Marauders in Mirstone

[Exanis]

Syrin Insinu

Just as Syrin was going to take another sip of his drink while contemplating the pros and cons of which animal companion he should pick up, someone decided to pop in next to him, and apparently, heard him talking to himself. Glancing over, he saw a female with black hair and violet eyes. His visible purple eye blinked once in surprise. Narrowing it at her, he realized that she kinda looked similar to him. Tilting his head to the side, he finally snapped back to reality and finally seemed to remember her question to him.


Turning back forward, he took a long drink and finally decided to respond. "Every single pirate that has come to this island for the map." With his piece said he continued to stare forward blankly, though his mind didn't drift to his animal conundrum. He allowed the silence to continue for a moment before he looked back at the girl. It was then that he noticed that she didn't look like most pirates, which made her less irritating in his eyes immediately. Motioning for another bottle from the barkeeper, he turned back to the girl. "People tend not to talk to dark and angry looking men sitting at a bar, let alone a young lass like you." He took a drink from the new bottle. "So what brought these inquiries on?"


@DaughterofAthena

 

[BlueUnicorn]

Narivena Veulence

​

It seemed her theft had been discovered by the shopkeeper rather soon, based on the scream after she had left his shop. She had been good on her way, but his yelling was not hard to sort out from the noisy crowds. Good for her she could blend in with the amounts here and hopefully disappear before anyone she had stolen from caught up with her.


The chocolate-bar was halfway gone by the time Narivena had reached a bar that didn't seem too shabby. Too shabby meant people of less fortune, which meant less goods for her to get her hands on. However, the lower standard bars often gave up the most gossip. Difficult choice, but one thing she had learned after arriving here; the people on this island just would not shut up about the map to the bloody One Piece. Surely, it had caught her interest - as the map itself would be worth a ton, but what was her chances unless randomly stumbling upon it..? So her choice became apparent: the bar for rich monkeys. Besides, she was more likely to get a free drink here than anywhere.


Luckily, she had just enough room in one of her bags to fit her mapping-paper with her tools. Narivena let out a heavy sigh as she eyed the bar carefully in a wide-legged stance, her hands firmly placed on her hips whilst chewing quietly on a mouthful of chocolate. She had nearly all the details she required for a detailed map of this island, and it was always best to get started while the information was still fresh - even though she wrote down everything in her notebooks. It seemed to be a place with easy targets for her cleptomaniac hands that could contain useful information for her while also perhaps being one of the quieter bar on this island based on the ginormous crowds in the streets and other bars. Alright, so she would go in and take it from there.


Preparing for the next steps, Narivena brushed her hair out of her face and tucked her cotton shirt up just over her ribs. Not that she had much curves and feminine traits to show off, but free drinks, right? She enterred the bar and immediately scanned the room with observant eyes. People drunk off their asses, others seemingly talking business and illegal trading. Some seemed to be there just because it was room to actually sit. 'Map first, theft later.' she thought while rolling her eyes. She spotted an empty corner slightly hidden from the rest of the room - surprisingly not taken yet - and immediately set it as her destination.


One of the drunks made the mistake of slapping her rear as she made her way through the room to her destination. The men accompanying him laughed and cheered him on with whistles and roars. Narivena froze in her steps, her jaw clenched hard. Not a good idea. She twisted around almost 180 degrees with her elbow in a sharp angle, her other hand pushing the knuckles on her attacking arm to make the attack more powerful. Her elbow hit underneath the man's jaw and knocked him off his stool and straight into one of his comrades, the blow hard and sudden enough to make them both end up on the floor with a loud 'thump' followed by the man's screeches in pain. Could he not be just quiet?! Keeping this up, the entire island would hear this bastard. Blood ran down from his mouth, and a few of his teeth laid scrambled on the floor.


Narivena turned to the barkeeper with her arms crossed over her chest, the elbow she had attacked with having small stains of blood on it. " He started it." she scoffed and pointed her thumb to the man on the floor. The man she had attacked whimped and tried to yell at her, but she interrupted him before he could speak. If he could speak properly. "Oh, stop being such a pussy." she rolled her eyes as she walked over to her original destination. The barkeeper seemed utterly surprised by the sudden action, as did the rest of the visitors within the bar taken the silence into consideration.


"Clean up this mess, will you?!" the barkeeper finally managed to gather his thoughts and sent one of his bouncers to clean up the mess. Thankfully, he had seen the man's rude slap and took action based on the situation. As the man was cleaned out of the bar and the blood was cleaned up, the chat slowly came to the level it had been before. Just another day on this island, right? Nothing special about a short brawl in a bar..


She sat down in her designated corner and a maiden immediately came over to take her order. "Anything sweet. Ouh, and a milkshake if you have it, please." she smiled wholeheartedly to the nervous woman before pulling out her equipment to begin her work. Different sized rulers, pens, pencils and inked feather-pens, protractors, a compass, dividers as well as her trusted notebook. The sooner she could get this done, the sooner she could move on to another island before the victims of her thievery caught up with her. How would she get off this bloody island, though?


That would be a problem for another time. For now, she would enjoy a slice of cheesecake with strawberry-jello and chocolate milkshake that the maiden had brought her whilst drawing another map to fit her slowly growing collection.


@DaughterofAthena


Whoever else nearby a posh bar

 

[BlacklegSanji]

Kenji Kita


"Haha" Kenji laughed. "You are looking for the one piece and you don't even have a ship!" he said loudly laughing at the man sat on top of the bar. "My ship is a full equipped ex-navy ship that I had some customizations made to" he said. "And of Course I can think" He said chugging back another beer. "I spent a few years in the navy and I moved up to the rank of captain because I could think about my actions and make decisions" he said, a little offended by the man who had said his name was Malt.


"And as for you miss Ferra, I have a family that is full of navy officers, half the reason I have a bounty is because I beat a navy captain, though that was a while ago. If the navy ever stopped wanting me brought in the world would stop moving" He said. "Bartender another beer!" He looked away from Ferra for a quick second and grabbed the beer. He jumped up from his seat and began to walk towards the door. "If you'd like to come with me and search for the one piece your welcomed to it, as a ex navy officer I can imagine that you have nothing better to do" He said, "But I have things that need to be done first, like finding a decent shipwright to make repairs to the Sea Dragon" He said. "So I'll see ya around" he said waving his hand to her as he left the bar. As he did one of the bartenders would look down at a piece of paper on the bar. On the top was listed Kenji Kita's tab. "That Guy didn't pay for his drinks!!" he shouted.


He made his way down the street, or rather stumbled, not really paying attention to where he was going but ended up running into his old friend Sora, another man, a girl, and... Wait is that a Panda?? Kenji thought to himself. He walked up and patted Sora on the back. "Hey Buddy!" He said putting his arm around him. He looked at the Panda across from him. "Why are you a Panda?" he asked pointing at him. He took his off of Sora and studied the Panda with interest.. "Can you talk???" He asked, finding it strange seeing a panda stood on two legs. He then turned his attention to the girl. "Ah, so your a fish woman, its been a while since I met someone of your breed" he said. "Wait is that a guitar? Are you a musician?" He asked, and then he turned his attention to Seth. "Well that's kind of disappointing... We have a panda and a fish woman here so I was kind of hoping you would be some kind of crazy three eyed person or something." He said sighing in disappointment.


He then tipped his beer back as he finished it and gave it a toss down the street. "So is this your crew Sora?" He asked. A large man walked up behind Kenji in that moment and grabbed him by the shoulders. "That bottle hit my head!" he spoke. He went to punch Kenji but Kenji easily dogged it and grabbed the man's arm, pulling him over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground. Kenji drew his blade and placed it up against the man's neck. "Now that was disappointing, don't ya think Sora?" He asked Sora before turning back to the man. "To kill or not to kill? hmm, what a question, I suggest you get up off the ground and leave before I decide to kill" he said sheathing his sword as the man got up and walked away, humiliated. "Now where were we?" he asked looking at the other four people.

 

[Sunbather]

Gascoigne B. Malt

Tags: @Mitchs98 @Elision of Ecritures @BlacklegSanji @Azure Sky​

Though Bijou stripped him of his opportunity to bask in the glory of a successful speech, the dwarf animal yapped happily, and Malt had a hard time blaming his companion. Even if he wanted to, a strange voice squaled over the little button of a dog, lifting Malt's grumpiness through confusion and moderate caution.


?~Ruooruuuu?~?


Bijou seemed exciting to see Keya, possibly because he was delighted to see someone else who was much smaller than others. He jumped up and down, his paws splatting in the little puddle of beer he had spilled, like a small child playing in the rain.


"Aghhrm..."


Malt cleared his throat, arms crossed and glaring down at the young woman. He had become extremely cautious of other people getting too close to Bijou, maybe overly so. Without saying a word, he shifted his position to lean against the counter and very clearly made his attention known, as the bartender spoke up. He gave the boy a half-hearted stare, listening to his lecture without indicating what he thought of it whatsoever. "Uh..." He seemed unsure if the boy was serious or not. "It's just a counter, stop being so uptight, kiddo." He waved him off with one hand, now hunched over on his stool, looking deflated, though almost as if he was preparing himself to pounce. Finally, the blonde man Malt had adressed wagered in. Though it was reasonable to laugh over Malt's intent of being the Pirate King without even owning a ship, Malt's smile never broke and his confident expression remained glued onto his face.


"Navy, huh? Like a uniform would ever find the One Piece." he teased, emptying his own bottle, or rather what Bijou had left of it. In his surge of confidence, he once more sat atop the counter, surely sending the poor bartender into a state of annoyance, though it didn't last for long. As Kenji left the bar, Malt smirked. "Hey, I wasn't done yet, blondie!" he yelled, taking a final swig and enthusiastically jumped off the counter. Today must've been a bad day for the bar, with several customers just walking out without paying. Bijou jumped up and down, licked the dwarfen woman's face once and sprinted after Malt, his stubby legs forcing him to give it his all to keep up.


Malt's coat's fathers and the wide sleeves flowed behind him due to his sprint, before he came to a sudden halt.


"Whoa!"


Though he had quickly found Kenji's blonde head of hair, he was more interested in one of the nearby folks, a large panda - Not to mention he was bipedal and dressed! Bijou had caught up and immediately tapped his front paws against the panda's powerful legs.


"That's pretty cool." Malt said as he looked up at Xiao, a cool smirk on his face, though his confessional tone betrayed him and revealed that he thought the bear was more than "pretty cool".

 

[Red Thunder]

Mal


Fight or Flight

​

"Get back here, you damn bastard child!"


Dammit. I sure did like that hideout, too.


Okay, so maybe Mal's "hideout" in the old water tower wasn't a terribly hidden one: the wooden planks were broken or rotten, it was in a busy part of town, and basically anyone within the circle of street thugs that roamed the alleys of Mirstone knew that Treyvon's little brat could be found there. But it was such a cool place to go.


Not anymore, that was certain.


So the old man had found him. Mal was surprised Treyvon had managed to pull himself away from a bottle long enough to devote the energy to doing so. He looked down to examine the small roundish shape he carried in his hands. Sure, it looked like just eating that little bite had given the boy some kind of...fire powers? That was cool, certainly. But what the hell would an old drunk want with fire powers? He was certainly pissed enough. Mal chanced a glance over his shoulder. Treyvon was closing in on him, mouth pulled back in rage. He knew what the boy had done, or at least, he suspected. And unfortunately, the old Maelstrom always went with his gut.


The crowd of people through which Mal had been shoving began to thicken: they'd made their way into the market district. There was a distinct kind of orderly chaos that Mal loved about the place. One the one hand, things seemed like a madhouse from the street level: people wandered to and fro, voices seeking desperately to be heard over others. And of course, pockets were always available for the picking. On the other hand, from the rooftops, it became clear where people were bound, with whom they interacted. The ebb and flow of the crowd was readily evident. He passed by some strange looking individuals: pirates, perhaps? And gathered at the entrance to a really expensive bar? The stories they could tell...


But his internal monologue proved to be his undoing. Mal took a corner at a hard speed, not paying attention to where it led. A few steps later, a high brick wall filled his vision, and the boy pulled up short.


Great.


Treyvon was right behind him. Mal spun around, fear and defiance filling his face. Looking the older Maelstrom straight in the eyes, he sneered. "This is for the beatings, old man." And Mal popped the rest of the Fire Fruit into his mouth.


And promptly gagged. The bitter taste he's gotten from that first little bite felt like it was amplified 100 fold, and only his hatred for Treyvon kept him from spitting it right back out. He chewed, red juice spilling from his lips and running down his chin. In front of him, staring at him in a cold anger, Treyvon's hands clenched and unclenched.


"Spit. That. Out."


He spoke through clenched teeth, enunciating each word bitterly. But Mal only answered, "Make me," and swallowed.


He immediately wished he hadn't. With speed that his older, larger frame belied, the old drunk ran up, grabbed the kid by his hair, and imbedded his knee into Mal's small stomach. Mal doubled over, pain tearing at his insides as he wished bitterly that he were dead. But Treyvon wasn't finished. Yanking on his hair, he threw the kid to the ground and began alternating between bending down to punch and kicking the teenager's small form.


(@ Anyone who might decide that they're in the vicinity)

 

[Elision of Ecritures]

Finch Hawthorne

​

Finch looked on in a mixture of shock and disgust as Malt decided to completely blow him off, bidding him farewell without even paying. And he wasn't even the only man to do it as he was following the first man who did. Outraged, Finch untied his apron cracked his knuckles and his neck before walking out from behind the bar counter and following in pursuit. He walked out the door and followed the two easily, seeing as how they and others were gawking at a large Panda who appeared to be bipedal and able to speak, for whatever reason. Without saying it was easy to believe Finch wasn't too impressed given his already present annoyance with the two men who skipped out on paying and already present abilities which made talking animals not at all impressive to him. He grumbled as he approached, with a single step his clothes began to tighten around his body as a tall, muscular and frightening monster of a Sabertooth Tiger Hybrid with a human stood tall. However, before he could approach Malt and accost him for not paying him at the Bar, he looked to see a Rogue young man run past him, being chased by an old man who seemed to have the worst of intentions.


Finch looked back at the group of Pirates who were converging outside of the bar before he looked back over to see the young man run from the old man. Sighing at the sight of Malt and the others, he knew that this was more pressing, and meant that someone could be in trouble. He raced forward, not particularly the fastest but still more physically capable in his Zoan Hybrid form. He turned to find the scene of the old man beating up the Kid as he winced, some juice spilling from his mouth which looked similar but didn't smell like blood. The increased sense of smell he had was especially helpful, but now was no time to over analyze the decision. While in a monstrous form all he had to do was make a sweeping kick, his leg connecting to the old man's side as he walked on the young man, and the kick sent him flying into the wall of a building. He laid sprawling out afterwards, coughing as the large Sabertooth Hybrid kneeled down and inspected the young man's form. "Are you ok?"


@Red Thunder

 

[Red Thunder]

Mal

Shock and Awe
​

"I'll live."


Groaning, Mal sat up. His whole body ached, and a bruise was almost certainly expanding across his midsection where Treyvon had been assaulting him. In fact, where had the old man gone? He glanced around, finally spying him crumpled against a nearby building. He did not look well. Mal felt a small satisfaction in his chest that the drunk had gotten a bit of his own back. Sure, Mal knew everything that he knew because of the old man, but it had all been for Treyvon's self-service. Mal felt no attachment.


Pushing himself up, the teenager smiled at the newcomer.


"Thanks, big guy. You-" The words caught in his throat; his eyes grew in astonishment as he examined the...thing in front of him. Seeing a Zoan, and this close, was something of a new experience. He pointed and stumbled back, mouth agape in disbelief. "What the hell are you?"


@Elision of Ecritures

 

[Mitchs98]

@Sunbather @BlacklegSanji @Elision of Ecritures @Azure Sky


Keya Fenris

Keya giggled as Bijou splattered her with beer due to sheer proximity of it, covering her face from the afforementioned liquid raining over her. "You're just so adora-" She began while darting back and forth around the dog and petting it, being interrupted and movement halted by Malt clearing his throat and looking down at her. Her eyes widened at Malt's glare, she half debated running away immediately. "Um..uh..Sorry!" She told him, though she stayed playing with Bijou either way. Bijou was simply too adorable to be intimidated by Malt. Besides, it wasn't like she was stealing him or anything..though the thought did cross her mind a time or two. She giggled when Bijou licked her face, which really was..well..her entire face. She pouted as he ran off after Malt, she was having fun though! If only she had gotten there sooner she could of played with Bijou more. Well, she was determined to follow him until something else caught her interest. She quickly bolted after Bijou and Malt, curious as to what they were doing because she hadn't really been paying attention to anything but Bijou once Malt seemed to not hate her for touching his dog.


Soon enough Bijou stopped and seemed fairly excited about..something. She wasn't sure what. "What do you see boy?" She asked, then finally followed his gaze to see a humanoid panda. Her eyes widened as she looked up at Xiao in awe, "Woah!" She shouted. "Are you real? How are you real? What are you?" She quickly questioned. She'd never seen anything like him in her life, really.

 

[Lady Warlock]

Stacy Beauregard

A smirk spread onto Stacy’s face as her question was promptly answered after he stared for a moment. “Ahh… yep! Definitely a point I can agree with.” Though she really had nothing to say one way or the other on the rumors of the map to the One Piece having surfaced within Mirstone, she did not appreciate all the idiots who seemed to have been running around as of late so it wasn’t a hard decision for her to make.


Lost in her own thoughts, she had paid the bartender as he brought her the drink she had ordered, taking a sip of it before she heard the next question tossed her way.


Her smile only grew wider at this one. “Quite honestly, this place has become too boring,” she drawled a bit. “Sometimes talking to a random stranger can fix that, ya know?” At least, she hoped it could. Stacy really couldn’t remember ever having done it before, but she also did not remember having been as bored as she currently was. “As for the inquiries, I really didn’t quite hear what you said…” She shrugged briefly at that. Honest to the bone, she was.


Eyes trailing to the crowd around them, Stacy took another sip of her drink while watching for something to do.


@Exanis

Abigail Livingston

NPC Notes


Location: Running away from the docks


Age: 12


Gender: Female
​

Running.

Running.


Running.


Putting one foot in front of the other was the only thing that consumed the child’s mind as she continued to command her body to go through the same repetitive motion despite her body’s groaning pain at the constant signals to do so. Her calves were burning up, her face curled into a grimace and she was certain that the moment she stopped moving, her chest would be heaving in quick motions to catch up on all the oxygen she had used up in the process of running more and more. Nonetheless, she continued.


Spotting a man walking out of a shop, Abigail darted straight at him. Jumping to the side at the last minute, one of her arms reached out and grabbed him, unintentionally spinning him though she continued running into the shop as she hoped that the confusion of the simple motion would be enough to draw attention away from her as she continued running into the shop.


The red-head jumped behind the counter and the shopkeeper - the one who’d recently had his watch stolen - was quick to notice. “Hey! Thief! Get out of here!”


Not budging from her newfound ‘hiding place’, the girl ducked down behind the counter for a moment, not even hearing the shopkeeper. After a moment of catching her breath, she peered over the counter. Her green eyes met the gaze of the man who she’d spun around as she seemed to whimper, “Is she still coming?”


@Bunny

 

[Elision of Ecritures]

Finch Hawthorne




Finch looked down at Mal, smiling a big....well, it didn't matter how his expression phrases his emotions, his expression was always going to be Toothy given how the large tusks at the forefront of his jaw. Such was the Sabertooth nature of his canines, reaching down to his jaw before he giggled at Mal's reaction, giving a blink before he spoke up in reply. "I'm an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user. If you don't know what that may mean, I ate a fruit which allows me to turn into a hybrid form, my regular form and pure animals form of some extinct Animal, in my case it was A Sabertooth Tiger."





Finch then shrunk down, sighing as he resumes his regular form and smiled at Mal. He was of course not at all as intimidating as he was in his other form. "In short, I'm an Ancient Zoan Type Devil Fruit user. Supposedly some ancient and mythical zoans are more rare than Logia fruits, but I think that's more of Mythical Zoans. I saw you were in some great distress, so I knew I had to react....since he was hurting you....and I have such increased strength I don't think k I exactly went easy on him."

@Red Thunder
​

 

[clarinetti]

Ichigo Yamazaki

​

Mirstone: Less than a month ago the place was little more than a dinky port town in West Blue, a pit stop for merchants and marauder's alike. The closest marine base was over a week's journey by boat, and the town was small enough that few visited save to stock up on supplies. Of course, you wouldn't have known that if you visited it nowadays: over the course of a few weeks the place had become a hub of bustling activity. The streets were packed, every inn and pub full, and a variety of shops had popped up seemingly overnight to accommodate the sudden exodus of pirates flocking to the village. And the cause of all this? Rumours floating about, that someone had in their possession a map to the most sought-out treasure in history: the One Piece.


Sipping on a glass of ice tea, the pale man chuckled to himself as he sat in the corner of a tea house, gazing out at the crowds roaming the streets. He had arrived in Mirstone on the evening tide, aboard a merchant ship bringing wine and ale to replenish the local establishments. After taking his few belongings and receiving his pay, the ship-hand went in search of a meal and a bar stool, finding himself in a rowdy bar with a bowl of stew. It was hot and greasy, the meat dry and the broth overseasoned- just what he needed after a few weeks at sea living off potatoes and cabbage. He'd spent the night there, watching and listening as the other patrons boasted and told tales of their deeds, of the whispers they'd heard during their travels and how they'd be the first to find the treasure. All in all, little information was gleaned that he hadn't already known, but it was good to keep an ear out for any useful nuggets.


So far, today hadn't been much different: the morning was spent by the docks, where he helped a few ships unload their goods and listened to what the arriving crews had to say. Lunch in the market, wandering from stall to stall eavesdropping on the vendors and nibbling on kebabs. And now he found himself in a tea-shop in one of the quieter neighborhoods, where he could actually hear the mutterings of the people passing by. Already the would-be marauder had grown doubtful of his prospects here: if someone did indeed own a map to the treasure, they surely would've left the city by now, if they had any wits about them. Could be on their way to the One Piece right now, for all anyone knew. But he figured he'd skulk around a couple more days, see what he could find out before catching another boat out of here. There were plenty of so-called captains looking for crews, but the ones he'd encountered thus far were all talk. His time could be better spent elsewhere, serving wealthy tradesmen and haughty nobles.


Before there was a chance to further contemplate his options however, the afternoon lull was disturbed by the sound of racing footsteps and angry shouts. His curiosity piqued, the silver-haired stranger dug through his pockets and left a handful of change on the table, finishing the last of his drink in one gulp before standing up and shuffling out into the street. Adjusting his sugegasa so that he was shielded from the burning sun, the man walked along the dirt road, getting closer and closer towards the source of the noise until he found himself at the doorway to a shop. Peering inside, he could see it mostly sold tools for ship repairs, though various other goods were on display also. Only a handful of men were inside, but everyone's focus was directed on the burly shopkeeper and the small red-head girl hiding behind the counter, eyes wide and frightful. The child was a thief by the sounds of it, but clearly she had greater concerns on her mind. It really wasn't his business, nor his place to get involved.... but maybe something useful could come out of all this.


"Ahem." Ichiro cleared his throat, getting a few glances in the process as he entered the store. "Pardon the intrusion, but what seems to be the trouble here?" the man continued, offering a polite grin to the lot of them.


@DaughterofAthena


@Bunny

 

[Bunny]

Quintan Vediovis


Street -> Misc. Shop


@DaughterofAthena @clarinetti
​

Quintan was having a great time swiveling down the streets. It entertained him much more than it would a normal person. He spotted a girl running down the street, but he had seen weirder things. She might've been escaping from pirates that kidnapped her. Whatever the case, his attention returned back to his little trick. Although, his attention was then caught, quite aggressively, by the girl's hand. It grabbed onto his arm roughly, and spun him around. He eventually lost control and fell down. Due to him being on skates, it was much easier to fall down. His balance wasn't that great.


Quintan sat up, he clearly caused a commotion in the crowds on the street. People were walking around him in confusion, some even stepped over him. The nerve! He got up, shakily, searching for the culprit. He saw the door of the shop he just came from swing closed, and sighed. Once he walked in, he could clearly tell the girl was behind the counter, as the shopkeeper was calling her a thief in distress.


"Who? I don't know who you're talking about young girl. A pirate, maybe?" Quin raised his eyebrow. So she was clearly being pursued by someone, and it wasn't just a friendly game of tag. He heard the door swing open again, a man of silver hair entering. An old man perhaps?

 

[BlacklegSanji]

Mirstone


Ren Moto


Ren Moto sat down to a fancy restaurant in Mirstone, or at least as fancy as they got in a town that was settled by pirates. "Here's your meal Madam" A waiter said laying a plate of fish in front of Ren. "Hmm, Doesn't look too bad" She said taking a bite. "Hmm, Its flavour is okay.." She said while chewing. She sat there taking to her self about the food while others ate quietly. Soon enough she had drawn the attention of some people around her. Soon enough she hopped up out of her seat and went to pay the bill.


Leaving the restaurant Ren made her way down the street. She looked around at shops and small food stores. "Supplies, supplies... where can I find supplies" she said to her self coming across a store called 'The Happy Cook'. She walked into the shop and saw a man holding up a gun to the owner. Another man who saw her walk in pulled out his gun and pointed at her. "Down on the ground!" he shouted. "uh... damn idiots" She said, spotting a kitchen knife on the shelf by her. She went to go down on the ground and the man dropped his guard for a brief moment, to walk over and confiscate the large scythe on her back. In that moment Ren grabbed the kitchen knife and flung it at the mans chest. The man fell to the ground as the other man turned away from the cashier. Ren ducked under a shelf as the man shot. "Only one left" She said to herself removing her scythe from her back. As she was about to get up and attack she heard another gun shot. She peaked her head around the corner.


"You can come out now" The shop keeper said. "Thanks, I thought I was done for" he said holding a long barrelled gun in hand. "Why did they want to rob a Cooking shop?" She asked, wondering why in the hell someone would rob a store that sells cooking supplies. "I didn't pay protection money" he said. "Some pirates that come here and stay a long time usually charge shop owners a fee to be protected or so that their crew wont attack them. I didn't want to pay as I am capable of protecting myself but they insisted..." he said. "Look thanks for the help, I'll give you a 50% discount on anything you buy" He said. Ren Grinned.


Needless to say Ren walked out with more supplies than she weighed but the shop owner didn't attempt to stop her from abusing the discount given to her and buying way too much. She lifted up a coin purse. "Ah, I stole so much money off that old noble back on the last island and now I hardly have anything left" She sighed. She continued walking down the street until finding her self in a alley way of some sort. "Damn..." She said to her self, realising that she hadn't been paying attention to where she was going and kind of gotten lost. She looked up then realising there was two people in the alley, One badly bruised, not noticing the third beaten up. "Hey Runt, This man hurt you" She asked pointing to Finch


@Red Thunder


@Elision of Ecritures

 

[Red Thunder]

Mal

New Faces / New Connections
​

The old man groaned appreciably, reinforcing the Zoan's point, and Mal took a bit more satisfaction knowing that Treyvon was really feeling it. But he looked back up at his new friend, curiousity written all over his face.


"A...'Devil Fruit'? These things give you powers?"


Intrigued, he glanced down at his hand. That first night after his elicit sample, small flames had appeared on his fingertips in a moment of frustration. They'd disappeared immediately, but given the strange fit off coughing the bite of fruit had given him, it wasn't hard to imagine that the two were connected someone. His eyebrows knit in concentration, and he snapped his fingers.


A brilliant red flame, small but blinding, burst to life on the tip of his thumb. The astonishment that filled Mal's eyes quickly turned to laughter.


"Hell yeah!" He willed it away, and the flame disappeared. Grinning, the teenager pushed himself up and extended a hand to the much more easily approachable form of his companion. "Seems like I ate one of these 'Devil's Fruits', too. Was wondering how such a weird looking fruit could taste so damn awful. I'm Steven Maelstrom, by the way, though I usually just go by 'Mal'."


"Hey, Runt, this man hurt you?"


His eye twitched at the sound of the new voice, and he turned to face it accusingly. It came from a young woman, perhaps an inch or two taller than him. Carrying a sythe of all things, never mind a random assortment of kitchen gear. Stabbing a finger in her direction, Mal began shouting in anger.


"'Runt'!? 'Runt'!? I'll show you 'Runt', you Broad! You're not that much taller than I am, you Emo-Death-Obsessed-White-Haired-Old-Lady! Who do you think you are, calling people small!?"


The arm that pointed accusingly in her direction burst into flames, but Mal didn't even notice it. He was far too busy ranting and babbling incoherently.


@Elision of Ecritures @BlacklegSanji

 

[Elision of Ecritures]

Finch Hawthorne




Finch looked at Ren for a quick moment as the woman approached the two. Finch shook his head at her question, not giving her much of his attention as he was mainly concerned with Mal currently, who seemed to be undergoing the surprise and mix of emotions associated with eating a Devil Fruit. "Many Fruits have different powers, there being three types in general: Zoan, which give Animal based qualities to its users, Paramecia, which gave miscellaneous attributes to the user's body or the things they interact with and Logia, one of the rarest and most easily powerful in terms of raw ability or inherent prospects, which allows for users to become, create and manipulate an element of some kind. It makes the user almost invincible, and very dangerous."


"I would say that this would either be a Logia of the Element of Fire or a Paramecia or some kind." he analyzed, looking at the flame's emitted form his arm. Notably, Finch no longer had the height advantage he had originally with Mal due to now being in his fully human form, his clothes no longer stretched out. He turned to Ren again, this time trying actually converse with her instead of giving her the same lack of acknowledgement that she gave him to begin with. "My name is Finch, and no, I did not harm him. He was being pursued by that man over there, but I instead accosted him, and apparently incapacitated. My name is Finch Hawthorne."



​

@Red Thunder


@BlacklegSanji

 

[Exanis]

Syrin Insinu

Syrin snorted in what may have been amusement if not for his continued apathetic look. Taking another large gulp out of his bottle, he addressed the girl once again. "You're an interesting one, I'll give you that. Kinda reminds me of a younger me." A slight wistful tone seeps into his voice at the end of that statement, but disappears just as soon as it came. Shaking his head out of the memories that were no doubt trying to claw their way to the surface and reinforcing his apathetic demeanor, he glanced down at the girl. "You've thoroughly caught my interest for the time being. Thought it ain't that hard considering the sorry state of this place" The last part was muttered under his breath before he should his head adn refocused on the girl. "The name's Syrin."


After giving his name, he turned back forward, and noticed that he had somehow gone through half his bottle in that short period of time. A dreadful sigh burst from within him, especially as he knew he would hit his self-imposed limit after finishing this bottle. Drinking in a much more subdued manner, he carefully regarded the female next to him while adjusting the chain underneath his jacket arm into a more comfortable position. "A gal like you should have some interesting stories, hm? This is most likely the booze talking-" He grumbles to himself something incoherent. "But I'm feeling a bit generous today, and I'm ever so slightly bored. A tale for a tale, after which we can go our separate ways. And then I can probably get myself a cat of some sort..." The last part was once again mumbled to himself. Shaking himself out of the mind wandering effects of the alcohol, he focused on Stacy. "What do you say?"


@DaughterofAthena

 

[BlacklegSanji]

Ren Moto


"Huh?" Ren said in a very pissed off voice. "Who are you calling a Emo-Death-Obsessed-White-Haired-Old-Lady Runt?!?!? Maybe I'm the god of death, the Grimm Reaper, coming to take your Soul, How would you feel about that, Huh? offending the god of death and having to spend the rest of eternity in hell because of it!! and by the way I'm not old, I'm 17, and I was born with white hair! Maybe I should cut you up into a million little bits and cook you into a stew!!! Oh look your arms on fire, maybe I can use you to cook the stew with!!! You little runt, Your shorter than me and you also look a lot younger, that's why your a runt!!!" She said screaming at the Kid in front of her (Isn't there only like a 1 year difference between the two) and was huffing and puffing by the end of her rant.


"And YOU!" she shouted turning to Finch. "I'd like to know where I may find some pirates that I can sail with, hopefully to the grandline" she said still a hint of anger in her voice, signifying that if Finch gave one wrong answer or even slightly aggravated her she was going to explode in another fit of anger followed by a rant and possibly some assault from the girl, that would most likely be directed at Mal as he was the original source of her anger.

 

[Red Thunder]

Mal

The Call of Adventure

What an obnoxious, overly self-assured, moronic, loud, pedantic, pompous hag! She just puffed herself up and continued demeaning him! Like she was something special; she had an inch on him. Maybe. And only seventeen? What a load. Teenagers didn't have gray hair; he ought to know, since he was one. Mal clenched his fist, admittedly little more than a ball of scorching fire at this point, and shook it at the gray haired broad before him.


"Listen here, you hag! If you think you can just-"


But she was ignoring him. Ignoring him! She'd instead chosen to speak to Finch, the nice guy from before. The nerve! He'd punch her, that was it! He'd punch her right in the-


"...where I may find some pirates that I can sail with..."


"Woah woah, wait a second! Pirates?!" Disbelief filled Mal's round face, and his regular daydream of sailing in some boat across boundless seas threatened to invade the sunny day in which he lived. Every last bit of his flames had extinguished, replaced by wonder. The young man folded his arms and tilted his head, examining Ren critically. "Are you a pirate? Hell, are you, for that matter?" he asked, turning to look at Finch. "I don't know what one looks like, but neither of you look much like I imagined them. Though I guess I wouldn't know..."





Mal made a glance back to the slowly stirring form of Treyvon, still crumpled against the building wall. Life in Mirstone meant him. Almost certainly. But life on the sea, the life of a pirate... Mal looked from one face to the other and back.


"I don't guess that...you know of anyone who could use an extra set of hands on their pirate ship, do you?"


@BlacklegSanji @Elision of Ecritures

 

[Elision of Ecritures]

Finch Hawthorne




Finch looked at Mal and then at Ren who both stated that they were mutually interested in joining a Pirate Crew. Upon hearing Mal's question as to if he knew anyone about becoming a Pirate to sail on the Grand Line, Finch originally looked aside, thinking to himself as he couldn't come up with any people in mind for becoming a pirate until he recalled the three people out of the many who had gathered at the Bar earlier that evening, claiming they were to be setting sail with dreams of becoming Pirate Royalty. "There were a couple people at the Bar who looked like they were interested in recruiting members for their various crews. I didn't catch their names before I walked out, but they should be easy to find, they have the nature about them which is typical to cause trouble."


"Besides that, we could always just easily walk into any Bar in town, many Pirate Crews are forming from the recent influx of Pirates coming to Mirstone, so it should be fairly simple to find someone to join even if we can't find them." Finch nodded, turning to Mal. "I came to Mirstone in order to find a Crew of some kind, if they were Pirates, I wouldn't mind. I have a Zest for travel and adventure, so this place seemed like the best fit."



​

@Red Thunder

​

@BlacklegSanji

 

[Felix]

Sora Z. Lachance, Seth Igramo'El, Xiao Bamboo, Cait Merlin, Kenji Kita and Malt


Collab between Peaceswore, Felix, Azure Sky, Shadowdude, Blackleg Sanji and Sunbather


@Peaceswore @Felix @Azure Sky @shadowdude505 @BlacklegSanji @Sunbather


The Panda paused to let them take it in, but Seth did not need time. 'You talk funny! Wait what? talked? Awesome! Oh hey, I'm still talking out loud. How could you do that? Where did you learn that? I didn't know that was possible. You must be one smart panda! Or did you eat a devil fruit and are you just a human in disguise? Than you suck at making disguises. You don't exactly blend in. Sorry to break it to you. Otherwise, you're awesome! Please don't change.' The last sentence almost sounded like a supplication.


Sora was about to say something but before he could, Seth started on his long unending statements that just kept getting odder and odder with every word that came out of his mouth. 'This guy must have ADHD and gotten into a bucket of sugar, after getting terrible head trauma.' Sora thought as he sighed only to look back at Xiao. "A bounty hunter? That does sound familiar, then again I heard about you lot all over the place ever since the map to the one and only One Piece was found." He said with a grin. "I guess it's a nice pay day here seeing as you can't go ten minutes without running into someone with a bounty on their head." He hummed as he petted Albi's head a bit.


'You should listen better rude boy, Panda-sensei said that he used to be a bounty hunter, which makes him even more awesome than he already is. Show some respect!'


"So I heard, doesn't mean one can't become one again in this goldmine... Also rude boy? I told you my bloody name you know." Sora said with a sigh as he looked at Seth. "....And you have no right to talk about me when it comes to respect."


'I sure know about respect. That's also the reason why I don't use your name. You haven't deserved to be called by your real name yet. S... So... No, I'm sorry. I really can't get it out of my mouth'. Talking about gold mines, this guy, Sora, was a comedy gold mine. He said the exact right thing over and over and fell for every pitfall. Such a shame that Seth didn't take his booby trap material with him.


The panda merely waited and listened to Sora and Seth's chat for a while. They were quite amusing. Seth was rather unusual, to say the least, and Sora simingly took the guy too seriously. "Panda-sensei? No one's ever called me that before" thought Xiao. "As I said before, I was gifted with the ability to reason. I don't know why, but since I am able to do so, it wasn't so hard to learn how to speak, read, and write" said Xiao, then turned to Sora: "That was a good point regarding bounty hunting. However I no longer wish to walk such a path".


Sora was about to respond to Seth however his attention was taken by the panda again and he simply gave a small nod. "Got tired of risking your life for money? Figure a job like that would be one that you'd keep if you have the skill to do so that is." He said nonchalantly as he glanced around a bit. Feeling slightly uncomfortable he decided to move a bit closer to a nearby wall, he didn't leave the group yet as he was honestly intrigued by two he met, despite being rather annoyed with the other red head. Now leaning against a wall as far from the crowd as possible but still close enough to the others to be part of the group. 'I should get to searching for a crew.... But I really need to get supplies first, and I need to fire that old crew bloody useless, bet I just have to mention I'm going to the grand line and poof! They all run for the hills like the cowards they are.' Sora thought as he debated how much free time he really had.


"Bounty hunting was never really my dream job, to say the least. I did it out of necessity. I am a martial artist, thus I never miss an opportunity to hone my skills. Continuously facing new, strong opponents was the fastest way to do so. But it was not enough" said the panda in reply to Sora. Of course, Xiao would not just jump head-first into danger. He didn't fear death, but he also wanted to live. He had a dream that he was ready to achieve at all costs. Xiao watched as the man he was speaking to started to distance himself a little and lean against a wall. The panda considered that there must have been something that wasn't to Sora's liking, but he could not figure out what, yet.


Seth was silent for once, listening carefully to what his new role model had to say. The panda was really wise. And that he was a fricking panda couldn't hurt either. When Sora stepped aside Seth saw an opportunity: 'Don't you even think about walking away, rude boy. We're not done talking. How dare you take our captain away?! She may be your pet, but you can't force her to leave her crew!' Seth could see himself be part of a crew with a mink and a panda. Oh yeah! He could definitely see that. He just needed to push Sora a bit.


"Name's Cait Merlin, put 'er there." A half sharkwoman interrupted the group as she introduced herself. She gave Xiao the first opportunity to shake her hand. "I bet I can guess what event brought you three gents together. You guys are looking for the One Piece aren't ya?" she added, addressing all three of them.


Seth jumped up. He was so caught up in the panda's behavior and the group dynamics that he hadn't noticed the other strange creature that approached them. 'Whoa! Sharkwoman! Sort of. You almost scared me,' he exclaimed. He examined the hand she had stuck in the direction of the panda. 'What are you doing? What is panda-sensei suposed to do with that? It's definitely some kind of convention, but what's the meaning of it? You aren't offending him right? Because then I would have to-'


Cait giggled after hearing Seth's rambling. "You've never seen a handshake before? It's a way people say hello."


'Ah like that. See Sor, that's how introducing yourself properly looks like. In my tribe we used to bow. Then give a head butt. And finish it off by sharing a bowl of Longhorn Beetles. At least ... that's how they taught me'.


Xiao shook Cait's hand and analyzed her carefully. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Xiao Bamboo". From the way she carried herself, Xiao understood that she knew how to fight.


Sora was rather quiet as he watched Seth open and close his mouth not really registering the words that were coming from him, since he was 98% sure that whatever he was saying was intended to annoy him. Rather than focus on that his mind was casually listing off what he needed to get and how much money he had left. Not to mention time, no way in any of the hells was he going to be the last to leave out of the trio. He zoned back into what was going on when a woman who seemed to have fish like features approached him with a handshake. He blinked several times before shaking the woman's hand. "Sora." he said in a casual tone before he looked over at Seth. "The bowing I get, but everything after that....... Your tribe is something else." He said with a soft chuckle as he looked back at the girl a smirk on his face.


"As for the One Piece part... I don't know about these two." He said as he nodded his head at Seth and Xiao. "But that's the only reason why we're here, to get that damned map and a decent crew." He said with a snicker as Albi nodded quickly in agreement with her buddy.


'Ooh, sounds interesting, or rather exciting. Or both... and more' Seth said with a mischievous smile. 'Captain mink, you can be rest assured that I will never leave your side. If One Piece is what you want than I'm in. It's about time to teach all those pirates that the throne for pirates is not human only any more. We're going on an adventure!'


"The One Piece is all fine and dandy. If you want to become the King of the Pirates, more power to ya. There's a treasure out there that's more important to me" Cait said casually, sounding disinterested in the One Piece. "It's my ma. I just need a ship to get to her." The hybrid fishwoman paused and looked like she was thinking about something.


"If you get me to Fishman Island, I'll help ya become the King of Pirates. What do ya say, Captain Sora?"


Sora looked at the woman with a raised brow slightly surprised at the offer to join his non existing crew but before he could respond he was patted on the back and an arm went over his shoulder.Blinking several times he looked at the man that was doing it and sighed. Closing his eyes he waited for him to stop talking.


"Hey Buddy!" Kenji said putting his arm around Sora. He looked at the Panda across from him. "Why are you a Panda?" he asked pointing at him. He took his off of Sora and studied the Panda with interest.. "Can you talk???" He asked, finding it strange seeing a panda stood on two legs. He then turned his attention to the girl. "Ah, so you're a fish woman, its been a while since I met someone of your breed" he said. "Wait, is that a guitar? Are you a musician?" He asked, and then he turned his attention to Seth. "Well that's kind of disappointing... We have a panda and a fish woman here so I was kind of hoping you would be some kind of crazy three eyed person or something." He said sighing in disappointment.


Seth made a semi-offended face. 'Who are you calling a disappointment?! I'm probably the craziest person around. As for the having three eyes: I may or may not have a third eye, but you will never get to see it, you pervert! Your fetish disgusts me!' He could have gone on and on if he hadn't seen a bulky man approaching them and was walking angrily towards the group.


Kenji then tipped his beer back as he finished it and gave it a toss down the street. "So is this your crew Sora?" He asked. A large man walked up behind Kenji in that moment and grabbed him by the shoulders. "That bottle hit my head!" he spoke. He went to punch Kenji but Kenji easily dogged it and grabbed the man's arm, pulling him over his shoulder and slamming him into the ground. Kenji drew his blade and placed it up against the man's neck. "Now that was disappointing, don't ya think Sora?" He asked Sora before turning back to the man. "To kill or not to kill? hmm, what a question, I suggest you get up off the ground and leave before I decide to kill" he said sheathing his sword as the man got up and walked away, humiliated. "Now where were we?" he asked looking at the other four people.


Once all of that ruckus was done he let out a small sigh and shook his head. "No, these guys are people I ran into... Though she." He said, now pointing at Cait. "Maybe a new crewmate." He said with a smirk as he put his hands in his pocket.


'Hey!' shouted Seth indignantly. 'I'm your best crewmate. We have known each other for so long and now you try to dump me? You are soo mean!' He faked a sob. 'By the way stranger, that was not just disappointing, but also pathetic in a major way. Like a bear on a bike in the circus. Not that I mean anything with that of course, Panda-sensei. Bears are awesome, especially pandas, but this guy sucks.'


"When did this happen? I know I nor Albi asked you to join, you just appeared and started tp annoy me. I don't know where you got the I'm your best crewmate bit." Sora said as scratched his nose.


"Whoa!"


Though Malt had quickly found Kenji's blonde head of hair, he was more interested in one of the nearby folks, a large panda - Not to mention he was bipedal and dressed! Bijou had caught up and immediately tapped his front paws against the panda's powerful legs.


"That's pretty cool." Malt said as he looked up at Xiao, a cool smirk on his face, though his confessional tone betrayed him and revealed that he thought the bear was more than "pretty cool".


"Hey Sora, Whats up with this guy?" He said pointing to Seth. "He just won't shut up" he said with a hint of annoyance in his voice.


"Yeah I noticed. I'm pretty certain he got hit in the head rather hard or was dumped into a barrel of sugar." Sora siad now moving off the wall as he looked down the street.


He then turned his head to the guy who called the panda pretty cool. "Wait you're that guy from the bar right? Malt was it... That is a walking Panda, I think its just more than pretty cool" he said, not picking up on the fact that his tone gave away his true feelings.


"Look I know you said you wanted to become the pirate king yourself so why are you chasing me around?" Kenji asked Malt.


"Also, if you really need a ship to travel on I could help you find one, Although for a price" he said reaching his hand up as if he were to be drinking from a bottle. "I like rum, and lots of it" he said with a smile, as if saying he wanted his services payed for in rum.


".........Kenji... You talk just as much as Seth at times." Sora siad as he did a small stretch. "Well, chatter was nice, but I got to get supplies, my ship won't stock itself as amazing as that would be." Placing his hands in his pocket he looked at the shark girl and was silent for a moment before shrugging. "If you are actually interested in joining, I don't mind as long as you can pull your own weight. We can talk later or now, but either way I need to get my supplies nowish." Then looking at Xaio. "It was interesting to meet you, later." With that he started to walk off, not looking at Seth or saying goodbye to the other three present.


'Thanks for asking us to come along, of course we would gladly accompany you. It's just that packing doesn't sound that interesting,' Seth said mockingly. 'See you later,captain! and captain bearer. I'll find you when you're done.'


Xiao wanted to respond to the various questions and remarks he was bombarded with, but so many new people appeared and so many things happened at once, that he couldn't find the opportunity to do so. He merely analyzed everything that happened and was said at a certain point. He came to a conclusion. He might have found the best way to hone his skills. "Wait" he said, before Sora could leave. He looked the man straight in the eye and added: "I'd also like to join your crew". Truthfully, after all that chatter, Xiao realized something. Sora and his crew would face many trials and dangers on their adventures. That meant dangerous opponents, and calamities. The perfect opportunity for a certain someone to gain experience and improve as a martial artist. The panda awaited Sora's reply.


Sora stopped in his tracks and looked behind him when the panda called him out. He listened to the others request and smirked. "Aren't I popular today." He hummed before nodding. "I know I should have more of an audition for my crew mates, but I think I'll skip that and just say yes. I think you will be a great addition to the crew." He said once again not counting Seth as his crewmate as he didn't remember inviting him or the other even asking to join. "Now as I said I need supplies, feel free to get what you need and be at the docks by.... Hmm Late afternoon, I should be done shopping then. I'll show you the ship then if that works for you." Not really waiting for an answer he went ahead and walked off, there were too many people and it was taking a lot of will power for him to not just simply run off.


Cait started to follow Sora. "I may be a musician, but I'm well acquainted with a life at sea," she said. "You're about to see how handy Fishmen muscles are," she added, vocalizing her intent to help Sora gather gear.


'You were not lying about having a ship. What a relief! I hope it's going to be awesome!' Seth shouted. He turned towards Bijou. 'Almost as awesome as Malty's talking dog over here. I thought only rational pandas could talk, like Panda-sensei over here, but apparently you can as well. Why is that? Do you think it is magic? or rational thoughts? or maybe even fate? Do you think you can teach my white furry friend a few words? Could come in handy when she will become the Pirate Queen, don't you think?' As if it was the most normal thing in the world he waited for a talking dog to reply, while a big talking panda was watching him and a shark fish woman was just walking out of sight with a guy with a pet mink. Oh, What a world to live in!





@Sunbather @Mitchs98

 

[vergil]

Rena Heartwood

It's a pirate's life for me?

There comes a point that your ambitions surpass the environment around you. That my friends is now. Whilst I have enjoyed reporting on the comings and goings of my birthplace, my thirst for knowledge propels me towards the seas and perhaps with a little bit of (or perhaps a great deal) of luck towards the forbidden territory of the Grand Line; the home of the pirates that seek out the One Piece.


As you know, our small island of Theria holds little interest to those from faraway lands. We have a community - something that I am fiercely proud of. I've been to other islands and I've always been amazed by the fact that you can be surrounded by people and yet be completely alone and isolated. It is unimaginable to think that people would simply just watch a child cry and not rush over to help him. Certainly, when I was just a little tyke in my denim dungarees, I would, on occasion wander off in the pursuit of a shiny object (not too much changed there then!) and get separated from my mother. Of course, she knew exactly where I was - the town shopping center only stretching about a hundred yards, but in amidst the stalls and the fabrics, I had honestly thought I would never see my parents again. My mother, and all the other townsfolk are quick to remind me how much I cried - but the point is that Bill Greas, May Thorn and a whole host of others came and reunited me with my long lost mother (only about 2 minutes). In a larger town they would simply look at the child with fleeting concern, then move along - 'someone else will help them.'


I'm a girl who is in constant wonder of the world. The rumors of Devil fruits - a food that gives ordinary people super-powered abilities. Bounties of pirates going to the millions - hundreds of millions even! The weird and wonderful islands that can be read about in dusty romanticized books and torn up pirate logs. And despite this wonder; despite all the unimaginable things that I have yet to see - it is not my curiosity that drives me away from home. Instead, it is the passion for truth. A multitude of questions swirl around in my head like the ridiculous weather patterns of the Grand Line that I have read about. Who, actually are these pirates? Why do we never hear their side of the very much biased story we are being fed by the World Government sponsored paper? Where is the balance? Where is the truth? When our children and grandchildren learn of the great leaders of the past, have some been omitted simply because they were on the wrong side of the law. Great leaders often rebel against the establishment and if the news is only one sided, then history will forever remember these people as villains.


Some say it is a fools errand. After all I have a very good thing at home - I may well be throwing it all away and risking my life for nothing. However, what haunts me more than losing everything I have established is that question. You know the one. The one that sneaks up on you when you are lying in bed. Or when you look outside the window for a split second and gaze into nothing.


What if?


My being would be plagued by that question, and as a person that hates unanswered questions, that would drive me crazier that Crazy Joes prices! (Unnecessary plug!)


So with that, Rena Heartwood is leaving you in the very capable hands of Sir Jeron, a good friend and a talented journalist. I bid you goodbye, for now. You will always be in my thoughts .


Rena Heartwood signing off.

The carrier pigeon had been waiting patiently for Rena to give it one last look over before she sent her final article for the Theria Tribune. A little heavy on the emotion, but she figured they would appreciate it. In truth, home was already behind her - what laid in front was the island of Mirstone and with it, the myriad of ships and their flags; all different - very different. Some even had shades of pink in them. Female captains, perhaps? That thought had not crossed her mind until then. The bounties had women in them, for sure, but for some reason the idea of a female captain, surrounded by rowdy muscular, alcohol fueled men, seemed odd. Rena herself was a little nervous about joining up with such men. She expected lewd comments and inappropriate touching. She touched her belt packed with goodies and smiled innocently - nasty surprises for all who try!


It was getting to be the evening by the time she docked, her fishermen friends decided against joining her to be a pirate. They had families and so on and so forth. Rena....not so much. Jeron had awkwardly proposed to her before she left. It came out in a blustery mess but it was still beautiful - like an autumn wind blowing up some leaves in your face. She had pecked him on the lips and told him that she would think about it when she got back. She knew it was done to get her to stay - and honestly, she was kind of irritated about that. Simply put, he put his needs over hers - if anything it made the decision to leave easier.


Wandering the streets of Mirstone was an experience. No Marines - no real authority at all really; and somehow the island was not completely on fire (there was smoke coming from the east, but it was probably a campfire and not some pillaging). There were glances at her and she tried to look as inconspicuous as possible - a skill she had mastered. She was somewhat of a celebrity on the Theria, and there were times she wanted to be alone. being able to slip through a crowd, buy some milk and leave all unnoticed was quite a talent, she employed the same tactic. Walk like they do, observe mannerisms but avoid eye contact. It was a quiet confidence. A confidence of I could kill you so easily that I don't need to worry at all - kind of confidence. She'd never killed anyone in her life but 'fake it until you make it' as they say.


Her goal now was to find something resembling a crew or a captain and join up with them. Hopefully they wouldn't be completely incompetent and would manage to get her to the Grand Line. She doubted they needed a reporter so what she was bringing to the table was her ability to read maps, sail a ship and be generally good with weather. A navigator of sorts - and she could double that up with Intel gatherer too.


The bar she found herself was noisy and smelt like vomit and beer - the floor had an odd sticky feel to it and the temperature was 2 degrees past comfortable. She didn't really know how to go about looking for a crew so she sat at a bar stool, ordered a glass of red wine (which came out suspiciously looking like rum) and asked with a wry smile and a raised eyebrow.


"Hey, hear of anyone looking for a navigator?" @Peaceswore @DaughterofAthena @BlacklegSanji @Sunbather


She somehow knew, as the bartender looked back at her as if she was crazy that she was going to get killed in the next 5 minutes.

 

[AllHailDago]

Scarlet Johanna Indigrid, Cletus T. Bass, Harleen Van Sant and Jasper Pharos

Cletus was surpised that Scarlet didn't already have a shipwright, or much of a crew at all. "If you want to go to the Grand Line, I'll make sure that the ship gets there," he said after Harleen and Jasper arrived. He puffed on his cigarette as Scarlet introduced herself. Captain Scarlet would work for him over the Lady Scarlet option. He glanced over at Jasper and figured he was the butlery type. He wasn't sure what to think of Harleen though. With her chains she seemed like she had been a slave at some point in her life. "I wanted to be a pirate when I was a boy, but I ended up hanging around cowboys. Funny how life works out," he gruffly replied to Captain Scarlet's question. "You're the Captain, if you want a thief type you better start looking."


"Believe me. I fully intend to!" Scarlet was quick to assert her intentions. "If you're to be taking care of the ship, perhaps it would be good for you to see it?" It made sense in her mind and she completely forgot that he had mentioned already having seen the flag. Her attention was being divided between too many people and it was beginning to fluster her just a bit. "Perhaps Jasper can show you and... uhm..." Her eyes drifted towards the chained girl who's name she couldn't remember. She felt bad about it. "You can come with me to hunt for this thief?"


Her gaze shifted between all three of the individuals gathered around her as she raised her eyebrows, almost as though she was looking for approval from someone. This whole being captain thing was going to take some getting used to and Scarlet was only just beginning to realize that.


Harleen had stood next to Jasper without making a sound. Her eyes were glued to the woman's face, whom she registered in her head to be the one to make Harley's life make sense. "A... thief?" she uttered, tilting her head a little bit. Harleen knew what people did to thiefs. Her chains rattled as she shifted into what could be interpreted as a fighting posture, her chained up hands lifted and her feet spread a little further. "Do you want to kill the thief", she asked, trying to sound accomodating, "or would you rather just torture them?" Harleen's voice was unassuming, suiting her personality-deprived intentions.


Harleen's sudsudden shift in willingness to fight took him off guard at first. However he quickly moved to placate her, and by extension presumably Lady Scarlet as well. "No no no Miss Harleen. I believe Lady Scarlet wishes to possibly recruit the thief. Torturing and killing are not really her style."


Though Scarlet's eyes had initially widened in what seemed to be and odd mix between anger and frustration, a deep breath in followed by slow exhalation showed that somehow, she was able to remain calm. Nodding to Jasper and then glancing to Harleen, her eyes were hesitant. "Yes. Theives make good pirates and we need pirates if we're going to be a pirate crew." Nodding once more in affirmation of herself, Scarlet listened to Jasper once more.


He turned to Lady Scarlet with a placating grin. "Apologies Lady Scarlet. I would be glad to show Mister.....," he looked at the man, realizing he didn't know his name,"... this man to take a look at our ship. Although about my sailing experience. I would like to discuss that with you in private first if that is quite okay?"


A sigh. That was her response. Dancing on her feet almost like an impatient child, Scarlet whined. "Can't it wait, Jasper!? I don't even know where to start looking and they're gonna get away..." Drifting her eyes to Cletus, she watched him for a moment before declaring, "Besides, Cletus wants to see the ship. Right?" The very tone of her voice suggested she expected Cletus to say yes.


"I've already seen the ship, the outside anyway." Cletus started to head toward the docks. He passed by Jasper and Harleen before stopping and turning to look back at his Captain and crewmates. "The name's Cletus," he said to Jasper with his usual frown on his face. "I'll see you later, Captain," he added, pulling down on the bill on his hat and readjusting his hat back into the position it was moments before. Cletus took a drag on his cigarrette as he turned toward the docks and continued walking.


Jasper bowed to Lady Scarlet with a quick, "Of course Lady Scarlet." After that he stood up and made haste after Cletus. He caught up to the man just before he got onto the docks. He fell into stride beside him, keeping his hands near, but not on, his weapons. "So, Mister Cletus. You seem to be looking to join our crew. Shipwrighting, how proficient are you in combat?"


Harleen's gaze didn't shift as her newfound crewmates began to discuss their future roles, and as Cletus and Jasper left the scene, Harley found herself standing alone a few feet away from Scarlett, her new captain. Her small mouth barely looked as if it could open, but finally, she spoke, albeit rather quietly. "Would you like me to go after the thief, then, Ma'am?" she asked, her tall frame still hunched over uncomfortably.


"Yes. You can come with me. Maybe together we can get somewhere."


@shadowdude505 @Sunbather @DaughterofAthena

 

[Lady Warlock]

Stacy Beauregard

“Interesting?” Stacy couldn’t help but be amused by his label of her as ‘interesting’. “Well, I would certainly hope so. I mean…” her gaze trickled around the bar that they sat in, “considering the sorry state of this place, that’s not a very hard standard to meet I wouldn’t think.” Shrugging, she refocused her gaze back on Syrin as he offered his name.


“Stacy,” she offered her own in return.


Following his eyes to the bottle he was drinking, she too noticed that it was half empty and she smirked slightly as she watched that realization seem to settle upon his face before she took a sip of her own drink which seemed meager and small in comparison to his. Grimacing slightly as the whiskey burned her windpipe on the way down, she shook her head briefly before setting the empty glass on the counter. “I have a few,” Stacy commented on his request for interesting stories. In reality, she wasn’t quite sure what quantified as interesting within Syrin’s mind. Then he mentioned that he was also bored. That was enough for her to realize he likely didn’t care what kind of story she had to tell.


“So you like cats, hmm?” she picked up on that comment. “I actually do have a story ‘bout one of those.” It was a recent enough memory that it seemed would be amusing enough to tell.


“I was… uhm… traveling, I guess you could say.” She had been running, in reality. Trying to escape the marines who thought she had assaulted one of their own because she’d been stupid and fought back. That wasn’t important to the story, though. “There was a small fisherman’s hut on an island that I don’t remember the name of. It was just a man and his daughter living there. She can’t have been more than six years old and she saw me as I stopped on the island, fixing up the little makeshift boat I had at the time. Walked right up to me as though she didn’t realize that talking to strangers was ill advised…” Stacy had to smirk at her own words because she was sitting talking to a stranger. She liked to hope they didn’t have to remain strangers, though.


“I looked to her, holding my wrench,” her hand instinctively fell to the tool on her belt as she said it, “and she asked me if I could fix anything. I told her ‘It is nice to think so sometimes, isn’t it?’.” Smiling again, Stacy nodded. It was a nice thought. “So she asked me if I could fix Tallabec. I didn’t know what it was, but you really can’t refuse a small little girl sometimes, ya know? Turns out Tallabec is a cat. It had two little stumps instead of legs and the girl seemed to think he was broken. As you can imagine, by this point the fisherman had joined us as well and was insistent that I could ignore his daughter and go on my merry way, but I was interested. I asked to see the cat and they showed him to me. And I wanted to try.”


Pausing, Stacy took another sip of her drink.


“I spent two months on that island. Not something I ever planned on. I built new legs for the cat and they were beautiful. I didn’t charge ‘em a dime either. You should’ve seen the smile on the little girl’s face at the thought that her kitty might walk. It was wonderful. The problem came with attaching them. I had everything I needed to do it. I had to drill into bone and the fisherman watched.” A frown slipped into her lips. “The cat didn’t make it… the little girl came at me, crying and punching over and over again and she threw the legs in the ocean. So much work put into them and they were gone. And her father politely asked me to leave.”


Coming out of the trance of her story, Stacy’s eyes met Syrin. “I hope you have better luck with cats than I do.”


@Exanis

 

[Exanis]

Syrin Insinu

If Syrin was completely honest with himself, he was slightly glad, and maybe even a bit happy that the girl seemed to be bored enough to entertain him and his boredom. He tilted his head to the side at her name. Stacy. It was a good name. It fit her, if he did say so himself. Not that he would ever admit such a thing aloud, no not at all. Tipping his drink back, he vanquished another quarter of what was left, and refocused on her. As he had hoped, she did have stories to tell, and any story was welcome to him. He was pleasantly surprised when she had a story of a cat. As she began, he allowed himself to relax and take in the tale.


At the start he thought the tale would be like any other. Yet, the young girl's courage and desire caused him to focus in on the story. As he heard what the girl in front of him had done to help the girl, he almost smiled. Yet, his inherit pessimism was waiting for the other shoe to drop. And drop it did, and in a manner that he, if he were to be truthful, expected. Such a procedure done even the slightest bit wrong would have terrible repercussions. While he supposed it was unfortunate for the young girl to turn on Stacy at what happened, the reaction was understandable. He supposed he had done the same thing all those years ago when... Syrin immediately shook his head, snapping out of the dangerous trip down forbidden waters. Those times were gone, and he was a different person now.


Finishing off his drink in one big gulp, Syrin released a large sigh of resignation. "A tale for a tale, that was the promise. And I suppose I could count myself lucky for not having such terrible luck with cats." A small wry grin spreads across his face. Though it does seem to balance out with everything else. Now, I have no stories of cats, though I do have one of a dog. And what a dog it was..." He shakes his head, and gets into a comfortable position.


"Unlike you, my talents rely on me being at sea. However, I refuse to be bound to a person who I cannot tolerate without something important to bind me to them. So I hop ships whenever I go to a port. Merchant ships mainly, though I have been hired for a few other ships of let us say... Questionable... Morals. And this is where my story begins. I was aboard a smuggler's ship, hired as their navigator and part-time cook. The gold was good, and the even promised a share of the product if I simply kept my mouth shut about them, to which I agreed. It was an overall good job, everything considered. Except for a single aspect. The captain's son. More specifically, the captain's son's dog. The beast would slobber everywhere, harass everyone, and generally make a mess, and no one said anything simply because the captain spoiled his son. Now normally, if I found such a thing too irritiating, I would simply leave at the next island. But these fellows paid me well to do my job, and my job was to lead them to around five different islands. Suffice to say, I was stuck with them for around two or three months, give or take a week. By the time we had reached the final island, I had threatened to skin the dog alive and force feed it to the son at a minimum of eighty-three times, with how that damned mutt decided that my shoes looked mighty fine covered in slobber."


He sighs in annoyance while he recalled what happened next.


"It would be my luck that marines happened to be tracking that crew while I was with them, and had set up an ambush for them at the last port. It would also be my luck that the captain's son, being the spoiled brat he is, stole one of my shoes with the help of his mangy mutt. My luck would further compound when the whole crew, including the son, got captured and sent to the local marine base while I was out on the island looking for the brat. Now, I'll be honest, even though I hate marines with a burning passion, I was already wanted, and I felt no need to make myself a bigger target. However, with my shoe stuck with that brat, I had to take action. And this is where the mutt comes in. He, apparently, escaped the marines and found me in hopes of rescuing his owner. I was tempted to slit the dog's throat right then and there with all the trouble he put me through. But, he was useful, and I needed to get my shoe back. So I followed him to the marine base and found myself pleasantly surprised at how few marines there actually were. Sure, enough of them to take a crew of smugglers in, but not much more. I felt confident in my capabilities to sneak in and get my shoe back. And rightfully so, as I was able to get inside. However, things started going terribly wrong. By the time I had gotten to the holding cells, most of the crew had been executed on some inane order from the higher ups. All that was left was the captain, and his son. No matter how much I dislike the son, I did respect the captain, and I tried to save him. I failed. His blood had splattered onto my feet, and then I was angry. I... Disposed... Of the marines and freed the son. I was sorely tempted to try to fight my way out of the base, but it was suicide and I knew it. So I took the son and the dog and ran. I found the nearest merchant ship that as leaving, and bought us passage. I eventually dropped him and his dog off at an island where I knew he would be taken care of, with a promise to meet up with him one day when he was a man of his own."


Syrin chuckles dryly.


"But to be honest, I would have honestly left both father and son to die if it wasn't for that dog. It is a form of torture to be the only one living after such a massacre, and I willingly put a child through that, even if I had placed him in a home afterwards. But that dog... The look it gave me, that pleading, sad, hopeful look. I... I don't know why it did, but that moved me enough to bring back whomever I could.


At that last point, Syrin had gotten a far off look in his eye, finally falling into the trap that was his past. It didn't last though, as he soon snapped out of it, and replaced his apathetic mask."So yes, I suppose I do have good luck with cats, but dogs? A different story."


@DaughterofAthena

 

[vergil]

Rena Heartwood


The bartender leaned over the counter and gave Rena a long look. His missing teeth, bandana and uneven stubble were all unnoticeable to his piercing eye (he only had one). He was intimidating, but Rena was stubborn and also leaned closer - good lord, she hoped a kiss wasn't coming.


"You? A navigator? You could barely hold a wheel. Them seas out there are no cruise little missy." The bartender said with a sneer, "Seen hundreds of your ilk comin and goin' - they all get te reverse mountain and have their ships and all their crew dashed into the rocks. All because of the navigator. All their dreams and all their bonds down to the incompetence of one person."


Rena apprehension vanished into a cold stare and a seething rage. "One person?" she repeated questioningly, "Tell me kind sir, when the ship you were on crashed onto those unforgiving rocks, can you say that you supported your navigator? Was there a lot of second guessing? Did you wholeheartedly believe in what they were trying to achieve? Did you hold that rope with all your might in total trust? Don't you dare speak to me of one person's responsibility - in every endeavor we undertake we are all equally responsible when we are a crew. Just because your hopes have been washed up to this putrid bar does not mean mine will."


Teamwork and nakama and all that bullshit. You were in control of your own destiny - you couldn't trust anyone and had to question everything; she believed almost none of what she had just said to the man, but the tattooed arm of about 6 other names and his misshapen features, told a story from the past that was an open book which was easy to exploit. The tirade had stunned him and he backed away. Rena waited for whatever was going to happen next. This was the part she hated - how would her play work out?


"Little while back had a rowdy bunch at that there table. One had a red ribbon in her hair - pretty gal; other was a slender guy with blood red hair; last one was a tall blond, blue eyes, fair amount of scars. All talkin about the One Piece an all that. They left here just a maybe 10 minutes ago, probably around town someplace. They were chattin about recruitin'" he said much quieter. Rena took her hand off the smoke grenade and let out an internal sigh, on the exterior she was still cold as she could be.


She nodded and downed her drink. Dammit, she forgot it was rum....and a strong one at that. She held the table, clutching it whilst trying to stay upright. Bloody Hell Rena, it doesn't take much does it? She did well to walk in a straight line to the door, opened it before her legs decided they'd had enough, tripped her up and she fell onto the street. Her world spinning, she staggered her way through town looking for...people.


She instinctively headed towards the docks; maybe in her drunken state she wanted to see the pretty ships again (of course she had no idea if she was even going in the right direction) - at any rate she came across a group and spotted a red ribbon.


Excellent, this was her chance. 'Approach them in a friendly manner, perhaps throw out a compliment, then ask politely if you can join their crew.' Rena thought inwardly.


"Aw, you got a red ribbon! It's totes cute! You better want a fuckin' Navigator cos I'm the shit!" she slurred out. @DaughterofAthena @AllHailDago @Sunbather @shadowdude505


'Fuck's sake Rena' she internally face palmed.