[Saga] [Part 3] Bringing their A game.

Tue May 03, 2022 1:07 pm

[See Part 2 here.]

The sun began to rise for the second day of the Davy Back Brawl competition. This morning would have a distinctly different feel than the day before. All the crews present now felt the true weight of the stakes of this competition and as such, very few stayed up late drinking themselves stupid. The result was that more people were up in the morning now, getting themselves ready for the next round of contests that they would be faced with.

And indeed, the same could be said for the Red Cap Pirates. Though if Ryoichi awoke to try some early morning exercise, he might be surprised to find he was not the only early riser today.

Nero Caeser was already on the main deck, doing some exercises of his own. Right now he was doing a set of squats, while holding a considerably large set of weights on his shoulders. And yet, the weight didn't seem to slow the large man down in his routine.

Meanwhile, a warm, delicious aroma seemed to be coming from the direction of the kitchen. Ryoichi had managed to win the crew a cook the previous day, and by the smell of things, it was already starting to pay off. If the folks on the ship weren't awake already, the enticing offer of a good breakfast certainly would.

Post Word Count: 223
Total Word Count: 223

Wed May 04, 2022 8:47 am

As the morning sun peeked through a certain weasel’s window, it found her blanket burrow already empty. Only her nameless sword rested on the pillow. Her torn and dirtied disguise had been left behind as well, neatly folded by the bed, regardless of its poor condition.

On the main deck, the red-headed warrior was not alone... Though to say he had company would’ve been a bit of an understatement. The silent samurai had not spoken a word to him. In fact, she insistently faced away, as if pretending he didn’t exist.

Instead of a disguise or a uniform, Yumiko had donned a rather frugal training attire. Several layers of tightly wrapped bandaging kept her chest in check, while boyish shorts allowed freedom of movement. Her long hair had been tied to a simple ponytail. A warrior needed no other clothing.

The swordswoman held a massive chunk of metal, a claymore for those who insisted on calling it a blade. It looked outright comical next to her lithe figure. Whenever she hoisted it, she nearly toppled over.

Despite the poor fit, the samurai kept swinging the weapon with dogged determination. Her routine started with a powerful downward strike, dead center. Then she marched forward, slashing in an angle with each step. Finally, she retraced her steps backwards, striking five more times. Repetition was the key.

With each motion, Yumiko’s arms trembled beneath the weight of the hefty blade. Beads of sweat clung to her straining muscles. Her breathing had grown heavy five sets ago. Now it was outright ragged.

Finally, the weight proved too much for the warrior. The downward strike didn’t stop in time and the tip of the blade bit into the deck with a noisy thunk. She nearly followed the motion, barely staggering to an awkward stop. Gasping for air, she leaned against the sword. Never before had she met such an unruly blade. It went wherever it wanted, fighting against her grip every step of the way.

Then again...

It didn’t truly belong to her.

Words: 338
Thread Total: 338
Saga Total: 18 603

Sat May 07, 2022 11:19 am

The last evening ended up with nothing but thoughtful thinking back in Ryoichi's borrowed quarters of Oberon, the king of fairies. He had sunk himself into a comfortable armchair that had been conveniently turned to face the window. In front of the shining moon, he thought to himself, so hard in fact, that he had thought himself to sleep from this exhausting day.

What ended up waking the sleeping bear was the light that shone onto him who was sitting in the armchair, facing the window. The next morning had arrived. He couldn't help but look around with a rather tired facial expression. It was then that he felt the stiffness in his neck and back. Sleeping in an armchair really is not that good of an idea.

But what can one do when sleep breaks them down. He gathered himself up from the armchair and immediately began to stretch himself in hopes to relieve the stiff pain he was feeling. Meanwhile, he was once more regathering the thoughts he had thought the last evening... But what were the exact thoughts?

Even with the hardest thinking, he could not figure out what he had concluded, but perhaps the thoughts will eventually return? Of course, they will! Ryoichi had no doubt about that. What he could however do for now was focus on the present. Since it was the morning, why not start it off with some strength training!

A couple of sets of push-ups! No problem. Sit-ups! Also not a problem! A nice small way to have the body break the sweat. Then came the cardio, the first one of the day!

He stood back up and turned himself sideways in front of the window. A deep breath was taken in and he took his usual boxing stance. The eyes closed. An opponent appeared in his head. The shadow boxing match had begun. Anyone who was to enter the room would first be greeted by a singular shadow of the person on the ground, throwing its fists in the air, bobbing and weaving.

Was Ryoichi fighting a shadow? Or was he the shadow?

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Mon May 09, 2022 1:11 pm

Anton awoke with a soft groan, this first thing his mind registering was the hard, uncomfortable floor that he had slept on. The second thing he noticed was that there was something warm against his left side, and something cool against his right.

A career full of paranoia and fear had gifted Anton a sense to quickly realize something wasn't right. It took him a second to bolt upright to see what was going on. He found Sol nestled against his left, while Lune was against his right. The second thing he noticed was that they were all still clothed, discounting the idea that something untoward happened.

Sol slowly opened her eyes and smiled. "Good morning Anton." "Um, good morning," he replied, his expression asking for an explanation. "You were tossing and turning in your sleep," Lune explained, sitting up, "So we figured cuddling up to you might help. It worked. You calmed right down." "Oh. Um, thank you," Anton was a little relieved it was something simple as that.

Sol gave Anton a sympathetic look. "Losing Celia's really bothering you, huh?" Anton blinked before he gave a reluctant nod. "Yeah. I guess so." "We're you two ever...?" Lune asked, leaving the question hanging. Anton's eyes widened. "What? No! Nothing like that! Celia and I have just been together since the very beginning. I guess...you can say she's like a sister to me."

Both sisters nodded in understanding. They knew of Anton's late brother Basil, and how his death kickstarted Anton's whole career. Losing another sibling, even a metaphorical one, would no doubt hurt. "Well, don't worry Anty!" Lune piped up, "The games are still on, and you have plenty of opportunities to win her back!" "That's right! So no getting down on yourself. Get out there and kick some butt!"

Anton couldn't help but smile at the sister's enthusiasm. "Yeah, you're right! It won't do anybody any good just to mope around."

-----@^@-----

Up on deck, Nero couldn't help but notice Mustardseed's clumsy swings with the claymore. "First time using a blade like that?"

He set the weights down and approached. With a surprising amount of gentleness, he took the handle of the sword. "Here." He pulled the blade backwards, almost he was unsheathing it, as he pulled it free from the wood. "A good way to prevent the blade from flying back and hitting anything."

He held the sword for a little bit, gaging its weight, before handing it back to her. "A blade like this is much more difficult to handle, compared to a lighter weapon. You're less controlling the blade, and more guiding it. Most of its power comes from its weight and the momentum you give it. Guide where it swings and let its movement do the rest. Don't try to force it."

He gave a light shrug and a smile, "It's slower, but you'll find your strikes have much more power to them."

It was at that point Anton came up on deck. "Well well, I come up and I DON'T find our captain on deck training. This is something new."

Post Word Count: 513
Total Word Count: 736

Tue May 10, 2022 4:34 am

Yumiko’s ponytail bristled, when an utterly unfamiliar voice addressed her. Startled, she staggered away from the towering man. Yet again, the blade refused to follow along, staying stubbornly stuck. Reflexively, her hands brushed against her thigh, only to find nothing hanging by her side.

Taking a step back, the warrior watched warily as the pirate handled the weapon with fearsome ease. “Y-yes... Imean no, I m-mean...” She stuttered, trying desperately to weave a white lie to maintain the cover. To assure at least one party involved that she was ‘Mustardseed’, the one true master of this unruly blade. Her soul was too honest, however. Rest had restored her voice, but not her nerves.

Worse yet, the strange sensation of warmth flared again within the samurai’s chest. Seeing a mighty man of such honor in this pit of vipers felt like finding a blooming flower on a field of thorns. The feeling picked up its brush and painted ever brighter layers of pink onto her cheeks.

‘Mustardseed’ stumbled slightly, as the heavy blade was handed back. “T-thank-s...” She managed to sputter. Her thoughts grew from puzzling to outright shameful and she quickly averted her gaze. Biting her tongue, she fiercely fought back the urge to ask if... he would like to... discuss swords some more...

Thankfully, a far more familiar voice interrupted the awkward moment. Relief washed over the samurai’s features, as she spun to greet her comrade. “Good morning ma-! Er... P-puck...” Again she stumbled over the old habits, barely correcting herself.

...And only then it occurred to her that she was being very rude right now.

Flushing red enough to rival a tomato, the swordswoman spun back to face the warrior before her. “Oh, uh, this one-Imean- I... I am Mustardseed.” She stopped herself in an awkward half-bow, before yanking her head back up and offering a handshake instead. “Er, n-nice to meet the-you. You. Matey.” No, she was not okay.

She didn’t even feel like herself right now.

However, if the gentle giant tried to actually shake the awkward samurai’s hand, she would suddenly withdraw with a strange squeak. Reminiscent of a cornered animal, she inched away from the probably confused man. “I... Imustgo.” She dragged the sword behind her, scraping a groove on the deck.

Hurrying over to ‘Puck’, she slipped a strangely shaky comment to him in passing. “Puck, may this- I- may I please have a word... Uh... Talk. About things. Pirate... stuff.” The stumbling continued, as she struggled to suppress her usual speech pattern.

Words: 420
Thread Total: 758
Saga Total: 19 023

Wed May 11, 2022 1:49 pm

Left straight, right straight, left hook, right hook, uppercut with left and right hand. poping and weaving on the spot and moving around his imaginary opponent using his footwork, all of this was displayed by Ryoichi. It was clear, that the man was taking his 'fight' seriously. In his mind, there was no way he would lose.

The movement through the shadow boxing was bound to build up some sweat. It was exercise boxers often used to warm themselves up and get into the mentality of competition. Some go as far as to imagine the opponent they are about to face in the ring.

But Ryoichi was not about to stop there. For him, this rapid movement was but a warm-up still, although this entire exercise was a warm-up. He had decided that it was time to speed it up. Faster punches, faster head movement, faster movement around in the imaginary ring. It all added up to his already packed cardio training.

After each precise punch, he let out a precise and fairly loud breath. A good punch can happen without proper breathing, but a fight will not last long without it. To survive long in a ring and in his training, he let out breaths. For him, it came naturally, having participated in this sport for a while, but it is something many forget to do... A rookie mistake, some would call it.

It might have been predicted, but as he picked up the speed of throwing the punches, it was visibly more 'violent'. It felt like an all-out battle between Ryoichi and an imaginary shadow. If one had walked past the door to his quarters, they could hear the heavy and constant breathing. The man was clearly in the middle of the action!

The man was so busy with his fast movements, loud breaths, and building up the sweat that he failed to notice things in his quarters. A wall was banged, leaving a mark. A vase fell down on its side but did not break. His bed got the cover thrown off...

But Ryoichi did not stumble against anything... And no one else was in the room either... Right?

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Wed May 11, 2022 2:48 pm

Nero did indeed seem a little confused by Yumiko's shy behavior. She seemed so focused earlier, but now...

And that fact was not lost on Anton as she stumbled through a request to speak to him alone. Well, at least she had her voice back. "Um, sure," he replied, gesturing for her to follow him into the ship.

Meanwhile, Lune and Sol had been following behind. Unlike Anton, thrley had not had much experience with Yumiko, and had gotten adjusted to her personality. As such, they were much quicker to connect the dots than Anton was. As Anton led Yumiko inside, the two sisters grinned before looking to Nero. "Don't let it bother you." "Yeah. She's just really shy, is all."

Once they were inside and out of earshot, Anton turned to Yumiko. "How are you holding up? I can understand you're uncertain around Nero, but it will be fine. He's shown to be a pretty decent man so far."

-----@^@-----

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the ship, Doc Black, a.k.a. Cobweb, was making his way to Ryoichi's room. He was checking to see how everyone was holding up with the loss of Celia, and as the defacto captain, Ryoichi was at the top of his check up list.

He approached the door and knocked. "Captain?" There was no response. Black leaned in. He could definitely hear the sounds of movement, even the occasional thumping sound. Ryoichi was in there, and the ship's doctor would not be ignored dammit!

Fortunately, he had a master key on him (he had been given it to check up on Yumiko, but it worked here too). He opened the door and stepped inside. Yep, Ryoichi was there, sparring with nobody, as his room looked like a mess.

Doc Black closed the door behind him, hopefully loud enough to get his attention. "I didn't peg you as the sort to trash your room."

Post Word Count: 315
Total Word Count:1,051

Thu May 12, 2022 3:55 am

Accompanied by the awkward scraping sound, the swordswoman hurried after the mushroom man. Her sharp ears twitched, picking up the words left in the air. They only sparked further confusion and worry. Shy...? What did the pale sorceress mean by that...?

Only after the door closed, ‘Mustardseed’ could drop the crumbling disguise and be Yumiko again. Deep breaths calmed down her thumping heart. The question was met with hesitation. She glanced over her shoulder, making sure the door was truly shut. “I... do not know...” She admitted reluctantly, unable to answer more honestly than that.

With a deep sigh, the samurai reconstructed her cold composure. Her expression froze with the frigid focus so typical to her. Yet, beneath the ice, the crimson blush still burned hot on her cheeks. Step by step, she drew deeper into his personal space, to pass a conspiratorial whisper.

“I fear he may be a sorcerer.”

Yes, the woman who could turn into a mythical monster was dead serious in her belief. As much was evident in her tone, as she continued. “However, the sorcery he wields is much different from thy concubines.” There it was again, another deeply rooted misunderstanding in a long line of them. In her defense though, no one had actually corrected her yesterday.

The superstitious warrior set the borrowed blade aside, letting it lean against the wall. “I know I have no proof, but... I have felt it. In here.” She tapped her bandaged chest insistently. “I can feel the invisible flames he fans with his presence. They pass through cloth and flesh, scorching only the soul.” Putting feelings into words was never easy, but she was especially terrible at it, comparing the unfamiliar sensations to what she knew from the battlefield.

Leaning even closer, the samurai sought safety in her master’s steadfast presence. “Have thou felt it too?” Personal space had left the room at this point. “The strange burning inside thee, when thou gaze upon a valorous warrior? The heat that floods thy mind with shameful yearning?” She stared at him intensely, trying to read his reaction, to see if he too had fallen under this strange spell.

Words: 360
Thread Total: 1118
Saga Total: 19 383

Fri May 13, 2022 3:51 pm

Ryoichi wished he could answer what the Plague doctor was saying... But it was not the time for it. The training was not over yet... As a matter of fact, he actually did not even hear what he had to say about the mess in the room. That also meant that Ryoichi was still oblivious about it. He was deeply concentrated on the task at hand

The doctor could however feel the wind moving within the room. It was not strong enough to exactly destroy anything, but enough to move things. And yet, there was no one else visible in the room beside the boxing Ryoichi who could have caused all of this mess.

For a keen-eyed observer, one could notice an interesting fact about the wind movement, relating to Ryoichi. It moved in the direction Ryoichi was facing and throwing his punches. It was probably an appropriate time for the doctor to take a step out of the room.

Ryoichi suddenly with closed eyes had turned himself towards the doorway where the good doctor was standing. A very swift right straight punch was thrown, followed by a gust of wind. For a visual eye, the punch did not land, by Ryoichi himself, but the shadow that was cast on the ground thanks to the sun shining through the window, did look like it landed a punch.

If the good doctor did not get out of the way, the man would most likely get hit, strong enough to send him stumbling backward, but not enough to actually hurt him. If that were to happen... Boy Ryoichi has some explaining to do... That is if he knows how to explain the situation.

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Sun May 15, 2022 12:51 pm

Anton resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Yumiko's claims of sorcery. The woman was still a bit...naive, about how the world was. Though he did gave to speak up about Lune and Sol. "Yumiko, let me just clear the air now. Lune and Sol are not concubines." He wasn't sure how he would explain to Yumiko that the sisters had granted themselves their abilities via scientific experimentation, so he left the sorcery part alone.

He knew for certain Nero didn't have any Devil Fruit, since he wouldn't have cleared that water obstacle otherwise. But, he wasn't going to dismiss Yumiko's claims outright. He knew how fragile her confidence could get. "And what sort of magic does Nero have?"

Though as she described it, it all sounded...strange. Flames that scorched the soul? Feelings of shameful yearning? If Anton didn't know any better, he would swear Yumiko was.

Anton froze as his eyes widened. That WAS it! Anton had to clamp his hands over his mouth to stop himself from letting out a laugh. No. Mustn't hurt Yumiko's feelings.

"S-Sorry," he said with a light chuckle in his voice. He took a deep breath to compose himself, before he smiled at Yumiko. "I can thankfully assure you that what you're feeling isn't caused by sorcery. It's..." He then froze, as it just dawned on him that he had to explain physical (and potentially sexual) attraction to Yumiko. His brain scrambled to find the right words...and found none. "Have you ever been...attracted to someone before?"

Dammit, where was Doc Black when he needed him?"

-----@^@-----

Speaking of Doc Black...

It seemed his words were falling on deaf ears, as Ryoichi continued to spar. Though, as he did, the good doctor started noticing that things were off. With each punch Ryoichi threw, the wind moved. Gusts powerful enough to move objects. Doc Black has seen Anton's bursts of compressed air, but something about this was different.

"Um, captain?"

Doc's eyes widened as Ryoichi, his eyes closed, turned to face him. Though there was a good amount of distance between the two, an instinct told him this wad not a good sign. "Wait!"

The burst of air that hit him caused him to stumble back, tumbling out the door and into the hall outside. It wasn't as if the attack hurt. It was like a shove, fortunately. Did Ryoichi even realize what he just did?

Post Word Count: 401
Total Word Count: 1,452

Mon May 16, 2022 8:47 am

Yumiko’s frigid stare narrowed into an unintentional glare, as she tried her best to decipher the odd reaction. Never before had she seen her master like this. To her, he seemed something between startled and... amused? Clearly he knew something, yet forcefully sealed his own lips for some reason...

The samurai’s confusion only grew, when her master claimed the strange phenomenon wasn’t sorcery. Then what else could it be? A poison? Nay, she had forbidden herself any food or drink precisely for that reason ever since the pirates had come aboard, and she would’ve smelled if it was a gas...

When the careful question was voiced, the swordswoman didn’t even hesitate. Swift, decisive and blunt, her answer came like a whack from a training sword.

“Never.”

Yumiko held her head high and folded her arms. “A true samurai feels no bodily desires, not hunger, not fatigue and not libido. His mind shall be as sharp as his blade. Thus is mine bushido.” Her tone did carry a noticeable pinch of pride. Indeed, she was proud that she recalled the proper term for a man’s lust to procreate.

However, one realization had been tossed into the air several sentences back. Now it finally came back with the force of a falling brick. Upon the imaginary impact, Yumiko recoiled, eyes going blank white from the sheer shock. “Wait, not concubines?!” So much for the private conversation. Half the ship probably heard that one.

Suddenly, the weasel woman leaned far too close again. Her nose twitched, as she sniffed the Rear Admiral’s neck and clothing. Even now, she could pick up the distinct scents of the foreigners. One smelled like the kiss of flame and the other like the breath of frost.

After an awkward moment, the samurai stepped back. She glanced at the floor as if she might find the right words down there. “But their scent clings to thee, like thou had shared a bed, so I thought... I assumed...” Her words trailed off, as she tried to rebuild her composure.

Yumiko retreated backwards, freeing barely enough space to avoid bashing foreheads with Anton, as she dropped to her knees. Instead, she bashed her forehead against the floor. “A thousand apologies! This one begs thee to forgive thy foolish vassal for making a rude mistake!” That too echoed across the ship. Quite the lungs on her.

Remaining stubbornly prostrated until suitably forgiven, the warrior voiced a careful question of her own. “Master, if this one may ask... If not concubines...” She nearly stopped there. Her instincts were screaming at her, telling her that it was none of her concern. And yet, the question slipped out regardless.

“Then, what are they to thee?”

Words: 451
Thread Total: 1569
Saga Total: 19 834

Tue May 17, 2022 1:56 pm

The right fist remained reached out, with the left fist close to his left cheek and the elbow covering his ribs. His left foot stayed forward and right foot back, turned a bit. He had finished the punch and stayed put on one spot.

This could only mean one thing. Ryoichi would never stay put in one spot like that. He is like a deer waiting to be hit by a carriage. That meant that Ryoichi had won, against the shadow he was facing in his mind. Oh, what a sweet victory it was.

Upon opening his eyes and resuming his regular stance, he finally had a chance to take a look around the room... "Wait... What the heck?! Who's there?!" he once more resumed his stance, turning himself on the spot, performing a three-sixty degree turn.

Ryoichi had a fair point to assume that someone was there when he had been busy with his training. Had someone been looking for something? But he had nothing to hide. Something was fishy. It was then that he noticed doc Black sitting on his butt just outside the doorway.

"Hey doc! Did you see someone leave the room? Someone has come and trashed my room. They were looking for something I am sure of it.". It was then that it hit him. Yes. That could be it. He's the only one left.

He took a few steps closer to the doctor as he then looked down at him, the eyes piercing from between the strands of his black hair that covered his forehead and a few of them his eyes. "Did you go around looking for something from my room?".

Truly, a fair assumption. The weirdest part about it was, that Ryoichi looked somewhat menacing... But his tone was not that. He knew there was nothing to take, but he tried to solve the mystery. He had to, for his own peace of mind.

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Tue May 17, 2022 3:53 pm

As Yumiko described how she, nor any samurai, feel attraction, Anton couldn't really help but not believe her. Sure, he could believe Yumiko wouldn't. The woman didn't even know what sex was until recently. But the main warrior class of Wano? Hard to believe.

Plus he had more important things to worry about, like her suddenly SHOUTING over the fact that Lune and Sol weren't concubines. Anton's eyes almost bugged out as he tried to shush her. Did she want the whole ship to hear?

But then the big question dropped. What were Lune and Sol to him? Anton sighed. "It's...complicated," he sighed, "Just know they are two people I care about." And indeed, thry cared for him too. But with everything going on, and what they were wanted for...

"Whatcha talking about?"

Anton let out a surprised yell, turning and looking behind him. Behind him stood the dwarf known as Tiny Laugh Lane. Just how long had she been there? "N-Never you mind!" he spluttered. The little dwarf shrugged. "Whatever. Wahid wanted me to tell everyone that breakfast is ready."

-----@^@-----

It seemed that Ryoichi had finally come back to reality, and was then just as confused about the state of his room, even accusing Doc Black of going through it. Indeed, how he looked right now, Ryoichi would be intimidating, if the doctor wasn't annoyed at the accusation.

"I think you'll find," Dock Black grunted as he climbed to his feet, "that all this," he gestured to the damage around the room, "was all you. I don't know what you were doing, but you were kicking up some sort of wind strike that was damaging everything. Then you turned around and hit ME and then..."

He then paused as a realization hit him. "Captain...were you even aware of what you were doing?"

"Um, sir?" Doc Black looked over to see one of the crewmen standing nearby. "Um, the new cook wanted everyone to know that breakfast is ready." Doc Black nodded. "Thank you. We'll be right there."

-----@^@-----

Ryoichi's choice to take a cook into their crew had been a good one. The meal prepared looked, and smelled, absolutely amazing. Plenty of seafood and vegetable based dishes. Clearly Wahid was someone who took pride in his work.

Post Word Count: 379
Total Word Count: 1,831

Wed May 18, 2022 8:39 am

Admiration was often blind. Yumiko only saw the samurai class as her father’s old stories painted them, warriors noble and brave, mythical men without weaknesses. It was an impossible ideal she stubbornly strived to accomplish, a fool chasing a dream.

But who would have the heart to tell her that?

Not Anton, evidently. The kind man let the blissfully ignorant woman have her childish dream for a little longer. Surely this would not come back to bite him horribly in the upcoming days.

Somehow, over this conversation, the self-proclaimed samurai had been left with more questions than answers. First, her master had refused to explain what manner of sorcery that terrifying man wielded. Then, she was informed the two con- erm visitors were simply... People master cared about...? Her eyes narrowed with strange intensity. Yet, she said nothing. A vassal did not question his liege.

Suddenly, the weasel woman recoiled with an equally startled yelp, surprised by the chime of an unexpected voice. Her wide eyes swept the floor wildly, before finally finding the tiny creature. An imaginary brush painted pink dots of blush on her cheeks. A single thought overpowered all the others. ‘...Cute.’

However, when the topic of breakfast was brought up, alongside the unfamiliar name, Yumiko’s expression suddenly soured. Memories from yesterday bubbled in her mind, giving her a solid guess on the chef’s identity. She averted her gaze hastily, murmuring beneath her breath. “I... am not hungry.” It was a bold claim from someone who hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning.

Worse yet, an incredible scent tickled the weasel’s sharp nose. It teased her with the promise of eggs and salmon... With a pitiful, little groan, her stomach asked if she was absolutely sure about not being hungry. Reflexively, she placed her hand on her abs, digging her nails into the flesh hard enough to leave marks. A true samurai did not feel hunger.

“Please excuse me.”

Stepping past both ‘Puck’ and Lane, ‘Mustardseed’ marched off. She pinched her nose shut along the way. Grim determination carried her past the mess hall, through the living quarters and right to her cabin. At least she was starting to learn her way around.

Words: 364
Thread Total: 1933
Saga Total: 20 198

Thu May 19, 2022 3:46 pm

Ryoichi took a step back as the doctor had regained himself and immediately began to answer his questions, some were answered with a question itself. At the mention of wind being generated by him, he turned himself a bit and looked at the trashed room.

He had never generated wind, nor did he feel like he was generating a form of wind from his punches. Perhaps the good doctor saw wrong... Perhaps the window was open and the cold sea wind blew it. There are other explanations, his generating wind was the least likely... He possessed no such power.

So he simply shrugged it off. It was a clear indication to the doctor's follow-up question. He had no idea what had caused it, but he had no time to think about it. His mind was once more occupied by all the other thoughts.

Although he was ready to head back to training, he and the doctor had received a message that breakfast is ready by none other than the Fishman chef he had picked as the 'trophy'. He was dead set on getting himself to top shape for the day, but his stomach was growling... And this was not set to be the kind of training where he was to lose weight.

He needed his morning energy, and the breakfast shall provide it. He set his way towards the dining room along with the doctor. Upon reaching it and entering, he already saw some of his crew having sat down and enjoying their provided meal. Some were still missing.

But he did not let himself wait, there were still things to do, so he headed towards the desk where there was a chair that was bigger than others, fitting for the 'king', as they say. Shortly later, Wahid came out from the kitchen, with a plate on each of his six hands, a neat thing those hands were.

He set each plate down, the last remaining one was set down in front of his new captain. A fulfilling meal with fried eggs, sausages, bread with butter and then to strengthen those bones, a proper glass of milk.

"That's an excellent meal, Wahid, I shall enjoy it." and he dug in the meal with fork and knife. The breakfast hall was gloomy, but not much they can do about it for now, other than try and enjoy it.

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Fri May 20, 2022 1:46 pm

As Yumiko excused herself, rather than head for the breakfast that was being prepared for them, Anton couldn't help but let out a small sigh. He could understand that Yumiko was still have reservations about having to team up with pirates, even if only temporarily. He just hoped this stubbornness didn't come at the cost of her health. People needed to eat after all. All the while, the disguised marine still failed to recognize the prejudice that Yumiko was really feeling. It simply hadn't occured to him yet.

Well, it was her loss. Especially when Anton arrived in the dining area of the ship. The food smelled absolutely amazing. Many of the crew were already there, eagerly taking in the food. Even Ryoichi, sitting over at his personal desk, was being treated to a meal by Wahid. He spied Lune and Sol, already at the table, eating. Seeing him, the two women waved him over. "This is great!" Lune piped up happily, before shoveling a cold sausage into her mouth, "You gotta win another chef. Imagine what two people like this could do!" Anton couldn't help but give a small chuckle. The food did indeed look wonderful. And if the fact that Sol had put a large pile of it on her plate was any indication, then it certainly tasted great too.

And, unfortauntely, it was at that point his hearing picked up the knocking at the door, almost covered over by the sounds in the hall. Anton gave a quick little sigh. Well, this should hopefully be a quick one. "Excuse me," he said, rising to his feet and heading for the door.

Outside, waiting, was the familiar face of one of Alcabiades' lackies. Upon seeing him, the man held up an envelop towards him. "Here are the events scheduled for today sir," he said as Anton accepted it, "Please be sure to choose who you'll have participating shortly." Anton nodded. "Ok, thanks." The deliveryman peered through the door at the food right before Anton closed it. Letter in hand, he approached Ryoichi, who seemed to be digging into his meal already. "We got the latest events for today, captain," he said, setting it down in front of him, "We need to work out who's doing what." They had to be careful. They already lost one crewmember. Anton was not ready to lose another.

Post Word Count: 394
Total Word Count: 2,225

Sat May 21, 2022 9:18 am

‘Mustardseed’ fled to her quarters, scratching the floor in her wake. The door snapped shut. She hoisted the borrowed sword back onto its stand. Even now, the tall warrior’s advice made rounds inside her head. She was not sure how to put them into action, however. Perhaps it was better that way. This wasn’t even her blade, after all.

Pushing the thoughts aside, the uneasy infiltrator stepped over to the wardrobe. She needed a new disguise. Her previous one had suffered... several accidents... yesterday. Peering at the neatly folded clothes, she quietly apologized to their true owner, before carefully going through her options. Too big, too revealing, too showy... One after another, the outfits were rejected.

Eventually, ‘Mustardseed’ settled for some manner of a dance costume, a sleeveless leotard accompanied by a translucent dress shaped like a flower. The shoes seemed like mere slippers, but their toes were reinforced for some inexplicable reason. Her hair was kept in a ponytail, but now decorated with a bow that resembled a butterfly. She looked at her reflection, barely even recognizing herself... And sighed heavily.

Anything for the sake of the mission.

While the others enjoyed a hearty breakfast, the samurai peeked inside the mess hall. Her eyes narrowed, when she saw the criminals. Instead of stepping inside, she retreated back and remained by the door. Arms folded, she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Her sharp hearing perked up, trying to catch the conversation on the other side.

As long as the proud warrior had a choice, she would not walk into that den of villains. She had nothing to say to them. Not even... Nay, never mind. Frankly, she couldn’t understand why the two people she considered her most trusted allies were so carefree and careless among enemies...

It was not right...

Words: 303
Thread Total: 2236
Saga Total: 20 501

Sun May 22, 2022 1:00 pm

As Ryoichi was trying to enjoy the delicious meal that he had been served in this somber mood filled the room, and that momentum got broken by Anton bringing the letter over to him. It was that time again. It was time to choose the participants again.

He gently pushed the plate aside and opened the letter to read its contents. He rubbed his chin as he did so, 'consuming' its contents. One of the names on the list immediately popped to him. It was right up his alley.

"The all-out boxing event. "Boxernation" as they call it. I'll take this. of course he would choose this. Why wouldn't he choose something so obvious? It was his specialty. So one of the choices was set, what about others?

To make this simpler for himself, rather than shouting all the names over the place, he decided to give the crew a bit of chance to make their own decision in this case. Although most of his choice had been good in the last even, he was unsure what to do with this one. He was not entirely sure about everyone's abilities.

"Attention everyone. If you could please pause your meal and gather over to my table. There's a matter of games to choose from and attend." the king had spoken in a rather kingly manner, or at least he tried to.

He placed the unfolded paper on the table for everyone to read. Immediately, one of the crew members raised his hand. It was the loudmouthed one, the formerly known snitch of the crew, or the gossiper. "I shall take the swimming competition. Not to brag but I was a champion swimmer after all."

the man flexed, through his baggy clothes. It was hard to say if he was joking or not. Nevertheless, Ryoichi nodded slowly. It was a decent idea. He and two other known members could not swim at all. But that left a big question in the room. Why not choose Wahid? He is, after all, a Fishman. But is it a risk he is willing to take? After all, who says he will not throw the game.

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Sun May 22, 2022 2:54 pm

Well, it seemed Ryoichi had discovered his game fairy quickly. The man was a boxer after all, so this was right up the captain's ally. Though remembering some of the pirates present, this may not exactly be easy for him. Seeing the swimming caused Anton the blanch until Bowork volunteered for it. Good luck winning a swimming race against a mermaid. Still, it seemed like the Riptides would have this in the bag, so at least they weren't risking anyone valuable.

Anton peered at the form before another voice spoke up. "Ooh! I'll take the relay!" Lane hopped up onto the table, grinning. As a dwarf, she certainly had speed on her side. Though this was a team event, so there was always that risk they could lose due to teammates. They would just have to trust others would be throwing their best too.

Nero peered over the group. "I'll take the Lumberjack competition." From What Anton gathered, it was essentially a tree chopping race. Good for someone of Nero's size and strength. "There appears to be a memory game as well," Melanie spoke up with a smile, "I'll take that one."

That left three remaining. "Hmm," Anton murmured, "Wahid, what do you think of the soccer game?" He looked over at the confused fishman before explaining, "You look like you'd be a good goal keeper." It took a second for Wahid to catch on before he grinned, flexing his four arms. "Count me in mushroom man!"

That left two. Anton looked at the one labeled Jump Rope. Jumping was Anton's thing. This one would be an easy win. But then he saw the other one. Payload. A team event. Whichever one he didn't take would fall to Yumiko, and he knew she would rather die than work alongside pirates. "I'll take the Payload," Anton said, "Which leaves Mustardseed with the Jump Rope."

At that moment, a devilish idea occured to him. Anton couldn't help but grin. "Nero, can you please inform Mustardseed of this?" Nero blinked. "Oh, sure." Behind them, the two Kaiser sisters giggled.

Post Word Count: 346
Total Word Count: 2,571

Mon May 23, 2022 6:59 am

With sharp enough focus, one could cut through all distractions, leaving behind only the important information. Yumiko’s ears twitched, carefully carving out the words from the mess of munching mouths and chiming cutlery. Only the most familiar of voices got a face inside her mind. The rest were merely shady silhouettes.

Emphasis on shady.

...And one cute silhouette.

While others chose based on personal strengths -or cockiness- the weasel woman held no wishes or expectations. She was a blade, thus she would go where needed. Even if she had been chosen for a swimming competition, she would’ve given it her all.

Fortunately, the samurai was given something more sensible. Jump Rope... The name of the game planted a seed in her mind, which blossomed into a flowery thought bubble. Gruff pirates skipped playfully over a rope like a bunch of little kids, reciting rhythmic rhymes in unison.

Distracted by the questionable imagination spot, the eavesdropper completely missed the devilish voices plotting her doom. She only snapped back to reality, when she heard footsteps approaching. Unfamiliar steps... Too big, too heavy...

Too late.

Much like a grazing deer suddenly encountering a bear, ‘Mustardseed’ briefly froze in shock as her gaze slowly scaled the looming figure. Her first instinct was to reach for a blade that wasn’t there. The two stared at each other for several silent seconds.

“Oh, there you are.”

Finally, a friendly voice shook the samurai out of her shock. Pricked by the disarming comment, the tension deflated completely. In her vision, the rosy imagination spread its flowering vines around the mighty mountain of a man. His voice drifted gently into her ears. “You were selected for the Jump Rope event and-” And she did not hear a word he said afterwards over the deafening beat of her heart.

After explaining the twist of the game and offering some friendly advice, Nero finally started having doubts. He waved a hand before the fairy woman’s blank stare. “Uh... Did you get all that?” He asked carefully.

‘Mustardseed’ was yanked out of her little fairytale world. She blinked, recoiled and stumbled all over her words. “Wha-? Oh. Y-yes... Imean... Aye aye. Got it.” She could feel her cheeks beginning to burn, no matter how she tried to suppress the bubbling feeling. This curse... was too powerful...!

Without another word, the disguised samurai turned and marched away. She vaguely heard the worried warrior call after her, but refused to answer. Her sharpening focus slashed through the jungle of rosy imagination, leaving behind nothing but mulch. Sorcery or not, she would not let herself get distracted by this... this... valiant... No! Not here, not now.

Meanwhile, Nero returned to the mess hall looking a little dejected. Passing ‘Puck’, he gestured towards the door. “Well, I told her, but... I get the feeling she doesn’t like me.” He admitted, clearly oblivious to the signs.

The comment was met with a sympathetic laugh from the chef. “Hah, join the club. You should’ve seen the stink-eye she gave me yesterday. If looks could kill, I’d be takoyaki right about now.” He shrugged, pouring fuel to the fires of misunderstanding.

Words: 523
Thread Total: 2759
Saga Total: 21 024

Fri May 27, 2022 6:49 am

"Are you sure about it?" he threw a question towards the loudmouth known as Bowork. Before he could even say another word, Bowork assured him with complete confidence that he would be able to compete in swimming... Against another Fishman. Ryoichi let out a soft sigh but nodded then.

"Very well. It seems like we have all of our competitions set.. Indeed, everyone knew their competition, considering that Nero also had returned from delivering the message to Yumiko the Mustardseed. Even to that, he let out a slightly disappointed sigh. It would have been good if she was here and here to enjoy the breakfast.

"Wahid, if you could please whip up another plate with food for me with a glass of water. I've got some delivery to do. You all may return to your feast." as did Ryoichi, to finish his own meal before Wahid had put a plate full of the same breakfast on the platter together with the glass of water, covering the platter then with the lid.

He stood up and walked over to the platter that Wahid had prepared. "My thank you to the chef, the breakfast was very enjoyable." he bowed his head to the master chef, to which Wahid nodded as well, but his eyes seemed somewhat lifeless for a moment to that remark, however, Ryoichi paid no mind to it. He proceeded to take the platter and leave the dining room.

His destination was the room where Yumiko was staying. Everyone had been enjoying their breakfast. Everyone, except one. And he knew her tendencies to not eat. He could not let that slide. Upon reaching the room, he knocked on the door. "Mustardseed, if you are in there, please open the door."

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Sun May 29, 2022 1:06 pm

As Nero returned with his 'report', Anton gave a small chuckle himself. "Mustardseed has a few...things going on," he explained, "A rough life. Finds it a bit hard to get used to strangers and newcomers." OK, so not exactly true, but Anton did have a hunch. A regular childhood in Wano couldn't have left someone as bent out of shape as Yumiko. Something must have happened. "Just give her time. She'll come around." A small pang of guilt hit him. Once this assignment was over, these guys were most likely ending up in prison. It hurt Anton to lie to them like this.

Unlike Yumiko and most people, whose only experiences with pirates had been the criminal side of things, Anton had seen the other side of pirates. Pirates often frequented his family's inn, and many if them had shown to be jovial, even pleasant. Anton had seen the more human side to them.

At that point, Bowork spoke up. "Hey, um, Wahid. Can I ask you something?" The fishman rose an eyebrow. "Yes?" "Why do you have four arms?"

Anton almost choked in shock, spinning around on Bowork. "Jesus man! You can't just ask someon-!" Bowork raised his hands defensively. "Hang on! I already know he's a fishman. An octopus or something judging by the arms. I mean though, Octopi have eight limbs, right? Wahid's only got six. I was just curious." Anton paused. That...actually was an interesting point.

Wahid looked a little uncomfortable before sighing. "My mother is human, ok?" Ah, that made sense. Bowork blinked. "So your mom fucked a fi-?" Anton clasped his hand over the man's mouth with lightening speed. "Whatever Wahid's parents get up to in the bedroom," Anton hissed dangerously, "Is ENTIRELY their business!" He paused and glanced at Wahid, "Consensual?" Wahid blinked and nodded. "Yes! My parents love eachother very much!"

Anton released Bowork, "Alright then. Honestly, it kinda sounds sweet. In this world, the fact that two very different people found love together is rather heartening. And I assume they raised you well?" Wahid nodded again, "Yeah, they were good parents," his expression turned bitter, "It was everyone else that was the problem."

"Non-human discrimination is a big problem in this world," Melanie mused, "Fishmen, mermaids, minks, even some cyborgs get it from time to time." "We don't!" Lane pointed out, "Nor do Giants." Melanie smiled and patted the dwarf on the head. "That's because dwarves are adorable beyond belief. As for giants, I doubt anyone is dumb enough to insult a race of people capable of smashing down buildings with ease."

The were some nods of agreement from some of the folks in the room. Anton was aware though that criminal giants were instantly locked away in Impel Down, simply by virtue of their race. "Well, we won't tolerate that crap here, right guys?" There were some murmurs of agreement from the crew, though Anton wished they were a little more enthusiastic.

Wahid stared at them for a moment, almost in surprise before shaking his head. "Eh, enough of this sentimentality. I don't want all this food I made for you guys to go to waste. So eat up already!"

Post Word Count: 530
Total Word Count: 3,101

Mon May 30, 2022 1:16 pm

Leaving the rest of the crew to enjoy breakfast, the weasel woman retreated into her borrowed burrow. After locking the door behind her, she paced restlessly around the room. It was no good... The scorching sensation lingered still, burning her soul. Trying to snuff it out only made it flare hotter. Such vexing sorcery...

Fortunately, a knock on the door and a familiar voice dragged Yumiko out of her thoughts. “Sir Ry- I-Imean Captain Oberon? Yes, sir!” She responded without missing a beat. Sir Anton had been cryptic with his answers, so perhaps Sir Ryoichi could provide a more direct explanation.

The lock rattled briefly, before the warrior pushed the door open. “Tho-er, you wanted to see me, captain?” Standing in the doorway, she clicked her heels together and saluted, welcoming any semblance of normalcy in this madhouse. In fact, she was quietly getting her hopes up... Hoping that she could talk with him about her troubles...

...Until she saw the tray of food.

All of a sudden, the samurai’s stare turned oddly hollow. Her gaze shifted from the tray to the man carrying it... And back to the tray. Her sharp nose twitched at the lingering scent. Suddenly, her expression twisted into utter disgust, like a pet owner whose cat had just dragged in a half-gnawed squirrel carcass.

After the exceedingly awkward pause, without a word, Yumiko slowly pulled the door shut. The dry whine of the hinges crawled across the air. If Ryoichi didn’t react quickly enough, she would shut it right in front of his nose. On the other hand, trying to stop her was a good way to get a limb squished between the door and the frame. Choices, choices.

Words: 284
Thread Total: 3043
Saga Total: 21 308

Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:45 pm

The hand movement was swift and precise. Ryoichi was not done talking yet, and the door was already shutting on him. As a matter of fact, he had not even been given a chance to say anything. On normal occasions, he might let this slide and have the door shut, however this time, he slid the hand and fingers in between the door, stopping it from being closed.

But Ryoichi was not going to succeed so quickly. With one hand holding onto the tray, trying not to shake anything off of it. Meanwhile, with the other hand, he had the fingers in between the door, close to being shoved in between the doorway and door. Yumiko was putting up a fight.

She seemed determined to shut the door or slice his fingers off. Of course, that was not true, probably. Ryoichi however tried to soften the tension up in the room a tiny bit. "Please.. Do not shut me off. If you do not wish to eat, at least eat the bread bun. Or drink a bit of water... They are our own."

While he was still busy eating, he had cracked the code through some minor observation, although his mind was away somewhere else. Yumiko did not seem to be a fan of Wahid, according to Wahid's comments earlier. Perhaps there's a deeper meaning to it? Perhaps that is also the reason why she did not want him to be here? All will be found out sooner or later.

What mattered now was that maybe she would let him enter the room, to converse with her, and hopefully, she would consume at least some of the 'side' dish, which was a bread bun and water. "We need, every strength we have. To win back.." at some point, he had to get through to her, with his voice that contained determination, and will, to succeed.

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Thu Jun 02, 2022 2:43 pm

The meal had been good. Very good. Probably some of the best he had in a while, though he would be reluctant to tell the ship's chefs this. Knowing a pirate was by far a better chef than them couldn't be good for their moral. As he sat back, patting his stomach, his mind turned to what to do now. The games weren't due to begin for a bit, and Ryoichi had gone off to, what Anton assumed was to deliver their picks. He had some time to kill.

"I think I'll go for a walk." He said, getting up. He hadn't had much of a chance to explore this island yet, not since the first say. Beside him, Lune and Sol smiled, "We'll join you." Anton looked back at them and smiled. "Sure!"

-----@^@-----

Granted, when Anton had said the Kaiser sisters could join him, he didn't think like this. He couldn't help feeling a little awkward walking amongst the tents and stalls, each of the two on each arm. Naturally this attracted some looks from the pirates milling about, many of them jealous. "You gotta show dominance in a place like this," Lune had said. "Indeed. Show them you're a man of accomplishment." Of course, Anton couldn't help but suspect that they had an ulterior motive.

Still, Anton found himself being more calm in this situation than he felt he should be. He was deep in pirate territory, and yet he felt fine. If anything, the festive atmosphere reminded him almost of home. Though he would never say so.

"You there!"

Anton and the sisters paused to look back, seeing two figures approaching them. The first was the wizened old form of Cicero Caeser, his arms behind his back. Following behind him was Orion, looking as stoic as ever.

The old man stopped in front of him, looking up at him. "Mr Puck, was it?" he said, "I was curious to meet the man who beat my boy." Nero. Anton should have put two and two together. "Well, I wouldn't exactly say I beat him," Anton replied. After all, Anton only won because Nero through him over the finish line. Cicero nodded. "I was saddened by his loss, but I'm proud he acted as he did." He looked into Anton's eyes, "I only ask that you treat him well. It would be most unfortunate if anything were to happen to him."

Anton could hear the silent "or else" in those words. Even though Cicero looked to be an old man, he was still a pirate captain, and looking into those golden eyes told Anton that there was a damn good reason for it.

And then, just like that, the tension broke as Cicero's face split into a smile. "Well, we got some time to kill. How about a drink? My treat." He thrn looked to the two sisters with a recognizably coy smile. "At least for your lovely ladies here." Anton blushed lightly as the two sisters gave an amused chuckle. Behind him, Orion gave a small sigh, looking a little embarrassed, "Father..."

Cicero glanced back at his son. "What? I'm old, I ain't dead! What's the point of living to my age if I can't enjoy myself?"

Post Word Count: 539
Total Word Count: 3,640

[Saga] [Part 3] Bringing their A game.

[Saga] [Part 3] Bringing their A game.

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