Twists, Turns and Traps!

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

"Memories of Battle!"

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, width:450px;] OCCUPATION -Doctor/Inventor CREW - Destiny BOUNTY - B32,000,000 CLASS - Class D The stars amid the black sea of the sky awakened him from his slumber; a light breeze breathing gently in his ear. The smell of the sea amongst those of unfamiliarity put him at a slight comfort despite knowing the situation was not of such. ‘Where am I? How did I get here?’ The thought was one of many that lingered in his mind as he tried to make sense of the situation. It was all blank for now but the canvas soon began to be filled with splashes of paint, glimpses into the event that lead up to this point. There was rain he remembered; heavy rain that carried the wrath of Zeus hidden amidst its clenched fists. And there was fire as well, complimenting the cold with its own fury to match. The mighty vessel that had been gifted to the Destiny Pirates was surrounded in flames, threatening to give in at any moment. The rattling of swords, the shooting up bullets; it was all a huge mess, a battle like none Gerard had experienced before. He knew the dangers of entering the Grand Line were huge but he had never expected to be in a situation where he was helpless as his crew faced defeat. The crooked smile of the slave-trader cum pirate came into view and that’s when the rest of the memory returned, filling in the gaps as they began to play through his head. They had been ambushed, trapped because of Gerard’s naivety, having not realised that leaving such a man to live would only prove troublesome for his crew later. Gerard knew not what had become of his crew. For the first time in his life, he had feared death at the moment he had been thrown to the fishes; the opposing pirates well aware of his devil fruit abilities. He had somehow survived which meant the rest of them may have found refuge somewhere. The only thing that was certain was, their ship had been burnt to ashes; they were a crew no more. All that remained was his sword at his waist. A reminder of his failure. A tear escaped his eyes as he screamed in silence. He had let his crew down. The very people he had vowed to protect were attacked, defeated… perhaps even dead. Miyako, Loec, Aron, Sarah, Eva … It was all so difficult to grasp. The possibility of losing those he cared for once again. Pirates were just as bad as the World Government who opposed them. The world was a mess and he alone would not be able to save it. The reality was like a slap in the face. He had been foolish to think he was capable of leading such a force with his lack of fighting ability. It was time to start over. Time to become that man he had set out to be. It was time to as strong as he could possibly be. Gerard raised himself to an elevated position, brushing the sand that had gathered on his clothing. He looked around his surroundings, envisioning the island he had landed upon. What his eyes feasted upon was beyond words. It was a vision of beauty and awe; a structure one wouldn't even dream off. Stood before him was a large structure of the greatest architecture he had ever seen. It was a whole city built upon itself in the form of one big building, the likes of which no-one had ever seen before. Yet, the island looked deserted, as if no-body had occupied it for years. A ruin of what may have been the greatest city ever built. It was so intriguing, Gerard forgot about his woes and all he cared for was exploring this body of bewilderment.

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, background-color:#111; font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; text-align:center; line-height:15px; color:#fff;]670 WORDS | TAGGED: Loec |Crew: Destiny

made by cirrus

[thormundsson]

Loec

Saltwater tastes vile, more vile than any drink that man has concocted in his history, save perhaps for the more dangerous types of poisons. The sea is a horrible blend of all the filth that flows from the many islands of the world. And added to that blend is so much salt that it would kill a man if he ever drank his fill of the water. Yet that wasn't what was going through Loec's head as he was swirled around in the wast blue void that completely surrounded him. The currents tossed him around like a tiny little bubble in the vastness that was consuming him. His eyes closed as his body was robbed of all the strength he could muster on land. He could do nothing to save himself, neither lift his hands or struggle to splash about, all that he could do was accept that the vast blue ocean had his body in it's cold grip and all that awaited him was a long stay in Davy Jone's Locker. He at least hoped there was air in that horrid place, his lungs were exploding with the strain of holding his breath.

He remembered a bit of the battle, guns blazing, swords raised and steel ringing off steel. The Destiny pirates had found themselves under attack from another ship, the two massive wooden beasts struggling to overcome each other as cannon after cannon was fired into the enemies vessel. The other vessel had returned fire with the same intensity, if not more so since Loec was obviously not on any vessel. He remembered swinging around, jumping everywhere on the ship, kicking people away like never before and having the time of his life. He had laughed, oh how he had laughed in the face of the enemy. He didn't care if they were under attack, it was the best feeling in the world to be active and throwing yourself into adventure after adventure. But what he remembered most of all was the cannon ball that had blown apart the top mast has he had been clinging to it, preparing to drop down on more enemies. Just before a massive chunk of the main mast had hit him in the head he had seen the ship began to sink, water pouring everywhere and flooding the decks. Then he had hit the darkness and all senses dulled to nothing.

He had this curious feeling as he found himself being pulled further down, or up, he couldn't tell in the swirling waves. For all he he knew he could be at the bottom already, he didn't feel much of it. But the feeling was nagging him a bit and it took him a while to realize what it was. It was fear, plain and simple, it was fear. The feeling of dread that was washing over him was not the fear of death, not in the least, it was the fear of not ending his life in a blaze of excitement and in the thrill of battle or some other important focus of the world. He was afraid because death was coming to him in a slow and cold manner, like the end of an old man or the deathly ill. He knew he had paid a price for his powers but this was just too cruel. He was to be robbed of a great blowout at the end of his existence by the blue void.

His last feeling before consciousness left him was the feeling of flight, as if his body was being heaved up, thrown against the firmament of the heavens....

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

"A New Start!"

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, width:450px;] OCCUPATION -Doctor/Inventor CREW - Destiny BOUNTY - B32,000,000 CLASS - Class D The blonde haired genius had been inspired by the wonder before him. The building itself looked ancient and run-down but it still functioned. The gears within itself construction allowing it to revolve around upon itself to change its appearance as the weather changed, as the different times of the day approached, as if it was made to withstand any possible problem. However, it seemed it was home to a new species now. Gerard witnessed in awe how these winged beings twisted in and out of the building with ease. They had mentally evolved to become accustomed to the buildings mysterious ways and functioned in sync with it. It was no longer a marvellous city but the world’s largest nest. Gerard had circled the whole perimeter of the island, as he marvelled at the city. It had taken a large part of the day but he hadn’t come across any wreckage what-so-ever from the battle. Not even his precious flame-thrower survived. It was as the sun was setting that he noticed the emptiness that had settled in his stomach, calling out for a filling. Grumbling to a seated position, the former captain of the Destiny watched as the ball of fire began to slump over the horizon, ending the day of recovery that had passed. His body still ached but his mind was now free of the guilt and burden. It no longer kicked under the surface of his skull but now lingered in the back of his mind somewhere. It was time to move on and learn from his mistake. Gerard unsheathed Zazu and began to immerse his feet into the cool of the blue, lifting the sleeves off his trousers from soaking in the sea. He felt the life drain out of him immediately. The sea was unforgiving upon those that had sold their soul to the devil. The curse of the devil fruits was no joking matter but Gerard had learnt of a way around it. “Sekiei Sekiei no Raft!” Gerard yelled out, producing a criss-cross mesh of a crystal raft of sorts. The low density of the quartz allowed it to float above the water. His eyes searched for the movement of a tail or fin but the dying light made it difficult. However, a few pokes in the dark and several feet into the sea, the doctor managed to turn fisherman and catch something for his complaining stomach. Satisfied with his load, Gerard began to peddle back using his makeshift crystal oars to get back to shore. A few hours later, the smell of burnt fish exploits the natural surroundings of the island as a less-than-satisfied Gerard sits in the illumination of a dying fire; the cold now beginning to bother him. He poked in the last of the firewood that he had collected, giving birth to the fire for another hour or so. If there was anybody on this island outside the city, they would have shown up by now, although Gerard highly doubted anybody even lived within the walls of the city itself. It was then, Gerard noticed something. At first, he thought it was the continuing grumble of his gut but upon further inspection, the noise wasn’t his own. His hand immediately reached out for his weapon in defence. He began to draw forward toward the noise, borrowing a flame from his fire as he went to investigate. At first it all seemed a hoax; his mind playing tricks on him… But then he saw it; a body on the sand, covered in seaweed and muck. Gerard rushed forward to attend to it. The skin of the body was cold to the touch but there was still some life left in it. It wasn’t up until closer inspection, Gerard noticed the body before him belonged to none other than the helmsman of the Destiny Pirates, Loec. The doctor placed one hand on Loec’s head whilst the index and middle finger from the other were placed below Loec’s chin. Forcing the head back, it opened up the pirate’s airways, allowing Gerard to examine if his patient still had breath in him. Gerard immediately began to pump down upon the chest of his ally, rushing the blood through his body. “Hang in there Loec! I’m going to zap you back to life in no time,” Gerard reassured his unconscious friend but even he wasn’t completely confident in his words. Placing his mouth around that of his helmsman, Gerard breathed life back into Loec, hoping it would bring about a response but his effort was futile. Another bout of chest compression followed but there was nothing. It was time to do something, Gerard had never tried before. The devil fruit user began to produce crystals at the palms of his hand, immediately compressing them as soon as they formed. The process was very delicate but Gerard had managed to get the hang of it. The hard task however was what he planned to do with all this compressed energy in his hand. Placing his hand on his partner chest, the talented doctor let the energy flow through the heart of Loec. "Sekiei Sekiei No 10,000 volts!" The impulse jolted the heart of the pirate back to life and within moments, the reflexes action of his lungs began to cough up water that had entered them.

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made by cirrus

[thormundsson]

The cold feeling of death was not as soothing as Loec had been led to believe, it felt like he was being heaved and tossed for some time. There was chaos and confusion around him, his body twisting and turning even though he himself had no control over the situation. The only thing he felt before the darkness took him completely was that tossing feeling again, as if he had been thrown high into the air. The feeling ended with something hard impacting on his back and neck before he slipped from this realm.

Whatever it was that he felt in the cold, murky, grasp of death changed him somewhat. He couldn't recollect what it was, the feeling of it had been lost to him as soon as he coughed up the first gout of water straight into his rescuers face. But deep down he knew he felt a bit different, as if another longing in this world had surfaced from beneath the everlasting grin and search for mad joy that had flooded his senses so long ago.

The saltwater that he hawked into Gerards faces tasted bitter but it was overshadowed by the feeling of relief that he wasn't dead. He took a few moments, a few heartbeats, to just lie in the sand and regain control of his breathing. He was fairly certain that he had a) swallowed a metric ton of saltwater and b) that he had never been so happy to see a friendly face. "Hehehe, looks like I'm thoroughly in your debt now, captain, hhehehe" He continued to chuckle a bit as he just lay back, thanking the stars that the doctor had found him and not some random passerby. His limbs still felt heavy and his breathing was a bit irregular as the stress on his body hadn't quite faded. He felt around and was pleased to find that his weapons, his four bladed daggers, were still with him. If anything it was a sign that greater powers were at work because his daggers had barely been strapped to his body.

"Hhehehehe, not that I don't appreciate the rescue but where in the world are we...and what is with the insane architecture, hhehehehehe!" Loec started laughing weakly as he noticed the massive city wall that they were just a few hundred meters away from. It was the most insane and interesting place he had ever seen, like a monolith, a monument to some great civilization that had once inhabited the island. Now it looked as dead as a beached whale, the corpse of some stone giant that had fallen there. It was hypnotic to look at and Loec didn't even notice as Gerard lifted him slightly up and the two stood shoulder to shoulder watching the great city.

"So what now, hehe..." Loec chuckled as he looked to his comrade and captain for ideas...

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

"The Laugh of a Friend!"

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, width:450px;] OCCUPATION -Doctor/Inventor CREW - Destiny BOUNTY - B32,000,000 CLASS - Class D As the breath returned to Leoc, Gerard’s own breathing calmed to a relieved form of its prior self; stick quick but not as erratic. The doctor collapsed besides the laughing pirate for the moment as his ally recuperated. "Hehehe, looks like I'm thoroughly in your debt now, captain, hhehehe…” Loec thanked Gerard who remained on his back, looking upon the stars, smiling. “Damn right you are you bastard. You scared this shit out of me… Damn, all those years of studying medics and performing surgical procedures; displacing guts and cutting open hearts. This has to be one of the scariest things I’ve ever done…” Gerard looked upon his hands and noticed they were still shaking but he forced himself up to a seated position. He looked upon the face of Loec and couldn’t help but giggle along with the devil-fruit user. Loec battled the pain in his body to a stance, wanting to get the feeling of ground beneath his feet once again. "Hhehehehe, not that I don't appreciate the rescue but where in the world are we...and what is with the insane architecture, hhehehehehe!" Leoc suddenly asked as he gathered his senses and surveyed his surroundings. His eyes had fallen upon the beast of what was left behind of the beauty but even through the dirt, he could see the diamond. “That my friend looks to me like an adventure to me… It looks like an ancient civilization build upon the wildest form of imagination possible. It was once an engineer’s dream but now a ruin of its former self. Its looks a mess from the outside but I can bet you we find things in there we could never even dream of.” Gerard replied to Leoc, unable to contain the excitement in his voice. It was a dream come true to find a world such as this and nothing would stop him exploring it to his heart's extent. Little did Gerard know of the danger's within the moving walls. "So what now, hehe...” Loec chuckled knowing full well that his captain had sensed an adventure and nothing would stop him from exploring this insane city. Gerard mind suddenly returned from its fascination as he realised they were stranded on an island, on the wake up an ended battle and their bodies were heavily exhausted. Taking into the account the middle of the night, Gerard concluded, “I think it’s better we get some rest; for your bodies sake at least. I’m pretty sure it’s the last thing you would want to look at but I got some fish cooked up in my make shift home over there. You’re free to crash the night here before we start our new adventure tomorrow.” Gerard jested with his friend as he made his way to the burning fire. “Rest assured, the fish were heavily cooked so do not worry about catching any diseases," Gerard mentioned, purposely masking out the key information that they were burnt beyond taste. “You know, I’m so excited right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep all night.” Gerard said as he crashed onto the sand; the muscles in his back taking comfort in the adjustable surface. “Let me know when the fire’s running low, I’ll get us some more firewood…” Gerard remembers a yawn before his eyes close upon themselves and his mind drifts off into a distant dream…

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made by cirrus

[thormundsson]

Once he laid down in the sand Loec realized how completely exhausted he was. That little spill in the ocean had done a number on him, more so than he had expected. The sand was a bit warm to his back, still cooling down from the day. The sun had apparently heated it up like a desert and so it provided a soft bed to lay down on. Loec took a few moments to just breath and try to stay calm, taking one moment after the other as a pure blessing. He was dead tired, more so than he had been in years. He could turn his head a bit to notice the strange city in front of them, still far off but so big that it seemed to impose upon his sight where ever he turned it. Gerard was sitting or lying down just a bit to his right, it was hard to tell as Loec could only see a part of his hat and face. The night sky covered everything as far as he looked, stars shimmering overhead as the exhausted pirate tried not to fall asleep right away.

"I have no worries about the food, it's not a professional meal but at least it's something, heheheh" Loec chuckled as he took a nibble now and then from the fish. He was hungry but his stomach was still settling from the adrenalin shock and electrical treatment that he had gotten. With that kind of rumbling he didn't dare to stuff his face with the fish, no matter how good it was. "I know I'm not the most sentimental of types and I may be going on a rant here but I'm glad I at least washed on this shore with you, captain" Loec said calmly as his stomach tried to settle down a bit more. He really meant every word of it as he focused his sight away from Gerard, he didn't want to look the man straight in the face. "I'm probably this thankful since you saved my life completely, hahahahah" He laughed out loud, his words echoing across the dark ocean and the silent beach. He meant every word of that too. It was weird but he had never really come to know the others in the Destiny Pirates save for the captain and it had been one crazy move after another. He liked crazy more than anybody but the laughing pirate could appreciate these calm moments as well. He was sure the others had managed to get off the ship somehow, even if they were captured they weren't dead and that made all the difference.

"I have a craving to go explore that city when day breaks and we can move again, I can't imagine the fun it'll be to see that graveyard of a civilization." He said as he picked a bit more of the fish and savored every bit of it. "Best case scenario we find some sort of way off this island as we explore it better, hehehe" He laughed as he distracted himself from the fact that they were without a vessel on the island. As if they were meant to stay there for a while at least. As the cold air moved in closer Loec had to rustle off a bit of his wet clothes and hang them to dry. It was a good thing that the makeshift shelter that Gerard had made was warm enough to let him do it, the fire made sure of it. The tug of sleep grabbed him tighter with each slow breath he took and he was barely awake to hear Gerard reply to his words...

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

"ENTER THE FOREST!"

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, width:450px;] OCCUPATION -Doctor/Inventor CREW - Destiny BOUNTY - B32,000,000 CLASS - Class D The morning sun broke the dawn, climbing over the horizon to give birth to yet another new day. Gerard yawned, opening his eyes to view the glorious morning in all its beauty. The skies were a clear blue with shades of pink hue glistening along with it; decorating the horizon and then reflecting its beauty upon the sea as well. Gerard lifted himself from the bed of sand, brushing the grains off his kimono whilst he did so. The sun hit his face as he walked toward the sea casting a long shadow behind him. Gerard couldn’t help but smile; the blonde in his hair lighting up like the golden sand at his feet. A thousand fish ran across the water, skipping and jumping, creating a relaxing atmosphere. One which Gerard watched in silence, with a simple smile on his face, fascinated. He looked over to his partner who remained in his deep sleep, missing out on the pleasantries of this morning. A scowl appeared on Gerard face, not satisfied with enjoying the delights of this daybreak on his own. Not one to raise his voice, Gerard had a better idea. A scuttling little creature had popped its head out from beneath the sand a few feet away from where Gerard stood and it fascinated him the way this shelled being side-stepped across the shore. What was more interesting was the two pincers that were stuck at the end of its hands. “Hey little fellah… Do you mind doing a favour for me?” Gerard asked the crab, taking a hold of its beachy body in his hands before cradling it in his hand as he walked over to where Loec lay fast asleep. “Mind waking up my friend here? He seems to be in such a deep sleep and I don’t have the heart or will-power to wake him up.” Gerard spoke to the crab as if it would understand his tongue. The crab responded by clasping its claws together before opening them again to inform Gerard they were ready for action. Gerard carefully placed the crab onto Loec’s body, giving the crab free permission to examine the subject at hand whilst Gerard took a step back to observe. The crab crawled across the laughing pirate’s chest, down his stomach and onto his lower region. It was here the pincers began to touch and feel. Gerard couldn’t help but laugh, just thinking about what was to follow. Gerard closed his eyes, imagining the pain his partner would have felt as the crab gripped his thing. “Come on little lady…” Gerard shouted almost immediately, turning his back on his partner as he started to stride toward the small clearing in the forest leading up to the marvellous structure. With a walking stick in one hand and a hat on his head, Gerard looked like a true explorer. “Can you feel it Leoc? Can you feel the excitement? I can even smell adventure in the air.” Gerard claimed as he used the sword hidden within the walking stick to slice through a layer of heavy shrubbery. The movement was quick and precise with the katana returning to its sheath in a flash. “I think this one might lead us to the building. Hurry up Loec or we might miss the start.” Gerard said, taunting his friend to speed up despite knowing what pain he had put his partner through. The talented doctor didn’t look back. He kept up his pace and flitted through the tropical forest, cutting down vine after vine and everything in between the trees. He lead the way courageously but cautiously at the same time. There was a huge element of the unknown here and from what Gerard knew; the unknown was a dangerous place, which is why he didn’t feel comfortable exploring it at night. Gerard’s aim was to reach the town and settle in before nightfall. Something told him, the night on this island would be far worse than the day. Gerard suddenly stopped his pacey walk mid-way up a broken log; a rotting tree that had been devoured by insects and had perhaps become a home to many living beings, including a slimy patched snake. The green amongst the orange made it hard to spot in its surroundings but Gerard had a keen eye for the unusual amongst the usual. The snake too became aware of Gerard presence. Gerard knew Loec wouldn’t be far behind and if he caught up, it was more than likely the distraction would allow the snake to make the first attack. He had to move quick! The wandering swordsman let his right arm slowly drift over to the top of the katana. The process would have to be very delicate. Snakes were known to be fast creatures, especially when attempting to strike. Gerard stared into the eyes of the snake, not showing fear not hatred. It was just a neutral stare of fearlessness and determination. The snake too stared back, hissing every so often but not moving from his spot other than an occasional sway. The moment was tense and despite keeping eye contact, Gerard had managed to get into position. “Tsuki!” Gerard yelled, startling the snake deliberately at the precise moment as he drove the sword forward, thrusting the blade into the direction of the snakes bite. The blade caught the snake through the mouth and sliced it clean through, the movement of the snake and Gerard’s sword providing the means to slice the snake in two clean pieces. “Breakfast is served," Gerard jested as the two half pieces of snake landed either side of him.

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made by cirrus

[thormundsson]

The pain of having your delicates grabbed by pincers is something no man wants to wake up to and due to the exact location of the crab's pincers the pain had been bad enough to get Loec rolling out of his sleeping position an spinning around in agony. The little devil had only let go once the usually joyful man had twisted around and thrown himself about like never before. As it had hit the ground it had immediately begun to waddle away without a care in the world. Something that, the now almost serious Loec, wasn't about to let it get away with.

Once the the laughing pirate, now full of mirth again, had crushed the crab like a dingy toy and blown it apart with his fruit powers he turned again to his friend, if that he was. The man hadn't seemed even the slightest bothered by the fact that his comrade was rolling around in pain and had gone lulling into the jungle to search for an entrance to the strange, stone built, city. Loec could hear him off in the distance as the man wasn't going about his movement in any sneaky way. Least if it was some sort of strange, obvious, stealth then the scantily clad pirate had not heard of it. He shook his head as his body shook with laughter, he was starting to enjoy this place more than he had ever anticipated. If anything the promise of hidden adventure in the great city was something to look forward to. That and the possibility of escape somewhere else on the island, preferably in a manner that allowed them to stay away from prison and perhaps snag a hot meal and a soft bed somewhere.

He went running after the logia user, using his own powers to give him a slight puff of air beneath his legs, letting the energy of it carry him a bit faster. With acrobatic movements he jumped up, away from the ground with the agility of a cat and grabbed the nearest branch. With that he began to swing from tree to tree, leaping from one sturdy branch to another and rolling along the great bulks of fallen trees when there was no wood to grab and keep his pace. With that, swiftly and surely, he caught up with the crystal man that had been hacking his way through the jungle with his blade, cutting through the wines and the dense undergrowth with the same ease a man might carve a stick of butter. Like a hot knife through rotting cheese had Gerard cleared his way through every single stick, branch and bush that had been in his way. Loec was impressed, merely because his method of travel wasted little time had he been able to catch up with the scientist. If he had decided to run after him or perhaps try and locate him through other means he would have taken far longer to do so.

He passed Gerard by just as the man was taking care of a fairly big snake, with Loec laughing like mad as he noticed the hazard that his friend had been in. "ahahahahahhaha, at least I can be lucky enough that you didn't put THAT under my clothes, I'm fairly certain I'd be a bloated raft of flesh in the sea if you had, jiahahahahahaha" He laughed like a maniac as he grabbed a hold of a thick branch right before him with both hands. Using the momentum that he had built up he swung through the thick veil of leaves in his way, pushing through it with ease, as one would have expected.

What he had not expected was to hit a clearing in the jungle and with a low shriek, a mix of a laugh and a veil of surprise, he hit the muddy ground in front of him. He rolled forward a few paces before bracing himself and coming to a halt. His hair, his clothes and all his gear was now awash in mud and he ripped himself out of his t-shirt and cut a good part of his pants below the knee. He never got angry at the world, but he sure didn't like being muddy up to his ears either. He used some of the water in his flask to rinse himself off just as he took a glance around. The flask clattered to the ground as he took in the amazing sight that was before him. There was a great gate, huge and imposing, that loomed out over him. It seemed to him that no living man had wrought such a construct, that only some titan of forgotten ages could have done so.

With a laugh and a chuckle of excitement he stood up again, walking slowly towards the great gate. He took a bit of snake meat that Gerard handed to him as he approached the massive stonework. Chewing on the thick meat he wondered if there was some sort of mechanism to open the gate from the outside. After a few moments he shook his head. He was not engineer and even if he was he was certain the jungle would have swallowed up any such device that lay beyond the stony confines.

He sprang up, laughing as he went, passing over the cobbled step before the gate as he spun around and kicked the gate, letting the powers that he had been granted do their work. The great gate cracked and broke, as if it's one weight and mass was pushing from the inside. Huge stones blew apart and went flying into the dark interior of the city as Loec's powers did their work. "Hhehehehehe, it may have been built to withstand the march of time for centuries, but not meant to hold out individuals such as us, heheheheh" he chuckled as he peered into the gloom, beckoning for Gerard to come and join him.

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

"ENTER THE TUNNEL!"

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, width:450px;] OCCUPATION -Doctor/Inventor CREW - Destiny BOUNTY - B32,000,000 CLASS - Class D "Hhehehehehe, it may have been built to withstand the march of time for centuries, but not meant to hold out individuals such as us, heheheheh" The laughing pirate chuckled. Gerard couldn’t agree more as he saw the metal contraption set to keep intruders out get pulled away from the foundations of its mechanics. It was like watching a giant break through a building, although Gerard had never come across a giant before but there had been a huge fishman on their crew before and he had resembled a giant. Now that the gate had been taken care off, it was time to do some exploring. The Destiny gave a nod of gratitude to his first mate as he took the lead once again, making his way into the entrance of the large structure. In a room somewhere, presumably in the tower, a man is watching through what seems to be a very old looking surveillance den-den mushi. The man hadn’t been paying much attention previously, instead using the morning to cook an unhealthy meal. Judging from the size of his stomach circumference, it was clear this man loved his food… or had some form of disease, but that disease was most likely obesity. His curly moustache and knee length beard was un-kept, as if he hadn’t seen a mirror in a decade or two. His gaze diverted to the screen displayed by yet another den-den mushi with its eyes being used as projectors. He looks toward an old scruffy dog that lazes around in front of small fire place. “Did you see that boy? Looks like we’ve got some guests…” He said out-loud through a set of browning mustard teeth. A gust of green air was exhaled from his mouth as he spoke. “It’s been quite a while since we last had some guests hasn’t it tommy-boy. These two seem quite strong as well. I think we might be having some fun. Let’s see how long they last before we let young master know... KUHAHAHA!” His stained teeth ratting in his mouth as he cackled loudly. He flipped the fried egg from the pan and into a plate that already included boiled eggs, scrambled eggs and an omelette as he got ready to have his completely egg-based breakfast. Going back to the duo, it seemed they had come across a long and narrow corridor that was covered in large stone slabs from the floor, to the ceiling and the walls. It was like a squared tunnel of stone where the end was not visible for there was no light on this path whatsoever. “Loec… Is it just me or is this leading to something dangerous. And also why does it feel like I’ve had too much to drink when I’m completely sober. Is it just me or does it seem that the floor is rotating in a counter-clock wise fashion.” The doctor had already made some observations upon entering the tower. He knew they would be in for some surprises, but not from the first step. Gerard stopped a moment to ponder the problem they would soon be facing. “I think we need to do something in order to light this place up. The light from the gate we opened won’t reach in too far. There is something that I have been experimenting with but I’m not too sure how well it will work.” In this time, he also became familiar with the timing off the rotating stone slabs; getting accustomed to the rhythm in no time. The Sekiei Sekiei no Mi user exerted some force from his hands and the pores from his skin began to produce a pink liquid which quickly solidified into two large crystals; one in each hand. “Here, takes these,” Gerard said, throwing the pair to Loec. “Now bring them together and keep rubbing them. They should produce a bit of a glow. The quicker you rub them, the more energy it will create and the more light it will produce. That should do the trick.” The Wandering Swordsman informed his partner whilst producing some more quartz crystals in order to exploit their triboluminescence property.

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made by cirrus

[thormundsson]

The crumbling archway had held Loec's attention long enough for his friend to walk past him and take a look inside. The city, if this place could indeed be called that, had obviously seen better days in it's past and no mistake about it. For it seemed as if the place was both a city and something more. walls of many shapes seemed to jut out all around them and where the houses could be glimpsed the design was like something out of a madman's dream. Thick slabs of hewn rock and tall tables carved of marble were all the remained of the interior of the buildings he could see into. It somehow filled him with a slight sense of awe and yet he found it terribly amusing. It was hilarious to him as it is fascinating and hypnotic to watch a blind man or a demented man paint a picture. The city seemed like it didn't really fit, like whole houses and floors jutted out in weird angles and shapes. And yet it seemed planned, as if some great architect and craftsman had wrought it in such a way as to confuse his enemies. The jutting buildings and the leaning towers seemed to be made to stand in the manner of which they did.

Loec was trying to contain his mirth at the spectacle when he realized he was losing focus on the whole scene, as if his eyes were trying to strafe a bit to the right as he tried to peer at a particularly imposing Obelisk that the duo had stopped in front of. It was not until Gerard spoke that he realized what it was that was throwing his vision off it's mark. The crystal man was indeed right, the entire floor was turning to the right, and not in and slow, grinding fashion. If it had begun at a snails pace it was not moving to that of a walking man and gaining in speed slowly but surely. "Jihahahahahah!! This is quite the predicament we've gotten ourselves into!" Loec laughed like a devil as he jumped to avoid a small building that had been steaming straight at him from the right. He rolled backwards, letting his hands take the weight of his body with casual ease and with the agility of a serpent he flexed his back upwards and vaulted back, escaping the rushing mass of rock that had threatened to crush him. The pieces of crystal that his mate had thrown at him Loec thrust into two pockets as swiftly as he could, figuring that the pieces might come in handy later on, if the floor ever went still again.

"I think if we want to find the source of this we have to head further in, seems like some presence here does not like our visit, jihahahahhaah!" He kept on laughing as he ducked an entire floor of another house that swerved overhead, almost taking his head off as it rushed onwards. Despite his acrobatic maneouvers he was still having a bit of a problem standing and minor things, such as lightpoles or small jutting pieces of rock kept bumbing into him. The whole mess rolling into him forced him to start jumping around, bouncing on the floor and up the walls to try and get away from the mass of marble that was trying to crush him. He looked to see his captain having a slightly tougher time of this than him. The great power that the man had gained from his Devil's fruit had made him somewhat less responsive to such threats as they could do no real harm to him. Here and there he dodged this way and that but every now and again Loec could see a chip of crystal fall from his body.

"Let's try and get out of this, the joke is getting somewhat tired, and I'm not in the mood for bad ones, hehe" The laughing pirate chuckled a bit as he leapt forward, balancing him self on a bit of a marble pillar that was jutting from the earth before he leapt forward again. The there was a change in the air and the sound blurred a bit. The tone of rock moving changed rapidly and there was the grinding noise of thick slabs grating against each other. Just ahead of him and to the right where had had aimed his jump a huge beam moved out of the very walls, smaller than the buildings and quite a lot faster. Only through the use of his Devil's fruit powers did Loec manage to blast his way through but it was of no avail. Just beyond a second piece had jutted out from underneath a balcony and Loec slammed into it hard. It hurt, and the more or less crazed pirate wasn't a fan of pain. Indeed he didn't experience it often and when he did it always ruined his day. He dropped like a sack of apples to the ground but only through his years of experience did he manage to survive the impact. He curled up and like a spider that drops he stretched out his limbs at the right moment, landing like a cat on all fours, trying to regain his senses.

To his right he noticed a massive slab of rock, broad at the front but shrinking as it went further out, had literally smashed his good friend in half. "It looks like this joke isn't quite over, hehheheh" Loec chuckled meakly as he tried to regain his usually impossibly good balance...

[|The SHAKINATOR|]

"RUINS OF THE UNDERWORLD!"

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[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,bTable][atrb=style, width:450px;] OCCUPATION -Doctor/Inventor CREW - Destiny BOUNTY - B32,000,000 CLASS - Class D "Let's try and get out of this, the joke is getting somewhat tired, and I'm not in the mood for bad ones, hehe" The man with the bucket hat had been enjoying himself as he shifted between the buildings of the rolling town they had encountered. His companion however wasn’t fond of such silly games as he used his devil fruit abilities to trash the ruins apart. It wasn’t long for Gerard to realise that the town was set as the foundation of the tower, with the spiral leading underground in a spiral. There weren’t significant changes in the direction they were turning but the scientist was aware of such fluctuations. Gerard was still enjoying the little game they had going when things became a little shaky. It had been like a training exercise for sport athletes, having to duck, dodge and dive away from the obstacles in their course. Clearly Loec wasn’t laughing any more for he blasted his way through a hole. His captain lazily followed, not realising the block he had blasted away had tumbled right back across the tunnel of death. Gerard was too busy waiting for the right timing so he would be falling through the whole by the pull of gravity. As he stepped through and landed below, the rock followed up directly above him. The cane wielding pirate took a look up and smiled before uttering the words, “Oh Boy!” The rock cylinder came crashing down just in time to smash through a pure crystal figurine of Gerard. Shards of pink quartz flew all around in every direction with a lump remaining firmly compressed beneath the block of rock. “That was a close one…" came a voice as the crystals began to reform into a human body shape. Each crystal levitating off the ground and combining with one another to recreate the different limbs of Gerard Yagami’s body until her was back to his usual self; smiling as always. “This tower is just as interesting as I thought it would be. That spiral, obstacle-course, maze-tunnel was quite the extraordinary. Never come across anything like it. I wonder who came up with it and how they created such a marvel.” The last remaining member of the Yagami family spoke in awe of his surroundings. He looked around at the ruins of a town that was set before him, illuminated by naturally glowing moss that lined up the walls to the caved structure. It was warmer here than it was when they had entered the island. This only strengthened his theory that they were currently underground. “I think this is where it started. These are the real foundations of the tower where it all began; an underground city. From the looks of it, these people were very cautious. Choosing to live beneath the world could only mean they were afraid of whatever was out there." The Destiny captain paused a moment considering the possibility. "I think that was the reason why they went to such great lengths to set such traps and built their whole city within a tomb.” Gerard recalled the outer structure of the building, how it seemed to protect whatever was inside. Although there had been several weak links within the building that had been exploited from what the genius could make out. “The outer layers were no doubt taking on the form of a cocoon as protection but I guess they got carried away with the beauty and craft of architecture that the safety and protection was eventually compromised. I wonder what brought this city to end and what had caused them to take such precautions in the first place?” Gerard scanned the area and came to realise he could distinctively hear the rushing of water. “Can you hear that Loec?” Gerard suddenly asked. He was intrigued. Perhaps there was a source of the liquid within these very grounds, perhaps in the form of a hot spring. It was possible but from the sound and judging where they were, it seemed more likely to be a man-made supply. “I think there is a lot more to this place then what meets the eye. The inhabitants of this village may have moved up because something else was down here.” The crystal fruit user warned his partner as they ventured into the unknown.

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made by cirrus