Member
|
Post by Vazad on May 18, 2017 2:36:18 GMT
"Okay, hold up. Excuse my ignorance but I have no clue what a... Shichibukai is. Can someone please elaborate? If I'm going to be sailing into this mess sometime I need to know." He looks at Wu, a concerned look on his face. "I'm sorry that we keep bothering you with this but I feel like it's important."
|
|
|
234 posts
|
0 likes
|
Dec 12, 2017 10:45:02 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by HeadPikachu on May 18, 2017 2:39:39 GMT
So much was happening in such a short amount of time...The fighting, revelations about both her newfound friends(Ezra was a new friend, too, but he wasn't the one causing a scene), and now Victor trying to leave them stranded in the middle of an ocean with no navigator. After hearing Victor try and get his way onto Wu's ship, Gina came up beside him, lowering her voice and giving him a pleading, desperate look.
"Victor, please, you can't just leave us stranded out here; we'll be sitting Duckletts without you to help guide us. You're the only one who knows exactly what he's doing, and even if Gladius doesn't want to admit it, we need you." She begged, hugging her egg tight. "Besides, we're all in this together now, right? We all broke out, we all escaped Shimotsuki, and none of us can really go back to a normal life anymore. No matter how much we may want to." There was a sad tone upon saying that last sentence, as it rang entirely too true for the barmaid whose life was completely overturned in a single night while minding her own business. "And...I also need to talk to you on watch tonight. I'm not really sure who else to turn to, but it's pretty important. So, please, at least until the next port, can you stay on our crew?"
|
|
Member
|
Post by JPThunda on May 18, 2017 3:56:54 GMT
Gladius turned to keep his eyes on Victor, but made no effort to stop him as he walked over to Old Man Wu.
"So that's it? Somebody challenges you and you just give up? Just like that? Some Captain," Gladius said. "And your problem is 'cuz I have dreams and ambitions? Well, I'd rather die following message dreams than hide out and play it save and never really live at all. If I die, then I die," he said with a wide smile on his face, "but I don't plan on dieing, or losing any of my crew either."
He turned to Wu, then. "That's fine, we should have plenty of room to haul those spices for you, and it's even for a good cause," he said with a smirk.
Then he looked to answer Ezra's question. "The Shichibukai? I thought everybody knew about them," Gladius started. "They're these seven pirates that are really powerful, and they each sided with the World Government, for one reason or another. Their name means 'Royal Seven Military Seas' or something like that," Gladius said. "It doesn't matter though. If they want to get in the way of me and my crew, then they're going down no matter who they are," Gladius said confidently, clenching his fist.
He couldn't quite hear what Gina said, but looked over at her as she spoke to Victor. "If he wants to go then let him go, Gina. It's his choice to make," he said with a slightly dismissive tone.
|
|
|
6,670 posts
|
92 likes
|
I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
|
Apr 27, 2024 17:48:03 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by Robot on May 18, 2017 15:51:08 GMT
Victor's brow furrowed at Wu's statements about 'Anemone' poison, and his jaw locked tight as the old peddler continued. Gina could hear the scrape and grind of his teeth as Precious bounded from his arms and took cover behind her master. He would see Gina off, that had always been his intention. He tried to focus on that and not the welling fires that built in his gut like raw light, lancing out through his veins. Olivia, that bitch he'd left with nothing, climbed higher and faster then he had managed. While he had nothing, she had everything she ever wanted by turning on her own kind.
Then Gladius shot the powder keg.
Painfully bright light bled from under the hem of his cloak, and there was the faint hiss of steam from somewhere. "I WASN'T JUST SOME CAPTAIN! I WAS THE CAPTAIN! I RUINED THAT BITCH WITH WORDS AND TIME, WHEN EVERYONE ELSE WAS SCARED TO RAISE A FINGER! I BLED UNDER THE LASH FOR EVERYTHING I HAD, AN 'S THE ONLY REASON I STILL BE STANDING! MY CREW WAS MY HEART! I WILL BREAK THAT WOMAN FOR THEM, WHETHER YOU'LL FOLLOW ME OR NOT!" Victor roared.
|
|
|
234 posts
|
0 likes
|
Dec 12, 2017 10:45:02 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by HeadPikachu on May 18, 2017 16:14:03 GMT
Gina tried to remain strong during the ominous teeth grinding and even his precious Precious going to hide, but she stumbled back in surprise and fear as Victor hit his boiling point(literally?) and turned on Gladius. The poor young woman clutched her egg and scooted back towards Ezra, away from whatever chaos was happening between the two men. One wanted freedom, the other was sparked into revenge...And Gina certainly couldn't try to calm things down now, so she just had to wait. Though seeing Victor like this was absolutely terrifying, even if she wasn't on the receiving end of it...Gladius had his moments, but he also didn't glow and steam in anger. At least Ezra was still nice and not-terrifying, even with his scars.
Poor Dolly, meanwhile, fell off the railing at Victor's outburst, her preening having turned into a pleasant nap until it was so RUDELY interrupted by the humans. The bird flew back up and landed on Gina's shoulder, nuzzling her startled trainer and fluffing her feathers up. Gina took a hand off the egg to pet her bird, still anxiously looking between Gladius and Victor to see what would happen.
|
|
Member
|
Post by Lockdown on May 18, 2017 16:14:37 GMT
Wu watches the eruption with a calm expression, pipe held loosely between his teeth, and the very faintest hint of a curve to his lips.
|
|
Member
|
Post by JPThunda on May 18, 2017 16:41:23 GMT
"IS THAT SO?!," Gladius shouted back. He took a big step forward slamming his foot into the deck loudly, sending reverberations through the deck. His hands went to his sides, clenched into fists, with those same white auras around them from before, and there was an audible hum to the air.
"YOU THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO HAD IT ROUGH?! YOU THINK JUST 'CAUSE YOU GOT SOME KINDA SCORE TO SETTLE THAT MAKES YOU CAPTAIN?! AFTER YOU WERE ALL READY TO UP AND WALK AWAY?!," he shouted, staring Victor down. "MAYBE YOU USED TO BE A CAPTAIN, BUT THAT'S JUST IT, YOU WAS ONE! NOT ANYMORE, I'M THE CAPTAIN HERE!," he shouted forcefully.
"AND I ALREADY SAID IF SHE GETS IN MY WAY, IT'S GONNA BE ME THAT TAKES HER DOWN, AND I SAID IT FIRST! YOU ALREADY HAD YOUR SHOT, IT'S MY TURN!," he shouted, his voice taking on a distinctly competitive tone.
|
|
Member
|
Post by Vazad on May 18, 2017 17:33:10 GMT
At least he knew what the hell everyone was worked up about now. He didn't like thinking about what it would mean when they found her, if they happened to be together long enough to find her as a group. If these Shichibukai were hired by the government to hunt pirates Ezra doubted they'd be lucky enough to just come across the one. The way these two were getting each other more and more angry they'd be lucky to have ONE of the ships survive. As he was still contemplating the repercussions of all this he saw a immensely bright light leaking from under Stone's coat followed by the hiss of steam. Backing up a little bit he winced as the shouting began. Gina walked over by him he barely gave her a second look, he was too fixated on the shouting match in front of him. Was this what pirating was? What kind of people traveled these seas? Would this all be the death of him? He wished he could do something about it, all this made him feel so powerless.
|
|
|
6,670 posts
|
92 likes
|
I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
|
Apr 27, 2024 17:48:03 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by Robot on May 18, 2017 17:49:36 GMT
"I DON'T EVEN WANT IT Y'IDIOT! I'M JUST THE ONLY NAVIGATOR YOU GOT AND I DON'T WANT NO CAPTAIN THINKS HIS WORD IS THE LAW LORDING HIS SHIT OVER MINE AGAIN!" The cloak billowed back and away from Victor's body, revealing his well muscled torso and more of the little inhuman details that he kept concealed beneath, at least if anyone could see against the blinding ray that had torn the garment open. With pinpoint accuracy, it struck Gladius, and only Gladius.
IRoqNH8h2d6+26 Normal Special Damage (Swift)2d6+26
|
|
Member
|
Post by JPThunda on May 18, 2017 18:21:46 GMT
"AND JUST WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT'S THE KIND OF CAPTAIN I'D BE?!," Gladius shouted. The instant Victor's laser fired, Gladius threw a strong left punch. It seemed to impact against the space between them, and the air cracked like broken glass with a loud crunch. The air reverberated with heavy pressure waves that could be felt within your very bones, and when the beam struck the shattered sky it fractured, portions of the attack veering off wildly in different directions, though none struck Gladius. As the attack dissipated, so too did Gladius' defence. The surrounding air was drawn into the void he'd created, and the cracks dissolved with a loud pop.As the air between them cleared, Gladius stood upright. There was a scowl on his face, and his right fist was still glowing, causing the air to vibrate. "I keep going on about being free, and you think I'd take that away from my crew?!," Gladius asked, furious and incredulous. "What kind of Captain would DO that?!," he snarled, rushing at Victor, his right arm drawn back. Gladius used Protect.
|
|
Member
|
Post by Lockdown on May 18, 2017 18:33:28 GMT
Wu's faint smile dropped from his face like a stone when Victor reached his breaking point and snapped. It fell further to an actual frown at Gladius continuing the fight. Taking his pipe from between his lips, he lets out a strange dual-toned whistle. The effects were immediate, the Hoppip sprang forward, blasting a cloud of yellow spores into Victor's face. Gladius on the other hand was struck from on high by an undulating wave of electrical energy. Both men find their muscles cramping and locking up as Wu's Magnemite descends from the rigging, the Hoppip flouncing its way back to its master. "Wu thinks that is enough. Big men getting little dicks out to measure. You have stories, scars. Share, show and learn. And if you must fight afterwards?" Wu pauses for emphasis. "Then you do so off of Wu's ship!"ƾǔǚƅLJǔǙǍƅNjNJNJǑƅǑǎǐNJƅdžƅƸNJdžƅưǎǓnjƅǍdžǘƅǏǚǘǙƅǗNJdžǗNJljƅǎǙǘƅǍNJdžljƅdžLJǔǛNJƅǞǔǚƑƅdžǓljƅǎǘƅnjǑdžǗǎǓnjƅljǔǜǓƅǎǓƅǘǒǔǑljNJǗǎǓnjƅdžǓnjNJǗƅdžǓljƅǎǒǕdžǙǎNJǓLjNJƓơLJǗƣè He calmly taps out some ashes from his pipe, before refilling it, pointing the stem at Gladius. "You have spirit. Much heart, lots of energy. But you are stupid. Act rashly, do not think of consequences, no planning. Will get your crew killed if you do not temper yourself." The pipe swings around to Victor. "You have suffered losses, great ones. And an enemy you thought defeated has come back. Use your head, as you did the first time. If the young idiot seeks the Grand Line, this will take you to her. But you must be calm. Explain, teach, do not seek to use force. Like two bulls, butting heads, only getting brain damage." Wu puts his pipe to his lips once again, and takes a draw, before expelling a large bird design. "Now, you scare pretty lady and sensible scarred man enough for one day. Wu has Paralyze Heals, will be willing to hand two over in exchange for promise that no punches will be thrown. Only words."
|
|
Member
|
Post by JPThunda on May 18, 2017 19:04:01 GMT
Gladius's back arched and he froze mid-step as the electricity struck him. It was decidedly unpleasant. He'd have to do something about that for the future. He didn't have long to consider that, though, as he felt...intimidated? By the Old Man? He hadn't felt intimidated by anyone in a long time, so why this Old Man? It didn't make any sense to him.
"Gah, he started it," Gladius protested through grit teeth. "...But fine. Your ship, your rules. I won't fight him on your ship," Gladius relented. "But I'm not stupid...and it ain't little," he said with particular emphasis on the last part.
|
|
|
6,670 posts
|
92 likes
|
I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
|
Apr 27, 2024 17:48:03 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by Robot on May 18, 2017 22:19:41 GMT
Victor coughed as the cloud of spores took him in the face, this was something he was familiar with. Precious had put him through the same enough times in his youth, the burning, aching spasming tightness bringing with it memories of Nigel again. The light waned and dissipated, the steam washing from the deck as he found his composure.
He couldn't remember the last time he had been angry or driven. Years, he confirmed to himself, before he'd become bedridden. He remained silent even as Gladius refuted Gentlemen Wu's remarks about him, his expression rightfully wary and gauging of the old man. So many layers of mystery in one person, but it became more and more clear Wu was not some innocuous merchant aiming to preserve anonymity. He was someone dangerous and important both.
Turning towards Gina and Ezra, a broad hand settled against his middle, and he gave the pair an apologetic bow. "I forgot myself, fergive me. Remembering it was jarring.". Then back to Wu. "You have my word, but you can keep your medicine. I feel as though it may have tasted awful last time.". The cyborg noted cryptically.
Finally, to Gladius. "My last captain was that kind of woman. We weren't free men, we were slaves under a tyrant's heel. Pulled from our homes to commit piracy. The government doesn't care why you are a pirate, so there's no protection for the people forced in like that.". He explained calmly. "If you want to learn, I will teach you, Captain."
|
|
Member
|
Post by Vazad on May 19, 2017 1:11:30 GMT
Ezra stared in horror as Stone released an attack. It reminded him of those moments in the cell, them singing while attacking the guard, his face screwed up a little as time seemed to slow down for him. He seemed to see everything in extreme detail, the blinding beam racing toward its target. The set in Gladius's jaw as he reacted almost instantly, Ezra knew what was coming but the impact still reverberated through him as the man punched with a fist that might be able to shatter mountains eventually. Ezra staggered a bit, watching as lancets of light sprayed out in all direction veering wildly one sailing just over his head and another earthing itself in the deck. After the hole closed he stood there aghast as the two continued at it, Gladius obviously winding up for another punch. Before either of them could release a blow Wu whistled and his team burst into action. With speed and precision, two Pokemon deftly incapacitated the two fighting men.
As the hostility flushed from the two men Ezra stared at Wu, who was he? He thought he'd seen... Well, it didn't matter the man had ended things before it could get really ugly. He wiped the sweat off of his brow with the back of his hand while the composed himself. He listened as Gladius argued more, it seemed like he was made to argue. Whatever had happened to him had made rebellion a part of his life, Ezra supposed the same way life had made grifting part of his. He turned his head to watch Stone's reaction, the man had been literally steaming mad so there was no telling how this would affect him. At least he knew a bit about what life had done to him, and from what everyone was saying it had broken him in there end. But the look he had given when at the height of his anger really didn't scream broken to Ezra, he thought that maybe Stone had broken himself in the end. He was glad to see that Stone had composed himself, he seemed like the most sensible of the group and it was good to finally not feel like everything was going under. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Ezra breathed in deeply. He sat down on the deck as Stone bowed to them. As stone made a quip about medicine, Ezra decided he DEFINETLY needed to pick some up because he had a feeling they were going to need them.
|
|
Member
|
Post by JPThunda on May 19, 2017 1:48:00 GMT
Gladius listened as Victor spoke, his eye twitching visibly at the mention of slavery. He had a mix of emotions on his face. Anger, rage, and perhaps even a momentary shade of fear and embarrassment. He sighed, muttering something to himself under his breath. Gladius straightened his stance, fighting the effects of his spasming muscles, and began removing his upper body armor. He dropped his helmet to the deck beside him, then unclasped and loosened his armor and shrugged it off. Finally he took of his shirt, revealing his scarred, chiseled chest. Gladius sighed again, crossed his arms, and turned around, revealing his back to Victor, Gina, Ezra, and Wu. His back was free of battle scars, however there was one feature that stood out. A cruel brand that vaguely resembled the shape of the hoof."There's no slaves on my crew, alright? You don't need to worry about that," Gladius said loudly, back still turned to the others. "And I've probably still got a lot to learn about being a Captain," he relented, "...so I guess you could teach me some stuff, if you join my crew," he said, pausing for a moment. "As for that old Captain of yours...now I've got a score of my own to settle...," he said ominously.
|
|
|
234 posts
|
0 likes
|
Dec 12, 2017 10:45:02 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by HeadPikachu on May 19, 2017 2:19:35 GMT
Gina was REALLY glad she had retreated now, as Victor hit his breaking point and attacked. Luckily for their supplies, though, Gladius was able to stop the beam of light, while Wu's pokemon stopped them both from hurting each other further. So, Victor had served under a tyrant captain, while Gladius...Well, she still wasn't sure what Gladius's hangup was. He hadn't said a word as to why he was so adamant about being captain besides 'freedom', and honestly hadn't said a lot about himself to the group in general. Whatever it was, it must be pretty bad for him to lash out like that.
They seemed to calm down after Wu's speech(though Gladius was really touchy about the 'little dick' comment), and Gina sighed in relief. So, it seemed Gladius was going to be the captain, with Victor mentoring him. It seemed like a fine enough arrangement...Though Gina worried what her role would be on the ship. She couldn't do much besides play music and serve drinks, and while she was trying to learn the ropes, she still felt like a burden. At best she could patch them up, but so could Ezra, and he seemed more knowledgeable about medicines as well. Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she spoke up again to Wu. "Thank you, Gentleman Wu. Ezra and I can fix them up, though, so don't worry about the paralyze heals."
Speaking of which, Gina gently set her precious egg down against the railing, nodding to Dolly, who hopped off her shoulder and sat on the egg like it was her own. With the egg temporarily secured, Gina reached into her cleavage and pulled out a first aid kit, which certainly hadn't been there before and was too big to hide, even in her ample bosom. A mystery for the ages, until someone asked her about it. Before she could get to work, though, Gladius started stripping. This was unexpected. He was far more scarred than any of them, though had been hiding it under all that armor until now...And then he showed off his back.
The poor girl seemed confused. It looked like some sort of mark burned into his skin, like how farmers branded livestock. But Gladius wasn't livestock, no human was...So why was he branded like that? Gina had heard stories of people being snatched away to toil and give their lives away to cruel masters, but those were just stories...Right? Why in the world would people try and own other people? Though both Victor and Gladius now spoke of slavery, and there wasn't any reason to doubt what was before her eyes...
Her face turned pale as she realized those tales were true.
More questions and thoughts were pushed to the back of Gina's mind as she remembered what she was originally doing, before the grand reveal of Gladius's horrible past. Since he had his armor off already, and Victor seemed less hindered by his condition, she moved to treat Gladius first. "Hold still." She gently ordered, opening up her kit and taking out a muscle relaxing ointment, her go-to treatment for paralysis. It smelled pleasantly strange, with hints of lavender in the mix, and as she applied it to his face, chest, and back, he soon regained full use of his limbs. While applying it to his back, she treated the brand as any other part of his skin; it was just a burn in a particular shape as far as she was concerned, and while it held far more significance than she preferred to think about, treating it like it was nothing special seemed like the better option. Because it didn't deserve to be treated as something special. Because Gladius wasn't livestock.
|
|
Member
|
Post by Vazad on May 19, 2017 2:47:10 GMT
From his position sitting on the deck, Ezra watched as Gladius took off his armor and showed the mark on his back. It brought back memories of a patient scared out of her mind trying to hide it from him and the stench of garlic and cheap alcohol as old Horace told him to hand anyone with a mark like that over to the Marines if he knew what was good for him. He thought for a moment before deciding to chime in as he rose to his feet. "My old teacher told me about marks like them." He paused for a moment before continuing. "But he was a bastard who tried to burn me alive for the insurance money so his insight can rot in hell with him." He brushed himself off slightly before walking over to see how he could help with the medical treatment.
|
|
Member
|
Post by JPThunda on May 19, 2017 3:47:31 GMT
Gladius stood in stunned silence as Gina walked over and began treating his paralysis as though nothing had changed. He flinched slightly as Gina applied the ointment to the brand on his back, not that it was painful, just that very, very few people had ever touched that mark...and few indeed had noble intentions.
When Ezra spoke, Gladius tensed up, particularly during the pause. He let out a sigh of relief when Ezra spoke again, but still couldn't quite find any words to say...
|
|
|
234 posts
|
0 likes
|
Dec 12, 2017 10:45:02 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by HeadPikachu on May 19, 2017 4:43:24 GMT
So many revelations...Gina didn't know that about Ezra, either, so the mystery of his scars was now solved. Everyone seemed to have been tossed into this line of work against their will at some point or another; she had more in common with them than she thought. It was comforting. Less comforting was the flinches and tension she felt while applying the ointment to Gladius, though she could guess why...
"...Gladius, no matter what that brand may have meant back then, it means nothing now. Not to us or anyone with a soul. And if anyone tries to say otherwise, we'll set them straight." She reassured in a low tone, much like she did with Victor, though Ezra would hear it after joining her. "Ezra, can you carry the first aid kit for me? My hands are little messy." Gina asked in a normal tone, wiggling ointment-covered fingers at Ezra before moving to Victor and repeating the process. Hopefully topical ointments still worked on cyborgs...
|
|
|
6,670 posts
|
92 likes
|
I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
|
Apr 27, 2024 17:48:03 GMT
|
Member
|
Post by Robot on May 19, 2017 15:27:14 GMT
"Tenryuubito." Victor muttered with a dry sourness about him, folding his arms over his chest and losing himself in thought about that particular organization, recalling what he could. Gina went completely unnoticed in her approach with her terrible goopy ointment hands. "That settles it then, I'm yer new navigator, and I'll act as yer mentor till I'm sold you're a right fine pirate." Jerking his head towards Wu. "If Gentleman Wu still deems us fit to carry his cargo, the funds could set us on a better ship, and the eggs bolster our ranks a bit. I'm all fer it, 'sjust rum spices, after all."
|
|