High Seas IC

[EdroGrimshell]

Water, all around you is water, quite nice actually, the small boat you are in rocking gently on the waves with the open sky overhead, birds circlign the boat showing that land is nearby at the very least. No bounties lately, but it's not as big a deal as it is for others, what with a walking fruit factory as part of your group you don't really have to worry about food. There should be a newspaper coming in today, hopefully one with a few bounties you could collect.

Off in the cabin you can hear Kyou working on getting the fruits to grow some more, it had been some time since morning, so that probably meant it was around late morning to early afternoon, "Food's ready," Kyou calls, bringing out a tray of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, including one he rarely growns, White Melon, which has a unique, almost meaty, flavor to it. And it has the highest protien content of any fruit you know of.

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick yawned lazily and walked out onto the deck (by which I mean, the other side of our tiny boat) and stretched his arms, glancing over the bow across the sea. "Geez, this is boring. We've been at sea for, how long now? When are we going to get to the Grand Line anyway?" He glanced back at his captain, Noel.

"Hey, Noel, you said we were going to raid the Grand Line, right? How long until we get there, do you think? I'm in the mood to bust up some pillagers or take on a few buccaneers. Gotta keep my skills sharp after all."

[Cipher Stars]

"Twelve feet" Noel mumbled. She was hanging her head over the side of the ship staring up at the birds as she pointed at them one at a time. "Fourteen Feet" She pointed at another. Slightly more depressingly, she pointed at a cloud high in the sky "Six thousand one hundred eighty eight meters" Noel said under her breath.
Breaking the quiet, Kyou finished his voodo-food trick producing a bundle of vegetables and fruits. It amused Noel at first, and continued to be useful. Now it was a part of daily life aboard the over-sized raft Kyou put together. Not that Noel would complain about it, They had something thanks to Kyou.
Much better then a row boat, but Noel thanked her lucky stars that the East Blue was much less violent then the other seas she'd heard about.
"Aiiight. Thanks Kyou." Noel acknowledge raising a hand without otherwise lifting her head from her cloudgazing. She focused briefly on the plate he brought out and the White melon was cut into three pieces, One piece as well as a carrot drifted quickly back to her. She started eating the carrot first when Patrick asked again about the Grand Line.
"We'll get there when we get there" She said listlessly. "We aren't ready yet", she took another bite off the carrot.

[EdroGrimshell]

"She's right, we can't do much with only three people," Kyou says, messing with a sphere of black wood, "we're heading towards an island with a Navy base, we can get some bounties there, hopefully they'll have something worth it."

"After that it's up to Mimiro as to where we go and who we go after," Kyou continues.

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick sighed restlessly. "Well what am I supposed to do, sitting out here in the middle of the ocean on this slow-moving boat? Surrounded by water and...fish...hmmm.."

He glanced over the board, down into the water, before standing up and stripping his jacket off in one fluid motion. "I'll be right back," he said, tossing his jacket in his seat next to Noel, along with the pair of sheathed blades he kept on his waist.

Without waiting to hear his captain's reaction, Patrick dove into the sea, swimming down towards the bottom. He opened his eyes, ignoring the sting of the salt in the water, and took a look around.

[Cipher Stars]

"Its part of the life on the sea. If your so bored you could row" Noel answered Patrick's complaints. She didn't seem bothered at all by the endless nothingness. Her patience could be said to be superhuman, or her content nature disturbing.
Its a fools choice to be agitated over something they can't control. It takes time to get where your going, there is no need to stress.
The swordsman decided he'd had enough and took to a swim.
It was a clear day and the high sun was warm, Noel might have done so as well. She still wasn't use to the ocean however, the blue waters didn't unnerve her anymore but her relation to the sea was only neutral. Its odd consistency much heavier then the light airy "Waters" of the White Sea.
Sighing, Noel sat up and stretched and rubbed the back of her neck where it was pressing against the boat while she looked up at the sky.
"Hey, Kyou, What do you know about this marine base we're visiting?" She asked.

[EdroGrimshell]

"It's one of the ones that isn't completely corrupted, it's the reason i prefer these guys, others will claim the bounty for themselves and essentially tell the hunter to hit the road," he says, a hint of annoyance in his voice, "I lost a lot of income because of greedy marines. Other than that, it's a good sized base, even has guest rooms for friends of the navy, nice guys, and has the highest number of female naval officers in the East Blue. Also have some very good gunsmiths, it's the reason i have this thing," he pulls out his custom gun, made primarily of ironwood and fired off super-dense seeds using an explosive resin, "It also has a connection to Loguetown, which is quite useful."

[NeoSeraphi]

As Patrick swam around underwater, he frowned at the lack of any interesting sights. Sighing and returning to the surface, he cupped his hands together and broke through the water's heavy pressure, emerging from the sea in a burst of spray. Running one hand over his face to slick his hair back, he glanced around, looking for the boat. Spotting it nearby, Patrick waved and swam over, pulling himself back on board, tipping the boat slightly as he did so. "Argh! Nothing bu fish under there. Too bad. I thought there might be some sea monsters or treasure or mermaids or something...Hey, Kyou, are we still on course for the Marine Base? We haven't drifted too far from it, have we?"

[EdroGrimshell]

"We're on course still, you should be able to see it in a few minutes, been using roots below deck to row us along while the air is still," he says.

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick sighed with relief, shaking his head quickly to get all the water out, and grabbing his jacket, slipping it over his wet torso. "Alright! So, what's the game plan, Noel? Is this a recruitment drive? Just a routine stop? Are we going to try and raid this place?" He said the last one jokingly, of course they weren't going to try a raid with only three people.

[Cipher Stars]

"Oh. Loguetown? That's close to the Reverse Mountain isn't it?" Noel asked. Though she'd been in the Blue Seas for four years, She did well to remain open and learn about the Seas. She'd learned a lot in the four years, but she still had only about common knowledge.
She wasn't interested in the rest, smiths didn't amuse her. But then, it was hard to amuse someone who can make any physical object she can think of with crafts. Though guns were a different story, but easily mirrored.
She Loguetown was, however, a large city. There was sure to be information somewhere there, or something else that'd interest her.
They might be able to get an actual ship, the strange plush green stuff gave her chills.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a Swan. Patrick came up from the water and climbed back aboard. The boat tipped slightly as he did so. Asking if they were on the right course brought Noel's attention back to the destination, she'd been preoccupied watching the birds. The boat was in the right direction, she knew that much. But her attention went to the horizon, looking for land that should be nearby according to the map she saw.

[EdroGrimshell]

Kyou nods, "yea, it's the last stop before the Grand Line unless you go through the Calm Belt, which can be arranged with the designs i have, just not the smartest thing to do."

Last post here for the night.

[Cipher Stars]

Last stop to the Grand Line. They were close, but it wasn't time yet. From what she'd heard of the Grand Line, Noel was determined to herself and her crew in the East Blue before setting off.
Noel stood up abruptly.
"We're going to look up Pirate Bounties, what else?"
"In town there should be recent stories or sightings of ships, so as usual we'll be visiting the bars and gather whatever supplies we need before heading out again firstlight tomorrow if at all possible". She said. Land wasn't to be seen yet, they must have hours left before they arrive... Noel finished her carrot and bit into the slice of White Melon.

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick smiled in relief. "Ah, good. Here, I was worried that I was going to be stuck guarding the ship or something lame like that. Hitting up a bar and chatting with the locals should be fun."

He grinned to himself and reached for his blades. "Who knows, maybe we'll even get a little excitement while we're there. Don't want to get too rusty, especially if our next stop really is the Grand Line, which I doubt for some reason. Sounds too good to be true, to be honest."

Fitting the sheathes back on his waistband, Patrick finally reached for the plate of fruit and took a bite. "Mmmm...delicious, Kyou. What do you call this fruit again?"

[EdroGrimshell]

"Papaya, mixed that one with mango and apple DNA for a different flavor, not exactly the best one i've ever made, but it does have an interesting taste," Kyou replies, not really paying attention to what's going on.

In the distance you can just make out an island, shaped like a conch shell and brightly colored birds flying around.

[NeoSeraphi]

What's that Kyou? I couldn't hear you over the sound of the narrator's voice. Could you speak in dark green, please? :smalltongue:

Patrick rushed to the side of the boat, grinning. "Land ho, Captain!" He quickly grabbed the oars and sat down, bracing himself against the back of the ship and placing both oars in the water, pushing the boat forward with even, perfectly timed strokes. Thanks to his natural ambidexterity, Patrick was well-suited for rowing in straight lines by himself.

[Cipher Stars]

Soon in the horizon land appeared, it wouldn't be long now before the wait would be over and they could finally be at a good city for once. Loguetown was supposed to be large if what she heard held true. They should be able to accomplish much there.
Patrick took to the oars to speed the boat up, and Noel took her spot at the head of the ship watching the land approach. But she did do her part to help as well, she gripped the boat with her will and helped push it forward through the waters.
((Busoshoku Haki: Reach, same thing I used to slice the White Melon and such. At full power its rank six for an effective 35 strength. That should give the boat a significant push methinks.))

[EdroGrimshell]

The boat moves forward, creaking dangerously for the first few feet, "careful, this thing isn't designed to take that kind of force, the roots are moving us as fast as we need to get there within the hour."

Sure enough, almost an hour later, you arrive at the island, a small town leading up to the marbled walls of the Marine base, which is far simpler than most, just a lookout tower and some outbuilding that make it look like a town all its own.

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick jumped out of the boat and onto the shore, sighing in relief. He grabbed some rope from the boat and started tying it down. Glancing back at the town, Patrick frowned a bit. "So there's a whole lot of Marines in this town, huh?" He turned back to his two companions. "Noel, are you sure we're going to be alright? Piracy is illegal, after all, they don't need a reason to arrest us if they suspect anything."

[EdroGrimshell]

"We're bounty hunters, not pirates, and I've dealt with these marines before, we'll be fine as long as you don't make any nasty comments or give them reason to believe we're anything other than bounty hunters."

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick sighed and crossed his arms. "There's a fine line between vigilante and criminal, it seems..." he said thoughtfully, looking up at the sky. "Well fine. Guess while we're here I can't exactly go around calling you 'Captain', huh Noel? Ah well. What's our heading? Shall we all check out the Marine's headquarters for some marks, or do we head to the inn and see if we can get any information on the Grand Line?"

[Cipher Stars]

"Its as Kyou says, Swan, Cool your head a bit. We're fine." Noel scolded. "I don't see a bounty on any of us, or anything stolen in our possession."
Noel hopped out of the boat, a step in mid air, and she was on solid ground again.
"You don't have anything hot on you, do you, Swan?"
Noel looked around at the dock and towards the city. The Marine base was close to the city, a big building easily noticed. She turned back to the other two.
"You shouldn't worry, people who expect trouble are more likely to find it then those who don't. Lets look around the town first, get an idea of whats going on before deciding where to go first."

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick cracked his neck as he walked through the streets, alone. He enjoyed his mates' company, sure, but they were trapped on that tiny boat together for quite a while now, and he needed a little space. Patrick was sure that once they got a bigger ship, one that let them all have their own rooms, as well as a kitchen and a deck, he would have plenty of room and he wouldn't need to feel so restless and caged all the time. But for right now, he wanted a little room to breathe, away from his captain and that weird fruit guy.

Striding past a meat vendor, Patrick's ears pricked up at a conversation that was going on. "Yeah, I hear Golr was spotted on the coast again!" "Oh man, what if he comes ashore?"

Stopping and looking at the conversing pair with interest, Patrick walked over and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, gentlemen, I couldn't help but overhear your discussion. Who is this 'Golr' you speak of, exactly?"

One of the men turned to glare at him in annoyance, only to lose his voice at the sight of the twin sheaths Patrick wore expertly on his waist. He glanced up at Patrick with a bit of awe. "Are you looking for trouble?"

"No, not looking. Though trouble has a habit of following me around. She probably thinks I'm cheating on her with her sister Drama," Patrick replied drily, before shaking his head. "Anyway, why are you two whispering? Who is Golr?"

The men glanced at each other, and then one replied, "He's a pirate. Captain of his own crew, the Black Arrow pirates. They call him 'Golr the Black'."

Patrick sighed in disappointment. This guy sounded dangerous, but no amount of money was worth fighting an entire crew over. He started to leave, before the other man piped in, "Yeah, and he's rumored to be the most skilled swordsman in East Blue! He wields seven swords. At the same time!"

Patrick's eyes widened in surprise before he turned back to the men. He took a breath, containing himself, and asked coolly, "You don't say?...This captain, he wouldn't happen to be wanted by the Marines, would he?

The men nodded. "There's a 75,000 belli price on his head! Though that's probably not nearly as much as what his crew has stolen so far!"

Patrick smirked to himself. "Perfect. Thank you, gentlemen. This conversation was very...enlightening." He strode back to the meeting place and reported his findings to Noel.

[Cipher Stars]

The three split up. Patrick went one way, Noel went another. She didn't catch Kyou's agenda, but they would all meet up in the square where Gold was killed after a time.
Noel wore her long red cloak that hid her ostentatious hair and wings, but if she thought about it the cape itself was about as notable as the others. The edges of the cloak were stripped and knotted into tassel-like trimming, though it was a cheap way to make an otherwise ordinary thing look less plain. (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pkgGlxyWzrM/TlVWhXpNe7I/AAAAAAAAUVE/91qy4g_LC24/s1600/red-riding-hood-red-cloak-illustration-sketches-590bes031011.jpg)

Noel didn't have any places of interest she knew of besides the meeting place. She was just out looking, seeing what the city had to offer.
She feared she'd be returning to the others empty handed when she heard heard the sound of trouble from behind an alley. She had wandered into an older part of town it seemed, and fitting the stereotype this part of town must be where the crimes occur.
Noel followed the sound. Its source was three men dressed in Marine attire standing around a bloodied man. They were making light of him, mentioning something knowing who knows where. Was this how Marines acted? They were fakes, or not worthy to wear their uniform. Noel remained out of sight, and gave a quick look around to make sure no one saw her. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3380434/)
"Hantei..." Noel mumbled without looking at them.
She heard rather then saw the group fall to the ground. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3380452/) Struggling for air, the Marines and the victim included. One of them passed out, falling to the ground hard. (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3380459/). A few seconds later, they all followed suit (http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/3380461/) and Noel emerged from behind the wall.
She lifted the marines without touching them off down a different alleyway, and reapplied her Hantei, slowly killing them. It was better safe then sorry.
But the victim was spared. Unconscious like the rest, he was left behind while she got the others out of sight.
Noel woke him.
He was startled to say the least. He thought one of the marines had tried to strangle him.
"Where did they go?" He asked
"Who?"
"The Marines that were here a moment ago?"
"You were alone, unconscious, when I found you." Noel lied "Why would the Marines attack you?" The man looked relieved, a confirmation that he wasn't in danger of further marine-beat downs at the moment.
"They thought I knew where someone was, some bounty head" He dug around in his pocket with a shaky hand before bringing out a crumpled wanted poster for a 60,000 bounty.
"He's wanted alive, other then that I don't know much else. He's supposed to to a Rokushiki user or something. but I really don't know anything else" The man broke into a short coughing fit as he rubbed his neck.
"You should go home, or find a clinic. You look like you took a hard beating. Some rest and food should make you feel better" Noel said reassuringly.
"Yea. Thank you miss" He said as Noel helped him up.

After seeing him home, Noel headed to the square where Gold was executed to wait for the others.

[EdroGrimshell]

(We're not on Loguetown you know, that comes later, so anything mentioning Gol dying doesn't apply to this island)

Kyou wanders slowly around town, selling some of his more useful fruits to some vendors, and asking around before heading to the Marine Base to find out about some bounties, and he hit the jackpot, Absear the Howler and Nayami, a Devil Fruit user and a collector, both worth 45,000 beli, Nayami wanted alive.

Kyou smirks as he heads to the center of town, using the roofs to get there quicker rather than the crowded streets and dangerous alleyways. This was going to be good.

[NeoSeraphi]

OOC:
(We're not on Loguetown you know, that comes later, so anything mentioning Gol dying doesn't apply to this island)


Oh, I know that. Just because Patrick heard about Golr doesn't mean it wasn't gossip. These guys are just passing along rumors, no telling what's true and what isn't.



Patrick showed up at Roger's execution site, glancing up at the gallows with narrowed eyes. "Bastard..." he muttered under his breath, before the sound of footsteps approaching caught his attention. Turning around, Patrick saw the slender form of his captain walking towards him.

"Yo," Patrick called, smirking. "I hit the jackpot, Noel, you're not going to believe this. There's this guy floating around who is supposed to have a 75,000 belli price on his head. Isn't that wild? I say we hit the ocean and go pay him a visit."

[Cipher Stars]

(ignoring my sick person's stupidity, just pretend I didn't make inaccurate references. Killed some people who probably didn't deserve THAT, saved some dude, learned some stuff. Alls well. Simply the "Center" of town is good enough I guess. My mind is less effected atm. Yay dangerous meds with risky side effects that could be worse then the sickness itself...
I'm gonna keep posting, just with less muchness)


Making it to the center, Noel waited until she saw her companions and approached Patrick, Kyou should be soon enough. Two was easier to spot then one.
Noel leaned against a nearby wall and waited for Kyou to join. She didn't want to have to repeat herself when she could just wait and say what she found once.
75 thousand beli. Beat me by 15, not that it was any game. Dunno. "Maybe Kyou has something more interesting." She finished aloud.
Noel

[EdroGrimshell]

Kyou walks into the center of town shortly after Noel, "good news, got two marks, 45,000 beli each, both wanted alive, one a non-fighter and one a more dangerous," he says, handing over a pair of posters, one of a girl with violet hair and tear track tattoos under her eyes, and the other a black haired man with beedy eyes.

"The guy is Absear the Howler, a bandit from an island not to far from here, been raiding villages for the past month since getting his devil fruit powers. The girl is Nayami the Collector, and as her name suggests, she collects a lot of stuff. Kairoseki, devil fruits, scrolls, books, and illegal substances worth more than her. Neither have devil fruits as far as i know. Both have been seen in the area several times in the past month."

Whoops, wrong guy, I'm supposed to get Absear

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick gave a nod to Kyou. "Hey. So, I heard about this guy, Golr. He's the captain of a crew of pirates, the Black Arrow Pirates. He's got a 75,000 belli price on his head. Seems he's going around looting innocent towns and storing up his money on the ship or something." Patrick seemed particularly excited, though he was trying his best to keep a straight face.

"Anyway, I say we head up there, fight the guy, beat up his crew, maybe take his ship and raise our own colors, and bring him back here for the reward. What do you think, Noel?"

[Cipher Stars]

"The Collector sounds the most interesting. Who knows what kind of toys we could find on the side. Sounds the closest as well. I don't see any point in lingering, hows the weather and how far is the island?"

[EdroGrimshell]

"We can reach it by morning if we head out now," Kyou says, "At least if i push my ship as fast as i can, thing is i'd have to be awake all night for that to work," he rubs the back of his head, "If we were to head out in the morning we could reach the island by late afternoon."

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick was a bit disappointed that he wouldn't get to fight the seven-sword wielding captain, but Noel was the captain for a reason, after all. Sighing and shrugging helplessly, Patrick commented, "I'm fine with waiting for the morning, after all, how often do we get to sleep in real beds that aren't rocking in the waves? I say we enjoy this rest stop as much as possible."

[Cipher Stars]

I guess a half day counts as close in the blues. I had hoped it would be closer. Noel made a short sigh and pulled back her hood.
"Alright then. We can find some place to stay the night in this island. The Marines might set us up for the night, you said, Kyou?"

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick nodded and waved to both of them. "If it's all the same to both of you, I want to go hang out at the tavern for a while. See if I can't meet any colorful people while I get drunk. Have a nice rest, Captain."

Patrick walked through the streets of the island nation, glancing around at the buildings and merchants. "Now...if I were a tavern, where would I be?"

[EdroGrimshell]

"They set us up with a few hotel rooms, we each get a room free of charge, though anything more than that we have to pay for ourselves," Kyou replies, followed by tapping Patrick on the shoulder and pointing to the other side of the town center, "where do you think?" it's right where Kyou's pointing.

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick nodded. "Alright then, thanks Kyou. I'll catch up with you guys a little later."

Patrick headed into the tavern and sat down at the bar, ordering himself a stiff drink and glancing around. He took a sip of ale as he eyed the group of people surrounding him, looking for anyone suspicious or interesting.

[NeoSeraphi]

Patrick sighed in disappointment. There wasn't a single interesting person in this joint. He finished his drink and walked back to the hotel, checking in, heading up to his room, and going to bed.