[Episode] Dark Knights

Quest:

Anton took a deep breath, before his eyes scanned the conference room before him. They had been forced to leave Minion in a hurry, now well on their way to Flevance, and only now did Anton have the opportunity to brief his crew on the situation.

They were all there, sitting at the long table before him. His first mate, Yumiko, Ryoichi, Celia, and Dr. Black. A newcomer to the crew was there too. A man named Jeremy Filth. Anton had yet to personally gauge what kind of man he was, but he seemed friendly enough.

Anton looked over the top officers of his crew. "I apologize for the rushed departure," he said, "But the orders from higher up wanted us on the move as soon as possible. As you may have figured out, we're on our way to Flevance, though you don't know why."

He gestured to an Ensign standing in the back, manning a projector. The room darkened as behind Anton, an image flickered into place. A stern looking man with a lean face, a neat, muddy red beard, and dressed in the finery of royalty.

"This is Tibolt Weneslass III, the Amber King of Flevance. He was attending the Reverie that was attacked by the Yonkou Firebear'd. He is one of the royalty that was kidnapped, sending Flevance into a bit of a succession crisis."

Celia raised a hand. "Wouldn't Flevance hzae something in place for this sort of thing? Someone in line to rule incase something happened to the king?" Anton sighed. "Indeed it does. At the moment the country is headed by the prince regent."

With a gesture to the Ensign, the image changed. It was a wide eyed young man, with messy hair similar to the king. "This is Charles Weleslass I, also known as Charlie. He's the son of the Amber King, the current prince regent, and as of last week, ten years old."

Suddenly the country's problem became much more apparent.

Post Word Count: 329
Total Word Count: 329

This certainly was an interesting scenario. Not something that Ryoichi had been in, not even in the Marine Academy. Sitting at a long table like this. He never imagined it to happen so soon in his career. He looked at each and every individual at the table before the meeting fully started. Giving them a brief nod. His eyes however were set at Yumiko for a moment. He is perfectly aware something had happened with her, heck for a small part of it, he was in the present and had figured out her situation. He couldn't help but wonder if she was actually okay, despite her putting up a tough exterior persona. His attention was then caught again by Anton who began the meeting. Time to focus on duty at hand.

With arms folded, Ryoichi leaned back on the chair. He couldn't help himself but let out a sigh when he saw what the projector was displaying. So this is our mission? A rescue mission? None other than the king himself? Sure hope this one ain't as bossy and acting all almighty as some do... Why is being humble so hard for those people? While he thought that, he was perfectly aware that a situation with a missing king could easily go wrong. If a king is the sole ruler of the country, their absence could easily lead to revolution. The king needs to be returned immediately!

As the slides from the projector kept on going and his mind had finally settled down to the idea of this being a rescue mission... His thoughts were shattered. When his eyes were looking at the picture of that ten-year-old crown prince, he shook his head a bit. It will not be a rescue mission, will it? It's going to be a babysitting mission... And to none other than the crown prince himself... Probably going to be one snotty brat. Maybe, just maybe there is a small toss of country protection in it?

Ryoichi raised his hand up to then ask a question, which was aimed at Anton, perhaps even someone else in the room who knows the answer to it. "Surely the king should have had some people who helped him rule and are ready to take over in his absence, a senate maybe, or his loyal advisors? Handing the reign over to a ten-year-old seems to be quite an irresponsible task, even if he has the advisors on his side."

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Total: 409

“Why do all these meetings have to be so damn early?” grumbled Jeremy.

To say the young ensign was tired would be an understatement. His “day” had started at about 5 am yesterday on Black Drum Island in the South Blue. Following the day's drills and his morning patrol through docks he'd been handed his signed and sealed transfer papers to the Guardian Knights. From there he'd been marched onto a seastone-bottomed cruiser and shipped off to Minion Island on the other side of the world in the North Blue. Had he been a smarter soldier he would have used his downtime during transport to get some rest. But no, instead he'd spent most of his time onboard the cruiser either cleaning his weapons or shooting the breeze with the other marines.

To make matters worse, bad weather and a mechanical issue with the ship meant that Jeremy didn't arrive on Minion Island until nearly midnight and he'd barely had time to put his bags down in his room before being told to report to the conference room at 05:00. Being the new guy, that meant that he needed to wake up at about 04:00 to shave, iron his uniform, polish his boots and buttons and generally make sure everything about the way he looked was in a ship shape. Appearances were everything in the marines and if Rear Admiral Anton La'croix was anything like the other men Jeremy had served under so far, then his expectations would be high and a good first impression was absolutely necessary.

So that was what Jeremy did. Despite wanting nothing more than to sleep a few more hours he got up nice and early on that cold winter morning and dressed himself in his white and blues. As he was getting ready in front of the mirror that hung on one of the walls in his quarters he couldn't help but notice the tattoos on either side his neck were starting to fade a bit. He'd have to get those touched up later. Preferably the next time they docked.

With a yawn Jeremy finished straightening out his uniform and stepped out of his quarters. He decided to leave his guns and grenades sitting in their locked cases underneath his bed. Slowly he walked down the dimly lit, metal corridor to a stairwell that would lead to the next floor up where the conference room was located. It was below freezing out over the ocean and the corridors and stairwells of the old steamer weren't heated. Jeremy was actually thankful for this as the slight chill helped him wake up a bit.

After getting turned around for a second and having to ask one of the deckhands on board the ship for directions the young ensign made it to the darkened conference room where it seemed the others had already arrived. Standing to his left was a lithe, exotic looking woman. Judging by the commander's insignia on her uniform Jeremy guessed that she was Commander Yumiko, the crew's second in command. He had heard some stories about her as well but they were...less flattering...than the ones he'd heard about the rear admiral. In front of him, sitting in one of the chairs was a muscular looking petty officer that Jeremy didn't recognize. There were others in the room as well but for whatever reason they didn't seem to stand out as much as Commander Yumiko and that other man.

Up front, commanding the attention of every man and woman in the room was a smaller, dare say, feminine looking man who, Jeremy assumed, must have been Rear Admiral Anton. Again, this assumption was mostly based on the various badges and insignias on the man's uniform. The stories Jeremy had heard painted the rear admiral as some horrific monster who climbed through the marine ranks atop the corpses of conquered criminals. Jeremy would never say it of course, out of respect for his superior officer as well as fear of punishment, but to see that the rear admiral was such a smaller than life figure, was actually kind of disappointing.

Jeremy would take a cue from commander Yumiko and stand next to her. He was afraid that if he sat down in one of the chairs he'd fall asleep. If that happened Rear Admiral Anton would surely give him all sorts of hell. Unlike Yumiko though, Jeremy didn't stand at attention. Instead his position would be a little more at ease. His hands remained at his side and his feet firmly in place but his chest, back and shoulders were considerably more relaxed than hers.

Jeremy listened to the mission briefing but unlike the others he didn't have any additional questions or comments. One thing he actually liked about serving in the marines, aside from getting to shoot pirates, was that the job was simple. To succeed you generally just had to shut up and do as you were told. While he occasionally struggled with the first part, the second part was easy enough. That meant to Jeremy it didn't really matter who these people were or why the Guardian Knights were being dispatched to help them. If the rear admiral said “protect this guy” or “shoot that person” then that was all Jeremy needed to hear.

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Anton sighed at Ryoichi's question. "That would make sense. But the Amber King didn't trust his nobility as far as he could throw them. Not to mention was short sighted enough to think nothing would happen to him until his son was ready. Now we have a grossly underprepared ten year old on the throne, surrounded by nobility that will either try to use him as a patsy, or see him as a small stepping stone to an otherwise empty throne."

Anton looked over his officers. "Normally the World Government wouldn't care about power struggles and such, as long as they stay in line with the World Government. However, with so many royalty snatched away, the last thing the higher ups want is several civil wars springing up across the globe."

"So, our mission is as follows. Keep young Charlie safe and on the throne, dissuade the nobility from trying anything, and keep the island from turning into a total clusterfuck."

Anton's gaze sharpened. "I would also like to point out that even if the nobility are assholes, they are still nobility! So unless we get definitive proof that they are threatening the regent's life, you are not to arrest them. Understand? Let's keep this as calm and peaceful as possible." This was going to be a difficult mission. The twisting in Anton's stomach told him so.

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Total Word Count: 556

Right after his question was asked, he lowered his hand back down. His eyes moved a bit. Eyes meeting with the cold pierce, that of Yumiko's. In his head, he had absolutely no idea why she would cast that cold gaze at him. He had done absolutely nothing wrong. It's obvious that questions tend to pop up in such a situation and the only way to get answers to those questions... Is to ask and get an answer.

Wait... Maybe it isn't because of his question or even his timing that he had initiated that cold staring gaze... What if it's something else? What if... Maybe... It's because Yumiko is checking Ryoichi out... Or maybe it's because she likes him? That thought strolled through his mind for a brief second, only to almost immediately be shrugged away. The current situation is strictly duty and all the side activities are to be cast aside.

The question he had asked then got answered almost immediately. He folded his arms once more and leaned back, looking at Anton as he had listened to him speak once more. The moment he heard about the nobles trying to maybe overtake the country, he couldn't help but think of another problem... How can we be sure that the Prince won't sell the country for a lollipop?

Yet another thing he shrugged off and focused on what Anton was talking about, as what he had just thought will never happen... Right? He now officially got to learn about their exact task at the kingdom... And he was right. It is a babysitting mission with a touch of protection in it. At the last statement, he couldn't help but once more raise his hand up. Another question had come up in his head, feeling like it's an important thing to ask.

"Now why would a snotty noble let us arrest them? Don't they hold enough power to overwrite our 'evidence' if they need to? What if there are multiple of them working together, meaning our evidence can become irrelevant within minutes. The Prince probably does not hold enough ability to judge their actions and overrule their orders own orders." as he had asked the following few questions, in his head, he kept on thinking that this mission may as well be doomed to fail. The entire situation becomes fishier with each moment.

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The longer the briefing went on the harder and harder it was for Jeremy to pay attention. Not only was he tired but his first mission as a member of the famed Guardian Knights was going to be so...boring. No pirates to fight, no exotic lands to see, no high-seas adventures to be had nor pretty women to save. He was starting to think that recruiter back on Black Drum Island might have been exaggerating how great being a marine was. No, Jeremy knew exactly what kind of mission this was or so he believed.

They were like teachers on a playground, sent to show the nobles that they better play nice because the World Government was watching. It was a show of force more than anything else and with the reputation The Guardian Knights had, thanks mostly to Rear Admiral Anton, it wouldn't take much. They would just need to show up and look strong, maybe hang around for a couple of days and that would be it. Mission accomplished, on to the next one.

As much as Jeremy wanted to tell the talkative petty officer all that, he held his tongue. It wasn't really his place to speak in these sorts of meetings and he still didn't know what sort of man Anton La'croix was. Instead he soon found himself leaning back against the frigid metal wall behind him. What he did notice was the yawn that was getting increasingly harder and harder to suppress. He would kill, he thought, for a cup of coffee.

The ensign blinked his eyes real quick to wake himself up a bit as he suddenly jumped to attention. If he wanted to stay awake and at least look alert then he couldn't relax. If he could move around and do something to get the blood pumping, maybe get some food or some caffeine in his stomach while he was at it, he'd be fine. That would help he thought. Unfortunately, before he'd be able to do any of that he needed to get through this boring briefing first.

“Don't overthink this,” quipped Jeremy at the petty officer.

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Ryoichi did bring up a good point regarding the nobility. While Anton wasn't an expert on politics, it didn't take much imagination to figure out they were a crafty, deceptive bunch. "That's why I said when we can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The mission, first and foremost, is to ensure young Charles remains on the throne. Whether we have to arrest or fight anyone isn't important. Though if it makes you feel better, we can arrest any assassins who go after him. Anton paused, and then gave a small smile. "And besides, while Charles is only a boy, he IS the acting regent on Flevance. And he'll be on our side." He let the words sink in for a moment. While a noble's slippery words were tricky to common folk, they were nothing against the word if a king. Or at least, an acting one.

"Now, that being said, I have requests for each of you." He looked first to Yumiko. "Yumiko, while I appreciate your dedication to my protection, I ask you to still your blade until absolutely necessary. I don't want to explain why my second in command drew her sword on a noble over an insult." Next was Ryoichi, "Ryoichi, I hear you're a bit of a flirt with the female personnel. I ask you try to refrain from flirting with any of the women in Flevance. Let's not cause a scandal."

"Celia, try to keep your guns away. Dr. Black, please keep the theatrical creepiness to a minimum. And you..." He paused, looking at Jeremy, "I...have nothing. Just...stay on your best behaviour, alright?"

A knock at the door drew the captain's attention, as a Seaman poked his head in. "Sorry to interrupt sir, but we're approaching Fkevancd now." Anton nodded. "Good, thank you. Ok, everyone, get ready. We'll be hitting landfall soon. And remember, your best behaviour!" And with that, Anton strode around the desk, heading to the door to return to his cabin.

Post Word Count: 332

Total Word Count: 888

His head turns a bit, with his eyes as well turning to take a glance at Jeremy and his remark about him apparently 'overthinking' the whole situation. Perhaps it is true... Perhaps Ryoichi was overthinking it all... But what if he wasn't? He was trying to think ahead of time, work a possible solution in his head for different possible situations. With this mission being as serious as it is, he and no-one else cannot just go on and improvise it through entirely. He slowly nods his head while listening to Anton responding to his question once more. Hearing that they can arrest any and all assassins did make him feel a bit better, but not as much as Anton may have expected him to. He couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about this whole mission.

His attention was once more caught by Anton when he had some 'instructions' to hand out to him and also other soldiers in the present. Stroking his chin as Anton was giving out those said 'instructions' to Yumiko, he couldn't help but remember the time he had first met her. Remembering the small incident she had with the other soldiers. Seems like a fairly valid instruction from the Rear Admiral's side. And then... It was time to receive the 'instructions' himself.

He listened to him silently. Feeling a bit embarrassed himself that this behavior of his has been seen by his higher up, but not feeling as embarrassed as some may think. However, what he kept repeating to himself in his head was the fact... That those had been happening only when off duty. This here was strictly a duty situation and everything that will happen on Flevance is as well. He nods his head in agreement towards Anton, confirming to him that he understands the 'instructions given'.

After him, Anton gave out instructions to the rest of the crew. What caught his attention again out of these other 'instructions' was what was given to Jeremy who was sitting right next to him. What was given to him... Was nothing. Absolutely no instructions... Then again, it ain't really a surprise. This was the first time Ryoichi himself has met the man... He doesn't even know his name. The lack of knowledge about the man was what had led him to receive absolutely no 'instructions'.

Once the meeting had come to an end, everyone was free to leave the cabin, going onto the open deck of the ship. He leaned himself against one of the railings, sight set at the waves on the sea. The soft wind blowing in his face. A bit of salty water occasionally splashing into his face when crashing the wave. Even if he would identify himself as more of a land person... This felt extremely relaxing. For a moment, he could forget about the upcoming important mission.

Just as he was about to close his eyes to silently think about some things in his life, he couldn't help but overhear a mumble. A mumble, that came from the front of the ship. A mumble belonging to a woman. His sensitive hearing, like the one of an animal, had picked up the mumbling of Yumiko herself. He turned his head and looked at her, thoughtfully. Is something bothering her? Maybe she needs some assistance but she is too proud to ask for it herself?

He leaned away from the railing and began to walk over to Yumiko by the railings at the front of the ship. When he made it there, he performed a brief salute and asked her with a bit of lower tone, but easily hearable to Yumiko and perhaps some other people nearby. The tone of his voice was fairly normal, lacking any sort of suggestiveness. But, what Yumiko and anyone else might have picked up, was a small hint of curiosity and sincerity in his tone. He was sincerely curious if everything was okay with his higher-up."Commander Yumiko. Is.. everything okay? Can I help you with anything?"

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Jeremy yawned.

Finally, he thought, the boring meeting about the equally boring sounding mission was over.  The young ensign thought little of Rear Admiral La'croix's individual orders to each of them. Commander Yumiko was apparently quick to draw her blade which Jeremy actually admired. The Petty Officer, Ryoichi, was apparently a bit of a flirt but that was hardly uncommon in the Marines, an organization filled with testosterone fulled young men. Dr. Black had a flair for theatrics. No surprise there. The guy was dressed in what looked like a bird themed gimp suit. Honestly, Jeremy was more surprised by the fact that Dr. Black was a doctor than by the fact that he was a bit eccentric. The only part of those instructions that really stood out to him was the fact that the other woman in the room, Celia, liked guns, and that was only because he thought she was kind of cute and he could probably use that info to help get into her.

The only thing in the meeting that concerned him was Commander Yumiko's cold stare that came afterwards. It was enough to make Jeremy tense up and step back from the swords-woman. His eyes darted from her face to her hands to her sword and back again as he struggled against the urge to raise his own hands as if he was ready to fight. The vibe she was giving off was seriously hostile.

“Is something wrong Commander?” he asked.

Luckily things wouldn't escalate beyond that as she followed the Rear Admiral out of the room like a shadow but not before shooting the young ensign one last glare at him which caused him to tense up again. What was her deal? He wondered. Whatever it was it was way too early and he was way too tired and hungry to deal with it at the moment. First thing was first and for him that first thing was a cup of coffee and something to eat.

Jeremy waited a minute for Rear Admiral La'croix and his shadow, Commander Yumiko, to get ahead of him before exiting the room himself. He made his way up to the main deck of the ship where he noticed that even in the dim morning light he could see the Flevance's coast line out just over the horizon. That meant that he wouldn't have much time to eat.

Eventually, Jeremy found his way to the Grand Steamer's dingy kitchen where a short, hairy looking chef with a thick, rural South Blue accent served him a bowl of under seasoned and under buttered grits and a cup of black coffee. When you were hungry and tired enough any meal tasted good, especially when served with coffee. At that moment it was the best damn bowl of grits Jeremy had ever eaten. When Jeremy was done wolfing his meal down he turned to the chef.

“So what's the deal with Commander Yumiko?” asked the ensign.

“What ya mean?”

“I met her earlier in a mission briefing. Got some real bad vibes from her.”

“Aye.” Nodded the chef. “I wouldn't worry about it none if I were you. Her roof just ain't nailed quite right if ya ask me. But speakin' of gettin' nailed I 'eard that 'er and the Rear Admiral were...”

The chef's voice would trail off as he made a crude gesture by forming a circle with the pointer finger and thumb of his left hand and then thrusting the pointer finger of his right hand in and out of the circle. This was too much for the two men who both burst into laughter. When they were finished Jeremy tipped the chef and thanked them for the meal before he began to head back to his room. He wanted to try and get a little bit of rest before they made landfall.

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The rest of the voyage to Flevance had been rather uneventful, thankfully. Anton had taken the time to rest and clean himself up. He had never been in the presence if royalty before, and the Rear Admiral had wanted to make a very good first impression. After all, this was a delicate mission, and if Anton messed up...let's not think about that, shall we?

The Grand Steamer was soon docked in Flevance harbor, Anton leading his officers down to meet their escorts. It was a small group of guardsmen, nothing too fancy. Then again, Anton hadn't expected a big, fanciful welcome anyway. They were here for guard duty after all. From there it was a carriage ride through the city, up to the royal palace. Anton got the feeling they were keeping their arrival here on the down low, though if the nobility here were as suspicious and crafty as Anton had heard, they most likely knew they were already here.

Upon arrival to the palace, it was a straight bee line to the throne room. It seemed they wanted to get introductions out of the way quickly. Well, with the young crown prince potentially in danger, it made sense.

The throne room was as Anton expected. Large, ornate, perfect for an audience. Eyes were immediately drawn to the large thrown in the center, and the small form sitting on it. The young Charles Wenislass, looking rather small compared to the large seat. Sitting beside him, on a smaller throne, was an older woman, dressed in royal finery with wine red hair. It didn't take a genius to figure out who she was.

A servant standing by the door confirmed it for him. "Your royal highness, presenting Rear Admiral Anton La'croix, and the Guardian Knights of the marines! Guardian Knights, you standin the presence of the Prince Regent, Charles Wenislass, and the Amber Queen, Katherine Wenislass!"

The queen rose to her feet, giving Antkn a respectful nod. "Rear Admiral, thank you for coming at this time. We appreciate what the marines are doing for us and my son." Anton responded with a formal bow. "It's a pleasure your highness. We'll make sure no harm comes to him."

It was at that point that young Charles rose to his feet. Everything was silent as the crown prince walked up to Anton. He looked down at the royal boy standing before him. "Your highness?"

"This is so cool!"

Anton was surprised, seeing the awe struck expression on the smiling boy's face. "I read all about you! Fighting at La Camp! Liberating Minion! I can't  believe you're really here!" His eyes fell on Yumiko. "Are you an actual samurai from Wano? That's awesome! Can I see your sword? I've never seen a samurai's blade before!" Then came Jeremy. "Oh man, I bet you can shoot a man between the eyes from a fifty yards! You look like such a badass!" Next was Ryoichi, "And you! You look like you can lift ten men!"

Anton was a little dumbstruck. Sure, the prince was only ten, but seeing him completely fanboying over him and his officers was unexpected.

Not unappreciated, just unexpected.

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Total Word Count: 1,415

He lowered his saluting hand as a command came from Yumiko to be at ease. He looked at her as he was waiting for her answer. On the surface, she seemed as cold as ice still, but he did realize something... She doesn't speak much, does she? Never the less, he eventually got his answers to his questions. He did find something very curious though about one of the answers. Something about being someone's blade.  While he had heard of similar phrases such as being someone's gun or even a hired gun or being someone's eyes, he could somewhat figure out her meaning behind her being the blade of the rear admiral... The question was, however... Why? Before he could ask anything more about that, the conversation got interrupted by the announcement that the land is close.

He let out a soft sigh and nodded towards Yumiko, "Looking forward to working with you, Commander Yumiko.". He proceeded over to the lower decks to prepare himself for the boarding off the ship, which meant having to polish his shoes and changing his uniform shirt into a new and cleaner one. Despite him not really caring that this was an audience with the prince of the country, he did know that first impression was important in such matters, like it or not.

The time had finally come to leave the ship and head towards the palace of the royal family of the country. And boy it sure was something quite fancy. Coming from a very simple family that did not have many privileges to visit such places, he sure did find this amazing. To him, the Marineford was already fancy enough... This however was more 'golden' than that.

No time to keep admiring the palace though! There was work to do! And people to meet with. Eventually, he and everyone else were lead into a large room. At the end of the room, in the center, there was a throne in which a small figure was sitting. Following everyone's suite, not to exact measures with that of Yumiko's, he bowed before the royalty in front of him as each party introduced themselves. Once all the pleasantries were exchanged, he shifted into his regular at ease stance with both hands behind his back, standing straight.

When the young prince began to approach the group, he couldn't help but blink at him. Apparently, he had shifted into some sort of fanboy mode in which he had some very nice words to say about each member, including Ryoichi himself. It was obvious that he did not know much about him and Jeremy... They hadn't really appeared in any of the news compared to Anton and Yumiko themselves. He couldn't help but grin a bit at his remark at each and every member, including the one that was aimed at him himself. Letting out a soft chuckle, he responded to him with enthusiasm. "I have never tried it but thank you for a suggestion! I will be sure to try it!". So far it was clear that the kid isn't the spoiled brat that he had expected... But as they say... The night is still young... There's still much to see about it all.

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The rest of the boat ride to Flavance was uneventful. Jeremy barely had time for a piss and a nap before he heard the announcement over the ship's PA system that they were making landfall. When that happened the ensign got out of bed and straightened his uniform. He holstered his revolvers, Judge and Jury, around his waist and slung his lever action rifle, Peace Maker, over his shoulder. For his grenades he would opt to take two flash bangs, clipped to his belt behind Judge, and two high explosive grenades, clipped behind Jury. Then he loaded his ammo belts, two criss-crossing across his chest, and one wrapping around his torso at the hips, with various forms of ammo. Finally he dusted off his hat and marine jacket and headed up top to the main deck.

Ensign Jeremy Filth would make his way down to the snowy docks with the other members of the Guardian Knights where they were greeted by a small group of royal guards and ushered into carriages that would take them to the palace. On the way over there Jeremy couldn't help but look around in awe.  The sun was now up and many citizens were out and about. From his comfortable seat in the carriage, Jeremy could clearly see all the various stores and stalls that made up the extravagant part of the city which surrounded the palace. One shop in particular caught his attention as its very existence bewildered him. Having grown up in a poor working class family he had truly never seen such a thing.

“Is that..a hair salon..for dogs?” he wondered out loud.

Strange business concepts aside the carriage ride went as smoothly as expected and before long the group had arrived at the royal palace which was every bit as large and magnificent as Jeremy could have imagined. Perhaps even more so. The four marines were escorted by the guards into the throne room where sitting before them on a great throne was the young prince and his stern looking mother, the queen. Jeremy almost gasped when he saw the prince and for just a split second the ensign almost looked like he saw a ghost.

The golden brown hair. The freckles on the boy's face. The icy blue eyes and slightly pallid skin. The boy was almost a spitting image of..of..it didn't matter thought Jeremy as he snapped himself out of those thoughts just as the young prince ran up to them, gushing like an excited fan. Jeremy couldn't help but smile at Prince Charles.

But before the gunslinger could respond to the boy's compliments he was cut off by Commander Yumiko's slightly overenthusiastic reaction. It was so over the top and ridiculous that he couldn't help but snicker. Not wanting to embarrass himself or his comrades in arms, he bowed his head and pulled his hat down over his face. He hoped the gesture would be taken as a courteous greeting towards the royal family and that they wouldn't notice he as just trying to regain his composure before they saw him laughing.

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Anton couldn't help but smile as he watched his crewmates'reactions to the young prince. It seemed the boy wasn't some spoiled brat, but just your average kid who just happened to be in power. Hopefully this would give his crewmates further encouragement in regards to this mission.

Andn ok be too soon, as suddenly the door behind them flung open. Flanked by guardsmen, three people entered. The one in front was a middle aged man, black hair slicked back and a sharp, well trimmed beard. The second, a woman in regal attire, with brown hair tied back. The third was an older, balding man with sharp eyes. None of them seemed pleased to see the marines standing in the throne room.

The footman at the door, caught off guard, appeared flustered. "P-Presenting Marquise Gestalt, Lady Amberdine and Lord Halton! You stand in the presence of-" He was cut off by a wave from the younger man, who Anton assumed was the Marquise. He eyed the marines before them. "I see the reports of marines in the palace were correct. Sorry to trouble you, but there are no pirates here. Your presence is not needed."

Anton immediately decided the Marquise was someone he did not like. Before he could say anything, the queen spoke up. "The Guardian Knights are here to act as protection for the crown prince," she explained.

The older Lord Holten stepped forward. "With all due respect, that is what the royal guard is for. Though I can see you're concerned for your child, as any mother should. I'm sure neither you, nor the young prince meant no insult towards our patriotic guardsmen." Out of the corner of his eye, Anton saw a guilty look flash across Charlie's face. Damn him, trying to guilt trip the boy like that.

Anton finally spoke up. "I would believe the royal guard would welcome additional help, especially during these particularly strenuous times," he said, "Marineford wishes to ensure the stability of your nation, along with those that suffered at the hands of Firebear'd." He had to remain calm and composed. He couldn't get angry. This was a battle of with and words.

Lady Amberdine sent the rear admiral a sharp look. "We are a proud people. I can assure you, we are more than capable of protecting him." Yeah, right. More like capable of putting a knife in him. "Marineford disagrees. I think we can agree that this is more important than simply appealing to pride." "More then ensuring the protection of our king over a marine base?"

That comment earned a sharp glance from Gestalt. That had been a step too far. Anton kept his cool. "We could not have predicted that Firebear'd would be so bold as to attack the Reverie. Though if you like, perhaps you can ask Mary Geoise why they were unable to prevent King Wenislass' capture." That caused her to take a step back. Mouthing off to a marine was one thing, but complaining to the holy land itself, home of the celestial dragons, was another matter entirely.

"Enough," the queen spoke up, "Whatever their reasons, it's ultimately up to my son whether they remain. Charles, what do you say?" She gave her son an encouraging look. The young prince thought for a moment,before he steeled himself. "Anton La'croix and his companions are guests here. They are free to remain with my blessing." Thr prince resisted the urge to look back at his mother for reassurance. Anton couldn't help but smile. Score one for them.

The Marquise's eyes narrowed. "As you wish, your highness." The three nobles gave a bow before turning to leave. "Though I will say," The Marquise spoke over his shoulder, "I look forward to seeing how the famed hero of Las Camp handles our prince's safety."

Anton's face hardened. He sword the Marquise was smirking as he left the room.

Post word count: 650
Total word count: 2,065

Ah... The snooty nobles have entered the room. To his surprise, it didn't turn out to be the young prince himself, at first sight at least. Instead, they turned out to be more elderly people... Just as Ryoichi had imagined they would be. He turned around along with the rest of the crew in the present and bowed the same way he did to the prince and his mother. It was then when the whole thing began to unfold. They had no way to introduce themselves... As a matter of fact, the nobles seemed to already know who they were.

While he left the whole talking to the Rear Admiral, the prince, and the queen, he did listen to the whole chat intently. A fair bit unfolded during the chat. He isn't an expert on the whole noble affairs but he did get a clear feeling that they and the rest of the marines were unwelcome. On one hand, he could somewhat understand why. The marines did fail to fulfill their task to an extension with the Firebeard, but that is a whole other topic. That was a moment where he felt he had to say something himself. He felt like there was too much talking down on the marines, but he fought the desire to spill those beans quite successfully... Especially because he had his higher up on his side with the shared thoughts and views.

When the topic of self-protection came into the play, he took a glancing side to side towards the guards that were in the present in the throne room. Needless to say, they sure did look capable enough to do their job of protecting the young prince and the rest of the nobility. There was however something else though. Why else would they be sent there to protect them like that? A good question indeed, but one to which he does not know the exact answer to. Things did smell fishy... And not because they had just come from the sea!

A soft sigh escaped his lips when the rest of the nobles had finally left the throne room once more. "Nobility sure can be troublesome." he whispered softly to the crew right next to him. It was still too early to think much of this whole ordeal so he simply shrugged it off, for now and turned himself back to face the prince and his mother, the queen. Re-entering into his "at ease" stance, he once more awaited the following orders to act accordingly to them.

Words: 423
Total: 2435

After a second or two of laughing Jeremy lifted his head up. Thankfully, it seemed, nobody noticed. The gunslinger lifted his hat back up off his face and took at ease stance like the others. Moving only his head, he looked around the at the elaborate throne room. He couldn't help but be a little bit awed by the exquisite decor and fine (he assumed) artwork. He also made a quick mental note, that he would likely forget later, of any doors or windows that he could see from his position.

Suddenly he heard foot steps approaching and his head snapped towards the door as in walked the three nobles. Jeremy felt disdain for them almost immediately. Their haughtiness and arrogance practically oozed from them like shit from broken septic tank. They were all shorter than him but he could practically feel them, with their expensive clothes and fancy haircuts, looking down at him and the others.

When the nobles began to speak Jeremy's blood began slowly rising to a boil and his pupils reddened slightly with observation haki as he stared daggers at them. With this extra sense he tell beyond any shadow of a doubt that they had ill intent. Of course he could not explicitly sense who this ill intent was towards but he hardly needed to. These...people...as he was hesitant to describe them, were so blatant with their intentions that he half expected them to break out into a song and dance like villains in a children's show.

Of course Anton maintained his polite and professional demeanor throughout the whole charade. This was to be expected. The rear admiral was the head of the Guardian Knights and had become one of the faces of the world government in this part of the world. Thankfully even a child could see what the nobles were up to and it appeared that one did. Prince Charles loudly and explicitly gave his blessing to the Guardian Knights, allowing them to stay as guests.

When the show finally ended and the malicious malcontents left the throne room Jeremy relaxed a bit and his pupils returned to their natural color. He nodded in agreement at Ryoichi's statement about nobility. Jeremy couldn't agree more. Thankfully with the prince's blessing they could stay there in official capacity to stop said nobility from doing too much damage to the kingdom.

Then there was Yumiko's outburst. The woman's words made Jeremy suddenly, almost irrationally, angry.

“Are you fuckin' kidding Commander?!” he snapped, willfully ignoring any sense of rank, procedure or decorum.

Jeremy looked over at Anton.

“Sir," he said only slightly more calmly "if we leave those vultures will eat the prince alive.”

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In all fairness, Anton really should have seen this coming. While Yumiko was brave (albeit, foolhardy), loyal and dedicated, she at times seemed hopelessly naive about the way the world works outside of Wano. And at times, Anton wondered if even Wano actedlike Yumiko believed it did. She was completely bought in by the nobility's talk of pride. Fortunately, Jeremy, who had remained quiet so far, saw reason, speaking out against the notion.


"We are not going anywhere," Anton assured the others, before turning to Yumiko. "Yumiko, we have our orders. Protect the prince and keep him from harm. Young Charles has even given us his blessing. We can't simply abandon our duties because of matters of pride." He would es explain the whole issue of deception and the like later. Right now, it was best to use terms she understood.


"Indeed we are grateful," The queen spoke, approaching them. "While I do hope that it will end up being uneccasary, I welcome any protection is welcome." She glanced towards the doors the nobles left through, "And judging by their reactions to you, I would say having you here is for the best." Anton nodded, turning and bowing to the queen. "Thank you your majesty. Again, I don't want to make assumptions about the guardsmen, but..." The queen shook her head in understanding. "It's quite alright. I too hope those fears are unfounded. But as queen and a mother, I cannot be too careful."

She clapped her hands and a servant seemed to appear from the shadows by her side. Had he always been standing there? "Anyway, as guests of the crown, we should show you to your rooms. This gentleman here will escort. Now if you'll excuse me, there are some matters I must discuss with my son." Anton glanced over at the young prince. The boy didn't want these cool marines to leave just yet, but he recognized her had work to do. Anton couldn't help but smile as the boy nodded in affirmation. The boy would make a good king in time.

"By your leave then," Anton replied, bowing respectfully to both prince and queen before they were escorted out.

It seemed no expense was being spared on them. Then again, with royalty, that was to be expected. They were given a room for each of them. High quality suites as well. It was even. Icer than Anton's own quarters on the Grand Steamer. "Ok guys, get yourselves settled in," Anton said as the servant left, "But keep an ear out. We're here to work after all."

Post Word Count: 430
Total Word Count: 2495

"Very generous indeed." Ryoichi said out. Clearly, he was trying to deliver his kind words out to the Prince, hiding no ill intent behind them. He was genuinely impressed by the generosity of the young prince and his mother. This was followed with a salute to both of them before they were escorted out by the royal servants. Their destination... The royal "dorm rooms".

And behold! Now those were quite some "dormitory". Heck even calling them that could be considered an insult. The room that was appointed to Ryoichi was large and spacious. The walls were covered with a shining white color that reflected the light off of them nicely that was shining in from wide and tall windows. He couldn't help but stand there for a good solid few minutes. Honestly, one could even say that this whole room was bigger than the entire house in what Ryoichi grew up in.

Snapping out from the admiration, he began to head towards the windows. On his way, he passed a big, almost king-sized bed, and a table that was set with a bowl full of different fruits and a bottle of wine to be enjoyed by the guest of the room. Upon reaching the window... He could notice a leaver on it. The leaver was to open the window... That was actually a door that leads to a modestly sized balcony that was decorated with different pot plants... Hard to say were they regular or even exotic... Ryoichi really isn't a plant specialist.

He leaned onto the edge of the balcony and looked out. In the distance, he could see the very sea they used to travel onto the island... But looking down, he could see tensely populated streets. The lively interactions of the streets could even be heard to the castle, even though they were still a bit of distance away from them... It was a magnificent sight indeed.

"Could get used to such sight... And such life.." he couldn't help but grin at that. But enough of admiring... Without some proper healthy snack! Time to head back in to grab something delicious from that fruit bowl to accompany him on his "sightseeing".

Words: 364
Total: 2799

Jeremy didn't say anything in response to the Queens invitation, opting instead to follow Anton's lead with a quick bow of his own.

There would be no more outbursts from the young ensign as he and the other marines followed the royal guard to the unexpectedly lavish room where he would be staying for the time being. Such wealth, thought Jeremy, as he looked around the room. He had grown so accustomed to staying in cramped and minimalistic quarters on ships and in barracks that having a room to himself that was so spacious and well taken care of almost seemed like a bit much. Not that he was going to complain.

Jeremy made his way over to the queen sized bed with freshly laundered silk sheets that smelled faintly of lavender and tried to lie down. The sheets were as warm and soft as any had ever felt but, angry and agitated as he still was, it was like trying to fall asleep on a pile of pine needles. Worse still was the image he saw when he saw when he closed his eyes. It was a boy's face, one that looked so much like Prince Charles the somebody might have believed they were twins. It was bloody, battered, broken and scared.

Jeremy sighed and sat up as he tried to shake that memory from his head. He looked over at the crystal decanter on the nightstand beside the bed. It was filled most of the way up with a clear liquid. He quickly grabbed it and brought it up to his nose then his lips as he took a long, slow swig from it. He was slightly disappointed that it was only water.

Jeremy would try in vain to relax for a few moments more before he began to grow even more frustrated at how fruitless it was. Finally he jumped up, and made his way towards the door. He just needed some fresh air he thought, even if it was just a quick stroll through the courtyard of the castle.   That would help him calm down. He hoped.

He made his way out of his room and down hallway. On his way out he noticed Yumiko sitting outside of the rear admiral's room. Jeremy still remembered the rumors the chef and told him about that morning about what her and the rear admiral were supposedly doing behind closed doors but at that moment that even if those rumors were true they were none of his business.

Instead he turned to face her, smiled and saluted.

“Commander, when you see Anton please let him know that I went to patrol the outside of the palace,” he requested before he turned back around and continued on his way.

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Anton took the opportunity to look around the room. It was lavish, more so than anything Anton had ever seen. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a little overwhelmed about the whole thing. Then again, they were in the home of royalty, but still. Thry were simply here to act as bodyguards.

He looked out the window at the surrounding city. He was used to missions getting complicated, but this one was complicated from the get go. Having to deal with nobility and political machinations was not something he was trained for. This wasn't something he could simply scream and swing a sword at.

As much as he wanted to enjoy this room, he had work to do. He headed for the door.

As he stepped into the hall he paused when he saw Yumiko kneeling on a pillow right by his doorstep. He couldn't help but give a small chuckle. Even wh eff n offered luxury, some things never changed.
"Yumiko, if you will, can you go collect Jeremy and Ryoichi and bring them here? We have much to discuss."

Leaving the task in Yumiko's hands, Anton stepped back into his room. They had to move quickly. With the nobility aware of their presence here, who knows what they might try to do.

Post Word Count: 218
Total Word Count: 2,713