"Rocky Start" WH Recruitment Thread

[donnervark]

“Werner! Get the hell over here!” Missy nearly jumped out of her shoes when her manager shouted her name.

“Yes sir!” She squeaked and made her way through the tables and various patrons drinking away their woes to get to her boss. With her petite frame it was easier for her to move than the other waitresses, unfortunately petite seemed to get a lot of attention, and she had to fend off several wandering hands as she traveled. He was waiting for her at his register, with a somewhat uncomfortable look on his face. Though, given his face already looked like a cross between a wild boar and a pineapple, this might be considered an improvement.

“Good. Nice hustle. I’ve got a job for you….and it may or may not end up unpleasant.” Mr. Backs, though he wasn’t obese, her boss was by no means slim. He had an odd shape to his frame, with a large amount of weight settling right around his midsection, while the rest was fairly average. He shifted his weight and came around the register to place a letter in her hands. She looked back up to him.

“You want me to deliver this? Doesn’t the mailman come by here?” She asked curiously. He just grunted and shook his head.

“No dear. This is going to room 315.” Missy’s skin was a very deep bronze, from long hours spent outdoors as a child. But she almost went white at his order. Her boss must have seen her discomfort, and held up his hands. “Don’t worry. I’m not sending a fifteen year old to work the clientele. But the tenant has left us somewhat short-handed thanks to last night, and this message is to be sent to her right away, as per her request.”

“Ah…thank you…b.but…” She tried to think of a way around this. That woman terrified her. Some of the girls thought her fair skin was attractive, but something about her frightened Missy terribly.

“I know lass. Just get it in to her and come back down. She wont do anything, not unless she wants the Marines storming her room!” He then patted her shoulder and shot off to greet a new guest. Meanwhile, his reassurances were a little comforting, and with a deep breath she set off on her task. It only took a moment to get upstairs to the Noble Suite. She didn't know why it was called that, as she'd never heard of a Noble actually staying in it. Nevertheless, she knocked on the door lightly, hoping maybe the woman was still asleep. Her hopes were dashed when a voice beckoned her to enter.

“Hello? Miss? I have…” Missy opened the door and peaked her head through. The suite looked as though a tornado had been left its mark. An inn-table was knocked over, emptied bottles of booze and wine were scattered about, and the bed linens were just about everywhere except the actual bed. In fact, the only things left on the bed, was a very thin sheet, and five of the seven waitresses this building employed. Missy's face flushed and she turned her attention to the tenant, who was sitting in a chair, angled to look out the window, while keeping the door in view. She was a massive woman, standing well over most men she'd met, and completely dwarfing herself. Her figure was strong, powerful, and very well-toned, though she retained a very striking appearance overall, and extremely exotic in comparison to the people of Zarzara. Her almost white skin stood out the most, but her white hair and eyes didn't help her case. If she were of a normal height, she'd pass easily as a soldier of some sort, but as things stood, it was more believable that she was a monster of some kind. The woman had a leg draped lazily over the other knee, and she wore only a long red jacket without sleeves, and thankfully, she'd tied a sash around the waist, making it easier for Missy to address her.

“Have something for me doll?” Her presence was a bit overwhelming, so Missy just held out the letter. The woman stood up and covered the distance between them, taking her message and tearing it open. Standing this close to her Missy started to shake. She barely came up to the bottom of this womans bust, if she had any ill intent at all, there was nothing Missy could do about it. All of a sudden the woman laughed out loud. Missy winced, but was taken by surprise when her hand was grabbed, and a pile of gold coins were dropped in her palm. She looked up in surprise.

“Do me a favor and take this down to your boss. Tell him I’m staying another day, and would like all the same conveniences.” The woman’s expression was all positive, and showed no kind of ill-will. On top of this she dropped another three coins down Missy's blouse before she could react. “And that is for your troubles. Now run along. I've got an appointment to keep….and I'm not quite finished with your co-workers yet….hehe.” The petite girl swallowed hard and went flush again, seeing the stirring forms of her older friends. Not wanting to hear or see any more she stuttered out an uneasy thank you, and sped from the room. After she was gone, Singanna stretched out with a groan and a smile then held up the paper again.

“Miss Oda. Your ship is prepared, all the requested modifications have been made, and it is ready to sail with the tide. We have found a temporary crew with the necessary skills to handle deck work and basic upkeep. Of course you know that if questioned, we did not build this ship, nor did we provide it to you. Our company is by no means affiliated with Pirates or other individuals deemed criminal by the Marines, whom we support. Please use your new ship responsibly, and you may claim ownership at noon today. Thank you for your business. Sincerely, the Zarzara Shipbuilders Association.”

“And finally the first step is made.” With that she turned her attentions back to the occupants of her bed. “I'm sorry ladies. But I've got an appointment to keep. I'm sure we can pick this up tonight." With that she moved to retrieve her clothing. There's gonna be plenty to celebrate.

[ambrose]

What a horrible mess Ambrose has gotten himself into. A couple weeks ago he was enjoying himself in East Blue, creating a massacre unlike any other. Thugs, marines, civilians...none had been free from his bloodlust. However, his time there had been short lived. He went out to sea on a small boat, comparable to a dingy. He planned on travelling alone until he found a crew worth him joining. However, while out at sea, his boat was hauled in by a pirate crew of digusting cretins. They had been in the town Ambrose had ravaged, and were all too ecstatic to capture the man that caused them so much trouble. Beaten and captured, Ambrose sat in the ship's brig, barely kept alive. His weapons kept somewhere in the ship, so he couldn't attack anyone. It was a truly dissatisfying experience. It wasn't like he had much choice though. If Ambrose had gotten out of the brig and taken over the ship, he'd be stuck in the middle of the ocean on a ship he'd be unable to sail on his own. So sitting in the brig waiting to see if he would be killed or handed in for bounty, Ambrose contemplated on his actions that got him in this situation in the first place.

The ship that Ambrose was on would eventually stop on an island in the South Blue. By that time, it was rather early in the morning, and Ambrose was a bit weak from needing nourishment. Most of the crew headed out into town, leaving the ship with minimum security. One was a barely conscious drunk that was sent to bring Ambrose his minimum rations to keep him alive. Normally, they don't go opening the cage, but the drunkard was not thinking straight. Opening the cage to bring the food to Ambrose, a malicious grin crossed his face. Standing and bum rushing the pirate, it was not hard to over power him. Freely attacking was a bit difficult since his hands were strained, but a jump and getting his hands from behind him to in front of him made it a lot easier. A choking and key snatching later, Ambrose would be free to move about and figure out his next move. First he quickly downed what little he was given, which helped a bit. He could find more food later. While a horrible excuse for a weapon, the pirate he killed has a sword that could be used to take on the remainder of those on board. He would head up to the top take, easily slashing through them. Oh how untrained pirates went down without a real fight. But that was a thought for another time. Ambrose would head into the Captain's quarters, finding his guns and sword. After gearing back up and taking all the money he could find on the ship and corpses, Ambrose would leave the ship to explore a bit.

Ambrose needed to find a smith for new ammo, get a bite to eat, and figure out where he was. At the dock, Ambrose would notice a strange group working on a ship, and pirates arguing with them. From what he could overhear, the pirates wanted to buy the ship, but the workers were not selling it. Ambrose couldn't care less about the tinkerings of low grade pirates, but the shp was definitely one that piqued Ambrose's interest. Once he was done with his errands, he would come back to take a look at the ship. First stop would be a smithery that was spoke highly of. Heading in, he would be greeted by the owner, a large bulky man that seemed like a living tank. "Hello good sir. As I hear it, you're the best smith in town, and I am in need of someone with exceptional skills for a particular order. You'll be paid for your troubles." Ambrose would take out his guns, unloading the clips and placing them on the shop counter. "The rounds in these clips are a bit different than the flintlock balls. If you can make clips full of these, as well as an extra clip that can explode, then you definitely are as great a smith as everyone believes. I'll pay part now, and the rest when I return."

After putting down some of the money he got from the pirates earlier, Ambrose would leave to go find food. His bullets wouldn't be done for a while, so he needed to continue on in the meantime. Normally, he preferred to craft his own ammo and weapons, but today was a special case. Ambrose would head into a diner and take a seat, with a female waitress taking care of him. "A lovely woman on such a great day." Ambrose would order some food and strong booze, also asking the waitress to take a seat so he could ask her some things when she brought out his meal. It would take a bit, but his food would come, and the waitress would sit since today was rather slow. "Good. The place has amazing food and drink. I'm impressed by the quality...But now for the questions. I'm not from anywhere near this island, and have no idea where I am. About as lost as a person can get. Please tell me as much as you can about this place." While Ambrose ate, he would learn that he was on an island in the South Blue, a place called Zarzara island. Nowhere near as grand as Loguetown, but for being a smaller place, it was decent. A place where both marines and pirates were, so it was a dangerous island. When he finished eating, he would pay for his meal, as well as leave a generous tip. "For being so helpful. A lady needs to be able to treat herself." He would leave feeling satisfied. His ammo was being crafted, he got his nourishment, and now he knew where he was. A bit of a ways off from where he wanted to be, but nothing he could do about it now.

Ambrose would head back to the docks, to see something he was actually not looking forward to. Marines swarming on the docks like cockroaches to food. The food in this case being the ship from earlier. Oh how he would like to pull out his guns and pick them off one by one; however, right now Ambrose only had his sword, which put him at a disadvantage. "Marines are always swarming to put their dirty little hands on what doesn't belong to them. It's disgusting really how they act." He knew that the ship wasn't a navy vessel by both the way it looked, and the fact that he doubted Marines would have ships built here and be swarming around one like they were. Was it a recently built pirate ship? Pirates were trying to get their greasy hands on it. Whatever was with this ship, it was worth the effort it would take to figure out what was going on. However, he couldn't just go in killing marines yet. One sword would make it difficult to take on a group of Navy Soldiers.

[Deleted]

A typical sunny evening in the South Blue, the sun shined and the birds sang their songs. The waves were smooth and so was the sailing. It was about thirteen degrees celsius and about fifty five degrees farenheit. The occasional breeze swept through the calm ocean and the fish jumped, the fish was the color of the sea. Without the fish the sea would seem bland and none of those famous cooks could make their famous fish dishes.

Branislav was already awake; it was about five p.m in the evening. Branislav sat down in his canoe, he hardly got any sleep the past few days, he was in a canoe, there was no rooms, there were two seats, each seat could fit two people at the maximum, the ship was made of the finest wood which was a big plus, Branislav knew he wasn't safe in this type of boat but he would have to learn to live with it until another boat finds him or he finds another boat. Branislav sat down on the front seat of the boat, a spoon in his mouth, the spoon was full of soup. Branislav had made some chicken-noodle soup in the morning. It was all Branislav could make at the moment, Branislav's teacher, Lin, had given him a medical kit and some food. Branislav would have to live with that until he got to the next island on his map, the island was Zarzara, Zarzara Island.


Branislav had already studied the island, Branislav always thought two steps ahead. Branislav had read an article about the island. He had already got an idea of what was in store for him.

This is the information that Branislav had acquired about the island. It was just a sketch of the Island's history and what it looked like.

About four hundred years ago, the people of Zarzara Island were looked at with deep pity. After all, they lived on a barren rock of an island, with only sand to eat. Unbeknown to everyone else, however, the inhabitants of Zarzara were enjoying a very cushy life in the arms of their oasis. With the help of their favorable environment, a great kingdom rose up, gaining the attention of the Ciudadela Queendom to the north. The queen of Ciudadela requested a trade relationship with the king of Zarzara because she had heard that their silk was the finest to be found outside of the Grand Line, but the king preferred to remain isolated. Unfortunately for him, the queen wasn't one to take no for an answer. She sent ambassadors and spies into the country who sent back reports of nobles who would suit her purposes. At last, she discovered a young woman named Amina who was very kind and trusting but not very bright. Within a year the old king was toppled and Amina became the Princess of Zarzara, who very much liked to obey her dearest friend the Queen of Ciudadela. The puppet monarchy continued for many generations, with the Ciudadela Queendom receiving all of Zarzara's exports for practically no fee, until the dynasty of princesses was ousted and a senate of scholars took their place. The scholars continue to oversee the growth of Zarzara Island into a true power in South Blue. Although it was the Queen of Ciudadela who financed the building of the canal leading into the city, the scholars are responsible for maintaining and expanding it.

Branislav had also heard that a variety of fruits and vegetables grew on Zarzara Island, he would stack up on those for his next journey. He would also gather some of this so called 'oasis' water. Legend has it that it is able to speed up the process of injuries to make it faster to get back into action.

Shortly after Branislav had finished his bowl of soup he laid it down near his bag, he looked out into the distance and saw an island, it looked larger than others, a desert surrounded the village and the temperature started increasing. You couldn't mistake it, it was Zarzara Island. Branislav stood up and studied it, it was just as he imagined it to be.

As Branislav got closer to the island he started thinking of how to dock the canoe, shortly after he spotted a dock, many people were working there, Branislav decided to dock his canoe secretly, Branislav secretly docked it and hopped off, acting as if he was a typical, average joe and walked away.

As soon as Branislav had done that he headed for the small village, as Branislav walked there, he noticed the island had unique, both, flora and fauna.

Most animals that live on Zarzara Island are quite small due to the scorching hot weather. Many donkeys and camels are kept for travel from one place to another. Almost each residence owns a cat or dog, most animals are domesticated except for some stray dogs and cats.

Once the village was in the sight of the naked eye, Branislav studied the village.

The city is made up of at least three generations; extended family is a way of life, so houses tend to be large. The houses that aren't large are overcrowded. The buildings are multi-storied and white plaster with flat blue and purple roofs. The largest indicator of a neighborhood is that washing lines will be strung between windows across the street, and heavy curtains will be drawn over every window. The Spice District and Silk District share neighborhoods. Branislav looked forward to this adventure for a while.

Branislav would have liked to slip away from the island with no trace of himself left, but he is not the luckiest man in the world.

Branislav set foot in the city and took a long, brief yawn. He was very hungry and needed to quench his thirst or he'd die from both starvation and dehydration. Branislav walked up to a local civilian and asked the man where a bar was. The man pointed to the west without saying a word, the man did not seem as if he was the shiniest apple in the bag, it almost seemed as if he was illiterate. Branislav headed west, taking in his surroundings, it was very beautiful but too hot for Branislav's liking. About ten minutes after walking Branislav spotted the bar, many drunks walked out and Branislav walked in. He ordered a small meal and sat down at his table. The place was full.

The bars wall was made of old wood, the chairs and tables were made of wood. The silverware was made of the normal materials your average plate was made of. Overall, the bar was rather old and was not neat at all. The smell of pork made Branislav's saliva start building up. Branislav waited for his turn and then ordered a small meal of meat and sake. He sat at his wooden table with two drunks, telling stories of them and their criminal acts. Branislav enjoyed listening to them, he didn't let out any smiles though, they didn't question him either.

About five minutes later a gang had entered the bar, it consisted of six lean men, they didn't look well built but carried guns and cutlasses. One man shot his pistol up into the air while the other men guarded that man. Branislav watched the commotion as the five men advanced towards the counter of the bar. They demanded a weeks supply of food.

"Listen you ugly old ass. Give us a weekly amount of food, or our boss will have you on his list of to kill!"


The older man stared at the other men in fear, he was old, with gray hair falling down to his neck, he had brownish eyes and a crooked smile. He wore a long robe and pants, he also wore two leather shoes.

"B-But, I-I can't, if I give you that my shop will close down the next day!"

The men let out a gruesome laugh and one man held a pistol up to the man's head, Branislav tensed and decided to step in, the bar was silent and was watching the incident.

"What do you wish to achieve from hurting an elderly man?"

[donnervark]

Oda made her way from her room with fire in her step and her jacket over her shoulder. Everything she'd worked for was about to pay off, and her real destiny waited somewhere on the other side of said payday. With a ship and a crew the would-be conquerer could make her way to the Grand Line. But even that still required a good deal of effort to achieve. She ignored almost everything around her as she left the inn, save for the blushes and smiles of the waitresses here at the Diving Seaman, those she relished. It was in her nature to enjoy conquest of all kinds, both in battle and the bedroom. Nevertheless, she was on a mission. Upon leaving the building Oda threw on her jacket and tied the white sash around her waist, drawing the eyes of many a passerby. The attention was satisfying, but it did not slow her, and in a short time she found her way to the Docks where her ship was waiting.

Or rather, it should have been. Oda could already tell something was wrong when she saw a mob growing near her ships pier, and several of the dockworkers being hauled off in shackles by marines. A fire stirred in her blood as she quickened her pace and began prematurely cursing the heavens should this commotion have the slightest to do with her vessel.

"Get back! This dock is hereby closed by the order of the Marines and the World Government! Its workers are suspected of providing ships and supplies to pirates. SO GET BACK OR WE'LL LOCK YOU UP FOR OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE!" A loud voice boomed over the mob, and several people were sent running out of fear. Oda could see over their heads, and saw the low ranking Lieutenant who was barking the orders. He was a strong looking man, with long blue hair, carrying a long spear on his back, and was flanked on either side by a large marine carrying heavy rifles. Far more importantly, behind him and down a pier was Oda's ship. And it was crawling with marines. Oda stopped short of the crowd, her vision beginning to pulse as blood rushed to her eyes and her anger started taking over. Her hand moved forward to push some people out of the way, but instead it clenched into a fist. She bit her lip and turned around, using all her will to repress the bloodlust that her anger was magnifying. It took several moments, but she managed to rein herself in, and turned back to the crowd.

"Marines are always swarming to put their dirty little hands on what doesn't belong to them. It's disgusting really how they act."

The voice caught her attention, mostly due to the owner standing out as much as she did. He had pale skin, and also wore a red coat, though his was much heavier, and his head was topped with a matching hat. "Yes. It certainly is." Though he was definitely an outsider, her attentions were drawn back to the ship which she intended to take back. Counting the marines was impossible, as they were everywhere, and surely there were more below decks. If they were all on deck she could handle them, but out in the open, with so many ways to be flanked, a bullet would end her one way or another. She had to wait until nightfall, sneak in under their noses.

"Stupid assholes. That's what they get for holding out on us." Yet another voice distracted her, this one only a few feet away from her, and a very short distance behind the mysterious, red coated stranger. He was a short, hairy man with bright blonde hair, beady eyes, and several ragged looking companions. If she'd ever said someone fit the billet of a Pirate, it was these men. "To think anyone would give a beautiful ship like that to anyone but Captain Grog! Ha! Serves em' right the turds."

"But Dag...ain't it weird that we'd help the Marines by tippin em' off? I mean..." The thinner man behind him was silenced by a quick kick to his shin. But the damage was done, Oda heard everything she needed. This Grog was going to hurt in the very near future for causing her this trouble. "The hell Dag?!" The man growled as he cradled his leg.

"You idiot!" The short man was furious, but spoke in a quiet hiss. "Can't just go sayin shit like that! You wanna get the Marines on the Captain?" The skinny man went white at that last comment.

"No! I didn't...sorry Dag....won't happen again..." The skinny fellow put on a beaten expression, and Dag just shook his head, waved his hand, and motioned for them to follow.

"Whatever. Lets beat it. Just wanted to make sure it got taken anyhow." Every word these men spoke made Oda want to rip them apart more. But the presence of so many marines did not allow her to indulge her bloodlust at the moment. Instead she studied what she could, the Lieutenant, the Marines armaments, and the positions of the guards around the pier. It was infuriating that she had to wait, but she could still take what was hers and leave.

"Lieutenant! All set to sail!" The shout came from aboard her ship. Oda bit her lip and turned around, unable to contain any further anger that was rising. She knew exactly what that statement meant without hearing the Lieutenants response.

"Very well. Commander Tankson will board shortly to accompany you to Enies Lobby. It'll make a fine flagship." Oda started walking. She knew that if she stayed then there was nothing that would stop her from going berserk and attacking. Her heart was pounding like a war drum, and no conviction she could summon would slow that dangerous beat. She had to break something, or meditate....she couldn't think, she could barely breathe. Until she spotted the forms of the men who were talking before.

"Captain Grog...." A terrible purpose settled over her mind, and her feet already began carrying her after Dag and his friends. She had not settled the bloodlust, but intent focused her rage. Oda's long stride caught up to the men quickly, and without any concern or note of the other men in his group, the large woman simply extended a hand past his skinny friend.

"What the? WHOA!" The skinny man fell sideways at the sight of her hand clamping down on Dag's shoulder. Dag screamed, as she was digging in with her powerful fingers. She then dragged him off the street into an alley, his friends too dumbfounded to react immediately.

"LET ME...." Dag did not finish his sentence before she smashed him headfirst into wooden fence. As he fell amongst the splintering boards his friends finally rushed to his aid. Oda turned around, her eyes suddenly cold as ice.

"Demon Wall." She entered her defensive stance, not giving these men the dignity of losing to her true strength. Her feet were planted shoulder width, her body angled towards her attackers, and her right hand held outward. The first lunged at her with a punching dagger. "First Bell." As his blade drove towards her chest she caught his wrist and pulled him along with his momentum. Then with lightning speed she whipped that same hand back across his jaw. The blow knocked him out cold and sent him to the ground like a sack of wet vegetables, a testament to his weakness. The skinny man and another shoddily dressed pirate remained, but both had been stopped by her response. She could see it in their eyes now. They had acted out of instinct, but after seeing their comrade felled in one hit, and fully taking in the sheer size of their opponent, they were fully aware that they couldn't win against her.

"What are you waiting for! KILL HER!" Dag yelled from the ground as he tried to stand, and failed. The other two shook off their fears and charged. They lashed out at her with a tenacious attack, throwing blow after blow at her. But they were sloppy, weak, and undisciplined. She deflected their attacks, swatting their swords by their flat sides or hitting their wrists. The shoddy man tried to kick at her side with a blade hidden in his shoe.

"Second Bell." Oda blocked the strike with her knee, which caused a loud crack that could be heard by anyone near the alley as his shin broke. She then cocked that leg back and hammered it into his chest, sending him flying back out into the street, probably unconscious or worse. Oda then turned to the second man and held out her hand. "You may attack when ready." The skinny man was shaking, unable to move against this opponent. "Attack....or run." The man turned tail and practically sprinted from the alley. Oda hissed, disgusted by his cowardice. She shouted after him. "TELL YOUR MASTER HE'S CALLED A DEMON DOWN ON HIS DOOR! TELL HIM I'M COMING AND DEATH IS ON MY HEELS!" With that she turned back to Dag, who was looking up at her with a terrified expression. She knelt down in front of him, and like a viper going for its prey her hand shot to his throat. "Now Dag. You are going to tell me everything you know about your Captain. His men, their weapons, numbers, location, everything...." She pulled him close, so that he could feel her breath. "....or I'm going to skin you alive and hang you from the Marines flagpole."

[ambrose]

A fine mess today had now turned into. Marines scurrying about like rats, closing the docks completely off. What Ambrose was planning for today was completely out the window now. Now commandeering a ship and making his way to the Grand Line, as least not yet. The man in charge seemed dangerous enough; someone that would give Ambrose a challenge. If he had his guns right now, he'd love to rush in and show those marines what happens when they start swarming. The large marines next to the lieutenant were ranged combatants. Larger guns, though less sophisticated than his own. Still not worth risking his life taking on without a plan. A crowd was forming due to the commotion from the Navy. A public scene....Ambrose could use that to his advantage. He figured that the marines would be wary about shooting into a crowd, though how to use that effectively right now could be difficult. Ambrose also had to account for the fact that he rather stood out from everyone else. This would make him an easy target.

As Ambrose tried to analyze the situation, someone behind him spoke up. He turned to see a large, strong woman who stood out herself. An intriguing person that Ambrose was slightly curious about. She had agreed about his comment regarding the marines. At least there was someone with some sense in this town. Something about the woman made Ambrose think, but right now he had more things to worry about. It was at that moment that some people started speaking; people behind Ambrose. Turning to look at them, he noticed them as the pirates from before. So they had tipped off the marines because they couldn't get hold of the ship from before. That answered plenty of questions for Ambrose. This entire commotion was over the ship being built at the docks. From the sound of the marines, it seemed like the ship would just need some preparing to sail out. Technically, Ambrose could walk away and not get involved. It would make things much easier for him to just let the chaos settle itself and steal a ship when he had a chance. But Ambrose wasn't like that. Trouble was brewing and he was going to jump in to have some fun.

Coming out of his thoughts, Ambrose would notice the woman dragging one of the pirates down an alley, the others following. More fun to be had. Instead of standing around doing nothing, Ambrose would follow to see what would happen. His curiosity always did get the better of him. He would head to the alley, watching the woman overpower the group, while still keeping a firm grip on the one she dragged away. Something had gotten her in a pissed off mood. The pirates aimed to kill her, but to no avail. When one was left to challenge her, the pirate fled, causing her to yell out. Ambrose got a malicious grin when the pirate was running towards him. Simple really' Ambrose would quickly grab his blade and dash forward, slicing down the fleeing pirate. "If you can't stand and fight like a man, then you deserve to die like a beast. Cowardly scum like you isn't fit to call yourself a pirate."

Ambrose would put his blade away, looking at the woman trying to interrogate the last pirate. My my, such an intriguing woman indeed. So fiery when the pirates started speaking about tipping the marines about a ship. One can only assume that by the way your acting, the ship the marines are taking is yours. And from what I've seen, a fine ship indeed." Ambrose didn't really know why he was getting involved, but something inside told him it would be exciting if he continued to delve into what was happening. "Once your done finding out where the people that sold out your ship are, you might wish to consider that you're now in a mess that's tricky to get out of. Seems like some real fun is gonna happen, and the marines aren't gonna enjoy it. Hope you don't mind if I join in on the fun for now." He knew that with marines holding down the docks and this woman asking where the pirates were, a good plan was needed.

So many challenges. First, one person against a crew of pirates; even with someone as skilled as Ambrose was figuring she was based on what he saw, it still put the one attacker at a disadvantage. Once that challenge as dealt with, then would come fighting off marines. He was sure they'd be none too willing to just give up a ship. That would be a battle worth fighting in. He figured the woman would sail off on her ship at first chance. Would she even be able to sail a ship like that on her own? So many things running through Ambrose's head as he stood there. Ambrose truly ended up on the right island at the right time.

[Deleted]

"What do you wish to achieve from hurting an elderly man?"

All attention turned towards Branislav as he stood up, he towered most of the gang except for the main man, the main man had a black stubble and shot, black hair, cut clean. He wore a loose fitting t-shirt and track-pants with leather shoes. The leather shoes looked very dirty, the man had eyes that were the darkest of black. The other men wore special uniforms, black and white stripes with an almost identical hat to Santa's but it was black and white. Two of the men had old and rusty pistols, the other two men in the far back had katanas. The head man did not have any sort of weapon, it seemed like he was a fist-fighter. Branislav did not want to get caught up in a mess like this, but these fools were bullies, something he could not tolerate, whether it was a small incident of bullying or a big incident.

The men cocked their pistols towards Branislav's head, they walked up to Branislav in an almost gangster type of style. They stared eye to eye, Branislav and the taller man. Branislav tried to sooth his nerves, after all, he was only an average human and average humans did not have a very good sense of battle.

"Oi Punk, think you're a big shot? Eh, what do you have in connection with this old man? Anyway, you've interrupted with us, the members of the Steel Hand pirates? You won't be on our bosses to kill list. You'll be dead here."

Branislav did not say much, he simply processed the situation through his head and thought of different ways this could end. Endless possibilities he thought, but he knew one thing, he'd never die to these scum. Branislav knew he could not stand around with two guns cocked up to his forehead, his brains would be blown out. He knew he'd have to make the first move with five people surrounding him, he wasn't the notorious Monkey D. Luffy or Eustass Kidd. He'd have to do something and he was going to do it right here.

"Renja Senden."

Branislav pulled out his Nagant M1895, changing the resolve of his gun, Branislav could change the effect of the bullet. Switching to a more concussive effect he fanned the hammer rapidly releasing all his shots in a single second, there were seven shots in the gun, four of them hit one man with the pistol on the left and three hit the man with the pistol on the right. The two men with the sword ran towards Branislav, the main man stood and watched, people started to evacuate and people in the kitchen hid. One man came rushing towards Branislav and tried slashing him, Branislav ducked and sweep kicked the man. The other man came to Branislav and Branislav engaged in close combat with his sword, Blue Light. They engaged in close combat until Branislav made his move.

"Dance of Silent Swords."


Branislav pulled out his other sword, Purple Light and followed up with an onslaught of hits with both of his katanas, after around twenty seconds of close combat he kicked the man in the chest, sending him to the ground. Branislav went to stab Blue Light into the man's chest but the man kicked Branislav, sending him flying into a wall. Branislav got back up shortly and then quickly reloaded his pistol, the same man came charging back at him. Branislav quickly cocked the pistol towards the man and shot him, right in the chest. Sending the man to the next life. The next swordsman came rushing at him, kicking him into the wall again. The wall slowly breaking apart. The main man decided to finally step in, it seemed as if he was loading his gun over there, that took him a while. The man fired consecutive shots, Branislav thought quickly and spotted a fridge nearby. He turned the fridge around, like you would turn around a ballerina, the bullets hitting the refrigerator. Then following up with a shot of his own, hitting the man with the sword in the forehead, also sending him to the next life.

"Jumping Assault."

Branislav started to gain speed, charging at the main leader, after gaining a good speed he propelled himself into the air, when he was landing he jumped off a nearby table and kicked the man's face in mid-air, sending him to the ground, blood advancing out of his mouth. Branislav held the man at swordpoint, his sword up to his neck. The man was trembling in fear, the man was thinking what he could do in this situation. The man took in his surroundings and spotted a nearby pan. He reached for the pan but Branislav knocked the pan away. The two men stared at one and other, Branislav grinned slyly and then threw his katana into the man's chest. The man died and a large gasp came from the crowd. Branislav moved all the bodies to one side of the bar and then walked up to the chef.

"Who were these men sir?"

Branislav pulled out his pencil and notepad, writing down notes carefully.

"S-Sir, they were members of the notorious gang on this island, the Steel Hand pirates. They take food from us monthly, if we do not hand it over they kill us. They've already taken my wife sir,"

The man shed a tear as he continued to speak and give information about this so called, Steel Hand Pirates.

"They are planning to leave the island in two days, they already have plans of taking away a ship that was ordered by other rookie pirates,"


Branislav wrote some notes in his notepad, as soon as Branislav had gathered all the information he needed he gave the man some of his beri, the man declined the beri and gave him back the beri, he then handed over a bag of beri as a sign of respect.

"Take it, you've saved me today. Thank you."


Branislav nodded and then threw the bodies outside of the bar.

"Tell the members of the Steel Hand gang to look for Branislav Ivanovich."


With that said, Branislav left the restaurant. The chef told Branislav to head for the docks, that is where the ship would be and tonnes of items would be sold there. Branislav headed toward the docks. When he had reached the docks he noticed marines were everywhere, they were on each and every ship, inspecting each ship. It seemed as if something had happened here.

Branislav had heard screams coming from an alley, Branislav turned his attention towards the incident and walked towards the screams. He spotted the same men with the white and black outfits, a large women like beast and a intimidating looking man, interesting. Branislav hid for the while and listened to the intimidating man speak, he saw the man kill the last man. Both of them looked very intimidating. Branislav thought of what to say and appeared from the shadows.

"Are you part of the Steel Hand gang, if not, what do you have against them, I had just met them in a restaurant, I had taken it five of them. These men are causing a ruckus everywhere."

Branislav kept his guard up, he didn't want to die cause of a giant and a intimidating looking man. He'd just wait to see their next moves.

Would they take him as an ally or an enemy?

[donnervark]

"You stupid bitch! I ain't telling you anything." Dag growled at Oda. She had to admit, at least he had a little fire in him. "You messed up! Once my pal gets back to the ship, our Captain is going to turn you into paste! Ha! You are so dead you bitch! You may as well start running now! Cause he'll hunt you to the New World! AND IT WON'T SAVE YOU! HAHAHA...." Oda let the little man rant, let him get it off his chest, considering he probably would never talk again after she was done with him. But his laughter was cut short by a scream coming from the entrance of the alley. Oda stood up, lifting Dag up with her as she turned to face whomever was intruding. Interestingly enough it was the tall man from before. He was already addressing her as Dag's crewmate fell to the ground, dead before he hit the dirt. His action did not loosen her guard, there was no telling who this mysterious man really was, though it did tell her one very important thing....that he had no issue with killing.

"Yes. That ship was....IS mine." She looked back to Dag, still hanging from her hand, trying desperately to keep balanced on his toes. "THIS...little shit is about to tell me everything I need to know...aren't you Daggy-babe?" The strangers next words came as a bigger surprise. "You want to join me?" She gave him a good, hard look over, then dropped Dag to the ground. A few strides closed the distance between them, and she was standing within arms reach. She stared for a moment, gauging him. Even though most would say judging a book by its cover was dangerous, there was still much one could learn from appearances. She had what she needed though, and his offer was indeed interesting. Especially since he was mostly interested in this fight for the fun of it. She smiled. "Alright. I could use an extra hand, and at least I know you aren't worried about these asshats human rights." That last line she said while nodding towards the dead man behind him.

"Son of a bitch!" Dag finally recovered from being choked, and started ranting again. "He'll still find out!" He grinned, laughing in what he must have thought to be a sinister fashion, though it just came off as pathetic. "You! You just added yourself to the list!" He said pointing at the new man. "Both of you are gonna get good and dead!" Singanna hissed and spun around, landing a kick squarely to his chest. She was careful not to put to much force into it, but he was still lifted off his feet and thrown right back into the ruined fence from before.

"YOU SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP WHILE GROWN UPS ARE TALKING!" Oda bellowed.

"Are you part of the Steel Hand gang, if not, what do you have against them, I had just met them in a restaurant, I had taken five of them. These men are causing a ruckus everywhere." Oda's eyes rolled up in her head as yet another distraction severely tested her patience, but as her anger rose, realization sank in.

"Steel hands?" Oda turned back to Dag. "Is that you? Are you guys the Steel Hands?" The man groaned, unable to speak at the moment. She walked over and dragged him up so she could search him. It took a moment, but she found a sash hidden under his shirt with a grey hand print on it, crossed by two cutlasses. She growled again, this time deeper and tossed him to the side, where he bounced off the wall and rolled back across the ground, groaning the whole way. Oda's intention had always been to name her crew the White Hands. Now she really had to destroy this crew. She turned to this newcomer. He looked as out of place as both she and the mystery man did. But if he was speaking the truth, he had already made an enemy of her enemy.

"No. We are not Steel Hands. THIS LITTLE SHIT!" Oda gave Dag another light kick to his side. "Is one of them. And they are responsible for my losing the ship I've WORKED MY WHOLE DAMNED LIFE TO GET!" That was it. Too much was going on, too many new faces, and she temporarily lost it. In a second Dag was back in the air and being slammed into the wall. "TALK YOU LITTLE STAIN. OR I AM GOING TO SCAR THESE MEN FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES WITH THE SOUND OF YOUR SCREAMS." This time her true rage must have shown through, because Dag began flooding her with information. He told her everything she asked, and she learned much. Their ship was hidden away in a secret dock disguised as a group of warehouses right off the islands main channel. It wasn't even that far away. They were sixty men, mostly normal guys who's greatest threat was their guns. But the Captain, Dag said he was invincible. He had a power, maybe a Devil Fruit, maybe not. No one, not even the first mate knew the specifics. But apparently, no one had ever seen the Captain bleed before. They left sentries outside, but not that many to avoid the Marines suspecting anything. Once she was finished she dropped Dag to the ground and took a deep breath. "Good....very good.....now...I'm going to leave you alive...." Dag looked up at her with a hopeful expression. "...as an example. I want everyone to look at you and know exactly what waits for them if they make me an enemy." Dag tried to get up, struggling with grunts and gargled moans of desperation. Her left hand caught his shoulder and lifted him up once more.

"CRIMSON PALM." With all her strength and skill she threw her most powerful blow squarely into his chest. As her hand moved through the air she spun it, focusing the dramatic impact of her palm-strike entirely into the space of her hand. Dag never even screamed. His eyes just glazed over and he flew back, embedding his figure into the brick wall behind him. Where her hand struck him his clothing was gone, and the shape of her hand was imprinted in his skin, which bled profusely for the moment. It would scar horribly, and never fade completely. But with that she turned back to the men nearby. She looked at the new one first, taking a better gauge of him. He looked fit, though his heavy clothing covered much of his body.

"You. I intend to burn these bastards down, and I'm going to take their ship, as compensation for the one they stole from me. Come if you like but be warned, once I start fighting I have no intention of stopping until every Steel Hand is dead, and my banner flies from their mast." With that she turned and started heading towards the hidden docks, whether they followed her or not. Hell, if they turned out strong, they might make good men for her crew.

[ambrose]

The more Ambrose stood there, the more he was enjoying what he was seeing. The woman admitted to the ship being hers, which explained the violent ranting. The pirate scum caught in this woman's clutches wouldn't standing a chance. It was amusing, though, to see him speaking with such a forked tongue. Ambrose wanted to cut out this man's tongue and then shove it down his throat, but it probably wasn't the best idea. The woman wanted information, and probably wasn't going to stop until she got it. So much to read about this woman, and none of it the least bit boring. This woman seemed ready to spill the blood of an entire crew, and Ambrose was all for that. A chance to take on an entire crew of pirates, makes them squeal like pigs before killing them? He couldn't ask for a better adventure right now. It would be a bit difficult since he only had his sword right now, but he would make due. For right now, though, gathering information was more important. He didn't need to butt into that part since the woman seemed to have a handle on things, including the dirtbag's life.

It was then that another stranger came to the party, making Ambrose all the more curious. The new man presented some information, which would be helpful. The Steel Hand Pirates huh? By this man's word, they were causing trouble everywhere in town. All the more reason to go on a bloody hunt. After that bit of info, the woman continued her bloodthirsty rant before the cockroach of a man began spilling information on the Steel Hands. A group of 60 lower life forms led by a captain that may have a strange power. Ambrose didn't really care for the 60 pirates that would go down without him breaking a sweat. The mysterious captain, however, sounded like a challenge worth pursuing. "Well now, this pirate captain does sound like a worthwhile opponent. I hope he's as strong as you claim he is." Taking down a pirate captain could help boost notoriety, which helped raise bounties. The more that he was able to take down, the more feared he would be in the world.

After the woman pretty much destroyed the thug without killing him, she turned to Ambrose and the other guy. She planned on killing the entire crew, taking their ship, and raising her flag it. The true way for a pirate to think. "Well, if you're planning on destroying the entire crew, I think I'll come along. I'll enjoy showing these pathetic virmen how real pirates fight. Make them suffer and scream before ripping their lives away. I'll come along, but first I need to stop somewhere. Have a special order to pick up that I need for battle." Ambrose would head over to the smith to get his guns. When he arrived, he was actually surprised that his order had been complete. Ammo done perfectly, and his explosive rounds. "I'm impressed; a work of art if I do say so myself. I'll make sure they don't go to waste." Ambrose would pay for his ammo and then leave, heading to the hidden docks where the party was sure to begin.

[Deleted]

"Are you part of the Steel Hand gang, if not, what do you have against them, I had just met them in a restaurant, I had taken it five of them. These men are causing a ruckus everywhere."


"Steel Hands?"

They mysterious lady turned to the way smaller and thinner man, the man was brutally beaten up and had blood pouring from his legs, his clothes were torn, it seemed the mysterious lady had done enough damage.

"Is that you? Are you guys the Steel Hands?"


The man spoke to the tall lady, he was groaning while speaking, proving he was a pathetic wannabe pirate who has not trained enough. The women lifted up the man's shirt, under the man's shirt was a crest, a crest of a pirate crew, a grey hand print and two cutlasses intersecting on top of the grey hand print. The women let out a menacing, let's say, growl, a filthy rat she was, Branislav would not dare say that though. He was smart enough to know he could outsmart and was faster than her, but one swipe from her hand could probably knock Branislav out cold. The women then turned her gaze to Branislav, Branislav tensed, but then she looked away fast which relieved Branislav.

"No. We are not Steel Hands. THIS LITTLE SHIT!,"

The lady gave the tiny man a kick to the side of the left leg.

"Is one of them. And they are responsible for my losing the ship I've WORKED MY WHOLE DAMNED LIFE TO GET!"

Losing your ship is one thing Branislav thought, but if she really had worked her whole life to purchase the ship that she had claimed was hers, then, that was a whole different thing. Branislav stood there with a plain, emotionless face, he was feeling amusement inside though. Branislav turned his gaze back to the scene and right when he turned his gaze the smaller man was up in the air, both Branislav and the other man that seemed to aid the mysterious women was also amazed, but the other man was grinning. The women slammed him into the wall.

"TALK YOU LITTLE STAIN. OR I AM GOING TO SCAR THESE MEN FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES WITH THE SOUND OF YOUR SCREAMS."

Branislav wrote a note to himself in his notepad, never mess with this woman due to her high amount of rage.

As soon as the woman yelled at the man, showing her true rage and loud mouth, he started to spew information, Branislav had a laugh stored up inside of him, now was not the time to let it out. Branislav wrote what the man was able to spew out, it seemed that the ship that the woman claimed her own was disguised as a group of warehouses right off the islands main channel. The man had also said that the captain of the crew was invincible, he had some type of power, nobody knew what it was. You don't know your captains true power? Pathetic scum.

"Good....very good.....now...I'm going to leave you alive...."

The man seemed a bit more happier, maybe because of hearing her saying those words. Branislav seemed surprise, leave him alive?

"...as an example. I want everyone to look at you and know exactly what waits for them if they make me an enemy."

The man got up, struggling.

"CRIMSON PALM."


The woman seemed to put all the strength and skill she had into the powerful blow. As her hand moved through the air she spun it, focusing the dramatic impact of her palm-strike entirely into the space of her hand.

The man's eyes just glazed over and he flew back. The shape of her hand was imprinted in his skin, which bled continuously for the moment. Branislav expected the scar to improve a bit but not a lot, a faint image of a scar would be there. The women was definitely some type of kung-fu user, Branislav would ask her what type after.

"You. I intend to burn these bastards down, and I'm going to take their ship, as compensation for the one they stole from me. Come if you like but be warned, once I start fighting I have no intention of stopping until every Steel Hand is dead, and my banner flies from their mast."

Branislav sighed, he was not supposed to be getting in trouble, but if he let this woman and man to die, then the Steel Hands would definitely go after Branislav for killing their men. Branislav had gotten into mess and now he would have to end the mess.

Branislav then turned towards the intimidating man.

"Well now, this pirate captain does sound like a worthwhile opponent. I hope he's as strong as you claim he is."

The man had a devilish look on his face.

"Well, if you're planning on destroying the entire crew, I think I'll come along. I'll enjoy showing these pathetic vermin how real pirates fight. Make them suffer and scream before ripping their lives away. I'll come along, but first I need to stop somewhere. Have a special order to pick up that I need for battle."

Branislav liked the man's confidence and intimidation. His intimidation would certainly play a factor in the real battle.

"I have made a mess, I was supposed to leave from here after stacking up supplies, but I have to end this mess."

The lady had already ran off, the man had also ran off, the skinnier man that had taken a beating was dead. He rest against a fence, his eyes were rolled over into his dead, that gave confirmation that he was dead. Branislav headed a different way, through the outskirts of the city, it gave him more time to run, on the outskirts there was some poor people, they sold a variety of foods. Branislav bought some fruits, vegetables and meat. A bottle of sake to go with that, he'd cook something delicious after, he placed the food in his backpack and started running again.

An adventure awaited him.

[donnervark]

Oda barely noticed the two strangers head their separate ways. They'd confirmed that they were coming along, and the one had specified that he had business to attend to before the fight. She welcomed the time alone, as she strongly needed to calm down. At the moment her blood was still burning. As she made her way through the city she stopped by the Diving Seaman one last time to pick up her things and square any remaining debts with the owner. Specifically, she wanted the money back that she'd put down on an additional night. She doubted that she'd be staying after the ruckus they were about to start. First thing she did was head to her room, ignoring everyone on the way. As soon as the door was closed she stripped down and entered the shower, turning the water as cold as it would go. Oda then sat down on a towel, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes.

"Stoke the flame but chill the soul..." She took a deep breath, letting the frigid water shock the anger from her blood. "...steel the skin against the cold..." The mantra she recited was something she'd come up with specifically for the purpose of calming her nerves and controlling her battle-lust. "...so all that remains burns chill..." Even then, only a short way through the mantra, she could already feel herself calming down. She continued on until the end, and repeated the exercise three times. By that point she no longer felt the cold water, and she was back in complete control. Without wasting any more time she turned off the water and redressed herself. The pouch hanging from her belt she stuffed with the flag she'd intended to put up on her mast that day, and running her fingers over the black cloth she sighed.

"Sorry. But It may be a while before you go where you belong. For now....the Steel Hands mast will have to do." White hands, by all rights the ship was hers already. So she would not sully her flag with their name. Once ready she headed down. The owner gave her no trouble, most likely intimidated by her presence. Though he'd been nothing but helpful and accommodating, so she left a small portion of her down-payment to cover repairs and cleaning costs. Now that she was calm, Oda found it much easier to think as she made her way to the hidden docks. Two things above the rest were on the forefront of her mind. Firstly, the Captain of the Steel Hands. Dag had been quite honest of that she was sure, in regards to his apparent invulnerability. She had never met someone that she couldn't hurt, so the idea of such an opponent intrigued her. But without knowing the specifics, she was flying blind. If he was a Devil Fruit user, that could be a serious problem. The second thing on her mind was the two men who were going to join her on this assault. She knew nothing of their abilities, only that the one already had issues with the pirates, and the other seemed to truly enjoy the simple thought of violence against them. She would know their skills, so as to understand how best to use them. Her tactical skills were not the most sound, as she was most accustomed to fighting by herself, however if she was going to rule the world, this was something she needed to master.

Oda found only a little difficulty finding the hidden docks, which were very well disguised indeed. The main reason she found them, was the light patrols moving about the warehouses that formed the disguise. She held back and watched the patrol, skirting around to check if any other guards remained unseen. She found success when she discovered a balcony across the alley from the docks, upon which stood two pirates with long-rifles. They would need to be dealt with immediately. Before she went any further, she pulled back and headed out to the street, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed as she waited for the two men to arrive.

[ambrose]

After Ambrose had gotten his guns, he checked them over while walking. He wanted to make sure his weapons were in top condition, since he had someone else handling them. All mechanics were fine, the bullets perfect, and they just felt right in his hands. He was going to make great use out of the guns....by killing a group of pirates and leaving death in his wake. When he was in one of his more....dangerous moods, it was damn difficult to get him to stop his onslaught of death that he would leave in his wake. These pirates that have caused problems in this town and brought a herd of marines flocking; they were going to know what true fear before the bloodlust of Ambrose and the woman that wanted them dead. As Ambrose walked towards the meeting place, he began thinking of what he could be dealing with. A wall of pirates armed with weaponry? Minimal outside security and a force to be reckoned with inside this warehouse? While the crew didn't sound too threatening by the word of that one man, Ambrose always planned for the worse in his head. This was so when the situation wasn't as bad, he would have no worries.

Ambrose would make his way to the destination, seeing the one lady from before leaning against a wall, just waiting. She was probably waiting for him and the other person to show up. "Sorry for the wait. If I'm hunting down pirates, I had to make sure I had my companions first." He would hold his guns with a grin. "Since it seems we'll be working together here, let me introduce myself. Mathis Ambrose the "Crimson Demon"; smith, weapon expert, tactician." He would grin while watching the woman, trying to get a read on her. He wanted to understand as much as possible about her, because information was a powerful and deadly weapon. "So where are we with the killing of the scum not fit to be crushed beneath my boot?" He would look at the area, seeing light patrols and the balcony with the snipers. "So they have long range shooters. Could be a problem."

Ambrose would think for a moment. Several ways to handle the situation. Use the woman as a decoy and just shoot down the guards. But that would announce presence and get the pirates moving before they could make a decent move. Doing anything on the ground would be difficult, since it didn't seem this woman was a ranged fighter. That's when Ambrose got an idea, he didn't want to start using his explosive rounds just yet, but one shot should cause a good enough explosion to take out the guys on the balcony. It would still cause a ruckus, but in this case he wasn't needlessly putting his teammate in danger, and the pirates might start scrambling to find out what is going on instead of assaulting right off the bat. Ambrose would unload the clip from one of his guns, putting it away and replacing it with a different clip.

"I have a plan, but be ready to get brawling after I deal with those long ranged bastards on the balcony." Ready to get started, Ambrose would move out and aim at the balcony where the men were. He was not aiming directly at them, but aiming to create an explosion that would take them out. With a single shot, a bullet would go speeding through the air, hitting the wall right behind the men. An explosion would incur that would both do serious damage to the men and send them over the edge of the balcony to their deaths."Well, that was easy huh?"

[Deleted]

Branislav made his way towards his destination, two thoughts were buzzing around in his head, what to make for dinner and the other thought being the two mysterious humans. With all these ingredients that Branislav had gathered he could cook a perfect Mango Flambe. Simply cut the mango in medium-sized pieces and melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced mango, sprinkle sugar all over it, add the salt, and cook gently until the mango starts to get soft.
Carefully add the rum, heat it for a few seconds, and ignite with a match. Wait until the flames die down, sprinkle a little lemon juice, taste again and there you go, a perfect Mango Flambe.

But before he could tackle that, he had other matters on his hands, he had to help those two strangers finish off this so called Steel Hands. His initial goal was to stack up on supplies and leave the island, but once he saw the helpless being attacked, he could not stop himself from getting into the mess. If he did not help those strangers and they happened to die, the Steel Hands would surely go after him. Branislav was not able to go against hundreds of men in his current form. Branislav approached his destination, five minutes after running he spotted two warehouses, Branislav stopped and pulled out his notepad, searching the first page of his notepad he noticed one of his notes said that the tall woman's ship was disguised as two warehouses. At least that is what the skinny man said.

Branislav started to walk closer towards his destination, tightening his white scarf. His robe lagging behind him, it was getting significantly darker outside. This would give Branislav an advantage in battle, especially due to him being a sharpshooter. Branislav studied the area, the typical scenery of Zarzara, sand, scorpions and no vegetation. Two warehouses, one smaller than the other, the smaller one being guarded on the outside by patrols. Branislav presumed that the woman's ship was hidden within the bigger warehouse. Branislav then turned his head left, on the opposite side of the warehouses there stood a balcony, a few men were on it, each man holding a gun and two of them held large flashlights. A sudden shot came from an alleyway, the shot headed towards the balcony and right when it made impact with the wall it blew the balcony up. Almost every man falling to a twenty foot death. The few that remained hanging on the balcony opened their vulgar mouths to yell for backup. Before they could say too much, Branislav put a silencer on his pistol and shot two men in the forehead, each man falling to their deaths.

Branislav then followed the trajectory of the shot that had been fired earlier and met up with the two people. As we all know, Branislav was a master tactician or strategist and could greatly assist the two in a battle. Branislav locked gazes with the two people and then started to speak.

"Alright, we've already alerted the patrols outside the smaller warehouse, we need to act fast,"

Dusting off some dust from his left shoulder, Branislav continued to speak.

"Firstly, my name is Branislav Ivanovich, strategist, swordsman and cook. Here's the plan, there are about seventy men going to be attacking us, alright, you,"

He pointed towards the man that was a great sharpshooter, possibly better than Branislav.

"You run up to the balcony and pick people off. I will follow you up towards the balcony. While you are picking people off, I will shoot the propane tanks over there,"

He pointed towards the propane tanks.

"While I am climbing the balcony to shoot the propane tanks, you,"

He pointed towards the huge woman.

"You will somehow try to hide somewhere in the darkness, the propane tanks will illuminate the night's darkness and you will launch your attack, then I will jump into action with my swords. Clear? Let's go."

Branislav ran towards the balcony and headed up, waiting for the man to start the attack. Branislav took the silencer off his pistol and sharpened his swords.

[donnervark]

When the red-coated man finally arrived, he wasted little time in getting started. Mathis Ambrose was his name apparently, and he had an interesting pair of guns which she'd never seen the like of before. They weren't musket pistols or even like the repeating rifles used by the navy. An interesting design, but she didn't care for guns much. It was no where nearly as satisfying to shoot someone, rather than break them down with ones bare hands. Still, she did not expect everyone to follow that creed, and his attitude was infectious. As an explosion rocked the balcony, sending the two snipers to their graves, she started moving, only to be stopped by the third man. He arrived and began issuing orders immediately. Both men claimed to be tacticians, something she was not yet proficient at. She appreciated the advice, and it was a solid plan, but she'd have to make sure he understood that she was not his shocktrooper to order about. Later though, once this was all over. For the moment she followed his suggestion, and bolted into the alley. She was twenty paces from the warehouse when the other sentries came running to investigate the explosion.



As the alley reached the warehouse, men came running from both directions. Ambrose would have a perfect overwatch if he followed suit and took the balcony. Then all it required was the perfect distraction. Oda slipped behind a large garbage bin and took a deep breath, waiting for her signal.



"What the hell?! Someone took out Regs and Hardy! Whoever's out there show yourself!" One of the Steel Hands barely finished his sentence when another explosion lit up the alley with a calamitous boom that send men flying past her hiding space. As soon as the shrapnel passed Oda was moving. Four men were down from the blast, while at least nine were staggered or still standing, having still been to far behind to take the full explosion.



"I've got the left!" Oda left the men on the ground, prioritizing the ones still standing. If Ambrose was half as sharp as his confidence suggested, he would have them covered. And this Branislav had her other side, so she went for efficiency. The first handful of staggered pirates offered little to no resistance. The first took a knee to the gut and a hard, downward palm strike to the flat of his back. A long stride past her first victim placed her in front of the second, and she gave him a knife hand strike right to his collarbone, which downed him quickly. The third was recovering, so she ducked under his clumsy sword swing, swept his legs out from under him with a kick, then dropped an axe kick down on his chest with more force than she probably needed. The rest were snapping out of it, and the ones with rifles would be a problem. Unfortunately she could hear an avalanche of footsteps like a stampede coming up from the warehouse.



"Open the door on three!" She heard someone shout from the inside. They were about to be swarmed if something wasn't done. So she made a dead-bolt for the doors.



"Branislav! Hold these ones off! Ambrose! Unleash hell when those doors open!" A few paces from the door she leapt into the air and shot her feet out in a full sprinting Missle Drop Kick. One foot hit each door, and with all her momentum and weight, the flimsy wooden gate blasted inward, knocking over at least a half dozen men who'd been ready to burst through. As she landed she rolled with her momentum to get out of the way of the explosions that would follow if Ambrose had understood her. She was ready to continue fighting though, and could return to Branislav's aid if needed.

[ambrose]

With the balcony secured, Ambrose could use the position to watch over his current acquaintances and provide protection from above. He hopped from the rooftop to the balcony, watching below as Oda moved and Steel Hand Pirates started moving. It was but moments after their movement that there was a large explosion that would send pirates flying. Now this was the kind of battle that Ambrose truly enjoyed. Pirates running right into their death and making easy targets of themselves. As Oda started taking on pirates, Ambrose would use the gun with normal ammo to start sniping down pirates that sought to take advantage of Oda's blindspots. "Come now, you make this too easy. At least make it a challenge for me to take your lives. Pirates falling one by one. Pirates from the right grouped and charged at Oda. "Not today. I still have use for that woman." Ambrose would aim his other gun and fire one bullet, causing an explosion that took out the entire group.

"Come on now; is this the best these pirates can send at us? It disgusting to think that we're considered to be the same type of people." It was at this point that a large amount of footsteps could be heard from inside the warehouse and yelling coming from inside. So the real battle was about to start huh? Let's have some real fun." Oda commanded Ambrose to unleash hell upon the enemy when the doors opened. A command to give no quarter....to slaughter everyone in sight beyond the warehouse doors. There was no greater command that could be given. "Aye Aye. I shall unleash a hell like you have never seen. I shall slaughter all the dogs that dare call themselves pirates and stand against us. I shall paint the wall with their blood and leave no body with a singly breath of life. Let the doors open those these pigs can see true fear." Ambrose would jump down and get behind Oda, who seemed to have a preemptive strike planned.

Oda charged at the door, which was Ambrose's queue to move. As Oda busted down the door, Ambrose charged forward, making sure his guns were fully loaded. She had taken down at least half a dozen pirates, leaving the onslaught to continue by Ambrose's hand. He'd jump over Oda, looking down at the pirates before him and firing 2 more explosive rounds down, the resulting explosions taking out a decent chunk of the men and dwindling their numbers in moments. Since most of the pirates had been prepared to bum rush out, them being grouped together had made it oh so easy for Ambrose to dispatch the bulk of the pirates upon entering the building "Come you disgusting beasts. Show me your strength. Stand and fight me like men!" Charging right in and shooting down pirates that dared come at him. It was like picking off ants. "Lets dispose of the wretched scum and show the world our strength." It was only a matter of time before the captain came out. Once they killed the captain, victory would be theirs and they could move on.
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Explosive Rounds Remaining: 2