Bringing in Yapyap

[mildofthewild]

"Are you absolutely sure there's no way I can convince you to let me go?"

"Maybe if I hadn't gotten stabbed the way I did."

"Really?"

"No."

Gamulo sulks quietly as he nestles himself into place next to his captor, the portly man contrasting against the long, slender limbs of the self-apppinted bounty hunter Remulo Bogs. Without his trademark mask, he was almost inconspicuous, were it not for the set glare on his face as he surveys his surroundings. So far so good, they weren't being followed...

"Can you at least gift me with the knowledge of where I'm to be turned in?"

"Marine base. Easiest way to make a trade off, plus I figure none of my assailants will follow me there. I'm not worth much, but they would be."

Gamulo once again sinks lower, thinking of just how a former trafficker might be welcomed in such a spot, fearing for his very well being among such...ruffians.

Satisfied by his surroundings, Remulo leans back in his seat, surveying the frothing sea out of the window of the civilian ship, listening to the lull of the crowd on board with him in the dining hall. The bags under his eyes indicate his lack of sleep, brought on by the panic of capture and the still throbbed pain from his run in with that knife wielding girl. Everytime he closed his eyes, her darkened eyes would pierce through and simply regard him; the first time he'd ever felt like prey, and the feeling just wouldn't leave him. That voice; chilled and analytical, void and studious. The soft lilt of pleasure skirting on the edge of every syllable sent aches into his arm, and that soft prickle would race along it. The waltz of a blade across his skin...

[Mr. Moon]

Jan #1 

Jan was lacking inspiration. It was almost three months since his last book was published and he still didn´t have any ideas for the next one. Well, that wasn´t really accurate. He had some ideas, but the slowly growing unrest he felt was keeping him from any serious writing. That was so unlike him, that when he found himself pacing from one corner of his living room to another in the middle of the day, he decided that it´s the right time to make a trip in the outside world, and so he packed his backpack and bought tickets for the first cruiser that was leaving Holy Remunun Empire. After that, he was cruising back and forth through the oceans until he found himself bored on the board of public transport ship somewhere in the West Blue.

With a strawberry flavor lollipop in his mouth, he was leaning against the taffrail, watching the slowly moving clouds above him.
“Man...what a waste of time”
He muttered for himself. When he went on this journey he hoped that he will manage to find some group of mercenaries or bounty hunters with whom he will be able to tag alone, using their adventures as a basis for his next story. Or if nothing else his ship could become target of pirate raid, that would also be interesting, but...guess he was out o luck.

It was only after hour or so of boredom, when his ears picked something interesting. Two male voices were debating something about turning one of them in, in the nearest Marine base.

“Jackpot!”
Mr. Sela smiled for himself as he turned his eyes down, towards open window of one of cabins for passengers. Making sure to remember the sound of their voices he decided to be a silent observer for time being in a hope that he will be able to overhear more details of their story.

[mildofthewild]

"W-well, if its not too much trouble, can I at least stretch my legs? I suspect I won't be able to do much of it once we arrive to the base. It's not as if I can mosey over the side of the boat."

Remulo considers the thought, taking another glance around the crowd for anything that might stand out as a threat. Without seeing any of Atla's hired assassins or any other known face, Remulo gives an absent and curt nod, signaling the rotund man to take a walk. This might be good; after all, it'd give him the perfect time to be alone with his thoughts.

Gamulo leaves the table briskly, straightening the torn and frankly ribbon like tie as he strolls across the civilian ship. As the man garners a number of stares, the assassin already regrets his decision but slinks on to the table and gives his eyes a much deserved rest, cat-like eyes be damned as they slink back into his vision. This wasn't the first time he'd stared into death before...

---

Off the tail end bow of the ship, in the shade of the monolithic metallic hull, a dinghy sails along. Three figures sit in wait, hidden from the civilians up top, though the gleam of their grins shines brightly amid the shades and the darkened West Blue waters.

"Can't believe we found him. THE Remulo Bogs, on a civilian ship! Guess he really must've ran afoul of Mr. Atla."

"Thats only the better for us! Ya ever wonder why his bounty is so low? He likes to stay out of the spotlight. On a ship like this, he won't be able to put up much of a fight! We got em perfect, boys!"

"HELL YEAH! I'll crush him! I'll thrash him! Then Mr. Atla will give us that sweet contract job!"

The crew of criminals laugh gleefully, snickering and hushing their voices as they sidle next to the ship...

[Mr. Moon]

Jan #2 

Leaning against the taffrail Jan was standing on the upper deck, listening to the pleas of the captured prisoners to be allowed to stretch his legs. Not that he would like to be mean or something, but the young writer hoped that the request will be denied by the unknown bounty hunter as he wanted to hear more of their story without being forced to change his current location. However, as it turned out, his luck wasn´t good enough today, because the assassin agreed and the two of them started moving away from the window.

“Hmmm, of course take a captured prisoner for a stroll what could possibly go wrong.”
Jan muttered for himself and than stopped for a second as he noticed some weird shadow moving on the water.

“What the...”
His eyes narrowed as he was trying to find whatever it cast it, but he couldn´t see anything besides the metallic hull of their ship and endless body of water.

“Oh great, and now my bored brain is making me to see things.”

He smiled ironically before leaving his post for the common areas for the passengers. As he was walking among the people he was less focused on his sight and more on his hearing. He didn´t know how his targets looked like after all, but he remembered pretty well the sound of their voices.

“Come on, say something already”

Mr. Sela was challenging them silently as the last think he liked was being part of a big crowd of people no matter how interesting they may be.

[mildofthewild]

"Would you like anything to drink, sir?" 

Remulo's body tenses up at the sound of the waiter, silently cursing inward as he realizes just how quickly his prior training was ebbing away. The days he was trained to be a weapon were being gnawed by the very thought of people out there that could, in fact, hurt him. Blunt his edge. 

He had never been under the impression he was invincible, of course; news of various pirate crews and the conquests by the Warlords were always abundant, and he was humble enough to know he stood no chance against beings like the Riot Crew or the Shoguns. But he also had the safety of knowing he didn't have to deal with such beings...now that line was starting to become much more blurred. 

"Just a water, if you could," Remulo says, a bit strained as if stress the desire to be left alone to the waiter. The message is not received. 

"Are you sure? I know the look of a guy that needs a drink! Tell you what, I can offer a discount since you're a first time sailor on our line, judging by your ID; get you a nice stiff one! I'll even throw in a hint of pineapple, it'll really bring out the-"

"Fine! That's fine, just...just please stop talking..." Remulo sinks into the crook of his arm even further, hiding his pounding head from view while the waiter nods dumbly, practically skipping away and leaving the assassin at his table, warm bodies still surrounding him and suppressing Yapyap from sight. Well, to be fair, it wouldn't do him any good to run anywhere. He was still wanted, so if not him, someone else would likely take him in. He just needed a small break from the talking...

---

"Just like that, line it up." 

"And then I'll bash it?" 

"Yeah, bash it in, but try and do it when a wave slaps up. We don't wanna draw attention yet!"

A small metallic pounding rings out as shadows slink up the side of the civilian's ship, their bodies flowing like ink through the shade of the rocking hull before making their way onto the lower decks, out of sight of the regular crowd. Infiltration, complete...

"Ha! Made it! And you two said I'd be louder than a' Ox in a china shop!" 

"We still do, especially if you keep up with that yelling! Quiet down! We gotta slink into the crowd still; we gotta make a big entrance by making it seem like we came outta nowhere! Then we can get the party started! Mr. Atla'll be so pleased that he'll beg us to join his family!" 

"With the three of us, we'll make as loud an entrance as we can! Just stick to the plan and wait for the right time. We wanna make sure he's at his absolute worst. I've heard this guy pulled some poor sap's heart right out of his chest!" 

"You listen to too many campfire stories..."

[Mr. Moon]

Jan #3 

Jan was making his way through the ship with gentle smile on his face and inconspicuous look. However his ears were working on one hundred percents of their abilities as he was trying to pick up any sounds that could point him towards his new friend. With no luck, until he made it closer to the bar, where one of the waiters was asking average looking man if he wants something to drink. He would probably ignore that man altogether as nothing on him strike him as a “story material”, but than he spoken and the young author recognized his voice.

“Oh my, so you are that bounty hunter?”
He asked with a sincere joy in his voice as he made his way towards him. He didn´t put much effort into keeping his voice down, but given the regular noise around them, Jan really doubted that anyone else could hear him, or pay any attention to his words for the matter.

“My name is Peter Raskrie and I am writer. Would you mind if I made a short interview with you? You see, right now I am traveling the world, looking for some interesting stories that I would be able to incorporate into my next book and by accident, I overheard your debate with your...”

He looked on Gamulo, unsure how he should address the man.

“I don´t know victim doesn´t sound right, does it? Either way...”
Jan turned back to the hunter.

“If you be willing to give me few moments of your time...lets say two, maybe three hours I would really appreciate it. And don´t worry, I won´t use your name or even the story as it is. I am just...looking for some inspiration that´s all.”

The young writer tried his best smile, which let´s be honest, wasn´t much as social skills weren´t his best discipline.

[mildofthewild]

Remulo slips further into his seat, grumbling slightly as he finally finds that peace and quiet he oh so desired. A welcome respite. A chance at true pea-

“Oh my, so you are that bounty hunter?”

"Goddammit..." He whispers, hands twitching now as he looks up, ready to take care of whatever nosy contract killer had managed to slip through-

"Huh?" Remulo was prepared for plenty of things. An interview wasn't one of them; especially not a 3 hour interview. As he regards this...Peter...he can't help but feel put off by the forwardness. It really seems as if he wasn't aware of who he was...

"No, victim isn't accurate. 'Pain' is more like it. I...listen, besides just how unwise it is to just walk up to a bounty hunter, why would I want to talk to you? I need to keep a low profile, I'm a bit...wanted these days." Remulo says, though he winces slightly at letting that factoid slip. Even the smallest slip up could land him back in hot water. The more he fought Atla's goons, the more dangerous things became. He was starting to see just how many people rivalled his own abilities on these waters, and he wasn't ready to see anyone that outclassed him just yet. 

"So, no, I'm not looking to talk, and don't eavesdrop on conversations. You might hear something you weren't supposed to someday. You're lucky I don't need any attention, or I'd make sure you stop talking..."

---

While Remulo 'entertains' himself with Peter, Gamulo finds himself eavesdropping among the many innocent conversations at large, laughing with the socialites and grumbling with the lower classes, all for the sake of finding some means of easy escape.

He has to be careful; after all, there was no doubt Remulo already placed several of his 'mouths' around the ship. He had learned first hand the intricacies of that ability after their skirmish with that dreadful Courtney girl. They had to make their escape from Strawberry Hill quickly and efficiently, which meant using mouths...slimy, hot, humid mouths. The very idea of the ability was nauseating, but he had to admit it's effectiveness, and it only proved that Devil Fruits do in fact exist; not just exist, but that there was an underground market for them being run in these waters! He'd have to make a note of that, it wouldn't be a bad area to employ his skills in the future. Human smuggling was a rather capital offense...it also didn't pay nearly as much if you weren't dealing to the royals of the world. Devil Fruits, however...now there could be an interesting business model. Perhaps the Grand Line would be worth a trip after all...

As Gamulo shoves and pilfers food from plates, he keeps his ears open for any particular conversation that could help, looking busy with a plate of fried shrimp but keeping his mind anywhere but. 

"Issat him? Over there?"

"Yeah, I think so. Strange how he looks without the mask. Say, who's that pipsqueak with 'im?"

"Huuuuh, maybe it's a bounty? They were comin' from Strawberry Hill, maybe he's headin' to turn someone in?" 

"Well hell, if that's true then we gotta act fast! We can't be near any marine base, we'll get ourselves locked up and thrown in the deepest cell! And who knows what they'll do to Orcus!"

"Wha-what do you mean what'll they do to Orcus!? What's so special about me?!" 

"Yer fruit, numbskull. You hit the jackpot, but what if they consider ya too dangerous? They'll lock ya up in Impel Down with the rest of those psychos!" 

"EH?! IMPEL DOWN?! I...I don't wanna go there! I wanna stay with you guys!" 

Gamulo turns slightly at the blubbering, a few heads following suit while the other two voices try quieting this 'Orcus' down. The trio in question certainly weren't blending into the crowd, despite their best efforts. Orcus's massive stature drew all eyes to him, his flowing tears and dribbling nose all but making him a target for eyes. His face, despite the wrinkled mess it was now, was one of pure strength; flat, square and seemingly etched from stone. This face ran into a thick, muscled neck, draped along the back and down the spine by a slicked back mane of black hair, though with several unruly strands poking out. The man wore a blue tanktop, almost fit to bursting, over a pair of baggy workman's pants that he likely stole from someone. 

The other two were much smaller in size, but they each had their own features. One had a much rounder face, almost like a moon, with blonde hair that sparkled like the orb in the sky. A jutting nose was the only angular feature about them, though the flattened tip was an unfortunate blemish that he simply couldn't recover. He had a thick black coat wrapped around his svelte frame, pockets sagging with coins most likely, judging from the way they rustled and clinked together. 

Opposite him and the one currently consoling his big lug of a friend sits in height between the two, and Gamulo surmises that this was the defacto leader. Rather top heavy, the man is draped in his own red coat, one that hides a weapon; Gamulo can tell from the hilt peeking out from the nape of his neck, though it was one of the oddest hilts he'd ever seen; after all, what sword uses a handle? This man's face, wracked with stubble and sporting a tired grimace, lies beneath bright auburn hair styled into an almost duck-bill like shape that casts a shadow across his visage. What an unsightly bunch...

"Relax, big guy, relax, ain't nobody takin' you there. We just gotta take care of Bogs before this ship gets there. If we have to, we'll crack this thing wide open and drag him onto a boat. Hell, imagine that: Orcus, the Ship Cracker! Got a nice ring to it, don't you think?" 

"...*sniff*...y-yeah...yeah actually...hehehehehe, I'm gonna crack me a ship!" 

"Easy, maybe. If we waste anymore time, we just might have to..." 

Gamulo's face turns white as he hears this, gazing at the crowd to see if anyone else can overhear such villainous rambling. Not a soul...

Keeping his mouth as tight lipped as possible, he makes a beeline back for Remulo's table. Being arrested might be a damper, but it beat drowning....

[Mr. Moon]

Jan #4 

Jan learned the hard way that he have to be aware of his own surrounding and so despite his carefree demeanor, he noticed the initial twitch of Remulo´s hands when he addressed the bounty hunter.

“Easy there”

He tried his best smile, rising his hands in the most universal, peaceful gesture on the world. Fortunately it worked, as the last thing he wanted was to fight with the potential source of his inspiration.

While the bounty hunter continued talking, warning, or maybe threatening Jan to keep his inquisitive nose out of Remulo´s business, the young author´s eyes brightened as he pulled out small diary and pen from one of his pockets.

“Now, that´s what I call a story!”
He said enthusiastically writing few quick notes in his notebook.

“Dangerous outlaw, that is trying to correct his past mistakes and redeem himself by hunting the worst criminals in the world! Sir, you would make excellent protagonist! Now...”

As if he completely forgot about Remulo´s thread or simply decided to ignore them, Jan pointed the tip of his pen on the irritated bounty hunter asking

“please tell me, what earned you your bounty? Did you steal something? No...no, that is too mundane...let me think...you killed someone...rival in love? Yes...that´s much better. Now, can you tell me something about the man you caught? Who is he, pirate? Assassin for the underworld? Or maybe even revolutionary?”

Excited, Jan had hard time to keep his voice down. As he started discussing Gamulo, he turned around, looking for the man in question, only to find him near three men that didn´t fit at all.

“And his sidekick will be crying giant...nah, that´s stupid...”

Jan crossed out the last idea turning back to the bounty hunter, however that three men were still on his mind. He had a feeling that something wasn´t right with them, however he couldn´t really point it out.

[mildofthewild]

Remulo's voice catches as he watches the writer scribble a few more notes down, the assassin sinking back as he realizes his vagueness was only proving more interesting to him. The pen was mightier than the sword...in this case, it was far more annoying. 

"Ngh, what are you writing about me? That's not accurate at all..." he says, his voice trailing off as he watches Yapyap slink back to the table, quietly sitting next to the assassin while keeping his gaze straight ahead. The beady look of his eyes and the tension along his back gave away his fear, though of what Remulo couldn't possibly imagine...

"Nothing of the sort, he's just a human trafficker. And don't write that down, what part of low profile aren't you getting?" Remulo says, hissing as his pounding headache was only getting worse, the server from before quickly dropping off the drink and slinking away as even he notices the annoyed demeanor. Possibly something everyone would notice and be wary of...but what was an assassin's frustrations to a writer like Jan? 

"Bogs..."

Remulo turns back to Yapyap, noticing now just how badly his bounty was trembling, along with the quick glances back into the crowd. Something had really shaken him...

"What? Is this ship not fancy enough? Had I known you cared, I would've picked one far more rusted-"

"Listen to me for a second, you parasite! We're in danger, we need to leave! Find a life boat or something!" Gamulo says, whispering (very loudly) a possible escape plan. The very fact Yapyap wanted them both to leave was odd...

"What are you talking about? I checked the ship several times, there's no one-"

"REMULO BOGS!" 

The assassin's words catch in his throat, his body stiffening. His eyes stare past Gamulo, feline in how he seems to be analyzing his situation...

"We see ya over there, Bogs! How nice of you to corner yourself just for us! Awfully considerate of ya..." 

Finally, Remulo turns, pupils dilating, mouth drawn in a thin line as he registers his "assailants..." 

Only to see three weirdos. His guard lowers for a fraction of a second...

The crowd turns almost in a panic, seeing the three boisterous, loudly dressed vagrants walk to the center of the deck. Men and women clutch jewelry as the thin member winks at them, a few men are tossed aside by the swing of the bulky ones massive arms, and in front, the leader strides with a swagger that exudes utter confidence of abilities. 

"I'm guessin' introductions might be necessary? Soon, the whole sea's gonna know our names anyway! We are....

"THE DIG DUGGUM HUNTERS!" The leader shouts, auburn hair wobbling menacingly as his arms stretch out to present all three. The ship goes silent, everyone frozen in fear or shock...

"...Who?" 

[Mr. Moon]

Jan #5 

The young writer was completely ignoring Remulo´s complains, or rather he was selectively listening them, taking what he deemed interesting and useful and discarding the rest.

“Human trafficker...human trafficker, that´s not...AH I SEE! Someone kidnapped the love of your life and sold her into slavery and now, you are hunting their kind to find information about her fate!”

Few quick movements of the pen later, he had this idea written down, clearing enough mental capacity to listen to the exchange between the hunter and his prey. The human trafficker was obviously scared to death, however Jan suspected that he is just playing it to get chance to escape until three weird vagrants started yelling on someone named Remulo Bogs, according to his sudden reaction, was no one else then his new friend bounty hunter.

“Remulo Bogs...”
Jan repeated slowly, writing the name down. Of course he didn´t wanted to use it for his new character as that would be not only cheap but also boring. But knowing his name and profession made it possible to research the men in front of him in the future. So it was useful information in it´s own right. And the luck was obviously on his side that day as there was another name resonating through the passenger compartment, the “DIG DUGGUM HUNTERS”. To be honest, Jan hoped that Remulo already have some history with them and will introduce them properly, however he looked confused just as everyone else Jan included and so the young writer had no other option then to ask himself.

“Ehm...excuse me. I am terribly sorry for interrupting your...grand entrance, but could you elaborate a little further on who you are? Because you three are excellent material for the role of main antagonist´s dumb minions, however it looks like no one here really knows you and to portrait you better I need more information then your name so...would you be so kind and share more?”

The writer asked with mild smile on his face and his pen ready to write everything down, almost as if he wasn´t really aware of the danger he got himself into.

[mildofthewild]

A beat of silence hangs in the air between the hunters and Jan, the whole boat stunned by the writer's brazen attitude in the face of...well, it wasn't clear actually if there was danger yet...

"Eh? We're..."

"Dumb?"

"Minions?"

All three hunters roll the words off of their tongues, looking back to each other as they register the reception to their grand entrance. Did that writer just call them...

"WE'RE NOT DUMB MINIONS!" The defacto leader seems to shout, his hairdo wobbling furiously as the man clenches his fist, shaking it at the journalist while his face burns red. 

"Yeah, if anythin', we're smart minions! We snuck on this boat, didn't we?! Worhorhorhorhor-"

"We're not minions at all, Orcus! We're bounty hunters! Write that down, you dip! Bounty. Hunters!" The smaller man says, stomping his feet and pointing at Jan, their leader turning back to Remulo. 

"Well, it's not like it really matters whether you know who we are or not! What's important is that we know you! You got quite the price on your head, Bogs! Mr. Atla's raised the reward for bringin' you in to 13, 000, 000 beli! You must've really pissed him off!" 

13, 000, 000? Remulo growls at the news, standing up and taking a sip from his drink...

"Damn that waiter, this is actually pretty good..."

"DON'T IGNORE ME, JERK!" 

So, these were bounty hunters, huh? If anything, it almost seemed like an improv act, though the leader regains his cool as he looks back to Mr. 58. 

"I don't think you realize the danger you're in, Mr. Bogs...we're here to deliver ya to Mr. Atla! In exchange, we'll likely get that place by his side as contract killers! Ya had such a sweet gig and everything, having taken out over 42 contracts across these waters! The fact you went and threw it all away...all 'cause you couldn't kill some Fishman! Well, no matter! The Dig Duggum Hunters...are here to collect!" 

At this, the leader unsheathes his weapon, the length of it glaring brightly from the overhead sun. With a mighty thrust, he embeds it deep into the hull of the ship, revealing his choice of...

A shovel? The weapon of the Dig Duggum Hunters...was a shovel? 

"Listen to this name well, Mr. Writer...and that goes fer the rest of ya," he says, slowly drawing his face up to stare back at his quarry. "Yer lookin' at the man that's takin' down one of the most elusive contract killers in all of the East Blue. Dani "Spade Blade" Duggum." 

A scream belts out from the crowd, Remulo turning to see a number of civilians pinned to the barristers of the ship, their hands bleeding and their clothes holding them in place. The shorter man snickers, running a hand under his nose before quickly firing a salvo of something from his pockets, pinning a few more people by their extremities. 

"Hiiiiihihihihihihi, hey hey now, no need to cause a scene! Make some room, this is gonna be good, folks. Say, writer man, you gettin' my good side? Take this name into account..." 

As he speaks, he reaches into his pocket, pulling out a number of flashing objects between his fingers. Once the glare subsides, Remulo sees quite clearly what he had been slinging around...

"They call me Shirki the Bolter! If there's anythin' I know, it's keepin' an audience...well, that and poetry. Hey, make sure to mention that! Ladies love a poet!" 

Remulo watches the hunters showing off their weaponry and skills, each snickering broadly while the hunter takes notes of each, analyzing the points of attack in his mind and their possible counterattacks, surmising...

That this was a waste of time. 

"Sigh, Yapyap, stay beh-" 

Remulo looks back, only to see the tablecloth fluttering with the panicked breaths of a cowardly trafficker. Gamulo hid himself quite fast for someone so portly, even know covering his mouth, knowing full well what Remulo was about to request...only to have a hand shoot through his "barrier" and grab his cheeks. 

"I need this," Remulo says, pulling his prize out, revealing to Jan a rather strange sight: 

A mouth, dangling from Remulo's fingertips, the sight startling several other passengers, all except for Dani and his band of hunters, all three merely smiling broadly. Remulo cocks his head slightly, noting their excitement, almost as if they anticipated this...

"So, it's true then. You're a cursed soul, afflicted by the Sea Devil! The wielder of a Devil Fruit!" Dani says, eyes darkening and teeth flashing as his smile stretches. A battle was set to start...one that would catch Jan right in the middle of it all...

[Mr. Moon]

Jan #6 

As usual with the less intelligent folk, the three wannabe bounty hunters became all agitated about Jan simply stating the truth about their role in the story. Well, maybe taking the current situation into account he could be more polite since they were real and obviously armed people, not just characters in his story, but then...he didn´t care. Seeing them, Jan´s muscles became tense as he prepared himself for a fight, however instead of attacking him they started talking again, giving him many new and interesting information about Bogs.

“Thirteen millions? That´s not bad for Blue, how did you...”

He wanted to ask the bounty hunter how he managed to amass such big bounty in a simple Blue like that, but the three dimwits were kind enough to explain even without asking.

“Contract killer with 42 confirmed kills, now that´s what I call a career!”

He smiled, without carrying much about speaking too loud, making few quick notes to his notebook.

“But giving it up for a fishman?”

The author frowned. Compared to majority of the people in North Blue Jan could be considered very liberal in his attitude towards different races, but that didn´t mean his readers would appreciate this kind of romance.

“Let´s say she was young, beautiful mermaid.”

He muttered and added few more lines, before sitting on nearby table to get farther away from the main stage of the impending fight.

Watching the introduction of the...let´s call them Gravediggers for the sake of the story…Peter was quickly writing notes about their names and unique weapons completely ignoring the fact that the man called Shiriki attacked and injured several civilians to show himself off. He notice of course, but he simply wasn´t good enough person to care about them.

But what he cared about was the sight on mouth dangling from Remulo´s fingertips.

“Hmmmm”

Jan silently frowned. This was the first ability user he met so far, but as Magnus´s disciple he had...internalized distrust towards them, that was strong enough to make him...reevaluate his position in the upcoming fight a bit.

With both sides prepared to jump on each other the tension was omnipresent when Jan suddenly realized, that he miss one important piece of information.

“Ehm, excuse me, before you start killing each other, you there Crying Giant!”
He pointed finger on the last member of the “Gravediggers” who didn´t introduced himself unlike his two partners.

“What´s your gimmick. I would like to portray you as accurately as possible, and it would be shame if you, by some accident, died before revealing it so, would you be so kind and introduce yourself beforehand too?”

[mildofthewild]

Remulo was having a difficult time focusing on the bounty hunters' threats while dealing with Jan's incessant remarks, the killer growing particularly annoyed at the last note the writer scribbled down about him. 

"I was beaten by the Fishman, that's all it was. Bit off more than I could chew, would you stop writing and get out of the way? I'm not responsible for whatever happens to you," Remulo remarks, his usual calm demeanor being pushed to the absolute limit by Jan's "creative" writing. 

The groups were ready to pounce on each other, a murderous glare bouncing between Remulo, Dani "Spade Blade" and Shirki, before each was interrupted by the booming, pouting voice of Orcus. 

"Hey! Hey hey hey, wait a minute, you guys didn't let me introduce myself! Come on, I wanna intro, even the writer agrees!" Orcus says, practically pleading with his fellow hunters while dwarfing each with his monstrous size. Remulo once again cocks his head, utterly confused at the flamboyant natures displayed by these three. He was used to a far more..."reserved" target...

"Okay okay, fine! Orcus, you take first swing then." Dani says, hocking a loogie and flicking his nose at Remulo before taking a step back, sheathing his shovel yet again while he leans against the ship's mast. 

"WHAT?! Oh come on, we were just about to clobber him! Ugh, fine, you big baby, go ahead and have all the fun! Nogoodcryingblubberin'lummox..." Shirki adds, slinking off like a child denied a treat and taking his seat next to his leader, sitting cross-legged on the deck while absently tossing a bolt in the air, surely meant as a warning to anyone that might try to barge into the confrontation. 

"Thanks boss! Okay, writer guy, lissen up! You two, Bogs! You'll get a kick out of this, worhorhorhorhor..." Orcus says, grinning broadly while slamming his fists together. Now amidst the overhead sun, the shade cast by Orcus's immense size gave the impression of standing before a mighty behemoth, the man bouncing from foot to foot before lifting both hands high once more. The size betrayed the speed of the man, as in one swing, Orcus's fists smash into the deck...leaving a gaping hole along with a kick up of sawdust and wood chips. 

Coughing through the new haze, Remulo catches sight of Orcus's veiled figure, eyes widening at seeing his hands...

"Worhehehehehehe, I see you noticed. You're not the only one with weird powers..." Orcus says, giggling while bringing his hands to bare, both of his fists replaced by two massive hammer heads. The civilians on deck gasp and scream, each shivering at the display of not one but two devil fruit users. 

"W-what the heck?! They're real? Devil Fruits are real?!"

"They've both been cursed by the Sea Devil! We're stuck on board with two monsters!" 

"They're freaks...they're freaks!"

"I ate the Bam Bam Fruit. I'm a Hammer Man! I can turn any part of my body into a hammer and SMASH my way through anything!" Orcus proudly declares before launching a fist at Remulo, prompting the man to duck while part of the ship behind him crumples beneath Orcus's might. Grunting, Remulo figures the fastest way to take care of this is to go in for the kill, the assassin quickly dashing forward to deliver a punch straight through Orcus's chest-

CRUNCH!

"AAAAAGH!" 

Remulo kneels, gripping his trembling hand while he sucks in his breath at the pain ebbing through it. Broken. Completely. Remulo looks back up to Orcus's grinning visage, catlike eyes looking for a new weak spot. 

"Didn't you hear me?! I can turn any part of my body into hammers! I can smash my way through anything...and nothing can smash me back! WORHORHORHORHORHORHOR!!"

[Mr. Moon]

Jan #7 

Playing the role of silent observer, Jan was watching as Orcus “the Crying Giant” eagerly revealed his secret to not only him, but Remulo as well.

“Another Ability user”.

The writer muttered for himself and quickly wrote another note or two. His plain succeeded. Truth to be told, he didn´t care for the bounty hunter nor the civilians, but he cared for his story and good story required the hero to be victorious with minimal civilian casualties. And this way many of the bystanders got a nice chance, not to mention excuse to get out of the room as almost everyone was struck by fear and panic when Orcus was revealed as second ability user in the room.

“You are welcomed.”

Sighed Jan in his mind as giving his hero this vital information was the second part of his plan. Well obviously he had no idea that Orcus has Devil Fruit powers, but he figured out, that revealing his skills now rather than in the middle of battle would be advantageous for the Bounty hunter and he wasn´t mistaken.

“Now, what will you...WHAT?!”

Jan was left dumbfounded when despite being warned beforehand Remulo actually tried to punch the hammer-man with his bare hand resulting in the only possible outcome...his arm getting broken by the blow.

“Oh come on is that really all you can do? What a let down.”

The writer sighed as he jumped down from the table, slowly walking towards the bounty hunter and Orcus.

“Now, now come on and get up you have to do better or I let this big guy to be the hero of my new book.”

Hoping that he judged Orcus´s character correctly, Jan was voluntarily provoking him to prove his “worthiness” by attacking Remulo again. As he already walked almost to their position, he intended to jump in, using the Heaven Trigram of his to counter the big guy´s attack. His plan was based on two theories. First...since Orcus´s power was hammer, his forearm should be either unchanged or transformed into wooden shaft, which should be possible to block for Jan. And second, that such simpleton as the hammer-man wouldn´t muster enough wits when surprised to transform his head into hammer in time. Hopefully he was right in both, or he´ll be in troubles.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Heaven Trigram Palm}
One of the eight basic techniques of Phoenix serving as an effective counter against close quarters attacks. Using his forearm, to block the attack from the outside, Jan sidesteps to get into his opponent´s range, hooking his legs from behind with his own and putting the palm of his blocking hand on their chin in one fluid motion. From there he trips their leg and push on their chin, slamming their head against the ground with all his might.

[mildofthewild]

Well, that was embarrassing, Bogs thinks to himself, looking down to his mangled hand before back up at the towering figure of Orcus, exposed for another attack. Orcus raises his own hammer fist once more, ready to smash it down on Remulo, something the assassin was looking for...

“Now, now come on and get up you have to do better or I let this big guy to be the hero of my new book.”

Remulo turns back, eye twitching slightly as he watches the writer sidle up to their fight. Orcus follows suit, though the larger man was more taken aback by Jan's proclamation of making him the hero...

"Me? The hero? Woah, you really think I could??" The big man's eyes light up, thinking of his own face plastered across the shelves as a best seller, grinning widely as he stares off...and neglects to smash his fist down on Remulo's head. 

"ORCUS, FINISH HIM, YOU DOLT!" Dani shouts, waking the brute out of his mind funk as he proceeds to swing his arm...only for Jan's counter to swing the blow away. 

"Wh-whu?!" Orcus's confusion is short lived as Jan hooks the man's leg, sending a palm right into Orcus's chin. Remulo watches, eyebrows arched in unbelievability as the colossus fumbles backwards, his full weight crashing into the deck, his head embedding itself in the floor...

"...Th...That....He blocked Orcus?!" 

The titan's partners in crime stare slack-jawed at the writer's feat, Remulo even blank faced as he stands back to attention, holding his swollen hand as if bored with the extremeties. 

"...Impressive. He's not done, though." The assassin says simply, and sure enough the titan's body rumbles to life, Orcus's sending a shower of splinters around as he lifts himself back to attention. 

"HEY! You said I'd be the hero!" Orcus shouts back, furious at having his chance at stardom taken...

"That's it, we're not standin' by anymore." Dani's shoulders shrug off his shovel, the man levelling the blade at Jan while nodding at Shirki. "Skewer 'im, let Orcus and I finish off Bogs," he says before dashing forward, attempting to decapitate the hitman in one swing as Orcus sits back at attention. 

"Got it boss. TAKE THIS!" Shirki levels his hands at Jan before unleashing a stream of bolts, the rapid glint off each metal head reminiscent of gunfire as a slew of the makeshift ammo aims to riddle the writer's body. 

Meanwhile, Remulo grits his teeth, lifting one foot up and slamming it on the spade of Dani's shovel; the bounty hunter grimaces before pulling himself forward, not caught offguard by the motion. Seems as if he knows the dangers of such a weapon. 

"ORCUS! Ring the gong!" The leader yells, eliciting a broad smile from his companion, lifting one hammer hand up high before slamming it on his chest...

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG!!!!!!

A earsplitting gong wavers across the deck, the wood shaking and civilians crying out in pain while Remulo takes a knee. Blood spurts from his ears as Dani smiles wickedly, pulling himself forward to stare deep into his eyes. 

"Looks like you ain't so tou-HURK!"

Bogs' head slams into Dani's own, sending the man reeling back and onto the backfoot as his opponent rises up. 

"It takes more than hammers and shovels to kill me, you roach..."