Pirates and Business Pt. 1: Blossom, Sea-Flowers!

[Roin]

The rowdy end of Winchester Island was going through its normal sprawl. The occasional street fight, cheerful shanties in the bars, and plenty of Jolly Rogers sported on the bodies, clothes, and gear of pirates. Along with the various bands, the small pirate haven had criminals that more or less found their way to the "city"... and in one tavern in particular, one of these men stood out.

Easily dwarfing the chair he sat in, a mysterious and hooded man sat with a glass of water. The order had already drawn some ire... but the fact the man's attire all but indicated that the large Human was some sort of Samurai. The sword on his back was larger than the average sword to fit the man's size, but the stone sheath and the weapon indicated it was still a weapon that could be wielded with one hand. As the Flower-Tattoo Man continued drinking, one pirate started over with a big smirk on his face... and a pistol in one hand. Shoving the weapon onto the counter and half-leaning over it, the pirate fixed the gun toward the hooded man.

"Ay' what kinda man comes to a bar and gets water? You some kinda... Marine?"

Snickers picked up through the bar, the large man smiling at the Pirate's comment and their laughter. The lack of a response and a quick sip made the man continue the taunt, however.

"Hell... maybe you're some kind of World Government dog-"

In that flash of a moment, the hooded man slammed the glass onto the bar, the pirate stunned just long enough from the sudden rush of movement that he never saw the next move coming. With a quick shift of the tattooed arm, the mysterious figure grabbed the Pirate's head, the large hands a testament to the sheer size of the Human... and just as fast as it had happened, the man brought the pirate face-first into the bar, the wood cracking and giving way as the once-cocky comatose pirate was half-buried into it. The glasses had fallen off the bar from the sheer force that the bastard was brought down through it... but the hooded figure let out a sigh and turned a red-eyed gaze toward the tender.

"I don't mean to bother you, but I need another glass of water... that idiot spilled mine when he broke your serving bar..."

The large man pointed to the fallen glass... and most of the bar went quiet. It was well known that a crew of Pirates had arrived and established "order" as the top dogs... and the man that had been so brutally dispatched was none other than one of his top men. Unlike the Pirate's Marketplace in the South Blue, the "big pirates" of Winchester Island's western town were fairly average in their regular fold... and this was almost like a declaration of war as whispers began to fill the absence of laughter in the bar.

"S-Sir, may I ask what your name is? I-I need to make sure I don't... er... associate with you when his Captain arrives..." "Hm? My name? It's Miyahara Ahn... and I would hope you take an interest in the man who's come to this island with a simple goal..." "G-Goal... sir?"

The bar had gone quiet once more, having heard the bold declaration. The display of strength had certainly sunk in with the pirates... but none of them expected what came next, all of their mouths dropping open in plain disbelief the moment the man finished. The worst part? The hooded man pulled the hood all the way off to reveal the devilish-like appearance of purple hair, sharp red eyes, and a confident smile.

"My goal... to make the Marines and the World Government surrender this island... and I plan to have you pirates help me do it... a simple business transaction, if you will."

[RK]

-Body Control: Hades-

Miyahara Ahn? He wants "us pirates" to help him take this island from the marines?

Hades snickered to himself as he thought of a pretty good joke. "Well Orion, I guess you could say."

"Don't."

"That this Ahn guy."

"I said don't."

"Is pretty Naughty-cal"

Orion would have sighed if he was in control, but he wasn't right now so all he could do was a "brain sigh". To be fair, Hades had been on a roll all night, and it didn't look like he was close to stopping. Orion was the hot-headed, punch first don't bother with questions later other half of Hades. Hades was the stupid one. Well, Hades wouldn't say he's stupid, he just doesn't care about being smart.

However, one thing the both of them both were smart about was opportunity. This Ahn guy, he was imposing, strong, and ballsy. He was the kind of guy that got Hades fired up. After that little display of strength with literally busting the bar, Hades wouldn't mind taking Ahn up on his offer. After all he was an Ability User, Hades thought to himself as he spun his left index finger around. Hades had hung his grandfathers jacket up behind him. Taking a moment to look back at it, Hades saw that it was pretty beat up. The bottom with ripped and jagged. The cuffs were dirty and undone. It just looked raggedy and worn down. It would have made ol' Grandpa Cronos real proud. Too bad he wasn't around no more. Hades never really fretted over the death of his Grandpa. Whats happened has happened, no changing that. Though something he has wondered over the years is whats been going on with his parents. They had disappeared one day after leaving for a neighboring island near Toroa. They were nobles, but Toroa was not associated with the World Government, so i guess this Ahn guy wouldn't immediately kill Hades if that was brought up in conversation. However, that was still something that plagued Hades' mind. What happened to his mother and father.

-Body Control: Orion-

Enough whining about mom and dad, even if they were also technically Orion's parents by way of him having the same body as Hades, he couldn't possibly be bothered with a pair of numb skulls who abandoned Hades when he wasn't even old enough to understand what had happened to them. Orion stood up and draped his jacket over his shoulders. He felt at the bracelet that was given to Hades by his Grandfather. It was pure gold, and was quite intricate with the designs that were etched around it. Apparently it was supposed to go to da-...Hades' father. Orion weaved his way around the crowds of people in the bar. Some of them were chatting it up, still talking about Monster Man Miyahara Ahn. It looked like he hadn't moved from where he was sitting, so now would be as good a time as ever to take him up on his offer.

"Hey hey...buddy, whats that shiny trinket you got around your wrist, dontcha know that bracelets are for girls?" A man chimed in and tipped his overly large top hate away from his eyes, revealing a long crooked nose and sharp mustache. Overall, the man was wearing a fairly nice looking suit. He looked to be of a wealthy class. "Y'know, if you give me that bracelet, i could fence it for double its worth!" The man chimed in again, his voice was charismatic and rapid, almost like an old timey radio show host. Orion turned to face this man, crossing his arms over his chest, hiding his right hand inside his left inner elbow, allowing him to wind-up his fingers and hand. "Are you implying i give you my...friend's Grandpa's bracelet?" Orion said calmly, raising an eyebrow and darting his eyes to the suited man. "Oh, you wont just be giving me the bracelet, you'll be investing in a good deal of cash for the future! The name's Hernandez, Oliverio Hernandez." He said as he stood up and held his hands together. He was extremely slim and had little to no muscle on him. "Sorry bub, but this isn't for sale, let alone me just giving it to you blindly." Orion announced quite loudly, some of the other men around had turned their heads. "So why don't you mind your own business before we make a real scene." Orion's voice was booming, something had been getting to him for a while now and this piece of trash con artist was not helping. "Oh please, please, trust me! I assure you that with my connections, i can easily fetch 100,000 beri for that trinket!" Hernandez said, his voice was rising to a higher pitch, and he was wringing his hands together and snickering a bit. Orion however was not amused. He placed his hands by his sides and took a stop towards Hernandez. The Con Artist seemed to lose his happy tone in an instant. "Ok...i guess thats not enough for a smart man like you, alright, i'll make some calls, but i can get you 300,000 beri for that trinket, you keep 60%!" The Con Artist said hastily, backing up slowly and placing his hands on the table behind him. Orion reached his right hand out and grabbed Hernandez by the throat, clutching at his windpipe, hoping to shut this idiot up. "Hehhh, ok, ok, 500,000, you take 75%! There's no way you can turn down a price like that." Hernandez said, speaking through cough's and wheezes, he was having trouble breathing now and was trying to worm his way out of trouble. Orion moved Hernandez directly to the right, slamming him up against a support beam. "I have two things to tell you, Oliverio Hernandez." Orion uttered, breathing heavily as his eyes focused on the con artist. "#1: I may be an idiot, but i am not stupid. #2: You could never name a fair price for this bracelet, because it's priceless." Orion said as he began to tighten his grasp on Hernandez's neck, the con artist was grasping at the Olympian's hands to try and break free. Oliverio's face was starting to turn red. "Actually, i changed my mind." Orion spoke calmly as he released Hernandez and watched him fall to the ground. Panting, Oliverio raised looked straight at the ground as he slowly moved his hand over to his waist to pull out a switchblade. "Ahhh, so you'll take me up on my offer then, excellent!" Oliverio said delightedly as he brought his switchblade out, holding it so that Orion couldn't see. "That's not what i changed my mind about." Orion said with a hint of condescension in his voice. "I actually had a third thing to say to you." Orion said loudly as he grasped the back of Oliverio's head. "...third thing..." Oliverio whimpered as he dropped his blade to the floor, feeling his head rise up. "Yup, Maku Maku no Rakuban!" Orion said as he lifted Oliverio's head upwards and slammed it down onto the table in front of them, smashing clean through the wood.

Dusting his hands off, Orion sped over to the bar and sat next to Ahn. This man was no giant, but still towered over Orion. The zealous alter ego turned to face Ahn, and placed his fist on the bar table. "My name is Hades Orion, i'm 18 years old. I'm a comedian who ate the Wind-Up Wind-Up Fruit, making me a Wind-Up Human. It let me do what i just did to that conman over there." Orion said as he stood up abruptly and bowed for Ahn.

-Body Control: Hades-

"And as of right now, i'm a Revolutionary!" Hades said as he raised his head up proudly. A new chapter in his life was about to begin.

[☆彡 Youniverse]

Meanwhile outside the bar...


It had been quite the odd morning for Mikel, he hadn't gotten into a fight yet. Weird. Getting into a fight in the morning was like a daily routine for him and since he was yet to engage in a fight, he was feeling rather.. out of place. Though it was only a matter of time before he got into some trouble, right? After all, this part of the island was filled with outlaws and pirates, it was quite the rowdy area. However, maybe it was time for a change, maybe it was finally time for Mikel to turn over a new leaf. Rather than causing trouble for the community, perhaps it was time to give to the community and do something productive with his life!

Nah.

He should probably head to the bar in order to clear his mind since he was thinking way more than he normally does. Turning the corner, he kept an eye out for a tavern or bar, there was bound to be one in a place like this and it certainly would be weird if there wasn't. He walked past a stand which seemed to be selling some sort of squid, he managed to catch a part of the conversation which took place between the customer and the stand keeper.

"Sorry sir, you're a few beli short." the man behind the stand would say.

Mikel froze. Did that man just say what Mikel thought he said? Cause if he did, there would be trouble. Mikel approached the stand and pushed away the customer. He grabbed the stand keeper by the collar and forced him forward so that there would be only a few inches between Mikel's face and his.

"S-sir, what's going o-"
"Tell me. You think I'm short, don't ya?"
"Sir, I've never spoken to yo-"
"Answer. My. Question."

Mikel went for something under his coat with his free hand and the man behind the stand knew that whatever it was, it certainly wasn't money. The man gulped, he was treading on thin ice here, one slip up and his life would be cut short. No pun intended. 

"No. Y-you like quite the.. um.. fair sized individual..?"

Things went silence once the man gave his answer and eventually Mikel let go of the man's collar and pushed him away. Without saying a word, Mikel left. The stand keeper sighed in relief and realized that the money which was just in front of him disappeared. Once Mikel was a fair distance away from the man, he burst out laughing. He pulled out the pouch of beli he had stole whilst the man was distracted.

Old habits do indeed die hard.

[Suriko]

A inward sigh had been may as the young revolutionary listened to the racket going on inside the tavern. Why she had been assigned to work for this hotheaded was beyond, Mara wasn't sure. But as usual she'd make the most of it. As it stood, she was avoiding the tavern entirely. It had been a long time since the acrobat had been back at her home island, and it was the first time being on the side of the outlaws. She just remembered all the stories her father had told her, about the savage cutthroats and thieves that resided here. Though she had learned that not all were like that, it still made her nervous to be in the middle of it all. The young girl was knocked from her thoughts as she felt a tug at her hand. Her amber hues looked down her side, seeing two smaller kids looking up to her. She returned their curious looks with a smile. "Sorry, just got distracted for a bit." The children smiled as they backed up, allowing the performer her space. Donning a focused expression, the acrobatic agent Kicked the ground with her feet. Pulling her legs close to her body, she curled up as she spun several time through the air. Spotting her landing sport, she spread out once more, one foot landing on post of a stand. By then a small crowd was beginning to form, curious what the commotion was. As enough gathered, the cheerful revolutionary jumped up in the air once more. This she twist her body, spinning around quick as she decided to show off a bit. Mara crossed her arms, holding out her palms as a blade of wind came forth from the spinning. Trying not let the blades go, the fruit user grinned as the result caused a bit of scene. Using the the momentum, the young girl landed on her her toes, the spin subsiding. The response was a wave of cheering and clapping, only to be drowned out by another loud smash coming from inside the tavern.

As all the attention turned to the tavern, the girl sighed once more before walking quickly to get her bag. Once she did, her pace had only quickened more towards the tavern door. Not even looking where she was going, Mara bumped into mikel, just as he was pulling out his ill-gotten beri. Thankfully the young woman had managed to keep her balance, her mind still set on the commotion inside the tavern as she rushed through the door. The concerned agent had entered just as Hades was making his declaration to Ahn, leaving her somewhat curious as to what exactly had been going on inside the tavern. Not that the sickle sickle human would have to wait long for an answer. It looked as though there was a man wedged into the counter of the bar, right next to the man that was her superior. Not only that, but another one laid among the shattered remains of the table. The revo looked towards the bartender with sympathy, realizing that this was likely something started by her company. Just as she was about to approached the two, one of the more intoxicated patrons of the bar moved to pat the girl on her butt. He leaned forward as he spoke, his breath foul with some sort of liquor. "What brings a cute little thing like you here?" Mara's cheeks darkened a bit before her eyes lowered into a glare. Her hand slipped quickly to her back, her pinky finger hooking a small metal loop. Within a span of a few second, the drunken fool found a curved blade directly in front of his eye. The slob nearly landed flat on his ass when it happened, looking up to see the dark gaze Mara was directing his way. It then quickly dropped as she smiled. "Sorry, but I must join my friend over there." She pointed over to Ahn, causing the drunkard to shudder once more after the display of strength from earlier.

The agent slid the blade of the knife back into the sheath, setting down her gear by a stool as she was now next to Miyahara. "did you really have to break the bar, Sir?" The friendly girl tilted her head as she realized that she needed to introduce herself to the new addition, though whether the leader would accept him our not was still in question. "Glad to have you with us, Hades. I'm Mara." She grinned as she decided not to share her ability just yet, as the other fruit user had.

[Vio]

The sea winds ruffling the pure white sails of the ship that currently eased its way around the island of Winchester, the sounds of the western waves sloshing and growling as they licked the flanks of the vessel, the only other sound to be heard were the voices of men and women bellowing orders and responses to one another. However, a certain woman stood silent and proud towards the front of the ship's upper deck, glaring towards the isle around which the crew navigated and practically staring down her nose at it. This woman was Kōketsu no Ayano, a member of the Revolutionary Army who was presently rather displeased with all the smoke and mirrors tactics that her comrades were making use of. Then again, it was a necessity, given the larger Marine presence upon this war-torn land. Still, the fact that even her commanding officers assigned to this mission were against flying the red flag was annoying her.

We are Revolutionaries! Proud men and women with a noble cause. Why do we not fly our flag? Why do we not move against the Marines now!? These were the things that the swordswoman wanted to say, but doing so would only make her sound like a broken Den Den Mushi recording. Already she had expressed her qualms to those with greater authority, but the woman in charge of this whole ordeal was having none of it. To be sure, it was very rarely that Miss Kōketsu and Natalie l'Estrange ever agreed on how to tackle situations. Orders, however, were orders. As much as it pained her to stand and watch rather than lead her troops into battle and take the island by storm, Natalie's word was gospel. Unless she gave the word, the woman in white could do nothing but watch and wait. No, she was not going to do something practical, either. That much was beneath her as a noble.

"Ayano!" A shout from behind making her cringe just a tad, the hands of the regal revolutionary tightened their grip on the hilt of the pure white sword that currently rested before her like some sort of staff. Contained, as always, within its sheathe, the weapon seemed to scream of purity and cleanliness; a stark contrast to the brown and red outfits worn by the rest of her crewmen. However, the woman who had called her name stood out just as much among the rather bland and uniform outfits. A rather elegant figure, just an inch or two taller than herself, clad in tight-fitting black leggings and a coffee-coloured blouse approached. Upon her head was a black berret, holding to her skull and defining the rich strands of chocolate and orange, dark brown eyes concealed behind the typically flamboyant sunglasses that this fiery femme liked to wear in all climes and weathers and times of the day.

"Natalie." Ayano responded rather blatantly, not bothering to make any other signs of recognition to her superior as the woman halted beside her. For a moment the two ladies stood in awkward silence, neither making eye contact or even attempting to make conversation. Finally, the silence was broken by a long and sarcastic sigh.

"So, I've got some news for you! I've decided to send you in!" Natalie cheered, a pure white smile beaming upon her face as she gently nudged the swordswoman's side, much to her displeasure. Grimacing - which really was not that different from her usual facial expression - at the officer, the princess of purity cast her violet-red eyes to the side, meeting the gaze of the girl who seemed to radiate more energy than a mountain hair on caffeine. Half of her was anticipating the chance to be sent into battle, but the rest was telling her that something else was involved. After all, she had been working with this woman since the beginning of her career as a Revolutionary, and thus was quite confident in being able to understand the inner workings of the dancing damsel's mind. At least, that was what she thought herself capable of.

"What is the condition?" asked the junior officer, curious as to the exact purpose she would serve in the upcoming battle. Already she had decided exactly what she would be doing when the war began, but there was always more to it than met the eye at first glance. Her brow furrowed slightly as she saw the broadening grin upon her senior's face, knowing instinctively that it was something she would not approve of. "I assume I am to be put in charge of my own unit? We are to infiltrate the fortre-"

"Oi! No jumping to conclusions, girl. Though," commented the commander, "you're not too far off the mark! One of our men is currently in the pirates' half of the island, hoping to recruit some extra hands to help our cause. So...

"What I want you to do is go and lend a hand. And by that I mean actually helping! No standing around looking like you've got a stick shoved up your backside. Hmmm. But I suppose," Miss l'Estrange continued, placing a hand upon Ayano's shoulder before whispering the words; "It might be an improvement...?"

SPOILER: Click to show

First Ayano post, so don't expect anything too great! Gotta have a bit of time to get into the swing of her character.

Kōketsu no Ayano (ff9999)
Natalie l'Estrange (806548)

[Roin]

Despite Ahn suggesting getting the help of pirates, it had brought a weird man out of the woodworks, the guy practically declaring that from this moment on... he was a Revolutionary. The display had been missed, but Ahn's gaze had ensured the introduction hadn't. The arrival of Mara ensured the man turned to smile at the other Revolutionary.

"I didn't break it... that man and his face did. Why would I destroy something made of wood? That'd be like destroying a tree, which you know full well trees are generally strong enough to endure the hand strikes of an average human..."

Quietly turning on the stool, the large man faced between the duo... and finally rose to stand. Much of the bar hadn't been occupied when the man initially arrived... but the sheer size of Ahn made plenty of people stare and mumble. Sitting down, Ahn had been rather large... but standing up, the purple-haired swordsman was practically taller than the shelves of alcoholic drinks behind the bar. Rather than extend a hand, the peaceful man gave a small nod of greeting toward Hades.

"I don't know why you think you're a Revolutionary just like that... but if you plan to help us, then know that my name is Miyahara Ahn. Even if I just said it, it's respectful to repeat it in greeting..."

The orders from Ara had been simple enough to the large man. Pirates would serve as valuable buffers to handling the Marine force... but more specifically, the arrival of another Cell or group of Revolutionaries was to be expected. And that had made it clear that failure in this plan wasn't going to be pretty for the Revolutionary Army's pride. Idly turning, Ahn scanned much of the bar... and quietly moved a hand to rest on the hilt of the stone-sheathed sword.

"Anyone who wishes to help us, I ask that you follow along. My destination is the dock."

Mara or anyone who knew their salt of this side knew one thing... that the dock was held by the "head honcho" of the pirate town. The pirates here were small fries, sure, but they were unified under some goofball by the name of "Ten-Barrel Ted", who was reported to be some sort of gunner. It was fitting that the occupying pirates had someone renowned for some fashion of artillery, but the core reason to hold the port... was to ensure the town didn't fall. It was a pirate's haven, the Revolutionary Army knew... but for their plan to work, the pirate would need to be convinced to lead the assault for them.

As the bar picked up in noise, plenty of pirates gathering their weapons, drinks, and grub to follow along, the large man came to a new problem. The fact that the reinforcements hadn't landed yet was troubling... enough so that Ahn looked to Mara with a frown.

"Tell me, Mara... you didn't happen to see anyone outside, did you? Ara mentioned that reinforcements were on the way, but I've not seen anyone drop in except for you... it's like we're under a pine tree that won't drop any pine cones."

Even if the red-eyed man had asked a question, however, Ahn didn't show any intention to wait for a reply. The swordsman quietly started past the woman, the stride slow to ensure the longer legs of the tall man didn't make it difficult to keep up at a walking pace. Hades could follow along, as strange as the man was, but Ahn's mind was distracted. The urge to rush the mission was considerably high... but for now, Ahn had to take the walk-and-show slow... otherwise, they could possibly start a fight with this gunner of a pirate and not have any sort of back-up.

Outside the doorway, however, Ahn was greeted with an opportunity to make a more public scene. Specifically... because a group had formed rather quickly. Most of the men were small, wielding pistols, swords, and rifles as one would expect of pirate rabble... but one man was almost as tall as Ahn, holding a large, absurdly large revolver toward the Revolutionary Warrior. The face of the man didn't ring true to Ahn's information, however... it wasn't the infamous pirate, but the younger twin brother of Ten-Barrel Ted... Five-Shot Frank. How could twins look different, one might ask? Because Frank had five studs above his right eyebrow, a tribute to the man's choice of a weapon.

"Who the hell do you think you are? I heard that you guys are messing with my brother and I's crew!"

Ahn was quiet, assessing the situation with the large weapon leveled his way. The Revolver was dangerous, but Ahn could draw his sword and parry the bullet. The danger with that, however, was that the bar behind him, and most likely Mara and that Hades kid, wouldn't be far behind. Their ability to dodge such an attack wasn't as sure to the experienced swordsman... so for now, a simple conclusion came to the tree-hugger's brain.

"I think I'm Ahn... and I simply knocked the man out. I didn't kill him because I want to meet with your brother and propose a deal to take down the Marines in the neighboring town."

A click of the safety, the large weapon was raised and aimed toward Ahn as the pirate prepared to fire. The scene was visible from most of the small town, the face-off between the two large men inspiring an awkward quiet over the town. A town known for violence hadn't been this quiet in a long time... it was enough to unnerve even the posse surrounding the large gun-wielder. At long last, however, the man lowered the pistol just a hair to stare at Ahn with narrowed eyes.

"Take down the Marines? You? How could you beat the World Government's dogs?"

The final comment had inspired a frown to Ahn's face, a dark look accompanying it. That was the second time today that the World Government was brought up in a conversation directed toward him. The first time had been worse, of course... but to say that Ahn couldn't face the World Government? The swordsman's very profession was doing such a thing. Idly, Ahn sighed as the group of pirates piled out of the bar at long last, forming a small crowd behind the man.

"I'll forgive you for that statement... but I'll say that I can't beat the Marines without your help. Surely you all want some revenge... and I can see to it that both Ted and you become quite famous... specifically, I can see that you both run this island after it's said and done. Not to mention the loot that will certainly be left-over from the attack. You all could make quite the fortune helping me and my allies..."

The smile that came to the pirate's face sickened Ahn... specifically because the man believed that promise to get the island. Privileged pirates were almost as bad as the Celestial Dragons, but they were at least gullible beyond belief. The truth was that Ahn would most likely face them after all this was said and done to ensure the island's safety... but that was a discussion for another time. As the man lowered the weapon entirely, Ahn quietly reached into his right pocket. One thing about pants was that they allowed you to conceal and carry objects... and the weapon Ahn pulled out wasn't one for harming someone. It was a flare gun... which the man aimed skyward and fired. Such tools were commonly handed out before missions... but the goal wasn't to signal any sort of attack... it was to signal that the meeting had been made, the daylight making it near impossible to spot the flare unless you were looking for it.

The quick firing hadn't drawn any attention, thankfully, Ahn dropping the empty gun to the dirt just in time for the Pirates to smile back, their second-in-command motioning the Revolutionary and the group with him to follow. They had their opening... now Ahn just had to do what Ara always trusted him to do. The samurai's son had to gain the trust of these pirates and ensure they helped the Revolutionary Forces.

I just hope these bastards don't want some big payment right now... the promise that they'll get paid later better be enough...

[RK]

-Body Control: Hades-

Ahn had asked Hades "what made him think he was a revolutionary just like that." However, it would have been impossible for Hades to appropriately answer that question. He didn't exactly know why he wanted to be a Revolutionary, it just sorta seemed like the right path to go on for now. Pirates and Revolutionaries were sorta similar too weren't they? Pirates wanted to go around and do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted. Revolutionaries were similar, but they do what they do for the sake of other people. Hades didn't know a whole lot about the Government, but he did know that they were a bit questionable in their actions. He had even heard of the slave owning Celestial Dragons that frequented Sabaody Archipelago. Aside from that however, his knowledge was scarce.

Hades was greeted by a cute looking girl, who seemed to be with Ahn. She must have also been a revolutionary. Judging by the looks of her, she was probably only a year or two younger than Hades. Stating her name as "Mara" Hades gave her and awkward smile wave, before placing his hands firmly by his sides. The Big Cheese, Ahn, had stood up and looked at Hades. This Ahn guy seemed to be pretty polite, as he formally greeted Hades, despite greeting literally everyone not too long ago. Hades was a bit nervous as the tall, imposing man stood in front of him, he was a good 2-3 something feet taller than. Hades gave a quick salute with his left hand and ended up hitting himself in the face. He felt only slightly stupid but watched as he noticed a lot of the pirates inside the bar had begun to gather their weapons and food to come along with Ahn, who was talking with Mara about reinforcements, and then pine cones...cool.

Ahn began to walk out of the bar so Hades' first instinct was to follow. He had to keep a decent pace to keep up with this behemoth who was only strutting along. Hades felt a bit of a pain arise in his stomach, he was getting nervous more frequently these days. Normally Hades would be free spirited and gleeful, but something was definitely amiss to him. However, the fact that nothing had been bothering him at all recently was what was getting to him. Maybe it wasn't Hades.

"Hey Orion...you doing okay man?" Hades thought to themselves, his thoughts could always be heard by Orion, unless Hades didn't want them to be of course. The Olympian in the Comedians head was slow to respond but suddenly and effortlessly took control of Hades' body.

-Body Control: Orion-

"Orion? What are you doing? You should ask before you take control, man!" Hades thought, but his voice was ignored. Hades was growing a bit impatient with Orion's outbursts. This wasn't very much like him. "You know that it hurts a lot when you just suddenly take control right?" Hades' voiced echoed again, much louder too, but garnered no thoughts from his other self. Orion had a stout, expressionless look on his face, he wanted to talk to Hades about this, but his pride prevented him from doing so, and, in a cowardly effort to give himself more time to think about his...their parents, Orion shut out Hades entirely.

Hades was nothing more than a consciousness at this point. He couldn't see or hear or react to anything that was going on around his body, only Orion could. It was almost like a literal wall was put up between Hades' and Orion's minds. Hades had always known this was possible as he had done it before accidentally when he first discovered this new personality, but he never dreamed of doing it intentionally, this was their body after all, they both had the right to use it within reason.

"What gives him the right to just up and steal my body away from me like that, whats eating him anyway..." Hades thought to himself angrily, in fact, he had never really been this angry, he sorta let Orion do all that stuff...strange. Hades never really thought about how everything he did, Orion didn't do. Before he could contemplate more on the subject however, he was able to visualize something in his head. Or rather, it was being visualized. He could hear a faint voice as he tried to focus his mind on what was a bright light in his consciousness. It illuminated and gave form to what appeared to be Hades' "Happy Place" A small room with nothing in it and a wall with a small peep hole. The Light directed Hades at the peephole but the Comedian ignored the light. It was formless and didn't look like anything at all. It was just "Light". Hades reached out to touch it but it faded away from his hand, reappearing father away. Hades then drew his attention to the peephole. Inside the room was exactly the same, however, he could see one distinct thing. He could see someone sitting cross-legged on the floor. It was someone who looked just like him, only...different, older looking. "Orion?" Hades questioned softly before hearing an echoing, seemingly distant voice coming from the Light. "Bingo" Hades jumped back a bit and placed his hands up to strike the floating mass of light. He was nothing if not shocked. "You know that won't work on me, nothing here is even real." The light's voice was like the boom of a rock splashing into a lake. It was loud and prominent before fading softly. "What do you want from me then...and who are you." Hades' voice began echoing as well. He relaxed himself as he saw the large mass of light fly through and past him, into the room where Orion was. Suddenly feeling a rush of feeling returning to him, he was outside with Ahn and a whole lot of pirates, Ahn had suddenly set off a flare, and i guess everyone was ready now? Crap, it would really have been nice to not have been shut out. Hades fell to his knees, closing his eyes and covering his ears, he didn't want to overload his senses too badly.

-Body Control: Hades-

"What the hell did you just do? Who are you?!" Orion blurted out, now in his side of the room, leaving Hades alone. "Listen up, Asshat, we gotta talk about your mommy and daddy issues and get this settled now." The Light's voice was angry and close now, and very demanding. Orion shut up immediately and put himself in a listening mood, he wasn't exactly sure he could really beat up a floating mass of light in his brain.

[☆彡 Youniverse]

Ah, the feel of money. It was a refreshing feel and a rather comforting one aswell, the metal like feel of the coins, the way they rubbed against Mikel's fingers, as if they enjoyed Mikel's touch and Mikel sure as hell enjoyed theirs. Anyway, before things get any more weird then they currently are, Mikel popped the coin back into it's pouch and closed it up before slipping the small bag into the many inside pockets of his blazer.  As he continued to walk along the paths of the island, he began to wonder how he should blow all this "hard-earned" cash however his train of thought was cut short as a person had bumped into Mikel causing the little man to fall over, spilling his beli all over the floor. Mikel clenched his teeth in anger, standing up, he tried to spot what kind of bloody idiot would do that!? Was it cause he short!? WAS THAT IT!? Since he's short, people wouldn't be able to spot him and maybe whoever bumped into him done it on purpose to pick on his height! Why that little bastard, whoever he or she was (Mikel didn't get a clear look of her face, since she didn't stop and sped off into the tavern ) Mikel was gonna find him/her. For now, he decided to pick up the beli he had spilled and return them into the pouch. Taking some deep breaths so that he would calm down, he regained his though process and began to walk as if never happened, though Mikel was still determined to find the idiot who done this to him. Anyways, back to thinking about what he was gonna buy, thinking about cash always calmed him down slowly.


 Maybe some new shoes would do it... but he didn't have enough to get any good ones. So the only logical choice was to.... waste it at the bar. You thought I was gonna say save up? Pfft. Saving up money is a waste of time, why wait to get the good stuff when they're right in front of you within arm's length. So it was decided, Mikel was gonna go into a bar and this time he was actually gonna pay for his drink rather then start a riot like he usually does when in a bar. Turning another corner, he was at his destination, though there seemed to be some sort of commotion over at the entrance of the bar, a fight perhaps? Mikel decided to stop and watch, a little entertainment wasn't gonna hurt anybody right? And Mikel could wait for his drink, not like his was dying or anything. Folding his arms, he leaned against a brick wall and watched as the events unfolded before his eyes. 


"Who the hell do you think you are? I heard that you guys are messing with my brother and I's crew!"


The tall man who stood at the front of a large, armed group would say. He aimed  a revolver at the man who was in front of him, both men were rather tall and that made Mikel fell a little uncomfortable but now wasn't really the time to feel intimated or annoyed by their freakishly huge bodies. Judging from what the revolver man said, looked like that swordsman guy was messing with his crewmate or something along those lines. It was pretty much like gang wars but instead... crew wars? These fights were usually pretty good to watch, so a small part of Mikel was eager to watch the fight break out.


"I think I'm Ahn... and I simply knocked the man out. I didn't kill him because I want to meet with your brother and propose a deal to take down the Marines in the neighboring town."


Take down marines..? The swordsman guy seemed to be talking about fighting the marines, what was he blabbing about? He's probably gonna get his ass handed to him and he goes on about taking down the marines? Hah! What a joker this guy is turning out to be, normally in a fight you'd throw punches at each other, not talk about some crappy ambition to take down the marines. It probably wasn't gonna work either. This "fight" was turning out to be some sort of comedy. Mikel agreed with the revolver man's comment about how this swordsman guy's chances about taking down the marines were a fat chance.


"I'll forgive you for that statement... but I'll say that I can't beat the Marines without your help. Surely you all want some revenge... and I can see to it that both Ted and you become quite famous... specifically, I can see that you both run this island after it's said and done. Not to mention the loot that will certainly be left-over from the attack. You all could make quite the fortune helping me and my allies..."


Fortune? Dough? Bills? Coins?... Money!? Mikel's eyes turned into beli signs. This swordsman guy... what was his name again... Ahn, really had a point there! Taking down the marines could actually score some big cash. Now the whole "take down the marines" idea was really starting to look great in Mikel's eyes. He watched as Ahn fired some sort of flare gun into the sky. It was hard to see due to the daylight but since Mikel was close to Ahn's location, he could make out the flare which was shot into the air. Anyways, making money. From the looks of things, these guys seemed pretty strong, despite the fact that Ahn is really tall, Mikel had to admit that this guy looked pretty reliable. Now, Mikel immediately formed a game plan in his mind. All he had to do was slide into the group, follow them, act like he's meant to be there and then get paid!

Easy Cash, Easy Life.

[Suriko]

The young revo agent merely frowned as her commander's explanation of the chain of events, a soft sigh passing her lips as she shook her head. The logic the purple haired man used almost made her sigh once more. Sure, the swordsman respected trees and forests. It was one thing she learned about him quickly during the beginning of this assignment. She still remembered that first meeting with the towering man. He had been one of the tallest people the young girl had know, and it just added to the presence he seemed to have. The acrobatic girl wondered what had happened in the tearful swordsman. she had heard a little from her previous handler, but she did not want to pry to much. If Ahn wanted to share his life's story, that was for him to decide to do. Pushing that thought aside for now, the revo responded to his comment on the bar, giving him a very skeptical look. "You may be human, Sir, but you're far from average." She smirked a little at the comment before she looked back towards Hades, somewhat agreeing with the swordsman's comment. Sure, he seemed willing to help, and they could definitely use another fruit user. But the revolutionary army would be in trouble if they simply took everyone who claimed the were one.

As the taller man rose to his feet, Mara turned to stand by his side. She looked as most of the other customers were immediately drawn to the towering force that was Ahn Miyahara. Hearing his words, the young agent grimaced a bit. She didn't know as much as the inhabitants of this side of Winchester did, but she did remember her father mentioning some fool had established himself at the docks. And that there had been several attempts to deal with this man, most of which was met with heavy resistance. The though of having to work with the same scum that her adoptive father had fought against. Despite being a revolutionary, Ms. havens held no grudge against the marines, at least not against those who were not high ranking officer. they were merely people who had been tricked by the corrupt government, weak-willed at their worst, idealists at their best. The dexterous teenager hoped they'd be able to avoid too much bloodshed on this mission, though she was feeling rather pessimistic about that sentiment. The young girl followed in step with the behemoth, almost bouncing with each step as she was doing her best to keep up with Miyahara. As They walked, her superior officer asked about reinforcements, followed by a rather entertaining metaphor. She tried to think of anyone who seemed out of the ordinary, at least more than usual in a town of thieves and criminals. "Sorry to say, Sir, but no. I have yet to see any of our people in the immediate area, though I have yet to be near the docks."

Mara could tell that Ahn was distracted, likely the success of their mission weighing down on him. As they walked outside, they were greeted by a rather sizeable group of pirates. They all seemed about as trustworthy as a snarling pitbull. And at the front of this motley crew was a man that could easily equal their warrior commander in height. And in all honesty, the man had a face that the revolutionary agent wasn't even sure his mother loved. But that was overshadowed by the massive weapon he care, more akin to cannon than a revolver. The young woman was tempted to make comment about compensation, but she thought better of it. She rolled her yes as he questioned who it was that attacked one of his men. When Ahn responded, the young acrobat wondered if he had caused the commotion in the bar to attract this group. She was soon answered when Ahn revealed that it had indeed been his plan to do so. Ms. havens knew why they need the pirates. Taking down the marines with only a small force would be damn near impossible, but they did have enough people to tip the scale in favor of the pirates.

Once Frank mentioned the world government, Mara's gaze darkened a little, her fists clenching as her memories brought her back to her past. Trying her best to push that back in her mind, the revolutionary had caught the end of Ahn's promise to the pirates, surprising her as even she could tell that these criminals were hardly much better than their true enemy. She wasn't saying all pirates were bad, but she knew for a fact that majority of the ones on this island were. After he explained to frank, the graceful agent shot a disapproving gaze over towards the towering warrior. He might be planning to deal with the pirates as well, but she was uncertain of how well that would go either. She looked up as Ahn shot the flare, hoping the reinforcements were close enough that they could see the beacon he had launched. When her gaze lowered once more, she realized that among the group was the guy she had bumped into. she quickly averted her gaze, not wanting to draw attention as she waited for them to move again.

[Vio]

"Anyway," Natalie l'Estrange had said, "his name is Miyahara Ahn - that's Mister Miyahara, by the way. Now, your task is to take some men - a dozen should suffice - and make landfall upon the island. From there, all you need to do is locate Ahn and his company. Keep your eyes on the skies for signs of a flare, because that will give away where he is when his task is done. The reason I'm sending you in now is because you're so impatient. Just don't jump the gun. Our forces are stretched thin already and any mistake will scupper this plan. No taking charge, okay? You report to myself and Ahn and receive your orders from us, alright?"

Those were the orders, it seemed, that Kōketsu no Ayano would have to follow. As much as it pained her to not be able to take charge of this business, she knew it was pointless to resist the words of her superiors. Everything Natalie had said had been true. Why else would they want to hire sell-swords and the like to further their otherwise noble cause? Ayano knew it. Natalie knew it. Everybody knew it. The Revolutionary Army's recent endeavours across the globe had forced the hands of the Marines, drastic actions splitting rebelling forces straight down the middle since the installation of Sakazuki as Fleet Admiral. His vicious, absolute justice had complicated things for many a force.

Taking a deep breath, the swordswoman herself eyed the dull skies above Winchester Island, repeating this action every once in a while to check for signs of the flare they were to watch for. The main ships of the Revolutionary forces not willing to draw too close to the island, Miss Kōketsu and her little troupe had been forced to row their way towards the shores upon a steady longboat only just capable of holding a baker's dozen. Six men, clad in brown cloaks that obscured their identities from all but the knowing, sat on either side of the vessel, driving them forwards with rhythmic and well rehearsed oar strokes. The easy bobbing of the boat was far more pronounced for the dark-haired dame, however, who stood tall and stoic towards the stern, overlooking her troops as they rowed in strict silence. Indeed, the only sounds were the splashing of the oars in the waters and the grunting exhalations of the labour force.

Whoever this 'Ahn' character is, I hope him to be a good example of a Revolutionary! I will not tolerate officers who are weak or misguided... Silently voicing her ideals as she glared daggers at the fast approaching shores, the regal revolutionary gently tapped the hilt of her blade with her fingers before securing it to her flank. In her high hopes, she was near enough certain that her blade would not be needed until the time came for them to lay seige to the Marine fortress. For now, her Shirajirashii could remain at rest by her side. All she needed to do was give the orders, and her troops would do whatever was needed. As Miss l'Estrange had hinted, the last thing they needed was to have the whole island - Marines and Pirates alike - against them. If that happened, defeat was almost inevitable, though she would dare not go down without a fight.

"Hm? Our signal. Successful contact has been made. Onward, men!" Words strict and stern, raising her voice in an odd attempt to inspire confidence, a light jeer from her audience confirmed that the words of the woman wearing the red cross had made it to their ears. Indeed, a flickering light so faint in the sky like a distant star at night now hovered above the buildings, telling the officer of Ahn's location. And of where she was needed. Inside, she knew that pirates were almost impossible to trust, though a few unique individuals often shone through from that blackness. The same could not be said for the World Government, who painted over their atrocities with white and blue. Their vessel slowing as it slipped into the docks, two of the soldiers quickly secured it with ropes before the rest followed suit and left the rather cramped boat behind. Ayano herself followed suit, the heels of her boots clicking upon the boards of the port as she took the lead, now forced to wear a brown cloak like the others to conceal her identity. Fortunately, she was not well known (though she believed she was), so nobody really paid her any heed as she marched into town with her troops in her wake.

A few minutes later and the unit was fast approaching the site from whence the flare had been launched, the luminous orb having long since faded into nothingness. That said, while the sky was quite bright, the atmosphere was grim and shady. All about milled pirates and other ne'er-do-wells, some of which eyed the noblewoman rather lustfully. That kind of thing disgusted her, to be sure, but she stuck to her word and avoided forcing any altercations. Business was business. Hopefully, many of these men - swordsman, gunmen and bruisers - would be fighting with them in an attempt to take down the World Government's 'beacon of hope' for this island. This was a game of chess, but first they needed to arrange the pieces to their favour...

SPOILER: Click to show

I guess we meet up next round?

[Roin]

It had been a few moments, the collective dialogue from Mara finally seeming to collect in the tall man's head. But none of that was important, despite the... well, informative importance of it. The pirates had begun to calm down from their brief surge of excitement... and the large-gunned man turned to smirk toward Ahn as if the man were some godsend.

"Well, I think my boys are in... even if my brother says no, we love a good fight and might just tag along!"

Even with the man saying such a thing, the peaceful man could only sigh. Out of the two brothers, the better one to have was certainly not Frank, but Ted. Ted wasn't just some normal pirate with a fancy gun... the man was smart and quite possibly the reason the pirates had inhabited this section of Winchester Island. And unlike Frank... Ted wasn't a man that stuck out like a sore thumb. The pirates that had more or less already sided with Ahn from the display in the bar were scrubs... Frank wasn't far above them. But on the entire island, it was safe to say that the closest thing to a "threat" was the presence of Ten-Barrel Ted.

"So, come along! And make it snappy! I'll introduce-"

The atmosphere seemed to shift briefly, Ahn's face gaining a frown that silenced the eager-to-fight pirate. The main reason for the silence was that Ahn had moved a hand to grip his weapon's hilt, the ancestral blade's slightly large size no doubt adding to the sudden shift of a hand. No one could imagine that the tall man would risk causing a fight with such a move... but it was due to the fact that one of the pirate's gang hadn't been cheering and celebrating... the man had lowered his gaze toward the ground.

"You seem rather... quiet, pirate. Why weren't you rejoicing with your crew-mates?"

Though those who hadn't been in Ahn's presence before couldn't tell, the Battle Leader of the Sea-Flowers wasn't in a normal mindset... the man had swapped into the far more dangerous one that was retained only for battle. The reasonable, peaceful spirit was instead replaced with the blunt anger toward the World Government that could only be born from a horrible event in his past. The images of both his father's fiery death and the fact his mother had sheltered him from the bombardment rang louder and louder... and as a result, Ahn seemed to grow larger and larger with a more dangerous presence. At last, the man stopped before the now-frozen, fearful pirate. No doubt all eyes had shifted his way... but it was only as Frank began to speak and the reinforcements would round the corner that a horrible sight would unfold.

In a flash of steel, Ahn's blade left the stone sheath, cutting upward and across the man's body with enough power to first lift and then throw him toward a nearby building, smashing into the wall with enough force to disturb the dust that had collected in the cracks of the old buildings, the wood itself splintering but holding due to the sheer thickness of it. The moment the man hit the ground, a Baby Den Den Mushi rolled from the confines of the man's vest... and the brand of the Marines was clearly visible on its shell. As fast as it had happened... the shift receded as the Revolutionary Leader frowned, the crew rushing to investigate their cut-down brother-in-arms. Immediately, Frank had the large revolver angled at Ahn's head, shaking at the sudden display of power.

"Th-the hell are you doing!? Attacking one of my men, I should shoot you-" "B-Boss, he's got a Marine transponder with him!"

The calls of the gang had drawn the large gun-toting man's attention to the side, slightly lowering the gun before moving and snatching the Den Den. Even as the man tried to contemplate it, Ahn was quietly turning away from the scene with a rather grim look on his face, the blade quickly flicked with an expertise that came from a life-time of training. With the motion, the bit of blood that had stained the ancient weapon was dispersed... but the towering swordsman sheathed the blade with clear disgust. It wasn't that the man was a spy... but that the spy was a Marine, rather than a member of the World Government. Ahn's gut had been right... but not right enough.

"Mara... I-"

It would only be then that the man gazed toward the arriving bunch... the brief inspection drawing a sense of camaraderie without even seeing their faces. As of the moment, the man couldn't tell who most of them were... but the click of heels signaled out the leader with the man's experienced senses. The cloaked figure surely wasn't Natalie... but it was most certainly a woman. Who had been sent was anyone's guess... but the operation was based along both his wife's judgment and the assisting Revolutionary Leader's decisions... so there was no room to doubt the mysterious figure and the soldiers she had no doubt brought. Of course, there was also no way to know if it was simply one of the Momoiro warriors. Despite their actions and flirtation, the residents of that island were more respectable than most that dared to help the island... so part of the man hoped the mysterious heeled-figure was from the humble island.

"Nevermind... we have guests. With luck, they will ensure we have a smoother meeting..."

The pirates of the town had more or less abandoned "sides" to go and join the scene of discovery that the pirates were undergoing... which meant that those of the Revolutionary affiliation had privacy among the public. A rare treat, no doubt... but one that Ahn hoped the reinforcements would use to slip into the ranks and introduce themselves. Separate as they were, they were still allies... and the cloaked figures had been sent to assist in the capture of this island. So, with a small frown still on his face, the man quietly bowed his head in the side-ways greeting... clearly not going to turn fully to face the group. After all... it was rude to immediately turn all of his attention from Mara, yet again. The man was a leader... but one born from ability, not choice.

"I suspected more of you... but I suppose your response time was more than enough to make-up for the lack of numbers..."

SPOILER: Click to show

Figured adding a little bit like this would make sense, due to the proximity of the pirates and Marines... but it also works for giving us a good "link-up" section.

[RK]

Hades didn't really have much to do, just stand behind Ahn as he discussed some plans with everyone. It seemed like he was gathering up more people to go into the East Winchester with. The Comedian saw no problems with this arrangement but...he wasn't exactly sure if trusting a bunch of pirates with delicate invasion plans was such a good idea. In fact it was such a bad idea that even someone who couldn't plan to save his life, like Hades, thought that it was doomed from the start. Then again, if he was so bad at planning, maybe it wasn't his place to judge Ahn for doing what he is, the comedian in the red vest could only wait and see what his new leader had in store.

Inside Hades' subconscious however, a fire was burning. That fire, called Orion by some, was being given a stern lecture by a mysterious entity that took the form of a mass of light. Hades' and Orion's "Happy Place" took the form of an empty room with nothing but a wall running down the middle of it. On that wall was a very small peephole for which one could look on to the other side. Though this wall kept them separated mentally, they can still speak with each other when one is in control of the body. However, right now things are a bit different. The mental organism of light was somehow blocking the connection between the two. While this didn't propose an immediate problem, it did mean that no only would Hades have to do all the talking, he'd also have to do any fighting that came his way, something he usually left to Orion.

"What you are feeling is a result of you and Hades being the same person." The light's booming voice echoed through Orion's mind. It appeared to be talking to him telepathically is it didn't really have any kind of mouth to speak from. "What he represses gets left to you. It's not you who's missing your parents. You have no parents. Hades is the one longing to find out what happened to them." The Light said in an off putting tone, as if to try and purposefully make Orion feel bad. This news did come as a bit of a shock to him. Hades' repressed feelings became Orion's biggest problems. "But i do have parents...Hades' parents are my parents, since we're the same person." Orion's voice was hesitant and stuttered, as if he didn't want to speak out of line. The Olympian had never felt this way, so low, like he was being held by a leash off a cliff. "No, you do not. You are a creation, a desire that Hades' repressed so strongly that it was given form. You are a creation." The Light's voice was so rude, and even sounded angry at Orion. Such a thing was something the Olympian had never really had to deal with. He was starting to break down.

On the outside, Hades let out a faint "woohoo" as the pirates began to cheer. However, just as Ahn had done, Hades did too notice that one of the pirates was not cheering. Thus prompting his leader to do the most logical thing available and launch him into a nearby building with his mighty blade.

To elaborate for a moment, Hades looked in awe at this sword, it was absolutely awesome, not to mention having a stone scabbard was a pretty neat idea. Hades assumed Ahn could probably bash someone pretty hard with that thing. Then again, blades were always something that seemed so out of reach for the Comedian. To wield a blade, to forge one of hot steel and to essentially place a piece of himself into a weapon and call it his own was a dream that he had kept dear to his heart. Maybe one day he would ask Ahn for lessons in Swordplay? Who knows.

Hades' mind went off on a tangent but soon returned to the situation at hand. Miyahara Ahn, his Captain, had just sent a pirate flying for no reason. "Wh..why did you...?" Hades stopped himself as one of the pirates called out that the man in question had been carrying a Den Den Mushi bearing the Marine Crest. Hades blinked a good few times before realizing that the whole operation was nearly a total bust! It sure was good that Ahn was so perceptive...and bold. Hades probably wouldn't have had the guts to just, strike a guy with no definitive proof that he was a double agent. In any case, this meant that the marines were either onto them, or had full knowledge of this attack. Though scary, it did make things just a tad more interesting. Face to face with impossible odds, Hades, breaks out an all new skill that rocks the government forces to their core! Or something like that. The Comedian chuckled at the thought of him doing something insanely cool like pulling out a clutch victory with a new skill. That's something that only happens to heroes in stories! In any case, this was HIS story, and Hades DID enjoy coming up with new powers for him and Orion to use...Orion. Hades was curious as to the reason why Orion was being so quiet.

"Orion? I'm not mad anymore, you in there?"

"Hades! I'm here, but i can't get out of our head!" Orion's voice was rushed, he didn't know what to say, he was relieved to hear his companions voice. "Try as you might, but he can't hear you, I'm not through with you just yet." The Light spoke again, it seemed to have calmed down a bit since before. The floated over towards Orion, who was at this point, on his knees by the wall. "This must be hard for you, knowing that your existence is owed to the emotions of a mentally unstable teenage comedian who isn't even funny in the slightest." The Light had returned to his former voice, a mocking, condescending whir that sneered into the minds of those he was conversing with. Orion now on the verge of tears, punched uselessly at the mass of light, hoping to do anything to it. He hated this thing, it was making him question his own existence as a living being, or just as a figment of his only friends imagination. "You are an idea, a clump of emotion." The Light continued to speak, even as Orion's punches phased through his formless "body". "A construct of Hades' imagination and torment brought on by loneliness, anger, and desperation." This kind of degradation had gone beyond disrespectful, it was outright vile and inhumane. Then again, Orion couldn't be sure if this thing was human, or just another piece of Hades' psyche. "You were created because Hades wanted to fight back, but deep in his heart he knew that all he wanted to do was make people laugh. In that regard, he has succeeded splendidly. He treats you as if you were his own flesh and blood brother. That is truly hilarious!" This would have been the time where The Light would have been cued for a maniacal laugh, but that just wasn't his vibe. "THE ONLY THING THATS FUNNY HERE, IS THAT HADES' DIDN'T CARE ENOUGH ABOUT YOU TO EVEN MAKE YOU ALIVE, YOU HAVE NO CONTROL, NO EMOTIONS, NO REMORSE OR FEELINGS. ALL YOU KNOW IS HATE AND SPITE. THAT, IS WHATS REALLY FUNNY!" Orion was seeming like more of his old self, his usual bravado, confidence, and of course, anger. The Olympian ceased punching The Light and took a few steps back. Looking over his new "roommate". "I'd hate to find out just what sick and twisted repressed memory led to your creation..." Orion blurted out as sat back down, trying to reach Hades' mentally.

The Light began to glow profusely, and in a flash, he gained human form, though still he was made of light, he now had arms and legs, a body and head. No features, no clothes, just the basic outline of the human body. "You were born from a desire to fight." The Light said as it slowly walked towards Orion, who's mouth as agape. He had just witnessed a formless mass turn into a person in an instant. The Light crouched in front of Orion and held the Olympian's face steady with a gleaming white hand. "I was born from the desire to become whole. Since you are an offshoot, an imperfection, you are not needed, and thus, i will weed you out until you either dissipate or are assimilated into Hades' subconscious, never to act or be heard from again." The Light spoke with such vigor and passion, very different from just moments before. Orion tried to grab onto The Light's arm to push him away, but he was still light, he was untouchable. "I'll take what you just said with a grain of salt, Light freak." Orion sneered, his voice had an astute tone, as The Light finally released his grasp on Orion.

"By the way, my name is Tartarus."

[☆彡 Youniverse]

As Mikel lowered his gaze, his eyes met with another person, though it was only for a second. The person quickly shifted her gaze away from Mikel which kind of puzzled him. Why would anyone want to look away from such a good looking, handsome, funny, intelligent man such as Mikel... unless he wasn't all those things but that was highly unlikely cause he was! Anyways, he really didn't care. All he had on his mind at the moment was money, after this whole mission, Mikel would be driving away with his new car, some gold teeth and a brand new suit. That'll surely show the people out there that he was not a person to be messed with.


"You seem rather... quiet, pirate. Why weren't you rejoicing with your crew-mates?"


The atmosphere quickly grew colder, the tall man's eyes were serious. His gaze was fixed on one of the people among the crowd. Mikel noticed that the swordsman was getting ready to draw his blade, things were escalating rather quickly it seemed. Mikel decided to stay put and watch how things unfold from here but it didn't take Einstein to figure out that some blood was about to be spilled. After a few moments of silence, the sound of a blade being pulled out of it's scabbard could  be heard, then a quick flash of light followed the sound and before you knew it, a man was sent flying into a building. Mikel's jaw dropped, this wasn't your ordinary attack, this swordsman guy clearly had experience with the blade before. Mikel quickly followed the crowd as they went to investigate the mess, on the floor beside the man was a den den mushi. On closer inspection, one could clearly see some sort of logo on it. Where had Mikel seen that logo before..? Uhm... Ah yes, it was the logo of the marines! So this man was undercover and the only once to notice him was Ahn, what gave him away? Why was Ahn so sure that this man was an undercover agent? Unless, he didn't. Mikel gulped and turned his gaze towards Ahn.

Maybe, just maybe... Ahn had taken a stab in the dark.

Mikel needed to try his best not to get on this man's bad side. He was a source for money, not an enemy, so there shouldn't be any sort of problems between the two. Mikel was willing to over look the fact that the man was freakishly tall for now. Deciding to break away from the crowd to join back with Ahn, the state of the body was stuck in Mikel's mind. Betrayal only lead to you being cut up and broke. Mikel had seen worst bodies whilst he was with his father's gang but this body was different to all of those other ones. If Mikel slipped up by a tiny bit, there was chance he would follow in the body's footsteps.

Mikel took a deep breath and got rid of all these thoughts and feelings. He just needed to do what he did best..


and that was to follow wherever the money went.

[Suriko]

The young revolutionary still could not lose the sour expression she had as the pirates reveled and cheered at the prospect of being the lords of this island. Once again, Mara looked to their towering commander, hoping he had some plan to deal with these pirates after it was all said and done. These degenerates would like through the island into further chaos if they were in charge, and the regular citizens would pay for it. As her gaze remained on the tearful swordsman, she noticed his expression had changed. following Ahn's gaze, it fell on the same pirate. He indeed seemed to be preoccupied, with the ground. Before anything else could happen, the tree of a man came forward and struck the man down without hesitation. The fruit user barely reacted to it as everyone else may have, as it was something she had learned to accept. Ahn Miyahara had proven himself to be a very perceptive man in their travels, and his intuition rarely backfired on him. The surprise did come when the pirates stated who their would be spy truly was. the girl looked to the revolutionary warrior, seeing a rather conflicted gaze in his eyes. She understood the feeling. While some of their comrades may not agree with this point of view, and may even despise the Marines, Mara still felt that most of them were as ignorant as the general public. At least the lower ranking soldiers were. Those in the truly powerful positions were either turning a blind eye or aiding in the atrocities made by the World government.

Just as she noticed Ahn about to say something to her, another group had shown up. The young agent quickly became aware of the group as they were obscured by cloaks. It was unlikely that the marines would have responded so quickly, there was no room to be hesitant if it was them. When Ahn spoke to them, it became clear that they were the reinforcements. As they got closer, the revolutionary agent got a better look at who held the most attention of the group. The woman in the lead of the group had a very regal aura about her, like she was one meant to lead and command. While the same could be said of their current commander, his presence was more that of a tall, mighty oak tree. He was more of an imposing sort than anything else. With this woman, She was more like a blinding light, tall overhead above everyone else. It was like it was her place to look down over others. And it put the acrobat on edge. This comrade of theirs came off as a more of a noblewoman than a revolutionary, which felt out of place. Mara was even tempted to liken their comrade to their very enemy, the world nobles themselves. But Ahn seemed trusting enough to at least greet the woman, so Mara would do the same. She approached the noblewoman, bowing briefly to her as she attempted to meet her gaze. Though misplaced, the slight glare the young agent gave Ayano could not be diminished, as she just felt put off by their female compatriot.

Thank you for coming to assist us. the flying slash human bowed her head, her tone barely hiding her unease in regards to Ayano. With that, she stepped away from the two, making her way to her gear. She felt that the spy being here meant the marines were more aware of the activities on this side of the island than may have been anticipated. Reaching her bag, she pulled out the armor that comprised the main part of her gear. It was little more than chest armor, covering her chest and shoulder blades with a thin metal layer. The odd part had been the two circular additions to the back of the armor, with cables extending outwards the arms. as for the arms, it seemed to be comprised of straps connected to a guide for the cables. As she affixed the guides, they were on the outer edge of her slender arms. At the end of these was a mechanism, with a small bladed cone at the end. It didn't seem too sharp, but it would be enough to embed the cone into most surfaces. Mara hadn't bother with her suit, not seeing an appropriate time to properly do so. She then pulled out a sleeved cloak, not unlike the one that Ayano and her group were wearing. It perfectly concealed her form entire, aside from the lowered hood, allowing those to see her face normally.

Finished preparing, she returned to the rest. She looked to ahn before speaking briefly. "I feel we should prepare for the worst, Sir." Not speaking beyond that, she stepped next to Hades, curious why he had been rather silent this entire time.

[Vio]

Coming to a halt before the towering figure known as Miyahara Ahn, or at least the man she assumed was him, Kōketsu no Ayano pulled her hood down and assessed the scene with keen eyes. A slumped form dressed in otherwise plain clothes certainly seemed rather out of place, though that sort of thinking was from a rather naive and unobservant mind. Having spent not even an hour on Winchester, and usually failing to take in any features that did not interest her, the regal rebel had failed to consider the fact that unconscious men slumped against the sides of buildings was actually a rather common sight. Still, the state of the wall of a nearby building indicated the events that had transpired, though the woman cared little for who, how or why. Indeed, all she cared about was getting things over and done with as soon as possible, despite the clear better judgment of Natalie l'Estrange.

"You. Miyahara Ahn, I presume? Kōketsu no Ayano," the tall lady told him, introducing herself sternly and making a point of ignoring those around him to the best of her ability. To be fair, he was almost ignoring her, refusing to turn towards her in any noticeable way. Of course, Ahn had at least the decency to acknowledge Miss Kōketsu's presence, commenting on the lack of a substantial force as he did so.

"Numbers do not matter. It is people such as I that help turn the odds in our favour... Also, Natalie did not think it favourable to send in a large platoon so soon." Adding that last snippet of information in after a brief and reluctant pause, the swordswoman made sure not to give away her hesitations for the sake of the men who followed her. A strong leader like herself showing signs of weakness was bound to affect the morale of her forces, so retaining her powerful and imposing presence was an absolute must. It was her duty to be a leader, to provide strength to the weak when they looked for it and to stand against all that tried to entomb them in the darkness. That was the duty of a noble who deserved their status, not the cowards who stood at the top and imposed their will upon others.

"So, these are the pirates assisting us? Or have we yet to decide?" Looking to the gathering of people, Ayano's eyes swept across them rather indiscriminately, not particularly caring for them. Most of them were small fry, near enough expendable, for it was likely that many of these pirates had brought harm to civilians for one reason or another. While she was not focused entirely upon opposing them, they still sickened her to the core, but at least they were branded as criminals. The World Nobles, whose own crimes were likely far greater than this island's whole population put together, were not considered as such. They were above the law, which no living person should ever be.

It appears I am to work with an awfully high number of dwarves... Examining the two shortest members of the lot, the woman in white stated her opinions to herself, simply because what mattered to her was far more important. The man whom Ahn had clearly launched was wounded from the blow, though the injury seemed rather minor. A better assessment of what was going on revealed a Den Den Mushi - branded with the symbol of the Marines. Though she did not know it, Mister Miyahara's beliefs were not too dissimilar to her own. For both of them, the Marines (especially those of lower rank) were little more than puppets being manipulated by what the Celestial Dragons had deemed to be law. Servants, one might even say slaves, to the whim of those men and women on their high horses. With one hand, she brushed the hilt of her own precious blade, solidifying her resolve to never draw the blood of any but those corrupts sons of b-

"Thank you for coming to assist us." Train of thought interrupted by another voice, Ayano looked down towards the bowing head of a younger woman. A girl, as she expressed an uneasy gratitude. This girl was likely another agent of the Revolutionary Army, as she explicitly remembered Miss l'Estrange mentioning that Ahn may not have been the only member of their forces on land at this point in time. It appeared the feisty fire dancer had assumed correctly. Then again, it was probably just a matter of her knowing these details and failing to tell the aspiring officer about them. She had an awkward habit of doing that, though sometimes she wondered if it was actually some sort of test. Regardless, Natalie did not yet think her ready to take complete charge of an operation, despite her own protests...

SPOILER: Click to show

I am sorry it took me so long.