We, the Hunted

[The Love Ballad]

Voices grew heated as Mag and the owner of the stall's once lively debate over prices and the art of haggling descended into little more than arguments and insults relating to their intelligence, lack thereof, and thinly veiled implications about their manhood or lack thereof. For such a small, old geezer, allegedly specialising in leatherwork, he seemed far more interested in turning off potential customers than he was with selling belts.

"Ye're a fek'in' crook," Mag spat. Spittle spraying over the wooden stall and the display of fine bovine-skin wallets.

"Take your money and go, boy, maybe then you'd learn that just because you lack in some departments, doesn't mean you can lack in others," The man responded, hands gesturing the red-headed pirate away.

Mag spat again, this time on the floor before he slunk off dejected and defeated. All around him, it appeared that the small market square of stalls and would-be-shoppers were engaging in a multitude of scenes not all too different to that which he had just been subject to. It was a lovely day out, and it being a weekend meant that almost all of Mirrorball appeared to have come out in order to flog their wares.

As for the north blue immigrant to the east, he had found himself in desperate need of some new supplies after his last attempt at dishonest work. An attempt that had involved a drunken attack upon a supply depot in the very same town two nights earlier, all that it had concluded with was his two accomplices lost to the night, either to marines or the inevitable fire that had engulfed the depot. He hadn't particularly cared, they were local toughs who'd bit off more than they had any hope of chewing. What was more frustrating was the sheer volume of equipment he'd lost when he'd dived into the ocean to escape the patrols who'd come to investigate the inferno.

And so it was that he found himself wandering through the marketplace, trying to find whatever he could to replace his missing kit. Whilst the day had gotten to a promising start, it had rapidly deteriorated. He'd yet to purchase anything that would be of any use to him. To make matters worse, he felt that he was getting stink eye from the same group of men and women in their late teens and early twenties with an almost uniform like get-up. Sabers at their waists and the same god-awful fake black leather jackets. If there was ever a group of greenhorns playing at pirates, or maybe bounty hunters, then this was it. Mag almost waxed nostalgic about it, it reminded him of his own days as a misbegotten youth in his hometown. 

That was until he saw them reviewing obvious bounty posters, and the constant looks that a couple of the younger members seemed to cast him. Was he truly that obviously a ruffian?

Worse yet, it seemed that even more of the buggers were around than he initially thought, and not all of them were as young as he first suspected. What in the blue hell was wrong with this town? All he bloody well wanted was a new belt. 

[risaka]

This kind of place was exactly the sort of island Risa needed for her own little break. After travelling quite some distance throughout the East Blue ocean, in her new fond adventure, it was about damn time she treated herself. Being chased by marines after visiting Shell Island with the stolen ship she might aswell give herself something to enjoy. Maybe it was time to finally put her coat to rest and get a more clean one? Nah, she thought to herself, this coat is practically her a literal piece of her past, the time she wanted to remember and keep close. Although she did wish this piece of clothing could be refreshed a bit. But that have to be taken care of later, for right now she needed to stay out of sight from the locals. Earlier when she entered the town there was a clear board of posters plastered about, and as you know it she saw herself. With a sudden surge of panic flow across of ehr body she knew that staying low was much needed if she wanted to get something out from this island.

Being covered by a dark cloak and a hoodie she managed to stay among crowds and visit stands around the marketplace, subtly viewing one stand after another she realized quickly that she didn't even know what she desired. Being a pirate with a loose sense of self satisfaction was an odd concept, the only thing she ever truly wanted was to continue tinkering with stuff and invent new tools for her to use. But other than that, she lived a boring life, it got her thinking; was that the only reason she wanted to go out and continue as a pirate after her life on Thorn Pirates ship was sunk down? After recieving the small bounty on her head years ago she haven't done anything too attrocious, so perhaps it was about time for her to pick her responsibility as a pirate, that's what her former captain would want.

''These stands are so bland, does this town actually have anything significant to offer? And when I think about it, why are there so many saber wielders around..? I get the feeling I am being watched from more than one side..''

She wanted to peek around her sides just to have a real good look on the sword users, but she feared the moment her eyes gets into a locked eyecontact with someone she'd be recognized.  Good thing she kept her own trusty sword, Black Thorn, hidden out of sight, or else people could easily point out the pirate design it possessed. To get out of the many crowds quickly and find a safe spot away from those staring at her cloaked figure she approached a simple bar that held some life to it, people singing with eachother, mug after mug being slammed down on tables and desks, no one would suspect someone just enjoying a good time.

[The Love Ballad]

Mag made eye contact with one of the young men in the gang, a lad who couldn't have been much older than fifteen, and carried himself with an obvious air of youth imitating that of their elders. The glare that he struck the boy with was enough for the sandy-haired youth to shun his eyes downward, and in turn it was enough for two of his compatriots to cast their own gaze upon the destitute pirate. Mag silently swore under his breath, extremely aware of the fact that he'd made the situation worse for himself, sure he may not be a wanted man but that wasn't to say that some idiot kid with hopes of glory and dreams of grandeur would jump the gun. He needed to get himself to a place where we felt more comfortable, arguing with stall-owners and receiving naught but angry and accusatory looks wasn't exactly good for his sense of stability.

He coughed, clearing his throat, and cast a glance across the entire makeshift marketplace. Stalls upon stalls of simple goods, fish, bread, produce and artisans dominated. It seemed that if he wanted to get something cooked fresh, or better yet something brewed a while ago, he'd need to enter a tavern or restaurant. Finding one of the most generic and simple in appearance was easy, entering it was easier, already the sound of tankards slamming against tables and drunken revelry were all too familiar. How often would he find himself in a bar as soon as he entered a new town? It was becoming an increasingly dangerous trend, especially considering what had happened in Loguetown not too long ago. 

He shuddered at the thought, before approaching the bar and holding up two fingers, "Dark ale. Whateve' you got." The words were more a grunt than coherent, but the bartender seemed to know what they meant all the same. 

As he waited for his pints to be poured, Mag allowed himself to examine the interior and its occupants. Most were obviously locals, people stopping their weekend shop in order to enjoy a drink before they returned to the hustle and bustle outside. What caught his glance the most, however, was the figure enveloped by a dark cloak. Another odd individual hanging around a rather mundane bar? Mag shrugged, he had no reason to question their motives, for he had seen far stranger in his travels.

Just as Mag's alcohol finally made its way too him, and the pirate begrudgingly gave up the last of his beri, did the door to the bar open. Two of the gentlemen in those black jackets had entered, although it was clear that they hadn't followed him in, he couldn't help but feel nervous as they joked with each other. 

He had no bounty, he had nothing to fear, no one had seen his face last night. The fear in the back of his mind was continuously put down by these thoughts, as Mag put the beer down his throat.

[risaka]

She have taken seat near one of the corners with the cloak just as tight on as possible. Peeking out at the bar she observed if anyone was looking at her or has been following her. None, although it was difficult to keep track of every single person within the bar with all the movements going on. She tugged at the single button keeping the fabric on her front, twisting it and fiddling with it as it was her habit of fidget with stuff under either boredom or stress. Sure enough she was more than enough stressed out, but that could be probably be blamed on her lack of digested food. She has not eaten in a long time so she thought to herself that a meal in this inn will be a good time to blend in with the rest. Raising her hand up to waiter she got their attention while keeping her face undiscovered, using the typical sleazy body language by having her head hanging low.

''And what might you want eh lass?''

Was her figure that obvious? Well, she got to admit her waistline is darn slim, and the cloak was thin and wrapped easily onto her body.

''The quickest meal you can dish, an entire steak.''

Not wanting to stay around for too long she might aswell get a boring yet energy rich meal. The waiter gave a subtle shrug and spun one eighty around and walking down into the kitchen. Risa huffs under her breath and pulled up her pouch and notebook. Skribbling down quick into the worn quality of the papers while also preparing the beri. She then takes a great notice of someone that stood a bit more out then others, a redheaded man that surely got an attitude. He looked over at her, in which she responds with turning her attention away.

''Tsk, don't stare this way, idiot.''

Thinking harshly of him in her thoughts she waited patiently, which was only a mere two minutes. The meal was bland, straight up just a single large steak, both wide and thick, and roasted with several coating of salty fat. Yup, this would surely give her energy. Instead of hearing the price of the meal she shoved a suitable amount, no need to go for the exact amount.

''O-oh well don't mind if I do~''

The waiter accepted the payment, and the tip, and honestly she didn't care if she paid too much on the meal, for she was already paying full attention on the steak. Cutting and pulling she took a large bite after another, for being a woman she sure got a rough way of eating, that is simply just the result of someone who has only been experiencing the pirate life.

But during her slightly audiable feast someone came close to her table, it was one of the waiters, and he held his arms crossed in a strict manner.

'''Cuuuse me madam, but we suggest everyone in this inn to stay uncloaked, a part of our policy.''

Gritting with a bit of meat between her teeth she truly did not wanna just uncloak her face.

''I'm here to just enjoy the meal, I've already paid..''

''Mmmm sadly that won't slide, just take the darn cloak off!''

His voice raised up, and even got a pistol ready behind his belt, the bald waiter most certainly caught the attention from more than one person.

[The Love Ballad]

Mag continued to sip at his ale, not wanting to touch the second glass just yet, something was giving him a bad feeling about this place. For once in his life, he figured it was better that he remain at least semi-sober as the events unfolded around him. The redhead had turned his gaze away from the cloaked figure, not wanting to draw attention himself or to whoever it may be, lest something untoward come from it. Especially considering the obvious, that being that it was evident that they didn't want to be recognised and the overabundance of would-be bounty hunters trouncing around the city that morning. Two and two together made four, and Mag didn't particularly feel like playing that game of maths.

The bartender was busy serving an old salt-scarred sailor, so Mag flagged down one of the waiters, a young fellow attempting to grow a mustache in some mistaken notion that it made him look older. The dirty smattering of hair above his lip only made him seem more immature.

"Ye' got anything with stew?" Mag asked the lad, fingers drumming on the table unconsciously as he did so.

"We have a fish chowder," The waiter started speaking before the pirate cut him off with a terse grunt and nod.

Food was sorted, as was drink, all the pirate had to do was lay low for a while and wait for the bounty hunters to realise that there was nothing for them on this day. After all, Magherafelt was a petty criminal, barely more than a thief. There was nothing that he'd done that would prompt the hunters to see him as a mark.

As he waited for his meal, Mag became increasingly aware of sounds raising from the back of the bar. Somewhat lazily he turned his head over his shoulder to examine the commotion, and it was blatant from whom the noise had originated. The very same cloaked figure from before.

The voices spread throughout the entire bar, and Mag was not the only one becoming increasingly on edge. The two men in black jackets who'd entered earlier had taken a small table by the entrance, and they were just about off of their seats watching the scene unfold. A bald waiter arguing with the figure in black, who's voice betrayed her as a woman. 

The scene seemed to be playing out as one would normally expect, until Mag spied the bald waiter's hands reaching behind his belt. The unmistakable shape of a pistol in his grasp. The redhead prepared himself for chaos, taking a step off his stool, but he wasn't the first to act.

"Oi!" Yelled one of the bounty-hunters, the duo rapidly making their way toward the two arguing figures, "Are you causing trouble!?"

Mag cursed under his breath, they weren't marines, they had no right to go questioning. Worse than that, this blatant disregard for the way things were done was a sign that they'd be ridiculously more cocksure than the marines. That uneasy feeling in Mag's stomach was growing well and truly beyond where it had sat earlier. Without a word, the pirate downed his second mug of beer and made a swift move toward the exit, daring not to look back at the scene.

Only for that same waiter from earlier to yell out from across the entire bloody tavern, "Sir! Your're forgetting your food! You didn't pay!"

The boy was loud, far, far too loud. The pirate grimaced and stopped, hoping that his own move would not distract the bar from watching the unfolding scene at the back.  

[risaka]

What hell is his problem even? Couldn't just an ordinary customer just enjoy their meal? The pirate lady thought to herself with a clear sound of her teeth grit, taking a sip from a mug of water to exptend the time for her to answer, for she had no reasonable answer to even give. Even before putting her mug down to the table, she heard the very subtle of a click, and the way he held his hand behind his back? This is no formal place, that is for damn sure! ''You better take the best god damn shot in your life if youd are to pull something like that up..'' Not speaking out loud she merely threatened him in her mind, however, two fellow customers, who soon revealed to be up and coming bounty hunters, questioned those at the scene. She of course stood with her head low, the bald waiter did not stay silent in contrast.

''Eh? Go back to your table! Everyone knows cloaking your face in public eating spaces are forbidden!''

This is most definitely her chance to take the control of the situation, the way the waiter turned his body halfway let her see the handle of the pistol, unprotected, even newly polished. Her eyes glimmered at it, knowing fully well she only got one chance, for her chances to have pirates that could sympathy for her in this building might as well be zero. Then, the redhaired lad she eyed at earlier got up and quick, and one of the younger waiters yelled out towards him!

''Huh?! Not paying?!''

It is probably the sheer luck, but the bald waiter seemed to get his full focus on the two words, what a fool, he had his back fully exposed infront of her, and just like that she rose up with haste, in the same motion her hood fell off from her head, to hell with disguising! She snagged the handle of the pistol and took a grip around their throat, pointing the barrel of the pistol against hios right temple, with a click to showcase just how serious she is.

''ACK! P-pirate! You scum!''

''Oh shut it, I just wanted to enjoy my damn meal, which I paid for..''

Her dim yet contrasting green hair quickly took the attention right back from the audience of the Inn, some even jumping up and pulling up their own firearms. The only thing that kept Risa alive in this mighty hostile environment is the bald man as a hostage, and soon to be a meat shield.

''Just relax and put your guns down unless you this bald man to fall dead, got it?''

She demanded, with her glare she was more than ready to duke it out. One of the wannabe bounty hunters had quickly pulled out their sheets of paper, rolling through them until pulling out her damn old bounty poster.

''That green hair, you're definitely that lass... Vontanna F. Risa, you got a juicy bounty for easy grabs! Two and a half million beri!''

She scoffs under her breath, typical, and with that kind of sum it'd likely be no issue for them to kill this waiter just to get her head. They got their weapons out, grinning like thirsty dogs seeing a prey in a corner. She is sorta regretting for not picking the table with a window, no real escape route in this corner!

[The Love Ballad]

Mag had been preparing himself for the worst, to be apprehended by young street thugs playing at bounty hunter, but instead he found that his own actions had served as the ready distraction for the lady in corner to seize control of the situation for herself. By the time that the North Blue Pirate could react and pivot on his feet to observe the scene, the woman had the man's very own pistol pushed against the side of his head. Insult upon injury, the woman was definitely not one for subtlety. She was so far from subtle in fact that her very hair betrayed her identity, one of the young bounty hunters declaring her identity to the whole of the pub. Vontanna F. Risa? Mag hadn't heard of her, truth be told, he had never even bothered to examine a bounty poster. The man wasn't exactly the most literate, and he didn't see the need to read through the dispatches through which they were commonly released. The two eager boys, for that is what they were, seemed to have read enough bounty posters between them to make up for Mag's lifetime of laziness. 

The situation was absurdly tense, a true standoff, the woman was blocked into the corner and the bounty hunters couldn't move against her for fear of the waiter's head exploding into a mess of smoke and blood. That, naturally, was Mag's cue to leave. Swiftly pivoting back towards the door, the thug made bold and confident strides toward the entrance.

"Oi!" The same young waiter yelled out again, and Mag could feel his world crash around him, "You were providing a distraction for her weren't you!? You're in cahoots!"

Of all, the bloody, damned, good-for-nothing days.... The thoughts were tumultuous and angry in the ginger's head as he froze on the spot, aware that some of the men in the bar were now shifting their attention halfway between himself and the woman who he had never even seen before. 

"Lad," Mag started, "Oi 'aint wot ye' think-" 

The words were lost the wind as a yell shot through the bar, the younger of the two bounty hunters, a scrawny lad with wispy blonde hair had thrown caution to the wind. He lunged at the woman and her captive with his saber high above his head, the move was sloppy, telegraphed and caught the attention of most of the patrons. Most being the operative word, for a young woman near the front door took the opportunity to dart out to the street and begin screaming near-incoherently, the one word that seemed to carry back being "Pirates."

Mag cursed under his breath.

[risaka]

Oh things only went downhill after hill with just how tense the situation got. Sure Risa didn't have anything extraordinary in her backhand, nor a flashy plan C or D to get out of here like a slippery snake. All she had was a damn human shield and a gun pointed to his head, and its not like she desired to pop his head right infront of her, but right now she could only bring out the most sinister attitude she could muster, in hopes to strike fear into the young souls of the bounty hunters.

''Easy now pal, its too early for my shooting practice, and I much rather keep these bullets instead of between your eyes~''

The waiter who had such a strong figure seemed a bit like a wuss the way he was arching back to adjust to the pirate's height, but he definitely felt her strength, no laughing matter for sure. She looked over at the other side from her stand off with the two bounty hunters, the red haired lanky man got called out, again, and seems to be in a pickle himself. But that broke the tension, the anticipation built up in the yuoungest bounty hunter just exploded into a mad dash at the pirate! For one she felt way too surprised to how the brat just went for it, she got a hostage! Seems like even newcomers has very little patience. But she wasn't about to get chopped by the sword, and with how heavy the waiter weighted it proved to be difficult to move on the spot unless she pulled a sneaky one.

With both of her arms she pushes herself off away from the waiter, including pushing him forcefully enough to cause him to trip forward. The sword strikes the ground between her and the waiter, and Risa glared down at the kid before delivering a direct knee-shot to the face. But at the same time, the waiter was pushed towards the second bounty hunter, who lost their aim at Risa and effectively giving her the chance to make the next move. Right after the powerful knee shot she could hear commoners shouting the dreaded P word. With no time worth losing she began to run, and in the way of exit was the waiter who was on hot pursuit on Mag. Smacking the waiter to the side with her elbow and sprinting past Mag.

''Thanks!''

She muttered a single word to him as she burst through the saloon doors, likely her gratitude of him interrupting the scene with his own mischiefs. However, this quickly paints a bad picture of him, as commoners who still sat and shuck in fear, began to shout out with their fingers pointed at him.

''P-PIRATES EVERYWHERE! SOMEONE!''

''KYAAAAH! T-theres more?!?!''

[The Love Ballad]

The lady moved quickly, the situation that had seemed so stacked against her quickly fell in her favour. The younger of the bounty hunters had no-sooner launched his surprise assault upon his quarry before he found himself sprawled on the ground, unconscious and well and truly out of the fight. His compatriot had found himself entangled in a mess of limbs with the waiter who had served as hostage not too long ago, and just like that the woman's berth to freedom was set. Her break was clean and it seemed that the situation had erupted to such a degree that there was no way that it could possibly get worse. That was until the pirate had seen fit to push the man who had been accusing Mag out of the way and throw an appreciative thanks toward the redheaded thug. As if at once, he'd gone from a suspicious figure to her dyed-in-the-wool accomplice. The screams and pointing fingers that followed all but confirmed it, herd mentality had deemed him her companion, and he was now in just as much danger as her. 

All he'd wanted was some damned chowder.

It took Mag a moment to process before it became clear that the bald waiter and the bounty hunter had quickly regained their own stances, and now he, not this Vontana woman was their target. 

"Fek!" He swore, and ran straight after the woman, pushing past a labourer, who had gotten to his feet upon the increase in hostilities, and forced his way on to the street. 

The street too had slowly become overwhelmed by panic, the woman who had fled earlier had done her job in letting every member of that thrice-damned bounty hunter guild know that pirates had taken residence in the saloon. Mag's eyes darted rapidly around the crowd, as panicked as it was. Black jackets seemed to be appearing from the woodwork itself, young men and women, most barely out of their teens had drawn all matter of cheap pistols and swords. Worse yet, he was well and truly exposed. 

He cursed again, reaching for the knives he'd crudely stored under his shirt. He had to get out of this god damned town, and like it or not, the woman who'd just about cursed him to this fate was probably his best bet. He didn't exactly favour his chances of outrunning a veritable bevy of wide-eyed idealists desperate to claim fortune and glory in a quiet port in the East Blue. 

Mag's eyes shot around again, this time looking for the woman who'd left the tavern before him, he hadn't kept a solid grasp on her location and she may have darted off before he could even register what had occurred. Should he be able to locate her, and should she not be to far off, his question was simple, "You got a fekin' plan to get out? Or better yet a ship, consider it repayment for that thank ye'."

Were she to be well and truly out of his sight, then the only thing Mag could do was to fight his way out. He loathed that idea, he didn't exactly feel like earning a bounty of his own. 

[risaka]

Was it inconsidered of her to share a compliment to a complete stranger while a whole dozen of eyes glared at her and her status? Risa in truth simply did not care for what consequences was held behind each action, she knew very well that any town is a risky spot for her to be in so perhaps in the future she might just have to reconsider her destinations. And whatever might happen back at the saloon simply became a fragment of the past, something the green haired lass couldn't ponder about for too long. She ran like the wind, out from the building and out on the street. At first only mere commoners watched her, some aware and others with pure confused thoughts. But only a matter of seconds was needed until new individuals with those pitch black jackets emerged from the nearby crowds.

''Quite literally rats, tch!''

Small talking to herself the priate quickly got those slender yet strong legs of hers back into action. Dashing down the cobblestone street with haste! That is until the street from the other end also got occupied with the black jackets. It was obvious this town was ridden with bounty hunters, but this was ridiculous! She adjusted her momentum to the left and into a somewhat wide alley way with many small stalls where merchants sold the most odd of wares. Slipping past people one after another she quickly got abrupted of her escape when a sword came slashing down from a nearby corner. The sword crashed down on a crat that was right next to her, a representation of what might've happened to her if she did not step back quickly.

''W-WHOA! Grr..''

She gritted her teeth at the bounty hunter who attempted to catch her on the trails with some cheap shortcut, but soon afterwards the words that thick accent came from where she ran from. Looking back she saw the red haired lad and the whole group of black jackets in hot pursuit of him and her! She couldn't tell right away that he was now labelled a target for the bounty hunters, she just had to take his word for it and stared up. Despite being a complete stranger, she knew that they both were in the same pickle, whether she liked it or not.

''Nope, no boat or plan, just lady luck screwing me up! Up there!''

She quickly points upwards to a rooftop, a ladder was in place and she quickly hopped on it, and she sure climbed fast! The black jackets quickly got the alley surrounded, and the same sworduser with a crashing sharp blade held his sword high up for yet another swing!

[The Love Ballad]

The less-infamous of the pirates quickly caught sight of the back of the woman who had thrust him into this mess. His eyes set forth, he all but charged after her. Tunnel vision overtaking him as he raced to catch up with her. They stood a far better chance should they work together, and besides, surely she had a plan. She was a wanted pirate after all, that normally betrayed a degree of competence and infamy.

Mag spat on the ground as his new comrade-in-arms announced that she had absolutely no plan to escape from their current predicament. First she had gotten him into the damn situation through her sheer inability to keep a low profile and her over-thankfulness, and now she had all but declared that she hadn't thought of a way to avoid the inevitable situation that would arise should she be caught out as a pirate. By all that was good on the vast blue sea, he hated running from the law, and it seemed to be happening more and more often as he maneuvered through life without a proper crew.

Before he could even process what steps to take next, the woman had begun to climb the ladder onto the nearest rooftop. She moved quickly, and fortunately she seemed to think even more quickly. Maybe Mag's anger had clouded his judgement of her.

Yet, before the auburn-haired pirate could follow her up their latest escape route he had to deal with the latest of swings from their black jacketed pursuers. Another darned swordsman, of course, it seemed that firearms were few and far between. That at least served as a little solace, if he could just stay out of range he'd survive.

Mag's arm moved quicker than the bounty hunter could see, the movement almost unnatural. In his white-knuckled grip he clutched a throwing knife. The knife collided with the sword in a swift parry, the momentum from the downswing deflected harshly to Mag's right side. By all hells, that hurt his shoulder. Regardless of that pain, however, the thug unleashed a firm right kick to the swordsman's chest. The attacker was obviously inexperienced and it showed in his overswing. His already unsteady balance collapsed to dust with the kick and he was swiftly flat on his arse. In a quick follow up movement, the knife was unleashed from Mag's hand. It flew briefly before embedding itself into the second-closest attacker's hand. She too hit the ground, this time from pain.

With that opportunity opened, Mag climbed swiftly after Risa. Painfully aware of the number of bodies in the alley below. He all but threw himself onto the rooftop, the beginnings of a pant at his lips. 

As his feet hit the roof, he scanned the horizon quickly and thoroughly, eyes darting from side to side as he desperately looked for an escape route. 

"Look, ye' may no' 'ave a boat and Oi sure as 'ell don'. But we gotta getta' the dock and get 'un or we're toast," Mag's accent slurred his words heavily in his relative panic, "this whole fekin' 'oiland is poison."

As if for emphasis, he threw a knife at a hand reaching onto the rooftop from the same ladder they had just climbed up. 

[risaka]

It might've been a bit careless of her end to just shoot for the ladder while there was still someone actively trying to hurt her, luckily her temporary partner seemed to be the frontline for the next few swings. She didn't look back down, but she could hear the struggle, and boy was it a sluggish one. These bounty hunters seriously proved to be incompetent, she has escaped far greater threats before, all she needed is just one solid escape route.

Every roof I can see is relative flat, meaning if we can jump over the gaps we'll have far more freedom of navigating out of the city-

She monolouged to herself in her mind until she spotted a individuals arising up on nearby roofs. Her partner came up and began to talk as if he was totally wasted. She grimaced, but understood ultimately, but if he wanted to get out of this darn place then the only way is for the two of them to dash for it and break whatever kinds of wall that will emerge infront of them, especially those bounty hunters climbing up the roofs!

''Well looks like they are gonna have some aim practice..''

Knowing fully well this is a tight situation, she needed to use whatever she had in her possession. Her forearms began to grow out large chunks of jet black and crashing them together as a makeshift shield! And once she got it up, bullets let loose, hitting the thick layer of jet! She sighs in relief knowing her improvised shield did its job.

''Try to be behind my shield, we'll jump between roofs and down to the harbor!''

Without giving her partner much time to react, she began to dart over the roof with her shield raised up on her right side, she could only hope her partner is able to follow along, or else he might just get gunned down! Because the further they got over the roofs the more bullets flew around them, every fifth second at least a dozen bullets are shot.

[The Love Ballad]

Mag's eyes darted continuously along the horizon, shooting down constantly to see where the bounty hunters were coming from. This was absolutely ludicrous, down-right comedic, farcical, and a series of other adjectives that far outshone his already stretched-thin vocabulary, how could so many people be chasing after them? Surely, there was some kind of trick at foot, maybe the ones they thought they had left behind in the dust had looped back? Whatever the reasoning behind the torrent of black coated youngsters, there were more pressing concerns for the would-be pirate. Namely, that bullets were now starting to whiz past them. Of course, just when he thought it couldn't get worse, it significantly did.

Mag's eyes shot back from watching a young man finally climb to the top of the roof and aim a rifle at the two alleged criminals and instead to his new partner-in-crime, and the growing black material that was growing from her arm. By all that was holy in the deep blue, the woman was cursed by a devil fruit. He'd heard rumours of such powers in dive-bars across the eastern sea, but he'd never seen one in the flesh. That was, of course, until now. The jet-black growths were slammed together by the green-haired woman into a shield, and more than just the young man's bullet hit it. 

Before Mag could even process what exactly was going on, she had announced their next order of business, using the new magic-shield for its intended purpose and jumping between roofs. It was dangerous, but it was their best bet, and he'd done far dumber and far more dangerous things in the past. Risa jumped, her shield raised on her right, and Mag had barely any time to properly react. Fortunately, he managed to take stock of the situation quickly enough to follow her in a couple of bounding leaps, bullets that would have otherwise hit one or the other of them instead colliding with the fruit-created barrier. What even was the stuff that it was made out of? Coal? It sure as damn-well seemed like fancy coal. 

That thought bounced in Mag's mind for a second as he landed on the roof, only for a bullet to explode from behind him. Grazing his left ear and careening off into the distance. It seemed that their pursuers were now aiming from behind them as well as to the sides. By the hells below, there was no end to the assault. The fleeing was becoming exhausting, not so much physically as it was an emotional drain. 

"Six 'clock!" Mag bellowed the warning, and allowed himself to shoot a look over his shoulder. 

The roof that they had once occupied now had roughly three bounty-hunters on it, two of which had guns aimed in their direction. The pirate moved instinctively, well aware of the fact that whilst his newfound friend was keeping them from getting shot, there wasn't a whole lot it appeared she could do to send shots back. Two knives flew out from under Mag's shirt in quick motions, embedding themselves in the thigh and shoulder respectively of the two bounty-hunters with guns. 

The constant fear of gunfire was making it hard to think, hard to process information. Adrenaline alone was leading him as he followed with the escape. He was more than ready this time to keep behind the blackened shield. Maybe they would make it out. 

[risaka]

Just as she was expecting a somewhat smooth escape by travelling across the roofs, the weight of her makeshift shield depleted of her energy down and fast. She panted and felt her body grow that inevitable heat, conducting the warmth of the energy she uses and in a sense turning into an overheated body. She held her shield high up though, far enough to make sure each bullet coming her way and some at her friend get halted by the thick chunk of mineral. But the more bullets it took the higher the fatigue went, a few pieces began to fall off and she noticed that with a frown.

''We need to get out of their sights or else they'll continue firing away without hesitation!''

She managed to tell Mag until hearing him respond with a warning, directly behind them more bullets came at their way. She gritted at the thought of getting hit from behind and quickly swung her shield back, which unfortunately drastically deaccelerating her running speed due to the high momentum created in the large mass of jet. She came to a stop and took the incoming bullets, then a large crack appeared infront of her on the surface of her shield.

''This one won't do any good right now!''

Acting on the spot she tore her hands apart from eachother to make the black mineral crumble off from her arms, then tensing up her right arm to form more jet out from her forearm, effectively making a thick yet blunt spear like object. Following along with Mag she leaped at one of the gunmen with the clear intention of crushing them down into the roof floor and cracking their rifle in two! But she did not desire to overstay her welcome at the roof, once she brought the bounty hunter down she looked around for a quick getaway, noticing a large building near the one they're standing on. Perhaps using the interior to get rid of the assailants was the way to go.

''Ngh! Okay, follow me, I actually got a plan, for once!''

She announced her next step and jumped off from the roof and down at the alleyway towards the large building, from there she sprinted inside and began to push through potential crowds within, seems like she had just entered a large room full of people tending to vases.

C'mon, give me something to work with, a horse, a wagon, hell, even a big bomb to make distraction would suffice!

[The Love Ballad]

Wordlessly, Mag followed after his new compatriot. His eyes shot constantly from side to side, his vision stretched and overloaded as he attempted to keep track of what exactly was occurring at each moment. The bounty hunters had been many in number, but at least a few of them had stopped pursuing as it became clearer and clearer that they were out of their league in terms of combat capability. The fact that one of the pirates had the magic powers as granted by a devil fruit definitely did its bit in dissuading what were primarily a group of country bumpkins playing at hero. That being said, there were still far too many of them with guns and complexes to mean that Mag and Vontanna were safe.

When the female pirate announced that she had a plan and jumped into an alleyway, the thug was right behind her, not even questioning the process. He bounded from the roof and hit the ground hard, his knees shuddering at the impact, but the stress of the chase didn't even allow him to process it. Within moments he was darting toward the large building that his ally had made her headway towards, not even daring to look over his shoulder to see if there were potential pursuers in the alleyway.

Entrance to the building revealed its nature, a storage depot or perhaps a marketplace, filled with all sorts of ceramics and vases. The bustle of the crowd and the harsh sounds of men and women yelling orders and haggling drowned out almost all sound from the outside, it appeared that the folks here had little-to-no clue about the two criminals that had been chased from a tavern not too far away. That was all for the better for Mag.

He stuck close to Vontanna, pushing through the crowds with an urgency unbecoming of the average person, disgruntled shouts and insults were hurled his way but he cared not, for even louder yells were coming from the entrance that they had come through. What remained of the bounty hunting club, for it could hardly be called a guild, had entered behind them and were in the process of declaring loudly that pirates were in their midst. The sounds of trade and commerce were quickly beginning to raise in volume and tempo to become those of anarchic terror. 

Fortunately, the crowd meant that they weren't blatantly visible to the newly entering bounty hunters, and the panic that had been onset by the calls of criminals in their midst meant that the body of people was now acting as a chaotic wave. The bounty hunters had turned their fortunes against themselves.

Through the mess of bodies, Mag finally saw something promising. On the far side of the building, toward what appeared to be a merchant's entrance were a series of crates. Clearly, they were goods to be delivered to those in the town and probably more than a few merchant slopes in the harbour. But the more promising sight was the method through which they would be delivered. A small wagon, barely larger than a wheelbarrow had been half-filled with goods, and it was attached to a russet-brown horse. A smaller creature than he would have hoped, but it was a beast of burden, and even an old equine could outrun a man on foot.

"There!" Mag bellowed, making sure to allow his voice to carry over the crowd. Unconsciously he'd drawn a dagger from his belt, and now used the shoddily made weapon to gesture. 

His voice drew more than just a few curious looks from the crowd, who in turn recoiled from the obvious brandishing of the weapon. The sea of people began to part, allowing for ease of access, but also making it more and more blatant where the two pursued individuals were in the building. 

Without waiting for anyone else to react, Mag set off toward the horse, using the blade as a threat to open up the crowd. Hopefully, he and Risa, should she cotton-on to his rather lackluster communication, could reach the horse before the bounty hunters pushed toward them. That was not to mention the fact that the chaos among the people in the building was continuing to rise to even higher levels.

His next plan of attack was simple, cut the horse free from the wagon, and ride it as far away as possible. He prepped the knife to through at the ropes for this very purpose as soon as they drew near enough.