Name: Ransom Belgrave
Age: 21
Bounty: 0
Species: Human
Occupation: Courier
Allegiance: N/A
Home Village/Ocean: Matsu Island in West Blue
Appearance: Ransom is a thin young man with pale skin, roughly six feet tall with an angular build. He's conventionally attractive, with sharp facial features and sunken deep blue, almost purple eyes. His reddish blond hair is short and slicked back on the sides, with curtained bangs.
He usually wears a black single-breasted waistcoat with four silver zippers pointing towards the middle of the garment at 45 degree angles over a crimson dress shirt with white maple leaf shaped cufflinks. His left sleeve is frequently rolled up to his midforearm, and he wears a wristwatch with a black leather band and white face.
On his lower body, Ransom wears a pair of black dress pants, and black ankle boots with pointed toes.
History: Ransom is the son of the husband and wife co-captains of the Gambit Pirates, a crew that was a major force in West Blue for over ten years before planning to leave for Grand Line. However, this plan was complicated by Ransom's birth. Knowing that Grand Line was no place for an infant, Ransom was left in the care of Tenbun, the crew's chief navigator, who was retiring due to an injury that had impaired his eyesight.
Tenbun, not content to stay idle, used his accrued treasure to open a delivery service on Matsu Island. In addition to receiving a classical education, Ransom spent his youth learning how to navigate and helm small ships, eventually taking on his own delivery route. The Karuta Cargo Company was unique in that it openly dealt with pirates, and Ransom used this opportunity to build a positive relationship with most of the crews in West Blue. Even those who don't know him personally often recognize his family name.
The Karuta Cargo Company headquarters was also the location of weekly Hanafuda games between retired sea dogs, and Ransom was often regaled by tales of legendary treasure almost found and outlaws who narrowly escaped capture. It wasn't long before he was joining the games, and, to the other players' surprise, had an impressive knack for it.
On his 21st birthday, Ransom received two packages from an envoy of the Gambit Pirates. The first was addressed to his father, and sealed with a complex lock that no one on the island had seen before. The second was addressed to Ransom, and contained a Devil Fruit and a letter from his father, inviting him to use the power of the fruit to join his family in the New World.
After calculating the risks involved, Ransom decided to eat the fruit, said goodbye to his mentor, and took off on his delivery boat.
Personality: Outwardly, Ransom is amiable and charming, often excessively so. He generally tries his best to avoid direct confrontation and defuse tense situations, and has a habit of making friends wherever he goes. But beneath his friendly exterior lies an intense focus. He approaches every situation like he would a game of cards, carefully examining the situation, the players and all possible outcomes, habitually forming plans that blur the line between improvisation and preparation.
While not necessarily an immoral person, Ransom has no qualms with using trickery and misdirection to get what he wants. His behavior makes it incredibly difficult to read his true intentions. When forced into a fight, he attempts to cover his physical weakness with bold strategies and complex ruses.
Ransom is torn between his “destiny” as a pirate, his familiar life as a courier, and his desire to forge his own path. He justifies his journey to himself by thinking of it as any other delivery, but is unsure of how he wishes it to end.
Ship: A small delivery sloop “borrowed” from the Karuta Cargo Company. It has no weapons or special amenities and can only comfortably transport two people.
Ship Flag: It has no flag, but the sails carry the logo of the Karuta Cargo Company, of three yellow and red birds flying across a clear sky over a black hill.
Devil Fruit: Jippa Jippa No Mitype: Paramecia
effect: The Jippa Jippa No Mi allows the user to place functioning zippers on anything they touch and dismiss them at will. The zippers must be manipulated physically, and can be used by anyone once placed. In addition to creating openings for passing through or reaching into objects, the user can utilize zippers to attach and detach portions of objects without damaging them, however dismissing the zipper on an item affected in this manner will make the change permanent.
Special Abilities: Most of his abilities lie in his powers of strategy and deception. It's extremely difficult to read his true feelings even when he isn't actively trying to fool anyone, and he's capable of creating complex plans on the fly. Ransom is also a competent navigator, although all of his experience is with smaller ships.
Learned Techniques :
Akatan: Ransom creates a zipper along his arm and partially unzips it while throwing a punch, sending his fist flying forward, tethered to his arm by the zipper's material.
Kasu: An attack intended to stop or at least frustrate pursuers. Ransom creates two zippers underneath his feet and kicks them open as he passes, creating holes in the ground.
Sankō: Ransom strikes the target with both hands, creating and opening a zipper in one smooth motion.
Weapons/Items: Sea charts, compass, deck of Hanafuda cards.
Goals: To meet with his family in the New World and complete his delivery.
Mon Jan 17, 2011 11:31 pm