New Buds [Black Bloom Pirates]

[thormundsson]

The island called Pirate's market was a nice place to all this who disliked the reach of the law to come around to. It was secluded in the South Blue amidst the calm beaches and the small jungles that dotted most islands in that particular area of the world. For the longest time the world had left Pirate's Market alone for the simple reason that it wasn't worth attacking. There were no great pirates there, only bandits and men who claimed their greatness as something that others should revere and adore. It had remained a haven to the outsiders and the outcasts of society for so long that it's inhabitants and rulers, those who stayed long enough to enjoy the position, had begun to think that nothing could shake that foundation, that their seat would be secure forever.

However, fate never does seem to flow as people expect it to be and the inhabitants of the island were greeted one morning by a vision that they had not seen in a long time. Dwarfing even the largest of the merchant vessels, a massive ironclad warship lulled into the harbor just as the sun was beginning to make it's way beyond the horizon. The dull, reddish, hue of the world cast a terrifying vision of the vessel upon the entire dock facility. It's hull was wrought iron and the cannons on it's prow platform as well as those in the towers were like stark monuments in the growing twilight. The ship moved into the docking facility with nary a sound, the only thing that could be noticed was the slow droning of something mechanical within the metal creation's core. No crew could be seen, no man walking the deck and no person or living soul out to see the docks, none that could be spotted at any rate. The slow, rhythmic breath of the machine came slowly, as if a great beast laboring for breath.

"hoooooommm......hoooooommm.......hoooooommm.......hoooooo" came the last gasp as the engine ceased it's movement.
_______________________________________________________________________

"Aaaaaaaaaahhh" came the yawn of the sole person on board the vessel that had just rolled into the docks. Otogi was tired, and not in his usually lazy manner. As he raised himself from his giant dais, absorbing in all the material that was flowing around him, he stretched out his hands and tilted his neck, trying to flex the muscles as much as he could. The journey from North Blue had been tiresome and being dogged by bandits several times he hadn't exactly been able to sleep as much as he had hoped for. He reached for a small porcelain cup filled with a soothing, brown, liquid. The hand that stretched out to grab the little thing was thin but had the wiry strength of iron threads. Taking a small sip and twisting his lips into a frown as the tea turned out to be cold, the flower decorated man put the cup down with haste, trying to get the awful feeling of cold tea from his senses.

"Pirate's Market has to be the right place to go searching, least ways it feels right to start off here again, where this journey of ours began" He said calmly as he moved from the steering wheel, the trail of oil and black ooze followed him like a shadow until it had all vanished beneath him before he came to the landing ramp. It slid out as slowly and silently as the ship itself had arrived and Otogi fixed his broad strawhat as he waited for the opportunity to keep going. His words had been aimed at nobody and yet, if one had stood near, a person would have sworn that he had been talking to someone. Something or some person who was not there, least ways not in any visible form. The tall man drew his coat in close before he headed down the walkway. It was chillier than he had anticipated and he wasn't overly fond of cold places, something that had as much to do with his particular weakness for cold as much as his dislike of such environments from a young age. "I'll have to find me some warm company to join me" He said as he stepped off the ship, the walkway drawing back up to the ship by a tiny wheel that was being turned by a black blob of oil, before the same material rolled off and merged with the man's long attire.

But with that he seemed to turn jovial, as if stepping off the ship and breathing in the fresh air, which he had indeed done, had refreshed him like a fine meal and a weeks rest. He looked around at the docks area, uninteresting was a nice way of describing it and yet it was too drab to even warrant such a description. Nobody came to meet him or greet him and it seemed that most had tried to hide themselves from the view of the ship, possibly fearing that Marines had come to take the island. But no such thing happened that fine evening, only Otogi came to walk on the island. He shook himself a bit before walking at a quiet stroll towards the groups of buildings that constituted the town. He had a mind for a nice cup of tea or perhaps even something stronger and his body was itching for something even closer.

Satisfying such desires would prove more difficult than he had anticipated....

[Dr.Ambs]

Pirate's Market was everything Hiroto had heard about. In her four years traveling, she had been meaning to hit this island as long as she could. She had traveled around the West Blue and somehow managed to get to the South Blue. She had heard that the Market was suppose to have rare items, such as plants and gems. Although she wasn't interested in the gems, she was interested in the plants. Some plants, she read, had properties that could stop bleeding within seconds, or even save a person from death. Rather that was true or not, Hiroto would soon find out.

For Hiroto, that's what she was after. She had walked around, a particular gleeful smile on her lips. She took in everything; people bargaining, people trading, people talking about how their product was cheaper and more efficient than their leading competitor down the road. She found it all amusing to be honest. However, she had yet to find the so called vender that was selling plants, rare plants at least. She shifted her bag on her back, a small pout on her lips, "I know someone has to be selling medical herbs some where.." She muttered to herself, her one hand resting on her hip as she looked around.

It wasn't long before she saw it. It was a small little street side merchant, but she saw the wooden baskets of leaves and herbs. Perfect, exactly what she needed. She managed to make her way through the crowd, walking over to the vendor. "Wow, look at all of these herbs.." She managed to mutter. She saw rosemary, tea leaves, cinnamon, and even Barberry. She was definitely going to have to swipe some of that.

"Ah, I see the young woman has an eye for medicinal things." The merchant spoke. He was a gruff old man, sitting behind his stand, watching Hiroto as she scanned over his inventory. "They're fresh picked, still good for now." He began, before leaning forward, picking up a leaf, "This here will help when ya start to feel sick, cures those stomach aches right up!" He told Hiroto.

She looked at the leave, before taking it, twirling it in her hands. Yeah. this was Aloe Vera. It didn't cure stomach aches. However, traveling on the seas, there was always a risk of skin burns, so she would need some of this regardless of what this man was blabbering on. She looked around, before she took her pick of herbs she needed. She paid the man her bill and moved on. She was hitting almost every herbal merchant she could find, but none of them were selling the plants she was looking for.

With a defeated sigh, she decided that she had gotten enough medical supplies to last her at least another three months. She looked to her gun that was displayed on her leg, before checking her ammunition for it. No, she was good on that. Her arrow supply was high as well, no need for that to be restocked. She rubbed her chin, before her stomach let out a large growl, making her cover it with her arms. That's right, she needed something to eat. Maybe some strawberries and something really sweet... like chocolate cake or something.

She brighten up like a light, heading off. She needed to find a bar or a place that sold food at a reasonable cheap rate since she had used most of her money on the ship that got her here and her shopping spree. She could only hope she could find something cheap on this island. Her eyes looked around, seeing the rough looking men. Yeah, Pirate's Market was definitely a place she shouldn't linger too long here. She had been noticing the looks she had been getting. She was a lamb in the middle of the wolf pack. Hiroto didn't really care though, as long as she stayed out of their way, she assumed nothing could really happen to her.

At least, she hoped nothing happened to her...

[Harusame]

"hoooooooommm"

"I didn't do it i swear!" The yellow haired boy shook out of sleep on his couch. He fell on the ground with a thud and grunted. His hand scratched his head and he looked around. "Whoops. Stayed up to long again." Billy got up and rubbed his groggy out face. Around his small room in the mango, rum bottles and about five bodies were scattered about. Tank covered his ears as the ship went for a second blow.

hoooooommm.......hoooooommm.......hoooooo"

"Damned ship." Billy went outside and scoured for the source. His eyes locked upon a giant ship, towering the ship currently tied to the mango. The Caraval tugging the Mango behind it looked like a baby compared to the metal giant beside it. The Red Hood Man called out to the deck of his companion ship. "YO CAP'N!" A elderly man looked over the edge. His expression read depression. "They out horned my horn .." he sighed. Billy shook his head. It was besides the point. "Where are we?"

---

The Crazy Drummer walked out of his docked ship and waved to the Caraval. "YOOOOSH! THANK YOU!" The ship was now filled with the full crew, who yelled back at Billy with cheers and goodbyes.

He smiled and began to look around. "Pirates market eh?"

Billy had found some companions in the East blue after helping the merchants from a robbery. Their ship would have been ransacked if Tank hadn't come and beaten the crap out of the pirates. And with that, the men felt indebted to the drummer. When they asked where Billy wanted to go, he answered by saying somewhere I can find crew people. It took two weeks and in that time, Billy befriended the crew and they had parties every day. But now, they had finally reached the destination.

Billy was so lost in thought, that he accidentally bumped into a man in a straw hat. He fell on his butt and looked up at a man at six feet. "Ummmm ... hi."

[thormundsson]

Otogi stood with a smiling face in the middle of the town square. He wasn't beaming with happiness nor was he smiling with all of his teeth revealed. His face was more that of someone in a pleasant moment in his life and he was merely enjoying the cool breeze that came through the town, bringing with it a myriad of scents and an interesting fragrant. There was the sweet aroma that was wafting from the town's pleasure district and the sickly sweet scent was a combination of roses and cheap perfume, something that always made his nose twitch a little bit. Below that one he could smell all the regular things in a town like this. There was the smell of bread in an oven, of meat and other things being roasted on a grill, somewhere far off he could feel the faint waft of fruits, though it was almost covered by the other smells. But one thing rose above all others, something that made him sight with pleasure as the thought about it: not far off, perhaps at the other end of the square, someone was making fresh coffee. The smell was invigorating and so the taste must be even more so. Being fairly tired from the trip the idea of a fresh brew in his stomach was too enticing. Strolling off towards the scent the man, whose large brimmed hat protected him from the sun, tried to decide what he should have with the coffee.

Sitting down at one end of a fountain that stood in the middle of the town the dark haired individual took his first sip of the black mix as he surveyed the people around him. He had decided upon a simple black cup of coffee, as he wanted to enjoy the taste of the beans and the brand more than the milk. Besides, milk always made him more tired than usual, no matter how he drank it. The people around him didn't seem to pay him much heed, though almost everyone glanced at him. His broad shoulders and his manly chest, much of which was not covered by his robe, gave off a rather stern image. It was contrasted nicely by the flowery design of his overcoat and the calm smile that he had on his face. He wasn't in much of a hurry to leave but he knew without a doubt that he'd need to find someone to join him. Problem was that, whilst he was a rather open and relaxed man, who knew that there were enough people in the world that were as rotten to the core as months old apples.

After contemplating the idea for a short while he realized that he would have to go and check out the tavern, or at least a few of them. Odds were that the place would be packed for even at this hour, merely passing the noon, a town of this making would have taverns and bars filled with customers, most of the unsavory nature. But Otogi didn't mind that too much as his own background was far from that of a noble lord or anything of that sort. He winked a group of passing beauties that seemed to be on some errand or shopping trip, two of them giggling silly as he did. "Aaaaaah, I guess I can't stay and enjoy the coffee for the rest of my life, there is dream out there that I owe you, my friend" The tall man said calmly as he stood up, leaving the cup on the fountain as he did. Someone would come to clean that up at some point, he had no doubt.

No sooner had he decided on a tavern to visit, his choice being one of those he had seen near the harbour, than he was shaken a bit as a stranger bumped into him. He could feel no blade or object trying to pierce his flesh and so did not let his powers take the impact. He simply let the force of it ripple through him so as to minimize the effect on his own pace as he stopped. Looking down he was staring at a strange man, his hair a spiky mess of white needles accompanied by a few lines of red around his eyes, almost like tattoos. The man seemed just as surprised as him at having bumped into another individual on the streets. What caught Otogi's sight was the fact that the man didn't seem angry or preparing to attack or anything, the usual response a man got when another bumped into him.

"Aaaaaaaah, you'll have to be careful where you look, never know who you'll run into, young friend" The tall man said as he bent a bit over, stretching one hand out towards the stranger in a gesture for him to take it so he could be pulled up. "What say we discuss your hurry over a few drinks at this fine establishment, first round on me, hummmmm" He continued, his words followed by a humm and an aaaah as was his habit. He pointed at a local tavern name the Flying Fishman with his other hand, all the while smiling at the young man.

[Dr.Ambs]

The young archer walked down the crowded street slightly easily. She had managed to get distracted about eight times in trying to find a place to eat something, but it was so hard not to shop around here. She managed to find even more herbs, and some more cleaning supplies for her gun. She was all set for the next few days, but she would make a mental note to pick up some food and try to find a ship that would take her to another island before she was ready to leave.

Thankfully, a kind old woman had given her directions to find a small tavern. The Flying Fisher or something. Hiroto hadn't been too concerned on the name, only that she had found out that they did sell sweets. She could already taste the cake in her mouth. Honestly, she was surprised she was able to follow the directions so well, usually, in crowded places, she got lost easily, since everything looked exactly the same. However, the woman's directions were fairly simple and she soon found herself situated at the Flying Fishman.

Hiroto walked in, glancing around. This place didn't seem to be too bad, but it probably wasn't the greatest and friendliest place to be. She only shrugged, there was food here, she shouldn't complain about the crowd the place drew in. Slowly she walked up to the bar, letting her quiver and bow rest against the bar counter as she took a seat. She figured if there was any trouble, she could talk her way out or, if needed, use her gun. She glanced around, seeing most people were drinking alcohol and having a good time, chatting away.

She then turned her attention to the bartender. He seemed to be in his late fifties, and he seemed to be in the middle of cleaning a glass. Rather he hadn't noticed Hiroto or wasn't paying her any attention, she didn't know. However, she was going to wait a while before trying to get his attention. It was a good two minutes before he looked over, putting his glasses on, "Oh, dear, there's a girl, how long have you been there?" He seemed to ask himself, "What can I get you?"

Hiroto tapped her chin, thinking for a bit, "Um, any Chocolate cake?"

He seemed to laugh at her childish request, "Dear girl, you're growing, shouldn't you want something to help those growing bones?"

"Oh, that's right. How about a glass of milk and strawberries on side of the chocolate cake." She said, grinning a bit.

the man seemed to shake his head, but he went to the back of the bar, into the kitchen. Hiroto sat there patiently, tapping her fingers on her knee, as she waited for the man to come back with her food. She took another glance around, seeing that the place was getting a bit more crowded. It really didn't bother her, it was just that she felt a bit lonely. In the four years of travel, she had come across some interesting characters, but none that stuck around her more than the time she was at the island.

A small clack caught her attention, seeing that the bartender had placed her glass of milk, and a plate of chocolate cake with a few strawberries on the side. Her face lit up, smiling at him, "Thank you very much."

"Enjoy, just let me know when you're finished and if you need anything else." The man spoke, before going to the other side to finish cleaning some glasses.

Hiroto smiled, before she picked up the fork, beginning to dig into her cake. This place was heaven. She had more herbs, she had found a few stores with ammunition, and even more cleaning supplies. To top it all off, they had great chocolate cake.

[Harusame]

Billy took the mans hand and bought himself up. "Thanks bro. Oh and I'd love to talk." Billy smiled. He loved to meet kind people. They didn't get pissed off for stupid reasons, and seemed to be more interesting than the stereotype of most people. But Billy felt something different about this man. He hadn't noticed the almost ripple effect from the bump into him. Honestly, the Yellow Haired Musician didn't notice allot of things. Even if this was so, he felt a little bubble in his stomach.

Otogi led him into the restaurant and he looked around. Chattering and drinks were the main idea you'd get stepping into the bar. There was a warm glow spreading around the joint, that made The Wild Man smile even wider. It seemed, at that moment, he was not being as wild as usual. As soon as he had stepped into the warm vibe, he felt that tingle. The tingle he always felt when he wanted to go wild. Have a part or sing some music. But he kept his cool and simply followed the man.

As they sat at the counter, Billy noticed the clanking of a plate and saw a purple haired girl eating chocolate cake. In his mind, he finally realized something. And it was that,

GRRRGLRG

His hand clenched his stomach. The Sailor hadn't had any breakfast and he was dying to get something in his belly. He rubbed it and sat at the counter. But before he asked for the food, or anything else, he decided he'd introduce himself."Oh I'm Billy, Billy Tank. You can call me anything that sort of relates to my name. But all in all, you can just call me Billy."

[thormundsson]

The tavern was a bustling mix of people, each trying to shout louder than their friends, with every table table filled to the brim. It looked as if this town suffered no shortage of interesting characters and rowdy patrons. Most of them seemed to be deep in conversation and remembering some epic drinking fest or brawl that they had been a part of earlier that month. A sort of a desperate joy was in the air, as if nobody in the whole bar wanted to admit that possibly their lives were just a bit too meaningless. Otogi was not one to judge that particular fact but he was sort of disappointed when he noticed that the girls in the bar seemed to be mostly below average in look, something that made his shoulders slump a bit and his usual smile became somewhat tragic, as if the whole thing was a mocking joke.

As he joined his new friend at the bar, sort of bemused at how sluggish the man seemed to be at this point, his spirits were lifted again. It looked as if his luck had changed and he might possibly have found a real looker in this town. Not 1 seat away from the duo was a raven haired girl eating a cake of some sort, she seemed to be enjoying the ambiance as much as the men but if anything she seemed to be a little down. Otogi pushed his large had off his head and let it sit comfortably on his back, a thin white strap keeping it locked to his neck without falling off. "Hummmm, a glass of some fine rose wine for me and whatever my falling friend here will be having, hahaha" He laughed in a very controlled manner, his voice coming out in the lazy manner that seemed to mark him at all times. He pulled the young man up again and set him in his chair, steadying him and made sure he was stable again. He smiled at the girl as she took notice of the obvious fall that had drawn the attention of the entire bar. She wasn't much older than 20 at the most, possibly younger, but she did have a bow to her side and her figure spoke of someone that knew how to use it.

He turned back to his new friend and slapped him on the back with as little force as he could. "Well now, care to tell me what had you in such a hurry, hummmm?" He said, humming a but as he leaned forward, using one eye to glance over to the girl, trying to see if she took any notice of the two men beyond the bit of mirth that Billy had generated with his amusing antics. As he finished his sentence he looked back at the man he kept is focus a bit, interested in knowing what had brought the man to this island, so far away from lawful territories. He took a sip of the wine which had been brought to him, it tasted fine when he compared it to the location he was at but he could swear there was something fake about it. It wasn't the best stuff he could get, that was for certain. Still, not being in the mood to cause any problems and interested in the man's tale he simply kept sipping at the wine, enjoying the rosy taste of it.

As he listened he couldn't help but keep glancing at the girl but moreover he kept glancing behind him. Apparently some of the shadier people in the bar had also taken an interest in the bow wielding girl. Otogi recognized the markings on a few of them as low tier slave traders, people who lived off the misery of others and delighted in being especially brutal to those who could not defend themselves. The leers they were giving the girl spoke of an even more sinister idea, something that made the dark bearded man keep wary as he kept on listening...

[Dr.Ambs]

GRRRGLRG

Hiroto blinked. That hadn't been her stomach. She looked at her own stomach, the fork still in her mouth. She cast a glance however, seeing two men. One didn't look much older than her, maybe two or three years. His yellow hair obstructed most of his face, but the red hood and jacket covered most of his body, however, she could see the array of art that lined his chest. He was holding his stomach, and for a moment she thought he was sick. However, she realized that he was hungry. Ah, that would be fixed soon.

The second man seemed older than both of them. She would peg him maybe pushing early thirties. he had dark hair and stubble and seemed to be of normal height. However, what interested her was his attire. Robes of black and white under a flowery design robe. He seemed to have such a laid back attitude, helping the young man up and back on the seat. He then turned to her.

Hiroto gave a soft yelp, facing her plate quickly as she could, her face red. How embarrassing. Her father had always taught her it was rude to stare at people without them knowing. The man probably thought she was creepy or some sort of stalker. She risked another glance, seeing that the man was smiling at her. She blinked again, before looking at her plate. Okay, maybe he didn't think she was creepy-ish. She continued with her food, oblivious to the stares she was getting, not just from the man.

She had started to ignore the stares to be honest. She had been getting them all day. Sure, it might be because she carried a compound bow, something that no one was use to seeing, especially from a girl... or it could be because of her purple hair. She was hoping for the later part. She exhaled a bit, before finishing up her cake, deciding to save the strawberries for last. She would probably head to the docks after this, to try and find another ship to take her out, then who knows where she would go. Maybe the next place she could get more medical books...

She glanced over again, feeling eyes on her again. It was that man again. He was listening to the other younger man, but he was occasionally glancing at her. It would have been annoying, but before she could do anything, her vision was blocked. While in the middle of eating her strawberry, she looked up to see the man that had decided to block her view of the other two.

He looked like one of those shady looking salesmen she had seen in almost every town. His light brown hair was cropped short and he was rough looking on his stubble, as if he never took care of it. His emerald eyes glinted with some sickening, sinister plot as he stared at her, examining her as if she was some animal. "Are you just a catch?" His voice spoke.

Hiroto looked at him for a moment, before she caught the over sized man standing at the table, staring at them, smirking at her. It only took her a second to realize that the two were working together. She looked back to the man that blocked her view, before turning back to her strawberries. Maybe if she ignored him he would go away. Yeah. that should work... Not.

The man, clearly unhappy, frowned at her. "You're suppose to compliment me. I complimented you."

Yeah, he wasn't going to ignore her. "No, you made it sound like you were fishing. Fish and Humans are two different species, they may have evolved from the same organism thousands of years ago, but not the same today. Any idiot could see that." She spoke as she took another bite of her strawberry. She didn't a chance to take another bite before she was spun around forcefully, her plate and glass clacking across the counter before crashing to the ground.

"Listen here you little wench, I tried the nice way but-"

SMACK

Hiroto slapped her hand across his face, sending the man to take a few steps back in shock as her blue eyes were almost in rage, "You do not touch a woman! Who taught you manners? A pig?! If you lay a hand on me again, I'll be sure to teach you manners, rather I give you a lecture on it or if I have to beat it in you, understand?" She scolded the man, her eyes in fury. She would never let a man touch her, not if she didn't want it. It had been something her mother had instilled in her at a young age.

"You little..." The man held his cheek, it was now starting to redden, before he looked to the other larger man, "Mark! We have a fighter!" He said, before the chair screeched across the floor as the man stood up.

Well. Great. Look what she had gotten into now. Hiroto stood up, her hand grabbing her gun as she lifted it up. She had her back towards a corner, it was the only reason for her to pull her gun, Angel, out. She held the gun at the larger man. "Back down. I don't want to fight." She warned him. Truth be told, she knew she would get demolished if she fought the pound of muscle. She gritted her teeth, at least it was close quarters and she wouldn't miss...

[Harusame]

Even though The Yellow Haired Pirate noticed, he didn't pay much heed to what Otogi was doing. His eyes kept wandering over to the woman behind Billy. He didn't have to be a genius to know Otogi had just taken a liking. An inward shrug was felt, and he ordered.

"Just get about five hot peppers, and blend them."

He got a strange look from the server, as if the man was asking, 'are you serious?' After a while, the tender shrugged and went off to the back.

Billy began to explain himself to Otogi as he turned to the Man.

"I just landed on this island recently, and I wasn't looking where I was going." That was the whole story. Billy wasn't sure if the man had wanted him to talk about his life story. So instead, he answered the exact question asked.

He didn't feel comfortable explaining that his father traded him too be a slave. That he was forced to work at Tequila Wolf, and lost the hope of ever living a normal life again. That his family had tried to escape with him, and that they were all at TW right now. And as he thought about it, he realized why: He was ashamed to have been a slave.

It wasn't that he was the only slave ever, but he had been a slave. And the reason why pissed him off. His father had traded him. He had actually traded his son. Instead of dying a man, he lived a coward. A wimp. Billy had lost all respect for his father, even after he was saved by him. And it seemed weird but The He regretted. He didn't regret not saying bye to his dad. He regretted telling his dad he was a piece of shit, who should never have had a son. As harsh as it sounded, it was what he felt and he accepted it. The Old Man deserved it. Living two years on hell, hoping you'd die. The only person he truly cared about was his mother. And he hoped she'd live.

His answer, and small silence that followed was broken by the sound of a man behind him. He listened as the Pervy Ossan tried to swindle the purple haired girl Billy saw. In a second, he heard screaming, crashing of plates and the man ready to fight the girl.

The Pirate lifted a finger to Otogi, signaling for him to wait a second. The Kid hated it when people acted tough. When they thought they would get whatever they wanted simply by showing skin and talking in deep voices. And in this incident, the Man seemed like he was trying to act cooler than a girl. The Drummer hated this, it was stupid. The flirty man started it, and the drummer was gonna finish it.

He got up and stepped between the woman and man. "KYA-HAHAHA! Picking on woman, I see. Do you and .. Mark was it, feel cool? How about you fight me .. and my friend." Billy signaled Otogi to follow his lead. Billy believed his new friend must have some kind of ability. He looked strong enough.

With that, The Rookie raised his fists and they turned into poru metal poles. "Let's go wild!" A wild grin formed on his face.