RPG One Piece: Race to the Grand Line

[Akieen Cloud]

[COLOR="Navy"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Vixen hopped off of the giant ship and began to walk towards the tavern in the small town they had stopped at. She looked up at her second in command and pulled her hat over her ears more tightly.
"Stay with the ship, let no one on til I return."
She walked slowly into the town and started off in the center of the town, not seeing anything interesting she walked into the bar and took a seat at the counter.
"Whiskey straight."
Taking the drink she downed it and looked up as a large man with beefy fists loomed over her.
"Strong drink for a lady."
"I'm no ordinary lady."
"Sounds like fun."
"You have no idea."
He put his hand on her shoulder and pulled it back quickly as her body heat scorched his hand, the skin sizzling.
"What the hell are you?"
"Told you I was no ordinary woman."
He pulled out a long sword and motioned for her to follow him out of the bar; she followed slowly til they were standing in front of the bar, a small crowd had gathered as well trying to see what was going on.
"Your gonna tell me what you are or I'll gut you right here and now."
"You can try. And for your curiosity, I'm a pirate."
He took a step back as well as the villagers that were watching.
"A pirate? Where are you from and what's your business?"
"I heard there were people here that are sea worthy. I'm looking for them."
"Any person is sea worthy."
"I'm looking for certain people, special people."
She lifted her hand and smiled as the crowd gasped watching her hand become engulfed in fire.
"You know where I can find them?"
He shook his head and sheathed his sword.
"No but I can show you around lady, maybe word will get around and they'll come to you."
"And you?"
"I can be of service, the name is Hammer. I'm special as well."
"We'll see."
She followed him as he led her through an alley and into the slums of the town. Not knowing where he was taking her she kept her body temp up and stayed alert to anything.[/COLOR]

[COLOR="Red"](Alright everyone this is up and going! Run into my character and Hammer how ever you see fit.)[/COLOR][/FONT]

[GothikMoon]

The man quickly flew into the the bottles of alcohol behind the counter. Glass shattered everywhere and liquid spewed across the bar. Instantly, the man started twitching violently as electricity surged through his body.

"You son of a bitch! How dare you touch me!" Scarlett jumped over the bar and picked up the grubby man by his coat. Kicking him through the door, she stomped on his chest and unsheathed one of her short swords. Slowly raising it over her head, she smirked evilly and swung the steel down hard. Just before the sword went in, a strong hand grabbed her wrist.

"Let me guess, he fondled you didn't he? Though, i've never seen you try and kill someone for that." The man looked at her and smiled.

She twisted her arm away and sheathed her sword. "The dirty bastard stuck his hand down my pants! Being killed is the least of his problems..." She gritted her teeth and kicked at the shivering body beneath her.

"Oh, this is..." The man was quickly cut off.

" Vixen? Yeah I heard of her. Why should I care?" She glared at the silent woman starring at her. " So Hammer, why are you going around with a girl like her?

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Even in the face of such overwhelming odds, Garlock couldn't help but smirk amusedly.

"Well, boys and girls, looks like we're in over our heads! Guess we'll have to do what we do!"

"And what would that be, Captain?" mumbled a sarcastic female voice.

Garlock turned to the speaker. "Oh, there you are, Rona! You're just in time to see us send this here Sea King straight to hell!"

"Captain," sighed Sharona, "three problems with that statement. One, my name is Sharona, and I preferred to be called as such. Two, I'm pretty sure I didn't sign on to this crew to put up with your bizarre monster-hunting shenanigans. In fact, as your first mate, I advise you leave that Sea King alone before you get us all killed. Three, where the hell do you get off talking like that in front of Tetra?"

"Relax, Rona. Tetra here's 14. She's heard it all a thousand times."

"Yeah, Rona," replied the wolf sitting by Garlock's feet, "I've heard 'em all."

"Yes, you have, haven't you?" quipped Sharona, "all from him, if I'm not mistaken"

"Either way, there's no way I'm following that advice," said Garlock, turning to the beast once more, "Hey, you! Yeah, you with the teeth! What's with you, blockin' our way like this, eh? What right you got? Musta hurt when you fell from heaven, big guy! You fell, then you landed in the Ugly Tree!"

"Yeah," added Tetra, "and hit every branch on the way down!"

"What have I gotten myself into?" grumbled Sharona.

"Lemme tell ya something, big n' ugly! You ain't stoppin' us! You either move or we move ya! Boys, switch to Spiral King Morph System Position 4!"

A low rumble was heard from deep within the engine room of the Spiral King. suddenly, the drill figurehead elongated and began to spin rapidly. Garlock stepped out onto the new bit of the expansion and crossed his arms smugly.

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE!?" exclaimed Garlock, Tetra and a few other crewmembers in unison as the craft sped forward, piercing the monster and continuing forward.

"It's hopeless," cried Sharona, "I'll never have a sane captain. Why do I even bother?"

"Who needs sanity, Rona?" replied Garlock, "we don't, as long as our spirit prevails! That's how men fight!"

"I'm a woman."

"Right, well anyway, start pumping the water out of the engine room, boys. And someone get me a shower ready. These Sea King guts are disgusting."

[CENTER]...[/CENTER]

The villagers were taken aback at the sight of the ship approaching their harbor. It looked for all the world like the most technologically advanced equipment currently in existence, except for the incredibly crude sail that it was slowly making its way along with. The sight would have been incredibly comical, were the ship in question not bearing the colors of a pirate vessel, a flaming skull wearing impossibly huge pointed sunglasses. No one really knew what to think, except for Vixen.

"Dammit, it's him."

Garlock arrived in the harbor hours after he was spotted. "Damn, I really need to fix this flooding problem one of these days," he muttered to himself.

"Well, well. If it isn't Eleff D. Garlock."

"That you, Vixen?" he asked, dismounting from the figurehead of his ship and landing clumsily on the dock, "sure has been a long time!"

"Wait," interrupted Hammer, "who the hell is this guy?"

"Easy there, muscles. I'm an old friend."

"He uses the term loosely." Vixen drew her sword, laying it neatly at Garlock's neck. "Give me one good reason I shouldn't turn you into mincemeat."

"Look, I'm really sorry about that incident. I had no idea that bandit had a hostage!"

"I could have gotten killed if I hadn't stolen that gun."

"Fair enough, but that's not why I'm here," said Garlock, "I'm here for crewmembers and supplies, but since you're here too, I have a proposal. As you know, I'm completely uninterested in being Pirate King. All I want is the end of the World Government. So here's my proposal: My crew and I offer our services to help you achieve your dream. However, I keep my position and command and only take actual orders from you in extremely dire situations. In exchange, you help me overthrow those dusty old bureaucrats in Mariejoa. I'll even help with the Four Emperors if you need me to. What say you?"[/FONT]

[Ol' Fighter]

From within the crowd, Izu Mori looked, at what he believed were pirates, with a small smile upon his face.
"That must be Vixen and the big guy must be Hammer...and Eleff D. Garlock...and-" Izu stopped as he layed eyes upon a rather rowdy, but beautiful woman standing over a convulsing man.
"Hmm, who is that...she is quite stunning..." Izu said slowly moving threw the croud but was stopped by a sudden gasp from a man.
"Y-y-you're...that, tha-that man...the one who killed all those people...Izu Mori!!" the man yelled while training a small handgun at Izu's head.
"Yes...I am...are you here to collect the bounty on me? Please say no..." Izu said with a smile.
"Of course! Get 'em boys!" he said flicking his wrist. As he did this several large man surronded Izu, each wielding weapons ranging from guns and rifles to swords and axes. The crowd once again formed around, each individual wanting to see the action.
"Ya' dead Mori!" said one of the bounty-hunter's men followed by the others all charging at Izu. Izu on the other hand staid perfectly still as several swords and axes met his body only to be seemigly bounced off and reflected.
"What the he-" was all the hunters were able to say as Izu's body became pitch-black, melting down into the city streets and seperating, connecting with all the shadows of the hunters.
"To bad...I was hoping you would all just run away" Izu said smiling a little while ripping what appeared to be black paper and right before everyone's very eyes , the hunter's bodies began to vanish like ash into the air.
"Now, let that be a lesson to all the other hunters in the crowd" Izu said appearing two paces away from Vixen.
"Vixen right, I am Izu Mori...I wish to join your band" Izu said bowing. He then turned around and stared at the woman who caught his eye minutes earlier.
"And you, my dear...I must know your name..." he said taking her hand.

[garmeil]

Shougou watches as his captain jump down from the figure head of the boat. As Captain garlock jumped away from his sight he moved his self too to the figure head of the boat. He watches as Garlock begins talking to a stranger woman that he hadn't ever seen before. Not being able to hear the conversation pumped his thirst for knowledge and his curiosity took over. He jumped off the boat and safely landing with one knee kneeling and his fist facing toward the ground.

He slowly lifts himself up from the ground as he walks anxiously toward Garlock. As Shougou makes his way toward a captain he notices a man walk toward the captain, that pirate the captain was talking to, and a beautiful red headed girl. The man seems as if he's talking and then takes the red headed girls hand. Shougou begins to speed his pace up quit a bit.

"-What say you?" Is the first thing he heard his captain say as he approached them.

Shougou sneaks up behind Garlock and places his hand on his shoulder.

"So captain, who is this?" Shougou asked grunting in his voice as he said it.

Garlock looked back at Shougou and began to explain to him, "Oh, Um this," he points to the girl pirate he was talking to, "Is Captain Vixen." He then turns his head back to the direction of Vixen awaiting an answer.

Shougou scratches his head furiously itching a spot on the top of his head. As he scratched back and forth white flakes of dandruff fall to the ground. He then flicks his head backward to wave annoying red hairs from the middle of his face. He then looks at the captain who was still looking at Vixen then whispers to him,

"Captain, haven't you not yet wondered of who might be these spectators? I would digress toward the fact that these are strangers, but idiom enough of this bon mot conversation would be frontally plunged toward what would be called a "Awkward situation", maybe because of these questions I'm asking you know, but more of the fact that people of unknown origin are gathering around. If I were you, I'd be worried about what they might be planning to do with us. We are, in fact, pirates. I suggest that we quickly make our way from this village after your done exchanging words with your apparent old friend."

He took his hand off of Garlocks shoulder and places it in his pocket. Garlock then took a quick glance back at Shougou with a face warning Shougou to step back, or at least from Shougou's experience it was. Shougou stepped back trying carefully to place himself next to the red haired woman trying not to make it apparent that he was attracted to her.

[Akieen Cloud]

[COLOR="Navy"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Vixen stretched and yawned pulling her hat tighter over her ears and looked at Garlock.
"I have on condition with this Garlock. You ever cross my orders I will set your ass on fire and not lose any sleep over it; got that?"
He gave her a small smile and nodded. She looked back at Hammer, Scarlett, and Izu.
"If your coming with me than lets go, we're starting to attract attention we don't need. I suggest you do same Spiral, I've heard this town is notorious for how they deal with pirates."
She turned and walked towards her own ship that was dark and menacing, she looked over her crew and the other ship getting ready to set sail as well, it wasn't much but it would do. She ran up to the wheel and gripped it tightly.
"Alright everyone lets get out of here, let loose the sails and weight anchor, we're heading east!"
She threw the wheel east as the ship moved away from the dock. She looked over the crew and caught Izu following Scarlett. She hopped down, her purple braid flowing behind her and landed infront of him, she took her hat off revealing her unusual ears.
"If you joined this crew just to stare at someone you can get off now, you'll have time to swim back to the docks."
She turned and walked back towards the wheel deck and looked over the water as the two ships cut through the water. She walked to the front of the ship and sat on the railing over looking the water when Hammer walked over to her.
"You've been alone for a while have you?"
"My crew is my family, they're all I have and I have no room for people who follow their hormones instead of orders."
She took a deep breath and looked out along the water.
"Your a cold woman Vixen, that you are."
"Life on the water does that to a person some times Hammer."
She looked over at Garlock sitting on the front of his ship as well and sighed.
"Had run ins?"
"No, I'm not a craddle robber damnit, he's younger than me."
"Only by a few years."
"Still younger."
She stood up and grabbed the rope by her head and yelled over the water.
"It's turning night fall! We'll be putting in anchor in the next few hours, as soon as we get a good ways away from this town I'll go below and start dinner!"
He gave her a nod and went about his own ship as she did same.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]That evening, the Spiral King had less of a meal and more of a party.

"Drink up, guys and gals! Tonight, we celebrate new comrades and a giant leap twords our ultimate goal!" cheered Garlock, "and tomorrow, we'll get some damn work done!"

"Unlikely," replied Sharona, "I'm betting there'll be so many hangovers in the morning I'm going to have to doctor the doctor."

Sharona was hardly heard over all the cheers and off-key singing, not to mention the cries for "more rum" or "another beer." The festivities continued for hours, until a new member's voice was suddenly heard above the din.

"Why are we opposing the Marines, anyway?"

The clamor subsided almost instantly, until the only sound was of the Captain's footsteps. He continued to tread deliberately across the room, until he finally arrived at the origin of the voice.

"What's your name, boy?"

"Me, sir?" the recruit questioned nervously, "Wallace, sir. Wallace Marlowe."

"Well, Wallace, I'll let you in on the story here. See, we're not fighting the marines here. That's just part of it. No, we're after the Government itself, the Royals, the Elder Stars, even the Shichibukai, if they're actually loyal to the World Government. And yes, we're also going to take down the Marines."

"But why?"

Garlock sighed. "I was getting to that. Someone get me some rum and a chair. It's storytime.

"Nine years ago, I was a young child living on a small, relatively obscure island somewhere in West Blue. My dad was a retired Marine officer and my mom was a scholar working for one of the Government's historical research projects. Now for reference, Pa was highly decorated and well-known by almost everyone in the Marines, even Sengoku. He was a great fighter and respected and even liked by practically everyone he met. Mom was pretty, sweet and almost impossible to dislike. Life was peaceful and we were all happy.

"Then Mom got too curious. You've all heard of the Poneglyphs, right? The giant stones scattered all over the world that contain the secret history of the Ancients of Raftel? Well, there was one in a secret cavern below our home. Mom had always wondered what it said, but the language was only accessible to a select few researchers. She decided to learn it. What she found out was way more than she bargained for.

"Turns out the Poneglyph happened to contain the location of one of the most powerful weapons in this world; Poseidon. It's an ancient ship said to be able to destroy the World as we know it in a matter of months."

"You mean-" began a wide-eyed Wallace.

"Dahahahahahaha!" laughed Garlock, "no, this ain't the one. Ol' Spiral King here, the most I can do with her is maybe level a town in an hour. No, Poseidon can sink islands within minutes. Poseidon and Pluton, those are serious business. Pirates everywhere would kill for info on their whereabouts. Turns out, so would the Government. But that's not even the worst she found out.

"She learned of one or two atrocities the race that supposedly founded the World Government committed on the people of Raftel. They sent me out to play one day, and I can only assume Mom told Dad about what she found. Before sending me out, she told me to let her know if I saw any Marine ships. I wasn't paying attention, but after a bit of wandering around town, I suddenly spotted one in the harbor. I rushed home to tell them, but I guess the Marines beat me.

"When I got there, the door was kicked in. I walked in, and the first thing I saw was Mom, bleeding all over her freshly-washed carpet. Dead. Dad was in the corner, breathing really heavily. I barely got there in time to hear his last words to me.

"'Son, your mother and I have always raised you as best I could. We taught you to respect authority, but you never seemed to learn to do that. I have one last thing to say to you; never let that go. The powers in place in this world right now are there to limit rebellion. They don't care about the people they're supposed to protect, they're just there to be in power. There are honorable men in the system, but it's far too bogged down by greed and fear of rebellion to be allowed to exist. If you wish to live your life, stay here quietly and don't cause any trouble. But I know you won't do that, you're too hotheaded. There's a secret compartment behind that barrel by the wall. open it, and you'll find my last gift to you: the Spiral-Spiral Devil Fruit. It will grant you amazing power at the cost of your ability to swim. Use it as you see fit, or not at all. We're proud of you, son.'

"Months after that, I had to live on the streets. The villagers had no idea what happened to my parents, but they didn't want to take me in for fear it involved me somehow. I was fed and stuff, but I never had a good roof over my head. That's when he came.

"Shanks. That's right, Red-Haired Shanks. Or at least, formerly. By this time, it was mostly gray, but he took me in when no one else would. He brought me onboard his ship and taught me the meaning of piracy. Apparently I reminded him a bit of someone he once knew. Some annoying kid from some backwater village. Anyway, I'm curious, Wallace my boy. Why did you join this crew? What does being a pirate mean to you?"

Wallace smiled from ear to ear. "Freedom," he replied.

"Dahaha! I like you, kid. That's right, freedom. That's what it means to me, too. Every being on this planet deserves freedom, whether it be Fishman, Merfolk or human. As pirates, we enjoy the bounties of this freedom every day. That's why we're taking down the World Government; because it's our duty to make sure everyone on this planet is allowed to live freely. No one can live like that in a world where a ten year old child can lose his parents just because they know too much."

Garlock yawned. "Well, I think I'll turn in. Keep partying if you wanna, boys. Just remember, there's gonna be work in the morning. Oh, and I get really cranky if I someone wakes me up before I want to wake up. So don't make to much noise if y'all value your ribs, 'kay?"

[CENTER]...[/CENTER]

"That was informative," said Sharona later in the hall.

"Yeah, well it's all true," replied Garlock, "you got anything else to say?"

"I really had no idea life was so hard on you. I'm sorry for how I've been acting."

Garlock smirked. "Don't be. It's all in the past. Dad may have wanted me to take the Government down, but this isn't some damn revenge mission. This is for everyone."

Suddenly, Garlock's face hit the ground. Hard.

"I knew it!" exclaimed Sharona, "You're drunk off your ass, aren't you?!"

"I'm not as think as you drunk I am..."

"Whatever, let me help you get to your room."

Sharona helped Garlock up and supported him up to his quarters.

"Sharona?"

"Yes, Captain?"

Garlock turned his head, slightly embarrassed. "Thanks," he grunted.

"Anytime," Sharona replied, smiling. "They really are impossible to live with," she thought to herself, working her way to her own room, "but I suppose I can try for a little longer, anyway."[/FONT]

[Ol' Fighter]

Izu felt a little bad about his manner earlier so he decided to follow Vixen in order to apologize to her.
"I'll go below and start dinner" was what he heard Vixen yell as he walked towards her.
"Um, Vixen I was hoping that we could talk..." Izu said looking with a slightly flustered face.
"Look, I don't have time for hormonoly driven crew so-"
"Forgive me for acting the way I did earlier I didn't mean to upset you I actually hoped to do the exact opposite same for the other woman..." Izu said cutting her off. She looked at him with a raised brow, obviously not taken by what he had said.
"Vixen...have you heard of a man by the name of Gecko Mori..." Izu said sternly while unsheathing his tonto as its red tint casted a slight glare.
"Gecko Mori..." she replied while watching Izu closely as he began to walk towards her.
"He's my great grandfather...and I share his legacy as well as his misery..." he continued as his shadow began to grow as the sunlight faded.
"I share his fate under different circumstances but I wish to one day severe these chains of mine..." Izu said handing Vixen his tonto.
"What's this for?" she said puzzled as the tonto's red tint disappeared.
"Just in case I ever get out of line again...think of it as my lesh" he replied tugging at his shirt.

[GothikMoon]

Ripping her hand away, she quickly raised her sword to Izu's throat. "Touch me again, and i'll cut it off, and I'm not talking about your hand. " She smirked and lowered her sword.

Izu grinned, "Ooh, fiesty."

Scarlett smiled and put her hand on his chest. A small bolt rippled through his body, and he fell to one knee. " That's better." he chuckled and followed Vixen.

Entering Vixen's ship, she stopped and turned around. "It's Scarlett by the way." Grinning, she winked at him and made her way to the front of the ship.

It was her favorite part of a sailing, she loved to stand and watch the black waters flow beneath them. She had actually fallen off a few times when she was young. She sat on the railing alot, and waves would toss her overboard. Even now, she sometimes randomly jumps overboard for a swim.

Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the sweet scent of ocean air, and her mind was flooded with forgotten memories. Many of which were not so pleasant, her love and hatred for the sea were an equal mix. Turning her head, she watched Vixen and Izu talk. *Hmm...I suppose I'm not the only one with family secrets.*

[Tetra of sound]

You know how if you give a dog beer in its water bowl, it'll drink it and get drunk? Well, the same goes for Tetra. Tetra had gotten drunk. She was even more drunk than her captain. You could say he was a "bad influence", but to her, he was her master. She remembered always the day they met.

While the whole crew got even more drunk, she sang...drunkenly.

"All around the mullberry bush... *hiccup* pop goes the weasel!" She was laughing and singing like all the others.

"He will get you in the end.... And he will be your only friend... *mumble mumble* to save your soul... 'cause all you need is alcohol... Step right up and be a man!!! Get on your knees and beg!!!..." She was going to sing the rest of the song, when she had collapsed.

She had apparently dozed off. Sh began to sleepwalk into her captain's room and curled up at the foot of his bed.

[Akieen Cloud]

[COLOR="Navy"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Vixen put the sword on her shoulder and walked down below to the kitchen and turned on the fire to the stoves and began to gab pots and pans. She sighed as she went to the ice box and pulled out a huge pile of different foods and ingredients. She pulled a knife down from the top of the counter and began to quickly chop the food and things and throw them into the hot pans and pots til wonderful smells began to make her mouth water and she heard her stomach growl. She plated everything and carried it out to the deck and smiled as Garlocks crew looked at the food wantingly, she handed small plates piled high with food to her own crew before she grabbed a rope and swung over to Garlock's ship she smiled as he emerged from his cabin and smiled back.
"Smell good pyro."
"Thanks spring ass."
He chuckled shaking his head and looked over what she brought to his ship.
"Still the cook eh?"
"That's never gonna change and you know it."
She looked at her own ship and saw Scarlett on the back looking down at the water. It was glassy and smooth this time of evening and at the same time it was the most dangerous. Dark and looming a person could get lost in the depths easily. She watched as the waves crashed over the ships keels yielding to the wood easily. She sighed and looked back at Garlock.
"So your just after the Government still huh?"
"That's what I said, is it so surprising?"
"Not in the least, I was just thinking it's been years since everything happened you would think you would have gotten over it by now."
"Would you?"
"Not at all. But you were never the kind to hold a grudge."
He shrugged and put his back to the railing looking over his own crew.
"So what are you after exactly in the Grand Line?"
"No one has found One Piece yet, that's what I want."
"So that means Sky Island as well?"
"We'll stop at a near by harbor to reinforce the keels of the ships before we head there, I just got mine repaired last month."
He nodded in agreement to her suggestion.
"Well, it's getting late and I'm tired. I'll see you in the morn Garlock."
He nodded and watched her swing back across to her own ship where Hammer caught her and helped her down.
"Have a good talk did you?"
He wiggled an eye brow at her making her shake her head.
"Don't go there Hammer. Leave it be."
She looked back at Garlock and than over her own crew stopping at Izu and Scarlett one last time before retreating to her own cabin where she pulled out a bottle of whiskey and downed half of it. Putting it back between her mattresses she laid down and closed her eyes ready for sleep.[/FONT][/COLOR]

Do what you want for now, next time I post the Marines are on our asses!

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Garlock emerged from his cabin early the next morning and immediately clutched his head with both hands. "Holyhellwhatahangover."

He wasn't alone, either. About a dozen of the newer crewmembers, whose heavy drinking had mixed with their inexperience with the bucking motions of a ship at sea, were vomiting over the handrail. Garlock wasn't really feeling on top of the world at the moment, but someone had to keep these slobs in line.

"Alright, boys and girls. This ain't a pleasure cruise. I want you all up and at it as soon as the nausea goes down a bit. You fellas over there get to polish the ship and scrape off barnacles, seeing as how you're puking all over the side of my baby here. Engine room, keep my machine well-oiled and see if anyone's figured out how to fix that flooding problem. Rona-"

"Sharona."

"-Rona, supervise. Wander around the ship and make sure everyone's doing what they're supposed to be doing. Tetra, help her. I get the feeling she might actually be a better influence than me. Shougou, I have a special job for you. Make sure that drill on the figurehead isn't rusted or dented. Give it a good polish and let me know if there's any problems. I'll take the helm for now, but you all should be ready to take over if need be. That is all. Dismissed."[/FONT]

[Ol' Fighter]

"Scarlett huh..." Izu said to himself as he comfortably positioned himself on the side of the mast.
"What a beautiful woman she is but, I'll have to approach this with discretion otherwise, I'll feel the wrath of Vixen..." he continued, thinking to himself. As he looked over from above at the sea and the rest of the ship he felt himself at ease seeing the ever-lasting darkness.
"The darkness and the shadows that it casts...it's kind of a warm feeling being surrounded by it" Izu said lifting his very shadow. Configuring it to look like a sea dragon.
"That will keep unwanted guests at bay..." he said positioning the shadow at the very top of the mast, so the moonlight would reflected off of it and cast its shadow far and wide.
"As much as I like this power of mine...it sometimes disgusts me and frightens me at the same time..." he whispered as he looked up at the moonlit sky.

[Akieen Cloud]

[COLOR="Navy"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]It was morning now, Vixen looked out the small window and felt as if something was wrong. She jumped from the bed not caring that her hair was loose from sleep, running to the back of the ship she looked in the distance and took a deep breath and let it go, she ran along the deck yelling as she did.
"All hands! Make ready, we have marine ships on our tails! Izu, Scarlett, Hammer, let loose the sails get ready to move!"
She looked over at the other ship as Garlock did same with his crew, they were drawing out their cannons, she had them do the same thing. She took another deep breath and pulled at the power inside her and pushed it out of her skin and heard Hammer swear as two large wings of fire exploded from her back. She ran to the back of the ship again and shot a warning shot of fire towards the ships and saw with horror that instead of turning or slowing they continued, faster towards them. She looked back at the others.
"Get ready for a fight!"[/FONT][/COLOR]

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]"Sir, should we Morph to battle position?"

"Save it," shouted Garlock, "use it as a last resort. If all else fails, I don't want to be stranded in the middle of the ocean with a flooded engine up to my neck in Marines."

"But sir," yelled a crewmember, "that Sea King the other da-"

"Look, dumbass! If I want to be reckless I'll be reckless. We're about to take on the damn marines. There's likely at least three captains back there, not to mention all the lieutenants and other crap. And don't forget we're not the only ability users on the seas!"

"What do we do now?"

Garlock turned to the speaker and smirked so widely that his gums were exposed. "Now we fight! Alright, men! Get those cannons out where you can use 'em! All able-bodied fighters, weapons drawn and get ready to do what you do. Devil Fruit users, I want you guys fighting in top form. Sharona, man the helm. Or woman it or whatever. As for me," Garlock paused, put on a pair of sunglasses similar to those found on his ship's emblem, and smirked even wider. "I'm gonna go sink me a ship!"

[CENTER]...[/CENTER]

The first Marine ship caught up much faster than anticipated, but Garlock was ready for it nonetheless. He spring-loaded his legs (quite literally,) and launched himself at it headlong. Just before making impact, Garlock's forearm morphed into a drill, piercing the ship's hull. His progress was finally halted in the Captain's quarters, where a tall, imposing figure waited for him.

"Eleff D. Garlock. Wanted for anarchy, forbidden knowledge and piracy."

"If it isn't Marine Captain Axe-Hand Morgan." Garlock thumbed his nose smugly. "I've been rethinking my position on the World Government lately, but they've still got a D. for an enemy as long as they're willing to reinstate trash like you. Looks like you even got a promotion."

"Very astute, little man. It's true, I'm in command of a ship now, which means that everything I say on this vessel is right! I am the leader here! You of no rank nor status, you don't frighten me!"

"No rank? No status? I think you've got it wrong, pal! I'm the highest in command of my own life! I lead a ship of loyal men and women who look up to me as a leader in their hour of need! They love me," Garlock continued, "they would die for me! And unlike you, who sits in your cabin drinking South Blue wines while your trained monkeys do all the dirty work, I've earned their respect, because I would die for them! Every single one of them is more precious to me than even the One Piece! They're more than my crew, they're my family! Mind sharing why you're chasing my family around, Paul Bunyan?"

"It says here," Morgan calmly retorted, "that your head is worth 15 million beri. I suppose I don't need to tell you that the only thing bounties are good for is measuring how much of a thorn you are in the government's side. I haven't heard much about your exploits, but most of them seem to involve rabble-rousing and flag burning." The Marine Captain chuckled menacingly. "I bet you don't even have the strength to back up the rioting!"

"You wanna play on that bet?" said Garlock, throwing off his Captain's coat, "Let's show our hands, then! Axe versus Spiral, winner takes all!'

"Sounds good to me, you insubordinate punk!"

[COLOR="Red"]Got me a villain, hope you don't mind.[/COLOR][/FONT]

[Tetra of sound]

Tetra, as always, listened to her master. She fought as well as she could. She had boarded the same ship as Garlock. Tetra sank her fangs into the nearest marine, then shaking it around, tearing the flesh, and immobilizing the man.

After she single-handedly took out nearly 20 men, she ran towards her captain.

"Hey Captain! Mind if I join in on the fun?" She prepared herself for a fight, no matter what his choice. She was prepared for fighting the captain of the marine ship or the men she wounded badly dragging their bloody bodies to their captain.

[Ol' Fighter]

"Of all the rotten..." Izu yelled as he helped with the sails.
"Marines!" Hammer yelled towards Vixen. Izu watched as wings of flame appeared from Vixen's back as she ran off towards the back of the ship and shot a ball of fire at the enemy vessels' direction.
"Get ready to fight!" Vixen commanded as the vessel approached. Swiftly, the Marines boarded, rushing in small quads in tactical formations. Izu watched from atop the mast as the others fought of the Marines. Flames raging in the air, electricity bolting threw the decks, and bodies flying, as if rag-dolls, threw the air and overboard. Still, he watched not wanting anyone to see him.
"...DIE YOU DAMN PIRATE!" yelled a marine, aiming for Izu's head with a rifle. Izu easily dodged the scattering round by using a shadow-clone of himself. The round reflecting off it.
"....WAIT! Your that man...IZU!" the marine said with a smirk as he carefully stepped back preparing to jump overboard.
"I'll kill you before you can even make so much as make a sound!" Izu roared as he extended his shadow to catch the man, but to Izu's surprises, the man quickly whipped out a bag of, what Izu noticed, sea-salt a gobbled it down. As Izu's shadow clutched the Marines it slowly started to tremble and retract.
"Damn it..." Izu mumbled as the Marine dropped into the waters. Izu soon after fell to a knee. His body for some reason always reacted violently to sea-salt when his shadow was exposed to it.
"...damn cursed fruit. Well, it looks like the Marines know my location now...this is going to be fun..." he said standing up. He was able to keep a very low profile for years now when it came to the officials, never once being physically spotted, but now, thanks to his carelessness he would be hounded again like before.
"Great...hey, maybe they'll forget all about me when they see Garlock..." Izu said with a sly smile.
"Who am I kidding, we're both worth a lot of beri...".

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"]"No need, Tetra. Thanks for the offer but I've personally gota lot riding on this one."

Morgan's chilling laughter echoed through the room. "HAHAHAHAHA! You really don't need help, you little punk? Your funeral!"

"Don't talk about my Captain like that, you-!" began Tetra.

Garlock held an arm out in front of her. "I'll take care of this one. I know how ya feel, but you helping me ain't gonna shut him up about this kind of thing. Besides, he hasn't seen anything yet." At those words, Garlock charged the marine captain, drill-arm spinning at full speed. Morgan held up his axe to block it.

It was one of the biggest mistakes of his career.

A shocked Morgan stared dumbfoundedly at the drill bit piercing the metal head of his axe. "How-?"

"I'll tell you how, you pompous moron! You fell for your greatest weakness once again. Just like the time you underestimated Monkey D. Luffy, the Straw hat Pirate! You've always been full of yourself, haven't you? Full of yourself and something else, though it wouldn't be polite to say what else in the presence of my young female crewmate here. Who the hell do you think you are? You think you're so great, but this is the second time a rookie took you down! You really are pathetic! so pathetic," added Garlock, "that bloodying my drill with you isn't even worth the effort. Sink with your ship, has-been!"

Garlock left Morgan lying there and burst through the door onto the deck. "Alrighty, boys! all Devil Fruit users back to the Spiral King! All others, brace yourselves and get ready to flee after retrieving me from the depths!" With that, he sprang to the Crow's Nest of the Marine ship,tied himself to the mast, jumped as high as he could and aimed straight downwards. "Time to finish it! TO THE DEPTHS WITH YA!" Garlock's Drill arm, spinning full force, made short work of the deck, lower rooms and hull of the Marine ship. The disabled vessel immediately began to sink as loyal members of Garlock's crew hauled him out of the ocean by the rope he had left.

"What were you thinking?! I thought you were done for, idiot!"

Garlock's eyes slowly opened. "Oh, it's you, Rona. Relax, I knew what I was doing. Who the hell do you think I am? I wouldn't do something that crazy if I didn't know how it would turn out."

"Shut up, you," retorted Sharona, "You're staying on this ship for the remainder of this battle!"

Garlock chuckled to himself. "Hear that, boys and girls? I've been grounded!"

A rousing chorus of laughter echoed through the newly returning crew of the Spiral King. Sharona's fuse grew even shorter.

"Well, I'd better make the best of it," continued Garlock, "everyone else, get over there and help Vixen with those other ships. Follow her orders and fight for her like you would for me. That means you too, Tetra. As for me..." Garlock's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Rona, I notice you didn't say anything about the ship going into battle. Engine room! Spiral King Morph System Position 3!"[/FONT]

[GothikMoon]

"Damn! Not now..." Scarlett swore under her breath and looked over the ships. Finding the one she wanted, she instantly turned into lightning and zapped to the ship. Landing on the front deck, she was instantly surrounded by Marines. "Move! I need to speak with General Verunka."

The men smiled and moved out the way. "Right away princess. Hehe..."

She frowned and stomped past him. Arriving at the captain's corters, she angrilly kicked down the door and stormed into the room. A large, muscular man stood erect near the window, a long cigar petruding from his scarred mouth. He took a long breath of his cigar and lowered it next to his waist.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The General scoffed and walked up to her. "I came to get rid of some pests. Finding you was luck." He eyed her angrilly and fiddled with his crimson mustach. "It 's time for you to go home! You've been playing around for too long."

Scarlett chuckled and rested her hand on her sheath. "Playing? I denounced my heritage years ago! I wouldn't call that playing."

"It is not in your power to do so. The only way you will ever lose your name is in marriage. Speaking of...I ahve arranged something for you."

"Hell no! I am not going to marry him! You don't control me."

"Like hell I don't! I am your father and your going to do what I say!"

"Forget it. I'm leaving." She sighed and started to leave.

The general grabbed her arm and forcefully threw her onto the deck. Throwing off his jacket, he picked her off the ground and blew a puff of smoke in her face. "To bad, I was hoping you would become an elegant young woman. You could have had everything."

Scarlett grabbed his wrists and shocked him, he reluctantly released her. "I am not some whore you can sell off to the highest bidder!"

"Baby, I already have. Your absence is costing me good money by the way." He smiled and twirled a pair of handcuffs around his finger.

Her eyes widened, the rage quickly consuming her. "Fuck you!" She unsheathed her swords and lunged at him with lightning speed. He easilly dodged the attack and back-handed her.

"Ha! Did you forget who taught you in the first place?"

she smiled and drew her neddles from the pouch on her leg. "Your right. This one's new..." Throwing the needles into his hands, he winced and laughed.

"That's it?"

"No."

Snapping her fingers, a bolt shattered the the sky and hit the neddles, sending electricity to bounce back and forth between the needles. Thus, frying everything inbetween. The general coughed and fell to the floor. His men gathered around him and starred, unable to figure out what to do.

"Is he dead?"

"Unfortunetly no."

Suddenly, a tall young man shoved his way through the crowd and stood before her. Realizing who it was, she hugged him and smiled. "Brian, your alive!"

He smiled brightly and shoved the gun to her chest.

"What?"

"Sorry babe, but i'm never been good with getting dumped." He grinned and shot.

The sound echoed through the air as blood spewed from her chest. A tear rolling down her cheek. "Damn." She could feel the icy waters consume as the darkness crept over her eyes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
OOC: Evil father... Bwahahahahahaha!!!! *Dun* Dun* *DUN!!*

[Tetra of sound]

"Right! I'm on it!" Tetra leaped onto Vixen's ship and immobilized and killed all marines that came her way.

"Garlock said to do whatever you say, okay?" Tetra yelled toward Vixen while fighting marine after marine. "These guys just keep on coming! How many are there?!"

[Akieen Cloud]

[COLOR="Navy"][FONT="Comic Sans MS"]Vixen looked on and saw Scarlett go down and surrounded her in a circle of flames to keep the marines from grabbing her.
"Find Hammer and get Scarlett to my quarters, look in the small cabinet there are first aid supplies get her patched up, lock the door and get your asses back out here!"
For the most part she had been keeping back and seeing what her new members were made of and she had to say she wasn't in the least dissapointed.
"My turn..."
She jumped down onto the deck and smiled as the third captain saw her and pointed, his eyes huge.
"Hello there Xax, good to see you."
"Vixen...the descendant of Puma D. Ace..."
She smiled and held her arms out smiling more.
"That's right, Vixen D. Ace, at your service, how about a BonFire?"
He shook his head and drew his sword.
"I'll be promoted if I catch you, my family will be set for life with your bounty."
"What am I up to now?"
"Nearly 5 million beri."
"That's all? Thought I'd be worth more."
She let her body temp rise and smiled as his arm seemed to freeze over.
"Ohh, Ice Ice fruit? Very clever."
He nodded and shot a chunk of ice her way, she shook her head and grabbed it she looked it over and cursed as it started to go down her arm.
"Nice try!"
She covered her self in fire and shot it across the deck clearing the rest of the marines as well. She ran to the end of the ship and jumped down into the water, Izu yelling behind her.
"Are you mad?!"
She stood up in a small dingy, well it wasn't even that, it was the bottom of one it looked like a boogie board to say he least. She let the wings of fire explode from her back , the heat from them pushing her forward till she was heading for the boats, she pulled her arm back and shot a fire ball at them, she smiled as it broke through all three sinking them, she tuned around and headed back for her ship when a piece of wood from the blown ships hit her in the back of the head knocking her into the water.
"Son of a bitch!"
She held her breath hoping someone would throw out a line knowing almost none of them could swim either, it was Hammer who pulling her back onto the ship.
"Your crazy."
"I've been told."
She looked at Tetra and told her to go back to Garlock and she did happily, she walked to her quarters where Scarlet was laying on her cot resting, her breathing was even so she knew she was alright. She heated up her hand and placed it on her skin sealing the wound so she wouldn't bleed anymore. She than walked out and sat down at the helm.
"Good work everyone, now lets get the hell out of here."
She kicked a switch by her foot and smiled as Garlock's eyes got wide, on each side of the ship sweeps came out and started to move on their own.
"Technology is great eh Garlock?"
He shook his head and nodded. She loosened the sails and let the wind and the sweeps get them out as fast as any ship. She looked at her arm and let the heat flow there getting rid of the frost bite that was there. She looked over the ship and was happy to say that there was no damage. She looked up as Izu made his way towards her.
"Why didn't you say anything about who you really were when we joined you?"
"Your a hunter, what makes you think that with a 4.5 million beri bounty on my head I was going to tell you?"
He continued to look at her.
"Well?"
She looked at him and pulled her hair over her shoulder, still loose it hit the deck, her unusual ears twitched as she listened to everything around her as well.[/FONT][/COLOR]

[Ol' Fighter]

"And I thought I had problems..." Izu said to Vixen as he extended his shadow playfully configuring it to look like a dragon smiling.
"Everyone has problems..." she replied with a chuckle holding out a wanted poster with Izu's name on it.
"The cat's out of the bag..." he replied laughing.
"Oh, and Vixen...the tonto I gave you earlier. It's connected to shadows and me so if your ever in a situation that's over your head...just unsheath it, but please, whatever you do don't break it or drop it or anything else that would hurt a new borne baby...".
She laughed a bit and thumped the tonto's hilt and as she did, Isu wobbled a bit.Izu shot her a painful smile and used his shadow to wave good-bye to Vixen as went to check on Scarlett. He felt as if they were ultimately after the same thing and that being to break the shackles of their lineage. Izu aloud himself a quick moment of weakness as he looked at Scarlett lying there.
"...she's alright...I'm relieved a little..."Izu said taking a seat next to the bed. He still was in a bit of pain from his sea-salt run in, for his right arm was now swollen and throbbing with pain.
"...why can't people just live on as they please in this world anymore..." Izu said wrapping a bit of his shadow around his arm to comfort it.
"Of course I know the answer...".

[GothikMoon]

Scarlett rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. She instantly winced as the pain in her shoulder shot down her arm. Looking to the chair beside her, she saw Izu silently sleeping. She smiled and ruffled his hair. Sighing when it did nothing, she removed her covers and hopped out of bed. Laying the covers over Izu, she slipped her shirt back on, and walked out of the room.

Eyeing the ship, she noticed no one was out. *Hmmm....they must all be sleeping.* She grinned and ran to the back of the ship. Gleaming at the black water, she sighed and remembered the fun she used have there. She used to be quite an excellent swimmer, but not so much anymore. Smiling, she also remembered what else she did for fun when she was young. Climbing the long rope, she arrived at the top of the mass. She chuckled slightly and unsheathed her swords, holding them both out parallel to her shoulders. Closing her eyes, she immediately started practicing her techniques while walking across the rope. This helped her keep good balance and light footing. Quickly gaining speed, she swung back and forth, swinging and twirling her swords as she pleased. Eventually it was like nothing, she didn't even start to slip, she was flipping and spinning forward and backward, completely compelled with the movements. Upon reaching the end of the rope, she back flipped off the rope and land hard on the wooden floor. Finally opening her eyes, she smiled proudly and sheathed her weapons.

Taking a deep breath, she began to stretch her body, doing Tae Kwan Do was very relaxing, and helped form her concentration. Starting with simple stretches, she worked her way to actual fighting stances and defensive techniques. Breaking a sweat, she started moving faster and much more ferociously. Every strike serged with intensity, eventually actually producing electricity. Making her final move, she shot out her palm, producing a wave of lighting that vibrated the ship and sky alike. Wiping the sweat form her brow, she looked to the sky and smiled as the rain started to pour upon her steaming flesh.

[The Spectacular Professor]

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][COLOR="DarkRed"]OoC: as a One Piece fantard I'm gonna go ahead and point this out, but don't misconstrue it as rudeness; Devil Fruit users can't swim. It's the price they pay for their fantastic power. They start to get sluggish when they're waist-deep, and they're totally paralyzed once they're submerged.[/COLOR]

"Alright, that's the last of 'em," concluded Garlock, as a final round from the Spiral King's screw cannons rang out along with Vixen's own cannons, sinking the final Marine ship.

"Sir, what about those recruits in the lifeboats?"

Garlock glanced toward where the speaker was pointing. "Leave 'em," he said, "i may hate the Government, but those fellas don't even know what they're working for. No need to kill a bunch of ignorant lackeys."

Just then, Vixen arrived on deck. "Impressive mechanics, Spring-ass."

"Thanks," replied Garlock, "that trick of yours wasn't so bad either, Pyro."

"I try. So what kind of caviat is attached to transforming an entire ship mid-battle, anyway? I can't imagine that going off without a hitch."

"Yeeeaah, about that," Garlock chuckled nervously, "you mind towing us along for a couple of hours?"

[CENTER]...[/CENTER]

"You know this is even more embarrassing than the sail, right?" quipped Sharona, staring at the tow cable hooked around the drill bit prow.

"You know it's also more reliable and we should be grateful Vixen even let us consider it," retorted Garlock.

"It makes you look stupid, Mr. Manly Man."

"Crap, you're right. Well, I can't do much but find a way to keep the engine room dry."

"You know," began Sharona, "I've heard that there's a way to give inatimate objects Devil Fruit powers. Maybe-"

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Designing a ship to sink. I think I'll figure this one out myself, thanks." With that, Garlock strode off to his cabin.

The full scope of Sharona's frustration could only be summed up in one word: "MEN!"

"Can't live with us, can't live without us," replied Garlock, "Later, babe."[/FONT]

[Tetra of sound]

Tetra was staring out to the sea. She was thinking about her past again.

[I]The government will pay for what they did... they WILL pay...[/I] She remembered the day they attacked her home.

Tetra had once lived on an island where those who didn't want Devil Fruit would dispose of it. Because there was so much of it, it eventually became customary for every person once they reached 13 to be given one.

The island was known to be a hotspot for unusual and useless powers - that is, until Tetra turned 13.

The government knew of the island. They never thought of it as a threat to their power until the rumor of an Inu Inu fruit being tossed there.

Two weeks after her birthday and eating the fruit the government had showed up.

"Help!" You could hear the people scream. They killed every adult. Coincidentally, Tetra happened to be the only child. They didn't kill her, or thought to do so because to them, who would give such power to a mere child?

They had left her to die. She wandered the island, gathering things to make a raft.

She had finally made her raft. She managed to reach another island a week later. Her survival was a miracle.

When she landed, she remembered seeing a man that reminded her of her father. She begged to come along. She managed to convince him to let her on board.

[I]That was the day... I met my captain... a year ago, this very day...[/I]

[I]~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~[/I]

[I]***Just a little bit about her past... [/I]