[Episode] Revolutionary Mayhem

The grand sails of the Wonderland Hatch withdrew as the city island of Water 7 opened its docks to the magnificent ship. Despite the size of the Hatch, the crew was miniscule and this resulted to each member being burdened with numerous tasks in order to keep the ship’s system running fluently. Even the youngest member at the age of ten was forced to carry his own weight and ten fold, all because the New Revolutionary Army had been too eager to dump an oversized floating prison on someone to test out. Axlow Becker, the crew’s unofficial manager, was giving out direct and precise orders in place of the crew’s actual and official commander. Nevertheless, no one appeared to mind the sparkly fishman’s snappy mood, whose waistcoat was literally dazzling beneath the noon sun, and most were actually pleased that the no-good commander was out of the way for once. Unfortunately, this didn’t last long and Oliver L. Rhode, the titanean sent from the revolutionary army to keep an eye on things, quickly lost patience and was ready to start an argument, none of which was part of her job overview. But no one in the Bonbon X ever did things properly anyway so no official complaints towards the midget were made and nor was she the least of the crew’s many problems. A heavy workload had made the entire crew impatient, ready to lash out, and as most members were real strangers to the virtue of patience, it wasn’t long before the heated argument that had started between Becker and Oliver finally circulate around the rest of the crew.

“Your perfume is stinking up the entire ship!” snapped Oliver. What had originally sparked the argument was long discarded and the crew was now resorting to petty, underhanded insults. “And are you trying to make everyone blind with that ridiculous shirt?! I demand you take it off this instance and get rid of that ridiculous veil unless you plan to walk down the aisle any time soon!”

“Say that again, you midget,” snarled Becker, the multitude of rings ornating his fingers flashing with the same severity in his eyes. “As if an uncivilised brat like you could appreciate phenomenal fashion when it’s literally right in front of you! You’ve been wearing the same crusty old tie since the day you got here!”

The other crew members were engaged in their own skirmishes, sometimes even overlapping with that of Becker and Oliver. Only Victor G. Fable and Costello V. Casper were attempting to pacify the tangled feuds while Theodore B. Cherry looked on with unmasked amusement. It was only when something was definitely amiss did the crew put their disagreements aside. It was Cherry who had first noticed that something was wrong and he hopped off the wooden banister he was imperiously seated upon, before trotting diligently over to his mentor, Fable. "Hey, where’s Alice?” he asked with impeccable sincerity and innocence, batting his golden lashes for good measure.

The entire Bonbon X crew stilled, their expressions frozen on their fury towards each other (and agitation for the mediators) before transforming to panic and exasperation directed at their now-missing commander.

“That idiot!” they all screamed at the same time and Cherry cackled crassly.

Alice B. Ronx hummed as he skipped down the streets of Water 7, the life of the market flourishing on both sides of the canal that ran like veins throughout the city island. A massive market and festival that would envelop the entire city’s soul took place annually to commemorate the city’s unique structure and culture and it was during this time that the city and it’s famous ports would be filled to the brim with ships and people from all walks of life. All those who visited the city during this time of year came to experience the merriment that was associated with Water 7’s twisting canals and unique mode of transportation. Ronx’s stomach rumbled as he perused the various stalls along the street and he thought briefly about finding a place to eat. But when an antique store came into view, he made an immediate line towards it, disregarding his poor, empty stomach.

“Something catch your eye, uhhh...?” the store owner paused, taking in Ronx's high-class suit and mantle, but noting the sparkle in the young man’s eye. He was momentarily taken aback by how sophisticated yet childish Ronx appeared, but the hunger for easy money soon fixed his dilemma and this guy definitely seemed like the easy-to-fool kind. Even the best of men couldn't resist taking jabs at Ronx whenever possible and it certainly didn't help that he looked as though came from wealth. “How does this one meet your fancy…”

Before long, Ronx was on one of his regular spending frenzies, stopping at each store and ultimately being swindled out of all his money. By the time he’d reached the end of the street, his head was starting to feel faint from the pressing crowd and his state of hunger, which he had undoubtedly forgotten about in his excitement.

“Oh, when did I get so hungry?” exclaimed Ronx and he pressed a hand to his stomach. “Ah, but it seems I’m broke again. I suppose it’s time to head back, but Becky is going to yell at me again…” With a heavy and desolate sigh, Ronx turned on his heels and started down an alleyway, which he supposed would take him back to the ports. When he turned into another alleyway and found himself in a dead end, he was terribly surprised. Failing to lose hope, he retraced his steps, but found that he was unable to return back to the street he had originally came from. After an hour of aimlessly wandering the back alleys of Water 7, Ronx finally collapsed from hunger. I’m dying, he thought helplessly and miserably. I’ll never see Becky again, or Oliver, or that bag of candy I left in my room...

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Ronx was having a wonderful dream about being in a field of never-ending candy when he woke up with food in his mouth. It had seemed he had been so hungry even in his slumber that he had already eaten almost half the plate that Howai had left for him. While he continued to polish off the rest of the plate, Ronx sat crosslegged on the bed, wondering where he was and how he had gotten there. The room was cosy and designed simplistically. As the young revolutionary glanced around the room, he noted that the limited furnishing indicated that the room was only temporarily occupied by someone, given the limited belongings set up on the desk and drawers. Once he finished the food left for him, or he assumed it was left for him though it was too late to give it back anyway, he stood up and went to the wardrobe. He reached for the handles, ready to open them with a flourish, before thinking twice about it. It wasn’t good to be nosy and there was always the possibility that the occupant was a woman who wouldn’t quite appreciate having a man rummage through her possessions, even if he had no intentions of stealing anything. Suddenly he froze and started to pat this body with a panic. “Where did all my treasure go?” he exclaimed, referring to the trash he had exchanged for all his berries at the market. His eyes then fell on the bag at the foot of the bed and he sighed with relief. Picking it up, he then glanced to the table where he left his food before noticing the note that Howai had written for him.

Bending to take the note up, he lifted it to examine it. "Please wait until I get back - Howai," read Ronx aloud before tucking the note into his pocket. “I suppose I should go down and say my thanks.” Heading for the door, he found it locked but with a few long minutes of fiddling with two thin darts pulled from his mantle, he heard a satisfying click. He then proceeded to cautiously poke his head out the door. It wasn’t that he was afraid of danger of any sort, Ronx simply had a childish characteristic and he tended to subconsciously execute his actions in a fashion that greatly contrasted his classy appearance. When he was sure that the coast was clear, he stepped out of the room, brushing back his mantle in a sophisticated manner that gave the impression that was vastly different to his earlier childishness. It was hard keeping up with his character and Ronx appeared to be fairly proud that he had managed to do something even slightly eloquently, even if no one was around to see it. Unsure of where to start, Ronx turned to one end of the corridor that he currently stood in and began to search for a other people. The inn wasn’t very large and it wasn’t before long that Ronx found himself in the company of others. He was currently in the staffs’ quarter and so when a maid saw him, she seemed to panic, mistaking him for a guest. “Sir, you shouldn’t be here, did you get lost?” she said earnestly, before glancing him up and down with a frown. His luxurious suit and elegant mantle hardly seemed to fit with the modest inn that she worked in. “Uh, sir, are you…staying in this inn?” She seemed doubtful and rightfully so. The Murkey Squash was hardly a low-end inn, but it was far from the grand hotels where the rich tended to mingle either.

“Oh, please don’t mind me,” said Ronx cheerfully, mistaking her suspicion for worry. “I’m looking for my saviour, you see.” These words hardly did anything to diminish the maid’s skepticism and when he wondered away, she hurried to find the inn’s manager, Aghas. News of the “moneyed and noble aristocrat” quickly started to circulate the humble inn and before long, Ronx unintentionally found himself at the centre of attention. Some of the female inn workers even thought to seize the opportunity to secure themselves a wealthy husband and began to follow him around. Needless to say, chaos soon ensued in the inn and as if it already wasn’t busy enough, Aghast was soon to become very, very annoyed with Ronx for accidentally causing such ruckus and Howai for bringing such a nuisance to their inn.

A group of workers were in the break room when Ronx entered, all gossiping about said man. When he entered with a friendly, “Excuse me?”, the workers froze into stunned silent. They couldn’t believe that the rumours were actually true and that a prince-like man really was wandering aimlessly around the inn. “You wouldn’t happen to know a person named Howai, would you?” asked Ronx, seeming to not mind or notice the silence that had descended upon his entry. “It appears I am greatly indebted to this person.” The workers seemed to find it difficult to recover from their speechlessness and one of them pointed wordlessly to the door at the side of the room that led to the kitchen. “Thank you so much!” exclaimed Ronx and beamed. Unused to such genuine naivety, it took the workers several moments to recover from such a dazzling smile and when he left, the room exploded in excited chatter.

In the busy kitchen, the rumours had yet to reach the chefs, but one of the waitresses who had been in the break room slipped back in after Ronx. She searched around for a moment before finding Howai and snatching up her arm. “Howai, who is that man?” she hissed excitedly into the girl’s ear, pointing indiscreetly at Ronx who had somehow managed to find himself outside the kitchen and in the eating area where he was offered a table. “He’s been looking for you, convinced that you saved his life!” The orders coming into the kitchen were starting to die down now, allowing the chefs to finally relax. This, however, only meant that the rumours would finally be allowed to spread across the rest of the inn’s staff.

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“Ah, thank you, but I already ate,” said Ronx cheerfully to the waitress who had eagerly handed him a menu. “Actually, I really must be off. You wouldn’t happen to know the person who wrote this note, do you?”

Appearing slightly disappointed to have been denied her offering of the menu, the waitress pursed her lips slightly as she peered down at the note that Ronx now held up to show her. “Um…it looks like she expected you to wait for her…” she replied with uncertainty, but she trailed off and coughed uncomfortably at the look of childish innocence in his eyes. It was hard to reprimand someone when they looked so genuinely oblivious at how much trouble he had caused with one decision. “I last saw Howai in the kitchen…oh, isn’t that her now?” She gestured to the teal-haired girl approaching their table, but one look at the expression of outrage on the little cook’s face was all that was needed to send the waitress hastily scuttling out of her way. Even someone who was unsure of the full details of the situation knew that Ronx had made an immense mistake by leaving the room. He had, after all, caused a colossal uproar in the inn just by walking from one end to the other. “I’ll, uh, just be over there if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” said Ronx with a dazzling smile, still unaware of the full extent of his actions, and she blushed behind the menu she still clutched in her hands before disappearing into the kitchen. He turned back to the little chef, who had stormed up beside his table, but before he could say anything, she flew into a rant, clearly failing to face the same dilemma that had stopped the waitress from scolding him earlier. Stunned, Ronx simply sat frozen until he was relieved by the head chef. He had almost seen an afterimage of his closest aid, Becker, bearing angrily down on him. Aghast took over the lecture from Howai and Ronx shifted uncomfortably in his seat as she took the brunt of the chef’s admonishment. When Aghas turn with a furious huff back to the kitchen, Ronx was left to squirm under the his “saviour’s” look of contempt. “I really didn’t expect this to happen,” he said mournfully, his cheerful spirit clouding over with regret and he lowered his head dejectedly. “I thought I could make it easier for you if I found you myself.” He stood up as Howai turned to lead him away and now that the childish demeanour had disappeared, there was an undeniable refinement in his movement. The skip in his step was replaced with steadfastness, the liveliness in his expression was replaced with solemn poise and his eyes were no longer glowing with curiosity and playfulness, only fixed down with his chin levelled as he reflected on his mistake. He finally seemed to fit the impression of the wealthy prince that all the female staff of the inn craved for.

But as he followed Howai back up to her room, his energy quickly returned. “I’ve yet to have the pleasure to properly acquaint myself with you,” he said lightheartedly and a skip even returned to his step. “I believe your name is Tanaka Howai, correct? My name is Alice B. Ronx, it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you and I am eternally grateful that you took it upon yourself to save me.” He finished this little speech with a dignified bow, his right hand placed over his heart and his left hand sweeping up his mantle in an elegant manner. “If you ever find yourself in any danger or dilemma, I should I hope that I can be of use to you.” He finished this by lifting his chin and grinning radiantly up at her.

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Ronx hadn’t expected Howai to already know who he was, but he was certainly very pleased to hear she did. It actually wasn’t a very frequent occurrence to be recognised by strangers, despite being the object of attention often enough, whether it be his natural carefree persona causing inadvertent mayhem or the persona portrayed by the marines and his wanted poster. When Howai started rambling, Ronx did his very best to keep up. Yet even with his own hyperactivity, he found himself losing to the younger woman’s constant stream. Ironically enough, this was the first time Ronx had ever felt himself overwhelmed by another individual’s personality, and it was simply because she was a match to himself.

“Ah yes, the revolutionary army! That’s me,” chirped Ronx cheerfully. A rare force of competitiveness bubbled up inside of him—even if he didn’t quite understand it himself—and he was determined to keep up with Howai. “A ship? Yes! Oh no…not a fleet. But Becky does scare me more than a fleet, so…? And we can’t forget Oliver and Antoinette either…” Here was a classic example of Ronx starting his own ramble episode and for a brief moment, both he and Howai were speaking at the same time with equal disregard for the other. It wasn’t until Howai’s laugh broke the disconcert did Ronx drew his own attention back to the actual conversation at hand. “I see!” he exclaimed with delight, his golden eyes glowing in the same child-like manner. “What a pleasant coincidence to meet a fellow revolutionary in a place like this!”

However, before he could reply to her question of joining Bonbon X, the door burst open and three waitresses tumbled gracelessly into the room in unison. Their hair disheveled and their arms wounding awkwardly around each other’s bodies, it almost seemed like they had fought to enter the room first and failed miserably. “Kitty, you brute,” complained a pretty lady with a cap of brunette hair. “Can’t you for once act with some refinement?” Kitty, a tall woman with golden bangs falling down to her cheeks and dark skin, elbowed the first woman in the stomach while she pulled her arm free from the mess (intentionally or by accident, we shall never know). “You really aren’t one to talk, Jackie,” she said with a huff to both exaggerate her words and blow her bangs away from her eyes simultaneously. The former failed to accomplish its intentions when she nearly tripped over the third girl’s leg, and the latter only served to briefly reveal her heterochromic blue and green eyes before her bangs fell back in place. “Oh Emily, what is your leg doing there?” she snapped at the much smaller girl, who was shorter than even Howai. “I must apologise, dear Kitty, I had meant for my leg to be here!” retorted the girl rudely, brushing back her shoulder-length black hair before pummelling her heel into Kitty’s stomach. “Oh you’ve done it now!” screeched Kitty and she raised her fist, but when her elbow snapped up, it slammed under Jackie’s chin. She in turn murderously grabbed Kitty by the throat and Emily took the opportunity to break away, taking dainty steps towards Ronx.

“Ehem, please excuse my colleagues, I promise you that I am nothing like them,” she said sweetly, tilting her head to the left and glancing up at Ronx through thick lashes. Kitty and Jackie broke apart in dismay and stumbled forward, pushing the smaller girl behind them. “Emily, you trickster,” giggled Kitty and if it weren’t for her previous episode, one might have found her beguiling with the shade of flowery pink creeping delicately onto her cheeks. “She does enjoy a good joke every now and then,” agreed Jackie, brushing her fingers through her boyish haircut. All through this, Ronx was undeniably amused and was even ready to introduce himself formally. Admittedly, he had absolutely no idea what had brought the waitresses into the room and cause the ruckus, but he had always enjoyed the company of interesting characters. Unfortunately, he would never truly understand what was going on. Howai grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him away from the trio of desiring eyes to the single window of the room. Ronx was beyond surprised when the young lady actually jumped out the window. He was halfway between shocked speechless and contemplating her motive when a carpet of arms blossomed from the ground, softening their fall.

“Oh, how interesting!” gasped Ronx and he reached to shake one of the hands, completely forgetting about the women who had ran with alarm to the window when they fell. They now squabbled to fit all three of their heads through the window, anxious in confirming the safety of their ticket to wealth. “My name is Alice B. Ronx, nice to meet you!” he said earnestly, shaking one of the hands. “Hm, it feels like Howai’s hand…I see!” While he was distracted from the hands, he missed the entire exchange between Aghas and Howai. It wasn’t until the hands disappeared did he stand up, brushing dust off his clothes and mantle in fluid motions.

Looking around, he found himself at an alleyway behind the inn where the market was still in full jubilee just paces away. “Oh yes,” he said suddenly, turning his attention back to Howai. “I believe you showed interest in joining my crew. I’m impressed that you’ve heard of both me and Bonbon X! You’ve certainly done you’re homework, miss!” He leaned closer to examine her intently and for a moment, his eyes lost his playful glint. However, his seriousness only lasted for an instant and before long, he rocked back onto his heels and swept both his arms out with the palms of his hands facing upwards. “Alright then! You were working as a chef earlier, correct? We don’t have anyone cooking meals for us yet, so I would be honoured to welcome you as official head chef of Bonbon X!”

As he lowered his arms he grinned once more at Howai. “You appeared quite interested in our ship earlier, would you like to go see it now?” he asked the younger woman. “Ah, but Becky might still be mad at me…” he frowned suddenly, battling between reluctance of return back to the Wonderland Hatch and eagerness to introduce his new comrade to the rest of his crew. He crossed his arms and adopted a comically designed thinking-face with wrinkled brows and a pout greatly resembling the top two sides of a pyramid.

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Meanwhile on the Wonderland Hatch…
With the crew’s capricious commander vanished, Becker had taken up the reigns of control. Not everyone entirely agreed with this arrangement, but after several minutes of complaining, they had simmered down into grumbles. Only Fable and Casper had tried to speak for Becker, but their passive natures had held little influence against the powerful fire embodying the rest of the crew.

“Alright, now that we’ve all finally calmed down,” growled Becker irritably. “We need to find Ronx preferably before he gets into trouble.”

“Sir,” said Freya with faux respect. “It’s been almost an hour since we discovered him missing. I’m fairly certain he’s gotten into trouble by now.”

This statement couldn’t have been truer. It was at this very moment, Ronx had found himself scammed penniless by market sellers, passed out in an alleyway and dragged away by a stranger who had tried to pickpocket him. All this accomplished within the hour was almost record-worthy even for him and he had yet to even cause the chaos to later ensue in the Murkey Squash Inn.

“Then we better find him before he makes it worse,” replied Becker coldly. “We’ll split into three groups. Casper, Freya and Friday will take the east and Fable, Cherry and Antoinette will take the west.”

He purposefully arranged the groups so that the more trustworthy members, Fable and Casper, would be able to chaperon the irresponsible. Thankfully, both found themselves to be close confidantes to those Becker had knowingly set them up with. The only issue now, however, was the girl named Rhode L. Oliver. Unfortunately for him, Oliver hadn’t connected with anyone besides Ronx since Bonbon X had been formed and Becker was now forced to spend more time than he would have liked with her.

“Why do I have do be with you?” demanded Oliver, clearly reflecting his own feelings regarding the group formations.

“Stop complaining and let’s move,” said Becker dryly and while the crew dispersed from the docks, he led the begrudging girl away.

They entered the heat of the market and were soon jostled apart. Oliver, with her short stature, was quickly overwhelmed and she was swept completely off her feet. “That damn fishman!” she swore crudely and elbowed a hapless gentleman in the groin in an attempt to escape the fleshy tide. She certainly succeeded in escaping the crowd, but as karma would have it, she found herself suddenly knocked backwards off the narrow path and plunging towards the crystal clear canal adjacent to the market. There was a split second where Oliver felt the world around her still, her eyes moving in slow motion to witness her imminent doom and her body became arrested in shock. When the dramatic moment ended, she let out a shrill shriek and flailed her arms as though to search for a non-existing handle to break her fall. Surprisingly enough, a hand suddenly darted from the crowd and firmly attached itself to her wrist. Oliver’s eyes widened with relief and she clawed her way back to safety where she was met with Becker.

“Klutz,” he muttered under her breath, releasing her wrist.

Her heart still pounding furiously from her near death (yes, it was that dramatic) experience, Oliver was quick to take out her frustration on her sparkling saviour. “How dare you wander off on your own!” she snapped, narrowing her violet eyes accusingly.

“I wandered off on my own?” retorted Becker, his head tilting back and for a moment, he appeared genuinely astonished. He hastily recovered and retaliated, leaning forward until his eyes were almost on the same level as the smaller girl. “That’s some way to thank someone who just saved you!”

“That’s only to be expected,” she scoffed back in response, crinkling her nose arrogantly.

“Let’s be real; this is to be expected,” snarled Becker, suddenly reaching forward and shoving Oliver’s shoulder, knocking her back towards the canal.

“NOOOO!” she screeched, catching the edge of Becker’s waistcoat in both her fists.

“Let go! You’ll rip my splendid clothes!” gasped the fishman with legitimate horror and attempted to peel the midget sky islander off.

“Don’t be ridiculous!” screamed Oliver in a shrill cry. “You can’t seriously think my life is worth less than this twinkling piece of cow dung!”

“I’ll have you know I made this with the finest of silk and that means its worth a thousand times more than your miserable existence!” yelled Becker, his composure fading away at the risk of his precious waistcoat becoming ruined.

All throughout this entire exchange, even the customers who had been passionately climbing over one another, had the sensibility to steer clear from the eccentric duo. Unknowing to them, an invisible wall had been created, giving the two enough girth to physically brawl on the street. However, this public nuisance wasn’t left unnoticed, especially by those who made it their purpose to involve themselves in such conflicts.

“Commander, there appears to be a dispute over there!”

“Hold on a moment, lieutenant. I recognise that man.”

“Really? If it’s someone the commodore recognises, then he must be wanted! But, I don’t recall seeing him on the bounty list…”

“Of course you don’t, because he’s not wanted. But you must be accustomed with more than those on the list. After all, you may never know when you’ll come across a close companion of someone with a bounty…”


Howai pulled Ronx further away from the inn and the protests from the waitresses melted into the clamour resonating from the market, still contained by the alleyway walls surrounding them. Howai pulled to a stop just before reaching the edge of the market and released Ronx’s hand. Turning back, she expressed her eagerness to see his ship and though Ronx was more than happy to comply to her wishes, he was still wary of Becker’s reaction. Even he was aware of the fact that the gaudy fishman—today he was even wearing a veil!—would be less than pleased with Ronx’s abrupt escape.

“Bonbon X is our crew,” said Ronx, quickly correcting the younger revolutionary’s misunderstanding. “Our ship is called the Wonderland Hatch and I’m sure you’ll be very satisfied with it! Yes, we are currently lacking in our food rations, but the plan was to stock up here on Water 7.” He cocked his head to one side suddenly. “When did you check that I had no money…? Oh that doesn’t matter!” Deciding to forego any suspicion whatsoever, Ronx flashed another grin and he snatched up Howai’s hand. “Let’s go through the market one more time before heading back to the Hatch!”

This time, it was Ronx’s turn to drag Howai through the thick crowd still heatedly abuzz with merchant slogans, promising superb bargains. The two revolutionaries made their way through the crowd and Ronx found in himself the unintentional accomplice to a series of small-time thieveries. Of course, he was too busy restraining himself from being drawn into the many wares available to notice, but one had to admit that Howai’s skills were unmatched even when she had one hand in Ronx’s.

“No, not this way…” muttered Ronx under his breath as they turned another corner, only to find themselves no closer to the docks than before. Thankfully, Howai’s attention appeared captured by her own set of underhanded antics and she failed to notice Ronx was well and truly lost. Lucky enough for the young man, he managed to run into the dock by chance and he grinned proudly to himself. If Howai was to see his incompetent side, today was not the day! Because she hadn’t already seen him passed out and nearly starved to death behind the inn she had previously worked at.

“That over there, is the Wonderland Hatch!” announced Ronx, pointing boastfully to the magnificent galleon ahead of them. Grinning excitedly, he tugged at Howai’s hand and began racing towards the ship with the smaller girl in tow. When he neared, he saw five of his crewmates gathered in front of the ship, all having returned after failing to locate their runaway commander. Cherry and the twins had already boarded the ship, having lost interest in the search. When Ronx and Howai neared the group, Antoinette glanced up and her fierce eyes met the commander’s, who had now adopted a look vaguely similar to sheepishness.

“Ronx!” she exclaimed and the other four heads immediately shot up. She held her parasol over her head to protect her skin from the sun, even though it was beginning its gradual descent from the skies. She now turned on her heels and stormed over to the younger man. “You fool, where have you been?” she hissed furiously and the others scrambled to follow her.

Ronx released Howai’s hand and began to back away slowly, as though to distant himself from a raging beast. Realistically, this wasn’t all that far from the truth. “Antoinette,” he said with a meek laugh. “You see, there were markets and…”

“Come now, Antoinette,” said Fable, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder soothingly. “We know you were worried about Ronx, but he’s okay now.”

“You were worried? Why?” asked Ronx, naively voicing his doubt. This only proved to add fuel to flame and Antoinette flared up in response. However, before she could say anything more, Casper hastily interjected.

“You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?” she asked, fretfully reaching towards him with slim fingers and brushing away creases on his collar. “You were missing for hours!”

“What she means to say is: did you get into any trouble?” scoffed Oliver, her arms folded haughtily over her small chest.

“Ronx? In trouble? Why would we ever think such a think?” added Becker, who was standing directly behind her. His blue eyes were unyielding while he glared at his commander and Ronx very nearly flinched. Antoinette’s and Oliver’s fury, he could take with a few scratches to his ego. But when Becker was mad, Ronx felt compelled to hide behind the closest body he could find, which was exactly what he did. Darting behind Howai, Ronx lowered his body as best he could to fit behind her small frame and Becker’s eyes lowered, noticing the young woman for the first time.

“And who are you?” he asked with some surprise, but his tone still held gruff and hostile remnants from when he had been ready to admonish Ronx. The five Bonbon X members peered curiously down at the teal-headed woman. Flustered with the sudden shift of attention onto her, the woman nervously struggled to find the words to introduce herself, taking a step back in the process and forgetting that Ronx was directly behind her. Subsequently, he suddenly felt his body tip backwards.

“Hm?” was all that came from him before he found himself falling head first into the water below with Howai failing to catch on fast enough. The result was that the two revolutionaries ended up plunging into the sea with little idea how or why it had happened.

“Ronx!” screamed Casper.

“Forget him, save the girl!” snapped Oliver, who proceeded to shove Becker into the water after them.

“No, my coat!” exclaimed Becker, but he was caught completely off-guard and fell after the two before him. “I’m going to kill you, midget!!!”

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With one last woeful thought of remembrance for his exquisite clothes, Becker twisted in the air and sliced through the surface of the water gracefully. Once in the water, the world around him transformed and the sense of comfort that came with returning to a place similar to home enveloped his body the same way the water did. His veil floated gently around his face, only just concealing his eyes and his waistcoat was still looking strikingly beautiful, taking upon a new form in this new world. The silk shimmered in a way that only water could highlight the fabric as it danced around his body. It was a shame that it would take some work to restore the silk’s elegance once returning to land, but Becker ultimately decided that the vision of his waistcoat in water was worth it; not that it would be any of Oliver’s business.

While Becker admired his waistcoat, he very nearly forgot his original intentions until a stream of bubbles darted past him and he glanced down to see his commander flailing pathetically in the water. His heavy mantle, sodden with water, drew him further and further into the prisons of the sea and just above him was Bonbon X’s newest member. Although she had fallen after Ronx, she appeared to be sinking heavier and faster as though an unknown force propelled her down.

“Two hammers,” muttered Becker with a sigh and he flipped in the water so that he could dive head first towards the couple. When Ronx noticed Becker coming to his rescue, he immediate stopped flailing and instead waved happily. He ended up taking a gulp of water in the process and Becker nearly punched him for his idiocy. Instead, he grabbed both revolutionaries roughly, flinging Howai across his shoulder and tucking Ronx under his arm. He then spun around and headed back towards the surface rapidly, hoping neither of his rescues had run out of oxygen yet. Especially the imbecile who had just inhaled water. Becker released a burst of strength just prior to reaching the surface, sending him flying straight out of the water and he landed heavily back on the dock.

Water immediately puddled at their feet and Becker tactlessly flung Ronx to the ground before sliding Howai to the ground with more care. “Alright, she lives. Now back to you, midget!” Becker spun around, only to find that the said midget was now absent, having the insight to make herself scarce before Becker had returned.

Cherry, having noticed the commotion, now hurried to join them. “Alice just needs a punch in the gut to get all the water out from his lungs,” he said carelessly before turning Howai. Antoinette readily complied to the child doctor’s prescription and Cherry lowered his body to examine Howai. After several moments of what looked like random poking and prodding, he stood up. “She’s breathing, just unconscious. The worst she could get is a cold, so she’s fine. Get her to a room and dry her off.”

“I’ll take her to a guest cabin,” said Becker, crouching down to pick the small woman up again. “Then I’m gonna punch that midget for what she did to my coat.”

“No, give her a cabin with the crew,” said Ronx, coughing water painfully out and simultaneously wheezing from Antoinette’s well-placed punch. “Howai is our new head cook. Well, I certainly hope she’s still our cook anyway.”

“And who’s fault would it be if she up and quits?” snapped Becker and started heading towards the ship. Casper helped Ronx stand and though he had regained enough strength to walk, she still insisted that he lean on her.

“Yours,” said everyone bluntly at the same time, even Freya and Friday who had hurried to join them when they’d seen them return.

“What?!” demanded Becker indignantly, glaring at Freya and Friday in particular as though disbelieving that they knew what they were talking about.

“You scared her,” said Freya candidly with a shrug.

“Even we could see how threatening you looked from the ship,” added Friday with an exaggerated shake of his head. “Becker’s scarier than even Fable.” The giant shook his head, but didn’t rise to the provocation.

“And us,” said Freya with a mischievous grin, baring his serrated teeth menacingly before dissolving into a fit of laughter with his brother.

Casper sighed, but the corners of her mouth twitched as though her alter ego, whom they all called Costello, was compelled to join in. “We need to get Howai to a room.”

“Freya and I have already prepared a guest room for her,” said Friday, still chuckling.

“Ronx said she’s our new cook,” said Antoinette, pertinently. “What are we going to do with her though? We were eating just fine, why would we need a cook?”

The crew immediately fell silent as they recalled the horror that was Antoinette’s cooking. “I’m sure we’ll find some use for her,” said Fable, politely. “Now how about we get Howai cleaned up before she catches a cold?”


The next morning, Ronx ambled through the halls of the Hatch with a pocket full of berries that Becker had kindly (without a single trace of mistrust; yes, take Ronx's word for it) granted him. He reached Howai's room and knocked the door. “Good morning!” he said cheerfully, when she answered. “How are you feeling? Everyone is really sorry about yesterday and I promise that they meant you no harm.” He waited for her reply before then unexpectedly placing his palm to her forehead, waiting several moments before letting out a sigh of relief. “Cherry, our doctor, said you might have a fever since it took some time before we could dry you off, but it looks like you’re fine. I was going to have you show us your cooking skills for breakfast this morning, but we have no ingredients for you to use. So I thought we could go to the market today and buy some! Everyone else has already left to find some breakfast, so let’s eat before doing our errands. What do you think?”

He suddenly stopped as though remembering something, before digging into his pockets. "That's right, I nearly forgot. You haven't eaten anything since yesterday." He pulled out a red pouch with drawstrings and shook out two pieces of chocolate. "Here, I'll give you this for free! Now, let's go!" Without waiting for a reply, he turned away and led his cook off the Hatch where a pair of figures stood concealed by the shadows. They had watched as the different crew members had filed out, but patiently waited for the main man to arrive.

When Ronx stepped off the ship with Howai at his side, they immediately began tailing the pair. Ronx was normally careless enough to miss the subtle signs of being followed, but there were days such as today where he did detect a presence. This was largely due to the fact that the marine in question did little to conceal his menace and his cold, calculating eyes followed Ronx's with such intensity that to not notice would have been impossible even for him. "We can deal with them after breakfast," decided Ronx cheerfully to his cook. Ronx bought two large, steaming buns and handed one to Howai, exploring the markets as they ate. Their wandering appeared aimless enough, but by the time they had finished eating, they found themselves standing in an empty alleyway with an unusually wide path.

"I suppose we should see what our new friends want now, don't you, miss?" asked Ronx, casting a playful glance to his companion and licking the last remnants of the bun off his fingers. Ahead, the two figures stepped silently away from the shadows. Both were strikingly tall, especially in comparison to Ronx and Howai, with standard marine uniforms. To the left was a woman several heads taller than her companion with fiery auburn hair pulled up into a tight ponytail and pale skin speckled with freckles. Her hair, despite having clearly been attempted to tame, was still an explosion of thick curls and its length fell down to her waist. Beside her was a shorter man, his coarse, black hair covering his eyes and he had his head bent to further cast overhanging shadows across his facial features.

"Now, I don't suppose they'll be friendly?"

---

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The sound of thundering footsteps filled the area as a swarm of marines sealed off the narrow alleyway. “After me?” asked Ronx, leaning down to bat his lashes innocently at Howai. “Now why would you possibly think such a thing? Indeed, I just so happen to have a bounty, but it’s hardly something to make such a big thing out of.”

The commander of the marines appeared to think differently on the matter and even had the audacity to assume Ronx was holding Howai against her will. She in turn, however, proved him wrong soon enough when she declared her readiness to fight alongside him and Ronx couldn’t help shooting a self-satisfied grin at the commander in return. This only appeared to infuriate him further and he charged without warning. Before Ronx could react, he pummelled his fist into the revolutionary’s torso.

[25,000 kilo: Cannon Fling]

The strike landed directly on Ronx’s core, sinking into his stomach and driving further still, flinging the younger man into the neighbouring wall with a resounding boom. Dust flew into the air, briefly concealing the outcome and once the dust settled, it revealed the dazed revolutionary sprawled in the massive hole that had resulted from the blow. Bits of stone fell from the edges of the hole and crunched beneath the commander’s feet as he approached his opponent.

“I would advise you to take this matter seriously, Alice B. Ronx,” snarled the commander, his crimson eyes glowing menacingly even beneath the thick locks of his black bangs. “You should know I will not allow you to further tarnish my reputation in escaping me a second time.”

His words left Ronx perplexed for a moment, until another loose stone fell heavily on his head. “Oh! I remember now!” he exclaimed, leaping up and landing directly in front of the marine commander, his amber eyes peering up with a glint of triumph into his opponent's scarlet fury. “Commander Kyor! How good it is to see you again! I believe we had a fair deal once in the past.”

The commander’s eyebrow twitched at his words and he hooked his fist into Ronx’s side.

[10,000 kilo: Super Jab]

“Fair deal?! You stole my family’s heirloom and threw candy at me,” he roared and grabbed Ronx by the collar.

Ronx’s hunched forward and clutched his stomach in pain. “Ow…” his face contorted and tears sprang in the corners of his eyes, before he was suddenly jerked forward and his face brought up and closer to the furious glare of Kyor’s. “Well, see here,” he said nervously, his feet flailing in empty air. He was clearly unwilling to receive yet another attack. “I hardly remember you being this violent.”

Kyor was averse to reveal he hadn’t actually recognised the revolutionary commander in the past until he had revealed his technique for the first time. After all, his bounty poster was so misleading, the only way to truly identify the criminal was by the fighting technique who’s name shared his given epithet, Flying Dart. However, before he could produce a worthy retort, Ronx suddenly threw up both his hands at once and a wave of dart flew out from the open flaps on his mantle [UT], forcing Kyor to hurriedly release the young man when his arm became a nest for them all. When he fell from his grip, Ronx took a skip backwards and into the air, generating another wave of darts.

[Aestus Wind]

They flew in a single current towards the marine, battering him like a powerful whirlwind. Kyor threw up his arms to take the brunt of the attack, but the invisible darts still drew multiple lacerations all over his body. The last dart streaked past his cheek, blood dripping down to his jaw, and Kyor narrowed his eyes before dropping his body and sweeping his left leg under Ronx just as he landed.

[Sickle and Sweep]

Ronx yelped and toppled backwards, finding himself on his rear once more. “I’m starting to get the feeling we aren’t going to be as friendly as we used to be,” he whined pitifully at Kyor’s feet. “I’ll be honest in saying that it upsets me quite a lot.”

“I had no idea you were Flying Dart because you tricked me,” retorted Kyor, folding his arms defiantly and glaring down at him. “You have no one besides yourself to blame.”

A shadow suddenly passed over Ronx’s features and Kyor froze momentarily. The revolutionary turned his burning amber eyes, brimming with a mixture of genuine grief and contempt, up at his opponent again. “Maybe you shouldn’t have drank so much of that wine!” he shouted, the sudden rise in volume of his voice causing the marines guarding the escape route to take a step back and even Kyor’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You drank just as much!” he stammered in response, pointing an accusing finger at Ronx. “I even warned you because you told me you weren’t used to drinking!”

“Yes, and who’s bright idea was it to buy the drinks?” snapped Ronx, leaping up and leaning angrily towards him. It was like a golden retriever puppy barking up at a large, dark wolf and surprisingly enough, it was working. Kyor even appeared overwhelmed enough that you could almost see his tail tucked timidly between his legs, while Ronx had his ears perked up and his fur bristling. He then flung both his hands into the air, his golden eyes narrowed furiously at the marine commander. “Next time, if you aren’t willing to be friends, don’t show me an antique, then back out of the deal we made and come punching me when you’re sober simply because you couldn’t drink responsibly!”

[Gracilis Lance]

A giant lance loomed over his head, the millions of invisible darts forming the monstrous weapon. Ronx hurled his hands down, lobbing the massive lance at his opponent. Kyor tried to leap out of the way, but powered by Ronx’s fury, it was too fast and the sound of an explosion rang thunderously, causing the entire alleyway to quake. Dust flew up again and the dark look disappeared from Ronx’s face, revealing a look of dismay. “Oh no,” he exclaimed in horror and raced into the cloud of dust. “Kyor, I’m so sorry!”

Blinded by the dust, he tripped over Kyor’s fallen body and he landed with his face smacked painfully into the cobblestone floor. Still heaving from the attack, Kyor reached forward and grabbed Ronx by the collar again, drawing him up as he stood. “So that’s what it’s like when you’re serious,” he growled, a savage grin rising over his fanged canines without warning. “That’s more like it.”

A chill ran down Ronx’s spine and he laughed nervously. “Come on, Kyor, we can talk about this. Like reasonable adults. Aren’t we friends?”

Without another word, Kyor flung Ronx away from him and he landed on his feet, unharmed. The smile didn’t leave his face and his haki flared abruptly. “I think you’ve talked enough, don’t you, Ronx?”

[Busoshoku]
[Kenbunshoku]

“Talk enough?” squeaked Ronx, feeling panicked. “No no, you can never talk enough. See, I’m still talking, I can talk more we can talk all day long there’s still the whole day left, we haven’t even had lunch yet. Speaking of which, how about we have lunch now I’ll pay seriouslyKyorturnthatoff.”

Kyor’s smile widened, his scarlet eyes glowing with frenzy. A downpour of sweat fell from Ronx’s brows and he gulped.

[Busoshoku]
[Kenbunshoku]

“My, my, I’m so jealous,” commented Mana, observing from a healthy and respectable distance. “I’ve never once seen the commander smile or look worried. He’s always had that grumpy pout around me. That Ronx really is a special one, isn’t he?” She turned to Howai and smiled sweetly. “My name is Lieutenant Mana. An absolute pleasure to meet you.”

OOC:

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The pressure in the air was suffocating with two powerful auras creating an almost tangible rift between the two competing men. The shockwave that resulted from the burst of inner energy from the two commanders unsettled the air, whipping back Ronx’s mantle and revealing the pristine suit sullied with soil and dirt from being thrown on so many occasions during the last bout. Likewise, Kyor was in a battered state, the evidence of the battle all the more clear against the white of his uniform. Yet despite their own wounds, the two paid little mind to them and their attention was purely fixed on the battle before them. Gold against crimson; there was a stillness to the figures at the centre of the conflict so unlike the restless nature of the formidable deadlock.

“Are we done with games?” asked Kyor, his voice slicing like a scythe through the tension.

“I should hope not,” replied Ronx mournfully, his distaste for the situation and fighting in general clear enough. “You used to be such a nice person. Who did this to you, Kyor?”

The marine commander’s brow twitched and his scarlet eyes blazed. “If you aren’t done with games, then so be it. But know that I’ve had more than enough!”

[10,000 kilo: Super Jab]

Charging, Kyor grabbed the revolutionary by the collar, loading his right fist for his next attack. Clenching his teeth, Ronx grabbed the hand on his collar with both of his own and swung his entire body down, bringing his opponent with him and slamming him into the ground. He then released Kyor’s wrist and throwing out both his hands to either side of his body, his fingers curled like claws.

[Invisus Glans]

Darts flew from the weaves of his sleeves and there was a subtle movement from the revolutionary’s hand when the darts left the threads, so slight it was barely noticeable to the naked eye. The darts flew into every direction as though the revolutionary had only haphazardly distributed his tiny projectiles, but only seconds later, there was an abrupt change in their trajectory. This all happened within seconds and with Kyor’s hand still clinging to Ronx’s collar, the blonde swiftly dislodged the hand before jumping back, just as the wayward darts found their course and fell like a single spear down on the marine commander.

Blood burst from his thin lips, accompanied with a sharp hack. Taking a few steps back to distant himself from his opponent, Ronx breathed out heavily, his golden eyes sharp with the pain from the attacks he had received earlier.

“Bastard…” coughed the commander, turning his own sharp eyes against his rival. He pulled himself to his feet with a grunt without turning his gaze away, as though expecting the revolutionary to follow through with another attack while he was still fallen.

Ronx didn’t move, choosing instead to steady his breathing and his mantle fluttered down, cloaking his body once more. It was at this moment the sun was making its last step under the horizon and the final rays weaved through his golden hair, projecting its final light before Water 7 was enclosed in night. There were several moments of still darkness, only the hushed sound of washes from canals, before the streetlamps flickered on and cast a wavering shadow over the group.

Through the silence, the sound of a grunt broke through it and the two men inadvertently transferred their attention to their female subordinates’ battle.

“I told you that you shouldn’t underestimate her,” scoffed Kyor, shaking his head, while a grin formed on Ronx’s face.

“Wow! That’s such a cool power!” gasped Ronx excitedly, his eyes shining with admiration at the limb blooming from the lieutenant. “Hey, Kyor, isn’t my head cook amazing?!”

“The last time we met, you only had the fishman,” grunted Kyor, turning his head to spit out blood. “And before that, you were alone.”

“Things change,” said Ronx simply. “Well, Yedi-chan got mad at me and sent me a little agent. Somehow more people joined after that.”

“You never seemed like the type to have friends,” commented Kyor, finally straightening and lifting his eyes to meet Ronx’s again.

“But I always had friends!” protested Ronx defiantly. “Before I had my crew, I had Yedi-chan!” He seemed to find something amusing from his own words and broke eye contact with a giggle. This prompted only silence from Kyor, his gaze hardening, as though he knew of a truer truth behind his rival’s words.

“I know who you’re after, Ronx,” he said finally and the giggle came to an stunned stop. “And I’m here to tell you I won’t allow you to lay even a finger on him.”

[Icio Pulse]

Kyor grunted painfully, caught completely off gaurd against the battering wave of darts. Within another split second, Ronx was in front of him and ready to follow through unlike previously. Kyor’s eyes widened, but his surprise was short-lived. “MANA!” he roared, throwing his head back. “Don’t hold back!”

[5,000 kilo: Double Sting]
[UT: Commander Kyor]

Kyor clenched his teeth and his two fists struck out almost blindingly, but Ronx spun out of the way and reached to grab him. Instead, Kyor ducked out of the way and swung his leg up, kicking Ronx in the throat from below. Stumbling back, Ronx gagged and Kyor leapt to his feet once more.

[25,000 kilo: Rolling Crush]
[UT: Alice B. Ronx]

With both his planted firmly in the ground, Kyor sprung into the air, somersaulting in the air and then crashing down on Ronx, but the blonde man merely sidestepped the attack. Kyor rolled back onto his feet and it was then did he notice the frighteningly hollow look in Ronx’s eyes like his personality had been washed completely clean with white, murderous fury. A chill passed over Kyor’s spine—a single drop of sweat suspended on his brow before making a wary descent down the side of his face—before another spear of collective darts fell onto him. “Agh!” blood spewed from his wounds—both old and new—and Kyor fell down to his knees.

“Howai, I’m leaving that woman to you. Don’t let her get away,” said Ronx, his eyes still fixed on his opponent. “You are more than capable of beating her.”

[Debilito Dart: Summer]

“And Kyor, it seems you know more than I gave you credit for,” he continued, uncharacteristically cold. He swept his left hand down his right arm’s sleeve and picked up a single dart between his two fingers as he did so. “I’m afraid the games really are over.” With that, he lifted up his left fist—the dart like an invisible knife—and he drove it viciously into the side of the marine commander’s neck.

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