Mission 15: Big Trouble In Little Pecos

[druinsbane]

Big Trouble In Little Pecos

The huge, golden sun rose over the edge of Pecos Town, and its rays fell on a lonely scorched ground, cracks grew deep in the barren, parched soil like a wizened old face, baked hard, the cruel sun beat down, its single malevolent eye unblinking, and the sky was it's co-conspirator with not even a wisp of cloud to soften the harsh rays. The grass grew in tussocks and flattened in waves with each gust of wind, only to spring up as fresh as strong as before. It was nothing like a uniform green meadow, each tuft was wild and slightly yellowing under the sun and between each there was bare soil, baked and powdery. 

The town stood forlornly, a shadow in the rising sun a blot on the landscapes expanse, the early morning noises could be heard the call of birds tweeting their light high pitched songs, the not so pleasant sound of retching and of hung over as men spilt from bars or rooms to wash off the late night detritus that clung to men who spent the wee hours of the night drinking.

Mission #15 

SPOILER: Click to show

Granny Berta won the West Blue lottery jackpot! The ship with the prize money is approaching her home island, that's the perfect time to earn some easy money by raiding her town. Only.. why does it have to be Pecos Town, where a lot of skilled gunslingers are at home!

Luck, what could you say about her, she was like a kiss on a gamblers cheek, a good roll of the dice a good hand of the cards that changed lives, but she was a fickle mistress and could destroy as much as give.

Berta, an old lady was set to be rewarded graced with the loving hand of fate, to spend out her days in wealth and have a future where her grandchildren would not know the hardships of poverty, you could almost think there was a god in this world, if not for sinister plots and men with greedy pockets, would it arrive would the amount get there.

The Boat, The Money, The Plan

The boat has just pulled up it had just docked, guards were piling up and a force of men were preparing to make the steady climb to deposit the wealth, the marines of the island were on high alert and the sheriffs militia weren't taking chances, it was to be a track to Berta’s resident with three stops to check and look over the cargo making sure none of it disappeared in the trip between. It would leave in an hour.

Save or destroy an old lady's future, it is up to the hands that guide us. 

[HikaruShin]

It was early in the morning, Hikaru was awake smoking away the leftover chills from last night. The nightmares persisted as they always had. His past continued to haunt him and he couldn’t get accustomed to it. It had been years now but the scars would light up like fireflies in the darkness that followed after the sunset. Those were no physical scars, the flesh was untouched and the naked eye could not perceive them. And yet, they hurt more than any physical scar would. Lying in the ship’s crows nest, he stared at the sky in front of him. He needed the assurance every early in the morning, that he was free; like the birds that flew in the blue sky. The wind that blew as the ship sailed and the smell of the sea confirmed his freedom.

Among those flying birds, he noticed a particular one meant to deliver newspapers at sea. It dropped a few copies for the ship and collected its payment. The headlines that day mentioned an old lady winning lottery. ”Lottery? I wonder what an old woman would do with it”, he thought putting away the newspaper and lying back again. ”Heck what would anyone do with that kind of money? What would I do with it?” The spontaneous nature of those questions suddenly brought a devilish question in his mind. Indeed, what would he do with it. It was obvious that the nature of said bounty had caught his attention. After discussing the matter with the captain, the sniper and shipwright of the shining pirates was on his way. He part ways with the crew at an island in the west blue and chartered a merchant boat. The origin of the lady was from Pecos town in the West blue.

Hikaru didn’t know much about the island so he decided to get some information. It was better than going there with no idea what he might be up against. The merchant ship set sail for their destination as soon as he boarded. It was good that they set sail early since it would take him quite a bit of time getting there. Walking on the main deck, the shipwright admired the simple ship as he lit up a cigarette. Not much of a famous pirate by now, he was still a wanted individual; so slight conspicuousness was in order. Dressed in his usual attire: a black suit, he had hidden his large sniper in a large bag. He also wore a hat to compliment the dress and helped him to hide his face. In case some authority happened to be around. The merchant ship would take several hours before it would arrive at Pecos town. Having nothing much to do, Hikaru walked around to get a feel of the people he was travelling with. He was always uneasy around strangers. ”I guess I should talk to some local from Pecos town to know about it more”, he decided walking to a few gents who were casually conversing. Mingling with the crowd was not exactly his forte but the task at hand required it.

[druinsbane]

The Man With The Golden Ticket

He was there not by accident but by pressure and favour, not random posting in the navies schedule, he had a friend who had this posting and he had been doing favours for the trade, a bit of Beri and a handful of shifts swapped, so when the time came he had accidentally received the papers to transfer to Pecos Town, after all he wanted to be in the town when the West Blue Lottery made it ways through.

He was off duty while he waited for his shift in the escort, he wore his dandy green cap with the duel peacock plumes propped against the overflow, his long streaming emerald green coat, the one with gold trimmings that ribbon around his waist, his gold ring's hung off bulky digit's, their small figurines leering up at him, he smiled openly almost predatory in its fixed leer, he had a large cigar that puffed and breathed smoke like an old engine set to burst, he looked like and was for the moment someone who did big bad things.

He was on the corner of one of the shops leaning, loafing. His arm's folded up against themselves as he smiled at strangers, something was up and he had the air just come ask me and I'll tell you, it'll be worth your wild.

[HikaruShin]

”Pecos town? It’s a town with the three gods of Sundance island and.. if you’re gonna go places, you have to check out the Sundown Saloon and meet Rodericks” answered one of the individuals. Hikaru had approached these gents in hopes of knowing something about the town. With the mention of the name Rodericks, he witnessed smiles as everyone nodded in unison. Certainly, this Rodericks individual was well known and loved by everyone who had met him. He was probably an interesting individual but not exactly relevant. ”I see, I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you gents” said Hikaru walking away from the three conversing individuals. Not too much information but something was better. The three gods? What or who were they? A little more investigation from different individuals and the answer came to him. The three best sharpshooters of the island were called the Three gods by the locals. Running into them would mean bad news for Hikaru. So he had to make sure that he would stay clear of their way. Little did he know that there were also other entities he needed to be vary of.

Several hours passed by, Hikaru didn’t mingle the entire time. He had found himself a secluded corner and spent most of the time there. Thinking about what might lay ahead. His previous actions had earned him a little bounty so he couldn’t risk being seen too much. There would be bounty hunters around and not to mention marines; marines really did spell bad news. Running into them most certainly meant that getting away wouldn’t be easy. Not to mention, his previous history with authority didn’t help much either. Finally the swaying of the ship came to a halt and it docked at the harbor of Pecos town. Hikaru came outside on the main deck looking around. It had already gotten dark by now, most likely the ship carrying the reward would have arrived by then. Hikaru had little time now, little time to find the entities of interest. Luckily he was at the harbor, the first logical place to start sniffing around.

Would lady luck once again smile for the old lady or had her luck run out? The sands of time didn’t care as they continued to slither away. The smoking scarecrow had arrived and it was time to set things in motion. ”Time to get to work”, he said slightly out loud puffing a large smoke cloud as he set foot on the harbor with his hand on his hat.

[druinsbane]

Distant Relations

"Brother!" a voice shouted loud and jovial, a grinning figure pushed its way through the crowd, it had a long pointed beard, its facial hair bent off his jaw with three meshed whipcords of hair, one on the other, flawlessly layered. These whiskers flew about when he turned his round head, and they looked sharp enough to cut if one struck exposed skin. "Walk with me." he'd go to slide his arm around his shoulder as if to turn him to the side and begin to walk down the street, it was one of those walks the kind where the secrets of the universe were revealed, or of the pocket.

"Have I ever told you, you look like a man of many ambitions," he'd point across to a bar and with a swagger that bespoke you'd regret not following me, he entered wave to a few men sat down at a booth and waited to see if his new friend would follow, he was stressed for time usually he'd wait, negotiate, find dirt on his new found ally, but he needed someone with no connection to this town, and well this guy didn't wear a cowboy hat so that had to be something. "a man of dreams." 

He withdrew a cigar from his breath pocket and chomped down on it, getting a taste for it as he adjusted it on the craggy outline of his lip, he moved it into place moments later with the point of his tongue. He lit it and breathed out a semi-translucent cloud that bobbed and weaved on the pull of his breath. "How would you like to become a very wealthy man."

[HikaruShin]

The sound and the sudden emergence of this unknown individual made him uneasy. Was this guy in his right mind? Hikaru had no brother, he hadn’t even seen this individual before. He almost reached for his gun as this person got close but dropped the thought as he noticed the large cutlass that he supported. A close confrontation would mean his own doom. Getting close to Hikaru was a smart move, so close was definitely not his territory. Using his devil fruit in a crowded place put him at a disadvantage. If this was a foe, Hikaru had been caught off guard. Having little choice in the matter, he complied as he walked with this the man smoking a cigar. From his appearance, Hikaru deduced that this individual was not a local, not likely. The attire that he wore was clearly different from the ones worn by the locals walking around. Having little time to notice his surroundings he was directed towards a bar. The stranger who had just appeared, went ahead and walked inside. Would it be alright to follow? It could be a trap. ”For him to approach me so casually, I doubt it would be wise to underestimate him”.

In the worst case scenario, he did have a ace up his sleeves so he decided to follow. Hikaru walked inside the bar and sat at the booth where his new “acquaintance” was seated. ”Depends..”, he replied taking off the large bag off his back. The sniper wasn’t visible but the bag definitely was not inconspicuous. He let the bag rest next to him but kept his grip on it to keep it close. ”What’s in it for you?”, like this man before him, he too jumped to the point. Hikaru had understood the flow of the conversation. Sudden appearance, confusing statements and then immediately followed by an offer: a crude method. Hikaru had never witnessed something like it before. It was most certainly clever, if not straight out outrageous. He wasn’t going to play right into his hands but if there was some benefit to it; why not.

Stash as big as a lottery would never be without risk, it was indeed a dire situation. In such circumstances, a questionable opportunity had appeared. He had no intention of letting it slip by just yet.

[druinsbane]

A String Of Questions

"What's in it for me," he repeated raising two finger's towards a waitress. "sixty percent." he removed the cigar from his mouth dabbed the ash from the head and swept it away carelessly with a stroke of his meaty palm. "Cryptic I know, but I'll get to the point. I'm going to ask you a series of questions and you'll answer them, it'll tell me if I was right or correct."

"Who does luck favour," he said drawing deep from his cigar, its head drawing in on itself in an amber hue as ash fell from it and onto the table "what do the dice say." he blew out the cloud of smoke. "And when should they be forgiven."

The waitress came over, setting down two mugs of beer and a small platter of potato wedges, they sat in a small pool of grease and fell over themselves as his finger's proceeded to prod at them, select one place it in his mouth, remove his cigar and the wet sound of gum, teeth, and lip's could be heard smacking away. "You really should try some." he lounged in his chair playing with his bedazzled necklaces that rounded his neck in wide circlets, he poked it once, twice, and three times before taking a fist full of wedges and repeating the process, he did this for five minutes before looking back up to raise a bushy eye brow.

[HikaruShin]

Before he could argue and discuss the demands once more he was met with another series of questions. For several moments, Hikaru did nothing but smoke his cigarette and stare at this individual. What really was going through that brain of his? Now he was confronted with a series of strange questions that he didn’t know what to make of. Were they meant to rattle him? If so, the strategy really was working because he was rattled. He lay back as he puffed his cigarette and stared at the table for a little while thinking. What could he really say to this guy? Was this partnership a good idea? Sure, joining forces really did reduce the risk but it also reduced the reward. Could he play the bad guy card here? What if he tried to turn the tide and turned the tune of the conversation in his favor? Could he manage that? It was worth a try. Was it not?

”Hmmm..”, he said relaxing on the chair with a slight grin on his face. His demeanor was calm and he had no aggressive expressions. ”Luck favors the swift” he replied, casting a gaze at the cutlass that was worn casually by this individual. ”The dice merely roll.. they commit no sin”, he chuckled a bit with that sentence. By then, the beer and the plate of potato wedges had arrived. Hikaru picked up a single potato wedge as he took out his cigarette. Thanks to his devil fruit he was sensitive to smell and could sense if there was anything out of the ordinary in it. There was nothing noticeable so he took a bite but he didn’t touch the beer. If he did, his senses would be dull and he needed his senses. He was a sniper and a sharp shooter. Indulging in alcohol wouldn’t be the right move for now.

”So no forgiveness is necessary”, he said finished the potato wedge. His face was emotionless as always as he coldly stared into the eyes of the man in front of him. He was mentally prepared for what came ahead. If things were to go awry, he was ready to use his revolvers that were hidden from plain view. Thanks to his ability to quick draw them, his foe would be at a clear disadvantage at this distance. So, what was it going to be? It would all be clear in this very moment.

[druinsbane]

A Golden Opportunity

"Luck favours the bold," he took the last of the wedges and placed them in his mouth he smacked his lip's as he drew his finger's out removing crumb and grease in a sickening display of enjoyment. "theyre just dice." he ran his finger through the bowl collecting the debri and repeating the process. "They can be forgiven when they are hanged."

"Want to know what all that means. Nothing." he began to drink with a 'gulping' sound, the cigar twitching in his left hand's thumb and pointer. "I just wanted to know if you'd answer my question's." he placed the stub of the cigar took one feeble breath before dropping it. "You've heard about the lottery, who hasn't. I'm going to make a grab for it, no let me rephrase that, you're going to make a grab for it." his beard parted in an expanse of yellow teeth, three golden teeth radiated sleaze, there was no better word for it he looked the part.

"My plan, well I need someone with a steady hand." he leaned over his voice becoming a hush whisper, for him it was like talking normally but with a lot more 'shing' to it. "Are you up for it?"

[HikaruShin]

”Tch.. I played right into it”, he almost shook his head in disappointment. Despite his attempt to be careful, he fell pretty to the cunning that was this man. Socializing was not his forte and dealing with sly individuals with a way with words, certainly not his cup of tea. Regardless, the tone of the conversation had been set by this individual and now he controlled it. There were only two options left for Hikaru and those were: Either get violent and resort to arms or just agree to it. Weighing one against the other, shaking hands with this guy looked to be more beneficial. Sure, this guy was cunning but that could be useful. If Hikaru was fooled so easily, this guy would be able to fool others too. A skill that Hikaru did not possess and in the arts of stealing, it was a valuable asset. Hikaru did intend to steal and plunder the lottery of an old lady, did he not? ”So I’m the one doing the dirty work. Fine, we’ll split it sixty forty but the sixty’s mine unless you want to resort it otherwise. As for my interests, they may be scarce, but you have them.”

Threatening may not be a good idea but it was the last resort. He was a pirate and if things came to shove, he could resolve the matter by force. The way he stated it, it was not an offer rather a demand. If they were going to work together, they would have to come to a consensus. If they didn’t resolve it here, it was certain that their paths would cross yet again. And the next time, it may not be as friendly as it was now. Hikaru grabbed his bag and put it on his shoulder as he stood up, he wasn’t going to wait here any longer. He had little idea about the stash and he needed to scout the area as well. Regardless of whether or not this individual was his ally, sitting around wasn’t going to help. ”I’ll wait outside”, he said before giving a chance to reply walking out of the bar. He walked a few steps then stood clear of the door where he was visible. He stood staring at the militia walking around and the local cowboys. Going by himself, was that really a good plan?

[druinsbane]

The Plan

"You did," his broad feature's splitting into a larger grin, the gold teeth positivity gleaming in the booth's low light. "but no shame in that, I'm here playing the long run." he withdrew another cigar from some other pocket, he knuckled walked in on the bridge of his hand threaded it between pointer, thumb, and pinky, in a show dexterous hand movement.

"Woah," he said his face going slack before the ghost of a smile could be seen returning to his face. "can't just decide to turn the tables like that, how about this once we've got the loot we flip on it." he paused sucking on the bud of the cigar before turning in on himself, lighting it with a wayward strike of a match. "Ah, c'mon don't be like that." he said removing his bulk from the seat, walking towards the door following him.

"Now here's the plan," he gestured towards the mass of militia off to the side, turned and looked towards a group of gun slingers. "there's too many to fight ourselves, so what do we do." he waited a moment for him to answer shook his head at any answer he gave, really it was more about the showmanship of the thing than the point. "First we get you to a roof, you'll have to do that on your own, you'll fire on the guards. One of the guards will return fire on an innocent gun slinger." he paused his lip's bulk parted and let out a hazy cloud, it hovered there a moment obscuring his head before fading. "Than you'll shout 'they're attacking' all chaos breaks loose. The goods should take an alternative route, circle around back and keep on they'll leave some men to deal with the chaos."

"You keep picking until we've got the goods, or were dead. Now don't shoot my guy, you'll know him when you see him, I have a guy in on the escort. Just don't shoot him or we could all be slapped with the irons."

[HikaruShin]

Hikaru lit another cigarette as he waited for the unnamed acquaintance. There were just too many possible hostiles in the area. Going through the front door with guns blazing would mean certain death. Some sort of a strategy was in need here if he wanted to stay alive. As he remained baffled about the plan of action, the man with all the plans emerged from the bar. Honestly, Hikaru didn’t think he’d follow. However, this guy sure was persistent. ”I’d rather put my trust in something more trustworthy than luck. Once we secure the stash, we’ll settle it amongst ourselves”, he replied. Flipping a coin? Seriously, was that the answer to this predicament? This Individual was the most confusing and unnerving of all, compared to everyone Hikaru had come across. He really didn’t know what this fellow was thinking. Regardless, Hikaru needed this man’s cunning to find a way through this scenario.

He continued to look around as he carefully listened to the plan. Upon inquiry, he did not reply with his opinion nor with any plan. Hikaru knew better than to fall for that again. Anything he would’ve said wouldn’t had been approved of anyways. ”I hate to admit it but that’s probably better than anything I would’ve come up with”, he deducted staring at the crowd. The impervious flock of people, they had no idea of the storm that lay ahead. ”So I cause chaos and you runaway with the loot? I’ll need some assurance that you’ll stick around for the long run”, he said in a whispering manner. Asking a sly fox like individual for assurance wasn’t a good idea but then again, he didn’t have much negotiation skills. He had already accepted the worst case scenario and now he even had a plan. For a pirate, betrayal came as easy as breathing.

He felt no sense of camaraderie towards this cigar smoking individual. If the situation demanded it, he wouldn’t mind putting a bullet through his head; he was a pirate after all.

[druinsbane]

Trust Me, Would I lie To You

"I'd swear on my mother's grave, give you oaths of honour." his hand tightened his thumb and index finger forming an O with the cigar in the centre, he flung it bouncing it off a nearby wall and into the face of a startled teen. "That took me awhile to learn, usually I don't get the rebound so well. Anyway, assurance we don't have the luxury. Whatever I say do or give could be a lie." he removed a single ring from his finger, rubbed it around from one finger to the next as if willing something to come out and grant him a wish. "I could tell you this ring has been in my family for seven generations, it is my prized possession. But in truth you get a ring with every third order of wedges, I'm almost about to get my second."

"You'll work with me not out of honour, but cause its believable. I want the money, I don't want an enemy who under duresses could tip of the local law enforcement, I'd rather not have a bounty." he scratched at the back of his neck absent-mindedly. "And to be honest I want a scape goat, when this all is done you with your sixty me with the forty, I need someone to blame, when my commander's ask the poor marine recruit who wasn't cut out for the job, well I'll have someone to point finger's at. But you'll be gone by that time."

“I've been on jobs like this before, everyone stuck on the money not the work, watching their backs every minute. Bad for your health and your business. We'll do this civilised." he smiled his broad grin. "For pity's sake, let's kill like honest men.”

[HikaruShin]

True, there was no way to be sure. The only thing dependable was greed and the odds that were against them. His question was misplaced to begin with but Hikaru too could ask a question that he really didn’t need the answer of. ”Good enough for me”, he said as he began to walk away. The plan was already explained and he knew what he had to do. He had little idea what the other guy was going to do though. It would probably be some sneaky and clever thing like the guy himself was. Hikaru’s impression of the corrupt marine was that he was a sly individual who preferred to use pawns to do the dirty work. It also meant that Hikaru knew and he was consent to being a pawn. It was beneficial so he didn’t have much reason not to.

In order to make sure that he would appear as one of the locals, Hikaru needed a disguise. Anything that stuck out and could instantly be recognized as something worn by a local. So when the marines fired in response to his attack, his acting would be more convincing. He decided he’d sneak around and get inside a house to find some clothes. Sneaking around wasn’t much of a problem for a person who could turn into an ant. He found himself a little dark alley way where he could work his magic. First, he found a place to hide the sniper and his guns. Then he found a point of entry, a small crack through the window. The alley was dark and not in plain sight. He looked around just to be sure and then turned into the full form of his devil fruit. The miniature bullet ant now stood where Hikaru did a moment ago. He crawled up the wall and into the window, entering the house. From there, he began to search around for clothes. It appeared that the residents were either sleeping or not around. The window was dark so he hoped that might’ve been the case. Snooping around for a little while and he found the object of his desire.

Getting in was one thing but getting out with the clothes, was another. Just to be sure, he turned normal and looked outside the window. Then he picked up a cowboy hat and a waist coat, putting it on and putting aside his clothes. He wasn’t going to leave his suit just lying around. He wasn’t comfortable in anything besides his own clothes, so he brought them along. Now as a normal human, he carefully opened the window and emerged back into the dark alley. He was now in possession of the clothes he needed to begin the first part of the plan. ”All that remains is to climb up that wall and find a target”, he thought lighting up a cigarette. If he wanted to be stealthy, he would have to smoke here and then not touch a cigarette until after the chaos had begun. Cigarette smoke rising from a ceiling was a dead giveaway. Especially in a town like this, it might end up as his last mistake.

He picked up his weapons once more, folded his suit and calmly smoked his cigarette. Parting with his smokes was not his preferred course of action. However, the current strategy demanded it so he was willing to make the sacrifice.

[druinsbane]

Flip Of The Coin



“Luck is a woman. She's drawn to those that least deserve her.”  

― Joe Abercrombie, Last Argument of Kings

It was time, the very air the very sound of the street vanished at the churn of wheels the turn of treads as the cart was beginning to make its way through the town, every eye tuned on the cart every hat was pulled up and the eyes underneath poked out, it wasn't out of malice or ill intent, there were certainly some with it but the majority had just never seen that much Beri in one place.

A large man in a marine uniform stood his hat was pulled down and only the expanse of hair and beard could be seen readily, he held a musket and held guard over the wagon with seven other individuals in marine uniforms, "thump" the wheel skipped the roll of the wheel tossing up dry dust clouds that hovered and floated a foot off the ground before fading or getting on someone's clothing, the large man tilted his cap up and smiled towards the roofs, his golden teeth reflecting the light as he walked besides the cart. 

It strolled through the streets lazily, a small crowd building all sides of it, some thought someone might try and take it, some might stop it some might try, well it was hit or miss in Pecos Town, shoot first or be shot.