For the Right Price

[condor]

It was a terrifying thing to imagine all that money could purchase. It was even more unsettling to see it in action. Mercenaries for hire, weapons for sale, and smuggling ships all advertised themselves gruffly in the dank underbelly of Loguetown. Eulogies Shacks was an underground bazaar of all kinds of services and products not fit to be sold under the sunshine. A petty thief gladly surrendered its whereabouts to Ilbe once they were sure the pilot wasn't a marine. 

With any luck, the rumored dials he'd heard so much about might also be sold. Every above ground shop in Loguetown had either thought Ilbe crazy or foolish searching for such devices. Their rarity seemed to far exceed Ilbe's expectations. His mother and grandmother had told him stories about the Skypieans, their language, their devices, and how they were widely considered mythical beings. 

It seemed that attaining their special Dials might only be a feat secured by a direct visit. His last ditch effort was to see if any shady dealers also sold these highly specific goods. If not, Ilbe would have to totally scrap his current plans for an aircraft, and go back to the drawing board if he wanted to get onto the Grand Line and further his technology.

Eyeing a scattering of old swords, he picked one up to test its weight, only for his appraisal to be chastised by an approaching group. 

"We arrrrre buying you out-again, old man!" The leader of the group proudly declared. His distinctive, sing-song intimidation caused a ripple of fear over other vendors and consumers, who all suddenly found the ground very interesting, careful not to look the man in the eyes. 

"Get along now, little man!"The leader ordered Ilbe. He carefully put the sword down and avoided confrontation. The pilot had more important things to find than a fight.

[Flame]

"Mmmmm" the surgeon stood before the table quietly as they looked down at the finished product of their work. Laid about in front of them was a body, rising and falling with its breath, the patient's belly was sewn shut, it had once not been, but the procedure was over now. All that had been necessary was done now and the doctor stepped back from the table.

Nodding to the only assistant in the room, the assistant trundled away quickly leaving the doctor alone in the room with the patient. "Now that wasn't so bad was it ... and to think you were crying out at the start." With that the doctor stepped away from the table leaving the patient alone as she strutted from her position out the doors. She glanced left and right quickly finding her assistant standing outside awaiting the order. "Go, take care of him."

The doctor said stepping aside as her bumbling assistant headed back in. She sighed, the help was okay she supposed, at the very least it meant she didn't have to bother with the pre and post operation work. That at least was good, she pulled off the face mask drawing it off completely. She put away the surgeon's gown revealing a black form-fitting suite beneath it. And finally she reached up, putting a single finger into the hair cap pulling it off and unraveling long waist-length hair. Pausing for a few moments she took a breath and turned to one side strolling through a door into what could be called a waiting room.

Not that she would ever call it one, but it was a somewhat clean, but dark room lit by a pair of lamps in which her patient's 'friends' sat awaiting the news. As she stepped through the first one leaped at her "Doc, Doc, how's he doing, he's gonna be okay right?" She nodded in response. "He'll be fine, my assistant is going to bandage him up and return him to you once he's awake enough. He had a few bullets still in his abdomen but I should have gotten them all out." She explained flatly towards the one who'd approached her as well as projecting her voice to the others in the room.

"So about my recompense." She said noticing a suddenly sly smile upon the man's face. The doctor sighed, this is why she disliked the patients she got working the black market job. They never "About that doc ..." a pistol swung out and came directly to her forehead. "How about we pay you nothing." The pistol rang out with a bang the bullet slamming into the wall behind it.

"You folk never learn do you?" She said, the hole through her head was filled with refractive black material. It swirled about reforming her forehead. Before her the pirate, as she was now calling this one scrambled back from her. "Wha Wha Wha ..." The doctor extended her hand forward each finger grew a reflective black material from it shaped vaguely like knives they extended and extended towards the pirate as he backed away. "So like I said about my money ..."

The following straining of some beri from the fools was easy enough and though she didn't get as much as she had wanted, it was enough to subsist with. She pocketed the beri, the assistant could be paid at a later date. Dealing with idiots was exhausting, she looked in the corner where the thoroughly de-moneyed pirates sat quaking in the corner. She'd let them remain mostly because, well they were still here to help their friend who'd she just treated.

She stepped to the door, pushing it open. Then paused glancing back at them. "Oh, please recommend me. And tell them this story, do not mess with Doctor Kanra Yougan. I'm a bit tired of dealing with your folk's foolishness."