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

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #21}

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“Guess that means we’re part of the crew for now?” Quinn asked, prompting a curious energy to spring forth from Gobbie — her cheeriness was very much a welcome sight and sound to Grimm-Rosa Scarlette, though perhaps not as much as it was to the Gyojin’s brother. Before she could get a word in, however, both she and Voorhees were suddenly at the mercy of Miss Bathory’s strength, scooped into a hug that might’ve threatened to dislocate limbs if not for Voorhees’ physique and the one-armed woman’s own durability.

Bateman, glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of such a monstrous feat, returned the gesture to Quinn and quietly backed up the stairs with Kramer to start a thorough investigation of the building. Overall, it was nothing particularly complicated. Certain rooms had been converted to cells, though none held any occupants, and the only other form of life that they stumbled upon was a rather indifferent horse that was quite content with the hay it was eating. Some sort of conference room and office to which it was connected, smaller bedrooms, an expansive kitchen — all the rooms one would have expected to find.

And then there was the treasury.

Click…! Once again, Kramer’s skills with mechanisms came in handy, for the haggard man easily cracked the code on the vault door and eased it open. He and Bateman alike simply stared, turned to look at one another, and then looked back.

^{“A part of me was expecting more…”}

^{“Yeah,” Kramer commented:
“How much do you reckon…?”}

Bateman sucked his teeth.

“It’s a fair chunk. At a glance, probably in the realm of fifty million, give or take,” the financier said, eyeing the neatly organised bags of specie and stacks of notes. “Sadly, I don’t think that’s going to help us too much with our ship situation from a monetary standpoint, but,” he emphasised with a surprisingly warm and confident smile, “it seems a solution is already amongst our ranks, no?”

^{“Hm… Yeah!”}

^{“Do you want some help,” Bateman enquired:
“Carrying some of that cash back to the boat…?”}

“No, I’ll be fine,” Kramer replied, having already found a larger sack into which he began to throw the coin bags and wads of cash. “It’s not that heavy,” he finally added, shouldering the bulbous bag with one arm and very little effort — a glimpse of the physical strength somehow contained within his tall, thin physique. Soon enough, the two men returned with their gains in tow, the hug having finally subsided.

^{“Good news: We have more money,” Bateman clapped:
“Bad news: Not a whole lot of it!”}

^“Woo!”

“Alright! Well, Quinn, Gobbie,” Miss Grimm-Rosa said, looking at the latest additions to her growing family with a wide and energetic smile upon her face. “Let’s go and get cleaned up! I can properly introduce you to everyone, get you settled in, and then… Then we can talk about paddle wheels!” The look on her face as she turned to lead them out of the undercroft was almost mischievous. The kind of look Kramer had most definitely seen previously on their journey to Rondure, though now there was something to put to such a smile…

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SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
Scarlette hugs Quinn, Gobbie, and Voorhees. Meanwhile, Bateman and Kramer investigate and manage to get their hands on Polo’s stash of cash!

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NOTES:— I have one more post to do to finish this thread off!

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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]

The hug subsided, mercifully, relatively quickly once Gobbie realized that she might be hurting their new… friends? Siblings? Quinn wasn’t sure if he was willing to go that far yet… but it was a start. He smiled despite himself. When was the last time that they had some people that they both could call friends? A whole new host of worries started to bubble up inside him, but Quinn beat them back down. They’d just ruin the moment.

He put an arm on Gobbie’s head and tapped the side of her face lightly. “Start thinking about materials and design, Gobs. We got a ship to build. And uh, you can do paddle wheels, right?” Quinn lowered his voice at that last bit. Gobbie thought for a second, which made him nervous, but then she nodded. “Oh. Good. I guess the trees are round here so… it won’t be hard to get curved wood.”

Gobbie followed Scarlette out of the undercroft. Quinn sighed in relief, taking in the sunlight and spreading his arms out wide. The sun and warmth did make him feel the sticky red blood on his face though. Sucking his arms into his sleeves, Quinn took off his shirt and wiped his face clean, making sure that he got as much of it off as he could. He grimaced at his shirt. There went one of his only pieces of clothing. He sighed and tossed it off onto the ground. He looked over to Bateman.

“Any chance we could spare some of that money to grab me a new set of clothes?”

Most of that would probably go toward materials and tools that they couldn’t find out on the island for the ship. Mm. Maybe he’d put a few artistic touches on the ship of his own. Maybe. Maybe not. They wouldn’t want his personal touch on their ship, right? That was probably overstepping. He put his hands to his temples as his anxiety welled up inside of him.

“Aniki?”

“Huh? Wh-Yeah?”

“Are we safe now?”

Quinn paused, looking down at Gobbie. He could see the relief in her face. Huh. He hadn’t really been thinking about how she felt about drifting around on the Grand Line, but he guessed that she had her own worries too. His gaze softened a little, and he managed to push his own worries aside again. He patted her head and plopped down on top of it.

“Yeah, yeah. No worries. Nothing bad’s gonna happen to us now.”

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Quinn Bathory | #7FFFD4 (Aquamarine) | Post Count: 21
Gobbie Bathory | #AFEEEE (Pale Turquoise)

[Vio]

^{Scarlette #22}

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“Paddle wheels, huh? Well,” Kramer motioned. “I think I know what she’s intending to do with them,” he grinned, breaking his stern visage for a moment, albeit somewhat stifled by the concept that had come to mind. “I’m not much of a shipwright, but I know a bit about engineering and mechanics, so I’ll lend a hand where I can,” the tinker confirmed as the warmth of the sun beat down upon them.

“Sure, sure,” Bateman responded in kind to Quinn’s query. Any previous misgivings had been all but washed away — the financier’s judgment call had been entirely wrong. For that, he was glad. “It’s the least we can do,” he affirmed, lips curling into a small smile. Gratitude was difficult to express, but he was honestly thankful that the Merman had come along to help.

But to Scarlette, this had been an eventful day. Already was her eagerness showing up against her usual lethargy, the spring in her step noticeable. To think, she had found new siblings, as well as had those preexisting proclaim their desire. It was a quandary she would have to consider in depth, but surely she had the time to do so? Ships weren’t built in a day. Step by step, she would teach them as needed, even if she was a tad uncomfortable at the idea of them being endangered. Today, really, had proven exactly what Sadako had said. It was time to make some changes…

^{—— ELSEWHERE ——}

“Now that all of you are gathered, we shall begin,” said a man, tall and square and sat upon a chair at the head of a long table. Spaced around were various other seats, each housing individuals of variable stature and nature — each a member of some organisation under the World Government’s banner. “It has come to my attention that a previously apprehended criminal has escaped their confinement, so you have all been personally called to this meeting in order to act upon this information — to provide insight and possible suggestions as to an effective course of action!”

“Is that so–soyo?” one man asked with a soft voice, bronzed skin and windswept hair of light blond readily distinguishing him from the rest. A white jacket of sorts exposed firmly chiselled abs, but otherwise concealed his torso and even the lower half of his face, vivid sky blue eyes peering over the zippered collar. Not an abnormally sized man, perhaps his most distinguishing feature were the white wings that protruded from his back — the clear mark of a reclusive people.

“With our combined efforts, the odds are stacked, ten-to-one,” said another. A rugged man, stout with wrinkled skin about his brow and eyes, dressed in a smart black suit, sat opposite. A bowler hat upon his head concealed short, dark blue hair and a likely bald patch upon his crown — perhaps a receding hairline to boot. “Myself and my top agents are ready to accept this challenge, Rear Admiral!”

^{“That’s assuring, Agent,” the Rear Admiral nodded:
“However, there is a more specific reason you’re here…”}

^{“Which is, Sir…?”}

“This specific criminal was arrested a little over six months ago,” the CO explained, playing a piece of paper face down upon the table, his hand remaining upon it. Eyes looked about the room, meeting the various gazes of those present. Many were simply lesser officers within the World Navy, vital operatives to the cause, but his eyes lingered upon four specific characters. The softly spoken Shandian, the suited agent, a fellow Marine with broad features and prickly mutton chops, and a woman with silver streaks in her dark hair — a woman with intense red-orange eyes. His eyes remained fixed upon hers.

^{“Remember Eldoran?”}

^{“Eldo–? No,” she hissed:
“That… is impossible…!”}

“Tch! So was surviving that bullet…,” the mutton chop-wearing Marine clicked, visible looking down at his hands, fingers meshed as he recalled the events of that fateful day. A chill ran up his spine as the woman’s eyes shifted, just briefly, to him.

^{“I don’t believe it…”}

^{“She cannot have escaped,” the woman stood:
“Mullyssa Nemo is an inescapable island–?!”}

“Captain Rosa! It was at your request that she was sent there in the first place,” the Rear Admiral interjected, his voice raising just enough to impart utter silence upon the room. “An act instigated by the now retired Vice Admiral Provence, is that correct, Special Agent Libeccio?” he questioned, knowing the answer as he looked to the winged and windswept warrior, but asking it anyway for the sake of total clarification amongst those present.

^{“Correct, Rear Admiral Raimi–soyo…”}

“I am aware of each of your previous interactions with the target,” he continued. “I am also very aware of your capabilities now, as opposed to then. Lieutenant Charlie, I trust your skills as a sniper have not faded since that incident, especially now that you are aware of the circumstances. Agent Horatio, Cipher Pol’s involvement is very much a necessity now as it was then.”

^{“Just don’t f*¢<ing hide in my dog’s stomach again…”
“No promises, Lieutenant…”}

“Special Agent Libeccio, I believe you are still indentured to the World Navy for the foreseeable future as per Provence’s arrangements, so I am personally requisitioning you for this operation,” Raimi stated, sliding forth the piece of paper and flipping it over to reveal an all too familiar face, now scarred and strangely smiling. “Rosa Clementine,” he cleared his throat. “As this is primarily your fault for pushing for such an inadequate sentence, I fully expect all of your efforts in this endeavour. Am I understood?”

^{“Yes, Sir–soyo.”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Yes, Sir!”}

^{“Don’t worry, Rear Admiral,” Clementine growled:
“No mistakes this time… I’m going to kill her…”}

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SPOILER: Click to show

{Post Synopsis}
<sub>Kramer offers to help Gobbie with the ship designs, while Bateman agrees to let Quinn use some of the money for new clothes. Scarlette ponders the future.

Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Raimi discusses a future endeavour with those who were previously present, including Cipher Pol Agent Horatio, Special Agent Libeccio, Lieutenant Charlie, and Captain Rosa Clementine!</sub>

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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)
• Raimi | #eeeeee (Off-White)
• Rosa Clementine | #f28500 (Tangerine)
• Libeccio | #afdbf5 (Uranian Blue)
• Horatio | #4000ff (Ultramarine)
• Charlie | #848482 (Battleship Grey)
• Miscellaneous [NPC] | #eeeeee | #bbbbbb | #888888 | #555555 (Grey)</sub>