Last Witness

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #1

So, in the end, it came to this. Invincible Reason a large ship stolen from Marines was sailing towards the Conomi Island, using the Marine´s flag that came with the ship to not raise any suspicion. After all, they had to get as close as possible, to block any escape route for the line cruiser that was docking in one of the Conomi´s ports.
“Looks pretty ordinary to me…”
Muttered Namkhai, Gabriel´s trusted lieutenant, who was standing with him on the bow of their ship.
“Yeah, but do you remember a time when Isaac´s intel wasn´t accurate?”
Namkhai shook his head. Since the Python´s tournament Myra´s brother became an important member of M.A.R.I. who was using his unique skills and his family´s connection to obtain vital intelligence data for them. It was thanks to him, that they found out that this particular ship was operated by a company owned by Hayami Katsumasa who used it to smuggle slaves out of the East Blue as no one in their right mind would expect a ship full of rich people to have secret deck filled with kidnapped victims. And of course, it was also Isaac who figured out that this time the whole deck was occupied by a single captive, a giant mermaid that was supposed to be sold to someone on the Grand Line.
“Something bothers you?”
The Titan asked his friend when he noticed the look on his face.
“Yeah…”
Gabriel nodded.
“This whole thing…if he wanted to silence her, why did he pick this way? Clean kill would be safer and probably more merciful.”
For a moment Namkhai´s face darkened, before he nodded in agreement.
“Probably, but if I learned something while traveling this Blue, it´s that you should never underestimate human greed. And Mermaids are selling for a high price, especially young ones.”

[Bobbie]

Danielle couldn’t believe she was on another cruise-liner with Rosalina. She didn’t hate being with Rosalina, but after the first cruise that was such a disaster, she could think of a thousand more enjoyable things to do than board another cruise with her fiancée. Still, Rosalina was dead set on enjoying sailing the seas! That is, in the laziest and most luxurious way possible of course, that didn't require the spoilt rich girl to lift a single finger during the voyage.

It was nothing like the sailing she had been a part of with her old friends...

The blonde had tried to steer her beloved toward other activities and adventures they could embark on together, but once she saw how badly Rosalina wanted this to make up for the last one, the lovestruck woman could only agree to it. She wanted Rosalina to be happy. She wanted to be happy herself as well, but truly believed that her own happiness depended on that of Rosalina… she loved the ginger princess after all, and this must be what true love is. As she lay on the bed in their spacious cabin, an arm holding her beloved close to her, Danielle stared at the ceiling, contemplating this sacrifice that she made for love. This among many… however, any time that she spent with Rosalina was deeply precious to her, so it continued to frustrate her why it felt like it wasn’t enough. She fully blamed it on these dreaded cruises and had grown to detest the very notion of them.

Prompted by her silence as she lay in bed with her significant other, Danielle was questioned about where her mind went and whether she was enjoying the cruise and their time together. Predictably, a simple ‘nowhere’ in response was not satisfactory to the redhead, and so that lie was piled upon with flattery that placed Rosalina at the centre of her thoughts, and, with that, she was content.

Eventually, the pair emerged from their cabin for a late breakfast cooked by the finest chefs money could buy. With a full plate, Danielle stood in the doorway and held the door open for Rosalina while she waited for her to fill her own plate as the food was served in buffet fashion.

“Let’s go eat out on the deck for some fresh air. There are tables set up.” Danielle suggested, aware that the ship recently docked at the bays of Conomi Island, and she was hoping that some stimulating information about the island would encourage Rosalina to give up on this silly cruise and settle for a few days’ holiday in new territory instead.

“But Danny, I just got out of bed!” The ginger immediately protested, patting down some of the gorgeous ringlets that sprouted from her head in such perfect manner it was uncanny. “I’m a mess.”

Danielle smiled as she approached and kissed her cheek. “You look beautiful as always. Come on, I want everyone to see what a beautiful woman I will be marrying.” She wasn’t sure how much time was left for them to stay at this dock before leaving to carry on in whatever direction this blasted line cruiser was set for.

Now seated at a table on the deck, one of the many that were organised for the guests, a speaker was already rattling on about the history of Conomi Islands, and Danielle gently nudged her to listen. While talk of any pirates that came and went would be of little interest to Rosalina, Danielle leapt at the mention of a resort-like areas.

“Sounds like a nice place, doesn’t it? It’s a pity we can’t stay and explore - unless we hop off, enjoy the culture for a bit, and then make our own way home. Just the two of us.”

If I could just plant the idea, she thought to herself while stuffing food into her mouth in an attempt to seem as least suspicious as possible… but Rosalina wasn’t taking the bait that Danielle laid out for her and seemed more concerned with critiquing the food on her plate or on other people’s at nearby tables to pay enough attention.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #2

Their ship continued towards the port without raising much if any suspicion, despite the fact that all people on board lacked proper Marine uniforms. It begged the question of whether that flag they used was so reassuring or if these people in charge of security were so careless, but Gabriel didn´t really care as all he could focus on was the prisoner that was supposed to be held there, the last piece of the puzzle he needed before going to war.
Behind him, over a hundred M.A.R.I. members of different ranks and skills were preparing the ship for blockade and possible combat. Hundred of students, handpicked for their skills by Sarah. Sometimes the Professor wondered if they imagined this future for themselves when they joined his organization and how many of them will live to tell the tale of their exploits.
“This is more than enough…”
He muttered when they got in the range of their guns. Both the Invincible Reason and the cruiser were of comparable size, but just a single look revealed that when it came to armament the numbers were clearly in M.A.R.I.´s favour.
“All hands-on deck! Turn the ship into battle position! Prepare the guns!”
Namkhai´s voice turned the careful and measured activity of all sailors into frenetic one as Niko turned the helm, positioning their port side towards the cruiser, while men bellow the deck revealed the number of their guns to the enemy, causing considerable panic among the passenger and crew members of the cruiser.
“Two hours before the Marines get here.”
Namkhai whispered, earning a single nod from Gabriel as he was taking a megaphone from him.
“I know…”
He muttered, raising that apparatus to his mouth.
“Attention! This is Gabriel Moon of M.A.R.I.! Your ship is carrying someone who is of great importance to me! Release her and we can avoid bloodshed! If you won´t comply under 30 minutes, we will board your ship!”

[Bobbie]

“The roasted vegetables are really tasty, Danny, did you take any?” Rosalina’s response was far from relevant to what Danielle was saying, so engrossed in her breakfast that she was hardly listening. Peering across the table to look into Danielle’s plate, she smiled and immediately offered her own plate to share.

“No, thank you. I’ve had enough of the other things,” she replied, before the conversation quickly moved on.

“I only wish I picked out some of those baby jacket potatoes. They look so lovely on that woman’s plate over there.” She gestured to another passenger who sat at another table not very far away.

While Rosalina continued her verbal review of the food service, Danielle ate quietly, occasionally nodding to her beloved’s words, whether she was listening to them or not. It didn’t take very long for an approaching ship to catch her eye and she turned her head to look out toward the horizon, as did many other passengers who were enjoying their breakfast.

In an instant, the deck was suddenly filled with panic.

Having only caught a glimpse of the enemy ship before people fumbled across the deck, wild with fear, she couldn’t quite make out what was going on. It seemed they were being attacked, and she couldn’t understand why.

Rising to her feet, she gently took Rosalina’s hand who had also sprang from her chair and was quick to move closer to her protector.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, I think the ship is being attacked. We need to get you to a safe place!”

Many passengers were of a similar view, as a surge of them flocked to one side of the boat in order to alight from the cruise ship as quickly as possible before it left the port, while a few others aimed to fetch their belongings from their cabins first.

“Danny, we have to get off the ship!”

Unable to leave her items of value behind if she hoped to ever possess the wealth Olivier expected her to have to her name, Danielle fell into the second category, and had to retire to their cabin first.

“Go without me. I’ll be right behind you! I have to-”

It was at this moment that the captain of the attacking force introduced himself and stated his demands, and both Danielle and Rosalina froze.

Gabriel Moon… she thought to herself. It's The Professor…

Danielle’s heart leapt as she processed this revelation - it would mean that it was also-

A pelting from Rosalina’s dainty hands interrupted her thoughts. “You called them here!” the ginger girl, shrieked. “How could you!? You’ve been trying to sabotage this cruise right from the very beginning, and now you’ve summoned that creep and his crew, and probably that filthy bear too, to come and take you from me! You never even wanted to spend this cruise with me did you?”

Rosalina was beside herself and in tears, her tantrum rolling a few eyes of the more curious passengers who slowed down to see what was happening. Catching her wrists, the blonde held her abuser’s flailing arms still.

“Rosalina, stop! Listen to me! I had no idea they were coming and I still have no clue as to why they are here! I didn’t call anyone- how could I have called them? I don’t have a den den and I’ve been with you the whole time!” Danielle was careful not to raise her voice, but there was no softness in her tone as she spoke through her teeth in frustration. Once she thought it was safe, she released Rosalina’s wrists.

“At least this means we’re in no real danger… I’ll just go over, see what they want and explain that I can’t go with them.”

However, as Danielle marched across the deck in search for the captain, she realised something that perhaps Rosalina deliberately dismissed or was simply too blinded by her anger toward Gabriel to notice… The Professor referred to his target as ‘her’ over the megaphone. Would he really have done so if he had been speaking of Danielle?

“Captain!” Danielle called, approaching the man with Rosalina tagging along not far behind, afraid to be left alone. “I know the crew on the other ship, please let me-”

A loud explosion suddenly rang through the air and the boat rocked violently. Rosalina screamed and held onto Danielle’s arm as the remaining passengers were also flung into deeper terror and chaos. The captain himself paled at the realisation of what just happened as he pushed passed Danielle and onto the deck of his beloved cruiser to assess the situation.

Somebody had loaded a canon and fired at the Invincible Reason with absolutely no regard to the 30-minute deadline to meet Gabriel’s demands and destroying any possibility of negotiation.

“We have to set sail… we have to set sail!” Failing to lead by example and perhaps exhibiting more panic than the passengers aboard his ship, the captain darted back to the helm, locking himself within the safety of the cruiser’s private captain’s area. Within seconds, the boat began to move away from the dock in a pathetic attempt to flee.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Cruiser Captain: #8cbda8

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #3

As the Invincible Reason prepared for a blockade of the port Gabriel´s exceptionally sharp eyes noticed something truly unexpected among the rich passenger on the main deck. A streak of blonde hair, eyepatch, and face so familiar it could belong to his own child, accompanied by redhead menace.
“Da…”
He started, but before he could finish the single surprised word his attention was needed elsewhere, more precisely on that cannon that suddenly appeared on the side of the line cruiser shooting in their direction.
“Son of a b*tch!”
Namkhai cursed as the cannonball was heading in his direction. But if that shooter hoped for something more significant than angering the martial artist he should probably aim elsewhere or shoot from something stronger, because the Titan of Bokh just swung his arm as if he was batting away a very annoying bug, grabbing the cannonball mid-flight and shattering it with his bare fingers, letting them rain down into the ocean.
“Why…”
Gabriel sighed…
“Why every time I try to solve things diplomatically people thing, I am weak and can do whatever they want? Do I really have to kill someone first for them to pay attention?”
He grumbled, completely oblivious to the fact, that he was still holding the megaphone to his mouth, broadcasting his voice towards the ship.
“Oh wonderful, look what you did, now they are running away.”
A sarcastic female voice belonging to a tall dark haired woman with a long scar across the right side of her otherwise beautiful face appeared right behind Gabriel, prompting the Professor to turn his head, only to see another disaster coming.
“I´ll stop them!”
An unusually tall blonde in white summer dress rushed to the taffrail, opening her mouth wide.
“Wait Beast, these things are…”
“LASGUN! LASGUN! LASGUN!”
Trying to prove useful, the transformed malamute fired several powerful rays of light from her mouth, punching through the main sails of the line cruiser, while setting them on fire.
“flammable.”
The Professor finished.

[Bobbie]

Danielle couldn’t believe that fate brought her friends back to her as she heard everything through the megaphone. Of course, trust The Professor to keep communication open at the most inappropriate moments, the treasure huntress thought to herself, a smile appearing on her face as if a lost treasure had indeed been returned to her. Gabriel, Namkhai, Hariyama, Eponine and most of all, Beast.

A tugging on her arm brought Danielle back to the present moment and the predicament they were in - they were caught in between a war between these two ships, and it seemed the captain had lost all sense of steering a ship as it rocked violently and collided with the peer as he tried to frantically tried to undock a little bit too quickly. The wooden platform cracked and shattered, the hull creaking but remained, thankfully, intact.

“Danny, we’re not safe up here. Your friends are-”

Beast’s light beams tore through the sails which combusted into a magnificent display of flames. As more screaming filled the air, Rosalina was among the scared passengers, having forgotten all about their little quarrel and now leaping into Danielle’s arms, crying in fear as it rained burning fabric onto the deck.

Danielle held her fiancée close to her, turning their bodies to protect her from falling debris as best she could. “You’re right. You need to go down to the cabin and seek shelter.” She could already see the ginger curls whipping in all directions as Rosalina shook her head in protest, “I need to find a way to reach out to them and get them to stop this madness before somebody gets hurt!” It was a great plan, in theory… but the captain had locked himself in the control room with any means of communication with other ships and she was sure that her voice alone would not travel far enough to be heard from such a distance. In any case, her plan would require Rosalina to release her grasp, and the terrified girl was clearly intent of doing the very opposite, clutching onto her so tightly that it felt like she was strapped to an anchor.

“No. No, don’t leave me, Danny… please don’t leave me. Come with me to the cabin.” Rosalina’s pleas were difficult to turn down, but she knew she had to. Shaking her head, Danielle pried her lover from her own body.

“I can’t, Rosalina, I have to do something…” pausing, Danielle looked around her. The scene was rapidly growing into one of terror as the smoke from the burning sails limited visibility and was starting to tickle her throat.

Rosalina was the first of the two to start coughing, as the ginger raised a frilled sleeve to cover her mouth and nose, her eyes glistening and teary.

“Come on… this way.” Danielle hoped that perhaps if they could reach higher ground, she could get Gabriel’s attention with her actions instead of words. Taking Rosalina’s hand, she began to pull her toward the stares to reach an upper level of the deck at front of the ship that was above the captain's lodging.

Ending this battle before it escalated became a bleaker possibility, however, when Danielle heard a voice of a regiment general, commanding his men at the weaponry beneath them bellow, ‘LOAD’, followed by ‘MOUNT’, and shortly after, the dreaded command - ‘FIRE!’.

At least six cannons lined on the East side of the ship on the lower level below the cabins sent large cannonballs hurling through the air over the sea that separated the cruiser and the Invincible Reason. The force was enough to roll the vessel sideways on its axis, and then in its counter direction till it steadied out, luckily not tipping too far to flood with water. Despite the heavy artillery that seemed to be installed below, this was ultimately still a cruiser, and was not equipped for battle.

Forced to stop in her passage toward the steps, Danielle squeezed Rosalina’s hand as she tried to maintain her balance. Rosalina on the other hand did not have the inner stability that her blonde lover possessed and tumbled to the ground instantly with a shriek, her hand slipping through Danny’s fingers and her body moving further away.

“Rosalina!”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Cruiser Captain: #8cbda8
Regiment General: #80689b

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #4

Realizing that she probably did something she shouldn´t as these sails caught fire, Beast smiled nervously and dropped on all four, transforming into a giant malamute knowing, that her innocent fluffy look will probably protect her from the scolding.
With a sigh, Gabriel reached forward, scratching her behind one of her perky ears.
“I know you mean no harm, but you have to be careful you big silly. I am pretty sure I saw Daniell on the deck.”
What followed these words was a short silence as several jaws dropped, followed by several
“WHAT!?”
Quickly transforming herself back into her Poludnitsa form, Beast rushed to the taffrail waving her long, gently glowing arms in the air.
“DANNY! DANNY HERE! IT´S ME BEAST!”
Snapping out of his shock, Namkhai shook his head.
“Why didn´t you tell anything sooner?”
The Professor opened his mouth to defend himself, but before he could say anything Niko yelled.
“Incoming!”
Turning his head back towards the enemy ship, Gabriel noticed six cannons, loaded and prepared to shoot in the direction of Invincible Reason, in the direction of his precious puppies!
“New Moon…Flame Clouds!”
As the order to fire came, the Professor crossed the distance between these two ships with a blinding speed, landing on the east side of the cruiser, bringing his foot down on the deck with a powerful stomp.
“Dragon Stomp!”
It was as if a giant brought down its leg on the side of the poor ship, smashing its side nearly to the ocean before rocking it violently back and forth, hardened wood cracking and breaking at the place of impact, while screaming passengers who didn´t manage to run into safety were thrown to the ocean.
Of course, even Gabriel wasn´t fast enough to send these six cannonballs directly in the sea, but his intervention was enough to disturb the aim and plant them into the water before Invincible Reason.
Hovering above the cruiser with his Flame Clouds, the Professor calmed his heartbeat down, waiting for the ship to slow down, before landing back on its deck.
“Oh god, she will definitely kill him”.
Muttered Namkhai back on the Invincible Reason, as he could only imagine how wild the ride his boss created for Danielle was.

[Bobbie]

What started out as aggressive rocking on the ocean’s surface quickly developed into a defiance of the laws of physics. The source of this? None other than The Professor, who had stomped the east side of the ship so violently that it was nearly submerged in water with a sickening crunch of the vessel's frame beneath Gabriel’s foot.

At this angle, Danielle didn’t stand a chance at keeping herself steady and went tumbling down right after Rosalina and several other passengers. The six cannonballs that collided with the water not very far away made a massive splash and sea-water rained down on the deck of the cruiser.

Water collected on the left of the deck at the mercy of gravity, and then rushed to the right as the ship rocked in mighty effort to stay afloat, the powerful stream of water dragging more passengers with it if the inclination of the ship was not enough. By some stroke of luck, Danielle managed to catch Rosalina’s hand in all the chaos, holding on as tightly as she could so as not to lose her again until the ship would stop its back and forth motion from left to right. Eventually, Danielle was able to rise to her feet and stand steadily while holding her beloved Rosalina, whose stability was not nearly as strong and relied on Danny's support.

Holding Rosalina with one arm wrapped around her waist, while her other hand held onto a mast that had been broken down to half its length, Danielle scoured the deck for the culprit of the complete disaster the ship had been reduced to. Passengers’ belongings had been washed out, a lot of which went overboard, with colourful items of clothing strewn all over the deck. It was no longer neat and tidy, a picture-perfect advertisement of an expensive cruise, but there were all sorts of materials from other rooms such as swimming equipment, and umbrellas intended for the passengers during their stops at beaches, and barrels, food, and kitchenware littering the deck. It looked like a post-apocalyptic scene, the sounds of screaming and crying from people of all ages coming from all directions. The fires had been snuffed out by the water, however, removing at least that danger.

Soaked to the bone, the blonde froze as she spotted her dearest friend standing a little distance away and seemingly without a care in the world for what he’d just caused. Releasing her fiancée, Danielle began her march across the deck to be reunited with Gabriel, nearly slipping as she stepped in a puddle along the way in her eagerness to reach him.

“Professor…” she started, her gaze fixed on her long-lost friend whom it felt she hadn’t seen in years, although it hadn’t really been that long. Perhaps it was the terms under which they were forced to part that made it all the more dreadful.

“You…” At closer inspection, it would become clear that Danielle’s jaw was tight and her teeth clenched, her eye twitching and filled with rage. Suddenly scooping up a skillet from the floor that had been swept out of the kitchen with other utensils during the ship’s brush with its own catastrophic end, she raised it with strength and speed that she wasn’t even aware she possessed.

“YOU F-CKING IDIOT!!” The frying pan was swung upward with the full intention of smacking into Gabriel’s jaw and a burning fury that the treasure huntress always found great difficulty in containing. “Are you trying to kill us all!?”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Cruiser Captain: #8cbda8

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #5

Lost in his thoughts the Professor didn´t realise that Danielle was still at the upper deck during his assault. So, as he landed on the ill-fated ship, he simply walked towards the staircase leading below the main deck, in his hunt for the firing squad that was threatening the safety of his puppies. Yes, it wasn´t very probable, that they would fire another round anytime soon, after such a ride, but he wasn´t really willing to take the risk.
He suddenly froze on the spot, however, when he heard Danielle´s voice calling him from the left.
“Danny?”
Gabriel asked, genuinely surprised, that he sees her there as he expected to be hiding Rosalina in their cabin by now.
“I am so glad to see you!”
The Professor spread his arms for an embrace, but his wide smile quickly faded as the young treasure huntress grabbed the skillet that was lying on the deck.
“Wait, wait…Mirrored Moon!”
Seeing that whatever explanation, he could say wouldn´t come in time, Gabriel relaxed his body, dodging her furious swing by banding back in waist, before straightening back up.
“Listen, understand you are angry, but these people were shooting at Beast from cannons, I had to do something!”
He tried to explain his action to her but behind his back Namkhai turned the Invincible Reason, to get it closer to the cruiser. On its bow, Beast was jumping up, waving her hands above her head to get Danielle´s attention.
“Over here! Danny! Over here, it´s me!”
She yelled.
“See, I had to protect that silly pupper.”
Unbeknown to the Professor, these gunners weren´t his worse problem. Lying in a hammock there was a man who slept through the whole incident, however now he opened his eyes as a young woman knocked on his shoulder.
“They are here, it´s the Professor.”

[Bobbie]

Soaked from head to toe, angry was an understatement of how Danielle felt, and missing her mark only made her even more frustrated, feeling cheated that she got no form of justice for what the Professor caused.

However, it was Namkhai’s choice to move the ship closer that tamed Danielle, as she was able to hear and see Beast once the ship was close enough. Turning her head, she spotted Beast in her human form, waving her hands above her head high above her hands and shouting to attract attention.

“Beast!” A smile appeared on Danielle’s face almost instantly and she moved closer to the taffrail, dropping the skillet and waving to Beast.

“Who’s that?” Rosalina’s voice interrupted their reunion as she joined Danielle and spoke in an annoyed and jealous tone.

“It’s Beast. She ate a devil fruit some time ago and can transform into a human. It’s amazing isn’t it? The fluffy dog, remember her?” Danielle’s optimistic reply was met with a grumpy response as the ginger merely grunted and shrugged before gently pulling on Danielle’s arm. “I’m soaked… we should go down to the cabin before your friends cause more chaos.”

With that, Danielle felt obliged to turn away from the beloved Beast and looked at Gabriel again.

“Professor…” she started in a far calmer manner than her earlier greeting. Taking hold of Rosalina’s hand, she walked toward him once more. “Why are you here? Surely you’re not here for me, are you?”

“Danny…” with a huff and forced to follow along, Rosalina complained, bearing a great dislike for all of Danielle’s friend for the way they demanded the attention of her fiancée that threatened their relationship, in her mind, and for what they did to her most adored father. How could she forget that he was thrown from the window of their castle by these people? The very fact that Danielle seemed so ready to forgive them infuriated Rosalina, but it was clear that she had no way of convincing them that they deserved no forgiveness for their savage behaviour.

“I’m trying to figure out what’s happening, my love. Go and wait for me in the cabin where it’s safe, I will join you soon.” Hiding her frustration unusually well, Danielle concluding her gentle words with a brief kiss, then lightly nudged Rosalina toward the cabins. After a scowl at Gabriel, Rosalina walked away much to Danielle’s relief.

“Well?” Now that they finally had a chance to discuss matters, she turned back to the Professor.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Cruiser Captain: #8cbda8

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #6

She was angry at him, very angry. Confused by Danielle´s behavior, the Professor managed to dodge her skillet just in time suspecting that there will be more than just one swing until Beast captured his puppy´s full attention, seemingly erasing all of her anger.
“Yes, she…”
He started with a soft smile, that however faded a moment later when the ginger menace named Rosalina joined them with her complaints and whining, trying to separate them again. Gabriel knew that it wasn´t his place to interrupt their conversation and so he reminded silent, wondering how such a wonderful person as the blonde treasure huntress could fall in love with someone like Rosalina.
Fortunately, Danny managed to convince her fiancée to leave them on the deck, while she headed downstairs to their cabin.
“Well, to be honest, I didn´t even know you will be here until that broadcast. No, the truth is that…”
Almost as if he was fated to not finish a sentence today, Gabriel was once again interrupted by a powerful male voice coming from the staircase.
“Move woman!”
The Professor turned his head just in time to see five disciplined and armed men rushing up the stairs, shoving Rosalina, who got in their way, aside in the process.
“Hands up so we can see them!”
Ordered one of them, a tall and athletic man in his early thirties. He and his four associates were standing in a half circle, pointing short pistols at Gabriel and Danielle, while carefully moving towards them.
The last remnants of the smile disappeared from the Professor´s face, replaced by a mask of cold anger. No, he didn´t care about Rosalina and the fact that she found her face planted on the deck, he was furious about the fact that these people dared to point their guns at Danielle.
“Are you seriously threatening my puppy?”
He growled.

[Bobbie]

Danielle was surprised to hear that the Professor had no idea that she would be on this cruiser, as it would mean that this was all one extraordinary coincidence, and who on earth could be that luck? However, as Gabriel was about to reveal more to the truth, his words were interrupted by the rough voice of a man who emerged from the staircase.

Turning to the source, her frown was enough to indicate judgement of how he spoke to any woman, but upon seeing it was Rosalina whom they shoved aside and spoke to so roughly, the blonde immediately lurched toward them.

“Ros-” pausing in her tracks, she suddenly found herself surrounded by five men, each of them pointing their pistols at her and Gabriel.

Doing as she was told, she raised her hands, hoping that Gabriel would do the same thing. Her perpetually irritated manner was anything but subtle when she turned to nudge her companion, “Do you ever just show up without bringing trouble with you? Wherever you go, destruction follows and you somehow drag me into it every time!” While quite unsuccessful, Danielle did at least try to keep her voice down to a whisper… her whisper, however, was like a venomous hiss of a snake.

Her hands still raised, she turned toward the five men once more and shrugged, “I’m not with him.”

One of the five men with a steady grip on his pistol that was aimed at the two of them started to laugh. “Right, and this gun ain’t real!” He replied sarcastically, before suddenly pointing it at Rosalina. “Want to see all the pretty confetti when I pull the trigger?”

Lying on the floor after being savagely shoved, Rosalina looked up at the gunman with fear in her emerald eyes that quickly grew teary. “Please… please!” Immediately, the ginger pleaded for her life and then began to scream and wail.

Wishing to draw attention away from her, Danielle spoke again. “That’s my fiancée! She has nothing to do with this!” Every bone in Danielle’s body urged her to launch herself at the gunmen, but knew it would only put her lover at greater risk, especially now that the man swept her up from the ground with his gun to her head instead.

“Ah, so you are a part of the assault…” Danielle’s words were clearly misunderstood and she was quick to deny it, but it was all for nothing. She couldn’t convince them that she had nothing to do with this encounter. The problem was that Danielle herself had no idea what this encounter was about, apart from some woman being transported that Gabriel was after. Don't tell me it's his wife... it was mentioned in one of his letters that he was engaged.

“Danny!”

“Well then, Danny, you and your friend better make her shut her gob before she bursts our ear drums, or I will!”

Perhaps the treasure huntress’ inability to relax came in handy, as it removed the obligation to part with her scimitar while engaging in any relaxation treatments aboard the cruise, and she was not trusting enough to leave it in their cabin. With the click of the pistol hammer pulling back, Danielle growled through her teeth and was suddenly only a blur by Gabriel’s side.

Quick Blur, in a sudden burst of movement, Danielle launched herself toward their enemies to close the gap between them and strike Rosalina’s captor to free her. However, lacking the combat experience to fight all five of them at once, she knew she’d have to rely on The Professor’s help, yet amidst all this chaos, that was the one thing that she felt certain of… Squeezing the hilt of her scimitar, the blade appeared to catch the light in a Golden Flash and temporarily blind the enemies as one gun went off, and then another, and a panicked third.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Cruiser Captain: #8cbda8
Gunman: acebc6

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #7

These five men were already dead, just didn´t know about it. If there was a crime the Professor couldn´t forgive, it was threatening one of his puppies. As these five moved close, he shifted his center of mass slightly, prioritizing his targets based on who was pointing his gun at Danielle, when suddenly the treasure huntress next to him nudged him, whispering her accusations that were stabbing into his heart like dozens of daggers. He wasn´t angry at her, he didn´t lash out or defended himself because when it came to his puppies, Gabriel simply wasn´t capable of such a thing, but that didn´t mean it wouldn´t hurt.
“Oh…I thought you would be happy to see us…”
He muttered silently, both his face and voice reflecting the amount of disappointment and emotional pain he was going through. It was almost as if the world around him stopped existing and all he could focus on were Danielle´s words. He was the reason his puppy was in danger. He put her into harm’s way and it wasn´t the first time such a thing happened…he failed her.
While the Professor was lost in his own dark world, the reality around him continued moving, quickly progressing into a full-scale conflict between the treasure huntress and these five guards.
There was suddenly a golden flash and several loud shots, but it wasn´t until one stray bullet cut him across his shoulder, that the Professor snapped out of his depression realizing what was going on.
These five guards emptied their guns, their formation broken, one of them, the one who grabbed Rosalina earlier was lying on the ground, dying after he was struck by Danielle´s sword, while the remaining four were trying to figure out what just happened.
“Sh*t that b*tch killed Robertson!”
“Phantom Step”
The presumed leader yelled, lunging towards the treasure huntress, while at the same time reaching for a cutlass that was at his waist. He never got the chance to draw it however as Gabriel appeared in front of him out of nowhere, one hand squeezing his wrist, while the other touched the left side of his chest.
“Pressing Palm”
To onlookers, it looked like a simple touch, but the touch carried a powerful shockwave, that assaulted the guardsman’s heart, knocking him down with a large, circular pressure mark on his chest.
“I told you she is my puppy.”
Gabriel growled and the tone of his voice make the remaining three men tremble.
“If you didn´t hear it, I´ll let you beg for forgiveness, but if you really planned on raising your hands against her even after hearing that, your lives will end here.”
Neither of them found the courage to draw their weapons.
“I am terribly sorry, we didn´t know…!”
The tall, sinew guy start apologizing, but he was cut short by another powerful voice coming from the staircase.
“Hey, don´t you dare to dishonor the name of Grey Company like this!”
Turning his head in the direction of the voice, Gabriel saw two people. One was a man in his early fifties, judging by the silver in his hair and beard. Yet despite his age, he was tough as a nail with a strong, compact build hidden under a simple, dark grey military uniform. He wasn´t armed but his presence instilled immediate respect anyway as if a wild tiger walked up the stairs.
Two steps behind him was a standing woman, much younger than her companion. Late twenties at best, with long, blonde hair bound in a ponytail and a pair of glasses covering deep blue eyes. Wearing a dark, narrow skirt, white shirt, and dark jacket, she looked more like a secretary than a real warrior. Still, something in the way she looked at him warned Gabriel not to underestimate her either.

[Bobbie]

Despite the harsh words Danielle had a habit of spitting without proper thought of how they would be received by The Professor, she was relieved to see that he stepped in, although it took him a bit longer than she expected. With a slight smile, she watched him take down one of the guards and then proceed to threaten the rest.

She wasn’t very happy about being called his puppy, especially in front of Rosalina, but that was hardly the most pressing concern at that moment and she seemed too distracted to notice. In a show of gratitude to him, the treasure huntress lightly patted his shoulder.

“Professor… it’s good-” as she began to confess her delight at their reunion, however perilous the circumstances, she was interrupted by a new voice, one more senior and far more commanding than any of the previous five men. Once again brought back to Gabriel’s original statement, Danielle frowned - the Grey Company was not the one that organised this cruise, but she was sure she heard that name somewhere yet couldn’t place it. He was here to rescue someone, was he not? From this secretive company?

From the staircase, not one, but two figures emerged. One looked like a general, based on his attire and his manner, carrying himself with the authoritative air of a man who would tolerate no nonsense. Close behind him was a woman whose neat appearance made her look like his secretary more than anything else, which made the sharply-dressed assistant appear terribly out of place. Assuming this was no fashion accident, Danielle made no mistake in viewing her as a helpless desk-worker, but rather one who must be proficient enough to put up a fight even with the limitations of a tightly fitting pencil skirt and high heels.

“What’s the plan?” Clearly intent on joining forces with her old friend and teacher, Danielle glanced at Gabriel, only diverting her gaze away from their presumed opponents for a moment. She still had no idea who the Professor was looking for on this ship… “Are you here for the woman you are to be wed to?”

At that moment, there was one more voice of a very bold individual, daring to draw all attention to themselves and shadow every other speaker by the sheer volume of the shriek that left their lips.

The ear-piercing scream made the previous gunshots seem like party-poppers in comparison.

“Danny! DANNY, I’VE BEEN SHOT! I’M BLEEDING, DANNY!” The panic in Rosalina’s voice lent it a tremor that nearly rocked the vessel’s very foundations. It took Danielle a moment to realise what was happening as she turned to the dreadful sound, only to find her beautiful ginger princess, kneeling on the deck with one arm limp and the other folded across her chest as her fingers were wrapped around the hanging arm, red from her wound.

She had been shot in the arm amidst all the chaos when the five men were firing blindly.

Instantly sheathing her scimitar, Danielle ignored everyone else and rushed to her aid to inspect the wound. She was no doctor, but she hoped that she could limit the bleeding and ease Rosalina’s pain somehow… and her wailing.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Cruiser Captain: #8cbda8

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #8

With the sudden appearance of their commander, these three remaining guardsmen drew their weapons standard cutlasses that could be seen pretty much everywhere across the ocean. This made the situation much more complicated for Gabriel. He was pretty confident about his ability to dispose of their three but had no idea about the skills and abilities of the new pair and while Danielle offered her help, he would prefer if she stayed out of it as what he was doing at the moment was technically speaking quite illegal.
Fortunately, Rosalina got shot during the previous exchange, capturing all of Danielle´s attention for herself.
“You work for Katsumasa?”
The Professor asked, taking a careful step back so he could keep all parties in his field of vision.
“The Grey Company was hired by Katsumasa Trading Co. to protect this ship and it´s cargo.”
He tilted his head to the side.
“I wondered why they requested Grand Line veteran for an East Blue job, but seeing you in action, I am starting to think it was the right call.”
Gabriel frowned.
“Can I pay you to step aside? I don´t wish to hurt anyone on this ship, just…”
The soldier shook his head.
“Hey I might be a mercenary, but even in my field, honor is a thing you know. Besides…scr*w the passengers. My instructions were quite clear. Protect the cargo at all costs.”
The Professor sighed as this whole operation definitely wasn´t going in the direction he anticipated.
“Can we at least do this one-on-one?”
For a second, he thought he saw something as a smile appearing on the man´s face, but it almost immediately disappeared behind a stone-cold mask.
“This is a battlefield son, there are no rules here. GUYS! GET THE BLONDE!”
He yelled, before charging against Gabriel, trying to hit him with a swift jab.
As for these three guys, they didn´t hesitate even for a moment, charging against Danielle with their blades ready.