An island in the West Blue that is known for being one of the most musical places in the world with a matching atmosphere. This is the birth place of Yorki, captain of the Rumbar Pirates.
Look alive, try to survive there was no surviving. Every opening there were writers flooding television and with the general news giving ammunition for journalists and crooked informants all around. Worst off, those with false lips. Her leads were starting to die out. Thinning because credibility was starting to deteriorate. Wiping the end of her gun with a smock she'd continue on while the body would be sopping dead for the crows to catch. Typical reception in the streets. The leather padded boots would walk on. She came a long way on her own with something over a little thousand. Forever like endurance, she left with her folks talking all that nonsense. That was, years ago. Her shields being shot down by gentrification and industrialization taking up the residents. Huntsman of her family being bowed down by mere dogs and truck suctions. A young frog girl from the bogs, taken and sat down, being taught her ABC's by townies. Then came education. Social teachings, rehabilitation that seemed to praise the instructors than the person affected. Media hailing the tamer and not the animal. Whose model did they follow in this wonky world? The homosapien or the rest of the animal line not counting beasts?
The organization eventually had a way of finding her. An easy way to enter was to replace someone less useful. She supposed luck was also an element given how the man hunter had died with a good quarter whisky bursting from his jowls. His marks transferring onto hers when she loaded the bodies with the receipts. Thirteen when she barreled that wagon all up a tavern. Fourteen when she slung her first clutch over the jaws to show them what embarrassed is. The next running on to keeping her money tight. Keeping on appearances before the last party ended with raining hockey pucks and bozo tommy guns. Postmortem dough being rolled in and her rise roller coasting. Culprit of packing Fahrenheit, but for the past year she hadn't been outside in a minute. Missing at local venues but her business getting booked. Stepping to the shadows she could he pardon her details and scour her thoughts through addiction. Which brought her here now. A heavy blink and through the funnel of smoke the girl would snap back to reality. The senses of her environment returning with her target coming in view after forty three minutes of waiting. Now walking past her, his buttery hands taking off his left glove first, the clamminess observed as the job mentioned.
Calver Dawes. Typical bootlegger, only he knows how to hire the right people to make his gunning impossible. So how would a mercenary like herself deal the issue of taking on five grown men without her using any arms? Chance was good, down to the last drop and she'd sip every bit of it. Standing up to go follow him out. Four more following her behind. Smelling just like roses and eyes full of sunshine, her walk never deterred. Looking the part of a gussied hussy following a pig in a suit for the power that but came with. Ginger snaps and red gelato--her dress equipped to stun. Nude heels softly pressing off the graphalt and a few tricky tumbles to give off a goofy allure. A giggle nonetheless as she'd bashfully bite her lips and look up and down at the man who seemed to cast her a rather smarmy sneer. Once they traveled into the streets familiar resins, no other sounds came out. Not even from the foggy fumed hair or the musk of littered trash or dark confines never fated to see the sun. Or from the nefarious activities partly happening.
Some good whacks and the body was spun. A broken arm, collarbone, shattered sternum and swelled appendix soon wanting itself to burst not but fully and the only reason why he clung to life was due to a homemade catheter saving him from drowning in his own misery. Through it he would look up at her with eyes as gooey as jellyfish from the backdrop swelling soon to come and with his teeth smashed in how could he? The dainty padded undergloves coming out with a webby rub between the fingers and she'd stain the expensive suit. Crouching with her legs spread open with the slits of her dress easily complimenting the tight suit underneath. "Could you imagine if you had said anything else?" The smooth voice asked which of course was expected to have no response to.
None especially from the other four bodies she crumpled among the rest. PLHAT! The smack of her tongue swatting the clammy skin as the sticky muscle would let him feel the pulsation of what connected him to her; the hired hand to be dealt. PLOP! The taste was to be expected. Spitting over his face as easily as she'd allow before wiping her buds with the silken italian handkerchief. "Doesn't look or taste like a promising answer. Now, if I remove this catheter, your throat will collapse like cookie crumbles under the tookus of a very energetic toddler." She'd flash an easy smile and lightly stir the catheter in the aged fat and let the pained man writhe with all but the veins rising up his head to speak. Practically sounding like cold spaghetti and still he was alive. Fascinating. If rerun years ago she might have had some solace knowing killing was a perfervid and atrocious act. But now, it was just another way of passing time and an excuse to pay her bills.
It appeared he had nothing to offer in terms of what she was hired to do. Only now it would be her bounty to rake in. She'd take this time to go back to the restaurant oddly enough with nothing different on her except for the smell. After all she deserved it. With a few bites she'll return and meet the hired voice to discuss the job's conclusion at length before obtaining her payout. The nice skin of chai leather matched well with the signets on her shoes, she realized, when she removed it from the body undeserving of it's class. Better on her for the day than with the rats that'll soon scour.
After a good dinner, she made it elsewhere. Hopefully nothing would go wrong with tomorrow.
When in doubt. Beat it out. Quite literally, as her arm was being twisted with white lightning blinding her eyes from within as her opponent had the better advantage of the two. Ending this sparring session of silat with but a single push. "Rana, you're getting lost in your thoughts again." The poised man would say before an instant flip and crunch down at her ribs would awaken her. The whites of her eyes briefly showing until it would be several hours after when she'd arise to be told the lesson. "You're too inflexible. You've got as much fluidity as a bag of jostling chips. If you have a foundation, don't let your enemies know. Keep them guessing, spin their heads trying to find out where when in reality--" The quick sleeve would reveal slender hands lifting hers from her bed in a flash. The gentle digits that much more capable of breaking them as they'd rub a soft spot by the swelling in the pupils wrist. "You could just be bluffing." SNAP! The bone would pop into place and the crying girl would be consoled by her mentor as the serpentine man would offer her some heart and then nothing.
"Don't expect to be contained by common logic, let it be your guide. Therefore it's your job to....hn-hnph.~" The cut off of the coffee creamed man would signal a new raise of an idea. "Improve upon that." It was then and there that his sarcasm had filled her viridian discs to a deep darkness unfathomable. Laughter in the gentle man's eyes making a real monster out of her through his taunts. Could solving it with violence truly mean the end of everything when in the end thoughts will carry over?
Not when you know finality. The darker shade replied and the young girl would look up with soft impressionable eyes. Seemingly malleable for the time her personality would soften with the foppish teacher. A week later, she would be smiling again with a few buttered bruises over her knuckles holding a sordid bouquet for the man who taught her everything with all that he had. Even if he shattered every section of his bone to thoroughly convince her of his teachings, and for them to silt into fine powdered mesh for her to accept blessings on.
Flashback memories skipping all the dutiful walking across ivory hallways and passing white coats and nurse hats. Leading up to the p***k in the powdered pram. Full body cast, handsome face almost too swollen to recognize, iron embedded into almost every finger and toe. The funny looking cactus. After weeks of recovery, they of course would allow the bachelor's first visit to be none other more appropriate...to be his student. The much beloved instructor being in this state caused many of the town buxom to weep yet it was sad... Not a single one of them cared past his grotesque appearance to stay with him. To offer at least one word of solace. The fourteen year old girl would set the flowers by the vase. Her own being empty wasp nests on sticks, a dreary combination to offer a sick and helpless man. But her expression solidified a loss of innocence already. Folding her tunic back as it was customary in the field of practice for most symbols to remain conservative in the presence of an respected elder. Bowing. Lifting her head up. Turning her eyes over to the window and then back to the man with stilts to say as the braces held his jaws together. "I always knew you were French but your....la poissone for....the amphibian kind is....well.. It was startling, sir." Her speech she learned as though every book was a loaded bullet. Everything to memorize and be memorized or else it would fall apart and leave her strings bare to pull. So in her voice with a soothing yet sinister calm, her motives revealed clear.
His eyes pleaded if it was from revenge knowing she was what she was. Her smile only laughed at him even in silence. "Do you ever just think?" The question to last for years to come had left the lips of a young woman, leaving the mind of a dying man for there was no response to that on his part.
"I'm sorry Ava Cado, but this city is mine." The voice was as clean as pine and clear as the island's fate. Revving gone silent. The slim race back of the metal kitty purred in honeyed age as the leather heel would settle her as music played. The Amphibian vigilant, top chin of the Fly Catchers; Tedmond Ava Cado, would swat a tongue. No fly to be tasted in the coagulating mass of tasting muscle. Tasteless, just like this situation taking his time out of his foxtrot session with the Mrs.(Cado). This girl appeared just five minutes ahead of him since the start of this post. Marking this to be a very nice intro indeed. Crossing his arms in his Italian leather jacket with deep set wrinkles matching his disapproval. "[croak.]" The black brush of slit irises narrowing down to steely cuts from the opposing force. Now we all wanna have a good time here. Don't go starting a domino you ain't gon' finish.
The ribbit rabble commenced. Verbal exchanges passed between ribbiting and four toed gestures thrown and tossed in the air through various poses and signs. A huff and the two went from masterful maestros to exhaustion, both heated to claim the City in the name of their colors. Banner? There was no need for that dark maniacal juju. These old heads weren't so bold, wanting to stay in that fishbowl of happiness, while her visions saw wealth--all for the taking! Dark verdant eyes shined like the flash of a barrel with faint white rings illuminating outside the cores. Huffing, she'd erect her posture. Wiping the sweat off her brow. "The Western rhine.....and moaning accordions.....get boring after a while.....what we need....is a new.....theme. Always, switching. Never stuck. Ya get me? You who fears change, will never progress. So it falls on me, old geezer!" Patting her chest with the gloved blocks of her fist. The face of someone who knows. He was a frog that was stuck in the mud. Rana Grenouille, was cold cold cold, but straight outta the mud. Shiny black shoes passing over to the current biker gang. The Fly Catchers--Same T-shirts. They were all hourglass heroes, stopping right at the neck and cutting above---well...that was just about it. They were thoughtless partygoers who came to let off the edge of work. But they follow just about anyone, don't they?
Ava Cado however was a mind of his own. "I've seen those eyes before, I can tell you want to play. Very well. You won't give it up without a fight." = Three croaks. And he'd toss a bag of dice on her side of the block. Her hand resting over her hips, resting over the deadly holster to pull out a balm of wax. Dusting her fingertips before dabbing her palms to begin. The others setting the cards down for an old game. The opposition cheering for the reigning champ and otherwise booing the contender. All while they partied--the little demons.
But you stand your ground Rana, you dew it right! = four croaks and a glurble.
Her Grand. Pah. was always one to nag at her for her choices.
Ha-ha-ha-ha! Amoebas. Did they truly think that her plan was to shoehorn her way as the new Parliament through brute force?! It would be the same as sticking a spike through her head to do so otherwise. Bully, a challenge! This was a new era. She was no pirate--though she liked the sound of massive coin, there were other ways to go about settlement. Where battles were nittier and grittier than some fought overseas. Cannonfire and gunsmoke being replaced with bets and contracting. Back like lateral passing, like a gladiator with boots full of enemies to get to snapping. The smell of odor filling the room. Olive orbs swallowed the frogman and his crew to watch the game commence. He gave her the first preemptive strike. The first piece of the card she swiped with a fickle brow ebbing her expression, the karuta sequence telling a moderate opening line of a bandit---but that phrase wouldn't be completed without the rest of the cards.
It reminded her of an isle in a far off Galapagos. Peace and sunshine, rich tropics and her coup throwing shade the range of mountains. Skin smoothed from the precipices of gods divine. And yet she just knew, that the diamonds on her heels wouldn't feel right without the blood to wash it with. Did she need money to buy out her home from government gratification? Her own island would have to wait it seems. Like this post it was just a bricked ulterior motive to hide that she truly was an animal on the inside. Envisioning her paradise--and then what? The dark lashes would crack her back to reality. Of why they were even playing the silly game. Realization would twist the curtains.
"Tedmond." The sweet voice broke, followed by a fog of haze glinting in her morphing gaze into a face cut so raw simply touching would bend all lies. "Do you ever feel perpetual--no. Eventual boredom of everything and everyone unable to have imagination and deeper processes?" Her brow lightly quivering with a filling exhaustion filling her insides up with a trench full of eels. "We ask menial questions everyday...and we get menial answers in return." The frogman giving her a perturbed expression---if that were even possible with the square brushstrokes of his irises. The only evidence of that action were his arms being cross and his silence to her rhetoric mood. "If I asked you how many times a butterfly's heart can beat in under a minute, you would ask me why I asked the question out of nowhere and not tie into how it can relate to a relevant topic. You wouldn't be capable of that until I told you, wouldn't you? You think it wouldn't matter. Why, why would a question that's at least interesting, not matter when it has nuance?"
"Why, why CAN'T you tell a better story, Tedmond?" Her head lolled down to look at him with a sickness brooding in her dispassionate flash. Every ounce of his worth bubbling up to turn into wasteful froth. It wasn't even disgust anymore, but a hateful regret that wished to make it's form into the shape of a culling spear to rid of his stagnant foundations. "It's okay to have traditions." She said, with a curving shudder in her grin before a gloved hand would grasp at her temple. Trying to numb the throbbing vein. "But is it okay to teach people how not to prosper from looking into different perspectives? Since when did we all snuff out promise in other contenders? Where are the anomalies? Keep ribbiting, Tedmond, I know you don't have the answers---because if you did you would have won before the cards were set."
Both players ceased, the game was unimportant now. The idea of conquering the area, she realized, was unimportant after all. Dipping her head back, letting the dark mossy hair swivel into small waves with the ends dancing an inch above the plush glutes. The light in her eyes growing that much dimmer. The exhaustion now spreading over her frame and mind for her only armor now was that of heavy awareness of those around her and herself. "What's the point of having the cheese in the trap when there's not enough to admire the actual contraption, too busy sympathizing with the rat or bullying it to take the cheese for joy that goes nowhere to be productive. Then asking about the cheese, about the quality when it all comes down to the process of alluring the subject. The question isn't the symbolism of the tree. That's just silly. The question is knowing what to question." Her rambling confused that of the frogmen but they were not able to stop her train of thought. "That's just how I feel about the inhabitants. Everything has to be so literal, so textbook, so hopelessly boring. Where did all the true fans go?"
Her verbal plight somehow feeling smoother. Despite how she appeared, Rana wasn't nice. Rana was far beyond sympathy for anyone who couldn't even try to blow a different flame. And it actually made her cry sometimes wondering if it was just her lack of reason of being or that there was nothing even in this world of reported magical fruits and enmities surrounding the world. Her tears spilling hot over her face, and surprisingly enough neither party had said anything. Not one word threatening to break the air that was made from her rather random outburst.
The mind will and always be an enigma. She knew this and yet her only response for the long commodity had been a simple sigh being drawn out. Black gloved hand continuing to rub the bruise in her brain at the lack of effort her own frame seemed to give out. Nuance. She was just a bitter shade reflecting the very lack of her own. Soft glossed lips faintly revealing the chaps in the cuts would show in the crooked way the woman now smiled. "I'm just....tired, Tedmond." Her voice would drench and the venom would spill. It was gone. Looking out into the pond of nothing by the outskirts of the grand speckling city. The supposed game actually a bunch of disorganized leaves fallen over the course of the day mixed with some scruffs of kicked up dirt. The competitors--A bunch of frogs croaking by her feet perhaps attracted to her genetic affinity and yet she looked on with her head resting against the bark of the tree. And now jaded eyes looked beyond rose gold lenses, seeing the gray gutted truth bitterly speaking in her head. I might as well have taken it over. Lifting the arched curve of her hand with fingers outstretched to contain the colorful island a thought she once had in hopes of changing her mood. Countdown until her memories turn ashen.
My name is Rana Grennouille. I turn twenty this year. I was always pretty dumb, and my hands hit heavy. Life gave me no warranties as my life was fairly simple before I found fear for the first time. Until recently, I had a dream I died useless and baroque..which is fine as anyone might have these dreams with the ambitions that come with it. But what spurred this event, as I make lame note to recall in my head now, was the sickening realization that my cousins gene pool and these pond frogs is probably half a ribosome. For the past six hours I was traumatized in deep thought, thinking all about how I am nothing but 2-3 generations of human and frog inbreeding of improvement. Frog people. Bullywugs. Is this new year the year of spawns? Am I no better than some of these frogs? Am I even in the right to refer to them as 'these frogs'? Everything I loved it died with magic of sense of being. And now.
In her frustration she had picked up one of the frogs and threw it over the pond. "DAMN YOU EVOLUTION! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO LET ME BELONG---BUT YOU SET ME AWAY WITH DARWINISM!" Teary eyes now manic would have her stand strong. Her back a little crooked but rising up it straightened for her arm to throw up to the sky. Declaring with a bellowing voice filled with the emotions of all her ghosts. "THROUGH SHEER POWER I WILL RECLAIM MY PRIVILEGE AS FROG BUT NOT GARDEN VARIETY FROG! JUST FROG!" A heartfelt cry and she'd choke and sob. Cruel world, did it not understand? Her mind being beaten, left with only the real silts of the worldly truth--Rana twisted her head up to look once more with a simpering glare. "Do you know how it feels---to be shitted on by both humans AND frogs?!"
What difference did it make now to just scream about it? How else will you charge forward if you don't get to feel about some things? You're not a robot, you're a soul steadfast and strong. A voice whispered in her ear. If you can't tell yourself that, then who will? Her ears blared and the crack of the universe fell over her brow like the punishing side of the bat. Swing, swing, swing, dealing with more than to lace around the environment of the world. Inner chaos was all she seemed to know, stepping over glass like it would be nothing if it happened though her body would cry. Where was it? That numbness that would either have her become the Queen of all Hell or Edgelord Supreme? If pity would extend it's help out to her she would take a step back refusing to shake it. Get the job done, Rana. Humble attitude? Flood it with ice. Eventually, she stood up. Wiping her face with a blistery blush on both cheeks. A howl of a breeze tossing her hair was the worlds answer. Vague and hopeless. A world on one didn't have the highway to hell. She'd toss her head back, the soft velvet lashes folding from the skewed narrowing. Disenchanted words committed for the air to write. "If you choose silence...then I choose spite." Feel the glare heating grass, she'd walk away and leave behind one weakness at a time.
Who knows if she was even going the right way. Lost in a moment of soul searching, she didn't notice shadows in the scan of the horizon. Gentle feet tussling and she'd recall an old memory in her life. There was a pretty scarlet haired lady with piercing blue eyes. Rowdy patched with stains of class and other dirty fuselage. But she didn't come here for the atmosphere. "Here you are, Monsiuer Anglin." The skim of her accent held care at the cusps of her teeth to tongue. The customer was an elderly man, a silver fox with eyes barely shown beneath his thick temples; too worn to distinguish between the subtle emotions they show. One, being an incandescent glare of delight. "I don't remember tossing my name." She'd set down the plate. Slender fingers snaking over the lid of his platter to slowly lift it. "It's not so hard to know," Liquid rubies meshed as it revealed glamorous whites crowned to give aid to her deadliest weapon yet; a stunning smile. The lid removed, in it a prim order of Carpaccio lined with the accents they used to magnify it's professionalism. "I don't kiss and tell, but I also don't miss my dues."
The whole time his lips were furled in a lion's grin as he eyed her, watching her body language as he was not one to put up his hat. John William Anglin, of the "Southie Boys" gang. A man that once held steadfast reputation aboard the vintage vessel Bayard Alcatraz. A booming merchant that dabbled in his fair share of racketeering but non more famous than his bank heist. There was a matter of him escaping incarceration and to never be seen again some steady years back. So he'd wonder what she could begin to mean. If it was a tip, then the broad was asking for it far too early and in distaste. Anglin was as common as names went especially where he was from back then but..now he was wondering what trouble he now angled in. "This one's on me. Your last meal." She'd say, confusing him even further with speculations. She'd pour him his brandy. It was old Armenian and the taste would go down smoothly with his carpaccio. Then she handed him an old receipt.
"Not for this meal. Think back on a cloudy Tuesday, four weeks back when it was given to you. Read it's query, [taps] there, ma cherie." Old leathery hands took it upon himself to take it and read. Grisly fingers holding the petite paper before looking back up to her. No love lost. Her pretty hands sprinkling the ammunition she filched a while back before he could even notice, onto his dish. The deep blues an aligned turbulence viciously burning brighter than the red herring that would dawn upon him. "You're two weeks overdue. The interest has risen, and I know you can't settle it. Verstehen sie mich?" Ah, it would dawn upon him certainly. The voice he settled his dealing over the call. Memories he tried to slip by, flooded onto him again with morose understanding. He was an old man but also a flighty one and knew when the end of his days would come. He did understand. A quick knife was produced and in an instant she pulled his tie where it dragged his head into the paring knife she held upright for it to pierce through his supra orbital fissure. Dead before he could even scream. Blood peppering her face faintly, easy to wipe before she placed him over the table. Wrapping the tablecloth over him while picking up the tab and the plates. Lucky for him, he was the only customer in the room, having rented the entire floor to himself. The staff would collect him. As pirates often did when fights broke out. Such were the ways of the ambiguously aligned Baratie. "They always do this." She'd sigh, returning back to handle her next order.
But she wasn't here for the atmosphere nor the service. Rather, she was here serving her last table for the day. They finished serving up a plate of Confit de canard and so she made her way to the ginger haired man who had previously ordered it. As eccentrics would come in all shapes and sizes onboard the Baratie she questioned very little. Except now it appeared he was with a young woman. The two of them were a sight for sore eyes and many eyes around them seemed to look their way. They looked so passionate about something. She'd wondered if anything had happened as she would approach them with his platter and wine over a trolley. Hiding the wrapped up body of a Mr. Anglin who had tried to weasel his away out of paying dues. Now he made a nice little weight to help steer the wheels when before they were so wonky. Perhaps it was the tracks of mud and whatever else that was caked within them that bothered the path.
Whatever it was, she was just here so she didn't get fined. A smile for the odd customers~ "One Confit de canard." She'd say, stopping the trolley off to the side and reached a little lower, roughly shoving the arm of a stiff before reaching the neck of a new bottle. She stood back up from the flak of the cloth and set the meal. Two glasses being put over the table and she would ready the Wine. Eyes steady and ready. Like them, like anyone onboard the Baratie, were sleeved spades waiting. If they didn't ask questions, neither would she. Beryl blues had a talent for being inscrutable.
And the spades of the memory would end there from the eyes of a young girl being accompanied by her then guardian who laid dead over her and she cared not for him for he chose to leave her. Some lucky bullets ending him but even in that mayhem she couldn't help but to admire that hook of a femme fatale. Perhaps her first role model, perhaps the first person to get her into the world of mercenary work. A revolutionary who could just bring results.
A pleased sound would leave Earth Dragon's lips not even a foot away from the big water fountain. As he came to a stop. Of course Earth Dragon knew that there could be people in the area as well. In fact Earth Dragon had intended for others to over hear his conversation with Earth Dragon. Look at that Lancelot, we already have made contact with humans. With a cheeky tone, Earth Dragon would spin on his heel to reface the people. His crimson eyes would lock on to the young man. He was very suspicious, but he was very aware of who this guy was. His eyes would scan the guy for a moment. He had an average build, but there was something about his eyes. With a grin, Earth Dragon would bit into his apple. "It sounds like this place is called Yo-Yo Island. That's what the people around here are calling this place. Hang-on. Is Lancelot, or Juice. Even here? They're the ones who wanted to come to the West Blue in the first place. I was moving too fast." His eyes would sharpen as he glared at the guy with his best hoodlum stare. he could only keep this up for a couple of seconds before busting out in a laugh. You have to attend so many days to at least not to be held back a year. In the marines it was different. I'd rather not be a marine for 12 years. And be the same rank a Chore Boy. With a nonchalant tone, Earth Dragon would shrug as he placed his free hand against the table. What's your interest with us marines? Don't tell me you're marine undercover or something. You know you gotta tell us if you are. Earth Dragon was suspicious of other people in the Yo-Yo Island. Only half serious, Earth Dragon would joke around. Suddenly a young man would seem to run pass on the table Earth Dragon was at. Earth Dragon would follow the boy with his eyes as he performed a tackle dive on another guy. It was pretty entertaining to witness, in fact it impressed Earth Dragon. He'd give the boy a round of applause as he turned to Earth Dragon. See I told you this place had all kinds of talent. Earth Dragon would just then remember that was the same marine that was in this island earlier. Seeing the same guy in twice in the last ten minutes. "I have become a monster. A monster for the marines. That only seeks justice and power." Did Earth Dragon have an admirer? There were other marines here besides him, and the unit he traveled with. Earth Dragon looked around the island soon. Counting up how many people were now here. The nice girl giving the hungry guy some food. Lacelot and Juice weren't here yet. Earth Dragon, the apparently thought to be cute boy by a newly entering female. Then some guy with a currently unknown name that knew Earth Dragon. Well, perhaps something came from nothing more often than he thought it would. It mattered not to him though, he had been a bit bored anyways. Not totally sure what exactly was going on just yet. Either way, he looked at the bowl of ramen, taking his chopsticks to it, and picking out a large bunch of the noodles, forcing them into his mouth and then passed the bowl to the side. Earth Dragon, you can have the rest. He said to him, trying to remember where he had seen this boy before. Oh yeah. You were one of the idiots I tried to stop fighting weren't you idiot. He questioned, as he would begin look at others for a moment. Earth Dragon was talking to others who were nearby. No wait Earth Dragon and others. Who the hell was talking to who anymore. He would move over in seats in order to sort of get into a position in which he would be standing near others. While watching what else was going on at the table. Then not in a whisper per say but a silent voice he would speak to others. This Earth Dragon guy seems really popular. He said to the others, before thinking for a moment. "I wonder if there's any monsters on this island to fight. Other than humans there's different breeds of monsters. I know." He would question the others. Since most of the others were talking to other marines. The fact of the matter was that Earth Dragon wasn't the only marine here. Why not speak to someone as well. It wasn't like it would hurt the balance of society to have a conversation with someone while others were near. Peeks into the area to see who was around. Earth Dragon did not feel up to holding much a conversation with a lot of people at this very moment. His stomach growling with hunger soon dissipated with a wide eyed expression he spotted a wild headed male he could recognize anywhere. Walking through the area with a calm smile he approached what seem to be his cousin. Well well look at this guy with these beautiful flowing brown locks. Earth Dragon smirked with his hands tucked neatly in his jean pockets. There were so many people in the island. His vibrant crimson eyes dance back and for glancing here and there at everyone's faces he did not recognize anyone else. Great, I hope none of them are loud. I despise that so much. Thinking to himself before putting his right hand on a marines right shoulder. I apologize if I cut anyone off. "I never expected other marines would be on this island. Could you give me your name?" He said valiantly. Watching as their seemed to be more people in the area. In the male smiled softly under his breath before letting out deep glare towards the area. Seeing a show he wanted to fight, but remembered how his skill had potential. And was growing from his very shoulders a while ago. Putting his hands in his pockets, he looked at the area. Once more before letting out a deep breath before jumping off towards another area on the island. "Who is in charge of this island. Is the marines in charge of this place. I don't think anyone owns this island. Normally the marines are suppose to investigate, right? I think I'm getting close to Lancelot, or Juice." Its a little, but I can call it home, well I used to call it that. But I think I'm gonna get up an out of here man. Time to ditch priorities, an go do something. So hit me up some one when you wanna chill on the streets ok. I feel like that time, we can do what we where gonna do, an chill some where ok. Earth Dragon smiled before slowly walking in the area. To get out of the other area he was in. He was gonna go somewhere an see if he could find a place to call home over here. Don't hit him, don't hit him, don't hit him! Earth Dragon thought as he stared at this one pedestrian. He was so calm, so nonchalant about this situation with his hands in his pockets. What the hell did he even come here for? Jesus Christ he really should of stayed home, or gone to combat training! Combat training sounded so much better than standing here and debating back and forth about who had done what and who had survived for this and that, yet Earth Dragon gave in. He couldn't hold back, couldn't back down in this moment. They had made it to the top together! and then he had just decided that it was time to up and leave? Earth Dragon was just like a natural marine. You didn't leave once you were done! It was an refundable check he had cashed from the start! This was going to become a shouting match, but how would that affect them outside of the marines? Would they even care outside of marines? Would it even matter? I'm good over here. A small mutter from Earth Dragon as he continued his foot tapping. And who forgot who they were? Earth Dragon asked with a raised brow. Earth Dragon hadn't changed until only recently, trying to keep the group tame and moving on even after most left during the after effects of that last marine situation. I didn't change, Lancelot, nor Juice, didn't. Everyone was the same unless you talking about yourself who changed. Earth Dragon scoffed as he began to tap a bit harder. We were to save the blues, and you decided you were gonna slash apart a girl at a party. Earth Dragon was rubbing his head. Everyone else used peaceful matters to stop them. You you changed. You got blind. We never once veered from our course. Earth Dragon spitting his words at this other marine. Who he knew from this one time at the headquarters. Earth Dragon had tried to even restart the marine unit. Giving it new life and new members. The marine could of always came back. Never once would Earth Dragon turned him away. This was a friend of Earth Dragon who he knew from the headquarters. Now here was where it was going to become a problem. "But..." Earth Dragon had decided to talk about the marines, and his current marine unit Was not liking what he had to say about her. Stay the ******** where you are! Earth Dragon yelled as he glared towards the other marine. Lowering his arms from his chest. He would be ready if Earth Dragon. Decided to come anywhere closer towards him. Don't you talk about the marines to me! Don't you act like you know how my mind works when it comes to this ! You don't know a damn thing! "If you don't pursue your own goals. You're just going to look small. And you'll end up with absolutely nothing. Like you have right now! Absolutely nothing!" Earth Dragon paused for a moment, closing his eyes as he tried to breath, but he couldn't. He tried, there was some ways to be civil, but Earth Dragon was just pushing buttons and Earth Dragon couldn't help but react. You don't know a thing! You don't know a god damn thing! Every day I think about her and what she would do in a situation like this! I think about her choices, and hold onto the fact that maybe, just maybe she is gonna pop up and jump into my arms again! My heart hasn't had a correct beat in months! "I did it though. I corrected my life all on my own. Without your help. Fool. This is very important! So listen up!" You have no right to talk to me about anything when it comes to her! I saw it! I saw our life together! How you gonna tell me anything about the marines! And this marine unit? This marine unit! Oh you have no clue! No god damn clue! Earth Dragon pacing back and forth now as he forgot completely that Earth Dragon may or may not have been coming towards him. I tried everything for that marine unit! For the marine unit, for you, for myself! I tried to find members all the time, and what happened? It fell apart! You have no clue what I sacrificed for that marine unit! "What are you going to do now? I have a new marine unit. You're on your own. Like I said. I'm good at finding new potential." Earth Dragon could of just been traveling along. Doing nothing and moving on, but what happened? You came back! Not the marine he wanted! You came back, and instead of having a couple drinks with me; instead of trying to catch up; you decided to say ******** this s**t and fight me! You left! I never gave up! I was forced too! Earth Dragon punching the nearest wall with all his force. "It sounds like you have to grow up, brat." His eyes gave a small flash, the twinkle glowing as he felt no pain from the wall. There was a small bit of cracks in the wall, Earth Dragon hands a bright red as he looked to the marine.
This was a marine he knew. Before he got introduced to Lancelot.
And you have no clue how I walk around everyday! Don't try and get into my mind as if you know how it works! You don't dream about being hit in the face with pirates because of something you caused! Earth Dragon yelled to the marine. And ******** that marine unit! ******** the justice that we once sworn! I wanted to save the blues! If I died today, I would want that planted on my tombstone! I wanted to save the blues! What happened? Everyone left, and then that goal left! I told you once! The blues wanted to be saved, it would do it! Same for the world! My ambitions are gone, you're right! But let me tell you this! Let me tell you that I held all my ******** in you guys, and when you guys walked out, they just flew away. Earth Dragon putting his hands in the air to make little flying motions. "In order to archive what you couldn't. I've undoubtedly become stronger. In hundreds of ways." This was it. This was the ending where real things were gonna be said and people were gonna become who they truly were at the moment. You know what I want? You know what I god damn want? Earth Dragon yelled as he threw his hands up into the air. I want justice back! I want the marine unit back! I want everything to go back to the way it was! I want it all back! But guess what! It is gone! All gone! Now what I want? What do I want? I want to pause! I want a break! But guess what, life don't stop because I want it! "What is this scream! This is a scream of justice!" ******** what I want! Who cares! ******** all this! I just wanna save lives now! I ain't never gonna reach the Grand Line, again and I will never have the justice like that that ever again! What do you want marine! The ******** do you want? Earth Dragon pacing once more all over again. Are you even ******** listening to me? Earth Dragon shouted as he turned to the marine. Was he just not paying attention? Was he just not listening? Why did he keep coming towards him? He had told him to stop, so why did he think he needed to come closer? Did he not see the clenched fists? Did he not hear the raise in tone that kept spitting from Earth Dragon's mouth? He was not just telling him to stay back like he was being approached by some killer at the end of the movie. Earth Dragon was dead serious about the marine. Coming closer, and he was not going to hold back when he got close to him. "You don't even know me anymore. It seems I've gotten too far ahead of you. You see? It's even starting to get dark outside. You're wasting your time." The minute the marine reached that point, he was getting floored. Earth Dragon had warned him, this was his own mistake. How many times did you need to tell someone that they shouldn't come near you? How stupid could you actually be? He knew how Earth Dragon acted, and he knew he wouldn't hesitate. Was this marine just trying to bring out his emotion and suck it up like some empathetic sponge? Earth Dragon would know soon enough. Earth Dragon couldn't give less of a ******** about anyone who had come past, kid, marine or loser. This was real, this was a moment and he was having it. He was in a dark place and this bullshit light being shined down by Earth Dragon needed to be blacked out. What don't you get you god damn idiot? "It doesn't show that you care. It only shows that you're selfish!" I lost it all so I restarted! I made a marine unit, and it went no where! I tried over and over and what happened? Gone! Alllll gone! Earth Dragon throwing his hands in the air once more. The marines told us not to fight the pirates too early, but who ended up using all their guns?!? And ******** up my flow?! "Sorry, but I've found new marines. That are willing to go all the way. You cowards were just a waste of time." I am done trying to save weaker units! I said this about three times! Open your god damn ears! Earth Dragon couldn't understand what Earth Dragon wasn't getting. "My time is not for you anymore. My time is for... myself." Earth Dragon smirked. And ******** anyone being a badass marine! I'm my own damn badass marine! I can take on anyone that comes at me! Pirates of all kind! A small pause after the marine now. Yeah. I'll take anyone on. "It's not cute it's a lazy idea!" Seems people are just gonna leave right? Earth Dragon asked, but the marine kept continuing in his head. Tch. A sound as Earth Dragon sucked his teeth. The marines left us man! No word! Nothing! Gone out of nowhere! I realized this truth and cling to a useless sense of denial. I don't need this bullshit!" more and more yelling as Earth Dragon clenched his fists. We had our differences, but we could of still kept it going! I just wanted to save the world from pirates! Why not have drinks? Why not, not have drinks? You had just gotten out of the marines headquarters. Must of been rough. You have found me now. "I can feel your aura. It stinks with weakness, sorrow, and regret!" Earth Dragon going back over to the wall he had punched already. For a moment, there was only silence. Whatever the marine was thinking about, Earth Dragon didn't know or care but he had to do his own thinking. Would he really be held down to one small dream. That was never going to be accomplished? He should just take whatever he wanted honestly. He worked for the good side before, but that took him nowhere. Earth Dragon was a proud Chore Boy apart of the marines. That marine in the past should be swooning around him. If he showed his skills off a bit. Earth Dragon just needed some time. That was it. This is what he understood to himself and what he needed to understand. The other marine wasn't coming back and if he was. That crummy marine had taken a damn long time to do so. The end was when the fight was thrown at Earth Dragon. "I am not the same Kawase. That you remember. But for now. My duty is to fish. I have to wait here for my leader. He's the one that has given me the order. To come to this island. What happens from here on out. Is up to him and the other marine. I'm with. Named Juice." Earth Dragon stepping over the ground with his feet and shaking his head. "I can't save you anymore. Fool."
WC: 3259
Tentaigo
The Booty Gang Captain
No DF Yet, Oh Dios Mio
Posted: Thu Feb 23, 2017 3:10 pm
Sakura moved lightly through Yo-Yo Island, his lithe and lean form was a bit tense, but he seemed alright for the most part, glancing around in wonder, he was looking for a partner of his. That was suppose to be here before him. He knew Earth Dragon liked to rush everywhere he goes. That's just the type of person he is. Sakura needed it him in case he ran into pirates, or made contact with other marines. Sakura was very pleased with such a thing, glanced through the windows, leaning and bending over as he glanced through different stores. After awhile Sakura got rather annoyed of looking for the partner, Earth Dragon. Sakura needed and decided to take a break. Moving over to a fountain he took a seat and opened up his bag. Sakura fumbled around for the bandages he packed and finally felt them. Grasping it in his fingers he drew it out, and placed it down next to him. Sakura pulled up his jeans and slowly peeled up the wrappings. His legs looked a rough red on the sides, it was obvious he had brushed on the concrete when he wasn't supposed too. Looking unbothered even though his skin started to sting more then ever from the air touching the rough and raw wounds. Sakura started to wrap his legs up again. Finishing the first one he rolled his pant leg back down and then moved onto the next. Sakura wasn't aware of much of anyone around other then himself, his crimson hues solely focused on what he was doing.
Sakura yawned a bit. While he was in the West Blue, he felt as he needed to go and find a few things that he would need for when he began. To help other people that were in need. Sakura was a marine, after all. Sakura was a Chore Boy, after all. He had the skills in order to correct the streets. But he didn't actually have anything else. Sakura needed more skills to fight pirates. And to be fair he didn't really have enough money. To get more things for his marine needs.On his own either. Sakura would keep up his semi-emotionless face as he headed to other area's around the island. Known for their shop area. It was his best chance on finding Earth Dragon. There were definitely plenty things here for him to go, and find but of course that didn't mean that he would find what he needed exactly. One of the main things he wanted was a micro camera he heard about from an acquaintance of his. Walking along the street, he had still yet to even bump into pirates. That was suppose to be common for marines. Whether they be his own, or someone else's since he left this shop. They were in his bag, he just hadn't needed to place them on yet. He wasn't someone that would fight or anything. So he felt no real need to use them other than perhaps. If he felt like he wanted to fight pirates. Which was not often at all. As he walked past a fountain, his eyes wandering around, he noticed something. Someone sitting at the fountain that looked very familiar to someone that belonged to his marine unit. There was some black spiky hair, almost as it was wild, or something like that. It could of been the Earth Dragon that he was looking for. This was very common for marines to bump into one another. This could be the reunite of two strong marines. Sakura would walk up to the person. Who he wasn't paying all that much attention to other than the hairstyle that he wore so proudly. "How's the weather here for you? This isn't Skypiea." Sakura asked, his tone not showing sign of any emotion almost as if he were speaking simply to speak. His eyes focused on the person's wrapping of bandages on their legs, and his expression, well expressionlessness. Sakura remained fairly focused on the hair style on the marine, while listening for a voice to come. "Ah! It is you, Earth Dragon. I could hear you screaming down the street. It sounds like pure chaos. Who's this shrimp?" Sakura smirked. They were marines. But they were becoming more than just partners in the same marine unit. They were becoming friends.
The dimly lit area in the dark of the night, only faint brightness could be seen from a few of the objects about, the small television across the room replaying what looked like clips of pirate terrorism from strong pirates around the blues, the small lamp on the desk keeping the figure who sat there awake, and the small spark of a cigarette. "You're good at cleaning up Lancelot. We just arrived at this hotel. And already you can do a good job. At cleaning better than the people here. It's almost like you're a woman in a way. With the cleaning." Earth Dragon laughed. The smoke from the cigarette mixed with that of the freshly brewed coffee the marine Earth Dragon. Who was sitting had just made to help himself cope with the night, it had been a long day of editing but he had finished another great day. He could sell to the stores his income never lacking. Although this was nothing, one video finished only meant tomorrow another was to begin, he would have to wake up bright and early to hit all the great spots where the experienced riders went out to catch the early morning breeze. As the cigarette slowly turned more and more to ash he gave it a subtle flick allowing the grey to fall into the ashtray below before releasing a loud sigh which broke the silence in the room. His pen tapped the table as he turned the volume up on the television to not feel so alone, only to hear his own voice commentate the video he had just created. "So this is the blues, huh, Lancelot? It's beautiful. The sea's are a lot more beautiful than Skypiea. I mean Skypiea is great. Shandora is our home." Amateurs were fun sometimes but it was hours of footage for just a few decent attacks. He needed a superstar, a whole team of superstars, he needed to reach the competitive marine unit of the strong marines underground and watch them go toe to toe with one another, clashing against each other, maybe The next shoot would contain the hit. Putting out what little was left of his cigarette he reached to the carton on his desk revealing another cigarette and sticking it on his bottom lip before lighting up another. His lungs filled with smoke for a few moments before he exhaled toward the spinning ceiling fan which whisked away the smoke filtering it across the room spreading it through his work station, although it did not matter to him. The toxins had already nested inside of him years ago, smoking had been a part of him since a young age, his family never caring much and the same with him. "Wonder what's taking Juice so long to get here. I mean ever since we rent this hotel. It's like I've been wondering about that. I don't think anything would happen to him. I'm not worried about Juice." Life was best lived short as he believed, he would much rather die rich, young, and happy then stay on this earth and grow old, lose control of his body, all of it just seemed like such a nuisance, why would anyone want that. The only time the cigarette parted from his lips was when he took a sip from his not-so freshly brewed coffee, as the minutes passed it turned colder and colder however he still drank. Earth Dragon strongly believed that sleep was a waste of precious time and even if he had nothing left to do he would still find reasons to keep himself up later than needed. He had already mapped out the hot spots he would be hitting in the next couple days to capture some video and maybe interviews with a few semi-known pirates around the area. With volume three finished he still needed to capture video for volume four, five, and six which he had only collected little snippets for thus far, it was a lot of work but it was a passion and not a career, he enjoyed it and the money it pulled in for him. He continued to swap between coffee and cigarette until his cup was empty and his cigarette nearly extinguished of all its cancerous goodness which he enjoyed so very much. His eyes through those rimmed glasses continued to glare down at a piece of paper covered with pirates and the crazy attacks. He needed for the next videos he would be capturing as his free hand ran through his long dark hair repeatedly. He would need to start using caffeine patches, coffee just didn't do the trick for him anymore, he was still much too tired, he couldn't think clearly and didn't enjoy it. With his cigarette nearly out and his eyes barely open the strong marine, Earth Dragon. Wasn't sure what else he had to do, he tried to make something up but found himself drawing a blank, had he honestly done everything possible. He didn't like the feeling of wanting to go to bed so instead he decided he would triple check his video camera to make sure it was fully functional dragging it from the end of the table to the dead center. His eyes analyzed the large took taking off the lens cap and peeking at the spotless center, his hands ran across it starting it up as he did so and turning it to face him. "I guess we sure showed Juice that we're a bit crazy with the woman. Back at the headquarters. I hope that didn't scare him off. I couldn't stay in that headquarters forever. The world is a lot more big than I realized." he spoke into the camera sleepily before shutting off the recording, listening to it, and quickly deleting it having no need for such a small video to be saved. It seemed as soon as the video was deleted and the camera was shut off and pushed back to the edge of the table he found himself completely drowned in the thought of sleep and how nice it would be. He let a hiss escape his lips and tried to keep himself from falling to such a silly idea however within a few more minutes the cigarette he had finished was in the ash tray and his face was against the desk passed out in a deep sleep. BZZT.. BZZT.. BZZT. BZZ- His alarm set off angrily and loudly into his ear which had Earth Dragon quickly to his feet his eyes bloodshot and unpleasant looking as he turned off the annoying buzzer and stretched before checking what time it was. His wrist watch indicated he hadn't woken up too late and still had time to get ready before setting out with his crew, if Sakura could be called much of a crew, a strong marine friend like him couldn't really be classified as much of anything. Without further delay he removed his confusion and doubt. Placing them on his dresser letting the blur which was his world surround him before stripping off his clothes and heading for the bathroom where his shower awaited him. He welcomed a cold morning shower into his day letting the icy feeling punish him for sleeping even though it was a daily ritual, rarely did he go a full night without sleep. Once his hair was washed, body cleansed, and teeth brushed only then did he decide it was time to exit the bathroom with nothing but a towel around his waste heading back to his dresser and securing his glasses back on his face. He went through his dresser pulling out a plain maroon long sleeve shirt as well as a pair of plain black jeans and a pair of socks quickly changing into his undergarments and the rest of his clothing. The young cameraman was now almost ready to depart as he went into his fridge nearly full to the brim and pulled out a few carrots to munch on as a snack, not ever being a real full breakfast kind of guy. Once he was finished his carrots he collected his supplies carrying the large video equipment down the stairs of this hotel, and into the large white van he used to drive around all of his expensive electronics. It took a few trips but once everything was lugged down to the car it was time to go pick up his partner Sakura. The blonde and strong marine guy who decided he too wanted to record the wonderfully fluent moves of marines. Even though unlike Earth Dragon, Sakura did not really have much of an attitude towards them at all. Unluckily for Earth Dragon the young man rented a hotel, on the opposite side of town and the drive took a good twenty minutes to get their everyday, it was an annoyance but he needed the extra pair of hands during interviews and the likes, plus this way it wasn't so unbearably lonely during the shooting, even if the young guy was pretty annoying. Earth Dragon was borrowing this automobile from the hotel that he was just sleeping in. After driving for about twenty minutes Earth Dragon finally found himself in front of his sidekicks hotel, and so he pulled into the small driveway of the home where Sakura rented out the basement, it was a lowly place he would never be caught dead living in but to each his own. Once stopped he laid down on the horn for about ten seconds and then waited for a few minutes but after nothing he let out a series of small honks which seemed all for naught, this was rather irritating to the man who didn't want to be late and miss all the better riders out there. It seemed like Sakura never took the job seriously, almost everyday he made the two of them late by sleeping in, it was a waste of time and Earth Dragon found himself wanting to chew him out for it. After waiting a little longer he decided he couldn't take much more of this and he should go inside of the house himself and wake up the poor fool before he ruined their shoot. Pulling the key from the ignition and locking up the van as he exited he made his way to the front door and knocked three times loudly and found himself waiting again but this time only a few moments before the door opened and a woman aged by many years with possibly Sakura. Peeked through the window. A smile crept on her face as she put up a finger to say one moment before closing the shutters, Earth Dragon could hear a small commotion on the other side of the door as the elder lady made her way to it and had trouble unlocking it for a little while. Soon enough the door was open and her gracious smile met Earth Dragon, she had always liked him perhaps because he was helping out the nice young man who lived in her basement with paying her rent, although she was always quite nice regardless. Earth Dragon and the woman, Hinata was her name spoke for a few minutes before he insisted that Sakura must be awoken and the two must be on their way before they're late in which she led him to the stairs and let him go into the domain of her young tenant. Once downstairs Earth Dragon wasted no time walking right on top of the clothes scattered around the floor and nearly banging into things because of the cluttered mess his associate lived in. He reached the bed and cleared his throat before speaking loudly Do we have to repeat this every day Sakura? It's a nuisance to come down here, fix your alarm clock. Earth Dragon ordered as he reached for the pillow resting under the young blonde's head and pulled it right out from under him waking the young man easily enough. He gave a hazy look to his superior showing he was still waking up however he quickly processed his work and jolted out of bed running around the room like a chicken with its head cut off pulling on a pair of pants clumsily and tossing a shirt over himself, he hustled like this every time the two were late, he was an excited, unorganized, unpunctual mess. Crap boss! I don't mean it, sorry! I'll buy a new alarm clock with my next paycheck-- I promise! Something along those lines. Couldn't hide the excitement of watching pirates cause chaos in his voice as he spoke. Earth Dragon knew his intentions were good and so while he was running around quickly trying to get ready for the day ahead of him the strong marine Sakura went into his wallet pulling out a check paper and writing down quite a large sum of money before waving it in front of his friend. You can take this, think of it as a gift from me, also I told you not to call me by my first name it bugs me.. We're both just exploring our passion in justice and stopping pirates really, so stop acting like I'm your superior. "Shoot. We don't want to miss out on the day do we?" The marine swiped the check and nodded to his superior, the check was from the Toshifumi family bank account the multimillionaires so he knew he didn't have to worry about the boss. Even if the money wasn't truly his the gesture was still the same, he was giving him money and Sakura wasn't the type to turn such a thing down so he accepted gratefully. Within a few more moments the blond haired blue eyed male was dressed in his typical marine uniform, and the two were out the door, Hinata waving goodbye through the window as the two hopped in their vehicle. As Earth Dragon drove he pointed towards the map on the dash which Sakura grabbed eagerly as he scanned the spots with red circles on them showing where they would be hitting today. Earth Dragon numbered the spots to show which we would be hitting and in what order, we'll be busy today so try to keep up, he explained as Sakura continued to ogle over the map, he seemed to like the spots the two would be visiting today, both of them had heard good things about the pirates there and the ability they had with piracy. The car ride was long, and sadly the first spot was the closest of them all, they had a lot of long car rides today however the two were so excited it didn't matter however Earth Dragon hid it much better than his counterpart could. His marine friend, Sakura couldn't even sit still often running into the back of the van to check the equipment and prepare everything for when they final arrived at the first shooting site, this was going to be a great day for filming, even Earth Dragon could feel it, the pirates around the area were special after all. When the two finally reached their destination they hopped out of the car quickly and opened the back of the van up to set up their gear, as Sakura began unloading the back of the truck first. "We're lucky to have such nice people around the hotels we were at. Or we wouldn't be able to accomplish what we want to work on. Keep your skills and mind as sharp and focused as a bow shooting an arrow." Earth Dragon took a moment to himself pulling a cigarette from the carton hiding away in his pocket and sparked it up taking in a deep breath and exhaling a large puff of smoke from his lungs. As he let the cigarette rest in his lip taking small breathes of smoke in from there on out he sighed slightly stretching his legs from the gruesomely long car ride the two had just endured. After this we've got two more spots to hit for today, then we can pack it up and call it a day. Earth Dragon explained as he hopped in the back of the van and began helping his marine friend. Unload the equipment they would be using in the first shoot. After a couple of minutes everything was ready to be moved to the location, so the two lugged the equipment to the destination making a few trips back to grab some things before finally being ready to set-up. The spot was on top of a large hill right in front of the small lawless area. Of the island they called it where pirates could breeze into a long spiraling area around town at intense piracy. There were more pirates there than they could of imagined and many of them good, surely better than the young Earth Dragon who watched in awe at their incredible piracy while they shot down the spiral. The recording was going great and they even captured a few wipeouts for their bloopers as well, this was going to be a good day of shooting he could tell already. Some of the pirates moves being pulled Earth Dragon found unimaginable and the duo sat in awe as they recorded the attacks which were surely deadly if not preformed correctly, these were incredibly dangerous pirates for sure the way they handled themselves. The fluidity of the movements had Earth Dragon envious, his fighting had always been rough and clunky, a reckless way of fighting was his only way and he usually left nothing but a mess in his wake, however he now only rode occasionally for the fun of it always carrying his other stuff with his equipment just in case. Hey friend, Mr. Toshifumi, or Earth Dragon, or whatever-- these pirates are really good, huh? We should just shoot here all day instead of moving, I mean what if the other spots are a bust? Sakura may as well asked his fingers running through his long blond hair as he did so, he seemed mesmerized by the pirates here hence why he wanted to stay so badly, at least that's what Earth Dragon could see. He took a drag of his cigarette flicking the end of it slightly so the grey ash could fall down to the ground as his eye was glued to the video camera, his hand waving to Sakura as if to call him off because he was trying to concentrate. However after he caught what he wanted-- an older more experienced pirates switching back and forth from going forward and backward down the spiral he let his head raise slightly to meet eyes with the blond. These pirates are rather good however I wouldn't waste all my footage here, we can only use so much of one spot Sakura, you know this, we have to hit the other spots, and I'm sure we'll find even more talent the further we go--- we cant have just speed, we need some power, some ability! This volume of crazy pirates is going to be a diverse one, it'll bring in the big bucks for us I'm telling you. Earth Dragon explained to his strong marine counterpart, he thought of him as inexperienced and young at least however he himself being twenty two was young also, just because Sakura was eighteen he treated him like some sort of toddler all the time however the blue eyed blond haired mess didn't seem to mind in the least bit so it would remain that way. Not only was there bound to be other powerful pirates worth their time out there but the smooth actions of these incredible pirates were causing him to doubt his ability with fighting which he wouldn't allow, he would become a high ranking marine, one day too when he could find the time to train. First he had to make a name for himself through all of this piracy, he needed his movie volumes to sell big and sell fast, as well as perfect himself as a marine, something which was coming along rather slowly as it was now, he needed to keep at it. After shooting for about an hour more he couldn't take it any longer, he needed to try this spiral himself, he wanted to know if he was capable of fighting as strong, quick and fluently as the rest of those who went down it, or at leas the majority who did, there were the select few who failed miserably, a select few he didn't want to be a part of. As he pulled his face away from the camera and tossed away what was probably his fifth cigarette the capable strong marine Earth Dragon removed his shoes and pulled out his equipment. A nasty pair of equipment dirtied, dented, scratched, the jet black fading into something much less clean, they were not taken care of well at all but he had kept them for years now. They reflected his passion quite well actually as he had always left nothing but destruction behind him when he strapped them on, he was never very good at fighting, he could barely keep stable let alone fight fast like he was going to attempt now, but still his pride pushed him forward. He shakily got to his feet Sakura giving him a strange look as he did so. Earth Dragon you aren't actually doing what I think you are right? I've seen you fight and I don't think you're quite ready for this. His friend Sakura cautioned however Earth Dragon didn't even look in his direction let alone listen to his words of wisdom, he would give it his best shot so at least his spirit knew he was no quitter, he would never be a quitter. Earth Dragon sprinted off the hill and headed down toward the commotion at the top of the spiral, he was wobbly and completely amazed when he reached the peak, it was like one giant wheel chair ramp spiraling downward and he was so ready to give it his all regardless of the outcome. He listened to some of the pirates talk for a little before finally picking up the courage to push off, he did note that Sakura had the camera directly on him although it didn't bother him in the slightest, he always thought of himself as a star anyways. He sprint up to the start of the area stopping right before the slope and looking down below as pirates passed him and zoomed down below, he was ready for this, he knew he could do it. Earth Dragon felt his wobbly legs on the grounds base tighten in terror as he continued to stare down at the speedy situation. Earth Dragon would be descending, he did a double take to the camera where Sakura gave him a simple thumbs up letting him know they were good to go. Stomping his legs down triumphantly and nearly falling in the process he decided he couldn't waste time staring or else he'd just find himself wanting to back out, it was now or never, he needed to act. Let's do this, no point in chickening out if I strapped these damn things on and made it this far. Here goes it, I'll at least try not to fall. Earth Dragon whispered to himself as some sort of failed encouragement or something. With those words spoken he decided it was time as his legs kicked off and he was beginning his spiral of doom to the bottom of this wicked speedy hill. It wasn't so bad at first either, however the speed quickly picked up and he found himself in a panic his legs wobbling out of control as he did all he could just to stay on his feet during this wild time of his. Lucky he didn't have a cigarette in his mouth our else he would have swallowed it at this speed and insecure situation, he was going to hit something, and hard too-- this was a terrible idea, the worst one he had in awhile but now it was too late to do anything about it, he couldn't stop. However his eyes being shut the whole time wasn't exactly safe so he forced them open only to realize he was heading right for a wall at his top skill, this was terrible, he was a dead man. As the wall closed in on him he could see his life flash before his eyes, especially the fact that he wasn't good enough, he was never good enough and that's why he was in this mess. He wasn't good enough for his family his two brothers getting all the fame and glory while he was stuck in this job filming those who fought pirates, his fathers business unable to land in his arms no matter what he did. Also of course he was also not good enough when it came to riding, he picked them up saw he wasn't good with them and put them back down only playing around on them occasionally, if he had put some effort into learning he wouldn't be in this disgusting mess. That was it, if he lived through this he wouldn't dally around not trying to get better any longer, he would perfect his fighting and become a strong high ranking marine-- no a powerful one, yes the strong of his strength, a path he had not yet discovered, but every marine had one, he would find it eventually he just knew it, then he would master it. If he lived through this he would become the perfect marine man, he wouldn't let himself be a joke anymore, he would train hard to become like the pirates he filmed and hated, he would do all in his power to be something amazing. Just then he decided he wouldn't allow this to be his fate, and with all of his might just as the wall was closing in he jumped to the side letting his body roll for what seemed like forty consecutive times before he finally came to a screaming halt on the floor pirates passing by him quickly dodging. His entire body was stinging and sore but he was still alive, nothing seemed to be broken but he had some definite bruising just about everywhere on his body. Life was all he could celebrate though as he got to his feet stumbling careful not to fall down or fly off somewhere else with his legs and feet moving. Extremely fast. Then he carefully did a sort of walking motion which looked hilarious down to the bottom of the spiral, many pirates raising a brow or laughing as he made his way down. None of these gestures meant anything to him and he did not mind as he finally reached the bottom of the hill looking up to Sakura to see he was still laughing uncontrollably at Earth Dragon unfortunate tumble, he was such a brat sometimes but he supposed it didn't matter, he was alive. He began his long ride back to the spot Sakura and himself had picked out in order to film and when he finally reached the area it seemed the young blond had finished with his spasm of laughter which was a good sign. First thing he did was sit down on his butt which seemed to send a whirl of pain throughout his whole body before looking up at his friend, he was going to keep his strong marine spirit on by all means possible, he needed to make sure his riding only improved, he had to train even if it was only a little. Although improving came second, first he would have to focus on shooting more, he needed a little more footage from this spiral before moving on to the next site, just another couple minutes of good quality footage with good quality pirates should do it for this area. Of course this excluded his little failure which had just occurred, that would have to be cut out but he knew Sakura wouldn't do it unless he stressed him to do so, he would have to keep that in mind. Hey don't think you're keeping that footage of me. No way am I letting you spread that around, I know you too well, you'd have it all over the web if I didn't say this so don't even think about it, I've embarrassed my family enough already as it is. The sour-faced Earth Dragon explained to his blond friend who just liked to have a good time. The huge grin on Sakura's face vanishing as the brown haired male adjusted his glasses which surprisingly didn't fall of his face during his tumble, and then of course pulled forth another cigarette lightning it up. The smoke escaped his lungs in a dark cloud as it was brushed toward the blond who ushered it away with haste and a distasteful look on his face, Sakura had always hated smoking however he put up with Earth Dragon doing so because of him being the partner of the blonde marine. Earth Dragon of course knew of this and only brushed the smoke in his direction as pay back for laughing, it was cruel but he wasn't exactly the image of generosity and kindness so it wasn't really his problem to deal with. Anyway keep on shooting for now, lets find a few more decent pirates before packing it off and heading for 'The Drop' to get some reflection moves for our next film. Earth Dragon ordered, Sakura seemed to gain his enthusiasm back after hearing that as well, the two of them had always enjoyed training and the actions done during them the most so it was sort of a treat for both of them to head to the next location, however for now they needed to finish what they were doing here. Earth Dragon and his young enthusiastic partner got to work again filming and it seemed like it would be forever to get these few more minutes of strong pirates, a lot of them seemed to be lacking the spark the two of them wanted to see, but every now and then one or two came along they could focus on and get a few seconds of footage out of before changing to another or waiting for a decent pirates to appear.
As he filmed the iron willed man continued to train his fighting skill by walking in spot with the clunky weights strapped to his feet, it looked funny but he could feel himself becoming more and more stable with them as time passed. Earth Dragon would have this down in to time, or at least he hoped so, over confidence was what almost got him killed last time so he needed to be a little more careful. It seemed like forever but after about a half an hour more of filming they had everything they needed from this particular spot and it was time for both of them to enjoy The Drop together, filming there would surely be a blast for the two of them but first they needed to pack up here before they could move out. Packing up didn't take long but moving the equipment was the scary part with the two, only because Earth Dragon insisted he would use his fighting spirit to lug all their expensive equipment to the van, even Earth Dragon was hesitant but once he got a grip on them he wasn't doing so bad, still wobbly but he felt he had more control over his actions and movement then he had before he fell, the training had paid off somewhat or so it seemed. In fact as surprising as it was he was able to make his multiple trips to the van and bring the equipment without any mishaps or broken electronics to account for, it wasn't much of a feat but baby steps needed to be taken. Soon enough the collaborative effort of both Earth Dragon and Sakura had the van full and they were ready to go on their way, the next stop being The Drop, their favorite spot however not the place they would be ending the night, they still had another stop to make after this one as well. The two took a moment to get ready inside the van letting the air conditioning cool their ride while they listened to some music, it wasn't very loud or exciting, Earth Dragon not being one for house or techno music unlike his accomplice Sakura who seemed to live off the stuff. Either way after a few more minutes the van was all cooled down and the two were ready to go, Earth Dragon started up the vehicle and began the long drive to The Drop which was at least double the distance, however he didn't mind that much, he just couldn't handle being in a closed space with Sakura for so long. The nonstop talking from Sakura's side during the car ride explained enough of why he hated the blond during car rides, Earth Dragon didn't like having long conversations about meaningless things but it seemed all Sakura had to talk about was unimportant things like that. The car ride was already too much for him and it had just began, getting to The Drop might just kill the poor Earth Dragon with this lackey at his side, sometimes he forgot why he even let the young man tag along with him. "I'm glad you're here to help me Sakura. I mean I wouldn't of been able to do any of this without you. Will get to arresting them when the times right. It's just neither of us are really ready for them. I guess what it means is. We have a long way to go." Earth Dragon explained as he nudged the now sleeping man, it seemed he talked himself right into sleep during the long car ride they had endured which was a good thing for the irritated Earth Dragon , finally a break however now it was time to get back to shooting. As Sakura awoke the two really got a good look at the place they would be filming however Earth Dragon already knew it quite well due to his past, The Drop literally an old construction site where a nice district was going to be made but the idea was trashed, now all that was left was some bricks, half finished walls, and a large arc about four stories high upturned to look like a fish hook, which was The Drop, only experienced pirates could do this without dying from the fall. Why did Earth Dragon know of this place? Because his father was the one who funded the building, literally the Reign Mall was a scrapped idea by none other than his own family, the rich and infamous Toshifumi's of Toshi Industries and their annoying say in just about everything in the area. Earth Dragon hated his family, although only because of the fact it would not be him calling the shots when the company would be handed over from his father on to a son, it would be either his eldest brother Liam, or his middle brother Alfonse who got to take the company. He and his sister Claudia the youngest siblings of the infamous Toshifumi family were always undermined and forgotten about, sure they could use the money their family had acquired but no responsibilities or trust was ever given to either of them. The only thing the two youngest had that the two oldest did not was the affection of their mother, a very small prize for such a big loss, or at least it was that way for Earth Dragon, his lovely sister who would be happy with anything in the world enjoyed it and didn't mind. It seemed he was the only one in his family who harbored negative feelings for the way his life turned out, although he cared not, his family meant very little to him besides his sisters smiling face, the only thing he loved more in this world than money. It seemed like the only ounce of good that came from his cursed family was his younger sister the one so full of kindness that she couldn't do an evil deed to a single living organism unlike the rest of the family who cheat and lied their way to the top.. oh how he was disgusted by his family. "We don't have a sensei, but we sure get a lot done. And learn a lot from one another. You're an interesting guy, Lancelot." the voice of his eager strength let out as he opened the car door beside him. It was what snapped him back into reality as he crawled out of the front seat and headed for the back of the van opening the swinging doors and helping unload the equipment from inside. As the two unloaded all the equipment and dragged it to where they would be setting up to shoot the pirates they took a moment to admire the smooth actions being pulled during the fall of the pirates fighting from the area. One thing was for sure while watching this, Earth Dragon was not yet ready to take on such a thing, he wouldn't even attempt this knowing he almost died on something much less deadly, overconfidence wasn't needed in fighting, he needed to be cautious and safe so for now he would stick to filming instead of falling on this particular hot spot. All ready on this side Sakura let's start this show, keep an eye on the red shirt he seems to know what he's doing I saw him pull a doozie of a action earlier. The blonde gave a nod before gluing his face to the camera and following the red shirted who was doing all sorts of insane fights. While Earth Dragon took care of the general shot filming every pirate rushing down the area and whipping attacks in the area like it was a breeze. In all honesty he wished that he could pull tricks like that however he would need to practice a lot more before that became a reality, it was hard work but he had nothing to do after he finished filming, maybe he would work on his fighting technique for a couple hours later on tonight when he found the time to do so. Maybe he would stop by here again sometime soon on his own and give this place a try when he felt experienced enough to land it without breaking any bones or worse. For now he would continue to film these pirates go all out, it wasn't as if this was a stale business, he knew how to reel in the big bucks with this work, he was a good editer, filmer, and promoter, his videos always sold quite a lot so staying in this business was easy, he could make more than a living off of drinks and pirates, however he actually wanted to live it himself. This man in the red is really good, I think we can safely do a live caption, Sakura I'm going to start commentating. It was very rare for the two men to find a rider they could safely take live feed from with Earth Dragon commentating and it saved a lot of work in the long run so they decided to give it a shot. Letting his camera continue to film the whole area not focusing on any particular pirate he straightened his look up, he wanted a cigarette pretty badly at the moment but couldn't be carrying a smoke around with him during this commentary, it didn't look right. When Earth Dragon commentated he was like a completely different person, he was all about the pirates and the generation, and molded himself into someone they could not claim suspicion with, it was all about how many purchases he could acquire really, nothing more nothing less, he'd do anything for money even change who he is.
"Couldn't of had a better time with you Lancelot. Let's get out of here. And go back to the hotels."
Earth Dragon high-tailed it back to the hotels. Taking Sakura with him.
Juice quickly followed his allies to Yo-Yo Island to see what they were up to. He didn't really notice where they were going until they've arried to their destination. It seems they were at Yo-Yo Island. After joining the Marines, Juice studied on all the Island in the world and recognized the Island even though he has never really traveled there. In the articles and books he read, Yo-Yo Island seemed like a nice and beautiful place. It was said to be in West Blue. Juice was just following and didn't really say a word because he trusted Sakura. He never realized they traveled as far as West Blue. But for an island located in the West Blue, it was real nice. It's said that Yo-Yo Island is most known for being one of the most musical places in the world at the moment, and once Juice and his friends arrived, Juice quickly noticed due to the matching atmosphere. Juice had no idea if any pirates were here, but with his friends by his side, he was ready for even the most experienced pirates. It seems that Sakura just came here to change the atmosphere and go somewhere that's more entertaining. Although Juice didn't even see the point, I guess he could at least act appreciative of Sakura's efforts to change the scenery for him and Earth. Juice always seemed like the odd one out, always in the back of the two Marines looking shy. He would usually hold his tongue until absolutely necessary. But when talking to those who he's comfortable with, he'd come out of his shell fairly quickly. Although he'd come out of his shell, that doesn't mean he'd change from his quiet personality.
Juice looked over to Earth, who he was accompanied by, and then by Sakura who was ahead of us and lead us to our current destination. He spoke and said, "So why are we here again...? I think there's an alarm going on and something's happening in South Blue," but after a brief pause before he added on "Do you think we should at least check it out?"
Juice would then think about what he just said again and realized the Alarm was something serious. South Blue was actually under attack and pretty much a huge danger zone at this point. Just straight up heading there with no significant powers or techniques would pretty much be suicide. He then reconsidered and corrected himself and told his friends, "On second thought, we might as well stay away from South Blue at the moment. I don't want anyone to get hurt." Juice would then grip the handle of his Katana and look down, looking very disapointed. He remembered his father telling him patience is key and great things come to those who wait, but just waiting around while Pirates are just having the time of their lives wrecking South Blue was difficult for Juice, but what could he do? His little group were just low ranking marines who just met. He needed to get a hold of himself and not get too cocky. He was right when he said him and his team could do anything, but he shouldn't get ahead of himself. He would then tell them, "At the moment, we might be low ranking officers, but eventually, we'll get to the higher ranks and be able to help if a situation like this every happened again." He would then go on and ask his comrades, "So Sakura, Earth, what are we doing here?"
Class: Swordsman | Alliance: Marine | Word Count: 590 | Word Count Total: 8225 | Exp: 109,360
Ah, this place was big. Everything was so close together, it was a tad stifling. It wasn't as though he had a mild case of claustrophobia, he didn't mind tight spaces. But adjusting to a new environment was difficult. Sakura hadn't grown to accustomed to the scenery yet. The buildings here were much taller than the ones back home in the marines headquarters. This place was his new residence now. It was safe to say his friend and marine buddy, Juice, had managed to transition smoothly. He was already getting the news about the troublesome marines from a few of his buddies. At least, that's what he assumed it to be, Earth Dragon still couldn't speak the language too well. That guy was always so frustrating; it was hard to believe they were related. Even right now he was positive the other Juice was up to no good. Sakura heaved a sigh, seemingly forgetting about his own problems. He didn't want to admit it to himself so openly, but he had absolutely no clue where he was.
The blonde must have been distracted with whatever was plaguing his attention at the moment. He'd seen a few people around town with pirates being able to be found. At any corner if they weren't careful. They seemed interesting. Coupled with the fact that Earth Dragon. Had already used his allowance money to purchase some for himself, naturally Sakura had to try them to see just what was so intriguing about them. So far he couldn't get the hang of them; the pressure sensitive cushioned soles made moving complicated. If he pushed down too much, they'd send him off. If he pushed down too little, the passion would lose traction and his desire would slip out from underneath him. A sore backside provides testimony for the latter. In his diligence he pulled up an article from the marines brilliant stand against all enemies Detailing the basic steps for a fledgling strong marines. Hips spread apart, torso hunched forward, hands out in front for balance. He seemed like something out of an old George Romero zombie movie. The posture was embarrassing, a slight duck-like waddle was the only way he could grow accustomed to balancing. Not that he grew uncomfortable from being watched. At the moment his only concern was learning to fight. His compulsion to focusing on a single subject was a minor hindrance of his, Sakura couldn't be satisfied unless he knew the ends and outs of whatever garnered his attention. Perhaps it could have been considered an obsession with obsession. Whatever the case, he'd continue this course of action until there was no reason to do so. Slowly taking awkwardly placed steps forward Sakura preceded along the sidewalk. "How's it going Earth Dragon? Well we sure took care of business back there, right? Do you like being so ******** annoying?!?" Ignoring the glances and demoralizing comments of his fellow passerby's. Sakura was a marine with his buddies. This meant he had other priorities to take care of. They weren't of any importance to him as of yet. His concentration had been solely diverted to the task that lay before him.
One, two, one, two. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Breathe. The thought process almost seemed mechanical. So simplistic in it's linear approach, there were no detracting thoughts, no abstract insecurities. Only a task to complete. Faster. Faster. Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot. Breathe. His pace had begun to pick up as focus began to reach an apex. The peak application of brain function to muscle performance. He had approached what marines call pure passion. "This is great we're all here now. I see that even Juice-kun has arrived. Hello, Juice-kun. Welcome back. Sorry for the travel. Did you have a good travel here? I'm sorry to make this abrupt, but I have something very important to say. I've been keeping my eye on Kawase-dono, very close. And I am proud to say that he is fully ready to obtain a Devil Fruit. Kawase-dono. You are to leave the West Blue, and go get yourself a devil fruit. Your best bet is to try and obtain one. That is as powerful and unpredictable as mine. Meaning I want you to do your best to find a Logia. Yes, that means I'm considering you my eternal rival. If you do manage to get a Logia. In this world we will be of the same breed. The same status. We will be monsters." A personal space where thinking and time cut out as the body moves of it's own accord. Poised in the most natural position. Honed through natural instinct and hours upon hours of physical experience translated into muscle memory. "You will be my rival. No matter which pirates are among us. We will only be intimidated by one another's powers. Because you see Logia are completely overwhelming compared to any other Devil Fruit ability. Logia are the best. And I want you to believe this. So go." Sakura lacked the experience many other athletes had, however his obsessiveness caused a repetition count in footsteps that were far beyond the norm. Sakura must have performed them hundreds of thousands of times in the span of two days. Over and over and then over again. It was only in his frustration that his attention to detail took bloom, although not as fast as his steps his legs came inward erecting his posture by proxy. It might have been slow but the seed of his arduous labor had finally begun to sprout. He wasn't walking, he was running. The strong marine blonde hadn't even had time to notice. A step turned into a stride, a stride turned into a sprint, a sprint turned into a jog. Exactly when was it that he had become so consumed with his progression that he skipped a stage entirely? The world seemed so slow, the corners of his eyes had their vision blurred through intense focus. A tunnel vision straight ahead. That was all he needed to see. His blood was boiling, his legs were on fire from stepping so quickly. The path to the future was trailed in fire. "At the moment. You intimidate even me. You have this thing about you. Where you tend to multiply your own ability, and courageously attempt to improve yourself. In order to completely overwhelm me. I see the way you look at me. Do your best, Kawase-dono." Sakura turned to Juice. "We're staying here. Also. I told you we're fishing for money for you, right? That's the entire point of us staying here. We're just going to fish until we can get you enough money to buy that sword. I always like doing stuff like this. For marines in the same unit as I." He nodded.
Burning blood. His heart was pounding a vicious rhythm in ecstasy. Earth Dragon couldn't even remember the last time he had felt this sort of elation. It was wonderful. Earth Dragon could really enjoy this. The feel of the rushing air blowing back his black spiky hair, cooling down his heating body. It was a sort of liberation, the freedom to sail wherever he pleased. Faster, he wanted to grow even faster. The tunnel grew smaller, his path ever narrowing. In so much joy there was such a sinking feeling, almost foreboding. Perhaps it remained as a warning to never get ahead of himself. There was a fault in obsession. "Right. What am I waiting for." As he felt his body be consumed in the fires of invigoration the universe was preparing to set about his own undoing. His narrow-sightedness hindered his peripheral vision, often a setback from moving too quickly. There was no way he could have foreseen someone walking from a nearby store, particularly a child. The little girl's short stature made her difficult to register as a moving object. "Yo-Yo Island is a lot different from Skypiea, or Shandora. I mean we're all Shandians. Yet these humans. They're different from us. It makes me wonder. Who I am. How strong I can be. Right? Lancelot. Ah! Juice is here! Juice! Juice! Juice! You are going to stay right. We need you. We can't ever find someone to replace you. We're a marine unit." By the time the child had come into full view Earth Dragon had already amassed to much momentum to stop. They were too close, if he didn't do something drastic they would have collided. An event that he would come out mostly unscathed from, Earth Dragon couldn't say the same for her. Instinctively he leaned back his torso, the body's first process when sprinting, to quickly was often to slow itself down. Since he hadn't quite learned how to completely control momentum, that was pointless. In this case however, Earth Dragon was trying to create a gap or "space." Cutting his immediate step in half, he forced himself off balance spraining his knee in the process from the rebound shock. As his left foot planted down following his previous half step, he contracted the muscles in his thigh tightly and pushed off the ground awkwardly speeding into the area. His bound was by and large uncontrollable, an attempt to avoid crippling a child with desperation. Because of this his trajectory was thrown off. While he cleared the child he also cleared the guard rail lining the sidewalk. In the worst possible manner. As he careened face first into the ground he stuck his left hand out defensively to brace himself, a mistake to be certain. Earth Dragon's middle finger hit the ground first being the longest, maintaining all the weight from a body being carried by inertia it popped forcefully out of place in dislocation as his frame came to a tumbling safe point. A quick knock to his forehead left him disoriented, his body limp as he tumbled into on-coming traffic. Spotting the surprising body, the human of an approaching van swerved into the opposite lane as another car was passing resulting in a brief collision. The violent sounds shook the sprawled out strong marine man conscious. Giving him just enough awareness to curl into a ball as a Semi made it's way rumbling down too heavy to pump its situation, its loud horn blaring into the ears of pedestrians. "I don't know why you expect so much from me. Lancelot. It's almost as if you were reading my mind. I hate... that about you."
Marine duties always came first. Earth Dragon could hear tires screeching as the truck pulled up over him. A pair of fates just barely missing the opportunity to turn his head into pudding. The warmth from the undercarriage of the freighter was kissing his skin as he shuddered in fear. The spiky black hair-marine had never had his life pass before his eyes like that. It was a humbling experience. Exceedingly so. Earth Dragon was almost too scared to move. Stretching his trembling hand out he began to crawl out from underneath the belly of the beast that threatened to eat him. He wouldn't be held responsible for this. The moment he could stand he took the opportunity to shakily run away in the confusion. "I will become strong. Stronger. See ya, guys. Wish me luck."
Earth Dragon sprint out of the area. Leaving to get this over with alreadyy.
Smiling as Earth left, Juice was proud of his childhood friend going out to pursue his Devil fruit. But Juice also kind of felt left out due to the fact that both of his friends had their own Devil Fruit and were off to get stronger while Juice still has yet to master his own skills. He completely forgot about the fact that they were just new pirates and had a lot to learn before actually going out to battle. Fighting isn't everything there is to become a pirate, but Juice that that it was most of it. You can't be a weak Marine thinking you'll enforce the law onto the many kinds of pirates out there attempting their savagery throughout the world. Although Juice didn't trust his own powers as of now, at least he had two partners who could hold him down with their amazing powers. Juice never really wanted a Devil Fruit but the powers they give you are shockingly useful in battle and in other areas of combat or even daily life. The only thing Juice didn't want to give up is going swimming because he didn't want to ever forfeit the luxuries of relaxing in the waters. Juice's partners forfeiting swimming so in case something happens, Juice would have to help them out as some kind of life guard in the waters. They'll be his life guard on land until Juice figures out how to fend for his own.
Looking at Earth go made Juice determined himself. He thought to himself, "That'll be me someday but for the time being, I'll just stick with laying low at the moment." Juice would then look at Sakura and say, "We need to raise enough money so I can buy a powerful sword. That will be the first step of getting myself stronger. Then I'll focus on techniques. So after Earth comes back, what's our next move? Cause you know I get bored fast and just standing around here isn't doing anything for me," he would laugh and continue on, "So, what are we going to do?"
Juice then took his attention off of Sakura and thought about what as going on in South Blue. It sounded kind of bad and Juice was overhearing conversations about Pirates going crazy while robbing people and other usual savagery that the pirates do. Juice would just accept the fact that he should just stay out of it for the time being. Juice just stayed quiet about the situation because low ranking Marines like him wouldn't do much but slow down just one of the attacks. While thinking about this Juice would question Sakura and say, "Where are the other Marines at a time like this? Shouldn't they be on the way to stop the pirates or something?"
Class: Swordsman | Alliance: Marine | Word Count: 466 | Word Count Total: 8491 | Exp: 114,020
Sakura the super marine's plan had worked perfectly as Earth Dragon had charmed Sakura. Into forking over a snack for him to occupy himself with, and not just any snack either but some oreo cookies. What a score. He snatched the oreos from his marine unit buddies, fingers and took small, very small, inhumanly chipmunk-like bites from the thing savoring every last morsel as he did so. A smile of pure ecstasy on his face. The blond was still close to Earth Dragon, so very close to him. That their bodies touching but he only stayed like this to keep out of the rain. "Can you figure this out? We're stuck in the rain. Juice-kun. You know what to do. You take cover, too." He didn't like getting his hair and clothes wet and he also didn't have an umbrella. "One day, Juice-kun. You'll surpass both of us. You just have to have a goal. The only people in life that get anywhere. Are the ones who stick to a goal and usurp that goal." Sakura cooed through a face crammed with small bites of black and white oreo cooking his lips painted darker from the crumbs as he ate. Sakura was still going slow on his journey. As he continued to eat the oreos with pleasure taking no time. To speak and more time to munch while he kept his body close to Earth Dragon's. "Make, Earth Dragon, and myself, your goal." Under the cover of the umbrella protecting him from the terrible rain around him. Once he had finally choked down every last oreo cookie from his marine unit. Unfinished lunch he let out a bit satisfied smile and moved his body taking the arm of a nearby girl. In front of him in a loop with his and walking side by side with her under the umbrella. "Life won't wait for you. You have to make your move right now. Juice-kun." For awhile he just waited, still not even acknowledging that jerk, Earth Dragon, and his hilarious fall. Sakura was rather content at the moment feeling full and having his energy restored from super snack time which was nice. The short male was glad to be out of the marine headquarters. Finally away from all the rude people and the bullies. All the girls that found him cute like a puppy or kitten or something. The only girl he needed was Aya. Darn it they needed to understand that. "Phew. I thought this world was sprayed full of blood. I mean, Juice-kun. What do you think of Yo-Yo Island?" Even though all the girls in the marine headquarters would never date him. They just found him adorable and stuff which made him feel weird. Like happy that they thought it but sad he wasn't anything more than that. Oh well all of that was behind him for today and he was glad enough for that, now he was back with his marine unit, and friends to have some fun, some much deserved fun at that.
One thing kept chewing away at his mind over and over and over again as he waited with his marine unit. And that was the fact that he was still totally terrible with using his Hie Hie abilities. And he wanted to get better as quickly as possible too. Sakura looked down to his feet watching the strange things that he had strapped to them. The all just thought it was some stupid logo he had created on his own. Sakura swore the only way anyone would understand that he was a marine, and proud of it would be to wear a moose hat to marines, antlers and all. Of course they'd probably just think he was a weirdo instead of from Skypiea. The marine headquarters was really annoying sometimes. After a moment of waiting he clicked his heels together, done looking at the silly human life. On his feet for now as he turned his attention towards what he wanted to do, practice and have fun arresting pirates. Around with his buddies and family. Sakura blurted out to Juice-kun. Turning on his heels to face Juice. Not letting his stupid marine buddy, Earth Dragon, be part of the equation. His answer didn't matter to him although of course Earth Dragon would agree. He knew his marine buddies loved the life of a marine. Things more than anything in the world right now just like Sakura did. Because marines were freaking awesome. No matter how much he denied it the young blond and his frends. Were so very alike in many ways, mostly attitude and marine code because they wore blue and white. Colored clothing, or at least he did when he wasn't in his marine clothes. Like he would wear bright colored clothing to marine headquarter. Sakura already got made fun of enough with just his other Skypiea clothing he wore everyday. That's why Sakura remained in uniform. Sakura would have to get some marine dress shoes sometime soon.
As he spoke he raced his thoughts by accident rapidly putting his thoughts on Juice abruptly. Sakura shot forward past Juice, into the rain ahead. Sakura fought as hard as he could to keep himself dry too. He would have stopped normally but he panicked and didn't know what to do arms flailing and legs wobbling he found himself praying he wouldn't die loudly inside of his head. Why was he so bad at sticking to plans. Sakura didn't get it at all. His legs raced out from under him after he smashed into a large puddle. Which caused him to slide to his side and then fall on his left his clothing getting soaked in the puddle along with his hair. Now the rain was all over his clothes and body, and dirt too from the fall. Heh, you kidding me, gross this sucked. Sakura whined as he lay motionless on the ground. After a few moments of mopping and rain falling on him relentlessly the sound of thunder finally got him to his feet running close to Juice again. But not touching him due to him being cold and wet. Sakura wanted to leap into out of this weather to his fear of thunder, that was the thing about being a marine. Sakura feared just about anything both rational and irrational. Sakura was such a loser it was hard to watch. Now he just stood quietly, he was on edge from the thunder and soaked to the bone from the fall. Sakura was finally quiet his hyperactive chirpy voice dying down as he waited for his friends to answer his voice.
Juice would smile as his friend was encouraging him. Juice knew one day he'd be able to keep up with his peers but right now he just had to look up to them and follow in their footsteps. He replied to Sakura's first question while it would start to rain and said, "Yeah, right." Afterwards, he took cover in someplace safe. He listened to Sakura's words and drilled it inside his mind. That was his new goal, to protect his friends and to also surpass them. Not only were his friends going to be his friends, but they would also become his biggest rivals. Not necessarily to fight, but to protect. Both of his causes were for his friends, and Juice now had another reason to be in the marines, not only for himself because his previous ways were selfish. He has now found an even better reason to fight. He would then tell Sakura, "You two might be my new goal. To surpass both of you guys, but I'll still keep my main and most valuable goal - to eradicate the pirates. Sure it's ignorant to think all pirates are bad, but the emotions I felt when my mother was taken from me and my siblings disappeared was far to great to let this goal just leave my mind. I hope you understand Sakura. I'll aim to become better, or just as strong as you guys... to protect you. And while doing so, I'll do my best to destroy any pirates who stand in our way." Juice would then pause for a moment while starring at nothing particular and continue on saying, "Don't you agree, Sakura?" He'd then try to get his mind off of things and tell Sakura, "Yo-Yo Island is decent, in my opinion, what can we do here though? I'm not too familiar with this place. I don't even think I've ever really explored here. I probably came here to collect taxes maybe once or twice, but I'm not sure I've been here."
Class: Swordsman | Alliance: Marine | Word Count: 337 | Word Count Total: 8828 | Exp: 117,390
Sakura wanted to scream but couldn't imagination being seen letting his fright show the worst of him. Curled hands stretched out in secretive hope to attach and hold on to something or anything he could find in his grasp. "A pirate killed Earth Beast. Earth Beast is dead, Juice-kun. Our marine unit friend, Earth Beast, is dead. I got the call from marines back at the base. During his pick up for a devil fruit. He was challenged by a pirate and died on the island. Huh? Is this all real? It's just as I thought, after all. It was too much for him. Pirate's are the real deal. That's the condition for risking your life for a devil fruit. Or being a marine in these sea's, kid." Like a thread being slashed in two by scissors he believed his life was just a thin. The threat of a fatal end was mere moments from happening and he had no idea on how preventing the outcome. His head bobbled with madness and his body jerked around and about like he had done drugs. "No, nothing in particular has ever made me feel this bad. I can understand how you would feel, Juice-kun. It's just you and me now. I can't make heads or tails about this. There's no overthinking this. Pirates are clearly our common and most biggest enemies from this moment forth. There is no holding back. We smite pirates. We arrest pirates. We commit our lives to justice. You know?" Sakura had no control and the rainfall was not lessening the stress of the issue but enhanced his difficulties ten times each struggling stride. The sky had shifted a dark pigment of hazy gray while tearful transparent droplets fell with haste before splashing with intensity on whatever it fell upon. His marine uniform was soaked to the thinnest thread of its fabric and in his deranged movements. Water slung from his form effortlessly while his neck length plum shaded strands pressed against his face nearly blinding him with its wet hold. That makes no surprise why he ran smack dead into the blonde chick with little hesitation.
Finally! That thread that once scattered on the breeze of separated winds had been brought back to tangle refilling his soul was life in just an instant of contact. His vision was blocked yet in his blind state psychical contact never seemed as blessing as of right now. In his hands held a mass of blonde hair that entangled in finger until he was locked in its soaked web. Like his counterpart who end up falling to the ground. He would find no steady foundation and with both feet now towards the air. He no longer rode on one foot but instead fall directly on his a**. "This is not what I thought it would be. I mean. I really thought he would be strong enough for the trip. This is just reality. Just how strong you have to be. In order to claim a fruit is everything. In this world, Juice-kun. Power is everything. Remember that as a marine. Remember that as my comrade in this marine unit. Remember your good friend Sakura is telling you this." Sinful as most when pain became intensely unbarring, his mouth would let loose a shout to threaten the thunder in the sky itself. On his bottom and off his feet, or marine boots to be technical. To him neither mattered. His life was no longer in jeopardy and those godforsaken pirates were as good as dead to him now. Sakura couldn't wait for the world to stop spinning. His mouth was full of sins as he sat rubbing his bottom gingerly. Sakura figured a nasty fall like that would no doubt leave a mark. Frustration started to run strong throughout his form as his annoyance with the day was reaching his boiling point.
"We are not weak." Sakura said in blunt words overcasting on his harsh monotone voice. Forceful and sudden his hand would fly from his bottom and to his head carrying a stream of water to run down the lining of his arm. In seconds his plum strands were tossed off his face and towards the air, blessing him with sight once more before letting his capture the blonde creature stomping in his direction with words that only helped him mister up the strength to find a way to stand back on his feet and with boldness too. "We already know what we have to do. We have to get strong enough to crush any pirate in these sea's. Capture the enemy as fast as you can, and determine who they are as pirates." Completely ignoring the rest of the sentence. Sakura wouldn't even register his request to fight but let him beginning words be enough reason enough. His words began, continued and did not reach a end of silence until he was back on his feet after the massive struggle to just stand. Sakura knew he looked like a fool just running his mouth but there wasn't an ounce of care nor embarrassment resting in his heart. Sakura meant his words and couldn't wait until his stance seemed firm enough to hand him. The beating his father should've given that a** a long time ago. Now he will take the honor.
Sakura waddled in place as he dared not applying too much pressure to his own ability. Sakura did not want a repeat of what just happened and with Blondie stomping fiercer than the Korean Army. Sakura was sure the outcome wouldn't end similar but far worst. "Juice-kun? Have I ever shown you the power of my Devil Fruit?" Sakura shouted to himself convinced too much time had passed. Sakura was going to be hit and there was nothing he could do to stop her but prepare for the impacting blow. Luckily for him he was uncontrolled. His ignorance would be his savior and in just an instant of one foot touching the rough ground. His balance was once again thrown off stability and pressure was pressed against them special soles in his marine boots. "I ate the Hie Hie no mi. I am a Logia. Logia type devil fruit eaters. Are the most rarest and have eaten the strongest fruits. The Hie Hie allows me to create, control, and transform into ice at will. I've become equal to a polar ice cap! A continent filled with winter, glaciers, and cold weathers. Of course I am not that strong yet. But, I will be." He nodded. "This fruit's major strength is that it allows me to turn myself, as well as my surroundings, into ice. I can freeze myself and enemies. That is why from today onward my marine name will become, Seiryū, 青龍, The Blue Dragon" Sakura would seem to mumble as his body pulled forward in a quicken stride. Extending his arm out towards Juice. His arm began to steam with freezing air. The atmosphere around both of them dropped dramatically. Literally not only a chill, but the inside of Juice's body would feel chilling. Cold air would escape Sakura's mouth from opened corners of his mouth. His eyes narrowed while ice would began to freeze and crawl down his arm towards his finger tips. His pointer finger pointing directly at Juice's face. "Chill~ This is where our life begins. We're far from any lame ending." The air around them just from Sakura being around Juice. Was extremely cold!
Like building blocks in a preschool created for the pleasure of tiny children. Blondie would pose as no wall but just those colorful building blocks and in that beginning stride. She was not only driven pass but pushed out his way in what seemed like a quick getaway. Oh you lucky daughter of a b***h pirate! Shouting towards the sky from his very core. His words quake the stormy breeze he uncontrollably passed as his scream fired with all his frustration and momentary anger. Sakura wanted to scream more but as quick as his thoughts dashed off. His mind started to calculate exactly what he needed to do to stop this bullshit in its tracks. Literately! Don't let me catch your a** back on the streets pirates! Next time I'll REALLY RUN YOU OVER PIRATE! Screaming towards the sky as he remained standing out in bumpy roads. He knew destiny would hear him but to both of their disappointment. Sakura couldn't stop and just kept going. Lord, Help me.
Technique(s) Used:
Technique Name: Seiryū, 青龍, The Blue Dragon Description: Sakura has become a Logia type. The Hie Hie no mi allows Sakura to produce ice from his body, and control all of it. Sakura can cause any portion of his body to freeze. Sakura is the embodiment of Ice via Hie Hie no mi. Sakura can create virtually anything out of ice. Also Sakura has a heavy resistance towards cold temperatures. This is passive. Requirements: Starter Technique, Hie Hie no mi Point Cost: 1
𝐆𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞 ▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇ ▇▇ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Stepping out of her boat, Giselle was greeted by the sight of Yo-Yo Island, a place that she had held dear to her heart ever since she was but a child. She was on duty here for a routine patrol mission that she may or may not have edited to make a stop here to visit a few friendly faces. Regardless of her desire to visit this place again, Giselle would still make sure to keep an eye on things around here. The blonde haired marine walked across the docks as people came and went while she hurried into the marketplace of the island. Once arriving, Giselle slowed her pace down while walking around to study her surroundings in order to keep a look out for any troublemakers. During her stroll through the town, a few people called out to her and said hello, before running into the last person she would want to here. "Oh Gizelle! It's been so long!" It was a taller woman with a curvy figured and fairly moderate breasts. She gave the frenchie a squeeze before Giselle patted her back in return. "Eh-It's good to zee you as well, Estelle." The woman continued the embrace for a while, patting the girl's cheek before scanning her body up and down for a moment. "And you've grown as well! Last time we met, you were a slender figure that could blow away in a windy day! Now you're practically every marine's dream!" The compliment caused Giselle to laugh nervously, some memories of their last encounter surfacing again as she felt uncomfortable meeting Estelle of all people again. The girl she had known since she had moved to the West Blue, as well as the woman who stole her purity that one fateful night. Her proximity brought Giselle some rather flustered feelings, though she continued to walking along the streets on her patrol. Estelle followed her, much to Giselle's dismay, and continued her flurry of questions. "Where have you been? You never called me after our night at The Baratie!" Giselle turned a corner sharply, as the scene looked to be quite peaceful. "I was busy for quite zome time..." She lied, trying to get this woman off of her back while she continued keeping up with the appearance that she was patrolling around. "I'm in zee marines now and barely have time for myself. I didn't figure zat you would stay with me." Estelle gave another grin while hugging Giselle from behind, resting her chin on her previous lover's shoulder. "It will take more zhan an oath to protect people to keep you from me, my zweet." Her tone quickly changed to playful as Estelle patted Giselle's head. "I zee you're busy, zo go have fun with Marine ztuff! I zhall await your return, and our night togezher." The other french woman teased, sliding back into the crowd as Giselle was left in a shaken mess. The patrol had come to an end after this little hiccup, the frenchie quickly leaving the island to report back in.
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