RPG Dead Men Tell No Tales [PG-VL]

[Redemption]

[center][IMG]http://tinypic.com/maexie.jpg[/IMG]

[size=1][b][color=green]It's true. Dead men do tell no tales. But I'm here to tell you a tale about a man - a dead man to be precise.

His name was Gold D. Roger.

Now this man was the one and only Pirate King. Aye, the Pirate King. Fame, power, wealth - he had it all. And even on the day of his execution, he held himself like a proud warrior with a devious grin. Even in his final moments, all he did was smile.

I know all of this because I was there 15 years ago. I watched the infamous Pirate King die when I was a child.

But why am I telling you this?

It's all because of One Piece. A man had yelled at Roger just before his death, asking the Pirate King about his legendary treasure he had hidden in the Grand Line. I remember the Pirate King saying " I left it all in One Piece!".

My adventure started a year ago when I joined a pirate crew called 'The Cross-Scar Pirates'. My captain's name was Cross-Scar Kane. He was known throughout East Blue for his two-sword style of fighting. It was him who took me aboard his ship and taught me how to be a true pirate, becoming one of my greatest friends in the process.

However, it was just three months ago when our so-called friendly first mate, Zerus Pearl, and some of the other mates on the ship mutinied against the captain. They killed the captain and stole the ship and the map Kane had obtained to find One Piece. Myself and some of my most loyal friends managed to escape the bloodbath upon our ship by diving into the dark sea.

It was mere luck that we were picked up by a merchant vessel days later and taken to Loguetown, my hometown. There, we've spent the last two months recoperating and organising our return.

Now, we want to sevenge reveng for our slaughtered captain and comrades. This is our story.[/b][/color][/size]

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[color=#cc66cc][SIZE=1]A strong wind whipped the sails of a small pirate ship as it bobbled up and down next to a wooden pier. People were scurrying all over the ship and the dock, carrying goods and supplies, seemingly to get ready for the ship's maiden voyage.

Aye... it was to be her maiden voyage, maybe her only voyage, if they couldn't make it through the Grand Line. [i]Kane's Crusade[/i], that's what the ship was called, [i]the Crusade[/i] for short. It was named after the captain that this ship's crew had previously sailed under, until that unfortunate event.

Those memories were still fresh in Kura's mind.

The howling winds. The salty ocean spray. The giant crashing waves over the deck. The flashes of lightning. in the sky The booms of thunder. The glints of swords and the bangs of pistols. Blood... screams... chaos...

The one image that Kura couldn't forget, even through the darkness of that night, was the execution of her captain. She'd never be able to get that image out of her mind, whether she be awake or asleep. Cross-Scar Kane was as close to her as a brother, perhaps a little more. He was the one that had helped her realise what her true dream was, and she was never able to thank him for that, and it was all because of one man.

Zerus Pearl. The mutinous first-mate.

It seemed a dream for a while. Kura never would have suspected he'd be the one to lead the rebellion. And what for?

A map. A piece of scrubby old parchment that was said to contain the location of [b]One Piece[/b] - the legendary treasure of the Pirate King, Gold D Roger. It never ceased to amaze Kura at the greed of some people. To kill for things that are unnecessary for a good life - she just found the concept had to grasp.

A male voice suddenly pierced Kura's thoughts.
" Kura.... are you spacing out again?"

Kura turned around, her very long pink hair following around, to see standing there, smiling. Chris stood there, smiling, his orange hair floating around a little under his black beanie-like hat.

" Some things are harder to than others," Kura said simply, resting an arm on her katana. Chris nodded, knowingly.

Turning towards the dock, Kura made her way onto the ship, climbing up gangway that most of the people helping supply the ship used. The sails rippled in the wind, the sounds of their flapping giving Kura some sort of strange comfort.

Soon...

Soon they will be on the open seas again, making their way to the Grand Line, beginning the game of cat-and-mouse between Zerus and themselves.

However, their first obstacle was Reverse Mountain.[/color][/size]

OOC: Welcome guys. I just want your fist posts to be introductions for your characters. We do all know each other very well. I just want you to show everyone how your character acts, so everyone will know. My next post, we'll be heading for Reverse Mountain, and the Grand Line.

[SlowChemical]

[FONT=Palatino Linotype][COLOR=Purple][SIZE=1]
Nasca sighed putting her things inside her knapsack. She had to get ready for the voyage. The ship was been supplied and yet Nasca had some uncertainty. She didn?t have doubts about the ship but in herself. Everyone was probably more prepared then her. The last time she set out she was lost and almost died of starvation. Yet she wasn?t alone this time. She just hoped she can even navigate. Her abilities were horrible compared to her fathers.

[I]?You?re no good at this navigation job. You shouldn?t have even showed up!?[/I] Nasca told herself. Nasca poked her fingers together absorbing her own mental smack. [I]?Ahh, go and hope not to get the ship lost?? [/I]

Nasca put all her books inside her knapsack and a couple of clothes. She didn?t have too many possessions. Her only thing she really cared about was her books of navigation and her lucky compass. Nasca tied her compass to a piece a string to make it into a necklace. She tied it around her neck and hide it under her shirt. She patted her chest making sure it was safe. The most important thing of her possessions was an old worn out book and some notes that were safely tuck inside. Her father gave it to her hoping to her to learn all she can from it.

[I]?You have learned nothing but to copy your father. You can?t really do anything by yourself. Not only that but you can?t pin point your location on the map correctly sometimes.?[/I] Nasca gave herself another mental blow. Nasca lowered her head in shame. Her father?s book is the only thing that made her feel like a navigator other then her compass. Her father?s book! Where was it?! Nasca panicked and searched in her knapsack, nothing. Nasca got her knapsack and ran into the ship.

The ship was still been supplied and Nasca just rushed onto the deck. Where was it? It had to be on the ship, there was no other place. Nasca searched nervously around the ship. How can she find it during the supply period? Nasca sat on the deck?s floor and started to cry. How can she do that to her father?s book? Nasca stopped crying feeling something under her. She got up and there was her father?s book. She hugged it and wiped of her tears. She was such a nervous wreck just because of a book!

?Ma?am please move. We must supply the ship, you?re in our way.? A man said carrying a crate of supplies. Nasca got up blushing furiously. She bowed to him many times as an apology. She completely forgot the ship was still been supplied. She was sitting on the deck stupidly. The man shook his head and passed by Nasca. Nasca scratched her head feeling useless.

?I see you?re still as quite, shy and nervous as ever Nasca?? A women voice came from behind her. Nasca turned around finding out that it was Kura was the one speaking to her. Nasca gasped and started to blush. She bowed to Kura feeling a bit ashamed. Nasca stopped bowing and sighed. She poked her fingers together out of nervous tendency. Everyone in the ship knew how shy she might be. Nasca rose up her head and swallowed the lump in her throat she had from crying later. She stood up straight and saluted to Kura. She didn?t want to make look a fool a front of the captain. No Nasca was way too proud for that. She just hope she won?t get thrown off the ship for getting them lost sooner or later![/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]

[Albert Flasher]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=Sienna]The worn wooden steps creeked as Chris decended into the bowls of the ship. The corridors were eerie, lit by only a few dim carasine lamps, and they were also confusing. The doors were unmarked, so Chris just started opening doors at random - luckily no one else was down here so Chris couldn't cause an awkward situation - until he found the gun deck.

He quickly inspected his weapons - 4 large brass cannons - with his masterful eyes, looking for any faults or cracks that would effect how they fired (So he could compensate for them). After he was finished, he retired to a blood-stained hammock that hung between the two large supports on the wall. He rocked back and forth lazily with the motion of the sea, just enjoying the relaxation time.

"Somone died in that hammock, y'know." Somone said. Chris looked up, and there, standing in the doorway, was an old man who Chris recognized, but couldn't place. "Name was Mercutio Barry, n'he was our gunner, much like y'self."

Chris recognized the man now - it was the man they'd baguht the ship from, her old captain. "Come to see her off, have you then?" Chris said cheerfully, bounding out of the now-spinning hammock and holding out his hand for the man to shake.

He did, and Chris could tell he was indeed a powerful man, despite his age. "She served us well, I hope that she manages to hold 'er self together long enough for you to do whatever it is you be up to!"

"Oh, and you also might want to get a new hammock"

With those words the man turned and began to walk down the corridor to another room. The man seemed strong-willed, powerful, old, and wise; and Chris didn't trust him one bit. He sighed, supressed his suspicions, and returned to his hammock. He was tired.

OOC: Hope I didn't do anything outside of the story line![/COLOR][/FONT]

[Blayze]

[size=1]The blood came off the short blade easily, with a few swift wipes from a white cloth, now stained red. Murphy placed it down and picked up another blade, this one slightly longer, and serrated. It was odd how objects of medicine, of healing, curing, could be mistaken for tools of war. He wiped this blade, and set it down with the others. He had finally managed to clean all of his surgical equipment.

He turned to his cabin and found himself faced with a wall-covering bookshelf, covered in dog-eared volumes concerning new medical techniques, and bottles of remedies and anti-toxins he had acquired throughout his travels. These bottles were his most prized possessions, and the only ones he had brought with him from Captain Kane's ship.

[i]Captain Kane...[/i]he thought. The one constant on this journey, this voyage. The memory of his once-great captain, his captain's downfall and the mutiny and betrayal of those that Murphy had almost trusted before. This voyage was not a happy one, by any means.

But he needed a breath of fresh sea air, so he threw his coat on and stepped out of his office onto the deck. A deep lungful of clean, salty air met him, and he closed his eyes and smiled. This was his place.

[b]"You always did enjoy the sea air, Murphy," [/b]said a voice from behind him. He opened his eyes and turned around, recognising the voice instantly.

[b]"As you always enjoyed the thrill of the chase, captain," [/b]replied Murphy.

[b]"I've told you a thousand times, Alexander, call me Kura. We are all friends on this ship. We don't need formal titles."

"Once again, my apologies, cap...Kura," [/b]the doctor said with a grin, [b]"It's a force of habit, you know how things get when you serve on a ship for as long as I have."

"I know, Murphy, but we've all served on many ships together. I think we an just about dispense with the formalities."

"Apologies once again, Kura. I'm just a humble ship's doctor, not one to cross the captain," [/b]replied Alexander, with just a touch of sarcasm creeping into his voice, [b]"So where are we headed now?"

"We need to get onto the Grand Line, so you know what that means."

"We have to pass Reverse Mountain, amI correct?" [/b]groaned Murphy. Reverse Mountain was treacherous ground to pass, but they had done it before. Once they had passed it, though, it was onto the Grand Line, and from there they had a much greater chance of catching Zerus.

[b]"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's catch that scurvy traitor!"

[/b]----

OOC: Authentic Pirate Lexicon courtesy of watching too many pirate movies
[/size]

[Astdis]

Maxcine walked over the cobbled roads lost in thought. She had stopped off at the local tavern and sold the last of her extra stock in alcohol. Now she was going to the smith to pick up her weapons.

[B]?Milady DeCree,? [/B] the blacksmith came from an outer stall to meet her in the front. He was a gruff man with a scar across his cheek. [I]She?d always wondering if he might have been in the trade same as she before, but she never asked him[/I],[B] ?always a pleasure to see you.?[/B]

[B]?I thank you. Would ya happen to have my order finished then? We sail outta port taday ya know.?[/B]

[B]?Ay, They?re out back, jus give me a moment to fetch them.? [/B] The man left and returned quickly carrying a brightly polished curved sword and an assortment of knives. [B]?There ya are. Sharp enough to split a hair, as requested.?[/B]

She took the weapons and looked them over. Then nodded in approval, handing the man a small handful of gold ducats. [B]?Good work.?[/B]

The man smiled [B]?as I said milady, always a pleasure.?[/B]

Maxcine returned to the street and headed for the dock. It was easy to pick out their ship and the men parted for her as she boarded.

[B]"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's catch that scurvy traitor!"[/B]

Maxcine smiled, recognizing the doctor?s voice [B]?Hear hear?[/B] she said from behind him. He turned and smiled at her

[B]?Well well, if it isn?t the Gypsy herself. Welcome back.?[/B]

Max turned and took a bottle out of her bag [B]?Here ya are Murphy, made it especially for ya.?[/B]

He took the bottle and smelled the contents. [B]?Oh that?s a beauty Max, you should have been a healer.?[/B]

She laughed and flipped one of her throwing knives around her fingers [B]?I am a healer Murphy, I am.?[/B]

[Redemption]

[color=#cc66cc][SIZE=1]Kura smiled as Alex and Maxcine headed below deck to their quarters. She looked around the ship. It was decent and in good condition. The previous owners looked like they cared for the ship well.

Making her way up to the bow, Kura felt rather alone and anxious. This would be the first time she would be sailing without Kane. Anger, hate and sadness boiled in her veins but she pushed it away. The time for sadness had passed. The time for hate was now. And the time for anger was to come.

The soft clicking of her katana against the soft fabric of her kimono was a comforting sound. [i]Kichikumonji[/i], or [i]Heaven's Cloud[/i], that's what her katana was called. She looked to the sky. There wasn't a cloud from horizon to horizon. A single tear trickled down her cheek, wishing there was a cloud that Kane was looking down at the from, but she hastily wiped it away. She was their captain now, as much as she despised the title, so there was no time to show weakness. They were all hurting, as much as each other, perhaps more than they let on.

Kura rummaged around in her kimono. This particular ship had a mermaid for their headpiece. Elegant, graceful, she was. When Kura was a child, she always used to play in the rock pools near Loguetown, pretending she was a mermaid that had washed up onto the shore. She found it quite ironic now that the sea had cast her out too.

By eating a Devil Fruit, it was said that the sea would cast its disfavour to the person who ate the fruit, more or less meaning that you were unable to swim at all. You would become a deadweight in the water, helpless.

After finally finding what she wanted in her kimono, Kura withdrew a roughly carved traditional Japanese wooden flute. She blew into it. A haunting note echoed from it, almost sounding like it was a calling from another world. Closing her eyes, Kura let herself become absorbed in her music, playing whatever came to her mind. A slow, sorrowful melody played through the salty air.

To Kura, everything else but the song she was playing was silenced. Even her control over her Devil Fruit power slipped. Her pink hair glowed vibrantly and started to lift in a non-existent wind. It swirled around her head, looking like pink ribbons flailing around in the wind. Then, suddenly, most of her long luxurious hair was cut, leaving her with shoulder length pink hair. The cut hair now turned into delicate sakura blossoms that danced around her in a slow, enchanting dance.

A soft hand broke Kura out of her trance, the blossoms quickly turning back into her hair and rejoining to become her long pink locks. The person who had placed their hand on her shoulder was the man who was in charge of the supplyment of their ship.

" There ye be missy. All ye supplies be boarded, and me crew be done. Now, for me payment?" the old, half-toothless man asked, putting out his hand, waiting for gold to hit his palm.
" Here. Your payment," Kura said coldly, flipping five gold coins into the man's hand. He looked pleased and left her.

Growling at the man for interrupting her, Kura made her way below deck to talk with someone. It felt lonely with only five of them on the ship so far. They were still waiting for the others to board. [/SIZE][/color]

[Soliel]

[color=green]Geri sat at the edge of the dock, staring out at the open sea. [i]It never ceases to amaze me,[/i] she thought as she let the warm salty air brush her face, blowing back the red ribbons that held up her brown hair. "Well, enough of that, time to go help get the ship ready," she stood up and began walking back over towards [i]the Crusade[/i], as they had so named their newly acquired ship.

"Excuse me, missy." One of the men helping to load the ship asked her, "Could you tell me where I could find this ship's head cook. We were told to ask him where to put these creates of food."

"Oh, that's me. I'll show you where those need to go."

The man chuckled under his breath as they boarded the ship and when down below. "That's strange. How'd a little girl like you get to be this ship's cook." Geri stopped short as she clenched. She spun around to face the man.

"Excuse me! For your information bub, I'm not a little girl! I'm an adult! Got it?!"

"Okay, okay, got it," responded the man, a bit shocked.

Geri sighed, "Anyway, galley's through that door, just put that in there," she pointed to a door on the left. She turned and began heading back up to the deck.

Just then one of the doors opened and Chris popped his head out. "Hey Shorty! Would ya mind keepin' it down out here."

A chopping knife came flying in his direction and stuck itself in the door just above Chris's head. "I've already told you a thousand times, I'm Not SHORT!!!"

Chris laughed groggly as he shut the door to his quarters. "Rrrr!" Geri spun around, fuming, as she stormed up to the deck, and smack into Kura.

"Ow! Uh, sorry!"

"It's okay, Geri, I didn't know you were on board already. Are you alright, you look upset,"

"Uh, yeah, it's nothing. What about you? You look like you got something on your mind, [i]captain[/i]."
[center]~~~~~~~[/center]
OOC~ Hope you don't mind that, Ziggy. Added a bit.[/color]

[Albert Flasher]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=Sienna]OOC: Since it appears that the rest of our crew has not shown up yet, I might as well post some [FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][I][B]FILLER![/B][/I][/SIZE][/FONT]

She is rather terrifying when angry, Chris mused, and violent as well. He chuckled loudly to himself, and took a deep breath of the salty air flowing in through the open gun ports. His smile broadend. The water made him feel like swimming. He loved swimming, it was one of his favourite things. He was quite the acomplished swimmer, he liked to think, as he had won the 'Who can hold their breath the longest' contest back in the days of the Cross-Scar Pirates.

The gun ports were larger than on most ships, they were just large enough for Chris to dive through (Provided that he moved the cannons first) head-first. He removed his shirt, hat, sunglasses, sandles, and crossbow, smoothed his hair back, and proceeded to do just that. Chris had, unfortunatly, frogotton that he was a remarkably [I]bad[/I] diver (Despite being such an amazing swimmer) and ended up belly-flopping. Hard.

He laughed at himself, took in a mouthful of water in the process, and than managed to caugh and laugh at the same time. He hoped no one had seen that, and than floated placidly on his back, letting the ocean current's rythem relax him. The back-and-forth rocking motion was, and always had been, one of the more relaxing things Chris had ever experianced (And he definatly had a lot of experiance with relaxation).

He took another deep breath of the ocean air, and this time he dove straight down. The water wasn't that deep here, in the harbour, but it was still teeming with interesting species of fish and reef-dwelling coral. Chris reached the bottom fairly quickly, feeling his way along the muddy sea floor (For his visability was nearly zero this far from the light). He got a bit of a start when his hand came down on a camoflauged ray-fish, witch darted along the sea floor as fast as it's body would carry it.

Than, just at the edge of his visability, Chris saw a small school of bright red fish with black stripes, and he kicked off powerfully in their direction. The fish were terrified of the oversized invader, and they took off as fast as they could go, but Chris easily kept up with them. He laughed - well, he thought-laughed - as the fish scrambled in all directions to try and escape him. He just floated there for a moment, enjoying the moment.

Than he saw somthing odd; right in front of him, two floating yellow dots. No, wait, eyes. Fishie eyes. Slowly, Chris made out the shape of the creature attatched to said eyes - and he barley had time to think 'Oh crap...' before he was spinning out of the way of one of the larger fish that Chris had ever seen. It seemed to be a fairly mean creature; if Chris had ever seen fish eyes full of malice, these were them. It had the body to back it up, of course - it was at least twice the size of Chris, with menacing spines lining it's back, and razor-sharp fins to go along with a massive mouthful of daggers.

Chris spun out of the way again as the fish tried to slash him with one of its fins, this time delivering a powerful attack of his own. He kicked the fish in belly as hard as one could kick under water. If Chris had ever seen fish eyes full of surprise, these were them. It was almost as if the fish couldn't comprehend somthing fighting back. Chris felt his lungs tighten, and knew it was time to return to the surface - so he gave the fish another good kick. This time the fish didn't stand around - it turned tail and fled faster than seemed possible, to go lick his wounds in his dark, damp cave.

Chris powerfully kicked to the surface, breaking the water with the loud sucking sound one makes when one has not had a breath of air in upwards of 10 minutes. He breathed heavily for a few minutes, and than laughed loudly - he was sure that half of Lougetown had heard him - before somthing dawned on him. How was he supposed to get back on the boat? He floated there for a little while, contemplating this problem, when all of a sudden, over the side of the boat, somone had thrown a roap ladder.

"Ahoy, Chris me harty! Looks like you could use a hand." Somone onboard, beyond Chris' line of sight, shouted. He didn't need to see him, though, to know who it was.

"Murphy, you master of timing! You dog of dogs! Ahoy!" Chris laughed almost crazily, as he swam towards the side of the ship and climbed aboard...

OOC: Please excuse the excessive filler, as I was terribly bored and no one seemed to be posting (Let alone viewing), so I didn't think it would hurt to try and start somthing. [/COLOR][/FONT]

[Redemption]

OOC: Since Kairi hasn't posted yet, I'll start our adventure and meet with him up somewhere. So sorry about this. Kairi.... you will pay..... :P

[color=#cc66cc][SIZE=1]A growl eminated from Kura's lips. She knew that Geri was being sarcastic, but whenever that word was said, it reminded her of Kane. However, there was something more pressing on her mind.

" Geri, do you know where Joseph went?" Kura asked.
Geri shook her head. " I haven't seen him since early this morning. He said he was going somewhere. I tried to get it out of him, where he was going, but he flat out refused to tell me."
" Very well," Kura sighed. " Could you go find Nasca for me please? I need to speak with her."
" Okay..."

Geri went off to find the ship's navigator while Kura looked out to the sea. The sun was already high in the sky. They were originally going to set out in the morning, getting a full day of sailing in before night fell. But the disappearance of Joseph had Kura worried - worried that one dayhe would leave them suddenly one day. He was a free-spirit sort of man so Kura was paranoid that he would leave without telling them.

A sudden twittering in the sky alerted Kura. She looked up and saw a hawk circling in a sky. A hawk? It fluttered down to her, Kura holding out her arm for it to land on. Attached to the hawk's leg was a scroll of parchment. Instantly, she knew what it was. She took the parchment from the hawk, who took off after the scroll was taken from the leg, and unrolled it. It was as she suspected.

" Kura?" Nasca asked nervously from behind.
Kura turned slowly around, the parchment still in her hands. " Nasca, we're setting course for Kikya Port. We're meeting Joseph there. Please make the necessary adjustments to your maps and navigation."
" Yes ma'am." Nasca scurried off to do what was instructed.

Next thing Kura knew was that Chris and Murphy came aboard the ship, Chris looking rather bedraggled. Her eyebrow arched.
" What happened?"
Murphy gave a chuckle. Chris shook his head. " Don't ask."
" Very well. We're about to cast off."
" What?" Murphy suddenly said. " What about Joey?"
Kura sighed again. " He sent me a message saying he'd meet us at Kikya Port. He didn't say why, but we can't go without him."
" Ok then."

Geri and Maxcine came above deck and climbed the mast to unfurl the sails to catch the wind while the two men hoisted the anchor from the water's depths. Nasca and Kura were at the helm, Kura looking over the course Nasca had set. As the wind caught the sails, the ship lurched forward with a great creaking noise. Before long, they were out into the open sea.

Kura was at the stern, watching Loguetown disappear with the horizon.

[i]Goodbye..... home....[/i][/color][/size]

OOC: Again, just give a post of filler. Sorry about that.

[Kairi]

[COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1][CENTER][B]''I say again...are you sure you have no idea where the good ol' mate of mine went too?"[/B] his tone was firm and direct in the darkness of one of the harbors store houses. A single lamp hung from the ceiling as a young man dangled from the beam above by his feet. Joseph paced around him patiently...gliding his blade across the skin as he held a torch in his other hand.

[B]"I swear to you stranger...I do no know where he may be!"[/B] the victim screamed loud...but no one could hear his noises. Suddenly Joseph thrust the flame into the back lumbar region, burning the skin right off the back. It was so intense the victim only felt cold...a dead feeling on him as his nerve endings burned away.

Joseph pulled up a chair and sat in front of the dangling man, crying in agony as he looked straight into his eyes.

[B]"I don't believe you...my sources tell me Pearl docked here no more than 2 months ago...your dock."[/B]

[B]"If I tell you anything he'll kill me..."[/B]

Without hesitation Joseph stood up and sliced the throat of the man swiftly. The blood dripped to the floor as he gasped for air. Joseph walked away and simply said...[B]"I've already done it for you..."[/B]

Walking out into the cool dark night, Joseph pulled out of his black jacket a cigar and lite it, blowing smoke through his nostrils.
[B]
"I hate this job sometimes."[/B]

A very liable lead led Joseph to Kikya Port...his neverending search for Pearl. His loyalties to Kura were strong...and he hoped that she would understand him leaving.

In the night sky, a hawk began to cry out as it soared down to Joseph. With a smile on his face he stretch forth his arm so that the hawk could rest upon his shoulder...there wasn't a note.

[B]"She's dissapointed isn't she Drako."[/B] the hawk nudged the side of Josephs face as a creek in the doors started the bird as Joseph quickly pulled out a two pistols.

He had gained a lot of info in this place...but now he was being hunted by the local mob...they never did like him...to much...liability...

Walking cautiously through the port back to his hotel room, he took off his shirt and rifle and put a chair on the back wall looking at the door to the room. Leaning up against the wall with the chair...Joseph watched as he always did when he was working alone...not sleeping...being careful as usual. [/CENTER][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[SlowChemical]

[COLOR=Pink][SIZE=1]Nasca sighed knowing she did the coordinates correctly this time. She actually found the fastest route to Kikya Port. It took her less time then she expected it too. She didn?t even think she get it right! To make sure she was right she looked at her Father?s old book. The coordinates was exactly what her Father wrote down. She didn?t know if it was out of luck, skill or just something she remembered to copy from her father.

Nasca poked her fingers together nervously as Kura looked over the map. She had to tweak the course a bit since they had to pick up Joseph. It was minor adjustment so Nasca couldn?t and shouldn?t have made any error. If she did she should put up the white flag and declare herself the worst navigator in history. Stop it Nasca you can be just as good as your Father or able to copy your Fathers life time work. Either way she had this journey to prove herself.

[B]?Are you sure this coordinates are correct Nasca? We are going the right way? We must pick Joseph soon as possible for we can get to Reverse Moutain?? [/B] Kura asked her

[B] ?Yes?I?m..sure?[/B] Nasca body stiffened and her eye twitched. She didn?t like people questioning her navigation skills. Only her and her father could question or look down on her navigation skills. Yet she wasn?t going to lose her temper with the captain! [B]?Kikya Port is not completely off normal course. I few adjustments had to make since where heading there first, yet the adjustments where minor?.Where sailing NorthEast now to Kikya Port?..? [/B]

[B]?I see??[/B] Kura said

[B]?Yes?Kura?I mean captain?? [/B] Nasca gulped. Nasca turned around and sighed not able to face the captain anymore. She took a big breath and closed her eyes. Seagulls where flying making that annoying screaming sound. Yet for Nasca the seagull noise seem relaxing, but only out at sea. She can smell the salty smell of the ocean more clearly now which soothed her. Oh the deep blue, the only true place Nasca wanted to be! [/SIZE] [/COLOR]

[Redemption]

[color=#cc66cc][size=1]Kura smiled down at the map. There were markings all over the map ? Nasca?s route she had chosen for them. The small girl?s skill was quite remarkable, considering her age. But when you looked at her pedigree, you knew instantly why she was a remarkable navigator. Kura had known Nasca?s father, if only for a few months. She just wished at times that Nasca had more faith in herself and her skills.

[b]? Good work Nasca,?[/b] Kura complimented, now looking up from the map and to the open sea. Nasca blushed a little, poking her fingers together nervously.
[b]? It?s not that good?captain??[/b] she murmured.
Kura smiled at her warmly. [b]? It?s not a crime to call me Kura you know. I?d rather you do.?[/b]
Nasca looked up at Kura as if that was committing a crime. [b]? Oh? all right??[/b]

The wind was now whipping up from behind them, pushing the small ship along quite smoothly. It glided across the water as if it was a knife gliding through soft butter. Chris and Murphy decided to join Kura and Nasca up on the upper deck.

[b]? So, are we just picking up Joseph in Kikya Port??[/b] Murphy asked, scratching his side.
[b]? Just Joseph,?[/b] Kura replied. [b]? Then we head for the Grand Line.?[/b]
Chris smiled softly. [b]? The Grand Line huh? Should be interesting going there.?[/b]

Maxcine and Geri joined the group after they had climbed down the mast after unfurling the sails. It was now just past midday and they had only been sailing for an hour or so. Kura turned to Geri.
[b]? Hey Geri, could you start to prepare us some food? I?ll expect that we?ll be hungry in a few hours time.?[/b]
Geri nodded. [b]? Sure.?[/b] She went off to the galley to see what she could come up with.

Kura turned to the others.
[b]? We?ll be sailing into Kikya port just after nightfall. We?ll begin the search as soon as we sail into port.?[/b]
[b]? Could have Joseph got into any trouble? Say with Marines??[/b] Maxcine asked.
[b]? Or worse. His job is probably the most dangerous out of all of ours,?[/b] Kura said seriously. [b]? Prepare yourselves to fight, if need be.?[/b]

[center]======================================[/center]

Stars glittered like diamonds in the inky black night sky. [I]The Crusade[/I] sailed swiftly into Kikya Port. The night was calm and silent, except for the drunken songs that echoed from various taverns and pubs that lined the port. Kura looked out at the small but thriving sea village. The ship gently docked on the outer skirts of the port, just in case the Marines were looking for something to do whilst they were drunk.

Kura, Maxcine, Chris and Geri leapt off the ship onto the stone-supported wooden dock. Nasca and Murphy had volunteered to be on watch and stay on the ship while the others started the search for Joseph.[/size][/color]

OOC: Ziggy, Soliel and Astdis, we all go our separate ways and run into the local mob that was after Joseph and have a fight. ^_^

Blayze and SlowChemical, some drunken Marines will stumble across the ship and try to trash it. Prevent that.

And Kairi, find Maxcine (Astdis? character) and then team up with Chris and head back to the ship.

[Albert Flasher]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=Sienna]OOC: Hurray!

[B]"So Kura," [/B]Chris intoned cheerfully as the three made their way through the darkened street, [B]"any idea where we should start?" [/B]
[B]
"Not really,"[/B] Kura replied, biting her lip a bit in contemplation, [B]"Joseph was always a bit of an enigma, he could be anywhere, really."
[/B][B]
"So what are you saying? We wander around Kikya Port calling out his name like some lost puppy?" [/B]Chris said, throwing back his head at the thought of such tedious bordem, [B]"What about you, Max, any ideas?" [/B]Chris said, turning to face the trailing Maxcine.

She thought for a second, and than replied,[B] "Well... we could split up, cover more ground, and than meet back at the ship if we find anything."[/B]

They both looked at Kura. She was the captain, afterall, and she made the decisions.[B] "What other choice do we have? Kikya Port is a large town, it would take all night if we did it as a group." [/B]
[B]
"Ok than," [/B]Chris announced in false drama,[B] "splitting up it is, cover more ground and such... but what if we run into marines or some thugs? I've been to Kikya before, rough place."
[/B]
[B]"Calm down Chris, we can handle ourselves." [/B]Maxcine retorted haughtily, laying her hand on the hilt of her sword lightly.

[B]"Still, Chris has a point,"[/B] Kura said as the group came to a split in the main street, [B]"sometimes numbers can overwhlem skill."[/B]

[B]"You two should stick together, than - since we only have two options,"[/B] he gestured to the intersection[B], "you might as well. I'll go left, you two go right, sound good?"[/B]

[B]"Well, I don't like it, but ok... I've got a bad feeling."[/B] Kura sounded genuinly worried, but she didn't see any other option. [B]"Meet us back at the ship if you find anything"
[/B]
With that, the two parties split up and went in search of Joseph.

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

[B]"That them?"[/B] the gruff voice asked, gesturing from the darkness at the Chris, Kura, and Maxcine.

[B]"Ye, just like Zerus said."[/B] another, equally gruff voice responded.

The other man drew his sword and took a step forward, but the man who had spoken restrained him.
[B]
"Don't. We still need them to lead us to Joseph, right? Keep close and don't be seen."[/B]

With that, the crowd of people withdrew deeper into the shadows and the dark allyways of Kikya Port.

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

The street Chris had walked down was unnervingt. All the houses and buildings were light and seemed cheerful enough, but something still kept Chris on edge. He wasn't normally afraid of the dark or anything, but he definatly felt something... [B][I]I hate being watched...[/I][/COLOR][/FONT][/B]

[Soliel]

[color=green][b]OOC~ Yay! It's back![/b]


The streets of Kikya Port were dimmly lit with the lights from street lamps. Chris seemed a bit on edge as Geri followed silently behind. "You okay?"

"Gyah!" Chris lept up in fright. He turned around to face Geri and let out a sigh. "Jeez Ger, don't sneak up on me like that. What are you doing here anyway?"

"You're the one who suggested we split off into groups. Since no one really told me who I should go with, I just followed you, y'know, to keep it even."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Just stick close, will ya." Chris turned around and continued walking.

"What do you think I've been doing?" Geri mumbled to herself in a huff as she continued to follow.

The two walked on in search of their crew mate. "I hope we find Joseph soon, this place gives me the creeps."

"I here ya," agreed Chris, "The sooner we find him, the sooner we can get..." He stopped short.

"What is..." but Geri didn't even need to finish her question before she got her answer. Three well armed men emerged from a side ally and bagan to aproach them.

"Well, look at this boys. The cute cupple out for an evenin' stroll." Geri stowed her anger and remained silent as she continued to glare at these thugs. "We overheard ya talkin about Joseph. Well, ya see, we're lookin fer him too. So why don't ya be good and tell us where he's at?"

"Why should we?" Geri responded in an annoyed tone.

"Heh, I'll show you exactly why." The biggest of three thugs began walking over towards Geri. She just sighed as she unsheathed one of her katanas from her back. She preformed a lightning fast slash then resheathed her sword. "Ya missed swe-AH!" The man tripped and landed face down in front of Geri and Chris, his trousers now around his ankels. "Why you little b..."

Chris kicked the guy in the face. "Now, now, that's no way to treat a lady," he added sarcasticly.

The remaining two guys looked furious. "You guys are dead!" And with that, five more thugs emerged from the side ally. Chris and Geri, without a second thought, took off running down the street.

"Ya just had to tick them off, didn't you?"

"What can I say," Geri responded, "I have a gift." They made a sharp turn in an attept to loose them, but ended up faceing a dead end instead. They turned around to see the mob thugs closing in on them. "Well, I guess we have to fight them now."[/color]

[Albert Flasher]

[FONT=Times New Roman][COLOR=Sienna][B]"Try not to kill anyone," [/B]Chris said as he unslung his crossbow and let it fall to the ground; he wouldn't be needing it, [B]"the last thing we need is Kikya authorities after us." [/B]

Geri nodded her head slightly as she loosened one of her katana from its sheeth. [B]"Right, right, no killing." [/B]

Chris counted the enemies - 7 of them, all burly and strong with assorted crude weapons, or just their fists. They were approaching in a semi-circle, slowly, cautiously. Than, unexpectadly, on of them - armed with a long stiletto dagger - lunged towards Chris, his dagger crudely held above his head.

Chris stepped back and lifted his arm to block the attack, catching the blade in the gauntlet on his wrist. With a twist of his arm, he tore the weapon from the man's hands, and just as quickly planted a kick to the man's misection. He collapsed with a gasp, clutching his chest - broken ribs, Chris guessed.

He turned to see how Geri was doing, just in time to see her knock one of the men clean out with a wack from the blunt end of her katana. [I]Good[/I], Chris thought, [I]she's not going to kill anyone[/I].

He felt his mind wander, but luckily he came back to earth just in time to spin away from another lunging goon - this time armed with some kind of nail-in-a-club. The man recovered quickly and swung his club towards Chris, but he danced out of the way effortlessly. [I]The man was slower than the last one,[/I] Chris mused, as he kicked out his knees.

The man collapsed, but again he recovered and was back on his feet in seconds. [I]He's also resilient[/I]. Chris decided to end it quickly, and used his gauntlet to land the knock-out blow to the man's skull. He collapsed just like the last one.

He turned to look at Geri again, and another man lay at her feet, this time with a more serious head wound than the last one. Chris smiled; 3 left.

OOC: Figured I'd save some of the fun for you :animesmil [/COLOR][/FONT]

[Blayze]

[size=1]Alexander stretched out in his hammock. He and Nasca were the only ones left on the ship, and technically, he outranked her. So the ship was his, for a short while at least. He closed his eyes and felt the cool breeze wash over him.

However, he could not let this tranquility last too long. Kikya was a renowned Mob hideout, and Joseph had most likely run into trouble with them, either that or he had angered the Marines. Either choice was bad, but if Murphy had to choose, he would go with the Marines. At least they had orders not to shoot on sight.

He opened his eyes and grabbed his cutlass, just in case. His flintlock was loaded and ready to be fired, if it came to that.

[b]"Hey! On here!" [/b]slurred an abnormally loud voice. A group of Marines were staggering onboard the ship. Alexander jumped to his feet and ran over to where Nasca was standing guard.

[b]"You can't come on here, lads. This is a private ship," [/b]said the Navigator timidly.

[b]"We're bloody Marines, lass," [/b]mumbled the apparent leader, drunk as anything, [b]"We can do whatever the hell we like! And just for that, we're gonna have this ship...we're gonna smash it up...but you're first, little girl..."

[/b]The Marine drew his hand back, and snapped a sharp backhand across Nasca's face, knocking her to the ground. Alexander ran to help her, as the Marines stormed on board, bottles of thick, pungent-smelling alcohol clenched tightly in their greasy hands.

[b]"Stop right there, boys," [/b]said Murphy, [b]"Don't you know it's against the King's Code to harm a lady?"

"Yerwot? Who the hell are you?"

"I think you may recognise me once you see me close-up. Why don't you come over here?" [/b]said Murphy, the darkness hiding his devilish grin. The Marine stumbled over to him, and Murphy lashed out, smashing the hilt of his cutlass into the Marine's face, knocking him backwards. He couldn't risk killing a Marine at this stage in the operation.

The other Marines saw this, and drew their swords and pistols, and began firing blindly into the night. Alex got Nasca to her feet and the pair of them ran to cover. You could never be too careful fighting drunkards.

[b]"Do you have your weapons on you, Nasca?" [/b]whispered Murphy, watching as the girl shook her head, [b]"Then go and fetch them, and I'll make sure nothing happens out here."

[/b]The girl nodded, and ran to the crew's quarters, hurrying to get her weapons.

Murphy looked over the barrel he was hidden behind, and a bullet whizzed past his head. He ducked again, and thought.

An idea popped into his head, and he leant all his weight against the barrel he was behind, pushing it over. He placed his foot on it, and pushed it away, sending it rolling towards the Marines. They were knocked to the floor like skittles, but more came after him, and now he was out of cover...
[/size]

[Astdis]

Max watched from a darkened corner of the adjoining street. Splitting up had been a good idea, until now. She had watched the men walk down the street and saw where they had come from. Something told her they knew exactly where Joseph was.

Quietly she slipped two of her knives from their sheaths. She moved with two catlike steps into the center of the street and flung the knives at two of the thugs, the hilts cracking them in the back of the skulls. With a scream of shock and pain they fell to the ground unconscious.

Chris looked up and gave a slight bow to her silhouette as Geri took the third well in hand. Max returned Chris? bow and walked off down the street, following the path the thugs had come from...

OOC: Sorry, I know it's short. I'm sick, if that's any excuse

[SlowChemical]

[SIZE=1][FONT=Lucida Sans Unicode]?Move please?? Nasca faintly said. Murphy turned his head as pin needles whizzed over his head and pinned the Marines next to Murphy to the bottom of the boat and one to a pole. She pinned down the Marines already on floor down making them unable to get up. Each of them struggled to get up yet the pin needle was pinned too deep and too closely to there skin.

?Did?I?take long?? Nasca asked as she ran towards Murphy.

?Nope, right on time?? Murphy said as a few more marines came. The marines just keep on coming and coming.

?I also got a gun?I think there no ammo?? Nasca hung her head.

?Well we can?t kill a Marine now anyways??

Nasca checked her small handgun, there were only three shots. Well there was only one thing to do now. Nasca pinned down the feet of the Marines surrounding Murphy and her. Each tried to snag there feet of the ground. As there where occupied Nasca got behind some knocking them over the head making fall unconscious, Murphy did the same.

One marine as his feet still pinned to the ground fired at Nasca. Nasca ducked and ran towards the marine. Okay, this was the most stupid idea Nasca ever got running straight into an enemy?s fire yet she took the risk. She kept her body low as she ran and tackled the marine?s feet knocking him to the floor as his shoes tore off. The marine head banged hard against the floor knocking him out. Another tried to fire at her. As she still laid on the floor she picked up her gun and fired at the man?s gun knocking it right of his hand. Murphy punched the man?s lights out as he still was stunned.

Nasca sat up from the floor and started to pant. Out of this entire excitement one can forget to breath.

?What would we do with the one pinned on the floor. There still awake?? Murphy asked

?Oh no, I totally forgot about them!? Nasca panicked.

?Well there is one thing to do?? Murphy went straight up to one pinned down Marine.

The marine looked at him panicking ?What are you going to do?? He said his voice cracking with fear.

?Well this?? Murphy pulled back his arm and punched the lights out of the marine. He did the same for each pinned one.

?Er? that would do?? Nasca said surprised.

-------------
Murphy tied up each knocked out Marine together. He finished the last knot and sighed.

?What should we do with them? The can wake up any moment?? Nasca said and thought ?You don?t think we can just throw them overboard??

?Well Marines can swim can?t they?? Murphy joked

?Well?? Nasca thought. Murphy looked up at the sky thinking as well, to throw over board or not to? [/FONT] [/SIZE]


[SIZE=1]Occ: Okay I hope that was good enough. Like Astidis I been sick and haven?t been on for about 4 days, not even for my one year anniversary on OB yesterday. So I am sorry for not responding sooner.
[/SIZE]

[Kairi]

[CENTER][COLOR=DarkSlateGray][SIZE=1]When you have insomnia...you're never really wake, nor asleep. You're just...there...everything is quiet and so far away, you wonder if life really exists at all.

Upon the coming of the morn, Joseph stirred in his seating position and rested his rifle on the wall as me made his way to the window. He had left a bucket of water so that he could wash his face. His long brown hair was mattered and twisted in knots as he rubbed his eyes with his thumbs. The night had been long...they always are...

Taking up all his belongings, Joseph paid the innkeeper for his stay and casually walked the streets, making his way to the docks. His message had reached his captain that night...and with luck, she was already here. With his pet on his shoulders, pecking at his neck for some food. He graciously stopped by the local market and bought a few small fish for him to feast on.

While shopping, in the corner of his eye Joseph saw Max and Chris walking cautiously through the market...obviously heading in the direction in which he came from...
[B]
"But how do they know where I stayed in this town?"[/B] then it dawned on him...they must have found some people looking for him. And just as the thought entered his mind, a couple of marines were following his comrades closely.

With a slow motion to his belt, Joseph pulled set his weapon, and made his way towards his friends...

He could see the events unfolding in his mind...[B]"A shootout...then a run for the docks..."[/B] [I]I should have gotten myself a new pair of boots. [/I][/SIZE][/COLOR][/CENTER]

[Astdis]

Max walked through the quiet market. It was almost too quiet. Shop keepers stayed behind their doors, glancing out cautiously. [I]This was obviously a friendly place [/I] Max thought rolling her eyes. Chris came into stride beside her.

[B]?You think you?ve found him??[/B]

[B]?He?s somewhere up ahead. There are two inns up that way, I say you check one, I?ve got the other.?[/B] Chris nodded and they continued to walk casually down the street. Around a corner Max caught the eye of a man walking away from a fish stand. [I]Joseph[/I].

Maxine smiled and was about to wave when she saw a flash of metal at his belt. It was then her ears caught the sound of footsteps behind them trying too hard to be silent. She nodded to Joseph and pulled a knife from her belt. Chris saw it and placed a hand on her arm.

[B]?Don?t turn around till I tell you.? [/B] She hissed. Chris nodded slightly and removed his hand.

They closed the distance between them and Joseph. She heard the steps pick up pace behind them.[B] ?NOW!? [/B] Max grabbed Chris?s shoulder and pulled him to the ground as Joseph?s gun came out and he fired off a round. Maxine turned on her knee and threw her knife into the other man?s knee.

[B]?Run? [/B] they picked up and ran for the docks?

[Redemption]

[color=#cc66cc][size=1]The cold streets chilled Kura as she walked through them, looking for any sign that Joseph had been there. She knew it would be difficult to hunt him down, unless he's looking for them. He was an excellent informant - seemingly disappearing and reappearing at will, covering his tracks, making him like an ellusive species that everyone wanted to hunt.

Sounds of songs were sung drunkenly in the many taverns and pubs she passed. Kura was careful that she didn't arouse much suspicion. She was fairly sure that the local mob would be after Joseph. It was his job, after all, to do what was necessary to obtain the information he needed - even if it meant killing.

A cold wind brushed against her as she made her way up this alleyway that seemed to connect to a road that was hardly used. Walking over piles of rubbish and dodging rats, Kura finally came to this dark, dank road. It seemed to have a strange feel about it - as ifshe wasn't supposed to be there.

Her hand wandered to the handle of her katana. The atmosphere around this street felt wrong in many more ways than one. Her skin prickled. Something was about to ensue...

A mob of men walked down the street, towards her, all discussing in loud voices about the job they had been just sent on.

" Yeah... the Boss knows there's a rat on the island. He's sniffing around for information on Zerus."
" Didn't the Boss and him make a deal?"
" Yeah... 50 million Beli I hear it was worth..."
" 50 million Beli?!"
" I wonder why that scoundrel Zerus payed the Boss 50 million Beli to hush up where he went..."

The sound of a shot echoed from another place on the island. Kura and the mob of men heard it.
" The others..." Kura whispered.

The mob of men looked from the source of the shot to Kura. They all had smiles on their faces as they looked her up and down. A growl eminated from Kura's throat as they sidled up to her, all sick looks on their faces.
" A stray..." one man said, sniggering. " You shouldn't be wandering around here girly."
He reached out to touch her but she slapped his hand away.

" Don't you dare touch me with your filthy hands!" she spat, her eyes angry slits.

" Ooo... fiesty..." another one of the mob said. " Just a kiss girly."
Kura turned to him and in a flash, blood splattered across her face. The man that had just talked to her collapsed in a pool of blood.
" Anyone else want to try?" she snarled, hand on her katana.

The majority of them launched at her as the reality of their comrade's death sunk in. Kura dodged most of their attacks but one knife got lodged into her shoulder. She swore before killing the man that had stuck it there. After a few minutes, most of the mob lay on the ground, dead.

Kura breathed hard, holding the injured shoulder with one hand and clutched her katana with the other. She had to get back to the ship. Sliding the bloodied knife out of her shoulder, she flung it at the remanants of the mob, making a clear path. The way opened up before her as she ran at a sprint towards their ship. Blood started to seep out of her wound and stained her clothing.

She needed Alex, and quickly.[/color][/size]