Mission 39: Need for Speed most hunted

[The Shimmering Banana]

Stowaways, they were no better than barnacles latching on to the hull of a ship. That's exactly what they were both Jerek and Shimmer “hitching a ride” on a seasoned pirate crew heading over reverse mountain. A simple bat of an eye towards a rockie deck swabber upon the crew securing both their semi safe passage over into the new sea. The actual drop being nothing more then a simulation ride for the pair of stowaways as they were inside a small shipping container. Shimmer could remember how the young pirate told them that he could promise them passage to the Pirates Market, there captain said it would be their first stop. After that they would be on their own which was much more than Shimmer was used to being with. Jerek was becoming more than just some stranger to the girl after their last adventure leading them into this crazy predicament. They had agreed to train together as soon as they reached Karate Island but first they had to make the difficult trip through the South blue.

*Clip clop clip clop clip..*

Subtle foot steps approached the crate in what could only be assumed was the dead of night as there were not many other noises at the time and there last loaf of bread for the day was quite some time ago. The young pirate shoving his crowbar into the side of the wooden crate prying the long nailes out of its side. Sacks of rice falling out first revealing the hidden pair of travelers inside. “Guys it me” calls out the soft and gentle voice “Shimmer..” it continued as the young man reached his hand in reaching for the girl. Shimmer extending her arm towards him taking hold of his hand crawling out of the crate. “Great it's you John. Have we made it to the south blue yet?” asked the young woman as she rose to her feet expanding all of her arms. Making a wiggling motion with the rest of her body as she continued to stretch out. “Ya yes” he mumbled focusing on Shimmer at the moment forgetting all about the other package in the crate. The deck hand taking hold of her hand making sure that the pair hurried along. “Quick this way. The fog is pretty dense right now we must be close to the pirates market.” the isle being known for its foggy cover.

The trio hurried along the boy leading them to an old row boat attached to the side of the ship. A solid wooden design one of five row boats reserved for emergencies and quick shore visits. “You guys are on your own from here” says the boy looking deep into the Fish-Womans eyes. Whimpering her latches onto Shimmer hugging her with all his might as he said his good bye’s. The girl taking pity on a young boy's crush giving him a kiss on the cheek before hopping aboard the row boat. She then looks over to Jerek sending him a slight wink “You ready to gooooo?!” she calls out as their combined weight sent the boat on its descent towards the sea.

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek climbed out of the crate, his knees slightly cramped. He could not imagine how stuffed Shimmer must have felt in the crate, seeing as she was taller and had six fishwoman arms to stash. He only had to worry about his human two. Unfortunately, his steam iron devil fruit had also made sure that the crate was as foggy on the inside as the ship on the outside, the poor boy was met with an unsettling blast of heat. It was nothing ridiculous, but certainly unnerving for the boy that was helping the duo. As Shimmer toyed with his hormones, the young swabber blushed a little. Jerek chuckled, and muttered to himself, "And this is why I love knowledge over women." Hearing her call, Jerek eased his way across the ship and to the boat. As they both sat down, it was sent into the murky waters beyond. Jerek decided to take a little power nap, since he rarely got good shut-eye in his previous conditions. Or ever, really.

Eventually, as the fog cleared, and so did Jerek's cloud of drowsiness, he woke up, to the sight of land. But, almost as soon as it was spotted, the fog came back. Pirate's Market did not seem like a place that wanted to be found. However, despite its protests, the island was eventually forced to accept Jerek and Shimmer's little boat. As they sailed through the blinding fog, Jerek skin began dampening from the moisture, and he certainly did not appreciate it. Eventually, the came to the island's dock, and settled gently. Jerek, careful not to overturn the boat, tentatively stepped out. As Shimmer followed, he clambered his way up the stairs to the main area of the dock, and stood between the many pirate ships.

Daydreaming, he began remembering his previous adventures on a pirate ship. But that was long, long ago. He was but a lad, now he was a twenty-year old man of medicine and knowledge. He cleared his mind of nostalgia, and kept heading forward. Looking around, many of the pirate ships seemed to be fairly generic, with plain, boring Jolly Rogers that only had a stripe or sash to distinguish them. However, one ship in particular caught his eye. It had a little paper with a WANTED on it, and a dart seemingly pinning it to the Jolly Roger. The WANTED poster, however, had a red sickle drawn through the name of the target, as if eliminated. They were definitely bounty hunters.

Well, Jerek did not have the time to glance at every person on the dock to look for a bounty hunter, and instead, quickly peered around himself. He found himself especially attracted to the quaint, yet large taverns, which were practically like drawings from storybooks. Not that he knew much of storybooks, since he surpassed that reading level at two. However, he certainly knew what they proposed, since he did not need ten years to learn what looked unrealistically perfect and what did it. But he had not time for any more reminiscing. As he overheard Shimmer stepping behind him, Jerek looked ahead, and saw a sign, "RACE BEGINNING SOON! PRIZE IS 10,000 BERI!"

[The Shimmering Banana]

The Pirates Market was as mysterious as its reputation had suggested. A thick for covering the isle as the pair rowed their way to the nearby shore. Other ships towering over them as their small boat bopped along the sea. Within minutes the pair reached their destination pushing their wooden ride into a covered area to hide it from thieves. A place like this was sure to be full of would be pirates trying to make it back to sea by any means necessary. With the ship hidden well it was time for the two man crew to make their mark on the pirate world of the south blue. Even if they were just stopping here on the way to Karate island. Shimmer followed along Jerek as the man took the lead probably for the best seeing as in a place like this someone could easily try and kidnap her. ‘Not again’ she thought as she scurried along at a faster pace being sure to stick close to the nicely dressed young man.

The docks were packed with ships and crews of men and woman loading and unloading goods. All the shipments stuffed in unmarked wooden crates to deter other pirates from stealing their goods. ‘Makes sense people steal treasure chest’ she thought as she shimmied to the side dodging two men carrying a large crate past her. “Right beside you little lady” called out one of the workers as he noticed the girl moving out of the way. His eyes locking on a bit to hard as they noticed her curvaceous body. Still walking along the dock sending him crashing into another pair from his own crew. The pair of pirates losing their footing dropping their heavy loads. “What's the big idea!” called out his crew mate as the two crates full of weapons. Swords, pistols, bullets and even a few rarer explosives spreading across the deck as they began to argue.

“Hey Jerek check this out.” said the young Fish-Woman as she stared at the goods rolling towards her feet. “Jerek” she said once more turning to the boy noticing him staring directly above him. A large banner spanning across a walkway reading ‘Race Starting Soon’. “Typical man any kind of competition and they lose sight of the world.” complained Shimmer as she turned away to take advantage of the pirate scuffle behind her. Leaving her companion's side she quickly huddles around the now formed crowd of men watching the fight slightly bending her knees making it possible for her bottom set of arms to reach the floor.

“You piece of S…” screamed out one of the combatants as Shimmer scooted to the side reaching for what seemed to be a black powder bomb. Then another and another, the girl stuffing her bag before hitting the deck and crawling out of the mosh pit. ‘Not a bad haul’ she thought as she closed the straps of her bag returning to her friend still lost in a trance over some stupid race. “Are you still staring at this?” she says noticing something she didn't before on the banner. “Wait does that say 10,000 beri?” she says her eyes gleaming at a chance to get a cozy ferry ride the rest of the way to Karate island. The girl taking the lead from here and walking right up to a registration table under the sign.

“Hi-ya” said the young woman manning the table as Shimmer approached. Her jaws chomping down on a piece of gum as she flips through a stack of papers pulling one out. “If you're here to register I'll need your crew or team's name and a list of the participants with their current bounties. The bounties will determine the color of your racing vest. Green is anyone under 1000, yellow is from 1001-5000, red is for 5000 and above. Have all crew/team member fill out this waiver form and grab a vest the race will start soon.” she said before going back to her chewing. Shimmer filling out the forum then passing it to Jerek. “Might as well it is 10,000 beri.” she finishes off.

[tepigturtwig]

As Jerek looked at the sign, or well, pretended to, his peripheral vision began wandering. He heard scuffle behind himself, but knew that getting involved would only endanger whatever Shimmer was planning. Men did not like men. While his peripherals wandered, they began lingering around a specific group of four menacing people. They naturally drew attention, and then forced it off themselves with one glance at the onlookers. Before Jerek could follow them for longer, he was called by to focus on the sign in front of himself as Shimmer began shouting about the bounty. Typical women, he thought, always loosing sight of the world around themselves when they see money. 

As he and Shimmer signed their wavers, the four from before walked past. "Excuse me," one of them muttered, almost sarcastically. As he looked at her, he realized that she was a half-chicken mink, judging from her chicken legs, chicken beak, and chicken wings. She had short, black hair, and a pale complexion, offset by little tufts of white feathers. She had iron fangs lining the inside of her beak, and a long blade tied with a sash to her rough dress. "Yaga," one of her teammates said, "What do we enter as if we don't have bounties. The half-chicken mink grunted in response.

Quickly finishing his waver, Jerek went for the green vest, and wore it on top of his many-layered suit. If he wasn't a devil fruit user, he may have felt rather hot. As the other crew went and signed their wavers, he sized them up. One wore red goggles, and had long wings out of his back, which he had coated in metal, and which were partially obscured from vision from two drones that were tied by cables to a little metal compartment on his back. This man also wore multiple other gizmos and a suit of thin metal armor. Alongside him was a man with bloodshot eyes, and burns and scrapes all over. He wore bandages and torn clothes, and twitched as he walked. There was also an old, short lady wearing a sash over her hair.

He quickly diverted his attention, but realized that he was about to compete against them. He gulped, and whispered to Shimmer, "Do you think we can take them?"

[The Shimmering Banana]

The boy took the paper from Shimmer and with that they both accepted the terms of the race and went to grab their vest. Both the novice pirates grabbing the green vest and placing it over their clothes. The green best looking more like a cape on the six armed woman as the two arm holes we used by her upper set of arms. ‘I look ridiculous’ she thought as the strange looking contestant nugged passed her making a sly remark. ‘That was rude’ thought Shimmer as she smacked her teeth at the girl giving her a look of disgust. The girl was not one to take well to ill mannered people. As she gazed upon her noticing her other odd companions she realized this race might not be as easy as she thought. These people did not seem like the type to compete fairly after all.

*Dooooooop*

“Contestants welcome to the fifth annual market race.” called out a voice from a pair of loud speakers. “My name is Dublin and I will be your announcer.” continued the voice as the surveying crowd let out a loud roar. Shimmer even jumping in letting out a deep “Woot woot woot.” pumping her fist. Slowly looking over to Jerek “gotta get into the spirit of things.” This year the race will be held in the streets of the market district with red cones blocking the road so you know where to go. Your 5k race will lead you right back to this point the person or persons leading the race taking home a prize of 10,000 BERI!!” yelled out Dublin exciting the crowd. The rowdy island made up of pirates trembling as all the people cheered. “Ok.. ok.. calm down” he continued “So let's get this show on the road. Racers line up. Green vest in front, yellow behind them and red in the back.” A fair line up as pirates go someone with a high bounty should be able to out compete someone with no bounty.

The mob of racers lined up the rude group of bounty hunters, having no bounties, choosing to stand right next to Shimmer and Jerek. ‘Great here comes chicken little’ she thinks as she sarcastically smiles at the bunch then bends over to start stretching. With her but in the air Shimmer bend to reach down to her toes her lower two sets of arms placed behind her back as her top set swiped the floor. Peering her head back up she looks to her friend. “You should stretch too. It's important to stay limber.

She continued her stretches the as Dublins voice came back on “Two minutes till race time.” Shimmer stood back up raising her left knee into the air. She then grabs it and pulls it close to her body standing on one foot. Stomping it back onto the paved street before performing the same stretch with her other leg. She was all stretched out and just in time too. “Racers take your marks. The race will begin in 10.. 9..” said Dublin. The contestants all taking their positions in front of the long white ribbon marking the starting line “8..7..6..” he continued counting down.

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek decided to stretch only a little, for he knew he would not be using sheer strength to win this race. He had a devil fruit, and was going to use. As the announcer counted down, he nodded at Shimmer, and as the Announcer said, "1," he leaped. He perfectly timed it so that, right when the announcer said zero, he carried past the starting line and leaped a little ahead of the rest. His little head start was only for a little while, and soon, he was even seeing yellow vests pass him. There were some other green vests behind him, but Jerek knew he needed to keep up pace. None of the four mean people from earlier were nearby, and Shimmer was far ahead of him. As Jerek kept running, his feet began heating up, leaving a trail of steam. 

As the steam began increasing in amount, racers around him began stopping and slowing down, in order to avoid Jerek. Those in front of him ran diagonally, causing him to chuckle, "I know shortest distance is a straight line," he retorted, "But that's the longest straight line you can pick." But, they didn't care, and soon, he left them in the dust. Well, the steam, as he let loose a huge burst and rocketed back in front of everyone. As he took another moment to catch his breath, many overtook him, and he was now at the back of the front, so to speak. He knew he would not be able to do that anymore, but still decided to occasionally use a small burst to land large leaps and stay at his position in the pack. However, he knew he needed to calm down a little. They weren't even at the first kilometer mark, and he was beginning to tire.

As he realized that he was certainly not the fastest or strongest rookie out there, he saw the one kilometer line, and crossed it, along with the others. As they were now away from the bustling crowds of the village, he glanced around. He saw Shimmer, arguably in the top three, and the mean team close behind. But then, he only saw three of them. The chicken mink was gone. But she was not in the back, and chickens can't fly. He began slowing down a little, his brain working overtime to process what the half-chicken mink had done. However, he soon figured out how brilliant an idea it was to slow down.

In a second, a breeze of strong wind came from no where and blasted the leading group, leaves smacking everyone. And then, out of no where, the chicken mink stood in front of everyone. Her sickening beak revoltingly grinned, her prostetic iron teeth, no, fangs, seeming to menacingly rise as she began twirling her blade. And then, she struck, dancing her way through the pirate runners. Many would consider a chicken ungraceful, but she owned it. Her chicken legs were far shorter than human legs, making her movements more compact, and more controllable. Although chickens can't really fly, their wings certainly can toy with air and momentum, and she certainly was. Blood splattered everywhere as she began butchering the pirates. And then, she took out a set of posters, and leaped back in front of the massacre, looking to see if she had killed any bounty-worthy pirates. After all, at this point, most of the red vests had been in the front.

[The Shimmering Banana]

“3..2..1..” Called out the announcer starting off the great pirate race all the contestants wasting no time as they took off over the starting line. Most of the green vest being surpassed by the yellow vested contestants directly behind them with a few more red vest passing them all. Shimmer could instantly tell this may be a bit harder than she originally thought trying her hardest to just stay amongst the other green vest that haven't fallen behind. Her long muscular legs being her only advantage, a lifetime of swimming will definitely give you thunder thighs as well. The young Fish-Woman continued her strides with her companion close as he looked to the sides of her thinking ‘Good Jerek is still with me’. Behind them they could see an all out war waging out as pirates fought dirty to gain a winning spot. Some of the men pushing and shoving other to the ground causing others to crash into their fallen bodies. “Wow did you see that” said Shimmer to Jerek as she noticed the underhanded tactics of the other contenders.

‘No matter just gotta keep up our pace’ she thought as she looked forward again concentrating on the race at hand. With the first Kilometer marker coming into her vision she knew that as long as they continued on like this there was actually a chance they could win this. Just then her glimmer of hope slightly diminishing as the chicken mink woman made her way through the crowd. Her team hacking and slashing their way through the crowd leaving no one in there path all the other contestants making sure not to step in front of them. Just as fast as she saw the group lead by the mink woman she then didn’t, a strong gust of wind flowing through the crowd as multiple men and women scream out in agony as the group zipped by. The mink woman shedding more blood than needed as she struck them people in their way. People on the sidelines viewing the event cheering out towards the group of bounty hunters who was now in the lead. It was clear that in this race there was no rules and Shimmer and Jerek would have to do whatever it took to win this race.

“Wow did you see that” called out Shimmer as she looked towards Jerek. “We're gonna have to worry of them” she continued as another man came in at full speed from her side. The young woman noticing his underhanded tricks quickly halting causing him to crash into another man. The two falling to the ground another small group of runners toppling over them smacking into the paved ground. Shimmer smirking as she thought ‘that's what you get’ raising an eyebrow at the crooked contestant. These guys weren't her actual competition though the girl more being worried about the mink women's groups and the other few contestants left in front of the team of Jerek and Shimmer. She looked into the distance clearly being able to see the second kilometer marking, ‘this race is passing a lot faster than I thought’ the thunk as her feet quickly caught up with her vision passing over the line. The pair had made it this far and was sure the race would only become more difficult from here on. It was a pirate race after all and who knew what kind of surprises the race leaders had in store for the other contestants.

Just then a few more screams could be head from behind the Octo-Girl glancing back at the source of the noise she could see one of the hunters making their intentions clears. Another member of the mink tribe, the hippo man, chaining certain of the fallen racers to himself dragging them along as he made his slow stride towards the finish line. ‘Is he capturing them?’ thought Shimmer as she now realized that there might be more on the line then just some beri. If her and Jerek lost this race they might also lose their freedom and that was not something Shimmer was ready to give up.

[tepigturtwig]

As Jerek looked around, he realized that not only were the dealing with the bounty hunting four, but also a hippo bounty hunter mink. "Why are there so many bounty hunters?" he muttered. Eventually, the hippo mink made his way to the duo, and Jerek realized that he stood no chance against this man. The hippo mink crashed and barreled through many of the contestants, then slung their damaged bodies into a cage he was dragging behind him. However, Jerek immediately had to turn his attention to the front, where the chicken mink's accomplice was beginning his attack.

This man began typing into a little glove on his hand, and his two drones, attached to his Shandian wings by cords connecting to a huge box. His teamates immediately told this drone controlling man, "Zmey, use the flamethrower option." In reply, he snapped, "I know! If I can make these drones, I am smart enough to use them!" A blast of flame shot out of both the drones. Both were little white pods, with a set of red goggles serving as their eyes. The controller also had a set of red goggles, completely hiding his eyes. There was technology all over the man, from a set of light armor, to gauntlets with coding areas on them, to metal infused wing tips.


As the flames mowed down other contestants, Jerek was forced to drop and roll. As he moved to the side, he saw the flames making their way to the hippo mink. However, before the flames could lick the mink, he leaped into the air, and landed with a thud right in the middle of the bounty hunting four. In a furious rage, he pounded and slammed, and they took the defensive, dodging and counterattacking. Seeing his chance, Jerek got up, and sprinted as fast as he could past them. But, before he could make his escape, the hippo stumbled into him. Luckily for Jerek, their collision pushed the hippo mink forward, leaving Jerek not crushed, and the mink still capable for combat against the four. However, the collision had enough force to propel Jerek far away, and cause him to crash in extreme agony.

Looking around, he saw that the battle between the hippo mink and bounty hunting four was beginning to close, with both sides looking tired. He sighed, "If they just sat down and talked for a minute, I'm sure they would work together." However, instead of sitting down and talking, a backhand from the hippo mink sent one of the four flying. The person sent flying was a human, and he wore torn clothes, bandages, and had scars covering all the rest of his body. He landed with a sickening thud next to Jerek, and looked in a lot more pain than Jerek. However, his teammates yelled, "Koschei, do your thing!" and the man begin drinking a vial he had with him. The man then got up, his body acting as though it was healed. Jerek realized the harmfulness of this man's technique, which temporarily kept his body fighting fit, leading to the pain and damage stacking up more than the man's body could maintain. This maniac was the epitome of a mad scientist.

Worries flooded Jerek's head as he could not see Shimmer. Struggling to his feet, he felt a stinging pain in his left leg. As he went to inspect it, he saw it had been cut. He cleaned the cut as best as he could, and bandaged it. He then put the excess bandage back in his medicine bag, and he continued running, saying, "I love being my own doctor. And I get the feeling I might have to be Shimmer's personal doctor right now." As he ran past the battle, he saw the bounty hunter four throwing up another wind, and kicking up enough sand around them to flee.

[The Shimmering Banana]

The race was getting heated, literally, as one of the hunters dressed in some futuristic gear let loose a fierce blow from his flamethrower. Shimmer taking evasive action as she quickly dove out of the way rolling to the left clear of the blast and race traffic. ‘Wow that was close’ she thought as she rose to her feet dusting the pebbles off from her knees. Quickly taking a long stride resuming the race as to not fall behind. She quickly realized that this was no longer a race but a battle to the finish line. Still swinging her two lower set of arms, to keep momentum’ she used the top pair to reach into her bag and retrieve her weapon and some ammo. She wouldn't need to severely harm anyone as the group of hunters was trying to do but she would need to at least defend herself and perhaps Jerek. “Man this was supposed to be a simple race” she says aloud loading her slingshot and quickly turning around letting a handful of marbles sore to the ground.

Shimmer quickly reloading and sending another and another handful to the ground behind her. She then turns back around and picks up the pace. Her trap was set and quickly went to work on all the racers behind them. Causing the groups to slip and slide to the floor making them all pile up. With their numbers depleting this was becoming a close race as the pair reached closer and closer to the next kilometer mark. The race would be over before they knew it so if they were going to win Jerek and Shimmer would have to make their move soon. She looked ahead the group of hunters holding the lead with the hippo mink right on their tails or tail feathers.

‘He’s fast for a hippo’ she thought as she drew her attention to the closest contestant not on her team. She then loads up her slingshot once more and sends a handful of marbles directly in his path. The mink hearing the small glass spheres smacking into the pavement relieving the trap lept into the air the chained cage following his aerial path. The ground making a loud thump as the hippo and cage made their descent it roar covering Shimmers snide remarks. “And nimble for a big fella” taking him out of this race was going to be harder then the Fish-woman thought. But just who was this mysterious mammal and what was his end game.

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek caught a glimpse of Shimmer dealing with other contestants, and he decided to do the same. As pirates swarmed around him, running faster due to the adrenaline rush, he began to heat up his hands and press them onto anyone nearby. He was basically branding people with his hands. As steam shot out of his body, clouding the vision of nearby contestants, he was caught in a sea of chaos and confusion. As he drowned in this sea of swarming bodies, he saw the steam vibrating, and then, rushing. As he struggled to see what was doing this, he noticed a familiar face. It was the old lady from the bounty hunter four, and she was doing quite a spectacle.

From somewhere near him, he overheard the chicken mink cackle to herself, saying, "Kikimora's spin almost gaurantees death to those who've seen it." As he now knew the names of all four members, he recited them to himself, "Chicken Mink: Yaga. Drone Marksman: Zmey Mad Scientist: Koschei. Old Lady: Kikimora." Soon, he saw what they meant by a deadly spin. As the steam whizzed by his head, Jerek noticed the old lady spinning, seemingly in delight. She was definitely the sweetest of the bunch. And then, as she continued spinning, she sped up, until she was spinning faster than any top he had ever seen. And, she rushed at the crowd.

She was going so fast she drew blood from those she struck. In his panic, Jerek saw her coming towards him. Not wanting to be grinded up by this absurd lady, he pushed back, trying to get through the crowd. Eventually, he fell to the ground, and as feet trampled all over him, he felt something fast zoom right over him. Although by no means was her spinning cutting like a sharp blade, it was definitely deadly, as contestants fell to the floor, dead, unconscious, or incapable of moving. He stayed put, waiting for his chance to get up. Eventually, the woman stopped spinning, and panted and heaved, far out of breath.

As the bounty hunting four regrouped, they began scanning for any high bounty holders. Most of the red vests that had made it this far were out, but some still kept running. Jerek could not make out Shimmer, perhaps in his current weariness and daze. He tried to get up, but his hand gave out. He made very little sound, and lay crumpled to the floor. As the bounty hunters began scanning, while also looking out for the hippo mink, who had somehow become separated from them, Jerek decided to inch his way out, army crawling until he was further away. Taking a deep and audible breath, he sprang up, and blew a huge torrent of steam at the group, and began running as fast as his legs could carry him. He had to catch up, and survive.

[The Shimmering Banana]

*A few months ago*
“Horace Griffeth, you BIG lug.. Oh I mean.. Sorry wasnt tryna say you were big.. I.. ugg.” bumbled an eager entrepreneur as he spoke to one one his newest members. The hippo mink man being self conscious about its size being a hippo it was literally big boned. The sea traveling bounty hunter focusing on its grace and speed to make up for the constant remarks about its size. “It’s ok Mr.Saix. I know what you mean. I’m very excited to join this B.H.N. of yours so what's your first job for me?” questioned the hippo. “To be honest this next job is a bit of a doozy but given someone of your calibre I figure you'd be perfect for the job.” says Mr.Saix. The hippos already reddish brown cheeks blushing a brighter red embarrassed by his new bosses complements. “Oh stop..” squealed out Horace “I'll do it no matter what it is” he continues eager to start his career as a bounty hunter. Mr.Saix continued to instruct the Hippo leading him to this far away area of the world.

*Present Time*
“I can’t believe this was his task for me” mumbled Horace to himself as he scooped up another low ranking pirate. ‘A competition against this nasty bunch of assassins. They have the nerve to call themselves bounty hunters. Uh’ letting out a loud snarl puffs of smoke coming from his bulbous nose. ‘Collect as many pirates as you can whoever has the most “money in the pot” at the end wins the race.’ he continued to think of Mr.Saix’s words from their previous meeting. ‘Oh well i'll just keep locking these poor saps up and get this over with’ the Hippo using its large hips to side swipe another pirate racer into his cage. The race sliming down to just the Fish-Woman and her friend and Horace’s real opponents the bounty hunting four. “Who are those two anyways?” he said to himself as he thought of the book of recent bounties. After all a hippo never forgets… or is that elephants? Doesn't matter.

“Can't seem to put a name to the faces” continued Horace as he drew a blank in his mind. Either these two pirate contestants did not have bounties or they weren't even pirates. But how silly would it be for anyone other than a pirate to be on this island. Well besides the Horace and the other bounty hunters led by greed and some sort of death wish. The Hippo continued his fast paced jog as he leapt over the the 4k mark on the ground. His large frame imprinting the ground beneath him as he hit the ground. Shimmer feeling the ground tremble at her feet as the mink slowly gained on her. Her and jerek were trapped for this last kilometer. A group of hunters in front of them and one the size of a van behind them both with one thing in mind. Capturing the most pirates. And as it was now they were all tied up the hunters needing both of the racers to win their own contest. Horace focused in on the pair knowing that he had to have them both if he didn't want this to end in a tie.

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek continued running, taking a deep breath of air, his muscles aching from the run. His feet thumped on the course soil underfoot, his eyes scanning the area for any hazards. As he looked around, he noticed a cloud of dust forming on a nearby hill. Instinctively, he dove to the floor, and covered his head. His life may have been saved by this maneuver, as a hefty rumble filled the air, and stones pelted him, as if he was on the receiving end of a fishman karate-combo. As he was tossed about, dust rose in the air, and large trees flew past, typically overhead, but a few rolled somewhat nearby. As he was tossed about, he simply kept his head down, and struggled for breath between the collisions, especially considering the thickness of the dust. 

As he tumbled along, he eventually decided to try to distinguish where he was going. Well, it felt like eventually, but it was only a few moments. As he tossed and turned in the pile of debris, his mind was set on discovering where he was traveling. I'm going to the west. Darn it! If I get off the course, that'll eliminate any of my chances of winning. And send me straight into the housing areas to get crushed against a wall. Jerek also tried to see if anyone else was caught in the large "landslide," as he decided to call it (for quicker thinking,) and figure out who started it. There was no way a small hill had led to this sort of chaos without someone starting it.

Eventually, he came to a halt, and stumbled out of the path of destruction. As he hobbled, he realized that he was a few kilometers off the track, but still breathed a sigh of relief, knowing he wasn't dead. As he tended to his wounds, he noted the visible damage and what was probably internal damage. Brewing and blending whatever he could, the doctor made something to cure his bleeding. He coughed a little blood, but nothing that a good night's rest and some medicine could not fix. However, he soon realized that if he didn't get moving, it would take a lot more than that to cure him.

Looking forward, Jerek saw the four bounty hunters looking at the destruction, all panting and heaving heavily. They started this! Well, clever way to maximize on their current strength. However, two can play at that game. A crude smile forced its way onto his lips, forming a sort of blend between a sneer and a smirk. The game was on. He forced himself towards the four, grinning and chuckling. The chicken mink snorted, and gestured at the Shandian, whose drones shot out a burst of flame. Jerek gulped, and braced himself for the flames. His body began heating up, as he prepared to gamble his life using his devil fruit power. Then, the flame struck.

Well, should have. Jerek looked as his body was not caught in flames, in awe. And then, phase two occured. He rolled to the ground, pantomiming panic, as if the fire had truly hurt. His suit was slightly burnt, but he pretended that he was more worried about his own health. Chuckling the Shandian ordered his drones to strike again, but this time, Jerek had a better plan. He fished out some dry and dead plants from his medicine bag, and watched them light with flame in his hand, using the drone's abilities against them. Then, with a blast of steam, he shot the flaming herbs at the speed of bullets, giving the bounty hunters very little time to react. They did, however, dodge the blasts, but they struck Jerek's true target: the trees that had not tumbled through the full landslide. As they were lit aflame, the fire spread, splitting him from his enemies. He breathed a sigh of relief, and rushed off to find Shimmer.

[The Shimmering Banana]

The quad took off with the Fish-woman struggling to keep up as two of them broke apart from the rest. ‘What are they up to’ she thought as they clearly went off the path of the race. The next turn leading the racers around a rather steep hill covered in rocks and shrubbery. It would soon become apparent to the girl exactly what their plan was as she reached the bottom of said hill feeling the ground tremble at her feet. With one swift movement the pair of hunters caused a rockslide sending piles of dirt rushing down. If it was not for her current position Shimmer would have fallen victim to the underhanded trick. Bits of dirt and pebbles hitting the back of her legs as she ran. Better than the alternative of being crushed by the oncoming debris. ‘Wow that was close’ she thought looking back at the pile of rubble hoping that her hippo pursuer was caught in the mix. She'd be right not that it mattered Shimmer quickly realized. Horace burst through the heap of dirt and rock seemingly unscaved as soon after the cage carrying his victims came out.

Dirt flowing out of its bars as the dozen or so men and women gasped for air. Their trip through the avalanche leaving most of them beaten and bruised. The large hippo letting out another snarl chunks of dirt pelting the ground. His whole demeanor changing as if something had snapped inside of him. The rather calm and collective beast was enraged at the tactics used by the four. It was one thing to kill one of the vile pirates that competed against them. Yet it was another to harm a fellow hunter especially one that was part of ‘The Network’.

*Pause*
A message from the head of the B.H.N.; in the fine print of your contract it is stated that we are not responsible for another member turning you in. In this case we would not be responsible for your death.

Your Friend
Otto Saix
*Ok go ahead*

He would soon realize that the four were capable of so much more than just a simple landslide in order to reach their goal. And a bet with the head of ‘The Network’ was a goal worth reaching. Horace’s feet dug into the ground as he picked up his speed. His once graceful prance turning into a bulls madd dash. The Mink's eyes glowing red as he left his upright stance and reduced himself to all fours. A thing that was rather unheard of for a mink, Horace’s fist digging into the ground. His speed increasing even more as his sheer force tore through the ground as he dashed. His gallop tossing the dragon cage about as he slowly gained on his pursuers.

Shimmer schreeked in terror as the hippo reverted to his primal stage. A flash of light catching her attention as Jerek lit the remaining shrubbery separating the two from the bounty hunters. That too care of four problems for the moment but they still had one very large on gaining on them. The distance between her and Jerek to large to communicate Shimmer kept up her pace. ‘One of us has to win this race and if I signal to him that thing behind me might notice and grab him up.’ she thinks as she made her decision to keep going. The girl quickly pulled out another hand full of marbles hoping to catch the hippo off guard. She drops them to the ground directly in the path of the stampeding animal. Horace crushing the small glass shears into the ground as he toppled over them, small chunks of glass digging into his hands and feet. “Nothing… really” she says aloud as her trick had no effect on the angered man. Luckily for the young Fish-Woman her and her well dressed friend were no longer his target.

From her point of view it did seem as if he were rushing towards Shimmer. In fact he was heading directly towards the brush fire caused by Jerek. His speed and force extinguishing out the flames as he went through them. Halting instantly as he gazed upon the four the dragging cage continuing its journey,as he stood up right. Smacking into the angelic hunter the chain snapping causing him to take flight literally. His body hurled clear across the sky before crashing back to the ground below. The cage itself crushing him as it fell atop of him soon after. The nerd of the group, Koschei, calling out to their leader “Yaga! Did you see what he just did to Zmey?” in a frantic tone. The old lady butting in “maybe we should show this young ma.. ah hippo some manners.” Things were heating up between them all giving the remaining racers time to regroup and maybe even win the actual race.

“You want to talk to me about manners?” said the angered Horace as he panted heavily. “This is a competition to see who can get the most pirates. Not who can kill each other in underhanded ways. Cause trust me if we had that competition I would win.” threatened Horace clenching his fist and positioning directly in Koschei’s face. The scientist flipping out tissing his hands in the air as he screamed back at the hippo. “Oh yhea fat boy, I'd like to see you try” Yaga locking eyes with the other Mink knowing what happened when someone called him fat. Horace’s eyes glowing red once more as he reached his fist back the chicken finally putting in her two cents. “Enough!” her wings flapping distracting the hippo snapping him out of his trance. “Horace is right and it seems to me like now we both don't have any one captured.” pointing into the distance. “And it seems like those two are the only ones left. So how about we finish this later and finish off your bosses bet first.” continued Yaga attempting to prevent anymore fighting between them at the moment. But who knew what kind of underhanded scheme she had hidden up her sleeve. “Deal” she says extending her arm as Horace did the same and repeated the words. “Deal!”

[tepigturtwig]

Jerek continued running, oblivious to the shady dealings of the bounty hunters. As he ran, he looked ahead to see Shimmer far ahead of him. He breathed a sigh of relief, and scoured the terrain near her. As he was looking, he saw the tech man from earlier fly through the sky, attempting to steady himself mid-flight. As the Shandian saw Jerek, he opened fire with his drones, who fired regular bullets at Jerek. Jerek was no mach speed fighter, and barely leaped to the side, avoiding the spray. As he scrambled for cover, Jerek began pouring a vial of water and some nightshade into a larger vial, and tossed it at the man, who immediately leaped out of the way, seeing the strange greenish-purple color. 

As the water splashed the man's gear, his mouth formed a tight frown, and his red visor began flickering. His metallic armor began fizzing and sparkling, and he tore it off. He was left with just his drones, visor and metal-coated wings. However, instead of attacking, he sighed, and walked off. As Jerek looked behind him, he saw the old lady bounty hunter, who was not with the others when they triggered the avalanche. She smiled, a kindly crinkle folding his lips and cheeks into slight overlap. She then gestured to Jerek, and pointed towards a pathway, saying, "My darlings over there certainly get themselves into a heap more trouble then they should. Here's a quick path, you should use it to catch up to your friend. Don't worry, I am not attempting to trick you. I only follow Yaga on this trip to keep her from getting herself killed." Jerek nodded, saying, "Thank you," before heading off.


As he raced along the pathway, he noticed that trees obscured Shimmer from view. However, Jerek kept running, and grinned to himself. Well, at least only two of them are still trying to kill me. I think the old lady and technology fellow are going to the ship to regroup. However, before he could bask in his luck, a tree toppled behind him, and he side-stepped it. From behind the rubble stepped the three remaining bounty hunters: the chicken mink, the mad scientist, and the hippo mink. Jerek gulped, and began running, with the hippo mink shouting, "Yaga, you take this one. I'm going after the fish w**re!" The fish mink smiled, and said, "Why would that idiot leave me with the weaker prey? He knows I could mince him like chicken feed, and yet he wants the tougher enemy."


Jerek rolled his eyes, having realized he was weaker than Shimmer almost instantly after meeting her. She was a deadly opponent, and he was glad for it. I would not have survived this journey without her. And I'm going to repay that favor. I hope she likes hand-to-hand hippo combat. Jerek continued along the path, hoping to get to Shimmer before the chicken bounty hunter could get to him. Luckily, she was still staring in disbelief at the path the hippo mink had tread, still furious at his decision. Jerek took advantage of her anger, and continued running. However, she decided to take it out in a more practical way, and began slashing furiously in front of her. Then, as leaves rustled all around her, she seemed to disappear. He knew she would try to sneak in front of him through the trees, and decided to outsmart her. He knew that going into her side of the forest would be suicide, so he decided to guess which side she was on. Definitely on Shimmer's side, so on the left. If she wants maximum output, she would do that. As he nodded in agreement to his own logic, he side-stepped into the right grove, and sneaked along.


As he entered a clearing, he saw that the old lady had not been lying. He was actually in front of Shimmer. Sure, it may have been cheating, but so was starting an avalanche. As he glanced behind her, he saw the hippo mink coming closer. Jerek fished into his bag, and popped out a small ball, made of rolled up and crinkled herbs and other various ingredients. He tossed it at Shimmer, and shouted, "Eat it, then fight like your life depends on it!" As he shouted and threw, the chicken mink approached. With a blast of steam, he attempted to blind her, but she flapped her wings, blowing it back and blinding him. Then, with deadly efficiency, she was right in front of his face. Jerek leaped back, hoping to dodge the strike, but it still grazed him. As he saw a gash open on his face, Jerek knew exactly what to do: play dead. It was not too deep, but convincing. The chicken mink frowned, and realized that Jerek had almost no bounty dead. Frowning, she walked on. Jerek lay calmly, and waited with bated breath.