The Strange Pair - Part 1 [Kiwi & Bromo]

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 1

The placid waters near the shore of the island led to a slow drift towards the fishing port. Innocent pairs of violet gems glimmered at the bright lights from the city beyond, casting the gradient shadows which revealed the depth and form of a colossal blob of skyscrapers. With the darkness of the sky on her right and the faint traces of pale pink near the horizon of her left, the petite girl deduced from the dusk that they were approaching the island from the south. As air flowed into her nostrils, she felt a warm and damp fluid in the surrounding atmosphere, but moreover, she couldn’t describe the air as fresh. Something about this island smelled tainted.

Jogging towards the small room on the deck with a brisk pace, she poked her head inside before cracking a warm smile upon laying sight at her older brother sitting across the table from Ara. Stepping inside, she listened for a few moments on what they were saying to each other.

Shifting her golden-hue eyes from the map laid out on the table towards the adolescent boy, Ara spoke in a mellow tone, “Of all the islands, why did you pick Bupae?” She watched as he looked off into the distance aimlessly. Like his younger sister, he also had those violet-hued eyes, yet they couldn’t be any more different than Rebecca’s eyes. As she shifted her glance towards little girl who had just stepped in, she saw a sweet and innocent girl, but when she casted her sights on the brother, she saw a stoic, quiet, and mysterious nature behind his visage.

Without making eye contact, Pluto responded calmly and thoughtfully, “After the incident in Alabasta, the marines would undoubtingly investigate what happened, and if they were to hunt us down right now, we would be too ill-equipped to defend ourselves. In order to avoid them altogether, I thought that heading to an island that is outside of their jurisdiction would be best to keep a low profile.”

“That makes sense. Bupae is an island that isn’t in allegiance with the World Government. But since the Revolutionary Army is mainly concerned about liberating islands that are in allegiance, even we don’t know much about Bupae,” she understood that they need to take precaution around this critical point in time, but there was a lack of information on what they know about their destination.

“You’re right, so I’ll briefly investigate the island the moment we arrive,” he suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapped around his torso from the side. “Hm?” the brother lurched away as Rebecca slid right next to him on the sofa, holding onto him in a protective and endearing manner.

“Don’t go. Stay here. You’re injured,” said the youth whimsically, trying to coax him to remain here. She could feel the wrapping of bandages beneath his pale, dark clothes. Had it not been for his injuries, she would not have hesitated to hug him as tightly as possible to futilely lock him in place.

The sound of suppressed giggling from across the room could be heard. “How cute. Rebecca, your brother is so strong, yet you still worry for him.” Ara could not help but adore the sight when these two were together.

He felt tensed up, feeling his heart beating a bit faster. With a clear attempt to divert the subject of his weakness away, he rhetorically asked, “Aren’t you two injured too?”

With a forlorn expression, Ara momentarily thought back about the pain she underwent before brushing it aside, “Our wounds do not compare with yours. If anything, we were quite sleep deprived. Just being able to sleep in for the past few days helped a lot in our recovery.”

“I thought you were going to die!” Rebecca looked towards her brother with watery eyes upon remembering all the blood loss along with a hole in his chest.

The lingering remnant of dread kept stirring in his heart upon remembering the numerous times of escaping death itself. But no matter if they were assassins, reapers, or the world itself, he sworn to protect these two with his life as well as vanquish all those that threatened their wellbeing. But to hear her fears of his demise had froze him. He didn’t know whether to feel glad that she worried for him or saddened that she felt afraid because of him.

“How’s our ship doing?” He changed the subject which lightened his sister’s mood in an instance.

“We’re almost there! The island is really close now,” she expressed her excitement.

Gracefully, Ara stood up as the pure-white silky fabric of her dress danced in the air. A golden crest framed the V-shaped lining of the robe-like garment with a dark-red rope tied beneath her large breasts that showcased her slender form. Her dress appeared to be attached to shoulder-baring sleeves that sheathed her upper arms tightly before loosening towards the wrist and covering the backside of her forearms, leaving the front side bare. “Shall we all take a look then?” She asked the siblings.

As the three of left the room and strode towards the head of their small wooden vessel, they saw the fishing port, but by the docks, there was a small office with a dark-haired man watching them through the glass window and wearing a distinctive black jacket with a large red insignia on the bird on the left side.

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[Lord Bromosalino]

Bupae Island. What will I learn here?

Leaned over the railing of the "The Little Cissonius," the former Marine Lieutenant Junior Grade fixed his gaze on the island he was rapidly approaching, briefly stepping back to avoid the splashing of the salt water as it crashed against the hull of the vessel. He did, however, let the rather cool mist wash over him, allowing it to linger on his sun kissed complexion; a welcomed refreshment to the heat and humidity that had seemed to sneak upon the vessel and its crew mates seemingly out of nowhere. The truth was that the temperature had drastically increased since coming into proximity of Bupae Island, the dampness oozing off of the jungle forest of the island they were approaching, working its way out into the surround sea.  

As the small carrack skipped and rolled along the deep blue waves of the Grand Line for the ninth straight day, that single thought had been held captive in Isaac Saifer's mind. A well informed man with a wealth of knowledge and resources at his fingertips (such was the perks of being an official with the World Government), the young man had very little definitive knowledge of Bupae. What he did know, coming from the captain of the merchant ship he was a voyager of, was that Bupae Island was an island of unimaginable poverty. Many, excluding merchants such as those of "The Little Cissonius," had little reason to visit the island; and those who knew of the culture and evil of the island actively avoided the island.

Separate from the World Government, the lush rain forested island was all but closed off from the outside world; save for the one port that the crew was making steady time towards. The island and its inhabitants had formed and founded Bupae only a short while ago, approximately five years prior to Isaac's own birth. And as Isaac gazed intently at the rock in the middle of the ocean, even from this distance the glimmering steel constructs that he assumed to be buildings could be seen. And yet, despite the distant prospective Isaac had formed, Bupae was among the Grand Line's poorest islands. As a result, the citizens lived truly terrible lives.

And it was for that very reason Isaac Saifer knew he must visit the island. Since his very youngest days as a Marine Ensign, war and tragedy were all Isaac had known; Winchester Island, Lougetown, the entirety of the North Blue, and specifically Ice Nine; it seemed that no matter where he traveled, death, sadness, and pain was ever present. And though he had only entered the Grand Line for the first time a short time ago, Isaac was instantly drawn to Bupae Island. Not for the mystery or intrigue, but simply for the immense level of privation and rumored hardship that surrounded Bupae.  

"So what're you going to do then Isaac?"

"Honestly Caroline, I don't know."

And despite saying a painful goodbye to his Warrant Officer, friend, and practically little sister well over six months ago, Isaac still did not, honestly, know what he planned to do. He had left the Marines six months ago; some say he retired, Isaac claims it to only be a short sabbatical. Partially jaded by the organization, partially unsure of himself, Isaac left the North Blue he had been tasked with protecting to see the Grand Line and "find himself." And though he had heard of the great wealth, fantastically unique islands, and the strangest and most beautiful of items that could be found beyond the Blues, the former Marine decided that he would visit the islands out of the World Government's reach for a bit of perspective and even to expand his own views, morals, and beliefs.

Leaving his place at the fore of the merchant vessel, Isaac strode across the weathered, wooden, planks that held the vessel together rather quickly; his feet remembering the way they once moved across the "Black Guard," each step sure and secure that they would not lose their footing as the ship rolled and dipped with the waves. Passing a worker on his right as he handled the sails, and another on his left that was moving a crate, Isaac fondly reminisced oh his teenage years aboard his father's own merchant ship. Long nights working the various stations of the vessel, the eagerness to make dock at the newest island, wonderment of the latest purchase; they were, yes, more simple times, but there was a beauty and satisfaction in the work.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Come on in, Lieutenant."

The three knocks on the heavy red oak door that separated the captain of the "The Little Cissonius'" office from the rest of the vessel were becoming a familiar sound to Captain Imbros. For the last nine days since they had set sail, the aging merchant Captain had come to expect the Marine officer to join him in his office at least twice a day; once in the early morning where they shared a simple, yet filling breakfast and once more in the late afternoon as the majority of crew slowed their work as the sun moved to its position directly overhead.

"Still insisting on bringing that with you Lieutenant?" Pointing to the white Marine jacket that remained on Isaac regardless of where he traveled, the gray haired merchant couldn't help but let out a healthy laugh. "You know you won't be treated to kindly on Bupae. It's a lawless hell hole, the World Government isn't exactly loved there." Though he refused to explicitly state out affirmatively what Isaac would find on the rundown island, Captain Imbros couldn't help but worry for the young boy; after all, Bupae was more of a haven for criminals, thugs, and degenerates than it was anything else. But...he is a Marine Lieutenant. He'll probably be ok, thought the businessman as he settled into his cheaply made leather chair, preparing for the awaited conversation about another literary classic that both he and Isaac shared a love for.


Accepting the aging Captain's gesture to take a seat opposite his own, Isaac retrieved a small yet hefty, dark green leather bound book from within his jacket's breast pocket. "Now then, how about "Of Veracity and Virtue?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{OC Colors}
Saifer - #007299
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 2

The man cladded in black watched suspiciously at the incoming vessel, “What the …” It wasn’t often for one to find a tiny sailboat sailing the Grand Lines; such small vessels weren’t suited to sail across the dangerous seas filled with unpredictable harsh weather patterns, sea monsters, and hostile pirate ships. The sailboat which he saw couldn’t possibly hold any more than ten people, and it didn’t flaunt any flag or symbols. It was as mundane as a classical sailboat with a single mast and a white sail.

As he stepped out of his little office, he got a clearer view at the three individuals standing at the front of the deck. One adolescent boy, a girl of similar age, and a little girl. Was that it? Did these younglings come all this way on that meager vessel across the violent seas with just that? Their sailboat didn’t appear to hold any cannons with hardly a way to fend for itself against attacking ships. The three of them did not appear to be pirates, marines, merchants, or any of the sort. Just who were they? No sword or gun in sight, none of these three bared any arms, but there was a possibility of weapons hidden within their clothes.

Either these three were the luckiest trio of kids in the world to still be alive or something strange was going on here. This was the smallest crew he had ever seen in his life.

With a single leap, the boy, who locked sights with the staring man, descended from the deck to the dock with his grey cloak wavering in the air like a cape. Calmly, he walked with an uncannily straight posture as one could run a vertical line straight down his body. The girls stayed back on the deck, watching from behind.

As the man in the black jacket stood in his way, he gestured for him to halt before speaking in an authoritarian tone, “Hold it! What business do you have here?”

Standing on equal heights, both were average in their build and contrasted in their age. “We’re just here to visit. This is our first time here,” the boy informed.

“Is it just you three here to visit?”

“Correct.”

The answer only further confused the man as to how there could just be three of them on such a little ship. “I’ll need to have you three registered first.”

“Registered?” Pluto questioned with a puzzled look. He had never needed to be registered upon stepping foot on an island before.

“Anyone coming in and out of the island answers to me,” he answered before gesturing towards the well-maintained office. “We handle the registrations. I’ll need to know all of your names.”

“Tsk,” the boy reluctantly obliged, “My name is Pluto. The names of the two behind me are Ara and Rebecca.”

“We do not allow visitors to carry firearms. May I?” he stepped forth with his hands outstretched to frisk him.

Mildly annoyed, he raised his arms out to his sides as the man patted him down, checking for anything that felt like a gun. As he shifted his eyes towards the office, through the window, he spotted a rifle leaning up against the wall.

Nothing. The man found no weapons on this boy. And from just glancing at the two girls in the back, their clothes were not even suitable to conceal hidden weapons.
The man stepped back and noted, “The registration fee to enter here is five thousand Beri per person.”

Pluto felt his muscles tense to suppress his irritation, “Coming to this island costs money?” This was absurd. That summed up to a total of fifteen thousand Beri. While the payment wasn’t expensive on their part, having to pay to step foot on this island was ludicrous.

“That’s right,” the man confirmed.

“Before we pay, is there anything else I should know about this registration process?” the boy asked with a blatantly dissatisfied expression.

The man shook his head, “That would be all. Once you pay up, you three are free to go along with your business.”

For the next few minutes, Pluto returned to his vessel to deliver the news to his two crewmates before later returning with fifteen thousand Beri to hand over to this man.

“Thank you, enjoy your time at Bupae,” the man gave a fake smile before returning into his office.

I hate this island already.

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[Lord Bromosalino]

Bang, bang, bang!
Captain, we're making port!!

"Tch. I guess we'll have to table this for next time, Captain?"

If there was anything Isaac Saifer hated, it was being interrupted when he was deep in the throes of something interesting; especially a book or a discussion of said book. And the discussion between the former Lieutenant and the merchant Captain regarding "On Veracity and Virtue" was becoming captivating; with Captain Imbros making the assertion that men are born essentially good but corrupted by the world, while the former Marine argued that men were at their core evil. It was here that the two men were stopped from their bickering. No bickering wasn't quite right, they both disagreed vehemently with each other, but in such a way that encouraged healthy debate while still giving respect to the other.

Using the civil war that had, and currently was still, ravaged Winchester Island (a war that Isaac himself was a part of) as his basis for his world view, Isaac was cutoff mid sentence. "As I was saying, laws would not be necessary if...," and it was here that Isaac was stopped, Captain Imbros' long bony finger raised, signalling the end of the conversation. "I'm sorry friend, I'm sure if I let you finish that point, neither of us are leaving the cabin anytime soon. Hahaha." With a deep, gruff groan, Imbros pushed back his crude leather chair back, struggling to get to his feet as his youth and spryness had long left him.

Shooing away Isaac's gesture to aid the old man, the gray haired merchant made one final attempt at making his warning and fears known and understood. "Last chance Lieutenant. Once we make it to the docks, there's no turning back. Once you're seen with that jacket, you'll be followed and watched for the entirety of your stay. You sure you want that?"

With nothing more than a weak smile, the former Marine tucked the philosophy book back into the interior of the jacket in question and took a short second to admire the yellow stitching of the seagull that had come to represent the World Government that lined the inside of the white officer's jacket. It was funny, he never used to wear the jacket when he was part of the Marines (outside of official meetings or ceremonies). But now, it had become a staple of his everyday life since he decided to engage in his sabbatical. It was his only tie back to his roots, the last vestige of all that he had accomplished with the Marines...and the memory of his failures. "I'm quite sure Captain, thank you."

---

Roughly thirty minutes had gone by since the announcement had been made. And now all hands were on deck, preparing to dock "The Little Cissonius" at Bupae Island. And though this was a new island in a strange new sea, a port is a port is a port. To and fro, scurried, frantic, yet all with a clear mind and goal, the workers of the travelling merchant vessel were now too busy with the work in front of them to admire the natural beauty of the island. After all, there was the docking of the vessel itself, the preparation of their wares that needed to be transported onto the island, and of course the dreaded registration process.

"The Little Cissonius" had made its way to Bupae Island multiple times and each time they came to this rather isolated island, the process was the same. Each package, crate, and barrel that had to be inspected, each person that stepped foot into the jungle island had to be accounted for. Pointing at the rather shabby wooden office that was staged just past the gangways, Captain Imbros motioned for Isaac one final time. "Well, this is it Lieutenant. See that insignia? Don't piss of the people wearing that, yes?" Grasping the outstretched hand once more, the two exchanged a firm handshake, unsure of when they're paths would cross again.

Stepping off the travelling shop, the young former Marine made his way to the aforementioned office, eager to start whatever process would be required of him so that he could finally start his inquiry into Bupae. “Hold it! What business do you have here?” Standing in line among the others that stood in front of the registration office, Isaac watched as each new person was questioned by the official tasked with documenting each visitor. Huh, even children seem to be visiting the island. At the front of the line was what appeared to be a child. Though he stood just a few inches shorter than Isaac himself, but considerably leaner, the young boy somehow had a sizable amount of beri on him as he paid the hefty 5,000 Beri per person fee of entering the island.

Though he had been warned by Captain Imbros that he would be targeted, it was only now that Isaac realized just how much he stood out. Isaac Saifer was never a uniquely strange or imposing figure. He stood at six feet, one inch tall and weighed a healthy, moderate two hundred and twenty-five feet. His darkened complexion gave lie to the fact that he had been a man accustomed to spending months at a time at sea, and his rather strong build was nothing special. And yes, Isaac did sport a black eye patch over his left eye (a result of a life spent in battle) that might have made one stop and look. But all told, his appearance itself was nothing that would turn heads. And yet heads were turned, looking at him. The looks that were slung his way did not seem to be looks of disgust or anger, almost curious if not annoyed; the scores of eyes all on his jacket, all wondering what the seagull meant.

Taking his turn in front of the official, Isaac had prepared his payment, having now heard half a dozen people in front of him go through the process. "What's a Marine doing here? Bupae ain't a part of the World Government." Just visiting," came the reply, a half cocked smile crossing Isaac's face in a hope to reassure the much older man in front of him. Nothing like this had happened before to the registration official, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation. Should he revoke his request for entry, detain him and wait for further instructions, or simply allow him to pass? "Just visiting? That better be all," he finally said with a rather skeptical look on his face. Maybe he should at least report it to somebody, right?

SPOILER: Click to show

{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{Spoiler}{OC Colors}
Saifer - #007299
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 3

On the brink of vanishing into the horizon, the sun offered its last remaining rays of light across the sky of gradient colors. As the darker shades gradually overcame the light, what illuminated the island were the yellow-tinted streetlights near the base of all the skyscrapers and the lights coming from the smaller houses near the outskirts. Looking beyond all the manmade structures, there were mountain ranges spreading behind the city with silhouettes of trees and plants near the top of the slope.

“It’s already nighttime,” stated Ara who glanced up into the starless sky. “We should find a place to stay, or we could stay in our ship until it’s morning.”

“We also need to restock on supplies,” Rebecca chimed in, walking extra close to her brother’s right side. But with that said, their surroundings painted a grim picture on what the economy might be like on this island.

As they walked down the street filled with cracks along, they had no trouble finding littered trash such as cans, bottles, fragmented glass, discarded cloths, dried blood strains, and rotten produce. The houses appeared rundown. Some had shattered windows. Some had debris lying around. It was also eerily quiet as not many wandered around besides a few lingering silhouettes hiding in the corners or against the walls. A few pairs of eyes leered out the windows to observe the newly arrived trio of visitors.

Pluto reached back and pulled his hood over his head, casting a shadow over his face as his cloak hid the fine details of his movements. But while he would blend in better with the poor city environment with the pale colorations of his clothes, his two companions did not. Both Ara and Rebecca were young girls with pristine clothes of vibrant and pure colors that contrasted with what was around them.
A place to stay… restocking supplies… with all these rundown houses and suspicious shadows roaming about, it didn’t seem like they would be able to easily achieve either of those goals. Moreover, if after three turns around the block led to the distant, creeping footsteps making the exact same turns as them, the likelihood that they were being followed was high, something that Pluto and Ara picked up on without having to converse with one another.

Three from behind.

Without even looking, the cloaked boy sensed the exact number of individuals from behind. Up ahead, he saw four more shadows approaching from the front, heading in their direction. Without an intersection nearby to make a sharp left or right turn, they were pincered from both the front and the back.

“Ara, let’s go,” said the boy in a low, quiet tone.

Before Rebecca could even react to the looming danger, her vision was suddenly blocked by a fabric that engulfed her entirely. She felt her bother’s arm scooping her up with ease before feeling her feet no longer touching the ground.

In an instant, the three of them had vanished, leaving the converging silhouettes to halt and glance around aimlessly, not knowing there the three had gone off to.
On top of a two-story house, the trio hid behind the shallow slope of a triangular rooftop. Blinking at what just happened, Rebecca turned her gaze to her brother, realizing that she had just been relocated in a heartbeat. With his cloak wrapping around her like a blanket, she felt secured. Her gaze shifted towards Ara who was able to quickly leap two floors up as well. The swift and silent speed of theirs was enough to leave the riffraff puzzled as the darkness of the night obscured everyone’s sense of sight.

Those seven do not seem particularly strong, but escaping would save us the time and effort of having to confront them.

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[Lord Bromosalino]

Having paid the hefty, and unusual, sum of 5,000 Beri to enter Bupae Island, Isaac Saifer was quick to take his leave from the ports and leave the official behind. The man was wearing a black jacket with a large red sparrow motif on it's left sleeve. Perhaps the red sparrow was the symbol of this island's government. I'll have to remember that it, Isaac thought, storing that fact in the back of his mind.

Quickly leaving the docks and the hardworking hands that had their business there, the wooden planks that made up the docks were almost suddenly replaced with rather dull gray cobblestones. These cobblestones led Isaac towards the center of the looming steel towers of Bupae, giving anyone who only saw the city from a silhouetted view the idea that the main city of the island was a prosperous and bustling city. However, the deeper the former Marine traveled the quicker his assumption was becoming shattered. Debris, trash, and poverty littered the twisting streets of the city, turning what should have been a beautiful metropolitan into a shocking sight.

Born into a noble family himself, Isaac could not help but be horrified at the state of those he passed as he slowly passed through the city. Rotten food lay in the gutters, even the spider monkeys that inhabited the island simply picked at the food before leaving them back in the dirty puddles they had pulled them from. The homes (made of a similarly dull gray stone) were in a state of decay, the walls starting to crumble and their roofs having holes in them; and with night falling upon the city and a light drizzle beginning to fall, the homes did not seem to be well suited for protecting their inhabitants. Shops were either boarded up or had been converted into large scale homeless shelters, with the remaining merchant shops being similarly run down as the other buildings.

The people of Bupae were in a equal state of impoverishment. The majority of the people Isaac observed were sitting, either against a wall or directly on the sidewalks; causing the former noble to believe that they either had no home to back to or were simply too weary to even leave the foul weather. One, two, three, four, five. Five just on this street. Five people on one street without shoes to navigate the dirtied street. And as Isaac stepped over a broken alcohol bottle, he couldn't help but wonder just how many of those five had cut their feet on the trash that littered the streets. The rest of the citizens weren't in any better shape. No one seemed to be properly suited for the weather; holes in their tattered and poorly stitched clothing.

However, what truly shocked the young man was the look of these people's eyes. Pupils dilated, bloodshot eyes, almost lifeless. It appeared that no one hear had gotten any sleep in the last month. It was a look Isaac was familiar with; the look of substance abuse. Having fallen into depression and being taken by the grip of alcohol addiction many years ago himself (and having come out of it), Isaac instantly felt the plight of those living on Bupae Island. The poverty of this island seemed to be worse that what even Isaac could have pinpointed.

That shock instantly turned sour in the Marine's stomach as he turned right at the next intersection and walked around a now defunct bank. There, in the middle of the sidewalk was a young boy no more than eighteen years of age. The boy, like many others of the city, had matted blonde hair covering his face, his tattered jeans covered in dirt and all matter of filth. What was so horrifying was what the boy was doing, or rather what he had just done prior to Isaac seeing him. A single needle hung limply from his left forearm, a strange pink liquid leaving behind a residue in it's tube. Within seconds, the boys lifeless eyes rolled back in his head, his breathing becoming shallow, his entire body instantly going limp. Leaning back against the bank, the blonde haired boy closed his eyes, a stupor smile washing over him.

And yet, not the entirety of the city seemed to be in the same state of disarray. Surrounded by multiple unlit buildings, one skyscraper in the middle of the city was lit up, instantly contrasting the pristine building to the rest of the city. At the very top of the steel building, a large red sparrow construct was perched. Isaac's mind immediately raced back to the forefront of his mind, instantly remembering the official at the ports. So these guys do run the island.

Continuing his walk through the island, Isaac couldn't help but think about the disparity of the images he had seen. Poverty throughout the street versus the well lit and well kept skyscraper in the very center of the city. It was quite a hard pill to swallow; that not everyone had lived quite the life Isaac had growing up as a child. And the sight of people, especially ones at such a young age, being addicted to drugs was certainly not something the Marine was used to.

Welcome to Bupae, huh?

SPOILER: Click to show

{OC Colors}Saifer - #007299
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 4

As it began to drizzle, their clothes gradually dampened.

Having his body lying across the slanted surface of the roof, he distributed his weight over as much area as possible, hearing the weak wooden material creaking from the strain. Had he focused all his weight onto his foot, he might have punctured right through the decaying material. But it wasn’t just the roof. Everything, from the infrastructures to the people, looked like decay.

Ara sat next to him, looking down the street below where a few individuals were lifelessly lingering in the sidewalks. She hugged her knees close to her body as her saddened eyes gazed upon the gloomy scene. Her eyes widened at the sight of a young man utilizing a syringe against her own sleeveless arm, injecting himself with a pink fluid before his body fell limped into a false sense of euphoria.

All this poverty and yet something was wrong; the skyscrapers were new and well maintained. The man in the registration office was healthy, well-groomed, and clean. Why was there such a disparity?

Suddenly, Ara darted her eyes to the side as a large, shadowy figure lunged towards from the side towards the siblings’ direction. “Watch out!” She warned them.

“!” Pluto caught sight of a fast humanoid creature unleashing a straight punch in his direction. Immediately, he turned around, shielding his little sister with his own body as the blow landed straight into his back. Launching into the distance, he flew several meters across the air before tumbling across the street, gritting his teeth in the process.

Disoriented, Rebecca opened her eyes, finding herself still be held by her brother’s arms as they lied together on the ground. But something was wrong. When was the last time that her brother got caught off guard? Why didn’t he evade that attack? Why wasn’t he getting up? Crawling out of his cloak, she kneeled next to him while nudging him, “Pluto? Are you… okay?”

After leaping from one rooftop to the next, Ara quickly descended towards his aid. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple before she turned the boy over onto his back, and to her horror, a patch of blood expanded across his shirt. “His wounds reopened!”

In the distance, the attacker approached them on his webbed feet while cackling. “I’ve never seen you three before.”

The girls shifted their glance towards the green-skinned fishman that stood well over six feet tall with a lithe build, wearing a pair of ragged shorts and a vest.

“Why are you attacking us?” Ara asked sternly.

“You three are clearly outsiders which means there must be something worth robbing from you three? I want them all. Your clean clothes. Your money. Anything,” the fishman reasoned. Compared to the dwellers stricken with poverty, these outsiders had it well.

“Arugh,” Pluto slowly clambered up until he stood with a hunched postured. He pressed his abdomen with his palm as he stared down at his assaulter with a fatigued expression. “Fishman Karate,” he muttered. “It attacks you using the water inside your body.” The injured boy was clearly familiar with the style of combat that these amphibious species utilized. The internal damage was why his wounds reopened so easily.

But Ara knew there was more to it than just that. Pluto had to use his own body to shield his sister from suffering any of the repercussions. Moreover, for the past few days, his recovery had been slow. “You haven’t eaten for the past few days.”

“Eh?” Rebecca looked towards the older girl at what she had just said. Since that incident in Alabasta, it was her brother who had taken care of them and fed them as they were effectively bedridden. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Because we were low on supplies, he didn’t eat, saving the food for us until we reach the island. Isn’t that right, Pluto?” Ara stated her suspicions. “Like always, you put on a poker face to hide your pain and weakness – even from us.”

The little girl widened her eyes in surprise as she glanced over at her brother who was already injured to begin with and continued to sacrifice his own wellbeing for their sake. And he tried to hide it from them the entire time.

“How weak,” said the fishman. “With only two human girls left, this will be a piece of cake.”

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[Lord Bromosalino]

Isaac Saifer continued to think about the things he had seen since touching down on the island approximately one hour ago. Poverty, tragedy, and addiction were all he had seen. And though he had wished that this wasn't the state of the people here, Isaac was glad to have come and seen their suffering. It reaffirmed in his mind that not all was in fact right in the world and that those not under the protection of the World Government tended to lead a much harder life. Of course that did not mean that every island that was part of the larger community of nations prospered or lived perfect lives. But it did give the questioning Marine hope and faith in the organization he so desperately wanted to believe in. When he first decided to take his sabbatical from the organization, however, he decided that he would not use that time selfishly; instead he would go out and see the rest of the world and try to find his place in it. And while he may not be able to save the island from whatever grip lay hold over it, Isaac would certainly try to do his part to help.

What would it be like if Bupae was part of the World Government? was the first thought that crossed his mind. After all, having the backing of such a large government came with many perks, resources, and protection. Could such an isolated and disparate place and people as this even be accepted into the fold? Would the World Government even want such a place as this to be part of the prestigious government? Of course they would, wouldn't they? They were certainly a people, that on the face of it, looked like they needed the help, or at the very least the direction to change.

Take him for example, thought Isaac as he continued to debate the proposition within his own mind as he meandered through the city. Another young man lay on the streets of Bupae, a euphoria washed over his face as his body hung limp and sprawled from the effects of the mystery pink drug that had come from the, now, empty syringe in his arm. Letting people live like this, much less in this drizzle (which was steadily becoming a full blown rainstorm), and under these types of conditions certainly wasn't humane. Was it not the duty of those that were able to help these people?

"Watch out!"

No sooner than he had thought about the duties and responsibilities that were often inherently a part of those who claimed to be decent, good meaning citizens of the World Government that those very ideals were immediately put to use. With a loud, concerning thud, a young boy who had been clutching an even younger little girl had crashed from somewhere off the roof tops and into the street a short distance from where Isaac himself was. What the hell? Isaac had seen this boy before, a foggy memory of him lingering somewhere in his mind. But from where? But that didn't matter. What did matter was why these two had suddenly fallen. And more importantly, were they ok.

“Pluto? Are you… okay?” Crawling out from somewhere inside of the boy's arms, the young female seemed to be worried for him; confirming that she was on his side, or at the very least not in fear of Pluto. “Why are you attacking us?” The person who had initially made the call for caution descended and took her place by the young children's side, also showing herself to be an ally of the two. Her statement, though, drew Isaac's attention away from the three on the street and onto rather strange looking individual.

Green, scales, fins, and prominent needle like nose, there was no doubt that this strange being was a fishman. Isaac had only had the pleasure of meeting one fishman in his many years of travels over the last ten years on the seas. But this was the first time he had seen one up close and on land. From what he had understood, there was a great hatred for this particular species of humanoids, more so than any other species. As a result, they typically made their residence below the surface, deep in the ocean. Why was he here then?

“You three are clearly outsiders which means there must be something worth robbing from you three? I want them all. Your clean clothes. Your money. Anything,”

And there was Isaac's answer. The poverty on Bupae Island must have been such that, coupled with their complete isolation from the World Government, all manner of people and species were free to live here. And with a lack of proper law and order, or so it seemed to the former lawman based on his short time here, the strong survived while the weak continued to suffer. And though the young boy made a valiant attempt to hide whatever pain was inflicted upon him, Isaac (who had seen enough battles in the last decade) knew that the boy was not as right as his face may have suggested. And though he was not the greatest or strongest the Marines had ever produced, he had risen through the ranks enough to become a Lieutenant Junior Grade. And after all, was it not the duty of decent, good meaning citizens, much less a Marine, to help people like this.

Zipping his senior officer's jacket up to his chin and pulling the black gloves up tight, Isaac rushed to the side of the three, eager to help stave off their attacker. Though he was no doctor by any sort, Isaac had been in enough battles that he too had learned simple emergency medical procedures; and by one look at the boy named Pluto, Isaac knew he would need to get out of this rain, and quickly.

"Mind if I cut in?"

SPOILER: Click to show

{OC Colors}Saifer - #007299
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 5

As the trio were confronted by the Billfish-Fishman, someone stepped to their side, intervening the scene, “Mind if I cut in?”

Pluto, Ara, and Rebecca all shifted their glance towards a man who stood taller than any three of them and sported a black eye patch over his left eye. But above all else, what shocked them the most was his attire. An marine officer’s jacket along with a pair of black gloves, this man clearly wasn’t from this island, and he might just be affiliated with the World Government.

What the-?

A Marine?

Who is he?

With his hood down from his fall, the black-haired boy tensed his brows at the sight of a marine. He had been through enough hardship with those folks back in Alabasta, and after coming all this way to precisely get away from their radar, he found another one on an island that wasn’t supposed to be in allegiance with the World Government. Why was a marine soldier here? He didn’t remember seeing any navy ships by the port. If this man was here knowing that a few members of Revolutionary Army would be here, then their situation had just taken a turn for the worse.

“Hah?” The green-skinned fishman raised a brow, “Another human outsider?” He didn’t expect another one to show up. “Today is my lucky day. One more human I get to rob,” he smirked before sprinting forth at immense speed. He planned to save those tasty-looking fragile girls for last as he believed he should take out their strongest one first before dealing with the remainder. As such, the fishman lunged straight at the athletic-looking man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties.

Balling up his fists, he readied himself to engaged in close-quarter combat. “It doesn’t matter how many of you there are. We, fishman, are ten times stronger than you lot,” he proudly proclaimed the superiority of his species over the humans in terms of naturally born strength. But strength wasn’t all that he had; he was trained in the arts of Fishman Karate.

Ara hurried to Pluto’s side, grabbing his left arm and wrapping it around the back of her neck as she helped to support him to stand by carrying the burden of some of his weight.

“!” He widened his eyes as if surprised. For some reason, his heart began racing, pounding rapidly like a drum. Something about her gesture was also partly humiliating. But for the time being, he shifted his attention towards the fishman who’s now ready to engage with the marine officer. He didn’t know what to expect or even what sort of outcome he’d want to have. He didn’t know who to root for; perhaps the best-case scenario was for the both them to simply knock each other.

Rebecca stood close to her brother, watching attentively just like her brother and Ara. She also didn’t know what to expect.

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[Lord Bromosalino]

"Can you get him out of here, somewhere safe?"

As if already reading Isaac's own mind, the taller and older of the two females had already bent down to try to move the strangely named boy, Pluto. Though the boy seemed to be no more than five, maybe six, years younger than Isaac himself (though that difference enough was to cement him as a "child" in Isaac's mind) and was only a few short inches below his own height, the boy was considerably thinner than the Marine. The docks! He was in front of me! exclaimed Isaac, instantly remembering why Pluto seemed familiar to him. So this fishman was targeting the weak tourists. And now coupled with his statement that he was here to "rob humans," Isaac had no qualms jumping in between the two parties.

“It doesn’t matter how many of you there are. We, fishman, are ten times stronger than you lot."

Boasting the superiority and naturally occurring advantages that fishman had over their human counterparts, the scaled would be robber rushed forward, a right fist coming out hard and fast from the side. Whoosh. And though the uniquely shaped humanoid was fast, the blow from the fishman had gone right past Isaac's head; almost grazing the left side of his cheek as Isaac simply and rather effortlessly floated backwards and to the left, turning on his heel and now at the back of the fishman. Whoosh. Infuriated, the green skinned man struck out with a spinning back fist, hoping to catch the Marine unaware. And yet again, all that he was granted with was the empty feeling of expending energy without connecting.

Again and again, the long nosed fishman came forward, launching attack after attack at Isaac; punches, kicks, grabs. Nothing, however, was landing. Though he was not a master of the arts known as Rokushiki, Isaac was however well versed and well trained in one of it's more useful defenses; Kami-e. Relaxed and rolling with the punches, the Marine was like a paper caught in a breeze. One moment he lingered in place, the next simply floating on the currents and being moved without the slightest bit of resistance on his part; almost as if Isaac himself did not know that he was about to moved.

"Stop moving you bastard. I thought you were going to fight!"

Whoosh. Another lunging hook was effortlessly "floated" away from as Isaac again moved to a better position. Isaac was, for all intents and purposes, a regular human. He did not possess a Devil Fruit. He was not a human enhanced with cybernetics. He did not have a special weapon that could turn the tide of any battle with overwhelming force. What he did have, however, was his mind. A mind that had been trained and developed by some of the greatest officers the Marines had produced and refined by the wars and lessons of war. As such, Isaac knew, better than most, the importance and value of biding one's time and gathering information; a "feeling out" phase. And so, Isaac was simply studying, not wanting to engage just yet and needlessly put himself in a bad position. Whoosh. Whoosh.

There it is.

Having "floated" away from a jab that was followed immediately by a right uppercut, Isaac had instantly moved around to the fishman's right side. Feeling exposed, as his opponent had out maneuvered him mid punch, the bill-fish humanoid tried to bail on the uppercut and turn to face the one eyed man. As a result, he had committed a taboo in the world of martial arts and those of the striking arts in particular; he had crossed his feet.

The "athletic stance" seemed to carry from every sport and transcended across just about every single fighting style. Feet at approximately shoulder width apart, standing on the balls of one's feet, a slight forward lean. And when you move, the foot facing the direction you want to move is the one that moves next with the other leg trailing behind. But crossing the feet over each other? That was, is, and will forever be a mistake. The balance, the ability to quickly react, the ability to generate power; all of these were compromised if not outright lost as a result.

Soru.

Utilizing the other technique he was well versed in, Isaac disappeared from his position of advantage and instantly reappeared in front of the fishman to deliver a well placed right hook of his own; a satisfying crack confirming that his aim was true. In that same moment, Isaac again was gone and back at his prior position. Feeling content that he had gathered enough information on his opponent, Isaac took a very standard kickboxing stance; ready to engage. Keep dodging, get to his side and open a lane of attack. He'll make that mistake again.

Now angry, if not outraged, the fishman let out a nasty yell, infuriated that this human had been able to hit him. "Aaaargh! I'm going to kill you." Sprinting forward once more, the robber let loose with another two wild hooks. And as before, each one simply flew by the Marine's head, missing as Isaac ducked and rolled to the left. "Stand still! Uuurrrrgh! That's it!"

"Mizu Myakudō!"

"Ugh!"

In a daze and following moment of confusion, Isaac was launched backwards coming to a halt near Pluto and his female companions. On his knees, Isaac couldn't help but cough as he clutched his stomach. What was that? He had never seen or experienced fishman karate, and so he was left completely left baffled by what had hit him. Having dodged the two wild haymakers from the fishman, Isaac remembered seeing the green hand move in a straight line in a palm thrust. He also remembered being able to take a short hop backwards to avoid it. And avoid it, he did. But as his feet touched the ground, and as he prepared to use Soru once more to blitz the fishman, he was instantly flung backwards by an overwhelming pressure that had hit him square in the stomach.

Little did the Marine know that the now heavy rainfall was working against him and directly into the fishman's favor. Drawing upon the heavy moisture in the air, the fishman was now able to increase the range of all of his attacks by using the water.

Fuck, what was that?

SPOILER: Click to show

{OC Colors}Saifer - #007299
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 6

Ara slowly aided the boy towards the edge of one of the houses on the side where the extended portion of the triangular rooftop acted partly as a shield from the rain that grew heavier over time. Upon casting one’s gaze into the distance, a light mist obscured what could be seen afar.

Pluto felt conflicted as he wished to lean away such that he could stand by himself, but for some reason, he couldn’t muster the power to do so. As he distracted himself by watching the young soldier combat the fishman in close-quarter combat, his eyes sharpened in recognition of those movements. Kami-e, one of the six techniques of the secretive martial art style taught by the World Government, he remembered it well. After all, to him, such techniques weren’t so secretive at all.

Dear lord, this is like the fifth Rokushiki-user I’ve encountered this week. They’re everywhere!

If he were to look back on his life, the young martial artist must have encountered and fought against over a dozen of them by now. He remembered each technique vividly along with numerous variations; he had understood the mechanics of each technique to such a degree that he was almost bored of seeing it. For each technique, he had developed a counter to it. For some, he developed his own version of it – a better version in his opinion. Having seen those technique had certainly inspired the development of some of his repertoire of advanced techniques.

Both Ara and Pluto felt the vibe that this marine officer was quite the experienced fighter for the man wasn’t rash or reckless in his approach. Unlike the fishman, the officer kept a calm and observant attitude, staying on the defensive as much of his focus seemed to be evasion.

A fight wasn’t always determined by who had the superior technique but rather who made the fewer mistakes. And in this fight, the marine officer appeared to be waiting for his opponent to make a mistake to capitalize on. It was in that moment that another one of the six techniques revealed itself – Soru.

Pluto momentarily lifted his gaze up towards the sky, watching the downpour of the rain. “Hey, Rebecca,” he called out to the little girl standing on his right. “Could you pass me a pebble on the ground?”

“Hm?” The sister casted a gaze at the boy with a puzzled look. A pebble? Why? Did he plan to throw it at the fishman? “Pluto, you need to rest. You shouldn’t strain yourself.”

“Tch,” He looked annoyed. “I won’t be straining myself. Tell you what, if you give me the pebble, I won’t even move my arms or legs to use it.”

“Huh?” she was even more confused. Having thought he wanted the pebble the throw it, she couldn’t imagine anyone throwing anything without moving their arms, but her brother wasn’t one to lie to her. Trusting in his words, she squatted down, picked up a little pebble from some of the debris lying around in the street, and stood back up. The girl carefully handed him the pebble, placing it in his right hand.

The boy held it loosely in his right palm, and it was around this time that all three of them saw the marine officer being launched back towards their direction. He rolled the little pebble along his index finger, steadying it with his thumb.

The fishman cackled at his first successful hit and damage towards the evasive human, but before he could step any further into the direction of the cluster of humans, something struck him hard against his temple, “Arugh!” Lurching to the side, he gaped his mouth wide open while pressing a webbed hand over his left temple, feeling a trickle of blood. “What was that?” he said in a disgruntled voice.

Rebecca was stunned. Her brother didn’t throw it; he flicked it with his thumb, precise enough to strike at a specific point on the target’s body.

“Hey marine,” Pluto called out towards the kneeling man, having bought them a bit of time. “That fishman is using the rain to his advantage, and just now, he conducted a pressure wave through the droplets in the air and attacked you using the water in your body. Even Tekkai wouldn’t protect you. You can probably finish him off using Rankyaku.” Among the techniques of Rokushiki, he figured a long-range attack would be best.

But there was one problem to his advice as he made a false assumption about this marine officer.

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[Lord Bromosalino]

“Arugh! What was that?"

The criminal's temple suddenly opened up, the wound trickling down the onto the wondering webbed hand. A pebble? Indeed, a piece of the dull cobblestone had found itself lodged deep inside the fishman's scaled forehead. But how did it get there? And how, or rather who had thrown it without enough force to create such a wound with such a tiny piece of rubble? Shifting his own focus away from his opponent (something Isaac himself would acknowledge be a mistake), the Marine couldn't help but wonder if one of the trio of "helpless" tourists were the one who had thrown the pebble. After all, the only other person around was the still lifeless young boy who had injected the mystery drug into his arm.

"Hey marine, that fishman is using the rain to his advantage, and just now, he conducted a pressure wave through the droplets in the air and attacked you using the water in your body. Even Tekkai wouldn’t protect you. You can probably finish him off using Rankyaku."

Wait, they're Marines too?" That helpful piece of advice came as something of a shock to Isaac. Not only was Rokushiki a specialized form of martial arts that had been developed by and only taught to Marines; it was also a fairly secretive art with only the elites having the physical ability to wield the powerful techniques. Because of this, it made the realization that these three, or at the very least the strangely named Pluto, were highly ranked Marine's themselves.

If that were the case, that opened more questions than answers. Why where they here? Was this a mission they were on themselves? That couldn't be it, Isaac (though not an active Marine) would certainly have heard of their mission from one of his many contacts still inside of the Marine organization. After all, there were many that knew Isaac's first point of travel was Bupae. Somebody would have told him that he would not be the only Marine on the island; whether to simply make him aware or to make sure he would not interfere with whatever mission they were on. But he had not been made aware of their assignment. Were they on a covert mission then?

"Arugh! How dare you! Mizu Myakudō!"

Suddenly, Isaac's brief moment of surprise that led to him shifting his eyes from his green scaled assailant had proved to be indeed a mistake. Indignant that some "mere human" had managed to hurt the pride-filled aquatic robber, the fishman had once again launched the strange technique towards the former Marine. Though he was still on a knee, Isaac instinctively pushed heavily off of his left leg, rolling himself to the right as he braced for the "pressure wave" that was sure to come.

And he waited, and waited a second more. But the pressure that had flung him forward a mere moment ago never came. Wiping the rain, that was still coming down in a heavy, steady drove, from his face, Isaac stood, curious to test out his fledgling theory. The advice Pluto had given him was partially useful, the second part being completely impractical. When studying the Rokushiki arts, Isaac had preferred to study the defensive techniques, focusing on Soru and even more so on Kami-e. These two fit his analytical mind and fighting style, opting to "dance around" and dodge his opponent while analyzing their fighting style before attacking. And though it was effective when combined with his quickly understanding mind, it left Isaac severely wanting when it came to terms of "firepower." As a result, the Marine had never put much effort into and had never learned the art of Rankyaku.

This meant then that Isaac was completely a close-ranged fighter. Though he could not use the advised Rankyaku, he did have a theory he did want to test out that had been born of the missed attack coupled with Pluto's advice. If the fishman was creating a pressure wave through the arduous torrent, there must be a limit to both the attack's range as well as width that it was effective from. And although Isaac couldn't pinpoint exactly where he had landed when he had initially been flung back, he estimated he had rolled approximately ten feet to the side to where he now stood, approximately thirty five feet away from the fishman. Now, does the attack come out in a cone, or a straight linear wave?

The answer would change the way Isaac would continue the fight. If the attack came out in a wide cone, he would not simply be able to slip and roll, almost like a shoulder roll in the world of boxing, to attack in a linear blitz and would instead need to create even harder angles on the fishman to attack from the side or, even better, from behind. If the attack did come out in a straight wave, he would be able to use the aforementioned slip and roll to rush in a more straightforward, and frankly quicker, attack. Either way, Isaac would have to take a risk and allow the fishman to use the technique once more.

"Mizu Myakudō!"
Soru.

Kicking the ground quickly and in multiple succession, Isaac rushed forward and one foot to the right as he awaited the result. Whoosh! The attack, though did not strike Isaac, he could feel the pressure of the attack pass by his left shoulder, almost like a strong breeze. "Mizu Myakudō!" And now was the risky part of the attack. Dipping and "rolling" his shoulder down and now to the left, Isaac shifted his weight to the opposite side before utilizing Soru once more as he pushed off the left. Again, the attack simply "breezed" by his right shoulder this time; confirming in Isaac's mind that the "Water Pulse" was an attack that moved in a linear fashion. Armed with this information, Isaac pressured forward once more, using Soru another three times to rapidly close the remaining distance on his foe; each time dipping and rolling to the opposing side, almost zig-zagging his way towards the ever confused fishman.

"Mizu Myakudō!"

Irritated, and possibly desperate, the fishman launched his attack once more having seen the white blur of Isaac's jacket a mere foot away from him; hoping to catch him once more. Isaac, however, had seen the windup of the attack several times at this point and quickly recognized the attack; the short back step, the tensing of the right scaled arm, the heavy, forward stomp that preceded the thrust. The attack was almost boring at this point, making it almost second nature to avoid.

Crack!
"Uggh!"

Seeing the attack and dodging the "Water Pulse" with the use of Soru once more, Isaac now stood to the fishman's right side, his entire side exposed to Isaac as he had launched his final desperate attack. Left open from the powerful thrust, Isaac capitalized with his own powerful right hook, stiffening the fishman as he fell backwards and lying still and lifeless as the drug induced young boy he fell down next to.

"Phew, thanks for the advice. I'm Isaac."

Never one to forget those that had helped him, Isaac extended a grateful and professional hand out to his "fellow" Marines.

SPOILER: Click to show

{OC Colors}
Saifer - #007299
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 7

Moments after Pluto’s verbal advice to the marine officer, the provoked fishman, who couldn’t figure out how a pebble attacked him, began channeling his frustration towards the man. The two of them began continued their fight once again, but while the man may have seemed to have listened to the boy at first, the soldier’s actions showed no signs of taking on such advice. Over and over again, the man continuously dodged and evaded, slowly shortening the distance towards the amphibious foe.

Soru. Soru. And more Soru. It seemed all he could do was evade. If the man had a better idea than the one given to him, such a plan was not apparent. At this point, Pluto began to question if he had overestimated him. If this man hadn’t utilized any technique beyond Soru and Kami-e after all this time, could it be that this officer hadn’t mastered Rokushiki to an advanced level?

An incomplete fighting style, it was as if this man had a very small arsenal for offense and had dedicated his time focusing primarily on honing two techniques that were mainly good for maneuverability and evasion.

However, the marine officer wasn’t the only combatant that had a small arsenal as the fishman continuously released the same technique over and over again. Did the fishman only know that one technique? Could it be that he hadn’t mastered Fishman Karate to an advanced level?

Watching these two individuals fight was like watching a battle between two one-trick ponies. Neither could really adapt to the situation and could only do one thing. One kept attacking with the exact same technique as the other kept dodging.

They’re both wasting so much energy.

There seemed to be one deciding factor. Unlike the fishman, this marine officer at least had a calm and composed mindset. As the fishman arrogantly looked down upon humans, the soldier treated his adversary as a problem to solve by trying to understand the details of his enemy.

Only after the man reached striking range, it took him two hits, a thrust and a hook, to knock out the fishman. He then approached the trio, extending a hand to them.

“Um…,” the boy gazed with a blank face at the outstretched hand, wondering if it would appropriate of him to be pardoned of the tedious, pointless social norms like handshaking when he was in the process of applying pressure to his own wounds.

Ara took notice of this and smiled awkwardly as if wanting to suppress a laugh, and she accepted the handshake with her spare hand while continuing to be the boy’s support, “Hi Isaac. My name is Ara.”

The little girl waved happily and introduced herself, “My name is Rebecca.”

Pluto opened his mouth, uttering a sound as he was right about to speak, “… a-”

“This is my brother, Pluto,” the sister abruptly greeted in his stead without thinking. “Thank you for saving us,” she said politely, partly giggling on the inside.

Closing his mouth, the boy had the expression of someone who had given up on this little social exchange. He hated greetings. He hated handshakes. He hated ties. He hated fake smiles. He hated all the impracticalities associated to socializing. But he at least tried.

Well… I do have a question to ask him…

Golden pupils gazed towards Isaac’s jacket, leading the older girl to ask, “Isaac, what is marine officer like yourself doing on Bupae? I thought this island was independent of the World Government?”

Never mind then… I will just keep my mouth shut.

None of the three ‘travelers’ expected someone like Isaac to be here. The marines weren’t exactly folks they were all too excited to see, and it would be in their best interest to minimize what this man knows about them whenever possible.

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[Lord Bromosalino]

“Um…,” came the rather confused and, honestly, unexcited reply from Pluto. Though, to be fair, he did seem more preoccupied with his own injuries, extensive as they were. His own hands seemed more focused on keeping his abdomen closed, with all of their internal compositions kept inside of him where they belonged. The other two females, however, seemed much less concerned for their friend than Isaac did.

“Hi Isaac. My name is Ara.”
“My name is Rebecca.”

"Fuck, you ok? How can I help?" Gingerly accepting Ara's hand as she extended to meet Isaac's, the former Lieutenant returned Rebecca's smile with his own polite smile. Kneeling down next to Pluto, Isaac immediately began inspecting Pluto's injury, looking for a way to be of some use. And though he was no medic by any stretch, Isaac had been involved in war for the better part of a decade and had certainly seen, and received, his share of injuries. As a result, even he knew the basics of emergency field medical services; in fact, no one had any business on a battlefield if they were unfamiliar with the very most simple of trauma services.

"Pluto, you think you can move?" The steady rain storm was no longer a wet and cold inconvenience and had slowly turned into a mild monsoon, the full brunt of the rain forest's weather tendencies coming to full bear on the inhabitants of the island. Ripping a part of the unconscious fishman's jacket to be used as a sort of gauze, Isaac pressed the makeshift dressing into Pluto's wound. This isn't fresh, this is an old wound, came the silent thought from Isaac. There was something in the way that the wound had opened up, a mixture of scarring and fresh skin confirming it in his mind. Having pressed the material into the wound just enough to stop the bleeding, Isaac wrapped the remainder of the clothe around Pluto's waist. “This is my brother, Pluto. Thank you for saving us," came the grateful reply from the young girl named Rebecca.

With Ara having wrapped one of Pluto's arms around her shoulder, Isaac left the clothe and the wound to Rebecca and delicately picked Pluto up from the other side. "Oh, I did nothing any of you wouldn't have done," Isaac said with a grunt as he helped hoist Pluto to his feet. Truthfully, Isaac never saw anything he did as heroism or an act of bravery. He saw someone in need and did what he could to help. If he was a real hero, he would have been able to prevent the many losses in his life. He was no hero. He was just a man who bled and feared, just like any other.

"Ara, was it? Let's get him out of this rain. We won't be able to treat him in the middle of this downpour." Though his makeshift bandage had done its job for the time being, the Lieutenant knew that it wouldn't hold; the heavy torrent of rain and wind quickly drenching the dressing, threatening to tear it off of the young boy's body. What had caused this level of injury? Was it through Pluto's time as a Marine? Though unlikely, it was certainly plausible. Isaac's own first battle was a full blown civil war at the age of nineteen. In any case, attempting medical services in the middle of such a storm was ill advised, the exposed wounds would not take kindly to the natural elements that would begin to assault the boy. Getting out of the elements, then, was priority number one.

Moving slowly at Pluto's pace, the strange group moved through the city of Bupae as quietly and quickly as they could; another altercation with a "degenerate" was the last thing Pluto's body needed. Once they had found some cover, Isaac would be able to ask some questions of his "fellow Marines." For the time being, those questions could wait. After all, Pluto had not spoken since he had given Isaac advice during the fight, leading Isaac to think that he must have taken substantial injury.

Ara, however, again seemed to be less concerned for Pluto. That, or her own questioning and wonderment was too great to wait. “Isaac, what is marine officer like yourself doing on Bupae? I thought this island was independent of the World Government?” Her golden gaze on Isaac's Marine jacket, the question from the rather thin girl was certainly a fair one. Her own curiosity matched the very same thoughts Isaac was having. However, the way she posed the question made Isaac second guess the trio's involvement and occupation within the Marine organization. Any Marine would be confident of which island was or was not within their scope of influence and control. Maybe only Pluto was a Marine, or that the two females -or at least Ara- were very low ranking, or new, Marines.

"Well Ara," responded Isaac, taking a quick second to readjust Pluto's arm around his shoulder, "I was a Marine Lieutenant. I'm on a sabbatical of sorts, if you will. Just doing some visiting." Whether or not it was wise to be honest about his involvement and motives on Bupae Island, Isaac was, if nothing, a straight shooter and tended to hold the view that even the admittance of a truth was a lie. And that was something Isaac could not tolerate; a man's word was his honor, a testament of their character. "How about you three? Which division are you from?" Raising his own question to the three to in part be polite and in part to make small talk, Isaac kept his eyes scanning for a suitable safe haven.

There. Like many of the businesses Isaac had observed in the city since he had arrived, the "Trocadero" bar was another of the such buildings that had been all but abandoned. Matching the rest of the city, the bar was rundown, decayed, and quiet; its cute and appealing appearance having deteriorated from a lack of proper care mixed with the less than forgiving elements of the island. "Let's get him in there Ara," he instructed, a point from his gloved finger marking the destroyed building from the other adjacent businesses.

SPOILER: Click to show

{OC Colors}
Saifer - #007299
Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe

[BlacKitten]

Pluto - 8

Upon being asked if he could move, Pluto simply gave a small nod. He had an uncomfortable and reserved expression as Isaac proceeded to analyze his wounds before pressing a ripped portion of the fishman’s jacket on top. His expressed discomfort had little to do with the pain and everything to do with being tended to by a stranger he never met before. He didn’t trust this man; he didn’t trust the marines. It had little to do with logic and reasoning and more to do with his negative association with them in the past. But, even if Isaac wasn’t a marine, his attitude towards him would likely remain the same. He had always kept his connections small as it was easier to keep track of.

His brows tensed as this man suddenly began supporting him from the other side, mirroring Ara’s hold on him. This felt extremely awkward. Never had anyone tried supporting him like this. Rarely had he been treated by others. Although he had felt the subconscious urge to lean away from Ara, having this man holding him on his right side acted as an equalizer - like a magnet repelling him back towards the other side.

To him, this was humiliating in so many ways. Being held by Ara and to have her face so close to his caused his heart to throb strangely; being held by Isaac led to danger signals screaming through his cells like a mental siren warning him of this unfamiliar touch. His muscles itched to react as he had to put in the conscious effort to not throw this man away. The sensation of his limb being held led to his reflexes in wanting to avoid having his joints being controlled, yet Ara’s touch did not produce that effect on him.

With his arm wrapped around the man’s shoulder, his muscles screamed to him, desperately wanting to change positions into an advantageous one. It felt like his limbs had their own intent that he must combat. His arm wanted to wrap around the man’s neck to choke him. His fingers wanted to rip out his trachea. His knee wanted to smash him. His foot wanted to snap his knee joint. Every part of his body held their own hostile intention in order to ward of this foreign sensation, yet he mustered the restraint to withhold his instinctual reflexes.

It was strange. He had no bloodlust or ill-intent towards his man. But his body felt differently. His body remembered the culmination of battles, sensitive to the microscopic forces upon contact. He felt this man’s muscles. He felt the potential of his physical strength that flirted with the cusp of superhuman prowess. The ability to listen to someone’s energy was akin to how grapplers could fight each other without sight, doing so through physical contact.

With Ara, he felt warmth. Smooth, tender hands holding him. Her energy was delicate and soft like cotton.

Meanwhile, Rebecca followed directly behind her brother, feeling a bit left out. With the older girl and this Marine Lieutenant supporting Pluto, she felt a bit peeved, a feeling which she hid from showing. She wanted to help her brother too, but now his other side was taken by this man.

“Division?” The girl gave a sidelong glance towards the man. “We were low on supplies and thought about restocking on this island,” she gave an honest reason that they three of them genuinely had.

Upon being taken inside of an abandoned, decaying bar, there was a scent of old moist wood inside. With a small tug, Ara pulled Pluto even closer to her.

The boy tilted his head away, feeling oddly close to her face. Again, his heart kept thumping at a strange rhythm.

Do I… have a heart disease? No. Maybe this is a fight or flight response.

”Isaac, thank you for helping us, but I’ll take care of him from here on. Pluto can be shy around strangers.”

The boy twitched his head, veins bulging at his temple at being labeled as shy.
The girl grabbed and reeled him towards one of the tables. She gently pushed him to sit while seated slightly behind him as if wanting to hide herself. Leaning close to his left ear, she whispered with a tint of pink showing on her cheeks, “Pluto… can I…”

“?” The injured one felt his cloak being grabbed as Ara wrapped one side of around herself like a blanket. “Wha-!?” He lurched away, feeling like his heart was going to burst for some reason, but as he glimpsed in her direction, he slowly figured out what the problem was. The silk, white dress that she wore was soaked from the rain and was becoming somewhat see-through. He began to realize that she wanted to cover herself using his cloak.

I’ll just… give her my cloak.

But before Pluto could slip away, his little sister briskly snatched his right arm and snuck inside his cloak as if wanting to mirror Ara’s gestures.

Why!?

There was another reason for his discomfort. Receiving affection from others in front of a stranger was embarrassing. At a time like this, he just wanted to shrink away and disappear. Shrink into a little bat and hide. But, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to let Isaac know that he was a Devil Fruit user.

“Pluto…,” Rebecca whimpered. “Are you… okay?”

“Tsk,” he turned his glance forward. “All three of you are overreacting. I’m fine. I can stop the blood loss. The problem is that I don’t have the means to replenish my strength.”

“Ah!” The sister brightened up, “So in other words, you’re hungry!”

---

Pluto - #8452bb
Rebecca - #00fffb
Ara - #ffdcbe