King of the Beasts

[dantetakai]

Chapter One: The distant drum beat.



Lumi disembarked from the boat she was on. Her armor gleamed a metallic yellow and her hair fell short of pretty much against her skin, in a buzz cut. She had been recovering from a years’ worth of damage and had just been cleared for field duty again. Her armor sounded as she walked, the town was alive with movement and people seemed to be fixing old damages. Not surprising really, From the reports she heard they had been attacked and ravaged for 10 days by beasts that should only be the size of your hand that were as big as most dingy. Her twin swords and multiple grenades gleamed in the sunlight. A group of ten marines followed behind her, two holding the flag of the marines as they walked at her sides.

The island was of fair temperament, the sky was mostly clear with white clouds. Not to humid, not to dry, this island was perfect for crops of all kinds. The soil though… It crunched under her armored boot as if it were dry leaves. The ground was dead, where it should be alive. Something strange sure was on this island. It worried her, something was here but… she had no other Intel then that. Maybe… No, the rumors of that man being here couldn’t be true, they would have had reports long ago of men disappearing and reappearing in town covered in armor and dead.

“Men, I want a perimeter around here. Keep this street secure, I want this place civilian free by the time the Admiral and company get here.”

“Yes ma’am!” they said, and set about to work. It was only her status as a fierce fighter that kept a few of them in their place. Only one rank below her they didn’t believe she deserved her position as leader of this mission. She had to keep one of them in his place twice just on the way here, and it seemed Jenkins was up for round number three.


“Ma’am, what difference does it matter if there’s civilians? If they don’t get out fast enough then why bother savi—“Lumis blade was at his throat.

“What is that civilian was a child? What if they were crippled? You would condemn them to death because you’re too lazy to make rounds?”

“…No ma’am…” Lumi sheathed her blade.

“Good, then get it done.” She said as she set out to complete setting up base for when the admiral got there.

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

Her return home to LogueTown was temporal at most; she'd managed to visit her grandfather Grantz, and reluctantly helped tend to the duties of the marines under his command. She apprehended a small group of gathered pirates and managed to kill their immediate ringleader. All while maintaining the secrecy of her status as a devil fruit user. It was a feat to be proud of, unlike the majority of mediocre events that take place on her visits.

It mattered not, anymore, for she had returned from her slight vacation. However she was not returning to the Orca, where the Shield division was. No, she had come back from leave to be welcomed with a transfer notice that had taken immediate effect. Now she found herself waking up to the salty winds of the West Blue, having adjusted to the different time zone with the past few days.

This region of the world was said to be quite intriguing, and each island was rumored to have something great to offer as far as exploration and knowledge went. Currently she and the other Marines that had been grouped together were on Daiju Island, a place where animals were said to have grown to a monstrous size. She and nine others were under the orders of one Lumi Jordania; an officer clad in an armor with a lion's symbol on its back.

Lumi assigned the task to clear the streets of civilians, an act firmly carried out by Isabelle; but one a few others thought differently towards. Voicing their opposition on the matter to Lumi, they were silenced from what Isabelle could saw from a distance, Lumi's display of physical superiority. From the looks of it she exchanged a few words before returning her blade to its sheath. And like so, things were off to a start as they prepared for the arrival of the Admirals.

Isabelle rounded the a corner, her steps barely audible despite wearing boots and the street being nearly silent save for the chatter amongst her comrades. Such were the results in training heavily on her footwork. She garnered balanced and controlled footing, and often felt herself slip into a sort of trance where she would take steps trying to muffle them while maintain a rather normal looking stride. Through this she hoped to find a way to apply the concept to a more practical use such as increasing her pace but still maintaining the level of silence she sought. If by some chance she could succeed in her little trials, it could be implemented greatly in actual combat.

She was lost in her thoughts, as she often was, pondering different skill sets she wished to develop. Isabelle truly was a warrior at heart. Only one with the spirit and will of a combatant would spend as much time as she did in perfecting techniques and thinking of additional ones to implement. Though now she was removed from the subject, taken away from her thoughts as her path had brought her toward Lumi's location. With the streets cleared Isabelle approached seeking an audience with her fellow Marine.

[maroon]"Hello Ma'am..."[/maroon]Isabelle began, immediately taking up a solute, before proceeding. [maroon]" If I may, I'd like to ask what we are doing here on Daiju Island?"[/maroon]

[/black]

[thormundsson]

The three massive warships of that were sailing towards the West Blue island of Daijuu were not parts of the regular fleet, the ones that were meant to keep the peace and security of all of the massive Blue's inhabitants. No, these were the massive warships that sailed the Grand Line and guarded the Marine HQ at Mariejoa, though it was currently being shipped over to the New World. The presence of such massive warships, named the Endeavor, the Iron Hull and the Serpent, was most unusual in this part of the blues but a problem had arisen on the island that had warranted exceptional interest from the Marine forces. Due to a communication error both Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Akainu found themselves heading for the island. There had been a slight lull in the pirate activities in the Grand Line and it made for a perfect opportunity to utilize the immense strength of these men for purposes other than take down pirate rabble.
______________________________________________________________

The two admirals stood at the fore of the vessel heading for the island. There was an almost ceremonial quiet in the air as the ships covered the last miles of water before docking at the main harbor. The men had been fairly silent the entire trip and busy with other business and the crew of the ship had stayed a fair distance from them. It was more out of respect than anything else, though a slight mix of fear was added to it. The man had never seen an Admiral up close and the presence of 2 gave the entire expedition some sort of holy air to it, as if it was a great crusade. The fact of the matter was that both admirals expected this to be over very quickly, neither of them estimated that fighting beasts, big as they might be, could ever delay them for long enough.

"Aaaaahhh, they sure do work us to the bone, even when there is no threat around, riiiiiiiiiight...?" Borsalino spoke as he took a sip of tea from a cup in his hand. He was not in the mood to go off chasing some beasts, jungles being a terribly annoying place and hardly one to relax at. Still, having spent the last months mopping up the hordes of pirates that were piling into the Grand Line and trying to stabilize the massive imbalance of power caused by Whitebeard's death he couldn't but think that this trip might actually be fairly relaxing.

"It's a foolish notion to send both of us here, if anything were to happen in the more important parts of the world, like if that damned Blackbeard makes a move, then it's going to take a hell of a long time to get us back!" Akainu replied in his usually raspy voice. He was not satisfied with the state of things at the HQ and he had no intention of hiding them. Ever since Fleet Admiral Sengoku has retired there hadn't been a clear definition on how to organize the Marine's full strength. In most cases old man Kong had been giving the job of directing the marine forces and informing the admirals to low ranking bureaucrats that had no idea what they were doing. "It's high time for the whole thing to be settled" He continued, the "it" he was referring to was the question of who would replace Sengoku as fleet admiral.

"Huuummm, I know you have your sights set on the position, Sakasuki, but I don't have to remind you that Sengoku recommended Kuzan as his replacement. I doubt the Gorosei will go against his wishes, you knooooow" The yellow clad admiral answered, dragging his words as was his habit. He answered the other admiral just as the ship they were on laid anchor at the pier. The other two vessels had been ordered to stay just off shore and patrol the island. There was no need to bring all the marines on board to the island, it would only cause disruptions and chaos.

"That man has no heart or backbone in him to be a Fleet Admiral. He would have us all spare the trash that sails these seas if we have the chance. Death is the only acceptable punishment for these men. I won't be quiet about this" Replied Sakazuki, his red suit bulging from the man's muscle bound chest. As he finished his sentence the men began their walk from the fore of the ship and down the landing platform, walking side by side as marines guarded their sides, not that they had any need for such things. Akainu was walking in automatic, only using a part of his concentration to walk straight, the rest was focused on trying to realize how Sengoku could ever recommend Aokiji before the other 2.

"Aaaaah, what was the name of the liaison here, Lahmi....errr....Luni...something, maaaah it's weeeeeeird" Kizaru said calmly with a slight idiotic frown on his face.

"We'll meet the liaisons up ahead, let's just get this over with" Akainu finished, bringing his mind back to the present and trying to spot the person that had the info they needed...

[dantetakai]

"Hello Ma'am..."Isabelle began, immediately taking up a solute, before proceeding." If I may, I'd like to ask what we are doing here on Daiju Island?" asked a voice from behind her. She turned around and was greeted by Isabelle, a transfer from SHIELD. Her raven locks much longer then Lumi’s buzz cut. Her red outfit was striking to Lumi.


“Were here to do what any marine would do. Protect the innocent lives of those on this island from the monsters hurting them. Private Isabelle was it? I hope you have no regrets… If Admiral Kizaru is on his way, then well be in for one hell of a fight.” Lumi had no knowledge of Akainu coming as well. Just then three large ships where seen off in the diatance. “all right men. In formation, flag held high. And for the love of god will someone get this tea heated up again? The Admiral likes his tea.” She smiled as every one filed into position and Jenkins heated up the tea before falling into position. Today was gunna go great. Little did she know just how bad it would go.

She watched as 30 marines walked forward from the docks, and then she saw them, TWO admirals had been sent. As she watched them comverse they arrived after a short walk and stopped infront of her. “Salute!” her group saluted to the two Admirals as she stepped forward. “My name is Lumi Jordania and im in charge of landing party. Sirs, if you will follow me, we’ve set up a base camp and even have tea for Admiral Kizaru, I’m sorry Admiral Akainu I had no knowledge of your coming as well, But im sure we can find something for you if you wish.” She said as she walked the men past her group and lead them into the temporary HQ. She turned around toward Isabelle. “Private Isabelle, Keep the peace out here while I inform the Admirals to our current situation.” She said before going inside.

Once inside she pulled three maps and a small piece of paper from a table and layed them on the table. “If I may speak casually, from what I’ve heard were dealing with many different types of creatures ranging from insects the size of most marines and beasts so large people say you can mistake their open mouths for caves. Here, here, and here there have been reports of whole town diissapearing into pits in the ground.” Pointing to another map. “Here and here there are reports of large insects carrying people off into the forest.” She pointed to the last map. “And there are rumors of this mountain range hiding horrible creatures who hide in the snow.” She showed them the picture of a roughly drawn creature from the moutains. “that’s all we know of them...”

She sighed and looked at the two Admirals. “Look, we don’t have nearly enough mean, even with you two here. This islands infested by these creatures and even getting to the mountain we have to go through the forest and half the town folk were lost trying to gather wood two days ago in there. If we have any hope of clearing this island we need more men and more time. We could try sweeping one area at a time, but we run the risk of creatures taking the area before it."

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

“ Protect the innocent lives of those on this island from the monsters hurting them....... If Admiral Kizaru is on his way, then well be in for one hell of a fight.”

Monsters.

Kizaru.

Somehow she had been chosen to assist such a relaxed and casual man, her brows furrowing slightly at the idea and hers eyes becoming more serious. He was the type of marine whom she wasn't fond of but still respected greatly. For he was a marine nonetheless; one who she would have to aid in protecting the inhabitants of the island from creatures labeled as "monsters". Surely they must've have been, for what other reason would a seemingly god-like man be called out to an Island amongst the Blues.

Isabelle regained her focus shutting out her opinions on the man and acknowledging the serious nature of the mission at hand. She nodded accepting the words of her superior, before turning in time to notice the arrival of the large vessels that harbored the Admiral and additional marines. Though it was quite odd that three ships came in his steed. Before the thought as to why the additional ships were present flooded her mind the answer presented itself in the form of Fleet Admiral Akainu. Her eyes tensed at the sight of him while her body followed the suit of the others, falling in formation and greeting both he and Kizaru with a salute.

Akainu, a man who was merciless to any who opposed his will and sense of justice. Isabelle's body trembled slightly as he and his men passed. Her body wanted to react, strike him down where he stood. But her mind knew better, she was no match for him and even if she was it would be a deliberate act of betrayal. She was far too loyal to plummet to such low behavior. Instead Isabelle stood firm, accepting Lumi's words once more and stepping out before her fellow officers as well as those who had arrived with the Admirals.

[maroon]"Men, I suggest that each of you prepare yourselves for combat immediately..."[/maroon] She began while her heterchromic eyes surveyed their numbers, they approached the fourties. [maroon]"There's no telling when we'll face the enemy, as of now however we are tasked with securing this village. Separate into squads of eight and assume positions at each corner, the fifth squad however shall remain in the center as a reserve. Maintain communications using baby Den Den mushi. "[/maroon]

Her orders were set and quickly each squad mobilized and spread out to the edges of the village, with orders to check in every five minutes to help keep everyone notified should a perimeter be breached. It was a simple counter prevention measure that would help reduce their losses.

Now they had to wait for further orders from their superiors.

[/black]

[thormundsson]

There was a wave of murmurs throughout the assembled forces as the two admirals disembarked from their warship. The men muttered to themselves as they noticed that not only one but two admirals had arrived to take care of the mess. There had never been a need to gather such powerful individuals for any assignment since the infamous Whitebeard War....

The two men listened to the young marine girl explain the situation, each taking in the information in their own particular way. The older one, wearing a distinctive yellow jacket and his marine overcoat as always, simply listened with a quiet smile on his face, occasionally taking a sip of the teacup and enjoying the lemony, if slightly bitter, taste as the liquid slowly ran down his throat. Borsalino wondered why in the world the girl was panicking so much at this time. He couldn't see any real reason why in the world a Vice-Admiral hadn't been sent to deal with this. The fact that there was really a need to have him here was a bit irritating. But, he thought to himself, it was at least going to be a nice and comfortable trip. He finished his tea as he laid down his cup and stepped a bit to the left to look at a map of the area.

"Save the pleasantries, soldier, we are not here to enjoy the day, we're here to finish this up and leave, there are plenty of more pressing matters to deal with in the New World" Said the broad man as he waved away any attempts to offer him tea. He was not wearing his usually red coat, but a black one that sat tightly around his shoulders and his muscular form. But it was fine material and made the admiral look even more regal than usual as the black contrasted perfectly with the white overcoat he had on. He slowly pushed the girl away as he stepped closer to take a look at the plans that had been laid before him, taking in all the information that the brown paper could give. He was not in the mood for pleasantries now and he was anxious to finish up this pointless little detour and get a move on. There were pressing matters waiting for him back and Mariejoa and he had to discuss a lot of things with Pan-Fleet Admiral Kong.

"Let us show you how greatly you underestimate our powers, marine, we are not called the greatest strength of the World Government for no reason, so do not raise any more words of doubt or I will have you dismissed" The admiral continued without so much as looking at the girl, only the palpable feeling of malice that poured from the man spoke of the seriousness of his words.

"Maaaaahhhh, calm down Sakazuki, show us what the plan is, girl, huuuuummmm" The yellow clad admiral said as he stepped in closer, patting his fellow admiral on the back as he did....

[dantetakai]

"Let us show you how greatly you underestimate our powers, marine, we are not called the greatest strength of the World Government for no reason, so do not raise any more words of doubt or I will have you dismissed"

Sir, I meant no disrespect sir. Saluted and standing at attention I was not saying your power wasn't enough. I'm worried for the safety of my men considering this mission required both of your attention. Not because you’re not powerful enough to protect them, but because if your here then what we’re fighting is stronger than any of them beside a few to handle. She waited as Kizaru examined the maps. She looked toward the second admiral, a man she feared, but showed respect for. Her own beliefs in what justice was keeping her from respecting his iron fisted ways. She was cut short in her thoughts as the earth shook. the four squads at the edges of the camp screamed out as the ground beneath them gave way and large human sized insects crawled out, grabbing the men in their mandibles as the ground in the center shook and three gigantic worms burst from the center of the camp and one opened his mouth and a rather tall scientist emerged from the maw.

Well what do we have here?! He said as the worm like creatures tongue extended out from the mouth bringing the man into full view of everyone. His torn and stained lab coat for the most part clean. His green hair a mess and knotted and his glasses missing the right lenses. He smiled as his steam powered right arm gave a gust of steam as he moved it. He looked down at his pets fighting the marines on the borders of the town. He chuckled and laughed as Lumi ran out to greet him, swords drawn. Seems were infested my pets, by humans… such filthy things… how they poison my pets land.


Your land? This is Marine territory.

YOU LIE! He said as the worm shook. Sh…sh…. They won’t hurt you my pet. They don’t belong here… Not when I spent days ridding it of humans! OUT! OFF MY ISLAND! That’s when one of the foolish young marines shot the worm with his rifle. The worm spasmed and the man nearly fell off his perch on the worm. HOW DARE YOU SHOOT AT MY WORM! YOU LITTLE SPECK OF NOTHING! He pulled from his coat a rather odd looking weapon and he smiled and fired it at the marine, a single bullet fired from the gun, before igniting half way to him, catching the young marine on fire as it hit him. The man screamed until the fire entered his lungs. I WANT YOU OFF MY ISLAND BY MORNING!, NO! IN AN HOUR! WAIT! I WANT YOU OFF MY ISLAND NOW! He said as he signaled the warm to bring him back inside and escape leaving the two other worms and the various insects attacking the camp.

[Badman Zeek]

[black]

As ordered by Isabelle each squad positioned at the far edges of the village relayed their status. One by one each squad leader repeated the words of he who voiced in before him. All areas showed no signs of an enemy presence. The cycle lasted several times before the first squad listed to relay in missed their scheduled time. Within two minutes Isabelle was ready to mobilize her squad and take action.

Had it not been for the trembling of the earth beneath her feet, she would've followed through with her strategy. However she was taken by surprise once the source of such tremors erupted from deep beneath the earth's crust, appearing before her like a flower sprouting from the ground and reaching towards the sun. An immediate offensive maneuver flashed in the marine's mind, however there were three of the monstrous worms and standing on the one directly in her line of site was a man who by appearance was a scientist or doctor of some sorts.

Her eyes sharpened into a piercing glare, both green and blue irises fixated on the man before her. Ears on alert hanging onto every word said aloud, every sound rang heavy in Isabelle's eardrums. Her heart pumped fiercely and her mind focused, searching for a proper course of action. Naturally in reaction to the potential threat her hand found its way to her sword poised and ready to strike.

Before she knew it Lumi had entered a verbal exchange with the man. Isabelle remained silent and instead diverted her attention towards her comrades at the corners of the town.

[maroon]"Men! We need to assist the others."[/maroon]

Once more she sought to divide their numbers to help reinforce at least two of the squads. But before the order could be given a shot was fired from one her own. It irritated the large worm, prompting retaliation from the man that stood on top of it. A shot was returned, however the wound it inflicted upon her fellow marine was a sudden ignition of some sorts. In an instant he was brought to the ground immersed in flames. And with that the man retreated leaving behind two of his "pets".

Isabelle's sword had been drawn by now, her body positioned between the monsters and her remaining men. All the matter to her at the moment was taking down the two beast without the need to sacrifice anymore lives. But she needed to find the most effective way to take them down.

[maroon]"Men ready your arms and keep your distance."[/maroon]

[/black]

[thormundsson]

Hi guys

I've come to the realization that I am only rp-ing with Kizaru and Akainu because I want to keep them, not because I really enjoy it.

With that in mind and the fact that I am already bringing my load of characters too high I need to drop this thread. When the Canons expire I'm dropping both of my admirals.

Sorry about this but I was only being a drag here.