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

[Fox]

“Uh…” Quinn stammered at Scarlette’s sudden question. He ran through a list of applications that he’d used it for in the past. “I can… make mushrooms… and other kinds of fungi. There’s a glow in the dark one… and a stinky one… There’s some that can like… make big clouds of spores when they’re stepped on.”

Speaking of the spores, they were bad for people to inhale. Gobbie sometimes got into coughing fits when he used them too much. Hrm… if he was really going to be helping out in this rescue mission, he was gonna be on full blast with the spores. Which meant… Scarlette probably needed some kinda protection. He sighed. Probably time to ditch the disguise anyway. As they walked up to a really weird looking building - what was with the architecture in this town - Quinn ripped off his skirt, revealing his many squid legs. He tossed it at Scarlette, gesturing for her to wrap up her nose and mouth with it.

“Put that on. Like a scarf. My spores are… not great for people in big batches.”

At Scar’s prompting, Quinn took a closer look at the building. It was weird, that was for sure. There were two big double doors leading inside, but it was also suspended. It looked like the divet in the ground had some drainage, so whatever was beneath the building was kept dry. He wasn’t sure what those doors were about, but if he had to guess, a ramp or something would slide out. Quinn could make a ramp, but that was probably overkill. The stone tiled undercroft had to be for something, and if he were a band of rogues, he might post some lookouts there.

“Maybe we don’t need to get in,” Quinn began, pointing down at the undercroft, “There’s probably a way in and people down there. Since there’s no guards posted out here, I mean…”

If there were guards down there, then they needed a plan. Quinn could box them in and create a smokescreen, but… he wasn’t sure if that would just trap Scarlette down there. He didn’t know enough about how she fought or thought. He put his finger up to his lip and bit it. As much as he’d like to hang back, it would probably be best if he went down there with her so he could provide active support. Instead of laying traps. Ugh. He shuddered.

“C-Can you go in first? I’ll be right b-behind you. T-To back you up.”

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 13
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #14}

---

“Huh? Well, that’s cool,” Scarlette smiled, Quinn’s explanation conjuring to mind images of toadstools and their almost comical effects upon mental caricatures. It was in the midst of one of these internal portrayals that Quinn actually threw something towards her — a length of fabric that she quickly recognised as being the long skirt he had worn. A curious glance was cast his way, spying the half-dozen or so limbs that extended from his hips, almost like another skirt entirely, as she obliged him and wrapped the fabric around her face.

^{“C– Can you go in first?” Quinn stammered:
“I’ll be right b– behind you…”}

“That’s the plan,” the one-armed woman grinned — one only truly visible in her eyes thanks to the newly acquired mask — as she began to walk down the strange, sloping steps that surrounded the crater’s edge. Perhaps no more than eight or so steps down did her eyes see something ahead, looming in the shade of the suspended building; figures, numbering five in total, all unfamiliar in their appearance.

“Hold it! Unless you have business with management, you’re not allowed down here,” a voice exclaimed. That of a woman’s, whose form presented itself as she spoke. Moderate stature, slender of build, and decently tanned, her blue-ish silver hair was pulled back into a ponytail that curled and coiled like a spring. A peaked cap, light green shirt, and buff three-quarter length pants made up her aesthetic, as did the black socks and light green shoes. A metallic staff of sorts rested across her shoulders.

^{“Hey! That woman’s—”
“Only got one arm!”}

“Is your manager’s name ‘Polo’?” Miss Grimm-Rosa asked, steps pausing now that she could visibly see each of the five. A table and some stools sat not too far from the base of a spiral staircase that corkscrewed up into the structure’s underbelly — their ticket inside. But, aside from the woman, the others did not look too welcoming. The synchronised voices had originated from two shorter characters, identical twins, whose oddly bunned hairstyles contrasted strangely with their short-sleeved tops and shorts.

^{“That’s right,” said a hulking, bandaged man:
“It looks like you have business after all…?”}

“Yes,” she answered, briefly eyeing the fifth character — a helmed man with some sort of weapon in his hands — before advancing again, this time with more purpose in her step. Everything she needed to know had been given to her and so, without hesitation and with pure conviction in her gaze, she marched towards the stairwell. “Now tell me… Where are they?” she asked, cold in her tone.

^{“We’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” the helmed one said:
“So turn around and leave, before this gets ugly!”}

^{“She’s not—”
“Stopping…?!”}

“Fine! Don’t say we didn’t warn you,” Joyce said, golf club removed from her shoulders as she pulled something from a small bag at her waist. A small ball which she held out and then dropped, arms shifting before delivering a powerful driving swing. The club struck the ball, sending it shooting like a bullet towards the dark-haired demoiselle. A simple, sideways lean was more than enough to dodge it entirely, the ball striking one of the steps with enough force to split the stone around the point of impact.

^{“She dodged it?!”}

^{“I’ll ask one more time,” Scarlette hissed:
“Where are they…?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette accepts Quinn’s offer of protection against his abilities before heading down, encountering Joyce, Ping, Pong, Rugby, and Lacrosse, who stand against her. Joyce makes the first move, driving a ball at Scarlette, who easily dodges it by feeling the intent through Kenbunshoku Haki.

---

NOTES:— The others will probably try and focus on Scarlette right now, as they haven’t noticed Quinn just yet (depending on what you do).

Joyce drives solid steel golf balls with incredible force. Rugby fights by tackling and shoulder barging. Lacrosse uses his stick as a melee weapon. Ping and Pong bounce the ball they have between each other to charge it up, applying spin to make it curve and friction to turn it into a fireball.

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 put his hands together and pressed them to his lips, which were pursed into a thin line of concern. Mm. Mm! He didn’t love this. He didn’t even like this. He watched Scar trudge down the slope, wondering how closely he should follow behind. She wasn’t a particularly large person, so he couldn’t cower behind her as effectively as Gobbie. For that reason, he figured that he’d hang back. Still, she didn’t get too far before someone called out to her and she stopped. Ah, well, those would be the guards.

Quinn couldn’t see how many there were, but he could hear at least three voices. That meant that they were outnumbered. Scarlette asked a question, and he heard a fourth more terrifying and husky voice answer. Oh goodie. As Scarlette resumed her march, another voice threatened her. Ugh. Five. Five of them. Okay. Well. He did need to get down there in order to do anything particularly useful, but first things first. He flexed his hands and outstretched his arms, a dense purple-white powder tumbling off him and billowing down into the undercroft.

The spores passed Scarlette, engulfing the entire area like a fog. Quinn took a few steps down the slope, only for a loud crack to send him scrambling. The stone beside him had split open. His two of his tentacles had reflexively shielded his face, but some stone shards had gotten through and pelted him a bit. He turned to look to see where it had come from, and, yes, there were five people standing guard. The one that had apparently done that was holding a golf club. Golf club?! Then the thing that had spit the ground had been a ball?! What were these people?!

Okay, well he wanted the club girl out of the way first. Quinn’s mushrooms couldn’t stop something like that, but if he could break line of sight, maybe that would be just as good? She’d risk hitting her allies. He lifted up his arms in a quick gesture, and giant red cap mushrooms sprouted all around the golf club lady, rising up around her in a ring. They kept going until they hit the top of the undercroft. Okay. That was one kind of dealt with. Next up… right!

“Scarlette, b-batter up!”

He didn’t know why he was suddenly making sports references. He blamed the golf lady. He thrust his hand out toward the twins. Two capped mushrooms sprouted from behind them, slamming into their backs before stopping and launching them at Scarlette like a spring loaded cushion. It would probably catch them off guard. And get them off balance. And then Scarlette could handle the rest! He was just the support anyway. He didn’t have much in the way of offensive options. Actually, he was pretty sure that he didn’t have anything in the way of offense going for him. That was what Gobbie was usually for.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 14
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #15}

---

“Huh? What’s that?” Rugby grumbled — the first to notice the anomalous miasma that had started to spread out across the undercroft. “She’s got back-up!” Realisation had hit them, but haste was lacking. Before she could even ready herself, Joyce, still surprised by Scarlette’s pinpoint dodge, was caught unawares yet again by sprouting fungal pillars that fenced her in.

^{“M– Mushrooms?”}

^{“Huh,” Miss Grimm-Rosa muttered:
“Nice work, Quinn!”}

Ba– Boing! As if to add to her companion’s string of successes, he’d already acted upon yet another idea. Strange, capped mushrooms that sprouted from the spore-laden tiles and slammed against the twins’ backs, sending them flying in the one-armed woman’s direction. With anything but grace, the two tumbled and stumbled, managing to halt their forced movement perhaps a yard away from Scarlette. To be frank, the woman barely responded, casting a callous glance in their direction.

SPOILER: Click to show

{

^{Red Gate… Rebirth: Twelve
“Porte Rouge… Renaissance: Douze!”}

}
<sub>Porte Rouge: Coating a limb or a held tool in red, miasmic energy, Scarlette cuts into an object or surface to create a darkened rift that somehow does not disturb the structural integrity of the target. While the rift remains in place, Scarlette can use it as a means of allowing Homunculi to enter the world. The rifts fade naturally after a few minutes.

Renaissance: Scarlette sacrifices blood to conjure a number of Homunculi equal to the number she dictates, which spawn from available rifts created through Porte Rouge and its variant techniques. A Homunculus is a ruddy, gelatinous, vaguely child-like and most featureless representation of Scarlette, standing 3’ (91 cm) tall, which follows simple spoken orders to the best of its ability.</sub>

Ruddy mist seemingly forming at the heel of her boot, the scarred siren quite literally pressed said heel into the tiles, drawing a line with her leg — a line that left a dark and jagged stain in the otherwise undisturbed flooring. With simple words, something shifted, darkness stretching and straining as vivid crimson started to ooze from it, dividing and taking shape.

^{“There’s two of ‘em,” Lacrosse snapped:
“Th– They’re both ability users, like Polo?!”}

^{“That ability—”
“Is so creepy!”}

^{“Oi! Q!” Rugby bellowed upwards:
“Get the others! Now!”}

“Hold,” the Offspring Woman said sternly, now standing in the presence of a dozen red entities. Each was perhaps as tall as a small child, maybe a metre at most, with slightly chubby features suggestive of infancy or childhood. Each was rich red in colour, translucent like gelatin. But perhaps strangest of all, a good look at their vague and absent features — dark and hollow eyes, masses reminiscent of hair, and small protrusions upon their crowns — was suggestive of their progenitor.

At her command, they lurched into action. Four flung themselves towards Ping and Pong, two each, and grabbed a hold of them. The rest waddled forwards through the spore-filled undercroft, their footsteps gently squelching like feet upon a wet floor as they swarmed towards Lacrosse. Scarlette herself continued to advance in their wake, each step methodical. For a moment, she looked over her shoulder, still masked, but smiled all the same at Quinn.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette and Quinn both unleash their Devil Fruits upon the group, trapping Joyce, Ping and Pong. Scarlette’s Homunculi rush to tackle Lacrosse as Rugby calls for assistance.

---

NOTES:— Scarlette has 12 Homunculi.

Joyce is caged in. Rugby is still capable of fighting. Lacrosse is dealing with the Homunculi. Ping and Pong have been immobilised.

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]

This was going surprisingly well. Too well. Quinn didn’t trust it. When Scarlette opened a rift into some nightmare dimension with red ooze coming out and forming into tiny jelly Scarlettes, Quinn stopped and stared. His jaw dropped.

“For the love of Neptune, what the actual f-”

Quinn was cut off by the surprised exclamations from the four remaining people. Nice to know that they were all on the same page here. He sucked his teeth as the creepy mini Scars dogpiled on the twins while others waddled menacingly toward the others. They… made squelching sounds that send a certain kind of disgusted chill down his spine. Moreover, he pointed his hands at Scarlette incredulously as she looked back and smiled at him.

“UMMM??? ScArleTtE???” Quinn squeaked, his voice cracking, “This would have been NICE to know BEFORE we stormed the castle. Why didn’t you tell me you were ALSO a Devil Fruit user? What the fin are those things anyway?! Why do they look like you?!”

Suddenly, mushrooms and spores felt a lot more tame as far as Devil Fruit abilities were concerned. He rubbed his temples and shook his head. Okay, okay. Focus. This was no time to be panicking. Scarlette was on his side. Use it. Use it… Quinn’s eyes scanned the remaining threats. Okay, there was… man with stick and… big boy. With more presumably on the way. In which case… Quinn didn’t want them to get pincered.

“Okay, then…”

Lifting his arms above his head, mushrooms sprouted in a ring around all the sides of the undercroft. They rose up, walls of fungus and blocked all of the exits. He gasped softly, wiping some sweat from his forehead with one of his spare legs. Damn. He hadn’t used his fruit this much… like ever. It was really taking it out of him. Maybe… maybe he should take better care of himself. He cast his hand out weakly, another plume of spores gushing out and making the air even thicker and heavier.

“Th-There… Now, we’re not locked in here with you… You’re locked in here with us…!”

He glanced at Scarlette, hoping his attempt at trash talk wasn’t too pitiful with how out of breath he was.

“R-Right?”

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 15
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #16}

---

“This would have been nice to know before! Why didn’t you tell me?” Quinn exclaimed, much to Miss Grimm-Rosa’s confusion. She actually paused for a second as if to process their past conversations. The fact that she, too, was an Ability user had skipped her mind. Was she really that used to it? Surely, the thought of being so comfortable with her curse was a little disturbing, especially when she recalled how much she used to dislike it — a memory that resonated somewhat with her companion’s goal of purging himself of his affliction.

^{“Eh,” she replied:
“I forgot…!”}

^{—— INTERIOR, UPPER FLOORS ——}

“Quite the angry one, aren’t you, tubby?” Ulama said nasally, standing at a respectable distance from a cell’s metal bars, his arms folded across his chest as he glared inside. What glared back were the small, aquamarine eyes of Voorhees, himself with fingers wrapped around the bars and breathing ragged, angry breaths. Pretty much from the moment he had been caught in the net, the sibling had been trying to struggle for freedom. And, although unsuccessful, his endeavours had at least resulted in Ulama’s dark, chiselled visage now sporting a bandaged nose.

^{“Now, now, Ulama,” Polo smirked:
“Let’s not agitate the merchandise…”}

^{“Do we have a potential buyer?”}

“There’s a couple of previous patrons who might be interested in this one, Croquet,” the smug slaver smiled, pointing a finger towards another of the cells — one which would now be serving as the rather cramped prison space for Gobbie. “I’ll have to give them each a call, but,” he sighed, “I would be surprised if we can get much more than an average market price for any of them–?”

^{“You b@$+@^Đ…”}

^{“Watch your tongue,” Kemari snapped:
“Nobody asked you to speak!”}

“Tch! If you think you can threaten us, you’re sadly mistaken,” Bateman grinned from his cell, opposite Gobbie’s and Kramer’s, standing against the wall. Something about the way he spoke seemed to unnerve them, Croquet and Sepak Takraw both eyeing him almost warily as Polo stepped up to the bars and grinned slyly. He didn’t have to say anything. His grin was a dismissive, bemused one, as if to question, yet not believe. “I’ve got a good read on people like you, Mister Polo, and I know that you and your ‘employees’ need capital. What was it you said? ‘Average market price’, yes? That doesn’t sound very promising, given my talents–!”

Bang! A door burst open.

^{“Hey, we’ve got– got– got,” Q-Curbita slurred:
“A problem downstairs…! Intruders…!”}

^“What?!”

“Aah… That, however, sounds very promising,” Mister Patrick smiled, returning an equally sly and perhaps even sinister smile to Polo. That wiped the grin off of his face. Sharply, the slaver turned and began to walk, not even sparing a word — he didn’t need to do so for the others to follow him. After a moment of silence, Bateman spoke up again. “Well, I was hoping to do some bartering with them, but I’m going to hazard a guess that they have bigger problems to deal with right now…”

^{—— UNDERCROFT ——}

Splat…! Squelch…! Squish…! One by one, ruddy caricatures were batted away by Lacrosse, whose attempt at engaging a fight directly had been hindered by both the waddling menaces and the increasing volumes of spores that hovered in the air. A surprisingly strong man, one arm had now been forced to cover his mouth and nose to avoid inhaling the spore clouds, which had left him unable to properly shake off the Homunculi. Scarlette, meanwhile, had continued her advance now that Quinn’s mushrooms had caged the undercroft.

^{“You’re locked in here with us…!”}

^{“You call that trash talk?!” Rugby shouted:
“I’ll crush the both of ya…!!”}

With thunderous steps, the bandaged brute began to barrel forwards, lowering his stance to present his wide shoulders as he rushed past Lacrosse and charged more directly towards Quinn. Cocoa eyes narrowed, honed in upon him, as the one-armed woman’s march stopped. There was a pause — maybe a second in which Rugby could close the gap — where she seriously considered interfering. No. Sadako’s words sprung to mind. For all his confidence issues and worries, the many-legged merman was doing an incredible job at running interference. Surely he could react to something as blatant and direct as a charge.

Further considerations were cut short.

Whoo— Slam! Something large and round descended from above, Scarlette herself feeling something heavy and almost rubbery crash down on top of her and sandwich her against the tiles of the undercroft, spitting up debris and a plume of dust and spores. Whatever it was had practically flattened her into the ground, itself — large and round — bouncing up again before landing not too far from the now burdened and half-buried Lacrosse. A large, mostly rotund man, with stubby legs and large arms, whose neck had clearly been lost in his biological body plan at some point. A smile on his face said it all.

^{“Bowahaha! That was easy,” Kemari laughed:
“Squashed her like a pancake…! Huh…?”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette’s Homunculi and Quinn’s mushrooms continue to interfere with the group’s efforts, but reinforcements soon start to arrive! Meanwhile, Polo and company observe their catches before news of the intruders reaches their ears.

---

NOTES:— Scarlette has 9 Homunculi remaining, and has used 12 Total.

Joyce is caged in. Rugby is still capable of fighting. Lacrosse is dealing with the Homunculi. Ping and Pong have been immobilised.

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]

Gobbie was curled up inside of her cell, hugging her knees to her chest to make herself appear as small as possible. She sniffled, snot dripping from her nose. She was scared. She wished that Aniki were here. If he was here, he would know exactly what to do, and she could follow his instructions and everything would be fine. It would all work out with Aniki. It always did. She wasn’t smart like him. Gobbie wasn’t sure what to do. She flinched when Polo pointed at her, holding up a hand to shield her face.

Unlike Gobbie, the people that she met earlier at the docks didn’t seem nearly as phased. Bateman even went so far as to taunt them and start to negotiate, but a door slammed open, making her jump. But this loud noise came with good news. Gobbie poked her head up from where she had it nestled in her arms. Intruders? Did that mean?

“A-Aniki?”

Tears welled up in Gobbie’s eyes. He came for her! Polo and the other scary people went out the door, closing it behind them and leaving them alone. Gobbie felt a little more relaxed with them out of sight. She sat up, gripping the bars and glancing around her cell for the first time. She may not be very smart, but she was good with her hands. If she could exploit some structural weakness of the cell, then she could free herself and the others!

She fumbled with the nuts and bolts, glancing up and over at Bateman as he spoke to all of them. She smiled for the first time since their capture. “I-It’s Aniki! He came to save us!”

--UNDERCROFT--

“EEEEEEEEE!”

Quinn screamed, a high pitched piercing thing. The big lad was barreling at him in a terrifying charge. Reflexively, a jumpshroom sprouted beneath Quinn and launched him up into the air. The suckers on his tentacles latched onto the ceiling, making him appear very much like a frightened cat. Still, he sprouted some mushroom handholds for extra stability. With a quick motion, Quinn grew one of his blockshrooms with a hardened cap to smash against the big lad.

Whatever happened next was obscured by the huge plume of spores that the impact kicked up. Above it, Quinn could see that some reinforcements had arrived through a hatch in the ceiling. Hm… If he could use spores as a cover, he could get inside to free Gobbie and the others. Scarlette could handle all of this by herself, right? She was an ability user. On top of that, she seemed… capable? He got a weird vibe from her sometimes.

Spores sprinkling down off of him as a cover, Quinn awkwardly crawled along the ceiling using his suckers and mushroom handholds along the way. The hatch… and then Gobbie and Scarlette’s siblings. Wait, where was Scarlette anyway? He’d lost track of her when he had gotten charged. He didn’t… see her. As much as he could see through his smokescreen of spores.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 16
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #17}

---

“Wha–? Dammit! Ability users are– Urgh!” Rugby barely got a chance to finish his sentence as Quinn’s fungal blooms struck the man square, spores continuing to fill the air. At this point, the drifting powers of his Devil Fruit had created a rather obscuring fog — the majority of features were rapidly becoming less and less discernible with every passing second and every toadstool used. Fortunately for the little merman, his efforts had not gone in vain, for an already wounded Rugby was now laid out upon the ground.

^{“Oi, Lacrosse,” Kemari grumbled:
“The hell are these things…?”}

“Grr! That woman summoned them,” he replied, his weapon driving through another Homunculus and rupturing its structure, crimson pooling as Kemari’s meaty paws grabbed and pulled at two of them and tossed them aside. “There’s two of them — both Ability users like Polo,” Lacrosse explained, his frustration at the little gremlins clear as he pulled another off of his back and drove it into the ground. Around him, others arrived, displacing the spores that lingered as they did so.

^{“Jeez,” Croquet coughed a little:
“I can’t see anything through this…”}

^{“Stay alert! Where is Joyce?”}

“I’m in here!” the golfer cried, voice muffled by the wall of hyphae that Quinn had contained her within. Not that she hadn’t been trying to escape at all, but the thickness of the mushrooms and the lack of swinging room had made it nigh impossible for her to break out of her own accord. Two more of the miniature Red Terrors were destroyed, one neath Croquet’s mallet, another by a fierce kick from Sepak Takraw’s reinforced greaves. And thus, the twins were freed soon thereafter.

^{“Thanks!”
“Thanks!”}

“Oi… Which one of you is Polo?” asked a voice, Scarlette’s voice, as she raised herself from the ground. Despite the force of the impact, she was mostly unscathed, taking a moment to dust herself off. For a moment, while many of them looked at the source of the sound, it was Kemari who did a double take.

^{“Hey, I flattened you,” he quizzed:
“How they hell are you standing?!”}

“Whatever! Just squash her,” Croquet called, dashing forwards with her hammer readied as she closed in rapidly upon the one-armed woman. At first, there was no real movement from Miss Grimm-Rosa, eyes closing for a moment as she did what she had failed to do previously. Senses honed, though her reach was not yet that great, she was at least able to briefly detect where Quinn had gone in the chaos. That sense, however, was rapidly dominated by the violent intent radiating from the woman approaching her.

Whoosh! The hammer swung from the right, but the dark-haired demoiselle was already slipping out of harm’s way, ducking down and balling her fist. Croquet twisted, hammer raising overhead using the momentum of the missed attack, but it was too late for her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{

^{High Blood Pressure… Scarlet Handgun!
“Hypertension… Pistolet Écarlate!”}

}
_{Covering her fist in a concentrated coating of her Devil Fruit’s essence, Scarlette punches the target. The condensed energy discharges to repel the opponent’s body with immense force.}

^{Whom… Red essence glowed:
Plewp– Crash!}

^{“Croquet?!”}

“Are you going to answer me,” Scarlette asked, voice sharp and radiating a sinister aura as she stepped forwards again — a movement that actually made the entire gang step back a bit as they processed what had happened. Croquet’s body had flown past them at high speed, the woman herself now entirely unconscious after having impacted one of the undercroft’s supporting pillars. “Or,” she added, “do I have to start beating the answers out of you…?”

^{“That’s big talk,” said a voice:
“For somebody so insignificant…”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette’s Homunculi are eradicated by the group’s combined efforts as the rest arrive. Scarlette handily defeats Croquet in a single attack, much as Quinn had knocked out Rugby. Polo, Q-Curbita, and Ulama are the last to arrive.

---

NOTES:— Scarlette has 0 Homunculi remaining, and has used 12 Total.

Joyce is caged in.
Rugby is incapacitated.
Croquet is incapacitated.

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]

So many reinforcements. Quinn stifled a sigh. Including the large one, there were… three? No, four. Four more reinforcements. Maybe five. It was hard to see. This was enough to imagine that their whole crew was here. Quinn didn’t get the feeling that these new arrivals were pushovers. Should he stay and help Scarlette then? He paused, trying to figure out what he should do. It didn’t look good as Scarlette’s little nightmare creatures got busted up by the guy with the stick - Lacrosse? - and the other one. He still didn’t see Scarlette either. Was she… okay?

Quinn started to sweat nervously. The reinforcements freed the twins, which meant that there were now like… eight? Seven people to their two? He wasn’t feeling great about their odds. Just as he was thinking about backing out with Scarlette in hand, he heard her voice as she stood up from the ground. Oh. She was okay. She actually didn’t look hurt. Wait, the big guy flattened her?! One of them with a big hammer marched over to Scarlette who absolutely annihilated them with a single punch.

Ah. Well. She was fine then. Quinn felt shivers go down his spine at the last voice to call out. Ooh. Nope. Okay. Scarlette had it handled probably. Very carefully, he continued his crawl along the ceiling as quietly as possible. Thankfully, all of the chaos and commotion provided him a nice window to slip through the hatch and into the room above. Quinn took a quiet breath of relief before pushing himself up to his feet.

Carefully, Quinn made his way to a door that he cracked open just a hair to peer inside. What he saw was...a bunch of cells. Gobbie was in a particularly cramped one against the wall. He felt his legs go all wiggly with relief when he saw her. Coast looked clear too! Quinn slipped inside, clicking the door shut behind him.

“Gobbie…!” he whispered loudly, running over to her. He glanced around at the cage. Key. Need a key. He glanced at Gobbie and the other prisoners. “Uh, anyone seen a key around here?”

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 17
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #18}

---

Chocolate eyes looked up to the stairway, spying three more figures through the mist of spores. A man of average size, with dark skin and tightly curled hair drawn back across his head into curious yellow cornrows. His exposed chest showed off exceptional musculature, perhaps almost threateningly. On the other side, a woman of flushed complexion, with hair tied into a braid so long that she had wrapped it about her collar a few times over. And in the centre, an almost suited man, slender of physique.

Scarlette’s eyes narrowed in recognition.

^{“So who are you,” the suited sir said:
“And what do you want…? Hmm…”}

^{“Are you Polo?”}

^{“Yes. Now answer my–?!” Polo blinked:
“Where did she go?”}

“Look out!” Ulama — the man with dark skin — yelled as he stepped in the way. A monochrome blur barely perceivable to the naked eye, Miss Grimm-Rosa’s movements had been swift and intentional, but perhaps a little narrow. Ulama’s response was quick, attempting to interpose himself between Polo and the incoming bolt, but the latter stopped just shy of him. What happened instead was the same move as before, this time delivered as a kick to the muscle-bound man’s stomach.

SPOILER: Click to show

{

^{Carmine Rifle!
“Fusil Carmin!”}

}
_{Scarlette performs the Pistolet Écarlate technique, but with a kick instead.}

“Ah–ah~! Not so fast,” the woman mocked, her own sluggish and shaky movements suddenly exchanging themselves for sharp, precise ones as a surge of intent pulsed in Scarlette’s periphery. Before she could do much to respond physically, the Red Terror felt a fierce impact to the small of her back — one that would perhaps have threatened to cripple her if not for one critical factor. Said factor soon made itself very apparent when the woman, Q-Curbita, let out a whimper of surprise.

^{“Wh– What the hell…?” she questioned:
“That should’ve sent you flying…!”}

^{“Q-Curbita’s attack failed?!”}

Thwip– Plewp! With certain speed, Scarlette’s leg was redirected, striking instead at the woman who had dared to hit her. A bubbly, squeaky pop preceded the crashing sound of the braided woman’s entire body being punted through the stairs’ bannister and into the courtyard of the undercroft, skipping and skidding a little until she smashed into a rather unfortunate Lacrosse.

^{“What’s with this freak!”}

^{“Impossible,” Sepak Takraw grimaced:
“Does nothing hurt her…?”}

“I would really appreciate it if you’d cease pulverising my subordinates,” Polo said, now pointing a pistol — a tiny little thing barely even the size of the average flintlock — at the back of Miss Grimm-Rosa’s head. “Now sit, like a good little whelp, or your head’s going to be joining that missing arm of yours,” he explained, thumbing the hammer of the weapon. The light click was audible. “Do I make myself clear?” In pure defiance, spitting in the face of death itself, the dark-haired demoness turned around, daring to stare down the barrel of the pitiful little pistol and into the eyes of the man who threatened her.

^{Snap! Click!
Boom!}

^{—— MEANWHILE ——}

^{“Uh,” Quinn asked:
“Anyone seen a key…?”}

“I’m going to hazard a guess, Miss Gobbie, that this is the ‘Aniki’ you just mentioned?” Bateman quizzed, mostly rhetorically given his evaluation of the circumstances, and giving the newest figure to enter the room an analysing look. Any potential disappointment in his voice had been completely stifled, mostly for his fellow prisoner’s sake. “Excellent! Exactly what I was expecting,” he lied, perfectly so. To say the least, when Gobbie had mentioned it, Mister Patrick had pictured something significantly more imposing than Quinn Bathory, but wasn’t about to let anyone know that. Besides, he was hardly in the position to complain.

“Their leader’s got the keys,” Kramer said rather matter-of-factly, showing no signs of worry about the situation despite being caged. Rather, the gaunt man simply stood and approached the bars of his own cell — bars narrow enough to prevent a limb from reaching through, but not something thinner. “But don’t worry about that. Are you any good at picking locks?” he asked Quinn, sticking a couple of pieces of metal between the bars in offering to the merman.

^{“Ruh…?”}

^{“Wait, Kramer,” Bateman puzzled:
“How did you even…?”}

“I’ll save you some time,” he added, dismissing his company’s confusion entirely and tapping a finger against his own ear. “I heard the tumblers going in mine and Voorhees’ cells so I can tell you exactly how to unlock them,” Mister John explained, grinning somewhat slyly despite the neutrality of his expression. “Unfortunately, I didn’t hear the other two because somebody was talking too much,” he finalised, pinching the bridge of his nose and prompting a rather annoyed look from Bateman.

^{“By the by,” Bateman huffed:
“I’m guessing you’re not alone–?!”}

Boom! A loud explosion rumbled from below…

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette recognises Polo and rushes at him using Étape Rapide, but is interrupted by Ulama and Q-Curbita, the latter of whom she handily dispatches before Polo points his weapon at her.

Meanwhile, Quinn’s infiltration is successful, with Kramer offering him a lock pick and the knowledge necessary to open two the the cells!

---

NOTES:— Scarlette has 0 Homunculi remaining, and has used 12 Total.

Joyce is caged in.
Rugby is incapacitated.
Croquet is incapacitated.
Q-Curbita is incapacitated.
Lacrosse is stuck under Q-Curbita.

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]

Gobbie nodded enthusiastically to Bateman’s question, reaching through the bars and hugging Quinn tightly through them. Quinn gasped, feeling the bones in his body pop in protest. His tentacle legs scrambled frantically, finding some purchase to slip out of her death hug. He put a hand to his chest and breathed in a ragged gasp. Brushing his hair back, Quinn looked over to the man talking, guessing that he was probably one of Scarlette’s siblings given his general… confidence.

Quinn scowled at his comment, knowing exactly who they had been expecting. To be fair, they didn’t know him or that he was with Scarlette, so he couldn’t exactly blame them. He wasn’t the rescue that he’d want to see either. In fact, the only person happy to see him here was Gobbie. “Yeah, I’m Gobbie’s brother, Quinn. Nice to meet you. Despite the circumstances and all.”

Quinn was about to ask if the man was Bateman, Kramer, or Voorhees, but he didn’t get that far before someone else answered and told him the keys were on Polo. Quinn squished his face in agony. So he’d come up here for nothing. Awesome. Well… better get back down and help Scarlette. Maybe with him coming up from behind, they could perform some sort of pincer attack. He was about to head off toward the door when he stopped and looked over to the man trying to hand him some pieces of metal through the bars.

“Ah… I can’t say I’ve done it before,” Quinn replied uncertainly. He still walked over to the cage and took the thin pieces of metal. “But I know the principles.”

A brief exchange let Quinn figure out that this one was Kramer. He’d guess that the talkative one was Bateman and the other that spoke up was Voorhees. He was a big boy. Pinching and folding one end of the metal into a suitable anchor, Quinn put it into the lock and readied the bit that would act as the pick by turning just the end up. He fumbled with getting the anchor firmly in place at first, but eventually he got it and was ready for instructions. Quinn glanced over to Bateman with a raised eyebrow as an explosion rocked the building.

“Hm. Keen one, aren’t you? No need to hide your disappointment,” Quinn said, “No, I’m here with who you actually expected. Your big sister, Scarlette. Gobbie and I are gonna build you a ship and travel with you all for a while. So we’ll all be one big happy family. But first, let’s get you out of here. Kramer? If you would.”

Quinn nodded to Kramer. Honestly, that explosion worried Quinn just a tad. Once he got Kramer out, he could run back and help. Kramer seemed capable. Even if it would take him a while longer for Gobbie and Bateman’s cells. So all Quinn really had to do was get the darn thing open.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 18
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #19}

---

^{“Tut, tut,” Polo said mockingly:
“What a waste. What a waste.”}

Where once the man had held the tiniest pistol imaginable, now his hands were full with what was essentially a small cannon. A weapon clearly designed to fire shots substantially greater than those of a meagre peashooter, perhaps the size of a bazooka. Regardless, the deed had been done. The trigger had been pulled, and the resulting explosion had rocked the very foundations of the building above with the force of the blast — amplified further by the works of his ability. The surge had even cleared a great portion of the spore clouds around the foot of the stairs, replacing it instead with a scorched and smoking staircase.

“Well, what are the lot of you waiting for? We have injuries, damages, etcetera,” he waved, resting his weapon beside him as he eyed his comrades. For a moment, he tried to process why they were all looking at him in such a bizarre way. “What are you all gawking at?” Polo questioned, to which he followed a pointed finger presented by the closest man — Ulama. He started to turn. His blood ran cold.

^{“H– How,” the ringleader stammered:
“How did you survive that blast…?”}

“Willpower,” came the response, emanating from a figure whose smoky veil was now subsiding with her movements. Scarlette stood before him, looking significantly more dishevelled than she had done previously, with singed hairs and attire. Sadly, the article that had formerly masked her face was now also rather badly scorched, falling away from her.

SPOILER: Click to show

{

^{Point Blank…
“À Bout Portant…”}

}
_{Using a finger or two, Scarlette swiftly stabs an opponent’s body to pierce them and deal significant damage.}

^{—— THE CELLS ——}

“Disappointment? Hardly,” Bateman replied, this time sincerely, if a little disgruntled. He’d not anticipated the sass, but was confident in this stranger’s statements — who else would have responded so rapidly to the situation? Of course, it would be Scarlette. “Pleasantly surprised, perhaps? Either way, I thank you for your assistance,” he finalised, returning to silence so that Kramer and Quinn could work their combined magic.

“You’ll need to raise the third pin first,” Kramer identified, having squatted down to the lock to listen in one Quinn’s handiwork and even presenting a hand with raised fingers as a visual aid. “Key turns counter-clockwise, so make sure to apply some pressure before you hit the pins. It’s only got four, though,” he explained, dropping corresponding fingers whenever Quinn successfully raised one of the pins. “Second, fourth, first,” Kramer confirmed for good measure, until the merman’s attempts made the tumbler click.

“Pretty good for your first try,” the haggard tinkerer congratulated, rather placidly, as the door of his cell slid open. Wasting little to no time, Kramer offered to take up the challenge, depending on Quinn’s decisions. Sure, Gobbie’s big brother had done a good job, but Kramer made the process look easy. The difference between theory and practise — the difference between inexperience and veterancy. Perhaps out of gratitude, Kramer’s first port of call was Gobbie’s cell, but not before turning to Quinn.

^{“If you want to go and help Big Sis,” he uttered:
“Go ahead. I’ll handle the rest up here…”}

^{—— THE UNDERCROFT ——}

^{“B– Boss Polo!” Ulama exclaimed:
“Release him, you b¡+¢#…!”}

^{“Gaaaaa–!”}

^{“Shut up,” Miss Grimm-Rosa replied:
“And don’t even think about it…”}

“Tch! You… You are a monster,” the dark-skinned man winced, peeling his eyes away from the weapon at his feet. Polo’s bazooka had already proven ineffective, Scarlette’s own words ringing true despite the disbelief in the eyes of her audience. The situation, however, was very simple — and very grim. Polo’s body was practically held in place through little more than his own will, tightly gripping the bannister and standing on the tips of his toes as the pallid devil before him had him at her mercy. With just two fingers, she had penetrated flesh; digits stabbing into the man’s chest. Eyes, once brown now illuminated with vivid red, pierced Polo’s own gaze.

^{“You made a very big mistake,” she uttered:
“I hope none of your grunts do, for their sake…”}

^{“Y– You think they’re scared of you…? Ack!”}

Fingers dug deeper.

“I’m giving you all one last chance,” Scarlette hissed, eyes sweeping across those who had remained conscious. Amidst the display, Ping had passed out from what the Red Terror had assumed was squeamishness, leaving Pong to fan their sibling. Aside the golfing woman from earlier having finally escaped her mushroom prison, little else had changed — none wanted to move. Polo was right about one thing. They weren’t scared. They were absolutely terrified. “Tell me where Gobbie, Voorhees, Kramer, and Bateman are… Or this,” she emphasised with one more burrowing of the fingers, “will be absolute mercy compared to what I’ll do!”

^{“They are safe!”
“Upstairs!”
“They’re in the cells!”
“Please, spare us!”}

^{“Y– Yes… Yes!” Polo grunted:
“Upstairs… Take my keys…!”}

Scarlette’s eyes shifted back to Polo, sending a chill down his spine — a chill of realisation. If murderous intent could be registered so readily, then that was fair enough. But this? This wasn’t murderous. In fact, to call it murderous would have been a godsend in the man’s current position.

^{“The rest of you can leave now.”}

^{“Wh– What about me…?” Polo quivered:
“I’m sorry! I’ll leave…! I’ll quit slavery, and–?!”}

SPOILER: Click to show

{

^{Bloody Rose.
“Rose Ensanglantée.”}

}
_{After piercing a target with À Bout Portant, Scarlette condenses her Devil Fruit’s energy at her fingertips while still embedded within the opponent. The sudden increase in resistance ends with a violent pop that repels the target’s flesh from the inside, greatly amplifying the damage dealt and resulting in a bloom of bloody petals.}

Hiss… Splat! A red glow shot down Scarlette’s arm, into Polo’s wound where her fingers still remained, and what followed was something akin to the sound of somebody retching as the unfortunate slaver’s entire body lurched backwards as if he’d just been shot. Petals of red scattered, both from around his injury and a few from his mouth as his body slumped.

^{“You…? Freedom,” she smiled:
“You don’t get that liberty~!”}

^{“Erk…!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette survives Polo’s attack rather handily and proceeds to punish him for his misdeeds. Quinn’s lock picking is supported by Kramer, who volunteers to take on the job so that Quinn can assist Scarlette.

---

NOTES:— Scarlette has 0 Homunculi remaining, and has used 12 Total.

Joyce is caged in.
Rugby is incapacitated.
Croquet is incapacitated.
Q-Curbita is incapacitated.
Lacrosse is stuck under Q-Curbita.

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 huffed and sighed as he fiddled with the lock, more frustrated with himself than Kramer’s instructions. It took him longer than he would have liked, but eventually, he got it open. Kramer complimented him, but Quinn knew that it just couldn’t be genuine. He handed over the picks and nodded to him so that he could spring the others. He gave Kramer a less than enthusiastic thumbs up and headed back toward the door.

What was he doing? Diving back into danger? Quinn sighed at himself. He was so done with today. Shaking his head, he opened the door and closed it behind him so that his spores wouldn’t leak into the room with the others. Oh. Quinn leaned back in briefly and looked at Kramer who hadn’t even made it halfway across the room yet.

“Don’t come down this way till we come back, okay? It’s, uh… There’s a breathing hazard.”

That was probably the quickest way of explaining it. Quinn shut the door for real this time and walked back down the stairs as quietly as he could. For some reason, there weren’t as many spores as before. And also the stairs themselves were scorched. Maybe he should hurry. Quinn scampered down the stairs only to be met with a spray of red. He blinked, unable to process that he had been covered in a sticky, warm, red liquid. He did manage to catch Scarlette’s little quip and the agonized grunt of Polo. Quinn looked down at himself.

“Ah,” he uttered flatly, too tired and disgusted to be horrified, “Okay. Now I’m officially done with today.”

He held his arms out awkwardly at his sides. He presumed this to be revenge. Which, while Quinn wasn’t entirely against that notion, definitely preferred it not to have a splash zone. With a tired snap of his fingers, toadstools and stinkhorns sprouted on the bodies of Polo’s subordinates. Those would be painful to pull out and horribly smelly, but that was petty revenge enough for him. He lowered his hands back down as the ring blocking everyone into the spore filled room decayed and died down. He looked at Scarlette.

“They’re upstairs and look fine. Kramer’s getting everyone out now. Are you ready to go or… are you going to make a mess? Please let me know so I don’t just walk into it again.”

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 19
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #20}

---

“Now I’m officially done with today,” uttered the merman, drawing Scarlette’s gaze as she took note of his presence. The unfortunate sod had somehow managed to get himself spattered by the one-armed woman’s punishment method, though he otherwise seemed unfazed as he manipulated the spores that remained in a petty gesture of revenge. She wasn’t going to stop him doing so. If anything, it was well-deserved, but at least he humbled their freedom and let the cage rot away.

Polo’s gang made a break for it.

^{“Hey,” Scarlette asked:
“Where are they…?”}

“They’re upstairs and look fine,” he answered, elaborating a little as the last of the spores cleared from the air. A simple sweep of the scene revealed a lot of what had happened. Scorch marks and the smell of smoke upon stale air, the rotting remains of overgrown fungi, various cracks in the masonry stained puddles of crimson, and a slowly fading rift in the tiles were all bizarre signs of recent events. That, and the slight groans of a bloodied man who lay upon the steps.

^{“Are you going to make a mess…?”}

^{“Ehhh,” she exhaled, looking down:
“Oi… You got anything useful here?”}

^{“Wh– Why would I–? Wait… No! St–?!”}

Crack…!! A small period of silence after a sickening popping sound was followed by an extremely guttural screech of agony from Polo — a harsh reminder of his current position. Simply by placing her foot down upon his arm and grabbing the wrist with her only available hand, Miss Grimm-Rosa’s movements had been more than enough to dislocate the slaver’s elbow, adding yet another injury to the list that he would be walking away with. Or perhaps not, if he didn’t learn his lesson.

“Those sound like the screams of a man who hasn’t yet realised his mistake,” Bateman winced, peering over from the balcony above and looking down the stairs — the rest of Polo’s prey in tow. Scrambling, Voorhees practically barreled down the stairs, tears in those beady blue eyes of his for a second as he approached Big Sis — making entirely sure to tread on Polo’s foot with all his weight in the process — and wrapped his arms around her. Something that barely sounded like words and more like snorting and sniffling was said. All the same, she put her arm over his shoulder and patted him on the back.

^{“Voorhees! Quinn said not to…,” Kramer muttered:
“Ah, whatever… Is it safe now?”}

“Sorry I didn’t come sooner,” Scarlette apologised, showing sincerity in her voice as she parted with Voorhees. “Thanks to Quinn, you’re all safe now,” she smiled, looking up at the others. If ever there was an extreme mood shift, it was present — violent intent and coldness had been completely dislodged in favour of a loving warmth. “Now, let’s head back,” she confirmed, nodding to Quinn and Gobbie.

^{“Sure,” Bateman agreed:
“But I’m taking all his money…!”}

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette punishes Polo as Quinn and the others appear.

---

NOTES:— Scarlette has 0 Homunculi remaining, and has used 12 Total.

---

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 glanced down at Polo. When he had left, Polo had been confident and fairly intimidating. Seeing him simpering and pathetic just a minute or so later… Yeah, Scarlette was a monster. One that he didn’t really care to ever be on the bad side of. He tried to swipe the blood from his face, but he just ended up smearing it around as Polo’s screams filled the undercroft again. Neptune, he was loud. Quinn grimaced.

Thankfully, a familiar voice called out from above to distract Quinn from his predicament. Ah. Bateman. His eyes went wide as a huge man barreled down the stairs toward them. Quinn hastily dodged to the side, reminded a little too much of his recent encounter with Rugby. The man gave Scarlette a bear hug, which did actually bring a tired smile to Quinn’s face. All’s well that ends well, he supposed.

“A-Aniki!!”

“Oh no.”

With only that tiny bit of warning, Quinn felt himself being swept up into a bone crushing hug. Well, at least bone popping. He could hear and feel that much. Ordinarily, he might have protested at being handled this way, but honestly he was too tired. He was too tired to even warn Gobbie about the blood. Oh well. They’d just have to wash it. Or get a new outfit for her. Somehow he wormed an arm out to pat her snotty, teary face.

“Shh, shh… It’s okay,” Quinn said in his half-hearted way, “There, there.”

He did manage to get a glimpse of Scarlette doing the same, except for Voorhees before the two parted. Gobbie, on the other hand, was not letting go of him anytime soon. He dangled limply in her arms like a particularly well-strangled stuffed animal. Gobbie did eventually put him on her shoulder, where he leaned on her head as blood returned to the squeezed bits of his body. If he was honest with himself, he didn’t mind Scarlette giving him the credit for this. It tickled his ego. But, everyone knew it was her that had done the heavy lifting. Quinn looked at Scarlette.

“Guess this means we’re part of the crew for now?”

Gobbie looked up at Quinn with surprise. Oh right. He hadn’t told her. He just nodded in response to her unspoken question. To which, Gobbie hopped from foot to foot, clapping her hands with glee.

“Yay! Yayayayay!!!”

Gobbie lurched forward, making Quinn hold on a little tighter to her head. What? Oh. Oh no. It was too late to bail out by the time he realized what she intended to do. Gobbie swept Scarlette and Voorhees up into a big happy group hug. Thankfully, he was still on her shoulder. Otherwise, he shuddered to think of the state that he’d be in right now. Still, in a rare moment, Quinn was feeling… a little emotional. So he put a hand on top of Scarlette’s head in an effort to join the hug while giving Bateman a sneaky thumbs up. They were gonna rob this guy for everything he was worth. He deserved worse.

---

Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 20
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)