Pacifista

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

As the sun set on the festivities, which seemed unhindered in the dying light, a door closed on a congregation, Boss Cerulean taking a seat as the Company leaders were assembled once again, this time without their lieutenants. Expectant eyes turned to the last arrival.

"The Captain is dead."

Goldenrod let a corner of his mouth gleam in a satisfied smile, before snorting, "And the others?"

"Aren't worth considering, fufufu," Viridian insisted.

Vermillion began, "Eh, if Chester boy's done then they ain't gonna be a hassle. And if they are, it's only your problem if they fuck with ya."

Goldenrod clicked his tongue. "Well then."

"Oh yeah, and this came in," Vermillion said, pulling forth a piece of paper. "Looks like those Balder boys ain't lettin' up. They're puttin' pressure on every island."

Viridian giggled, "Goldenrod's bribery didn't work, and neither did any of our hitmen."

Goldenrod hissed, "Those incorruptible types are an eyesore. He'll have a knife in his back before long, but in the meantime that Johannes fellow is a crick in the neck."

Cerulean sighed, "And are you going to make me clean up this problem too?"

"Nah nah nah, we were planning on moving a few things forward as it was, weren't we?" Vermillion recalled.

"Don Mono is growing rapidly in the Grand Line, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to fall behind," Goldenrod spat.

"And all of your setbacks means that the Companies are being taken for granted in the areas we dominate, and not taken seriously where we don't," Viridian stated.

Cerulean nodded, following along. "So...we change the public perception."

"The Four Color Festival isn't supposed to end tomorrow, but it will," Viridian cooed.

"And the whole Antler Kingdom will go with it, Balder be damned," Goldenrod growled.

Vermillion cried, "We're steppin' into the sunlight baby! The Four Color Companies are going public! Ahahahaha!"

Cerulean concurred, "At full force..."

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

Bottle still nestled in her crossed arms, Lina's surly expression didn't fade as she reached Kuhn, Elaina heading off. When she didn't immediately answer, Kuhn raised his hat, giving her a look.

Turning away in a huff, she muttered, "I can't believe you earned more in a few minutes than Chester and I did in a few days of work." Grabbing her bottle properly, she wondered, "Shouldn't Chester be done by now? Let's go back to the ship."

---

Metal scraping on the ground, there was a cry of fright as it tore through the air, rending a cutlass and a flintlock pistol in a deft motion. Smoke wafted through the air as the two goons in yellow turned to flee, but Johannes raised his hefty halberd. Hurling it, the blade cut at the legs of the goons, digging into the ground as two Balder soldiers moved in to apprehend them.

Retrieving his weapon, Johannes scanned the area: guards running about as the Quartz Company men were routed. A carriage, its horses cut loose an missing, now toppled on one wheel, the door hacked open, wines dripping onto the stone below. Johannes' eyes narrowed, fist curling into a ball.

Reaching the carriage, he looked inside, parsing over the smashed bottles to see an ornate case, split in to but not a drop of wine remaining. His fist smashed against the side of the carriage, splitting the wood. It was not the stolen wine that earned his ire, nor was it his failure.

It was the conceit. Those Companies continued to get their way, and Johannes had no idea where to begin with them. He could not grasp their mindset or predict their moves...who could? Even within them was a strong clash of ideology...

Turning as the distracting blaze was quenched, most of the Quartz raiders having escaped, Johannes let his eyes wandering, spotting the open ocean.

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

Bottled perched precariously, it twitched slightly as Lina tried to find her footing. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, mouth curled into a nasty pout.

"If you shoot me I'll haunt you!" Lina cried out. Feeling a shifting on top of her head, she caught the bottle, resetting it.

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

Skirting around the pile of losers, Lina reached Kuhn, her temper having simmered in bemusement. Crossing her arms over her chest, she seemed tired as she noted, "Finding out information was also your job...though I guess you found out how far you can throw a bar brawler."

As she finished the sentence, a mug slammed down on the table in front of her. Lina flinched, before realizing it seemed to be for her. Grumbling, she picked it up, daring a sip, crinkling her nose at the familiar beer taste. Though it seemed a bit more... Lina took another sip.

"H-hey!" She cried out, more at herself then anything. Trying to keep herself from getting distracted, she opened her mouth, before letting out a sigh. Taking a seat next to Kuhn, she muttered, "There's no way we're going to bumble through the heis-er...thef...t... The thing. Without getting caught." Taking another sip, it turned into more of a gulp as she downed half the mug. Coughing as she set the mug back down, she wiped her lip with her arm, before muttering, "It was for Chester anyway so who cares. He'd just drink it all and not even appreciate it. Besides...celebrating beating Cerulean is dumb since it was his fault anyway..."

A few moments later, she had finished her drink, wondering aloud, "Can beer be good? Like, is it even possible or do they just call it something else? It's dumb. Beer is dumb."

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

"Where are you, Kuhn?" Lina mumbled, pouting from the lookout point. Sitting up, she took another glance down at the tasting ground out in front of the inn. She grimaced as there seemed to be more of a crowd mulling about. It was still more than a few hours until it began, but there was some antsiness. Lina's heart leapt as she realized a potential cause: was the wine arriving? Looking around, she started seeing some uniforms: purplish suits from the looks of it.

"Is there a reason you're snooping around, ma'am?"

Lina felt her heart split from her body. Hopping up, lips curled into an innocent smile, she saw as one of the purple suited men and come across the lookout.

"Hmm? What? Uh..."

"Why are you here?" He asked. She saw that he had an emblem on his breast of four berries, a spark shooting off as she realized he was part of the winery.

"I was..." Lina muttered, before realizing just how suspicious she looked with her sword in this weird place.

"She was just resting," came another voice. The two turned to see an orange haired boy about Lina's age. The guard look between the two, before he raised his fist, snarling, "So buzz off already!"

The guard's eye twinged in frustration before he turned off, leaving the two be. Lina let out a sigh, mumbling, "Thanks."

The boy was quiet for a moment, before asking, "So, what are you doing here?"

"...Snooping," Lina said plainly. As the boy frowned, she said, "Well, I'm not here for tasting, if that's what you think."

The boy seemed to think for a moment, before saying, "I think I know what you're after...do you-"

"Wait," Lina interrupted. Blinking, she realized, "Were...were you watching me?"

"Buh? Uh..." he stammered, stunned speechless. Lina gave an awkward smile before shuffling off.

Behind her, Saff watched her go, rapping his knuckles against his head.

---

Letting out a sigh, Macario lounged on the deck of the Breeze. He glanced around, as if certain spectral might pop up, before checking his hand, where a spherical compass lay.

"The Grand Line, huh?" He muttered. They were close. But then what? Macario had his duties, and the possibility they would align with the impossibly free spirit that was Chester was...unlikely.

...So? There was no commitment. Macario didn't have to help with any wine heists or company beatdowns. But the Saoboady Archipelago was a hell of a way away, and Chester seemed as likely to get there was anyone.

Macario's ear twitched, and he looked up to see a figure down below on his boat. Jumping up, he snarled, "Hey!" The figure, clad in green began to head away, when Macario realized he had something in his hands. Jumping up, Macario leapt over the railing, bearing down as the man jumped back to the dock. Pulling back his fist as he landed, he cried, "Xun!" A burst of air smashed the grunt away, launching him into the hull of another ship, where he smashed out of sight, the briefcase clattering to the dockside. Hopping over, Macario picked it up, dusting it off and checking the contents briefly. "Bastards..." he muttered.

Glancing over to the cityscape of Stagio island, his eyes widened. "They know we're here!" Clenching his fist, his foot made to move for a moment, before he turned back to the ship, slinging the briefcase over his shoulder. "They can handle themselves..."

---

Opening the door of the bustling inn, Lina stepped aside as a man was thrown through the doorframe. Grimacing, she saw Kuhn at the center of things. Why were he and Chester so competitive!?

As he arm wrestled the next contestant, Lina got a bit closer, yelling over the noise, "Kuhn! What do you think you're doing!?"

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

"We just need to find out where it is and get it. Though if we stick around we might want masks..."

Macario stood. Lina gasped, "Hey! What are you doing?"

Waving dismissively, Macario insisted, "I don't want anything to do with this. I'm just going back to the ship."

Lina harrumphed, "Fine, be that way!" As Macario headed off, Lina let out a sigh, "Well, we can manage without him..." Looking back over to the grounds, an eyebrow raised as she saw a troop of what appeared to be soldiers, but they didn't have the insignia of the Antler Kingdom on their armor. "Those guys again? ...Maybe they know something."

Standing properly, she suggested, "I'm going to see if I can find out anything." Heading down from their lookout point, Lina dared mull about the tasting ground.

"The contest isn't for a few hours, young lady."

Tensing up, Lina didn't except to be singled out so easily. Turning, a caped knight had approached her, Lina's eyes flashing in recognition at the elblem on his chest of a helm on a shield with a rapier. As he got a closer look, he tossed his medium length platinum blond hair over his shoulder, "Oh, excuse me. You are a proper lady, miss..."

"Er, I'm...L...ina."

Bowing slightly, he began, "It is my pleasure, Miss Lina. I am Sir Johannes von Reunthal of the Balder Kingdom, situated in the Grand Line."

Blinking, Lina said, "Er, what brings you here then? The festival?"

"One could say that. You look like a well meaning soul." Lina felt sweat bead on her forehead. "You haven't seen color coded thugs wandering about?"

"Th-the Companies!?"

Johannes' eyes widened, before his hand came to his chin, suspicious. Raising her hands, Lina explained, "Er, I've...run into a few of them. I'm...part of a shipping company, so we travel a lot. They're everywhere."

Johannes nodded. "Truly they are a blight. But what do you know of their engagements here?"

Swallowing, she said, "W-well, I haven't seen any of them here..."

Studying her, Johannes said, "Well, if you come across something, let me know. They always increase their activity here this time of year, and sightings imply that their top brass might be about, so if you alert me, we can bring those scoundrels to justice." Boldly, he brought his fist down on his breastplate, making a clanking noise.

Lina began to head off. "Don't find me, I'll find you!" Scuffling away, she ducked from sight, refusing to glance back. His eyes bored so deep into her pirate soul, didn't they!?

...Wait, she'd been a pirate for all of a week or two. What was she saying?

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

"Promises, huh..." Lina muttered to herself as she lounged on deck, the amusement from Chester's quick win over Marv already passed.

A lantern flaring in her head, she hopped up, calling, "What time is it?"

Looking to the sky, Macario estimated, "Bout 10 to 11, I'd say."

Lina nodded, before suggesting, "We should get going. Don't want to keep Boss Cerulean waiting. Or Chester." Glancing over to him, she noted, "I thought you'd be more pumped about this..."

"It's one on one though, so I guess we should just enjoy the festivities."

Lina gave a knowing smile. "I have a better idea."

---

"Stagio Island Wine Tasting Contest: 7 PM," read the sign.

Though it was still some time off, the contest ground, a small plaza on the more rustic Muntjacn Island, was abuzz with workers lining up chairs, cleaning wine glasses, and ordering bottles, labeled carefully behind closed doors. Scoping it out, Lina eyed the advertisement for the grand prize: the annual bottle of Four Color Wine, an expertly concocted wine made from four different colors of grapes, giving different flavors based the level of volume the drink came from in the bottle. An absolute master craft.

From their concealed spot, Lina turned back to Kuhn and Macario, concluding, "It'd be perfect to use to celebrate after Chester beats Cerulean, don't you think?"

Macario shrugged, "I'm not the biggest wine guy."

"Huh? We're going to steal it," Lina said casually. Macario gawked. "We're pirates!"

Macario sighed, "Speak for yourself."

Dragon Ball: Different Worlds

As her possessions were all safe and sound in her capsule case. Bringing out a cyan and blue (18) capsule, she popped it open, a small boat, striped white at the bottom under cyan, then blue for the top, appeared out of midair. As she pulled her dragon radar out giving it a look as, she moved foot to the first step of her vehicle, before turning back to Raditz, saying, "Well, I'm pretty sure the Dragon Ball is somewhere up that way...." She glanced over to the mountainous peaks and valleys beyond the cliff side the river ran down. "You gonna be okay?" She wondered aloud, eyes unable to shake themselves from that wiggling tail.

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

Mid bite, Macario grumbled, "If you have time to whine you have time to work."

"And booze in rice is the worst..." Lina began, before trailing off. Lowering her head in thought, resting her palm against her face, she muttered, "But...if I cooked rice in booze...no, that wouldn't work. Unless...it was rice wine. No, it would probably burn away, so maybe I should just add some with the water?"

Slowing down, she stopped herself, before turning back to the klaubertamann. She wondered, "Feeling better?"

He said nothing. But he also didn't say 'it hurts', despite the occasional pounding of hammers, so Lina took that as a good sign. But despite all the shenanigans, the crew was just back to normal as always.

As she watched the spirit, it began to fade, leaning away and falling back into the ship. It muttered softly, _{"Be...careful..."}

Lina let out a sigh, certain that it was more worried about itself. But for now, at least, they had the blessings, if not simply the indifference, of their host...

Dragon Ball: Different Worlds

Bloomer waved her hand. "It's just chemistry..."

Stepping off, she began to pack up her camp, returning it to capsule form. She added, "And this is just physics with a dash of quantum mechanics... Anyway, where are you even from? And where are you headed?"

Blinking, she stopped, mentioning, "By the way, my name is Bloomer."