Hail to the Blue Moon(Maelstrom Pirates)

[RK]

The ocean breeze whipped at Kaiser's long blonde hair. He took his time to relax. His wounds healed, he was finally in peak condition after several weeks of terrible pain. Kaiser had several new scars, each with its own story, its own legacy. He was proud to have these scars, they proved that he bested a stronger opponent, and that he was truly a pirate worth recognition.

Kaiser had begun reading the Daily Coo not too long ago. A little over a week ago they had left Ice Nine, oddly enough they didn't try to follow them, which had him questioning the marines true motives towards apprehending the Maelstroms. Kaiser took this as a sign, and decided to get caught up on recent events. Kaiser may seem like a brute, but under that golden hair, lies tactical genius beyond anyone else he knew. This amazing skill at planning his attacks, even in the heat of battle, is how he has won nearly every fight he has encountered on his journey in the North Blue. Kaiser felt the chill of the air nip at his exposed arms and chest. It wasn't nearly as cold as the air of Ice Nine. Everyone in this sea must have known his name by now. The Daily coo's New Bounties page even had him on it. "Maelstrom" Kaiser Spine 25,000,000 Beri reward. Wanted Dead or Alive. His bounty had gone up, which meant that he'd be getting more attention. Kaiser was no fool though, if he could blend in anywhere on this racist sea, it was the sprawling Casino littered Trash heap of an island, the illustrious Amino Island.

Amino was in sight now, it looked...dirty. Kaiser could smell the island from all the way out on the ship. He didn't recall Fishmen having enhanced smell. Kaiser walked down to the deck of the Bedrock, Sora and Genshi were no where in sight. Perhaps Genshi was cooking something? That sounded nice right about now, a good home cooked meal. Something warm, he'd need a full stomach if he was going to do any heavy drinking.

Kaiser was still bugged as to why the ship was moving slower than normal. It seemed as though something was tugging on the ship, almost weighing it down. Kaiser raised his arms up and stretched out his whole body, keeping this stretching pose as he just walked straight off of the ship into the water. Kaiser swam around the water around the ship, it was still moving and the water was pretty murky, albeit still cold as hell.

Kaiser finally made it to the back of the ship, what he saw shocked him. There was this...oval...stuck to the ship. It was oval shaped at least. Kaiser wanted to touch it but also didn't at the same time, he felt like it was moving. It was pretty big. Kaiser peered inside to see...some sort of blob. Kaiser took a closer look and saw that it was moving a little. This was an egg! The egg of some sea monster no doubt, got attached to their ship. This almost made Kaiser cringe, knowing they were that close to a giant sea creature that could have killed them in an instant.

Kaiser jumped back onto the deck, whatever was in that egg it wasn't hatching anytime soon. Kaiser stepped over to the edge of the ship. He used his Fishman Karate ability to literally rip the water from his clothes and hair. He then dumped it over to the ocean.

Kaiser walked inside the ship and sat down at the kitchen table. He was too mellow to see if anyone was around. He pulled out a picture of him, with his old friends, and his mother. This was the highest time in Kaiser's life, when he was a child. He remembered that his mother would make them lunch every day before she...stopped. Kaiser put the photo away, he wanted to cry, looking at a photo where there was only one person in it left alive. Such memories all so important, yet all so sad. Kaiser put the photo back into his pocket, and stepped back outside, they would be docking soon, maybe some hard liquor and gambling would take Kaiser's mind off of his family...if only.

[Harusame]

SPOILER: Click to show

(Sorry I disappeared guys. But I’m back. And I have decided not to use my post template.)

[/color] Sora was pissed.

There was no other way to explain how he felt. The only explanation was, he was pissed. He had fought so hard against 'Goldilocks' and expected to defeat him when he went mutt mode. But Kaiser walked in and finished his battle for him. Was he pissed with Kaiser? Maybe a little. But honestly, he was more pissed with himself. When Kaiser had killed Roy so easily, Sora realized something. He was weak. Sure he was maybe the second strongest in the crew, but Kaiser was way ahead of him.

There was only one thing keeping his frustration at bay, becoming stronger. It was all he could think of as they had been on their way to the next island. He had awoken every day and done intense exercise. Pushups, sits ups, throw ups, (should have had breakfast first) and so on. In the few weeks they had gone out, he seemed to have become a bit more buff. His muscles had become more adept to combat, meaning they didn't get tired that fast. Before, he would fight and stress his muscle to the point where he couldn't punch anymore but now, he estimated that he could probably fight for an hour straight.

And his training wasn't done. He wasn't going to stop training ever. And he wouldn't believe he was strong until he defeated a strong opponent on his own.

Sora hopped out of bed and realized he had been thinking to himself for quite a while. Immediately, he began his exercise. After about an hour, he was sweating on the floor shirtless, with a towel around his neck. His stomach gurgled with pain from hunger. He decided his training session was over and he went to the upper deck.

As soon as he got up, he met Kaiser leaving the kitchen. "Mornin' K." he said lazily.[/ul][/font]

[Nasakeshira]

Hannibal had a tough time escaping Ice Nine. Those bastards totally forgot about him! He was there for six more days before he stole himself a nice little fishing boat. A few days later, Hannibal's ship was smashed by the Maelstrom Pirates. At least they were kind enough to patch up some of his wounds and treat him to a nice meal.

But that meal felt like ages ago. Well it has been five weeks since that meal, and now he was hanging upside down on the yard of their ship. "Nyaa~h. I'm so bored. Where are we going. I'm hungry, feed me. NO SEAFOOD DAMN IT! Thinking of seafood and then seeing a fishman makes me sick when I look back at the fish on my plate." Hannibal incessantly continued to whine for a few minutes, before taking a look around again. Kaiser and Sora were talking in front of the kitchen but it seemed to be nothing important. No one was there to really pay any heed to his complaints. Hannibal started swinging back and forth until he built enough momentum to swing into a sitting position. He walked the length of the yard like a balance beam, he turned around. Bent his knees and jumped backwards, he was doing flips. One... two! Thr-! BAM! Hannibal landed on his head, "I'm totally-" Sniff sniff, "fine! That didn't hurt at all!" Somehow he managed to convince himself that it didn't hurt.

Rolling from his head onto his butt, he reached into his pocket. "He he!" He laughed to himself, pulling out a few coins he tossed them into the air. "Kuikkudoro." Hannibal flicked a coin towards the starboard, drew his pistol and shot it out of the sky. The recoil made him slide all the way to port. "I need a bigger ship!" He began continuously flicking out coins and shooting them to slide around the ship.

[York]

Fanning in the odor of the meal he was cooking, Genshi couldn't help but feel smug about his culinary skills. This day had inspired the young pirate to bake a hearty breakfast of pita bread and an assortment of meats and vegetables consisting of peppers and onions, served with juice made of clementine and mandarin oranges. And to top off the necessary food groups for a healthy crew at sea, were small individual bowls of strawberry yogurt mixed with nuts. The hairnet on his head felt strange, but he didn't want to get any of his person on anything but his person. Unfortunately, Genshi hadn't had much time to restock, so each of the given servings were smaller than he would've liked. He looked at his hands, he could see, even through the bandages wrapped around them, the wounds that had been inflicted by his own swords. Surprisingly, through the cooking he had been partaking in, he felt little pain, slight discomfort but little to no pain whatsoever, although it was some time ago that he had been held up and saved.

"I must be getting tougher. All I need now is a new set of swords and I am set to become the man I've always wanted to be. Respected. Honored. Famous." he said to himself, clenching his fists and grimacing at the discomfort.

The white haired one looked out the kitchen window, approaching it to assure that he wasn't imagining what he was seeing. It was an island. Genshi pumped his fist and returned to setting individual portions for the days breakfast. He didn't notice Kaiser enter, and when he turned to check, the fishman was gone, must've been excited about the next island. Genshi placed the meat on a large bowl, placed in the middle of the table, with each respective plate holding two whole pitas for tearing and grabbing. Tall glasses and a pitcher of juice was placed next to the meat and the individual helpings of yogurt were placed in the refrigerator for afterwards.

"Come and get it while it's still warm you guys. Wouldn't want to go hungry would ya? Our next adventure is on the horizon!" He shouted

[RK]

"Mornin' K."

Sora seemed to be up as well. Kaiser walked back outside and let the breeze run through his fine blonde hair, he was going to explain the plan to his crew. It was so simple, yet so complicated. Stealing some cash. A normal robbery aside from the whole...its a big ol' mob run Casino. Kaiser walked back inside and looked over to Sora.

"Mornin' Sora, I've been thinking of a little scheme you may like, im gonna need your opinion." Kaiser sat back down. Genshi was in the kitchen, making a sort of healthy breakfast. Kaiser didn't mind, but some steak and eggs sounded much better right about now. Or a big cut of striped bass or blue fish. Yeaaahhh....

Kaiser shook himself out of his little fantasy and decided now was the time to explain his awesome plan. Kaiser looked over at Genshi, then back at Sora.

"Men, we are pirates, but we lack one thing every crew worth their weight in salt deserves. Boat loads of cash."

Kaiser pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It had some writing sprawled onto it messily. Kaiser slammed it down onto the table, trying not to break the wood with his immense strength. He snickered and brought his eyes back towards his two crewmen.

"This is the solution to our problem! Ever since we first got together We've been scraping the bottom of the barrel. So I've devised a plan to make a quick buck. We're going to rob the Blue Moon Casino, the largest, fanciest joint in the city!"

Kaiser stood up, he was getting pretty jittery. He couldn't even sit still the anticipation was killing him. He went over to the yogurt slop Genshi was making and plot a good amount into his mouth, along with some of the strawberries. Kaiser also took and dug one of his claws into Genshi's hairnet and cut it off his head.

"You look like a dork with that on."

Kaiser wasn't even done explaining half of his master scheme. Kaiser looked over at Sora first. His job was going to be pretty important.

"Alright Sora, you'll take the role of the face, the good looks, as well as the eyes on the inside. You'll pose as a rich gambler looking to play poker with the leader of the Blue Moon gang. You'll need to put on a pretty convincing show for them, so put your acting face on."

Kaiser turned over to Genshi, his job was equally as important, though not as dangerous.

"Alright Genshi, you're the only member of the crew that can break into the vault of the casino without there being lots of...noise." You'll be able to use your ability to place soft clay in the crease of the vault, if you expand and harden it, it should loosen the door. Also, you'll need some new swords, but i think you can manage with temporary clay swords for now right?"

Kaiser put the plan back in his pocket. He gave a long sigh and began to speak again, this was all so much talking, even for him.

"Finally, my job. I will be in charge of dealing with a certain undesirable. You see, the Blue moon gang recently underwent a management change, and the former leader has tried for weeks to assassinate the new Mob Boss. He will most likely try again today, and he often causes commotion in the casino. From what i've heard from other pirates, he is an ability user, and he's very powerful. Though they never knew what power he had, and none of the news paper articles about him ever mention the power, so i will be walking into this fight blind. I'll try and keep him in the residential district while you make the extraction."

Kaiser sat back down, he was a lot more collected now. He needed to be a leader. It was his job to make sure the job had no interruption by this trash bag of a devil fruit user. He still didn't know what to do about that Bear guy, he had been on the ship with them for a while. Kaiser was considering asking him to join, but he was a little naive.

"Were gonna dock and relax around town before the heist, so just keep cool and stay low if you can, if our cover is blown then the operation is a bust. By the way, since this is an operation, i am henceforth going to refer to it as Operation H.A.R.V.E.S.T. Harvest doesn't stand for anything, i just think it sounds cool."

And thus begins the final chapter in the Maelstroms adventure in the North Blue, soon they will be crossing over reverse mountain and into the Grand Line, of course, none of them know this yet.

[Harusame]

"Mornin' Sora, I've been thinking of a little scheme you may like, I'm gonna need your opinion."

Finally. Sora recently had been under the impression that all he was going to do on his journey was bust people right off the bat. For almost every island they landed on, it ended with them running off with nothing in their hands and a whole lot of sweat. For once, they were going to go the smart way and plan everything out.

The Day-Dreaming snapped back to reality at just the same time as Kaiser did. He shook his head and showed full attention to his blue captain., showing his agreement and interest.

"Men, we are pirates, but we lack one thing every crew worth their weight in salt deserves. Boat loads of cash."

The Broke Pirate face turned into a depressed state for a second, and a black aura floated around his head. "Aye." They were broke. Not even just broke. They were dead broke. They were so broke, Sora thought they would probably have to beg beggars for money.

The White Haired boy jolted as his Fishman Captains hand slammed on the table. His eyes looked down at the table to see a poorly drawn map/thing.

"This is the solution to our problem! Ever since we first got together We've been scraping the bottom of the barrel. So I've devised a plan to make a quick buck. We're going to rob the Blue Moon Casino, the largest, fanciest joint in the city!"

Robbing ... The Innocent Kid had probably never robbed anything in his life. It was quite humorous to him considering he angered a Pirate Captain, Angered a Slave Master, killed a few people, even beat up whole crews at times. Yet ... he had never stolen one thing in his life. Right now, he could have expressed the truth but he decided to leave it. Butterflies swarmed in his belly and goosebumps filled his skin. This plan sounded sort of exciting.


Sora looked up to see his Wanderer-looking Pirate Captain grab a bunch of food then rip Genshi's hairnet off and say something. He returned and began again.

"Alright Sora, you'll take the role of the face, the good looks, as well as the eyes on the inside. You'll pose as a rich gambler looking to play poker with the leader of the Blue Moon gang. You'll need to put on a pretty convincing show for them, so put your acting face on."

The Sly Pirate smirked. Style and swag .. this was going to be easy. He hadn't gambled in allot in the past but his intelligence came to an advantage. But the one thing was he had to go one-on-one with the head of the Blue Moon Gang. He inwardly shrugged. A pirates life for me.

The Classy First Mate listened to the rest of the plan. Genshi, rob a vault. Kaiser, do some head bashing. Pretty straight forward. Sora was just about to leave when he noticed one thing. The bear guy. The bear guy had no job. Maybe ...

"Okay Kaiser. This is a really good idea but .. what if the bear guy came with me?"

Technically, the Weird Gunner wasn't a crew member but leaving him here seemed unfair. I mean, the were now on the same boat and he needed to help in some way.

[Nasakeshira]

He had long grown bored of shooting coins and now lay on the railing outside the kitchen. Picking his bear nose, he flicked boogers onto the deck. "Ignoring the great Hannibal! Not even inviting him to breakfast." His stomach growled, he moaned and rolled off the rail and onto the ground and rolled into the kitchen right as Sora said, "this is a really good idea but .. what if the bear guy came with me?"

"There is a bear guy?" He rolled back and forth in the door way. "I'm hungry!" On his back now he kicked his feet up and the rest of his body followed. Turning around he sat down and started collecting people's plates and dumping their food onto his central plate. "So what is this great idea?" He started eating their food and listened as they re-explained the plan to him.

He gulped down the last egg and rubbed his belly with a look of satisfaction on his face. Once they finished their explanation, he sat with his arms crossed and nodded, "so does... this Sora even know how to play cards?" Hannibal burped and thumped his chest and the gases of the morning's breakfast escaped his throat. "I am a master of the deck you see." Waving his hand in a rainbow motion, a deck of cards appeared in his hands. He got serious, the type of serious right before someone does a comedy sketch! Yelling with passion now, "as long as I'm the second man from the dealer, I won't lose a game!" Hannibal boasted, he was good without cheating. He was unbeatable when he did cheat, even if they caught him he had always managed to escape... They accused him of cheating even when didn't cheat anyways! The selfish Hannibal probably wouldn't follow any orders given to him anyways, he has been a lone wolf for to long and has grown unaccustomed to following orders. He'd probably just end up being a bigger distraction then any actual help to their plans.

[York]

Genshi flinched when Kaiser ripped the hairnet off of his head. It may have looked lame wearing it, but if not for the hairnet, there would be hair everywhere. Hair held absolutely no nutritional value.

"Alright Genshi, you're the only member of the crew that can break into the vault of the casino without there being lots of...noise." You'll be able to use your ability to place soft clay in the crease of the vault, if you expand and harden it, it should loosen the door. Also, you'll need some new swords, but i think you can manage with temporary clay swords for now right?"

Genshi's eyes lit up, he was given an important assignment, and according to the goals Kaiser had set, it was the single most important task. If this safe held the valuables of this casino, it would surely be guarded, well guarded.

"Don't worry Kaiser, I'll do fine without swords for a while. I'm sure that I have enough power in these fists to tear that safe apart." he bragged, throwing a few punches at the air before him.

"But think I'll use clay, just to be safe." he added, bringing his fists back to his chest.

Genshi looked over his attire, nothing really stood out. It seemed that he would have little trouble 'laying low', but he still took the time out to button up his flannel shirt in order to give him some piece of mind. Genshi was prepared to sit down when a fourth man entered the kitchen area. Although he may not have spoken to him to much, he knew that the man's name was Hannibal, and he helped out on Ice Nine. Kaiser must've taken him aboard, and if that were the case, he was alright in Genshi's books. The cook pulled up a chair and beckoned the new guy to have a seat and enjoy a meal.

"So do we engage in the thrilling adventure the moment we arrive? Or do we wait a while to prepare? I'm mostly asking because finding a safe is usually something people plan against, and it might take a while." he asked his captain, shrugging his shoulders and nervously smiling.

[RK]

Kaiser was proud that his plan was already turning out to be a hit with his crew. His tactical prowess was really showing off here. The Fishman had a knack for planning, both on and off the field of battle. He had used this to defeat many of the enemies he had faced before him. Kaiser could feel the chills run down his spine, he couldn't hold in the excitement. After this heist they would be eating like kings!

The crew knew their jobs, and Kaiser knew his, to distract the assassin. However, Kaiser didn't really know a whole lot about him, he knew he had a devil fruit and that was it. However there a hundreds of different kinds of Devil Fruits, this guy could have a Logia for all he knew! Kaiser took the plan and folded it away into his pocket. His scratched at his head and looked at his crew mates with a buzz of readiness floating around him. Kaiser felt like he could just punch the wall of the Bedrock right off its hinges. Mostly because he could.

Kaiser looked over to the bear guy, he appeared to have skills when it came to playing cards. He even had a deck with him, convenient. "Oi, Kumao*, you do look like you have some skills with a deck, but you're always wearing that odd helmet thing, you stick out like a sore thumb, if you're going to help with the Operation, you can cover Genshi and Sora by acting as an entertainer. With that ridiculous hat, no one will see your real face, and everyone will think you're some sort of clown. Sound Good?" Kaiser didn't want to let this guy go to waste as he was obviously a useful asset to their mission in one way or the other.

Kaiser motioned for his crew mates to step outside. They were about to land on the island. "Alright everyone, time to dock." As the crew made the preparations for docking, and stepped foot on the island, Kaiser stretched his entire body. Being half man meant Kaiser still needed some time to keep his land legs in top shape. Kaiser turned to face his crew, if the plan was going to work smoothly, he would need to lay down some ground rules.

"Alright guys, here we are at our last stop in North Blue before we head to the Grand Line, Amino Island. There are some things you should know however if operation H.A.R.V.E.S.T. is to be a success. #1 Don't get into any trouble before i start the heist. #2 Don't enter the Blue Moon Casino at all. #3 Avoid any marines or mobsters. #4 If you get in trouble, don't fight, just run and try to get forgotten in the crowd. Finally #5 Have fun before the heist, its been several weeks and we haven't gotten even the smallest amount of rest, you all deserve it." Kaiser smiled at Genshi and Sora. They both had worked so hard to get here, through thick and thin, even breaking into a prison to save him. Then there was this sack of crap, Kumao. Why did we even bring him along in the first place, he even went out of his way to find the bedrock. This guy was determined to join Kaisers crew, and he was doubting whether or not to let him in fully. "Alright Guys! Lets be off!" Kaiser immediately stormed off to go get drunk. He just left his crew at the dock. "Remember guys, were gonna meet back here in 2 hours!" In two hours the maelstroms greatest and first heist would begin, and it was called

Operation H.A.R.V.E.S.T.

---

Meanwhile on two separate sides of Amino island. Two Dons, of different personalities and abilities, are about to start a full scale war. Lets start with the more prominent one, Don Armo.

The big cheese sat on his throne, in the VIP room of the Blue Moon Casino, a slow jazz tune could be heard in the background. The Don looked down on the Casino from the glass window in VIP room, which was situated on the 3rd floor. He was smoking a cigar. A mobster entered the dimly lit room and shut the Door, this man was the current under boss of the Armo Family, Leon, everyone however, even the Don, called him L for short. L had brought some important news. Well it wasn't that important, but it was a daily thing.

"Father, Ex is making his move soon, our sources tell me he's been conversing with the other two families. The Broken Shield and Revolver Dons have been plotting something against us, what should we do?"

Armo only just turned his head to look at L, his eyes hidden by his fedora. "L-kun, i want you to confront Ex, you have been one of my most trusted advisers and mob men, you're like a son to me, and i know you can beat him this time." L wanted to cry, Armo was like a father to him, but mob men didn't cry, because they were the toughest of the tough! "Y-Yes Father, I will beat him this time! For the Armo Family!" L was going to finally defeat Ex and prove that he was the greatest fighter on the island, to bring honor to the Armo family. This would have to be planned out however, this plan would go by the prestigious name of

Operation H.A.R.V.E.S.T.

---

Now, on the other side of the island, in the Ana 9 district, the mob heads of the two rival families to the Armo Family are plotting with the former Kingpin and Crime lord of Amino Island, Ex.

Ex is the former Don of the Blue Moon Family, the last ruling Mob Family on Amino Island, after the Armo family kicked the Blue Moons off their heavenly pedestal a few years ago, Ex has been fueled only by his hatred for the Armo's. Ex, while being a spite filled cretin, is still infamous for his leadership skills. Ex had brought forth the two other Mafia leaders on the island. Isabella of the Broken Shield, and Tes of the Revolver.

"I have gathered the two of you here to discuss a growing threat. The Don of the Armo Family, is a wretched evil swine. I intend to see his head on a pike when i retake my throne. Once we defeat the Armo family and retake the Casino, who knows what we'll be able to do next. Expand to new island? Push out the marines? Take on the government even?! Its all possible if we work together! Who's with me?"

Ex had already bribed Tes with various golden items. Tes loves his shiny stuff and would do anything for more, he wasn't the brightest guy but he knew how to use a gun. That's for damn sure. Isabella would be a bit more of a struggle, she wouldn't be swayed with money or power, she needed something bigger, more grand, she wanted Ex to make her his under boss. Ex had already planned for another to be his right hand, he wanted to slap this woman, his hand straitened out, but he was a gentleman, and she was too valuable. He agreed to her terms and began setting up preparations for the heist. "I think i'll call it...

Operation H.A.R.V.E.S.T.

---

[Harusame]

Immediately the snowy haired pirate walked off. The demeanor expressed was of lax nature. It seemed he was pleased he had two hours until the heist began. His real thoughts were voiced, "We finally have a legit plan. Running around beating everyone up was getting old." A grin played on his lips and he snuffed. It seemed memories of what happened previously on other islands fled back. He looked back at the sea where the Bedrock was docked and raised his head to the skies. "Finally. It's been so long. We are so close to the Grand Line!" He fist pumped the air and turned around.

It seemed the question was, where would he go now? His face spoke it all as sight wandered the town. Sora put his hand on his chin and lifted one of his eyebrows. The choice seemed to be hard for him. As he scanned for a place, he noticed something. A child was holding a piece of paper, staring at it and lookng back at Sora like it was a picture. The Man gave the kid a good look of question. He was one hundred percent sure they had never met but it seemed the kid really knew him.

In frustration and curiosity, he walked towards the child.In that moment, it looked like the kid was about to shit his pants as he ran off, dropping the paper. The Caring Man frowned and picked up pace. "Hey kid, wait. I won't hurt you!"

He was ready to follow the kid when he set eyes on the piece of paper. On it was a picture of him with his name and a number, eight thousand. He dropped on his knees and gaped at the poster. At first his face was shadowed but when he lifted it, his eyes were replaced by sparkles. "I GOT A BOUNTY!" The Pirate got up and jigged around the area. Eight Million Berries ... just for his head. Sora was obviously very, very happy about this. He stopped and a cocky grin filled his lips. "Take that K!' Didn't you have four million? WELL BEAT EIGHT!"

Sora danced until he reached a bounty notice board. He looked down the list and saw his name and number. He smirked with pride. Then he went on looking down until he reached Kaiser's bounty. It was right there with the number ... twenty five million. Sora's smile quickly turned into a depressed face and he sankt o the floor in agony. "Damn iiiit."

[York]

Nodding in agreement over the orders Kaiser had given, Genshi made his way off of the ship and headed into town, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible. He regretted not brushing up on the town's infrastructure, as he had no idea where the casino was, he could've been walking right into it and not be the wiser. Walking through the town and remaining unnoticed proved far more difficult than Genshi had assumed,as he had to go out of his way to avoid groups of people standing in the streets. The best strategy in this case was to stay in one place until it was time to regroup and avoid as many people as possible, because if there was one thing Genshi had learned during his adventures, was that people could get violent quickly, and at times without provocation.Of course it may not have been very fun, but it was better to be safe than disobeying orders and making your captain disappointed in you. Ducking into a bar, Genshi slithered to one of the bar's corners, avoiding the counter and any conversation that may have followed. The Tavern seemed quiet, many of the clients seemed saddened, some even bursting into tears. He overheard some of them talk about their losses, and how they'd explain said losses to their families. The young pirate assumed that they'd lost money at the casino, and were drowning their sorrows in liquor, a sad twist of fate for the few business suit clad men. Genshi was prepared to simply sit in the tavern's corner and simply wait for the time to pass, when another man entered the establishment, his hands holding many green bills and his face plastered with a grin.

"I've done it, I've won it big at the tables. Bartender, a round for everybody, on me." He said, laughing and jumping in place.

The bar goers perked up, the promise of free drinks seemed to be enough to lure them from their states of despair. Waiters and waitresses walked throughout the bar, handing mugs of bright yellow liquids. If there was one thing Genshi knew about bars, was that once alcohol was given to certain people, they'd get violent, and start a full on brawl. the cook quickly picked himself up and made for the door, making sure to high-five the man who had 'won it big'.

"Alright that plan didn't work, maybe I should find a different place to hide. Maybe a food shop, or a clothing parlor." he thought to himself, sniffing his flannel shirt as he walked down the streets.

[RK]

---

We start by looking at Kaiser Spine, who has been attempting to get drunk in a local bar, to no avail.

---

"Hey look who it is over there, the one with the raggedy clothes and the head band."

"Who, the Fishman guzzling down all the rum in the joint?

"Yeah don't you know who that is? That's Kaiser Spine, captain of the maelstrom pirates, a rookie here in the north blue. Apparently he took down the entire Ice Nine marine base?"

"What? That little pipsqueak? He's small for a Fishman, human sized even, it couldn't have been him, maybe on of the liberation-whatsits did it."

Kaiser could hear these two, he wasn't the slightest bit drunk yet. His time was almost up, ten minutes until he needed to go cause the distraction, he decided he could mess with these two however, and pretend to be drunk.

"Oohhh yeah, that was me, i took down the base. I even beat up the captain there...or should i say Commander, got him demoted." Kaiser used his best drunk guy voice to try and fool these two, it seemed to have worked, and Kaiser put on a large, almost dopey smile. Everyone knew that acting was nothing but honest lying.

The two bar goers were armed, and saw this as an opportunity to take Kaiser's head, believing him to be drunk as a monkey eating rotten fruit. The Blonde Fishman stood up from his stool and stumbled to the door, still putting on his drunk act. The two men grabbed their swords and lunged at Kaiser, aiming to take him down. Kaiser turned around and ducked under the sweep of their blades, rising up, uppercutting them both.

"Next time you want to take on a Fishman, try bringing on an entire squad of marines, and a devil fruit user to boot." The two lay on the floor with broken jaws as Kaiser stepped out of the bar. Looking to make it to Ana Nine in time, he decided to take a shortcut. Kaiser went to the roof of the bar and gathered a fair amount of water, he had gotten a lot better at this. "Fishman Karate: Grand Rail." The swirling portal of water lay before him. Without hesitation, Kaiser jumped through rocketing him in the direction of Ana Nine. Kaiser flew through the air for a minute before catching a nearby flagpole and sliding down it. He was now in Ana Nine, the "slum" of the island. The Captains own curiosity would have gotten the better of him, if he did not have a mission to do.

"Oh, i almost forgot, i need to signal the others." The Boss man of the maelstroms, hadn't actually planned out how exactly to inform the others. He came up with a sort of, reverse flare. Kaiser shot up a large orb of water into the sky and caused it to explode in mid air. If anything it got the attention of the people around him, and he could hear others off in the distance questioning it, so he figured, Sora, Genshi, and the Bear Guy knew what it was. Now Kaiser could look for this other mob boss.

"OOOIIIII MOB BOSS, GET OUT HERE SO I CAN KICK YOUR SCRAWNY ASS!"

---

We now divert from the perspective of Kaiser Spine, the protagonist, to the lighthearted, carefree, underboss of the Don Armo Family, L.

---

The streets are always so dirty, every Day that L comes down this way the road is trashed. The Blonde mobster walked down this street everyday, because its the one the Ex used to come down and try to kill the Don. L took it upon himself to always defend the Don and make sure that he remains safe.

Where he was now was the spot of their daily battle. L looked around, no sign of Ex, perhaps he was planning a surprise attack? No he has too much pride to stab someone in the back. Literally of course, lying scumbag. The streets were cleared as always, their battles often got messy, especially do to Ex's ability. The power of decay, unmaking through sped up wearing down. L knew this ability well and knew how to combat it, and was in no mood to lose a finger, or part of his face. One time Ex had almost gotten rid of L's face, he managed however, to throw water from a bottle in his face before the effects sunk in. This was Ex's only true weakness, without water, you couldn't rectify his decay.

There he was, the man of the hour, Ex the Former. "Ex, lets get this over with ok? Today's the day you die, im not in the best mood to fight anyway. LETS GO!"

---

We now shift to the perspective of Ex the Former, who has now just arrived to do battle with L, as he always does, but there's a catch that neither of them know, a third combatant in on his way to the grounds of battle...

---

Ex was wearing his typical rags, underneath was what appeared to be what used to be a brown suit. Ex looked over L, laughing a bit, he grabbed a medium sized rock from his pocket and caused it to turn to ash in a matter of seconds. "As you wish, boy!" Ex removed his gloves, which he wore to prevent his power from decaying everything, this fight was on.

---

L vs. Ex FIGHT!

---

L began his attack by pulling a bottle of water from his pocket and soaking his hands and feet, this would at least slow the decay process from happening. You could still see the fear of L's face, knowing at any point he could lose a limb, painfully. L began dashing at Ex. "Colombo Punch." L's standard punch, quite powerful. Ex however managed to catch L's fist. L could feel his hand start to go numb. He looked at the smug grin on Ex's face. L still had some fight in him though as he brought his left foot around and smashed right into Ex's ribs. It seems like the Former Mob king felt that pretty hard as he let go of L's fist and clutched his right side. L jumped back and applied more water to heal the decayed hand. "You may have a deadly power but you overestimate yourself, and that's what will be your downfall today!"

Ex peered over at L and dashed at him. Instead of attacking L however, the Mob King decayed the ground beneath, causing it to become almost like quicksand. The roads of Ana Nine were not cement and could be broken down like this to be used as an advantage. Ex clutched L's throat. "Go ahead, struggle, the more you do, the more you sink, and that dear boy, is what will be your downfall. Just because you have water, doesn't mean you win, you lose today, for good, I will become the head mobster of the island, and regain control of the Blue Moon Casino."

"No..." L spoke up even as his flesh was slowly tearing apart. "Nothing can break Armo's will...that man will remain king, because he know's that his power is finite, and can be broken, unlike you, you use you're ability shamefully, for evil." Ex couldn't hold in his bellowing laughter, he nearly let of of L, getting a bit closer to his face he yelled these exact words. "MAN IS EVIL"

"FISHMAN KARATE: WATER BULLET!" The shot of water flew over and hit Ex straight in the head, releasing L, who gasped for air and poured water on his neck to heal the wounds. Ex stood up, his hands burning through the street as he turned around to face the one who assaulted him. "So man is evil eh? What about Fishman?"

---

Kaiser has just made his way onto the scene and saved L simply out of reflex. Kaiser's fight with Ex will surely be more catastrophic as the Fishman forces the Mobman to use his fruit in ways he never even knew existed, the battle between the two strongest people on Amino Island, begins...now.

Kaiser vs. Ex! Engage!

[Nasakeshira]

((Better late than never))

Hannibal shook his head in disagreement, but the motion was for naught. Everyone seemed to ignore his obvious discontent of this plan as they disembarked, Hannibal felt that it was lacking. It wasn't... eh... how to put it? Hannibal enough. By that he meant securing a larger portion of the share for himself and that he wouldn't get to be as flashy as he wanted to be. Perhaps after the heist he should dash and buy himself his own boat and start his own crew! Yes that's what he would do! Hannibal had made a decision to rob the robbers and make off with a larger portion of the cash. Of course, Hannibal nodded to himself, I'm not totally evil. I'll leave enough for them to get by.

Under his mask Hannibal was grinning ear-to-ear. The last to disembark he slung Green Marlin over his shoulder, twirling and handling Billy & Cassidy he stylishly holstered his weapon, and finally he picked up his satchel and stepped outside. His eyes burned as the sun met his eyes, the boat had fully docked. People were shouting the market for fish not too far from the docks. Boats bobbing up and down as if it were an anxious child waiting trying to wait patiently to get his favorite candy. Seagulls overhead cried out as they vigilantly watched from above. The smell of the sea's salt hung in the air, it was a sweet and not so familiar smell to Hannibal, he had been landlocked for most of his life. Hannibal filled his lungs with this air and hopped down from the boat and onto the jetty.

His first destination would be the casino.

[Harusame]

P-SHOOOOOOO

His mane of white hair shook as his head raised. Two hours had gone by pretty fast and he was now suited into a more gambler like attire, thanks to the 'contribution' of a gentlemen. His outfit was a white suit, with a grey dress shirt under it and a black fur scarf. A white fedora with a black feather in it was held in his hand.

Sora smiled at the man on the ground, now in his boxers. "Thanks for the clothes." A shaky voice tried to fight back. "G-g-give them back." Sora shrugged. "You can have them," A surprised look came from the victim, followed by a smile. Then the sentence finished, "If you can beat me up." The fear stricken face returned and he scrambled off in his underwear.

The Violet Tear pirate frowned. He didn't enjoy stealing from people, especially innocent people. But he was a pirate and honestly, he didn't regret yanking the threads. After a moment of admiration, he ran off in the direction of the casino.

---

SQUEEEEEEAK

Doors opened and Sora walked into the Blue Moon Casino. Few heads turn, considering the sound of the casino itself taking over the door noise. Spilling drinks, fancy clothing and the ruckus of voices coming from the people. There was a bottom floor where a bar was open, people sitting from end to end. And scattered around the room lay at least seven poker tables, surrounded by countless people. Then there was a stair case, leading up to a room clearly seen by all. It looked like a tree house hanging over a casino .. and it was that. A tinted window secluded who was there. And ... what was going on.

He was convinced that the boss was up there. Sora stared at the box with squinted eyes, and seemed prepared to get shit going. But then he realized the biggest problem of all. He didn't know how to play poker.

He could barge into the Don's office, play as a amateur, and get kicked out like an idiot. But Sora knew better than that. He had the gift of understanding and photographic memory. He walked over to a poker game and began observing the event. It seemed he was going to work his way up to the boss. He was going to learn poker.

[York]

The burst of water in the sky, it must've been Kaiser. Genshi assured himself that it was his captain's signal to begin the robbery. Moments ago, he had gotten worried that he may be approaching the casino and not even know it, now the cook was hell bent on accomplishing his mission and finding the casino and bullocks to the consequences. The target area was now in sight, all Genshi had to do was infiltrate the casino, find the safe and leave with as much money and other valuable stuff as possible. Easy as pie. Knowing that entering via the front door would get him nowhere, Genshi began walking around the district, in search of another way in. Luckily for him, fate was feeling generous, and presented a backdoor on the establishment's left side. A sign reading 'Employee's only' was stuck to the door, possible nailed, but from his vantage point behind a large pile of black trash bags, the young pirate couldn't really tell. He had planned to make a beeline for the door, but the sudden apparition of a burly pair of guards lead him to come up with a better strategy.

"If I run up and punch guard 1, maybe the other guard will get scared and run away. Maybe I can convince them to show me where the safe is and maybe cut a deal." Genshi thought leaning with his back on the pile of refuse.

This action would do him no favors, as his weight lead the downfall of the precarious pile of bags, both exposing the cook and causing a ruckus. Genshi hadn't a moment to stand up, when he realized the guards had advanced twards him and were now standing over him, arms crossed.

"You seem lost kid. Lost you parents?" One of the guards, asked condescendingly.

Genshi racked his mind, thinking of an explanation. Why would he be at the back door of a casino, hiding, and forcing guards to leave their posts. Laying down on his back, Genshi began to blurt out a lie.

"Oh, I-uh. I'm the... new chef. Yeah, chef. It's my first day and I was a bit nervous. Could you guys please show me the way to the kitchen?" He nervously asked, sturreting ad pausing through his sentences. Perspiring also.

"Oh, If that's the case, I'll take you there myself. Come on, we could use some new blood in the kitchen." the guard's expression changed from anger to warmth.

He helped Genshi to his feet and escorted him to the door. Genshi began to believe that everything was going better than expected. Little did he know that within the guard's coat, was a stack of updated bounty posters, of which the guard had memorized, faces and names. However, in Genshi's naive mind, he was just happy that his part of the job hadn't reached any hitches.