Round-Up on Rondure! Spores & Sports, Slaves & Saves!

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #6}

---

After introducing herself, it didn’t take long for Merle to laugh — a bubbly hysteria that seemed to take hold of her at the slightest thing. Perhaps some found it annoying, but certainly not Grimm-Rosa Scarlette, whose own lips curled lightly into a small smile at what had become a rather familiar sound. Stifling her own giggles, the Flying Fish Gyojin questioned her kinfolk, mentioning a place called Ryugu in the process. Scarlette raised an eyebrow, but Quinn soon thereafter reciprocated.

“We probably wouldn’t have left, but,” they replied, showing dissatisfaction about something before holding out an open hand. It didn’t take long for them to reveal their trump card — the innate power of a Devil Fruit. The sprouting of a toadstool upon the presented palm was perhaps as curious as it was disconcerting, but the majority of the people milling about paid no mind to it. It was, at least to Big Sis, rather amusing an ability.

“Cure. Devil Fruit?” Cujo questioned.

“Is— Is— Is that even possible?” Sawyer babbled, finally exchanging currency with the nearby vendor, an assortment of bagged fruits and vegetables adding to his growing collection of provisions. Fortunately, he was no small man — there would be no issue carrying what he already had and more.

“Not. Known. Sawyer,” the canine carer answered, amber-brown eyes showing a semblance of intrigue at such a prospect. Scarlette saw it. She also saw Quinn dislodge the mushroom and toss the fungal fruit upon the floor like it was discarded trash. A slight grimace was evident. They felt discomfort. Perhaps before, she too would have entertained the option, but her own curse had very much become a part of her. The power of the Tane Tane no Mi was an important tool that she had learned to wield, now for the benefit of her anointed siblings.

^{“So what about you?” Quinn queried:
“What are you up to in Rondure…?”}

“W— W— We’re getting supplies for our next trip along the Grand Line,” the baby faced beefcake explained. “There’s more of us, but we decided to split up to cover more ground! O— O— Oh! Big Sis,” Mister Bubba added, looking to his leader with something of a smile upon his lips. “We need a new ship as well, don’t we? Maybe Quinn and Gobbie can help us with that! You know, if the others don’t figure it out…” This was a good idea, no doubt about it, but all Scarlette could really do was give him an odd look. It wasn’t a look of question or disapproval at all, no; a blank look that was perhaps evident of her current state of mind…

^{—— BATEMAN’S GROUP, DOCKYARD ——}

“Preposterous! Atrocious! Absolutely egregious! … Gah! How, in all of the Four Blues and the Grand Line, do we end up on the one island whose shipwrights can only construct ships with round hulls at an entirely unreasonable price?!” Patrick Bateman growled and barked, fingers clawed and trembling as he ground his teeth and made damn sure to accentuate the weight of every step he took. Flustered and fuming, his outrage was obvious to any and all that gazed upon him, much to the discomfort of the two men who accompanied him.

“Take a breath, Bateman,” Kramer huffed, scowling slightly at the number of eyes upon them as they passed through the crowds. “It’s not helpful that you got so irate about the cost, either,” the tinker added, casually glancing away when the subject of his comment gave him a fiery glare. All the same, Bateman did as asked of him, inhaling deeply and straightening his back, combing through his hair with his fingers before exhaling.

^{“I hate to admit it,” the financier said:
“But you’re right… Quite a predicament.”}

^“Ruh?”

“If we can’t afford even a cheap ship here, what hope do we have? From what I gather, despite Scarlette and Kano both being branded as serious pirates by the World Government, neither of them have ever committed an actual act of piracy,” Bateman explained: “That means we’ve got almost nothing to our names in terms of finances, save what Lecter and Sweeney said they’d managed to find in the hull of the ship they used to escape that island they were talking about before.”

“Mm… Mullyssa Nemo…,” Voorhees murmured.

^{“That’s the one!”}

^{“I’d say sell that damned scythe of hers,” Kramer commented:
“But there’s no way she’ll part with it now…”}

^{“And who in their right mind would want it?”}

“I don’t know; you’d be surprised what some people will pay through the nose for — there’s some collectors of some very strange things out there,” the rather haggard craftsman explained, well-versed enough in trade to understand that even the most nuanced of items had those who would fork out well in excess of the true value to simply add them to their collection: “That includes cursed weapons…”

^{“Urm… Giant woman…”}

^{“Excuse me, Voorhees?” Bateman quizzed:
“What are you… talking… about…?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
_{Scarlette, Merle, Cujo and Sawyer continue to converse with Quinn as Gobbie heads off to wash her hands. Meanwhile, Bateman complains about the price of ships on Rondure, much to Kramer and Voorhees’s dismay, though they are soon interrupted when Voorhees points out an approaching Gobbie!}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Vendors | #cccccc (Pale Grey)</sub>

[Fox]

Cujo and Sawyer both expressed some incredulity at the idea of curing a Devil Fruit’s curse. As much as it raised every defensive reaction in him, Quinn couldn’t exactly blame them. Such a thing was pretty much unheard of. The doctors back home had said things like impossible and condolences, but Quinn wasn’t exactly ready to give up on life that easily. As he couldn’t go back home without a bubble coating to protect himself, he’d set out with Gobbie. Well. He hadn’t exactly invited Gobbie.

He couldn’t really tell what these two thought of the idea beyond their initial reactions. They were basically strangers. He glanced at Scarlette, but she just had a blank look on her face. Hm. They really were weirdos, weren’t they? Quinn looked back over to Sawyer as the large lad answered his question, making Quinn rub his chin thoughtfully. It was a bit presumptive of Sawyer to just imply that he and Gobbie would help, but… it could be a decent opportunity for them.

Quinn was extremely tired of the way that they’d been traveling. Quickly put together rafts to get them to the next island with no shelter from storms or the strange weather of the Grand Line. Food had been a problem too. Sometimes they were starved and sometimes they had so much it went bad. Maybe going along with these guys until they found a doctor that would actually try to help him wouldn’t be the worst idea. Plus, they could probably provide some form of security. Who would try to pick a fight with these guys?

He looked over at Scarlette again to try and get a read on how she felt about the suggestion, but… she just had that vacant stare. Like nothing was going on in her mind at all. Maybe he had to sell it a bit? Yeah, okay. He could do that much at least.

“Y-Yeah, Gobbie and I would love to help. We were actually in the market for supplies to make a ship, so we won’t even charge you anything if you foot the bill for all the materials. If you’re okay with us coming along and all. At least for a bit. You know.”

He turned toward Sawyer and scratched his head. Of course, it would need to be bigger than Quinn had originally planned now, but that was probably doable. “How many more of you are there anyway?”

--DOCKYARD--

Racing to the dockyard with thunderous footfalls, Gobbie whizzed by the three men and hopped off the edge of the docks into the water. With a titanic splash, she hastily rubbed her hands together and rinsed off the bad parsnip stuff. Once she was sure that it wouldn’t burn her or anything bad, she breached the surface of the water and latched onto the wooden pier. She accidentally started a worker carting around a bucket of fish guts, making him toss it up into the air and land on his head.

“O-Oh no!”

Gobbie hoisted herself up with her gorilla strength with relative ease, though it was a bit awkward looking with her bulk. She carefully lifted the bucket off the man and offered a hand to him, but when he saw her, his eyes went wide. He threw himself backwards off the side of the pier and into the water screaming. Gobbie looked on in concern, biting her thumb. That sure was a weird way to get fish guts washed off. The guts wouldn’t hurt him.

Standing up, Gobbie scooped up the guts back into the bucket and set it aside so no one would accidentally trip over it. Well, he was okay! And what was what mattered. Nodding to herself, she glanced around to actually take in her surroundings. What she saw… confused her. Giant wooden bowls were everywhere, floating on top of the water. They almost looked like ships, but she was pretty sure that Aniki would get terribly sea sick on one if they spun around, which it looked like they did. She scratched her head in confusion before catching sight of three men who were standing very close by. She jolted and hurried over to them, looking them over anxiously.

“O-Oh! I’m so sorry!” She whimpered, putting her giant hands together girlishly, “I didn’t get you wet or anything did I? I’m sorry!”

She blinked. They didn’t look like dock workers now that she got a good look at them. And these… were probably the shipyards, right? She tilted her head at them, her stringy blonde hair flopping to one side and plastering itself to the side of her face.

“Do you own one of those... ships?”

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 6
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #7}

---

Sawyer’s suggestion floated in the air for a good while, perhaps even longer than would have seemed necessary, but that was mostly due to Grimm-Rosa Scarlette’s lack of response. Almost as if prompted, it was Quinn who soon spoke up again, conveniently offering an opportunity that no sane Captain would have passed up. This Captain, however, was seldom given such an adjective, and perhaps for good reason.

“How many more of you are there, anyway?” Quinn asked.

^{“Huh…?” the spaced out siren blinked:
“Sixteen… sometimes more…”}

^{“Sixteen. Correct.”}

“Y— Y— Yeah! There’s Kano, Lecter, Kramer, Torrance, Sadako…,” Mister Sawyer began, listing each and every member — each and every sibling — with a certain excitement that was very much heartfelt by their ‘Big Sis’. The way the rotund man announced such enthusiasm at being a part of said group was warming, welcoming, and proof enough to her that she had made the right choice. Indeed, she was about to speak, finally free of her moment of mental absence, when something interrupted them.

^ヒヒーン

“Woah! Sorry about that,” came an unfamiliar apology — a rightful one all the same. A large horse had ground to a halt perhaps a foot or two away from the group, towing a moderately sized wagon via its harness. It took a moment for Scarlette to realise that it wasn’t the horse talking, but a slender man sat upon the driver’s seat. There was nothing particularly odd about his features. Nothing that stood out from what the human aesthetic. But then there was his attire. Somewhere between business trip and tropical island vacation, he donned a red suit jacket over a distinctly vivid blue floral shirt, with pinstripe beach shorts that looked more like somebody had cut much of the lower leg off a pair of fanciful dress trousers.

“Almost crashed into you there! Wouldn’t want that now, would we?” he asked, rhetorically, with a tip of his bowler hat which was somehow also a straw sunhat. “It’d be a damn shame if some rare goods got damaged because of my careless driving,” the stranger added, working reins to guide the horse’s movements around them in a half-circle, but the one-armed woman took note of his gaze.

Hyuuu— Bang! A distant sound again drew Scarlette’s eye as a screaming firework exploded somewhere on the opposite end of town. A smoky flash indicative of an all too familiar ability assured her of its origins, but her dismissal of the anomaly was too little too late. Somehow, without so much as a creak of a wheel or the click of horseshoes, the mysterious man and his vehicle had vanished into the crowd.

^{—— DOCKYARD ——}

As if on cue, the three men dived aside as a stampeding Goliath bolted for the waves, resurfacing just a few moments later. It was all Bateman and Kramer could do to watch the odd scene play out as a startled fisherman ended up taking a dive of his own, though luck would have it that the trio were far enough away from the port’s edge to avoid any splashing. Perhaps the biggest oddity of all was not so much the event, but that which succeeded it.

“No… No, you didn’t,” Kramer muttered, observing the figure that stood before them. Despite her sheer size and admittedly intimidating visage, her mannerisms were far from frightening — actively quite the opposite. Surely, if she had intended anything malicious, somebody of such size and calibre would have acted already. With curiosity, she asked a question.

^{“Unfortunately, we do not,” Bateman said:
“Or… I should say ‘fortunately’…”}

“Hrm!” came a grunt from none other than Voorhees, who had stepped forwards and offered an open hand to the stranger. With his other hand, he gestured to himself, then to his comrades. “Voorhees, Kramer, Bateman,” he grunted, offering rather swift and direct introductions. The reason was perhaps not so obvious, but the man had a passion for all things Gyojin — he believed himself one at heart.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
<sub>Quinn offers the prospect of joining temporarily, but their conversation is stalled by the presence of an odd man and his horse.

As Gobbie finally washes her hands, Voorhees introduces the small group.</sub>

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Vendors | #cccccc (Pale Grey)</sub>

[Fox]

Quinn squinted at Scarlette, unsure if her blank expression was the result of unwillingness or just… her not listening anymore. She seemed kind of zoned out. Fortunately, Cujo and Sawyer picked up her slack. Still. Sixteen was a lot of people. If they didn’t have a ship already, how did they even manage to get here? With him and Gobbie, that made it eighteen total. Which wasn't a lot for a properly constructed ship, but was a lot bigger than he had envisioned. Sawyer even went so far as to list everyone off by name, which was a bit excessive, but if they were gonna be traveling together, he supposed he needed to learn them at some point. He really seemed to like their little… family? Crew? He called Scarlette Big Sis, so it made Quinn wonder.

He was about to ask about it when they were interrupted by a guy with a wagon. Quinn was a little confused as to what he was apologizing for until he explained. He had an… interesting fashion choice. Quinn squinted at the man incredulously, trying to process the wardrobe malfunction before him. Something felt… weird about this guy. It got Quinn’s creeper sense tingling. He watched the man as he guided the horse and wagon around them before he nearly jumped out of his skin when a distant bang went off. Quinn looked around wildly for the source, clutching his heart.

“W-What was that?!”

He caught sight of some smoke in the distance, wondering if there had been a shoot out of some kind or a fire. Probably nothing to worry about. Gobbie hadn’t gone that way, and Quinn didn’t have any interest in checking it out. So, he turned his attention back to the weirdo, only to find that he was already gone. Huh. Good riddance then. He turned back to Scarlette a little impatiently as he realized that he still hadn’t gotten an answer from her.

“So, what do you say? You all seem like a good… bunch? Family? I’m not really sure what the relations are here, honestly. You’re Sawyer’s big sister?”

--DOCKYARD--

“O-Oh,” Gobbie grunted, more than a little confused by Bateman’s response to her question. She didn’t have much time to puzzle it out because one of the men stepped forward and offered her an open hand. He introduced himself and the two others to her in quick succession. She placed her hand in his delicately, unsure if that was what he wanted. She had read stories where princes would kiss the hands of fair maidens! Maybe this was one of those times?

“Gobbie!”

She chirped up cheerily, despite her deep voice making her cheer sound more loud and threatening than she intended. She put a finger to her lips as she processed another question for the group.

“So, you don’t have a ship, and you aren’t looking?”

The question was directed at Bateman, but she didn’t mind if any of the group answered her. Bateman made it seem like it was a good thing that they didn’t have one of the ships here. Oh, maybe they just got seasick like Aniki and wouldn’t like the round ones. She glanced over to the ships with a keen eye, looking them over. She hadn’t heard the prices on these, but they were probably either really cheap or really expensive. Her guess was too expensive given the work that probably went into making them functional and round.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 7
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #8}

---

Though the oddity with the horse had vanished, Grimm-Rosa Scarlette’s mind was more drawn to Quinn’s state of panic. It was clear as crystal to her that something in his life had influenced his opinions on the world at large — perhaps it was just a fear of the unknown? Regardless, she did not like to see it and, with a dismissing wave of her one hand, made to reassure him of the certainty.

^{“Don’t worry,” she uttered:
“It’s just Kano’s fireworks…”}

^{“So, what do you say?”}

“Heh,” the dark-haired demoiselle smiled, dark chocolate eyes sharpening with a sense of pride and glee as she pointed a thumb to her heart. “I’m everyone’s big sister,” she proclaimed with an enthusiasm that would likely confuse. There were no blood relations amongst their familial group, yet that held no sway.

^{“Not. Blood,” Cujo barked in clarification:
“Sworn. Siblings.”}

^{“W— W— We’re not actually related.”}

“Mm… We do need a ship though, with how many of us there are,” Miss Grimm-Rosa pondered, finally showing some sort of interest in the quandary they had initially intended to solve. She scratched her head a little, quietly processing imagery of a vessel that could carry them across the waves, and piecing together the problems they had faced thus far voyaging across the Grand Line and its surrounding waters. A fist made a motion akin to slamming into an open palm, minus the intended receptacle. “I think it’s a great idea, Quinn,” she answered with a smile — her mind was already made up.

“Meet. Bateman. Docks?” Cujo suggested, prompting a nod from Sawyer, whose beady eyes seemed to dart about a little before he raised a question of his own.

^{“H— H— Hey,” he stammered:
“Where did Merle go…?”}

^{—— DOCKYARD ——}

“Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Gobbie,” Bateman said, while Voorhees shook the woman’s massive mitt enthusiastically with both of his own. “As for the ship, we’re definitely in the market for one, but the shipwrights here are charging an arm and a leg for even a simple vessel,” the financier elaborated, briefly revealing a grimace as the Rondurian shipwright’s pricings echoed in his skull. All the same, he managed to calm himself down quickly enough, placing a palm on Voorhees’ shoulder to alert him to the fact he’d been shaking the woman’s hand for a rather awkward length of time.

^{“Guh…,” the dark-skinned man blushed:
“Sorry…”}

^{“Why do you ask, Gobb—?”}

Kramer’s question was cut off rather abruptly as a large horse and drawn cart careened into place just a short way away from the docks, essentially pincering the three men and their acquaintance between the cart’s back and the promenade’s edge. The vehicle’s approach had gone unheard, somehow, but the stealthy approach was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg as the cart’s rear doors — most of the cart itself, in fact — swung open. And from it jumped three bodies; two men and a woman, a third man standing atop the cart.

“Well, well, well,” the gentleman in rather discordant attire announced: “It seems today’s rounds have heralded some more interesting options, wouldn’t you say, my friends?”

^{“Yes, Polo!”
“Yes, Polo!”
“Yes, Polo!”}

The trio announced in relative synchrony, already having spread themselves around Bateman’s entourage in a rather calculated formation. On one side, a man with a tight-fitting, green cotton shirt and baggy shorts stood at the ready, a lithe and athletic frame obvious. A small helmet and goggles upon his head matched the weapon in his hands — a shaft of strong wood headed by a sharpened ring of steel, supporting some sort of net. A ball of black sat within.

Opposing him was the woman, dressed somewhat more elegantly than the rest. Dark hair tied into a bun and piercing yellow eyes contrasted a rather fair skin tone, while a puffy-shouldered, short-sleeved blouse of white and ankle-length black skirt greatly contrasted her choice of weapon — a large wooden mallet that rested over her shoulder. The third was another man of sleek physique, unarmed it seemed, until the glint of steel plating upon his thigh-high boots gleamed in the sunlight. Dark hair was tied back into a knot, himself shirtless and wearing a pair of high-waisted, purple shorts. Of the three, he held the most martial of stances, bouncing on his toes.

^{“Now then,” Polo continued:
“How’s about you all hop in~?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette agrees with Quinn’s idea after Cujo and Sawyer elaborate on siblinghood.

Meanwhile, Bateman, Gobbie, and company are suddenly threatened by the appearance of a man named Polo and his three assistants.

---

NOTE:— Polo will be a Devil Fruit user, specifically the Paramecia Class Chima Chima no Mi, which allows him to collapse things into a smaller, more compact forms to make them more readily portable. The power is activated by touching a finger to the object, and can then be deactivated by snapping the appropriate finger against a thumb (allowing for a total of eight at once). The power cannot directly affect living creatures, but living creatures inside an object that is being affected will be condensed to fit inside without ill effect.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Vendors | #cccccc (Pale Grey)</sub>

[Fox]

Scarlette was quick to explain and dismiss the explosion as one of her crewmates’ fireworks. Kano. Right, he vaguely remembered that name from the sixteen listed. He relaxed a bit. Damn. Had he always been this high strung? He hadn’t thought he was, but maybe so. He sighed and ran a hand through his pale hair, making little puffs of spores float off of him like snow. Then she said that she was everyone’s big sister, which earned her a completely befuddled look from Quinn. Thankfully, Cujo and Sawyer swooped in to clarify.

“Ah.”

That was all Quinn could really muster in response. He didn’t really have any familiarity with anything like that. Hell, before all this Devil Fruit nonsense, he’d hardly wanted anything to do with his own family at all. He’d been really unhappy with his lot in life back then and had felt like they were dragging him down. He rubbed his arm idly, trying to push those uncomfortable memories to the back of his mind. Scarlette making a weird motion with her one arm that he vaguely recognized as her having a revelation of some sort.

“Oh, I see! Perfect!”

Quinn smiled. As weird as these people were, they didn’t seem like bad sorts. And, if he and Gobbie would be safe with them, then he was all too happy to travel along. The dangers were real for a merfolk like himself. He didn’t much care for the thought of being captured and sold off to the highest bidder or worse when they figured out he couldn’t swim and had been born a merman instead of a mermaid. He nodded at Cujo and Sawyer.

“Yeah. Gobbie ran that way anyhow, so we can pick her up too. She’s hard to miss-”

Quinn paused when Sawyer interjected, pointing out that their Fishwoman friend, er, sibling was missing. It immediately made Quinn’s paranoia and unease return. He was sure that she was probably fine. Probably. The color of his skin on his face flickered briefly from the skin tone that he was using right now to his preferred pale green, phasing back into the skin tone as he steeled his nerves. He felt an intense need to find Gobbie now though.

“M-Maybe she went on ahead? We should hurry and find Gobbie and your brother Bateman. Y’know… in case Meryl is there?”

--DOCKYARD--

Gobbie smiled sheepishly at Voorhees who was shaking her hand enthusiastically. Was this what it would feel like to be an idol one day? She wanted to bring smiles and happiness to everyone’s faces. When the handshake did finally end, Gobbie giggled and smiled reassuringly, she hoped, at him.

“It’s fine!”

She put up her massive mitts to further reassure, but Kramer piped up with a question. Before he could even finish it though, a cart practically screeched to a stop beside them, kind of cutting them off from going anywhere. That was kind of rude. She was about to turn back to answer Kramer when the cart kind of popped open everywhere. Three people jumped out with one standing in the cart. He was wearing some really colorful clothes, but Gobbie had a feeling Quinn would have hated them.

They moved to surround them all, making Gobbie’s more protective instincts take over. She backed up closer to her three acquaintances and spread her arms out over them protectively. Something really wasn’t right here.

“N-No thank you. We were just l-leaving, right?”

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 8
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #9}

---

With the decision made and Quinn seemingly in tow, Miss Grimm-Rosa and her immediate company thus began to make their way towards the docks, but not without further query. The focus hadn’t really left Scarlette’s mind and, as such, she had quickly noted the brief but clear change in tone. It begged questions, perhaps, but rather than ask the Merman about his choices, she took the opportunity to do something else entirely.

^{“Hey, Sawyer, Cujo…,” she spoke:
“Mind taking the supplies back to the boat?”}

^{“S— S— Sure…?”}

“Yes. Merle. Maybe?” Cujo added, showing obvious concern for the disappearing act that the Flying Fish woman had committed, but all the same giving his elder sibling a curious glance. Without additional words, the one-armed woman simply nodded in agreement, to which the mastiff obliged and turned to walk beside Sawyer. The split left Quinn alone — alone with a woman who was a lot more aware than she may have seemed to be.

^{“Don’t worry, Quinn,” Scarlette said as she walked:
“I’m sure she’s fine… I’m sure she’ll be fine!”}

A pause.

“Because that’s what I do,” she stated with certainty, stride calm and confident. “I’ve rescued them, protected them, and I will continue to do so — life or limb,” she added, fingers of one hand raking through the air where an opposing arm should have been. A tangential proclamation: “That’s why we need a ship with paddlewheels!”

^{—— DOCKYARD ——}

^{“Tch! Come now,” said the mallet-toting madam:
“It’ll be much less painful if you don’t resist!”}

“Croquet’s correct,” the stranger sir said, leaning forwards as he pulled at the finger of what had at first appeared to be his hand — rather a flesh tone, silken glove. “I do admit I admire your instincts, Missy; putting yourself between a threat and your acquaintances is definitely a noble quality to have,” Polo grinned slyly, opening his mouth again shortly thereafter to add: “I’d imagine you’d make somebody a good ‘bodyguard’. Now, step on in and things won’t have to get too… violent~!”

“Grr! No…!” Voorhees bellowed, himself stepping past Gobbie to offer his own form in the way of defence. However, for all his courage in the face of adversity, it was a brash and predictable move. Without an ounce of hesitation, the helmed man darted to intercept, bringing his unusual weapon to bear in a scooping motion that flung the black ball forwards. But that movement alone did not go unaccompanied. A now exposed ring finger snapped against the thumb of the odd ringleader’s left hand, releasing an unnatural hold over the small projectile.

Pop! All of a sudden, a sphere no larger than a tennis ball erupted outwards — a wide net of dark rope that cast itself out over the three men and the gargantuan Gobbie. The effect was nigh instantaneous, leaving little to no room for escape, though that certainly didn’t stop Bateman from reacting as quickly and precisely as he could. But even then, as the gentleman just about managed to step beyond the falling net’s reach, plated boots slammed into his back and knocked him back into the huddle.

^{“Excellent work, Lacrosse, Sepak,” Polo smiled:
“Now, as I said, let’s get you back home, ey~?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette sends Cujo and Sawyer back to the boat, giving her a chance to reassure a worried Quinn.

Meanwhile, Gobbie’s attempted defence winds up failing due to the unusual trickery of Polo’s power.

---

NOTE:— Polo will be a Devil Fruit user, specifically the Paramecia Class Chima Chima no Mi, which allows him to collapse things into a smaller, more compact forms to make them more readily portable. The power is activated by touching a finger to the object, and can then be deactivated by snapping the appropriate finger against a thumb (allowing for a total of eight at once). The power cannot directly affect living creatures, but living creatures inside an object that is being affected will be condensed to fit inside without ill effect.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Vendors | #cccccc (Pale Grey)</sub>

[Fox]

Quinn didn’t love that the captain of the crew was taking him aside for some one on one time. Not that he didn’t trust her by this point, but he felt like anyone would have been vaguely intimidated by it. He took a last fleeting glimpse at the retreating backs of Sawyer and Cujo, feeling his lifelines snap and flutter away. He let out a soft sigh, rubbing the back of his head. He jumped a little when Scarlette spoke up, snapping to attention almost. Quinn gave her an awkward smile.

“Yeah. I’m sure you’re right,” he said. If he was honest with himself, he wasn’t worried so much for Gobbie. She would be fine. Who in their right mind would mess with a goliath like that? No, honestly, he was more worried about himself. He was a merfolk. He’d heard the very real stories about how they could get kidnapped right off the streets and taken to parts unknown. And, just when he thought that was all that Scarlette had to say, she piped up again.

“Huh?” He tilted his head in confusion, his eyes widening with understanding when she continued. “Ah.”

Quinn took a good look at the woman's missing arm for the first time. Life or limb. Guilt slammed down onto his shoulders like a sack of bricks. This was what an older sibling was supposed to look like. This is how they were supposed to act. He wasn’t anything like that, always thinking of himself and worrying about himself first. Gobbie was a better older sibling than him. Especially with how he had treated her back when they were kids. He hardly noticed the weird tangent that Scarlette went on. Something about paddlewheels? Quinn looked over to her.

“How do you do it? If you don’t mind my asking. How can you just lay everything on the line for them like that? I mean, aren’t you scared?”

--DOCKYARD--

Gobbie grit her teeth. She was scared. But she didn’t falter. This was all that she knew how to do. All that she could do to be helpful. If Aniki were here, he would be able to come up with a plan or something. Something clever to get out of it or point out something she was forgetting. She could be brave when Aniki was around. But… now…

She flinched when Voorhees ducked past her and put himself in harm’s way. She reached out to stop him, but it was too late. One of the bad guys rushed forward. In the blink of an eye, a net was cast over the lot of them. Gobbie hadn’t even seen a net! It was all over so quickly that Gobbie barely had any time to think. She slumped over, clutching at the net with her massive fists.

“S-Sorry…” came the whispered apology to her three new friends.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 9
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #10}

---

^{“How do you do it?” Quinn asked:
“I mean, aren’t you scared…?”}

Grimm-Rosa Scarlette simply blinked, confused by the merman’s question at first, but soon realising that not everyone was like her — very few were. Though often seen as reckless in her actions at times, especially by the more orderly members of her chosen family, such antics were of a different spectrum of emotion. Boldness after bouts of lethargy was to be expected. Fear was not something she had ever shown to any of her siblings, though she was certainly not without such things.

“I… Erm,” she began, scratching her temple as she tried to find a good answer. “I used to be afraid, yeah, and I definitely still am scared of one thing,” the dark-haired demoiselle expressed in earnest as they continued to walk towards the dockyards. Chocolate eyes were mostly focused on Quinn and what lay immediately ahead of them, paying little mind to odd stares or ongoings; Gobbie would be easy to spot, which led her to her answer.

“I’m scared of losing them,” Scarlette elaborated, “and I don’t mean them going their separate ways. They’re people with their own wants and needs, so it wouldn’t be right of me to hold them back. What I mean is, after everything they’ve been through, I’m afraid of them losing everything. It might sound kinda stupid, but,” she continued: “There’s a difference between losing your life, and losing your life!”

^{—— DOCKYARD ——}

“Ack! Those b@$+@^Đ’s…,” Bateman coughed.

^{“Don’t apologise, Gobbie,” Kramer grumbled:
“You did what you could… It just wasn’t enough.”}

^{“Aw, petty consolation~!”}

“Is… Is nobody going to help?” Bateman added, looking beyond the net across the docks. Workers eyed the situation from a distance, but continued all the same, keeping their heads down and lips sealed save for the usual chatter of instruction and direction. “Oi! Are you going to just stand there and let this happen?!” he questioned with fury in his words, teeth bared at the men who seemed more than content about minding their own business. Voorhees, meanwhile, clutched at the dark snare and tried to pull it apart, muscle bulging as he growled and strained to no avail.

“Ah-ah~! There’s no use struggling against this net,” Polo taunted. “It’s reinforced with steel wire~! As for your cries for help, I wouldn’t waste your breath — the people of Rondure know all too well what happens to those who interfere with my ‘business’. Now then, how’s about I show you another magic trick,” the sleazy sir said, slipping down from the wagon and striding over to the net. Left hand extended, he simply smiled as Voorhees growled at him through the mesh, ring finger pressing against the weave.

^{約まる
“Tsuzumaru!”}

Wib— Wib— Wib—! Rustling mesh seemed to undergo a metamorphosis, though the net itself was not the only thing to be influenced by the madman’s touch. Bateman, Kramer, Voorhees, and very likely Gobbie, would all witness the same strange sight. The world around them seemed to grow exponentially, to the point where their captors would be near enough twice the height of the Gyojin herself. With little issue, it was Polo himself who scooped up the net like some sort of fallen shopping bag, holding it at arm’s reach and securing it.

^{“This is only temporary, I assure you,” he mocked:
“Once I let you out of the net, you’ll pop back to size~!”}

Whistling a whimsical tune, he placed the net bag into the back of the open cart, his company entering before the wooden doors closed. Within moments, the sounds of wheels turning began again, horse hooves trotting merrily across the streets.

^{—— ABOUT A MINUTE LATER ——}

“Huh… I don’t see Gobbie anywhere,” Scarlette expressed as she and Quinn approached the docks. An eyebrow raised as she looked upon an array of oddly round ships, but she paid such things little mind and instead looked around for more familiar figures. Unfortunately, there were no signs of the well-groomed Bateman, the well-rounded Voorhees, or the well… or Kramer.

^{“Maybe,” she entertained:
“They went back to the boat…?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette answers Quinn’s question as they continue towards the docks.

Meanwhile, Gobbie, Bateman, Voorhees, and Kramer are captured and taken away by Polo and his cronies, having disappeared by the time Scarlette and Quinn arrive.

---

NOTE:— Polo is a Devil Fruit user, specifically the Paramecia Class Chima Chima no Mi, which allows him to collapse things into a smaller, more compact forms to make them more readily portable. The power is activated by touching a finger to the object, and can then be deactivated by snapping the appropriate finger against a thumb (allowing for a total of eight at once). The power cannot directly affect living creatures, but living creatures inside an object that is being affected will be condensed to fit inside without ill effect.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Vendors | #cccccc (Pale Grey)</sub>

[Fox]

Eagerly, perhaps too eagerly, Quinn leaned in to hear her answer. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Some magic advice to change him from a coward to a lad full of derring-do. Though, to be honest, he wasn’t even sure that he wanted to change. He just didn’t want to feel so guilty all of the time. Quinn just wanted someone to tell him that it wasn’t his responsibility or his fault. Let him off the proverbial hook. But, as she spoke, Quinn only felt even more mixed up about it all. He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully, feeling a little envious of Scarlette for once. It must be nice, having things so simple.

“Gobbie… Gobbie deserves better.”

That much was obvious to Quinn. She deserved someone who would actually stand up for her instead of put her down because it was easier and more convenient. Someone who wasn’t using her for the way that she looked or was embarrassed to be around her when her looks weren’t convenient anymore. He sighed, mulling over his own self loathing.

It didn’t take long for them to get to the docks proper before he could muster something else to say. Scarlette snapped him out of it more or less as he looked up and scanned the docks for Gobbie’s familiar towering form. Only… he didn’t see it. He glanced at the water, just to check that she hadn’t done something stupid like taken a dive for no reason. The water was pretty murky, so it was hard to see, but it was also pretty calm. It couldn’t be terribly deep, and Gobbie moving around would cause more of a splash.

“No… We didn’t reach an agreement until after she left… and she wouldn’t have gone anywhere without coming to find me first.”

Quinn replied to Scarlette’s suggestion slowly. Even if she had met up with more of Scarlette’s group here, there was no way that she would have known it were them either. No, this was… something else. Slavers? Why target Gobbie? Manual labour? Merfolk like him fetched a prettier penny, but his human disguise was pretty good. Did they just not realize? Wait. Meryl. She was also a Fishman. Considering her disappearance as well… Quinn shuddered as he felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach.

“I think… someone took them. But, this is a fairly populated area. Maybe someone saw something? We could ask around. I mean it could be they all just… collectively got lost, but...”

He gestured toward the workers on the docks who had their noses to the grindstone, making themselves busy. It struck Quinn that an option to test his theory would be to reveal that he was, in fact, a Merfolk, but that struck him as rash, and he didn’t want to risk himself like that when other options were available. Besides. If Scarlette’s people were anything like the rest of her crew, they would stick out like sore thumbs, especially beside Gobbie.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 10
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #11}

---

“I think… someone took them,” Quinn uttered, jumping perhaps to the worst conclusion before the most likely. It wasn’t obvious, but Scarlette saw it — the look in the eyes of somebody contending with dread. That type of look was all too familiar to her, after several months of seeing it looming upon the faces of the people of Mullyssa Nemo. For a moment, she wondered how Carter, Hawke, Ellis, and the ‘patients’ were doing, but Quinn’s worry was of higher priority. Heeding his suggestion, she made to cup hands to her mouth, but abandoned the motion halfway through for reasons that should have been obvious to her by now.

“Oi!” she yelled out, showing no qualms about drawing attention to herself. “Anyone seen a really tall lady, a round man with a ponytail, a nearly bald guy, and a— uh— hm— another guy…?” the one-armed woman asked aloud, stumbling a little over an apt description of Bateman. Truth be told, though he was a rather unique character, he really wasn’t abnormal in any way when compared to the common masses. Still, her point was made, but an immediate answer was not.

Eyes caught hers, briefly.

“Hmm,” she grunted, looking to Quinn momentarily as if to reassure him, and then strode towards a group of men working at the docks — rugged fellows shifting lumber and such about who seemed to be doing their utmost to avoid making eye contact with the one who approached them. Steps ceased just a matter of feet away from the closest man, whose stature more than dwarfed the dark-haired demoiselle in both height and width. Nothing compared to the towering Gobbie, but impressive all the same.

^{“You didn’t answer my question…”}

^{“I— Uhm— Excuse me?” the labourer stammered:
“We… We didn’t see anything out of the ordinary…?”}

^{“N— Nothing at all!”}

“Yeah, all’s… well…? All’s well,” the third piped up, as the second waved his hand with dismissive haste. All three of them, macho as they were, imposing in stature, seemed to compose themselves as they looked down upon the pallid figure before them. Any smile upon the girl’s face waned rather quickly, replaced with an expression that could only be described as unsettlingly cold and stern.

“Let me make this perfectly clear,” the menacing maiden muttered at such a volume that only those immediately around her could hear it. “I want an answer. You three know something. Lives might be at stake,” she continued to speak, succinct in her explanation as she glared solely at the largest of the three. Beads of cold sweat had started to form upon the brows of the men, such was the aura the woman was emitting. With certain emphasis, she said one last thing: “Don’t make those lives yours.”

^{“Wh— What’s with this chick?!”
“Eep…!”
“S— So scary!!”}

“We’re sorry! It’s… Our families,” the shortest of the three — still a good few inches taller than Miss Grimm-Rosa — finally cracked as the trio ducked down into an apologetic bow, tears in their eyes. “They’ve got the whole of Rondure under their thumb…! If we try anything, they’ll take our families as slaves, too! Please… Don’t tell anyone you heard this from us. Not just for our sake, but yours, too,” he whimpered, looking up to the woman. “If they find out, they’ll do far worse to you!”

^{“Who are they?”}

^{“Th— They don’t have a group name,” the second spoke:
“Their leader’s name is Polo! He’s really dangerous!”}

^{“He’s eaten a Devil Fruit!”}

^{“One last question,” Scarlette stated:
“Where can I find them?”}

^“Ehhh?!”

“It… It’s on the far side of town. It looks like it’s built into a crater. But, you’re not seriously planning on trying to rescue them, are you? It’s suicide—?!” The protest was halted by one last glare in the man’s direction, freezing the three men in place. She could see it was not their fault, but the work of somebody who believed they were superior. Turning away, a soft smile formed upon the girl’s face as she looked back to her curious companion.

^{“C’mon, Quinn,” she waved:
“We’re going to rescue Gobbie…!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette asks the question, getting an unusual response from three burly guys, whom she intimidates into giving her answers. She then reassures Quinn that they’ll rescue Gobbie!

---

NOTES:— We’ll be going back to meet up with the others at the port first, so feel free to use that as some material for your next post, if you want.

Polo is a Devil Fruit user, specifically the Paramecia Class Chima Chima no Mi, which allows him to collapse things into a smaller, more compact forms to make them more readily portable. The power is activated by touching a finger to the object, and can then be deactivated by snapping the appropriate finger against a thumb (allowing for a total of eight at once). The power cannot directly affect living creatures, but living creatures inside an object that is being affected will be condensed to fit inside without ill effect.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555 (Grey)</sub>

[Fox]

Quinn flinched when Scarlette followed up on his suggestion in perhaps the loudest way possible. He grimaced and plugged his ears until she was done, glancing around at the people on the docks. He was actually kind of surprised that Scarlette had listened to him. Or rather, that she had been listening all along. She’d kind of struck Quinn as the rash, reckless and slightly dumb type? But after spending just this small amount of time with her, he had realized that she was a pretty good listener and keen.

No one immediately answered them, which Quinn kind of expected. If most people were anything like him, they’d know just just keep their heads down and mind their own business. At first glance, that was definitely what it seemed like they were doing. A few of them looked surreptitiously their way, but clammed up and looked away just as quickly. Quinn exchanged looks with Scarlette, realizing that… she was trying to make him feel… better. Probably. Actually, she’d been kind of doing that all along. And, to her credit, he wasn’t freaking out as he would be if he’d had to deal with this on his own. Something about her inspired confidence.

Weird.

Quinn was more certain than ever now. This woman was an utter weirdo who liked to poke her nose into other peoples’ business. But… as he trailed along behind her as she marched over to a group of men, he decided that he didn’t mind that so much. Honestly, it was kind of nice to be seen. Instead of everyone gawking at his sister. Scarlette confronted one of the men who was being stupendously evasive. His coworkers chimed in with equally dubious responses. Quinn frowned in a sort of disappointed way, figuring that was all they were going to get.

But then Quinn noticed the men start to look nervous. Nervousness soon spiraled into fear as Scarlette spoke. What? Confused and little concerned, Quinn looked at Scarlette only to see that her previously gentle and warm demeanor had completely frozen over. Now he was starting to feel nervous. But it worked because the shortest of them piped up and pulled the other two into an apologetic bow, spilling the details.

Unfortunately, it didn’t sound good. A group of slavers with an entire island under their thumb? Uh. They were out of his league. With a Devil Fruit leader no less. Maybe if they weren’t a Devil Fruit user, Quinn might try to sneak in, but.. No… that was another excuse. This band of ruffians sounded totally terrifying. It.. it was over. They weren’t going to get Gobbie back from a gang like that. Quinn’s shoulders drooped. Until Scarlette asked her one last question.

“Ehhh?!” he cried in unison with the men.

She wasn’t seriously going to go after them, was she? Quinn’s mind raced as his concern intensified. Before he knew it, she was back to her old self, smiling and trotting away with a cheery wave to him. Quinn hurried along after her with dozens of questions in his mind.

“Wait, wait. You’re serious?! We’re going to save them? You did hear those guys right? This group runs the whole island! Their leader’s a Devil Fruit user! With the exception of me, Devil Fruit users are no joke! Aren’t you-”

Quinn’s eyes widened. Scared? She was… but not for herself. She was scared of losing them. Losing Gobbie… did scare him. Was the right kind of fear though? Was it just because he’d lose his shield? Thinking that way was awful wasn’t it? Scarlette on the other hand… Quinn clenched his fists and took a sharp breath. F-Fine! Then he’d just go along with her!

“N-No, you’re r-right! Let’s g-go!”

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 11
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #12}

---

“Wait, you’re serious?! Their leader’s a Devil Fruit user,” Quinn protested, following along. Much of what he said did not faze Grimm-Rosa Scarlette in the least bit — established facts about Polo and his goons that meant zilch in the grand scheme of things. Quite simply, for his sake and theirs, the one-armed woman was dead set on liberating her companions, Gobbie as well, from the gang’s clutches. But as she marched on, she could not help but give a curious glance back at her companion.

^{“I want to make sure,” she added:
“That everyone else is safe, first.”}

Sure enough, within just a few short minutes, the duo of Scarlette and Quinn would roll up at the docks further along Rondure’s port. A simple sailing vessel, not even big enough to officially be called a ship, had been moored towards the middle of a short jetty. A couple of familiar faces in the form of Sawyer and Cujo stood on the docks, where a few others seemed to be milling around. A small, comforted smile crept onto the Red Terror’s lips — their presence a confirmation that all was well here.

^{“Do you think she’ll agree?”}

^{“Well… Hm?” Lecter’s head turned:
“Speak of the Devil… Big Sis, you’re back!”}

Aside the aforementioned Mister Bubba and the talkative mastiff, five more were present about the boat — not a single member more. That tracked, mostly, with what information Scarlette had. Myers, Torrance, and Chucky had gone with Kano. Voorhees, Bateman, and Kramer had ventured off to procure a ship — a quest which had gotten them caught up in this unfavourable situation, alongside Gobbie — while the others had stayed behind. Merle, the final member of the market group, was the only one truly unaccounted for.

“And you must be… Quinn! It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Lecter added, turning to face the Merman and offering a deep bow — perhaps a bit too deep — before springing back straight. “Hannibal Lecter, at your service,” the suited stranger introduced, his dark blond and slicked back hair barely moving despite the enthusiasm of his actions. With a step to the side, he gestured to the rest. “Sawyer and Cujo I believe have already had the pleasure of making your acquaintance; these fine ladies are Sweeney and Sadako,” he continued, shifting his stance to gesture more towards the boat and the lone figure standing upon it: “And these two gentlemen are Krueger and Loomis…?”

Lecter’s eyes rolled.

^{“D— D— Don’t mind Loomis,” Sawyer stammered:
“He just likes to stay hidden when he can!”}

“Hello, Quinn~!” Sweeney chirped, silver blonde cowlick bouncing as she tilted her head and presented a welcoming smile. The contrast of mostly black hair with blonde bangs was a readily unusual feature. Beside her stood another girl, Sadako, whose shorter stature was mostly veiled by an impeccably lengthy mass of lustrous, jet locks. The latter said nothing, a hand poking out from the glossy curtain and offering a small wave before disappearing again.

“Good to meet you,” Krueger said, standing aboard the boat — numerous items of the vessel’s cargo scattered about him and indicative of an inventory take. His red and green sweater, thin and wispy periwinkle hair, and an extremely fatigued visage said a lot about the kind of person he was. Scarlette, at a glance, could see that he was asleep, however. The man’s ability to sleepwalk and even converse was equal parts unusual and impressive. Loomis, on the other hand, had disappeared into the cabin almost entirely, the slightest sliver of grey hair and a single eye peeking out from around the doorway.

“Right! We’ve got a problem,” Miss Grimm-Rosa began, matter-of-factly. “Some guy named Polo and his goon squad have captured Quinn’s sister, Gobbie, and have taken Voorhees, Bateman, and Kramer as well. So, I’m going to go and rescue them. Stay here, okay?”

^{“What?!”
“Zz—! Huh?”}

^{“You heard,” she affirmed:
“I’m going to go—”}

“No—! No, we understand that, Big Sister, but,” Lecter interrupted, a visible mix of worry and contemplation upon his face as he scratched mildly at his cheek. “How could that have even happened? This city’s bustling! There’s no way somebody can just waltz up and capture a group of people, at the docks no less, and assuming they actually stuck to their plan, without somebody noticing,” he added, clearly showing some distress. Everyone’s agitation was palpable, at least to Miss Grimm-Rosa, who was already turning to head off.

^{“It doesn’t matter,” Scarlette said:
“I’m going now… C’mon, Quinn!”}

^{“Wait!”
“Sadako…?”}

“Big Sis, we need to talk to you,” Miss Yamamura stated, surprising even the group’s leader with her outburst. That was uncharacteristic of her, as was the sheer look of determination upon her face as she spoke. “We’ve all been through difficult situations. We were just talking about it now, but,” the girl said, voice diminishing somewhat into a more regular but still very stern tone. “We can’t keep relying on others to protect us. What just happened proves it. No matter how strong you are, you can’t be everywhere. We need… to learn how to fight!”

^{“Huh…? Sure,” came the reply:
“After I rescue the others…!”}

A wide smile upon the scarred woman’s face said it all. In truth, she had no qualms on the matter, but her focus was very much upon the crisis at hand. For their sake, and for Quinn’s, she had to do something sooner rather than later. With one last nod to the wronged brother, and a wave to her extended family, Miss Grimm-Rosa advanced again into the town. A building nestled within a crater of sorts? Surely that would stand out. If not, she could just ask more of the locals…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette and Quinn arrive at the boat, allowing Lecter to introduce the latter to the rest of the group, before they head off on their rescue mission. Sadako pipes up to alert Scarlette to their predicament, with Scarlette willingly accepting the fact before headed off with Quinn to try and find Polo’s hideout.

---

NOTES:— N/A

Polo is a Devil Fruit user, specifically the Paramecia Class Chima Chima no Mi, which allows him to collapse things into a smaller, more compact forms to make them more readily portable. The power is activated by touching a finger to the object, and can then be deactivated by snapping the appropriate finger against a thumb (allowing for a total of eight at once). The power cannot directly affect living creatures, but living creatures inside an object that is being affected will be condensed to fit inside without ill effect.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555 (Grey)</sub>

[Fox]

Just as Quinn had steeled himself to go do the derring-do, Scarlette took a hard right turn back down to the docks. He felt his resolve waver like cold jello. She took him to their hovel of a ship - no wonder they needed a new one - and Quinn recognized a few of the faces milling around there. Sawyer and Cujo most notably. One man who seemed to be more sociable than the other two introduced himself as Lecter. Quinn forced a smile, feeling awkward having someone bow and treat him so formally.

“A pleasure to meet you too… You all.”

Quinn hastily corrected himself, giving a curt nod to Sweeney and Sadako and looking in the direction of Krueger and Loomis… only to not see a Loomis. Honestly, Quinn felt like he could relate to Loomis on some level. He felt like he’d rather crawl under a rock and die than go face those heinous kidnappers. He smiled when Sweeney gave him a cheery greeting and Sadako waved. Sadako looked a little creepy, but she seemed friendly enough. He did love Sweeney’s hair. He almost commented on it when Scarlette piped up, bringing him back to the excruciating present.

All of the siblings present seemed distressed, and Quinn couldn’t blame them. He hadn’t thought anyone would be so bold. He wished that there were some words of comfort that he could offer them, but he had a feeling that they would ring hollow if he didn’t believe them himself. Scarlette just blew off the question and got going - with him in tow for some reason. Quinn gulped and got ready to steel his resolve again when Sadako cried out. He jolted to a stop with a sharp exhale, turning to look at her. She wanted to learn… how to fight and be strong.

Quinn fidgeted, seeing something in her that he didn’t in himself. Bravery. Selflessness. He was a coward. He scratched his cheek and looked away at the water, seeing a pale reflection of himself in it. Yeah. Just the coward. As Scar hurried into town, Quinn hastily turned and went after her, feeling the pit in his stomach toss and turn. He wanted to ask why she was bringing him along. He would only slow her down, after all, but he didn’t want to voice it.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 12
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #13}

---

“Hey, Quinn,” Grimm-Rosa Scarlette asked as they walked again through the streets of Rondure, delving deeper into the city’s network of circular blocks, hopefully in the correct direction. “Your ability… What can you do with it?” The question was an honest one, some degree of curiosity looming within her mind. Only briefly had she seen the power at work on what she assumed was a rather small scale. Devil Fruits were capable of so much more; something she knew first hand.

Though she listened, her eyes were very much fixed forwards, her path only occasionally faltering to approach a passerby and ask them about the place they were going to. Results were mixed at best, but the information was near enough unanimous. A building settled within a dip in the landscape, towards the opposite side of town, unmarked. If not for its apparent size and unusual foundation, it could easily have been missed. And, sure enough, a chocolate eye soon locked onto the structure in question.

^{—— MEANWHILE ——}

“Man, I can’t be— be— believe it, Rugby,” Q-Curbita hiccoughed, sat upon a chair backwards with an arm resting across the back of it, supporting her chin as she stared with a partly glazed expression at the now heavily bandaged gentleman sat upon a bed. “You… You got abso— so— solutely stomped by a kid? No way,” the woman slurred, attempting to lean back in a chair that she was already sitting in reverse upon, and instead flopping back, head suspended maybe an inch or two from the floor.

^{“Put a sock in it, Q,” Rugby grumbled:
“The ‘kid’ was an Ability User…”}

^{“Where’d he go…?”}

“I don’t know… I got blasted by him the first time, when his friends scarpered, then we fought for a bit,” the bandaged brute commented, testing the mobility of his beefy arms within their bandages before standing up and looking at the drunkard. “Didn’t take long for him to lay me down, but, at least I’m ready for the next half,” Rugby rumbled, stepping out of the room and into the central stairwell of the building. He didn’t even turn back as he heard the chair finally tumble, instead marching around the circular balcony and glancing down into the courtyard below.

^{“Do you think—”
“That those four—”
“Will fetch us enough—”
“On the market?”}

“That’s what Polo’s hoping for, yes,” Lacrosse, the man in the helmet, answered as he stood in the middle of the undercroft courtyard. Nearby, the identical twins that were Ping and Pong were busy tossing a small ball back and forth between one another, themselves having spoken as the ball was airborne. “I’m not sure about the men, but I reckon the Gyojin will fetch us a hefty price. She has to be worth at least two million with that size and strength,” he added.

^{“Which totals us up to,” said Joyce:
“Around three-and-a-half million Beli…”}

^{“That’s not—”
“That much…”}

“That’s assuming our estimates are accurate and the market prices haven’t shifted dramatically,” Joyce continued, the woman standing near the bottom of a set of stairs that spiralled up into the core of the building above. A golf club in her hands rested upon the ground, tapping gently as she moved. “What did you say you reckoned she was, Lacrosse? A Goblin Shark?”

^{“Yes, that’s right,” he nodded back:
“Not the prettiest… Speaking of…”}

^{“Oi, I heard that!”}

“Good to see you’re walking around, Rugby,” Joyce stated, turning her head to watch the oversized mummy walking down the stairs. “You’ll be pleased to know that Lacrosse and the others managed to net us some new merchandise,” she explained, curled ponytail flicking as she turned again.

^{“Hey, guys—”
“Who’s that…?”}

“This must be the place,” Scarlette said, as she and her slightly more cowardly companion finally reached the building in question. Sure enough, the main structure itself was a dark and spherical building suspended above a dip in the ground by an array of tubular pillars. Whoever had been the architect of the place had thought it through, because the sloped edges of the ‘crater’ had been fashioned so that rainwater would run into a drainage system, leaving a dry and stone tiled undercroft beneath the structure proper.

“How do we get in, though?” the one-armed woman asked, scratching the back of her head as she observed a large set of doors on the building’s side — doors that seemed to open onto nothing. Big enough for a horse and cart to roll into, but with no discernible means of getting to it. Then again, she had yet to look down…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette asks Quinn about his Devil Fruit ability as they search for the building in question. Meanwhile, Q-Curbita taunts Rugby for his wounds, while Lacrosse, Joyce, Ping and Pong discuss their recent acquisitions.

---

NOTES:— The way the building is, it’s entirely possible to just walk down steps into the undercroft courtyard.

Polo is a Devil Fruit user, specifically the Paramecia Class Chima Chima no Mi, which allows him to collapse things into a smaller, more compact forms to make them more readily portable. The power is activated by touching a finger to the object, and can then be deactivated by snapping the appropriate finger against a thumb (allowing for a total of eight at once). The power cannot directly affect living creatures, but living creatures inside an object that is being affected will be condensed to fit inside without ill effect.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Cast | Colour Codes}

<sub>The Big Sis Pirates
• Grimm-Rosa Scarlette | #960018 (Carmine)
• Kano Toro | #fefe19 (Yellow)
• Merle Tali | #19e896 (Turquoise)
• Hannibal Lecter [NPC] | #87a96b (Artichoke)
• John Kramer [NPC] | #80461b (Russet)
• Jack Torrance [NPC] | #87d3f8 (Pale Cyan)
• Yamamura Sadako [NPC] | #9370db (Medium Purple)
• Todd Sweeney [NPC] | #c54b8c (Mulberry)
• Michael Myers [NPC] | #1b1b1b (Eerie Black)
• Jason Voorhees [NPC] | #0070bb (Spanish Blue)
• Billy Loomis [NPC] | #696969 (Dim Grey)
• Freddy Krueger [NPC] | #b8860b (Dark Goldenrod)
• Charles Ray [NPC] | #43b3ae (Verdigris)
• Patrick Bateman [NPC] | #dc143c (Crimson)
• Bubba Sawyer [NPC] | #fffacd (Lemon Chiffon)
• Cujo [NPC] | #d2691e (Cocoa Brown)

The Other Group
• Polo [NPC] | #e23d28 (Chili Red)
• Kemari [NPC] | #c71585 (Red-Violet)
• Ulama [NPC] | #317873 (Myrtle Green)
• Joyce [NPC] | #d0f0c0 (Tea Green)
• Ping [NPC] | #fefefa (Baby Powder)
• Pong [NPC] | #36454f (Charcoal)
• Q-Curbita [NPC] | #fdbcb4 (Melon)
• Rugby [NPC] | #893843 (Solid Pink)
• Lacrosse [NPC] | #3ab09e (Keppel)
• Sepak Takraw [NPC] | #6f2da8 (Grape)
• Croquet [NPC] | #eed202 (Safety Yellow)

Unaffiliated Cast
• Quinn Bathory | #7fffd4 (Aquamarine)
• Gobbie Bathory | #afeeee (Pale Turquoise)
• Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555 (Grey)</sub>