A strikethrough represents Devil Fruits that have been returned to rotation due to character death. It can be claimed again, but requires communication with me relevant players for narrative purposes and timing matters.
A listing of all known in universe bounties, active and inactive. Inactive is marked with a strikethrough, and can indicate that the target is dead, captured, or has otherwise had their bounty annulled (such as having becoming Warlord of the Sea).
6,660 million beri - Avalon "The Devil" Duskar 233 million beri - Radigan "The Grime King" 188 million beri - "Witch of Webs" Mahonia Lucille 67 million beri - “Riptide” Brutos 60 million beri - "Waning Moon" Luna Nox 58 million beri - Adam "Earthwalker" 17.7 million beri - Nicky "Nightingale" 10 million beri - Octavian Sorss 8 million beri - "Painmaker" Desprit 7 million beri - "Rustler" Lordian 1.5 million beri - "Snake-Eyes" Andou
“Yeah, it’s stupid. It’ll probably get me killed. But even if I take my licks, get knocked down...it’s when you get back up where life’s at it’s most fun.”
Growing up on an island predominately populated by the elderly, though he loved them and knew he was loved, in the corner of his soul he told himself ‘I never want to be like that’. Sitting around mourning what was lost, longing for the past, no longer reaching for something. Rico knew the present was the most fun and interesting. Whether it was playing pranks, enjoying games, or causing trouble, he did what he wanted to, and that was that. His ideals are something he carries with him into the outside world. Though more typically he’s chased away as a menace, like an exploding firework, he tends to leave an impression. It is hard to forget his proclamation of reaching the top of the pirate world as ‘King’, whether it’s recalled as an absurd joke or something more than that. But Rico knows there are cinders yet in the world, waiting to blaze into a mighty inferno.
CHARACTER GOALS:
Dreams and ambitions are a key component of the characters in One Piece. Luffy in particular has a tendency to push those who have them to strike out and finally achieve them after sitting still for so long. But what of those who try, only to fail? Sometimes they give up completely, and other times they manage to pick themselves back up.
Rico deliberately doesn’t want his life to simply burn away to nothing, and there isn’t anything sadder to him than a dream gone unfulfilled. Purposefully aiming to inspire people, Rico clicks best with those who believe they’ve already met the end of their ambition, as he would aim to relight their flame. In the original story I planned for him, I wanted his crew to be made up entirely of people who’d already tried to realize their dream, in contrast to the Straw Hats who had yet to take their first step. I won’t be that stringent with any other PCs interested in joining the Inferno Pirates, but as long as members fit the idea of ‘passion being ignited’ then they’ll be more than a good fit for his crew! In the long term he aims for the title of Pirate King, but in the more mid term, I foresee a conflict with the Tianyan Empire...
CHARACTER NOTES:
Organization: The Inferno Pirates Position: Captain Starting Sea: West Blue Devil Fruit: Rico has eaten the Spark-Spark Fruit, a special Paramythia type. He is a firework human, able to create sparks, rockets, and explosions in a procession of colors. Shooting off rockets from his finger tips, turning his arm into a Roman Candle, or spinning to achieve the effect of Catherine Wheel are all example applications of his power. His body is immune to typical blades or bullets, strikes against him leaving traces of lit of gunpowder like a sparkler. He doesn’t take well to either fire or water. Water keeps him from igniting, making him vulnerable to normal attacks and preventing his typical ones. Fire, on the other hand, makes him detonate prematurely, keeping his powers from being controllable and risking any near him, even himself. In his nightmares, he becomes fully immolated and explodes into nothing, but that wouldn’t really happen...right?
RELATIONS:
A gambler with a notorious bad luck streak. Though he was scouted for the Inferno Pirates, he’s parted ways with Rico to take care of some unfinished business.
SAMPLE POST:
POPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPP
“Get down!” “Where is it coming from!?”
Marines scrambled about the downtown road, ducking behind corners and under short stairwells. Once the noise calmed down they peeked their heads out, desperately trying to find the gunman aiming for their life. The nearby restaurants and shops were packed, the once busy street made deathly silent with the whole street hiding away. Despite the supposed hail of gunfire, no one was harmed...yet.
“Oi!” The Marines jumped at the noise, as though it were a flintlock pistol. Bushy mustache bristling, arm covered with tattoos raised, Commander Lindsay called, “Heeeeey! You guys need to chill out. It’s not like one bullet would kill you, probably. They seem pretty small.”
The Marines complied, spreading out their search area with trepidation. One civilian whispered to another, “Wait, those gunshots didn’t really-”
POPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPP
Another burst of noise rang out, the common folk ducking their heads, while the Marines started to get bolder, instead charging forward. “I saw someone!” came a cry. The squad of Marines charged the building, surrounding it, only for both groups to meet on the other side, no one else in sight. “Where did-”
“Hey, is that someone on the roof?” Lindsay noted.
“Whoops!” squeaked a red haired man in a black coat with red fluff trim as he ducked. “Tch, guess I got cocky…” Turning about, he crouched at the edge of the building, reaching his hands out and flexing his fingers like writhing spiders. Tiny white snap caps, no larger than a finger tip, fell about, hitting the ground and exploding in overly loud pops. The Marines hopped about, avoiding the non-existent gunfire, before realizing the nature of their foe. Meeting their glares head on, he said, “Yup! It was meeeeee!” Sticking out his tongue and pulling his eyelid down a bit, he explained, “Y’all looked bored as hell! Now you’ve got a story to take to your wives and kids back home when they asked how your day went. No need to thank me~ Man, I’m so smart.” Rico paused, looking up as the roof shook underneath him, turning to see Marines clambering up to meet him. “O.”
Rico looked around for an escape route as the group on the roof charged him. Trying to leap to the next building over, Rico lost his footing, instead plummeting down. Unceremoniously, the Marines parted, Rico crashing onto the ground. As he tried to scramble up, they jumped him, dog-piling the miscreant, hands reaching to keep him pinned. “Hey! Get off! Bastards, I’ll…” Rico’s hands gripped the ground and pulled himself forward, the motion accompanied with a sizzling noise, sparks flying as his body parted to slip through the crowd. There were shrieks of pain from the light flames, no more dangerous than touching a cigarette, but making up for it in surprise. Rico, the firework Human, hopped to his feet and broke into a run, leaving a mystified military behind him.
“What the heck just happened?” “Witch! He’s a witch! Burn him!” The Marines sputtered as they gave chase. “I don’t think we could burn him if we tried.” “He ain’t no witch, he’s one of those Fruit gobblers!”
“Don’t say Fruit gobblers!” Rico cried out, rockets firing off from his shoes with an unsubtle ‘pssshhhhhh’ as he made a leap over a small river, the bridge a block away, a trail of smoke left in the wake. “That makes it seem weird!”
“YOU’RE PLENTY WEIRD YOURSELF!” the Marines called out, their pursuit staggered.
Increasing the distance between them as he made for the docks, Rico admitted, “I mean, they got me there…” Hurtling himself around the crowds, he ignored the shouts and screams aimed his way as he charged at the Marine battleship, just as the other squads were starting to get a bead on him. Reaching the edge of the dock as they closed in, he placed his hand against the hull, turning to proudly proclaim, “Safe!”
The Marines stopped dead, looking at each other in confusion. “I’m shafe...dat means…” Rico began, vision going lopsided as his speech slurred. His energy leaving him, he slipped from the dock, plummeting straight into the sea.
---
When Rico came to, he was sopping wet, facedown on the wooden planks of Tolsom Fold’s harbor, the feet of Marines walking about as they cleared away spectators. Jostling his wrists, they were bound by a pair of handcuffs, and Rico still felt rather tired. “Huh? Why can’t I get out?” Rico mumbled as he was dragged to his feet, Commander Lindsay facing him.
“Sea Prism Stone, kid. Messes with you Fruit users.”
“See-what!? I didn’t see nothin’!” Rico gasped, before being pulled away. His only partner on his trip to the brig was a blank expression. Left in his cell, he growled, “Come on! You guys are no fun.”
"The greatest flame is the one that burns within our people."
Morgan Brand of the Solstone.
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION:
"Leverage is the most powerful force."
One Piece is a story told from the perspective of the Pirate, we get to see what it's like moving from island to island, ensuing chaos and performing acts of heroism. This is all great, but my favorite part about One Piece besides the tone, is reconnecting with the people we used to know. Seeing Coby and Helmeppo again makes me lose my shit every single time. I want to work on that particular interaction and feeling, the feeling of a place changing with time.
To do this, I'm telling a story that's equal parts Alabasta as it is Wano mixed with some Gotham-City crime-drama. Morgan is not Batman. He is not a Strawhat, and he's not a man who is going to change his own world in one sweeping motion. His story is one about compromise and a lot of paperwork. He's a high-ranking politician trying to keep his own vassal state alive, while struggling against many factors beyond the colonizing kingdom of Sunstrider.
An aristocrat and nobleman, Morgan is inherently rather posh, though made a little more palpatible by his connections to his friends who are from a few lower rungs of society. Orphaned as a part of the last independece conflict, he inherited his title and responsibility.
CHARACTER GOALS:
"Prosperity and freedom has to be what we burn for."
The man is honest, brave and kind above all, that's not to say he won't deploy shadowy tactics or strike an underhanded blow - he is a politician, not a knight or priest. His ambitions lies in creating a space where he and his people are not threatened, living up to his legacy as a member of the Brand house and it's sole heir. He wishes to eventually take political office in the entirety of Sunstrider, allowing the kingdom at large to become better, creating well being for all of it's inhabitants. Along this path he will have a myriad of allies and foes, some changing sides depending on the day and conflict. My goal as a writer is to create a kingdom that feels right at home in the One Piece world, while still keeping the spotlight squarely inside said Kingdom and whatever outside threats they face.
CHARACTER NOTES: "The flame of ambition shall burn strong"
Organization: Sovereign Government of Solstone. Position: Baron, Councilman. Starting Sea: West Blue Devil Fruit: Flame-Flame Fruit
THE KINGDOM: Sunstrider culture is heavily inspired and based on Central American indigenous people's religious beliefs. Their religion relies on the sun, heat and smithing are their symbols of belief. Mixing this aeshetitic with a heavily aristocratic, industrialized vibe we get a strong clash between harmony with nature and a far more Victorian people. Within the kingdom there are four mostly-sovereign states. The King is Rykar Helios The Third, who has always had hatred in his heart for Morgan, ever since he fought against Solstone in the last conflict.
Sunstrider's a larger kingdom, while not massive I'd consider it a significant one. Famous for their factories and their scorching furnaces, they are able to refine even the rarest of minerals. The greatest of their furnaces are located in the small state of Solstone and the secrets to keeping this furnace hot is the largest reason for their remaining sovereignty.
Sunstrider and Solstone use westernized naming conventions.
The UNITED STATES of Sunstrider & The Sovereign State Of Solstone:
Huitzil Castle: Boss: King Rykar Helios Primary Caste: “Divine”, Solar Priesthood.
Located in the highest peak of Helio City, a grueling path to get to the top of Toxcatl Mountain and it’s spire like shape. Only king Helios himself rules here, free from the chains of democracy as he himself often dictates it. This is a place where only the noblemen live. Seemingly a paradise it carries a great darkness in it being the only area of the kingdom where slaves exist and serve their noble masters. In essence, the castle is a miniature of Mary Geoise. The inner workings of the castle are hidden from every member of parliament except those belonging to the royal family.
HELIO CITY: Boss: Crown Prince Oxford Helios Primary Caste: Aristocrat, officers. The Capital of the island, overlooked by the castle atop of Toxcatl Mountain. The capital has two mayor ports, simply called West and East port, each with a river delta leading into them that passes the other states to either side. It’s possible to traverse the entire island by foot or train. The capital hosts a cosmopolitan mixture of people, while most of the city is segregated, each business only allowing entrance to people of certain castes per city. The military are housed here to have ease of access to both the water and the rest of the kingdom. 10 years ago, The Ashbringers used to have their headquarters in the capital, these days their house. The Marine Base is also located here.
ZENITH: Bosses: SPOT and FLARE Primary Castes: Workers, immigrants.
The youngest area, created by immigrants a few generations ago and used to be largely segregated until the Solstone revolution 21 years ago. After losing complete control of Solstone, the crown needed to retake ground and accepted Zenith as a new state. The state is run by the Yakuza and carries cultures that are otherwise foreign to Sunstrider. Biggest issue inside of Zenith is the religious conflict between the immigrants and the established religion in the west. Many of the country's factories are located here. Gamblers might find their luck here, however.
PHOENIX BEACH: Bosses: Fenix, Phenix and Thenix Solaire Primary Caste: Entrepreneurs, clergy, soldiers and tourists. The Beach hosts all of the tourism to the island - if you are a tourist, there’s a fair chance you never once saw anything besides. There’s attractions, hotels, spas, restaurants and every kind of entertainment exists on the western beach. On the other end, towards the north is where the temple is located which is closed off for tourists but opens to citizens during festivals or religious ceremonies.
SOLSTONE: Boss: Baron Brand Primary Caste: Does not follow the caste system. Solstone itself is at conflict besides its conflict with the larger sunstrider kingdom and the other sovereign Sunstrider states. 21 years ago Solstone fought against Sunstrider in bid for independence, which is why it now has its own government while still part of the Sunstrider Kingdom as a whole. Morgan Brand is the lord of the Brand Manor, making him one of the wealthy elite of Solstone, he inherited the title of Baron from his father, Merlyn Brand upon his death. As such, he has a heap of minions at his disposal, even if his estate has shrunk since his parents demise.
ALLIES:
Jack Hawkins - Former captain of the Sunstrider Ashbringers. Father figure to Morgan. Famous for his use of spears in combat. Once upon a time he served the King, but he left that position to serve as housecarl to the young Morgan after his parents were killed in the manor fire at the end of the war.
Stede 'Cocktail' Molotov - Crazy jackass, owns the only non-segregated bar in all of Sunstrider, The Ashes. Morgan's best friend and the most stalwart and aggressive freedom fighter. Loyal like a hound and fierce as a rabid wolf. Fights like a howler monkey with improvised weaponry and would give his life for Morgan or Solstone in a heartbeat.
'Bonet' - Private detective with a shadowy past. Morgan knows critically little about Bonet, beyond what he has figured out over the past few years since he took his office. Bonet works as the problem solver, digging up dirt, collecting information and brokering secrets for Morgan.
ENEMIES:
Rykar Helios The Third Everything Morgan isn't, Rykar got in spare. A warrior king, a bulldog in politics and a ruthless tyrants to those that dare openly defy him.
Oxford Helios: Crown prince and a far more tempered young man than his father. Oxford is the man who leads Parliament and ensures that democracy goes around within the kingdom. He cares very little for Morgan and considers him a good politician but a terrible nuisance. His politics are usually centered on keeping up the prestige of the nation.
Aztec Helios: Chaos incarnate. Aztec causes issues and destruction anywhere he goes. The little shit responds poorly to the otherwise deadly rules of aristocracy that holds the island together. Violence and anger are two clear indications of his person. Carries his handguns and refuses to allow any bodyguards accompany him, unless he is going to meet with his father or brother.
Fenix, Phenix and Thenix Solaire The triplets all look the same, while their expertise is vastly different. Phenix is in charge of the armed forces and is one of the kingdom's most renowned captains. Thenix is one of the Kingdom’s high priests, while Fenix is minister of economy and in general seen as a business tycoon. Fenix is blessed by the Clover-Clover Devil Fruit. Their policies are almost always geared towards economic growth or ensuring sun worship takes center stage.
Solveig “Spot” Highpoint
Solveig’s the head of the family, shrewd and incredibly cunning she managed to navigate herself to the top of the totem pole in Zenith, allowing her to become their elected to parliament and crowned city councilwoman. She wields her younger brother against their foes. Her politics are geared towards increasing the rights of the many people living in her province, often at the cost of Solstone, their nearest neighbor.
Sun-Tsi “Flare” Highpoint Considered the attack dog of his sister in their youth, he has now clawed his way through the growing Yakuza and has become their lead enforcer and one of their highest ranked members. Based on his position within the organization and Solveig’s political position it is fair to say that the Highpoint siblings rule the organized crime world in Zenith. He wields a massive katana dubbed ‘Clusterstrike’.
OTHERS: Marines go here.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: "Our lives all start from sparks of passion that ignited our flame We have no other choice but to burn. I intend to burn as hot as the sun above."
Flame-Flame Fruit Burned as a child when his homestead was reduced to ash along with his parents, Morgan harbors a complex relationship to his seemingly mystical abilities as the fruit has been a part of him since before he got old enough to throw his first punch. Morgan is far from a powerhouse, his survival has relied on the natural advantages his powers grant him. Beyond his Logia fruit, he's a traditionally trained fencer, utilizing a trick-sword in the form of a cane, a symbol of his house.
Morgan's actual ability lies in him being a rhetoric and diplomatic powerhouse. Negotiation and legalities are his real weapons, coming up with uneasy peace where there could have only been war. Brokering power and trading resources for information, influence for guarantees and leveraging relationships to get what he wants.
Sample Post:
"Another drink to another failed motion by our incredible leader!" Stede shouted as the bar cheered, he sent eleven glasses of ale down the bartop, each getting grabbed by a hand of people dressed in simpler garbs than those of the councilman sitting at the edge of the bar, nearest Stede. Morgan shook his head. "You're stupid." He grimaced as Stede laughed. "Not as stupid as that motion, friend. You really thought you would upend the last tax deal? Just because your idea made sense and was legally sound? C'mon Baron Brand, haven't you been around this carnival longer than this?"
Morgan shook his head, as a big glass of ale made it's way to him. Jack laughed heartily from the back, laughing at Stede rather than Morgan, the older gentleman knowing full well that Morgans proposal had nothing to do with the tax referendum - it was about voting districts. The bartender was talking out of his behind, as always. As Morgan nursed his beer, the conversations inside of the bar ignited, people from each of the states sat here engaged in conversation and enjoying each other's company. As sad as Morgan was about getting absolutely destroyed at the parlamentary hearing today, it was always a relief to sit here and watch the people, his people, not just those of Solstone, but all of Sunstrider - the real people of Sunstrider - gathered like this. United, even in disagreement. No walls between them.
But as always, that wouldn't last. Soon the doors popped open as the Constables from Sunstrider decided The Ashes was getting a little too loud.
"Oi! What's going on in here?! All of this rabble sounds a whole lot like drunken slobbery, is that what's goin' on in here?" Eying Stede, Constable Rivers grunted. "Knowin' that one's behind this bar, there's a fair chance there's plottin' happenin. I believe it's about time we do a search of the bar cellar for any contraband. The office 've received reports of North Blue Rye being sold in the streets - well above our regulated alcohol content. Nobody else but you, Molotov would be sellin' cocktails that strong."
Stede grimaced at Morgan, a look that clearly told the Baron that he was in fact the one selling the illegal rye. Rolling his eyes, Morgan got out a piece of parchment from his bandolier. He was going to put that criminal law schooling to work once more.
"I'm sorry, Constable Rivers. But you cannot search this establishment at this time. As made clear clause 17, paragraph 9 of the Helios Law decree, property used for entertainment purposes cannot be searched without a warrant or, if suspected of current criminal activity, required to have given 24 hours of prior notice to a clergyman responsible. I am Baron Morgan Brand. I hold the office of councilman for this block. You have not filed the appropriate forms to my office for my approval before raiding this bar. Therefor, I ask that you leave and return to your patrol." Morgan spoke, showing the parchment with the appropriate text, as well as holding up his identification - not that Rivers needed it, he knew Morgan.
"Well well well, that's all fine and good, mister Baron. Me boys on the other hand? They don't listen too well. And they don't read so good, either. So all of these fancy lawyer talk you got there? It's not gonna do you any good, ya' see. We're gonna strip this bar board by board if we have to, until we find that stinkin' rye."
Morgan grimaced. Rivers had an absolute disrespect for the burocractic machine - it wasn't the first time he had witnessed it, but this type of savagery always made his stomach turn. Lifting his gun, Rivers whistled. "You best move out of the way, your lordship." Shouldering past the young noble, who held his fist in his pocket. Stede put his hand on the double-barreled gun under the bar.
Instead, the older gentleman, Jack stood up to the occasion. "Constable Rivers." He spoke, softly but clearly. "Your father was Searing Rivers, right?" The officer nodded, confused. "You might not recognize me, but I recognize you, you have his eyes. He was a fine ashbringer your old man. One of my best. I am happy you took after him, joining our great nation's law enforcement."
It dawned on him who the scared old man was, and Rivers gulped hard. "This happens to be my favorite bar - and I'll personally make sure that no illegal products are sold here. Will you duputize me in this decision, as a favor - for old Ashbringers sake?" Jack asked, and Rivers nodded, solemnly. Morgan smiled, it was incredible the way with words Jack had. At a glance, everything the old man had said sounded like a request, but the way he had moved, and the aura he had exuded had made it plain that it wasn't friendly at all. Had he ever had the ambition to, Jack could've become a politician without equal.
Whistling again, Rivers lowered his gun and called back the goons, currently moving towards Stede behind the bar.
Once they left, Stede breathed out. "Damn Morgan, you've really lost it today. What was that weak crap? Thank the sun above that Jack covered my ass." Jack smiled, a glass of the notorious rye being served to him by the barmaid on Stede's order. "All in a days work, Stede. And don't be too hard on Master Brand. He had a rough day in court."
Morgan scratched his neck awkwardly. He really had lost it today.
"Ah well, whatever, nothing to do but drown our sorrows in booze and get back at it tomorrow, ey councilman?!" Stede cheered raising his glass as Morgan did the same "Helio Yeah!" he cheered as all of the glasses in the bar came together in wonderful clinks.
Post Directory:
As you post, please link any posts you make IC here. This will allow anyone who wants to follow your exploits better ability to follow along, plus make it easier for me to reference things as needed. It’s also helpful to divide them by arc.
Get paid, do the job, get out, hope I didn’t draw attention
Annabelle was an orphan on her island, one of many, too many if she were honest. A bloody civil war when she was young left many children without one or both of their parents. It seemed nobody won this war, well, nobody but the man who now sat on his self proclaimed “throne” and bullied the weakened citizens. The same man who promised to change the island for the better. Turns out he simply meant to change it for the better for nobody but himself and the brutes that worked for him. It was early in life that Anna made the promise to herself that she would get off the island by any means. She was desperate for a better life for herself, to the point where she would quite literally do anything for it. She would do just that, stooping to killing for money and becoming quite good at it. She made a name for herself as a sharpshooter for hire after she finally escaped the hell hole that was her home island.
Character Goals
One might notice that Annabelle has some heavy influence from Nami in terms of backstory. She is one of, if not my favorite female character in all Shonin type anime. I wanted to explore something similar if not a bit more…intense? While still having my own personal touch and allowing me to explore other avenues, then “main character good guy pirate saves girl and town from bad guy”.
Annabelle is by nature deeply untrusting and scarred. The circumstances of her upbringing have shaped her into the person she is. She is aware not everyone's the same and the people from her home island but unwriting the things she learned at a young age is difficult and time consuming to do. This of course makes Annabelle a rather…awkward individual when not in “business mode” as she fights with her instincts and mind. My hope in introducing Annabelle is to provide a thru line. A character that everyone might have some sort of interaction with at some point, be it good or bad, brief or long standing. While also providing the writer with plenty of space to grow and develop the character.
Character Notes:
Organization:Independent (Potentially joining an established organization later in the story) Position: Gun for Hire Starting Sea: West Blue Other: Contacting Deadeye, the gun for hire is difficult but not impossible. Rumor has it the sharpshooter has a peculiar raven that follows them around. A distinct white and black pied bird, find the bird and you will likely find the sharpshooter at the nearest Inn or hotel.
Relations and character related NPCs
Albert Regal
Location: Haster Island, a small, mostly independent island located in the West Blue, unremarkable to the rest of the world, but constantly riddled with civil wars, each one seemingly worse than the last.
Known info: Ruler of Haster Island, has an iron hold on the island.
Devil Fruit:Bat-Bat Fruit
Damien Holt
Location: Haster Island Known info: Annabelle's ex best friend though he doesn't know they aren't friends anymore. A member of "The Tyrant's" men. Annabelle sees him, reluctanlty, as the enemy.
Haster Island-(Prison/mining island for 10 years) (Independent/faction ruled for 32 years.)
Haster island was previously a mining/prison island. When the mines seemed to dry up the Wardens abandoned it. Taking some of the prisoners with them however many of them escaped and fought off the Wardens,taking the island for themselves.
In the months that followed the Wardens leaving, six factions rose to power, each with their own leader. In the couple years to follow four of the six original factions had either been destroyed or absorbed by the others. The two remaining factions were constantly at war though one could never seem to overpower the other for long. Power shifted quite frequently between the two faction leaders for about 15 years, until Albert Regal started gaining power of his own.
It took two years of constant fighting for Albert to remove the previous faction's leaders and take the ‘“throne” for himself. During this fighting many lost their lives on both sides. Leaving many of the children that now also inhabited the island without one or both of their parents. Despite this it seemed Albert had finally united the broken island. That was until the man started implementing his own policies. Policies designed to keep anyone else from rising to power in the same way he had. When the dust cleared and all was said and done Haster Island was even worse off than what it had been before. Its population slimmed significantly, its people broken, Albert had an iron hold and would quickly become known as “The Tyrant.”
In the 15 years since Albert seized control the small town has become a cesspool of thievery, violence, and other criminal activity. It is a well known stop off for pirates and other criminal types. Marines that dare to venture onto the Island are quickly, and often violently removed, though bounty hunters seem to hold an odd middle ground on the island.
Haster Island has three rules. Rule one is that all businesses are to pay the taxes Albert has set out for them, the “protection fee” so to speak. Though everyone knows the protection is from Albert’s own brutes. Rule two, any talk, or rumor of uprising is not tolerated. It is not uncommon for those who do not like one another to spread rumors that the other was speaking ill of Albert and his men. Those people are very swiftly dealt with. The final rule is a simple one, stay out of Albert’s way, what he wants, he gets, no questions asked. There is however, a fourth, unofficial rule. Nobody is to be heard calling Albert a Tyrant, and his men are not brutes. When speaking of Albert and his men, one must never speak of them poorly or in any way that could be perceived as poorly. Albert Regal is the King of this land, and his men are its protectors. Anything to say otherwise is treated as a breach in rule two and those who violate it will be dealt with accordingly.
The Palace: The building that was once used as the jail for the original prisoners of the island. This large building has been repurposed to be Albert Regal’s personal abode. It was very quickly renovated from the former decrepit prison to the fortress Regal uses as his Palace. It is, by design, very hard to enter and exit.
The White District: This district is where most of Albert’s men and supporters live. Akin to an upper class neighborhood. The houses the former Wardens had built for themselves and whatever family that had come with them are what has been turned into The White District. If the violence level of the districts of this town were to be ranked this would be the least violent of them.
The Red District: This is where most of the Inns, Bars, and various other “entertainments” are located. The Port is also located in this district as well as the market.
The Grey District: Akin to the slums, this is where pretty much everyone else lives. It varies between your average home all the way to people on the streets and is generally the most violent of the other Districts. All sorts of crime takes place here almost entirely unchecked.
Sample Post
The barrel of Annabelle’s pistol dug into her side as she sat at a bar enjoying a drink. She should have left the thing in her room where she had also left her rifle mask and other items. She would have if not having one of her weapons on her didn’t make her nervous. In certain circles she was the decently well known sharp shooter and gun for hire Deadeye, so she would rather be armed just in case, by some chance someone recognized her. It was slim to none that it would happen but she was paranoid by nature despite constantly reassuring herself that the likelihood of getting attacked in public was almost zero.
The redheaded female had finished a job recently and had sent Jazz, her raven, with a letter tied to his leg to her client informing them the job was done. She wasn’t sure why the bird had followed her off of Haster island several years ago when she finally managed to stow away on a departing ship but she was always silently glad for the bird’s company. Though she half expected him to just never come back one day and if that day ever came she wasn’t sure if she would be worried or relieved.
“Another round ma’am?” The bartender pulled Annabelle out of her thoughts and her blue eyes landed on the woman who had been providing her with a steady stream of drinks for the past hour.
“Ah, no, I think I am okay, thank you.” She muttered, sliding the now empty mug across the counter where it was quickly scooped up and taken into the back room where Anna had seen glimpses of other people working every so often when they passed the doorway. She could hear laughter coming from a nearby table and dared to steal a peek at the other patrons of the bar this late at night. Nobody was too impressive, mostly just your regular working class, though she did spot a couple lower ranking Marines at a corner table and quickly averted her eyes. She had to mentally assure herself that the Marines cared little about her or Deadeye, the hired gun had never taken a job that targeted anyone important in the world government. She had no interest in getting caught up in the politics of that. She was content to simply settle the squabbles of rich idiots so long as they kept paying her.
After a moment of composing herself she stood from her stool at the bar, placing the money for her bill on the counter as she did so and turned to leave. Though it seemed her movement drew the attention of the Marines as one of them sauntered over to block her exit, clearly drunk.
“Heeeey pretty lady, care to join a couple of men in uniform for a fun night?” The man slurred at her as he stood in front of her.
Of course this man was one of those Marines, the kind that was convinced the uniform was the ultimate way to get women. “N-no thank you, I need to get home and feed my…cat.” Annabelle muttered attempting to sidestep the man, mentally slapping herself for stuttering.
This, of course, did not deter the man in front of her. He sighed and leaned closer to her, causing her to take a step back to maintain her personal bubble. “Aww, come on, the kitty cat can wait, right?”
She was torn between the two reactions her brain told her to take. One was to simply pull out her pistol and threaten the man, and the other was to attempt to disengage non-violently. Luckily for her, or maybe luckily for him, the bartender stepped in on her behalf. “Wesker the lady said no thank you, how many times do I have to tell you to leave my female patrons alone.” She seemed annoyed, it seemed this type of thing happened often.
The man’s attention was quickly directed to the bartender and he thankfully sidestepped Annabelle and headed toward the women, muttering something about her being jealous. Anna had stopped listening the moment his attention shifted and she darted out the door and into the crisp night air. She took a deep breath, shoved her hands in her pockets and started walking to the docks. She liked watching the ocean at night, it was peaceful. She could sit on the edge of the docks for hours just listening to the waves and that is exactly what she intended to do.
Post Directory
Arcs will be sorted as hiders, posts for each Arc will be located under the appropriate hider.
A spunky and vain fantail goldfish mermaid. Though originally hailing from Fishman Island, she left it two years ago to explore the world's oceans. Her feelings about the home and family she left behind are complicated, but ultimately she departed on an optimistic note. Being a tinkerer, budding inventor, and self-proclaimed genius, Suiten needed to expand her horizons for both the good of herself and her kingdom. Though she sometimes claims the only reason she is traveling is to see the world and what humans have to offer that she could never learn under the sea, she is also looking for something: another Sunlight Tree, or more specifically, any similar phenomenon that would bring light from the surface down to the sea floor. With the bubble housing Fishman Island only getting more crowded and dangerous since "The Devil's" attack on the holy land above, propagating their people properly throughout the world and finding more places that Fishmen and Merfolk could safely call home is Suiten's goal. And if she can't find such a place, she will search instead for the means and experience to create it herself.
CHARACTER GOALS:
This might be redundant considering this is the goal of all roleplayers, but I wanted to have fun while writing, so my intention with Suiten is a "fun" character. For an RP like this especially I think one needs to really enjoy what they are writing to stick with it! She will be fun for me to write, so I hope she will be fun to interact with as well. To me, some of my favorite One Piece characters are the ones I find the most fun, and some inspirations for Suiten are characters like Bon Clay, Robin, Boa, and Usopp. I also wanted to do a character who wasn't a Devil Fruit user, and figured a mermaid would be an interesting way to go for that.
My main intentions are for Suiten to stir up a little trouble and then go on to become a recurring character in other people's stories, as a temporary ally or even a thorn in the side. I'd love to pop into other stories and see the varying reactions of "Oh, her again!" vs "Ugh, her again?!"
I am also super open to Suiten joining a player's crew eventually if the story turns out like that. I absolutely love scenes where characters put aside their pride to ask for help, and I think that kind of more serious arc would really benefit Suiten and lead to some personal growth. I envision Suiten's story beats would be maturation, discovery, overcoming bias, trust, and slow burn friendships.
CHARACTER NOTES:
Organization: Fishman Island Position: Nobility Starting Sea: South Blue Devil Fruit: N/A Skills & Abilities: Besides what's normal for her race (speaking with fish, swimming extremely fast), Suiten carries a bunch of contraptions and parts to make more. Some are very useful especially in a pinch, while others are useless.
RELATIONS:
Another mermaid and Suiten's sister. Eccentric in her own way, she stayed behind on Fishman Island and awaits Suiten's return. .
With the self-given moniker "The Dread," she is captain of the Red Dread Pirates, a small time crew operating in the South Blue. After a humiliating run-in with Suiten she has been trailing the mermaid ever since. .
SAMPLE POST:
It's the something day of the something year, and I'm once again wishing I started some kind of log from the get-go. Since making my way from home I've made no progress in my search, but I did manage to finish something pretty amazing the other day.
It wasn't often that mermaid were spotted outside of the Grand Line, though as it happened no one had spotted Suiten yet today in the South Blue. It was early in the afternoon and she was swimming lazily, making as few flicks of her tail as possible to move her forward. The sea was vast, and there were so many stretches of it that were just devoid of anything interesting. It was either water, sand, or darkness as far as the eye could see. This was one of those sections. If she was lucky, Suiten could catch sight of some fish out there, but for the most part she was just swimming aimlessly and bored out of her mind. During these periods of open ocean travel she tried to entertain herself in anyway possible, which sometimes meant she would work on her "travelogue." It usually didn't help. It certainly wasn't now.
Now I'm going to...
She trailed off in her thoughts, pushing her tail once to turn over and float gently down on her back with her face staring blankly up towards the surface. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh, a cascade of bubbles escaping her lips.
Narrating to myself is so boring! I need some handsome dummy to dictate to.
Eventually she felt her back hit the seabed, and she lay there for a little while to doze. A break every now and then wasn't such a bad thing, was it? She could have chosen a more pleasant area to rest, but so far she'd seen barely anything for miles so she didn't find it likely she'd come across a comfier spot anytime soon. Besides, this spot would have been nice enough if not for some irritating noise that was steadily growing louder. She tried ignoring it until it got too much to brush off.
Flipping around, Suiten's eyes snapped open and her cheeks puffed out into a rather cute looking pout. Her hands were resting on her hips where scale transitioned into skin, and she stared into the dark where the sound of scraping was coming from.
"What's with the noise?! Some people are trying to... to..." A shadow loomed over her, and she let out a strangled "Uwaaah!" as it passed.
● ● ●
"Net's pretty heavy t'day."
"Come off it old man, you say that every damn day."
"What's wrong with tryin' to be opta- optermistic? 'Sides, it really is. C'n hardly lift it."
The man, a sun-tanned elder with a cropped haircut, struggled to turn the crank wheel. He let out a grunt as his companion, a shorter but stockier blondie with a rope tied around his forehead rolled his eyes. Commercial fishing vessels had all but cleaned out these waters a few years ago, but some traditional fishermen remained hopeful that their livelihood hadn't disappeared for good.
After a few minutes of watching the struggle, the younger fisherman stood up.
"Alright, alright, out of the way. Age finally caught up with you huh? Let me do it."
He grasped the crank in both hands and pushed. The look of surprise on his face when it barely moved caused a bout of laughter from the elder. A vein visibly pulsed on his forehead as he put his back into it, gritting his teeth. He made space for his companion to assist and together they hauled the net up from dredging the sea floor. There were fish in it, but not many more than usual. Maybe less even, since so much space was being taken up by one huge specimen. A sleek tail of reds, oranges, and golds about three feet long greeted the men as the crane held their bounty aloft.
The blonde man whistled his appreciation. "I had no idea there were fish this big left around here."
"Told ya it was heavier th'n usual." The older man stroked the patchy stubble of his chin. He glanced at his partner while the fish wiggled. "Wonder what it is, how much its worth. We could be eating well tonight."
"Haha, the whole town could be if we cook it instead!"
"Cook who?!"
The two men screamed and stumbled back as their captured fish finally reoriented herself, sitting up to reveal a human-like body attached to the tail they'd been admiring. She brought her hands up to grip the ropes and glare through the net, but the expression was completely non-threatening thanks to her slightly green face and swirly, dizzy eyes.
"Ugh... s-so rude..." She mumbled. Her head was swimming, and not in the normal way.
The more experienced fisher recovered first while the younger was still staring slack-jawed. He coughed into his hand to clear his throat and then asked, "Er... uh... are you okay, miss...?"
"..."
"...?"
"St... do..."
"Whatcha say...?"
Suiten shook her head vigorously, and though still dizzy she shouted, "s-stand back if you don't want to be cut to pieces! You humans think you can catch me? H-ha! I can free myself in forty different ways!"
At this point the blonde man got himself together and stood, holding his hands up to try and placate the mermaid. "Hold on, you're the one that ran into our net! Calm down and we'll get you out."
The crane began to move again to deposit the net on board, but Suiten either hadn't heard the man or didn't believe him. She rummaged in her bag and produced something that looked like the hilt of a sword. It held no blade and was unremarkable, save for the way Suiten was brandishing it. "I warned you! This thing gathers water and compresses it to be super sharp!"
"We said we'll let you go!"
"Hiyah!" She clicked the button and a puff of air came out of the hilt, but otherwise nothing happened. All three of the people gathered on that little boat held their breaths for a few seconds before letting them out all at once.
"Ehe... right. It only works underwater..."
The blonde sailor facepalmed, while the older man let out a relieved chuckle. "You sure gave us a fright, missy. But we promise not to hurt ya. We're simple folks just lookin' fer some fish, not fish-men."
"Okay... thank you," Suiten said, though she grumbled "mermaid" under her breath. After taking a few moments to relax, she believed the guys didn't have any ill intentions. They worked to lower the crane and open up the net until she was free. She stretched out on the deck of the small vessel while the sailors smiled, a bit mystified by the encounter. Until.
"Yay~" Suiten stretched her arms over her head, and the device she'd kept a death grip on slipped from her fingers over the side of the boat. "Oops." Still powered on, it sucked in sea water and sliced a chunk out of the ship as it tumbled down below the waves.
Character Description: Like her Mink father, Luna’s very honest with her feelings and wears her heart on her sleeve. If she likes you, you’ll know it. If she doesn’t, she’ll still let you know, either with an insult or her fist in your face, depending on how irritated she is. More like her mother, she has a fiery personality and while it usually doesn’t take much to make her angry, she tends to be more patient with people she’s close to, if only marginally. To her friends, she’s fiercely loyal and won’t hesitate to put herself in harm’s way if it means keeping them safe. The fact that she can have fun in a good fight is icing on the cake, as far as she’s concerned.
Character Goals: My goal for writing Luna is to provide a story primarily driven by character development, both in terms of skills and how Luna acts and reacts to the world around her. Her story is meant to be one of love and, together with Sol’s, of loss and the price of vengeance. Just like her name implies, her story is meant to be one side of the same coin shared with Sol’s.
Organization: Adventurer, making ends meet by hunting bounties.
Starting Sea: North Blue
Relations:
Aurora Nox: Mother (Deceased)
Comet Nox: Father (Deceased)
Sol Luminos: Her target
Marcus Istria: Ally, former Prefect of the First Cohort from the Nychthemeron Legion (Deceased)
Galen: Ally, ship's doctor and former public physician
Rufus: Ally, second-in-command of the First Cohort and navigator
Aquila: Ally, sniper and armorer
More relations to come as the story progresses.
Special Abilities: Luna’s canid ears aren’t just for show, as her hearing and sense of smell are much better than the average person’s. While her sight isn’t much better than average, she’s capable of seeing better in the dark. Her claim to fame, however, is her incredible strength, which suits her barehanded fighting style perfectly.
Thanks to the Mink blood running through her veins, she’s also capable of using Electro, though it isn’t as potent as a full-blooded Mink’s. She’s also capable of going into her Sulong form. In this form, her physical abilities and Electro strengthen. Like with full-blooded Minks, this form can only be achieved once a month during a clear, full moon night and if she maintains it too long, it’ll increase her fatigue, eventually killing her. Her father had trained her in using Sulong, but because she uses it so infrequently, the threat of her losing control is always present. And due to her being only half-Mink, her endurance for Sulong isn’t as great as a full-blooded Mink’s would be.
The Way of Lunara is a fighting style passed down through her family. While Luna’s well-versed in several forms of hand-to-hand combat, thanks to her father, her mother’s side of the family has a special fighting style that emphasizes stealth and precision. An assassin’s way of fighting that reduces the user's presence, rendering them virtually invisible to all but the most perceptive people. Luna only uses this fighting style when the situation calls for it, not only due to how it clashes with how she usually likes to handle things, but since it’s a means specifically meant to kill, she doesn’t like how it makes her feel.
Sample Post:
The young woman walked into the bustling tavern, a cloak pulled around her body and a hood pulled over her head. She took a few moments to scan the room, taking in the scent of stale alcohol and the smoke that hung in the air like a hazy ceiling, accompanied by the raucous laughter of a man who had just won the pot in a card game he was playing with other patrons. Whenever she thought of the word ‘seedy,’ she usually imagined a place similar to this and couldn’t help but chuckle at what it might mean that they tended to be her favorite places.
She turned her focus back toward the bar and approached leisurely. She seemed relaxed, but underneath her cloak, her body was like a wound spring; while she won’t throw the first punch, she won’t hesitate to throw the second…or third…or fourth…
She leaned against the bar and waited patiently for the bartender to finish with a customer before he walked over to her. “What’ll it be, miss?” he asked politely.
The woman said nothing as she pulled a picture out of her pocket and slid it on the countertop. It was a sketch done by someone on the last island she had visited, one of a young man with long, dark hair and a serious expression. ”I’m looking for this guy,” she said. ”I heard he was headed this way, probably would’ve shown up about a week or two ago?”
The bartender picked up the picture and studied it for a few moments. “Ah, right, the Navy captain,” he said as he handed the picture back. “There were a few girls in town pining for him, but he was either blind to not notice or didn’t care. I’m still hearing grumbles about it, truth be told.” When he saw that the woman didn’t seem to care about idle gossip, he added, “He was here about a week ago, but you missed him. He and his men headed east, if I’m not mistaken.”
”Damn,” the cloaked woman growled. At the last island, she was only a couple of days behind him, but a storm had delayed her departure. The gap widens yet again. After a moment, she said, ”Gar--Thanks, anyway. I guess I’ll grab a beer before I leave. Some food, too, I’m starving.”
She tossed some money onto the counter and took a seat on a stool as the bartender busied himself with her order. As she waited and pondered her next move, she felt an arm rest across her shoulders. “Hey, gorgeous, how’s about you let me and my pal buy you a drink?”
The woman glanced over at the large, obviously drunk man who stood to her right and had to turn away as his breath made her sensitive nose wrinkle. There was one other man to her left, she noticed, tall and lean, the kind who looked like he’d blow over in a stiff wind. His breath wasn’t much better. ”Sorry, pal, you’re too late. Already paid. Besides…” A silver eye bore into the first man’s eyes from under her hood as she shrugged off his arm and added, ”I’m already in a sour mood. If you don’t wanna make it worse, why don’t you and Stretch go bother someone else?”
The men stared at her with wide eyes before their faces twisted in drunken anger. “The hell’s wrong with you, turning down our kindness like that?” the first man’s friend spoke up, his voice high-pitched. Whether his voice was higher from anger or it was just like that, the woman had to stifle a laugh, which only made him angrier. “I’ll give you something to laugh at!” he said as he reached out and took hold of her cloak.
Electricity suddenly sparked from her body and ran up the man’s arm. He quickly let go, pulling her hood down, and stumbled backward before tripping over his feet, his legs having gone numb from the shock. He quickly recovered and opened his mouth to shout some obscenity, only for it to die in his throat as the woman rose to her feet.
Luna Nox tilted her head left, then right, cracking her neck. Her wolven ears perked up and twitched as, under her cloak, her tail swayed back and forth. ”Welp, I didn’t wanna make a scene, but who knows?” Her silver eyes glinted with excitement as cracked her knuckles, Electro arcing with each crack. ”Some exercise might pull me out of this slump.”
Luna whistled jauntily as she walked down the street, palming a sack of money. ”Who’d’ve thought that those guys had bounties on them? They weren’t worth a whole lot, but I was able to pay for the damages to the bar and I’ve still got enough leftover for supplies,” she said with a grin.
She stopped and looked up at the azure sky with a sigh. ”I’ll catch up one of these days,” she quietly said. ”No matter how long it takes, no matter what I have to go through, I’ll find you, Sol. Count on it.” She turned on her heel and pulled her hood back over her head as she walked toward the port, her singular goal like a tailwind caught in her sail, always pushing her forward.
Hailing from the despicable and dishonorable Kurozumi clan as one of the direct descendents, Haku lived a life on the run as he went from the highest to the lowest of Wano. Simply surviving and looking for a purpose in his life. He finally found it, during an eventful voyage when one of the Marines's ships was forced to dock on Wano beach, by Captain Cadog.
Despite their initial rough meeting and the former sneaking onto the ship, Haku was raised by Cadog and stayed as their unofficial cabin boy. It wouldn’t be until he was of enough age that he joined them officially.
The main story here is focused on both Cadog and Haku, a father-son relationship as they go through the wacky, dangerous, and wild world of One Piece. The subsequent one will be Haku going back to Wano, and changing things there.
Character Goals:
“Eights years, it’s been that long?”
Haku is idealistic, and kind despite his rough upbringing. Having every reason to hate a nation down to its roots and was saddled with the sins of their forefather but still come to love the land due to its one familial connection, his mother. That’s not to say he’ll forgive the people that sent his mother to an early grave but is more than willing to let it be bygones, so long they’re seen to justice.
This also ties into the secondary NPC, Captain Cadog. The man who is essentially Haku's second pillar. A hardy, bitter, and tired seadog who has seen all sorts of deplorable things that both pirates and marines did. Haku brought parts of that optimism back of why Cadog risked his life endlessly in the marines, while the former is shown the wide world that the injustice he suffered happens everywhere and it's up to people like them to stop those things from happening.
Character Notes
“Biscuit and water for breakfast. Truly luxurious.”
Organization: Marine Occupation/Position: Marine Cabin Boy Starting Sea: East Blue.
Relations:
“You need to drink less.”
-Wielder of the Booze-Booze fruit, a special paramecia fruit that enables the user to transform and generate alcohol. -Haku’s closest non-familial member, the former being under his care for eight years. -Comes from East Blue
Kurozumi Yuki (Mother, Deceased.) 4th grandaughter of the Kurozumi clan leader (Deceased)
Special Abilities:
“I was here the whole time.”
While the Kurozumi clan utilized underhanded ways, they’re still part of the five great clans of samurais and Haku is no different. Ryuo, or Haki, came naturally to him and more so at a young age when he was left to fend for himself.
His true talent lies in his stealth and one he put to good use. Evading locals, lower-ranked samurai, and then finally, managing to slip abroad on a marine ship with none of them the wiser for days after they left Wano. Only being detected because the Captain noticed his stash of alcoholic drinks being moved by a few inches.
Sample Post:
"Atten-tion!"
Snaps of feet close together, rows of polished boots line the deck of a ship as the thumping of another shoe came, this one appearance was dull and stitched back together.
"You landlubbers! Barely even worth the spit you deserve!"
All twenty cadets, fresh from training, stood rigidly like a pole as the sun beat down on them. Their gaze never leaving the proud flag flying in the air off the tall building.
One that every one of them struggled to get in, sweat and blood for the last six months, endless physical conditioning and menial task.
Solely for the purpose of sailing underneath that flag.
"And now, you are to be received into the very bosom of the world's stabilizing force, the one thing that keeps the peace throughout all the seas! You should grovel and kiss each inch of this ship deck as gratitude-!"
Almost all of them.
From the very end of the line, one cadet had the edges of his lips curling upwards slightly. One that would have summoned the ire of their instructor instantly if he had been caught.
Yet none noticed, let alone the marine cap that was raised slightly, hiding his hair bun but doing nothing to the other two hair bang. Though some of the other cadets next to him would've mistaken him for a woman.
"And with that, you are all now accepted into the ranks of the Marines as Cabin Boys! Make yourself a man, or don't!"
Kurozumi Haku, the newly assigned Cabin Boy, looked not at the flag of the Marine base, but at one of the figures sitting on the open window sills. A glass bottle of whisky in hand.
"But uphold Justice, always!"
"Always! At all cost!" This time, all cadets replied and saluted as one.
“Alright, dismiss! Get out of my sight!” Their instructor said with a prideful voice and waved them all away. Face red and flushed from screaming and also tears pouring at them.
Everyone pretended not to see the latter. After all, he meant the best for them despite his rough demeanor.
With that, Haku gracefully took his leave, being the first to disappear as he quietly dashes backward, fall past the railings, tumbles once, and then kick off the ship’s hull. His feet landed silently on the docks like a cat before moving forward straight to the base, almost invisible as no other sailors, marines, and guards noticed him despite the full attendance.
It didn’t take long for Haku to reach the walls, and with a hop, he found footholds in small cracks and nearly vaulted past the walls.
“That’s quite enough.”
Haku nearly froze as he had to balance himself with one hand on the walls to prevent himself from crossing over a man that was currently lazed on his back. A smoking pipe lay unlit in his bearded mouth.
The strong scent of alcohol clung to him, soaked even, as the very air stunk of it like a cloud.
With a crack of his neck, the elder man stood up as an empty glass bottle was held in his hand.
“Hic, that’s not how a cabin boy should behave. You need to go through the proper entrance.”
“Apologies, captain Cadog.” Haku quickly bowed his head before snapping into a salute instead.
“Yer in the marines now, no funny business. You got to act like one, even if yer just a cabin boy.” Cadog walked on the edge of the walls before jumping down from it, an action mimicked by Haku as the two performed a seemingly suicidal move.
However, for one who came from the Devil's Seas and one who patrolled its seas, such a fall might as well have been a short jump.
Landing and ignoring the attention they’re getting, it quickly turn into salutes when many spotted Captain Cadog as he moved along the port. Walking past the ships moored there, some fresh enough to smell the paint, others having scuffs and signs of a fight and boarding attempts.
Captain Cadog's's ship, was the only one that stood out as it was armored heavily and had a completely different design. Even the wood itself was much sturdier compared to the ships of the East Blue.
As the pair walked upwards, many of the crew stood at the ready.
“Captain!”
Cadog waved it as he climbed the ramp, hand raised before a pair of lemons was tossed into his hand.
The instant it was caught, the two lemons shrunk before quickly sagging like a water sack.
Without looking back, Cadog tossed it right into Haku’s face. The latter barely blinked as he caught it mid-air.
It was squishy, almost like a sponge and the scent was far more intense to the point it’s bitter.
Looking up to Cadog, the latter already stopped in his tracks as everyone on the ship stood at attention.
“Cabin Boy Haku!” He addressed Haku, the latter standing straight at attention as well.
“From today onwards! You’ll be part of this ship's crew!”
Haku's heart raced, finally, he was here.
“Do what’s right, protect the weak, and never turn a blind eye to the injustice suffered by the people!”
“Yes, captain!” Haku words rung out loudly to Cadog, the latter nodded approvingly and bit into the lemon. Mirroring Cadog actions, Haku sunk his teeth into it.
It was bitter, sour, and even hints of bubbles somehow popping out on contact. Yet it never taste sweeter, as the alcoholic lemon was quickly drained of its content.
Wolfing it down to the last peel, Cadog smiled widely as he threw his arms to the sides. The other shipmates raised their arms in cheers in tandem, roars and cheers erupting loud enough to drown other voices.
“Welcome aboard the Kirin! Again!”
“And thanks for having me, again!” Haku replied back, much to everyone’s pleasure, and took his step onto the ship.
Tucked away on Melody Island, where the forests seem to rustle with rhythm, is the farming town of Tune. One might have to walk a mile to the stream and back to fetch water in the summer when the well is dry, and winters are so biting that one would want to keep well indoors, but the island is a font of peace even in the East, not possessing strategic positioning worth capturing, and lacking in material worth since the mine dried up (shy of an ancient ruin that has attracted a number of archaeologists over the years). And perhaps the sweetest note in this village is Catherine Coriander, a teenage nun at the local church with the ability to see the fun and wonder in just about every part of her mundane life. The biggest sister to the youngsters of the village, she’s no stranger to getting in trouble with her avid curiosity, but her years and discipline have tamed her to a degree, as has her responsibility to her many younger siblings. Perhaps, one day, her life will take her out into the wondrous and fantastic seas beyond, so far beyond her imagination that she can’t stand it, but for now, her happiness lies with home.
CHARACTER GOALS:
I have a nice handful of reasons I’m really excited to write for Coriander. Firstly, while I personally identify as an atheist, I have no particular dislike of the spirit or belief in religion (even if there’s so many examples of its practice, especially historically, that are abhorrent). I know some of my best friends are Christian, and in the past I’ve at least aimed to use fiction as a way to explore my own thoughts and feelings on faith. However, currently I’ve never gone further than the planning stages of a character who aims to explore my more positive outlook, leaving my writing more on the negative, so through Coriander I in part aim to write the struggle of a person with faith in a world that preaches the same ideals without putting them into practice, ultimately believing in the God who’s blood runs in the veins of the Heavenly Dragons, but eventually having to struggle with those who cause so much suffering in the world, while still holding onto and reconciling her faith in spite of those who claim to represent and embody it.
The second point of interest is in how relatively unexplored religion is in One Piece despite being so important (in that men deified as Gods literally rule the world). My thought process is narrowed in on the Heavenly Dragons: while we as the audience know them to be horrible and shitty to their foundations, and many people hate them, their rule is still accepted by the world, including the Marines. Through Coriander, I want to try and ground what we know through the lens of a religion I think fits in the world of One Piece (not as some unified faith, but as one of many religions in the world of One Piece, just as our world is full of religious difference and conflict). I’ll probably be drawing a lot from Christianity, which the nun imagery evokes, but as One Piece is Japanese, and I suspect the Heavenly Dragons might in part be inspired by how State Shintoism deified the Japanese Emperor as the descendant of Amaterasu, I’ll probably be considering some aspects of Shintoism as well, blending east and west just like the manga One Piece itself.
Lastly, there’s the matter of her Devil Fruit, discussed below, that has some rather important implications. Coriander’s story will have a massive shifting point. In reality, I’m more or less starting her in what would be the backstory flashback that establishes why she is who she is. This is partly because I have a deep love of slice of life and healing/iyashikei anime/manga, (the mention of Coriander’s ‘ability to see the fun and wonder in just about every part of their mundane life’ is directly inspired from characters like Akari (Aria) and Yotsuba (Yotsuba&!)). Her adventures in Tune Town would be my crack at writing a story in that vein (but not without One Piece’s penchant for absurd comedy). In doing so, I hope that the eventual shifting point will be all the more poignant and tragic, the prior focus on life giving the concept of death all the more weight and meaning, and the impending threat of death coming through narrative expectation offering a certain weight on the first part of her story, conversely. Her journey beyond that only has a faint guideline. The arrival of another PC to her island could alter her trajectory drastically, or deeply embed the potential ideas I already have for her. It’s all very exciting for me to consider!
CHARACTER NOTES:
Organization: Tune Town, Melody Island Position: Sister of the Dragon Blood Faith Starting Sea: East Blue Devil Fruit/Special Abilities:Revive-Revive Fruit. While Coriander hasn’t even realized she’s eaten the Fruit, the simple narrative implications of her having an unactivated Revive Fruit are...grim, to say the least. That said, the added layer of religion to her character gives her a whole new window to the inherent existentialism of the soul’s form. While her death will be an important point of her story, much like Brook’s, the circumstances and fallout will be radially different. I already have one expansion on an ability of Brook’s in mind, but her fighting style in general, and how it ties to her Fruit’s powers (which might be tweaked to fit her personality, such as a pure light instead of Brook’s cold soul), are a whole realm I have to think on in the future.
Coriander has also been observed to have exceptional senses in some cases. She’s never failed to find her fellow children in hide and seek, and she also has an affinity for animals, claiming she hear their conversations sometimes. While the islanders often dismiss the latter as the fun and fanciful imagination of a child, various rare texts and wizened adventurers have described a similar phenomenon as ‘the ability to hear the Voices of All Things’...
SAMPLE POST:
“Heehee, how can bubbles make a boat sink? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Lying on her front, bare feet kicking at the air, a girl with short, messy, platinum blond hair rested on her bed, propped up on her elbows. Catherine Coriander was all smiles as she flipped through the book in front of her. “Journey to the Bottom of the World” was a non-fiction novel detailing the exploits of the adventurer Knox of the Lymph Kingdom, who’s 12 novel series detailing his expedition to what was now called the Devil’s Seas had shown countless people a taste of what the Grand Line was truly like (allegedly). Many she knew had dismissed them as absurdities, sold through fantasy over fact, but Coriander’s heart was swayed all the same. Even as she cast her doubts on rivers flowing up a mountain backwards, islands in the clouds, dolphins the size of Sea Kings, and rain of gumdrops, even the errant thought that there might be even the tiniest truth there sent her heart aflutter. And she hadn’t even gotten to the legendary Fishman Island yet!
Rolling over on her bed, she let her thoughts run wild. Tall mangrove trees striped like a zebra (whatever strange beast that was supposed to be?), the sap seeping into the ground only to form bubbles that constantly popped and echoed throughout the Sabaody Archipelago. Were the leaves like a tree’s? Or were they spherical, like bubbles? Of course, Cori was sharp enough to catch the writer in his tricks: the bubbles floated before, but now that they were sinking to the bottom of the ocean… Letting out a giggle to herself, she couldn’t even disparage it, the visions in her head so fantastic that a few creative liberties need not mar them. The kids wouldn’t notice as she spun the tale to them, most likely, except Sorrel. He was always looking to poke holes into things, and these poor bubbles would not survive that.
“Cori! Can you get down here!” Clear blue eyes shooting open, Coriander rolled off her bed, feet flopping onto a shaggy gray mat. The room was rather sparse: a dresser, a rickety desk, and a bookshelf were all she needed, for most of her time was spent outdoors. Moving intuitively, she slipped her feet into a pair of black loafers and snapped up a white coif and black veil from the desk, donning them on her head before heading down the wooden stairs. Blinking away the amber sunlight of the incoming dusk, she reached the kitchen where her mother worked, several ovens among more typical kitchen weaponry, the smell of bread baked into the house itself. Pink apron over her front, platinum blonde hair tied into a ponytail, Catherine Marjoram glared. “Were you lazing about in your habit again? It’s going to get wrinkled! Just wear normal clothes when you get home!”
Cori pouted. “We’re doing laundry tomorrow, aren’t we? A couple wrinkles aren’t going to hurt it. Besides, I’m a nun, so I wear my habit!”
Marjoram sighed. “Yeah, I know, that’s why you’re always cleaning food, dirt, and kid snot out of it. Mother Basil should...never mind. Can you fetch some more water?” Corianne glanced to the side, seeing two perfectly full buckets nearby. Marjoram picked up her daughter’s thoughts immediately. “Those are for dinner, we need more for bathing! Your father used the water we got earlier to clean the bath out, like his back’s going to get better like that…” Turning back to her cutting board and tray of veggies, she said, “You better hurry and get going while the sun’s up. We’re having veggie soup in bread bowls tonight.”
Cori let out a low gasp, licking her lips in anticipation. Going to the corner, she grabbed the carrying pole and a pair of buckets, balancing them on one shoulder for now. As she moved to the side door, he stopped, turning back. “Hey mom, what’s a zebra? Do they have spines?”
“Of course they do! All mammals have spines. Zebras are like horses, but they have stripes like a tiger.”
“Horses!? With a funny name like that? It sounds like it should have the mouth of a tiger too, and spikes on the back.” Coriander’s wide eyed incredulity and fanciful rambling was met with her mother waving for her to leave. As she went through the door, taking the path down the hill through the trees, a smile crept to her face. Somehow the reality of the zebra seemed even stranger than her fiction, and Cori thought there was something wonderful about that.
Buckets clattering about as she walked, or rather, nearly skipped down the hill, reaching the main road in short time, most of the other abodes either lined up here, down by the docks, or a short path away for privacy like the Catherine home. The town was clear, but not quiet, each house bustling with its own family enjoying the company of one another as they ate or waited on dinner in progress. The first soul she saw was a familiar old man with fuzz on his jaw, spectacles over his eyes, and a shiny bald head giving the dusklight a rebound. Cane clutched in his hand, he leaned forward, wrinkles in his black and blue plaid shirt shirt un-creasing. “Getting water this late, Cori? Don’t fall in,” town elder Cicely warned.
Cheek puffed into a pout, Cori muttered, “I haven’t fallen in since I was little! I’m 16, you don’t need to tell me. I’m practically an adult now!”
“Hmm, and here I was thinking you were getting water to fill your bathtub and play ‘mermaid’.” Cori’s pout deepened, prompting a chortle. “Enjoying the book?”
“Yeah!” Coriander burst out, mood making an about face. “Knox was talking about the mangroves at Sabaody looking like zebras, do you have any pictures lying around in the library? They looked weirder in my head, but I guess they’re just horses.”
“Hmm, pop by tomorrow and I’ll see what I can do,” Cicely said.
Waving her hand vigorously as she passed by reasonable speaking distance, Coriander started to reach the end of town, the road beyond weaving through the hills. The lack of rain recently meant the well just in sight wouldn’t be fit for drawing, so the stream was her only bet.
The path was easy, but the walking was hard. Typically her traverse in the sunset was aimed towards Tune Town, not the other way around, so she was regularly distracted by the sheen of the grass and shaded trees looking just a bit different than usual, but enough to feel fresh and new. Glancing back, she winced at the sun in her eyes, torn between wanting light for her trip back and not wanting the sun to keep poking her in the eyes. But going forward, her step was slow, as going to quickly would take this relaxing time and sweet view away from her sooner.
By the time she finally reached the stream, the dusklight was starting to fade, and she was torn between the pleasantries of her trip and slight anxiety at the return. Still, before even that, she had a task, setting the first of her two buckets into the water so it could fill. Once she’d taken care of both of them, she slipped the carrying pole back onto her shoulders, but something strange caught her ear before she could stand fully.
gotta wait, gotta wait
“Hmm?” Coriander looked up and around, not seeing anyone in the low light.
rain soon, food easier then
Slipping the carrying pole off, Coriander got closer to where she was hearing the noise from, face practically at the level of the stream. It wasn’t particularly deep, but one would be wading before you reached the other side. And yet, Cori didn’t hear anything from the other side, but from somewhere in between.
big! quick, hide
“Hide, from what?” Coriander wondered, seemingly to herself. Then, her foot slipped from the rocks at the edge of the stream.”Dammit Sorrel, you got us lost,” whined Verbena, the chubby boy rubbing his curly black hair in frustration.
From ahead of him, the second tallest of the group, a girl with short green hair, shorts, and white tank top, and slightly tanned skin growled. “I’m telling your dad you swore!” Peppermint threatened.
Poking out from behind Verbena, a small girl with a pink bow, black dress, and black braid of hair glared from under her bangs, and beat up teddy bear in her grasp jabbed her finger at Peppermint. “If you do I’m gonna swear too so you have to tell on both of us!” said the younger Rue. Peppermint puffed up like a frog, tongue held.
Adjusting his glasses, squinting in the low light, Sorrel’s mid length purple hair fanned out as he turned his head trying to find where they were supposed to go. “If we don’t get home soon we’re all gonna get a whooping.”
“Except Peppermint ‘cause she has no parents,” Verbena muttered.
“I’m gonna chuck you into the ocean again so you better watch your mouth!” Peppermint shook her fists, the others flinching away. All but one, who’s eyes were locked elsewhere, the head of the group’s smallest being turned to the side. Short hair ruddy, trailing towards the back of the group of kids, nose and eyes running in fear at being lost, the feelings had taken a hiatus as his focus shifted.
Sorrel noticed. “You finally stop crying Cassia?”
Cassia didn’t even blink, his eyes wide as he stared off into the distance, the other four stopping to watch him. Before anyone could open their mouths to speak, he shot off, streaking through a couple trees and down the hill. “Ah! Cassia!?” Sorrel cried, leading the other four as they gave chase.
“Where are you going!?” Peppermint cried out, easily keeping pace.
“If you get us even more lost I’m gonna be even more mad!” Verbena threatened, Rue being pulled along behind her.
Down the hill, Up, down, then up another, Cassia stopped at the top, looking down into one of the short valleys, where water ran free. Catching their breath from the sprint uphill, once again they followed Cassia’s eyes, not so concerned with the known landmark that could have guided them home, but instead the mostly black mass visible against the rocks, a point of platinum blonde visible.
“CORIANDER!?””Come on, where is she, where is she?” “Oh God, oh God…” “Please, just tell us everything’s okay!” The doorway to the Catherine household was packed, a number of the villagers having stormed from their homes at the thunderous news.
“GO HOME ALREADY SHE’S FINE!” Marjoram roared.
In the other room, a blonde haired man with a short goatee, glasses, and brown overalls over a white a blue pinstriped shirt rubbed Coriander down with a towel. “Jeez, they’re acting like you died or something,” Catherine Hyssop muttered.
“Puh,” Coriander gasped, popping her head out of the towel her dad held. Taking it for herself and standing, the girl in her poofy white bedclothes admitted, “I would’ve if Peppermint hadn’t pulled me out of there.” Going out into the hall, the congregation let out a titter of relief. “Oh praise God!” “How do you almost drown in half a foot of water!?” “I’ll be right back with a good luck charm.” Coriander’s eyes were wide at the crowd. “Did the whole town show up!?”
“Your stupidity has always had a gravity to it, attracting other idiots,” Marjoram huffed. Turning back to the crowd she argued, “There better not be any lines like this in front of my house again unless you’ve got bread to buy!”
“Oh, I’ll take some day-old loaves if you have any left.”
“GET OUTTA HERE ALREADY! EXCEPT THE KIDS they can stay for a minute.” As the crowd begun to disperse, the kids coming back in, Marjoram muttered, “I swear, they take it way too easy on you...”
“What happened!?” Peppermint cried out, rushing to hug Cori. She was only the first, Sorrel and Rue jumping in as well, Verbena standing back with his arms crossed and Cassia stuck still at the door.
“Even Cassia never drownded and he can’t even swim yet,” Verbena huffed.
With only two hands and three heads to pat, Cori looked up from her hug reciprocation and muttered, “I don’t know what happened! It was like going to bed after a long day, I just didn’t have any energy anymore.” From behind her, Hyssop entered at that moment, cane in hand, eyes intense as he flashed a look to Marjoram. “I was more worried about how mom and dad were going to get water with dad’s back hurt from the mill.”
Following Hyssop’s look, Marjoram moved past Cori, swatting her on the shoulder. “I can get it myself! Looks like I’ll have to if you’re going to be take any more naps with the fish.”
“Ah, jeez! It was an accident!” Cori cried as her parents went off. Letting out a breath, she said, “Praise God for the bunch of you being right there.” Pushing past the other kids, she reached Cassia at the doorway, the boy trying not to meet eyes even as Coriander bent down to eye level. “More importantly...thank you, Cassia.”
Cassia’s face went tight, tears starting to leak yet again. He didn’t resist as Coriander pulled him into a hug. “Were you scared?”
After a moment, Cassia weakly nodded. “Buh-huh.”
“And you still came to help me. I can’t thank you enough.” Pressing her mouth into his scalp, she gave him a brief kiss. Cassia rubbed his face with his hands, as much to hide the growing red as it was to wipe away the tears. The other four coming through, they shuffled away, Cori not even noticing as she focused on waving farewell to the children going into the young night.”Did you hear what she said?” Hyssop muttered, knuckles white on his cane as he sat on a stool in the kitchen.
Standing with a ladle in her hand, stirring a simmering soup, Marjoram’s look wasn’t much calmer. “Where would she have ever made a deal with a devil to get cursed?”
Putting the ladle down and wiping her hands, Marjoram muttered, “Are you sure? The cursed aren’t loved by the ocean, but this was freshwater.”
Hyssop rocked his head back and forth in thought. “True…”
“Besides, it’s not like she’s breathing fire or...what are some of the powers again?”
“I heard one of the Admirals these days blows bubbles.”
“…”
“…”
“What’s the Government coming to!? Back in the day the Admirals were fearsome!” Marjoram slammed her palm on the counter before going to cut the bread bowls, jabbing her knife into round, crusty loaves of bread.
Hyssop let out a low sigh, before admitting, “Besides, it’s not like Cori has any strange...ah.”
“She’s always been strange. And ‘ah’? What’s ‘ah’?”
Hyssop scratched at his facial hair, recalling, “No, there wouldn’t be any Devil power to hear animals, right?”
Knife slowing to a stop, Marjoram shook her head, “Who would give up their ability to tread water on most of this planet to eavesdrop on the damn rats talking about how their days are going!?”
“Don’t yell at me, it was just a thought. Let’s ask Cicely tomorrow, or Burnet.”
“I wasn’t yelling at you, I was yelling at her. I swear she’s going to give us a heart attack one of these days. CORI, DINNER’S READY!”
It wasn’t more than a few seconds until Cori bust in. “Mr. Cicely came by after the kids left with a picture of a zebra. It doesn’t have a tiger mouth but it totally had spikes on its back!”
“That was its mane,” Hyssop insisted.
“It looked like spikes though!”
“Can we just eat already?” moaned an exasperated Marjoram. Divvying up the soup into their bread bowls, she knew that despite her load complaints, her futile attempts to reign that endless ball of hope and wonder in, she loved the hell out of that girl. Even without words, her and Hyssop knew they were of the name mind: they could never imagine any kind of curse like that befalling her, not as long as she was so loved by this town.
Valery at his core is a strong-willed and curious individual, always asking questions and snooping around in matters that oftentimes do not involve him in the slightest. This has caused quite an amount of altercations in his life that he was too stubborn to back down from. Nonetheless, he never regretted any of it as what he was truly chasing was the adventure in it all. He has his father to thank for instilling this in his head as he too was a rather eccentric dreamer. When it comes to new people he takes interest in, Valery enjoys taking the liberty of creating a lifelong impression for them to remember him by. As for people whom he sees as bothersome, nothing brings him more joy than being a pain in their side.
Character Goals:
Within any form of entertainment, I enjoy the growth caused by experience. I am a young individual and thus have much to learn so I enjoy writing characters whom I also grow alongside. This being an advanced roleplay based upon one piece, there is much potential for this to last quite some time.
With Valery, I intend to write a character who also displays great growth from start to finish as he goes through his own trials and tribulations. Like myself, Valery still has much to learn about the world yet he believes he knows all that there is, in turn, this can often put him into some rather unfortunate/sticky situations that he must learn from. Another goal of mine is also to develop the impact that other players have upon Valery through their interactions with him whether positive or negative.
Character Notes
Organization: None Occupation/Position: None Starting Sea: North Blue
Relations:
Valery's late father, a very eccentric individual who was never seen as sullen or sad, was regarded by some as a savior the day he passed.
Reitsu's older brother and current Master of Shimamoto Dojo, a stern and rigid individual who values discipline.
Sample Post:
WACK WACK WACK
Within quick succession, 3 strikes assaulted the young man’s body. Two being to his head and a 3rd aimed at his legs which swept the boy off balance and tumbling toward the ground.
“OW! What the hell is wrong with you gramps? Why the added aggression today?!” The silver-haired boy whined as he massaged the lump swelling upon his head.
“Your swordsmanship has been rather sloppy today so I decided to knock a bit of sense into you.” A rather intimidating old man stood at the center of the room, a renowned swordsman and master of the Shimamoto Dojo, Suigetsu Shimamoto.
“Also, refer to me as Sensei!” He said while releasing a precision strike upon Valery’s head hitting the same spot once more. The young man was left on the ground clutching his head once more.
“We’ll break here for today. You are all dismissed!” The old man boomed as he turned his back and took his seat at the head of the dojo room.
From there the group of students surrounding the practice arena bowed their heads.
“THANK YOU SHIMAMOTO SENSEI!” The room roared in unison before dispersing.
Valery rubbed his head some more as it was still a bit bruised before getting up to put his Shinai on an adjacent wooden rack.
“Sensei got you good today huh?” A voice came from behind the silver-haired boy. As Valery turned he was met with his own reflection, peering into the crystal ball that was the head of his bald friend Shun. He was significantly shorter than Valery as he stood at about 5ft 6in but held onto a muscular and toned build that was visible even with his yukata being worn. His eyebrows were also rather noticeably bushy giving him a rather interesting appearance. A wide grin was planted on his face as he turned to his friend. Valery blatantly ignored his friend's existence and began to make his way to the front door.
“Hey hey, you come on don’t be so rude! The least you can do is entertain me, Val.” Shun said chasing after him, to which Valery grunted and responded with a glare that conveyed his annoyance.
“Wow I see you’re a bit grumpy, usually you would have made a joke about my head by now or something. Sensei really got you good today” Shun said rubbing his smooth head. “I know what’ll cheer you up. How about we go to Hatchy’s BBQ and grab you grub?”
Valery simply exhaled, accepting nor denying the request initially. Some food from one of the local restaurants didn’t sound all that bad. Perhaps the combination of head hurting and hunger has put him in a less than desirable.
Not to mention today is also…
Valery shook his head at the thought before heading outside. “Just so you know the food is on you.” As he slid open the Shoji doors. Valery was greeted by an array of night lights that illuminated the settlement in the distance known as Ocean Song village. A wave of relief could be seen on his face just at the sight, shortly Shun joined him.
“It’s definitely one of the perks of living on this island. Let’s hurry before all the tables are taken, I’m starving.” Shun spoke, nearly drooling at the thought of marinated beef hitting the grill.
As Valery was preparing to descend down the hill from which the dojo had been located upon. He felt a bit of resistance from the color of his Yukata.
“I’m afraid that Valery here is busy and will have to join you another time Shun.” A familiar tone sounded from behind. In a flash, Valery whipped his head to the side to see none other than the master swordsman, Suigetsu Shimamoto
Shun was a bit shocked to see Master Shimamoto there but he quickly bowed and nodded his head. “Yes, sensei.” The boy then turned to his silver-haired friend and gave him a grin that said ‘Sorry not sorry.’
“Maybe next time Val, see ya later!" the boy waved before beginning the trek to Ocean Song village, in which the silver-haired boy just stuck his tongue out jealously. Valery felt defeated at the sight of his friend leaving him behind. "So what is it you wand old man Sui-"
BONK
Before he could even finish his name a fist firmly made contact with the top of Valery's head, adding another knot to the stack from earlier.
"OUCH!"
"It's Sensei you little brat!... Ahem!" Suigetsu cleared his throat, "We must discuss the important matter of my late brother Reitsu, I recently received a new update." At the sound of these words, Valery stopped rubbing his head and turned to face Suigetsu as he now had his full undivided attention. "What did you hear!" Valery replied without hesitation, his facial expression a mix of sorrow and rage.
“There are rumors spreading of a swordsman within the North Blue wielding a distinct sword has popped up, perhaps we can achieve some answers at last and make peace with Reitsu's death.”
Character Description: Sol is a very quiet, reserved individual, having learned from a young age to keep his cards close to his chest. Tactically minded, Sol is almost always thinking one or two steps ahead, both in his professional and personal lives, and as such, he doesn’t like surprises. While he’s a reasonable and rational kind of man, he has one main, driving force pushing him to put everything he has into what he does: revenge.
Character Goals: My goal in writing Sol is to provide a kind of foil to Luna’s story. While her side will mostly be somewhat similar to Luffy’s (adventure, action, and making connections), Sol’s will more or less be the opposite, focusing on his struggle to play the part of one person in the pursuit of his personal goal while trying not to forget who he is and where he came from, doing his best to always keep people at arm's length. Like Luna’s story, I plan on Sol’s side being very character-driven.
Organization: Marines Occupation/Position: Captain Starting Sea: North
Relations:
Dawn Luminos: Mother (Deceased)
Astrum Luminos: Father (Deceased)
Stella Luminos: Younger sister (Deceased)
Luna Nox: Friend (Deceased, to his knowledge)
Rachel Nelson: Lieutenant, second-in-command
Devil Fruit/Special Abilities: Sol is a gifted swordsman, having been trained to use one from almost as early as he could walk. His skill with the blade and mastery of his original style, the Symphonic Blade, are part of the reason why he was able to ascend to the rank of Captain at a young age, despite the fact that he doesn’t have the power of a Devil Fruit.
During his time with the Marines, however, Sol picked up a couple of new tricks: Skywalk (Geppo) and Shave (Soru), two abilities from the Six Powers. Due to the fact that he isn’t as gifted in physical strength or toughness as some others, he uses these abilities to improve his mobility in combat, making it harder for the enemy to pin him down. As skilled as he might be in these newer forms of fighting, though, there remains one more that he only uses as a last resort, given that it poses the biggest risk to his identity.
The Way of Lumen is a fighting style unique to his homeland, a style of swordsmanship that focuses primarily on speed. This sword-fighting style, taught from a young age, trains the user to move in ways that allow them to maximize their muscular system’s power and efficiency. While it’s possible to use this style barehanded, it truly shines when paired with a sword. A true master is said to be able to swing their sword fast enough to ignite the blade.
In lieu of this powerful fighting style, Sol has developed the Symphonic Blade, an original fighting style of his that makes use of his above-average speed, enhanced even further with Skywalk and Shave. Each attack is based off of a musical term and it’s said by some that music could be heard from his blade.
Sol’s greatest weapon, despite his skill with the blade, is his mind. While he’s a skilled combatant, his grasp of tactics have pulled himself and his crew from the brink numerous times.
Character note: Sol's eyes change color depending on his emotional state, which is a trait unique to his family and a big reason why he works so hard to keep his emotions in check. Depending on how intense his emotions are, his eyes will change from black to red, orange, yellow, white, and finally, blue.
Sample Post: Captain Maxwell Rackham stood at the bow of his ship, his hands resting on his saber in front of him. His white overcoat, the word “Justice” embroidered on his back, fluttered in the wind with his long, black hair. Sharp, black eyes peered out at the horizon from underneath his white cap, his expression inscrutable. The way he stood, his shoulders back, head held high, seemed to almost command respect, despite his age and the fact he was slightly shorter than average. And though he was quiet and often kept to himself, his crew respected and trusted him with their lives and he would be lying if he said he didn’t feel bad about it, given his true goals. They were all good men and women, so far as he could tell, though he’d be the first to admit he doesn’t spend much time chatting with most of them. No, I can’t afford to feel guilty about that, he thought with a shake of his head. One of these days, even these people will be my enemies. I can’t get too close to any of them.
“Figured this is where I’d find you, Captain Max!” a cheerful voice said from behind him.
Maxwell let out a quiet sigh and said, ”Good morning, Lieutenant Nelson. Is there something you need?”
Lieutenant Rachel Nelson grinned and leaned against the railing next to her captain. She was only a little taller than Maxwell was and her long blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, fluttered in the salty wind. “Well, a fight was brewing between a couple of the cadets in the mess,” she said, her blue eyes glittering with her smile. “I put a stop to that, though. Told them to mop the ship, inside and out, until they could make nice, again.”
Maxwell nodded. Lieutenant Nelson, despite her cheerful demeanor, never hesitated to mete out punishments and it was a big reason why Maxwell considered her his second-in-command. In truth, it was hardest for him to maintain his distance from her, in particular. While Rachel is more outgoing, her smile always reminded him of an old friend and he couldn’t help but feel an urge to get closer to her. “So, mind telling me why we’re heading east, anyway?” Lieutenant Nelson asked, pulling Maxwell from his thoughts. “We keep going this way, we’re gonna be crossing into the old Empire’s waters, eventually, and there isn’t anything out that way. Hasn’t been since it fell.”
”You know how pirates think,” Maxwell replied without missing a beat. ”If they think there’s any chance of easy money, they’d take it, wouldn’t they? I know it’s been fifteen years, but they might think there’s something worth looting from the corpse of an empire, hiding away in some nook or cranny.”
Rachel was quiet for a moment before she shrugged. “I suppose you’re right,” she relented. After another moment, she asked, “Isn’t there a blockade in place, though? How could pirates or anyone else get through that?”
Maxwell let out a dry chuckle and said, ”Pirates are pests and, like any other pest, they’ll always find a way to be where they shouldn’t. Like they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way.”
He turned his gaze out back toward the horizon and noticed a dark spot out on the water a ways out. A moment later, his baby transponder snail started to ring. When he answered, the man stationed up in the crow’s nest said, “Sir, there’s a pirate ship off the port bow. Should we give chase?”
”Go ahead,” Maxwell replied. He hung up, then turned back to face the rest of his ship. ”Prepare for battle!” he shouted. ”Ready the forward cannons! We’ll start off with a warning shot, see if they’ll make things easy for us!”
With a collective, “Aye, aye!” Maxwell’s crew got to work, hurrying across the deck as they made ready for combat. The sails unfurled to full and the ship began to speed forward. In no time at all, they were in firing range. Maxwell gave the order and one of the four fore cannons roared to life, firing a single shot. The cannonball sailed through the air and splashed into the ocean, narrowly missing the ship. Maxwell waited as the ship turned starboard, bringing their broadside to bare. “Looks like they wanna fight,” Rachel replied with a sigh.
Maxwell returned his sword to its place at his left side and took a step toward the bow of his ship. ”Tell the men I’m going over,” he told his lieutenant. Before she could try to stop him, he leapt into the air. He kicked out against the empty air hard enough to compress it under the sole of his foot, creating an invisible foothold that he used to leap through the air over and over again. “Fire!!” the pirate captain shouted. The starboard cannons roared to life, sending a volley of steel toward the Navy ship that had caught up to them. He and his men were just starting out. They had only just stolen this ship and had yet to even come up with a name for their group, but they’ve already been presented with an opportunity to make a name for themselves by sinking a Navy ship.
The cannonballs landed in the ocean without coming close to hitting their target. The captain growled and yelled, “Don’t you idiots know how to aim a cannon?! What am I paying you for?!”
“We just set sail!” one of his men shouted back. “Besides, who made you captain?! I don’t remember that vote!”
“Keep up with that attitude and I’m throwing you overboard!” the self-proclaimed captain yelled back.
”That’s not a good sign. You all have just set sail and you’re already at each other’s throats?”
The deck of the ship suddenly went quiet as all eyes turned toward the newcomer. A white overcoat fluttered from his shoulders as he adjusted the cuffs of his jet black suit. His long, black hair, tied back in a high ponytail, flowed in the breeze. His appearance was so sudden that it was a long time before someone voiced the one thought on everyone’s mind: “W-where did you come from?!”
”That ship over there,” Maxwell replied, pointing back to his ship. ”My name is Captain Maxwell Rackham and I come here to present an offer to you all. Drop your weapons, put your hands over your heads, and allow us to take you into custody. Otherwise…” He laid his hand on the hilt of his sword and let the gesture finish his sentence.
A long few moments passed before the captain shouted, “What’re you waiting for, men?! He’s just one man! Send the other dogs a message and kill him!”
With a roar, the men all shouted and rushed at Maxwell. The Marine captain sighed and loosened his sword from its sheath with his thumb. ”It always ends like this,” he muttered.
”Symphonic Blade: Cadenza Della Spada!”
To the pirates, it would appear that Maxwell suddenly disappeared. Without warning, several cuts suddenly opened up on each of their bodies, almost simultaneously. The captain’s ears twitched as he watched his crew get sliced up and he thought he could hear…music? Before the pirates fell to the deck with pained cries, Maxwell reappeared behind the captain, his sword across the man’s throat. ”Don’t worry, they’re still alive,” he quietly told the pirate captain. ”I’ll give you one more chance: drop your weapon. I know I said they’re still alive, but if you don’t make your choice now, it’ll be too late for them.”
The pirate captain broke out into a cold sweat. He could feel the sharp blade just barely touching his throat. He knew that before he could even think about twitching a muscle, the Marine captain behind him wouldn’t think twice about pulling that blade across his throat. His eyes drifted to his crew, all of whom were laying on the deck, groaning as puddles of blood slowly spread out from their wounds. Gritting his teeth, the captain let his weapon clatter to the deck and Maxwell let out a sigh. ”Good decision,” he quietly said as he waved at his ship, signaling to them that it was safe to approach.
“I’ve never seen anyone move like that,” the pirate captain muttered. Even though Maxwell had introduced himself earlier, he asked, “Who are you?”
Several moments passed as the Marine ship approached. Maxwell sighed and slowly turned toward the pirate captain as he allowed some of his anger toward the people who had destroyed his home surface. His black eyes shifted into red, auburn, then into yellow, white, and finally a startling blue.
”Just a man trying to make things right,” he quietly said as reigned in his emotions, letting his eyes return to their previous black.
Maxwell Ander’s life can be summed up to a series of mostly fortunate accidents, starting with the boy accidentally consuming a devil fruit in his younger years. Fortunate being he managed to get himself into some decently powerful positions, at the cost of his anonymity and the constant need to make sure his moral compass doesn’t become compromised.
The title of Rat King has a double meaning. The first being that Maxwell has a rather close relationship with the island’s rodents, as well as a strange love of cheese, a side effect of the fruit? Who knows. Rats and mice are generally his biggest source of information as well as his source of wealth. The second meaning refers more to his informant position on the island. The “Rat” refers to his tendency to turn people in.
As a child who grew up on Pol Stictid he saw nothing wrong with how the island was run. It was normal to him. Then, when the boy accidentally ended up within the ranks of a Pirate crew shortly after consuming his Devil Fruit he saw how the rest of the world worked. He saw the kindness of other people and realized things were different. However, the quite hefty bounty on his crew’s heads Maxwell often found himself a target to those wishing to put an end to Brutos’ run. As a result he is now unable to leave Pol Stictid, being forced to remain on the Island as the crew didn’t want to risk him getting captured.
Character Goals
Within any corrupt or outright lawless organization or civilization there are always people who are just trying to make it. There are those who maintain a solid moral compass while working under not so moral circumstances. Maxwell is one of these people. He is simply trying to get by while not compromising his own morals.
Having a “good” character who more or less got themselves accidentally mixed in with some less than savory situations hopefully provide a new lens to view said situations from. As well as the hijinks of Rats bringing him random things that may or may not get him into some rather sticky situations.
I want to explore how a goofy, accidentally lucky guy rides the line of keeping his morals straight while also maintaining the, admittedly comfy, lifestyle he got for himself. The moral dilemmas one might face in a relatively lawless, anti-government society, while being fully aware that the system he is used to is flawed and corrupt.
Character Notes:
Organization: The Saw-Tooth Pirates (Operates off of Pol Stictid) Position: Informant Starting Sea: South Blue Devil Fruit: Whisper-Whisper Fruit This fruit allows the user the ability to “speak” telepathically to animals. Though it does not allow him control over them he gets by just fine by bribing them to do tasks for him with food.
Relations and character related NPCs
Captain of the Saw-Tooth Pirates and Maxwell’s current boss. A brutal fishman with no regard for anything other than his own power and wealth. His crew are tools for his goals, acceptable sacrifices, and fodder with the exception of Maxwell, whom Brutos still views as a tool but one that is too valuable to lose. He and his crew are prominent in the human trafficking scene as Brutos feels it's the most lucrative "trade". Bounty: 67 million beri
Sample Post
Maxwell could not fathom how he had mistaken a devil fruit for a wheel of cheese but it seemed somehow, he had. Where had the thing even come from? He honestly had no clue. Things just seemed to happen to him. The amount of times strange things, or good fortune happened to fall into his lap was staggering. He had yet to determine if this was strange, good fortune or both. All he knew is he was now staring at a rat who had told him not to step on it while he was walking through the cargo hold of his crew's ship.
"Did you just… talk to me?" He questioned leaning closer to the seemingly cornered rodent. Its little body heaving from its heavy breathing.
"You understand me?" The high pitch voice squeaked back in the brunette's head. Both creatures blinked, though the rat did so at a faster rate than Max did.
"I...I think so..." Maxwell sat down, forgetting the reason he had come down here in the first place. The rat remained in its place though seemed less apprehensive now that the human was seated. Both seemed to stare at each other for a long time before the rodent broke the silence.
"Well...I...I go now." It said before scurrying off to somewhere Maxwell could no longer see it. The male sat there for several more minutes processing this information before eventually remembering he had come down here to grab some vegetables for the ship's cook.
Some weeks later
Maxwell spent the following weeks after his discovery communicating with the ship's rodent residents. He hadn't noticed how many were aboard the ship until he could start talking to them. The number would have been alarming if he hadn't been distracted with the fact that he could now talk to them. Which had become less of an odd fact to him as the weeks passed. Each rat had their own personality and even had their own self given names. It had taken a while for him to build trust with the rodents, but by now he could get them to do small tasks for him if he simply promised food. Most of these tasks needed to be done at night when the crew was sleeping to avoid detection.
There had been a lot of trial and error so Maxwell ended up with many of the other crew member's personal belongings. Something he kept to himself as explaining how he ended up with them was not something he wanted to do. They would likely throw him overboard for being some sort of loon. So now the crew was convinced the ship was haunted, the missing belongings on top of the mysterious shuffling and scratching at night had many of them spooked. So much so that when they docked a day ago everyone left the ship, leaving Maxwell and his rats alone. The fact that none had come back yet was concerning to say the least.
Maxwell had requested that many of the ship's resident rats leave the ship in search of his crew, concerned they might have been captured by marines. However, all the rats he sent out came back with no news on his shipmates. It was as if they had vanished.
"You don't think they were so scared that they just abandoned the ship do you?" He questioned one of the rats that had stayed behind. He simply received an unsure squeak back.
"If they did leave, that means the ship belongs to you now." Replied another, seeming relieved that it didn't have to sneak around, at least for now.
Maxwell waited a few more days, sending rats out periodically to check around before finally deciding that his former crew had quite literally abandoned the ship. He hadn't meant to spook them but such was the way of Maxwell's luck. Strange, and or extreamly lucky things always seemed to simply fall into his lap.
I'd rather die than give up! Being a pirate can’t be that hard
Character Description
Imelda has always been the embodiment of nonchalant. Thought provoking questions always confused her, and standing out from the crowd was never a big deal. All Imelda ever dreamed about was being at full peace with the world around her. The only way Imelda could even think of obtaining this peace was through a very simple matter, becoming the strongest fighter the world had ever known! Maybe it was Imelda’s pirate lineage that led her to this mindset, but it was the only possible way she saw forward. Philosophy? Words and their meanings? Politics? Freedom? All of it was nonsense to Imelda since at the end of the day, all of those things could be erased by the Marines, World Government, or even pirates. So with the help of her grandfather, Imelda trained in his dojo so that someday she could make her dream a reality. Peace! The peace to just simply lay down on the sands of some island and know that no one in the world would dare disturb her for whatever reason.
Character Goals
With Imelda my goal is to simply have fun writing and building a character in one of my favorite pieces of fiction. A major concept of One Piece is individual dreams and the journey to reaching them. Which really resonates with me, and I hope to convey that with Imelda. A stubborn character who reacts to being ordered around with an almost explosive will to disobey if the orders conflict with her own goals. Another big thing I’m hoping to provide with Imelda is a story of triumph, but also failure. The dream she has is a near impossible one, and that was very much intentional when thinking of it all. So a major part of her story will also revolve around how far she is willing to go for the sake of her own dreams. What is the price she will have to pay, to eventually be able to sit back and never worry about the general arrangements of society?
Character Notes
Organization: The Blue Horned Pirates Position: Captain Starting sea: North Blue Devil Fruit: Bomb Bomb Fruit The bomb-bomb fruit is a paramecia type fruit that allows the user to make any part of their body explode. Whether it be limbs, hair, mucus, or breathe essentially turning them into a bomb human. Explosions only occur when the user initiates them, also despite the explosion immunity the user is still not immune to fire. In One Piece I feel as thought this particular fruit was introduced way too early but also very underutilized by it's user. While it was shown off to have decent long ranged capabilities, I intend for Imelda to use the fruit in a complete opposite way. Being a more up and personal hand to hand fighter, it's my belief that the Bomb Bomb fruit would be used in a more fun, and proper way than just flinging ones boogers at their opponents. Miscellaneous: While being a human Imelda slightly stands out from the crowd around her. There are two horns on the top of Imelda's head that are a very deep shade of blue at the tip and gradually becomes a more bone white color near the base of her head.
Relations:
Ram D. Isengard
Isengard, a well respected retired pirate who now runs a dojo which teaches the fighting style passed down his families lineage. Who also despite his better judgment gave into Imelda’s begging and took her in as a student. He always went on about the Ram D. bloodline but despite that, Isengard often treated his granddaughter like a soft delicate lamb. Even while training Imelda in the full body fighting style that utilized punches, kicks, knees, elbows, and surprisingly even the head. He would often stop training Imelda if she gained even the smallest scratch from training. But even then, he fully supported her dreams of peace and plans of becoming a pirate to obtain that peace.
Mango Winters
If all anyone could ask for was loyalty, then Mango would be the first thing to appear in front of them. Also in comparison to Imelda's nonchalant, it is what it is, attitude Mango would be the polar opposite. Often overthinking, in fact he’s often the voice of reason for Imelda. Even if she never listened Mango appreciates Imelda and knew her dreams were childish with little to no way of ever happening. So he tagged along with her silly idea of being pirates and vows to make sure her dream comes true.
SAMPLE POST!
Two Weeks Earlier
“Remember to eat 3 times a day! Don’t approach any ships that you don't recognize! And please if you see any Mari-”
The words from the woman would fall short as the young man in front of her finally opened his mouth to speak. “I get it! I get it! Just cut it out ma’, I can handle myself now.” Tears began to swell in the woman’s eyes as her son spoke. He realized at this point there was nothing that could’ve been said to put his mothers heart at ease. His hand would find itself resting on her shoulder, “Us two will be back, and with an entire crew before you can even blink. I swear it.” The smile on the man’s face was genuine to his mother. And although the tears didn’t stop, she at least felt a bit more at ease about this whole ordeal.
“Oh you’re right Mango, I know you’ll do the right things.” She had known the truth for a while, her son didn’t need to be babied. Only a small fraction of her frustrations came from Mango leaving home, the big chunk however… The big chunk came from, “That no good lazy slacker of a girl! Where is she even!?”
“She’s right behind you ma…” Mango pointed towards the crowded street leading to the docks and sure enough there she was. Simply walking as slow as a turtle. Imelda.
”Yo-ho!” Imelda would call out to Mango and his mother. Her voice was drowsy, practically giving away the fact she had been napping this whole time. Although there wasn’t much enthusiasm in the way she walked either, locals of the island smiled and wished her farewell on the voyage. Oddly it seemed as though the majority of the island had gathered on this one little stretch of road. ”Ah, you're here early Mango. Hehe same as usual.” She said with a small smile on her face once she finally stood in front of Mango and his mother.
“EARLY!? YOU’RE JUST LATE BY TWO HOURS!!” Mango yelled, “Geez, we’ve practically missed the high tide! This is the WORST START FOR PIRATING!”
”You worry too much! As long as the winds of our backs we’ll be great!” The words came off as a laugh almost. But once again that was enough for mango to feel a bit at ease with Imelda. ”Now lets hurry up and set sail! The sooner we leave the better!”
“Aye!” Was the last thing he said to her before, walking to the boat and doing last minute checks. Imelda would soon begin to follow looking forward to her new life at sea. But before she could take her first steps, hands would grab her arms. Looking at the person who grabbed her Imelda was surprised to see it was only Mango’s mother. “Before you leave…” She was fully crying at this point, not even fighting the tears going down her cheeks and onto the wood of the docks.
“Please, bring my son back alive! Promise me you’ll bring him back alive! If anything happens to him out there, I’ll never forgive you!”
With a sigh Imelda looked down at the mother and said words that would set the tone for their travels. ”I don’t feel like it. Sounds like way too much work.” She yawned as she finished speaking. ”Besides you should know at this point. Nothing bad could ever happen to him as long as I’m around!” And with those last words she turned her back to Mango’s mother and joined him on their small ship.
“Get settled in, I’ve taken care of everything else.” Mango sayed while standing at the helm. “Just raise the sail Ime-... Captain! And we’ll be off.” Without a second passing between them Imelda had already raised the sails of their ship, walked to the bow. The sails would fall and Imelda yelled while pointing towards the open sea.
”Look out world! Here comes Ram D. Imelda and the Blue Horned Pirates!”
In the distance far away on the other side of Gator Tail Island was a tall man. Although no one would ever believe the sight, there was a gigantic smile on his face. “Go forward, my granddaughter! Fight the winds! Conquer the oceans! And obtain the dream you’ve been after!”
Present day
”Lost? Nah we’re not lost. We’ll find somewhere to dock soon I bet.” Imelda was laying on the deck of the ship with her arms folded behind her head.
“You said that two days ago! We should’ve found the first island a week ago!” Mango sat next to Imelda with a map on the ground between them and a compass in his left hand. “Luckily I predicted this and packed more food! But if I’m doing this right, we’ll be at a dock within two days. That’s only IF I’m doing this right!” The two had been sailing non stop for two weeks straight. Supplies were running low and without a navigator any hope of finding land seemed fruitless. Mango couldn’t help but protest to Imelda how they desperately should’ve found someone who could navigate before leaving. But as always she only had one answer to him.
”Trust the process and listen to the Seagulls. Now let me sleep man!”
“Seagulls? What’re you ta-,”
“Huoh! Huoh!” The call came from up above. Mango looked up and sure enough there was a single Seagull flying high above them. A million questions raced through his head, the main one wondering how Imelda heard them before him. But as always any questions he asked would’ve been met with a shrug. “Lands real close then. We should be there sooner than I thought!”
”Yeah, yeah whatever. I really just want to sleep.” Imelda muttered before turning to her side and without a moment’s notice began to snore.
