A Quick Errand and a Total Catastrophe

[Bobbie]

As the cruiser came to a swaying halt at the docks of Strawberry Hill Island, Yoshi promised his companions that this would only be a quick errand. He’d be back long before it was time for the ship to set sail again, but insisted that this needed to be done.

Walking over the gangplank, Yoshi set foot on land and took a deep breath to take in the air of his home, where it all began. He had a couple of bad memories of this place, but some very fond ones too. After he had been forced to leave the orphanage, he was able to make an identity for himself that brought him to this point in his life, a proud musician aiming to make it big! Being optimistic was what always got him through in life, this episode was treated no differently. Along the way, a few mishaps did cause some issues, which prompted the young artist to keep his head down, but he was hopeful that it won't last forever.

While his bounty was nowhere near those other folks with massive numbers on their heads, it was still a bounty, and to an innocent person like Yoshi, it was enough to make him anxious whenever out and about in public. One day, he hoped to prove that the bounty was undeserved and everything was all just a misunderstanding, but right now he had another goal in mind.

He needed to replace his yellow jacket.

This was the place he had originally bought his old one from, after all, surely he could find an identical - or incredibly similar - one. As he walked through the streets of Strawberry Hill, planning to steer clear of the Orphanage and any other areas where he might be recognised, he made his way toward the shopping district that faced the docks with his wings folded and concealed underneath his t-shirt. The subtle slits cut into it would allow them to spread if he needed them to; however, with one wing injured, it wasn’t likely they’d be doing that.

“Alright…” pausing, he rubbed his gloved hands together, the padding stuffed into the fingers making up for the thinly structured digits in the gloves. A smile grew on his face as he was excited to be here and slightly overwhelmed at how busy this district was. He had quite forgotten what it was like to even be at a shopping district, let alone one such as this! There were so many shops, all lined up with items on display outside and in. Lightly patting his pocket to check that his money was still in there, he hurried forward to begin his browsing, lingering outside each one to do some window-shopping first. 

---

Post: 1
Yoshi: #b4ff38

[Cacharc]

"Breathe, sweat, pull, push..." Those were thoughts that usually roamed Anok's mind during his daily workout. Simple, mechanical and monotonous, everything that one would need in the unpredictable life in the sea. Though it was a pure wish from the heart, the life of a seaman was a tad too chaotic for his taste. From caring for the elderly and finding lost pets to fighting outlaws and chasing petty thieves, the job went from one to a hundred too fast.

Getting used to the routine was hard, but he handled it. Anok pulled through for a year until a particular altercation in a bar full of drunk gang members finally got him. Sore, mad, and underpaid, he was in doing one last routine patrol before politely asking his petty officer for a raise or a duel to the death. No in-between, low-ranking officials would die before giving up such a position, him included.

Firearm in hand, Anok took a path to his regular patrol route. The plaza, the fountain, east street, docks. Everything seemed fine, by the time he made it to the buzziest areas of the shopping district the movement was high. Lots of people with lots of money to spend, and the place gave an atmosphere of rush, one that he grew accustomed to at this point.

As he was browsing through the busy street, one thing caught his eye. A small, scrawny blonde that he wasn't quite as unfamiliar.
"He looks familiar..." He mumbled to himself and pulled his cap downwards to hide his eyes.
As an agent of justice, Anok knew better than to dismiss his gut feeling that something bad was happening. Looking around and going closer to the suspect to not be noticed, his eyes didn't fail him, and neither did his memory. That man looked suspiciously like the "yellow jacket", a low-life, wanna-be gangster that was seen assaulting marine officials not long ago.
"What the?! What is he doing here?! He was reported missing after escaping law enforcement..." Intrigued and surprised, adrenaline surfed through his body as possibilities came flashing in his mind. "What if I caught him right now?! Im sure the Petty Cheif would give me a huge compensation if I came with his head on a silver platter!"
With all this thinking, Anok just stopped walking all at once, as he was now staring directly at the very one he was trying to deceive.

[Bobbie]

It really didn’t take Yoshi very long to find the jacket he was looking for. It wasn’t of the expensive variety, in fact it looked like it could pass for a cheap yellow raincoat, but it was what he wanted and at a price he could afford. His face lit up, nearly pressed against the glass window once he spotted it and then looked down at his pocket, from which he pulled out the money he brought with him.

He was in and out of the shop in less than five minutes, now nice and snug in his yellow jacket. Shortly after he exited, however, he found a man in uniform not very far off, staring right at him. Immediately, Yoshi felt a chill go down his spine as his body went cold.

Sh*t… does he recognise me? He wondered. How long has he been watching me?

Feeling his heart race in his chest, his mind instantly went to the worst and assumed this official was after him for his bounty. Frozen on the spot, Yoshi didn’t know what to do, and the pair must have been staring at each other for a while, because people who passed by were muttering complaints for them to move out of the way.

Did he follow me from the ship or was he already here? If I run, I’ll only look more suspicious… Yoshi took a deep breath in an attempt to silence his thoughts that were getting the better of him. He was trying his best not to panic, but was not very successful. Going back to the cruiser would be useless now, as the ship would not be leaving for another couple of hours, at least.

Suddenly, all the remaining loose change that he held in his gloved hand was flung at the marine before the young blond spun on his heel and made a run for it along the shops in the opposite direction. As he pushed oncoming shoppers, Yoshi uttered several apologies while he ran through the densely forming crowd with as little physical contact with civilians as possible to try and shake the marine off his tail, presuming he was being followed.

---

Post: 2
Yoshi: #b4ff38

[Cacharc]

Still staring at the blonde and thinking to himself, the marine was starting to doubt his memory. But, as he was ready to apologize to the "civilian", he saw the blonde man put on the infamous yellow jacket and turn around with an expression of comfort on his face.
with only one look at the criminal face, all his doubts vanished. "It's him!"
Finally deciding to take action, he goes for the kill, approaching the target fast and steadily.
"Excuse me, sir! I have reason to believe you are a wan-"

Before he could even finish his formal arrest, the conversation was cut short thanks to a surprise attack launched in his direction.

"Agh!" he wailed in pain, "Coins?! That's not even funny."
Right after plunging a bunch of coins at an officer, the blonde ran into the middle of the crowd.
With such commotion, the bulk of the civilians on the busy street started to disperse and roam around in a state of panic so characteristic of terrified groups of people.
Without a thought to spare, he pointed his rifle to the sky and shot twice. The thunderous blast was so loud, that people started to completely clear the streets like startled animals.
"Stop right there, criminal!" He screamed as the clear streets gave a direct view of the fleeing man.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, his heart pounding with excitement he smiled a determined grin as he saw his perfect chance to get out of the monotony. He squatted and screamed at the top of his lungs:

"GEPPO"

He took a great leap into the sky and started to fly at high speed in the direction of the target.

"I said stop!"
He screamed in the same motion as he threw the rifle in the direction of the target, as it was now empty holding it was nothing but a waste of space. He was excited to fight hand-to-hand anyway.

[Bobbie]

In a panic, Yoshi sped through the crowd, frantically looking for a way out of the marine’s line of sight. He slowed down for a moment to look around him, only to hear two loud gunshots crack through the air.

Nearly jumping out of his skin, the young man tensed, his hands rising to cover his head by instinct, before he ran faster once more. He wasn’t sure if the bullets were even aimed at him or the sky, but either way, his pursuer successfully caused the people who were providing Yoshi with at least some cover to scatter and disperse. Out in the open, he turned to look for the wielder of said gun, only to find that he wasn’t anywhere in the street behind him.

Then the man yelled at him from the sky and Yoshi looked up directly at him with wide eyes. “I’m not a criminal!” He shouted back, the rifle that was thrown at him just barely missing him.

He can fly? I don’t see wings.

Yoshi had a lot to learn, and this was something that he might, perhaps, question his new friends about later on, but right now he needed to act fast and think even faster. Taking a sharp turn, he suddenly slipped into a side street that would take him through a narrow stone passage, using the high walls as temporary cover from his flying assailant.

“Where am I going? Where am I going?” he whispered to himself, thinking aloud as the pitter patter of his feet were soon accompanied by an aloof beat that he made with his mouth to keep him energised. This wasn’t a place he hadn’t been before, but it had been some time since he had, so he needed to jog his memory.

“The University!” As he had his Eureka moment, Yoshi suddenly skidded to a halt and suddenly burst into a shop. He was still in the shopping district, but if he remembered correctly, he could carry on westward to reach the University soon… after taking a minute to catch his breath inside this-

“A bakery!?” Clearly stepping inside the wrong kind of store, there was little place for him to hide, but in an out-of-bounds area that he was sure would lead to a back exit. The staff area, past the counter.

---

Post: 3
Yoshi: #b4ff38

[Cacharc]

With the wind blowing in his face and the excitement of the fight coursing through his body, he didn't even notice when the loud crashing sound only meant that he wasted the opportunity for the perfect attack.
"Artillery was never my best skill anyways..." After his embarrassment fades away, he sees at the corner of his eye the bright yellow silhouette entering a narrow alley.
Seeing his target fleeing he rapidly descends from the sky in preparation for his next move.
"You might think this your something, but this is my island!" He screamed as his malicious grin only grew wider. Taking a deep breath he untied his red scarf placed on his neck as uniform and tied it around his knuckle.

"Pele: Aggression!" As he uttered these words, his body was enveloped in a warm feeling like a machine that suddenly ignited. Three wooden statues came out of his arms.
"Come on boys, let's make it quick!" Just as they fell on the ground, the small darkened tribal drawings and carvings opened slightly and lit up with red light. They were the size of a big dog and resembled tiki totems.
Acting like actual dogs they growled and grumbled angrily with fiery eyes.

You're done

He thought to himself while strutting deeper into the street.
"Don't let him go too far. And if you catch him, scream." He directed his minions as they separated into two groups: Anok alongside one totem going deeper into the city, and the remainder two totems looking inside the shops scaring the shoppers and storeowners.
As he furthered his path he could feel his creations causing havoc, but he didnt care, all that mattered was catching the bad guy.

"Run. Jump. Bite. Look" Simple direction for simple creatures, totem creation was perhaps the most useful Anok could get out of gambling with a devil fruit. His totems were durable, powerful, and most important: effective. Though temperamental, Anok had good control of his emotions, which made dealing with his wooden gremlins.

"GRRAAAAAAOOOAOOAAL"
A monstrous roar echoed through the very street where Anok was running. A smile was brought to his face upon hearing it, which prompted him to stop in his tracks as if someone was pulling him.
They got it
He mumbled as he fled in the opposite direction at twice the speed at which he came.

[Bobbie]

Yoshi made a sprint through the kitchen of the bakery, knocking some of the hanging cutlery off their hooks and sending the metal tools and utensils crashing to the ground or over counters.

The screams that followed were both because of this unexpected intrusion, as well as the pair of monstrous faces that peered into the shop in search for said intruder. Customers flew out of the shop faster than any owners could beg them to stay, and employees followed after them at full speed as they decided they weren’t paid enough for this.

As he burst out through the back door of the bakery, Yoshi’s head frantically turned from left to right, quickly trying to figure out where to go next. Looking to the left through a gap between the shops, however, he caught sight of one of the two hideous creatures that were growling and menacingly running through the street, terrifying shop patrons in search for him.

“What the hell are those things?” He uttered in horror, slowly backing away from them and wasting precious time.

“I said I’m not a criminal!” he repeated as he swiftly turned and continued to run, staggering and nearly falling over, prompting his wings to slip through the slits in his jacket and flutter slightly underneath his jacket, instinctively trying to help with balance. As they settled, he stepped inside another shop. It was a souvenir shop aimed toward foreigners who came to Strawberry Hill’s harbour, a very quiet place with a delicate bell on the door. Yoshi’s panting quickly attracted the attention of people inside the shop who hadn’t caught wind of what was going on a few doors down yet.

His appearance made it difficult for the musician to blend in as he walked through the store with so many delicate ornaments on the shelves.

Then the roar could be heard right behind Yoshi, causing him to spin around. As if by reflex, he leapt backward, grabbing a customer to pull her in front of him before pushing her toward the dog-like tiki monster that lunged at him to use the poor woman as a human shield. Bolting out of the shop, he made his way toward the East Plaza where the University was without daring to look back. He had no idea where the second one of those things was.

His plan was simple - if he could get to a more populated space with officials around, surely somebody would intervene and be more interested in those creatures than him. The best place for that would be The Guild Hall, on the west side of Strawberry Hill, but he wasn’t sure he could make it that far.

---

Post: 4
Yoshi: #b4ff38

[Cacharc]

Rushing through the shops, the officer was flying like a rocket, startling all the shop owners.
As he was following the growlings of his totems, he could hear the muttering of a shop worker, "Again?". Which, was only more confirmation that he was on the right way.
Looking at the terrified faces of those who passed by, he wondered, "Why is he running so much? I'm pretty sure he assaulted multiple World Government officers, and those guys are tough. Weird, maybe he's not that confident without his accomplices! HAHAHAHA"
With a big grin, he followed the traces of chaos partially left by his minions. And he could sense that he was getting closer. But, the fastest he ran, the more reckless he was, knocking over people and counters in the way. In particular, he passed through a souvenir store with many delicate, handmade-looking ornaments, many made of glass and wood. He knocked off a big shelf that separated the left and right sectors of the smallish shop, which fell over to the left near the counter that lead to the back door.
The sound of wood splitting and glass shattering was almost melodic to his ears in the middle of such chaos as the water present in the snow globes spilled all over the white tiled floor.
"Whatta mess" He uttered under his breath as he saw, in the corner of his eye, a woman without a hint of color on her face.

"Excuse me, citizen! Have you seen a small man dressed in yellow?" He shouted at her face as to bring her back to reality.

"Ye-ye-s sir.." she replied faintly in front of the officer towering over her.

"And which way did he go?"

"He r-r-ran to b-back."

"Thank you, ma'am! Would you do me a favor and request assistance from the Marine HQ? The individual in question is a violent offender resisting arrest!"

He said in the best professional voice he had to offer, which wasn't that great.
He jumped over the counter and rapidly made his way to the back door, which gave him a direct view of the street leading to the east plaza.
Running down this path, the yellow coat that the fugitive wore was so bright that was impossible not to see it.

"THIS IS YOUR LAS WARNING!" He screamed, only receiving a slight glance from the blonde.
Annoyed, he grabbed the Totem that was accompanying him and flung it at the sky.
Making it land in front of him, blocking his direct passage both in the front and the back.

"Murder; disturbance of the peace; vandalism; assaulting a marine officer; resisting arrest. The list is getting longer by the second. If you only follow me to HQ I can clear some of those, but if you continue to run there's nothing I can do. So, how's it gonna be?"
As strict as Anok was in the path of justice, he couldn't help but thought himself arresting someone so non-confrontational.

[Bobbie]

Yoshi was getting closer to the fountain, but it was still quite far. His run came to an end, however, when one of Anok’s Totems was hurled through the air and it landed in front of him.

The young musician skidded to a stop and nearly fell over as his arms flailed, his wings fluttering once again. The membrane of one of his wings gained a slightly pink hue as the redness of the skin beneath it was visible through the thin wing.

Turning to face Anok, he quickly raised his hands to show he really meant no harm. The marine’s offer was tempting, but Yoshi quickly recalled the last time he tried to clear his own name and how that backfired. Truth be told, however, if he didn’t have to be back on that ship with his friends, he might have taken him up on that offer and counted on Anok’s help to give it another try. Taking a deep breath, he glanced back at the ugly creature that was now behind him, then at the University on his right, and finally at Anok.

“Okay, I was framed for the murder, will be happy to bring the peace back with some chill beats, I did not actively choose to vandalise anything, and I would hardly considering throwing coins at you assault…” he explained with a sheepish smile. “Come on… I shouldn’t even be arrested, because I didn’t do any of those things, so that resisting arrest charge may as well also be dropped, don’t you think?” Pausing, he gauged the man’s reaction, before shrugging lightly. “Please?”

With each tiny little step that Yoshi took forward, he also shifted his body to the right. “I would like nothing more than to be cleared of crimes I did not commit, believe me, but I really need to get back to the cruiser I was on, so… We can both just pretend this never happened - and you can keep the change.”

The blond raised his eyebrows as if to tempt the marine with such a miserly exchange.

---

Post: 5
Yoshi: #b4ff38

[Cacharc]

"It may not be, but it certainly wasn't nice!" The sailor confrontationally as his fight stance loosen-up.

"Look pal, I'm just a recruit, I can't just clear a 6 million bounty out of nowhere. That would be impossible!"

"And even if I could, how would I know you're innocent? You know what?! I'm not dropping anything! You wouldn't be trying to escape if you weren't guilty!"
He straightened his fighting stance.

"I don't know if you fight, but that's the way I know how to solve things!
And for the last time, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

As he finished his stance, a slight nod was waved in the direction of the totems. Who promptly took the signal and bit both of the stringy legs of the blonde. He gathered momentum and launched a front kick on Yoshi's chest with all the strength he had. Sending the blonde flying across the street, hitting a light post on its way down slightly bending it.

With the big commotion caused by the two, a large portion of the civilians circulating had already left in fear and confusion at this point, making the street oddly quiet.
"Go now!" Anok signaled to his totems commanding them to attack.

As the monstrous totems made their way to the target with all the intention of destroying him, they stopped. A thunderous noise was heard coming from the direction of the docs, and the public cheered its coming.

"Step aside!"
"It's the marines!"
"He went in that direction!"

Backup was near, now was only a question of time to catch this dodgy teen.

[Bobbie]

Having the two totems bite both of Yoshi’s legs was as confusing as it was painful. His attempts to pry them off him were interrupted by the sole of Anok’s boot slamming into his chest and sending him flying across the square.

When his back collided with the light post, the light was immediately snuffed and the pole was bent. Yoshi felt burning pain shoot through his shoulder, his wing already injured as it was and the blow against the steel structure reminded him of that.

Grabbing onto the post before dropping down onto his feet, he tried to limit any further damage that would have otherwise been caused by the fall, and immediately raised his hand to his other shoulder to try and massage it slightly. The sound of the marines yelling from the dock made his blood run cold.

Sh*t… I can’t afford to get caught now, we just got Samuel out of captivity!

It seemed that running wasn’t an option against this guy, not with those two little gremlins on his tail. All he could hope was that he could win in a fight against this guy and do so fast enough to get out of there before being caught and before missing the cruiser’s departure from the port.

“Alright, if it’s a fight you want…”

He’s just a recruit, right? He said so himself, and his manner hardly seems professional, not in comparison to the marines we faced earlier… Yoshi contemplated what sort of a challenge this man would pose, knowing not to underestimate an opponent, but he was sure he had faced worse not too long ago. He was, however, at a disadvantage - his fighting style was strongest when on the defence, and his wing prevented any stable form of flying. Nevertheless, they tore through his newly purchased jacket to sprout freely, one visible more mobile than the other. Then the musician removed his blue gloves, revealing thin spindly fingers, black and long that would leave the gloves largely unfilled if not for the extra packing they were filled with.

The gloves were stuffed into his pocket.

Gesturing for Anok to approach, Yoshi’s body shifted and swayed as he began to quietly beatbox a rhythm to move his body to in preparation for battle and ready to react to oncoming strikes as he had been taught in the arts of Tai Chi.

There was, of course, another disadvantage, as the blonde’s attention was divided. He was outnumbered and up against three opponents instead of one.

---

Post: 6
Yoshi: #b4ff38

[Cacharc]

The disappointment on Yoshi's face was clear as his intentions of getting away safely got slimmer. And even though he had no other choice, he still looked reluctant in following through with the fight, but anyways, he did. He first took off his medical gloves, revealing long and thin blackened fingers that gave an even more distinct look to the man.
They look like insect hands... Would it be weird if I asked why?... I bet it would make the mood awkward...
The boy then gestured to Anok to start the fight, he did so in a way that exuded a sense of confidence that wasn't there before. Scary.
That moment alone let Anok know that he was dealing with someone that knew his way around a fight, which wasn't unexpected, but worrying still. He was humming a weird tune, but Anok didn't pay any mind, he was already focusing on his next move.

"Humpf" He let out a small squeak signaling his happiness as a faint grin appeared at the side of his mouth.

"Whooee-uueet" Anok whistled to the totem closest to him, who promptly jumped in the air in his direction, spinning with his limbs all curled up. The high-speed spinning gave the creature a spherical shape that looked like a cannonball.

Anok then stretched his right leg up in the air and kicked the totem in a downward plunging motion aiming at Yoshi.
The power delivered in that kick was devastating, and the noise was as loud as a cannonblast.
Just as he send the humongous projectile flying, he stepped back and signaled to the second totem to tackle Yoshi from the back simultaneously.

[Bobbie]

Yoshi kept his eyes on his opponent and the little minions that were within his sight. He knew one appeared to be missing, but he didn’t have the luxury to stop and look around for the creature.

As Anok whistled and gave some non-verbal command to the totem to pounce at its owner, only to be launched in Yoshi’s direction with a powerful kick, Yoshi prepared himself for what was coming his way. The large cannonball flew in his direction, and while the young martial artist originally considered countering such an attack, the sound that came from the kick caused him to change his mind. Out of the corner of his compound eyes, he also spotted movement, which he could only figure was the other menace of the two that accompanied his opponent.

With a flutter of his wings, Yoshi lunged forward with water-like movements as he aimed to duck below the projectile while also swiftly taking himself out of the other totem’s reach. His main target was not either of those two, and he hoped that they would actually collide with one another and knock each other out while he tackled Anok himself.

Dashing forward, the yellow-jacketed fugitive raised his left arm defensively as well as to offer a distraction, before making a chop at Anok’s lower ribs with his other arm and following it up with a quick elbow strike to his windpipe.

"Call your minions off and at least make this a fair fight!"

---

Post: 7
Yoshi: #b4ff38

[Cacharc]

After a direct blow to the throat that was followed by an even stronger chop to the ribs, Anok had his air knocked out of him for a few seconds.

"Argh!" he grunted in pain as he held one of his hands on his now bruised neck.
"Fair?!" He uttered in shock looking into Yoshi's face, noticing again the curious insectoid aspect that his body had, especially in his hands.

"You're a hypocrite! Asking for a fair fight, you know I can see your weird hands! Im sure you're some sort of devil fruit user!"

"But you know what, I'll give it to you!" Snapping his fingers as he finished the sentence, all of his totems vanished in a small cloud of ashes that left nothing behind.

"But don't think I will make it easy, play time is over!"
Cracking his knuckles, and positioning himself in an attack stance with bent knees and both hands on his hips. Another wooden statue came off of his arm and fell flat on the ground. The statue was the size of a small dog and had a frightened expression on its face.

"GO!"
As Anok screamed, the totem opened its mouth and let out the loudest scream one could ever hear.
Covering his ears, Anok took advantage of the distraction and went for the attack.
Gathering his hands together like mace he swiftly attacked Yoshi With a heavy swing to his shoulder.
Followed by a direct punch to the gut.

[Bobbie]

For a moment, Yoshi had what could only be described as a hurt expression on his face when Anok called his hands weird. It was a bit of a sore spot, which was why he always covered them up, and hid whatever he could, but he needed to be in hybrid form for his music…

“They’re not that weird…” he muttered, looking down at his hands rather stupidly and allowing himself to get distracted by such a comment. The next thing he knew, a shrill scream filled the air, and the young musician nearly jumped out of his skin.

His shoulders tense, he quickly looked up to see his opponent charging right at him before he swung his clasped hands at him, using them as a mace. The impact caused Yoshi’s vision to blur with pain. His shoulder was already wounded and feeling the man’s knuckles slam into it was excruciating. Catching a glimpse of another attack coming his way, the blond panicked and his body transformed into his full bug form, a tiny little kissing bug with one crooked wing.

The force of Anok’s punch through the air, sent the bug gliding a few feet before Yoshi transformed back into his hybrid form and landed on the ground with a heavy thud. It was the first time he’d ever needed to do that and he stared up at his opponent with a look of shock.

Admittedly, he underestimated this young marine… and perhaps overestimated his own abilities to fight.

Scrambling to his feet, Yoshi discarded any previous requests for a fair fight, his body fuelled by adrenaline and his fight or flight instinct telling him to run. With absolutely no shame whatsoever, he ran as fast as he could away from Anok, only glancing back once before sprinting up a few steps that marked the entrance to the University.

“Nope, nope, nope, nope!” he repeatedly said in between apologies as he rushed through the building, narrowly missing students or possibly lecturers and knocking over those that he didn’t.

“Hey, stop! Students and employees only!” A security guard suddenly shouted after being shoved aside by the fleeing yellow-jacketed young man.

---

Post: 8
Yoshi: #b4ff38