A Game of Bangs {Vio / Flame}

[Flame]

Sorry it's a short post i wasn't sure where to go so i kinda just wrote something. You are free to either be the person i talk to at the end or just do your own thing for a little while ^^.

The sounds of chatter, stomping feet, and clashing swords filled the air of the Pirates Market. Through the cacophony of sound a whistle could be heard. It emanated clear and true from the lips of a young man who skipped through the crowds. From all but the front he looked only as a thin human man who was leisurely strolling around the area. From the front one could see the leisure reflected in his lax face, his red eyes danced with joy as he enjoyed the building suspense in this rickety town. His smile was due to one thing, there was a festival coming up.

In his hand, a bright piece of paper was clasped and held stiff. On it read the details of the upcoming festival. It was coming in two days and most importantly there was going to be a massive fireworks display apparently. One that would be talked about for centuries, Kano couldn't miss such a fun display it was against his nature.

He could feel the excitement around him in the hustle and bustle of the crowds. People around him prepared stands, lamps, festive designs were visible from within many of the shops in the area. Reaching into his pocket he wondered how much money he had to spend on the enjoyment of the festival. He needed stuff for food, drink, random trinkets and the like. Hearing a clinking noise he pulled out a small pouch which generally served as his wallet. Shaking it a little he took solace in the sound of clinking coins. Now to check exactly how much was actually in it.

Opening it up he upended it into his hand. Only a few coins dropped into his pocket, the remainder of his savings. It was enough for meal or two but not enough for him to fully enjoy a festival as he should. Bouncing the coins in his hand for a second he furrowed his brows looking like he had more thoughts than he actually did. Dropping half of the small pile of coins back into his pouch he returned it to his pocket. With the remaining coins he considered how he could use this to increase their value. Only one thing came to mind, a little betting and gambling.

Feeling a good wind coming in, he took it was a good sign. Kano's happy-go-lucky attitude was letting him think of it as nothing less than that. So with a grin on his face and a belief in himself that was nothing but stupid he turned in place and marched off in search of a place where he could try and turn his money into just a bit more money.

With a gleam in his eye he looked around for someone who looked naive enough to let him play for some extra change. Not that he particularly knew what such a person would look like. Wandering around the market for a little while he finally spotted someone sitting on the side that looked like just the kind of person he wanted to find. Sauntering up he stood looking at them for a second then smiling.

"Hey there! I was wondering if you'd like to put a little money on the line and gamble with me!"

[Vio]

Having arrived at the Pirate's Market just the morning before, Sunshaku Kasasagi had already cottoned onto one of the reasons behind the name of this place. Pirates were everywhere, many different rookie crews and even small-time veterans were gathered here, and the people of the island were absolutely thriving in the business. There were things that even pirates could not go without, and those were supplies. As such it seemed that, of all the places he had visited previously, this one was the best for swindling unsuspecting pirates out of their hard earned (or most likely stolen) cash. Having already conned a complete rookie out of his savings through some sleight of hand and clever magic tricks, the dashing rogue was already well into the process of hatching new plans.
No point using the same trick twice... I need to be more creative, this time... A sly smile upon his lips as he walked through the streets, the conman considered all possibilities as he quietly weaved through the crowds, eyeing passers by with deep crystalline hues. In his left hand he carried with him his signature cane of ebony and ivory, gently tapping it on the ground with every few steps. It was not as if he needed it to walk, but it served a hidden purpose. Meanwhile, in his right hand he toyed with a playing card, twisting it between his lengthy fingers with such speed and grace. He liked to keep his fingers mobile, exercising them whenever available so that he never became too rusty with his feats of dexterity.

Well. No shortage of marks, at least. Though, I wouldn't like to get into trouble with some of them... Not without someone else to take the fall, that is... Always plotting, the dark-haired gentleman continued to watch with hawkish eyes as he scanned for potential prey, both for his tricks, and for fodder should anything go wrong. However, as he waltzed casually past a market stall selling a variety of exotic fruits, an idea sprang to mind. This was a pirate's market, a place where the lowest of the low gathered on a regular basis, seeking out supplies for their voyage to the Grand Line, picking up potential new crew members and perhaps even looking for something to give them that edge when they did hit that treacherous sea.
I wonder what the deal is with this festival, though... Ears pricking up as words were exchanged between strangers, the devious gambler had gathered little scraps of information about some sort of celebratory event coming up within the next day or two. Apparently, this festival was supposed to involve a massive fireworks display, and no matter what kind of person you were, there was always something rather mesmerising about the sparkling lights and the whistles and bangs that accompanied them. Everyone, from the youngest child to the wisest elder could appreciate such spectacles, though there was always a dangerous side to fireworks.

"Excuse me, kind sir, how much for a couple of these?" Stepping back a bit while making sure not to accidentally bump into anyone, Mister Sunshaku tipped his hat to the stall owner of the stand selling the fruits. It was a veritable feast to the senses; the sweet scents and enticing colours of the many fruits on offer were just a small teaser of the kinds of flavours these ripened delicacies possessed. From the simple staples such as bananas and pears to the far less common examples of other foreign fruits, the likes of which he had never laid eyes upon before, the chance to taste one of these mysterious morsels had certainly seemed to pique the swindler's interest.
"I price 'em by weight, here. Pick out what you want and I'll weigh 'em up for ya!" Proclaimed the stall owner, tapping a set of brass scales with his knuckles. Slipping the playing card into his sleeve, out of sight, the card shark placed a finger and thumb upon his chin as he took in the many details of the fruits. He had a plan, but to unleash this plan he was in need of a particular fruit. Picking up a rather strange looking fruit, reminiscent of a plump cucumber, he eyed it carefully and observed its unusual imperfections. It had a certain quality to it, and the best part was there were only two left at the stall. A golden yellow colour, each fruit possessed a texture similar to a watermelon, but covered in a series of rather interesting lumps and bumps.

"Hm. In that case, I'll take these. They look pretty delicious." Handing the stall owner one of the unusual fruits, he picked up the other as well and watched as the two fruits were weighed upon the scales. One was slightly heavier than the other, but not by much. Still, the price was not too high, quite reasonable in all and Kasasagi was not exactly short on cash. A con artist by nature, this amethyst eyed thief was not one to keep too much money on him at any one given time, spending it on the essentials as soon as possible to prevent anyone tracing him.
"Thank you!" Giving a polite tip of the hat as the keeper accepted his cash, the man in deep purple walked away with a paper carrier in hand, carrying the two horned melons within. Now, he just needed somewhere quiet and out of the way to work on his plan. If all went well, he was likely going to be walking away with some pretty good cash in hand...

[Flame]

The man opened a crooked smile as he looked back at Kano. Gesturing with his hand he had Kano sit in front of a small wooden box with some cups on it. He knew an idiot when he saw one and Kano looked like an excessively foolish one at that. Giving off his best 'i'm innocent' smile he pulled out his own bag of coins and dropped a few on the table.

"Well then, hows about it, you place some coins in the circle and i'll match it. If you choose the cup with the stone in it you can take the coins. If not I will." he said. It was a simple enough game, to the player it might seem like an easy game to do if you were any observant. However with a skilled con-man they would be excellent at manipulating the stone under the cups and could easily fool someone trying to follow the original cup with the stone under it.

Kano smiled, looking over the man. He looked normal, nothing special, he had a slightly crooked smile but apart from that Kano saw nothing wrong with him. Happy in his knowledge that the man looked fine and was probably no one who would try and fool him out of money, Kano plopped himself down in front of the man his legs crossed in front of him. Fingering some coins in his hand Kano dropped some in front of the man who in turn added a similar amount to the pile. Both parties smiled knowingly, though only one them actually knew anything. The con-man showed the rock under the cup on the far left and thus begun the game.

Kano focused watching the cup on the far left closely. His eyes followed it closely as the man manipulated the cups, swinging them left, switching them around. But Kano kept up fairly well, he was good at noticing small movements. After the shuffling was over, Kano poked one of the cups over under it was of course the small stone that he had been shone at the beginning. His eyes shone with joy as he collected the coins. Then looking at the pile and with a little more confidence in himself he placed all the coins he had just won back into the pile along with the rest of the coins in his hand.

The man looked back at him, a smile growing along his face, finally pushing a matching pile of coins into it he smiled. Once again revealing the stone under one of the cups. This time he pushed the speed up, with two cups constantly in motion, he continued to move the cups at rather fast speeds. There were small movements in his wrists as well, it was all and all hard for Kano to keep up. But he was able to keep track of the cup he wanted to. So with a smile on his face he moved his finger forward to flick over the cup that he believed has the stone within it. Pushing it over, he looked below expecting to see the stone from earlier. But nothing was there ... absolutely nothing.

Confused he stood up retracing what had happened in his head. The man stifling a giggle raked in the coins on the table as Kano looked in disbelief. Hanging his head slightly he turned around and begun to walk away. He had lost now half of his spending money.

Now it looked like he needed a job of some sort. Something that would last at most a day or so, he looked around for something, a well-paying quick job. Well most likely he wouldn't be able to find anything of the sort he thought. He searched around endlessly until suddenly coming upon a flyer for just the kind of job he was looking for. A one day job, paid fairly well and all, there was not much of a description for what he would have to do but it seemed too good to be true at the time. So he looked for the place to meet, it was at one of the docks.

Turning he made his way to the docks and found the place. There he was greeted by a slightly scraggly guy.

"I'm here for the job!" Kano smiled happily.

The scraggly guy looked him up and down and after a few seconds nodded at him pointing his finger at the ship parked up against the dock. He couldn't see too much of the boat because the fog was in and thus walked on the boat quickly without even bothering to ask what the job might be.

After waiting a little while he realized the boat had floated off from the dock. Getting to his feet he noticed a lot of people were gathering around somebody.

"Everybody, I'm about to explain what this job is all about, gather round!" the man in the center yelled, and thus Kano got up and walked over to see what all the hub-bub was about.

[Vio]

Having found a slightly more secluded area of the aptly named Pirate's Market, Sunshaku Kasasagi had so far observed a few interesting facts about this place. Pirates were in abundance, most definitely, and it appeared that it was not all too uncommon for them to clash. Bullet holes and sword marks seemed to have become part of the design of the old ramshackle buildings, though the vast majority of the island seemed to consist of docks and market stalls. In this particular section, the vendors seemed to be focusing more on industrial goods, such as lumber and tools. Though, the presence of a grubby gentleman selling off pigs to the highest bidder seemed to blow that degree of specialisation out of the water.
What can't I find here? Considering a variety of peculiar things for a while as he walked, the swindler chuckled, somewhat glad that he had not said that out loud. He half-expected all the vendors to turn around and start up a scene from some weird musical which, while hilarious, would also have been rather disturbing. Very few seemed to be from the same walk of life, some looking like they had spent most of their time on the streets, others looking rather wealthy in comparison. Still, nobody of particularly rich stature had come into view as of yet, and he was not going to be keeping his hopes up that such an event would occur.

Well, well. Just what I was looking for! Coming up to a nearby stall, Mister Sunshaku swept amethyst eyes across the display in front of him. Paint. The kind of paint used for touching up figureheads and the like. The kind of paint that, when dry, was highly resistant to the effects of water. Perfect. Eyeing the price tags, he maintained a poker face despite his dissatisfaction with such extortionate costs. Still, this was the Pirate's Market, and if there was no form of extortion going on, he would actually have been quite worried. Still, which colours to choose? There was quite a good amount of hues and shades available, from richest blues to calmest greens to blazing reds. After a few moments of scanning the stall, he eventually decided upon a jar of deep indigo, one of a fiery orange-yellow, and another pea green vial.
"These three, if you please. The Captain's always so picky about colours for his cabin door. Hoping at least one of these will satisfy him! Hehahaha!" Pretending that his need for such small amounts of paint was something to do with a rather fussy captain of a crew which neither existed, nor did he belong to, the conman forked over some more hard-stolen Beri to the stall keeper and added the colourful glass containers to his bag of tricks. Again, he politely tipped his hat towards the owner of the paint stall before waltzing off once more into the crowd. So far, he had made sure to give the exact change, cautious about any trickery or tomfoolery that the shopkeepers could play on him. It was likely they picked up tricks of piracy, too, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

Now, I just need to find somewhere a little quieter... Not one to dawdle without good reason, the man in deep purple walked along at a regular and relaxed pace, avoiding any movements or gestures that may be considered suspicious. He had experienced one or two pirates in his time and, while they were not always the brightest candles in the box, they at least showed caution about their possessions. When they were not drunk out of their minds, at least. A few cups of sake could turn most men's minds to jelly, transforming even the most cautious of scalliwags into a gullible fool who would happily lend you the money to pay for a round of drinks.
Hmm. This might do nicely... Quickly and quietly darting into an alleyway, he avoiding drawing any major attention to himself as he walked into the shroud of shadows and fog and taking a seat upon the remnants of a brick wall that had definitely seen better days. In fact, it look more like somebody had blasted it apart with a cannon. Still, it was the closest thing this island had to public benches, and Kasasagi sat down and began work. Drawing out one of the two odd and lumpy fruits, he popped open the jar of indigo paint and - with a large paint brush he had actually stolen from the same shop that had sold him the paints - began to apply the rich hues to the otherwise golden skin of the morsel. This would take a few minutes, but the time was to be well spent.

I wonder how much I can fetch for one of these? Might be best to keep the price low, though... Easier to fool some lowly deck hand, that way... Finishing the application of the indigo paint to the surface of the horned melon, the fruit's golden skin was now completely concealed by the layer of liquid. It looked far less natural, now. That said, it had still looked rather bizarre, beforehand. But now it was looking like something supernatural. Something like a Devil Fruit. A sly smile formed upon the thief's face as he rested it upon the wall, gently fanning it with a handful of playing cards to try and aid the drying process.

[Flame]

"Listen up! I'm only going to say this once. And now since we are out to sea, I guess i'll tell you what we're going to have you do. Don't worry we are only at sea for now for a bit of privacy." the man shouted to a generally confused group of men who were circling around him. He had a rather crooked smile on his face. He waited for a second as the chatter rose up and then finally died down as people began to accept their situation. There was a yet bigger thing that was coming.

"We are going after a special kind of fruit. It looks like this." a man walked up next to him unrolling a piece of paper upon which was an oddly shaped and colored fruit. It puzzled Kano to think such a fruit exists but he didn't think on it long, that kind of thought was not what he dealt with. "If it wasn't obvious, the reward is for the person who is able to retrieve it for us. You must bring it back and it must not be eaten. There is no reward for a person who eats the fruit. If anything there is only punishment." Signalling to the scroll holder the scroll was rolled up and put away. Now the group of twelve or so people were talking to each other in excitement. Maybe one or two knew what the fruit actually was but Kano of course did not. He just thought it was an interesting fruit, maybe he'd take a nibble. They wouldn't know right?

Kano stood around chatting incessantly about all sorts of random things with his competitors. The boat was slowly coming back to shore, along with the twelve competitors, other members of what seemed to be the boats crew were appearing from the doors. Perhaps they'd be helping or on their own also obtaining the fruit. If Kano had a little more forethought he'd probably wonder why they were recruiting help but he didn't. Kano wondered how much worth this fruit actually was, the picture of it in his mind was rather vague but he had a general idea what it looked like. Pirate's Market wasn't that big so if they were sure it was here then surely he'd be able to find it, or at least someone would. Many thoughts that should have passed his mind didn't and thus he thought only of the job at hand and not of the other plans of his employers etc.

As the boat pulled up to shore, Kano got a running start and launched himself off the side onto the planks of the dock. As he jumped he yelled "I'll be heading off first! Off to find the fruit!" And with that he charged off into the fog without much of an idea where to go or how to find this particular fruit. His feet padded along the wooden aisles and lanes, his eyes searching around endlessly for signs of the mysterious fruit.

Left, right, left again he ran. His competitors were sure to be right behind him so he needed as much of a lead as he could get. With so many competitors there was sure to be a large swathe of area that would be covered quickly. He needed to be either the first to find it, or find the person who found it and procure it from them somehow. There were many places to search, so he continued to run, in his head thinking a little about where the best place would be. Perhaps a produce store? Or maybe . . . the center of the island? He had heard that it was some small sort of forest or something. That seemed like a decent possibility for where it could be. Turning around he charged off in that direction.

As he ran he passed a man with an odd looking fruit in his hand, it didn't look exactly the same but perhaps it looked similar. Stopping in his tracks he turned around bounding back to where the man stood. Coming in with a smile he spoke "Excuse me. I think I'm looking for that, you don't think I could procure it from you could I?"

In other places on the island, a group of pirates was unloading onto the island. Their objective certain, to find the Devil Fruit rumored to be on Pirates Market. No one knew exactly what it did, after all rumors are just rumors, it is not as if every ability is known. But they were on the hunt and no one would stop them. With the competitors, the first group of pirates and the second group the game was on. As the festival drew nearer it was time for the hunt!

[Vio]

Finally, after several minutes of painting and waiting, Sunshaku Kasasagi looked at the peculiar fruit in his hands. Now an oddly sickly shade of indigo, the horned melon possessed unusual spiralling patterns around its lumps and bumps and could easily have been mistaken for a Devil Fruit. Which, of course, was exactly what the con artist was intending. If anything was going to make him some good cash on an island full of aspiring pirates, it was a fruit that granted its consumer immense power. Or, at least, the prospect of it. To be fair, even the swindler himself was not entirely sure of Devil Fruits and what they could do, but he did know two particular things: they possessed unusual patterns, and they were worth a lot of money.
Hm. This is actually quite delicious... Having been afflicted by a sudden need for something sweet, however, the dark-haired gentleman was now tucking into the additional fruit which he had purchased, enjoying the sweet and watery taste, reminiscent of some type of mild wine. Certainly, it was worth the price he had paid for it, even more so as he was likely to get a very good profit from its now peculiarly decorated partner. The fruit itself was rather strange, to say the least, but it was definitely no cursed morsel. While its thick and bumpy yellow skin had concealed the most beautiful and juicy green innards, it was not exactly hard to say that such an object would not grant its consumer with such powers as conjuring fire or turning people to stone.

Now. Where's the best place to go about selling this darling? Eyeing his masterpiece with amethyst hues, the faintest glimpse of emerald captured in his devious expression, Mister Sunshaku began to consider the different areas of the island and where best to con somebody out of a fortune without any particular repercussions. Further inland, perhaps? He had heard that a rather dense forest dominated the very centre of Pirate's Market, and there was likely to be some shifty business going on amongst the trees. That said, if he did get caught out he could easily just flee into the foliage and disappear for a while, like any good magician.
Maybe the docks are a better place. If it all turns sour I can just stowaway on somebody's ship and high tail it out of here... Another possibility, though perhaps a little riskier. While hiding on board a vessel could work to his advantage, the last place he wanted to end up being in was on a pirate ship in the middle of nowhere with the label of 'stowaway' hanging above his head. That was almost as bad, probably worse even, than spending time locked up in a cell within a major Marine base. Time spent on Viktas had been hard, to say the least, but if anything it had helped him refine his ways, rather than reform them as the law enforcement had intended. It was actually during his time there that he had picked up some information on Devil Fruits, and through a little more digging for information over in Dauntaun, he had been able to come up with this bold plan.

Now, I just need to find some poor sucker willing to pay through the nose to take this off my hands... Standing up and abandoning his position, including what was left of the paints and such, Kasasagi walked back into the ramshackle pseudo-streets of the never-ending marketplace, carrying the peculiar specimen of a fruit under his arm so that it was concealed, yet visible to those who were privy to the knowledge of Devil Fruits. There had to be at least one pirate captain or crewman willing to get his hands on such power, even if it meant losing his ability to swim. But, was such a risk worth the gamble? Having never seen a Devil Fruit in action before and indeed having but a vague idea of them, the wanderer was uncertain of a few things.
If I pull this off, I might just try it again. Could be good for raking in the money when I need it, I suppose... Waltzing so casually through the streets, cane in one hand and fruit in the other, the figure in deep purple kept a cautious eye on his surroundings, like a magpie searching for something shiny to take back to his nest. Making sure not to pass too close to the stalls from which he had procured the ingredients to his recipe, he headed back towards the docks, the familiar rolls of fog obscuring what little shoreline the island possessed. Towering above, an easily identifiable spire stood tall amongst the otherwise run-down environs, a line of defence against incoming Marine vessels.

"Excuse me. I think I'm looking for that, you don't think I could procure it from you, could I?" Asked a passing youth, perhaps a few years younger than the thief himself and standing just a couple of inches shorter, clad in a hoodie and casual clothing. Vivid blond hair and a youthful face beamed at him, but the most striking feature of this passer by was the vivid red hues of his eyes. Sure, Kasasagi himself had rather strangely coloured eyes, but the orbs that this boy possessed were one of the strangest pairs he'd even locked gaze with. Staring for a moment, the swindler kept a small smile as he analysed the features of the boy, discerning an obvious degree of naivete.
"Oh? You're after this? Hm. Well, I'm not planning on just giving it away, it wasn't easy to get a hold of," Tapping his cane gently upon the ground, Kasasagi feigned consideration, taking his time as he did with all marks so as to not draw any suspicion from them. A hasty ploy was easily foiled, after all, while patience was a virtue. While his thoughts were not on anything in particular, the conman did at least do a good job of pretending to be lost in thought, "it wasn't cheap, either, and I don't wanna go home empty handed. How much do you reckon you could offer for it? I'm a little short changed, you see..."

[Flame]

Kano now looked upon the man before him with a better eye than he did at first glance. The man looked a few years older than himself, or at least held himself in such a way. He looked at least twenty, though he carried himself as a man much more mature than that Kano thought at least. The few inches he was taller than Kano also added to the feeling of age. Probably the most distinctive part about him however was his clothing, since this was the Pirates Market most people were very casually dressed wearing rather worn out and ragged clothing. But not he, he was all dressed up in a double breasted jacket and all the finest that was never seen on this craven place. An odd person to meet here but that mattered little to Kano, he had what could possibility be Kano's key to coin. Besides his smile was reassuring so Kano worried not and went along with his task.

"Oh? You're after this? Hm. Well, I'm not planning on just giving it away, it wasn't easy to get a hold of,"

The man said before pausing, his eyes looking away as if lost in thought for a second. Kano thought for a second about the money in his pocket, wondering if it'd be enough to satisfy this man. The thought was pushed aside as the man before him started talking once again.

"wasn't cheap, either, and I don't wanna go home empty handed. How much do you reckon you could offer for it? I'm a little short changed, you see..."

Kano immediately began to talk as the man went silent.

"Well, unfortunately I don't have too much on me at the moment." Kano laughed nervously scratching the back of his head. Pulling his pouch of money out from his pocket he upended what was left of it into his hand. Looking down at it, it was a rather measly amount. "I suppose this won't be enough will it. Well no matter, on second look . . ."

Kano looked closer at the fruit, its pattern was slightly different from what he remembered the picture being of. The picture he remembered was less pointy or pokey than this fruit seemed to be. Scratching his chin he walked around the fruit in the man's hand looking at it from every angle. Ignoring the man holding it he circled around the fruit dodging people while keeping his eyes trained on it. The color looked a bit off, they weren't the same this one was too ... purple-ish? In any case he was now fairly sure that . . . they weren't the same fruit.

Kano's eyes narrowed, his search had to continue, but maybe just maybe, he could get some worth out of this one as well. "Well, I suppose if you want it for all the coins in my hand right now, I'll buy this fruit from you. However it doesn't seem to be the fruit I'm looking for. Mine is more reddish . . . its layered not pointy with all kinds of odd swirls all over the place." Holding the coins before the man for a few seconds he dropped them all into his pouch. If he would sell the fruit or wouldn't either way Kano could hand over the whole pouch or keep it.

As he held the pouch out now for a few seconds he looked around at his surroundings. There were other hunters for this fruit around, so perhaps some were on the way to his exact position. Scanning the crowds he could vaguely make out a ruckus coming up in the distance. They were moving closer, closer and closer yet, he could make out weapons being raised into the air now. A sense of urgency began to overtake Kano now and before the man beside him could make a decision Kano grabbed at his wrist.

"Run! They are after your fruit!" Kano yelled. Pulling the man along without giving him much of a choice. He dashed away from the oncoming storm of what he could only assume were pirates. His aim, the center of town, the forest where supposedly this fog was being made. With his hand firmly grasping the other man's wrist he pulled him along, Kano's strong legs pushed them forward a few times he tried to scale the building to run on the roofs, but most of the time he jumped up he couldn't find a second place to jump to while grasping the man's wrist and thus jumped back to the ground and continued to evade the coming pirates.

Kano smiled as he ran, the wind was in his face and it felt rather cool and nice. Then suddenly he was tripped up, Kano's foot stumbled and he tumbled to the ground his hand pulled against the other man trying to pull him down but soon enough he also let go of that hand in the surprise that he had tripped. Rolling on the ground for a little he came to a stop. But the pirates were probably to be around them soon given this little hiccup.

[Vio]

"Well, unfortunately, I don't have too much on me at the moment." Commenting as he scratched the back of his head, the boy allowed a nervous chuckle to emerge from his lips as he finished his reply. It certainly was not the type of response that Sunshaku Kasasagi was hoping for, though the swindler managed to stifle any show of disappointment aimed towards the hooded youngster. There were plenty of marks to choose from, really, though he had not expected a kid of this age to be so inquisitive about a potential Devil Fruit. Perhaps that meant something? Perhaps. It was not too far-fetched to believe that there might be young pirates looking to get their hands on a Devil Fruit; something to give them that edge in combat and make them stand out above others. The boy before him certainly looked as if he needed it, though often appearances could be deceiving.
Hm. Doesn't seem like he's got much cash on him. No point in wasting my time... Eyeing the pouch of coins carefully as the youth tipped out the contents into his other hand, he quickly added up an approximate value, but it was nowhere near what he would ask for for such a 'magical' prize. From what he knew from gathering information, it was not unusual for Devil Fruits to sell for several million beri; a small fortune, all for one object that may or may not give its consumer some unusual power.

"I suppose this won't be enough, will it? Well, no matter, on second look..." Remaining somewhat cautious as the youth examined the peculiar piece of fruit, Mister Sunshaku was really beginning to wonder what kinds of thoughts were crossing this potential mark's mind. He did not present himself in a particularly intelligent way, reminding him very much of the teens who used to walk the streets of his hometown on a regular basis. They were troublemakers, but they were easy to steal from. Despite the tough guy gait they mimicked, they certainly did not have the wits to back it up.
This isn't good... Better keep my poker face on! Tensing ever so slightly as the youth circled about him like a shark, the con artist tried his best to retain his composure. Had he noticed something was off about the fruit? Had he cottoned onto what he was trying to do? It was not too dissimilar from sitting at a table with cards in your hand, carefully eyeing each of your opponents and trying to call their bluff without giving yourself away. That said, poker was a lot easier when you had a few cards up your sleeve. This, however, was not a game of cards; he had no back-up and, as a direct result, the gamble was far greater.

"Well, I suppose if you want it for all the coins in my hand right now, I'll but this fruit from you. However, it doesn't seem to be the fruit I'm looking for..." Well, that was certainly an interesting revelation. Perhaps one that he could use to his advantage? It seemed this youth was indeed after a Devil Fruit, the description he gave of red with swirls was a sure give away, but the most interesting fact was that he already knew what his target looked like. That probably meant there was an actual example of one of these cursed morsels already in Pirate's Market, and that was blowing the card shark's plan straight out of the water. That said, if this boy was the only one who new about it - and he certainly seemed none the wiser as to the origins of the purple piece in front of him - then there was still a good chance of earning some cash.
"Eh? Well, I was definitely looking for a bit more than what you're willing to give. No deal, I'm afraid. But, thanks for offering, at least." Politely tipping the brim of his hat to the stranger, the dark-haired gentleman started to turn away, already eyeing the crowds for someone who was perhaps in a better position to part with some decent cash. It was then that he caught a glimpse of rapid movement heading his way, peculiar yells and shouts of anger emerging from the crowds as they were pushed aside. Above their heads, the glint of steel weapons captured his eyes like a magpie eyeing sparkling materials. What was the problem? Well, that question was quickly answered as the youth's hand took a hold of the conman's wrist.

"Run! They are after your fruit!" A quick tug in the right direction forced Kasasagi into a run as he tried to keep up with the youth whose name he was still unaware of, darting between the crowds as they fled from the oncoming hordes. This was definitely going to put an end to his plans. Weaving between the stalls and streets, they dashed towards the centre of the island, a quieter place in which it would be easier to escape from their pursuers. Once or twice, the youth caught him by surprise, attempting to scale the walls of buildings to try and get onto the roof, but such an act was just not feasible. Still, the thief had to admit that this person's strength was surprising. He did not look it, but he was definitely in much better physical condition.
"Woah!" Pulled harshly for a moment, Kasasagi watched as his guide took a tumble, very nearly taking him down at the same time. Managing to slip free of the youth's grasp, the swindler quickly regained his balance, sliding smoothly to a halt before standing up properly. Allowing someone to take the fall for him was not uncommon, but this was a bit too literal for his liking. That said, their pursuers were now within sight, having finally broken through the crowds. How had they learned of the fruit in his possession so quickly? Or, perhaps they had an informant of sorts? Regardless, such thoughts were not at the forefront of his mind. If those pirates captured him and realised the fruit was a fake, he was as good as dead. He was not about to make a gamble that would cost him his life.

"Hey, kid! C'mon! Don't wanna have to leave you behind!" Shouting hurriedly, the swindler skipped back a few steps before turning on his heel and fleeing down the nearest available side street. Used to the layout of towns and cities, if there was one place where Sunshaku Kasasagi felt at home, it was in the backstreets and alleys. They were easily the best place to avoid pursuers - policemen, Marines, even pirates - and get away without issue. That said, he now had unintended baggage, so his usual disappearing acts were not going to cut it.
"Darn..." Coming to a halt halfway down an alleyway, the swindler's eyes fell upon a miserable sight. Hidden by the fog of the island and the shadows of the the two derelict buildings that sandwiched it, the passage he had taken them down was none other than a dead end. A crumbling brick wall standing at the other end...

SPOILER: Click to show

Hoping this will do for you. When can have the pirates corner us, and then go for the negotiations, perhaps?

[Flame]

"Eh? Well, I was definitely looking for a bit more than what you're willing to give. No deal, I'm afraid. But, thanks for offering, at least." he had said. Kano resigned that his pouch of money probably wouldn't buy the fruit he was looking for. It was apparent even to him that this type of fruit seemed to go for a lot more money than he currently had. In other words he had to find the fruit where it wasn't being held by anyone either that or steal it from somebody. Well if it was for the a good festival. It was worth it! Definitely! Coming back to reality he heard,

"Hey, kid! C'mon! Don't wanna have to leave you behind!" the man Kano had pulled along with him said as he made his break. Luckily for him Kano's misstep hadn't pulled him completely off his feet. So he was able to get away almost immediately. Kano watched as he backpedaled and charged off into a side alley to make his getaway. Kano needed to follow, with the pirates chasing him he felt that he needed to not let this man leave him behind. Perhaps there were other options for him, but those Kano didn't consider, splitting off being the most obvious choice.

Pushing his body up with his hands he wound up his legs. Releasing them he launched himself up to his feet and fell in after that man. Into the side-alleys, those backstreets were a blessing and a curse. All the hiding spots were easily able to find. On the other hand it was easy to get caught like a rat in here. There was a reason this was the place that was most connected with the scum of the earth.

More aware of his footing Kano made it fairly safely through the side-alleys. His eyes watching the flooring beneath him as he dodged little bumps and hiccups in the road. His eyes were focused watching the rickety flooring to make sure he didn't trip again, it was rather embarrassing after all and he didn't want to do that again. He was so concentrated that he didn't notice some key things that would have saved him from a little more embarrassment. For starters he would've heard the exclamation of "Darn..." from the man whom he had been chasing. He also would've noticed that that man had stopped in place.

Kano finally found out the hard way, a loud bonk echoed through the alley as Kano ran head first into the wall before him. Falling back from the wall he landed upon his butt bouncing on the ground for a few seconds. Looking up now, his face flushed with embarrassment as he stared at the wall dumbly. Realizing the situation he shook off the troubles in his mind and stood up once more. Hopping to his feet he put his best smile on turning to the man beside him he said.

"Well wasn't that dumb!" knocking his fist on his head lightly and sticking out his tongue in his best 'tehe-pero' kind of scene.

But now something else became obvious to him, the sounds of trampling feet quickly growing louder. His eyes rapidly looked around for an exit, except perhaps running up the wall there didn't seem to be a chance of getting out.

"The only way out is up! Come on!" Kano said quickly and immediately ran at a wall stepping up onto the wall he tried to wall-hop from the wall to the opposite wall. While he did make it across, he landed with the worst part of his body, his face. The wall slammed into his face and he fell down to the ground once more. Now on the ground he was slightly winded looking up he thought of how stupid he looked and began to laugh.

At that moment, the pirates who had been chasing them turned the corner. There was at least eight of them or something. They stood in a large ball cutting off Kano and his friend's exit. They had guns and swords all of which were menacingly staring off them. From the ball one of the pirates walked out before them. He was only slightly better dressed than the others, to be honest if he were alone he wouldn't look all too menacing but with the group behind him he stood a few inches taller.

"You'll be giving us that Devil Fruit now." he said with a wicked smile upon his face.

[Vio]

"Went and ran myself into a dead end, uh-" Muttering to himself as began to turn, the sudden breeze that passed by Sunshaku Kasasagi indicated that his unintentional accomplice had caught up. It also informed him that the youth was paying more attention to the ground he walked upon than the obstacles that were ahead. Unable to really extend a free hand, one holding the mock Devil Fruit and the other clutching his cane, the conman had little chance to warn the boy before he ran head first into the wall that obstructed their path. Definitely a sandwich or two short of a full picnic, but the way he bounced back was admirable.
"Well wasn't that dumb!" Gently knocking his fist upon his head and sticking his tongue out cheekily, the actions of the innocent youth brought a small smile to the lips of the swindler. This was not your typical idiot. Rather, the hooded boy had a quality all his own, something which was hard to come by these days. Such clear identity was often a sign that a person could amount to great things. That said, it could also mean said person could easily fall flat, a fact which was established rather quickly as the youth tried to scale the walls, once more displaying his athleticism before falling to the floor with a thud.

"Heh. That wall's already two up on you, I wouldn't bet anything else, kid." Smirking as the youth laughed, Mister Sunshaku turned his attentions towards more pressing matters. Their pursuers had finally closed the distance, a crowd of eight or nine burly and ragged men swarming about the corner and blockading the only available exit. The glint of steel and gunmetal catching his amethyst eyes, the swindler retained a rather calm and steady stance despite being faced with six or seven swords of varying cheap design and a small handful of guns. To be fair, he'd been in a similar situation at least once before now, though if he remembered correctly that had involved a pack of marked cards and a rather dodgy game of blackjack.
"You'll be giving us that Devil Fruit now." Stepping forwards from the group of ruffians, a pirate with ever so slightly better fashion sense issued his order, a wicked smile being forged with a mouthful of crooked teeth. Not the prettiest of sights to behold, for certain, but all the petty thief responded with was a snark-filled raise of an eyebrow. Even if it was just a fake, he had no intentions of giving up his ticket to some good cash to someone unwilling to pay for it. That was not his style, really. No, he had more class than that, even if his origins were only that of humble rice farming back on Dance Island.

"You want this? Well, I'm afraid it's not for sale at this moment in time. Gonna have to come back later. Though I may be... persuaded, by some cold hard cash?" Gently tossing the painted morsel up and down in his hand, Kasasagi allowed a suggestive grin to form upon his face, purposefully taunting the pirates before him with both actions and manner of speech. Pressure was something he handled surprisingly well, that and a bottle of wine, and with every passing second he watched as the lips of the pirate before him curled with frustration. Definitely not a good poker player, likely of decent intellect, but not a bright spark. People were easy to read.
"How's about we pay up in broken bones, instead?" Cracking his knuckles and flexing his neck, the pirate's retort was actually quite witty. Barbarically so, but witty nonetheless. Clearly there were no negotiations to be made with this one, and his comrades seemed more than willing to join in on his proposed method of payment. Unfortunately for them, the only ribs Kasasagi was particularly fond of were the barbecued kind.

"Eh? Hey, kid. Hold onto this for me, will you?" Turning slightly, the dark-haired gentleman gave the purple morsel a gentle toss in the direction of the youth before turning back towards his would be opponent. That said, his foe was already one step ahead of him, having sent one of his swordsmen forward in an attempt to intercept the flying fruit. A quick sideways motion allowed the swindler to slip out of the path of the pirate's sword as it cleaved downwards, likely aiming to sever his arm and make the fruit easy pickings. Fortunately, the man in deep purple was far quicker than his attacker, the flickering form of a playing card soon flying high into the air like a soaring butterfly.
Predictable. The eyes of the pirate drawn to follow the card as it swirled skywards, in just a matter of seconds the con artist himself had drawn his own blade, an edge concealed in the form of his walking cane. The flash of steel and a flicker of scarlet, accompanied by a gasp of pain, were a sure sign that the first man had fallen. Just as quickly as he had drawn his blade, Kasasagi was already sheathing it again, slipping the silvery steel rapier back into its scabbard of ebony. Raising a white-gloved hand, the surprisingly skilled swindler captured the falling card between his fingers, twisting it to face his foes and reveal its suit and value: Ace of Hearts.

"Listen. Gentlemen. I really don't wanna have to fight you over this one fruit. I'm sure we can-" Unable to finish his sentence, the swindler soon found half of the remaining pirates bearing down upon him and his comrade, their sights set upon the peculiarly lumpy fruit in the youth's hand. This was getting a lot more complicated than Kasasagi has expected. Really, how was he supposed to have known that a whole crew would be after a Devil Fruit when he started? On top of that, the youth had suggested that there was an actual Devil Fruit here on the island, and that made things far more difficult for the swindler, especially now that he had acquired a rather dopey partner in crime...

[Flame]

Kano lay there for a moment listening to the chatter as his partner-in-crime tried to smooth talk his way out of their little predicament. He was handed the fruit which he had been so eagerly trying to buy only a few moments earlier. The thought of taking the fruit and running did cross his mind but it wasn't the fruit he was looking for so it wasn't worth it most likely.

Their discussion seemed to break down rather quickly but as they talked certain things were talked about that Kano did actually notice. Two words came up in his mind as they seemed to parry words over the fruit. This was called a Devil Fruit, whatever a devil fruit actually is. Many things rolled through Kano's mind as he mulled over what a devil fruit might be. Why it was so sticky? Why it was so oddly colored? What was with all the points? Why was he so hungry? And if it was a fruit wasn't it going to be the perfect thing to quench his hunger?!? Holding it in his hand he looked at it carefully, it did look rather delectable.

He paid no attention as his partner jumped into combat with the pirates. Not much of that was of his concern, the only thing that alerted him to it at all was the sounds of metal clinking against metal. It was only with the ever more loud sounds that he became fully aware of what was happening. Turning his head he watched as his partner deftly took out the opponents that pushed forth into him. The most curious thing was his weapons, he seemed to be using playing cards and his cane? Puzzled for a second Kano let it slide given the situation which had been unfolding before him.

For as he continued to look on he watched as his partner began to try and talk once more. "Listen. Gentlemen. I really don't wanna have to fight you over this one fruit. I'm sure we can-" he began to say then stopped as the pirates began to close in on him once more. This time his voice felt less confident and Kano could feel the tension building around him. Something in him told him that he needed to get out of here fast. He looked around, chancing the wall-run technique again didn't seem to be a good idea. If not that then, he needed something to take a step off then, there wasn't really anything solid to step on except . . . well there was his partner.

It was a possibility, he considered hard to think if there was another option. Honestly, he couldn't think of anything else. Standing up, his red eyes blazed with seriousness. Putting his hand on his partner's shoulder he said in as happy a voice as he could. "Don't worry, I'll pull you up with me in a second, just don't flinch!"

Hoping that the partner would keep the pirates in front of him busy he launched himself at the wall that blocked their way. The fruit in his hand was thrown high into the air so that it would hopefully go land on the wall that he was trying to jump over. His foot stepped upon the wall, immediately he could feel gravity fighting his push upwards. Finding as much grip as he could he pushed off, twisting his body as he did so he could get his second foot into position.

This time he didn't mess up, his foot landed on its intended target. Pressing down it landed upon his partner's shoulder pushing off of it he launched himself farther into the air. His hands and feet extended to meet the top of the wall which he was approaching quickly.

It was a bold jump, he had put a lot of force into it to get as much upward movement as possible. It was enough, perhaps more than enough, his forward foot cleared straight over the wall and down into the other side. As he panicked wondering how he would stop his fall his back foot searched for the wall that the first foot had cleared. It found it, though not in the best way, it got caught by the top of the wall pulling back against him causing Kano to flip down quickly his foot acting as his fulcrum. The fruit was falling along with him, but given the situation he was a little out of sorts as he tried to grab for it.

He missed and despaired as he watched it fall to the ground most likely to smash upon the concrete. It didn't, no that would not be this fake devil fruit's fate. Kano swung down his body flattening itself onto the wall, his back foot finally found itself free of the wall and unfortunately his shoe. His body slid down with gravity now getting its full force placed upon him.

Coming down with a crash he landed upon the painted fruit. A loud crash could be heard, Kano could only guess what his body had done to the fruit beneath him. He frowned.

[Vio]

Quickly stashing his card as another two pirates lunged towards him, Sunshaku Kasasagi drew his blade once again, this time parrying the swing of one of the pirate's swords with his own while simultaneously batting away his other attacker's blow with the scabbard. Having at least some knowledge of lesser known styles was always a benefit, really, especially as many a man and woman in this world lived by the sword. His knowledge of Iaijutsu - using both blade and scabbard to attack and defend - had certainly saved his life many times before back on Dauntaun. Indeed, while he was not the strongest of men, he still had enough power to repel his attackers and force them back a yard or two.
Huh? The sudden presence of a hand upon his shoulder temporarily diverted his attentions, his own amethyst hues meeting with the fiery red eyes of the hooded youth who now held the purple fruit. A look of seriousness was in those devilishly innocent eyes of his, but at the same time he did not seem at all fazed by the presence of pirates. Was this kid really as bold and brazen as this? How peculiar.

"Don't worry, I'll pull you up with me in a second. Just don't flinch!" What. That did not sound too good. What was this boy planning? Either way, it sounded like he had come up with some sort of plan, but the addition to his sentence was what worried the swindler the most. The youngster had already tried twice to scale the wall, failing both times, but this time Mister Sunshaku was pretty sure that he had a plan. The downside was that this plan had been decided upon by the equivalent of the village idiot, and that in itself was an unnerving fact.
"Hey, I'm no footstool!" Feeling himself buckle slightly beneath the weight of the youth as a foot landed upon his broad shoulder, the dark-haired gentleman was caught somewhat off guard as the boy launched himself at the wall for a third time. This time, however, his gambit had been successful. Successful, but definitely not graceful. Unable to hold his footing upon the top of the wall, the youth seemed to give in to the power of gravity, his hooded form and the purple fruit falling out of view as they cascaded over the other side of the wall.

"He's gettin' away with the Devil Fruit! After him!" Shouted the leading pirate, a handful of men with swords and pistols darting out of the alley as fast as they could in an attempt to chase down the youth who carried their intended prize. Of course, the not-so-fancy footwork of said youth had left the swindler himself in a bit of a predicament. Now on his own with no way to escape, Kasasagi sheathed his sword and abandoned his tensed stance, gently dusting some dirt off of his shoulder with his free hand while shaking his head.
"Well. Sorry about that. Wasn't expecting him to do that at all." The conman said, tutting as reality set in. A series of rather unfortunate events had befallen him, though at least the Marines were not involved this time. The last thing he wanted was to be locked up in a cell somewhere on a Marine base again, twiddling his thumbs as time crept by. There were things during his life that he had regretted doing, one of which was being caught in the act of thievery. Still, despite him being outnumbered and most likely outclassed by the remaining few pirates, he was not about to leave this alley without a little extra finance in his pocket.

"Shut it! You're coming with us." Clicking his fingers loudly, the group's leader gestured for his remaining troupe to advance. Of the original eight or nine, there were only four remaining. While the card shark may have easily been able to take them down one at a time, as he had done with the first, the fact that he had three pistols all trained upon him had shattered any hope of escape. He had spent a lot of hard-stolen cash on his current attire and was certainly not willing to have it filled with a few extra holes, especially if he had to pay in blood.
"Heh? I suppose..." Surrounded and outnumbered, Kasasagi was soon greeted by a heavy blow to the back of his skull, his vision blurring into all-consuming darkness as he watched the world around him spin away into nothingness. In and out of consciousness he drifted for at least a minute, capturing little bits of information exchanged between the pirates, the numbed feeling of rope and other materials barely discernible before he finally blacked out entirely...

[Flame]

Kano stayed there laying upon the ground for a few seconds. The realization of what had happened was beginning to fully dawn upon him. A hard feeling could be felt upon his chest, it wasn't the ground that the rest of his body was feeling and that concerned him greatly. Slowly but surely he pulled his body up from its position until he was sitting up. Upon the ground where his chest had just laid he could see it as plain as day. The splat spot, a corpse of a fruit's outer shell lay there flattened upon the ground. It held only some semblance to its former self.

Pressing one of his hands against his own shirt he felt for where he had hit it. The sticky feeling of the fruit was reminiscent to him as he felt it upon the center of his shirt. Grabbing the shirt he pulled it forward so that he was looking down at where the shirt had come in contact with the fruit. It showed a similar splat pattern upon it, it was generally the color of the outside of the fruit which made sense, it would've been imprinted upon his shirt upon landing.

It was too bad, Kano liked this shirt, now he'd have to find some way to replace it. He had no way to clean the shirt apart from probably running it through the ocean again and again. Well, at least until that time he would have to go without his beloved hoodie. Stripping it off his body he revealed the t-shirt beneath it. Now fully standing up he hung the hoodie over his back and looked around, where was his partner in crime. It fully dawned upon him that his partner had not come over the wall with him.

Turning around he took a second staring at the wall. Decisions, decisions, now that he didn't have the fruit he needed to go looking for the actual fruit once again. He could go back over the wall after his partner but one he wasn't sure if he could go over the wall, two he doubted he'd be able to do much even if he did go. Then the answer seemed fairly obvious, he'd have to help him out at a later point then. Kano figured, his head hurting from doing things with so much forethought. Scratching his head he muttered to himself something about thinking too much and started walking looking for the exit to the alley-like maze he found himself in.

After the real fruit, that was what he decided to do. The completion of his mission was probably most important? He didn't know, in the back of his mind he had a slight concern for the man he had left on the other side of the wall with the pirates. It was, well Kano would deal with it when it became a problem, wasn't there a chance that he was fine? He seemed to handle himself very well in fights so maybe he was fine right? Kano let such thoughts flow through his head as he made his way to the center of town and the forest.

There is where it had to be right? That fruit that everyone wanted. If so many people wanted it then it must taste great right? He smiled to himself, perhaps they wouldn't mind if he took just a little nibble? From his walk he now sped up to a cheery skip as he thought of good food and tasty things.

As he now skipped forward he could tell he was closing in on the center of the Market, even someone as dull as Kano could tell because of the increasingly dense fog. His vision blurred slightly as he continued to walk forward. The whiteness grew massively limiting his voice to a hundred feet, fifty feet it grew denser every step he took. Soon enough he wondered if he'd even be able to see what was directly in front of his face.

Then he heard a call and the sound of a large amount of trampling feet. It sounded like a stampede was coming his way.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" from the fog came a man running in his hand a bright fruit was held in hand. Only one thing could follow, the chasers.

[Vio]

If there was anything to be regretted right now, it was his attempt at deceiving lowly pirates. Sunshaku Kasasagi was now drifting back to the shores of reality, his mind clearing as it escaped the endless ocean of unconsciousness. It took a minute or two, but his eyes finally adjusted to the lighting of his new locale, amethyst hues lazily scanning the immediate vicinity as the swindler tried to regain his bearings. Wherever he was, he was indoors. All around him were walls of timber, not at all dissimilar from the cabin of a ship or other sailing vessel, dim candlelight emerging from lanterns being the only direct source of illumination. Attempting to move, his actions were greeted by little more than a tight feeling around his torso, hands and feet.
Ah. Just great. They went and tied me up... Wait, where's my hat? Clean black locks exposed, the distinct broad brim of his 'boss of the plains' stetson no longer capped his vision. However, that was not all he seemed to be missing, but a quick search of the room soon calmed his nerves somewhat. The room itself was reminiscent of some kind of brig, large and empty, save for a few decorations. Likely a converted vessel, though nothing of spectacular size. On a table at the opposite side of the room lay all his gear; the double-breasted jacket of his suit, the deep purple cloak which was usually draped around his shoulders, not to mention his swordstick whose blade had been half-exposed from the scabbard. His hat also lay atop the folds of his cloak, as did several packs of cards, including the specially crafted 'Shurikaado'. It seemed that his captors had not cottoned onto the identity of said weapons, however, the razor-edged cards still sealed within their pack.

Sounds like I've got myself some company... The sound of footsteps and voices resonating from beyond the doorway leading into the room, Mister Sunshaku squirmed a little as he tried to loosen up the rigging ropes that currently held him to a chair, hands behind his back and feet together. At least they had not beaten him, but he still felt a little groggy from being knocked out, an awkward tingling on the back of his head being a crude reminder of their attack. Still, that could soon change. All this because of a mix-up between a real Devil Fruit and a fake. Lady Luck was definitely not smiling upon him today; fortunately for him he made his own luck.
"...Alright, alright! Shut up already! Geez..." A distinctly light voice ringing in his ears as he watched the door swing open, the captured conman took note of several figures filing into his makeshift prison cell, but it was the one being the most vocal that he took a particular interest in. Amongst a group of four burly and rugged pirates stood a much more appealing sight; a woman. Her physique trim and surprisingly elegant for a pirate, she looked much more like she had come straight off the catwalk rather than the deck of a pirate ship. Clad in a yellow, form-fitting dress jacket that could easily have acted as a short dress in its own right, the distinct lack of sleeves on said garment revealed graceful arms that rested upon her hips. Beneath said jacket, she wore an article of clothing that resembled a one-piece swimsuit more than anything else, white in colour with jagged black tiger stripes running up the sides like ladders.

"Right-o, then. We've heard rumours of a Devil Fruit here on the island, but we don't know exactly where it is or what it looks like. The boys here tell me you may have had it... So, where is it." Staring with electric blue hues, this female buccaneer wore a look of determination upon her face that defined beauty as she stood there in white, knee-high, high heeled boots. Certainly the most beautiful sight he had laid eyes upon in recent weeks, and definitely the most attractive thing he had seen on Pirate's Market that was not in monetary form, Kasasagi could not help but admire the stunningly gorgeous model before him. He and she might as well have been the only ones in the room, but the lingering musk of male pirates was somewhat off-putting.
"I apologise, my lady, I'm afraid I can't answer that question, as much as I'd love to." Winking to the beauty with shockingly bright blonde hair, a rather zigzagged cowlick or two emerging from her crown, the petty thief tried his best to sweet talk her. Always the womaniser and at least something of a ladies' man, he had charmed many a damsel, though usually he never managed to get any further than that. Relationships likely were not his strongest point, especially with a background and lifestyle such as his. Though, to be fair, the present of a shiny amaranth waistcoat and indigo cravat over his pure white shirt certainly belied such humble beginnings, even if they were purchased with stolen money.

"E-eh? Wh- ...Hmph! I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." A trace of rose forming upon her cheeks for a moment as she recoiled slightly, the swindler was certainly not too fond of her final response, though that was not something he was going to give away too easily. He did, however, watch as the golden top placed her hands together as if she were praying, steadily rubbing the palms together as if to try and warm them up. The men around her seemed to back away slightly and, despite them all being far tougher in appearance, they seemed to wear cautious looks upon their face.
"So. Tell me where your friend ran off to, and I'll let you go. Simple as that." Speaking slowly, the amethyst eyes of the swindler widened a little as he witnessed something truly extraordinary. The mysterious woman stopped rubbing her hands together, parting them slowly, but the most intriguing thing was what occurred between her palms as she did so. A light sparking seemed to be present, minute and almost invisible arcs of electricity jumping between her skin...

[Flame]

A man stampeded toward him, his eyes wide with terror as he sprinted away from the horde that was appearing from the clouds of fog behind him. And quite the horde it was, they looked much like a group of pirates and other sorts of ne'er do wells. Actually on second look they even looked familiar at that. He recognized many of them as the people he had met on that ship not too long ago for the 'mission' he was doing. Which meant the man running towards him . .. there could only be one possibility right. Focusing back on the man rapidly closing in on him he took a closer look at that fruit in his hand.

There it was just as he had remembered it, the bright reddish fruit with a golden leaf. There were just so many reasons that he needed it, they would understand the importance of he having a fun time at the festival right?

"Out of the way!" the man yelled as he came within five feet of Kano. Under his left arm was the fruit, it was almost within Kano's reach. All he had to do was stretch out and grab it. If only it was actually that simple. As he came within reach of Kano, Kano sidestepped to the right with his left arm he tried to simply pop the fruit out of the man's hold. But the man was one step ahead of Kano, perhaps because Kano is horrible at seeming innocent or just because anyone would do what Kano tried to do.

As he closed in on Kano he dodged to the right away from Kano and Kano's hand swung through the empty air where the fruit would have been if the man hadn't moved. His swinging arm came to a halt as he realized what happened and turning on his heel joined the many people who were chasing the man. Like a parade the man, Kano and the horde charged out of the forest and back into the town. Like a bulldozer they pushed their way through the crowds, climbing over boxes and stands as they appeared in their way.

In the chase Kano was at the front of the horde, his athleticism and starting position had allowed him such a position. With every step he closed the distance between them every now and then his chase was interrupted as a pile of boxes was knocked down in his way increasing the gap once again. It was slow but surely enough Kano closed the distance to the point that he could nearly touch the man's shirt. Then he could touch it, grasp it, and finally grab it. The man wasn't prepared for this and the second Kano pulled back on his shirt his feet ran past his body and he fell onto his butt.

The fruit popped out of his armpit and went into the air slightly. Kano grabbed at it picking it up in his hand he ran off in the same direction the man had been running. As if they were kind of confused what was going on, only the front few people in the horde continued to chase after Kano the rest jumped on the man on the ground covering him in a squirming pile of bodies. It seemed luck was on Kano's side as there were only three men chasing him now.

The chase continued now with Kano as the pursued one. Taking sharp turns when he could Kano weaved through the crowds trying to break contact with his pursuers. Running through the crowd he thought he saw his chance, he threw himself into the closest shop on the left. His body pressed the door open as he rolled into the building. Scrambling he ran to the corner of the room hiding among the cabinets.

Staying still for a second he saw a girl looking at him curiously. On her shoulder was a large it seemed like glass hammer. Quickly Kano brought his finger to his mouth trying to signal for her to be quiet, he pleaded with his eyes. At that moment he heard the door open, the ring of the bell made it obvious.

"Excuse me miss have you seen a blonde haired kid run in with a bright red fruit."