[Episode] On the run, on the hunt.

Quest Request:

As the sun was shining over another great day in Orange town, people were walking the streets as normal. For being in the afternoon, it seemed quite light compared to what the shops were accustomed to. Kyaime was taking his time walking through the streets, trying to not show the anxiety boiling in his body due to wondering when the pirates will find him. The pirates must have had an idea that someone in the bakery overheard them being rowdy unless they just always talk that loud about secret things on their ship.

The words from his father kept ringing in his ears, "Kyaime, you need to go. Someone is going to let the pirates know. Everyone can see that you took the fruit, you don't just have bombs in the bathroom!" He was feeling extremely embarrassed. He knows that the fruit is now considered his, but he isn't sure how to use it best yet. His practice using the fruit in town would just drag unwanted attention towards him, why would he even try to practice in town? Where was he supposed to go? 18 years have past and the most he has traveled was to neighboring islands to purchase supplies. Now he had to find his way to hide, or at least survive.

"Hurry up! We need to get him back, we have to send something back!" Kyaime felt the surge of adrenaline come through his body, they were close. He had to choose, his fight or flight situation was already here. He was a bomb now, he could let himself be taken and take the fight to them, but he also doesn't know anything about these pirates. Kyaime would be going in blind if he did that, and it would surely just be walking the plank and drowning since he can't swim anymore. Part of that sentence did get stuck in his mind, "send something back". It wasn't just for the crew of the pirates? It was getting sent somewhere? His breath began to speed up as his nerves grew. He had to hide and take some time to think.

"Excuse me..." He pushed through some people who were shopping into an alley, the tall buildings surrounding him should help him hide for a few minutes. He tried to peek out towards where he heard the voice coming from. He saw four different pirates. Two of them were at his bakery and he heard them talking about the fruit, they must know who ate it. He pushed himself against the wall as they were walking by.

"You morons! How could you let something that expensive slip off the ship?!" The man was big, but didn't seem like the captain. He was furious and was verbally taking it out on his crew, but his anger seemed to have fear hanging over as well. Something, no someone, must have struck fear into him since the fruit was missing."Come on out kid! We already took out that bakery... Your family didn't want to tell us where you hid!" Kyaime froze hearing this. He felt his heart beating out of his chest. He had to follow them back to the ship, it was time to be on offense. As the pirates passed the alley he had snuck down, he peeked around the corner to watch them go. They were not going to get away with this.

WC: 565 / 565 / 5000

First mate who was talking:

Meanwhile, just off the coast of Orange Town, anchored in the still waters just beyond the horizon, sat El Toro. It was a menacing looking ship. Pitch black except for its three crimson red sails and the golden head of a bull at the front. On each sail was a skull and cross bones that looked generic aside from bull-like horns on the skull. Beside El Toro, with a  gang plank running between the two ships, was a much smaller boat flying a merchant flag.

“What do you mean you don't have the fruit!?”

Just below deck, in the captain's spacious quarters, Captain “Bull” Karver, was entertaining his guests. The captain was a weathered old man with brown skin that seemed like it had almost been turned to leather from years of sea and sun. His arms and legs were muscular and thick as tree trunks, his chest even more so. His septum was pierced with a large platinum ring and his long black hair had been dyed the same crimson color as his flags starting about halfway towards the ends.

“I told you. Some little shit snuck onboard our ship while we were docked to get supplies and stole it,” retorted the captain. “I got men looking for them now.”

Despite the captain's fearsome appearance and the hard lived life that had given it to him, even he was a bit intimidated by his guests, not that he would ever admit it. The first, and most important guest was nothing to look at but had a reputation around the East Blue of being everything to fear. Marco Luciano was the former head of the infamous Luciano crime family. He had only recently given up that position to his son, Roberto, to go into semi-retirement. Nevertheless his name still had meaning in the East Blue and though he looked like little more than a frail old man in (slightly outdated) designer clothes many men still respected him.

In his boney hands was a leash. At the end of that leash was collar. And inside that collar was the neck of the largest lion the either Captain Karver or any of his men had ever seen. At 15 feet and some change in length and a little over 6 feet tall even when on all fours the big cat was more than twice the size of most of the men. Yet for such a fearsome predator it had remained surprisingly docile, sitting down as soon as the two men had begun speaking and remaining completely silent without so much as a growl or snarl throughout the conversation.

“Your men are a bunch of morons,” hissed Marco. The old man turned to his pet, and undid it's collar. Marco turned to the lion and commanded “Make yourself useful Mittens and find the thief. Bring him back alive.”

“Why do I have to do it?” growled the lion causing Captain Karver to jump back in surprise.

“Because until you pay off all your debts to us...I FUCKING OWN YOU! Now get moving you useless pain in my ass!”

The lion seemed visibly annoyed but did as he was told. Slowly the creature walked out onto the deck of the ship where, before everyone's very eyes, it began to transform into a man. This man was a mountain of muscle. A little over fifteen feet tall and more visibly ripped than many body builders. The other men couldn't help but stare at him. He was even adorned in the finest fashion available. Yet, as the man made his way across the gang plank Captain Karver noticed that he didn't carry himself with the kind of swagger or confidence he would expect of such a man. Instead this man, who just a moment ago and been a great beast, looked almost defeated.

“Is that...?”

“The famous prize fighter Lu Shang. Yeah. For your sake captain he better find that fruit.”

WC: 662 / 662 / 5000

The sweat dropped off Kyaime's forehead as he tiptoed through the back alleys in a way that he was able to watch where the pirates went. The sun kept beating down on him as the day continued. The smell of the sea air gets strong as they lead towards the ports. Kyaime felt uneasy about following them to port, but he needed to see if they had any backup on the boat, at this point if they knew who his family was, shortly they would be finding him. The strong smell of gunpowder crept off him as his sweat continued to come, which just turned into a downward spiral of a poor setting for Kyaime. The more sweat that came, the more he felt his position was given away. He pulled himself back and started to think through his options.

'I can jump on the boat and just explode, but everyone knows that those who eat Devil fruits can't swim after eating...That would have to be a last resort...What If I shot a spitwad at the boat? Made a hole in the hull? I think that could work, but they would just come running after me. I would need to make multiple at one time in order for them to panic and not chase me...How would I get to do that?'

His mouth somewhat mouthed the words as he thought through his actions. Anyone who walked by the alley surely thought that he was on some sort of psychedelic. He saw their ship, El Toro, and on it many people who Kyaime didn't recognize. People that the captain looked visibly worried to have pissed off. ' Maybe I just wait it out. Captain Bacon there looks like he is gonna shit his pants... He grinned as the thought that the issue would be able to fix itself came through his mind. The odds on that were low, and Kyaime knew that. He picked up the pace, feeling like he lost the pirates.

As he turned the corner, the first mate seemed to be worriedly looking around for a reason to stay busy. Something, someone had caught his attention and worried him. 'Who did these guys mess with?' Kyaime tried to think back through any people he had read about in the recent papers, but no name seemed to come to mind. Most of the pirates wanted to push through small islands and go to the grand line, everyone wanted to be the next big pirate.

"Urry The Ell UP! WE got to find this maggot!" The first mate shouted with a slight voice crack as he tried to hide the fear in his voice. He pulled out his scimitar and started sprinting through the streets, more worried about those coming from the ship than those in the city.

Kyaime felt a sense of relief, for a moment before realizing that whoever they were scared of was now after him. His heart sank to his stomach as the anxiety took over his body. Freezing him against the wall, he tried to steady his breath as the wretched smell wafted out of his mouth. It made his gut wrench as it reminded him that it was entirely his own choice that got him into this. He needed to change his attitude and move forward, he was old enough to make a decision like this. Now he needed to see it through. He turned and began running in the opposite direction from where the first mate went, towards a small bakery he loved. It was time to get some food before getting out of there. Five streets over, he made his way to the bakery, Steal the Dough. The owner was a former pirate, older in age. His long silver hair fell down his back as the sunglasses sat straddled on the top of his head. The owner turned to look over at Kyaime, he was wearing a basic white shirt that had a vest over it with the name of the shop embroidered on the back in gold letters. The emblem for the store was a treasure chest filled with cookies and cakes. Kyaime smiled and ordered two loaves of bread. "Kyaime, whad ou find ouself in is time?" The owner let out in his drunken tongue. It wasn't often Kyaime saw this man deep in his cup. "I heard some news of some fellas comin to find you cuz you stol somtin?"

Kyaime felt his heart sink, even this man who Kyaime respected knew something was going on. The sweat was still coming and the stench kept filling the air. The owner looked at him in shock, "Now ou smell like powder? KWAKWAKWA" He cackled.

"Oh shut it! I'm not letting them get me!" Kyaime said a little too overzealous, not knowing what had was on its way to find him. He wasn't hiding very well, especially as the wind picked up his new body odor.



WC

824 / 1389 / 5000

As the “merchant” ship made its way to the docks Lu Shang found himself growing anxious and impatient. Truth be told, the former celebrity prize fighter considered this kind of work beneath him. He believed it was more suited for a bunch of poor and stupid ruffians like the men in Captain Karver's crew. Men like him were better suited for fame and luxury while the low lives did the dirty work.

I should be the one giving the orders.

Still, even with his unique outlook on the situation, Lu knew better than to say no to a man like Marco Luciano. He had seen personally what happened to people who stole from the old man. Last time it had been one of Marco's maids. Lu didn't remember what exactly she had stolen. Some opium perhaps. Maybe a bit of belli from Marco's bedroom. What ever it was, it wasn't much. The Luciano family would easily be able to recuperate the loses many times over in only a couple of hours but that didn't matter. It was about fear and respect. By stealing from them, the maid had insulted them. [i[Challenged[/i] them. So Marco had decided to send a message to any other servants who might want to supplement their wages the same way.

What Lu did remember was what happened to the poor girl. He had been made to watch closely, in lion form, as she was was beaten and her wrists were strapped to a table. She was then given a shot of amphetamine to keep her awake and out of shock. Then, with a carving knife, Marco slowly whittled away at each finger. Carving them off at just above the first knuckle. The wounds were cauterized using the flat edge of the same knife and the girl was put to work again the very next morning. Lu was made to clean everything up when it was all said and done.

The once proud fighter didn't wait until the ship was docked to make landfall. Instead, when the ship was about thirty yards away, the muscles in his massive legs tensed and with one mighty leap, he landed at the docks. Almost immediately his sensitive senses were assaulted by the sights, sounds and smells of the city.

In particular was the smell of body odor, which was almost bad enough to make him gag. Pirates and dock workers weren't the cleanliest bunch to begin with. Even when the air was still cool, the afternoon sun and hard day's labor weren't doing them any favors. To make matters worse, his flashy entrance along with his larger than life stature had attracted attention and not only had many of the people at the docks that day decided to stop and stare, a fair few of them had begun to crowd around him. From among the crowd Lu could make out more than a few murmurs that rubbed salt in his wounded pride.

“He looks familiar.”

“Yeah, I think I've seen a few of his fights.”

And the like.

If there was any sort of silver lining to the whole situation it was that, as tall as he was, he could easily see over most of the crowd. This made it easy to spot Captain Karver's people. One of whom conveniently had the crew's jolly roger tattooed on the top of their shiny bald head. It was almost like a signal beam.

“Out of my way,” growled Lu Shang as he pushed through and stepped over the crowd on his way toward the bald headed brigand.

“What hell you want?” sneered the pirate as the Lu Shang approached him.

“Have you found the kid yet?”

“What kid?”

Lu scowled with annoyance at the question. He bent down real close to the pirate, until their noses were almost touching. Then, when he spoke again, he mad sure to speak extra slowly and enunciate his words as if he was speaking to a small child.

“The one who stole the fruit that my boss was going to buy from your boss.”

“Back up would ya? Yer breath smells like shit,” answered the pirate with a look of disgust on his face. Then he shook his head. “No, we ain't found him yet. But we're trying. Even showed a bunch of people his picture and told them we'd pay a hundred thousand if they helped us find our dear, missing boy.”

Lu Shang had to admit that was a surprisingly smart plan for people like them.

“Let me see the picture.”

The pirate reached into his pants and pulled out a crumpled photo that had been clearly copied by a den den mushi. Lu Shang took the picture out of the pirate's hands and did his best to ignore the rotting, garbage like smell that emanated off of it. He studied it for a second and then handed it back.

“Go back to the boat. Tell our bosses I'll find the brat,” grunted Lu as his form began to shift.

His senses were sharper as a lion. So that's exactly what he became. People gawked and some screamed and ran as fur sprouted over his body, his face elongated and his hands and feet turned to paws. The big cat let out a bigger roar which scattered the remaining riffraff.

He could smell something now. It was faint but he could still follow it. Gun powder mixed with sweat and fear. His instincts as a hunter were telling him that was the way to go. Follow the scent and he would find his prey.

WC: 921/ 1583 / 5000

Kyaime bit into a piece of banana bread and felt himself beginning to relax for the first time since he ate the devil fruit. The bread and other treats from different bakeries always make him feel at home and calm. It was short-lived as it quickly made him think of his family, and what the pirate crew may have done at his former home. He looked up to the older man who had begun to sober himself up. The older man had started cleaning up some of the ovens in the back and had pulled Kyaime into the back of the store in hopes of helping him hide. Kyaime pulled off his bandana and tied it on his upper arm, beginning to wash his face and hair. The soothing cold water rushed through his face and hair, unable to get the smell off of his body as he cleaned himself. The bucket of water that he was using started to grow darker as he continued to clean himself off. He had to think through his actions if he wanted to win this, but how could he take down a full ship by himself?

'This is so stupid. How am I gonna take down a crew? I knew I should've waited to eat it. They wouldn't have figured out it was me if I could've just had patience...Dammit... The worst part is I still have no clue who they are selling the fruit to.

He started to lose himself in thought about the potential ways he could make his way out of town. He would need to make it to port, get a ship that he could use by himself, and make his way past the pirates without anyone recognizing him. His face wasn't that noticeable, or so he thought.

"Kasai, you got some trouble coming yer way. Some snot-nosed pirate came by bout 10 minutes before you stopped here. Got offered some money for information about you. Oh, and they had a photo of you...looked maybe a year old."

"Well. Shit." Kyaime spilled out as the hope he had that it could be a stealthy operation fled his mind. The old man quickly deleted the thoughts that Kyaime had been worrying about as if he was reading his thoughts. "How much money? I can't already be wanted, can I?" He let slip out, with hopes that he would still be able to make his way out without too much fighting. The hope was faltering as the conversation continued. He had a suspicion that it wasn't going to be long before the old man came to his senses and sold him out. The decision needed to be made soon in order for him to have control over the situation.

"Don't answer that. I'm just going to finish getting dressed and I'll get out of your hair. I can't bring more people down with me."

"Don't rush. I'm not collecting, I owe your dad some favors. I'll collect his debt, not one some pirate gave me as collateral. Think of us as even, or at the very least, that your dad and I are even." The old man said with a smile.

WC

530 / 1919 / 5000

He's here...

The lion stopped at an unassuming little bakery on the corner of one of Orange Town's back streets. From the inside, among the horrible scents of carbs, sugar and saturated fats, the big cat could smell the boy and, as he inched closer to the entrance, he could hear what sounded like two people speaking. Soon their words became crystal clear and his suspicions were all but confirmed. Lu Shang stopped only for a second to sniff the air and look around. Then, we he was confident that he was the only hunter on the trail, he smirked and shifted back into his human form.

A small bell on the door ding-a-linged as the muscular man squeezed his way through the entrance. What he saw next made him recoil in disgust. Donuts, danishes, pies and pastries and all manner of other man-made monstrosities lined the counter. Worse yet were the sickeningly sweet smells. Outside they had been just strong enough to make him curl his nose but inside? Inside, they unleashed an almost overwhelming assault on his olfactory senses. For a second he felt sick. It was almost like he could feel his arteries clogging and his body fat increasing just from walking through the doorway. [i[What a horrible place[/i] he thought.

“Excuse me. You can't come in. We're closed today.”

Lu snapped back to reality and looked down at the old man who spoke to him. His gaze passed apathetically up and over the geezer to the kid in the back. He was a bit older and just slightly more muscular than the one in the picture that Lu had been shown but there was no mistaking it. That was him alright.

“Did ya hear m...”

Wham! Crash!

The old man's words were cut short as the back of Lu's fist slammed into his sternum. Glass shattered and pastries splattered as the geezer was flung violently through the display case on the counter before crashing into one of the machines in the back. Lu looked over for only a second at the end result. He could see that the old man's chest was still heaving but aside from that and a few muscles spasms there were no other signs of movement. The old coot was still alive but that didn't matter to the former prize fighter. So long as he didn't interrupt.

“Kid,” growled Lu Shang as his eyes narrowed on the thief “we need to talk.”

WC: 411 / 1994 / 5000

Kyaime sat and enjoyed a bit of food at the back table with his back sat towards the entrance of the store. As the bell rang, a large hulking figure walked through the door. Kyaime didn't turn to look, thinking that it was going to be someone that the old man would have known. Who else would just walk into a closed store, unless it was a robber? The old man spoke up saying that the store was closed and it sent a shiver down Kyaime's spine when he realized that someone was there, most likely for him.  

The older man grabbed something from behind the counter and started to walk up to the man, trying to step up to him and stop him from entering. Kyaime watched as the older man was smacked to the side with ease as the bigger hairy man stared Kyaime down. Watching the ragdoll-like body getting shoved through the glass case that held different baked goods, he was starting to feel freaked out. He ran over to the body, feeling the chest rise and fall. The old man was still alive, but he wasn't responding to any touch. "Hey, wake up! Don't die cause you were helping me. I can't let you die while I owe you! Come on!" Kyaime said in a selfish manner, thinking of the guilt he would be feeling. That is when the bigger man growled towards him, saying they had to talk.

Kyaime looked over at him, it was as if he had to decide in an instance. Fight or flight. 'Do I run? This guy found me, and he is huge. There is no way I can outrun him, but could I take him? He literally just punched the old man through the store...I guess I just need to talk. Worst case scenario, I just blow up and run...'

"What's up? You could have just said you need to talk, you didn't have to destroy someone's shop to do that..." Kyaime said, getting a teenager's attitude. He knew he had to at least attempt to stand up for himself in front of this...Goliath? What was he? This stranger was enormous, like no one he had seen before. His head must have been scraping the roof of the store. He tried to slowly walk around the man, locking the door of the store before making his way back around. "Go ahead. I know I can't run from you..."

WC

409 / 2328 /5000

“You're smart,” smirked Lu Shang as he eyed the boy. “What did you do with...wait...”

Lu Shang sniffed the air. It faint but it was there. That rancid smell. Like rotten fruit that had fallen off the branch and begun to ferment in the mud. The big man leaned in closer and sniffed kid's breath only to recoil in horror a second later.

“You ate it didn't you?” you he asked. The color had drained from his face. He knew damn well what the answer was.

“Kid you have no idea what...” he paused for a second and color returned.

A light-bulb had just gone off in his head. Lu Shang sat down, in cross legged position. His massive body took up most of the floor but at least his head no longer scrapped the ceiling. He looked over at the boy again. Even seated he was still a head or two taller than the lad but they were a little closer to eye level.

“Listen closely,” he said in a low, rumbling tone. His voice was quieter and more subdued than before. Less likely for any passing pirates to overhear him that way. “Those pirates were going to sell the fruit to the Luciano crime family. In fact one of the big shots, Marco Luciano, is on the island right now. If he finds out you ate the fruit...”

Lu Shang shuddered.

“...death will be a mercy. Do you understand?”

It was not a rhetorical question.

“Unless...” smirked Lu Shang “...you team up with me. I'm not working for these people by choice and I think if we both use our powers we might both be able to get out of here alive. What do you say?”

291 / 2285 / 5000

"Of course I ate it, why wouldn't I? They talked about how strong that fruit would make me and then I just started getting to blow up. Devil fruits are weird." Kyaime said, in a very standard teenager voice, sounding like he was giving attitude to Lu Shang. He silently listened as he talked about the crime family that wanted the fruit, and the mistake he made. Kyaime's attitude quickly changed as he thought about how many people truly were chasing him. He looked down at the floor, he had really screwed up.

"Yeah. I understand. They want me dead, they want the devil fruit back...that's the only way to get it..." Kyaime let come out of his mouth.

"team up with you? How can I do that? You're huge. I would just hold you back. Or am I just your bait?" He didn't know how they could work together, they were so different that he had no idea how to get that to work. Peeking back up to the tall man, he thought about how he could get onto their ship if this man led him there. Maybe it wasn't a bad idea, but what would he get out of it?

"So, if we work together, what are we doing? and what makes you want to even help me? Wouldn't you get more money bringing my head on a silver platter to them?" Kyaime asked, skeptically.

WC

237 / 2565 / 5000

Lu Shang scowled at the boy's answer and a low rumbling growl emanated from his chest as he listened to what they said. Everything thing about the child's answer was irritating to him. From the words they chose to the smart-assed way they chose to say them.

“Yeah,” growled Lu Shang. “That's exactly what you are. Bait that bites back. You ate that damned fruit so you've got a devil in you like I do. So use it.”

Lu Shang snarled. His eyes seemed more cat like and his the teeth in his mouth seemed sharper and more pointed than those of a normal man.

“You've got the wrong idea about me. I'm not some soldier of fortune. I'm more like...an indentured servant. This job will just get me more work. I don't want that so here's what I'm suggesting. There's a whole ship full of supplies out there. Enough to last a whole crew for days out at sea. Those pirates were going to trade that fruit you ate for those supplies. Heard they were planning to go the Grand Line. I'm going to kill Captain Karver and Marco Luciano and then I'm going to steal that ship with those supplies and sail far away from here. I want you to use those new powers of yours and take care of the rest of the crew.

I'm sure you can handle that right?”

Lu Shang slowly rose back to his feet.

“Working with me is your only chance to get out of this mess. You either help me or,” Lu Shang pointed at the old man he had molly whopped just moments earlier “I beat you to a pulp and bring you back to them only half dead so that they can finish job. I don't know what they'll do but it won't be quick or painless. I'll probably get carried away and kill the old man and demolish this bakery while I'm at it.”

Lu Shang shrugged.

“That would be a shame to since I was really looking forward to getting away from the Lucianos and trying to turn over a new leaf you know? I'll have to wait and find some other opportunity to break free. Hopefully it won't come that.

So what's it going to be kid? Are you with me or against me?”

376 / 2661/ 5000

Kyaime felt a shiver down his spine, this towering figure DID want to use him as bait. What the hell could he do? It wasn't like he had an option to say no, even if he did, it would still turn him into being used as bait. It was as if he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, but at least if he went with the rock he had some decisions that could be made; maybe even some stipulations he could add to help make it better for himself.

As Kyaime listened, he tried to wait for Lu Shang to finish speaking before blurting out his questions. They kept coming into his head, but he had to force himself from speaking out of turn. He could tell that this beast in front of him was not someone he wanted to get angry with, especially with them offering to help him escape. He wanted to escape from being under the thumb of someone else, Kyaime could respect that.

"A Devil? Wait, are those rumors true?" Kyaime asked ignorantly, it truly showed how little he understood the current situation he was in. The thought that he had a devil inside him now distracted him for a few seconds as he asked the question before he got back on topic.

"Look, if you think this is the only way, let's do it. I don't want you to kill a family friend. Plus, I'm really not ready to die. I'll happily play the role you need me to. You know my Devil fruit right? The Bomu Bomu no mi?" Kyaime asked, sure that Lu Shang had some sort of idea of what he could do. "I'm really just a bomb that can think. It sounds like you already have a plan, want to let me in on it a little more? I know I look like it, but I'm not just some stupid kid." Kyaime said, tapping his head. At least, he wanted to tell himself that he was smart. "Since we are working together, I guess I should at least introduce myself. I'm Kyaime. Let's find ourself some freedom, ya?"

WC

360 / 2925 / 5000

“Now you're talking sense,” smiled the big man. “I'm Lu and lucky for you I'm the only bodyguard Marco brought that's worth a damn. As long as there isn't anybody on Karver's crew that you can't handle then you should have a pretty easy time. So here's what's going to happen. I just need you to act unconscious and I'll take us right to them. Then, when I give the signal, you get up and do your thing. Don't move or say a word until then.”

Without waiting for the kid to respond the big man grabbed Kyaime and flung the boy over his shoulder. With the kid in place it was time to put the plan into action.

“...And stay down you little shit!” roared Lu at top of his lungs right before smashing his way through one of the walls of the bakery.

The sounds of the wall being smashed echoed through the Orange Town streets as dust and rubble poured out of it like batter from a bowl. And just like Lu expected, they came. Like rats they scurried down the streets, members of Bull Karver's crew, to check out the commotion.

“What was all that racket?”

“Did ya get 'em?”

Lu looked down at two men who had come running to meet him. Scrawny fellows who looked more like street beggars than proper pirates. In fact if it weren't for the weapons at their sides or the combination smells of sea water, gun powder and cheap booze that they seemed to be soaked in Lu would would have though they were bums.

“Yeah,” panted Lu. “I got him. Put up a hell of a fight.” He paused to take a deep breath in order really sell the idea that it had been a fight. Luckily selling was easy when the marks were stupid. “Stupid kid already ate the devil fruit.”

“Boss ain't gonna like that,” mused one of the pirates as his buddy approached Lu.

The other pirate looked over at Kyaime and then back at Lu Shang who simply looked down at them with annoyance. His beady eyes looked at the boy's body incredulously and Lu began to realize that his plan might be in danger. Last thing he needed was for one of these idiots to suddenly get smart and notice that the kid was unharmed.

“What are you looking at? Back up!” barked Lu.

The pirate backed up but not before voicing his concerns.

“He don't look hurt to me. I don't even see no blood.”

“That's because all his bleeding is internal. I used one of my secret champion techniques on him so that our bosses could identify his body,” retorted the former prize fighting champion.

“Internal? You mean inside? That's where his bleeding's supposed to be moron.”

Lu Shang growled.

“Look he's unconscious isn't he? Quit asking a bunch of stupid questions and go let Marco and Karver know I'm bringing them the brat.”

“I guess...”

The Lu could tell that the pirates weren't entirely convinced but even so, they did as they were told. The tiny voice in what passed for their brains must have rightly told them it was dangerous if they didn't. Lu Shang simply grunted and began to make his way towards the docks.

“I hope you're ready for this?” he whispered to Kyaime.

549 / 3210/ 5000

Lu Shang quickly put the plan into action as they finished speaking. Kyaime nodded to Lu Shang, he knew that he had to exercise the plan correctly it would come back to punish him. This plan terrified him, he was walking into the lion's den, fortunately, he had a lion on his side for the time being. Kyaime closed his eyes and pretended to be unconscious. It was like when he was young and would play dead when he was lumped over his dad's shoulder. His childish side was coming out and it made him smile before he realized he was already in the streets. He heard Lu Shang start talking to some of the pirates of Karver's crew and instantly lost the smile on his face. His face became a deadpan instantly as the pirates swarmed the two.

He felt his body start tensing as the pirates looked over his body. Was that the big flaw in their plan? Kyaime didn't look hurt at all, luckily Lu Shang had a fierce enough reputation that the lower ranking pirates didn't argue. Truth be told, it may not have been the reputation, but just his overall size and strength. Kyaime felt intimidated, he was sure others did as well. Kyaime slightly tapped on Lu Shang's back with his head, to show that he was ready to fight.

Kyaime smelled the water as they got closer to the dock. His anxiety grew as he realized they were going to be fighting on the ship. If the rumors were true, he couldn't blow the ship up and go into the water. He wouldn't be able to swim, the downside to a devil fruit. The upside to the fruit had been all that was running through his mind up until this point.

Crossing from the dock to the boat, he continued to stay silent as he felt the boat slyly rocking under the feet of the man carrying him. He started listening to the voices that came out, talking about how they were ready to get the devil fruit back. The voice he heard earlier yelling at the other crew members peeked through and caught his ear. "You caught the brat?! Great, now. Let's get the captain." That is when Lu Shang tossed Kyaime onto the deck of the ship. With a thud, Kyaime opened his eyes. He tried to pretend that he was extremely hurt and that he was struggling to even open his eyes. He watched as Captain Karver and Marco walked out of the captain's quarters. Kyaime couldn't quite tell what emotion he felt; anxiety, fear, excitement, or impatience. It may have been a mixture of them all as he waited for Lu Shang's signal to begin fighting. Kyaime stared over at the first mate who couldn't have been much older than him. He had a brown mullet that was shaved on the sides of his head. He was wearing a plain white shirt that was opened down his chest, with an earring in his right ear. That was his main target. The First mate and the majority of the crew, leave the two big wigs in Lu Shang's hand.

Kyaime had to put a lot of trust in this stranger. Luckily, it wasn't much of a choice when it was either death by said stranger, or try to fight for his life together. "Look what we have here." Captain Karver said, getting within 20 feet of Lu Shang and Kyaime. He snorted and whispered something to Marco, Kyaime was sure it was something about him having eaten the devil fruit. Lu Shang kicked Kyaime's leg as a hint to start moving. Kyaime quickly jumped to his feet and ran straight towards the first mate.

"You better not have touched my family!" He shouted as he closed the gap.

WC

638 / 3563 / 5000

Round one

Kyaime:
MT: Unstable Hands (Auto success -self)
LT: Bombs Away (Auto success -self)
LT: Flash Bomb (Roll= 20)
UT - Flat (Roll= 12) = 6 damage

__

Akira and Crew:
LT: Flat (Roll: 7)
LT: Flat (Roll: 5)
LT: Flat (Roll: 14)
UT: Flat (Roll: 1)

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Kyaime' has done the following action : Dice Roll

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#1 'Reflex Check' : 20, 12

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#2 'Reflex Check' : 7, 5, 14, 1

Round two:

Kyaime
HT - Air Bomb: (Roll: 15)
LT - Slip n Crack: (Roll: 14)
UT: (Roll: 5) Damage is 5*120%= 6


_
Akira and Crew
LT: Flat (Roll:10)
LT: Flat (Roll:10)
LT: Flat (Roll:11)
UT: Flat (Roll:1)

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Kyaime' has done the following action : Dice Roll

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#1 'Reflex Check' : 15, 14, 5

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 10, 10, 11, 1

Round three:

Kyaime
AOE - Smoke bomb: (roll:8)
UT: (Roll: 4)


_
Akira and Crew
MT: Flat (Roll:14)
LT: Flat (Roll:2)
LT: Flat (Roll:3)
UT: Flat (Roll:17)

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Kyaime' has done the following action : Dice Roll

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#1 'Reflex Check' : 8, 4

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 14, 2, 3, 17

Round four:

Kyaime
HT - Stop and Breathe: (roll:8)
LT - Slip n Crack: (roll:16)
UT: (Roll: 2)


_
Akira and Crew
LT: Flat (Roll:16)
LT: Flat (Roll:14)
LT: Flat (Roll:19)
UT: Flat (Roll:11)

Kyaime is knocked unconscious

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Kyaime' has done the following action : Dice Roll

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#1 'Reflex Check' : 8, 16, 2

--------------------------------

#2 'Reflex Check' : 16, 14, 19, 11

Round five:

Kyaime
Regaining health (unconscious)


_
Akira and Crew
LT: Flat (Roll:19)
LT: Flat (Roll:1)
LT: Flat (Roll:15)
UT: Flat (Roll:16)

Kyaime is unconscious

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Kyaime' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

'Reflex Check' : 19, 1, 15, 16

Round Six:

Kyaime
Regaining health (unconscious)


_
Akira and Crew
HT: Flat (Roll:2 )
LT: Flat (Roll:4)
UT: Flat (Roll:5)

Kyaime is unconscious

COMBAT TRACKERS:

The member 'Kyaime' has done the following action : Dice Roll

---

'Reflex Check' : 2, 4, 5