Pacifista

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Waving a hand in front of her face, Lina insisted, "No way, that bear wasn't talking. It was a ruse."

Grinning, Lina hopped over to the chest, giggling, "But this isn't a ruse! It's so heavy." Jangling the rusted lock, Lina backed off before stabbing it with her sword, breaking it open. Grin wide, she almost squealed as she opened it.

Under the hood, she blinked as she saw a good number of tin and iron tools, ranging from tools to cooking supplies, all fairly beat up or broken. Eyes glossed over, Lina stared at the contents, blinking vapidly, her mind still working to process it. Reaching in, she began to dig through, tossing out a number of baubles. "I-It's gotta be under here! O-or there's a fake bottom!"

Chest emptied, Lina almost exploded in glee as the base popped up with a push in the right place. Throwing the wooden plank aside, she found... a rolled up piece of paper. Opening it...it was another treasure map. Of a different island. With more stupid riddles.

Don'tcrydon'tcrydon'tcrydon'tcry

Checking the chest again, she picked out an admittedly nice gold bracelet that was there in the bottom with some neat line patterns. Slipping it under her hat, she accepted her consolation prize mournfully.

---

"Where's the chest? You had one job!" Grif snarled as Lina stomped down the dock. His anger quickly paled as he saw hers though.

Reaching him, Lina practically shoved the new map into his mouth. As he spat it out, she hissed, "We found your stupid treasure, asshole, and guess what, it was another map. What kind of big stupid asshole doessomethinglikethat!?" While her voice cracked as her sanity seemed to wane, Grif gawked, having no idea how to respond to the teen girl in her sun hat.

"At least you got the greatest treasure of all: a friendship with...damn, Cheese, what happened to your face?"

Ignoring the Marine Lina stomped a bit further down the deck, spotting their ship, but it seemed smaller somehow. Taking a closer look, she saw that it was sinking. Most of the deck was underwater. "What happened to our boat!?"

Seeing a gash in the back of the Marine ship, she pieced together what had happened: when the Marine ship stopped, their smaller boat smacked into the back, getting a crack in it, which likely led to the flooding. She growled at the Marines, "Get our stuff off of there NOW!" While Lina cracked the whip, sending the Marines into a tizzy, Grif rubbed the bridge of his nose. What a mess...

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Lina sighed in relief; she should have known Chester was more durable that that. Still, he was pretty messed up though.

Suddenly, one of the three remaining bandits feel away, bleeding. As he dropped to the ground, Lina retracting her sword, another cried, "What the hell kinda cheap shot was that!?" Lina stabbed him too. The last remaining one watched Lina in shock, before she turned and glared at him. He made the wise move to turn tail and run.

Stepping down from the treasure chest, the fight was a more fair two on two. Glancing at Tedbjorn and Chester, Bjork growled, "You two wait right there." Drawing his sword, he faced down Lina. As he made to charge, Lina raised her sword to block. As she parried his first few strikes, she wasn't surprised to see that he was better, but Lina still wasn't too-

"Grah!" Came a cry from behind her. Throwing an eye over her shoulder, she made to block, but there was nothing there. Instead, she reflexively dodged to the side, Bjork's blade nicking her ear and head. Lina drove the but of her hilt into his ribs, attempting to drive him back. It didn't phase him too much, but he backed off anyway, just enough to get room to strike but not enough for Lina to do the same.

Teetering off the the side, Lina blocked a few more blows, but Bjork was incessant. She flinched as she heard a whistling noise in one ear, than again in the other. At the same time, Bjork had made some stronger strikes, keeping Lina more on edge. Watching her footing, the whistling noises kept her checking her flank, while repelling Bjork was beginning to become more of a rhythm.

Blocking another strike, Lina stuck out her tongue as she back-stepped over the chest, landing neatly on the other side. Bjork growled, charging after, using the chest as a stepping stone, raising his sword to plunge it down on her. As another yell came from behind her, she didn't flinch, simply stepping to the side.

Bjork's eyes widened. The hole. Landing at its side, he hastily stopped his momentum, feet just barely keeping from tipping over. As his arms stretched out to the side to keep from falling, Lina gave an innocent giggle before poking him lightly in the back. Bjork cried out in pain, sword falling from his hands to the grass as he slipped into the pit, landing with a crash.

Crouching down at the side of the pit, Lina had a smug look as she watched Bjork try to recover. "Ted, Ted! I gotta watch Ted fight! It won't work otherwise!"

Lina grinned slyly. "Want me to narrate?"

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Puckering her lips as she watched the rustling branches, Chester well out of sight, Lina turned back to see the bandits watching her. Feet starting to stepped, she turned and fled.

Some laughter burned at her back, but it stopped as Lina stopped down by the chest, grabbing it by a handle on the side. She made surprising headway, dragging it forward about a meter before starting to slow down, the laughter stopping. Her run came to a stop as the bandits began to pile onto the the treasure chest.

Glancing to see the bandits quite literally stacked onto each other, Lina let go, drawing her blade with a malicious smile on her face. Panicking, the four bandits scrambled away as Lina held her sword in two hands, stabbing it down, the tip jabbing into the wood. As they crawled away before standing up, drawing their weapons. Stepping up onto the chest, Lina kept her stance low, snarling, "It's mine!" Blinking, she corrected halfheartedly, "Ours." Lina growled, "Chester you better not have died!"

Lina jumped, back straight as the ground shook, the bear taking a step forwards. Lina paled, but she had more immediate problems. Thankful she wasn't very tall, she fended off the first sword strike, before dancing to parry another. Surrounded by four, it was almost like a game of whack-a-mole as she repelled their attacks. After a good few seconds of this, one thing was clear. Compared to the Azure Company...

"You guys suck," Lina spat. She wasn't even mad. The bandits growled, having clearly underestimated her. Before they could retaliate, Tedbjorn advanced another step, making Lina sweat a bit.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Longitude? Latitude? Lina decided to keep quiet rather than further reveal her navigational ignorance.

Running down the river, crossing a rickety bridge one at a time, and trekking through some woods, the two found themselves going up the incline of the previous cliff before taking a turn, though not before seeing a pair of cross shaped rock formations about where the cross was on the map. They were also surrounded by potholes and loose dirt, yet that was not where the coordinates pointed. It looked like Grif didn't even try. Lina gave a chuckle at his expense as she returned to the map.

As they got closer to a bend in the stream, the pair found an open spot in the trees, but the clearing was otherwise featureless. Checking around, Lina said, "It has to be around here." Glancing at the shovel, Lana patted Chester on the back, suggesting, "Get diggin'."

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"He who reaches..." Lina repeated, thinking for a second. Looking up the cliff face, they were on the right path at least. Even though Chester didn't seem to know the answer to the riddle at all...or maybe he just didn't bother to tell Lina the answer.

Looking up the cliff, she tried to make out anything of note, but all she could see was a large patch of moss. Stooping down, she took the map off the ground near where the shovel had been left, trying to find some other clues. There was another scribble near where the cliff would have been saying, The geography is to be combined. The path, the river, the cliff, all crossed.

Unfurling the map a bit more, she saw something she hadn't really paid attention to before: in the margins, there were lines for a grid, though they didn't crisscross over the entire map. There was one that was clearly marked however. Tracing it down the page, it went from somewhere further north, through an area north of the cliff they were at, then back down the island. There was another set of margins on the other axis, but there was no mark.

Since the cliff wasn't even on the map, Lina called, "Climb up and check that moss patch! And, um, burn it away? Just get rid of it!" Looking back down at the map, she recalled what he had said the other day, chiding, "And don't fall into the water! Hammer."

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Sword at her side and rifle over her back...this was really happening, wasn't it. Still, Lina had to admit, she was a pirate now. A treasure hunt wasn't going to be the worst thing in the world. It'd be more fun if they were doing it themselves though.

As they rounded the bend, making the sharp turn into the forest from the point of the 'seven', Lina wondered, "You know, if we find it, couldn't we just tell them we didn't? Wait, no, they'd arrest us..." Reality of the situation sinking in, Lina winced, "Th-there better be treasure, I'm too young to go to jail!"

---

Elsewhere in the woods, a man ran through, his garb a bit ratty, his facial hair unkempt. He muttered, "What the hell are the Marines doing back here!? They just left!" He had to tell the others so they didn't get undue attention...

---

Heading into the woods, it was rather quiet, both the people of the town and the animals: neither seemed particularly chatty.

Leaning over Chester's shoulder to get a look at the map, Lina's eyes traced the 'S' shaped river running through the woods. Seeing a scrawl near the entrance to the woods, Lina read, "The stump that smiles, and the stump that...biles? What?" Frowning, Lina continued, "And the stump that biles. One tells the truth and the other lies. Face forward and get closer to the prize."

Eyes lidded, she looked up at Chester with an expression that cried, 'this is stupid'.

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"You want us to get, and bring a treasure to you guys, and in turn you'll lead us to our destination? And if we refuse, you'll leave us lost at sea - or maybe even attack and arrest us on the charge of suspected Piracy, even if we're just traders?"

Why are you giving them ideas!? Lina balked inwardly, resisting urges to smack him on the shoulder. It seemed they didn't have much choice but to give in to the demands either, and the ship was rerouted.

---

Sailing against the wind, the Marine ship would not simply be arriving on Kappanai. Luckily, the Marines were rather relaxed, keeping the 'pirates' more than comfortable. Lina's found herself in demand when it came to kitchen duties, and the unfamiliar territory was new to her, while Chester just got drunk. As the evening began, the winds shifted, and the excited Commander Grif ordered them to sail through the night. Lina was merely thankful the few women sailors of the ship had their own quarters.

It was only next morning, when Lina found herself in the kitchens helping the crew prepared breakfast when she realized how easily she was settling in. The irony came quick and fast, leaving a slight confusion. Hopefully this treasure nonsense wouldn't take too long.

One Piece: Revolution(Closed)

Freya didn't even bother giving Xerxes any of her words. Not worth it. Then, the news came from Anaru. Zepp summarized perfectly: he'd dragged the 99th into a battle against a Vice Admiral for two prisoners.

What!? Marxo should be court martialed for that! I'll testify at Enies Lobby if I need to!

Scratching her head, Freya let out a sigh.

We need to get to the island pronto, there's civilians to relieve!

Walking by Zepp, she laid a hand on his shoulder.

Are the any Marines in the wreck? Lower the lifeboats!

"Go ahead and take command. Give me a moment," Freya said.

Did Teru call for reinforcements yet? This ship isn't in any state to transfer prisoners!

Slipping beneath the deck, Freya made her way to her cabin.

Anything less would be shame to the ideal of Justice!

Taking a seat, all those words she heard in her head simply shriveled and sank into a black sinkhole. But was that Justice, or corruption? Was it that simple?

Freya laid back in her bed, a hand forcefully covering her eyes, unable to grasp for the answer.

@RyoRyoRyoken

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

"Marine before, trader now, eh?" The commander said, hand seeming to have little desire to leave the beard. Nodding along, he noted, "Usually, people join the Marines looking for the sort of adventure you wouldn't find as a simple trader, let alone one on so small a boat."

Lina held her arms out, as she shrugged. To her surprise, the commander slid in closer. Reaching in to his bicorne, he pulled out a roll of paper. He then dropped it on the deck, and it blew into Lina's feet. "Oops."

The small world of Melonberry Island was so simple compared to the strange land that was the ocean several miles away. Rather than let the paper fly away, Lina grabbed it, and her curious eyes couldn't avoid it. That blot of landmass, a dotted path, a few ominous scribbles, and a helpful red cross.

"A treasure map?" Lina said.

"AHA!" the commander cried, snatching the map away. Chortling, "Of course a pirate would recognize a treasure map! And the fact that you're heading to Kappanai Island, which we just left, is only proof of your trends to piracy."

Lina's mouth hung open for a moment, before she noted, "You look way more like a pirate than we do." Lina blinked, before wondering, "Why were you on Kappanai then?"

The commander froze, before shouting, "I am Commander Grif of the Marines! I'm no pirate!" The seagull on his shoulder squawked.

"He's just a pirate fanboy," laughed one of his men.

"Quiet!" Grif cried, only receiving more laughter. He sighed, before stating, "We'll gladly alter our course, and forgive your transgressions if you put your efforts into finding the treasure on this map!"

One Piece: A Golden Age, A Dark Age - The Boozehound Chronicles

Lina let out a sigh of relief. Luckily, he wasn't mad...as long as she didn't touch his booze it'd be fine.

Still it wasn't as though their situation had improved.

---

As the late morning went past noon, Lina cracked open a melonberry with her spork, adding a dash of salt before beginning her lunch. Images of dishes she could prepare floated through her mind, but pretty much all of their stores were in already prepared meals leftover, and they weren't stocked with much in the way of cookware or spices. Lina was good in the kitchen but she was no genius: she could only work with what she had. The melonberry tasted so sweet it almost hurt.

A shadow fell over the blue boat. Lina's eyes widened as she looked up, seeing the blue and gray hull of a Marine vessel. Though she couldn't recall the last time she saw one in person, the seagull emblem was unmistakable.

One the deck, a duo rested on the railing, lazy eyes peering down.

"It's a ship."

"Little ship.

"Lifeboat?"

"Maybe."

"Smugglers?"

"Too small."

"..Hey, there's a girl on there waving at us."

"She cute?"

A fist bopped his head to the railing, his nose bouncing off the wood and the Marine clattering to the deck. "Who cares!?"

Caressing his head, he grumbled, "That's just doesn't happen to me, asshole!"

"...Not waving like that you sad idiot!" Picking him up, he pointed to the boat, where both of her arms were waving in the universal call for SOS.

"Oh, she's in trouble. Should we help?"

"..."

The two looked at each other, before scampering away, rallying the crew.

---

Blue boat towed behind the marine vessel, Lina stood alongside Chester on the larger deck, head bowed, eyes hidden under her peach colored sun hat. She whispered, "I-I panicked! We were lost and..."

Coming up to the deck, a Marine in a Justice coat approached the two pirates. On his head was a white bicorne with the marine symbol, and his tank top shirt was striped blue and black, while he wore gray shorts and boots. There seemed to be a rag hanging on his shoulder, a seagull standing on it. As the man scratched his sparse, light brown beard, he began, "A couple of travelers on a too small boat in the middle of nowhere, hmm? You wouldn't be pirates, now, would you?"

Lina waved her hands, insisting, "Huh? Pirates? Do I look like a pirate to you?"

The Marine nodded, brushing his beard, before continuing, "Because if you were pirates..."