Name: Takao
Age: 19
Bounty: 0
Species: IQ Enhanced Birkan
Occupation: Blacksmith/Inventor
Allegiance: N/A
Home Village/Ocean: Sky Island Birka/Grand Line
Appearances: Current
Past- Spoiler:
Takao is six feet and six inches tall. He weighs close to two hundred and twenty pounds, including his wings. His shirt has slits in the back so that his wings can stick out unhindered.
History: Takao's earliest memories come from when he was eight. Eleven years ago, he woke up in the home of an elderly man. This man had been caring for Takao ever since he had found Takao on a corner of the island that he, the old man, lived on. Takao could not remember anything before waking up, though he was able to speak and move about with no trouble, so his basic abilities were undamaged.
The old man's name was Hisashi. He lived on an island called Merveille. Like all the citizens of Merveille, Hisashi had feathers on his arms and with these, he was able to fly. Takao was fascinated by these feathers, but was confused by the fact that his own, tiny wings were far too weak to enable him to fly. He questioned Hisashi about this, but Hisashi had no explanation for him. The old man told Takao that he had never before encountered an individual with wings like him.
Since he had nowhere else to go, Takao decided to stay with Hisashi. He was given his name by Hisashi who simply told Takao that it was a name that he, Hisashi, had always liked. So Takao remained on the island for several years. He became well known and liked by the island's people. He also became knowledgeable about the island's unique plants. One of them, the IQ plant, he became very familiar with, even more so since it changed him.
The IQ plant has the power to increase the brain power of animals as well as change them so that they can better survive in their environment, whatever it might be. The plant also has a small effect on humans and in Takao's case, as his body matured into a young adult, his wings grew bigger and stronger. By the time Takao was twelve, his wings were big enough for him to glide. By the age of fourteen, he could fly with almost ease.
Takao didn't waste his time on the island. He learned by going to the local school and he helped Hisashi with his work. Hisashi was a blacksmith and he made tools for the other islanders. He taught Takao much of his craft, though he never allowed the boy to make any weapons. He told Takao that the island was a peaceful place and there was no need for such things.
This did not stop Takao. Once he had learned some of the aspects about making tools, he used that knowledge to shape a few weapons out of wood. They weren't as good as he could have made them out of metal, but they were sufficient for his purposes, whether he was playing by himself or hanging out with the other kids on the island.
Takao initially made for himself wooden swords. Most of the kids he played with had them and the idea of a sword appealed to him. It was a trustworthy weapon, one that was very common and because of that it was moderately easy to learn. There were always teachers he could learn from. However, on occasion the kids would mess around with other kinds of weapons and Takao found himself being attracted to spears. He liked their length and versatility and how most of the other kids had no idea how to defend themselves against such a weapon. Spears weren't particularly popular in their little group.
Eventually, word of Takao's games made their way back to Hisashi. At first the man was a little bit annoyed that Takao had dabbled in weaponry when he had tried to keep Takao away from weapons, but he decided to leave things as they were. Hisashi was sure that Takao would eventually learn to appreciate the peace that they had.
Hisashi couldn't have been more wrong. As Takao grew older, his woodworking skills improved and he finally went all out: He first made for himself a spear that was about four feet in length. He then overlaid the outside of the spear with iron and sharpened the tip. This wasn't a toy. It was a weapon made to kill.
As previously mentioned, on Merveille the animals were stronger and smarter than most because of the IQ plant. These animals are not made more aggressive by IQ, but the predators were made far more dangerous. Takao took advantage of this and he began to hunt the animals with his new spear. For a whole year, from the time he was twelve until he turned thirteen, Takao fought and trained against these animals. He tried to keep his activities a secret, but it was only a matter of time before he was found out. When Hisashi learned what was going on, he resigned himself to the inevitable and he prepared himself to face Takao and see if his adopted son was ready to take the next step.
When Takao returned from his latest adventure, he was shocked to find Hisashi waiting for him with a spear and a sword. The spear Hisashi was carrying was a special one he had made specifically for Takao. The sword was for Hisashi himself. Hisashi first asked Takao if he really wanted to go on fighting. Takao was uncertain at first, but he agreed, saying that even though he was weak, he had enjoyed the battles he had experienced thus far. Hisashi had expected this, so he next told Takao that if he kept going as he was, eventually he would have no more opponents left to fight. He would be the strongest man on the island and would have nothing left to strive for. The only way that following this path would lead to more and more satisfaction would be if Takao left Merveille. So Hisashi gave Takao a choice: Takao could go on as he was, fighting animals and strengthening himself on his own. Or he could go with Hisashi and receive a specialized training that would prepare him for the outside world. Takao did not seem overly confident about his chances of going out into the world, even if he received the training from Hisashi, but he quickly agreed to it. He didn't want to lose the chance to fight more powerful opponents. So Hisashi gave Takao the spear he had made and told him to prepare himself. This training would be a living hell until Takao passed it. Hisashi also made it clear that he would not allow Takao to back out now that he had committed himself.
The training that Hisashi had chosen was quite simple in theory. Takao had already riled up the animals on the island and made plenty of enemies from among them. So Hisashi took Takao out into the wild. Neither of them were carrying any supplies. Hisashi told Takao that Takao's goal was to return to the town. There were two catches. First, Hisashi himself would be blocking Takao's path. If Takao was to make it back successfully, he would have to overcome or evade Hisashi. If he decided to stay in the jungle, he would be forced to survive the attacks of animals and would have to find food and water for himself. Second, Takao was not allowed to use his wings when he tried to get past Hisashi. Hisashi assured Takao that if he did use them properly, he could get back to the town with no trouble at all, but then, what would that accomplish?
Takao didn't hesitate. As soon as the training session began, he attacked Hisashi. To his great surprise, Hisashi easily fought him off and defeated him. Takao hadn't known that Hisashi was such a good fighter. Ashamed by his failure, Takao retreated. The next few days pretty much went the same way. Takao would attack Hisashi and get pushed back. He tried a couple of times to sneak past Hisashi, but somehow he always got found out. One time, Takao considered using his wings to fly off the island and circle around it to the town, but then he remembered that he was not supposed to use them. They were a great advantage, but he couldn't rely on them too much.
Eventually things began to settle down. Takao began to take his time and stopped attacking Hisashi quite as often. He started considering Hisashi's style of fighting and he began looking for any openings he might exploit. At times, he would quietly observe Hisashi from a distance and began to gather information about Hisashi's day-to-day habits. To his surprise, he learned that Hisashi was continuing his duties as a blacksmith. Hisashi was now doing all of his work outside and people from the town had to come out into the wild areas to find him, but otherwise nothing had changed about his work.
Takao finally decided that a straight forward attack would not work. He wasn't skilled enough to beat Hisashi yet and so he would need to put in some serious practice. He would also have to avoid confronting Hisashi until he was more prepared to fight him. If he came out too strong from the start and showed off all of his skills each time he fought Hisashi, he would lose any advantages he might have had the following times he confronted Hisashi.
At one point, after only four weeks of this training, Takao was ready to give up. Despite all of his efforts, it seemed like nothing was working and he didn't really think that he was improving at all. But then he remembered what Hisashi had told him. If he didn't become as strong as he could and still he continued on his current path, he would never truly find satisfaction in his fighting. So he resolved himself then and there that no matter how long it took, he would see this through. He never once hesitated after that.
The training lasted an unbelievable amount of time. In fact, it was a whole three years before Takao finally made it back to the village. By that point, he was sixteen. He had bulked up considerably, was much more adept with his spear, and could fly with ease using his, now immense, wings.
In the end, Takao had not truly defeated Hisashi. Both he and Hisashi had grown in strength and learned each other's fighting skills so well that in their final duel, they tied. After the battle, Takao had managed to drag his weary body the rest of the way and finally passed out upon entering the town.
Soon after, Takao and Hisashi went back home and recovered their strength. A few weeks later, Hisashi informed Takao that his training was officially complete. He could only go forward while Hisashi's aged body would slowly deteriorate. So Takao was indisputably the strongest man on the entire island. What he did with his strength and where he went was up to him. Takao didn't need to think about what he would do. He had already made his decision during those three, long years in the island's wild places. He wanted to become as strong as he could be and be respected for his power. So he was prepared to leave the island and possibly never return. Hisashi had expected this choice and he had already accepted it. So he encouraged Takao to follow his path and to make his mark on the world.
The rest...is yet to come...
Personality: A quiet and kind-hearted young man, Takao is laid back and easy to get along with. He is easily impressed by feats of strength, even sometimes when he is more powerful than the person who is showing off. He has low self-esteem and never brags about his own skills, which he believes are lacking. Despite this, he is not a depressed individual and is rarely seen without a smile.
It is very difficult to make Takao mad. Usually he will take insults or even punches without putting up much of a fuss. He generally blows off such things, treating those kinds of actions as merely the product of someone having a bad day or, at times, he will blame himself for the reactions. The only times when Takao becomes truly angry are when someone else is treated unfairly or is hurt right in front of him. That is when his true potential is shown and if necessary, he will fight with lethal force.
Ship: Razor EdgeFlag: N/A
Devil Fruit: N/A
Special Abilities: IQ Wing Capabilities: As a Birkan, Takao was born with a pair of small wings. Being around IQ has enhanced these wings and caused them to grow so they now have the strength to lift not only Takao, but can carry the weight of a second human. This second human must be equal to or shorter than Takao himself. Anyone bigger would be too heavy.
Physical Capabilities: Takao is very athletic after his time in the forest. He is strong, fast, and has a decent level of both stamina and endurance.
Learned Techniques: 1. Horn Rampage: This is a simple thrusting technique where Takao runs at his enemy and tries to stab them with all of his strength.
2. Paw Swipe: This is a basic slashing technique where Takao slashes at his enemy with the blade of his spear.
3. Nail Hook: Takao catches his opponent's weapon in one of the hooks on his spear. He will try to force the weapon away from himself before striking out with the back end of his spear.
4. Beak Drill: Takao twirls his spear like a drill as he thrusts it at his enemy to try and stab them with the blade. By doing this, the two hooks on either of his spear will deflect weapons that come in from the side to try to knock his spear away.
5. Fang Rip: Takao runs forward at his top speed, passing by his opponent and slashing at them with his spear as he goes.
6. Claw Spiral: Takao spins his spear at his side so fast that it looks like spinning fan blades. As he does this, he will charge his opponent. When he reaches them, he will swing his still spinning spear forward and use its momentum to knock his enemy's weapon either upwards or downwards depending on how he is spinning his weapon. Takao will then push his spear into the space that he opened up and he will continue to spin his spear as it batters his enemy's now unprotected body.
7. Quill Ascent: Takao takes his spear and thrusts it upwards as he jumps or flies into the air.
8. Talon Descent: Takao takes his spear and thrusts it downwards as he falls or flies towards the ground.
9. Shell Deflect: Takao spins his spear in front of his body so fast that it looks like spinning fan blades. This is used to block incoming attacks and is fast enough to stop up to three bullets at a time. However, is unable to block energy based attacks.
10. Falcon Whirlwind: Takao plants one end of his spear on the ground. He grips the shaft of his spear with both hands and jumps, swinging around his spear with his body parallel to the ground as he launches a kick at his opponent. This attack is performed very quickly, so much so that Takao momentarily becomes a blur while doing it.
11. Tail Sweep: Takao grips his spear near the base of its shaft. He then swings it, using its full length to knock multiple enemies away from him.
12. Panther Shadow: Takao will charge his opponent and spin to the side the moment they attack. Assuming he is within range at this point, he will typically use his momentum to launch a powerful attack on them with his spear.
13. Colossus Step: Takao holds his spear close to the base in both hands. He then raises his spear over his head and brings it down at his enemy in an overhead smash. If the enemy is six feet away, the blade of the spear might cut them since they are at its tip, but otherwise this is simply a powerful, smashing attack.
14. Aerial Cutter: Takao twirls and either smashes his spear onto the ground vertically in front of him or slices it horizontally through the air. Both ways, Takao creates an air blade that is six feet across.
15. Feather Wave: Takao holds his spear out and spins very quickly, unleashing a wave of air either all around him or in a specific direction. If the wave of air strikes any of the enemies around Takao it would throw them back, scattering them. This attack can drive back stronger enemies, but rarely defeats them. However, it is effective for taking out large numbers of weaklings in one blow.
Weapons/Items: Takao's SpearGoals: To become a powerful man, respected by all.
Wed Sep 19, 2012 1:58 pm
