The Pursuit of Strength

[BlacKitten]

A behemoth of a shadow lurked beneath the deep ocean. Bubbles rose to the surface, appearing as white foam. A long serpentine creature burst its head out of the waters, towering several hundreds of meters over a small sailboat down below. Dark-crimson scales armored its back with a pale-pink underbelly. Its round fish-eyes glared downwards at the puny wooden vessel being rocked by the sudden waves from the creature’s emergence.

By the docks of a small island, an elderly fishman wielded his casted fishing rod. His eyes were shadowed by the bill of his cap, soon widened at the sighting of a Sea King out in the distance. He saw a small ship, unsuited for the dangerous seas of the Grand Line. Gritting his teeth, he foresaw an imminent demise for whoever was on that little vessel.

The giant scaled sea monster dove its head towards the sailboat, its pincers ready to clamp and crush the wooden target into two. And, behind those pincers was a giant gaping mouth with triangular sharp teeth, capable of devouring the target in its entirety. The beast’s roar unleashed ripples in the waters.

A cloaked figure stepped out from beneath the deck, rubbing his ears, “Arugh… what’s that noise?” He grumbled lethargically, having just woken up from his nap.

Either his sense of time was completely thrown off rhythm or everything seemed darker than usual. As his head looked upwards, he couldn’t even see the sky. The entire sun was blocked by a giant monster whose hideous face was just several dozens of meters away from crashing down from above.

Violet-hued eyes widened in disbelief as he held a dumbfounded expression.

It was over.

After having several voyages in the Paradise of the Grand Line, he never thought it would come to an end quite like this. To be eaten alive by a giant Sea King, that wasn’t quite what he had in mind should things have gone horribly wrong.

A little girl scaled up the stairs, just about to step out on the deck. “Pluto?” She murmured while rubbing her eyes.

“Ah, don’t come out,” the older brother advised. “I think we’re about to get eaten alive,” said the adolescent boy in a nonchalant tone.

Rebecca tilted her head, perplexed, “Huh?”

CRASH!

The serpent consumed the entire ship as its head dove straight into the ocean. The monster submerged underwater.

The sailing ship was gone, nowhere to be seen.

[Grandest]

A strange tableau would greet an observer, a small monastery, built of a ramshackle assemblage of materials, sat amid the bubblings of acid and flotsam as seawater rushed in from somewhere up above. The strangeness continued if one were to look around, a damn, with a similar construction style to the monastery, was holding the acid back to one side, while two people and most of what looked like a small boat floating in the acid followed the seawater into this strange room, some mild cursing emanating from their direction.



The room too was strange, the only light source seemed to be some phosphorescence fungii on the walls that cast everything in strange shadow, the lightning making the pinkish-gray walls look almost as though they were moving. In the water too, was strangeness, creatures the size of cats, looking out at the new arrivals with glowing blue eyes, looking like some Lovecraftian combination of piranha, frogs, and flies, with large mandibles that seemed rather excited to see new people. Mayhaps the locals are friendly?



Within the monastery sat a sleeping man, a large sword, longer than he was tall, leaning on his shoulder as he sat with his feet planted on the ground and his hands resting on his knees. He was dressed in a black uniform-looking outfit, with combat boots and long hair that hung nearly down to his waist. He seemed to be perfectly at ease, a fastidious level of cleanliness that seemed at odds with his current environment, while somehow giving off a feeling of harmony. The man, roused from his slumber by the cacophony, cracked a single eye and seeing the new arrivals couldn't help but let out a tired sigh.



Hao couldn't believe that some other than him would have this misfortune, the world was truly a remarkable place bringing people together in even the most trying of circumstances. He could already see their boat beginning to dissolve in the acid and without waiting any longer his sword left its sheath in a metallic "shing" as the wood gently caressed the metal of the long blade, almost seeming reluctant to let it go.



With a single fluid motion, Hao pulled himself to his feet, sword sheath in one hand and Zanbato in the other. Calmly he began walking forward, step by step, walking casually out of the monastery as though taking a stroll. As his foot was about to come down on the acid, the floor beneath his feet began changing itself, disassembling and reassembling as though afraid to let Hao fall in. The site was a strange one, a man seemingly stepping on air, only to have the floor jump out and catch his foot with every step.



Then, the floor itself disconnected from the Monastery, somehow continuing to create a platform for Hao to walk upon, looking like some weird version of a horizontal set of stairs; the floor would break into blocks, before stacking themselves underneath Hao's feet. He continued to walk as though this was nothing out of the ordinary his feet making solid clunking sounds, more to let the arrivals know he was coming.



Hao quickly found himself next to the debris, where he spoke out, "You guys might want to back away from the walls!"



He said before he drew his sword gently across the surface of the melting fishing boat. The materials of the boat came apart like paper, following the sword, turning into blocks where ever the blade touched. The effect rippled outward from Hao's casual sword cut until soon, the entire top of the fishing boat seemed to collapse in on itself, turning into a long wharf floating atop the acid leading back toward the monastery. The floor of the dock stretched out underneath the two new arrivals, their possessions all lined up around them along the dock.



Hao casually held up a hand in greeting his eyes sparkling with amusement both at the situation and his own showboating. He stood facing them, his back to the glowing fungi, his face in shadow with a huge sword in one hand.



'I probably look so badass right now!' Although, in reality, it was probably too dark and too dangerous a situation for anyone to notice.



"Greetings to my humble abode. I feel that it's rather unfortunate that someone else had the same misfortune as me, however... I can't help but be glad to see some other people."



Hao said to the pair, almost jokingly as he assessed the two, waiting for reactions. If truth were told, he'd been stuck down here for almost a day after dozing off on his raft earlier and while his Devil Fruit had kept him alive and well thus far, he definitely wouldn't mind some help getting out of this rather bubbly situation. Just as he had the thought he chuckled a bit as an acid bubble popped nearby.

[BlacKitten]

With a firm, rooted stance, the cloaked boy watched their ship being washed along a strong current of water down the sea monster’s long esophagus. His eyes darted straight ahead while waiting patiently for the situation to unfold. The small wooden vessel quickly decelerated as it drifted into an opening.

The black-haired revolutionary swept a glance across his surroundings with his distinctive violet eyes. No longer in the outside world, they were tapped in the belly of the beast. He mildly cringed at the malodorous scent, turning his stomach in disgust. Acidic water began dissolving the bottom of his little ship, likely a mixture of seawater and stomach acid. The inner pink walls possessed some strange glow to them, allowing some lighting inside.

Rebecca, a young girl with silky black hair reaching down to her mid-back, clung onto her brother from behind as her curious eyes of identical hue roamed around the inner flesh of the serpent that swallowed them whole. She stood several inches shorter than her brother, being fives years younger than him. This was the first time that either of them had been swallowed up by a creature, yet neither of them felt the need to panic. With a side-long glance, she paid closed attention to the cloaked boy, taking note of his facial expression. Rather than fearful, he appeared to be rather composed with a tinge of irritation. This immediately placed her at ease. After all, her brother was one of the strongest people she had ever met.

“Ah… just great,” the boy grumbled. “And we were so close to that island too.” Their destination, Arabara Island, had been right within view; they would have been able to reach its shores in less than half an hour. But then this Sea King decided to interfere with their voyage right at the last moment. Their journey had been suspiciously peaceful up until now, but it seemed having a safe journey just wasn’t possible in the Grand Line.

His little sister tugged on his grey cloak to get his attention. She asked with a hopeful and optimistic sparkle in her eyes, “You can get us out, right?” As always, the youth placed all her faith and trust in him.

A bead of sweat trickled down the back of his neck. He felt pressured to meet her expectations, but the cautious side of him warned against him escaping at this time. “Yes, but that isn’t the problem,” the brother lucidly explained the issue to her. “The Sea King is currently underwater. If we escape now, we’d drown.” He didn’t need to say anything more for the girl to understand.

After all, Pluto was a Devil Fruit user. He could easily escape from here, but what good would that do him if he could not swim? Worst case scenario, he’d drown to his demise. Staying in the stomach was unfortunately the safest choice.

“And,” he continued. “It doesn’t seem like we’re alone.” His eyes flickered to the side, scrutinizing a lanky, long-haired man who wielded a long, narrow sword.

If being swallowed up by a giant sea serpent wasn’t enough to mess up his expectations for the day, now there so happened to be another human dwelling in the beast’s stomach, living in a makeshift of a shelter.

… How long has he been living here?

He didn’t think a stomach organ would be inhabitable, yet here was a man who’s proving him wrong. “!” His eyes widened a bit as the swordsman began to approach them in a mysterious way while wielding his unsheathed sword. Did he plan to fight here and now?

Something was strange. The floor of that structure was broken apart into a uniform set of blocks before being reconstructed as an extended dock stretching out into the acidic seas where the man strode across towards the newcomers.

“?” Pluto subtly tilted his head when advised to step away from the edge of his own ship. Just what was this swordsman planning to do?

With a gentle graze of his sword against the wooden wall of the vessel, the lanky swordsman soon dissembled the ship into blocks which laid themselves out as a path towards the monastery.

“Aaannd there goes our ship,” said the boy in an irritated tone as he watched their vessel being reassembled into a floating platform leading up towards a strange construct of a shelter inside the stomach of a Sea King. As if this entire situation wasn’t wacky enough already, this swordsman was a Devil Fruit user as well.

Oh great, now I’m ship-less in addition to being trapped in a giant organ filled with digestive fluids.

“A Parameica-type,” the boy confirmed. He had seen many users of the cursed powers of the devil, so he had no hesitation to assume that he was witnessing yet another one kind of supernatural ability.

Rebecca continued to hide behind her brother, peeking her head out from the side to glance at the swordsman who’s greeting them. There was a long pause of silence after the man had finished speaking. And, with a quick glance at her brother, she sensed that Pluto was a bit too peeved to be speaking, so she did the talking instead, “Hello! Why are you here?”

[Grandest]

Hao's six foot eight frame towered heroically, a small amount of posing taking place, sword slung over his shoulder, something like a hero from old... Then he heard the girls words. 

The dignified, heroic appearance that Hao had been trying to cultivate immediately dispersed upon hearing the girls question, his shoulders slumping his black hair falling in front of his face... Especially since him being here was his own darn fault...

Hao sweatdropped at the girl's question... Then he felt depression looming as he realized how dumb he would sound... but he couldn't lie... not to the little girl... a black cloud began forming over his head as he crouched low to the dock drawing his index finger in circles... He still remembered snoring blissfully, resting peacefully in the mid-afternoon sun when all of a sudden the sun disappeared causing him to wake up just in time to see a giant mouth descending on his ship. Like seriously, what kind of savage interrupts a man's sleeping to snack on him! Internal monologing aside...

"I fell asleep and let myself get eaten..." Was the muttered reply, the black cloud over his head intensifying in direct correlation with his mounting depression.

"Slacking on the Grandline... I'm an idiot... But I was tired after that crazy weather and thought I could get a break..."

Hao got lost in a half internal, half external dialogue with himself for a moment, the cloud above his head rumbling with thunder as it continued to grow.

Then as though remembering something he tapped his forehead, appearing deep in thought before turning toward the new house guests, a metaphorical lightbulb appearing above his head, dispelling the black cloud.

"Ah, don't worry about your ship, I can remake it when we find a way out of here! I was simply preserving it from the Acid, otherwise, it would have melted away. Things I use my power don't really have that probl-..."

Just as he was saying that the damn blocking up the monsters intestinal track began to creak and groan the steam rising from it become all the more evident. Hao sweatdropped again and looked upwards as if to say "Really?" then with a shake of his head, he refocused continuing his explanation.

"Ahem... As I was saying, as long as I use my power to keep it ABOVE the acid, I can keep the materials safe." Hao amended rather embarrassed.

Then he realized he was waving his hands around with an unsheathed sword and sheathed it in a quick motion before slinging it over his shoulder.

"When we get out of here, I can whip us something up until we get to the island which is..." Hao checked his Log Pose which was pointing slightly up and to the east.

"Pretty close by I figure. And yes... I ate a devil fruit otherwise I would have just climbed right back out." Again, Hao muttered but definitely loud enough for his new house guests to hear.

"Come on you too, let's go over to the shrine to sit down and talk."

He said and even as he spoke their luggage separating from the dock on little rafts that flopped over on themselves, carrying the luggage toward the Monastery, while on the monastery chairs began building themselves out of excess blocks. Each use of his power seemed to follow a Motion from Hao himself, a move of his leg or a swing of his sword. Hao was concentrating now, as it wasn't as effortless as he was trying to make it appear, this much multi-tasking was taxing him a bit but at least it was decent training.

"Ah, I'm Hao by the way. Nice to meet you!" He said when he finally remembered his manners, running a hand through his long back hair awkwardly as he looked around, not making eye contact as he felt sheepish for being a complete dolt.

Maybe he was overtired? Then, seeing the Luggage make it safely, he motioned for the pair to follow him. Black boots thudded against the wood dock as he moved slowly, explaining to the pair how to walk, all the while trying to hide how much brain capacity it took to hold afloat three different people.

[BlacKitten]

If nothing else, this swordsman seemed to be a very open and honest man. Albeit depressed when doing so, he admitted having been devoured by the Sea King during his slumber, a story not too different than what the siblings had just gone through. From the looks of it, either he didn’t have any other crewmates, or his crewmates were already digested in stomach acid.

From the state of his wellbeing, it could be estimated that this man had only been trapped here for no more than a few days. Upon first impression, Pluto had thought the swordsman had lived here for quite a while. But if that was the case, what could this man have eaten and drink to survive? There was no clean source of water here unless he wanted to drink stomach acid mixed with saltwater. Whatever supply of clean water he might have in that shelter would be finite and could not have lasted for very long. The fact that he didn’t appear particularly malnourished suggested that he had only been here for a relatively short while.

The little girl blinked, unsure if the swordsman was talking to them or to himself at times.

Pluto seemed to have eased a bit upon hearing that his ship can be reassembled back together. He had a rough idea as to what his powers entailed – an ability to break objects down into blocks and then telekinetically control them to form different structures. A very handy power for a construction worker and very versatile in usage. It’d appear that this ability was strongly dependent on the environment.

The swordsman began to gesture the two newcomers over, inviting them to his presumably self-constructed home. He introduced himself as Hao.

Without a word, Pluto obliged to his welcoming invitation, silently walking down the wooden blocks that formed the platform back towards the man’s shelter, and his little sister followed closely from behind, continuing to cling onto him for support.

Upon finishing crossing the levitating bridge, he calmly closed his eyes before speaking in a direct approach, “You said that you can remake our ship.” Straight to the point, the revolutionary wasn’t interested in chitchatting with this man; all he was focused on was to escape from this disgusting place. “You also wish to leave as well.” Slowly opening his eyelids, he casted a glance up towards the roof of the stomach, “I think I might be able to get us out of here, but you’ll need to make the ship for all three of us.”

He then shifted his glance over towards Hao with a blank, unreadable expression, “Would that work for you?”

“Ah~” Rebecca seemed relieved. If her brother said they could escape, then that was certainly reassuring. He wasn’t the type of person who would exaggerate. She, at the very least, trusted him.

Pluto turned to his little sister with a quick question, “Hey, are Sea Kings edible?”

“Eh?” The youth flickered her eyes towards the boy with a surprised look. How ironic that the one inside the creature’s stomach was the one thinking about eating the creature. “Yeah,” she nodded, being the one who would cook the meals. “They’re just like fish but really big.”

“I see,” he looked onwards. “I guess we won’t have a shortage of food for a long time then.”

[Grandest]

Hao couldn't help but grin, interested to see what this intense kid would do. This kid was either a badass or full of it, and either way, Hao was interested in finding out.

"Yeah, I got this." He said, his grin growing ever wider. Even though he wasn't a marine anymore, he was still that same kid who left his village at the age of 12 looking for adventure and what an adventure this would be.

Hao raised the hand holding his sheathed sword and he spun it in a circular gesture, as though a general marshaling the troops and all around them blocks began to move in a neat, orderly, rhythm. This was going to stretch him farther than he'd gone before with his fruit but getting back the little fishing boat from before shouldn't be all that hard.

Hao started with the Keel, the backbone of the ship blocks falling into place like dominos, connecting and fusing in a staccato rhythm. Each piece he added to the puzzle, the image of the ship from only a few moments before imprinted in his mind, block after block falling into place like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle. Sweat started dripping from his brow and soon he was forced to push his hands out to either side, to better focus his power as he pulled in blocks from all around him.

The make-shift Monastery collapsed in on its self, the blocks swirling around the three humans in the middle like friendly snakes, before slotting themselves into the hull, the main mast, the decking... Each piece of the ship was coming back together seamlessly. The shares sunk back into the floor, the suitcases were nudged next to the little girl even as the boat rose up around them, like a shipyard on fast forward. The strain was tremendous now, veins bulging out on Hao's neck, forehead, arms, a guttural scream escaping from between clench teeth as he slapped his two palms together.

Masts and rigging rose up from around them, trees and vines growing toward the sky as some of the blocks broke into ever smaller blocks to make up more complex and fluid things like the ropes. It was one of the few things he had truly learned about his power, which at first he'd thought was pretty nonsensical and useless... If you break things down small enough, anything can be made with blocks.

Some of the pieces of the original ship were damaged or lost during its Seaking Intestinal travels but Hao had the materials from his own raft and he quickly replaced the missing or damaged pieces, as the boat around them neared completion. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes dragged on until almost a half hour passed just to build a single fishing boat that had only taken seconds to take apart.

"It really is true what they say... It's always harder to create than it is to destroy."

He said to the pair with a strained grin on his face.

"Also... you two never introduced yourselves which is rude. I might faint from the rudeness!"

He added as an afterthought, mock anger flashing across his face as he tried to distract himself. Now that the ship was together it wasn't really the building that was holding his focus, it was keeping it from sinking into the acid that was the problem and the small fishing ship around the three groaned a bit under the strain of Hao's devil fruit. Looking to the boy, Hao gave him a tight nod, bracing himself to respond quickly with his DF should anything go amiss.

"Alright, whatever you're going to do, do it now. Once it dies, I can use my power on it to break it into chunks if that helps at all."

[BlacKitten]

“My name is Rebecca,” the little girl introduced herself with a soft smile. “And, this is…,” her eyes shifted towards the boy. “Pluto,” she said proudly. “He’s my brother.”

Meanwhile, the cloaked martial artist widened his stance by a few inches. A calm, blank expression with his eyes held closed. His arms floated from either side in a smooth continuous motion, rising with his palms converging towards his center before sinking down along with a deep exhale through his nose. It appeared to be a simple breathing technique, but his posture was perfectly symmetrical. Even the simplest of movements, no matter how slow, could not be replicated by just anyone. He loosely clenched his right hand, drawing it back towards his hip. His left hand held loosely at his centerline by his chest.

Cannon Fist.

His violet eyes opened suddenly, and for a split second, he vanished, reappearing just a stride in front of his original spot. His posture had changed with his right fist extending diagonally upwards. The air around the boy exploded by the sudden shockwave.

With one eye peeking out, Rebecca crossed her arms to shield herself against the forceful gust of wind blowing against her. Her long silky hair wavering back. Despite simply standing in the sidelines, she felt a pressure pushing her back.

After receiving the projection of air blasted from the martial artist’s simple execution of a punch, the entire wall of pinkish flesh yielded, denting outwards before retracting and reverberating. He had taken the most basic of movement and polished it to a peerless level.

A roaring groan echoed in a low pitch as if the Sea King had just felt pain just now.

Rebecca smirked, realizing that the serpent was beginning to ascend back towards the surface.

The martial artist crossed his arms in an X-shape in front of his chest. In just a fraction of a second, his hands became pitch-black as his fingers elongated outwards with a gentle curvature and the thinness of a blade. As if each of his finger was now a blade of a knife, his black claws did not appear like something any animal would possess. These were not his ordinary claws; they were too long and sharp. He had mastered his power to such a degree that he can partially transform just a certain region of his body and attain forms beyond the default basic three that all Zoan-types possesses. These claws were a remnant for the fourth state of the Batto Batto no Mi - Razor Form.

Phantom Claw.

His arms blurred as they swiped across, projecting ten crescent blades of air, flying across the space in an ‘X’ formation, a pair of five parallel arcs. The ranged assault ruptured the interior flesh, slicing it completely through. Beams of light shone broke through as a clear opening was presented to them. With the stomach torn straight to the outside, the acidic water began to leak out, causing a current for them to flow out.
Pluto’s hands reverted to normal as the boy quickly dashed towards his little sister, quickly scooping her up into his arms before he made a suddenly leap to jump on board their levitating ship.

…

Meanwhile, by the docks of Arabara Island, a fisherman lifted his head up as he sensed a disturbance in the waters. In the distance, a looming shadow suddenly burst out of the waters; the Sea King from before had resurfaced, growling in a saddened cry of pain. Its stomach suddenly ruptured open from the underbelly side as blades of air flew out before diminishing into a breeze.

The elderly man gaped in disbelief. What could have done this? Who could have slayed such a behemoth?

[Grandest]

It took Hao a moment to get his jaw off the floor, having had to kick it a few times with his foot to get it moving but eventually, his mouth snapped shut with a ding sound and he turned to face the kid who had just pretty much split a Seaking in half... Then he grinned as sunlight began to peak in through the hole, dim at first, but getting brighter by the second as their little ship headed right for the hole. Then, like water flowing out of a bottle, the boat popped free of the Seaking and back onto the Grandline!

Hao through back his head and laughed as the boat exploded out of the side of the giant sea monster, crashing into the waves of the sea, water splashing into the air around them as clean air whipped his long hair around his face. His laughter was part relief and part exhilaration. He carefully let go of his devil fruit power and nearly groaned in relief as though a large weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

He took in a deep breath, luxuriating in the smell of the ocean and the knowledge that he was free. Truth be told... if it hadn't been for this kid Hao would have probably had to take his chances at being digested so this was a huge relief to him.

He looked back at the huge hole in the Seaking, his eyes memorizing the slash and his hand gripped harder onto his Zanbato.

'So, this is the Grandline huh...'

Then he turned back to face his new companions and gave them a thumbs up.

"Very impressive indeed! I hope to get that strong one day!" Hao said, his grin huge and infectious as he closed his eyes and just enjoyed the sun on his face.

Hao only realized now how much stronger the boy was and he felt a bit cowed by that thought, then immediately annoyed. Hewas new to the Grandline, he would rise to the top. He had to. The marines were corrupt... He had to do something to protect others or he would go mad.

Firming his resolve Hao opened his eyes and grinned once more. After some time catching his breath and drifting along with the current, Hao began steering the little fishing boat toward land and noticed that somewhat nearby was a dazed-looking Fisherman. Hao, feeling cheeky, casually waved a hello and continued sailing for a bit.

Their little boat bobbed over the waves, leaving the Seaking somewhat behind when Hao remembered that the kid had said something about food... and right now that sounded like a good idea. Looking toward the fisherman again, Hao grinned and turned his boat in the man's direction. A few minutes later they managed to bob alongside the fisherman's little boat and Hao threw out a line, that the man reflexively grabbed and tied off the mooring line on the side of his ship.

"Hey there, sooo we've got a slight proposition for you." Hao pointed his thumb in the direction of the Seaking floating in the bay, blood staining the water around the large creature, while other creatures came to see what was going on.

"How would you like some meat?" Hao asked with a big grin.

The fisherman stared back at Hao for awhile, apparently rendered speechless. Then mechanically, like some weird robot, the man's head turned on his shoulders to stare at the Seaking in a daze, before he glanced down at the small net of fish by his feet. Hao could almost see the inside of the man's head turning into slot machines, all slots turning up Seaking as he realized he'd just hit the proverbial jackpot.

"You can have whatever we can't eat."

Hao looked over at Pluto and Rebecca, making sure they were okay with this deal and to see if they had anything to say to the fisherman.

[BlacKitten]

With arms supporting beneath her knees and upper back, Rebecca gazed up at her brother who looked straight ahead. Her weight seemed negligible as she was carried off onto the ship with a single powerful leap. Every child dreamt of being able to fly in the sky, a feeling of freedom, unbounded by the ground. She could not fly, but her brother could. Whenever she was in his arms, she felt completely safe. At times, she could view the vast world up in the sky near the big white fluffy clouds, overseeing the sheer scale of the seas beyond them.

Leaning and pressing her cheeks up against his shoulder, she watched the scenes unfold without fear, trusting with her own life that she’ll be protected. The assassin known as Pluto became strong not out of ambition or greed; he became strong for the sole purpose to protect her. No matter how cruel, cold, or distant he may have been now or in the past, that soft spot of his kept him human.

The sister clung tightly right as their ship plummeted out of the Sea King’s ruptured stomach, crashing against the seas with a rough impact. Freed from being fish food, their destination was finally within reach. Back to square one, they sailed towards Arabara Island, only this time there was one additional person riding the vessel. A swordsman named Hao who ate a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, his background remained unknown. From the sound of his story, he ended up here by accident. What he planned to do from here on out remained a mystery.

Even after being lowered down to where she can stand on her own two feet, the little girl remained clinging onto her brother, refusing to let him go. No matter how much he nudged and shoved her away, she did not yield.

Upon arriving to the docks, a fisherman aided them in stationing their vessel. Hao, filled with his usual sense of upbeat confidence, struck a deal with the elderly man. In exchange for handling the Sea King for them, most of its meat would be offered to them. The old man wouldn’t have to worry about catching fish for a very long time with that vast quantity of food to sell in the market, and the three visitors couldn’t possible handle eating that much food themselves anyways.

Pluto gave a quiet nod in response to Hao’s proposal, and Rebecca simply chuckled at the idea of anyone trying to dissect that massive sea monster which could feed an entire civilization.

The elderly fisherman offered the lanky negotiator a handshake, “Young man, you’ve got yourself a deal!” He then scrutinized the three of them separately. Having seen the ship getting swallowed up by the Sea King with his very own eyes, he was certain that they were done for. One of them must have sliced the behemoth, and only one of them wielded a sword. The siblings appeared completely unarmed, appearing like regular younglings. Their ship didn’t possess any cannons or firearms either.

“I’m impressed,” he commended Hao for his swordsmanship skills. “I’ve never met anyone as strong as you. To think that you someone can kill a Sea King with nothing but a sword.” The monstrous beasts known as the Sea Kings were one of the fiercest creatures in the seas, being at the top of the food chain. Even cannons and guns had failed to even put a scratch on their incredibly hard scales.

Just as Rebecca was about to speak up, she felt a hand resting on her shoulder which gestured her to stop. She looked up to her brother who anticipated had her intent. Her brother had always been the type to keep a low profile. Despite his strengths and feats, no one knew who he is. The World Government had not a single record of him; his profile had been completely erased. Unlike pirates who often sought out fame through heinous crimes that’s reflective through their bounties, assassins and spies sought out secrecy, lurking in the shadows.

The girl reluctantly remained silent.

[Grandest]

Hao was surprised that the two didn't really talk to the man at all, a simple nod, then stand there stoically. He had never really thought the "Silent Type" was an actual thing but apparently it was. They were a rather odd duo, the man was rather strong and Hao expected he was even strong out here on the Grandline. He knew this was an entrance town and he wondered briefly what someone this strong was doing this close to the blues, but with the innocent little Rebecca in tow Hao didn't think they were really up to anything all that bad. Turning his attention back to the fisherman, Hao shook his head and laughed.

"Hahaha! I'm not that strong, old man! One day I will be strong though!"

Hao said as he looked around the town, his gaze taking in the sites, not deciding to point out who actually cut open the Seaking. He was not nearly as dumb as he might appear on first glance and noticed the boy stopping the girl for standing up for him. He understood that sometimes being lowkey was better. Hell, pretty much all the time really. With his Zanbato slung over his shoulder Hao strolled across the docks, his eyes taking note of a few pirate flags fluttering in the wind, right next to marine flags... Which... well as an Ex-marine he found rather distasteful. The town did seem peaceful enough though, woman and children going about their days, men folk working at the dock without issue.

The people looked generally well fed, although some of them looked a bit shifty but... shifty was either a sign or it wasn't. With a mental shrug, Hao began glancing around for the "Bounty Hunters Mark" usually a wanted poster with a symbol on a corner of it that would direct arriving Bounty Hunters to the local information merchant but looking around Hao didn't see any at all. Odd that. Usually, they are right by the docks just for this reason. Turning to the old man once more, who had already managed to round up a small gaggle of fishermen, most who looked rather burly and who appeared to be pulling out giant bone saws... seriously the bone saws were the size of ladders... oh... Grandline right. Refocusing, Hao called out.

"Hey, where's your closest bounty poster? I like checking out who's wanted!" He said matter of factly, and the old fisherman seemed to frown for a bit before reply.

"Try The Drunkin' Sloop, its right over yonder!" The fisherman's reply was accompanied by a pointed direction Hao shrugged before turning back to his current two companions.

"Well, you guys can come with me if you want? I'm going to gather some information here. See what the lay of the land looks like, that sort of thing. Probably going to grab some real food too while I'm at it."

He really was hungry and it felt like he hadn't eaten in days, even though it had probably only been a single day since his sudden appearance on the Seaking Menu. However, he really wanted to know what to watch out for in a town like this, especially one where pirates and marines were hanging out side by side like pals. He wasn't an "Absolute Justice" nutter or anything, he was well aware that there are decent pirates out there and hell, even decent criminals. He couldn't even really blame some of them after what he had learned about Tequila Wolf. Like the Revolutionaries or what they called "Peacemain" Pirates, like the Strawhats or Whitebeard... But the other pirates... the ones that rape, pillage, and plunder... those pirates still deserve to go down had, regardless of how Hao felt about the World Governments hypocrisy.

Shifting his stance a bit he ran a hand through his long black hair, waiting for his two companions to decide if they wanted to accompany him or not. He hoped they'd at least stick around for a while, it was very seldom you meet truly good company.

[BlacKitten]

Bounty Poster?

Pluto sharpened his eyes upon hearing Hao’s question to the elderly fisherman. It seemed quite likely for the long-haired swordsman was a bounty hunter if one of the very first subjects to be brought up after having just stepped foot on this island is bounty posters. Back in the North Blue, he too kept a close eye on bounty posters for turning in the prices on the heads of criminals was the fastest way to earn a large sum of money.

But perhaps what piqued his interest the most was Hao’s Devil Fruit power. Since he was a child, he had been studying these seemingly magical products. Each one of them being one of a kind, completely unique from the rest. However, from what he had seen, Hao was still a novice at utilizing his ability which seem to take its toll on his mental fortitude and stamina.

The little girl, wearing her light-blue, sleeveless blouse looked up to her brother curiously, wondering what they should do now that they’ve arrived on this island. “Do you want to go with Hao?” asked the youth.

The boy shifted his glance between the swordsman and his little sister and closing his eyes with a decisive look on his face. “I’m going to sleep,” he said firmly. “Do what you want,” immediately after those words, he vanished from the spot.

Rebecca flinched as she felt something grazing the back of her neck, causing a tingly sensation. “Eeeeh!?” She sounded disappointed. “You’re going to sleep?” Her eyes glanced to the side, knowing exactly where her brother is located. Within a fraction of a second, the boy had transformed into a little bat, hanging upside by clinging onto the back collar of her shirt where her long silky hair functioned like a curtain which shielded him from the light. The winged creature weighed about as much as a common egg; she could hardly tell he was there.

No response.

Her brother really was the type who does whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. She sighed before turning to face the swordsman, “I guess I’ll join you then. Pluto is… shy.”

The little girl tagged along as they journeyed towards Drunkin’ Sloop which sounded like it might be a bar. Neither she nor Pluto had touched alcohol in their lives, so it certainly didn’t sound like a place they would thrive in. “What kind of information are you hoping to gather here?” asked the little one inquisitively.

From the outside perspective, it appeared to be just two of them, tall lanky man and a little girl. All in the meantime, Pluto dwelled in the shadows where no one can see him despite being very close by. Rebecca suspected that her brother was also in the process of gathering information as of right now. With the ears of a bat, he could eavesdrop on any conversation to extract knowledge about this island. 

[Grandest]

Hao blinked in confusion as Pluto disappeared, having only seen a black blur before the boy was just gone. Was it a devil fruit power? Or had he just moved off to a hotel far faster than Hao's eyes could follow? If so, that was rather scary but for some reason this scary thought made Hao's grin widen, as he turned his attention back to Rebecca.

"The Grandline is an awesome place filled with monsters."

Hao just arched an eyebrow at her and shrugged, figuring she wouldn't be keen to divulge any information. Then, he began walking down the road alongside her in the direction of the bar. As they were walking, he watched an elderly couple scurry out of the way of a couple of pirates like they were scared and his knuckles turned white around the hilt of his Zanbato. These were telltale signs that Hao used to judge any place he was, he'd seen similar things with Marines, where people would jump out of the way like that. Bullies, cowards, and tyrants the lot of them. It seems he would have work here on his first island after all.

It was part of his plan, to move from Island to Island and collect the bounties there for anyone who were terrorizing the people. If there wasn't any of that going on, he'd move on to the next place. He figured he'd step on a lot of toes, which would give him the fights and adventures he would need to improve himself. He could remember what his captain in the marines had told him when he'd been just a fresh-faced cabin boy,

"Those who survive under constant adversity are the ones that float to the top of this murky world of ours, Boys!"

It was a saying Hao believed in, to this day, and he planned to sharpen himself and his new powers against the scum of the Grandline.

Then they found the bar, a rather Dingy looking dive, with several letters faded into eligibility on the sign and a worn out pathway into the bar through the cobblestones. The front door was a saloon-style entrance, two swinging wooden shutters that acted like doors, letting the smell of alcohol, smoke and raucous noise be heard out onto the street. It was a sign that anyone with experience with bars could identify from the other side of town.

Hao pushed his way into the bar calmly, the girl following along beside him and asking what information he was looking for and he grinned a bit.

"Well, for starters, general information. Who's on the island? What are they like, what can they do? Especially, when you are a lone ranger like me who isn't that strong when you come to a new place you should try to gather as much information as possible before you step in something you can't get out of."

Hao explained calmly, to the girl as they entered the bar. The bar looked like a rough and tumble lot, filled with dockworkers, conmen and the local riff-raff rather than pirates or marines, who probably had their own dives. Glancing around as he stepped down into the dimly lit room, he saw the wanted posters he was looking for on the wall beside the door and the Bounty Hunter symbol right where he expected it to be.

'Good. At least I'm in the right place.'

"You see, any place like this tends to gather, information just by the nature of the place. People drink then the talk, they lose stress and the bar itself gains a lot of useful information. So you'll find a lot of groups working out of bars, especially if those groups need info. Pirates, Marines, Mafias. All of them realize the benefits of places like this. I'm a bounty hunter though, and we've got our own little unique system. Come on, I'll show you how it's done."

He began making his way toward an empty booth off to one side of the room, that was out of the line of sight from pretty much anywhere else in the establishment. It also had a door right next to it, so people could come and go with ease.

'Heh, just the type of paranoid set up we bounty hunters love too.'

Hao thought as he began leading the way in that direction, sort of sheltering Rebecca from the rest of the crowd as he moved. One guy tried to pull off a brush pass as he went by but Hao brushed his hand against the guys pants and with a brief application of his power, the guy was tripping over his own pants as they fell, mermaid print boxers visible to everyone in the bar as they started laughing uproariously. Wooden Flaggons and Tankards were banged against poorly cleaned tables and hoots and hollers of laughter abounded.

Hao just shook his head, soaking in the ambiance as he slid into the seat facing the door and motioned for Rebecca to take the other, then, he casually grabbed the salt shaker and turned it upside down, pulling out a small beli bill and setting it underneath the salt shaker so the salt wouldn't spill out. He set it beside them on the table, a symbol that he was in the know about the bounty hunter code and he came seeking information and any news about "Active Hunts".

When more than one bounty hunter found themselves on the same island, the first bounty hunter to register a hunt at the local information broker had first rights to the "hunt" and unless that bounty hunter wanted help it was considered a golden rule not to steal someone else's prey. Honestly, Hao thought it was all a bit tedious, but he could see if he were doing this for the money how it would be important to him.

"So, basically information is part of the gig, although you're expected to pay for it or give information of equal value back. You pick the spot like this, with an easy line of sight to the door and a back exit just in case, it's a little "proof" of experience thing. If I sat where you're sitting they probably wouldn't talk to me."

A few minutes of waiting while exchanging small talk with Rebecca followed until suddenly the door beside them was pushed open from the inside, and a drunk stumbled his way out into the room. He was tall, weatherworn, with a salt and pepper bear and vivid amber eyes. His hands were calloused, definitely like a man who worked for a living and the pair of pistols holstered on his belt told of a man who understood violence.

He moved with precision, even while pretending to stumble around drunk, enough so that Hao didn't think he would have any problem pulling those guns free before you could blink He looked around blearily for a moment, before seeming to spot the table with Rebecca and without even asking slid in beside Hao. Hao simply arched an eyebrow even as the man performed a rather impressive sleight of hand for a "drunk" taking the beli from under the salt shaker without moving the shaker.

Then in a slurred voice, that Hao was pretty sure was faked, he muttered.

"Ask yer questions. No oder huntz goin' down at the momen'"

Hao nodded, glad to hear that and began to list off his questions. He knew, even if the man was pretending to be a drunk just visiting their table that he would have a mind like a steel trap under that facade and Hao wouldn't have to say things more than once.

"Bounty Situation? How many, how high is the bounty, known capabilities?"

"General situation? How are the people fairing? Marine involvement?"

"People, to watch out for around here without bounties?"

Hao listed off his questions in rapid fire, only after he finished did he looked to Rebecca to see if she had any question's he'd forgotten to ask.

[BlacKitten]

The scent of alcohol made up the thick atmosphere within the bar. Rebecca continue to tag along with the bounty hunter named Hao who had his own process of doing things. She had never seen her brother having to go through all these steps when he was a bounty hunter. Perhaps her brother was just different.

Both Hao and the little girl found their respective seats. The swordsman placed the salt shaker upside down with paper money placed beneath it. Eventually, a drunk man joined them, quickly snatching the money with a sleight of hand before granting them permission to ask away questions. The bounty hunter asked his questions as the drunk just seemed to be mindlessly nodding his head as if he wasn’t even paying attention.

Rebecca gave a look of pity to the drunkard. Was this man really going to be a reliable source of information?

But then came the response. The unshavened drunkard suddenly sharpened his eyes, speaking in a more sobered tone. If anything, he only seemed tipsy now. “Right now, you’re in Barabara City, the only city on this island. The people here can be categorized into three rivaling religious factions which are at war with each other. I, for instance, am part of the Nature followers, led by Yghart. We belviee that the trees are the most vital parts of the islamnd awnd must tnot be touched. thus, we rely on fishing as our main source of food. However, the Sea followers, led by Golbla, worship the seas and are against fishing. Then there are the Beast followiers, led by Aminion. They worship the frogs and sacrifice animals -sometimes even people- as part of their ritual. Each religieous group do not think very highly of each other.”

Well, now they know what sort of common people are on the island. Three factions, and one of them might be involved in sacrificing humans as part of a ritual. That sounded normal! Nothing wrong with that!

“There is a marine base located here,” the drunkard confirmed. “After all, this is one of the first islands that pirates would come across after crossing Reverse Mountain. Captain Dofran is the highest-ranking officer in charge here. He’s the type of guy who’d die for the World Government. However, there is a rising surge of apathy in the marine forces lately. Due the thee so-called ‘peace’ that the three factions have, they turn a blind eye here and there for certain pirates.”

So, the strongest officer in the marine base was Captain Dofran. At least there was some military force stationed here to combat the criminals and outlaws.

“And speaking of pirates, there are three main pirate crews you should be aware of. First, there’s Mustache Man Skimm, a ruthless pirate caaptain who has just arrived here recently to get his ship repaired after making it through Reverse Mountain. He has a bounty of 10,00,000 beri, and his second in command is said to be very skilled with staff fighting.”

Rebecca blinked with complete and utter skepticism. Was this guy just making this up as he goes? What kind of pirate was named Mustache Man Skimm? It certainly didn’t sound like a particularly frightening pirate.

“Then, there’s Narmer, the Pharaoh. He’s the captain of the Sphinx Pirates with a bounty of 25,000,000 beri. From what I’ve heard, he looks like an actual mummy, wrapped in bandalges, carrying a giant golden sarcophagus on his back.”

Again, the little girl blinked in disbelief. Was this man just making all this up? A mummy guy with a sarcophagus on his back? Why?

“But, the pirate yaou better watch out for is the Demon Jester Wamba, captain of the Clown Pirates. His bounty is 36,000,000 beri! He’s someone from the North blue, and that sadistic monster is salid to be capturing women and children to become slaves. He’s bad enough that even the marines, led by Captanai Dofran, have been pursuing him, but thaot slippeary fella is likie some weird evil magician who can disappear and reappear. He has a bunch of lackies who are z’all sadistic and mentally deranged.”

Rebecca narrowed her eyes in greater suspicion. Now there was a Jester named Wamba? Shifting her eyes towards Hao, she leaned forward, cupping the edge of her mouth as she whispered, "Is this information reaaallly that accurate? He just seems to be making all this up."

“As for people without bounties to watch out for, I’ve just recently heard a rumor that a swordsman sliced down a sea king. I haven’t heard a name yet, but whoever they are, it isn’t someone from thirs island - that’s for. otherwise, that person would be famozus here, especially for us Nature followers since fishing is our thing. Ha-ha-ha-ha! I’m sure those Sea followers are throwing a tantrum right this minute.”

“Heh,” Rebecca felt a bit awkward hearing the last part. Then again, if a Sea King was taken down near the shores, it’d be no surprise for rumors to start spreading like wildfire. But she felt that the accuracy of such information was only going to stray further from the truth as time passes.

[Grandest]

(OOC: I have permission from Kiwimaru who worked with me on the Rebecca Responses.)

Hao, who had been leaning forward to listen sat back in his seat and let out a sigh. He might have bitten off more than he could chew with a line up like that... Although a 30 million bounty wasn't unheard of in the blues, they were usually pretty much the strongest to come out of their respective blue in a few years.

"So first, Rebecca, the reason why this info is more than likely correct is that 1.) It's outrageous, this is the Grandline, the more outrageous it is the more likely it is around these parts and 2.) Because if he lies to Bounty Hunters, the organization takes care of it and replaces him with someone who won't do something so silly again. 3.) Even if I can't beat him up, if I survive I can sure as hell tear this place down."

Hao explained while ticking his points off on his fingers, his eyes half-lidded. He ignored the man's glare and continued to organize his thoughts as he tried to figure out what would be best to do. The things on this island were a bit more tricky than he had thought, a 36,000,000 Beri bounty meant that more likely than not he was rather strong, at least for Hao to deal with and two other pirates to boot.

'Hmm... the 25,000,000 beri bounty is probably not going to be an easy fight either and I have to consider that they have crews too.'

Hao sat and thought and thought... and thought until his thoughts were going in circles and flipping him off in his mind. He was running his hand through his long hair, a nervous tick he picked up some years ago and tapping his fingers against the hilt of his Zanbato. Blinking out of his thoughts, Hao nodded his head at the man.

"Thanks for the information. That's all I needed. I'll take it from here."

The man grunted and slid out of the bar, pausing to give Hao a glare.

"Kid, I know rookies like you, don't go blowing up my town, ya hear?"

"I'll try not to," Hao replied with a nervous laugh, even though internally he was sweating as his power was sort of notorious for collateral damage.

"There is no try kid. Only do. Ya, hear?!"

With that the man stalked off into his back room, probably to actually get drunk this time. Hao turned his attention to Rebecca, resting his hand on his chin as he began to speak.

"So, three targets, each one stronger than the last, 10,000,000 then 25,000,000 and finally 36,000,000. What do you think I should do?" He asked, curious for her take on the situation.

"What's the highest bounty you've ever captured?" the little one asked curiously. (Line by Kiwimaru)

"A guy that was worth 12,000,000 I think? That was before I got my devil fruit and I've gotten stronger since then... I hope I have at least." Hao responded, sounding a bit unsure of himself.

"I see. Back in North Blue, my brother took on the captain of the Dieu-Le-Veut Pirates, Mr. Laurens. He had a bounty of 35,000,000 beri. Even Pluto struggled against him back then. I think you should target the 10,000,000 first. It may not be a one on one fight though. The man mentioned a second in command being skilled in staff fighting, and there might be other subordinates as well. If you exhaust all your stamina against the strongest, you'll have nothing left against the other two."

"Fair enough. I'll use my power to disable their ships so they can't get away, then we can start kicking some pirate ass. It would be foolish to rush in and take them all on at once, so we'll go see if we can't do some dividing and conquering. Well, then, shall we go wreak havoc on some pirates?"

"Hmm?" she tilted her head. "Right now? Didn't you say you wanted some food?"

*GROOOOOOOOOOWWWWLLL~~!!!* The roar of a feral beast shook the entire bar, plates, and mugs rattling, as everyone looked around wildly for the source of the noise. Several people even produced weapons, almost if by magic out from under long trench coats and out of sleeves. Meanwhile, Hao sat in his booth, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yup... You're a hundred percent right. My stomach said if it doesn't get filled right now it's going to revolt."

Hao was a bit embarrassed and realized he should probably take a rest too before he went to war with a whole army of pirates. Better to do those kinds of things on a full nights sleep. Besides, maybe that Pluto guy would lend a hand? Hao shook his hand in the air, deciding he would think more after he ate.

"Hey! Can we get some food over here! We'll take 3 of everything you serve!" Hao looked at Rebecca and explained. "Two for me and one for you, unless you want some more? My treat."

[BlacKitten]

“Thanks. Just as long as it’s not alcoholic,” said the underaged girl with a smile. It had been a while since she last ate food outside of her own cooking.

She shifted her eyes to the side, gently whispering, “You awake?”

No response.

But she wasn’t accepting that her brother couldn’t hear her just yet. “There’s food,” she tested him, and almost immediately, she felt a small creature crawling onto her right shoulder, leaving the shade that her smooth, silky hair provided and into partial open view. A little head poked out with dark beady eyes with a subtle tint of violet and triangular cupped ears that swiveled around. The black claws -also his thumbs- of his folded-up wings acts as his forearms, allowing him to balance as if he was a four-legged creature.

“I have been summoned,” proudly muttered the little bat with a grey cloak draped around his little rodent-like body. Despite his small size, the voice sounded identical to Pluto’s human form, not a single change in pitch.

Rebecca giggled. Every single time, she found it comedic to see her almighty brother take on this little, adorable, harmless form of a bat. He was extremely portable due to his small size and light weight.

The moment a waitress began to approach them with trays of food balanced in both palms of her hands, Pluto slowly slipped back into his dark, cozy lair.

“Here you go,” the youthful brunette settled the plates of food down along with glass cups of icy water. “Enjoy your food,” she smiled before collecting the trays and leaving to deliver more food to the customers.

Once the damsel as left the scene, the little bat slowly reemerged from the shadows. He wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice.

Last time he was at a restaurant…

---

“YOU HAVE A BAT ON YOUR SHOULDER!” The waitress shrieked at the sight of a little bat perched on top of the girl’s shoulder. She reflexively swung a metal tray at the little vermin.

CLANG!

“GAH!” A humanly voice of surprise sounded from the little nocturnal creature. Slammed off the Rebecca’s shoulder, the little armored bat involuntarily flew into the air and crashed into the ground with a very loud, heavy thump.

“Ow...,” lying flat on his back, Pluto had transformed into his human form right before the impact.

---

Not this time!

The bat nodded to himself. He wasn’t going to be slammed by a waitress’ tray a second time around. There were just some people in this world who just had this irrational fear of bats. He couldn’t understand it at all, so he’d just make sure he isn’t seen by any waitresses.

Ripping off a shred of soft, warm bread, fresh from the oven, Rebecca held it close to his mouth and watched gleefully as the bat snatched the piece of food and nibbled away like a squirrel.

“We’re going bounty hunting,” the girl informed the little bat. “Would you like to…”

“No,” he quickly declined, knowing exactly what she’d say next.

“Why not?”

“This is Hao’s business, not mine. If he really wants to get stronger, he must learn to ‘eat bitter’.” The path to getting stronger was a path of suffering.