One Piece: Under the Sands of Amduat (IC)

((OOC))

At the edge of Amduat’s sprawling stretches of endless sand and stone, next to the opening of the Zawyet River on the southeastern point of the island sat the port town of Hawara. The wooden barricade on the river at a narrow point next to the Hawara was built into a large wall around the rest of the town, somehow both sturdy looking, yet hastily constructed. The Oceanside boundaries remain unwalled, the docks filled with merchant boats, marine ships, and even pirate vessels, unashamed of flying their flag, for a tree hides easily in a forest.

On the eastern side of the port, an old warehouse sat. Run down aside from some patchwork here or there, it is marked with the Marine logo painted on the front above the large door. Given to the soldiers in the islander’s time of crisis, the fighting force is neigh constantly grumbling about their posting. The insides were also made into separate rooms and quarters, making it the shabbiest Marine Base in these seas.

At one of the higher rooms, dark due to the only light coming from a window facing west at noon-time, musty from the lack of circulation, a man with somewhat feminine features and long silver hair, wearing only a vest over a long sleeved white shirt, with long white pants, fanned himself, cursing the heat. The commander of the Marines station here sat in his chair, grabbing his sword just after there was a knock at the door. Drawing it, he left the sheath on the floor just as he said, “Enter!”

In walked a pretty looking woman with long black hair, her eyes filled with disdain as she looked at her slob of a commanding officer. She wore a white coat, zipped up, and had black pants, her face red and sweaty from the heat. “Commodore Janiel,” she saluted.

“Oh! Lieutenant Commander Sybil. Just practicing...” He lied through his teeth. “You look hot under the collar. My coat rack still has room...” He gestured to the rack, only one Justice coat hanging from it, the other hooks still free.

“Disgusting...” Sybil hissed quietly, knowing that the moment she took off her coat, her lecherous commander wouldn’t be able to stop leering at her chest. Ignoring him, she got to her point, “I have the report from the scouts. When does the attack start?”

“When the Captain from Division 7 gets hear. What’s his name...Tiberk? Tiverk? Whatever. And my old acquaintance, Theo Duncan, is already here; just arrived this morning.” Sybil suppressed a smile: she and Duncan had been trading stories of Janiel during their breaks, and neither had much good to say. Not noticing, Janiel stood, saying, “Very well then. The report?” He began to wave his sword about deftly and swiftly, preforming a few basic routines, perhaps trying to impress the reporting Marine.

Sybil continued to ignore him as she began, “Out of the pirates seen in Hawara, only six have Captains with bounties, ranging from 116 Million to 31 million.”

“116 Million? Is it that Archer brat? ‘The Phantom’ of the Outlaw Pirates? I want to kill him personally: his ship makes quite the racket. So obnoxious...” Janeil sighed, his sword making a furious motion.

Sybil continued, “One the other end of the value spectrum is ‘Slick’ Charles Burns, at 31 millio-“

“What!? He was a pirate? The smarmy bastard introduced himself to me personally. ‘Slick’ indeed...” Janeil stopped, wiping his forehead of sweat.

Sybil smirked, before moving on, “Also low on the list is Fural ‘Goldbeard’. 35 million.”

“Never heard of him,” Janiel sighed.

“We’re still checking to see if he’s forged the posters. Moving on to the dangerous ones, there’s three notable. I believe you ran into Leif ‘Wild Smile’ Nielson? 50 Million? The one who keeps eating and running.”

“Ugh. Him and his brother. So obnoxious! Rancorous and wild: I’d put them down myself if I had the opportunity.”

“I’m sure you could,” Sybil mumbled, adding “n’t” silently. “Regardless, ‘Phantom’ aside, I think the ones we have to worry about the most are Sebastian Siras ‘of the Bloody Fangs’ and Jafar ‘Deathrow’ Rownan, at 100 and 99 million, respectively.”

Janiel flinched at the names; both infamously strong. “There will be casualties, no doubt. And what’s with the bounty difference? Did Deathrow step on less puppies or something?” Sybil shrugged. Janiel moved over to the door, grabbing his Justice coat and throwing it over his shoulders. “But still. Weren’t there other crews with bounty holders?”

“They’ve likely left the island or somehow slipped inland through or around the gates without notice. We’ve heard no word of anyone passing the gates except that man, but he was let in,” Sybil explained.

“Hmm...” Janiel thought before saying, “Very well then, we strike soon, rally the troops and alert the local miltia. I shall conspire with Duncan and Tiderk over the Den Den Mushi line to strategize. No pirate will leave alive!”

===

Outside the base, the rest of the busy port town moves along, merchants trading, pirates rambunctiously hitting any taverns or restaurants they come across, while Marines and local militia patrol, desperately trying to keep order, the blazing sun above keeping tensions high...

Sebastian looked over his ship from his lofty position at the helm. The Lady was looking impeccable, as ever. The Fangs had just arrived at Amduat, so Sebastian deemed it necessary to ensure she was looking her best. His hands found their way into his dusters pockets. His swords clattered softly against his legs as he began to walk around and check on the progress. He stood in the middle of the ship and shouted "ALLRIGHT MEN!" The crew stopped what they were doing and looked at the captain "She's fine now, take a break" he nodded slowly and smiled underneath his obscuring bandanna.

The sailing had been difficult for the crew, so Amduat may be a good chance for them all to stretch their legs and to get away from each other. As close knit as they were, there's only so many days you can be in confined areas with the same people before snapping under the slightest of pressure.

Sebastian looked up to the sky and idly thought on what insane Marines would try and board the Lady, the thought of even a small fight made him slightly giddy with elation. Then a thought struck him, he needed to be ready

"SHAZKZ! FRONT AND CENTER!" He shouted, calling out to his giant shipwright.

Onboard The Eclipse. The biggest ship in the port. the sound was blasting, the entire deck was practically bouncing from the super strong soundwaves coming from below the main-deck, in the "Party-Deck". The Ecplise was a party boat, and it was how the Outlaw pirates earned their gold. They did after all do very little plundering and pillaging. The lights were flashing, to the highly paced and very loud music, as people were dancing. Most of them were traders and pirates who wanted to take it easy. But there were even a few natives and Marines at the dance floor, showing off their moves.

The music was sent through four big-speakers, each in their own corners of the deck. They were connected to Den-Den Mushis, given sepcially designed shells to both amplify the sound, and boost the quality of the music, needless to say, they were expensive. The captain of the Outlaws was in his own quarters. Sitting in his bed, drinking a bottle of whiskey. When he heard the door slide open, as two girls walked in, holding drinks of their own. William. " What are you ladies doing here, the party's downstairs." He said, as charming as ever.

One of the girls, a blonde one giggled, as she and her friend reacher for William's hands, as they looked seductively on him, before pulling him up from the bed. " Come on, we can't party without The Phantom, now, can we?" The girl said, as they pulled William up from the bed. He chuckled at them, as he laid his arms around them, as the both of them put their bottles of alcohol to his mouth, he began drinking down.

The three of them made their way to the DJ, whom was playing hte music, as the music got toned down, for William to say something.

" HOW'S IT HANGING, AMDUAT?!" He shouted, as he was met by a roar of cheer. " I HOPE YOU ALL ARE ENJOYING YOUR TIME HERE AT THE ECLIPSE. I HOPE YOU ALL KNOW WHO ARE THE BEST PIRATES IN THE WORLD, RIGHT?!" He shouted, as he turned the mic out towards the hundreds of people on the dance floor, where he was met by a shout of " OUTLAWS!" He laughed as he shouted. " THAT'S FUCKING RIGHT. NOW, DJ TURN IT UP, WE'RE GONNA LIFT THE ROOF OF THIS BOAT!" He shouted, as the music came up even louder, and the lights began more agressive.

He returned to the two women.

{Franz Heisenberg}

_Eclipse_

The ship named Eclipse rocks back and forth on the docks of the island Amduat. It was obviously the biggest vessel on the docks compared to the other ships and noisier compared to the rest. There is always a party for anyone that visits, a place for good times to be had, be it regular folks, pirates, and the occasional marine and that's what the Captain wanted. But the problem is the Captain himself preferred to be apart of the events and party hard instead of managing it and making sure things run smoothly.

Franz Heisenberg, man from the sky, dressed in a navy blue with a flock coat and pants with crimson red trimmings, and possessor of a finely trimmed curly mustache was there solution. He was an odd fellow, with his silver bifocals and two spheres connected to his curly and messy hair, always developing strange devices for his amusement. However, the more he traveled with the Outlaw pirates, the more Franz would take charge and become a member of the crew. He has managed the gold they collect from the party goers to keep the bars and kitchens well stocked and the vessel itself well maintained. On occasion, Franz would make arounds to the bouncers making sure they on their shifts or to check with them to ensure the party doesn't become a brawl or worst.

With a cane in his right and a doorknob turned by his left, Franz opens a door and steps on to the main deck. "Hmm, we seriously need to get some cannons." He remarked as he walked turning side to side. That was the biggest problem of the Eclipse, it really lacked a way to defend itself and through Franz abhorred violence, he understood the importance of defending one's self. "This place is giving me much to worry yet nothing has happened. " He said as he tapped his cane on the deck. "Hmm." He muttered as he looked towards the island.

The noise, the drink, the utter lack of sense and refinement...

Yeah that was the Eclipse alright, and Perla would be lying that if for once she wouldn't want to serve or even be apart of a huge party of refinement and grace instead of watching drunk fools gulp down her godly cooking like it was nothing but snacks to go along with their cheap beer. Despite this though she did enjoy it here, but only when it was just her and the crew on the ship where they could enjoy their own music and dance to their own beat instead of having to entertain the fools of each island that they went too. However there were some that were good hearty people with a brain for good music and good company, but never enough in her mind.

"I will be back soon, continue to serve the guests whatever they wish.."

She was done cooking for now and decided to take a break up on the main deck to get away from the things happening below. The fresh air slammed into her like a wall, it was so different from below deck. Reaching up to her straight cut hair she brushed it from her face, letting the sun catch her golden eyes, which oddly enough were made from real gold... It was then she saw Franz on deck, one of the better members of the crew if she said so herself.

"Hello. Not enjoying the party much?"

She mentioned walking closer, placing her hands infront of her in a elegant manner.

{Franz Heisenberg}

_Eclipse_

Franz Heisenberg didn't turn just continued to look straight towards the island with its inhabitants scattered about going to merchants, taverns, or restaurant. " Much troubles me, Miss Kagavun." He mentioned finally showing life. He then rubbed his eyes as he turned back to the eclipse's infamous cook the deadliest maid. " The closer we got to Amduat, the more I asked questions to fellow travelers and all their answers were the same." Franz mentioned as he walked with his cane over to the maid. " Quite dreadful to summarize their responses so I'm a little worried." He continued as he stopped before her noticing her golden eyes and to her, Franz looked quite concern. " I apologize, I shouldn't have said anything. Now I have probably troubled you now." He said " Forgive me."

Franz turned back to the island and then back to the maid. He figured a change in topic could probably lighten the mood for both her sake and his own for the time being. " By the way, how is the kitchen? Is everything up to your standards?" He questioned as he formed a crooked smile, still worried about the crew. " The profits, we received from just today are quite good in addition with the rest of our beri so he could afford extra indigents that way you can experiment and possibly create new dishes." Franz mentioned as he brought up some good news.

Perla couldn't help but smile at what the man said about troubling her. "This is the only life I have known, so its not like much troubles me yet, more so the looming threat that may await us." She looked about the ship for a moment, thinking on what they had and where they were going; they were ill prepared to so the very least. However she knew that their captain wouldn't allow that to happen for long. They were doing this party for just that reason, and what they would get out of it may be enough to see them through what they were going to do, hopefully.

"I have decided not to waste my skills on these people any more than I have to right now. There is little point in presentation and taste to peope who are not even paying attention to it" he stated with a small sigh, looking up to Franz with a smile right after because he mentioned all the things she could do with the money. "I suppose there is a upside to everything heh. But still, how long will the party last?"

As the music of the Outlaw Pirates echoes throughout the town, the docks became a bit quieter, the only ones there being natives who had to be there or foreigners who didn’t mind, or even liked it. The foreign music sounded strange and grating to the ears of the natives.

One group of foreigners sat not too far away from the boat, just outside a tavern called the ‘Burnt Needle’. The one in the center bit at a chunk of meat roughly, occasionally passing glances at the Outlaw’s ship, a perpetual smile on his face with several gold teeth visible. “Something bugging you, Captain Leif?” One big member asked.

“Yeah, this meat is dry and his music’s garbage. I wanna kick the crap out of him,” said Leif ‘Wild Smile’ Nielson, with short brown hair, a round face, a cross shaped scar under his eye, wearing a long sleeved gray shirt and navy blue shorts and sandals. At the thought of fighting, he grinned wider, showing off a few more gold teeth. “Oi, Skladd! Get out here!”

After a few moments, ‘Teeth’ Skladd Nielson came out of the tavern, mug of alcohol in his hand. His hair was dirty blond and short, a black headband covering the forehead. He wore a red vest over his scarred chest, and a sword hang at his side, his free hand resting on it. “What?” he grunted, guzzling down the rest of his drink through his razor sharp looking teeth.

“Wanna go kill the guys on that ship?” Leif asked casually.

“Who’re they?” Skladd wondered, looking into his empty mug disgruntledly.

One of the smaller crewmates spoke up, “T-that’s the Outlaw Pirates. Their Captain’s worth 116 million!”

“Who the hell asked you, shit for brains!?” Leif snapped, causing him to recoil as if he were going to get hit. “So yeah, up for it, bro?”

“Maybe later, I’m still thirsty,” Skladd sighed, turning to head back in.

“Aw, you’re no fun!” Leif groaned, pouting a bit. Huffing, he went back to his meat, as his crew, the Wild Smile Pirates, anxiously looked at the ship of the Outlaws, a bit of worry on their minds.

===

At the edge of town, built into the wall was a large, wooden gate. It was oddly reinforced: to keep people in the city rather than out. Surrounding it were members of the militia, their skin tanned by the sun, wearing light colored clothes and usually wielding spears or swords. Also patrolling about were numerous Marines. A staircase led from the lower part of town to the gate ,and sitting a bit farther down, right in the middle, a Marine Captain held the receiver of a Den Den Mushi. The Captain was big and broad, his coat draped over his shoulders. He had short brown hair sticking out from under his cap and a squared jaw. He wore a white button up shirt and navy blue pants. On his back was a large maul, and within his coat, on his hip, and down his leg hung many small hammers.

Even farther below him, a small group of pirates stood on the staircase, seeming to want to get through the gate somehow. They all wore black robes of sorts, and sometimes a piece of armor, like a gauntlet or helm. At their head was a tall man, wearing a long, black button up coat, hanging open. His left arm was completely missing, and his right was covered with armor. On his back was a large sword, a skull designed into its hilt. His head was bald except for a pony tail coming out of the back of his head.

“Did you get that Theodore?” a voice came from the other side of the Den Den Mushi in the Captain’s ear, the voice clearly Janiel’s.

“Nah, this guy was yelling at me, hold on,” Captain Theo Duncan sighed, holding the receiver aside. “Hey, sorry but I’m talking here! You can’t get through anyway!”

“On whose orders? What do you care if my men and I lose ourselves in the sands in our searches?” the pirate captain asked.

“Uh, the Sun King’s? I’m just following orders,” Duncan sighed, wanting to just fight this guy off.

“Oh, so the Marines now bow to a isolationist King who wants nothing to do with them?” The pirate scoffed.

Theo stood, angrily, grumbling, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to leave, ‘Deathrow’.” The pirate’s hand twitched towards his blade, but he didn’t grab it quite yet. The two forces stood off, tension rising...

{Franz Heisenberg}

_Eclipse_

"Hmm, I suppose that is true." Franz said with a crooked smile of his. He turned away and started to stroll with aid from his cane, over to a leather satchel he left behind earlier in the day. " But it will one day, and on that you shall truly value the life you've been given." He mentioned as he picked up the satchel and placed the strap over his left. He stared back at her eyes of gold and said " I look forward to that day, because on it you shall be more human than anyone else." He then, opened his bag and examined its contents to make sure all the little goodies and toys he might need are still there, nice and safe.

"The party will last as long as the Captain wants so forever, hahaha." He mentioned as he chuckled, amused by his own joke and smiling a genuine grin. After he closed his bag, Franz then asked the maid a question since she sounds very unappreciated. " Miss Kagavun, would you like to join me on a expedition of the first city of Amduat?" He then reached for a Den Den Mushi inside his satchel. It was a strange looking one, with a black and white checkered top hat on one of its eye stocks and a curly mustache of its own much like Franz's. " I would wager a break would be needed. Refresh the mind and renew the senses." Franz mentioned.

" Everything is running smoothly, I'll just let the captain know and we can set off." He added to the maid.

Natalia was in her room on The Scarlet Lady. It was fairly big, but most of the space was taken up by her in-room workstation that she had set up herself. While she did have another place where she treated patients, her room was where she did most of her experiments and studies. She was just less likely to be bothered in room, than out on any other part of the ship. Currently, Natalia was setting out all the possible herbs that the crew would need travelling out in a place like this. Whenever the crew split off, she always gave them some herbal remedies as well as some basic first aid supplies because she didn't want them getting hurt and not being able to treat their wounds just a little bit. Natalia herself always carried around much more though! She was the crew's doctor after all and she should always be prepared!

After setting aside all the herbs she that they would need, she sat back in her chair in the room. Natalia, leaned back a bit, looking up at the ceiling. They were in a new place, and a new place may mean new illnesses! A new place also meant new medicines and just new things to study in general, and thinking about all this started to make Natalia just a bit giddy. She decided that she would go out into the port town and see if she could learn anything from the natives, and maybe find some useful things as well! But first, Natalia was going to check-in with Sebastian. She couldn't just go off somewhere without her captain not knowing!

Natalia grabbed her messenger bag and packed it up with what she usually brought. She hooked her whip onto her belt loop, since she knew she was going to be needing something in case some trouble arose. Natalia strapped her messenger bag on, and walked out of the room and headed up to the main deck. She got there as the captain was shouting for Shazkz. Natalia walked over and stood in front of him.

" Heh, I know you weren't calling for me, but I was wanting to let you know that I planned on going out into the port town. Since were in a new place, I thought it would be best to try and see if I can learn more about the medicine they use here and any illnesses people outside of Amduat may not know about." She said with a small smile.

"Last thing we need is the crew members getting sick and me not having any knowledge of how to properly cure it! Really I just wanted to make sure you knew and see if you had any objections which I hope you won't."