Pacifista

One Piece: Revolution(Closed)

Freya cringed at the mushroom sauce plastered on the fish dish. Who would ruin a good slab of fish with mushrooms. Grumbling, Freya was honestly a bit baffled: this guy was a complete screw up. They hadn't even ordered and he was showering them in food. What gives? Unless...he was nervous?

With Samehana heading out, Freya was torn between going along and getting her damn food: that stuff smelled nice, at least... Getting up, Freya went over to Samehana's side, asking, "Eh? Are you sure? I don't think he cares about the Captain." She elaborated, "I'm pretty sure he just likes you." That said, his possible nervousness and that kiss seemed to be in direct odds with each other... Having served on ships with hundreds of different sailors, Freya thought she knew men but it looked like soldiers were just cut from a different cloth.

@RyoRyoRyoken@Buddha

One Piece: Revolution(Closed)

"Hah? Eh..." Freya muttered, put on the spot. Turning to Tabitha, she began, "Well...for starters, try not to die. You won't be able to turn in any bounties that way. And peaking of turning in bounties: get your paperwork sorted out. Nothing worse than when a bounty hunter can't get their earnings immediately: it just gets everyone tired and frustrated pretty. And for that matter never go to Patrol Divisions and think you'll get your money then and there. They don't have enough money for bounties: find a bounty office or Marine Base. Patrol Divisions can get you a voucher which you can redeem elsewhere though, and they'll hold the prisoner, but if you need the cash as soon as possible then don't go whining abo-"

Before she could finish her sudden ranting, Tabitha was shooed away, some other waiter entering the scene, offering them a steak that sounded...admittedly nice, but then again...

"Hah? That sounds like a bribe." Freya realized a bit too late that she wasn't quite right: she wasn't a Marine any more, so there wasn't much point in that. Still, weren't they the customers? Well, I don't really want steak right now..." Finally picking up her menu, her mind throbbed as she tried to wrap her head around the exact request. Something about their captain but he actually wasn't even at the ship? Eyeing a garlic butter salmon with a side of spinach salad, Freya waved her hand, pushing the task of talking to this guy on to Samehana.

@RyoRyoRyoken@Buddha

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

Jeko's jaw hung over, his brow sweaty. Regret filled every pore of his face. Before he could stammer out a response, a tug pulled his head backwards. As he leaned backwards uncomfortably, Lina hissed, "Poisoned crackers!?"

Jeko muttered, "H-hey, it's not like you can prove it. He ate them all! And Isaac didn't eat one! Of course he was able to drink more!" He grunted as Lina pulled harder, before her fingers worked. Jeko's eyes widened as she uncorked a small bottle that came from his pocket and moved it towards his face. "Ahhhh!"

"PAY UP!"

"You think we have that much on me!? We don't carry money. Isaac doesn't lose!"

Propping him up, Lina kicked him in the rear, making Jeko stagger towards Isaac. Throwing the poison to the ground, she propped her fists on her hips, demanding, "Tomorrow morning. Chuck's house."

Jeko grumbled, and Lina turned, hoisting Chester up. "C'mon you." Thankful he was just conscious enough to hold on to her back, Lina headed to the door. As she arrived, Jeko nearly bumped into her, the two stuck with their drunk passengers.

Jeko blinked, "Who the hell is Chuck?"

Lina jabbed her finger, "Some old guy who lives that way! Just make sure we get it!"

Jeko grumbled, before dragging Isaac out of the Cauldron. As Lina headed out, turning, she muttered, "Now, let's get you some water. Lots and lots of water..."

---

"Idiots."

In a lavish office, a window overlooked the sea, Jeko and a slumping Isaac stood in front of a wide desk, circled to look not unlike the crescent moon reflecting on the dark night water. Fingers interlocked, head bald, spotted, and wrinkled, small glass spectacles over his eyes, a man in a yellow suit with a scarf split down the middle in black and white hanging on his shoulders.

"Huh, I thought you'd be more mad," Jeko noted.

"Of course I'm mad you idiot!" Picking up a pistol, he fired suddenly at Jeko, the bullet hitting him in the chest. Jeko cried out, writhing in pain. Isaac looked around, clearly dazed, but most of his efforts seemed to be in standing straight. He wasn't particularly successful.

"Half a million is nothing, but it's a stupid amount for you two idiots to lose in one evening! And those drinks come out of your winnings! Do you know how much you two drank today!?" Jeko shrugged. "Neither do I."

As if on cue, a suited Quartz Company goon entered, handing a receipt over, before moving to the corner of the room and waiting. Looking it over, an eye twitched. He raising a gun and fired at Jeko again. Putting it down, he looked down at a lit cigar lying in an ashtray, before angrily snuffing it out. "Can't even enjoy myself now..." Glancing out at the ocean, he gritted his teeth, before slamming his fist on the desk. "Between this and the damages done the other day in both property and trust by those pirates, I'm tearing my hair out!"

"Y-you ain't got none," Jeko said, before yelping again as he was shot once more.

Waving his hand, Chief Goldenrod ordered, "Get out of here. I'll figure out what to do about this tomorrow." Jeko smiled, brushing off his shirt, three crumpled bullets falling off. As they bounced to the ground, he grabbed Isaac, pulling him along.

Goldenrod leaned back into his chair, thinking for a few minutes, before he acknowledged the man in the corner. "You're still here?"

He nodded, before beginning, "Chief, about that scholar: he's begun avoiding us."

Raising an eyebrow, Goldenrod scratched his chin, nodding, "Is that so, eh?"

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

"Hey hey hey, what're y'all doing? Pay attention, pay attention!" A voice cried out in the Cauldron's bar. The whispers shied down, and as one man went over to Chester, there was an underpinning of excitement.

Resting his arms on the bar, the man in his wavy, dark gray hair, brownish skin, a stained red long sleeved shirt, and straw colored shorts. A grin was plastered on his face as he said, "Sup pal! Name's Jeko. You can call me Jeko. Some call me Jack but they're all pricks. You're the one who's been drinking half this bar under the table, right? How about a round?" The bartender gave Jeko a look, prompting him to laugh, "Ah, you got me!"

From the other side of the room, Isaac moved, sitting on the far of the bar from Isaac. The bartender clicked his tongue. "You're gonna make me walk?"

"Get some help. Trust me, you're gonna want about a meter of clearance on both sides." As he called a couple of his serving girls, Jeko began, "Anyway, I heard your usual rate is 20,000 Beli. Well that's not enough for me and Isaac here. I like things to be interesting. Even if you don't have 200,000 beli on you, we'll figure out some way to get it from you, heeheehee."

"And one last thing! I like a little bit more depth. Strategy, you know?" Slinking off into the kitchen, he returned moments later with two plates of crackers arranged in squares, 5x5 each plate. He handed one to Chester and the other to Isaac, explaining, "Just a little something to take the edge off, if you're up to it, but now you have another thing to pace out." Sitting down in the middle, right between the two contestants, he said, "Well? Are you in or out?"

---

As she got a bit closer to the Cauldron, Lina couldn't help but notice an increase in energy. Was something going on?

One Piece: Revolution(Closed)

"Two hours, huh?"

Setting herself on a wooden crate, Freya huffed at a cigarette, trying to figure out what to do with herself. Story of her life, really. At least she was trying to put more effort into dressing herself. Uniforms were just so easy! At the moment she wore a brown and white plaid button up hanging open over a pale green tube top and blue jeans.

Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.

Freya reached into her pocket, pulling out a plain baby Den Den Mushi. Opening it, she was about to shift into her serious mode, but it was only Samehana. Not really thinking about it, she answered, "Uh, sure. Why not?" Hanging up, she stowed the Den Den Mushi away. Some old habits died hard.

Stretching, Freya stood up, turning west and heading over. Now, what kind of place was the Angler even going to be? Guess Freya would find out when she got there. Hopefully there would be food. Or alcohol. Or gambling. Or some combination. Freya was a simple lady.

@RyoRyoRyoken

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

"Er, uh, thank you!" Lina said as Kuhn took his leave. Feeling a bit relieved, she was pretty lucky he'd strolled along.

Turning on Penn, Lina growled, "Well, how much?"

Penn swallowed, "Um, lets see...with the Quartz Discount-"

"I'll be showing the receipt to Kuhn, you know."

"I wasn't gunnu try nuthin'!" Penn moped, voice further degrading into panic as he yelled, "ORD! Get yer lard ass over here!"

---

Some minutes later, Lina smiled at her gains, the shiny new cannon stuck on the repaired cannon deck (though it was the flood above that had need more work). Figuring she'd have to find a place to dispose of the old rusted one, she wasn't quite done on the town yet. Since she didn't want to have to push around the heap of scrap alone anyway, she figured she should go see what Captain was up to...wait, if he was at Stein's Cauldron...

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

"Good work today!"

"Bye~" Lina waved, heading out of the bar, out of her uniform and into a long sleeved maroon shirt that kept her shoulders bare, a plain white skirt, and a matching sun hat. While it was waning on into late afternoon, Lina had some shopping to do. She already gotten a nice pair of beds, in case any women ended up joining in the future, their food stores were looking alright, but that rusty cannon wasn't going to do them any good. Chester had given her a bit of what he was earning (hand over fist in drinking contests, apparently), so now she should be able to make the sizable purchase. Remembering where she'd seen something earlier, she headed over to the weapon storefront she'd seen the day she'd arrived. Entering, her nose wrinkled at the smell of gunpowder before she found the buff looking sales clerk.

Lina asked casually, "Excuse me, I was hoping to buy a cannon, but I don't really know a lot about them..." W-why did Chester push this on her, again?

Thinking for a moment, the shopkeeper suggested, "I know a guy... Hold on. JEET!"

At his call, a less buff shopkeeper came from the backroom. He was ordered, "Take this little lady over to Penn and Ord's!" Lina smiled, and Jeet gave a shrug. Wordlessly, he headed out, seeming pretty lax as he led Lina out and about. As they traveled, as the sun continued to fall, the city seemed to get a bit...dreary, Worn down buildings seemed to be more common, and the crowd was less than jubilant.

Soon enough, Jeet guided her to another storefront, before leaving without word. Trying not to mind him too much, Lina stepped in.

"Excuse me..."

"What?"

Not appreciating the tone, Lina found the man who'd responded, his hair orange and a bit ratty, sporting a black eye. "I'm looking to get a cannon."

Letting out a low whistle, the man jumped onto the counter before hopping to the ground. He chortled, "Sounds good! Name's Penn. You know, you're not going to find better cannons anywhere else. For starters, the first one I'm going to show off may not have any braces, but when it starts rolling backwards due to the recoil, that's because of just how much power it packs!"

Not sure about that, Lina simply nodded. A good rifle had a lot of recoil, right? Lina's sure did and she was...not a bad...okay there was a reason she went into combat sword first.

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

"...Hey, where'd she go?" asked the geezer.

---

Urge to explore overpowering her anxiety, Lina was trying to keep her bearings in the crowd. Feeling claustrophobic, she was able to squeeze her way down some roads with less traffic, letting the sights and sounds of the city engross her. It reminded her of the festival and feast on Melonberry just the other day, but there didn't seem to be any occasion. Less drinking, for instance.

Heading down one street, windows began catching her eye, laden with goods placed to do exactly that. Lina found herself jumping from window to window gawking at fabulous dresses, fancy firearms, gleaming jewelry, ticking clocks, detailed antiques... She spent a bit too much time looking at one window with cookware, but for the first time she actually took a look at the prices, sobering her enthusiasm. 9800 beli for a skillet!? That made the Azure Company and their sugar prices seem almost fair. She had to get to the bottom of this.

Storming in...the store was actually pretty quiet on the inside. Lina immediately felt a little bad, muttering, "Excuse me," as she entered.

"May I help you young lady?" A man seemed to skid to a stop in front of her, his hair shaped like two handles as they curled away from the sides of his head.

Lina flinched, before beginning, "Ah, well..." Pointing to the window display, she said, "That stuff's pretty overpriced, don't you think?"

"Not in the least!" cheered the man, clapping his hands together. Grabbing a saucepan, he flipped it in his hands, insisting, "We have a personal blacksmith that takes care of our orders: these pans could pass as a suit of armor if you wore them the right way, ohohoho!"

Lina eye twitched, "Why would you need something like that?"

"Soup!"

"Just what kind of soup do you make!?"

"Over my lifetime? So much!" He mumbled, "It keeps for a while and it's easy to reheat, so..." Shaking his head, he spun the saucepan, chortling, "And when you have a pot that could very well outlast you, why buy ten 720 beli pans, when you can get this one for 6000 beli?" His face was stuck in his excited expression, but Lina was still unimpressed. Face falling, he made a jab with the saucepan. "Our cheaper stuff is over there."

A bit awkwardly, Lina went over to take a look, finding more normal cookware. She mumbled, "Not like I have much money in the first place..."

"Is that so?" came a woman's voice. Looking up, Lina saw a heavyset lady with her face caked in makeup, a bag of groceries in one hand and another resting on a rack of wooden stirring spoons. Putting a finger to her lip, she giggled, "I was just thinking a cute girl like you would be perfect. Would you be interested in a job?"

"E-eh? Er, I'm not sure..."

"Parents wouldn't allow it?" the woman sighed, noting, "I don't understand that mindset. This is Kesrizu..."

Not sure what the island had to do with it, Lina admitted, "Well, I'm kind new here, but I've only really worked as a cook and a...babysitter." She had almost added, 'bodyguard', which was the closet thing she could think of to that skillset. Despite her sword and rifle, the woman didn't seem to question it.

"Don't worry about that then. Those mafia types may be up to some nasty things, but it's pretty safe here. They say that 'spending money to get someone to do something' is the highest form of power, or something silly like that, but there's always people looking for workers! I'd bet that Kesrizu has the biggest job market in the North! Even if it is mostly under the table stuff. Lots of legal tape..."

"Ah, that sounds...good?" Lina replied. What could possibly go wrong?

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

Course redirected, the Breeze was blown away from the distant skirmish, which seemed to be winding down. Lina didn't have much room to pay it any mind though as the island came closer into view. She was honestly amazed: there were so many large buildings that made the half built Azure compound seem minuscule, and they seemed to stretch over half of the coast. But as they got closer, there was clearly only a portion of that coast which had a bustle to it. There were a number of other boats around, and as the Breeze, by far the least flashy, pulled in, the chatter from the town was quiet loud. More than a few eyes were on the battle.

As they lowered the gangplank, Lina stepped onto the dock, wearing a long hemmed light blue blouse and fitting white shorts that passed over her knees. Taking a look at the crowd, a few flags went off in her head as she saw a group of men in dim yellow suits running by. Mind ticking through a list, she remembered, "These guys...the Quartz Company?" Considering that Chester was still technically a member of the Azure Company, she wasn't sure what could happen.

As the crowd began to disperse, Lina froze up as she heard someone growl, "Pirates just rolling in a doing what they please. What the hell?" Taking another look at the ocean, she saw a pair of yellow sailed skiffs heading out, but it was really none of Lina's business.

Going back to Chester, her eyes looked down one of the roads into town, which was packed with what seemed like more people than the population of Melonberry. Lina's heart beat loudly with the both thrust to explore and an anxiety about the unknown. She asked, "Well, what now? It's not like we have a lot of money for any repairs." Eyes lingering on the marks Chester still hadn't cleaned off, she suggested, "A bath? Though that'd be splitting up, I guess." Her eyes wandered over the Breeze, which was looking even more worn down next to the other ships in the dock.

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

Quickly grabbing her things: clothes, plant pots, some food, Lian was a bit excited. A new ship could mean her very own room!

Seeing the villagers go after the food, she realized something. "One second," she said, putting her stuff down. Going up to one of the villagers, she took the melonberry he was struggling with and cracked it open with her melonberry spork. "These are from Melonberry Island: it's not very far from here...though you don't have many ships here, do you?"

Taking a bite, the villager froze, before tears began to well up in his eyes. Holding the fruit aloft, he cried to the heavens, "It's so goooood!" Smiling, Lina took one last look at the spork she'd had since childhood, and left it behind. She would not try melonberries again unless she returned home, or her trees matured, provided she could care for them.

Before going to get her things, Lina marched back to up Grif, her expression surly once again. "What are you doing!? Hunting around for treasure? Go arrest those bandits why don't you!" Grabbing the old map, she jabbed at one spot, growling, "They should be stuck here if you're fast enough!" Grif opened his mouth to retort, but his seagull nibbled his ear, silencing him, allowing Lina to go free. Picking up her salvaged stuff, she concluded, "Let's go."

---

Leaving the Marines with their freedom intact, the old lady led them around the coast, taking them to a smaller dock in another section of town, where the buildings seemed to be a bit worn down. However, there was indeed a ship, but it wasn't exactly grand. Seeming to stare into the distance was a bear shaped headpiece, one of its ears chipped off. While the bear headpiece was a more full, woody color, despite its damage, this was in contrast to the gray wood of the deck and the rest of the ship, which was splintery in some parts and uneven in others. A triangular sail was rigged to the headpiece and the main mast, two square sails folded on its front. The raised deck towards the rear of the ship had a smaller mast with yet another square sail and the steering wheel, two of its spokes missing. In faded carving on the side of the hull, the odd name 'Hinnon Breeze' could barely be read,

The were two entrances to the lower decks. One was a door on the main deck, leading to a dining room with one table and a few mismatched chairs in a layer of dust. The staircase there and the hatch both led the the main hallway, which branched into several rooms, including a kitchen near the stern. One large room was strung with hammocks, many with snapped strings, while another had a few plain, musty beds, but were otherwise serviceable.

There were a couple other spare rooms as well, and another stairwell which led down to the last deck, which had a storeroom (where Chester and Lina put what supplies they had, bathroom (complete with a firewood and pump operated bath! Except the pump was broken), and the rotary to raise and lower the anchor. There was also a small cannon deck, but it was poorly stocked, with one rusty cannon.

After giving it a look, the truth was the two had little choice. Giving them the thanks of Kappanai Island once again, she let the to their reward.

Taking off her hat and slipping on her new bracelet, Lina rested her hands on the Breeze's railing, looking out to sea. "Well?"