[World Event] Bearing a Bear's Ways

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[npc=misc]"Why don't you understand my concern?! This isn't some backwater pirate crew. You'll be fighting a Yonkou's crew! By your own admission, they're in a different league!"[/npc] A desperate man pleaded on the verge of tears. Lahira rested beside him, his hand on hers.

[npc=radm]"What would you have me do? Shirk on my duty? Go AWOL?"[/npc] She asked. It was a rhetorical question. [npc=misc]"You have precedent to ask for a leave! You wouldn't really be shirking."[/npc] The man's hand gently shifted to her stomach.

Lahira stood up with a narrowed gaze and a stinging frown. [npc=radm]"I won't make excuses in the Navy's time of need because of personal decisions! I didn't become a marine after you married me. You knew well enough what you were getting into."[/npc]

The raised volume summoned a small figure into the room. [npc=misc]"Mama? Papa? Why are you fighting?"[/npc] The mother's firm glare mellowed. The father forced a homely smile and stretched his arms in invitation. The child instinctively ran to him. [npc=misc]"We're not fighting, googly-boo. Mama and Papa are just practising for Mama's competition next week."[/npc]

The mirthful eyes of her daughter melted Lahira to her knees. She embraced her family, sandwiching the youngest in between. [npc=misc]"You'll win like always, right, Mama?"[/npc]

A small wet bead formed at the corner of an eye as she nodded confidently. [npc=radm]"Of course!"[/npc]



For the briefest of moments, the horizontal shower of bullets breached the Rear Admiral's attempts at compartmentalisation. One after another, the interfering pirates caught in the crossfire fell. A few of the pills of death which flew past the meat shields grazed Lahira just enough to irritate but not enough to deal grievous bodily harm.

Hauling her distracted mind back into the present, she fired a victorious smirk at the balloon-faced pirate. [npc=radm]"You poor thing. Is that all you have in your suitcase of tricks? I have to say, I'm disappointed. Not that I wished for today's battle to be difficult, but, this is almost boring."[/npc] She sighed loud enough to wake a giant. [npc=radm]"I suppose I'll just have to draw satisfaction from putting you behind bars, where you and your sort belong."[/npc]

The marine slid a foot back and stretched her leg before breaking into another acrobatic cartwheel. Each revolution of the human wheel cratered the floor slightly. A few feet away from the slimy moustached man (though the moustache was currently lost in a bag of lumps) she halted suddenly with her rear facing her target, her back bent forward, and her fingertips touching the floor. The momentum carried a single leg downwards with great force, tearing the air and warping it. [npc=radm]"Rankyaku, Confit de canard!"[/npc] She shouted as a flying slash spawned from the rip in the air. The beautiful invisible blade was aimed directly at the hatted rat, its purpose to cut him down for good. [npc=radm][ HT Flat - Confit de canard ][/npc]

OOC Note:

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[npc=scbk]"Oi, oi, oi, oi! You have got to be joking!"[/npc] A sharp voice complained. The notorious silver-haired privateer, Galinstan, shaded his forehead with a stressed palm and squinted at the gargantuan elephant with his one good eye. [npc=scbk]"Here I was worried they were keeping our favourite Sky God from the frontlines. But, now, it looks like he'll get to hog all the fun."[/npc] An impenetrable barrier defended him from an onslaught of angry minks. It shattered any fists, blades, or bullets flying at him with murderous intent.

[npc=scbk]"Our skills would indeed be better applied up there. But, I had heard you were not one for savouring hard work in the first place,"[/npc] the Witch of the Waves remarked. The ground beneath her moved and rippled like waves. She spun on a heel like a ballerina, somehow unaffected by the wavy foothold, and kicked one mink after another.

[npc=scbk]"That's exactly why I'm annoyed, Iris-chan. Making it here was hard work. Fighting a few reasonably strong minks would've been the enjoyable part of this summoning. So far, it's been all work and no play,"[/npc] the silver-haired shichibukai's complaints continued.

A wild-eyed squirrel mink hopped over the barrier with a glint in her eyes, but, Galinstan trampled her confidence with a bored exhale. The invisible wall folded behind her and swatted her two feet deep into the ground.

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A savage roar stirred the leaves and petals across the holy garden into motion. [npc=pirt]"You shouldn't be here, Rorey! Zunesha needs you-gara,"[/npc] grunted a fifteen-feet-tall wildebeest mink. The creature was more muscle than meat. His curved horns were chipped and battle-worn, and his dark fur was scarred and unkempt. His shoulders were wide and round as if stuffed with matching bowling balls, and his arms the size of tree trunks. A plain red cape draped over his massive back topped his minimalistic outfit.

[npc=pirt]"You can't fight this bastard alone. You-gara saw what he did to Gallia. We're lucky he-gara didn't cut off Zunesha's trunk along with the ship."[/npc] A flowing black mane under a wide-brimmed hat sat on the lion-mink's head as he insisted on supporting his comrade. His golden eyes were sharp enough to cut glass, and his fangs and claws sharper still.

The wildebeest snarled and swiped his sizeable cutlass to his side. A wall collapsed in the distance as a result. [npc=pirt]"That's all the more reason for you-gara to go back, you imbecile. How will the rest of us get out of here if you-gara get yourself killed?"[/npc]

Rorey leapt at the opposing swordsman, claws clad in haki. His target sliced the air, daring him to continue his charge. Reason prevailed over Rorey when the image of his crew's flagship being sliced in half flashed before his eyes. He faltered and aborted his attack, lest he became an ingredient in an exotic dish for a Celestial Dragon.

The bull mink chased his crewmate's accidental feint with a powerful swing of his cutlass, bearing all his weight on the swordsman less than half his size. A feral bellow sounded from within the walls of the castle. Berengar must be going berserk in there. Serves the pretentious lizards right. Affording even a moment's thought for his captain proved risky, as he failed to deflect a breakneck strike from his formidable enemy and suffered a slash across his thigh.

[npc=scbk]"Your haki is resilient,"[/npc] noted the black-winged swordsman. [npc=scbk]"I was hoping that cut would suspend this fight."[/npc] His stance was unperturbed as if he were out for an evening stroll, and his wings were folded tight behind him. His piercing glare inspected Rorey. The whirls in his eyes seemed to turn like wheels, expanding and contracting with untameable ferocity. [npc=scbk]"You must be Dandelion D. Rorey. You are the son of Duke Sebeastian and the heir to the Mokomo Dukedom, aren't you?"[/npc]

An uneasy upward jerk of the lion's brows validated the assumption.

[npc=scbk]"I wondered who commanded the ancient elephant into doing Firebear'd's bidding. From what your friend here just said, it has to be you. That would somewhat explain why they call you 'The Mammoth Prince'. And your name... D..."[/npc]

In a frantic fit, the bull mink threw himself between the lion and the hunter and stampeded forward with a flurry of strikes. [npc=pirt]"The only one you-gara need to worry about right now, Sky God, is me! I'm not done yet."[/npc] The shichibukai parried every swing of the human-sized cutlass with methodical precision. Not a single movement was wasted as he retreated one pace at a time only to then regain lost ground with a single, decisive swipe of his black-bladed shamshir.

The bull mink flew back and crashed through a maze of trimmed hedges. The garden was grandiose in all senses of the word. Statues of holy knights and dead gods were dressed to perfection in gold and marble. Colourful flowers from all around the world—some purple, some magenta, some pure white—scattered and floated all over upon impact. The water from the ostentatious fountains sprayed haphazardly from the shock.

[npc=scbk]"Of course, I know of you too, Bully Stampede. I heard how you faced off against Admiral Aokami alone and single-handedly supported your crew's retreat at Prodence."[/npc] He smiled. [npc=scbk]"The fact that you got away from her unscathed speaks volumes of your strength."[/npc]

Bully snorted and laughed.

[npc=pirt]"Wiiiilalalalalaala! Unscathed?! If it were that easy, we-gara wouldn't have had to run away in the first place. I didn't have a single scar on my back until that persistent bitch came after us!"[/npc] The wildebeest growled.

A strong breeze lifted Bully's cape to expose the mess of rotting flesh and bones previously covered by it.


Orange embers flared on the many knots of the mighty Yonkou's beard. Crumbled stone and mangled, armoured corpses painted an unrefined illustration of chaos in the eastern corridors of Pangaea Castle.

[npc=misc]"That's enough, Berengar!"[/npc] Snapped a woman in royal garb. A dying lancer's weak fingers skimmed the hem of her floral blue dress. Her green eyes were beset by dark circles and her skin was pale as a cadaver's. She cautiously approached the panting menace of a bear.

[npc=misc]"I did what I did to protect the future of my kingdom. Look what you've done! You lost so many of your friends. What did you hope to get out of this?"[/npc] She paused and turned to peer out an arched window. One could see feral minks scattered around the Holy Land setting fire to manors and chateaus while being cut down by agents in white suits. Bright god rays lit up her golden locks as if they belonged to a deity - and not the ugly kind.

[npc=misc]"There is no defying the World Government."[/npc] She continued. [npc=misc]"When you declare war against them, you're taking on the entire world! Who would do that over just one woman?"[/npc] Her voice wavered at the end to allude to the tears she refused to shed.

A lance knight charged into the corridor towards Berengar only to be effortlessly pelted into the stone wall. The fire in the bear mink's beard died along with the frenzy in his brown eyes. He straightened his back and held his tricorne over his heart. He spoke calmly with no trace of his burning fury. [npc=yonk]"There was one man who went against the entire world four years ago for just one woman."[/npc]

[npc=misc]"The Conqueror died for what he did!"[/npc] The queen interjected. [npc=misc]"Not only did they kill him, but, they killed his entire crew! They killed the woman he was trying to save too! I know you looked up to him, Gar-kun. Don't forget, Prodence was under his protection. We paid the price for his defiance. Did you want your crew—your family—to end up like his?!"[/npc] A mournful tear finally leaked. [npc=misc]"Don't follow a path which has only ever led to a merciless death for all who walked it. Did you even think of the consequences your mink brethren will face around the world because of your selfish desire to make me yours?"[/npc]

Berengar bellowed. The woman knew it was really a desperate cry. [npc=yonk]"It's not just about you-gara! The Celestial Dragons take from the world without ever sparing a thought for those they-gara claim as their subjects. The World Government is a twisted monstrosity that was never meant to exist. The world is too big to be ruled by those who sit so far away from it. As for us minks, we-gara aren't even people to these blackguards. A being with a heart and soul can only be treated like a monster for so long before it turns into one. And you say Gray Starks died on that day, but, I say that was the day he lived. That day, he-gara stood against these tyrants as a symbol of hope."[/npc]

The beast inched closer but the beauty refused to retreat.

[npc=yonk]"I'm not just here for you-gara, Elizabella, but, also for the people of the world. I'm going to show those old shits of the World Government there are those in their domain they can never control. I've already reclaimed the long lost Road Poneglyph our ancestors had guarded for generations. I'm going to get you-gara out of here. Then I will find the rest of the Poneglyphs and conquer my way to the Ancient Weapons and One Piece. If they-gara kill me on that path, someone else will carry my will. And someone else will carry theirs. This world is coming to an end. The new dawn may be born from rubble and ash, but, it will be one where life is unchained and adventurous spirits will no longer be tainted by the self-serving agenda of those who claim to be gods... It will be the promised Revival Dawn - when freedom is king once again."[/npc]

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A nightly shade had begun to darken the island of Las Camp when a powerful gale blew through the shambled streets of its downtown district.

[npc=vadm]"Hold on there, little kitten. What do you think you're doing to my beloved subordinate?"[/npc] Vice-Admiral Warp towered over a startled panther-mink only two-thirds his size. The wrinkling digits of his one hand gripped the sharp and curved blade of Bagh's bisento in place, while a pinky from his other hand wormed up his nostril. Bagh jerked his weapon to no avail.

[npc=vadm]"I'm n-not your subordinate, old man!"[/npc] Claimed Vice-Admiral Gordon. Deep red cuts and maroon bruises showed through his ruined uniform and three distinct trails of blood ran down his face. He panted and allowed himself to slouch, using his sword as a cane. [npc=vadm]"We're the same rank!"[/npc] He declared to his fellow officer.

The elderly marine turned his head to face Gordon. His hold on Bagh's blade did not loosen. [npc=vadm]"Ehhhh? But, I'm older than you. And stronger."[/npc]

[npc=vadm]"That doesn't make me your subordinate!"[/npc] The younger officer sighed.

Warp tilted his well-combed head and pouted. His curvy mustache seemed to dance in rhythm with his dry lips. [npc=vadm]"It should though."[/npc]

Bagh interrupted the marines' exchange with a frustrated growl. He abandoned his attempts to pry his bisento free and instead unleashed his sabre-like claws. [npc=pirt]"I don't have time for you-gara's comedy routine. I believe it's time we took our leave."[/npc]

Warp turned an eye back to the mink. [npc=vadm]"Oh. You're still here? If you're in a hurry, let me help you get back."[/npc]

Warp unsheathed his pinky from his nose and cocked a fist back. Not a moment later, a vicious shockwave rattled the island of Las Camp. A gust tore through the wide street and the neighbouring houses and forcefully carried Panther Lily towards the docks at breakneck speed. Any surviving buildings of the earlier bombardment were now reduced to rubble.

[npc=vadm]"What the hell, old man?!"[/npc] Bart Gordon snapped. He had fallen over from the recoil of the inhuman punch. [npc=vadm]"This is why I didn't want you to fight! Your collateral damage far outweighs the damage you do to the enemy!"[/npc]

Warp's brows furrowed as he frowned. [npc=vadm]"Quit your nagging. You sound like Yoshiko. Should I have let him beat on you some more?"[/npc]

Gordon buried his bloodied forehead in a palm. [npc=vadm]"I had a plan,"[/npc] he stated.

[npc=vadm]"You and your plans. Maybe if you shared them, I would know how not to foil them,"[/npc] Warp argued.

[npc=vadm]"I highly doubt that. But, since you insist... I needed Bagh to beat me,"[/npc] Bart admitted.

Warp scratched his head, unable to process the glimpse into his junior's plan.

[npc=vadm]"I received a report a little while ago. Firebear'd assaulted the Reverie at Mary Geoise. He abducted a few of the royalty in attendance, including Queen Elizabella of Prodence."[/npc] He paused to cringe as he nursed a cut on his waist.

[npc=vadm]"That doesn't explain why you need to get your weak behind handed to you,"[/npc] Warp noted.

A pained chuckle left Bart. [npc=vadm]"Don't you think it would be easier for us to mount a rescue if we had someone qualified sitting among them?"[/npc]

Warp barked a hearty laugh. [npc=vadm]"Wahahahaha! For a smart man, you sure like to gamble a lot. What makes you think that mink would even take you captive?"[/npc]

Bart smirked and heaved himself back to his feet. [npc=vadm]"You forget how much time I spend studying our enemies. Now, I hope you didn't kill Lily with that ridiculous punch."[/npc]

[npc=vadm]"Probably not. The kitty cat managed to throw up his paws to guard. But, tell me. Did the grumpy bear kidnap any of our heavenly lords and saviours along with the lowly royals?"[/npc] Warp inquired.

[npc=vadm]"All Celestial Dragons were secured by CP0 and Admiral Aokami before the Feral Pirates landed,"[/npc] disclosed Gordon.

[npc=vadm]"Tch, that's a crying shame."[/npc]


A pale, round-faced marine officer floated in the air on a cloud of cotton. Several pirates and mercenaries struggled around him, trapped in matching cotton balls.

[npc=navy]"Rear-Admiral Steps! We have to get closer to the docks to cut off the invaders' retreat!"[/npc] Suggested his subordinate.

Another marine looked down on their commanding officer from a roof top and shouted, [npc=navy]"It's no use! The Rear Admiral is asleep!"[/npc]

[npc=navy]"Ehhhhhhhhh?!"[/npc]

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[npc=pirt]"What do you-gara want meh to do witthh him?"[/npc] Mumbled a kangaroo-mink.

[npc=pirt]"Nothing. You-gara carry these bags. I'll carry him myself-nya."[/npc] A snow-leopard mink passed a sack twice as big as him over to his stockier partner.

[npc=pirt]"That'th not fair, Kita-ko. You'th making meh carry the heavier thtuff,"[/npc] the kangaroo complained.

[npc=pirt]"That's not true, Boomer-san! I'm trusting you with getting all that treasure back to Laguz-go in case we run into March Moon again. We barely managed to lead her away-neko."[/npc]

Boomer sighed and relented. He swung a fifth sack full of valuables over one of his shoulders and prepared to hop forward.

Kita lifted a big, round lump of throbbing flesh off the stone floor. He could barely make out a thin moustache and dry, swollen lips within the meat bag.

The pair of stealthy minks dashed away from the scene, leaving behind a chocolate brown wide-brimmed hat.

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An unsettling silence fell upon a square littered with broken stones and corpses. But, only one of those corpses mattered. The Iron Beast fell to his knees in front of Cobalt's mangled body. He pressed a bloody fist into the ground as his skin turned green and scaly.

The battle may have been nearing its end, but, the war had only begun.

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