Kuzo and Bass - Open Sea

As before, Kuzo didn't do much talking as the scene unfolded between Vance and Leon. However, to say he was doing nothing would have been incorrect. There was a difference between doing nothing and not talking. While his eyes remained mostly glued to the impermanent waves of the sea through the small window in the galley, his mind was occupied with the actions of Vance and Leon, particularly in what they did and what they said. If he felt that his interference would have helped the situation at all, he would have jumped in, but he didn't feel this was the case now. Instead, he wanted to observe their true natures. He had always felt that when people were most free, when the least amount of clogging and restriction were around them, their true personnas would feel the need to rise to the surface. By stepping in, his actions might have dampened that, and he wanted to learn as much as he could about his new crewmates.

But the tension between the two was soon ruptured, which left Vance heading for the deck and the others cooling off as well. After, Bass decided to approach Kuzo. He smiled warmly at the bat-man, still impressed by his rather unique features. "Sir? You don't have to call me sir. Just Kuzo," He replied, but also nodded. "What's on your mind?"

Bass sighed and looked down, "Uh... it's something that... uh, it's private is all, sir-Kuzo." He quickly blurted out at the end. "Do you have a room we can talk in? It's just... it's something that I want to discuss with you, if that's alright of course. I mean I don't want to interrupt anything." He could feel some sweat on his forehead, thankfully hidden by his fur but for the moment he nervously rubbed his two thumb hooks together. Would Kuzo throw him off? Would he try to kill him? Kuzo hadn't been told what kind of bat he was... for all Bass knew, Kuzo could very well think he only ate insects. This was not going to end well... but he had to judge the environment. If they could kill him, at least the island was close by enough so that he could make it back with a single flight and try getting on another ship.

Kuzo chuckled, then turned around on his barstool toward the counter. He picked up his mug and downed all of the alcohol in one go, before stamping it on the counter and picking himself up off the seat. "Sure," He replied simply, beginning to head for the upper deck. "Hope you don't mind if we talk outside. I want to smell the sea. We'll stand away from everyone else." He said as he headed for the upper deck, past Vance next to the wheel and the others still lingering around the mid-section of the deck. Together with Bass, he made his way to the front of the ship, right to the edge, where no one else was currently present. He took in the path of the waves in front of him, the open sea around him. He then turned around and faced Bass, and gave him another smile. "When you're ready," He said simply, crossing his arms and awaiting him to speak.

Bass sighed and wrapped his wings around him to warm himself up a bit, "Uh... d-do.... uh..." Bass hung his head, "I'm not really sure where to begin... well, do you know what foods bats usually eat? I guess that's as great a place to start."

Kuzo looked up at the sky to think about it, before turning his head back to look at Bass again, then shrugged lightly. "Not exactly sure, to be honest."

Bass sighed and his ears drooped as well. "Well... it's... there are different... families you can say. Some families eat fruit... others eat insects... I... I really don't eat any of those things. I really don't eat human foods, it's why I'm not eating with the others now, I simply can't eat that stuff... if I do I tend to throw it up because... well, my body just doesn't like it."

Kuzo examined the bat as he spoke, but didn't offer much in the way of speaking back. For now, he had simply stuck to listening, examining and nodding. He seemed nervous, as if he had something important to say, so the man figured it was best to let it come out more naturally then forcing it out at faster pace. "Go on," Was all he said to encourage the bat-man on.

Bass sighed and let out a shaky breath. "Well.... uh... the thing I drink... it also acts as food for me. Quenches my thirst and also fills me up. If... If I go about two days without it... it's strange. LIke before when I was a dumb bat flying around in the forest I never felt it. I would feel hunger pains sure, but I wouldn't be put into this... I guess you can call it a trance. Before it would be where if I was hungry I would just still be myself. Now, it's different. Like, if I don't get the food then... then I can't stop till I get it." He closed his eyes tightly and let out deep breath, "I.... I drink blood Kuzo." He whispered softly. "Always have, since birth... now it's some sort of curse... it's like if I don't have blood in a certain time limit then I go crazy." He quickly turned to the captain and grabbed hold of him with the edge of his wings.

"You can't tell any of the others! Please!" He begged, "I mean... look at that guy!" He hissed as he gestured a wing tip over to he white haired demon. "You just saw how he went beserk! I... I'm not a monster..." He shook his head, "I can't be a monster... I mean I didn't ask for this! I didn't ask to have it where if I didn't get blood I would go crazy and go on killing sprees!" He whimpered a bit, "It's like someone up there just laughed at me and cursed me with this... curse." He sighed, "When you were talking about it taking days to reach our destination... I panicked. Inside I panicked. I thought... but then Morgan said it wouldn't take days to get there. I... I don't want to be a monster."

Bass looked back out to the ocean and released Kuzo. He crouched a bit so as to let his head and his wing edges lay on the railing. "I always wanted to leave... so that I could find something more. I always believed in hope... out there I know there is a way to take this... blood lust away from me. Make me normal... and I don't want to hurt anyone anymore... I can't..." He fell silent after that and just stared at the sea.

It was quite a shocking surprise for Kuzo, but he did his best to not let it appear that way, maintaining the calm demeanor usually seen from him. Once again he did little more than listen to Bass lay it all out there. When he was finished, Kuzo asked the bat a simply question. "Is it only human blood you can drink?"

He shook his head, "No... I... try my best to not do it from humans. Back at the forest there were plenty of animals around. I didn't kill them though!" He quickly empahsized as he got off of the railing. "When I'm like... eh, this. When I'm calm, I know how much to drink... I know what can kill someone or something and I avoid drinking that much. When... when I'm in a blood lust... it's like somthing else takes over. The first victim I find... I drain dry... and if I'm still hungry after that I keep on killing." He hung his head in shame, "I-I didn't realize the first time it happened what exactly DID happen, it was all a blure... and anytime after a blood lust it still is a blur. Sometimes I find myself half way across the continent, other times I wake up over some corpses. I... I don't want that to happen here."

As soon as Bass had finished talking for a second time, Kuzo nodded in response, then place an arm on the bat creature's shoulder, and smiled warmly to him. "Thanks for letting me know. We'll keep this between us," He walked passed him, and looking above at the crow's nest and the absence of a flag which flew above it, which reminded him of something else.

"More urgently, if you say Morgan says it won't take days to reach Reverse Mountain, then we need to figure out a name for this ship, before we get there!" He smiled, and turned to Bass. "We'd best called everyone together." He declared.

And just like that, it was as if the entire conversation about Bass had never happened. Kuzo seemed to drop the topic entirely, as if he had forgotten about it. But the reality was the Kuzo would always remember, but he would never let that be the detail that would define his interpretation on the kind of person Bass was. Instead, he focused on the lengths Bass would go to control this curse, which spoke volumes more to Kuzo than the actions himself. One thing was certain though: He had made a promise, one which he intended to keep. For as long as he would know Bass, and for as long as he would live, it would never be Kuzo who tells others about Bass's secret. A promise never to be broken, the forming of the first of many bonds between crewmates.

The...Nameless Pirates?- Open Sea

Kuzo walked through the ship toward the galley. He shot passed everyone, grabbing the first big pan he saw and a large stirring spoon, then headed back to the top deck. Once there, he began loudly banging the spoon onto the pan, trying to get everyone's attention on the ship. He continued to do this for about twenty seconds, before calling out to those still confused about the sound. "Everyone on deck! We've got something important to discuss!"

Bass cried out as the loud ringing sound his his ears hard and he had to quickly press them down over his head to quell out the ringing noise. He waited until the ringing stopped and then he peeked over at Kuzo. "Sorry.. forgot to say, my hearing is very... acute. Can you try next time just... I don't know, using something less loud?" He asked softly.

Vance raised his brows from behind the wheel, which he'd taken over from the mechanism that led forced the ship's rudder in place, peering down at the deck at Kuzo, his eyes briefly moving up to the bat he'd had glanced at a couple of times. He lowered down and tucked the mechanism into place again before stepping over to the rail on the platform elevated from the main deck, where he leaned on said railing. "Something important? Like how we're going to get a hold of a log pose?"

Mason groaned and turned away from his spot at the side of the ship. The yelling was bearable at first, but it soon felt like there was some sort of vocal contest taking place, as if they were trying to see who could break glass first. Kuzo was the biggest offender, and even though Mason knew that what Kuzo had to say was important, the loudness of it all bothered him. It was to be expected, however; the crew wasn't small, nor was the ship, so yelling at the top of one's lungs was pretty much the only way to get a message across. Mason knew it was best to comply, since he hadn't actually done anything since arriving on the ship, and the guy speaking was...the captain? He wasn't exactly sure, nor was he really listening. Morgan confirmed this not long after Kuzo spoke.

"Don't give our wonderful captain too much credit," Morgan shouted from his high perch, firmly believing that Kuzo didn't have anything of note to say this early. After all, the captain did seem a bit unprepared so far, completely improvising everything he did. He lept over the bannister and slid his way down via of the ropes on the sail, careful not to ruin any of the workings of the ship. By the smooth movement of Morgan, it was clear he had some experience in this elaborate movement. He landed relatively close to Kuzo, looking at the others that got his proclamation. "Plus log poses ruin some of the fun on sailing the Grand Line," he said with a wink. Though in all seriousness, Morgan would probably admit that Vance had a point and was wondering how they were going to get one himself, now that he thought about it.

"No, this is more important than that," Kuzo replied, dismissing with his hand Vance's mention of a log pose. He looked around the ship, from the sails to the crow's nest, before placing his hands on his hips and tapping on the floor of the deck. "She'll take us all around the world...she needs a name."

"Told you," Morgan said pointing at Vance to which Vance responded by hanging his head in defeat.

"A name!?" Mason said inadvertently. He practically jumped at the mention of it. No one would argue that Mason was anything but forthright when it came to...anything, but when the chance came to be artistic, he wouldn't hesitate. He became nervous, frantic even. The ship had become a battleground for ideas as far as he was concerned, and everyone was an opponent.

Bass frowned at that and shrugged, "I think I'll stay out of this talk. I have no idea how to name ships and all... uh, so you all can talk among yourselves." He flapped his wings a bit and flew back up to the crow's nest and once more gripped onto the underside, "Just inform after you all are done then." With that he wrapped his wings around his body and pulled his wing's embrace and closed his eyes. He pushed his ears flat and did his best to sleep, though with already missing so many hours he was quick to fall asleep.

Leon had come close to drifting off to sleep at the table, but he decided to hold off until the Doc came back with the sedative. He walked out onto the deck and listened in on the conversation. "It should be called the Saint Leona!" Leon said loud, but tired.

"No no," Vance said, shaking his head, still leaned on the railing of the upper deck. "It should be something inspiring and hopeful, like... The Blue Horizon or something like that!"

Skellen arrived on the deck, a vile of clear liquid clutched in his hand as he swirled it around lightly to mix it. "What's with all the commotion? Please tell me Leon's not lost his mind again. The sedative's not quite ready."

"No, Ass." Leon replied, "We are talking about the ship's name, which is the Shining Leona by the way."

"If we are going to name the ship after anyone, it would be me not you," Morgan said, brushing off Leon. "How about...'Might Makes Wright.' Haha, get it? Might Makes Wright! Might! Right?!" Morgan started laughing at his own genius.

"Wh- you can't just decide what to name it on your own!" Vance called out, frowning before turning to Morgan. "And that's not a name for a ship, that's a... statement!"

"No kid, he was talking about my sedative!" Leon called to Vance, "The name is after my daughter, not me!" Leon roared. Morgan's jokes were completely lost to him.

The competition had finally drawn their blades, and Mason was getting more nervous. What was a merely a friendly gesture became warfare, and strangers quickly became enemies. That was the way he saw it, anyway. As a result, he came to the conclusion that he would need to eliminate the competition. He glared at Morgan and said in a deep, almost apathetic voice, "That pun doesn't make any sense."

"It makes plenty sense!" Morgan protested. "Wright D. Morgan is my nam- Oh never mind." Morgan crossed his arms and pouted. "Wouldn't know a good name if slapped you in the face," he continued to mumble under his breath.

In the meantime, Tunnak had made his way onto the deck, currently resting against the railing of the ship as he witnessed the ongoing discussion. A new name for the ship? He wasn't aware that there was a custom of renaming the ships you nicked from others, but then again, he didn't have lots of experience on the subject. For now he was just enjoying the show, and honestly, some of the suggestions weren't too bad.

"No, no, no," Kuzo began, lifting his hands up in protest. "Most of you are still thinking individually," He turned toward the mast of the ship, examining its sails, the woodwork, the way it rocked against the waves. "We're a crew now. All of us are together in this. The ship name should reflect that," He turned to the gathered crew on the deck of the yet-to-be-named ship, eyeing each of them individually. "Think. We're all bonded together by an invisible rope. What are we all here for? What's brought us together? What are we all after?"

"Hope." Bass murmured from up top. He poked his head out of his wings, "At least I am... hope is really all I came for." He yawned and poked his head back into his wings, "Can you all keep your voices down? I swear you all are being louder than you should be. A bat needs his sleep after all."

"I suppose if you want a name that fits a group." Leon said, "What about the Marine Massacre? It -"

"That's not bad actually. First time I have ever felt inclined to agree with you. I could tolerate being on a ship called Marine Massacre, it is basically my profession in a title after all. I'm surprised Leon, a good idea came out of your mouth!" Skellen grinned cheesily at the giant man, he couldn't resist throwing jibes at Leon even if most would consider it inadvisable.

"New idea." Leon growled, "We can call it the Drowned Doctor" he glared at the Doc with a threatening look.

"The Tide!" the fishman exclaimed from his resting spot, loud enough for the group to hear (or at least he hoped so). "Because we'll come and we'll go, but we'll always be back - Because, alas, the tides will turn, even for us, but nothing can stop us once we make our way onto the sandy shores." he finished, in reality feeling rather indifferent about the name of the ship. He just wanting to contribute to the discussion, feeling rather proud of the inspirational symbolism of his suggestion. But then again, Tunnak had always been the first to cherish his own work.

Raising an arm, Vance pointed at Tunnak while staring down at the others. "See? He gets the idea! You can't call a ship 'Marine Massacre'! Do you know how fast the marines would come after us if we had a ship named that?"

"Good!" Skellen flashed another of his grins "Then we don't have to go looking for them. But since the thought of marines is apparently too scary for Vance here... what do you think Lotte?"
Okay, so maybe I'm hoping she choses something ridiculous so I can use it to irritate Leon... and Vance.

Having been suddenly referred to after sitting uncharacteristically quietly (still pouting over the meaningless argument that Vance and Leon had had earlier), she perked up and crossed her arms in rejection, "Marine Massacre isn't cute, so I don't want that." But with that contribution, she settled back into silence, chin propped in her hands as the gears in her head began to turn....

"To be fair...we're pirates and they're marines," Mason started with his arms crossed. "They would come after us anyway, regardless of our name. They don't need a reason."

"Hmm, not bad, not bad," Kuzo commented, liking a few of the names he was hearing, especially the Tide and the Blue Horizon. The Blue Horizon especially appealed to him because he wore his blue bandanna and because of the name of his orphanage. "What else ya got?"

"How about...'The Dream Chaser'?" Morgan blurted out. "Everyone's got a dream right? This ship can help chase them down." Morgan found himself talking like his old captain used to, and the memories of his old crew flooded him. And instead of moping like he normally did, a smile stretched across his face.

Kuzo turned and gazed at Morgan. He smiled, pleasantly surprised that he was contributing to the conversation, but happy he chose to. Regardless of the outcome of the duel they would have later, he seemed to already be taking to the crew. "Gliding on the sea, chasing dreams," He murmured softly. He nodded to Morgan, approving of that name especially.

"Might as well call ourselves the floating flowers." Leon growled, as Lotte's eyes suddenly lit up in approval of his sarcastic comment.

"I actually had a similar idea to Mr. Dream Chaser there," Mason said. "The Blind Faith. I thought it appropriate seeing as we're off chasing the One Piece, something that is so elusive and so vague in its being that we can only pursue it blindly, riding on our faith in whatever lies at the end of our journey." With a smile, Mason lit up. "But I'd be happy either way, Dream Chaser rides on the same principles. I like the way you think, Chaser."

"I would sooner be on a ship actually called the Drowned Doctor, than a ship named Blind Faith or Dream Chaser. Do you want us to become known as "The Pansy Crew"?" Skellen interjected shaking his head. "Then again, those are still both more becoming of a pirate crew heading into the Grand Line than Shining Leona, what the hell were you thinking Giant?"

"A name is only worth as much as the crew," Mason said, shooting Skellen a stark look. "We simply have to make a name for ourselves, and whatever we choose will be both feared and revered. After all, a man that laughs at a pirate renowned learns the definition of irony." After uttering those words, he quickly removed a notepad from his jinbaori jacket and a pencil from his pocket and wrote down what he said, promptly putting them back and returning to his previous disposition. "Even The Pansy Crew would be revered should we earn such respect."

"Captain, can we please leave the psychopaths out of naming things?" Morgan said to Kuzo, before joining Mason in glaring at Skellen, firing his own glance at the growling Leon. "There is more to being a pirate than senselessly killing people. Ya'll do realize that right?" Morgan sighed. "There is no reason to have some name simply to invoke fear in others. Like Mason...that's your name right? Well, anyway like he said, we can make the name be feared or respected by our reputation alone. Otherwise, the names you guys like are nothing but empty threats. And trust me when I say we won't last long on the Grand Line then."

"I don't make empty threats matchstick." Skellen replied, his voice cool "and senseless killing isn't my thing, every marine I kill is one step closer to freeing each and every living soul from the tyranny of the World Government. I might not be able to achieve that goal myself, but I'm going to shower hell upon them so that in the long run someone can do it. So that being said, if you want to see crazy I will gladly put that bullet I removed back in. I don't particularly like those names, whatever we call the ship doesn't have to be violent but it shouldn't refer to something as childish as chasing dreams. Pursuing one's goals is one thing, but chasing impossibilities is ridiculous and that is what a name like Blind Faith suggests - I would be happier on a ship with a name as terrible as Poseidon's Pony than on a ship with a name based around an empty ideal." Skellen then cracked another smile, his tone shifting. "Oh God... can we please call it Poseidon's Pony? Just to see the look on Kiba's face when he finds out what we've done the the Grand Justice"

"You really should ask the bat as to how many marines I killed on that base alone." Leon added in, "If you think I'm just idly proposing threats, you are seriously mistaken." The voice Leon had was that of a low growl, as if he had been insulted.

"Leon and Skellen, let's compare bounties. Oh wait, do you even have any?" Morgan asked, completely ignorant. "When you have a reputation worth talking about, then we can talk. Till then, y'all should best shut your traps."

Vance began looking a little uneasy as Skellen and Morgan began snapping at each other, but none the less, he felt like he couldn't back out, taking a small breath of air before interjecting. "Why do you think it's childish to chase your dreams? If you ever -stopped- following your dreams, then you've lost a little bit of yourself. I like both Blind Faith and Dream Chaser, because that's what we're doing! We're each following our own dream and putting all of our faith in a complete stranger!" He raised a hand to point at Kuzo before adding. "... And believing in him!"

Though Kuzo remained mostly silent as the crew bickered, he particularly appreciated what Vance had to say at that moment. Someone who understands.

"Thank you! He gets it!" Morgan applauded one of the few people he could stand on the ship.

Blinking slowly at the escalating conversation, Lotte drummed her fingertips against her cheek, humming to herself before piping up. "Hmmm, how about 'The Conqueror'?" Pulling one of her hands away from her face to hold up a finger, she tried to explain the train of thought she'd been following during her lengthy silence, "Vance and Mister Captain want something that follows the idea of dreams, right? So why just chase dreams when you can conquer them? Like, fulfilling them. But if you think of it another way, doesn't it also fit Mister Doctor and Mister Muscle's scary and intimidating requirements?" Pausing to let the idea sink in, she propped her chin back up as she went over the idea in her mind, ".... Not that either of those things really apply to me, but it's better than Marine Massacre?"

"Hey guys," Leon bellowed, "Do you realize that the little girl of the ship has picked a manlier name than you?" He heckled. He was directing this jab mostly at Morgan, He looked at Lotte, "It ain't better than Marine Massacre, but its much better than the other names." Leon said kindly.

Lotte grinned at Leon's support, giggling as she leaned over the railing to add in a cheerful voice just for good measure: "I like Floating Flowers the most though!"

Mason threw his hands up and put on a sarcastic smile. "I see. 'Floating Flowers', a name for the most manly of men," promptly belting out a hearty laugh.

"Well, Floating Flowers suits Leon anyway." Skellen added, laughing

Unable to hold back himself after the jabs at Leon, Vance let out a chuckle, smiling and shaking his head, quickly diverting his eyes from the large man and coughing.

Leon took deep breaths that didn't do much to surpress his rising annoyance levels. "Why don't we see if the Ass and the kid can float." He growled, breathing heavily. He summoned his shadow to hold him back, in case he snapped.

"Wait can it really be Floating Flowers?" Lotte exclaimed, surprised that they'd received the idea better this time around than the first without realizing that they were really just teasing Leon.

"No Lotte. Just no." Was all Skellen could muster towards the girl, although he did find her odd persona quite entertaining "and as for you and Morgan" Skellen added, now looking at Leon "Unlike those of you who rely on devil's fruit, I can swim perfectly fine. So perhaps you should remember than when making threats on a boat." Skellen removed the cap from the vile containing the now mixed sedative and replaced it with one ending in a needle.
"On that note" he said grinning malevolently, taking note of the shadow restraining Leon "time for the big boy to take a nap." Skellen then proceeded to jab the giant man in the neck, letting the drug into his blood stream. "At least that will shut you up in a bit" he added for good measure.

"Good job, doc," Morgan said with a heavy sigh. "Because now we got to move him," he continued pointing at something in the distance. "Reverse Mountain. All hands get to your positions! Whatever they are!" Morgan ordered. Because clearly Kuzo was more interested in naming things. And this ship. It needed a "captain" in some regard. Morgan was more than willing.

Tristan D. Kuzo - Reverse Mountain

Just as Morgan had suggested with his announcement, right up in the distance was Reverse Mountain, a mountain at one of the points where the four Blues, or seas, meet and is one of the two known entrances to the Grand Line. This place is unique in that rivers from the Blues flow up the mountain, meet at the top, and then flow down into the Grand Line. Many pirates entering the Grand Line die before they can even get up to the top of the mountain, because the hostile water currents and storms force them to crash into the mountain walls.

Right on par with the rumors, the rough waters of the surrounding structure was met by the ship, and Kuzo knew at that moment, from the rough seas and the beginning of heavy rain, that they were close to the Grand Line, rather than from the structure itself. Kuzo quickly turned around finding Vance among their band of misfits. "Vance, on the wheel! Get us right into that path to the top!" He yelled, patting the man on his back. "I hear that plenty of people die before ever reaching the top because of the storms and currents. I'm depending on you!" He yelled, before jumping off toward the very front of the ship. He wanted the best view when they entered the Grand Line.

Stormy weather and heavy currents continued to rock the ship, but the advantage of having a brand new, Marine vessel proved advantageous, especially given its reputation for speed and maneuverability. Lightning cracked around and the rain continued to beat down hard along the sails and deck of the ship. The wind continued to pick up and pick up. The small path of current in the very middle which would lead straight up to the top of the mountain and then down into the Grand Line became more visible with each passing second. And each of those seconds which passed made Kuzo more and more excited. The pirate was about to finally reach where all the grandest of adventures would reach, where all of the greatest of treasures would be found, where all pirates dreams came true!

Right before they had reached the entrance to the current, Kuzo, who now leaned over the railings at the bow of the ship, called back to everyone else on the deck. "Better hold onto something! Here's the path up to the Grand Line!"

It was a strange feeling. The waters around were choppy and irritating, but the vertical path up through the Grand Line current of Reverse Mountain carried them up as if they were on a path down. The ship maneuvered forward on a slope upwards. The wind sharply breezed by Kuzo, who held on with one hand to the railing while another he held his bandanna from flying off. He held a grin on his face that seemed permanently attached to his face ever since the sight of Reverse Mountain caught his eye. Throughout the entire trip up to the top, it didn't seem to leave his face. He was finally following his other friends, toward their own goals and dreams into the Grand Line. Now, he would finally begin trying to find his own dream, his ever elusive "Ultimate Treasure". If there was one place where it was, the Grand Line, the sea of seas, would surely be the obvious choice.

That was what that illustrious place offered the most daring adventurers of the sea. The Grand Line was a step for all of them, perhaps the biggest step. Making their way up the top of Reverse Mountain and then heading straight down through the other side, they were all one step closer to fulfilling their dreams.

As the ship made it's way to the very tip of the mountain, where the waters all met at top, the ship visibly jumped from off of the water due to the momentum of being carried up one way, before splashing down hard onto the path below. Kuzo felt himself lift off from the deck of the ship, and flutter in the open air for a moment, with nothing but his hand holding him attached to the ship. Then, the descent down below into the second half of Reverse Mountain began. In front of them, the seemingly endless blue sea of the Grand Line awaited.

"Time to find my Ultimate Treasure!" Kuzo exclaimed excitedly. As the ship began it's path down. Their descent had a clean view into the blue sea, except for the large chunk of clouds and fog which covered their descent for the last portion of the trip down through Reverse Mountain. Even at the bow of the ship, squinting his eyes, Kuzo could barely see a few meters up ahead of him.

As they were coming down toward the bottom however, Kuzo did notice another object right in front of his path. He had to squint to make sure he knew what he was looking at, confused at first, but realizing that there indeed was something blocking their path. As the clouds and fog clear up in front of them, the previous silhouette became a visible ship, one in which they were right on the path of crashing into. From the looks of it, the other ship had occupants, and were trying to scream at Kuzo and his crew to get them to stop.

"Vance, watch out!" Kuzo yelled, hoping the navigator would be able to move their ship out of the way of the other one. "Brace yourselves!" He called to the others, in case they wouldn't be able to avoid in time.

"Damn you Ass!" I yelled, sitting up. I looked around and saw that I was not actually on the ship. I was laying on an Atoll, no other land in sight. "Where the hell am I?" It was incredibly bright, and the sun felt nice on my skin. Below me was a crystal clear ocean full of fish and coral. I looked for a boat, but there was none in sight, and the as nice as the scenery was, I was too angry to enjoy it.

"We used to sail to these with her back in the day." I heard my voice say. Or at least a voice that sounded like mine. I turned around and saw myself, fully dressed in the clothes I wore before I became a slave. "It was a long time ago."

"Yea, and its passed." I growled, "What is this a dream?"

"Well for me it is a prison." He answered, "A world I have in your head where I can make anything but other people."

"What exactly are you pal?" I growled.

"The personality that you surpressed to go on this revenge quest." He was smiling kindly, he didn't have any anger showing.

I looked around, "Why am I here?"

"I suppose it was the sedative. I felt a change in my being when you went unconscious, it was different than a normal sleep."

"So I'm probably under a very deep sleep." I concluded, "Did we get up that waterfall?"

"Indeed we did, I managed to get your body inside the ship before you fell into the sea."

"How did you manage to do anything?" I growled. I kneeled down and touched the water, it didn't make my finger feel any different, and I tested it with my arm. I came to the conclusion that I was safe from water in this place. "You are just my personality."

"True, but I'm a very strong personality. I actually am the consciousness of your shadow."

"Is that so? So I'm not only talking to my personality, I'm also talking to my shadow?" He nodded, "That's stupid, so are both of us just laying around on the boat?"

"No, I'm watching over your body as we speak."

"Let me see."

"Sure." The setting changed to a room with a single door. He motioned for me to follow and we walked in. I saw my unconscious body as if it were through a mask, and the room we were in was complete darkness save for the vision in front of me.

"I want to see what the crew is doing, how do I move?"

"I am in control, you can only watch." He replied. "But if you think it is safe to leave your body alone, then I can go out on deck."

"Of course I'm going to be safe!" I growled, "The worst that can happen to me is the little girl drawing on my face."

The vision moved, just like a normal head and went outside. As soon as he stepped out, we watched as a ship grazed past ours. "Think they are hostile?" He asked.

"If they are then I'll kill them." I replied, "The ship is full of a bunch of kids."

"I doubt you will be awake for the fight." He answered, "You rolled around like an untied barrel when we were sailing and you didn't move an inch."

"If there's a fight, I order you to protect The Leona then." I growled, "And furthermore, you better restrain me when I sleep normally."

"I promise." He said, bowing. "By the way, the next town we are going to."

"Yea what about it?"

"He might be there."

"Why would you think that?"

"I saw a rose in the ocean nearby."

"Well good, it'll be nice to see a friend that isn't under-aged." I replied, staring at the other crew members through the eyes of my shadow. It felt odd, and I felt weak.

Bass – Don't rock the boat baby!​

Bass had his eyes squeezed tightly as he struggled to sleep on. The voice just kept going on and his weary eyes opened up and he let out a weak groan. He just sighed as the conversation continued on below him and rustled his wings a bit. He ducked his head back in his wings, thinking that he could get at least a bit of protection from the very bright sunlight bearing down on them. No doubt it would be like this every day they were at sea, and with him being nocturnal he would have to find somewhere else to sleep. Perhaps there was a large enough room inside the ship where no light penetrated? It was highly impossible of course, but at least it would be darker than out here, and there was the bonus of closing a door and shutting off any noise from the other rooms and allowing him to rest in peace.

He yawned widely, showing off his sharp fangs and he fluttered down to the deck and made his way past the arguing pirates. Of course with his hook thumbs it was a bit difficult to open the doors, so he had to rely on his clawed feet to get on down below deck. He rubbed a bit at his eyes as he walked along the now empty hallways, glancing about until he found a nice empty room. There was a bed and a few bits of furniture lying there, but for the most part it was high enough to let him roost comfortably.

He closed the door and flapped up to the ceiling and quickly sunk his feet into a wooden beam, sighing as let his body fully relax and take in the calm air around him. He wrapped his wings around himself once more and closed his eyes. In truth he shouldn't have expected to sleep for too long. They were out on the seas anyway, but once the ship began to rock about his eyes snapped open and he knew that something was wrong. The ship rocked about and a cabinet fell over as he could feel the boat turning about here and there and he flapped his wings in distress.

He curled up his body to let his hands grip the wood ceiling and he wrapped his wings tightly. For a few seconds there was only the rumbling sound of the ship moving along fast currents, then he heard a scratching sound. It was loud and sounded like they had hit a rock or something. Finally the shuddering died down and Bass warily let go of the ceiling and jumped down onto the ground.

He made his way out back on deck and looked about, "Uh… everything okay?" He asked. "Did we hit an earthquake or something?"

Meet the Sky Pirates! - Beginning of the Grand Line

Kuzo breathed a sigh of relief, finally letting go of the railing at the front of the ship and looking back toward the others to make sure they were alright. Everyone seemed mostly alright upon inspection, and from Bass's comments, he looked over the side of the ship to examine the damage caused by the two ships grazing. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, theirs was in much better condition than the other ship they had almost rammed into. Aside from a scratch along the side of the woodwork, it seemed fine. This was probably due to the Marine craftsmanship put into designing it. It certainly was sturdy.

As he examined the other ship, he found the exact opposite situation. The graze which barely damaged the Dream Chaser ended up making a larger scrape along the side of the other ship. He could see one individual in particular loudly cursing at the recent bit of damage dealt to the vessel. He had a peculiar bandaid across the bridge of his nose, a pair of large, angry-looking eyebrows, and a mostly shaved head of black hair aside from a mohawk colored white in the middle. Kuzo found it odd that the man was making such a big deal about that one dent on the ship when, upon inspection, the ship seemed to be covered will all manner of dents, holes, and scratches, more than half of which seemed more substantial than this fresh one. It looked like it would collapse any moment. At least, that was the opinion of Kuzo.

"You guys alright?" Kuzo asked from his ship across to the other one. He could see the mohawked man continue to curse wildly while mostly ignoring him, already trying to attend to the injuries of the ship. Instead, he directed his question to the others on board, particularly to a man close to the front, who had medium length black hair and an almost equally displeased look on his face.

"What the f*ck?!" he yelled in all directions, before turning over to Kuzo. "How stupid you are? Seriously? Didn't you see our ship?" He continued to complain, slapping his own face in frustration. He spat more complaints in a mumbled mix of obscenities under his breath.

"The ship is fine, Captain," a weak voice came from behind the captain, making his meek appearance known. His brown hair was at the mercy of the sea winds, blowing in every direction in a unkempt mess. Dark tired eyes refused to make eye contact with the captain, as he dug his hands in a green jacket before pulling out a piece of gum and chewing it softly. He returned his hands to a black pair of pants as he looked over at the captain. "We should probably get the ship fixed at the next-"

"We wouldn't be in this mess if you stopped breaking everything Kurisu!" the captain roared, blowing Kurisu's hair if every direction.

"Look, Liam just told me to tell you that," Kurisu protested, putting his hands up in defense.

"God, why do we keep you around!?" The captain continued to complain, throwing his hands up in the air before almost yanking a few hairs out of his steaming head.

"If Liam didn't get us lost in the first place, none of this would have happened!" A dark-skinned, very feminine-sounding interjected. He was tall, giant even, easily towering over everyone else on the ship as he exaggeratingly bent over and glared at the mohawked man who was going between examining the damage of the ship to eyeing a large map while coordinating with a loge post he held in open hand. Even from this distance, Kuzo could see the map didn't even appear to be of this area.

"Shut yer trap, Goa-Boa, I'm figurin' it out!" The mohawked, band-aid nosed man barked back, intensely trying to focus on the map in his hands while brisking away the giant with his free hand which tightly clutched the log pose.

"Hey! You guuuys," Another, lighter voice whined to her fellow crewmates. Her dark hair draped over a pair of thick glasses. She appeared to be reading something, though the fact she had a pen in her friend might of suggesting she was doodling something as well. "Let's calm down. No reason we can't be friends. After all, we made it to the Grand Line! There is plenty to look forward to!"

"If you can call this making it to it..." Kurisu said, hiding his remark underneath a large bubble from his gum.

"They must be the worst pirates I've ever seen," Morgan said, as he approached Kuzo. The two look at each other silently agreeing on some level or another. They may not see eye to eye yet, having barely known each other, but whatever was happening Morgan would commend Kuzo for at least recognizing the failure of a pirate crew that stood before them on a broken down ship.

"Oh, they are always like that."

"They need some counseling."

"Oh gee! I hope not!"

"Well," Morgan turned to face the nameless group. Beside him was a small girl...dressed as a penguin. Her wide eyed expression beamed at Morgan with a bright smile. He leapt back almost into Kuzo's arms before regaining his composure. "Where did you come from?"

"Over there!" The penguin girl said, pointing at the ship. "My name is Kerru! What's your name?"

Morgan, off guard, glanced at Kuzo before looking back at Kerru. Hardly good with kids, he had little idea of what to do and Kuzo was more entranced with the other ship to help out. "Morgan..."

"Nice to meet you! Heyyyy" Kerru yelled at the other ship. "Morgan said he is going to help usss!"

"W-wait! I didn't say that!"

"Let's look on the bright side, you guuuys!" The young girl in glasses said to her fellow crewmates. "We're in the Grand Line, we're not dead! And we met some new friends!" She exclaimed, motioning her hand to the opposing ship.

"Hi there! We're the Sky Pirates! I'm Matterine, first mate!" He yelled excitedly, motioning her hands wildly in waves. "This is the Captain, Dekuranu!" She said, grabbing hold of the medium-length haired man who was yelling earlier by the shirt and pointing to him. "The mohawked guy is our navigator, Liam Moru!" She said, pointing to him as he tried to make out the direction they had to go. Liam angrily looked up at the mention of his name, before just as angrily looking back down at the map. "Our shipwright here is Goberra D. Kurisu," Pointing to the brown-haired man with the green jacket, to which Kurisu simply waved before staring out into space with a large bubble popping. "That's Kerru on your own ship, and this big guy here is Goa-Boa, the doctor!" Goa-Boa bowed his upper-body, almost making his head reach the Dream Chaser as he eyed all of the others on the opposing ship, in a somewhat creepy fashion. "And our last member is uh...uh..."

She looked around, trying to find his location, just as a man swooped in from the crow's nest of the opposing ship. He skated down the various ropes and sails of the ship and leaped from the edge of his own ship toward that of the Dream Chaser. He landed with a thump right on the edge of their ship, with his knees bent and his arms relaxing over them. He had dark purple hair, dull gold eyes, a red sleeveless shirt with a brown-beige coat slung over his right shoulder, and dark purple pants. Scars were
prominently displayed across parts of his body, including a noticeable 'X' mark on his left forearm.

"Vane T. Edward," The man introduced himself. He held a stern glare on his face as he eyed the pirates, before turning his attention to the inscription of 'Marines' on the front of their sail. Even if the flag above had been ripped out, that still remained. But his stern glare somewhat dissipated as his eyes set on a particular member of the crew. "Well, they're not Marines," he shouted back to the others on the other crew. "AND ALL OF YOU STOP SHOUTING ALL THE TIME, YOU'RE GIVING ME A HEADACHE!" He roared back to the his crew, yelling ironically even louder than most of the other members had done. He turned back to the pirates on the Dream Chaser, and nodded to the Burning King. "Been a long time, Wright D. Morgan."

Bass – New Pirates!?​

Just as Bass had come out on deck only to see another ship outside as well and his mind quickly figured out what had happened. Whoever had been steering the ship had hit this ship and that had caused all of the shaking and shuddering, either that or those rapids that he saw behind the ship had caused the shaking about. Well either way they were now stopped next to another ship that looked worse for wear. Bass had never seen a ship in such horrible condition and he couldn't help but wonder why it hadn't fallen apart days ago and sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

Of course as Bass was taking this all in he was also taking in all of the conversation that was happening over there now. Although the other crew had started out shouting at Kuzo, they quickly turned to each other and started blaming each other for what had happened. Then they started going on about being lost and how they really didn't make it to the Grand Line and Bass couldn't help but hang his head. If this was what pirate crews were really like, he was glad that Kuzo picked him up at least.

However, it seemed their trip was going to be delayed even more. Bass had thought that at the very least they would simply apologize then just go on their way. It wasn't as if this ship could follow them around at high speeds, but then Morgan introduced himself and suddenly the other crew was rushing on to say that they were now helping them. Bass blinked his eyes in surprise at the sudden turn of events, but now that he realized it he shouldn't be so surprised. They were pirates after all and one of the things pirates did, or that he at least heard about whenever he would hide in one of the villages, was that they were able to turn the tables in any situation.

As the other crew introduced themselves one man came forth and called himself Edward. With one quick look Bass could see that his body was covered with scars, which only caused Bass to wince. Just how had he gotten so many and not be bothered by them? Apparently this man knew Morgan, but if that was true then how come Morgan hadn't known any of the other crew on board? Bass made his way over to Kuzo and whispered softly into his ear, "Oh… forgot to mention sir, my ears are very sensitive. If you don't trust them I can always listen in to their conversations, even murmuring ones I can pick up." Bass wrapped his wings around himself again as he looked over all the crew mates on that ship. Well, as long as one of them didn't scream and start firing when they saw him then they could stay for a bit he supposed… he just hoped it didn't last too long. It wouldn't be well at all if he already went into a blood lust here.

Skellen emerged onto the deck once more as the boat gave something of a jolt as it began to race up the mountain, a near unbelievable sight really, having helped move the unconscious body of the gigantic Leon below deck and remained behind to check his vitals under the sedative.
Not exactly surprised that he's okay, although that would have been enough to kill someone of a normal size.

Skellen was shaken from his brooding as out of nowhere another boat appeared at the side of their own, scratching against the size of whatever-they-were-calling-their-ship and leaving quite a nasty gash in their own. The ships colliding rocked both vessels, both still moving through the current, and if Skellen hadn't had decent balance he'd probably have gone rolling across the deck. When the ships finally stopped moving he couldn't help but feel a tad dizzy… and then there was the noise.

One of the pirates on the other ship, for it was indeed another pirate ship, began screaming at the top of his lungs. Honestly, Skellen couldn't see why one more dent in the remarkably sturdy boat would make a difference. It was covered in dings, scratches, holes and gashes and it looked hardly sea worthy at all. The situation calmed at last and Skellen took the opportunity to stroll over the deck to the side of the boat unable to restrain a laugh at Morgan attempting to talk to a child… who had somehow ended up on their ship.

So, we've got a navigator who has no idea where they're going, a weird kid in a penguin suit, a shipwright who may as well be doing his job blind folded, a giant rivalling Leon who is supposed to be a doctor, the captain with anger issues but no bite by the looks of things and then this guy… the only one who actually appears to be a serious pirate… and he knows Morgan. Grand. Well at least they're probably not even close to a threat to us. Skellen didn't say anything just yet, he felt it would be a good idea to see how things played out with Morgan and the new guy, so for the time being he decided simply to lean in the ship's railing and watch a look of amusement on his face.

Wright D. Morgan and Vane T. Edward - The Beginning of the Grand Line

"Eddy? Is that you?" Morgan said with his eyebrows raised and shortness of breath. He was shocked and surprised. A pleasant surprise which was welcome considering all the excitement of the past few years. "How long has it been?"

"It's Edward, get it right!" He roared in Morgan's face. "After all these years, you haven't changed a bit! It musta been..." Edward looked up into the sky, as if to remember the exact last moment he saw his friend and rival. Coincidentally, the memory was freshly lodged in his brain. When he was 16, they had agreed to go their separate ways from their hometown of Sunnyside Island and pursue their dreams. For Edward, it was to become known as the physically "strongest man in the world." He looked back down at Morgan. "...eight years. Yeah, that was the last time."

"Wow." That's all Morgan could say. The last conversation they had was eight years ago. Morgan barely remembered what he last told Edward. All he could do was stare at the waves of the ocean gently rock the two ships. Whereas Edward had strong aspirations, Morgan simply wanted to be free. Had he accomplished that? That became debatable. Morgan leaned over and looked at the crew that Edward had mustered. "I see you are making great progress," Morgan said with a sly smile, hoping that Edward would catch his drift.

Edward's frustrated expression turned from Morgan to his own crew, and he glared at them. "They're a bunch of lousy, useless fools!" He declared, loud enough so that even they heard. He then turned back to Morgan. "Honestly they wouldn't have gotten this far if I was there to pull them out of the fire! They have no idea what they're doing!" He howled. He seemed frustrated, but if Morgan would have remember his friend, he would recall he was often prone to anger and frustration, sometimes rather easily. "But they're alright, I suppose," He commented, appearing to calm down somewhat. "They haven't gotten in the way of my goal, so I can keep them around."

He let a grin cover his face, before realizing he had one on his face, and cringing his expression to quickly turn it into a frown and cover his mouth. "Sorry for my rudeness," He said quietly. Edward often had a habit of apologizing whenever he laughed or smiled because he was taught (likely as a joke) as a child that it was impolite. "But I've gotten stronger, Morgan. Much stronger than last time. I even have a Devil Fruit now."

Morgan laughed. "Oh, did you?" He smiled. Morgan was happy to see Edward had not changed, keeping his passion in tact and his anger driving his actions. Shame his crew was about as useless (or at least dysfunctional) they seemed. They would probably slow Edward down. "I am willing to bet it sucks compared to mine. No doubt you heard what I can do," Morgan said with his confidence creeping ever close to arrogance. Come to think of it, Morgan wasn't even sure if Edward had a bounty. After all, while stories of the Burning King roamed the seas, there was nothing of Vane T. Edward registering in Morgan's head. He decided to save that remark for later.

Edward nodded. "I've heard of the Burning King. But-" He grunted, allowing his Devil Fruit to take hold of his body. His features quickly transformed, taking the shape of a beast-like form. He had an orange fur across his body with black stripes. When the transformation was complete, he appeared to have gained size and strength, causing their ship to tilt a bit from the added weight. He appeared in the form of a half human, half tiger form. "This tiger doesn't fear fire. I ate the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Tiger!" He roared, showing his form in all its ferocity. He clenched his fists and tightened his arm and chest muscles. "I can rip through wood, bricks, metal...and flesh like it was paper!"

Morgan whistled with a small spark of fire leaving his lips. Eddy's been busy, he thought to himself. Maybe, just maybe, he could pull it off. That's assuming Kuzo doesn't get too excited and wants to beat up Edward now that he showed off. Morgan needed to change the subject and avoid an unnecessary fight. Plus, he needed to get whatever ship he found himself on back on course so he could snatch it from Kuzo. "So, where is your crew headed?" Morgan asked, implying that a crew as disconnected as Edward's had a destination in mind.

"Same place every other pirate crew around is headed," He replied, transforming back into his regular human form, causing the weight of the ship to return to normal and rock back and forth against the waves. "Same place I thought you were going as well." He stepped off the ledge of the ship onto the deck and crossed his arms at Morgan, before looking around at the others on his crew. "You've heard of the rumors of the Royals' treasure at Duke Island, right?" Kuzo, listening from the side at their conversation, suddenly jerked up and paid even closer attention at the word 'treasure'.

"No. I honestly haven't. Have you, Kuzo?" Morgan asked turning to the Captain. Likely Morgan's lack of pirating knowledge came from being locked in a cell and/or hanging out with Marines for far too long. Marines rarely talk about pirates unless it was about bounties or who messed up what city.

Kuzo shook his head in response. "Can't say that I have, but I'm all ears now."

"Tsk, tsk," Edward began, shaking his head. "Where have you been, Morgan? Stuck in prison? I thought everyone within a thousands miles would have heard something of it." He looked between the Captain and Morgan, and then sighed. "Eh...I probably shouldn't tell, but I suppose as a favor to an old friend, I'll oblige."

He turned around, and pointed toward the direction of the sea. "Off in that direction is Duke Island. Back in the good ol' days, it was territory of the King Pirates. It was also one of the first battlegrounds between the Kings and the Marines. The Kings guarded that island like it was the Pirate King's own mother for most of the war. For years they still held it as their territory. It wasn't until the Kings finally broke apart that they lost the claim to the island. But most of you already know about this. Now...here's what you don't know."

He looked around at the crew members aboard the former Navy ship and continued. "About a month ago, a rumor started spreading around that the reason the Kings wanted to protect Duke Island so well was because they hid something there...something valuable." He looked over the crew again. "Really valuable. No one payed much attention to the rumor then, thinking it was just gossip. But after Siver's execution, the rumor started up again...vigorously. This time, pirate crews from around the seas, inside and outside the Grand Line, started making their way to Duke Island to try to find it. That's where we're headed too."

He put his arms up and shrugged. "I honestly don't care much for the treasure itself. Even if it turns out to be One Piece itself, which a lot of people think it is. I'm only going because, with that many different pirate crews showing up, this means I'll have plenty of tough opponents to fight."

Morgan meanwhile was the opposite. He much rather have the treasure. The King Pirates were known for gathering some riches. It was even said that the riches they had were beyond comprehension. At least that was one rumor he heard. With some wealth to his name, Morgan could get a new ship (or upgrade the one on hand), get a new crew and travel the seas under his own Jolly Roger. The fighting did not interest Morgan in the least. That was always Edward's turf. And that honor could be Kuzo's. "Well, Captain, are we going to join our little group of friends here and head to Duke Island?"

Kuzo smiled delightedly. Even if he usually carried his quiet disposition, he had a stirring ambition behind it. Once he set his mind to something, there were few people who could talk him out of it. That said, he made up his mind on their current course. "We're going," He declared, staring out to the open sea in the supposed direction of Duke Island.

Bass - Poses what now?​

Bass's strong ears picked up every word of the conversation that happened between the pirates. So... his name was Edward... and he had a devil fruit. Okay, that wasn't so bad. Most of the crew did have devil fruits of some kind and all. Besides, what was the worst that could happen now? His eyes however widened at the form Edward took. Great... a carnivore. Sort of like him but entirely different! At least he didn't kill people to get his meals. He just took a bit of blood and after a while their wounds would heal... but carnivores ripped you up and ate you whole! Still... he couldn't have eaten others. He still had a human mind and all and would never resort to cannibalism... right?

Bass was more nervous now as he rubbed his thumb hooks against each other and took in a few calming breaths. It was okay. Like he had thought before, they had many devil fruit users on their own ship. If Edward tried to come on over and eat them he had no doubt that Morgan and Kuzo could be enough to send him crashing into the ocean. They were safe with those two so really he didn't have to worry... but he still did. His worry slightly decreased as he heard Edward talk about a sort of treasure on an island. Although the treasure itself didn't cause him to get excited, it was the mention of this Duke Island that caused his ears to twitch in excitement. If there was an island... then there were bound to be feral animals there... and if there were animals there, then he could fly around and find a meal!

Though that dream quickly fell flat as he heard the new of multiple crews heading over to the island. He supposed if they all gathered in one specific location and didn't bother going to the other parts of the island, he could find a potential meal then... but with so many crews going and with Edward touting that every single crew had heard of this treasure, then the odds were greatly decreased that he would so much as be able to bite into a neck without being seen. If that was the case, then it was no big deal. There were plenty of islands out here right? All he would have to do is find a map of some sort and look it over to see where he would need to go. Kuzo was friendly enough and the captain anyways. He could trust on Kuzo to make up some reason to go to a new island and allow him to hunt, he was friendly that way.

The talk of poses from Vance however caused Bass to tilt his head in confusion. Poses? What were poses? He went on over to his eh... he supposed he really was a crew mate and gave him a light poke with one of his thumb hooks, "Uh... what are poses?" He asked with naive looking eyes.

Wright D. Morgan- Beginning of the Grand Line

"Log pose...right," Morgan said to Hayden. And Kuzo probably didn't think that far ahead when he stole a...Marine ship. Maybe he is smarter than he looks. Wait Morgan. Let's not give this guy any credit. He just got lucky. "Wait right here. I think we may be in luck," Morgan ordered to the crew, allowing Kuzo to fool around and do "Captain-y" things. Though in all fairness, he already seemed like one so far with Hayden and Morgan being the only reasonable people on this vessel. Morgan tried his best to neglect such thoughts. He had to focus on the task on hand.

Morgan instead tossed his mind back to the select few times he had found himself on Marine ships. Most were virtually indentical as the World Government focused on mass production of basic ship designs in a vain attempt to match the sheer number of pirate ships that roamed the seas. Therefore if you boarded one, you pretty much boarded them all. Of course, Morgan had to remember that this ship was a new model and possibly a different set of rules were followed when constructing it. Then again, this was the Marines. Creativity was hardly a requirement to join.

Morgan skipped down to where the Captain's quarters was usually located on most schematics and barged in with reckless abandon. As he predicted, there was a desk, clean and pristine. "If I was a dumb Marine where would I store my poses?" Morgan plopped into the chair and sighed heavily. The chair was comfortable and he enjoyed the view for a moment. With a smile, he lunged forward and tore the desk apart drawer by drawer until he found the gold mine of poses. There were handful of eternal poses for key locations on the Grand Line until he found one standard log pose. "Bingo."

With a shrewd smile, he returned to the deck and tossed the pose to Hayden. "Navigate us."

Tristan D. Kuzo - Beginning of the Grand Line

Fortune was with them, as Morgan disappeared for a bit and returned to find the much-needed log pose. This worked out well, as the Sky Pirates didn't have one of their own either. With a broken ship and no navigation (and apparently also no skill to fix the ship), Kuzo had to wonder what the disfunctional group of pirates would have done if they hadn't come along to help them out. In the end, Kuzo decided to let them tie up their wrecked boat to the end of his ship, and drag them along to Duke Island. There, they'd hopefully get the necessary supplies to fix their ship.

In the meantime, the two crew decided to get a bit familiar with each other. The Skys, like Kuzo's crew, had a few Devil Fruits among them. Aside from Edward, the Captain Dekuranu possessed the Paramecia Yeru Yeru no Mi, or the Yell-Yell fruit, which allowed him to create loud, noisy soundwaves out of his mouth, which proved to be quite damaging (and explained for part of the damages to their ship. The First mate Matterine possessed the Ink-Ink Fruit, which allows her to makes any drawings she created come to life. She tried to entertain both crews with her drawings along their path to Duke Island.

Kuzo enjoyed their company immensely. Like them, the Sky Pirates came together towards the Grand Line at the call of Alexander "Throne" Sivers. Their goals were numerous, but all wanted the chance to travel the exciting seas ahead. If they didn't already belong to their crew, Kuzo would have probably tried to recruit them. Instead, he elected to enjoy the company of fellow similar-minded adventurers.

A few hours had passed as they sailed along the open seas. The pirates of both ships did various activities over the course of the journey, including dancing merrily, drinking, singing songs, training, sleeping, eating, and whatever else they elected to do with their time. However, from the crow's nest of the Dream Chaser, and through the navigation by Vance, an island was spotted on the horizon.



Duke Island, for many years, had been territory under the King Pirates. In the early years, Morris D. Rallo, who would become the Pirate King, visited the island on one of his many stops through the Grand Line. It was home to a forest-like island with an abundance of crops and greenery. It also possessed a major port and city, and the large mountain of the Royal Peak overlooking it. The rumors of his ventures on the island are far-reaching and speculative, but somehow Rallo had managed to gain the favor (or the obedience) of the entire citizenry in the large city of Regal City. Soon after, he declared the island under his protection and it became the first of many islands which would be under his territory. Other pirates and sailors who ventured to the island would find an entire city completely and utterly devoted to the King Pirates. Being a major producer of wheat and fish, they constantly sent supplies of beer and food as (apparently) willing tributes to the Kings. They were repaid with constant business and rewards from the Kings and many other Pirate crews. Most pirate crews could come there as stay as long as they wished, the island acting almost as a safe haven from the World Government. They even decided to rename their town, their island, and their port (Port Vassal) in honor of their crew. Very few citizens even remember what the previous names of the places were. As far as they were concerned, this had always been their original names.

Then came the War Against the King Pirates initiated by Fleet Admiral Kanaru, with Duke Island being one of the very first battlegrounds in a bloody war. The Kings held the island successfully for years, but eventually as Rallo fell, so did the island. In the mess of the war, most of the city was destroyed and many citizens left, though a small, loyal portion remained in the ruins of what was now Regal Town, a wreckage of a place, and a shadow of its former glory. The town became so compacted and small, Port Vassal (which had been heavily damaged, but was relatively standing) was now larger than it. Some pirates crews came through as a simple rest stop, a footnote along their journey through the Grand Line. The people who remained had barely enough to scrap by, with nothing but the memories of the glory days to keep them going.

But recently, things began to stir on Duke Island. Rumors of legendary treasures hidden on the Island by the King Pirates had led an pirates from all across to venture to the once-famous island. As Kuzo watched from the front of the Dream Chaser, he saw the old, ruined and wrecked Port Vassal in front of him, as well as the small Regal Town up in front of it, right under the large behemoth of the Royal Peak overlooking it. As they pulled in to the port, he noticed that the rumors were certainly attracting people. All across the port, (and as Kuzo noticed all around the island as well) dozens of ships were parked, with people exiting and heading to explore the island, with most of them heading to the direction of the town. Upon inspection of these ships, more particularly their flags, Kuzo found that all of them that he could see belonged to pirates. The closer they got, the more Kuzo heard the rowdy crowd of people exiting the ships, with the occasional popping and blasting of gunshots and cannonfire occurring around the island and town. Yelling, screaming, drinking, and even sometimes fighting was rampant throughout, but at the moment it looked like they were letting off steam than intensely brawling. However, with a possibility of legendary, hidden treasure hanging in the balance, that atmosphere was poised to changed at any moment. All it would likely need is a spark.

The Dream Chaser, with the Sky Pirates ship in tow, arrived at the port, and dropped anchor. The pirates began pilling off of the ship.

"Well, here we are," Kuzo announced, observing the surrounding scenery and the people who occupied it. "Duke Island,"

"A melting pot," Edward murmured to himself, crossing his arms, narrowing his eyes on the pirates who walked across the surface rather than the island itself.

"Well, we gotta get our repairs goin' on our ship, so we're heading to town. I'm guessin' that's where we'll find locals with possible info da treasure too," Liam Moru commented, as he placed his hands on his hips. He kicked the side of the Sky Pirates ship, which caused the wood to puncture and his foot to break through, and his foot to get caught in the splinters. "Aww, dang it!" He cursed, grabbing onto his legs and trying to force his leg out.

"STOP BREAKING MY SHIP!" Captain Dekuranu howled at the trapped Moru, and the two of them began entering a heated argument as they each tried to outyell the other (A difficult task for Moru given Dekuranu's Devil Fruit). Vane T. Edward, angry at their incessant babbling, quickly stormed over to the two of them and began shouting, ironically, for them to stop shouting at each other. The trio began a back and forth of roaring at each other. Kuzo watched them for a moment, and shook his head, before turning to his own crew.

"Well, our best bet is the town. The locals probably know more about this treasure than the pirates around, and something tells me none of them are going to share anything they know anyway," He said with a light chuckled. He proceeded forward to the small, worn town just ahead of them, which was bustling with activity from the pirates of other crews also making their way there. As Kuzo walked toward the town, he noticed other pirates glaring at them as they passed by, some with fuming looks, others with a hint of nervousness or agitation. They were mostly all here for the same reason, and by the looks of them, none were willing to give it up.

Something big was going to happen on Duke Island, and it was likely going to happen soon.

Avril Meads - Barreling Towards Adventure!​

Darkness... All she saw around her was darkness as she waited inside her hiding spot. It was an idea of pure genius, one that she'd have to pat herself on the back for... once she had fully regained the ability to move her arm that far, anyways. Avril Meads had to admit though, she was pretty damn clever for coming up with that idea to hide inside a barrel on a ship that was bound for Duke Island... Even better was the fact that she had managed to hide inside of one that had plently of bananas for her to snack on for the ride. Yes, all in all it was a very well thought out plan. There was only two small problems at this point.

First, Avril had no idea where the ship she had actually managed to stowaway on was.... And most importantly, she really needed to visit a restroom.

"Well... It was a good ride, but I guess it's time to see just where I'm at..." the girl mused quietly.

Lifting the lid of the barrel just enough to get a better view of ship's galley, Avril took quick look around. It was quiet. Not so much as a single peep could be heard within the room. Carefully, the girl climbed out from the barrel and stretched. It felt good to finally be able to really move around a bit. She had been stuck in that barrel for some time, only really being able to come out at night to move around some... and only then for a bit, as there was always at least one or two watchmen on the ship. Even then, it was not has quiet has it was now... something that Avril found to be quite odd indeed.

Reaching into the barrel next to her, Avril smiled as she pulled out her trusty sledgehammer, strapping it across her back as she usually carried it. She then reached back into the barrel that she herself had been hiding in and grabbed another banana from it. The girl peeled it as she made her way to the galley door and peered out the porthole that served as its window. A wide smile graced her lips as she noticed that the ship was not out at sea anylonger. Rather, it was docked at a harbor instead. In an excited hurry, the girl dropped the banana she was munching on, choosing instead to rummage about in her pockets for a small scrap of paper. Her eyes beamed as she looked at the paper and then back out the porthole.

"This is it! This is totally it!" the girl exclaimed excitedly."I finally made it to Duke Island after being all crammified inside that barrel for weeks! But I'm finally here! And soon the treasure is gonna totally be mine!"

Unfortunately, Avril's celebration did not get to last long. No sooner had she began shout did the door to the galley swing open to reveal a rather intimdating pirate man standing in the door way. He was large and well muscled. He was clad in a pair of white pants, black boots and a black vest that revealed his rather sculpted body. He had a red sash tied around his waist, which held a somewhat deadly sword by his side. The man was bald, but a rather scraggly beard which made him look as if he had not shaved for years. A surprised look was on his face as he looked down upon Avril, who had an equally surprised look on her face, stared into the man's eyes. The two stood there in silence for what felt like hours before the man finally broke the silence.

"Just who the hell are you...?!" the man growled, taking hold of the handle of his sword and drawing it slowly.

A nervous giggle escaped Avril's lips as she took a step back. "I'm the um... You know, the kitchen inspector! Your captain, he hired me to take a look at it. And boy was it a good idea! It's totally all confungled up, you know!"

Another moment of silence entered the galley. The man clearly did not believe the girl, nor was he amused as he swung his sword down in the direction of Avril. She barely had a moment to react as she rolled out of the way. She quickly rose to her feet to see the man walking towards her. A smirk on his lips as he held the sword up into the light for Avril to see.

"We don't take too kindly to stowaways on this ship, lady..." the man cackled. "By the time I'm through with you, you're gonna be wishing you stayed in whatever rat nest you crawled out of!"

He continued to back Avril into a corner. The girl looked around, her eyes searching for something, anything she could use to get herself out of this mess. Her eyes widened as she looked over to her side, finding the barrel that she had hidden in on the way to Duke Island within an arm's reach. A mischevious grin suddenly stretched across her lips as she reached into the barrel and grabbed two bananas.

"Eat fruit, buddy!" Avril shouted, squeezing down on the fruits and sending the bananas within the peels shooting out and right into the man's eyes.

A surprised grunt escaped the man's mouth as he put his hands over his eyes, trying to wipe the smashed bananas out of them. Avril seized this moment to her advantage. She took hold of her sledgehammer and slammed it forward, having the tool slam right into the man's stomach. A loud, painful groan echoed into the room as he fell back onto the floor, holding in his stomach in pain.

"D-Damn it... You..." he managed to wheeze out.

Needless to say, Avril did not waste a single moment from there. The girl quickly took off running, leaping over the downed man with haste and running outside of the galley and onto the deck of the ship. She looked around, smiling as she spotted the dock and quickly made to escape the ship. Right as she debarked from the ship, the door to the galley swung open and the man stormed out onto the deck. If he looked mad before, than he was positively fuming at this point. Avril could see the veins in his forehead throbbing as he spotted her on the docks.

"You are so dead, woman!" the man shouted, as he ran to disembark from the ship.

"Aw, crap!" Avril cursed in dismay. She turned on heel and began to run as fast as her legs would carry her. "This is totally bummerific!"

Bass and Vance - Forming Friendships​

Bass' question was soon answered by Vance and he even had the luck of seeing pose itself! It looked odd to say the least and Bass had never seen anything like it before, so of course he was standing on his tippy toes to try and catch glimpses of it here and there. No doubt the others knew what this pose really could do. He was interested in it, but at the same time he knew he probably could never figure it out. He just laid on back and did his best not to get too close to this new crew. Yeah, they were a bit... weird, but at the same time he was far weirder. It might have been good for him to just head down below and to the room he had marked out. He could just hang out there and perhaps get a little bit of sleep in, besides, who wanted to hang out with a bat right? Bass made his way to the door and quietly went down. It was quiet, that was for sure and it was a bit nice, he just hoped they would get to this new island soon.

Vance was so preoccupied with strapping the new log pose to his wrist, happy that they wouldn't just drift around on the Grand Line until they reached the Calm Belt or something much worse, that he nearly didn't notice the bat-man slinking off again, heading downstairs. Glancing over at the helm, Vance shook his head and decided to let the other crew's navigator take them towards their destination.

Heading down the stairs from the slightly elevated part of the ship, Vance then headed downstairs, finding the bat still proceeding down the hallway. He quickened his pace a bit to walk up by his side, sending the odd-looking man a little smile.

"Uh, hey! You kind of ran off before I got to say anything else. I saw you were pretty interested in the log pose, and I just... well, wondered if you wanted to know anything else about it?"

Bass flinched up as he heard a voice and turned about, rubbing the back of his neck and mostly avoiding eye contact. "O-Oh?" He croaked out, "Uh... well, I mean, I don't know much about them... but that's okay!" He chuckled a bit, "I mean, most try to avoid me, so I'm quite alright right now." He said with a few nods. He rubbed his thumb hooks together and looked on down, "You don't have to feel anything for me, it's quite alright. I'll just be around here and there. So... yeah..." He quickly turned and began to make his way down the hall yet again.

"H-hey now, I don't at all think of it like that!" Vance reached out to place a hand on Bass' shoulder, walking up besides him again, looking a little more serious now. "It doesn't matter what you look like. We're all a part of the same crew now, right? So... we need to stick together. If we don't stick together, we'd end up like... well, that other crew out there." He sent the bat in front of him a bright smile, clearly confident of his words as he removed the hand from his shoulder again. "I'm Vance. It's nice to meet you."

Bass blinked a bit and smiled a bit, "Uh... t-thank you. Uh, I'm Bass." He held out his thumb hook, "This is how others greet each other right? I... I don't tend to meet others often this way. It's mostly get the torches and pitchforks!" He chuckled lightly there.

Chuckling quietly, Vance semi-awkwardly took the thumb-hook and gave it a little shake, his smile as bright as ever. "Yeah, it is. Uh, if you didn't know, it's called a handshake. I -was- kind of avoiding it just because... well, you know, but hey, if you're up for it, I don't mind." Vance was actually happy to have made a proper friend in the crew, aside from Lotte and Kuzo. Even if he was a little weirded out by the bat-man at first, he seemingly got over it rather quickly, treating him as an equal. "Say Bass, how come you joined up with a pirate crew? I mean... you've got wings, so couldn't you just fly wherever you wanted to go? And, uhm... this might sound a bit rude, but... why do you stay in that form? I mean, I assume you've eaten a devil fruit, heh."

Bass blinked, "Eh... what now?" He blinked for a bit and then realization hit him, "You mean that red fruit I found? It was very bitter!" He nodded at that, "It was disgusting! It was an accident mostly..." He pulled out of the handshake and tapped his hooks together, "I was trying to bit into prey... and I ended up biting that fruit instead. Is that what caused this?" He asked as he looked down at his body, "I thought it was something special...." He frowned a bit, "Uh... and for flying... I can't fly for long and not for long periods of time. Kind of like running I guess. You can't run for two days right?" He asked as he cocked his head.

"Well... can humans run for that long? I've never seen one that can do that yet, but I guess some can eh?" He chuckled a bit, "I've never been off of the island so I wouldn't know. Truth be told I heard of other lands and I... sort of wanted to go there, to find new places where I could just be there by myself, you know?" He gave a modest shrug.

Now it was Vance's turn to blink, surprise evident in his expression. "You mean... you're a bat who ate a... human-fruit? Not a human who ate a bat-fruit? Well, that explains alot of things!" He raised a hand and slapped his forehead before nodding quickly. "Yeah, the fruit did it. That's called a 'Devil fruit'. It gives someone some kind of ability, depending on the fruit, and it also disables them from swimming, forever. So... heh, don't get near water." He gave a sheepish little smile, raising a hand to rub the back of his neck.

Bass nodded, "I couldn't swim before anyways. I... well, bats aren't made to swim." He flapped his wings a bit, 'It's still a death curse then... alright. Uh... so... uh, am I common? Like, I've seen others here with odd abilities... so are there others like me around?" He asked as he cocked his head.

"Well... there's definitely alot more fruit-users in the Grand Line than in the Blue seas... but I'd still say devil fruit-users are uncommon to the most part." He moved his arms to cross them over his chest, furrowing his brows a little. "Still though, animal fruit-users are supposed to be able to change between at least their original and new form... so you -should- be able to turn completely human... I think."

"Uh..." Bass closed his eyes and began to concentrate. He grunted and furrowed his brows a bit. He concentrated more and more... and nothing came from it. He then opened his eyes and shrugged, "I guess that it isn't true then. Oh well." He shrugged. "So... what now though? We wait to get to the island and such?"

"I guess not. Then again, I haven't heard of animals turning human, so... there must be special 'rules' about that." He then nodded and gave a little smile. "Yep, we just wait. The weather on the Grand Line is alot more hazardous than in the normal seas, so we need to be extra careful about sailing here, but apparently we're going to find treasure! Pretty exciting, huh?"

Bass nodded happily, "Yeah! I've never seen a treasure before!" He then paused and cocked his head, "What IS a treasure anyway?"

~~~~

Bass and Vance spent most of the trip talking together, though Vance occasionally went upstairs to make sure they were still on the right course. The chatted about how their lives had been before arriving in the town where they all met up, what finding treasure was going to be like, favourite foods and the like.

Likewise on the trip back Bass had mostly spoken of his own family and had eagerly absorbed all the knowledge that Vance gave him regarding treasure and what not. He talked of the few times he interacted witih the humans and more along exposed his own lack of knowledge regarding pirates and their soceity.

Eventually, however, the ship came to a stop in the harbor and dropped anchor, and it took no more than ten seconds after Vance had peeked over the railing at the city before someone shouted "MURDER!" at the top of their lungs. This was followed by the, apparently, usual noise around the island; Gunshots, people yelling, shouting, cannonfire and swords being drawn.

Vance let out a little whimper at the sight of the town, raising a hand to rub the top of his head, murmuring out loud enough just for Bass next to him to hear. "What've I gotten myself into...?" Taking a deep breath of air, he looked to Bass, thoughtful for a moment before letting out a little chuckle. "Eheh, I'm sure the... others'll be able to find some information on the treasure. We should just stay here, in safety! Right Bass?"

Bass rubbed his thumb hooks together, "Uh... well I do have to go." He said, "It's mostly for... personal reasons, yeah personal and all!" He nodded his head, "Just stuff I have to do here and there to make sure things go smoother and all." He frowned, "I'll try to be quick, but it really depends on what I find here and there." He shrugged, "But... I'll be back you know. This just but one part of the world, I wouldn't want to stop exploring with everyone you know!" He chuckled a bit, "No worries Vance, you're like super smart and all! You can handle anything!" Bass pulled his hood down and jumped into the air, flapping his wings and called down, "I'll meet you guys later so no worries. Just look for me in the sky!" With that he flew up higher and past the town below.

"O-oh, uh... okay! See you later, Bass!" Vance called out, raising a hand to wave at him. He was happy that Bass was more his type than most of the other pirates on here, like Leon and the creepy doctor. But now that Bass had left the ship...

Vance blinked and looked around himself, now left utterly alone on the ship with only the sounds of fighting and screaming around on the docks and inside of the town. He stood still for a moment before jumping down onto the pier, darting after the rest of the crew, having proceeded into the town. "W-wait for me! I'm not staying back there on my own!"

Skellen had spent much of the trip aimlessly wandering the ship and double checking peoples' wounds. In all honesty he had been quite bored and other than contemplating how he could get at the marines next he hadn't really done much. He talked to the rest of the crew sometimes, but it seemed as though a couple of them – especially Vance and Bass – found him somewhat… creepy.
Which works for me I guess Skellen chuckled to himself, stepping out onto the deck just as the Sky Pirates they had been towing ran off in a hurry.
"At least we seem to be rid of those idiots"

"Well, our best bet is the town. The locals probably know more about this treasure than the pirates around, and something tells me none of them are going to share anything they know anyway" Skellen heard their captain muse out loud as the majority of the crew began to move off of the ship.
"Well no kidding" Skellen said, not particularly interested whether Kuzo actually heard or not "they want it themselves after all. Why'd they help any of us? Either way, I'm not that fussed about the treasure so I'm going to look for supplies in the town and the forest around it. I'll let you know if I hear anything though, you are the captain after all." With that brief bit of conversation over Skellen proceeded to head into the town, his watchful eye open for both useful supplies as well as attacks from other pirates or marines.

"So, Kuzo is leading everyone on a wild goose chase for treasure that may or may not exist… well I guess that makes sense since he is probably out here looking for One Piece." Skellen spoke to himself, walking around the shoddy little town… and seeing very little of interest.
"Honestly, the port was bigger than this dump and in better condition too. I'm not going to find anything of interest here at all. At least that was what he thought until a woman ran straight into him.
Picking himself off the ground he looked at his "attacker" quizzically
"In a rush, miss?"

Lotte: The Grand Line | Duke Island​

Adventure was a lot more tiring than Lotte had ever expected it to be. Sure she'd made a trip from her home kingdom to see the execution, preparing her for what was supposed to be ahead-- but after the rollercoaster entrance to the Grand Line that had left her heart leaping out of her chest and hair completely frazzled from both nerves and awe, she had quickly taken to hiding behind the door to the cabins. The Sky Pirates-- whom they had teamed up with? She wasn't quite clear how these things worked amongst pirates. She would've said they were friends, but maybe they were just business partners. In any case, the Sky Pirates seemed nice enough, but the calm seas of East Blue had not prepared the little princess for the waters of the Grand Line.

Rough waves, unexpected storms rocking the boat back and forth-- The majority of Lotte's trip was spent either adjusting to life onboard a pirate ship, or miserably rolled up in her blankets, waiting for a momentary reprieve from the dizziness of being shaken up by the rolling waves. Certainly not the glamorous adventure she'd been expecting. As time had passed however, she'd gotten better at handling the seasickness however- headaches only occurred periodically, and if she sat quietly then it would simply pass like a flickering candle being blown out in one breath. During the lulls, she put her skills of learning to the test.

For many years, she'd been diligent in her studies- in language, music, art, and all the things appropriate for a young lady of her stature. But now she had to be diligent in learning how to clean, do laundry, and generally be useful. It hadn't come easy- she'd certainly not expected that an entire box of powdered soap was too much for one load of wash, and she'd definitely not expected her hands to turn raw and red as they did after enduring the hot water. And then the floors! There were so many to sweep and mop! It would've been nice if she'd thought to drag a maid or two along with her on this adventure. Or so such thoughts had frequently crossed her mind.

But insistent on being at least partially cultured, she'd brow beaten any crew member willing to set aside some time in the afternoon to sitting to a cup of tea with her- a set of ceramics pilfered from the Marine officers' dining cabin. Making a decent cup of tea, at the very least, she already knew how to do quite well. It was while she was in the middle of brewing a teapot that their destination was spotted on the horizon.

Hurrying to the deck with all her discomfort from the voyage and the half-soaked tea forgotten, she'd leaned on the railing and made a big fuss over her first island on the Grand Line- the real start of the adventure in her opinion, now that she'd gotten used to her sea legs- and admittedly been quite keen on being one of the first to jump off the ship as soon as they dropped anchor.

"Ahhh!" Lotte stretched her arms up into the air, twirling around happily as she pranced across the dock, "Land is a great thing after all!" The landlubber was on her one-way-ticket to getting lost had it not been for the sight of the town, which brightened her eyes. Violence, drinking, debauchery-- all in broad daylight for the public to see, and not a soul seemed to care one bit. In fact, she could've been counted amongst those who didn't seem to care what others thought, as she ignored the glares the pirates who had long set up camp gave her and the other newcomers.

"Oh it's like a scene out of a book!" She looked over her shoulder at Captain Kuzo and the others, "Are we going to town? Will there be dresses I wonder- I'd like a new one- or two or three, since I didn't get to pack many clothes with me and all the clothes already on board are for men!" Babbling away about nothing as she skipped just a few paces ahead, she was clearly oblivious to the state of the town that could hardly support the shopping spree she was expecting, "I mean not that it's a big deal- but I mean, since we're headed there anyway might as well, right?"

Avril Meads - The Convenient Run-In​

The towering, hulking swordsman chased Avril with haste, feeling absolute hate rising up in the pit of his stomach with every passing second. The girl looked over shoulder, her eyes widening as she noticed the bulging man was quickly gaining ground in his pursuit. The tension of this chase was quickly building up. She turned to look up just in time... to plow straight into another tall man. Avril began to worry that the man was going to much like the large man that was chasing after her. However, as he picked himself off the ground, she noticed that he had a much more polite air about him. An idea totally sparked off in her head. A small smirk graced her lips. She spun around, hiding behind the man she had bumped into just as her pursuer had managed to catch up to her.

"B-Boss! I've been lookin' all over for ya!" Avril exclaimed, pushing the man forward an ever so slight amount. "I went to do that inspection, just like I was supposed to. But somehow the notice that I was comin' must've gotten all combobbled up in the mail. Can you please sort this whole garubbled mess of a situation out for me! Our business depends on it!"

The hulking pirate glared as he looked down at the duo, clearly having already made up his mind that both were guilty of a plot to trespass upon his crew's ship. The man held his sword forward, his angry look still just as strong as before as the veins in his forehead throbbed.

"So... Ya the scoundrel that sent that wench onto our ship..." he growled, running a finger along his blade. "I don't care if she was the one on the ship or not... Ya both are guilty and yer both gonna get the blade run through ya both!"

Avril's eyes widened at this declaration. She was not honestly expecting that the situation would play out in this manner. Of course, there was a small twinge of guilt that she had planned to use this stranger to help get this giant of a pirate off her trail in the first place, but Avril was sure that she could have probably dealt with the guilt of this innocent man taking her punishment for her in the long run... Regardless, both of them were sort of in trouble now... and it looked like running away was not not going to be an option much longer. After all, it was probably only a matter of time before the rest of the towering swordsman's crew discovered what he was up to or passed by... Something Avril did not want to do in the slightest bit was run from an entire crew.

"I don't guess you're one of those rough-em-uppers, are ya?" she asked in a whisper to the stranger she was currently hiding behind.