I Shot the Shiny Sheriff... and the Shiny Deputy. [Shinings]

[Blushing z0ro]

The sky was clear blue and there were no clouds on the horizon, the wind was little more than a light breeze; perhaps the last storm had thrown the crew into the Calm Belt? Leonard had been warned that the Grand Line was the most unpredictable of seas, but to that extant? Every second since the Shining Pirates crossed Reverse Mountain were a succession on impossible currents and weather change, even before that the crossing of the fabled mountain that served as the Gateway to the Grand Line was as hectic a crossing as it could be.

Lying on the deck of the Dawnbreaker Leonard looked blankly at the sky, watching the occasional could move through the air as the glaring sun hammered onto the crew members of the Shining Pirates. It was hot, much hotter than what the crew had gotten used to in the North Blue, cold winds that carried snow and winter itself blew endlessly in the northern seas; how alien it was to be in an almost windless part of the seas faced with the harshness of the sun.

But in a way such calm was a reprieve from the madness that was Reverse Mountain. It had only been little over a week since then and it was still fresh in Leonard's memory, the sound of the crashing waves that were pulled up by the powerful stream of water that perpetually rises along the sides of the fabled gateway to the Grand Line. It had taken the combined effort of all the crew to get across the spike of rock that marked one of the only two meeting points of all the seas of the world.

The sun had not even begin to shine over the top of Reverse Mountain when the Dawnbreaker arrive at it's foot. But as the Captain of the Shining Pirates, Leonard had to show he was not afraid and urged the crew to move forward full speed ahead. In retrospect, the funniest thing about that moment to the young captain was that, at the time, he truly was not afraid of this impossible thing that was Reverse Mountain, only one thing, one single feeling, filled his mind and soul, but putting a word to that sensation would be impossible. Excitement? Trepidation perhaps, yet none of those truly encompassed the sheer wholesomeness that ran through Leonard's body at that time. It was the feeling of someone that was where he was meant to be, the feeling of someone living a true perfect moment, the kind of tiny little spot in one's existence that some endlessly searched for their entire lives. That “feeling” was what Leonard LeClerc felt as he beheld the Reverse Mountain.

The feeling of the deck tipping back, as the ship angled upwards. The sensation of being pushed back by the acceleration as the current began to carry the Shining Pirates towards the summit. Never would anyone that had lived through such a thing could ever forget it. In a way, that was all Leonard truly remembered about Reverse Mountain. Sensations, feelings, these were clear as the cloudless sky, but as for the physical happenings, the exact order of events, the actions everyone had to take to get the ship across, those were a blur. Pulling hard on ropes, strong wind rushing across his face, the spray of seawater that splashed off the side of the walls that formed the side of the river they had been climbing, a moment of utter fear tinged with excitement as jagged rocks had to be narrowly avoided lest the ship be torn apart like a piece of wet paper. Then suddenly, weightlessness, the Dawnbreaker had risen to the top was knocked of off, for a split second the Shining Pirates were sent flying as they went over the figurative top of the world; the sun which was previously hidden by the mountain now shining down on the pirate crew who laid claim to the symbol of the sun and it's rays.

Then, everything simply became a blur. The ship smashed down on the torrent that cascaded down the side of Reverse Mountain down to the sea of adventures that was the Grand Line. Clouds, rocks, the world itself, everything seem to just stretch almost to the point of tearing to the eyes of Leonard. The Dawnbreaker felt like it was wildly jumping up and down under the feet of all those that were upon it's deck or in the safety of it's hull. Yet, to anyone that would have been watching this scene it would have seemed like the vessel of the Shining Pirate was gently skipping down the stream that led to the sea. However at such speed, nothing could feel gentle for anyone.

The way down must have lasted mere seconds, but to Leonard it felt much longer. It that short span he could not help but wonder just how many came before. How many crews have sped down this rocky spire jutting out of the stone belt of the world? How many have been forgotten? How many have become stories? How many became Legends? Leonard highly suspected, most of the first, few of the second and a handful of the third. But that was not a deterrent to him, that was all the more reasons to go. What was the point of doing something if most could? No, the whole point of this journey was face the unknown and grab hold of what some never did before.

Suddenly, the world stopped stretching and came back into place with a loud crash and blinding white. Not the white of a light shining in one's eyes, but of the froth of sea water crashing into you in a large wave. Leonard, along with the whole deck of the Dawnbreaker was swallowed by the water as they crashed into the Grand Line after skipping off the side of Reverse Mountain. For a singular moment in time, there was no up or down, no left or right, there was just clear… nothing. As a Devil Fruit user Leonard should have been scared of the sea taking him whole, but he was not; he should have been scared of it taking his crew which also included other people gifted with the power of the mysterious fruits, but he was not; at least he should have been scared the ship would break under the strain of the impact and just sink along with all the dreams of the crew, but he was not. In that singular moment, there was nothing; nothing but the fact the Shining Pirates would sail this sea. With that certainty filling him up, it felt like Leonard's own sense of self and ego lifted the ship up and over the surface in a spray of droplets, each shining like a sun in the sky. Granted it was nothing as fancy as that, a simple matter of physics and buoyancy, but that was how it felt.

Leonard who was now sprawled in a tangled mass of limbs on the deck got back to his feet as quickly as he could and ran towards the prow of the ship, barely managing to keep his footing as the ship bobbed up and down madly as if it was try to find it's own footing on the surface of this new ocean. The captain reached the very front of the ship and stood there, watching, wondering, what exactly lied beyond the rising sun. The young pirate held out his trembling right hand as if wanting to hold the sun in it's grasp. A single voice rose behind Leonard, his ears were still ringing and he didn't manage to quite make out who it was, but it didn't matter, the voice asked one single question. “What now?”

Still holding his hand out as if cupping the burning sun that shone barely over the eastern horizon, Leonard smiled. “Now?” he said back, a tinge of mischief in his tone. “Now you bring me that horizon.” It was the most simple, yet most outrageous of statement, yet it was matter of fact and rung true in the heart of anyone that heard it.

That was almost two weeks back now, and as Leonard laid on the deck of the Dawnbreaker, exhausted from the everchanging weather and currents, he could not help but feel a hint of doubt deep within himself. Perhaps, just perhaps, he had been overzealous and was not ready to lead his crew through the Grand Line, and now they would pay dearly for the “Young Lion's” hubris. It was when that doubt began to creep into the young man that he felt the need to look away from the clear blue sky, almost as if looking away from the eyes of a wronged lover. As he tilted his head to his right and towards the starboard side of the ship, the doubt disappeared as quickly as it had crept up on him. It was faint and distant, a single blurry dot on the horizon, but it was definitely there. The Captain of the Shining Pirates stood up and in a voice that sounded like a hushed whisper but that carried throughout the ship he said “Land ho.”

[Vio]

It crawled steadily across the placid sapphire waves, the sun shimmering brightly upon the blue about it; the Dawnbreaker, on its way to its first major destination on the stretch of tumultuous sea known as the Grand Line. This was the first true day of peaceful weather that the crew had enjoyed since crossing Reverse Mountain. Veritable hours of warm sun and clear skies – those which made for lazy days – were something of a blessing for many. Unfortunately, Brandon was not so enthused by the heat as his comrades.

Oru… Hiding within the ship’s confines in an attempt to escape from what, to him, was blistering heat; Mister Penguin simply could not share in the enjoyment of such climes as these. Even a Viktasic Summer was still cool enough to preserve the deeper layers of ice and snow. The sodden crunch under foot would have been welcome right about now, but instead the navigator of the Shining Pirates was bound to be a recluse alongside a few of the less heat-tolerant humans.

It was certainly a chance to relax for the feathered fellow, for the last few days especially had drained his energy in other ways. Navigation through such chaotic waters was something of a specialty of his, finding his way through even the most maddening of conditions. This place – this accursed place – was a completely different ordeal. In the South Blue, the planet’s magnetic field served as something of a guideline for the Viktasic White-Faced Penguin, Brandon among them, but here such electromagnetics were distorted. There was a vague skeleton of such energies, discerning north from south, but the rest of it was a cacophonous kaleidoscope of confusion.

Buu… He sighed, flopping back upon the timbers of the lower decks, and allowing his body to flatten itself. A papery pancake of black and white plume sprawled out in an attempt to keep itself cool in such heat, but such relief from the current climate would only be temporary. How long, he wondered, would it take for the weather to change again? How long was it going to be until they stumbled upon an island at which to rest? Well, the latter query soon found answer in the form of Leonard le Clerc’s voice.

“Land ho!”

In a buzz, the entirety of the vessel seemed to spring to life. The usual suspects, plus the assortment of allies that had chosen to accompany the Captain on his ventures and, of course, the awkward avian himself. With their compasses serving them little in the way of usefulness, and Brandon’s own magnetic senses being skewed, none had been sure of when they would come to find landfall. That day was to be today. The faintest vestiges of understanding had allowed the Shining Pirates’ navigator to find a general direction to follow, and in sticking to that path, luck had befallen them.

To tell the absolute truth, as much as Brandon would take pride in the fact that he had led them to land, he was as clueless as the rest of them. Despite his skills at navigating, the Grand Line had thrown him for a loop – and not the kind he could achieve as a paper plane! Reliance upon his senses alone was not going to get them much further from this point on. Far too many variables existed in this stretch of water, to the point that chasing magnetic signatures was more or less like hunting ghosts: There one minute, gone the next. But if nature’s own gifts could not acclimatise themselves to this realm, then how did so many humans make it to this point, and further still?

“Ara ru?” the white-faced one chirped just a minute or so later, stepping out from the shadows of the Dawnbreaker and onto the sun-baked main deck. He regretted it immediately. Hopping back into the shade with an impressive display of jumping ability, the little penguin proceeded to rapidly fan his foot with a flattened flipper. Not the greatest of starts, to be sure, but alas he persevered.

By the time he stepped onto the deck again, Brandon donned the most peculiar mix of attire. A pair of straw sandals upon his feet protected them from the scorching heat of the deck, whilst a broad-brimmed Sombrero sat upon his head. Just to add to the peculiar look, a yellow and green striped poncho covered the rest of his body, with sunglasses resting precariously upon his yellow bill. Many of the crewmen on deck did a double take of the peculiar penguin, but he paid them no mind as he advanced towards where Mister Clerc stood…

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

thought I'd add to Brandon's wardrobe with this thread. This may become a recurring theme.

Starring…

Brandon the Penguin (fff000)
Leonard le Clerc (101010)

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[Dr.Ambs]

The medic had gotten too use to the cold weather. As the sun burned brightly in the sky, the purple haired girl continued her regiment of push ups and sit ups. She had tossed her sweater, now having changed into a black tank top, jean shorts and kept her high socks and sneakers. Her hair had been pulled up into what was a small ponytail, enough to keep her hair off her neck. Sweat poured off the girl as she kept exercising.

To be honest, there was nothing better to do than just that. In the past two weeks they had been sailing into the Grand Line. That concept was still new to Hiroto. She had always heard grand stories about how the Line was suppose to be dangerous. Truly she had only feared the uncertainty of weather that had occurred, but right now it was hot enough to cook an egg. With the weather stabilizing, it gave her the impression that maybe the Grand Line wasn't as hard as people made it out to be.

So far the only hardest task had been getting into the Grand Line. Going up a mountain was certainly something new and almost scary. She had surely thought their ship would break after coming down the mountain so fast. Fear had almost taken over her, but Leo had been so calm throughout the whole thing, that her own pride wouldn't let her be afraid. After all, the captain of the ship was so excited to be in the Grand Line that it seemed like today was the first time he had actually calmed down.

Yet when Hiroto heard his voice call for land, the teenager only jumped up with joy, her face beaming with excitement. A new place to explore! She ran over to the railing, looking over to see the tiny island in the distant. Sure, they would reach it soon, but she couldn't wait. After being stuck on the ship for two weeks, she could see some of the crew members getting a bit cranky. Some fresh scenery and stretching their legs would do them some good.

As the medic turned to go into her cabin to get her bag, she could only laugh seeing the small penguins new attire. Straw sandals and a sombrero on the little penguin, along with a tiny poncho! She knelt down once the little navigator stood next to Leo, "Brandon, where did you manage to get such cute clothes to fit you?" She mused to herself, before she began to realize something. Penguins hated the heat. "Oh, Brandon, how have you been holding up? This heat can't be too good for you, maybe I can get something to help cool you down, hm?" She asked the small avian before standing up, and heading down to her own medical ward.

Going into her small personal room she grabbed her small backpack, rummaging through to make sure she had a few of her supplies before placing it on her shoulder and went into the medic ward. Seeing a small cooler, she wondered if maybe she could put straps on it, tote the small penguin around like a child? Grabbing the cooler, she started to walk up to the deck, "Brandon, do you want to sit in the cooler for a while?" She asked, looking at the clothed penguin, before looking to Leo, "Hey Leo, what happens if they don't like us?" She questioned.

Hiroto knew first hand how some towns hated pirates, who they would run them out, or they would be marine based. From a distance, the island looked friendly enough, but there was always that 'what if' moment. It was something Hiroto always knew and kept in the back of her head.

[Blushing z0ro]

Leonard's attention quickly moved from the island to the odd sight of a penguin in a poncho. While he certainly wondered the same thing as the crew's doctor, namely where the hell did the water fowl get such an accoutrement; it felt safer, like most thing regarding Brandon, to just not know. The young captain stood shirtless, barefoot and in black bermuda shorts, and yet he still felt hot, it was hard to imagine how an animal that was built for extreme cold was feeling, but would a poncho and sombrero really be able to protect a penguin from this kind of heat?

“Maybe we should use something cold…” Leonard muttered to himself while rubbing his chin and trying to find a decent solution regarding the bird. It was however Hiroto who reacted first. The young medic when back into her quarters; it was after a few minutes where all that could be heard from the deck was the sound of extreme rummaging that she came back out, carrying a cooler with straps attached to it, which would let it be used as a backpack. “Oh! That's pretty smart.” Said Leonard, placing his right fist over his left palm as added exclamation, before walking up to the penguin and doctor pair and kneel next to Hiroto.

There the young lady let her captain be aware of her concerns regarding what could happen on the island. While it was a valid concern to worry about how local populace would react to a pirate crew landing, it was the way she formulated it that sounded odd to LeClerc. Pirates in general are not “liked”, they were wanted criminals, people who “normal folks” would instinctively fear or be hostile towards. However this was the Grand Line, a sea dominated by piracy; the Captain never really thought about the ramification of such a situation, how would regular people handle the sheer amounts of pirates on these waters, surely even the Marines could not fully even out the balance?

It did not take much thinking really, people would have two choices to handle seemingly endless waves of criminals with unknown allegiances or moral compasses; just bend over and be washed away, or stand up and fight. Whether people would fight on their own or rely on others like Marines, Warlords or some local army was irrelevant; the safest way of thinking was to assume that any island the Shining Pirates would now find themselves making shore to had the means to fight back and were hostile.

Leonard came up with a basic plan to avoid a large scale incident if the locals proved a problem. “We'll anchor the ship a little way off the coast and a small group will go to the shore, the rest will stay put in case something goes south. I'll go and will take Hiroto and Brandon.” The captain then looked towards the former bandits that now made up the crew. “Jackson you'll come with us and mind the boat on the shore, if we need to hightail it out of there you need to be ready. As for the everyone else, you'll stay on the ship until further notice, while I'm gone Kusatta is in charge. Now get the row boat ready!” It was a decent plan Leo believed, despite having completely forgotten to address Hiroto's concerns after getting carried off in his own train of thought as he was often one to do.

With the instructions given, Leonard got ready himself, putting on a simple white linen shirt he left unbutton, a pair of sandals so he'd have to step onto the hot shore barefooted and grabbing his trusty nodachi sword, the Young Lion was the first to sit in the row boat , intent to be the very first of the crew to step on land in the mightiest of all seas, the Grand Line.

[Vio]

“Brandon, where did you manage to get such cute clothes to fit you?” asked Hiroto, apparently amused by her avian associate’s attire. Though, come to think of it, where had he obtained such garb? Allowing that question to be blown away on the warm winds, Brandon chirped knowingly before taking a moment to adjust his sombrero. Right now, his curiosity was enough to protect him against the stifling heat – how could humans stand such temperatures as these? Sure, penguin-kin as a whole were diverse, from the smallest blue-feathered individuals to the colossal colonies. There were even those who preferred not the cold of the far south and instead opted to live in the warmer, subtropical waters. But this was neither of those climes – this was an arid, choking heat.

^{“Brandon,” Hiroto asked as she returned to the deck:
“Do you want to sit in the cooler for a while?”}

^{“Oh! That’s pretty smart!”}

“Kura…?” Mister Penguin’s beady eyes observed the most recent development; a simple cooling bag – the likes of which the doctor probably used to keep medical supplies from spoiling – had been equipped with basic straps to serve as some sort of rocksack. That was what humans called them, wasn’t it? While the others conversed about their plan of action, Brandon’s mind went on a typical tangential train of thought, once more questioning the linguistics of the near hairless primates. Rocksack? Rooksack? Wait. They had a sack especially for carrying chess pieces?

Ruuu… Deciding it better to test himself against the heat for a little longer before opting into the confines of the cooling container, the poncho-wearing penguin shook his head and waved a flipper in dismissal. Then, after a few failed attempts at folding his extremity in the right fashion, he finally managed to form a makeshift ‘thumbs up’ gesture as if to confirm his state of well-being. His current outfit would hopefully protect him from the sun’s scorching shine for a while more; when he was at his true limit, he would probably jump at the chance to be inside something cool and shady.

^Splash!

No more than a minute later, the aforementioned craft hit the water’s sparkling sapphire surface, rocking gently in the tides of Resinbar. The island itself was a little further along, the Dawnbreaker anchored off the coast, and soon the would-be landing craft would find itself boarded by the small party. Sat at the fore of the little rowboat, the adventurous avian observed the landmass upon which they would soon be stepping, curiously considering what it was that was drawing him towards it. It was an inexplicable instinctual irritation, but only very recently had it manifested.

Earp? As the wooden banana drew closer to the isle’s shores, Brandon’s eyes settled upon an odd sight. Indeed, so peculiar was it that he had to do a double take. It was a group of green penguins! Actually, it wasn’t; it was a row of plants whose shapes just happened to closely resemble penguins, their dark jade skin covered in thin and sparse yellow-white plumes that looked rather sharp. Little flowers sat upon their heads, leading him to question further the peculiarities of this unknown landscape. Just how on Earth did such vivid and large plants thrive in conditions as dry as these? In Viktas, where water was apparently more abundant, there was almost no vegetation…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

pparently I've still got it!

Starring…

Brandon the Penguin (fff000)
Leonard le Clerc (101010)
Hiroto Shiaru (770077)

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[Dr.Ambs]

Hiroto chuckled lightly as she watched the penguin turn down the cooler ride, trying to give thumbs up. Giving her own thumb up, she smiled, "Okay Brandon, but I'll take it with me just in case you get too hot, I don't want you over exerting yourself." She said as she patted the head of the penguin and zipped the cooler up.

The young medic looked over as the small boat was being drawn into the water. As she stepped down into the boat, she placed her bag on the ground before sitting next to Jackson, "Come on Jackson, let me help." She mused as she pushed the boy to one side, grabbing one of the oars.

"B-but Mrs. Hiroto! It's a man's job!" He said, flustered a bit before he paled as the medic turned to him, a sickening grin on her face.

"I'm sorry, who beat you over and over again when I was trying to teach you proper defense?"

"Y-You Mrs. Hiroto."

"Who is going to beat you if you make comments like that again?"

"You Mrs. Hiroto!"

The medic smiled sweetly, before reaching out, patting his head, "Good boy Jackson, now let's get this puppy on the shore and go exploring!" She said as the new kid almost had a heart attack. Jackson had always thought that his previous leader had been scary, but sometimes this woman...

Hiroto didn't say much as they continued to row to shore. Every now and then she would feel the cool water splash on her skin, almost wishing she could just jump into the water. However, she would contain herself. In that moment she recalled the ever growing members that were now Devil Fruit Users. The story always went that the fruit gave people monstrous powers, which she had witnessed first hand, but gave the curse of never being able to swim again. It led her to believe that if anyone ever fell in, there wouldn't be too many people to be able to go rescue them. After considering finding one for herself, Hiroto had decided that it was too risky, she wouldn't know what power she could get and she wouldn't be able to swim.

As the boat finally nudged into the sand, Jackson and herself jumped over, pushing the boat a bit further to keep it situated. As the water reached her knees, Hiroto smiled. the water was so clear here, she could see her feet! Walking further up to the shore, she looked around. So far the island was bountiful with cacti. Going over to one of the cactus, she knelt down, reaching out and gently touching one. Sometimes cacti could be used in some medicinal potions, but since Hiroto wasn't too sure of the properties of this certain cactus.

Standing up and looking over, the town wasn't in sight from the shore line. With a few moments of walking they would reach it though. Hopefully no marines would be around, and even better, the locals wouldn't want to run them out. Looking over to Leonard she exhaled, "Hey captain, promise not to do anything drastic while we are here, hm?" She joked, walking back over to the group. "Last time I left you alone, you managed to swallow a Devil Fruit."

Her blue eyes looked over to the trail to the town. Yeah, what was the worst that could happen?

[Blushing z0ro]

Leonard was the first to set foot on the island, a seemingly dry, almost desolate looking place. The only form of vegetation that dotted the landscape were prickly plants of all shape, sizes and colours which the young pirate could identify as cacti. These were some quite marvellous looking specimens, many of which carried either a fruit or a flower, each equally as fascinating as the individual cactus that bore each of them. One in particular intrigued Leo, it was a bright red and perfectly spherical fruit that acted as an oversized protuberance over an otherwise very bland looking cactus. Almost subconsciously Leo grabbed the fruit and held it in both hands right in front of his face, a look of wonder (and hunger) carved on it. Meanwhile his back was actually turned to his friends and the “Young Lion” wasn't really paying attention to what was going on or what they were saying. It was only when Hiroto, the crew's medic, said the words “Last time I left you alone, you managed to swallow a Devil Fruit.” that reason took over instinct and Leonard stopped himself, mouth agape and only a fraction of an inch away from biting into the round, juicy looking and oh so inviting crimson cactus fruit.

Leo immediately put the fruit right back on top of the cactus where he moments ago picked it and turned around to face Hiroto, Brandon and Jackson, then spoke with a sheepish and hopefully honest looking smile. “You're right, we should be careful and stick together.” Then, just as the sentence ended, the proverbial penny dropped, or the fruit in this case. The bright red, and as it turns out surprisingly bouncy fruit rolled off the top of the cactus from which it hailed and fell at Leonard's feet before rolling down the hill. “…that was already like that when I got here.” is all the excuse the young man suddenly second guessing his credibility as a captain managed to mutter.

Attempting to swiftly move on, and away from the look his friends were giving him, the swordsman point off to the west and started to walk away while calling to his crew. “Ahem. Town is that way!” It was full confidence that the young man walked in a westerly direction, expecting his mates to follow, with the exception of Jackson of course whose ungrateful job was to mind the boat. However after about a dozen steps, Leonard remembered they had to manoeuvre around sand pit to land, thus left was right and right was left. So, it was with immediate and utter confidence that the famed, and wanted captain of the Shining Pirates; turned around and once again passed right in front of his friends, exactly over the spot he stood on seconds ago and pointed, this time to east and said after clearing his throat “I mean that way.” Then walked towards the east and in direction of the closest town they identified from a distance while still on the Dawnbreaker.

It took some walking but after about thirty minutes the group reached the entrance of a port town, a large sign formed some sort of a perpetually opened gate to the town, with in big bold letters, the name “Porter Town” painted on it. At least the name was self explanatory if not very researched thought Leonard as he read the words and passed through the gate. The building were all made of wood and most had at least on sign propped on them, as far as Leo could tell one in every two building was a pub, saloon, bar or any variation on a place of to nurture any budding alcoholics in search of solace. The place looked quite animated despite it's relatively small size and all sorts of people walked about the streets, some looked like travellers and merchants due to their relative, “uniqueness” while the locals, Leo quickly identified as the people with a penchant for chaps and Stetson hats. All in all, it looked like it was going to be an interesting place.

[Vio]

Disembarking from the curious cradle that was the wooden banana was easy enough for his human company, their long legs providing even the likes of Leonard le Clerc the ability to dodge the crystalline waters that would otherwise have threatened to consume him. For Brandon, however, such a feat was not so easy. In fact, the awkward avian had managed to forget one his greatest weaknesses as he hopped over the edge of the shored boat, missing his target rock entirely and landing in the waters instead. All seemed fine at first, up until he realised that the majority of his lower half felt horrifically heavy. If penguins could swear, he would likely have done so.

^{“Orroooooh!”}

Splish! Splash! Splish! Flailing frantically like the fool he sometimes was, Mister Penguin did not perhaps realise just how pathetic he appeared to the likes of Jackson; the relatively new recruit seemed anything but impressed by his assigned Captain and navigator thus far – the doctor might have been the only competent one aboard the ship outside of a fight. Regardless, what seemed like a few minutes in Brandon’s mind was actually just a few short seconds of standing up to his waterfowl waistline in otherwise calm water, but Jackson soon grabbed his flailing flipper and lifted him all of about twelve inches. Voila!

^Ruuu…?

^{“Look, shorty,” Jackson grumbled:
“It’s not that deep – even for you…”}

Poff! Dropped on the warm sands of the desert island by his company, the flustered fowl quickly regained his composure, attempting to act as if nothing had happened. Fortunately, it would appear that further distractions had turned the group’s interest towards the likes of Leo, whose adventurous appetite provoked a quick interjection from the likes of Hiroto.

^{“You’re right,” the Captain replied:
“Ahem! Town is that way!”}

^-~-

^{Thirty Minutes Later…}

A typical penguin would probably not question the fashion sense of an entire island’s population. Brandon, however, was not a typical penguin. His person choice of attire having dried quickly thanks to the arid nature of Resinbar’s climate, he could not help but shake his head disapprovingly at the chosen garb of a large majority of the town’s citizens. Apparently, some of the passers-by shared a similar point of view upon his own selections, though he paid them no mind as he waddled in the wake of his company…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

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Starring…

Brandon the Penguin (fff000)
Leonard le Clerc (101010)
Hiroto Shiaru (770077)
Jackson (0d410b)

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[Dr.Ambs]

Luckily for the Captain, the young medic had been too preoccupied pulling out her journal and pen to pay him any mind with the fruit. Note taking was always the highlight of the girl. Taking notes of new procedures, documenting small tests, to placing small notes of towns she wandered in. The girl had a knack for being able to write and walk at the same time, perhaps a trait of being able to multitask.

Her eyes wandered from the page to the surrounding area. It reminded her of almost home. She had come from a similar island before moving closer to the marine base, and although the memory grew weaker with each passing year, the hot dry air almost sent her back to the days of her childhood.

As they began to walk into town, the diversity of the town certainly was one to remember. Perhaps it was because of the many travelers, or tourist, or perhaps their town was just this crazy looking on a good day. Hiroto could only awe at the different people walking around, an amusing smile gracing her lips as she jotted a few things down. The town didn't look too run down, and she hoped with the large revenue they gained from all the travelers, that it would never shut down. There seemed to be a variety of shops.

"Leo." Hiroto spoke up, hoping to catch his attention as she stopped writing, "We have to stop by a medical shop, I want to see if I can't find anything new. I'm sure the grand line medicine is a bit more different than the rest of the blue, or at least some kind of new diseases I should be aware of." She explained, before looking through a few pages, "Plus I'm sure we can restock the kitchen and some ammo if we have enough money for that."

Adjusting the cooler on her shoulder, she glanced to Brandon, the little penguin seemed to do fine, but she wouldn't take any chances. After all, having a sick navigator, or no navigator at all would hinder the crew greatly. Looking around, she tried to find a place that would hopefully help the small flightless avian. It only took a few moments before seeing a stand alone building. It was a simple two story building, the words 'Doc's Shop' caused her to stop a bit.

"Hey, Leo, let's stop in here." She called out, pointing to the shop.