Skellen remained leaning against the deck twirling the sea stone bullet between his fingers, the now empty mug hanging at his feet as his free arm rested his wait on the edge of the ship. He'd have quite liked to have been a part of the miniature party that had brewed below deck, but his thoughts were locked on something of far greater importance – something he had realised through his interactions with Morgan and the encounter with Koan.
Those of us without devil's fruit abilities are severely outclassed in combat right now. It doesn't matter how much more skilled we are, if we can't so much as touch our opponents then we can't win. Morgan is practically intangible and this Koan woman was able to wreck him with that fruit of hers. Sure I might be able to go head to head with some of the Paramecia or Zoan but pretty much every Logia has a huge advantage of me. Sea stone is the only weapon I might have against them at this point and this bullet is the only supply I've got right now.

Skellen clasped the bullet tight in his hand and stood up straight, stretching his limbs before he abandoned his empty glass and proceeded to move below deck where the noise of songs and merrymaking from the galley was louder, almost deafening. Skellen contemplated various methods of utilising the sea stone as he walked towards the infirmary. It seemed to him there were a few ways he could make use of it but he wanted to assure that whatever method he chose would fit nicely with his skill set as well as be usable by others if the need should arise. He thought back on his various encounters with devil's fruit users and recapped his own strengths and weaknesses, his own strategies and the flaws inherent in his method of combat.

Whether or not it was because they were the freshest in his mind, or because they had struck the biggest cord the two memories that kept returning to him were the attack by Koan and his battle with the Tensen pirates. The key aspect with Koan was simple enough, once she got going they didn't stand a chance so it was imperative she was dealt with quickly. In his battle with the Tensen Pirates, Mina had only been a threat because of her fruit – the truly dangerous ones had been her father and brother who were actually fairly skilled opponents. In that battle two things had been very apparent; if you're not a good fighter a weaker fruit won't guarantee you the win and at all and that through planning he'd defeated a devil fruit. So strategy was also important. In that instance he'd also given Lotte his coat and told her how to use his weapons – so it would be easy enough for his crew to make use of the sea stone weapon should they need to. The answer seemed quite clear to Skellen, the best method of using the bullet would be to use the sea stone like a toxin.

The assassin-turned-doctor turned into the infirmary and began scouring through the shelves, drawers and his bag for useful tools. He ended up retrieving a thick scalpel, a candle, a matchbox and a handful of his empty vials – the variety that came with a needle attachment at the head.
"Perfect" Skellen grinned "this way I'll take a long time to use up the bullet – even though it will take a while to produce the weapons too – and they won't really need any preparation before use."

Skellen set up the candle, igniting it with one of the matches before grasping the bullet with a set of tweezers and holding it in the flames. Slightly softening the material. He then proceeded to slide his hand within the sleave of his leather coat using his now protected hand to hold the scorching hot bullet. Skellen then picked up the scalpel and began to furiously scrape at the bullet, his face reddening from the effort with which he worked. Gradually a pile of dust like particles formed on the desk at which he worked and on his sleeve. Only when the pile was somewhat significant did Skellen stop, blowing out the candle at placing his new kit into a small box which was promptly placed into a draw. Skellen dusted what he could off of his now slightly charred sleeve onto the pile and, withdrawing a small jug from his bag, slid the "dust" from the desk into it. Once he had gotten as much of the sea stone as he could into the jug he distributed it between the vials and filled each with water before placing the needle caps onto them.

"I'd have liked to have made more, but for now it is probably better to limit the number I carry. This way if they get damaged I don't have to go looking for a whole new source of sea stone." With that Skellen placed his new weapons into his satchel and left the infirmary. Heading to the Galley to re-kindle what was left of the now quiet "party.
"Why are we so quiet in here now?" he said, walking into the room with his trademark lunatic grin.

It is said that in Dinas, everything is connected. Its islands. Its wealth. Its people. Everything. Perhaps it is because of the grand number of bridges and canals. Perhaps it is because of the vast amount of trade and activity that flows into the city. Or perhaps it is because of the all-seeing tower that looms over the conglomerate of islands that is home to the Kobushi Corporation.

Dinas has been around ever since the Grand Line was first traveled. It's exact origins are unknown but the stories say that one Hiraku Kobushi established Dinas many years ago to act as a trading hub, a place where people exchange goods, get supplies and rest before wandering deeper into the Grand Line. People soon flooded to the meager offering that Dinas' earliest years provided and the small hub slowly but greatly expanded. Over the years, Dinas expanded to encompass the surrounding rock formations, crafting man-made islands to house the increasing number of inhabitants. What was once one island suddenly grew into five. Bridges and canals connected all the islands together, allowing for easy movement between the poorer outside islands and the wealthy core.

Soon, the expansion was halted, as the pioneers of ancient Dinas had no other islands to terraform. So they built up. Larger buildings swallowed up the insignificant. Walls and other barriers separated the impoverished from the dignified, as more and more wealth and pride entered the core island and spread out. Dinas became ever changing, a wholly dynamic island as the expansion of travel in the Grand Line and the New World made Dinas ever more important. It emerged as the trading capital of the world where anybody who was anybody would have some outpost on one of the islands of Dinas. Smaller, independent business kept themselves on the outer rim islands, yet the largest and most powerful business did their business on the core, original Island.

The rise of Morris D. Rallo marked the first radical shift Dinas ever made. Dinas became a major base for the World Government and the Marines. Due to the constant stream of people, the Marines used Dinas as a means to an end. Pirates were often captured by the constant vigilance of the Marines and any other outfits that were willing to ally with the Marines. Rumors would often spread like wildfire, allowing them to stop entire operations before they began. It's prime location at the heart of the Grand Line allowed for easy traveling to all other locations in the vast ocean. In exchange for the help of various corporations, the World Government would offer protection and assistance in establishing new ventures. The deals seemed fair. At least for a time.

For there is always one constant in Dinas: The Kobushi Corporation. Established in the center of everything, holed up in ominous tower that watches over all of Dinas (and some say the world itself) is the center of operations for the largest corporation in the world. Currently lead by Kasumi Kobushi, the corporation has aggressively expanded since the dawn of Morris D. Rallo's reign as the King of Pirates, becoming even more influential since his defeat (and subsequent death) at the hands of Fleet Admiral Kanaru. It is said that the Kobushi Corporation has its hands in every business dealing on the four blues, the Grand Line and even the New World. No one knows its true intentions or how the operation is ran. All anyone knows is that Kasumi is in charge.

At least that is what Morgan knew as the ship pulled into the northernmost port of the island empire. After sailing for nearly six days, the feeling of solid ground under his feet would be welcome. Sure, the man loved the ocean but sea legs grew weak over time. Dinas was the perfect stop for the crew. Almost everyone needed a good meal and drink, a fresh set of clothes and supplies for the journey further down the Grand Line. A feeling for the outside world would be helpful too. Dinas could provide all that. It was the closest thing to the center of the world. And best of all, Morgan was in the perfect place to find out what happened at Duke Island. He wouldn't leave the island before he accomplished that.

What you can do

In a word: anything. Obviously, I rather you not destroy everything and run away, but everyone is being given a lot of freedom to walk around and explore. Dinas is a mega city, a metropolis on the ocean. The picture above is an example of one of the five islands that constructs the city, and the city does have a medieval yet modern feel, making Dinas something of an anachronism as it blends both periods together. There is plenty of activity, stores, and things to do. So explore. Do joint posts and go crazy. Eventually, I will throw in some plot and maybe SV or I will give you guys some things to do in the meantime (until the plot really happens). For now? Bond. Buy stuff. Whatever. Most of all, have fun.

Bridges L. Skellen and Bass- Facing the Law in Dinas

"HI!" Bass said and he was greeted the same way. A scream followed by the woman running away. He frowned as his ears drooped a bit more. "Skellen... you said that they wouldn't run away." He said as he turned to his companion, tears already forming in his eyes as he sniffled, "Why are they still scared then?"

Skellen turned around from where he'd been examining a large stall of "medicinal herbs" - all of which were pretty much useless much to his irritation - at the sound of yet another scream and Bass' continued questioning. Trying not to laugh at the terrified expression on the woman's face he answered the bat.
"I highly recommend finding out what the term sarcasm means... it might save your life." Skellen would have happily left it there, but Bass' sniffling threw him into a panic - he could not cope with his crying and he was pretty confident it would attract attention they did not want.

"Maybe it will just take time and practice? I mean you're not going to master being social in the space of an hour. You're probably going to have to get used to people screaming until you get the hang of it."
Or you could be a little less creepy and mind your own business...

He paused his crying there as he nodded, "You're right... so how do I get better?" He asked. "I mean you can talk to people too. Can you give me some advice. And what does sarcasm mean?" He asked. "It sounds funny, sarcasm." He giggled a bit. "Um... but are there any cloaks around too? I haven't seen any yet."

"Most people get better at interacting with others by interacting with others, it's something we learn as we age. So I guess the same will apply to you as with small children - pick a suitable role model and emulate how they interact with others - there is no medicinal use for carrot sticks moron!" Skellen yelled at the herb vendor before returning his attention to Bass "I am probably not a suitable role model."

Skellen moved along the crowded street with Bass in tow as he answered the bat's next question
"As for cloaks, this doesn't really seem to be a district with many places selling clothes, let's keep moving forward for now. We're bound to find one soon enough."

Bass flinched at his yell and nodded slowly, "Uh... you're probably right." He said softly, "Anyways I think Morgan can be my role model. Do you think? I think he's good."

"Personally I'm not sure if I love him or hate him. The matchstick is certainly interesting though, and probably better with the schmoozing than me anyway." Skellen chuckled "who you use as a role model is up to you, but if you pick Morgan I'd recommend not copying his tendency to set things on fire."

Bass just tilted his head, "Why would I do that? Oh hello." He said as he waved a wing at another couple. The man was quick to drop his packages and run off with the woman as Bass frowned, "Well... they must have forgotten something and are heading back to retrieve it." Bass said with a forced smile"

"Yeah... probably. I mean, everyone is very busy in cities like this." Skellen replied to Bass. Honestly he just wasn't sure what to say, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the bat but on the other hand he couldn't really fathom why he was so attached to the opinions of others either.
"Have you noticed that the shops and restaurants around us seem to have classed up significantly? We must be closer to the richer districts." Skellen added, "accidentally" tripping over a young man who'd been shooting Bass looks of disgust.

Bass looked over and frowned, "Uh... Skellen shouldn't you apologize?" He asked as he pointed out a wingtip to the fallen man. As the bat got close to try and help him up he received a wad of spit in the face. The bat stopped right there and fell onto his rump. He let his head droop as the man ran off and he wrapped his wings tightly around his body. He was soon shaking there as the doc would hear some light sobbing coming from inside the temporary shelter.

He had to spit on him... Skellen thought to himself, surprised at how angry he was with the man. It seemed as though people were far too judgmental based on nothing but appearance or reputation - just like the marines had been to the pirates resting on Eden.
"Relax." Skellen said, crouching next to his companion, "People like him, their opinions aren't worth considering. Judgmental, controlling people are scum, don't give them the satisfaction of knowing they won."

Bass slowly opened his wings as he rubbed at his eyes, "M-Maybe he was having a bad day..." He croaked out as the spit still stuck to the fur on his face, "T-That must be it. Maybe h-he was just having a b-bad day. I'm sure h-he's a good guy."

"He'll be having a bad day if I see him again..." Skellen raged, he was still surprised by the effect his companions misfortune was having on him, but if Bass wasn't going to toughen up any time soon someone had to look out for him.

Bass shook his head, "Please don't." He told Skellen as he got up and wiped the spit off as best as he could. "It was my fault. I should have seen that I was having some bad manners. Obviously I did something wrong, probably made the wrong gesture that must have insulted him." He said as a small smile formed over his face, "How about we find some cloaks now? Right?" He asked.

"Excuse me. But you shall not be retrieving any cloaks today," a voice suddenly said from behind the two pirates. It was that of a relatively tall woman, with long blonde hair wearing a pair of glasses to shield her delicate blue eyes from the sun. She was dressed professionally, almost too much so, in a black suit with an equally black tie against a pristine white shirt. Her deadpan voice matched her deadpan expression. She appeared to be adjusting her white gloves for a brief moment, as if she had expected a violent response from the bat and his friend. The professional demeanor was met with gasps from onlookers as they recognized the figure immediately. It was "Hundredth" Sarah of the Unit. Sarah served as a negotiator, a middle-woman between the Kobushi Corporation and local businesses, collecting money and establishing deals from the more upscale patrons. If strong words and bold actions worked, Sarah would be set. Even then, if muscle was required, Sarah was more than capable to serve. She was the ideal professional and one of the more renowned representatives of the company. A far cry from the more brutish members. "People have been complaining of a disturbance from a strange creature. Luckily, I have been able to find you as to address this complaint swiftly and effectively. If you were to come with me, sir, we will remedy the situation immediately."



Bass felt his ears quickly fall flat against his head as he rubbed his arms with some embarrassment, "I... I didn't mean to cause that much trouble." He said, "I was trying to be a bit more social. I'm sorry... I don't think I know social codes that well." He made his way to the woman, "Um, my name is Bass. I keep getting spit on... but I think I just didn't shake hands the right way." He looked down at the claw that was placed at his wing tip, "I don't really think I can shake that well with a claw."

"I care little for excuses and so called good intentions. You are a problem. My employer sends me to solve them," Sarah said, her eyes narrowing. "You will come with me peacefully, or suffer the consequences. Do I make myself clear, sir?"

Bass nodded, "Of course. I don't want to make your job any harder." He said with a smile. "Uh, see you later Skellen!" He said as he gave a small wave to his companion, "I'll go back to the ship later."

Skellen's arm had shot out, gripping Bass tightly and pulling him back to where he had originally been standing, before he even knew he had reacted.
"You should be nicer to my friend here you know, he's very sensitive" Skellen said coolly, his eyes narrowing to match those of Sarah and a wicked grin appearing amongst his features.
"Further more, we have no reason to do what you say, I don't care who your employers are nor what they want. It's not his fault that the people in this city are pretentious snobs. It sounds like your employer is about as morally sound as the government, and unfortunately that's not saying much."

Sarah leered at Skellen, her deadpan expression marked ever so slightly by frustration. However, her calm demeanor had not cracked. She eventually smiled: "On the contrary, you have a number of reasons to listen to every word I say. I shall offer one to start with: As a visitor, you are obligated to abide to Dinas' laws. Your friend here has disturbed the peace, and therefore as violated a law. As an enforcer of the law, it is my duty to rectify the situation." Sarah paused and crept an inch closer to them both. "I was going to give you a free pass, but I have since changed my mind. You both now have another offense: resisting arrest. Now if you will both come with me, we can make this very easy on us both."

Bass quickly broke free of Skellen's grip as he frowned, "Please forgive him. I wasn't resisting! He just grabbed me! I'll go with you, honest!" He said as he frantically nodded his head, "It's alright Skellen, she's a police woman and I always heard on my island that police were the nicest people around. She hasn't spit on me yet so that's proof!" He said with a weak chuckle more aimed to cut through the tension in the air, "Uh anyways I'll go with you." Bass said.

"Excellent. If you will come with me, you will be processed and subjected to the appropriate punishment for your crimes against myself and Dinas," she calmly replied. The crowds around them deafened their gasps. Punishment did not always fit the crime in Dinas.

Bass quickly nodded as he looked back at Skellen, shooting him a glance that pleased for him not to do anything. On the one hand, no one liked punishment... yet on the other he didn't want Skellen to get into trouble as well! That would only make things worse! "Okay, sure." He said. "Uh.... what does processed mean?" He asked as he tilted his head, "Sorry, I'm not really used to different words like that. Anyway, lead the way." He gave a cheerful grin, "At least I can use that time to see more of the city and maybe find a store that sells cloaks. Is there one? I mean I haven't seen one yet." At this point he had just fallen into his old routine of asking questions just because of curiosity.

Sarah was caught off guard, blinking at the questions. She coughed quietly. "Processed means you will be charged with your crimes and then given the proper sentencing in one of our jails until we see fit to release you," she answered politely. "Also, you will not be purchasing any cloaks or personal items all the way. They are not permitted in jail. Nor will you receiving any visitors during your stay."

Bass nodded, "I've... I've never been in jail before... it'll be a new experience." He said with a happy nod, "I have heard some stuff about it, but it can't be that bad, maybe it's just overexaggerated." He nodded again, "Uh... so do you have any hobbies? I personally love flying. I mean, I guess it's a given since I'm a bat, but it just feels so good to have the wind in your fur. I do hope though I haven't been too much trouble, I never realized I was going to force you to come out here and arrest me. I might have been interrupting something more important. I hope I wasn't." He said as he lowered his head, "I'm sorry for that." In fact... he DID sound very sorry, almost as if he had done the wrongest thing in the whole universe.

Skellen watched the exchange between Bass and Sarah, a stunned expression on his face. He was actually unsure of how to respond to the strangeness of the situation. He was standing there watching a human/bat hybrid happily chat away to a pretentious, uptight woman who was attempting to arrest the two of them. That sort of thing doesn't happen every day... unless you happened to be Skellen.
"Firstly lady, I am a pirate and therefore your laws mean about as much to me as a pile of warm elephant droppings. Secondly, you're so uptight I'm pretty sure a steel pole has been surgically inserted into a certain orifice." Skellen stood there scratching his head before continuing "But hey, Bass wants to go to jail so why the hell not? Lead the way oh empress of anus poles!" Skellen bowed down briefly in mock worship, before gesturing for Sarah to lead the way and stuffing his hands into his pockets with a shrug.

"I will work under the impression you will be joining us... pirate?" Sarah asked.

"Well to you it's Mr. Bridges, unless you plan on taking me to dinner before jail, then it's Skellen." Skellen laughed, enjoying being a colossal thorn in the woman's side. If you're going to go to a city like Dinas, you may as well enjoy the experience.

Bass glanced back and forth as he slowly tapped his wing tips together, "Uh... I'm really sorry." He said to the police woman. "I mean, I don't think you want all this hassle. Skellen, that was a very very bad thing to say! I didn't even understand half of that... so does that make it bad?" He paused and titled his head, "What did you mean by a certain orifice? What is an orifice?"

Sarah coughed again, this time more forcefully as to hide her frustrations. It wasn't the first time a man hit on her, but this one did it without any tact. However, the cough also symbolized the end of her patience. From her back pocket, she pulled out two pairs of handcuffs. She threw one set on Skellen with relative ease and then stared at Bass, then the handcuffs and then at Bass again. "I am going to hope you will follow me without any issues."

Bass of course nodded, "Yes, of course! I don't want to make this any harder!" He said with a small smile, "Should we get going then? I don't want to waste anymore of your time, and I think we wasted quite a lot here." He tapped his wing tips together, "I'm sorry about that... I guess I just talk so much that I don't know when to stop. If you want me to shut up just say so."

"Shut up" Skellen offered, smiling like an idiot at Bass as he considered the best way to continue taunting the lady cop. Most people wouldn't enjoy being in the situation that Skellen was in, but the thought of jail wasn't something that really intimidated him, and anything that could potentially toughen Bass up would be a good thing.
"I agree, if you're taking us to jail get on with it or let us go... but what's with the handcuffs? We only just met."
This is probably a terrible idea, but hey it's turning out to be pretty fun.

Sarah coughed once more, clearing your thought. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against when faced with processing. You have the right to challenge any accusations when facing the Judge. If you wish to consult any friends or family at the courthouse, you will allowed to do so. Do you understand your rights as I have presented to you?"

Bass of course nodded silently, not opening his mouth since Skellen's 'shut up' moment.

"Yeah we got that pole lady" Skellen said nonchalantly "Will you get sacked when we escape?"

"Nobody has escaped our dungeons. I fail to see any chance of you doing so.

"Then you're about as clever and inventive as you look duchess. Now are you going to throw us in the slammer - wow that sounds interesting - or are you going to continue standing in the middle of the street having a pleasant chat with a man-bat and a handcuffed guy who you claim to be arresting?"

All the while Bass' eyes were widening as he realized at that moment that Skellen was being really, really mean to her! He of course wanted to say something to reassure her that Skellen didn't mean anything... but of course his mouth was closed tightly and he hung his head. He had no way to help now!

Selena, Morgan and Kuzo - Searching and talking in Dinas

Kuzo left out of the front door with Morgan, finishing up the bread along the way. However, he ignored his request to search for paint. Kuzo had put that on hold now that he had his sights set on something far more valuable. He caught up to Selena, and tapped her on her shoulder. "Hey," He called out, offering her a warm smile as he swallowed the last of her food. "I really like your cooking. And your fighting. I'm Kuzo, by the way."

Selena, who's mind had been completely somewhere else, almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of Kuzo's voice and the tap on her shoulder. The green-haired girl quickly spun around, her foot literally stopped just short of the pirate captain's face. A small sigh of relief escaped Selena's lips as she managed to avoid causing a rather embarrassing commotion. She managed to smile weakly, lowering herself into a more relaxed state.

"Thanks um... Kuzo, was it?" she replied, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "But it was just bread. I could've made you something far more worth your time if that whole... incident wouldn't have happened. Sorry about sort of... ruining your meal like that."

Kuzo's eyes had widened to twice their normal size as he found himself with a foot right to his face, but was relieved that she had stopped right before the blow hit. He chuckled a bit to pass if off as nothing, then continued as if nothing happened. "How about making something for me and my crew on my ship?" He asked, placing his hands hips. "Meaning more long-term? I need a cook! I like you, how about joining us?"

"Sorry, can't do that," Selena replied quickly, her back facing Kuzo once more. "I'm the head cook at that restaurant. Besides, that old bat sort of needs me to help her out with things. She's not exactly in the best of health right now."

"Aww, are you sure?" Kuzo pressed on, determined to get her to consider the proposition more. "I mean, there has to be someone else that can take care of her, maybe? Another worker at the restaurant, or family or something?" He gave the girl a grin, bringing one of his hands to his chest. "I could tell from the moment I looked at you, you've got the heart of an adventurer just like me. Don't you wanna get off this island and see what awaits you out in the rest of the world? There has to be something out there you want to see."

"Sabola Island," the girl answered quickly. A smile slowly crept up on her lips, her eyes lighting up as she the thought of what she mentioned ran through her mind. She quickly turned back around, her excitement growing at the prospect. "It's supposed to be a legendary island that's in the New World! You've heard of it, right? Well, no matter. It's an island that's supposed to have almost any spice you could imagine! Plus one that's so amazing, it can make anything taste like pure heaven in your mouth! Ever since I was a little kid I've dreamed about getting off this island and setting out to find it myself... Bringing it back with me and opening my own restaurant and having my cooking be talked about all over the world!"

Kuzo couldn't help but smile brightly as Selena talked about Sabola Island. If there was any doubt before about his decision, all of it was washed away instantly by the way she described her dreams so passionately. This was the cook he wanted, there couldn't be another out there like her.

"That sounds like a dream worth pursuing! We're setting sail and traveling all across the Grand Line, and eventually into the New World as well. Come with me, Selena. We can go there and find our ultimate treasures together! And I promise you I'll do whatever I can to get you to Sabola Island!"

Selena closed her eyes, sighing as she shook her head. "It sounds, great... Really. But I really can't just up and leave Marta like that. She's been taking care of me since before I can remember, and... I know what you think you saw back there, but her kicks aren't exactly what they used to be. I can't just turn my back on her right now... not when she's getting this sick and her health is going down like this. Sorry, Kuzo."

Kuzo's smiled instantly turned into a frown. He could see that she really did want to go, whether or not with him, but definitely to the island. But he could also see that she really did care for the old woman in the restaurant. Kuzo knew if he was in a similar position, he too would probably not turn his back on a friend or caregiver that was in need. Yet even then, he wasn't going to give up that easily. "Maybe let our doctor take a look at her?"

"Doctor? I mean... we've already had one look at her, but..." Selena replied. "Well, I guess a second opinion wouldn't hurt... Oh, I really don't have that much money on me at the moment, though. I sort of do have a table to replace..."

"That's OK," Kuzo quickly interjected. "I'll get you a new table, our doc can take a look at her, and you can just come with us!" He turned passed her and looked around the city streets, before picking a direction and walking it. "It's settled then. Let's go find Skellen!"

Selena stared in disbelief as Kuzo had more or less determined the plan of action, not even really giving her a chance to think about it from there. "H-Hey! Hey, wait a minute!" The girl called out, quickly starting to chase after the pirate captain. "Look, I really appreciate the positive thought your giving this whole situation, but how is it settled? Your doctor may not even be able to fix her, you know!"

"Yeah, maybe not," He replied, pausing along the cobblestone street and looking back at her. "But maybe yes. Is it not worth trying for your dreams?"

"Well, yeah of course it is..." Selena replied quickly.

"Then, come on!" He yelled, turning back around and ushering her to follow.

Selena bit her lip, before nodding and following Kuzo once more. A small smile came to her lips as they walked. Something about the pirate's attitude was very infectious. "Is this doctor of yours that good?"

"The best," Kuzo replied, looking left and right for any sign of the man. He doubted that he would still be on the ship by now, but it would probably be next to impossible to find him in the city. "He knows all about poisons and medicine and...needles. You know, doctor stuff!" He added with a chuckle. "Now we just have to find him..."

"I thought we were lookin' for paint, not Skellen," Morgan interjected, growing more and more fed up with Kuzo's shenanigans. "I understand that Selena here is a beautiful young woman and probably would be a better pirate than ya'll, but we do have things we need to take care of before we can really call our fancy selves pirates. 'Cause right now, we look like bums that hijacked a Marine ship and decided to sail around in circles pretendin' we know what we are doing." As Morgan expressed his feelings to his "captain" he came to realize that much of the problems were a result of Kuzo's leadership. He could only sigh. "Ya know what? I'll just go and find the paint myself. I seem to have a nasty habit of cleanin' your messes anyhow." Morgan brushed Kuzo aside and bowed towards Selena, before digging his hands in his pockets and storming off.

Selena watched quietly as Morgan stormed off, leaving her and Kuzo on their own. The green-haired cook gave the captain a confused look. "...Is he always so agressive like that? Seems a bit too serious, if you ask me..."

"He just needs some time to cool off," Kuzo replied, glancing at Morgan as he walked off on his own. He had half a mind to go after him too, but figured probably the best thing for him now was to be on his own and figure things out. Morgan had been alone for quite a while now. Maybe he wasn't quite used to being with a pirate crew again. At least, that was Kuzo's thinking. "But you're right, he is a bit too serious sometimes. And..." He wanted to delve more deeper, bring up some of the thoughts he was thinking about the way Morgan was talking. There was something specific that irked him about the way he spoke. But he figured he'd have a chance to speak him mind to him later. "...well, never mind, let's go find Skellen," He declared to Selena happily.

Kuzo turned around again and strutted forward, no particular destination in mind. He silently observed the streets of Dinas, marvelling at the numerous shops and restaurants present. Duke Island's little market district was nothing compared to this. In fact, he was pretty sure he had never seen anything like this in his life. As he walked, in no direction in particular, he tried to keep an eye out for Skellen. He didn't speak up to much to Selena, but offered her the occasional glance to make sure she was still behind him, and a smile to follow.

"So, Selena, tell me about yourself," He finally pipped up, while examining a set of expensive looking jewelry pieces through a glance window.

Selena had been following Kuzo rather quietly up until this point. She was slightly amazed at how well he seemed to know his way around the massive city, considering that he was an out-of-towner. Yet as the duo navigated about the city, the pirate captain took every turn and twist in the street as if he knew exactly where he was going. That said, the green-haired cook really was not able to aid much in the search for Skellen... Mainly because she had no idea what the doctor actually looked like.

She paused as he did, when Kuzo finally broke the silence by asking her to tell him about herself. The green-haired girl looked thoughtful for a moment, bringing her finger to her mouth as if she was thinking about something very complicated.

"Like... what exactly?" Selena asked. "I mean you already know I'm a cook and my dream of finding that island, but... Is there anything else in particular you wanna know?"

"Well, are you from here for starters?" He asked, moving from the window with the jewelry to once again looking around the streets for his doctor. "What's it like to live here? Where'd you grow up?"

"Um... Sure, if you're really that interested," Selena replied, crossing her arms over her chest as she walked beside Kuzo. "It's not exactly all gumdrops and rainbows though... Honestly, it's kind of a drag to talk about, but... Since you asked nicely and complimented my cooking, I guess I can let you in on it..."

She paused in her walking, closing her eyes for a moment with a quick sigh. "It all started about 12 years ago..."

Avril smiled as she looked over her work. The ship's cargo hold had held all sorts of special little knickknacks for her to use in restocking her special items. The woman was actually quite worried, having had used up all she originally had left back on Duke's Island. Although, Avril's work had proved to be quite... a burden to some of the others. The woman had essentially locked the door behind her when she went inside, stressing to everyone that the work she was doing behind the door was of the extreme, confidential variety.

"Well... I guess I should go see what sort of place we landed at," Avril mused. She made her way out of the cargo hold and back onto the deck. Her eyes widened at the sight of the island they landed at. She had never seen anything quite like this before. "Wow... Talk about wantin' to make an impression on tourists..."

"It's pretty impressive, right?" A voice came from up above Avril. Vance was sat across one of the mast-beams, tying a firm knot on a length of rope holding part of the sail in place now that the ship was resting at the dock. He smiled down at Avril. "I've been here twice before, and it definitely left an impression on me, heh. Have you ever been here before?"

Avril shook her head in response. "This is the first time I've been here, actually. A doctor I know of mentioned this place before. He said he had taken trip here back when he was still studyin' medicine, but... it doesn't look anythin' like he described it."

"It's been like, two years since I was here last, and it definitely looks like there's alot of new buildings. It's growing pretty quickly." Vance commented. Finishing off the knot, he slid off the side of the beam and jumped down onto the deck, bending his legs as he landed before stretching his arms out above his head, turning to look at the city-island. "It'll be nice to get proper footing, but... it can be a pretty rough city if you go to the wrong area." He glanced at Avril, sending her another smile. "Got anything you wanna take care of while we're here?"

Avril looked thoughtful for a moment. She looked Vance up and down... followed by looking over her shoulder at Morgan... and then down at herself. A small smile graced her lips as she nodded.

"I think so, Vanny..." Avril replied. "Maybe we should get of the ship and see if there are some clothin' stores or somethin' nearby? Very few of us actually look presentable to go... most places off the ship."

Blinking, Vance looked down himself at his jacket and trousers. Granted, it was starting to look a bit... raggedy, but he didn't think to pack more clothes when he ran away from home. "Well, uh... I don't know Avril, I wasn't really planning on going anywhere. I was just sort of... thinking of taking care of the ship, you know?"

Meanwhile, towards the front of the deck, Lotte had sparkles practically oozing out of her as her eyes took in the grand sight before her, running from one side to the other and leaning over the railings to get a better look. Could she get off now? Now? How about now? She listened in agony as Avril and Vance talked-- yapping on and on about whatever they were talking about that didn't involve getting off the ship yet. But like a dog waiting to go on it's daily walk, she kept throwing longing glances between them and the city, all of her senses completely overwhelmed by this mysteriously grandiose place.

Perking up when Avril mentioned her favorite thing in the world (read: shopping, specifically for clothes) she eagerly hurried over, mouth open about to jump in and volunteer herself for the job. But then Vance opened his first, and she pouted.

"No!" Her response was instantaneous as, in an unusual display of forwardness and strength, she grabbed at Vance's arm, dragging him over to Avril and looking at her with determination and... more sparkles. "We're going." She declared, looking as if she might bubble over with anticipation, "Both of us!! Let's go shopping!! Vance can hold our bags-- he's my bodyguard after all." It had been awhile since she'd drawn the body guard card, but between her choices of male acquaintances or perhaps friends on board, Vance was definitely sturdier than Skellen. "Let's go-- like right now!! Right now right now! Not later right now but now now!" She paused for a split second before adding politely, ".... Please."

Avril giggled lightly at Lotte's excitement. It was sort of like watching a little kid the night before Christmas. She nodded at the shorter girl before looking over at Vance.

"You know, shoppin' right now might not be too bad an idea... We might be even able to find a really nice deal or three while we're out there," Avril paused, a small smirk gracing her lips. "This place is sort of big though... Probably a few thugs and criminals lurking about, waitin' to get two pretty girls like us alone for their own devious reasons... Surely, you wouldn't want that to happen, right Vanny...?"

Vance, still reeling after Lotte pulled him over besides Avril, blinked a little as he was adressed, glancing between the two girls now staring pretty intently at him, Lotte with a very excited, child-like smile and Avril with a more mischievous, plotting smirk. He felt his cheeks darken as he swallowed down, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. "Well, err... no, I guess I don't. The ship can probably take care of itself anyways. Or, err... well, maybe not, but you know." He glanced up at the helm and then back at the girls and gave them a smile and a nod. "Alright, I'll come along with you two. Just, uh... no running from the bill again, okay Lotte?"

She jumped up and down, shaking Vance in the process, "Yes!! I know what that is now!" Lotte announced the fact rather proudly, extracting a beli from her bag with a grin. "And anyway you and Avril will be there so if I forget it's fine!" Scuttling over to the edge of the ship she pointed excitedly towards the city, completely ignoring all of Avril's warnings about criminals and thugs because they were irrelevant in the face of shopping. "Let's gooooooo~!"

"Shall we?" Avril questioned to the navigator, before making her way to join Lotte. As much as Avril was looking forward to this herself, the smaller girl seemed a bit too eager for her own good at the moment, and something told her it was probably not in their best interest to keep her waiting to much longer, lest the girl explode from the energy running through her. "So... What sort of clothin' store do you think we should look for first, Loli? Somethin' sporty? A bit more formal...?"

Vance looked a little unsure at first, but quickly shook it off as he smiled and followed behind the two girls, moving his arms behind his head, enjoying the rather sunny weather and the fresh air as they headed off of the harbor and into the thickly populated streets of the city. Must be a spring island.

"Something adverture-y!" She announced, holding up a finger, "Because we're on an adventure!!" While her reasoning was shallow, what she had in mind wasn't exactly on the impractical side of the spectrum. She did know that their last stop had been disappointing in the shopping selection, and that islands from here on out might not always be so... abundant. So it was better not to get anything delicate. Because then she'd have to wash that separately, as well. It would be better to get things that are durable, things that could be both warm and cold, and... "Soooo I don't know about the others just yet- I have to keep thinking, but I know we should get a new jacket for Skellen, because his current one is.................." Her mouth drew into a line as she recalled borrowing it-- and while it had been welcome at the time against the cold, it was definitely not her first choice in outerwear. "And then.... well, let's see what's there first. The whole trick is if you look at something and think for even a second, 'I'm not sure I really like this', then that means it's a no go. You have to go with the gut!!" She lectured on and on as they went from store to store, and she flicked through the racks with expert precision, needing only a split second to pass judgement on each garment of clothing. Ones that passed her initial screening were tossed behind her to Vance, or a waiting store clerk-- and she occasionally paused to consult her fellow female sense, Avril.

Normally, Avril was not one to take part in such frivolous clothes shopping. While she knew that she and most of the others could stand to have a new outfit or two because of how the adventure at Duke's Island had treated them. There was something a bit... contagious about Lotte's enthusiasm through the the experience so far. The woman was starting to find herself getting really caught up in the moment with the younger girl. She took two skirts that she had found from their newest target, quickly tossing them into Vance's growing load. Avril herself had been aiding the shopping group in making sure they got a good deal by making use of her... assets, to some degree.

"Loli, don't forget to maybe keep an eye out for a cloak or two for Batsy-chan," Avril sugested, smiling softly at the short girl. "It wouldn't be too fair if we bought new clothes for everyone else and didn't let get him somethin' to wear so he could get out and stretch his... legs and stuff..."

"That's... a pretty good idea. Nfh... whoa!" Vance winced as one of the smaller boxes on top of the growing pile in his arms almost fell off the top, but he managed to swerve to the side in order to get the balance back straight. He was physically fit enough to not get bothered by a couple (Or twenty) boxes stacked in his arms, or at least the weight of them. Keeping it all balanced took more of an act, however. "A-Anyways, don't you think we've got enough clothes for now? I mean, you both have gotten like, four different outfits... shouldn't we buy some provisions and stuff too?"

"Okayyyy~" She replied, only half-paying attention to Avril's warning. As far as she was concerned, that area of inconvenience was Avril's duty, as Lotte didn't do much in the way of acknowledging that particular crew member's existence. She had yet to square away with how generally mangy he looked and wasn't really keen on conversation with him. A cloak was easy enough though, it wouldn't require her to do all that much searching around. Not as much as finding a proper jacket for Skellen had been. "It's not like the clothes are just for us-- I bought stuff for you and Morgan and Mr. Doctor too!" She counted the outfits off on her fingers, before blinking at Vance. "... Are we getting provisions too? Wasn't that everyone else's job??"

"I... Don't remember makin' it my job to..." Avril replied as she glanced back over at Vance as well, though not with out putting a new pair of boots onto his pile. "Didn't Skelly mention somethin' about it? Or Pepper-kun? It sounds like somethin' they would wanna do... Besides, when you think about it these new clothes are provisions!"

Vance stumbled a little to the side as a large man came past the three down the large, busy street, before dancing back behind the girls again, only just being able to peek around the side of the small mound of boxes in his arms. "Oh, really? I guess we'll let someone else handle that, then..." He paused, furrowing his brows a little. "Wait, you've bought stuff for me too?"

"Yep!" She lifted a cream colored tunic shirt from the racks of an outdoor boutique, thumbing at the fabric before putting it back on the rack with a shake of her head, "Hmmm I think it's the pink bag on your right arm--" She jabbed her finger towards a bag that was a particularly heinous shade of pink before happily moving on to the next rack, "It's just a new pair of pants though. Did you have anything you specifically wanted? Like how there's the cloak and then Skellen's jacket. Since you're with us you can pick!"

"Well, uh..." Vance started, glancing briefly down himself at his current attire, which wasn't much to speak of. There was one part of it he deemed completely necessary though. "I sort of need a jacket or shirt, or... you know, something with long sleeves, like a coat."

"Huh? How come?" Avril questioned, giving him a curious look. "I mean, I know it might be chilly some places, but not absolutely everywhere. And you're not a doctor like Skelly... I think it's almost required that those fix-'em-bleed-'em guys gotta wear one."

"I didn't really mean a doctor's coat, more like... just an overcoat? And, uh, I just sort of... do. I can't really tell why. Sorry." He managed to send Avril an apologetic look past the boxes before dancing around a small child running between the three, which almost sent the wares flying, but he managed to keep a hold of them.

"OK," Lotte piped up. She'd seen his ropes in action, but even so didn't connect the need for an overcoat with them. All she cared about was that now she was looking for two coats. Er, three, including the bat's. It was another good long while before she was finally satisfied with the day's purchases-- having gotten new clothes for everyone, even the bat. She was very quickly falling in love with this island- already having made the deduction that she liked large islands better than little ones. Things just seemed less backwards! "OK!" She announced at long last, putting her hands on her hips and looking back at Vance who was very impressively balancing most of their purchases, "Lets go back and take a break! I learned how to make tea so I'll put some together for us and we can sort through everything-- unless there's anything else you want?"

"Huzzah!" Vance's voice came from behind the mountain of boxes, now starting to struggle with balancing them, his hands constantly shifting to keep several of the smaller boxes from falling onto the ground. "Ship sounds like the best idea if you- whoops, got it- ask me!"

Avril giggled lightly at Vance's enthusiasm, both at the prospect of returning to the ship and catching of the several boxes from falling to the ground. "I agree. I dunno how much more our little packmule can carry, Loli," Avril teased, patting Vance on the shoulder as she walked by him. "Plus, I'm quite lookin' forward to puttin' on some clothes that don't look like I've been lost at sea from a shipwreck."

Grinning at the unanimous decision, with a skip and hop she bounded off to lead the way back to the ship-- "Okay, lets go!" ... or at least, in the direction she thought the ship was probably in. Just head towards the ocean, right?

... After many redirects from the more direction-savvy Vance and Avril, and a few detours from the easily distracted Lotte who ended up buying a few things on the way back as well, they at long last made it back to the ship-- and commandeering the kitchen which had the most table surfaces on which to sort their purchases, Lotte began the battle of sifting through boxes and bags of clothes, accessories, and other paraphernalia she'd deemed necessary.

"This table will be my clothes, this table Avril's, this one Vance's, this one Morgan's, and then Mister Captain's, and then Mister Doctor's, and then..." She blathered on and on as she expertly opened boxes-- something that would've normally been kept to servants work at her own home, but opening boxes in and of itself was something she deemed as part of the shopping process, and so had always done it herself. "In the meantime," She pulled out a large brown cloak-- and then another black one, laying them on the table, "I think the brown one would be better for this town-- a black cloak will make him look more evil than he already does." She held out the brown cloak for Avril, stating plainly and officially wiping her hands clean of the affair, "I don't know where to find the bat though."

"Vance you should go change while I'm doing this-- find the others to come change too?"

"If ya don't mind, I'll take my own to go change before findin' Batsy-chan," Avril replied, taking an outfit in particular she wanted to wear first. She smiled at Lotte and Vance before heading to the girls cabin which she and the shorter girl shared, before giving Vance a small, mischievous smirk. "Be a good boy, and don't go peekin'..."

Vance's cheeks went red at Avril's walk-by comment, quickly busying himself with picking up the clothes Lotte had put out for him, bundling it all up in his arms. "I, uh, I'll go change as well before finding the others. With any luck, they should just come back here at one point." Pausing, he looked from the clothes, to Lotte and sent the girl a smile. "Thanks for helping with this, Lotte." And with that, he went off to the boys' cabin, which was a lot more crowded at night and in the morning.

"Kayyy!" Lotte chimed off to Avril, holding up a shirt that she was having second thoughts about-- maybe it wouldn't fit Morgan after all. Skellen perhaps...? She turned it over in her hands, completely missing Avril and Vance's exchange as she deliberated on who out of the crewmates to bestow the shirt upon. "Hmmm... Oh?" Looking up when Vance thanked her, she nodded enthusiastically, smiling brightly back, "Sure, it was fun!" Without thinking of thanking him in return for carrying all their things, she tossed the shirt back into Morgan's pile, rummaging around for her new brown boots. She'd have to get changed as well, but set her new outfit aside as she waited for the others to come pick up their new clothes as well.

Avril made her way into the girls' cabin, shutting the door softly behind her with a smile. The whole shopping experience had been a lot more fun that she thought it was going to be. In fact, Avril could not remember the last time she had had so much fun. In fact, as she thought about it, the woman realized that that was the first time she had ever really... went shopping for something like clothes.

"Maybe I'll have to do it again with Loli sometime..." Avril mused with a small giggle.

Stepping further into the room, Avril removed what bit remained from her old outfit before beginning to change into her new one. She wore a pair of acid-wash style, light blue, denim shorts on her legs, held in place around her waist by a new, black leather belt. A black, midriff-baring halter top covered her torso, with a denim vest that matched her shorts worn open over top of it. A pair of black, forearm-length, fingerless gloves now rested over her hands, and a new pair of black, heeled ankle boots were worn on her feet, and her usual choker still rested around her neck Avril decided to remove her hat for the time being, carefully laying it on the bed which she called her own, before giving herself a once over in the mirror.

A quick grin graced her lips. "Not bad... but somethin' still feels missin'..." she mused. Her eyes drifted over towards a small dresser by her bed, grin growing wider as she spotted her black goggles laying on top of it. The woman quickly placed them around her head, wearing them in her hair as she turned back to look at herself in the mirror once more. "Perfect!"

Meanwhile, Vance had just shut the door behind him, shuffling over to place all of the clothes given to him by Lotte onto the table in the middle of the boys' cabin. Wiping his brow, he began sorting out the clothes, placing them seperately on the table. Alright, let's see what Lotte had in mind for me...

After a few moments of sorting through the items, he had a good overview of what the girls had in mind for him. A pair of dark-blue, nearly black trousers, a white shirt over his torso, with a sort of leather 'harness' consisting of a few straps, one going across his chest and two going up over his shoulders, which he figured was some kind of fashionistic thing. All of this would be under a slightly-longer-than-waist-length, black canvas jacket, which seemed very sturdy to Vance. It even had long sleeves, perfect for rolling up if he needed to. To top it all off, there was a long, dark-blue scarf which he personally liked alot, and finally, a pair of sleek, long, brownish-gray boots with a small sort of protector-flap going up in front of his knee.

All in all, it seemed like a pretty solid outfit, and he was actually looking forward to trying it on. He proceeded to tug off the rather worn jacket he was currently wearing, tossing it over a nearby chair, leaving him in the equally tattered undershirt, on top of which the long rope he'd been using several times was coiled many times around his chest, up over his shoulders and down his arms.

He stepped over to the chair he had dropped the jacket on and tapped one end of the rope along his left upper arm with a smile. "Hey. Come on, I need to change." he said, as if expecting the rope to just slide off by itself.

The rope then proceeded to do exactly that. It unfastened itself from his chest and arms and slid down along his limbs to coil up on the chair, one end of the rope, which was pulled into a tight with a small nub sticking out of it raised into the air, facing him, like a snake. Vance smiled and gave the rope an affectionate pat on the... knot.

"I know, you love being wrapped around me, but you can't expect me to never change clothes. Anyway, the two girls in the crew just helped me buy some new clothes, and I think you'll really like it! Although... I think I'm supposed to keep the jacket open, so I'm not sure how we'll sort you out..."

"Sort ya out...? Who in the world is he talkin' to?" Avril thought, leaning closer to the door.

After the woman had changed her clothes, Avril was curious to see what Vance had thought of some of the outfits which she and Lotte had picked out for him. She was going to knock on the door and see how he was doing, but that's when she happened to overhear Vance talking to someone. Needless to say, she was a bit curious. Did Lotte stop in first before she did? Her eyes widened suddenly at a thought. Were they doing something...?

He frowned thoughtfully, folding his arms over his chest while the rope swayed from side to side, a faint noise, like a mixture of a hiss and the creaking of rope being strained emitted from the coil of rope, the other end of it lazily hanging off the side of the chair. "I know, I know! We'll figure something out, don't worry." Vance muttered, furrowing his brow in thought.

Avril gasped in surprise. "Of course, that's it! They must have some sort of secret relationship or somethin'... I gotta let them know they don't have to hide it!" Not wasting another moment, Avril quickly opened the door and stepped inside the room. "Vanny, Loli! Stop, ya don't have to sneak around doin' stuff like this!"

Freezing in place, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck, Vance's head snapped to the newly opened door, his eyes wide with surprise as he was half-kneeling in front of the chair where the equally frozen coil of rope was laying, Vance's fingers in the middle of what could be assumed as tickling its chin.

"...Loli?" Avril called out, stepping further into the room. It did not exactly take a great deal of effort to see that the girl was nowhere to be found in the room. All that stood within it was Vance... and a rope coiled up in the chair. The room was absolutely quiet, so much so that you could probably hear a pin drop from outside on the deck. "V-Vanny... Are you... talking to a rope?"

"I, uh," Vance began, but before he was able to explain himself, the rope that had previously held itself frozen, lifted into the air, suddenly lashed out, the entire length of it slithering onto the floor, darting over to hide underneath one of the hammocks. Vance jumped a little as this happened, before hurrying after it. "Ack, no! Wait!" He winced as he knelt down in front of the hammock, peering underneath it, holding a hand out. "Come on, it's alright! It's just Avril, you know?"

Avril slowly took a step back. "Vanny... That rope, how... how is it..." the woman stammered, trying to find the reason that such a thing could even happen. "What in the world is goin' on, exactly?"

Sighing, Vance slowly pulled his arm back, dejected that the rope wasn't coming out. He slowly stood up and raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, turning to face Avril with a sheepish smile on his face. "Uh... it's a... magic trick? Eheh...?"

"...I don't think ropes moving on their own as a conscious bein' counts as a magic trick," Avril replied, crossing her arms over her chest in the process. She moved back to the door, closing it softly behind her. Despite the fact that the whole display had been... more than a bit odd for her, Avril had quickly regained her cool as she turned back to Vance and offered him a reassuring smile. "Now... Why not try the truth this time, Vanny?"

"Okay, okay!" Vance raised his hands defensively while pushing a finger to his lips, peering around to make sure there wasn't anybody else here. "But you have to promise to keep it a secret, alright Avril?" Vance demanded, his expression suddenly turning somewhat stern.

Avril nodded. "I think that can be arranged. So, what's the grand secret here...?"

Vance took a deep breath, seemingly steadying himself before nodding his head, his hands planted at his sides. "Alright, well... err, basically... mnnh. Well, see, my dad's a marine captain. He's really the reason I'm so good at fighting and... navigating, I guess. But, uhm, at one point, he brought me to this... lab or something, where I found her." He gestured back at the hammock where the rope was hidden. "Basically, she's a... rope that's 'eaten' a Snake-Fruit of some sort. They were going to do all kinds of tests on her and keep her locked up, and I didn't want that to happen to her, so... I replaced her with regular rope." He gave a sheepish grin and shrugged a little, rubbing his left arm with his right hand.

"And... well, when I ran away from my dad, I brought her with me. She really likes huddling up against me, and she's super useful, like you've seen. She's just a bit... cautious, towards people, so that's why I haven't told anyone about her. And... well, because she's a top-secret project from the marines, so, uh... please keep this a secret between us, Avril?" He pleaded, biting his lower lip while wringing the bottom of his undershirt, clearly more nervous than he'd ever been.

Avril closed her eyes, trying to take everything in as best she could. She really felt like she had just learned quite a bit about Vance in the past few moments, especially with the fact that he was a former Marine, just like herself. However, she also had several questions. She walked further into the room, kneeling down to take a peek under the hammock, the rope laying coiled up in the corner, twitching as she came into view.

"But... how exactly does a rope manage to... well, eat?" Avril asked, staring intently at the rope. "And for that matter, why keep... her a secret?"

Vance shrugged a little and knelt down as well, holding out a hand for the rope, as if offering a treat to it. "I don't really... know. It's just what they told me. It's something to do with some Marine scientist figuring out how to... 'feed' devil fruits to inanimate objects. So she's... an experiment. If the Marines ever got wind that -I- had her this whole time... well." He paused, suddenly looking extremely worried. "... Dad might just come after me, then."

"But... I'm pretty sure ya don't have to worry about that sort of problem..." Avril replied. She flashed the navigator a positive smile. "I mean, none of us are Marines, but... Still, if ya wanna keep it a secret, you have my word."

Vance returned the smile, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck a little. "I think I'd like to, at least for a little while longer. Thanks, Avril." He then lowered himself back down and held his hand out again. "See? She's just trying to help us. Come on out, we'll sort through this."

Slowly, the rope began slithering out from underneath the hammock, the knot in one end starting to suspiciously look like the head of a snake. It coiled up along Vance's arm, the 'head' raised up, as if looking at Avril, as Vance slowly came to a stand again, smiling. "There we go."

"So... How exacty do you use her in combat...?" Avril questioned. "Do ya just hide her under yer clothes or somethin'?"

"Well, usually..." he starts, then wriggles his finger against the rope-snake, causing her to coil around his chest, with both ends moving around his back, up over his shoulders and down his arms, sitting snugly around his chest and arms, without restricting him. "... I have her like this, with my coat on top, so she's hidden, and... well, we're pretty good at figuring out what each other want."

"That has to be a bit... uncomfortable though..." Avril mused. "Especially when you get into warmer climates, right? I mean... Ya can't wear a coat everywhere..."

"Well, uhm... it's not that bad, but..." He paused, glancing over at his new clothes, laying out on the table. "I was actually trying to think of a better way to do it, but... I don't really know how. I mean, I can't just leave her. We're a team, you know? Not to mention if someone found her while I was away from the ship..."

Avril's eyes suddenly lit up with excitement. Her smile grew wider as she looked back and forth between Vance and the rope. "What if... There was a way ya could carry her around without havin' to hide her?"

Raising his brows, Vance glanced at Avril while rubbing a finger against the knot that seemingly made up the snake's head. "Uhm... what do you mean?"

"Well... Like a backpack or somethin', only... not!" Avril began to explain. Her usual calmed voice was starting to perk up with excitement, much like it had when Vance promised the woman his share of the treasure. "I could make you somethin' that you could wear on your back, like... maybe somethin' she could wrap around, and yet would still have that easy access she needed to unwind and be used for combat or... anythin' else you might need her for!"

Staring at Avril with wide eyes, Vance seemed a little put off by her sudden change in demeanor, but quickly began smiling as well. "Well, erh... that'd be... pretty amazing. But how'd we get something like that? I mean, it's not something you can just go out and pick up. 'Hello, I'd like to buy a carrier for my snake-rope', you know?"

Avril giggled lightly. "That's what I'm here for, remember?" the woman said. "Did ya forget what I said back when we left Duke Island? I'm gonna make the world's greatest weapon one day! Sure, this probably won't be anythin' close to what I had in mind, but... It'd be like a small steppin' stone. Plus, we are crewmates, right?"

Raising his brows slightly more, Vance wasn't sure how to feel. Sure, he saw Avril as a crew mate, which is why he offered to give her his half of the treasure, once they found it, -if- they found it, but... But what? I guess I've been a little unsure about Avril since she came along, but... it turns out she really -is- one of us. His surprised look quickly turned into a bright smile once again, nodding his head firmly. "Yeah, we are! Do you really think you can make something like that for her? I mean, I'd be really happy if you could, Avril!"

"Leave it to me! It'll take me a bit to sketch out the plan and get it built for ya, but by the time I'm done, I promise both of ya are gonna be happy with what I come up with," the woman replied.

In the time it had taken for Avril and Vance to change and deliberate on his sentinent rope, Lotte had taken the opportunity to shower-- and change herself-- though her clothes hadn't been tattered thanks to previous purchases on Duke Island as well. Why would she be left out of trying on new clothes though? Her new tube-top white dress was simple, with brown leather accents on the chest to match her brown boots-- a number of bracelets on her left wrist and a gold-ruby bangle on her right arm-- one of the many valuables she'd lifted from her jewelry box and intended to trade in for funds when she needed them. Her hair was parted differently, slightly more to the side and the front braided back and around to keep it out of her face from now on-- and while she was excited to show Vance and Avril, she was more keen on finding the others so that she could start putting the extra clothes away-- there was more she wanted to see on the island, and she didn't want to be stuck on board all day.

And so, stepping onto the deck, she leaned on the railing, looking up and down the dock for familiar sights like a giant bat man, a grumpy doctor, or a hot-headed skirt-chaser.......

Kuzo and Selena - Dinas - Venom

Kuzo listened silently to Selena's story. He was surprised that she decided to share it with him, pleasantly so. It was not often people would divulge too much to people they didn't know to well. He was happy she decided to, but as she began her story, he found that it wasn't all rainbows and fun times. She had a pretty tough ride to get to where she was. In some instances, hers was a bit similar to Kuzo's, at least in the fact that he didn't know his parents either. But at least he had his friends to lean on. For a while before Selena met Marta, she didn't have the same luxury.

"Well, when Skellen takes a look at her, then maybe you'll reconsider," Kuzo finally replied as Selena finished up her story.

"I know you got faith in him and everything, but even if he manages to fix whatever's wrong with her, I can't just up and leave... Speaking of which, do you have any idea where he is?" Selena asked, giving Kuzo a curious look. "I mean, I don't wanna interrupt your search process, but this is like the third time we've wrapped around this corner. Did you guys set up a meeting spot or something?"

Selena took a look at their surroundings, a small frown forming on her lips. Sure enough, the duo had somehow managed to get back on the street leading back to the Mermaid's Pearl. It was at that moment that an important thought happened to cross Selena's mind, something that might have been key in the whole process of searching for this doctor.

"Hey, wait a sec..." Selena said, glancing back at Kuzo with wide eyes. "...You never told me what this guy looks like."

"Ah," Was all the came out of Kuzo's mouth, taking in his surroundings to confirm exactly what Selena said about going down this path before. He chuckled lightly, then scratched the back of his head. "I guess you're right, and yeah, I didn't mention how he looks like, either!" He crossed his arms, closed his eyes and looked up into the sky to try and get a more valid picture of Skellen. "He's ab-"

Kuzo was suddenly interrupted by the not-too-distant sounds of screaming coming from the direction of the restaurant that Kuzo and Morgan came from. Most of it was jumbled screams of passerbys, but he did suddenly manage to hear one of them distinctly yell a name in the process.

"Selena!" A voice belonging to an older man standing not too far away from their current position. He had a large, pointy nose, and enormous, blue almond-shaped eyes. His hair was black and slicked back and tied in a ponytail. He wore a similar outfit to what the other waiters of the restaurant wore, leading Kuzo to assume he was apart of the staff there. As he got closer, however, something seemed amiss. Tears were draining out of his eyes and nose, and all of the color was flushed from his face. He sped toward Selena upon spotting her along the street.

"S-Selena! We've been looking for you everywhere! You must come quickly!" He implored, leading her to the direction of the Mermaid's Pearl.

Selena glanced up at the man with a curious expression. The last time she had seen this waiter so worked up about something was when the local bar stopped serving his favorite blend of hard lemonade. The green-haired girl offered the man a weak smile.

"Calm down, Ramsley... I'm sure they'll bring back the dark cherry one before too much longer," Selena said quickly. "And even if they don't I could probably figure out how to make it myself, you know."

"No, Selena!" Ramsley began, his suit becoming drenched from the tears pouring down his face. He fell to the ground, continuing to bawl like a baby as he slammed a fist onto the pavement, ignoring any pain that would come from it. "I...I'm so sorry. I just froze up! I'm weak, I couldn't do anything to stop him..." Ramsley lifted his head, and stared helplessly at Selena. "It's Marta, Selena. He came...he got her! G-go quickly!"

Selena did not need to be told twice. Without even taking a glance back at Kuzo, the green-haired girl dashed off in the direction of the restaurant. If any poor person happened to be in her way, Selena merely shoved them aside, often sending them tumbling to the ground in her haste. Within moments she ran into the Mermaid's Pearl, her mind going blank at the sight that laid before her.

The restaurant had been laid to complete and total waste. Chairs and tables were over turned. The aquarium tank had a huge hole knocked in its glass, water leaking out onto the floor with the fish flopping about on the floor. Many of the chandeliers had crashed down to the floor, with the curtains ripped from the windows and many of the ornate decorations of the establishment either missing or broken. Glancing around, Selena's eyes went wide at the sight of George. He looked rather disheveled and bruised, as if someone had literally beat the man within an inch of his life.

"G-George...?! George!" Selena shouted, making her way towards the man with haste. She quickly knelt down by the host's side, shaking him gently to see if he was still breathing. "George, wake up! What the hell happened?!"

George's eyes opened slowly, feeling disoriented and confused. However, once he realized where he was, he began to panic, sitting up and looking around the room for someone, despite appearing to be heavily injured. "Where are they?! Where are they?!" He began to shout over and over, his eyes scanning the ruined restaurant in search of 'them'. "Are they still here?! Please...please don't let them still be here! I'll do whatever you like! Please don't hurt me anymore....please. Please! PLEASE!" George began to cry profusely, curling back up in a ball and retreating his body underneath a table that was still partially in tact.

Kuzo meanwhile silently observed the devastation that had occurred inside the restaurant. He noticed among the broken piece of furniture and ruined dishes and glass, something else along the floor. It was a substance, something he couldn't identify. Yet both the destruction and the substance followed along a path from the restaurant to the kitchen in back.

Selena sighed in annoyance. Just once she wished that the man would not be a walking bucket of irritation "God damn it, George! Would you grow a pair, already?!" the girl snapped, smacking the distraught man on the back of his head. "Who are 'they'?! What the hell happened and where is that old bat, Marta?!"

George sulked lower into the table after being hit, curling up in a ball tighter and simply rocked himself, humming a low tone as if to try and make the outside world disappear forward. From behind, another voice spoke to Selena. "There were two of them," Ramsley, who had run back into the restaurant after Selena. His eyes were red and puffy and his nose still leaked fluids from his crying. "T-they came for payment, and for retribution for Hodas...members of the Unit!" He cried, sniffling his nose again to stop the floodgates.

"T-The Unit?" Selena whispered. Her eyes went wide as everything suddenly poured back into her mind. Hodas was that member that Selena had put in line back when he came to the restaurant just a little while ago... despite the fact that Marta had informed the girl to get her should they come. Leaving George to cry and weep like some baby, Selena quickly ran to Ramsley, grabbing the man by his shirt in frustration. "So, s-she just payed them, right? I know they tore up the place because of what I did, but where is Marta?!"

Ramsley began to cry profusely again, unable to control his body as he tightened his eyes shut and shook his head. "She payed them, but...but then they demanded payment in blood too! They wanted the one responsible for beating up Hodas! Marta didn't want to give you up so he...he...." Ramsley continued to bawl in front of Selena, pointing toward the kitchen.

Selena dropped the man down and tore straight into the kitchen. Everything around her seemed to freeze at that moment. She felt sick... absolutely sick at the sight before her. Selena felt a deep pain in her heart as she slowly made her way forward, her eyes falling onto the form of Marta laying on the floor... very still. Her body looked absolutely battered and broken, as if someone had held the old woman down while another one beat her down in the process. But the most unsettling sight of all was the purple slime-like substance that covered the old woman's form.

Selena was on bated breath as her feet slowly moved her forward, falling to her knees by the old woman's side. "M-Marta...?" she called out, her fingers lightly brushing the old woman's face before she pulled back quickly, a burning sensation coming to her fingertips as she touched some of the purple slime on her cheeks. Tears slowly started to well up in her eyes as Selena sat there, staring at her form silently. "...I... I caused this... This is my fault..."

Kuzo walked inside the kitchen behind Selena, followed by Ramsley. They both observed the horror of the scene in front of them. Ramsley quickly dropped to his knees, beginning to cry again. "I-I-I'm so sorry, Selena!" He stammered, tears pouring onto his face and slamming hard onto the kitchen floor. "I couldn't do anything to stop them! The mace Unit member...I couldn't do anything against him! He took everyone apart so easily...b-but..worse than that..." Ramsley clenched his fists, sobbing uncontrollably. "I'm a coward! A big coward, Selena! I couldn't do anything against that man! He was there....! He did this!" Ramsley raised his eyes from the floor to Selena.

"The Leader of the Unit! The Poison Demon, 'Billionth' Aldridge!"

Bridges L. Skellen, Bass and 'Hundredth' Sarah- Dinas -Facing Justice

The walk to the courthouse was a long one. With Skellen and Bass firmly nested in the northern island, they had to navigate the passages to the core island. Or how some locals called it: Dinas Prime, the original city of which the rest of the islands spawned from. The townsfolk gawked at the trio of Sarah, Skellen and Bass with each step. Sarah paid little heed to the passing glances, seeming almost used to the attention. For her, it was standard protocol and therefore hardly out of the ordinary. However, leaving the northern island, something about the crowds changed. Sarah, like most longtime residents, would never point out explicitly but visitors would almost experience a culture shock.

This shock always starts at the bridge. Unoriginally called "The North Bridge" it connects the north island to Dinas Prime. Like it's counterparts (the south, east and west bridges), its scope is massive and its design intricate and finely crafted. Once a plain cobblestone bridge, it became a work of art demonstrating the wealth of the city with dynamic lighting providing opulent lamp posts, decorative cravings on the sides and elegant railings to keep children and others from getting bright ideas of jumping off into the ocean below. The bridge's epic size was enough to allow smaller ships to pass around, primarily in the form of cargo ships or trading vessels.

Literally speaking, entering Dinas prime meant a literal shift as one transitioned from something of a middle class town to a rich city. It was gradual, seen from the clean and comfortable clothes being exchanged for something fitting a noble lord. However, a shift in the attitudes of the passing civilians was even more unnerving. Glances, once filled with curiosity and fear, changed to that of arrogance and disgust. Bass' appearance in the crowd was isolated quickly and the jeers he once experienced in the north were only further exasperated. Yet, the wealthier citizens also smiled for they knew the fate he was to experienced in only a short while. For a member of the Unit was escorting him, and their word was an extension of the laws crafted by the one and only Kasumi Kobushi.

Sarah guided them over the bridge which lead to one of the two central roads passing through the city and it was quite a ways down before they were mere blocks from the grand courtyard of Dinas, where the magnificent Kobushi Tower stood. It dwarfed the surrounding buildings, immaculate its design, blending the past and present. The surrounding area, though only glimpses could be seen from they stood, was a fine garden with streams offering an eclectic mix of flowers and plants from all over the grand line. The tower's actual design was more modern, retaining from features from the classical buildings that surrounded it. Mounted at the top, somewhat hidden from sight in the clouds was rumored to be Kasumi's office and the "Watchtower" where it is rumored that she can see everything in Dinas. And with the Unit lurking around, rumors almost seem to hold true.

As soon as the Tower came into view Bass' eyes widened. He had been struggling with trying not to talk for so long. On the way to the bridge, as they walked through the people with lots of nice clothes on, but this was too much for the bat. "OH MY GOD THAT IS SO COOL!" He cried out, huffing a bit after, "Uh... sorry for speaking Skellen, but it's so cool! Is that the courthouse? I mean you told us we were going to court, so that's got to be it! It's so big and it looks so cool! How long did it take to build it? What kind of stuff do you do up there? Law stuff because it's a court house right? Can we go up there? Can we see the offices cause it's so cool I bet! I bet you have tons of cool stuff to use against bad guys! This garden is so cool too! How long did it take to plant all the plants?" By that point Bass was done as he stared curiously at Sarah.

"No," she surprisingly answered. "That is the base of operations of the Kasumi Corporation. It was originally a small guild, but it has since developed into the tower you see today. And no, you will not be entering. It's highly guarded by an elite team of private security guards associated with the Unit. They are not formal members, but one could call them aspiring agents. Only authorized personnel and invited guests may enter the premises. Otherwise we are authorized to use lethal force if necessary to protect Kasumi and employees of the Corporation. And the garden is Kasumi's own collection. She doesn't often tend to it herself, but she tries to make an effort." Sarah was pleasant in her tone, even despite Bass' series of questions, somehow remembering nearly every one.

Bass slowly nodded, "Wow... that's still cool." He said with a nod, "I... I always wanted to protect too." He said. "I don't think it's bad to want to protect people, I think it's pretty good." He smiled at Sarah, "You're an awesome person you know. When did you actually become a part of this Unit? You're really good at it. Isn't she Skellen?"

"Your compliments are quite kind. However, I will neglect to tell you when I exactly joined. Just know I have been a member for several years. Not as long as some, but longer than Hodas. He is a rank below me," Sarah answered with a smile. She took an abrupt turn to a side street and to their left was a large building. It retained a more classical charm with tall marble columns with elaborate decorative bases and finely crafted capitals to top them off. Sarah lead up them the large flight of stairs. "This is the courthouse. Please stay close. While it is relatively quiet, the building is quite large."

The large wooden doors swung up as Sarah approached, manned by two obedient doormen. The features that crafted the outside defined the character of the interior. The tile floor was elegantly decorated with rich colors and the interior continued the classical motif with high ceilings, marble columns and various pieces of art deocrating the walls. Yet nothing in the room commanded the room as greatly as the grand bronze statue of a woman holding the scales of justice with a blindfold covering her eyes lying at the center of the room. The base read "Justice is Blind" engraved into in large, bold letters.

Bass was awestruck as they entered and he looked over at Sarah, "Who's that?" He asked softly as he pointed at the statue, "And what is she holding?"

"A gift from the Marines when they first established this courthouse. It is Lady Justice, holding what they call scales. Scales represent balance. Justice is said to be fair and balanced," Sarah answered. "Now come with me. I found our courtroom."

This walk paled in comparison to all the walking they have done previously as it was done in a matter of seconds as Sarah took a sharp turn and open a set of wooden doors before anyone had a chance to process what happened. It was a relatively small room with limited seating for witnesses and anyone else really. Perched in a tall and hefty desk was an equally hefty man, balding with thick glasses and a bushy white beard. "Ah, yes, yes. Come in now," the man said, fumbling through a pile of paperwork. "Ah, 'Hundredth' Sarah. I wasn't expecting you soon. 'Millionth' was just here."

"Who did Thomas bring in this time around, Judge Mitchell?" Sarah casually asked as she took a few steps closer to the taller desk, motioning for Bass and Skellen to halt their stride a few meters away from her and the judge.

"The usual criminals. He's taking them to their cells now. Well, what's left of them," the judge replied. "Who do you have here?" Mitchell quickly added, before coughing heavily.

"These two are charged with disturbing the peace and resisting arrest," Sarah proclaimed. "As per traditions of the court, they will introduce themselves to the Honorable Judge Mitchell Walker."

Bass of course eagerly stepped up, this time actually kneeling and bowing to the judge, "Hello your honor." He said as he got up, "I've never met a judge before... I'm not really sure if I'm supposed to do anything else... but my name is Bass. I don't really have a last name because I never got one. I'm very sorry for my crimes and if I knew better I wouldn't have done it." He nervously rubbed his claw tips together, "I am not used to human social standards, but please, show no mercy on me. Give me the highest punishment for my crimes. It's only just and fair."

Skellen had remained silent from the Kobushi tower onwards, more catching breath from continuously jibing at Sarah than anything, although it was practically impossible to get a word in with Bass' ceaseless questioning. Now that he was asked to speak though, he couldn't possibly keep his mouth shut
"Hi there. I'm Skellen, I'm bored and I don't plan on being here very long. So you're welcome to place whatever biased and unfair punishment you want on me and the idiot next to me but I just want to be clear that we won't be around long enough for you to enact them. Oh, and after I escape I'm going to burn your pretty little courthouse to the ground so if any of you Unit people want to save your donuts do so whilst you still have the chance."

Skellen sat down, leaning back into the corner of his chosen seat and propping his feet up on the next chair over. Stretching his arms up and yawning he continued
"Any questions baldy or can we get on with this?"

Bass' eyes bulged as he looked at Skellen, "Skellen! That's no way to talk!" He said with a gasp in his voice, "This man is a judge! He's like, super duper important!"

Sarah and Judge Walker looked at each other, with their eyes almost wide at the stark contrast in the opening statements. Bass' was admission of guilty that requested maximum punishment. Skellen's was a practical insult to the justice system enacted by the Marines and executed by the Unit. Sarah coughed lightly at the statements. With such admissions of guilt, Judge Walker looked somewhat confused, as tradition often dictates that criminals plead not guilty and then the accuser presents their case, the accused present their's and the process goes back and forth with evidence revealed until a judge makes a decision. The system had its flaws, but it worked. Yet, Judge Walker raised an eyebrow at the names spoken by the accused. "Your full name...Mr. Bass...is it just Mr. Bass? And you," the judge turned to the other pirate. "Is yours Bridges L. Skellen?"

Bass had seen the looks given and looked back at the judge, nodding, "Yes, your honor." He said cheerfully. "As I said before, it's really all my fault." His ears laid down low against his head as his cheery personality faded, "I didn't know I was being a disturbance, but... even though I could apologize all the time for past actions, it won't change anything. What if I had murdered someone? What if I had done something else that's against the laws here? Sure being a disturbance isn't as bad as murder, but it still requires punishment. I won't hide from the truth on that. I'm guilty. One hundred percent guilty in fact!" He said firmly.

Skellen couldn't help but face-palm at Bass' admission of guilt and insistence on receiving the maximum punishment for his crime. The manbat was the polar opposite to every other pirate on the sea and that was not going keep him alive overly long.
"I'm Bridges L. Skellen yes, glad to see you seem to have heard of me. I hope to conduct business with you in the near future." Skellen then looked from Bass to the judge "Excuse Bass, he's kind of an idiot. What he meant to say was "You people all suck"".

Bass heard Skellen's words and he blinked his eyes a bit, "You... think I'm an idiot?" He asked as he started to get a bit teary-eyed, sniffling a bit at the words. He hung his head, "M-maybe I am an idiot... I never knew you thought that Skellen..."

Skellen nearly fell of his chair at the change in Bass' mood
Now I've done it, grand backtracking Skellen hoped to confuse the bat into not crying and making the situation even more of an embarrassment than it already was
"Relax, it's just a figure of speech. I don't think you're an idiot - you've got to be smarter than Morgan." Skellen grinned at Bass, quite sincerely for he enjoyed making fun of Morgan.
If he's going to cry the whole time, I will beg this judge for a separate cell.

Bass blinked and then let out a happy cry as he hugged Skellen, "Yay! I'm not an idiot!" He said happily, "I knew you didn't mean it!

Skellen blinked, his vision totally obscured by the wings of the bat that was now on top of him. The situation was getting stranger and stranger, Skellen just hoped that the Unit woman and the judge were twice as confused as he was.
"You can get off of me any time now, we're friends - sort of, maybe, yeah okay - but I don't think we're cuddling on a courthouse pew close just yet and I can't have you disappointing all the lady bats - or male bats or... however it works if you're a bat."

Bass giggled and got off, "Oh... oh right we're in court!" He said with sudden realization, "We were going to jail right?" He asked the judge as he tiled his head a bit, "I hope I didn't do anything wrong again." He tapped his thumb claws together nervously.

Judge Walker just blinked at the display, tempted to consult his law books to see if that was another crime or not. Sarah coughed and turned away, fixing her glasses and do anything to distract herself from the embarrassment of watching an overgrown pet bat hug the psychotic doctor. But the confusion soon left their faces as a young man in a suit, similar to Sarah's but less professional, delivered a handful of papers to the judge. Judge Walker fidgeted with his glasses and scanned the papers, filing through them rather quickly. "Mhmm. Very interesting," the judge said. "Well before I continue," he paused, placing the papers on his desk. "Do any of you have anything else to add? I'll be rather blunt, most people plead not guilty rather than beg to be put into jail."

Bass titled his head, "Why?" He asked, "I mean if you did the crime then you would want to tell the truth right? Everyone makes mistakes, no one is perfect. So theoretically at one point in all of our lives we did break a rule or a law and if you are really a moral person then you will stand up and actually say you did it with dignity instead of cowering in a corner and claiming you didn't when in fact you did." Even though this kind of statement was something Bass really didn't say, he didn't seem confused at all by his own words.

"You want to be a good pirate, right Manbat?" Skellen asked Bass, climbing to his feet with a maniacal smile adorning his lips.

Bass tilted his head, "I tried to be." He said, but his ears lowered, "But I'm not really good at it. I think it's the worst I've done in anything. Everyone else always tries to kill others, like on that island." He said with a frown, "And how you told me how you killed people before in order to save others. I'm still not sure if I understand it because at that island you and the others were killing all the other pirates and I didn't know what to do." He sighed and looked at the judge as his ears drooped really low, "I... I couldn't kill anyone." He said softly, "Well... I did kill one... and it was my first kill." He closed his eyes tightly, "I... I hated it." He cried out suddenly as he teared up, "I wanted to stop but I couldn't! I... please lock me up!" He begged, "I deserve it!" He soon fell into a crying fit as he fell to his knees and shuddered there on the floor.

"Right, well ignoring the fifty crimes you just confessed to in the middle of a courthouse. I'm going to show you something that will cheer you up a bit." Skellen started walking slowly towards the desk at which the Judge was seated, "This is a much better way for a pirate to handle a court hearing." As Skellen arrived at the desk he proceeded to jump on top of it and began loudly singing "1000 Bottle of Beer on the Wall" whilst dancing around enthusiastically scattering official documents around with his feet as he did so. It quite probably looked as though he lost his mind.

As soon as the documents danced in the air, Sarah knocked Skellen off his feet with a sweep of legs. Then in a flash, she tossed the doctor to the ground with a loud thud and punched him in the face with an electric imbued fist, effectively send a wave of electricity through his body like a tazer. Her gloves were clearly radiating with this spark and with a flick of the wrist, the energy ceased to pulsate in her hands. Judge Walker, paying no heed to Sarah's quick removal of Skellen, attempted to reorganize his papers. "Excuse me for a moment," he said as he got up and walked around the room, picking up his files. Sarah made sure that Skellen had no other outbursts, flicking her wrists again to allow energy to pulsate in her gloves and placed a firm boot on chest to pin the man down.

"Do not try to move again, pirate," she added. The shock I gave you will render you paralyzed for a good while."

Laughing like a mad man - despite his blood nose, bruises, lightly crispy skin and the fact his hair was now standing up in all different directions Skellen managed to yell through slightly numb lips
"I object!" he continued to laugh for a while before lulling his head back "I'm just gonna take a nap now..."

Bass stared and stayed down as well, flinching a bit at the commotion. "Uh... can I go to jail now?" He asked with a shaky tone in his voice.

Judge Walker returned to his seat and placed his papers neatly into a pile. "Now, I trust we will have no more outbursts Mr. Bridges and Mr. Bass? Yes? Good," the judge began before returning to what he was once doing. "Now, representing the state of Dinas, a member of the World Government under the jurisdiction of the Marines, I will present evidence in support of the said state. I need not remind you of your accused crimes of disturbing the peace and resisting arrest. It all seems I do not have to remind you of more heinous crimes on Duke Island either. Mr. Bass appears to have already confessed to murder and by association it seems both of you have confessed to being pirates as well." Judge Walker reached into the pile and removed two sheets of paper, before flipping them towards both Bass and Skellen.

In his hands were what appeared to be posters. Their faces well documented and their names right under them. Beneath that, a number. Big letters stating "Wanted Dead or Alive" made their mark. "For a number of crimes, I care little to recite, you two have made quite a name for yourselves." He placed the papers back on the desk. "I must say, Sarah, it is quite surprising to have captured these two so easily." Sarah coughed before blushing at her hard work.

Spoiler:

"By the power invested in me by the state of Dinas, member of the World Government under the jurisdiction of the Marines, I sentence both of you to the dungeons. For a time. Until a high ranking member of the Marines is contacted and escorts you to... Impel Down. There you will face a punishment far more befitting of your crimes. 'Hundredth' Sarah, please take them away."

"Wooooo!" Skellen exclaimed weakly from his place on the floor, his speech slurred by his half conscious state.

Bass nodded as well, "Thank you your honor."

The Bass and Skellen Show: Episode XXIVXIV Prison fun!​

Skellen awakened in a dark cold environment, unable to see anything at all and not a sound to be heard bar echoes from further down what Skellen figured was a long hall. Pushing himself to sit up on the icy cold stone floor, Skellen wiped the dry blood from his face as best he could and rubbed the back of his head letting out a groan. It seemed to the doctor that he'd been unceremoniously dumped onto the hard surface on the back of his head - he was lucky not to be blind since that is where the occipital lobe is located... not that he could see past the bars of his cell anyway.

As he began inspecting his body for further injuries Skellen spoke
"I'm going to assume I'm in jail then - they seem to have put me away from most of the other prisoners since all I can hear of other life is that echo."

"Hey Skellen!" A voice called out. To Skellen's ears it would seem to be coming from some distance in front of him, past his cell bars. "I'm glad you're up again, this place is so big! It's like, huge! Everyone looks so sad too. I tried talking to some others but they didn't want to talk... so is it cool I get to talk to you? You acted very weird back in the court room." To Bass' eyes he couldn't see anything BUT he could HEAR what was going on. The constant sounds around him of people shuffling around in their rooms to the drips of water along tiles helped him to see the outlines of his surroundings.

"Well, I had to keep myself amused somehow" Skellen responded "and I guess it makes sense for a prison to be -" Skellen stopped mid sentence, as he realised exactly what Bass has said meant "-Bass" he continued, eerily calm "You're a bat. You can echolocate. You can see in here can't you?"

Bass blinked at the question, "Can't you?" He asked. "It's just seeing the shapes, surely you-oh hi Mr. Guard!" Bass said cheerfully. Some time after Bass said that Skellen would be able to hear the sound of footsteps passing, "Aw... they never talk back. Anyways don't you hear the shapes too? Everyone can hear shapes and hear the walls. Everyone did that back at least at my cave. And what's echolookate?"

"Echolocate, is hearing the shapes" Skellen sighed, exasperated by Bass' lack of understanding. At least now he new that guards passed routinely, that oddly enough meant more opportunity for escape to Skellen.
"Well, whenever you get bored we can escape. Did you see where they put my stuff?"

Bass tilted his head, "Hm... well we were lead down here. There were these lockers boxes they had and they opened them up. I really only had my clothes and they didn't take them, but whatever they took from you they must have put in one of them then. I didn't see which one since I was put in my cell. Then you were put in your cell. Then you slept a LOT, and now we're here. Oh and you really shouldn't speak about escaping... it might get you punished. I know there was another guy in another hallway who talked about it, his voice echoed ALL over the place. Our voices are echoing too I guess and then I heard some weird sounds and he went quiet."

"Hey!" Skellen proceeded to scream "The guy in cell thirty-seven is trying to escape!" He then rested against the wall for a while and listened for the sounds of stomping feet, but he heard nothing
"Anything?" Skellen inquired of Bass, looking blindly in the direction his voice had come from.

Bass shook his head and smiled, "You know, you must be psychic too! I've heard people shouting stuff like that before, but no guards ever come."

"Well, I guess that means it will take a little longer than I'd have hoped to get out, oh well. Is my hair still pointing in funny directions?"

Bass nodded, "Yeah. Why'd it do that?"

"Because anus-pole lady has electric gloves. Electric shocks can make hair stand up on end."

"Oooooh." He was quiet for a moment. "So... you want to play a game? How about I spy? I know humans played that around the forest sometimes. I spy... something hanging from the ceiling here in the hall!"

"Is it you?" Skellen asked, taking note of the confirmation that they were in a hall.

"Hehe, no silly! I'm in this cell!" He giggled out, "Try again."

"A bat of some other variety?"

"Nope!" Bass shook his head, "Want me to tell you?"

"Sure, why not?" Skellen shrugged unenthusiastically, knowing full well that it would fly over Bass' head that he wasn't really that interested. Skellen figured though that he'd have to pass the time between then and escaping somehow though, so he played along with Bass hoping to find something useful.

Bass giggled, "It's... a head!" He said, "I don't know why you didn't see it, it's just right there. I think it's fake though."

Skellen blinked for a second, that was the last answer he had been expecting. Unlike Bass though, Skellen was not of the opinion that the Unit or the Marines had a tendency to hang Halloween decorations around their prison - he figured was probably put there for one reason or another... maybe to scare prisoners if light was brought in
"Yeah... probably a fake..."

Bass nodded, "So... I guess we just sit here huh? Man prison sure is boring." He scratched lightly behind his ear, "I always hear you have to break rocks in prison, but we aren't."

"Oi! Shut yer traps over there!" It was deep, groveling voice from down the hall by the slight echo carrying the grunts. Of course, it would be hard to tell considering how dark the dungeons were. "Some of us are trying to sleep in here!"

Bass shouted back, "Oh sorry!" He looked over at Skellen, "I know! We can talk with echolocation!" He grinned as he sent out soft squeaks at Skellen.

"I'll gladly put you to sleep for a long, long time!" Skellen shouted back before returning to his conversation with Bass "Bass, I'm human. I can't echolocate. So for the love of all things even vaguely toxic stop that irritating squeaking."

Skellen leant back against the wall
"You can see with sound, right? How far can you see from here?"

Bass paused as he tilted his head, "But... I thought everyone could... oh, uh..." He glanced about, "Well, I can see to that wall, and past it too." He gave a firm nod. "I can see some prisoners in their cells and if I let out a really high pitched squeak I can see further than that!"

"Excellent" Skellen grinned "So you could easily find my stuff and the way out of here?"

Bass tilted his head, "Why?" He asked, "I mean, I could find the way out, but why? Oh, are we going to go out and break up some rocks?" He asked as he fluttered his wings a bit"

"Uh... well rocks could potentially get broken I guess. Just let me know next time there's a guard within reach."

He nodded happily, "Of course! So... I spy with my ears..."

Dinas Prison - Justice

From the far side of the prison floor, the opening and shutting of one of the prison doors could be heard. It opened with a loud, prolonged screech, and then closed soon after. Next came the steady tap of a pair of feet, followed by a shuffling sound as if something was being dragged on the ground. The steps of the feet and the shuffling grew closer and closer, causing one of the guards nearby to turn and check the root of the noise.

"State your busi-" The guard stopped his questioning mid-sentence as soon as he recognized the man in front of him. "Oh, s-sir!" He croaked out, the nervousness in his voice quite apparent. He snapped the man a crisp salute.

The man stopped his pace and glanced at the guard. He had a cigar in his mouth, which he promptly took out and blew at the guard's face. The guard straightened up even more, puffing out his chest as he anxiously saluted the other man, now taking in a moment to examine him. He was a rather colorful individual, much more well dressed than any of the guards. He had long, dark green hair which curled down his back. He wore a cotton, fancy-looking white shirt, and a black vest over that. Over both of those was a teal-blue captain's overcoat which covered his shoulders. He also wore fine white pants of silk and a similar teal-blue colored boots going right up to his knees. In one hand, he carried a large, oversized mace. In the other, he dragged the bloody body of a man in a white uniform with a black bowtie.

"Which one of these cells are empty?" The man asked the guard. The guard quickly snapped out of salute and examined around, pointing to the one to the right of Bass. "That one, sir!"

The man nodded and proceeded forward again. From the faint light in the area, one could see the body he dragged was leaving a trail of blood in its path. "M-may I ask sir, what his crimes were?" The guard asked the man in the coat, who instantly stopped and glared back at the guard. The guard instantly put up his hand to assure the man. "I-it's only f-f-for processing p-purposes! Just so I can know what his p-punishment should be!"

"Grara," The man replied with a nod, his way of saying 'alright'. "He looked at me funny."

"S-sir?"

"I was at the restaurant Kasumi sent me to with Billionth, and he looked at me funny. I didn't like it. So I broke him." He leaned down at the waiter he dragged and grinned at him. "I gave him his first bit of his punishment until he confessed the crime, now I'll give him the rest later. But he knows what he did wrong now. Don't ya, buddy?!" He yelled down at the bloodied waiter. The waiter mumbled something incoherent. "Grara...he's a bit out of it now. Open the cell."

"Y-yes sir!" The guard exclaimed, quickly moving over to the cell and fumbling with his keys. The guard quickly tried to find the correct one while the man tapped his foot impatiently. The second the guard found the correct one and opened the cell, the man seemed to display a massive amount of strength, tossing the waiter easily from his position in the room, all the way to the back of the wall of the cell. He fell to the ground with a thud, and twitching and panting heavily. The guard shockingly looked between the man and the waiter on the floor, before snapping to it and closing the cell.

The man put his mace against the corner of the wall, and wiped his hands together, before picking it back up and heading toward the door he came out of. "Grara. I'm off. I'll probably be back later...OH HELL!" The man suddenly shouted, spotting a few droplets of blood on his outfit. He angrily turned back around and glared at the man in the cell. "You ruined my shirt with your blood, you dumba$$!" The man fumed. "Open up the cell again," He demanded from the guard. The guard didn't need to be told twice, doing as the man asked. He put in the key, twisted and unlocked the door once more. Instantly, the man tore inside, stepping up to the waiter and grabbing him by the shirtful and lifting him up to the side of the wall. "You ruined my favorite shirt. You're gonna pay for that." He declared. Instantly, he raised a fist and began to beat the waiter across the face. At first, the waiter tried to cover his face. But eventually, he simply sulked there. The man eventually dropped the waiter onto the ground, continuing to beat and kick the man mercilessly for well over a minute without pause. The guard nearby, as well as all the other guards, averted their gazes from the scene, lowering their heads and just waiting for the man to be through. The waiter screamed and cried in pain, and eventually did nothing as the man continued to beat him without renitence.

The man glared down at the waiter, panting heavily, then brought out his cigar, tossing it on the ground next to the pool of blood of the waiter, and proceeded once more out of the cell. He picked up his large mace and again began to strut toward the door. As he proceeded out, from one of the other occupied cells came the response of another. "Heartless..." He muttered under his breath. Instantly, the man with the mace stopped his pace. He took out another cigar and lighter from his pocket, lit it up, and turned his head toward the cell from which the other prisoner had just spoken.

"Grara...what did you call me?" He asked, puffing out smoke from the corner of his mouth. The prisoner paled up, heading to the corner of his cell and shaking his head.

"Nothing!" He responded quickly. The man with the mace turned back to the guard nearby him. He extended his free arm out to him, motioning with his hand.

"Give me your keys." He commanded to the guard, who quickly ran over and handed them over. "What was this one's crime?" He demanded by motioning his head to the prisoner who had spoke up in his cell.

"He was called in for suspicious activity." The guard replied.

"I wasn't doing anything! I just wandered over to the rich district and they reported me for nothing!" He pleaded his case. The man with the mace then unlocked his cell.

"Grara," He began, opening the cell up all the way. "Ya better charge attempting to escape prison as well."

"What?! I'm not trying to escape! Please...I didn't say anything, have mercy on me, please! I have a family!" The prisoner began to plead.

"Oh..." The man in the mace turned to the guard beside him. "...and injuring an officer of the peace in the process."

"Wha-" The guard began, before the man with the mace suddenly swung his large mace right at the side of the guard's head, smashing hard against him and propelling him with enormous force across the room. A few of the other guards ran over to observe what was going on, but kept their distance from the man in the mace when they discovered him. The man with the mace proceeded now into the cell of the prisoner, who was crying and begging at the ground in front of him.

"Please! Please don't hurt me! PLEASE, I'M BEGGING YOU!"

"Grara, Grara....shouldn't have broken the law." He replied coolly, raising his mace and bringing it down repeatedly against the man. The first strike caused him to scream in agony, while each following one only elicited silence. After three more strikes, the man with the mace stopped, proceeded out of the cell again, and turned to the other guards in the area. "How's the other guy, doin'?" He asked, referring to the guard he had hit with the mace. One of the other guards responded after checking on the downed guard.

"He's dead, sir."

"Grara...this one killed him trying to escape." He stated, pointing to the bloodied prisoner whose cell the man with the mace just stepped out of.

"Of course, sir!" The guard replied with a nod.

"This entire level of prisoners is really dangerous. Must all be in cahoots with each other," He uttered through the echoing prison. "Grara, I'm making an executive order. Everyone on this level gets the death penalty. Get some executions scheduled for all of them by the end of the day."

"Yes, Narro!" The guards said with a salute in unison.

"And someone turn on another light in here! All this dark is makin' me sad!" The man demanded, dragging his mace across the prisoner floor, which screeched loudly, while he blew out smoke rings from his mouth.

Wright D. Morgan and Avril Meads- Dinas- Searching in all the Wrong Places

"Hey, m'am. Have you seen a giant, talking bat, possibly hangin' around a doctor with scary, slanty eyes like this?" Morgan asked a random woman in an elaborate dress with strange looking hat and an umbrella, despite not a cloud in the sky. The woman gawked at Morgan and then huffed away, sliding away with what appeared to be her husband. It was the tenth person Morgan pulled aside and the tenth failure to get a single bite of information. It was almost disheartening, mostly because Morgan did not feel he was being too rude. "I know that people tend to be rich around here, but it doesn't mean they all have to be tossin' others aside like that."

"I can't say I actually blame 'em..." Avril replied, watching as the woman and her husband walked away. She shook her head for a moment, taking into mind what she had just said. "Well, I mean, it is rude... But at the same time if I didn't actually know him, I'd probably think ya were a bit rattly-loose in the head if ya came up to me and asked 'bout a talkin', giant bat. Maybe we started on the wrong end of town? This doesn't seem like the sorta place Skelly would hang out, ya know?"

Morgan pouted: "How else would ya describe Bass to an everyday person? Especially considerin' that last I checked his cloak was all torn up. Not like he's gonna be able to hide from someone very easily." He shook his head and kept walking, looking for someone who may be a little nicer. "The problem is that most of the city is like this. I don't think Skellen is gonna find some dreary alley where he can experiment knocking needles into people for funsies."

Avril gave a small smirk in Morgan's direction. "Now, now... Ya make him sound like some sorta crazy person when you talk like that," the woman replied, giggling lightly. "Still, you're probably right... Didn't he talk 'bout maybe restockin' his medical supplies? Maybe we should ask if there's a store like that 'round here somewhere instead of askin' 'bout Batsy-chan directly. Maybe we can find a store where people saw him last."

"Seems like a roundabout way of lookin' for him. Ya'll take the lead then. I got a feeling that some people are recongizin' me and running away," Morgan admitted. "It's a problem when you are as famous as me ya know? Actually ya'll wouldn't now would ya?" Morgan finished with a sly smile and a chuckle.

"You're so modest 'bout it though," Avril jabbed back. "Regardless, I don't mind leadin' for a bit. I don't really know where I'm goin'... But maybe some of the folk here might be more willin' to answer if I asked first."

Leading Morgan into a nearby store, Avril quickly took a look around and realized that it was not a medicine store. Rather, it was a rather fancy looking jewelry store of sorts. It did not take the woman long to realize that finding Bass or Skellen was going to be impossible as long as she and Morgan were more or less roaming about with no actual set destination. So, Avril went about fixing this herself. She made her way towards the counter, smiling warmly at the large, balding man who happened to be working behind it.

"Excuse me, sir. My friend and I are lookin' for the nearest shop that sells medicine and all things of that sort. Do ya happen to know where that might be?" Avril inquired.

The man glanced up as Avril spoke. He was a bit shorter than both Morgan and herself and a bit more portly at that. He was clearly in his late forties, with his hair balding and starting to gray. He was dressed rather fancily, wearing a tan colored tuxedo with a yellow bow tie. Rather than answer the woman however, he merely snorted at her, before glancing back down at the counter where he was working.

"...Hello? Did ya hear me?" Avril inquired. The man remained silent, though. Clearly, going above and beyond his way to ignore the shipwright. She glanced over her shoulder at Morgan, giving him a small frown. "This place really isn't all that friendly, huh?"

"Try flirting with him? Or show some skin?" Morgan whispered. "It tends to work on perverted old men."

"Well... That's true..." Avril replied. She glanced back over at the man, realizing that Morgan was probably right. With a sigh, she slowly took off her vest and tossed it in her crewmate's direction, before turning her attention back to the merchant. She then took her top and tugged down on it a bit, revealing a bit more cleavage than it already did.

Morgan caught the vest and could only blush at Avril's display, though he quickly attempted to hide any sort of evidence of the sort.

"Excuse me, sir~" Avril called back out, the tone in her voice sounding a bit more sensual than it did previously. The man sighed, looking back up again. As he caught a glimpse of Avril's changed appearance, his face turned a deep shade of red. Avril hopped up on the counter, leaning forward with a small giggle. "My friend and I are lookin' for the nearest medicine shop... Would ya be able to tell us where it is...?"

The man began to stammer, his eyes widening in shock. It seemed like he was at a loss for words as he began to point out the door.

"A-Around the block to the left... d-down the street and near the Rusty Anchor B-Bar..." he managed to spit out, before quickly passing out and hitting the floor with a loud thud.

"Thanks, sir," Morgan said with a smile, throwing Avril's vest over her shoulders. "We'll be on our way now." Dragging Avril out of the store before she got any ideas of stealing a jewel or two, he lead the way around the block and took the left as indicated by the older man. "Ya know, I am tempted to stop at the Rusty Anchor Bar. It sounds like a nice play, don't ya think?"

Avril glanced up at Morgan, slipping her vest back on before readjusting her top properly. "The bar...? What 'bout Skelly and Batsy-chan?"

Morgan frowned. "Aw, we can take a small detour. It's a bit hypocritical of me, to be fair, since I didn't like Kuzo doin' to me, but if the two are together I am sure Bass is fine. Don't ya think?"

"Well... I guess ya have a point... I am a bit thirsty, anyways..." Avril agreed. "Alright, I guess we can check out this place for a bit." Avril began to lead the way, following the directions that the man in the store had given them. She glanced over her shoulder after a few steps, giving a small smile towards Morgan. "Oh, and Pepper-kun...? If ya tell anyone 'bout that, I might I have to kill ya."

"Tell 'em about what exactly?" Morgan asked sheepishly. "And good luck tryin' to kill me. Do you know how many people tried to do that and failed miserably?"

Avril sighed and shook her head. "It was a joke, Pepper-kun... I don't have a reason to kill ya. It's more like a way of sayin' I'll be very mad at ya for a very long time."

"I have a reason," A voice suddenly said from behind the two of them. Morgan swung around and felt a bullet whiz by his head, with the crowds clearing the area in a wave of chaos, fear and screams. The sole body when the wealth dissipated from the area was a singular figure. Only a couple inches shorter than Morgan and of comparable build was a man. He had wavy black hair that fell down to his yellow eyes, with a glow that was only further emphasized from his pale skin. Dressed in a black coat and a white shirt, it only took a mere second for Morgan to realize who had come to pay him a visit.

"Been a long time...Kiba," Morgan said with a smile. "Glad to see ya still can't aim."

"That's Commodore Zakiru Kiba to you 'Burning King.' Now stand down!" Kiba said, still keeping his aim glued to Morgan's head.

"Commodore Kiba...?" Avril whispered. The name sounded very familiar to the woman. Slowly, she turned around and gazed upon the man. Her eyes widened at the sight of who stood before them, his gun still pointed in Morgan's direction. She shot Morgan a slightly confused look. "The Predator? How do these people keep findin' ya guys?"

"Oh I just got a bit of a history with Kiba is all. We go waaaay back," Morgan smirked. "Surprised they still let ya be a Commodore after what happened back in Lougetown."

Kiba tightened his grip in response, readying the gun for another shot. "It came with the promise that I will capture you yet again and bring the rest of your crew to justice. I just figured I would start with you."

Avril slowly reached out and tugged on Morgan's arm. "Pepper-kun, maybe this isn't the best time or place to go dealin' with this sort of stuff... I think we need to get outta here... or at least find some place to hide for a while, maybe...?" She adjusted her glance back towards Kiba once more. The woman slowly recalling all the stories she had heard about the famous Predator. "He's not just an ordinary hunter, ya should know that. Plus you're not fully rested up from Duke's Island just yet..." Avril added in a whisper.

"Don't worry about a thing," Morgan, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I handled him before in the past...even if he did a few lucky shots in on me." Morgan took a few steps forward, locking eyes with Kiba as the man still kept his gun locked on target. It was the signature Handcannon, which only meant that Sea Stone bullets were loaded in the chamber. He had to keep that in mind, but it did mean that Kiba only needed one good shot to end the fight, unless Avril jumped in. She could handle herself but Kiba was a Commodore for a reason. He was just about the best damn fighter Morgan bumped into...well except for that Vice Admiral. And Avril did have a point. Morgan's wounds had mostly healed, but he was still not 100%. Maybe 85%? A prolonged fight would not do him any favors. "I know ya have your duties and all, Kiba, but let me be clear about a couple things. I have no intentions to cause any trouble. I'm just lookin' for a few friends of mine and then we will be on our merry way."

"Once a pirate, always a pirate," Kiba replied. "In addition, your little act on Duke Island has earned you a mighty fine bounty. It only makes you a higher priority."

"Oh, really now? What am I at now?" Morgan asked curiously. "Please tell me I am higher than little fish guy I roasted."

"It doesn't matter what your bounty is. You are going to jail. Like I said: You are a higher priority and I am not letting you run free anymore!" Kiba insisted, firing another shot from his Handcannon. Morgan nimbly dodged the attack, sensing the danger from a mile away before leaping forward, throwing a wide punch with a fire trail behind it. Kiba stepped back and prepared another shot with his gun but Morgan grabbed his collar and throw the Commodore down to the ground with a loud thud. Kiba quickly rebounded from the takedown and prepared another shot. It was a quick draw but Morgan knew Kiba's tendencies (usually aiming for the shoulder) and was able to veer far enough to the left to dodge the attack. Going for a quick knee to the face, Kiba rolled to the right and dodged the knee as the two met again face to face.

"Let's say for all intents and purposes, ya win this fight. Then what?" Morgan asked. "Gonna take me to the jail? Wait for a high security ship that I can't blow up in five seconds? Ya already know I can do that all too easily."

"What's wrong with following that procedure? It worked before!" Kiba fired back, both with words and bullets. This shot grazed Morgan's arm and the man winced in the pain as Kiba lunged forward with a straight fist to the face. Morgan's intangibility failed him in that spilt second and he stepped back, recoiling from the solid hit. Fighting fire with fire, Morgan responded in kind with his own straight fist, coating his in a light flame searing Kiba's jacket. Furious, Kiba slugged Morgan with his Handcannon, striking Morgan heavily in the face. The pain was sharp and sudden and the pirate quickly went down to his knees. "I upgraded. Now my gun is made of sea stone as well," he said confidently, twirling the gun around in his hands.

"Damn it... That's not good..." Avril cursed quietly. She bit her lip in apprehension, glancing between Morgan and Kiba. She knew that Morgan was at a bit of a disadvantage at this point. It probably was not a huge one quite yet, but more than enough for Morgan's wounds to probably start getting in the way if he was not careful. The woman slowly reached up, gripping the handle of her hammer before starting to run forward towards Kiba. "Hey! Back off!"

Kiba quickly drew another gun and aimed it at her. It was a smaller flintlock pistol but it still could pack a decent punch. "Freeze or I will not hesitate to arrest you as well." He prepared the gun to fire and stared at her.

Morgan rose from his knees, taking Avril's distraction as an opportunity. Snatch the gun from his hands and decking Kiba in the face with his own gun before tossing at Avril. "Here, maybe ya can use it to make your hammer cooler. I'll take it from here."

Avril barely managed to catch the gun, blinking in surprise at Morgan's response. She would have figured that in his weakened state, the fire-user would not have minded her aid, at least in the attempt to put some distance between himself and Kiba. A small frown came to her lips as a sudden thought popped into her head.

"What is this, some sorta pride thing?" Avril thought with a sigh. "Of course, two men fightin'... what else would it be..."

Morgan and Kiba walked in a circle, sizing the other up. "I take it ya haven't been here very long," Morgan piped up. "This place ain't your average city." Kiba looked at Morgan with suspicious eyes. "I mean let's be real here. A city owned by one lady. With her own version of a police force? It seems awfully strange to me." Morgan struggled to utter the last few words as Kiba swung for the fences with his sea stone gun again as he took a huge step back. Kiba lunged again with Morgan grabbing his arm and following with a big clothesline. Kiba ducked around the attack and attempted to trip up the pirate, but Morgan's quick feet danced around the sweeping legs and they were back to square one.

"Come on, Kiba. I know ya. Ya wouldn't trust me with someone other than yourself and a fleet of at least a hundred Marines. Ya really gonna let me in a prison owned by some corporation?" Kiba was getting frustrated with Morgan's blabbering and went for a clumsy attack, but the daring and quick move tripped up Morgan and Kiba knocked the pirate back into a nearby building.

"She is an ally of the World Government. A Warlord!" Kiba roared and knocked Morgan down with a slam of the Handcannon, clobbering Morgan down to the ground with heavy force. "We can trust her with the likes of you. You are nothing more than a petty criminal with a loud mouth. Speak again and I won't hesitate to beat you into submission. In fact, I may do it anyway."

Morgan took a look at the head wound that would probably fester later. "Ya know, my ol' Captain had a sayin' for the Shichibukai: 'Ya'll can never trust 'em because they don't know whose side they are on'. He said anytime we talked about 'em. So clearly us pirates don't trust 'em so why should you?" Morgan got up and looked at Kiba, who for some reason or another halted his assault on Morgan. "Ya have been chasin' me for what, two years now? And I never lied to ya. So clearly I ain't gonna start now. Look around ya right now. Where are the guards? The Marines?"

Kiba looked around silently, only noticing a few men and woman walking around in black suits, as the rich pedestrians avoided the immediate area in the distance, steering clear from the fight between the two. Meanwhile, the meager pawns of the Unit allowed the fight to happen, as if law and order were hardly their concern. Kiba looked back at Morgan.

"See my point? Ya'll Marines would of provided some backup to detain myself and Avril here a looong time ago. Ya probably noticed that there ain't any outposts either. Just that--"

"Skip to the point, Morgan," Kiba spat.

"He remembered my name, Avril," Morgan said to the side, smiling in his own way. "My point is that this ain't a regular city. Somethin' bigger is goin' on. I had my feelings about this place since the beginnin' and I find it more than a bit suspicious that Kasumi planted that 'treasure' at Duke Island and some Marines happened to be there moments later. She's plannin' somethin' workin' with y'all."

"Like I said, she's an ally-"

"Is she?" Morgan asked. "How do ya know?" Kiba had no answer. "And you can't tell me suddenly you are okay with a private corporation handling all the security on an island like this one. Now, wouldn't it be interestin' if she has got some more plans up her sleeve? And I wonder if the Marine that found out that she ain't all sunshines and rainbows uncovered some schemes that she's been plottin'."

Kiba crossed his arms, looking around as the crowds avoided eye contact with the three. He also glanced at the imposing tower in the distance. Kiba's face twisted in frustration, angry that the pirate was almost too precise. He hated that. "I'll admit that I've had my suspicions. An entire island under her own police force? Reeks with corruption..." Kiba placed a finger near his mouth, nibbling on it for a moment.

Morgan smirked. "They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. What do ya say? Scratch my back and I'll scratch yours?"

"From fightin' each other to suddenly teamin' up like best friends? I got the feelin' there's more between these two than just an extended game of predator and prey..." Avril thought, listening to the exchange with Morgan and Kiba silently. Not only that, but the person in charge of this whole city was supposed to be one of the Shichibukai? "I don't mean to break up this friend-fest you two suddenly got goin' on, but just what do ya expect to be able to do against someone of her status?" Avril inquired, crossing her arms as she spoke. "I mean, I'm not tryin' to discourage either of ya, but aren't the Shichibukai supposed to be really strong and all that sorta thing? It's not somethin' that either of ya should be considerin' so lightly."

"Well, I could just blow everything up if ya prefer?" Morgan suggested. "But then we won't get any answers on where that treasure is. Unless we wanna drop that whole thing?" He asked Avril, facing her instead, placing his hands on his waist. "One snap of the fingers and I could probably that bring down the whole tower," Morgan said, snapping his fingers. A fireball flew into the sky, roasting a passing flock of seagulls. "Oh, oops..."

"I'm not sayin' that..." Avril replied. She was a little irritated with how Morgan was handling this whole situation at the moment, but the woman managed to stay calm "I just... think we should maybe plan this out a bit if we wanna find anythin' out, that's all."

"I got a plan," Kiba perked up. "But you'll have to follow my lead." Kiba reached into his jacket, pulling out two pairs of handcuffs, each clearly sea stone in its materials, not taking any chances with the two. It seems that whatever reason, his change of heart was legitimate. "If Kasumi is up to some something and using her position to her advantage, I want to find out myself. But I'll need your help and you need mine. However, we will do it my way. Not your way," Kiba said glaring at Morgan. "You need to listen to your friend more as it is only with a carefully thought out plan can we get in there and find out what she is doing and what she plans to do." Kiba approached the two with his handcuffs. "So, if you agree to do things my way, let's take out a Warlord."

"It seems like the best way..." Avril mused. She paused, looking over at Morgan hesitantly as if waiting for him to give the final okay.

Morgan matched her glance. "Let's take out a Warlord."

Lotte, Firenze, Joshua, and the Sky Pirates - New cremates...and they're gone

Firenze's arms swung loosely along by her sides as she walked along, casting the occasional glance over her shoulder. When she was certain no familiar faces were coming after them, she let out a hearty laugh and threw an arm over her companion's shoulder. "Well, it seems we're home free! ...As long as we don't run into any of them in town. But, we can worry about that if it happens!" Her companion had was red-haired and green-eyed like herself, and they had felt an instant connection because of it - or at least, Firenze had. She just kind of assumed Joshua had as well. "Them" were the Sky Pirates, whose crew the two redheads had been a part of a for a very short time before realizing the best idea would probably be to leave the incompetent pirates behind. While Firenze had indeed found them... interesting, she'd much rather find a crew that could actually handle themselves at least reasonably well.

They hadn't really told the Sky Pirates outright that they were leaving the crew; after all, what if they tried to convince the two to stay? So instead, the instant they came into port, Firenze and Joshua had made the excuse that they needed to go do some shopping. This brought them to where they were now, wandering the streets together since they really hadn't found any reason to split up yet, and with no intention of ever actually returning to the Sky Pirates.

Joshua responded in kind and let out his own jovial chuckle as they strolled along the streets, he liked this girl, she had a bright outlook on things from what he'd seen. "You got that right! No point worrying about it now! We'll deal with it if it happens, and if it doesn't then screw it." He kept peeking around and his smile vanished for a moment. "Although I suppose we don't exactly have what to do next planned out all nice and peachy...I suppose we better find a crew that can actually manage, if there's one thing I've learned from the past few days it's that you can't simply join a ship and cruise the Grand Line like it's a vacation. I won't be making that mistake again."

Meanwhile, could Morgan and Avril have taken any longer? Lotte huffed to herself as she too swung her arms loosely back and forth-- gait cheerful with a beat in her step despite her childishly pouting expression. She'd long since tired of 'watching the ship' in the absence of her crew members, and had decided that if anything happened to the boat, it was their fault for not coming back sooner! Hogging this nice island all to themselves-- as if she was going to waste precious time waiting around! The blonde hummed lightly to herself as her pout slowly began to dissipate in the face of the beautiful city around her, and soon she was back to her bubbly self as she bounced from one store front to the other.

While she'd told herself she wasn't going to buy anything this time around-- that she was only going to look around, it was impossible to resist splurging just a little bit more. Who knew when the next time they'd come to such a nice island would be? What if the next island was just as dingy as the last? She had to be prepared, but what she most certainly wasn't prepared for was the idea of carrying her own shopping bags.

Where was Vance when she needed him?? While her bags were rather light, it was admittedly starting to get annoying to carry them around. ... So, the solution was clear.

Grabbing the hand of the unfortunate soul that just so happened to pass behind her at that moment, she tugged a red-headed lady and her equally firey haired companion-- brother?-- over towards her with a bright, expectant smile. "Hi!" She greeted unabashedly at simply plucking a stranger off the streets, "Are you busy right now? No? Great!" She glanced between them for a split second before quickly forcing her bags into the brother's hands, holding tightly onto the sister. "Keep me company! Or even better show me around? My name's Lotte-- what's yours?"

"Hey!" Joshua shouted when some bags were shoved into his hands. "What d - keep y - who do you think you are?!" He places his foot firmly on the ground. "That's no way for a young lady to act, I'm all for helping out a sweet girl, but only if she actually asks with a shred of manners." It wasn't as surprising when he took a good look at the girl though, she was very pretty, but she didn't exactly seem all that world-weary or wise. He surmised that she probably spend a good deal of her life pampered.

Firenze was admittedly startled at the sudden intrusion but not nearly as put off by it as Joshua was. In fact, she was quite the opposite and positively beaming at Lotte! "Ah, come off it," she said, waving her hand dismissively at Joshua before turning her attention to the blonde. "The name's Firenze! Or Fire, or Fir, or whatever the heck you wanna call me." She supposed they should shake hands here? Yes, that seemed about right. So she took hold of Lotte's hand and shook it without even waiting for her to extend her hand. "The company's more than welcome on both sides! Though I dunno about showing you around, we just got here ourselves."

Looking over her shoulder with an intrigued expression, Lotte tilted her head at the indignified man who'd had the gall to demand manners from her. "Who do you think you are?" She asked, giving him a doubtful once-over with her golden eyes. "I inquired for your assistance with a level of manner I thought suitable for someone of your class." She beamed innocently, no trace of malice in her voice as she pointed out what she thought of as an obvious class difference between him and herself, "And thus extended a friendly suggestion of which the lovely Fir here has acquiesced. So! I don't see much reason for you to object! -- Unless you happen to be someone of particular consequence?" With that she turned her beaming expression back to Firenze, letting her shake her hand without complaint, "Oh, well then we can explore the island together! I got to do a little shopping earlier, but all my friends got lost, so here I am!"

Wholly ignoring the pack mule, she chattered away at Firenze, firing off a million questions in excitement at someone being so well-receiving of her first approach, "So where are you guys from? If you just got here you must be travelers-- unless you're moving here permanently? What's your grumpy friend's name?"

Joshua's first reaction was to drop the bags and be on his merry way since the girl couldn't even so much as say please. But he stopped himself at the last second, it had been a while since he'd had anyone interesting to talk too and he was getting along well with Firenze. His relaxed smile returned even more quickly than it had vanished and he bounded forward to push himself between the girls, a hand on one shoulder each. "Now now! There's no need for that, if you want to talk you can talk directly to me! I'm Joshua, and I think I'll give you a free pass for now because of your upbringing." There will always be time to educate her on manners a bit more later. "We actually came here with some other people but it... wasn't working out so we were just here strolling around when we ran into you."

He tapped his finger to his chin a few times before he continued. "Actually, there may be a way a lovely lady like yourself could help us out, your friends must have a ship right?" At the last second he turned his face back towards Firenze and winked at the mention of the ship. "Let's start off on a better note, shall we, miss Lotte?"

Catching the hint, Firenze's grin widened. Ah, yes, if Lotte didn't know her way around Dinas either, that probably meant she had only arrived as well! And she would have had to taken a ship to get there! And if she happened to a part of that ships crew, perhaps Firenze and Joshua could wiggle their way in! Though, well, even if they couldn't, Firenze was enjoying Lotte's company nonetheless.

"That's the spirit, Josh!" She nodded approvingly at her companion then, in reply to at least some of Lotte's questions, she said, "I'm from the North Blue. It got boring there though, so I figured some adventure was in order. So, I guess that does make me a traveler of sorts, since I definitely don't plan on wasting time in any one place for too long!" Then Firenze looked over at Joshua, her brows furrowing. "I dunno about Josh though, now that I think about it. Where the heck do you come from?"

Meanwhile, Lotte had spent the better part of Joshua's spiel staring with a blank smile, obviously listening as he spoke-- but she seemed to take an awful long time to contemplate what he was saying. Or perhaps she was just too indignant at the hand on her shoulder to put together a coherent sentence-- but in any case, it was long enough that Firenze spoke before she did, and she turned her gaze onto the girl beside her instead. "Oooh, North Blue! I've never been there before--!"

With a deep breath and a quietly murmured "It's Joshua please." Joshua straightened the collar of his shirt and put his right hand palm-down through his hair, wishing he had a hat about now. "Not much to tell about me, I come from a quiet, boring little island nobody ever seems to have heard of in the East Blue. I didn't help too much with either of those adjectives." To illustrate what he meant he pulled up his sleeves and brandished his scar-covered arms for a moment before sliding them back down so nobody thought he was showing off.

He turned towards their prim companion and inquired "What about you, miss Lotte?"

Skipping ahead a few steps and walking backwards to face the two, she shrugged and said with a theatrical sort of tone, "Ohhh I'm not really from anywhere interesting-- neither here nor there!" At that she tilted her head, backtracking to the earlier topic of which she'd ignored in favor of processing a commoner's uninvited hand, "Of course we have one-- don't you guys have a ship? How would you get here without one?"

Firenze scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Er. We were with a crew, like Josh said, but we figured we should probably find some guys who actually knew what they were doing, so we left them," she said with a shrug, completely ignoring Joshua's wish to be called by his full name, then smiled over at Lotte. "So, nah. We don't have a ship anymore."

"What'dya mean you don't got a ship?!" Came a voice from behind the pair talking to Lotte. It was Liam Moru, a member of the dysfunctional Sky Pirates the Skull Pirates had encountered on and before Duke Island. "You got a great ship, my ship!"

"THAT'S NOT YOUR SHIP!" Came another shrieking voice that made Liam jump slightly. It was the Captain, Dekuranu, exclaimed. "THAT'S MY SHIP, I'M THE CAPTAIN!" The captain shouted so loudly and with the use of his Devil Fruit ability that it made the mohawked Liam's hair blow apart everywhere.

"To be fair, the ship does break all the time. We are basically shipwrecked again," Kurisu said quietly, wanting to avoid Dekuranu's powerful vocals.

"All of you shut up!" The familiar voice of Vane Edward boomed behind those two. "You're givin' me a headache," He turned his eyes from his captain and Liam to Firenze and Joshua. "Where the hell did you guys run off to?"

"Oh my, they appear to have caught up to us." Joshua muttered, putting his hand on his head even though there was no hat there and spinning on his heel to face the rowdy detachment of Sky Pirates. "Why hello there gentleman!" He called out with a smile plastered on his face. "Sorry for the delay, we - well we were shopping for supplies as you can see." He lifted up the bags he was carrying for emphasis. "And, to be honest we didn't get very far before we ran into this young lady! So we were... just having a nice chat with her."

Firenze looked between Joshua and the three pirates a few times before shrugging and looking pointedly at Dekuranu, their... er... captain. "What he means is," she began, "we're not coming back. You guys just kinda suck, you know? No hard feelings, right?" As she said all of this, there was still a smile on her face.

Liam, Dekuranu, Kurisu and Edward all looked at each other. Meanwhile Matterine and Goa-boa, both catching up to their crewmates, watched as they expected the situation to blow up.

"N-now, let's not all get-" Matterine began, trying to ease tensions.

"We suck?! WE SUCK?! Who do you think you're TALKING TO!?" Dekuranu roared right in Firenze and Joshua's faces, sending a gust of wind whirling across them from his mouth as he shouted. Liam shook his head, lighting up a cigarette as he watched the captain chew out the two apparent deserters. He didn't care enough to be mad. He realized the crew pretty much sucked anyway. He had been telling them that quite a bit. It was only then that he realized, however, that he too was apart of the crew. This meant that they were insulting Liam as well. Upon realizing this, he stormed in front of the pair as well.

"Yeah, who the hell do ya think yer talkin' to?!" Liam yelled alongside the captain, though not quite as him with his ability. "I'm the best damn shipwright in all of the Blues! I kept our log afloat twice as long as its damn lifespan! You should count yer blessings yer not dead!"

"I thought I was the shipwright..." Kurisu quietly again, before realizing all of them probably forgot he existed in that small moment.

"Hey, hey, enough of that," Edward declared, grabbing a hold of the two by the collar and pushing them back. "Makin' me have to step in. Just calm down and let me handle this. Buncha children," He stated as he stepped forward in front of the two now. And then, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN I SUCK?! I'LL BEAT THE SH*T OUTTA BOTH OF YOU RIGHT NOW! I'M THE BEST DAMN FIGHTER YOU'LL EVER SEE!"

Joshua whispered "You might want to step back, miss Lotte." and moved to stand directly between Edward and Firenze, he didn't care if it would bother or or if she'd think it was some kind of misguided sense of Chivalry. "Now now, Edward, there's no need to be so cross. Nobody's doubting you're fighting prowess, but let's be honest. The trip here... wasn't exactly ideal, everybody was constantly fighting and nothing productive ever seemed to happen. Frankly I'm surpr-"

"You want something productive?!" Edward interrupted, still fuming. "Get ready for a beatdown!" He declared, butting heads right in front of him as his anger soared through the roof. Or maybe it was just his normal anger level. He was always shouting and screaming even if he claimed to be the 'cool-headed' one.

"Argh!" Joshua growled when Edward's head slammed into his own, he gritted his teeth and give back as much as he got in another headbutt. "Oh so is that how you want it, Edward?! Fine then! You're not the strongest yet, and it looks like someone needs to remind you!" He leaped to [Joshua's] side so that he wouldn't crash into Firenze or Lotte if he got knocked back and put up his dukes. "Bring it then if you're so tough." His voice got quieter and smoother near the end, once he'd regained his cool.

"You're just a stone in the path!" Edward yelled, bringing up his fists as well and swinging with a big right aimed toward Joshua. "Careful what you wish for!"

Joshua ducked under Edward's fist and decided to start strong with a left-handed slug aimed right at his gut. "You aren't the only one who intends to be the strongest!"

Instead of dodging like Joshua did, Edward instead decided to take the punch, allowing him to hit him right square in the gut. He felt the impact of the hit and the pain that followed, but quickly went to grab hold of his hand after he made impact, in an attempt to keep him in place. After that, he swung with his free hand toward his face. "You gotta long way to go!"

When Edward caught his arm Joshua knew there was no more dodging for the moment, so he waited and only moved his head away from Edward's fist at the last second to let the momentum of the punch weaken a bit and took advantage of them both being stuck. Gritting his teeth again he pushed against the fist in his face just hard enough to see around it and slammed a right hook into Edward's head as hard as he could at that angle. "Same to you!"

As Lotte had grown rather used to fights breaking out left and right, the whole confrontation had seen her merely sidestepping any flared tempers and scuffles, nibbling on a stick of candied grapes she'd gotten from a nearby stand in order to wait for her pack mule to finish whatever he was doing. Deserters, huh? She watched the mess unfold, gnawing indifferently on her snack as she turned the fact over her mind, glancing between the two she'd randomly picked off the streets and this hooligan looking crew of pirates. (Well, she had to admit her own crew probably didn't look much better from an outsider's perspective.)

But it wasn't long until she finished her snack, and that meant time was up. Walking over to the two men with fists in each others' faces, she tucked the now candy-less wooden kabob stick into Joshua's fist (pack mule), patting both of their fists with petite hands and a bright smile.

"Ding ding ding! Okay, times up! You guys are too slow to finish fighting, and I'm done waiting, so you have to save it for after we're done exploring now!" She waggled her finger at Joshua and Firenze, "But first: deserting is bad! Deserting without telling anyone is even worse! So, you have to properly make up with these noisy people after we're done, and say your proper goodbyes if you want to go your own way! It's called good manners you know!" Next she turned to waggle her finger at Edward and the rest of the Sky Pirates, "And it's no good to start a fight with your own nakama! Even if they're not very good nakama! And especially not when one of those bad nakama is carrying my shopping bags!" She clapped her hands together, signifying that as far as she and everybody else should be concerned, the ordeal was finished as of now. "When I'm done looking around, you guys can fight as much as you want, but until then, you should explore the island too! You need to fix your ship, don't you? We'll meet you at the harbor, and then you can do whatever you want- make up or beat each other up or whatever!"

Joshua and Edward sat there for a few second, fist-in-face, neither one deciding on his next move until Lotte pulled them apart. When she put the used candy stick in his hand he looked at it and closed his eyes, fist clenching tighter until it shook with the tension. When he opened his eyes they'd become cold, and almost empty. When he opened his hand it was filled with saw dust, which he proceeded to blow in Lotte's face. "I'm done here, you're not worth the time it would take to teach you how absolutely worthless your perceived 'nobility' is. Out here, you're less than a commoner, you're a liability." He put a hand in one of his pockets and simply started to walk away, waving casually behind him at Firenze and Edward. "Good luck getting stronger Edward. It was nice meeting you Firenze, I hope that new crew is good to you."

Lotte squeezed her eyes shut at the dust, flapping her hands about to dispel the particles-- and by the time she was done, her pack mule was already walking away. How impertinent!! But, a pack mule that causes as much trouble as this hot-headed redhead had-- perhaps it would be better to find a different one? Putting her hand to the side of her mouth, she whispered to Edward, "He's not a very nice person is he?" Humming to herself with a troubled pout, she tapped her chin, wondering if she should take the time to find Vance or Morgan....

Firenze was quite put out by Joshua's sudden abandonment, her smile falling into a frown. She glanced between his departing figure then back at Lotte. Who to follow? On one side, she'd been hoping to stick around with Joshua for awhile... But she also had a good feeling about Lotte and wouldn't really mind meeting those friends of hers she had mentioned before. After a moment of indecision, the redhead decided to stay where she was, her smile quick to return. If she felt the need to hook up with Joshua again, she could just go looking for him - not that it was likely to be easy to find him again in the town, but she was feeling pretty lucky today.

"Well, Lotte's right about at least one thing," she said, addressing the Sky Pirates. "And I'm terribly sorry we lied about what we were planning, but we weren't really sure you'd let us leave if we'd been honest."

"Well I don't give two sh*ts. You were only with us for a really short time anyway. I don't really care," Edward began, looking at Lotte curiously. He pointed behind him at Dekuranu, who was with Matterine, who looked on the verge of tears, while Goa-boa tried to comfort her. "It's the other fools you should be worried about. Hey, girl!" He called after Lotte. "Don't I know you from somewhere? You look familiar..."

Kurisu tried to involve himself in the conversation, feeling ignored the entire time. "Isn't she the one on that one poster? I think there is a reward for her. She was kidnapped by um...Hayden Vance was it?"

At Kurisu's words, Lotte put her hands on her hips, frowning, "How rude! I was not kidnapped by Vance thank you very much, he is my bodyguard! And not a very good one at that, I haven't even seen him for the past few hours!" Waving at Firenze to follow, she turned on her heel, "Come on, we've already lost a lot of time! Let's go!"

Firenze gave the direction Joshua had gone one more brief glance then shrugged, turning to follow Lotte and waving to the Sky Pirates as she did so. "See ya around!"

"Damn it, hold on!" Edward yelled after them. "If you're looking for your crewmates, then that means your lookin' for Morgan too. If that's the case, I don't care if you're not in our crew, I'm coming with you!"

"Oh?" Lotte turned, blinking at Edward, "Are you Morgan's friend? Then sure! I'm not sure when he'll be back though~! I'm not exactly looking for him right now you know!"

"I know, I remember you on that ship before," Edward reminded her with a nod. "Chances are, you'll run into him first, so you're stuck with me!"

Wright D. Morgan, Avril Meads and Zakiru Kiba- Breaching the Tower

"I fail to see how lockin' me in chains is a great idea, Kiba. I mean, what if we find ourselves in a scrap? Last I checked, I beat you a lot more times than ya beat me," Morgan said, being dragged alongside Avril with Kiba taking point.

"I suppose you rather charge blindly in and hope for the best then?" Kiba spat back. "The Kobushi Tower is layered in several rounds of security. You have guards around the perimeter and a thick steel door at the front for starters. On top of that, at least from what I have been told, they have a number of cameras to trace any threats before they become significant."

"And how do ya know all that?" Morgan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I asked why I couldn't get in earlier," Kiba sighed. "Apparently, unless you have business with someone in the tower, they don't let you in the first place. The guards gestured at all the measures they had in place. They even threatened to send a Unit member at me. Me! A Marine! So just imagine what they would do if they saw you stomping down through the garden."

"If I wasn't already suspicious 'bout the kinda stuff goin' on in there already, I definitely would be now..." Avril mused. "I mean, I know she's a Warlord and all that good stuff, but don't you guys sorta keep checks on this sorta thing? Certainly with all this strange behaviors, these Unit guys, and all that, the Government noticed somethin' was sorta odd 'bout it all, right?"

Kiba nodded, as if agreeing with Avril before hanging his head down. "Kasumi has been strongly involved in a number of World Government projects while also aiding the Marines in efforts to minimize pirating. I suppose, in exchange, the government turns the other cheek to her other...activities."

"What a lovely little relationship ya got there," Morgan teased.

Avril offered a small smile in response to Morgan, before continuing her conversation with Kiba. "Other activities? Just what might they be? You know, besides turning an entire island into a blood bath over treasure and having this city livin' in fear?"

Kiba shrugged initially, with the tower creeping closer in their vision. "Since we Marines are ordered by our superiors to turn the other cheek, it's mostly rumors. Some say she is involved in smuggling operations. You name it, she probably smuggled it. Others say she deals weapons out to both sides of the war, pirates and marines both, to maximize her profit. Honestly, I couldn't tell what she hasn't done. There is an old expression I heard from one of my superiors: 'There isn't something that Kobushi Corporation doesn't have their hand in.' Lately, she has been involved helping take down smaller pirate groups under the likely misnomer that they are raiding her trading vessels. She probably just had a grudge and decided to kill them before they became too much of an itch."

"If all she is doin' is smuggling, it can't be that bad," Morgan said.

"Well, like I said. She is likely doing a lot more. Some rumors suggest that she ordered the assassination of a couple world government officials so she could remain a Warlord. After all, as a Warlord, most of your pirating crimes are forgiven, yet she has tested the boundaries more than a few times. For example, as Avril here said, controlling an entire island so she can put up a front or whatever is going on here."

Avril and Morgan were eventually led to a large tower. The woman was a bit amazed at how grand the scenery was around it. The flowers and plants were breathtaking to behold. The tower itself was nothing to sneeze at either. It was almost as if any source of income that came into the city was heading straight towards the upkeep of the building and its garden.

"Nice place..." Avril whispered, before glancing over at Kiba. "What's the rent on a place like this?"

"From what I hear, the tower has been a gradual investment. So I rather not guess," he said without as much as a smirk. "Now, follow my lead. You are my prisoners and I'm escorting you inside. From there...well," Kiba paused.

"Well, what?" Morgan perked up, a bit with some frustration.

"We'll improvise," Kiba smirked. Kiba walked the two prisoners through the garden, with some of the guards gawking at his "prize" while others hardly reacted. Meanwhile, Morgan put on a legitimate pout, angry at Kiba's lack of well thought plan other than than sneaking in and the fact that it seemed only a handful of guards recognized him. It was almost as if his infamy was spotty, like Kiba's track record in capturing Morgan himself.

"This is why I said we needed to plan a bit first..." Avril sighed to herself. She glanced over at Morgan, attempting to give the man a small, reassuring smile... despite the fact she was feeling a bit leery herself now. "Don't worry... I'm sure Ku-kun, Vanny, and Loli can help us... ya know, if worse comes to worse..." she whispered.

"I won't count my blessings," Morgan said with a spit as Kiba lead them to the imposing steel door.

Kiba looked at both the guards, exchanging glances with each one. He rolled his tongue in his both as neither guard reacted to his presence and the two pirates behind him. "Aren't you going to ask my business with Kasumi?"

The one guard finally reacted, and became apparent they had spaced out due to how quiet everything was up until this very moment. "Commodore Kiba! Very nice to see you!"

I could of barged in by now, Morgan thought to himself. These guards are just about useless.

Kiba did not react to the guard's sudden stirring. "Yes, well, I have these two to bring to Kasumi."

"We have a courthouse to process criminals, sir. You know that," the guard said.

"I don't trust them as much as I trust your employer. Plus, I do feel she may have a special interest in this one here," Kiba said, bringing Morgan up to the guard with a stiff grab. "Wright D. Morgan. Better known as 'The Burning King.' Last I checked, he burned down several of Kasumi's trading ships. She may have some choice words for him and I hate to bother her from her daily dealings to visit this scum in jail. You wouldn't want to be the guard responsible for that, now would you?"

The guard gulped at the suggestion of being at all at fault, which made Kiba only smile sheepishly. Meanwhile, Morgan was annoyed at Kiba's forced sarcasm. The whole thing felt unnatural for the normally straight faced Marine, but part of him enjoyed the ingenuity he was displaying. Clearly, Morgan was underestimating him.

"Yes, sir. But what about this one? The girl? She doesn't look familiar."

Kiba turned to Avril and turned back. "She is close with Wright D. Morgan. She is his...right hand woman for the time being. From what I understand, they separated from their crew at Duke Island and are planning to make their own crew. Dinas is a good place as any to steal supplies and men. All the more reason for Kasumi to see them. They were intending to steal her supplies."

"Ya know how much I hate that b*tch upstairs, ain't that right Avril?" Morgan said, exaggerating his accent.

Avril glanced over at Morgan with a smirk. "She got it comin' to her, anyways. Not like she'd miss a ship or two, ya know?"

The guard again gulped as Kiba shrugged his shoulders. "It's a good thing I caught them, wouldn't you agree?"

"Y-yes sir. Go right ahead!" The guard signaled for the door to open and the large steel door swung open. Kiba led the way, guiding the two into the large lobby. The ceiling stretched high into the air, with a large chandelier illuminated every nook and cranny of the room. The tile floor echoed with every step as the trio approached the front desk with a larger, older woman answering a number of Den-Den Mushis from all number of sources. Behind her was a number of marble statues looming. Many of them were of male figures yet at the front was a young woman with longer hair, delicate features and a classical form of dress. Not a dress, but an opulent pair of pants and an equally wealthy blouse with a high collar. A sword was draped at her side, signifying a degree of strength amongst the wealth.

"That must be Kasumi, eh?" Morgan mumbled to the side. "Not bad lookin' if I do say so myself."

Kiba sighed at Morgan's remark and approached the desk. "Excuse me, I have two prisoners that I believe Kasumi would want to see personally."

"You don't see her without an appointment," the woman scoffed.

"I think you will find that this is a special case," Kiba insisted. The woman looked up from her desk and titled her reading glasses at the two pirates. Morgan simply waved, wishing he could spark some flames yet Kiba's seastone cuffs insurance prevented that good fun. "Before you ask, that is Wright D. Morgan and Kasumi does have reason to see him. Where am I going?" And there was the Kiba Morgan knew. The woman, without as much as a word, pointed at the elevators beside the grand staircase that lead to the upper level of the lobby. Kiba lead the two into the elevators and pressed the 79th floor that was only a floor sigh of Kasumi's watchtower (which could be reached by a flight or two of stairs).

"79 floors? Damn, that's impressive," Morgan said with a snicker.

"Like I said, this place was an investment," Kiba said. "But now we got about...73 floors to figure out what we are doing next," he added. "If I hand you over, then I will be escorted out of the place without as much as a second thought. Yet, if we mess around, she will get suspicious. I find highly unlikely she isn't already aware we are here. Part of me is surprised we got this far."

"It is your plan, tell us what to do," Morgan said. "If it were up to me, we overpower her now. I can't believe the Unit is that strong."

"Even if they aren't, it's somethin' we don't need to chance, Pepper-kun," Avril replied quietly, "You're still not up to 100% and remember that Skelly and Batsy-chan are in here somewhere too... We don't wanna put 'em at risk of bein' killed before we find 'em..."

"Then what do ya suggest we do, Avril?" Morgan asked, as Kiba turned to face them both, ignoring the elevator as it crept up the tower slowly.

Avril looked thoughtful for a moment. This really was a tricky situation that she and Morgan found themselves in. They needed a plan quick, but at the same time it needed to be one not so hastily put together that it was doomed to failure. The woman smiled softly, as an idea slowly came to her head.

"Hey... What would happen if say, by chance, one of us managed to get loose and go on a bit of a rampage in here? Ya know, just to distract things and make things hard for the Unit and guards in general...?" Avril questioned.

Morgan chuckled. "Well, we know who is going to do that."

"And then the others try to find Kasumi?" Kiba asked.

"Exactly," Avril replied. She glanced over at Morgan and nodded. "And yes, Pepper-kun, you're the only one of us fit to do that. Which means that it'd be up to me and Kiba to find Kasumi." She paused, looking over at Kiba with a smirk. "Of course, for him to do that, you'll have to let him out of those cuffs..."

Kiba grunted at the fact that Avril was right and quietly released both of the pirates from their cuffs. "At this point, we probably have to assume Kasumi already knows we aren't here for legitimate reasons anyway."

As those words left Kiba's mouth, the elevator beeped and the door slowly opened. Standing in the doorway was a daunting figure. Standing at least six and a half tall with a broad, imposing build, was a man clad in a black trench coat with a matching pair of pants and boots. The man was also clad in what appeared to be grey armor with a helmet fully encasing his face. Only red eyes glowed through the helmet. On his belt were two pistols, yet Kiba could tell they were hardly used considering how pristine they looked compared to his scratched armor and the occasional rip in his clothes.

"Identified: Wright D. Morgan. Current bounty: 66,000,000. Status: Wanted, dead or alive," the man said. He continued to scan. "Identified: Avril Meads. Current bounty: 32,000,000. Status: Wanted, dead or alive." Finally, his red eyes made its way to Kiba, as he was identifying his targets based on the immediate threat of some sort. "Identified: Commodore Zakiru Kiba. Marine. Notoriety gained for capturing pirates." For a moment, the man was quiet and then spoke once again: "You are all wanted for trespassing Kobushi tower grounds, as you did not acquire proper authorization. This Unit, "Millionth" will deliver the proper punishment. Please follow me to the Courthouse for processing." Everything was said in a monotone, cold voice with little, if any, emotion.

"Courthouse...?" Avril replied. She shook her head in response, offering up a weak smile towards the figure. "No, no... We're expected. This Marine was just escortin' us up to Kasumi before that."

The eyes flickered for a second. "No data supports that claim. You will be escorted to the Courthouse immediately."

Avril quickly shot a glance to both Kiba and Morgan. The woman honestly did not have the slightest clue on how to proceed with this situation. Whatever this... thing was, it clearly was not human. At least, it was not human anymore. That said, it was not like dealing with Bass or a Fishman for that matter. So, chances were this meant that any hope Avril may have had with fast talking her way past the trio's newest obstacle were quickly slipping away.

"Pepper-kun...?" Avril called out, glancing over at her crewmate. "I think this one might be right up your alley, yeah?"

"I thought ya never asked," Morgan said almost gleefully. "Oi! Big guy! What if I say no?" Morgan asked, putting himself at the front of the trio. Millionth simply stood there, only leering down at Morgan. "Oh nothing happens then? Then if ya will excuse me. I'm goin' to have a lil chat with Miss Kobushi."

Millionth stuck his hand out as Morgan led the way past him. Morgan fired a look at Millionth and erupted into flames, lighting the immediate area around ablaze (narrowly missing Kiba and Avril) before directing the host of flame at Millionth. "Well, looks like he's well do-" He was suddenly cut off as Millionth's hand reached out of the flame and covered Morgan's mouth. He emerged from the flame without as much as a mark and hurled the fire man into the nearest wall with a loud thump as the wall cracked from the impact before shoulder bashing Morgan further into the wall.

Kiba reached for his gun and fired a quick series of shots. The bullets simply bounced off the thick armor of Millionth. The large figure bolted at Kiba with impressive speed and kicked the man solidly into the wall of the elevator. Kiba picked himself up with a struggle before Millionth grabbed Kiba in a choke hold, the Marine gasping for air.

Avril's eyes went wide as both Morgan and Kiba's attacks seemed to have no effect on Millionth... although the woman had to admit she was more surprised with Morgan's attacks not working than the Marine's. The woman had half a mind to try and run away at that point, but something told her that that was going to be something easier said than done as well. So, Avril decided the only option was to try and join in the fight herself.

Quickly taking hold of her hammer off her back, the woman quickly took aim and launched the head of the hammer straight at Millionth's own head. A small smirk quickly graced her lips as the head flew at the Unit member.

"Ya could get through Pepper-kun's fire and some bullets, but let's see how this feels smashin' up against your own head," Avril said quickly.

Millionth flinched slightly at the hit, dropping Kiba with a thud. The Marine gasped for air as he fell to the ground. Millionth turned to face Avril and simply stared at her. Then, with a surprising amount of speed grasped her hammer and with Avril still holding onto it threw her across the hall in Morgan's direction, as if herding the two pirates together.

Avril sailed across the hallway quickly. The speed at which the Unit member moved surprised her so much, the woman could not even bring the thought together to try and drop her hammer. Avril shut her eyes as she flew closer towards Morgan, bracing herself for the inevitable impact that was bound to happen.

Morgan grunted as Avril landed. "Alright, I think we need a plan. And by plan, I mean, you run. Bring Kiba with ya. And get out of here. I got ya covered."

"W-What are ya talkin' 'bout?" Avril questioned. "I can't leave ya on your own here..."

"Ya won't be if ya get help," Morgan asked. "If we stay here, we'll both get caught. Do ya want to be stuck in whatever cell they toss us in together? I know ya'll got a dream of being in a tight spot with me but this ain't what I was hopin' for."

"On second thought, maybe you'll be just fine..." Avril replied, sighing at Morgan's comment. She glanced over at Kiba and Millionth, before looking back at her crewmate. "Alright Pepper-kun, gimme a good distraction, and I think I can get to him and get outta here..."

"One explosion comin' right up!" Morgan said with a smirk. Morgan charged at Millionth, a flaming fist one side and a small fireball on the other. He tossed the fireball, snapping his fingers before impact. The snap echoed as a controlled explosion seemingly fried Millionth's face. Morgan disappeared into the smoke though a loud clank could be heard with another explosion as Morgan's fire fist struck Millionth.

Avril did not waste a single moment. The woman quickly made her way over towards Kiba, trying to get the attention of the Marine without alerting Millionth to what was going on. She shook the man, trying to make sure that he was alright.

"Ya still with us...?" Avril questioned. She smiled softly at the Marine. "I hate to interrupt your nap, but I think we need to get movin', yeah?"

Kiba grunted and slowly rose from his seat. "W-what's going on? Where's Morgan?"

"Pepper-kun is keepin' our new friend busy for a bit... so we can get on with the rest of our plan, whatever it's gonna be at this point," Avril answered, glancing over her shoulder at the battle that was just starting. She took Kiba by the arm and started to help the man up to his feet. "Now let's go. It'd be sort of bad to waste this chance, don't ya think?"

Kiba nodded in agreement. "We'll need to regroup somewhere. Not here. Who knows what's going to happen to the tower with him blowing things up."

"We can figure that out later... Maybe instead of headin' for Kasumi, we should look for Skelly and Batsy-chan first instead. Strength in numbers and all that sorta thing, right?" Avril suggested.

"Not what I intended, but maybe that is the best course of action," Kiba almost pouted. He tossed Avril into the elevator gently and slammed a button. "We'll head to the lower levels. I'm sure there is a way to the jail there. As they say, everything in Dinas is connected."

Kuzo, Vance, and Selena - Charging the Tower!

"You're right," Kuzo agreed with a nod of his head. "Let's go look for Selena....wish I knew which way she was going. Probably to wherever the Unit is but..." He looked around, beginning to jog forward along the wall with the wanted posters in the direction he presumed Selena went. "I dunno where that is...." He squinted his eyes, looking across the city. It was huge, to say the least, with its various shops and districts. Anyone of them could be the location, but one building in particular stood out to him. The largest one, extending deep into the cloud. He turned to Vance and pointed toward it. "There! If I were the guys in charge around here, that's where I'd be!" He declared, rushing towards it.

Vance let out an intern whimper as Kuzo didn't get a hint and began running off towards the Kobushi Corporation's headquarters. Not wanting to be left behind, Vance picked up the pace and ran after Kuzo. But hey, Kuzo might be a little more dense than most people, but he was pretty damn strong, and he had his heart in the right place... right?

"Kuzo, what if we... what if we get there and Selena's nowhere to be seen? I guess we'd just have to blow off the whole thing, huh? Haha.. ha?"

"What? No we can't do that," Kuzo replied hastily, continued to press on to the large building in front of him. The silent but fiery glare returned to his eyes and face as he looked like a man determined. "Either way, if she's not there, Bass and Skellen are captured by the Unit! We have to free them no matter what. And Selena is one of us now. We'll help her too."

"Is she? She didn't really seem like she was completely agreeing with you on that. What was the deal you made with her again? And... uh, why did we want her on the ship?" Vance questioned as he continued to keep up with Kuzo. He paused to duck under someone walking past, carrying a basket of oranges. "Uhm, if you want, we can pick up speed. I think I could keep up with you in your lighter form."

Kuzo looked back at Vance, smiling at him. "Selena's a cook!" He exclaimed happily. He wanted to go into how passionate she was about her cooking, how much she seemed to enjoy making it, talking about it, but he'd rather show Vance than tell him. Kuzo then stuck out his arms, clenching them. His body instantly reacted, expanding for a brief moment before his bones detracted and he became his skinnier form. "Lightning Mode!" He yelled as he propelled himself forward at a much more faster rate. The distance was now closing between where they were and where the large tower was. Kuzo looked around to find any hint of Selena around.

Vance nodded a little, somewhat reluctantly. "Well... I guess we -do- need a cook since none of us seemingly knows how to make more than a sandwich..." As he watched Kuzo transform and speed off, Vance let out a sigh before bending his legs a little, looking straight ahead. "Soru!" He exclaimed as he more or less went out of sight. Kuzo wasn't -quite- as fast as him on his top-speed, but if he was going for overtaking him, he'd get exhausted really quickly. So in the end, he simply matched Kuzo's speed, focusing on controlling his breath, a short whimper escaping him as the tower came closer and closer. We're all going to jail... or worse, aren't we?

Meanwhile, Selena found herself standing just outside the tower entrance. The green-haired girl was rather annoyed at how Kuzo and Vance had been so easily distracted. She failed to see how wanted posters could make so big of an impact as to completely distract two grown men from the situation at hand. Sighing at the thought, Selena glanced up at the tower that stood before her, a determined frown gracing her features.

"So... The guy responsible for taking down the old woman is in here, huh? Well... He's about to get the worst ass kicking of his life, and then some..." Selena thought. The cook took a few steps forward, before suddenly taking a deep breath and then shouting, "HEY! WHOEVER IS THE JERKASS THAT ATTACKED THE MERMAID'S PEARL BETTER GET HIS SORRY MUG OUT HERE BEFORE I GO IN THERE AFTER HIM MYSELF!"

"Heeeeey, Selena!" Kuzo was heard shouting from behind the cook after noticing the woman yelling at the top of her lungs at the large tower now before them. He finally caught up with the woman, clenching his fists once more to revert back to his normal form as he stopped himself right beside her. "Don't go storming the place without us," He declared with a smile.

Vance came skidding to a halt on the other side of her, pressing a finger to his lips. "S-ssssh! If you shout like that, they're all going to come running all at once! One thing is to take on one of these guys, but -all- of them?!" He looked pleadingly up at Selena before looking towards the entrance. "I thought you only had beef with one guy?"

"That doesn't matter!" Selena snapped at Vance. "I only had a beef with the one guy that attacked the restaurant originally! But he sent someone else in there after that. So what happens if I take out the one that got Marta? They'll just send others!" Selena paused, crossing her arms across her chest in a huff. "In other words, I gotta take out every single one of these nutjobs. This city has been under their thumb for long enough and it's gotta stop!"

"Let's not get too ahead of yourself," A voice said, as if it completely surrounded them. A second later, a series of bullets whizzed by each of their heads each with a deafening echo that swarmed the channels and streets. "Those are what we Unit members like to call warning shots," the voice said again, now clearly female if there was any doubt before. "So, unless you really want to die, I'd suggest backing off."

Yelping as the bullets whizzed by them, Vance shuffled back, his eyes wide as he looked around to try and locate the shooter, his hands raising into the air. "Alright, we will! Too bad Selena, looks like we're not going to be picking any fights today, heh! ... Heh?"

"You can go run away if you want," Selena replied, glaring over in Vance's direction. "But I'm not leaving until I kick the ass of the person responsible for Marta." The green-haired girl turned and looked forward towards the tower. The cook took a deep breath before suddenly shouting at the top of her lungs once more. "HEY! STOP BEING A COWARD AND COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN, ALREADY!"

Kuzo looked from Selena and then to Vance, and shrugged. "If she's not leaving, we're not either," He declared. He then smiled and turned back to the tower as well. "So do as she asks and come down and find us! Oh, and give us our friends back too!"

The nearest transponder snail sighed. "You pirates don't know how this whole thing works do you?" Taking a deep breath. "Where do I start? Okay. Number one: I am not a man. Name's Faora. My rank is Ten Thousandth, if you care about such things. I don't. Anyway, number two: Shouting bloody murder or whatever ear grating sound you call that isn't going to change Billionth's mind about coming down. He's got other things to worry about. And honestly, he probably doesn't remember who the hell this Marta chick is. So you are kinda wasting your breath. Aaaand number three: Do you even know how this whole prison thing works? We got your friends locked up for a reason. And getting them out and bringing them to you would be such a drag. I mean, I'd have to call some people and sure I'm tapped into the system and see and hear just about everything that goes in this city and could easily do it like that," she said with a snap of her fingers in the background. "Buuut, I can't be bothered with that. So, I'll leave you with this and the final number: If you value your lives, I'd walk away and go about your business somewhere else, because really, you aren't in any position to make requests, demands or threats. For example, I can arrange for your heads to be blown off at any second I want. And by arrange, I mean I'll blow them off myself. Like "poof" gone. With a bullet. Get it? Because I'm a sniper. So boom. Gone. Blood and brains everywhere."

Vance made sure to stay close to Kuzo, hoping his larger form would be enough to protect him from a bullet, should it come. Normally, avoiding a bullet he could see coming wouldn't be that much of a problem, with Soru and all, but a sniper's shot? That was a different story. Swallowing down, he lowered his voice. "I really don't think we'll get them to come down like this. Shouldn't we... back off a bit and try to come up with a plan...?"

Kuzo stared silently up at the tower, trying to find the point where he expected the voice to be originating from. Yet the tower was so vast, and she was likely hiding somewhere quite remote, so he couldn't see anything. But, he had already set his mind to help his crewmates. Once that was done, there wasn't going to be anything that would stop him. Kuzo shook his head, and stretched out his arms to his sides.

"Tank Mode!" He shouted as he clenched his fists. His body suddenly expanded to his larger, bulkier form. He took a step toward the tower. "We're not going anywhere."

"Oh? I wasn't aware you were that happy to see me~" Faora taunted. "Then again, I'm sure you are overcompensating somehow. You men always are. But, I'm curious. Are you bulletproof? Or are we going to find out together?"

"Hey, that's a good question... Are you bullet proof?" Selena inquired. She was a bit taken back by Kuzo's sudden change in size, but not enough to send her running off in the other direction or anything like that. "I mean, that's cool that you can get all big and bulky like that, but... You're still made of flesh and blood and all that, right?"

"Well how about we find out?" Faora said, suddenly sounding rather aggressive. Quickly taking anytime, a deafening boom echoed throughout the city streets. In the next moment, a bullet was engraved in the left shoulder of Kuzo as any stranglers from the first series of shots evacuated the area in a flood of citizens. "Aw, I missed the head. Oh well, we'll just say I was playing around a bit~"

The high-powered bullet pushed Kuzo back as he clutched his shoulder. Even in his high-powered form, he could tell her skills were powerful. However, Kuzo stood upright, examining the damage where the shoulder was hit. The bullet was lodged there, passing multiple layers of skin before his dense bones prevented it from going any deeper. A regular bullet probably wouldn't have caused much harm. But these...these were going to hurt like hell. Luckily, his Tank Mode seemed to be dense enough to withstand any kill shots. He carefully popped the bullet out, gritting his teeth in pain. Kuzo then looked back at Selena and Vance, then bent onto one knee. "Grab hold of my back," He told them, as he pointed with his thumb to his back, trying to ignore the intense pain of the bullet . "We're going in."

Selena gave Kuzo a strange look. "Hey, I know you're tough like that and stuff, but... I can tell that hurt. Whoever that lady is, she's got a hell of an aim, so I doubt you could you shrug off too many of those bullets." Selena shook her head and sighed. "Just how many of those shots do you think you're going to be able to take?"

"As many as I can...as many as I need to," Kuzo replied, not leaving from his spot and urging the two on again. He looked forward with a determined gaze at the tower. "Bass and Skellen are in there. And so is whoever did this to Marta. I'm not leaving without them," He declared sternly.

Vance, previously having a terrified look on his face as the bullet was lodged into Kuzo's shoulder and looking ready to ask the two to run again, suddenly put on a brave-esque face, swallowing down and nodding his head. "... You're... you're right. We can't just leave Skellen and Bass in there. And you wanted revenge, didn't you Selena?"

Taking a deep breath, Vance moved over and grabbed onto his back, looking over at Selena with a light smile. "Besides, last I checked, you had no problem just charging straight in, and now Kuzo's giving you that option, so grab on before that woman gets another shot off at us!"

"Don't go dying on us then, captain..." Selena replied. She placed her hand on his back too, making sure to grab on tight before pointing straight for the tower. "Let's get moving, big guy!"

"You really don't think that is going to work, do you?" Faora's voice boomed through the various transponders. "Tell you what. You charge in and I'll see how many bullets I fill into your little meat shield. It will be a fun game!"

Kuzo pressed his fists down on the ground, feeling the additional weight along his back and getting used to it. He then suddenly stood upright, so the two of them were hopefully out of sight from wherever the sniper was positioned. At his Tank Mode's top speed, which wasn't that swift by any means, he dashed forward through the gates of the tower and toward the front doors. He lifted up his bulky, large arms to hopefully prevent more damage to his more vital points. Soon after, the bullets started going on. They flew at him so quick he had no chance of dodging, not while in Tank Mode and with extra weight behind him. The first hit his forearm, followed by one on his leg, and another along his arm. One manage to make it past his bulky arms and strike his stomach, and a few more came across the arms. With each hit that struck him, Kuzo grunted in pain. But he did not deter. No matter how many came at him, he charged the front doors like a bull seeing red, like a man possessed.

After what seemed like an eternity for him (and also seeming like an equal amount of bullets), the front doors were in his sights. Kuzo didn't halt his charge, instead striking the doors with his large, now bloody, arms and knocking them back with the momentum he carried. He made it through the doors, before collapsing right at the entrance, and panting heavily. He began plucking out the bullets across his body, some of which were only deep enough to cause what would be intense bruising, while others drew blood. He was a mess, but he at least he made it through with Selena and Vance.

Dropping to the floor behind him, Vance let out a breath of relief. "I can't believe not a single one of the bullets hit either of us!" He exclaimed, quickly looking over his shoulder, out at the front yard before looking back to Kuzo, walking around the massive man with a worried look in his eyes. "Kuzo, are you okay? Maybe you should just stay here and wait for us to find Skellen?"

"Maybe nothing," Selena replied, glancing down at the captain. She took of all his bruised and somewhat bloody form before glancing back up at Vance. "Kuzo coming along like this would only slow me down. Besides, I have more to do than just find this Skellen-guy. I have to go find that Unit thug that attacked Marta and make him sorry that he ever existed!"

Raising his head to look up at Selena, Vance nodded his head quickly. "Yeah, and you saw what that -one- person could do! What if you ran off on your own and met five of them? We need to find Skellen to patch up Kuzo so we can help you!"

"Vance...go with Selena and help her," Kuzo asked his crewmate, while he began to examine the bullet lodged in his shoulder. He gritted his teeth as he pulled one of the slugs out. Looking around his body, there were plenty more to go. "I'll follow soon after. We can't let her go alone, and it's obvious she's going now...watch her, she's our cook now, ok?"

Vance blinked and turned to Kuzo, cringing as he pulled out one of the bullets. For a moment, he looked unsure, but eventually, he nodded his head, swallowing ever so slightly down. "... Right." Turning back to Selena, he gave a firm nod. "Alright, let's find this guy and show him how you feel. Who did you say attacked your mentor?"

The only problem was that when the navigator turned back to face Selena, the green-haired cook was already making her way down the hallway as fast as her legs would carry her. The longer she stood around and waited, the more she found herself growing angry, and the more she thought about Marta and her current situation. Selena had made a vow that she would find the Unit member responsible and bring him into a world of pain... She had waited long enough.