Carnivorous Vessels; CHIMERA at Sea!

[Tokoz]

 Kami-Gaz Vio

 
 In the middle of the open seas of the Bear route, in an empty patch of seas, a sudden disturbance arose. From the ocean, a sudden swirling appeared, and a moment later, the Avernus exploded from the water, bobbing to the surface. 

 The hatches opened, and Marines began to stream out, stretching and walking across the hull as the Avernus came up to refill it's air tanks, and give people some hull leave. As useful as the submarine was, it was frequently quite a pain to spend long periods of time in it. Things got musty, and a bit stuffy. Even though everyone was on break, it was noticeable that anyone outside had at least one weapon near them, and their gas mask within reach. 

On break they may be, but the soldiers of CHIMERA had learned to expect the insane, noted Flynn approvingly. He was perched on the back of the upper hull, looking around with ill-disguised boredom. He would have preferred to just keep going at top speed, eager to get back to G-6, but acknowledged the necessity of this. 

He, Mari, and their newest recruit to the CHIMERA Corps were supposed to check in before going anywhere else, but after the long period of inactivity following the odd events on the Red Line, Flynn wanted to get back to business as quickly as possible. As such, he sat and kept watch while the submarine chugged slowly along.

[Vio]

¹

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Fresh air! Such a glorious invention. And one that Mari was thankful for when she, among several other members of CHIMERA, were allowed the chance to filter onto the now exposed upper deck of the Avernus. No matter how many times she experienced the hulking submarine diving into the depths, she struggled to get used to the confined spaces and limitations. It was a marvel of engineering, for sure. Alas, engineering was not her forte. In her arms she carried the familiar form of Mahogani, whose amber eyes seemed to burn with great intensity in the light of day, polished timber gleaming.

She inhaled cool ocean air.

The saline tang burned her nostrils a bit, but it was far better than the thick musk that built up within a sealed hull. As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but calm sapphire seas – surprising despite the tailwind, which lightly tugged at uniforms and ruffled hair. There was something about open waters like these, no land in sight, that made Miss Anette wary. Despite the fact she was aboard a World Navy vessel, she kept her eyes on the horizon.

Mahogani twitched.

^{“Hm…?” she responded softly:
“What’s the matter…?”}

^“…”

“Hey. Why do you talk to it, anyway?” said a voice from beside. Mari jumped a little, but soon calmed her nerves when she realised who it was. A gentleman clad in the typical attire of CHIMERA Corps, carrying a heavy flintlock at his side and standing no taller than she. He had something of a rotund physique and ruddy bronze complexion, with top canine teeth that hung ever so slightly over his lower lip and a bushy, whiskery moustache that seemed out of place, given his otherwise clean shaven look at polished head. Seaman First Class, Seeley ‘Walrus’ Rosmarus; the division’s own demolitions aficionado. “Uh. Sorry.” He coughed an apology, noting the glare from rosé eyes. “I meant her. Why do you talk to her?”

^“…”

^{“Uh… Okay…,” Rosmarus grunted, then squinted:
“Is that a… Sh!t. CAPTAIN! STARBOARD, ONE-TWENTY DEGREES!”}

His shout made Miss Anette actively recoil, her ears not welcoming the coarse bellow from no more than a yard away from her left. The cry rang out as others – some of which struggling to understand exactly what one-twenty meant on the Grand Line – set their sights upon what the walrus had spotted. Sure enough, Mari’s own eyes locked onto an unidentified vessel in the distance, careening along at a rate of knots. It looked tiny at this distance, probably only a small caravel, with white square sails at full.

Something seemed off…

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SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

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_{Anette Mari (ffb7c5)
Seeley Rosmarus (73C2FB)}

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[Kami-Gaz]

Fresh air, it was one of the best things that the cyborg woman had ever tasted. To a thrill seeker being cooped up on a submarine is only exciting for approximately the amount of time it takes for the air inside the machine to go stale and taste old and musty. The marine was now on top deck, her sword strapped to her waist, for the eventuality that her skills would be needed. As she lay on her back looking up at the clouds above, around her were the marines of her squad. All of those men were looking down at the lieutenant and questioning exactly why she was watching the sky with a smile.

“Uhh Lieu-” A voice started but was cut off before it could even finish the sentence.

“Call me Cyn, makes communication work far quicker.” The leather coated lieutenant said as she poked the sunglasses that she was wearing up to look the marine in the eye. “C.O.R.E in a combat scenario but Cyn when we are, quote, stretching our legs, end quote. You will only address me as Lieutenant Rippingston when I shout at you.” She said with a smile, letting her eyes stare daggers at each of the men and women who were around her with her last sentence.

Her pale purple pink hair was splayed out on the top of the sub, and her sunglasses went back down to shade her orange eyes. “Six! Orders are to take advantage of this air time to absorb some sun and drill close quarters combat. The rest of you follow her lead!” She ordered before sitting up herself and looking around, taking stock on what was occurring around her and the submarine.

“CAPTAIN! STARBOARD, ONE-TWENTY DEGREES!” a marine shouted at the top of his lungs, his eagle eyes spotting a ship in the distance.

The yell itself was enough to rattle Mari, though she was close the cute puppeteer was already locking her eyes on the ship and C.O.R.E did the same. Distance wasn’t something she was good at, but even Cynthia could tell something was weird with this ship. The grand line was already going to show the cyborg how weird and scary a place it could be, and Cynthia was ready for it… well as ready as some small town inventor from the south blue could be.

[Tokoz]

 As soon as the cry went up, Flynn whipped around and stared into the distance, eyes narrowing. He stared at the horizon, and the ship approaching. That ship wasn't large, only caravel size or so, but....

 They had surfaced, mere moments ago, in the open seas of the route that contained their base. It was rather worrying that a random ship had managed to be just where they surfaced. The Grand Line was large, and it was uncommon to see another ship this far away from an island. It didn't look like a Marine ship off-hand, which unfortunately meant that it was either a Bounty Hunter, Revolutionary or Pirate. 

 Cursing, he whipped out a Den Den Mushi and called the command deck. "Flynn to Bridge, put us to Alert level MARCON 4. We have a potential hostile approaching." There was an audibly annoyed groan from the other end, and then a voice barked "Sir!" and it clicked off. Turning around, Flynn released the chains of his weapons from their storage, and glanced back. "People, get your weapons checked and ready, anyone without their gear, head back downstairs." Hopping up to the highest point of the ship, he balanced in place. 


Whatever was coming, he was getting a strange chill down his back.... as if some massive coiling presence was stirring, the rumbles of it's waking stretches reverberating in his very soul. "I don't know what it is... but I get the sense we need to hurry." 

[Vio]

²

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The calls were swift. Actions more so. Such was the efficiency of C.H.I.M.E.R.A. Corps. As clockwork, men scattered and regrouped – vanished below decks as others emerged in their place, fully geared for a combat situation. No matter how often she saw it happen, Mari’s astonishment was pure. This wasn’t efficiency founded on respect of the World Navy’s ranks and disciplines. This was efficiency founded on respect for their Captain, their ship and their peers. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out.

But the teen’s eyes this time were on the ship.

It’s approaching slightly. Is it trying to cut us off? There’s no way a ship that size could stop the Avernus, but– Thoughts were interrupted. Something unsettled her enough that the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and she couldn’t tell what it was. Further still, another sensation added to what she was feeling. A tightening grip. Mahogani, held in her arms, had shifted slightly. A wooden hand held tight the puppeteer’s sleeve.

^{“H- How’re you…,” she squeaked:
“The strings… they aren’t even– …!?”}

Rosé eyes shifted back to the ship. Tense as she was, her focus was sharp enough. Just on the edge of her vision, Miss Anette’s eyes caught glimpses of two things. For one, she could see small silhouettes scurrying about the white-sailed caravel; sailors working their magic to keep at pace. But what they were keeping pace against was altogether more terrifying. She wasn’t the only one to see it, either. Seafoam and spray erupted, its roar loud and thunderous. And from within that eruption of sapphire, jade and diamond emerged a monster.

^{“Is that a… Sea King!?”}

“They’re goners,” Seamen added.

^{“No…,” Rosmarus growled:
“That can’t be a Sea King…?!”}

Glistening white horses galloped away, revealing the creature’s form. An unmistakable form. Mari was at a loss for words, not quite comprehending what it was she was gawping at – what it was that had uneased both her and Mahogani. It was a colossus, at least as big as the Avernus, if not bigger. A huge maw of massive, silvery teeth started to open up. Despite the size, it was gaining fast upon its prey, turning the waters from tranquil to turbulent as it writhed.

With an array of at least five massive spines sprouting from its back, such a monster was unlike anything this world had yet shown the youth. It was undoubtedly the first time any of them had seen such a thing. The mists cleared, revealed yet more features of its form, and that was what gave away its identity. Those weren’t spikes – no rays of a dorsal fin. Those weren’t the scales of a sea monster. Timber, mast and rigging. It could only be one thing…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{OOC}

[/i][/b]

_{Anette Mari (ffb7c5)
Seeley Rosmarus (73C2FB)}

[/ul][/spoiler][/font][/sup][/blockquote][/div][/div][/div]

[Kami-Gaz]

The sound of the captain giving orders was a sound that seemed to cut through the confusion and speculative words of many of the marines that were stood on deck overlooking the odd scene of a ship escaping a monster. Then the next words to perk the lieutenant’s ears were “Sea king!?” A sea king? That was not ludicrous… they were on the grand line, near the calm belt, so a sea king here should not be bringing as much attention as it was.

The cyborg took a few steps closer and leaned her weight against the railing as she tried to get as close a look as possible of the scene. “That’s no Sea King…” Cynthia said as her eyes adjusted to the monstrous ship that was chasing down the panicked smaller vessel that was trying as hard as it can to get away. “… That’s a ship.” She clarified.

“SECOND SHIP TO STARBOARD!” She called out turning her head back to look at CX-0 to see what he would command, would he make them turn tail and run… or would he go and interfere. “Vibration Core, set to 20%” The cyborg inventor muttered to herself, making the limbs on her body hum slightly, her racing heart was generating too much power and it had to be vented the only way that it could be.