunned down pirates and the marines.

Garret looked a tad disappointed that he wasn't sure about joining up. Though the disappointment didn't last for very long. After all he'd still be traveling with them for a bit at least, and that would still be fun! "You got a deal! We're actually headed to my ship now so feel free to follow us there!"

"Lets go!" Said Wil with a boyish enthusiasm and the trio began to head for the ship. While it might seem a little foolish to walk off with strangers, Wil trusted his gut instinct. Some might say it was dumb, but it hadn't failed him yet. The future was beginning to look brighter.

Collab w/ @AllHailDago & @DaughterofAthena

Tags: @UdonIrvine47

Pequeno Burraidh · Aug 29, 2016

Ferra McKlinnen and Norman "Kinda Curious What's Goin On" Newman

Ferra was not idle as the others began making their decisions to stay or go, and was instead hard at work unfurling sails and adjusting rigging. This wasn't her first time, after all, setting sail on her own, though she did somewhat hope it was her last as sailing alone or even with a small crew could prove difficult. Pulling ropes and tying knots easily, it wasn't long before only two things still held the carft still, the anchor and the tie off to the dock.

Moving to the anchor first, the woman put her back into hoisting the thing up, a feat she actually managed quite quickly due to her time handling her weaponry as well as her training in general. Once satisfied she moved over to the rope holding them to the dock and drew out her sabre, calling out to the crew as she readied for the cut.

"Alright, we're leaving which gives everyone two choices right now, either fall in, or get out. Once this rope is cut your only other option is go swimming."

Norman poked his head out from the door leading below deck. He looked around quizically, noticing things seemed to be underway to leave port. Yet he didn't see Kenji anywhere in plain sight. He blinked a bit in confusion until he noticed a bit more plainly that Angry Lady was back. He strolled on over to her, looking around curiously as he did. "Looks like we're getting ready to go. Is Kenji back?"

"No," Ferra stated plainly, looking back at Mirstone, "To be honest, giving Kenji's experience, and the fact that he's not returned, my most accurate guess is that he's been bested, either captured or killed. There's no reason to wait for him. As you can see, it's time to go, and if my remembrance of Marine code is anything worth mentioning, that flare means it's well past time to go."

Norman leaned backwards and eyed the flare with wonder. He would love to shoot one of those some time, whether that be up or at someone he didn't care. He blinked when he realised she meant to leave Kenji. He looked back to Angry Lady incredulously. "Leave him? But he's the Captain, shouldn't we at least give a short look before we go? You seem strong and smart enough to at least be able to do that. I can help too!" He pulled out a string of senbon needles and shurikens from his clothes. He gestured at them as if to say, 'see?'.

Ferra had to keep from hitting the boy as he rattled off his remarks. Save the captain that couldn't save himself? Rush into Mirstone, currently full of Marines, and hope for the best? Was he truly as addled as his ramblings suggested, or just so naive and inexperienced when it came to handling Marines that he truly had no clue what was likely happening, especially given the number of pirates that had been in Mirstone.

"You don't get it, do you boy? This isn't some Marine crusade to capture some pirates. This is an extermination and roundup. There are currently more pirates here than there are likely through out the rest of the Blue, all because of a curious little tale about a map. Then, coincidentally, a whole fleet of Marines comes down on the town just at the peak of all the fuss." Ferra dropped harshly, as if she was pointing out that at night it gets dark, "In other words, some of the best and brightest, as well as the toughest and strongest Marines have gathered. This is not a fight to win, this is a fight to avoid. But at ease their boy, and feel free to disembark to find the captain. This ship, however, will not be here when you return."

Norman eyed the town and dock whilst biting his lip in thought. Most people would assume Norman wasn't very self aware, but that wasn't true. He looked at that city, all the marines, and the missing captain and realized that if he left the boat he'd likely get distracted and lost. So he decided to make it easier for Kenji to find him rather than the other way around. "Naw, I think I'll stay on board. Kenji will be looking for this boat, so he'll find us! Sides, I haven't seen you try the breakfast you asked me to make! It's ready downstairs!"

For a second, just a fraction of it really, Ferra was sore tempted to bring her sabre down across the boys stupid string of toys, but decided against it. She didn't want any fights or to hurt him anyhow. Instead she remembered his fondness for cooking, and did her best not to let her sudden smile look sly.

"That's true, you did and I heard it was very well done. Tell me, did you use any fish? I ask because there is a rare fish in these waters that I've always wanted to try. Come over here, let me see if there are any near the surface to point out to you, perhaps if you're able you could catch it, no?"

Norman made a face of surprise and, to a degree, nausea. Fish for breakfast? Fish for breakfast didn't sound good at all. His face started to relax after a moment though, perhaps there was a kind of fish that went well with breakfast around here. He walked over to the side of the boat where she had gestured. "That so huh? I've never made fish for breakfast before. But if there's one around here you want to try i'll gladly cook it up for ya. What's it look like?"

Leaning over the edge slightly and pointing down at the water, Ferra described this rare and magnificent specimen. It had a large sail across it's back, with a square head and large tail fins. It had two long and thin fins on it's side and was bright pink with yellow stripes. Or so she told him as she and he looked into the blue.

"You looking for it? They tend to come close to the surface because they'll jump out and catch birds, like a bird would usually dive in to catch a fish. They're tricky like that. Hmm, how about this, you look this side, I'll look the other side. Hopefully we can find one before Kenji finally gets back."

Norman looked around, curiously searching for the rather beautiful sounding fish. It probably tasted fantastic if it looked like that. Though he'd assume it was poisonous too, not that it'd be much an issue for him. Constant ingestion and resistance building to poisons really came in handy sometimes! "Hm, I can try to dive down and search for a couple real quick before we leave if you'd like?"

Taking a couple steps back from Norman Ferra nodded despite the fact that Norman wasn't looking. She could have easily told him that it was a great idea. She could have handled the situation a plethora of ways to be honest, many that would have been much nicer. But no, she needed the stress relief that had not been happening today with all that had gone wrong.

Planting her right foot firmly, Ferra kicked out with her left, not to boot the boy over, but instead to hook the toe of her left boot under one of his upraised heels just enough to counter balance him and send him tumbling down.

"Oh yea, marvelous plan. Allow me to help." she called out, letting a sliver of a grin show up on her face as she heard the splash below. As if remembering something, Ferra raised her right hand up and tapped herself on the head before walking over to look down at Norman, "Reminds me, boy, the name of the fish. It's called a 'Gullible'."

Turning away from the edge and walking away past Stacy, Ferra nodded to the rope.

"Suppose it's time to go, no? Also, perhaps they should have named the fish 'soaking wet and clueless', after the boy's face of course."

Norman hit the water and sunk about ten feet straight down as the weight of all his concealed weapons pulled his relatively light weight body down. Thankfully he easily righted himself and swam to the surface. Training with weighted clothing at home really helps sometimes. He looked up to Angry Lady yelling about a... bubble fish? Yup. Bubble fish. He looked around but didn't see one. "Got it, I'll keep looking for the Bubble Fish! Tell me when you guys are ready to go!" With that said he dived back down and looked around for the Bubble Fish. Breakfast was gonna get even more awesome soon!

@DaughterofAthena(Should be the Sea Dragon ready to sail s'far as I can tell.)

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