Storm of the Ages

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

https://youtu.be/5anLPw0Efmo

A spotlight shined brightly on the deck, erasing everything but Sasayaki from the void of night as her lantern rose with grace. Slowly, words seeped out, steady and piecing, until her voice reached beyond the lone light and into the hearts of all that could understand it's pain. Verse after verse she swayed, each line expertly crafted and delivered, until it was over, and the spotlight vanished. From the dark, another sound emerged, a slow brutal smashing of overgrown limbs.

"You've got some range," Bighead applauded. "But how far can that voice reach? And how precisely?"

"How far?" the cool steel scoffed. "I moved a nation with these pipes."

"A nation of humans, with help, and Issac, but will that be enough?"

"Hell yes!" she pounced, slinking on the deck and and peering up. "Isn't that the point of all this? I'm the strong one, and Issac has to catch up?"

Bighead laughed. "You wont be the strong one forever with that attitude."

His arm reached for her, faster than that Sasayaki could dodge, and squeezed so tightly she felt like she was sufficating. She tried to wrap him, to coil his arm in the same manor that he had constricted her, but his hand grew and oozed with a strange black coating that made it stronger, her chains slipping right off. She could feel her voice fading, he body growing numb, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her sight faded, leaving only touch, until that slow numbed, and she drifted off. Sasayaki remembered this feeling, a feeling she had felt before, before she was what she had become, before Clyde and a life of freedom. She wished for it to end, but even the voice inside her head grew silent, until there was nothing left, nothing but the darkness.

In a flash the world came back, her chains aching from the giant's touch. "What the hell was that," he screeched from the floor.

"My soul," Bighead smirked. "The further we travel, the move enemies that we will encounter with strange abilities, and enemies that can use their spirit to battle creatures like you. Here, we call it Haki, and our crew wont stand a chance if they can not match that strength."

She looked at the ground, unsure of how she could ever counter such a sapping forcing. It was like facing the sea, only there was no place she could run from it. "How do I stop it?" she asked, unsure of what she was getting into.

Bighead smiled again, taking a sip from his copper cup and a long gulp before releasing his satisfaction with a drawn of exhalation. "You don't. Not with power and a body like that." He took another irritating sip, before giving the words she really wanted to hear. "Instead, you should focus on honing you abilities to a level that can either mimic, or surpass the opponents haki." He pointed to the island. "You already use your sound to mimic observation Haki, so let's start with that. I want you to tell me what every single person on this island is up to every hour."

She looked over to the island, to big to be searched at random. "That's impossible," she explained, "I could maybe track one of two, but there is no way I can keep tabs on all of them. I don't even know where Issac is."

"You're right," Bighead, itching his beard. "You won't be able to find Issac, not as you are now." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a notepad, calculating something on the paper. "Alright, new plan. 16 hours of straight tone and pitch practice, followed by 2 hours of observation. Everyday you will boost your tone and pitch time by 30 minutes, and you observation by 30 mins."

"But," Sasayaki squirmed, "That doesn't make sense. You can't do both at the same time. What happens when they overlap?"

"I guess you'll have have to figure that out," Bighead laughed, taking his leave to the kitchen, the entrance spewing smoke as soon as soon as he opened it. "And Sasayaki," he whispered, so faintly she barely picked it up as he walked through the door. "If you can't master this, Issac might never be able to find his way home."

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

Days passed, or at least he thought so, and Issac was no close to pushing his way past Mist Klank. Issac tried his best, using spare items around him to find an opening in the imposters defenses, but his spread was far too great. He wondered if the real Klank could be this tough to beat, giving himself a laugh at the thought of the chain smoking shipwright focusing on something other than building. He pushed forward, hard, trying to find his own way, like Bighead had wanted, but he couldn't, eventually taking a hit from a hefty double mist hammer.

"This isn't working," Issac muttered, wiping the blood from him mouth. He got up slowly, the mist smiling the whole while. "I've fought my whole life with a weapon, and I'm supposed to change that now?" He took a defensive stance, feeling something coming.

The mist grew, doubling in size and towering over him. "And that's the problem, little one. You think you can change how you fight and be successful? Adopt a style that isn't your own and fight us?" The mist chuckled, their voices piercing him. "Foolish little child, playing with toys he doesn't understand."

They were annoying, but they were right. Even if Issac could learn a new fighting style, what would that mean when he was back with Sasayaki? He needed something new, yet something that undoubtedly his own. He smiled, finding the humor in the situation, and raised his arms together to the mist. "Hey Misty K, think you could bind these for me," he asked, the mist returning the smile.

~~~One week later~~~

The mist had finally fallen to it's knees, laughing all the way down and on its back. "So this is your answer?" the mist chuckled. "Good," they continued, Mist Klank erupting in a brilliant puff of defiant gas. The foggy form dissipated, and another form rose in its place, a white smokey squirrel with fog spewing from it like flames. "But you've only beaten one of us," they instructed. "How far can this flash really go?"

"Wait a second," Issac protested, lifting his bound arms. "This isn't exactly fair," he proclaimed.

Mist Peanut skewed it's head.

Issac pointed to his head. "I'm going to need for you to cover these," he said, pointing to his eyes.

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

Half a day had passed since Issac entered the fog, leaving him no more focused than when he started. No matter how far he wandered, he couldn't figure out where he was, every tree different, every patch of grass undisturbed. What was the strangest was how the greys moved when he wasn't focusing, almost like it was alive in some way, but that couldn't have been true, since he couldn't sense anything with his Haki.

Hours passed by, and Issac was officially lost, with nothing to guide him. Issac was good at being lost, yet it felt different without Sasayaki, colder. He needed another moment, thinking what the world would be like with her. For the first time that day he stop wandering, pushing forward, and leaned against a passing tree. His mind drifted, dwelling on his captain's words, until the weight of it fell away.

Hours passed, Issac's eyes heavy as he lightly rested, letting his mind wander. The silence was dangerous, yet so was being bare against it. The fog, heavier now than when he first pressed again the cool bark, continued to lazily swirl just beyond him, as gray as when he first started. "That can't be right," he said to himself, guessing that it was sure night out by now. He stood up, lifting his hand to the fog, it receding at his advance. "That's definitely not right."

Slowly, he made his way along the path he came, the fog seemingly out of reach, arriving at the same tree he began, despite walking in a straight line. "Okay.." he said to himself, setting back again, yet using using his observation to guide him, yet result was the same. "Huh.. How about that."

He took a moment, reaching his vision beyond the fog, but there was nothing. Nothing. It had to be trick, but it couldn't have been. His observation could see beyond such things, or at least devil fruits. Was it the island? No. He would have sense something from the earth. He had seen many weird things since he set out with Sasayaki, the blade being one of them, and he knew it was some anomaly tricking him, leaving one option left. He waited, watching his surroundings as they slipped by, lunging out as soon as the passed back, the heavy white retreating at his advance.

Laughs came from every direction, too many variants to identify the number with any accuracy. "Clever," he half smirked, not willing to let down his guard. "I'm used to being the one playing tricks."

"We know," the fog said uniformly, catching him off guard. "We have been waiting, Issac."

"So you've heard of me." She forced another smirk, hoping that a facade of confidence would be enough to keep the thing at bay until he found a plan, or even the courage to push forward alone.

Other laughs echoed though the fog, feminine and mischievous. Was it a devil fruit? Or maybe some other mythical creature that had survived the trials of time and man. He couldn't say, only that it was here, and it had to be dealt with, somehow. The fog shifted again when he did, a form starting emerge from it. "I wouldn't think of that just yet," the fog giggled. "I know what you're thinking, your hopes, your fears. I know what you lack, and I know have yet to see. The man before me will not be leaving this forest, but will have some fun along the way."

The figure walked forward, talk and lean, with a cigarette askew in his mouth. "Klank?" Issac asked, knowing it wasn't him, not really. Probably just a replication from some image pulled from his head. "What kind of game is this?" he asked the gray copy.

"You're not ready for me yet," Klank smiled, the feminine voice remaining, breaking the immersion. "Defeat some of these peons, and maybe we can have some more fun, kay!?"

Issac instinctively reached back for Sasayaki, producing nothing but an empty palm. Mist Klank, as he further refer to him as, pulled out his multipurpose weapon, doubling it to the other hand, then producing two move as his arms doubled into a the ugliest four armed thing he had ever seen. Issac looked around for something, anything he could use as a weapon, yet none remained within sight. "Is this how annoying it is to fight me?" he ask with a clench of the fist, taking an awkward stance and preparing for battle. "Cause, damn!"

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

"You aren't worthy of using a weapon you cannot overpower."

The words echoed through Issac's head, knowing they were true. He was reliant on Sasayaki for most things, and the pirate games proved that more than anything. He laid on the deck and looked up at the stars while Klank repaired the ship. "Hey Klank, do you think I could beat you without my weapon?" he asked, but the pirate only glanced over before continuing with the hammering. "I'll take that as a yes, " he yelled, before looking back up. He always a plan, and idea to change the course of battle, but he only really used one of is tools. He was one dimensional, which was necessary to survive, but it would surely hold him back in the future. Sasayaki could be take, lost, or worse, turn on him one day. He had to be better, to keep moving forward; he was a famous pirate/bounty hunter/game breaker/dream crusher now.

-------

The island that Bighead chose was unusual in many ways, the most of all being the shifting weather throughout the island. The captain left him alone in the fogged forest, while trained Sasayaki's voice and projection through the most obnoxious karaoke even he had heard. The goal was to survive, but Issac wanted more; he wanted to thrive. He took his first steps into the island, letting his other sense guide him, and trusted his instincts.

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

https://youtu.be/9jK-NcRmVcw

The clock began to tick down from an hour as the match began. Between Issac and GM was a board, two raised lines crossing each other at a perpendicular angle. Issac was first this round, pointing to the corner, manifesting an X mark. The crowd gasped, leading to GM's move, a circle in the center. Awwwws came from the crowd as Issac hushed them with his hands. He raised his brow at GM, getting a gauge for his temperament, and pointed to the opposite corner. The crowd roared with possibilities, before letting up for GM's response. He waited a moment, calculating the moves in his head before blocking off the side closest to him. Every move that followed block the other's chances to win, and the first game ended with a draw.

GM looked to the score board and the clock. "Do you really think you can beat me in a children's game in under an hour?"

Issac looked to the crowd, and to his crew, then back to GM, smiling with confidence in his exposed state. "You're move, George."

The game grew intense, thanks to the intense production value of his opponent. Fireworks started errupting with each move, and the X and O placement became much more intense, each gaining a sound effect as the game continued. Issac, or rather Sasayaki, took control of the music, GM allowing her the smallest of freedoms from her chair.

50 games passed, each ending in a draw, when the clock hit half. The clock paused, GM calling for a halftime to commemorate this event. He whispered something in his daughter's ear, undoubtedly sinister, before heading over. In the background a live performance played by some of the crew, and preparations for the remaining pirates were being made. "10 minutes," GM declared, smirking and heading back to the spotlight.

Issac used the break to return to his crew, removing the chains under the stipulation that everyone honored the rules of the game. Bighead let out a bellowing laugh and giving Issac a pat on the back that jolted him forward. "Well played," he announced, knowing that the game was all but locked. "But what of what comes next?"

"Haven't gotten that far yet," he smirked, always in planning his schemes in the moment. "Never had to worry about more than Sasayaki and me."

"Tough shit," Klank exhaled, reaching for his smokes in a chain as soon as he had the freedom. "It's going to take more that a little flash to get out of this, even with the eye of world on you." He took another drag, sucking his anxiety into a deadly cloud of regret. "If I die here, I'll kill you."

"I'll cut them, and freeze em, and peanut will burn, and then I'll cut again, and it will be over," Sierra yelled in excitement. Someone had been sneaking her drinks, and it was not favorable to the situation. Sasayaki and Peanut nodded, fueling the plan.

When he got to Sasayaki, her chain quivered before release, wrapping around him and headbutting him in the skull. "Married? MARRIED!?" She tried hitting him again and again, but Issac was quick to deflect with his hands, eventually pulling her closed to his chest. "You just going to get rid of me over some pasta plated skank!" she yelled. "I wont let you. We've come too far!"

"Sasa!" he interupted, knowing how far this rant could go. He pulled her head to face him. "Nothing in this world could ever replace you. Where I go, you go. Got it?"

She looked away. "Uhhhhg, fine." her head peaked back around before resuming the pout. "But I'm not taking to her, okay?"

"Clock's ticking," Klank reminded him.

Issac looked to Bighead, calm as ever, when it came to him. "I don't think we have to worry," he said wish a scrunch of his face. "George can make all the plays he wants, but we still have some plays of our own."

Bighead smiled and leaned back in his chair as Issac returned to the field, refreshed and ready for the final plays.

The games grew in intensity as the clock whittled down. The screens went crazy, some supporting the GM, while others rallied behind Issac, breaker of games. The simplicity did nothing to impact the excitement, in fact, it actually drew more viewers to the screen. GM always won, at least on his own turf, and even pulling a draw was a spot on his otherwise brilliant record as a pirate and game master. None of the pressure showed, however, and something was brewing just below.

The clock had nearly expired as the last move remained on the board. "You haven't won," GM taunted, looking around him. "You may get out of these games alive, but I will defeat you, I promise you that."

"Maybe," Issac smirked, "But it wont be today, and my money isn't on tomorrow either." He gave the crowd a wink and place his last piece, forcing the last draw at the end of the hour. "See ya next year," he announced to the crowd, flashing the universal symbol of peace out.

The screens went down, the audience moved to the edges of the island, and the land revealed itself for the first time, nothing more than an open field. How GM managed the create a who island out of nothing was frightening, but there wasn't time to think about that. "Free to go," GM told them, motioning to the direct of the docks. It was a few miles off, yet by no means a straight shot.

"Issac," Sasayaki yelled, wrapping around him and perking to combat mode. "We aren't alone," she reminded, forcing his senses out. Between them and their destination were no less than a thousand pirates.

"This wasn't the deal," Klank exhaled, taking out his tool-set.

"No my crew," GM smiled, "but they could be, if they got on my good side." He twirled his brilliant banhammer in his hand and started walking to his base, the only physical structure that existed on the island. "Word of advice, children. The house always wins."

Issac was ready to fight, to force his way out of the island like he had so subtly done the last time he had escaped with a fresh bounty and a broken heart. He could feel his blood pulsing through his veins as he prepared to lunge forward, when a gigantic arm wrapped him, pressing him against his other crewmates into a father grasp. "That should be enough time," Bighead noted, bending down to the ground to store his energy. "HEAVENLYYYYY SQUATSSSS," he yelled, causing his legs to grow to gigantic proportions, sending the entire crew soaring into the sky. He felt the wind trample his face as they started to decline, free falling towards the ocean. At first, he saw nothing, but the faster they descended the faster he realize the ship was just below, and they were falling fast enough to tear it in half.

"Sasa," Issac yelled through the wind, untangling her from his crew mates and throwing her head to the water. "SIREN'S SCREAM," he yelled, forcing a shock-wave of sound to hit the ocean below them, it too was almost enough to rip the ship apart, when a a vortex of water came bursting out of the ocean to counter their force. In summation, the forces blanced enough to plop the crew on the ship, somehow still in sailing shape.

Phin jumped out of the water with stern look of both excitement and disappoint, and odd combination to pull off. "Not done yet," he said coldly, pointing to the numerous ships that were gaining on him. "How fast can this thing go."

"Fast enough," Klank declared, stroking his wheel with excitement, yet doing his best to ignore to multitude of repairs the ship would need after the escape. "You kids think you can muster up that kind of force again, only to our back?"

"I can do this all day," Sasayaki declare.

Issac took to the left back corner and braced the ship, while Phin took to the otherside and gave a nod before preforming what seemed to be a mantra like motion. It was then the he noticed a ship in the distance, Jubi's, and smiled. "Not today," he whispered, before hearing Klank's command, the the three of them rippling the ocean and sending the ship flying to it's next destination.

youtu.be/XrzVpvtsFf0
End: Great Pirate Games

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

Dogs of Love: Day Five

"Love is like a hurricane," Puppylove shouted, the sheering wind disrupting a clear and steady tone, "tearing apart everything you thought you knew, in order to make room for something different." The air funneled into a chamber, the remain contestants, 8 in total, separated and and divided to two sides of the storm. "Today we will find out which flames can withstand love's tortuous winds, and which will can be extinguished for easily."

The crowd, protected by 10 inches of glass to maintain the barreling storm, roared at the though of drastic measures, there lust for romantic gestures increasing with each passing night. Issac was always happy to escalate, but even he knew that prolonging this show was dangerous, and GM's endgame would not be favorable for anyone but him. If something were to happy, it would have to be here, it would have to be now. Without any announcement, Issac unbuttoned his shit, the muttered sound of the host trailing of as his hand lifted his shirt to the wind, releasing it to the storm.

"Ummmm, Mister Issac," Puppylove called out, not yet explaining the rules, or what they were there for, "If you'd wait your turn, we can get-"

A shoe took to the storm, followed by another. "I'm afraid I can't wait any longer," he called out, his socks coming off next. "I know you had grand plans for this night, but I have my own plans," Issac declared, his pants hitting the wind, with only a pair of tightly fitted boxes left to protect him from the storm. The men beside him laughed, the first honest laugh he had heard since he arrived on the island, while the girls looked on with atonement, all but Sheila, rage brewing behind her careful eyes.

Puppylove knew it wasn't part of the script, a fact that would have been damning if it were not for the reaction of the crowd, on their feet with #storminthemundies and other clever jokes rushing across the screens. "Do you intend to lay you feelings bare?" the announcer stated. "Are you to share your naked truth with the world, Mister Issac?"

"I could give a damn about the world," he shouted, giving Penne a devious smirk signifying a lesson well taught. He start walking to storm, inching his way towards as the fought him back. Penne did the same, pushing through to the middle with her lengthy strands anchoring her every step of the way. By the time Issac made it, crawling on his knees to penetrate the eye of the storm, she was waiting for him, and he didn't have to muster one much more strength today. "Penne, dear."

Her hair came down, warping him and aiding him to his knees. "Yes, my lasagna."

The feelings struck the crowd with a loud "Aww," the two pausing before they continued.

"I was going to wait," he smiled, shaking his head at his own feelings, "because it's absolutely crazy, but I can't." He reached down into his briefs and pulled out a ring, crude and simple, producing a gasp from the crowd. "I know it has only been a week, and I know I have no right to ask you this question, but I would rather die in this place with you by my side, then spend one day without you." He looked around him, practicing intensely enough to produce a single tear that streaked his daft smile and fell to his chest. "There is no storm that could separate us, no pirate that can divide us, nothing that would ever tear me away from someone so special. Will you," he paused, "be my wife?"

Penne's acting prowess far exceeded his own, tears streaming down plump cheeks, the woman dropping to her knees and shaking yes, just before planting on the finishing touch; a kiss that was passionate, for a minute he forgot they had been pretending, Issac leaning and and bracing her head.

"DAAAAAAADDDDDDDDYYYYY," Sheila screamed so loud that all eyes found her. Rage shook her arms and produced tear of her own and she looked up to the screen. "STOPPPP THIS! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" she screeched.

The screens went black, and the storm dissipated, leaving everyone in darkness. Issac could feel the ground shifting beneath him, until the light of the screen illuminated the room, reading "Technical difficulties, please standby." A slow clap emerged from behind the screen, GM walking out to an exposed Issac, a gentle breeze penetrating his boxers. "Congratulations," GM smirked. "You're the first person in history to ever make the same mistake twice." GM circled around him, looking for for some sign of fear, but Issac had him right where he wanted him.

"Love makes fools of us all, George. I mean, that's why I'm here, right?"

"You're not in love, he scowled, his face coming so close that he could smell the leftover rubin sandwich on his breath.

"Of course I am," Issac smiled, forming his hands into a grateful fist. "I found what I was looking for, you know." he waited for a reaction, but GM is playing his cards close to his chest too. "I'm just sorry Sheila had to-"

"Don't you say her name," he said chillingly, his GM hammer forming in his hands. "I could kill you, you know. This is my game, and I make the rules, understand?"

Issac looked around, no one else in the room, or at least, no one he could sense. From what he could put together, it was his broadcast room where he looked over all of his events, the same room that his crew mates were being held captive, so there was no guarantee they were actually alone. "You could," he answered, finding his feet and looking around, "but that would be both a waste of these games and your reputation." He looked where his new captain should have been, almost sensing his presence, his approval, and smirked. "How about we settle this over a game, if that isn't too risky for you."

"A game," GM laughed, "You would challenge me, here, to a game?" His laughter almost masked his arrogance. Almost. "Why would I even play when you have nothing to offer me."

"Marriage," Issac declared. "You beat me at a game of my choice, and I will marry your daughter, just like she has always wanted.

GM was nearly on top of him now, his hammer to Issac throat, ready to slip at the wrong word. "If you even think about playing games with me, I will kill you right here."

Issac took a finger and lowered the hammer with the smirk. "You may be powerful, but you still can not control free will."

"Do it, daddy," a voice pierced, just beyond the darkness. "Please," the voice pleaded.

GM lifted his hammer, giving the ground a tap and revealing his cremates. "Fine," he declared, "what are your terms?" he asked? gazing at his heartbroken daughter.

Issac looked at his crew, their faces still new to him, yet somehow more impactful that he expected. Sasayaki was riled up as always, likely made at the stakes, but she would get over it either way. Sierra was frosty, but something something told him she would melt in die time. Peanut must had forgiven him, the squirrel squeaking gibberish while waving his little arms. Klank was chilled than he would have expected, but something told him the pile of ash next to him had something to do with it. Phin wasn't present, making him all the more entertained. Strangest of all of Bighead, never dropping his smile, nodding to Issac just before he spoke. "This show has gone on long enough without a rival. If I win, my entire crew is set free, and every contestant still alive escapes this place ALIVE. And if neither of us win at the end of the designated time period, the pirate games end, my crew goes free, and you are allowed one challenge at the same game every year. Deal?

GM looked over to Sheila, the risk worth the rewards, and he nodded. The arena changed to a white room, his crew, even Phin, taking a seat on one side, and GM's crew sitting on the other. The camera rose, and the screen returned to their faces. GM gave a short apology to the viewer before explaining that there would be one last game before the finale. he handed the microphone to Issac, unusually calm, after asking what game the would be playing today. Issac took to the spotlight in pride and brought the mic closer to him. "George, I thought you'd never ask."

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

Dogs of Love: Night Three

youtu.be/MSch10KzYAo

The wind blew vigorously against his chest as an open shirt fishman serenaded the two, standing atop a floating platform that did not distract from the cliff side view. The moon hung low over the ocean, its reflection blessing the rustling waves with it’s pureness, reaching up the cliff and illuminating the side of Penne’s face. Isaac gentle rested his fork to the side of his entrée, a lightly glazed salmon with a small hint of some identified herb, and smiled at her, like he had rehearsed a hundred times when the production ended at the end of day two, and smiled. “Do you believe in gods?” he asked her.

Penne chucked. “I suppose I do,” she replied, neatly dabbing her face with the napkin and placing it gently back on her lap, leaning of the table and resting her head sweetly on her palm. “Why do you ask?”

Isaac looked off into the view, counting to five in his head before looking back. “You see, I never did before today, before this moment. I sailed seas only trust myself, my weapon, and the knowledge that the only thing I could look forward to in the end of this, this show, was a cold void that in many ways, matched my heart.” He looked down, careful to show the smallest hint of emotion, but not enough to overdo it.

“And?” Penne asked, lifting his head with a finger and gifting him a radiant smile, “what do you think now?”

“I,” he hesitated, “looking at you, here, in this place.” Isaac tapped his finger against the table, as he often did when was nervous. Penne had taught him many things in the two full days he spent with her, the most useful of which was the art of lying, something she excelled at greatly. All he had to do was believe it, believe that it was real, pretend he was someone else, somewhere else, and play his part like he could in any other situation. “This all can’t be an accident, can it? I may have only known you for a few days, but I have never felt this way about a person before. I keep playing it through again and again, but the only thing that makes sense, is divine intervention. Penne..” He made sure to add weight to his breaths, forcing each to come fasted until a red hue found his flesh. “It could only be one thing. L-“

A stray noodle found his lips. “lasagna,” she smiled.

“Lasagna,” he affirmed, seeing the words flood of hashtags hit the bottom of the elevated screen from the corner of his eye, confirming that they were the most interesting thing happening tonight, and also letting them know that both would be safe for the night.

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

The lights hit his face as the door open, piercing his anxieties for the challenge to come, a feeling that had been building since learning about his team, knowing that the rest of the games were all on Peanut, or himself. He hoped that he wouldn’t have to put too much work in this adventure, but worrying about the well being of others was both new and exhausting. He wished he could fade into the background, find a hole in GM’s sight and slip away, but he couldn’t; Isaac was trapped.

The light let up as his eyes adjusted, a nearly managed garden begin the first thing to appear in his vision. Flowers of every color decorated the lawn of a large marble mansion with architecture that was not unlike those represented in old lore of forgotten lands that creature such as Sasayaki inhabited. The door was doubled, a deep cherrywood, and neat granite slabs led up to the door, Isaac knocking cautiously as he strolled up.

“Fashionably late as always,” a young woman remarked upon opening the door, his heart sinking into his chest, “but I guess you always were on your own schedule, weren’t you, Isaac.”

He stood there, looking her over, much more grown than the last he had seen. “Your ears have really started to grow in,” he joked, knowing Sheila had always been self-conscious about them. Even for a mink, hers had sprouted out of head at a length so long they had a tendency to flop down onto her short chestnut hair, complimenting a caramel swirl coat. “What are we doing here?” he asked, looking around for the trap. “I thought Georgy would be doing everything in his power to destroy me.”

“I doubt he could do that,” she smiled, inching back from door to let him through, closing it behind him and beckoning him to follow her through entry to the next room, the mansion becoming more luxurious as they walked through. “We all know he has his weakness, ones that you always manage to exploit, but that all stops today.” She leaned over, her lips on his cheeks, before feeling something cool on his back. “You see, Isaac,” she said with a smirk, “my father may be too blinded to see your weakness, but I know exactly how to beat you.”

The door behind her opened, featuring a large room filled with some of the most attractive individuals he had ever seen, all standing in line, eyes darting between each other like hungry animals, ready to rip at the flesh. “Sheila, wait,” he pleaded, realizing she was preparing his microphone, and hers as well. “There has to be another way.”

Anger flushed her eyes, giving her pause. “Good luck keeping that popularity, Songbird. By the time this is over, the crowd will be begging for your head,” she smirked, just before switching the mics on and leading them both onto the platform with the others.

“Welcome, everyone here and those watching at home, to a very special treat! We got all of your snails and we heard you, you want more love, am I right!?” A man, well, half man half puppy, uncreatively naming himself Puppylove, declared, his tail wagging behind him vigorous. A screen appeared behind him, and on the bottom messages from those at home scrolled across the screen, the viewers already commenting on the slew of attractive faces. “I am happy to announce that while the games continue, we will run our very own show over the course of the next week, the highlights of each day being show every night! But of course, this wouldn’t be the great pirate games without a twist.”

“Winner is the one who can lick most whipped cream off from GM’s ass,” he thought to himself, his face dropping at the very real possibility of something similar making it into the show. “Umm, Mr. Puppy,” he asked, hand awkwardly raised. “I think I might be in the wrong place.”

The crowd gasped, a sound he had yet to hear, the dogman tilting his head and rearing an awe from the audience. “Quite the contrary, Silverfox, a name the new world has snailed in, you have been specialty select from the remaining contestant by our viewers.” He motioned to the crowd, and back to the monitor. “We asked, and you responded,” he pointed to the camera, “20 strangers, forced to find love in the most dangerous place of all! There will be obstacles along the way, drama to overcome, and dates unlike anything you’ve ever seen, but I promise you, it will all be worth it in the end. Open your hearts, and all of you will not only make it out of seven days’ worth of trials, you will find your soulmates.”

The crowd awed again, Isaac not learning from the first time he raised his hand. “Uhhhh, Mr. Puppy.. What happens if we, I don’t know, don’t find love?”

Everything went silent, the constants all looking at him with the sort of disgust that came only from weeks of brainwashing. “Well then,” the dogman spoke, ears down and tone hushed, “you face the fate of all those who close their hearts.. a cold and miserable fate.” He looked back up to the crowd, gaining power in his voice. “Not only that, the world must feel your love,” he explained, pointing to the monitor. “Be the bottom couple at the end of each day, and the divorce wheel will judge you. Only three couples will make it to the end, where a surprise will be waiting!” The crowd cheered again; names already being shipped together at the bottom of the screen. “Two hours remain before the first licking ceremony, good luck!”

Dogs of Love: Night One

“So,” Issac asked, awkwardly leaning against the counter, two women more interested in their bottles of wine than his posture, “you girls like fighting?”

The one on the left laughed so hard her wine came up and through her nose. “You looked taller on the monitor,” the other nodded. “and you might look cuter if you did something with that hair. Who cuts that?”

He put his hand over his shoulder, but there was no one to hold back. Isaac had spent so many days with Sasayaki, that being this long without her made him bare. “My,” he stumbled, reaching for the comfort of marble behind him, “my friend cuts it for me. She likes the way it looks.”

Wine girl laughed again, reloading with another gulp. “Come on, this kids a loser,” she loudly whispered to her friend. “Let’s get someone with muscles!” she hickuped, stumbling into a soft ivory sofa as she turned around, rolling over it with fashion. It was the fifth girl her talked to, a fact that would have been shameful if not the most successful interaction of the night.

Half an hour remained until the licking ceremony, and Isaac was drained. Winning the appeal of a crowd was one thing, but opening up to a complete stranger, especially without backup, was impossible. What made matters worse with Sheila, pleasantly watching from afar as she lured in another man with a mask of insecurity that made any decent hero want to intervein. It was pitiful, and he had forgot why they had what they had all together, but she didn’t, waiting until the clock dwindled down to approach him. “What’s wrong?” she asked, reaching behind him to a stuffed shell, bringing in the plate to avoid any semblance of interest. “Feeling a little limp without your blade?”

“I know you’re pissed,” he teethed, looking at the monitor, the words #YouGirlsLikeFighting blasting across the screen, “but isn’t there a better way to do this? I mean, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”

The faint sound of shells grinding into the marbled drilled into his bones. “I told you I wanted to get serious, meet my family, and you told me you wanted an enchilada.”

“I was hungry!” he defended.

“Then you stole my ship, left me stranded on that island, and kidnapped my butler.”

Is that how it ended? Isaac had done some crazy things for berries in the past, but most of them started to blur together. At the time, it all seemed like the right thing to do, and as long and he could move on with Sasayaki, that was all that mattered. He imagined what she would say to him now, how she would silence him and jump right into the conversation when he needed to, but his cracks were much more apparent in her absence. “I was just looking for some quick cash,” he answered, a drink instantly hitting his face. By the time he could wipe his eyes clear, he saw #IWasHungry across the screen, instantly realizing that it didn’t matter how much he whispered, the mics picked up everything.

“I gave you everything,” Sheila cried, tears running off her fur like they were genuine. “And this is how you treat me?” Three men came to her aid, two at each side, and a third ready to pounce, yet staying in line as Sheila had her hand raised. “All you know how to do is use people, and for what? You never even touched me. I can’t stand to look at you.. This.. This heart husk of a man,” she sobbed, her face buried in another man’s chest.

She was right, but not fully. Isaac was manipulative for sure, but Sheila had obsessed over this moment for so long that she actually became better at it, and he knew he could no longer win. He thought of the burden that would be resting on peanut’s shoulders as 10 more minutes remained, when the unforgettable sound of a karaoke machine started across the room, an almost familiar face cradling the mic with spunk.

youtu.be/fd_7jIC9180

Her face unraveled as the beat hit the floor, all eyes on the woman as thing strands unwounded reveal a pale beauty beneath, and a face he had not yet forgot. “Pen-“

A thin noodle shushed his lips as she swung her hips closer to him with the beat, vocals unexpecting powerful and soulful. Sheila went to interrupt, walking through the woman as she unwound and reassembled, her arms playfully on him, the woman offering a wink before tossing him on the couch and continuing her song, the tag, #Heartbreaker, infesting the screen. Normally, Isaac would want no part in the display, but his only metric for doing something right at the moment was Sheila’s face, urging his involvement with the shifty woman. Isaac did his best to smile, his body being forced down as Penne slinked on top of him, waving up and yanking him to his feet in a spin that brought him to her face. “Well?” she asked playfully, her body tucked tightly against him. She stared at his eyes, then down, then his eyes, then down, confusing him. Whatever she wanted, he couldn’t decipher it.

“I-“ he attempted, cut off by another noodle to the lips. He was nervous, out of his element, unsure what the woman wanted, when the comfort of pressure against his waist returned, a pale shape of Sasa peaking out over his shoulder. It wasn’t her, he knew, but even the illusion was enough to clear his mind, his anxiety, understand what she meant as Noodle Sasayaki nudge his head down and pushed him closer, words spelled out in noodles on her chest, words that terrified, but the only words that could save this man in this desperate hour.

Hesitantly he grazed her face with his left hand, Noodle Sasayaki guiding his right to Penne’s waist, Isaac looking down and biting his lip finally getting his first sentence. “Fuck it,” he declared, pressing his mouth against unsuspectingly firm lips, his own lingering before pulling back.

“I’m not afraid of a challenge,” Penne glared over to Sheila. “I’ll tame you yet, Heartbreak.”

It was then that the woman licked his cheek, an action he saw far before it happened, yet lacking the skill the to stop. He went to pull back, when the lights flashed, Puppylove returning from his dog house with a paper tongue, pinning it on Isaac, which didn’t make the moment any clearer. “Congratulation,” he started, pushing Isaac and Penne together. You two have won the first impression lick, giving you immunity tonight! How about that!?”

“Yes,” GM’s voice broadcasted on the monitor. “Despite a low appeal early on, it seems the world has snailed #Wetnoodle and #Silvefox together. You’re safe tonight, but is this.. pairing one that can last? I guess we will have to wait and see,” he half smirked, a level of confidence that was terrifying. Were they in the endgame now? This couldn’t be it, could it? Regardless, the two were excused, taking off their mics and entering a new room, a small room, with only a twin sized bed for the both of them.

“Hop in,” Penne teased, noodling over to the bed. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“What is he planning?” Isaac questioned, trying to piece it together as he paced in the room. “He is too confident, and letting his daughter join the games? He has to have a backup plan.”

Penne dropped against the bed, her body squeezing apart before returning. “You’re never going to win, you know. At least, not like this,” she sighed. “That out there, that was pathetic, and if I didn’t kiss you, you’d be stardust by now.”

“I never asked you to do that,” he said, sliding his back against the wall. “I just, need some time.”

“Screw time,” he laughed, disassembling off the bed and pinning him against the wall. “What you need is me, and that’s painfully obvious. Without a partner and crime, you mine as well be the wet noodle.”

“I’ve never done this, okay!”

Her eyes rolled to the ceiling. “Juggle girls? Yeah, that was painfulllly obvious.”

“No,” he stumbled. “I.. well.. I’ve never actually kissed a girl before today.”

Penne perked up, almost excited. “Never? Not even with Miss Bitchy?”

“I mean, what’s the point? Doesn’t get you much further on the sea, right?”

The woman remind silent for a moment, but he could see something brewing inside that squishy head of hers. Her hands came together, her face filling with color. “Perfect! This just might work,” she smirked.

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

Name: Grace

Age: 29

Motto: Only if I have to.

Race: Human

Abilities: Grace specializes in defense, skilled in shield combat, and strong armament haki.

Weapon:

Prophecy - One of the ten legendary shields created in the void century, said to be part of a cipher to the ancient language. Prophecy is made of a durable substance that efficiently draws out one's spirit, being used in olden days as a way to train one's soul. In recent years it has given the lore lore fruit, gifting it the ability to speak and answer questions, though it often goes on tangents. As prophecy grows to understand a target, it can reveal their history, though it may not always share what it has learned.

Bio:

Personality:

One Piece: Bighead's Dream

Island Name: Arcadia

Picture/Description: Ever changing, but the general size is a medium to large island with every biome type imaginable.

Ruler: GM - Ruler of the early New World

System: GM decides what is law in his lands, but over Arcadia, all our judged in the Great Pirate Games, a sacred tradtition that was brought to a new level by the rule rule fruit. Those that break the rules are either held until the event, given a chance for their freedom, or can opt to take direct judgement of the wheel, which many in the islands have come to know as both fair and absolute.

History: (To complete)

Important Notes: The rule rule fruit can alter any aspect of reality around the main island, yet it can not alter free will. All games are attended by a crowd, as the games are a big deal across the world, and attended to a smaller degree when the games are not in session. Arcadia is a place of freedom for most, GM giving the people a life that they most desire to live, which is what causes such loyalty to him. In turn, GM cares great what his citizens feel about him, which directly impacts the games. This is why a good deal of the games are entertainment based, as he knows all of his citizens have no lust for blood and battle. Have fun!