Yonkou Anubis vs Sandstone Empire: Battle for Territory on Coppola Island

A still cool breeze blows across the harbor of the island, making everyone even more uneasy. Those two who had been at each other's throat since they both landed on the island a few days ago. They had just stepped into a tent alone moments ago to negotiate who would get to stay. Given the reputation of the two, it was uncertain whether either one of them would emerge alive. One was a public figure while the other was seldom seen - both commanded terrifying resources.

A younkou? How did it come to this... it was hard to believe this piece of land was so valuable that she has to risk trusting a yonkou. Why did it have to be Anubis of all people? She hated him but she had to respect his accomplishments and influence- though she has wished for his death of for so long after the fruit incident. It was nice to know he was stuck too. They were both put in a horrible position and have to make the best of things.

In keeping with not looking, bothered, threatened or worried, she pours two glasses of wine and sets on near him. She does not partake of her own glass but looks into the small fire pit in the middle of the room. That idiot will probably think it's poisoned- like she'd stoop that low. If she wanted him dead right now she'd go for something more - enjoyable- than poison. Also,not even she would be stupid enough to go after a yonkou. She glowers toward him from under her blazing cloak, her face hidden in the shadow behind the flames.

"Yonkou. Neither of us is willing to leave both of us have the resources to stay - it would appear that we have reached and impasse and a stalemate at the same time. What shall we do about this?"

[[ 6 hours ago off the coast]]

His head wrappings were flapping due to the wind, his face clearly tired from all the travel, but it had been nothing but work and trouble since they arrived in the New World and the man knew it. He sighed as he grit his teeth. The white haired man standing nearby him keeping watch was ever vigilant but was now distracted from the noises of annoyance coming from this. "You seemed troubled Anubis sama.... what is the matter?" The pretty and dignified face of Anubis, looked filled with annoyance and slight anger "Its a troublesome bunch from my past times in my hoime kingdom, before i became a pirate.... its strange to see their empire grow sfte so long......." The white haired man could understand that this was not a moment to tempt faith and ask what happened to bring upon that look from Anubis. Anubis then turned around "Satoshi , prepare the raft, you and me are going to negotiate with these cretins, if its the old man i can probably make him see my stake in it, if not, the sandstone of this island will be smeared in blood...." the white haired man stood up and adjusted his yukata and all his blades, before revealing his green eyes "Yes My lord Anubis"

[[Yonkou Anubis "The Desert King " Nefertiti]]
[[unknown bounty]]

[[Satoshi Miroku "The Lightning Beast]]
[[First mate and first division commander for Anubis]]

[[Now in the tent]]
Anubis raised his hand in welcome and literally waved his hand as the hooded figure spoke "Mr Valencia... we have done business before, well you and my father did, so i was hoping we can do business again.. but this island presents an immense increase to my battle potential especially with all the enemies that keep cropping up in the land.... but firstly, why do you sound so sickly and why do you hide your face sir... surely you know that i have seen you before...."

[[Outside the tent]]

Satoshi looked across and saw a woman in a suit who was reading a comic. Satoshi didnt say anything as he always had a bad way talking with females no matter what he did. The girl flipped through pages and began laughing loudly, before her gaze was incidentally shifted to Satoshi. She eyed him and then said "Satoshi Miroku, 300 million beri bounty.... its too bad, if i wasnt under contract, i would have gladly tried to wrap you up and collect that nice bounty..." Satoshi wanted to stutter something out but stopped himself at the risk of embarrassment. The girl raised her eyebrows before reading back into her comic "The silent type eh..... i dont mind that at all, hehe"

[[Miss Ariel Graves]]
[[contract freelance merc and bounty hunter]]

[INTRODUCTION BOX: KIYA VALENCIA "FLAME CLOAK" - LEGACY HEAD OF THE SANDSTONE EMPIRE]

Her cloak blazes more brightly now, further hiding her features and she paces in front of the fire, annoyance dripping in her every distorted word.

"That cannot be helped. This cloak has become part of my identity. If you have laid eyes upon me before, you shall not need such a formality now - surely you do not wish to gaze upon myself as a work of art for your admiration. You are not your father and it is presumptuous to assume the same courtesies that he earned, boy."

[KIANA GIADA "DEMON BLACKSMITH"]

She had to admit sincere surprise when she saw the flag of Anubis. Her work had brought her to this mineral rich island - but why was Anubis here. Did he wish to check on her.. to threaten her life as he did when they met? She wasn't sure but she would certainly ask him what is the meaning of being followed when she has done nothing but produce the promised technology

As she enters the camp she catches sight of a familiar silhouette. The swordsman - she had not expected to see him back with Anubis so soon.It had been so long since she had seen him but she contains herself. She quietly approaches the swordsman, carrying her her latest katana. She slips behind him, knowing how quick to draw a blade he can be. She's willing to take the risk as she whispers against his ear from behind
"Bushido-san ... "

[[In the tent]]

There were small sand particles that began to rise from the floor as Anubis grit his teeth in fury. "Out of respect to you Mr Valencia and the past dealings you have conducted with my family i will overlook your blatant insult, however, do not make the assumption that i will not impale you if you try that again........ things are not the same as they were in your day and i dont expect you to understand that, but as i am now king you will refrain from calling me boy....."

[[Outside the tent]]

Satosh leapt up , the immediate reaction was to draw his blade , but as soon as he realised who the voice belonged to, and who it was behind him, he immediately calmed down and instead looked puzzled "Kiana?.... when... how.... you reached the New World?? how did u do it? how have you been?... ummmm..." Satoshi didnt know how to react and was really at a loss of focus, so much so that he didnt notice Ariel shutting her comic "State your business here girl.... your tresspassing on property of my employer and the lightning beasts captain...."

She narrows her eyes, unconcerned by current particulate nature.
"I see - you have grown into quite the temperamental young man ... allowing your fury to get the best of you to the point generic words become unforgivable insults. See how your fruit controls you? How ever was that you came by such a treasure? What, exactly, are you king of .... as I recall - you were tossed out on your ass, Sand Prince."

"I have been well- I have found nine new types of minerals - this is my first in the new world and..."
She bites her lip for a moment ad suddenly exclaims
"Satoshi-saaaann!-are you coming back?"
Kiana immediately throws her arms around Satoshi, completely ignoring the nearby rambling girl. She brushes her cheek against his and whispers. "I'm sorry, Bushido-san - I .. I missed you. "
She kisses his cheek lightly and releases him; her face takes a more serious tone.
"Why is Anubis here? Is he looking for me?"

[[in the tent]]

Anubis didnt have to stand up , not really, he wasnt the type for that, but it wasnt like a nerve wasnt hit here. He didnt snarl but instead rolled his eyes "What would you know of it insect..... even as you dig for the dirt below your feet i can simply command that earth to obey me.... i do not even have to explain myself to you... out of respect and kindness i have allowed this meeting to occur, but you come with maliciousness in your voice, such actions i expect out of your daughter... but not of you, you were a respectable man while she was a frivolous and insufferable little girl who had her way on anything she wanted, so i ask you now, to lower your insults, or the next thing i do will not be pleasant for you...."

[[Outside the tent]]

Ariel sighed before taking out her notebook she had strapped to her hip and began flipping through as Satoshi was trying to tell Kiana to calm down. He knew that Ariel was dangerous, he had realised that for a while now. Ariel then slowly said "You are not on any bounty poster.... new types of minerals... that weapon you carry....."

Satoshi began with "I am happy to see you as well Kiana.....but ummm, now is not a good time, we can discuss everything later ok? right now ... ummm, we have a serious issue to deal with, you need to go to Grim Death and wait on the ship...." Ariel then paced her way, there was something eminating in the air, something coming from Ariels fingers , but it wasnt too obvious yet. Ariel asked "Is she part of your crew Lightning Beast?" Satoshi looked seriously confused and without thinking he said "No, she is a friend thats all, or more than a friend.. or... look that isnt important right now, Cant you just let her be Miss Ariel?"

Ariel then lifted her hands up "I was told to eliminate anyone who was not associated with either of our parties... friend or not, your girlfriend will need to leave this island, she doesnt have the permission of my boss to be here......"

[KIYA]
Her eyes widen as he mentions the "daughter" of the Flame Cloak. No one alive knows he had a child. How in hell could he have possibly stumbled upon the information? It didn't matter how- this is no coincidence. He knows. Her demeanor shifts somewhat.

"I-I understand. Neither of us can give this place up. You are the last person I wish to trust but it cannot be helped. I thought if I angered you, you might forget about seeing my face... but... you have more information than I could have ever guessed."

She sighs deeply as she unfastens the clasp under her chin.

"Please - forgive me, I am neither prepared nor am I... eh... dressed for this turn of events. I must confide in you and request that you not inform anyone what you are about to see."

She closes her eyes as she allows the cloak to deactivate its flames. She pushes the hood back and allows it to slip off of her shoulders to pool on the floor around her. Her un-bound silver hair falls half way down her back as cold and pale - nearly glowing - green eyes peer from underneath the fringe of her hair. She did not jest when she mentioned that she was not dressed for the occasion that her cloak would be removed. She had been in the sauna when received a note that Anubis agreed to negotiation. She stood with rage blazing in her eyes wearing nothing more than a bikini constructed of silk and rare purple diamonds with a small knife tucked against her hip, her skin and hair still damp.
He is the only person alive who has seen her uncloaked. She closes her eyes for a moment letting the shame of her identity wash over her. It wasn't enough for him to see her face but she stands in the most obnoxiously vulnerable garment possible, knowing that he has but to call his forces in and then the entire world would know in a matter of days. The last thing she needs to be at this moment is a lovely creature, only the formidable beast her father always was has been the only face she has ever worn in the world. She holds her head high and proud, never giving him the satisfaction of seeing the fear of the unknown in her eyes. This is what trust looks like; true leadership will never crumble in the face of adversity. She steps over her cloak and moves fearlessly closer. Despite her overly vulnerable state, her annoyance cannot be stopped from tumbling out of her mouth.

"And how would you know what to expect from me, sir? The only thing I ever wanted in this world, I never got - and the second thing - you took from me. Speak of what you know, Yonkou- and do NOT presume to lecture me on being spoiled, Sand Prince. You chose to take everything you never earned."


[KIANA]
Kiana steps back from Satoshi, her eyes narrow and darken as she turns her head to acknowledge the girl for the first time.
"When I need 'permission' to set about my own grounds I shall bloody well grant it to YOU, not the other way about, Lassie. "
She snarls a bit. She takes an irreverent moment moment to leave a faint kiss on the side of Satoshi's neck. "Satoshi - I'm sorry... Please excuse me... I'll be right back with you. If this creature is not with you, I must remove it from my research grounds and Anubis-sama's territory."
She sheaths the new sword she brought along with her and crosses her arms. Now, Lassie - what's this all about?

[[In the tent]]

Anubis chuckled slightly as he sat back "Interesting, so it really wasnt your father... i should have known, your posture was always sort of very different to how your father looked when i saw him...... you used that cloak to hide your presence.... i must say for a while i was questioning who exactly you were, the information was non existent, i had to rely on the slips you had gifted me in my youth of your presence. I would have followed up further but it was the furthest thing from my mind.... besides woman..." Anubis sat back and placed his feet on the table and looked to Kiya "You should recognize your superiors when you speak since i am a monarch in all things...."


[[outside the tent]]
Ariel simply shook her head as Kiana did and said those things, she shook her head and simply lifted her hand up. "this is property of my employers business, his captain" she points to Satoshi "and my boss are in dispute over whose territory this belongs to, and rather than fighting for it which i suggested, they have insisted on negotiating, which is in my opinion a waste of time... pirate scum should be sent to the gallows where they belong......" Ariels hands were more relaxed, she was set up now , there were loose strands around the area that were almost invisible to the eye, clear focus was needed to notice them. Satoshi was preparing for the worst here.

[KIYA]

Her eyes begin to blaze from under her hair. It was in moments like this that she looks so much like her father. Her hair, demonic eyes, and elegant gait matched his so well that no one ever suspected she wasn't him even if they caught the slightest glimpse of her face.
how did he know? It must have been when she had taken his ship when he needed it most as revenge for his consumption of the treasure she spent years locating- so he would know what it felt like to have years of planning slip through his fingers. He was the last one to be kicked off of the ship. The only time she was ever uncloaked was when she showered the dry, disgusting desert air from her skin after seizing the ship. Had he been hiding there in the captain's cabin before finally being captured and thrown off? The entire bloody ship had been covered in random piles of sand. The thought made her skin crawl and she would never look at a pile of sand the same way again. Now was apparently the second time she has been rather indecent in the presence of this bothersome creature. How creepy.
"Of course you are a monarch of all things - in your head, which sounds like a rather small world indeed. If you will recall, you actually got thrown out of your own bloody kingdom and yet, still call yourself king?"
She laughed a bit shaking her head. Her demeanor calmed significantly, her words were now cold and detached, though slightly peppered with amusement at the absurdity that this Anubis creature embodied.
"Well, that's ... a neat trick, your Majesty. Does anyone else know that little secret about you being king? - like, say, the kingdom you think you rule? That level of arrogance gets you into all sorts of mischief, doesn't it?"
She snakes over to him, her glare darkening with every step. She sinks down next to his chair and tucks her legs under her. She gazes at him irreverently with her arms folded over the side and her chin resting on her arms, with a smile as sweet as venom on her lips.
"Superiors? My dear Sand Prince ... do you not believe I possess all of the resources necessary to destroy you? Do not be naive. You are but a pawn of the world and removing such a stabilizing pillar would only make the world more chaotic- bad for business, really. You see ... you do not sit in the room to negotiate with me because I care about your status in that glorified sandbox you call a kingdom, you sit here now because I allow you to live."
She meanders over to collect her cloak and drapes it over one arm before turning back to him.
"The kingdom my father built and I ... have doubled is many times larger than the sandbox you, for some reason, seem to think you rule. Beautiful, spoiled prince in exile - surely you are not so naive to think i am one of your toys to be manipulated."
She smirks a bit as she approaches him, condescension flickering in her eyes.
"We have gotten off topic, haven't we? Perhaps we should discuss this island, which is real, and not your 'kingdom' which is imaginary. As adorable as your little imaginary world is, I have no interest in your nonexistent monarchical claims. If you want to go play make-believe in your little sandbox across the sea, I'm sure you can find your way home without a map - oh ... right you're not allowed in, are you? Is that why you have to build this imaginary kingship ... denial?
Truthfully, in the event that we don't kill each other, symbiotic cooperation in this place could serve us well - but if you didn't know that you wouldn't be here. I'm sure you've had a nice history of dealing in fools and sniveling simpletons that will bend the knee, kiss the ground, and take less than they earn out because of fear, reverence, or stupidity - if you expect that from me, these 'negotiations' are over "

[KIANA]

"Oh? - Someone else who has no interest in your opinion? - imagine that. Ironically, now you are wasting MY time. I don't have time to play. I have work to do and I must speak with Anubis about this land. My business here, in no plain of reality, constitutes your concern. Have you just been lurking there, like a spider, all day - waiting for someone to annoy?
Pirate scum? You really have no idea what a yonkou does, do you? Try to remove one and see your precious world in ashes as the power vacuum left behind sets the world on fire. The implications of this are obvious - no more comic books for you! ... but don't worry, you won't have to suffer a world without them for long. Annoyances like are are the first to be slaughtered when the world crumbles.
In any case, do not say such careless things or threaten Anubis or his crew where I can hear you. A demon always defends its treasure"
She paid the girl little mind, though her careless, ignorant statements and "opinions" were highly irritating. Did she just like to hear herself talk? Why did she think it was a good idea to announce her wish for the death of a crew whose 1st division commander was in earshot? Satoshi seemed un-bothered but Kiana was always more quick to fury than Satoshi. She could not tolerate this girl much longer. Not only did she have work to do but Kiana was very surprised by how much someone casually threatening the Anubis pirates bothered her. They had a rough start but now she counted them all amongst her treasures ... right next to the precious piles of rocks she wanders around the world to collect. Some worthless brat spitting on them in her presence was not something she would tolerate.

[[In the tent]]

Anubis simply slacked back, he wasnt particularly angry any more, the victory for him had been her seething her ego to remove the cloak. He reminded himself of this before grinning as Kiya spoke, he then replied to her comments regarding the island. "Personally, if we do fight, it wont be good for the minerals or the resources that i require from the island, so i am of the like minded opinion that we should probably share this island....... in fact ill let you keep your men at this island, while i send emissary's each month to pick up a shipment of sandstone in exchange for my protection over this island and your men that reside within the island. It means my banner shall be the mark this island carries in correlation with yours, that way no one would dare stir trouble in this place, considering the two of us own it as a single unit, so? what say you Valencia?" Anubis twirled his hand around to make a small tornado of sand appear on his hand so he could play with it.

[[Outside]]
Satoshi was really in a predicament. His mind was processing all this too slowly as the women were nearly at Go point. Kiana was clearly not going to back down and Ariel was being difficult and not very understanding of the situation. He could see where she was coming from since she was a hired professional by the sandstone empire to protect their boss, she clearly had a no nonsense hostile nature. But still, Satoshi didnt like the way she talked about Anubis sama or Kiana. Satoshi sat still, before he could move, he felt something metallic slither past his legs. Satoshis eyes flared as he looked to Kiana "KIANA LOOK...." Satoshi
jumped forth and blocked the wire which was about to cut kiana and pulled out his god of lightning blade , before he could, he was cut by the sharp strand of wire slightly across his chin, which made him slide back and see a bit of his blood dripping out. Ariel was moving her hand "That was meant to be a warning Lightning beast.. for her, you shouldn't have been so hasty with your sword, i wasn't actually going to harm her.... yet......." Ariels eyes were flashing, Satoshi knew those eyes, those were not eyes of compassion or eyes of justice, those were eyes of pure murderous intent and fire, even worse, Satoshi feared Kianas reaction to all this even more than Ariels dangerous eyes.

"You will LET me keep my men here? Oh how gracious of you, my generous prince - INCORRECT. Yonkou, remember this well: I do NOT require your permission to do anything."
Her lips turn up into a bright and sweet smile.
"Of course I'll allow you to pick up a shipment of sandstone each month - right after you submit payment for it. Do not underestimate my resources. I do not NEED your protection. Man the island if you wish, but rest assured, it's for your benefit, not mine. I shall do the same - and I do not require a royal decree to do so, your Majesty. Lets just say the seastone business is lucrative, dangerous, and far reaching. Not even your little sandbox across the sea is untouched by my influence. ."
The concept of sand now creeped her out a bit. She shivered at the thought of the little pile of sand from so many years ago. That mummified pervert.
"I'll consent to have both banners on the island as you search for your little piles of rocks but I will not be your hostage. Do you really think that you can draw up one-sided hoops for me to jump through like a well-trained bitch? What a creative insult. Your arrogance has exceeded my expectations. Impressive."
She laughs a bit, sincerely amused by the absurd audacity of his commands. He would probably still attempt to make demands if she had him in seastone cuffs with a blade to his throat. Entitled brat.
"if I stumble upon a cache of your little rocks, I'll be sure to let you know -maybe. What the devil do you need with rocks anyway? Are you collecting them for your imaginary kingdom?"

Kiana sensed a disturbance in the girls movement, she had already drawn her blade when she saw the flicker of the wire. She had time to little more than raise the blade when Satoshi moved in front of her. Her eyes widened as the wire actually made contact. How could this creature actually succeed in hitting Satoshi of all people. Females always turned him into a ball of confusion. That must be it... "Satoshi ..."
The welling of red on his face followed be the falling red drops seemed to happen in slow motion. By the time the first drop hit the ground, her eyes were glowing a pale blue and she had pressed an incredible amount of friction into the blade causing it to glow white hot. She gazed from under the shadow of her hair, walking past Satoshi as if he were not there. The sight of his blood from such an idiotic and meaningless attack left her numb to anything but her rage. It rippled through her frame and only made her generation of heat more effective. Steam began to rise from her skin, distorting her frame as her eyes glowed through the mist looking a bit like a demon ascending from hell. Not a word did she utter, the time for talking was over.

[[In the tent]]

"I think well trained bitch is a bit far from what i would call you but then again who is keeping score?" Anubis sat foward and replied to Kiya more seriously "I need sandstone as they amplify my abilities prowess by ten fold... then again, need is a strong word, more like i would like sandstone, and what i want i will have. Im glad we agreed to the flags but there will be no way i will pay for minerals in an island i partially own... your little security force that you have assembled is impressive i must admit, but comparing my forces to yours is quite bold of you considering the notable experience my men possess when it comes to maintaining islands.... your little sheltered empire you have built may be large, but it has no idea of the cruelty and deadliness that these seas bring, while you stayed in your office and played business girl, my men have been fighting battles against some of the most dangerous beings in this land, and all are loyal to me to the core, we never know when one of yours might turn and offer the island on a platter to a rival or a pirate crew trying to invade the island and claim one of my banners" Anubis was expecting this to be a long negotiation, he knew that the girl would want him off this island to leave her people to work and gain the resources, but it was important that this negotiation not go far from him.

[[Outside the tent]]

Ariel was actually expecting for the girl to stay put, but her reaction was quite the opposite, instead of being intimidated she had chosen to express her severe intent to kill. Ariel wanted to smirk, but the look on Kianas face didnt allow for that. Instead she was with slight respect for Kiana due to the fact her stare was enough to tell Ariel that she would be in danger if this woman barraged, she increased the density of some of the wires, alternating between sharp and durable. The wires were interconnected onto different parts of the ground and around the area and even on Ariels clothing. Ariel simply then swished her wrist for two wires to wrap around Kiana and hold her still , both wires were of the durable variety and she was attempting to assess the level at which Kianas strokes were at.

[Inside]

"And what is it that you would call me? I am quite anxious for the additional entertainment you have unfailing provided this evening."
She settles on the floor facing him with her legs outstretch in front of her, one over the other while leaning back casually on her hands.
"The problem is, I don't need your 'minerals' - they are nothing to me. We got to this island at the same time, staking claim at opposite ends. Neither owns any more than the other- and down give me any rubbish about "royal priority" either - you are far from home, Prince."
She sits up crossing her arms across her chest, offering him a bit of a smirk.
"Had you been a well behaved prince instead of an obnoxious entitled brat, demanding things of me, I would have given you as much seastone as you needed as a token of good faith. This place has one of the largest concentrations in the world. It's speckled with that odd pearly looking rock, which I assume you're after. I could have given all that was chipped away to access the sandstone since I don't need it - but you have chosen to be insufferable. I'll give you something if I chose to, not because you demand it."
"You clearly have no idea how difficult and dangerous it is to acquire sandstone, People don't just evacuate their property, put a bow on the ground and tell you to take what you need. That is how you think the world works, isn't it? Not one ounce of sandstone was acquired without fighting and bloodshed. My men follow me without question - even when I cannot show them my face, they have followed me into hell."
She glowers darkly and him, leaning aggressively toward his chair.
"If you ever presume to doubt-"
there is a sudden shuffling at the back of the tent and a black shape silently emerges. A sleek black panther approaches the firelight flickers against its shine coat as it moves, highlighting its immense muscular frame. It moves directly in front of Kiya, purring loudly and nuzzling its face against her stomach.
"Bast-- how the devil did you get out of your pen. Now is not the time ... Bast... "
She swallowed hard as the big cat takes notice of Anubis for the first time. Bast didn't particularly care for anyone, particularly someone so close to her. She penned the big cat so he would not attack the yonkou and make things worse. The negotiations would not go well if the animal attacked, even if it did no harm.
Her eyes widened in horror as she reached out for the cat as it stood on it's hind legs, placing its massive front paws on Anubis' chest. She wrapped her arms around the cat to pull it away when she suddenly noticed the loud rumbling never stopped. The panther was still purring ... and to her horror, it was nuzzling Anubis like an old friend.
Infuriated, she tugs the cat until it steps back to the floor. She presses her forehead against the panther's and glares.
"Bast, what in hell has gotten into you? I thought you were about to lose the damn island, but instead you turned your pelt? I'd rather you have cost me everything than end up a bloody traitor. The still purring panther simply licks her cheek and promptly rolls over in the dirt, demanding that it's belly be rubbed, and pauses for an offended glare when it's demands are not met by either of the humans. Annoyed, it slinks off to sulk by the fire, tail swishing.
"None of my crew will bother your banners ... as for that bloody cat over there, I cannot say."

[Outside]

Kiana's eyes continues to pulse ever brighter. The carefully followed the movement of the wires. She waits until the last moment before shifting the blade to her right hand and executing a swift back slice against the wires, the blade had been freshly forged earlier that day, the blade was yet untested and was now hot enough to melt most anything on contact. She could see approaching this girl recklessly would be a mistake.

She reaches into her belt pouch with her left hand, extracting shards of steel and titanium that begin to melt instantly in her hand, she flings the droplets of molten metal in the general direction of the girls head neck and chest region. The steel begins to harden into red-hot jagged shards, while the white hot titanium with the higher melting point remain metallic liquid blobs, all of which emerge in a chaotic flurry from the steam surrounding her body. She then shifts the katana back into both hands, holding it at an angle, continuing to pulse heat into its mineral infused metals.

[[In the tent]]

Anubis patted the panther after the creature nuzzled him. Anubis had always been well liked by many creatures. He had no ill will against the creature and was quite taken by its friendly nature. Anubis then smiled "A majestic beast you have there... i have a lizard and my hawk , ill purchase the creature off you, name your price......" Anubis liked collecting rare and exotic things, thats why he had so many treasures in his ship which he held dear. He then continued "and like i said i will not pay for something which i have ownership in... we know that we cannot simply split the island in half, since the minerals could possibly be on both sides or only one side and the fact that it will get in the way of what you are trying to do, i have to admit that providing a workforce for this island would be troubling for me, since your men are used to grunt work, if you really want to start dividing up land we can, but only after my science team does a full sweep of this land first, then we can negotiate land divisions"

[[Outside]]

The wires had been cut, but not cleanly, it was cut to a degree and then split apart. Ariel was impressed by her mental tenacity to maintained so focused during a quick moment of rage. When Kiana threw the hot shards, Ariel lifted up her arms and flexed her wrist like she was about to play a piano, she twirled her fingers as the wires piled and formed a wall in front of her, thick wires wrapping in front of each other blocking the shards, but a hole was formed , Ariel puffed air in relief, she couldnt stop the shards from melting her wire, but she could stop it from reaching her. Ariel then slinged the stationery wire she had earlier released around the area where kiana was standing to slice her down from 4 sides, front , back , left and right.

[Inside]
"Friends cannot be purchased, Prince. Things that can be bought are parasites, illusions, and commodities. Bast is not a possession and therefor is not for sale. He comes and goes as he pleases; he is here because he chooses to be. He will, in like manner, stay with you if he chooses. I will not ask for compensation for his own free will if that should come to pass; I don't make demands of my friends or stand in the way of their will. He was penned because he is a very protective, proud, and violent creature. These negotiations would not go well if he tried to eat you ... and there would be bloodshed if you raise a hand to harm him. I'm actually shocked you don't already assume he is your since the rest of the world apparently is.
She gasps as the large can nearly knocks her over, purring loudly and nuzzling insistently, not to be ignored. She chuckles a bit and scratches the big cat under the chin. The can moves on to brush itself under Anubis' hand, effectively using him to pet itself.
"Bast... don't make a nuisance of yourself. You act like no one has paid you any mind in months, you spoiled thing..."
She shakes her head, amused by the big cat's complete disregard of the tense situation. Only cats can so irreverently insist that their needs be met. If anyone in this room has human servants, it's the bloody cat.
As you might imagine my sandstone specialists do not work for free. It's not the stone that you'd pay for; it is the extraction, the purification, and the reconstitution - and that's just if you want processed materials, weaponry employs a different team of specialists. You have only to ask, but I won't be ordered about by the likes of you.
Dividing the land is a frivolous waste of time. Surely between the two of use we can come up with a clever way to play nicely together. Resorting to land division is an admission of failure really.
So tell me, Sand Prince... what does a devil fruit user need with sand stone and several metric tones of shiny rocks?"

[Outside]

While the girl is distracted with the melt shards metal, Kiana takes a quick drink of rum from her canteen before extracting her venom scythe with her left hand. She spins the staff of the scythe outward to intercept two of the wires in front of her and to her left. The katana takes out the right but only catches the tip of the back enough to slow not stop it. She takes a nasty lash across the back of her right shoulder which immediately begins to well with blood. Her body temperature continues to rise, vaporizing the blood into a metallic vapor. She blows the last bit or rum still in her mouth out toward the girl, in a skin-melting, acrid alcoholic vapor.
Before the steam and vapor can clear she hold her katana in front of her at an angle while the red heated scythe arcs spins briefly as the neurotoxin reservoir is activated. She executes a distracting aerial tumble over the scythe to the left before a wicked arcing swing hurtles toward the girl, dripping venom.

[[Tent]]

Anubis simply chuckled as Kiya scolded the big cat, as he patted the cat and sat back. He then yawned before continuing "That is a pre determined thing Miss Flame Cloak, i am the sovereign, you never had a say in the matter to begin with, i own everything i want, the only reason i own these things is because i have laid waste to many and seized it, i didnt wait or sit at a desk....... anyway, its fine, i have many animals on my vessel, so i wont go out of my way, i was merely enquiring as to the cats availability, since it is a rather fine specimen, and you have one thing sorely mistaken, had the creature try to eat me, i would have left nothing but dust on the floor for you to keep you warm at night, do not forget that..." Anubis then faced Kiya "As for what i want with sandstone, i must say it is really not your right to know what i do since you have clearly no disposition or understanding in the matter of piracy as you are more suited to digging and mining for rock like usually do"

[[Outside]]

Now she was a circus performer? Ariel had fought alot of battle styles in paradise and even in the New World this was something very unorthodox. This girl was using alcohol and poisons along with the heat. Such a style was rare and if in the hands of an amateur would most likely kill the user rather than the person they were attacking, but this girl wasnt like that , she was very skilled and capable. As she blew the vapor towards her, Ariel was able to make another wire wall form, the wires piling up to try and stop the vapor, Ariel coughed in the aftermath of that, at least she stopped the rum from hitting her, but her wires had taken damage once again, she had the wires regroup and regenerate, but this granted Kiana time to to move and aim her scythe for Ariels side, Ariel wasnt unexperienced, but by the time she moved, she was cut on the side slightly, and immediately smelt something foul and odourous. Ariel backflipped and landed on her feet grimacing in annoyance, she knew it, that girl had poison on her scythe and now it was inside her. Ariel cursed her carelessness, all those years of training in war zones and battlefields, she had let her guard down to be infected by a neuro toxin. Still to come up with a trick like that meant that this girl too was a veteran in war. She wasnt like Satoshi at all, Ariel knew it watching her. People like Satoshi and Anubis were grandeur leaders or headstrong rams who knew no other method than to simply attack. That reckless style was typical of pirates, but this girl was using her weapons and tools along with her skills to meticulously plan every move like a chess game. Ariel immediately placed her blade on the side and pressed it against her wound grimacing,she allowed some of her wires to enter her body and begin attempting to extract the poison out of her body slowly, she couldnt go too far in , as it would affect her internal organs, the poison was oozing out slowly as she slid it away with her knife. The brunt of the poison was out , but not all of it, she had only 3 minutes before that small strand of poison paralyzed her. Ariel then twirled her blade and her wires began to cover the area, some where sharp and some were duds, wires that purposely had been placed there to mislead the weapon user to do something towards it. She kept a distance , but she had an idea on how to deal with the girl. It depended how she reacted, but she would know immediately.

[[ON the sea at a distance from the island]]

A ship was enclosing on the area, it was pretty much armed to the teeth and had a figure on deck, dressed in a shirt and pants, looking through a binoculars at the area. he then hummed as he spoke "This is Hummingbird.... you were right Golden Eagle..... they are there, with no forces with them but 3 people.... and two of them are fighting, damn how lame is that......" The radio replied "Understood Hummingbird, proceed with stage one, by the end of today the world will be alot cleaner...."

[Inside]

"I never meant to imply that it was the cat you had to worry about ... I do not tolerate harm coming to my dear friends. Bast seems to respect you as a suitable petting servant but you have earned no such courtesy from me. ...In terms of respect, not ... petting ... ...not that petting is a-- .... never mind. Also, refrain from the use of miss when addressing me."
She gets up and walks around behind his chair, trailing a finger over its upper contours before coming round to the other side and kneeling there with an innocent, doe-eyed gaze and completely inappropriate proximity.
"If I am already your possession, why have you lowered yourself to negotiate? ... shouldn't you have me on my knees cuffed in my own sea stone cuffs, at your feet, awaiting your commands?"
She obnoxiously crosses one wrist over the other, next to his arm while nibbling her lower lip in feigned fear. Naturally, the cat interprets the movement as an invitation for more petting and crams itself through her arms between her and Anubis.
"Really, Bast?"
She scratches his head until he hurls himself to the ground, rolling and purring. She turns back to Anubis, her freakishly pale eyes narrowing a bit.
"As for piracy, I've had my fair share of dealings, illusions, and fabrications to extract the information, materials, and people I need. Not all of my men are in the sea stone business. I have eyes in every corner and sometimes, like now, I go myself but not in such a fashion that anyone would recognize me. I assure you, my darling destroyer of worlds, the last place you shall ever find me is behind a desk. And further more, I took YOUR boat, didn't I? What kind of shitty pirate gets kicked off his own ship and left behind? Apparently the same sort of brat that gets kicked out of his kingdom due to his inability to wait his turn for the throne because he thinks himself better than every creature alive - or dead too, I'll wager.
Don't talk to me about harvesting rocks - why is it, again, that you want this particular island--OH right ... rocks. Different rocks, but rocks all the same... additionally, you also want MY rocks. Don't try to distance yourself from rocks now... if you don't need rocks, fee free to leave this island any time you see fit - and don't worry, my sweet pirate prince..." she pauses to offer a sweet and dangerous smile. "... I promise not to take your ship from you this time."
She smirks a bit allowing him to absorb the impact of the insult.
"I'll even let you have one of my favourites."
She carefully removes the knife wedged against her hip, tucked into the fabric of her swimwear. The knife has a long, curved blade like a miniature scimitar set in an onyx hilt in the shape of a panthers head with two emeralds serving for eyes and opal teeth with intermittent ruby tips to depict blood. She sets it carefully on the back of her hand that's resting on the side of the chair. She gives him a mocking smile.
"Be careful, little one - it can even cut you."

[Outside]

Kiana steps back as her poison scythe grazed the girl. At last this nonsense would be over. To her surprise she somehow was aware the the blade was envenomed and was able to cut away much of the damage to maximized her time. Whether it be from the blood loss of the small amount of poison still in her system, she didn't have long in this battle. Kiana's gaze, darted following the trajectory of the wires, while keeping her eyes on the target. Something about the placement of the wires seemed like a trap. She stepped back, cutting away the wires that blocked her path with a fiery blade, determined to not be captured in a web of death. Every time a wire came closer, she stepped back to avoid being surrounded.

[Out to sea]

The vessel made a hard turn to port, approaching the western coastline. An unusually wall man wandered on deck, casually knitting a pair of hideous socks, composed of every colour that should never be in the same place at the same time.
"I saw in my socks that the time has come. See the blood streaming through the sky?"
The man makes a vague gesture at some awful pattern in the sock and looks up at Humming Bird, pleased with himself - as though he had just revealed the secrets of the universe.
He turns toward the breeze allowing it to ripping through his hair and toss his awful tie-dye cloak to further dramatize the wisdom of his sock-vision.
[INTRODUCING: PERIWINKLE CHICKADEE: THE SOCK PSYCHIC]

[[In the tent]]

Anubis simply laughed at Kiya "How ridiculous you are , and if i cant call you miss then what should i call you? Mister? My lady? Sir? Are you simply not happy with your gender because prospects for your possible future marriage is in the low 0s given your attitude and behavior i can imagine many men arent too attracted to that angry and hostile demeanor of yours, or has playing the role of your father been so consuming that you find yourself consumed to the point of not even feeling like a woman anymore... i feel pity for you really, i never had to hide my face to do my work, when people try to kill me and fail , they do it to my face knowing full well who i am.... and besides, i wasnt a pirate yet at that point, i was still leading a revolution that nearly succeeded.... had it not been for my teacher at the time....... you didnt achieve anything by taking that ship..." Anubis ticked the table with his fingers , he didnt like this topic, but whatever, it was something he couldnt help but say. "The truth is, you dont want a conflict with me as much as i do not wish to needlessly waste my time and energy fighting you, so name your terms now so we can move foward, i tire of your childish dribble about how you mining rocks is so important, because like i said, i get what i want....."

[[Outside the tent]]
As she cut the wires, the remnants of the wires stuck to her clothing unbeknown to Kiana. Ariel was smiling as this occured, she was running past all these wires she cut , not knowing the aftermath was stuck to her clothes as she did so. She generated more wires at the same time, keeping Kianas focus on the wires and on the front of her sinstead of looking back, this would take a while.

[[Marineford]]

"Im sorry, you want us to what??" It was the Fleet Admiral sitting at his desk, looking over at the screen who bellowed these words, it seems he had got a video den den mushi call from someone and clearly he wasnt pleased as he flexed the frown line of his head. The voice of the person talking to him, was a plain looking man wearing a leather belted armor, all dressed in gold, he had a feather hat as well along with long black hair. "Ummmm, yeah.... ummmm, well.... the thing is.....ummmm...... ehhh....." Suddenly the man in black was struck across the head by a woman behind him "STOP FUCKING DELAYING IT!!!!!" the black haired man coughed and and grunted in pain as he looked up "Yeah... welll.. i was... welll..... ummm.... you know.... ehhhh....." She struck him again with a iron pot "JUST DIE YOU IDIOT!!!!" She was panting angrily as she turned to the screen again at the bewildered Fleet admiral on the other end of the line "The truth is Fleet Admiral, we already got express permission from the gorosei for this... Anubis and the Sandstone empire are our targets now. We want to handle the situation without interference from the marine forces, we will get the job done, and if we should fail, you can always have your men on standby" The Gorosei gave them permission? How on earth could that be possible? Even the Gorosei knew that the yonkou were necessary to regulate the pirate world, but to this extent they must have had enough of Anubis's actions. the lady then continued "We are perfectly capable of this, we will bring down the illusive flamed cloak and the desert king Anubis, we have plans in place for taking down both of them, especially since they are isolated" The Fleet Admiral couldnt really deny if anyone could do it, it was this group. The Gold clothed man sat up and then murmured something under his breath, as the girl knocked him on the head. "So will you leave it to us?" The fleet admiral let out a puff of air and then sat steady "Do as you like, keep it within that island and dont cause a mess, if you can get the yonkou in the cross fire then good , if not there is nothing linking this to us...." The girl nodded and the video went blank. the fleet admiral massaged his head.

[[On a fleet of about 9 ships enclosing Coppolla]]

"How are we doing?" It was the girl again, she had a cutlass and pistols along with a very stern face. She was wearing silver bracelets as well as a normal cap. She had a eye patch and her hair was auburn.

[[Cassandra "Silver Hawk" Cortez]]
[[Bounty Hunter]]
[[Leader of Wings of Glory the mercenary band in the New World]]

The man clad in gold in the meanwhile was on the other side sharpening his fingernails. He yawned as he rubbed his hair which was increasingly getting messy. He was the one who had been speaking slowly earlier.

[["Gold Eagle" Timothy Duraine]]
[[Bounty Hunter]]
[[Leader of Wings of glory]]

Cassandra then spoke to Humming bird on her den den mushi "this is silver hawk , the mission is a go, prepare for tactical incursion in 30 minutes, im going to wake up the rest of the wings....."

[[On a ship near Coppolla, the earlier ship with Hummingbird and Chikadee]]
Hummingbird, pulled out his violin and started playing as the transmission order was received. It was a sonata for tragedy. His golden swords laid beside him as he played the beautiful melody.

[Inside]

"I seem to recall accomplishing getting you imprisoned for a while - or was that just a rumor? --- speaking of rumor, I see that the rumors of your sickness and death were false. Oddly I'm not disappointed ... your death would cause entirely too much trouble so I would very much like for you to sustain your vitality, if you don't mind.

She stared at him in disbelief as he brought up her marriage prospects of all things. What in hell did that have to do with anything? It was true that she never really got to chose her identity- she literally had to become someone else and she paid for the decision with a piece of her soul. It was reflected in the sad emptiness of her eyes that no one ever got to see. She filled the hole with rabid aggression which would always make sure no one could ever get near enough to know who she was behind the prison of her father's cloak. Marriage was a different kind of prison one that applied the real people, not people like her - who didn't really exist and who had an empire to run.

"Thank you for asking, Princess ... I prefer Sir, thank you. Oh yes. That must be it. The aim for every action in my life is ultimately tied to marriage. One of these days I'm just going to walk away from everything I worked and bled to accomplish ... throw it all away to be married and have a small litter. Can't. Wait. You've certainly got me figured out, Prince-ling.
She sighs with annoyance, suddenly realizing that he was actually serious.

"Surely you must see that I could never have time for that kind of luxury - my work is my husband, my child, and my life. My job is to inspire fear in men's hearts, not love. Fortunately you're the only one that has seen me since I left my home island and, as you pointed out, I certainly don't have to worry about that from you or anyone else ... my prospects can bloody well stay in the low zeros and that suits me perfectly. There isn't a single man in any corner of the world that would suit me, my temper, my ambition, or have the slightest idea how to stay alive in this business. I'm far better off alone.
No, I'm not like you... I live in the shadow of fire. You live in the daylight ... and are you really attacking MY marriage prospects? You are a bloody PRINCE and I don't see a line out the door for YOUR hand ... let me guess, none of them were good enough so you sent them away with a boot print across their asses? -- WHY are we talking about this again? We both know neither of us will ever be cut out for that so -"

She stopped suddenly noting that it was probably a royal obligation to submit to such unions for political gain, display of influence, legitimizing claims, or... in rare cases sincere affection. Either way, it may not be a choice to opt out. She knew at some level she was insulting his culture and family, a family that her father respected. No matter how much she hated him, she had no right to cross that line.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't be so cruel to you. I resent you for seeing me this way and it brings out the worst in me ... but it's oddly liberating to live in my own skin for a moment.
No, I do not wish to fight you ... not any more than you wish to fight me - we would both needlessly lose resources because we're too stubborn to get along. I'll give you those odd rocks you're after when I extract the ones I'm after. I'll also give you the purified seastone you require - apparently my father owed you a favor years ago. I intended to offer you some but you beat me too it with your obnoxious royal demands. Well, Sand Prince... it appears that you do get what you want after all, but it wasn't because of your demands.
I have no demands from you. I only ask that my operations be unmolested and unlooted. "

She picks up her cloak, realizing it's weight for the first time in ages. Her identity, her life, and her prison. She allows herself a sad little smile.
"Regrettably I actually ... feel somewhat grateful to you for this vacation away from this shroud of flame you've provoked me out of. Your obnoxious insults made this excursion possible so... "
Her cold gaze softens slightly. In a moment of insanity she presses a soft, brief kiss against his cheek.
"Thank you, Anubis ... and for the record, I still hate you. Immensely."
She gives him an evil grin before standing to straightening out the cloak, still putting off wearing it for as long as she can.

[Outside]

Kiana still moved back, watching every wire that sprouted from the girl carefully as she moved away from the center, parrying what she could and slicing what she needed to. While watching the wires, she surveyed the area to make sure Satoshi was safe and not in the line of fire.
She sheaths her katanta and pulls a handful of metal to put in the mouth this time. She spins her scythe in a rapid figure 8 movement as it quickly becomes white hot, vaporizing the venom from the blades into a mist. The rapid turning of the staff turn it into something of a ban. She then blows the now through the spinning scythe staff and into the poison vapor, envenoming them on contact. The spinning of the scything send the shard in a wide splay in front of her, toward the girl that oh so desperately needed to die. Soon.

[Sea side]

A slender man with a black eye mask leans against the wall of the mess hall absently tossing throwing knives at a wall entirely covered in prominent pirate jolly rogers. An alarm signaling the crew ready themselves sound but he doesn't trouble himself to move from his halfhearted target practice.

[Dominic "Onyx Ibis" Valora]

The strange man with the tie dye cloak was now busy about running a pocket knife over his fingertips to loose droplets of blood over the freshly knit socks. "...and here you shall by, my chickadee... over and under... the trees of fire will never stand in your way until you must meet your end my chickadee... the axe will follow you home..."

[Rupert Daffodil, "The Periwinkle Chickadee"]


A slender woman with raven black hair, and silk yukata tilts her head, watching the sock situation before turning to the one throwing the knives. "Why was he bailed from the looney bin again? He's creepying me out... what the hell is wrong with him?
["Ivory Falcon" Lexana Astrelle]

The man continues throwing the knives, not really acknowledging her. "I think it started when his mother name him ... Rupert Daffodil ... beyond that I can't say. I guess we should go top side now."
[Onxy Ibis]

The woman nods, giving one more disturbed glance to the mumbling man standing over the blood-soaked socks. "Anywhere but here..."
[Ivory Falcon]

[[In the tent]]

Anubis was so taken a back that he stopped for a bit "I see..... well, we all have to carry some burden or another, so you are not alone there. Burdens make us stronger after all. The longer you carry them, the more you become a symbol that people can relate to i suppose...." Anubis stood up and turned around "Ill try to come up with some sort of payment scheme to pay you for the stones, it should not to be cumbersome, our treasury at the moment isnt too magnificent, but i have people working on it..... Ill set up a small security team to make sure back up can be present if its needed....." Anubis grinned at the end "I guess i should thank you as well, your refinement team and your processing setup is frankly undefeatable in the world, so it was something of a stroke of luck i ran into ... well i thought it was your father, but you i guess, i dont need a handout, i would gladly pay the price for the processing, since it is difficult... and as to your point about women, i have my mind on only one woman in my life im afraid , and she is too busy running around being a pirate for that, ahahahahah, oh and yes, of course i dislike you as well, but im glad we could be civil" There was suddenly a loud noise outside.

[[Outside]]
Ariel was watching her cut and she had to grin. The girl was skillful and this was incredibly troublesome to pull off, but she had wires in place on her clothing and in certain areas on the ground to pull something off here. But the poison wasnt helping matters at all. Ariel knew this was when she would have to move. Ariel began her run towards Kiana. As Kiana began blowing the vapor, Ariel began constraining her to stand still. the wires were now firmly forming , wrapping around Kianas clothing and constraining her body movement. At exactly that moment , a canon shot was fired onto land. It was a ship in the distance. Satoshi who had been standing and watching finally acted, by cutting the canon ball in two after a flashing dash across. Satoshi was alert. There were now ships at the shores "I think i must regretabbly advice you to stop your battle right NOW"
Ariel swore , she wasnt paying attention at all, she didnt notice the ship before it was too late "Oh shit......."

[[Near the shore]]

Ozzy continued to play his violin, turning it to a more exciting tune, the canons had only just fired, but he drew his rythm to a beautiful string of high chords orchestrating the foreshadowing of a clash. there was a clap behind him, as slowly a man clad in Black had stepped forth. "Such a beautiful melody... i love it so.... you would have made White Owl proud....." It was a man with long white hair, and a very long embrazened katana on his back. He was wearing a robe of some kind and wore a gold and purple crusted necklace. Ozzy nodded to the man "Thank you Nightingale....."

[[Ozzy Hummingbird]]
[[Wings of Glory]]

[[Haldir Chambers "Black Nightingale"]]
[[wings of Glory]]


On the other side of the ship, another man was working on something in his garage, he got the call from Hawk to come topside. He finished his calibrations on the thing he was working on and smiled to himself "Looks like i did it..... i revived the long lost Diablo project.... you wont be named that anymore.... you are now Maroon Gull, hehehehahahahahahaahah" It was a big giant red thing in the shadows which was just christened as the new member of the Wings of Glory.

[["Violet Lark" Dr Yomui]]
[[Wings of Glory]]

[[ "Maroon Gull" ???]]
[[Wings of Glory]]

The man shut his book. It seems Eagle and Hawk had made contact and it was time to move. He placed his book neatly on the table and took a look at himself in the mirror. He twirled his fingers as he placed his grey gloves on. He walked up wearing his grey boots as well. The others respected his authority and wisdom. After all the title of Owl , hawk and Eagle were the symbols of power within the Wings of Glory.The others were very important , but Owl , Hawk and Eagle were generally the titles of great premise. As he walked forth, he simply turned on his jamming den den mushi, to intercept the waves of any den den mushi on that island to force a broadcast "Good evening.... i would like to hear a reply from anyone down there, since i wish to grant a ultimatum......"

[[Thomas Drezel "Grey Owl]]
[[Wings of Glory]]

[Inside]
"I'm sorry I startled you; I think I startled myself too.."
She tilts hear head in disbelief at his comment. "I was really quite joking. You're full of surprises, aren't you? I never expected the beautiful, icy Prince Yonkou to have a heart... much less someone to trust with it. Frankly, I would prefer my burden to yours. It must be quite painful to allow yourself to feel ... I suppose I wouldn't know but it seems terrible. There is too little control..."
She raises a brow at his offer to pay her, give her security detail, and take a loss for all of it. Of course she could afford to process and give him every ounce of stone on the island. It was his demand and royal showboating that infuriated her. What has gotten into him?
"Are ... you ... the same person from circa five minutes ago?
It isn't a 'handout'; I take my father's debts very seriously ... not only is it a matter of honor, it is necessary to preserve my ruse. As for the cost of extraction - yes, it's expensive but... its not something I have to worry about."
She pauses for a moment and bites her lower lip in thought be fore continuing.
"I shall let you in on something no one has really put together. If you must compensate me for the stone, pay me in silence about what I'm about to tell you.
Sandstone is not the only venture I've got my hands in.
I have an entirely separate entity that exclusively locates and procures devil fruits. The amusing part is I am paid quit handsomely for the fruits that I sell to individuals, in places that I see fit. It's a nice way to stir up a bit of trouble.
The world government, among others, will buy sea stone from me to deal with the problem I have created. The world government will then proceed to spend exorbitant amount putting man power, armed with my sandstone weaponry, and the resources for their travel and upkeep in that place where I have caused such an uproar. The world government literally pays very well me to waste their resources wherever I choose .. as they battle problems I have been paid to create. If I want their eye off of a certain place... I just plant and fruit or two a little ways away, usually with some misguided idiot with an insatiable sense of entitlement, sit back and watch them hemorrhage troops while the money rolls in. They are such an obedient little puppet.
No one has a clue that my business is a remedy for problems that have been paid to create. My 'treasury' is quite healthy. I'll drain the world government's coffers until they are quite crippled. Even if they figure out, it will be too late. Their obsession with control will be their undoing. They have outlived their welcome anyway.
I have never lost a fruit, save for that sand trap you swallowed before i could find it. I think I can let it go now ... since the last thing any one would want, particularly the world government, is us getting along and collaborating. We become a thousand times more dangerous.
My interest in this island was more about claiming its contents, blocking any one else .. I can't have competition and there have been problems when I let islands go because I don't need them. Some idiot actually wishes to challenge my empire. It ends here. Take as much as you need... and don't be surprised by the refinement quality. It is the best."
She gives him a sly smirk, while gazing up from beneath her fringe and holding out her hand to him. "Do we have a truce, then?
Her eyes narrow as a sound startles her. "My ships have been ordered under to stand down and keep away until I signal. ... what's going on?"

[Outside]
The booming sound of large artillery shatters the rhythmic sounds of metal clashing as the blade strikes the wires. A sudden movement catches Kiana's eye. She takes a half glance in Satoshi's direction, trying to keep her focus on the girl. The two sounds of blunt objects hitting the sand following the movement of the swordsman relaxed her. She frequently wished he would not get into battles with siege artillery. She moves to take a steps and finds her legs have gotten annoyingly heavy with the help of some miserable sod's interactive basket weaving class. How delicious the boiling blood of such a nuisance would be. She raises a brow at Satoshi's request for a cease fire until she noticed the girls attention is elsewhere. If it wasn't Anubis, that girl's accomplice, or her people... who the devil would be so stupid as to attack. They clearly had no clue who occupied the island.
"Bushido ... who the blazes would attack? Basket girl ... you may want to weave yourself a little basket wheelchair with that soon - until the venom wears off"

[Lexana]
Lexana leaned against the rail watching the approaching shoreline. She ran a grape between her fingertips, rolling it back and forth, silently regarding the sea. She murmurs with no one in particular and the grape is crushed. "In the moment... face to face with the island here in front of me, I still don't know if we are brilliant or completely mad."

[Rupert]
As if on queue, a streak of a tie dye, the stuff nightmares are made of, appears beside her holding up his latest poorly knitted train wreck. "I have the answers to your unease..." He takes one of her hand while the other clumsily holds a pilfered throwing knife. "All I need is a few drops of blo--" His words are forgotten as her hand is tugged away and her fist aquatints itself with his jaw.

[Dominic]
The dark masked Dominic stands nearby, bored by the exchange. He approaches the sock bearing anomaly without a word. He merely glances at the throwing knife, then at the man. A sharp clang signals the knife hitting the floor. The sock slips through the mans fingers into the wind because he quickly scuttles away. Dominic retrieves his stray blade, eyes the coast for a moment and sets about finding a new target against the railing.

[Vlad Otoño, "The Mahogany Vulture"]
The methodical sounds of knife after knife hitting the same vicinity awaken a sleeping figure nearby. He looks about the deck and spots Dominic's effortless throwing with annoyance. "OI... you've got an ENTIRE ship - don't you think you could find a different target?" The next sounds was a sharp thud a milometer from the man's ear, punctuated with a single word. "Gladly."

[[Anubis]]

Anubis pondered the dangers of collecting that many devil fruits. Collecting things like that had never been a priority for him, neither did he see the need in it, but he could understand what the girl was planning to do. And also he understood that competitors would want a piece of her business at some point. It had a almost astronomical value and she had a rumored defence force enough to rival a large fleet of a powerful country. Anubis was about to consider shaking her hand but the canon fire had been shot and his den den mushi was making a noise like static before the announcement came out. Anubis looked puzzled and then looked to Kiya "Is he one of yours? If he isnt , then i guess we should answer him since he decided to give us a invitation to treat...." Anubis was pretty much used to crazyness, whoever this person was, the sign they wanted to talk, meant there was room for discussion before he had to resort to annihilating them and ruining his clothes with their blood.

[[Outside]]

Ariel sat down for a bit, and rested her head. She was keeping silent and looking down. She had to recover and quickly assess the situation. Her job was to keep her client alive, and she will see it through properly. Ariel had recognized the voice on the other end as she said "Wings of Glory? What are they doing here?...... This is going to get annoying.."
Satoshi grumbled for a bit thinking of the next step.Obviously it would be wise to take on these people head on. They fired a warning shot which meant they wanted the ground party to know their intentions were indeed hostile. Satoshi finally sat down to concentrate "I do not know what that was... but you should probably heal Graves san Kiana, regardless of the battle that you both just had, we need her strength if this gets out of proportion.... i sense too much red blood for this to be a simple peaceful visit....."

[[On the ship in the distance]]

Cassandra was nearby as she heard the knife go thud. She sighed as she walked by Vulture, Ibris and falcon "Get ready, Ibris and Vulture will go with Nightingale and Lark. Remember, take down the enemies swiftly if you can, but if they are too much, fall back immediately, dont try to fight them in a group, seperate them and then do what you all do best, is that understood? Owl is going to try and talk them to surrender, but i think that will be a waste of time, so be very prepared, final thing, with high quality opposition, you must understand where you stand, and try and spot out weaknesses.... make sure you do not miss, cause i think they wont like it very much if you all attack."

[IN]

"I just told you it wasn't mine and I don't believe it was one of yours ... you've got more class and sense than to use cheap cannons - did you hear that? 75 cm, I'd say ... messy caliber indeed ... also poorly maintained .
Did you hear the strained, hollow explosion? The gasses couldn't escape rapidly enough ...so, whoever it belongs to doesn't clean the sediment after every fire. That damn thing is going to explode with the projectile stuck in it sometime within the next few firing sessions. Poor stupid bastards will do more damage to their own ship than anything they could hit onshore...
75 is pretty rare ... only one company makes them, in fact - they are cheaply and poorly made - usually with deviated barrels that are too short to ever be halfway accurate. That company also makes the only artillery for their unique caliber - solid shots, not explosive shells... good for... taking down buildings and walls - Siege craft... if you can get the damn things to shoot straight, anyway. Either way, that's not an appropriate artillery option if whey wish to attack this place. This clearly isn't a fortified city.
These people are amateurs or they got mislead and ripped off by a parasitic weapons dealer ... and given that 75cm crapware, you can bet on it. I think one of us was followed or a few idiots stumbled upon a sweet opportunity."

She pulls her hood over her head and allows the flames to ignite, then gives a sharp whistle. Seconds later a ghastly head pops under the back of the tent ... followed by the rest of the massive beast . The horse had eaten the Yomi Yomi no Mi, preserving it after its death. Scraps of skin clung to intermittent patches of raw flesh or exposed bone; its beautiful crimson eyes regarded her. The horse was carrying a cloaked figure, their face hidden in the shadows. She pets the horse's muzzle fondly. "Hello, Bucephalus." Her eyes flicker up to the cloaked figure. "I see you've brought your new friend." She turns slightly to Anubis. "By the way, yonkou ... I do my homework on my potential alliances too."

[OUT]

Kianas eyes flicker to the shore, looking for the source of the projectile before Satoshi speaks, startling her. She'd nearly forgotten he was there. What the hell was he doing? Watching the show? Perhaps she should have brought him snacks and a chair.
"Heal her? Fine. I'll do it only because you asked. ... but if she so much as raises a hand to any of us again, don't expect her head to remain connected to her body. "
She pulls a syringe from her cloak, pauses for a moment, thinking of applying the substance to a knife instead. She eyes Satoshi who already looks displeased and thinks better of it. She hurls the syringe and the girl, where the needle burrows squarely in her chest. She saunters over and roughly uses her foot to slowly depress the plunger to release the anti-venom into her blood stream.
"Here's a second life - don't waste it. Crazy bitch."

[SHIP]

The vulture gathers himself a bit, watching Cassandra carefully, anxiously awaiting to be released to cause havoc. He turns his attention back to the Ibis. "...the fuck is your problem, man?! I knew we should have left your crazy ass in that prison... between you and that crazy sock bastard I feel like I live in a damn loonatic asylum. We're quickly becoming the Wings of Insanity."

The ibis yawns, walking over to retrieve his knife by bracing his foot against the Vulture's head while pulling the blade free. Without a word, he walks away from the endlessly chattering woman. Why does everyone talk so much. He'd silence her too if he seemed less like effort. This obnoxious operation was already interrupting his nap but this wasn't the sort of thing he'd pass up. If all went well, the world was about to change. Not even this ship full of featherbrained simpletons would stand in his way.

"Your horse took quite a liking to me, I hope you don't mind," a soft but cool voice called out with amusement under the cloak she was given to wear. It had been a while...she was glad to see his familiar face but was amused at the circumstances they were under. A soft pale hand appeared under the cloak and took hold of the hood, pulling it down as she revealed herself to the yonkou and smiled.

"Been a while Anubis-san," called out the captain as she looked down at him from on top of the creature. Her pixie short hair was now a bright red orange instead of the matted mess that it had been during the battle in Alabasta, kind but calculating cool blue eyes looking back at his as if giving him a hidden message.

[[Delia "Crimson Snow" Clearwater]]
[[Captain and ally to Anubis]]
[[Bounty: 150,000,000 belli]]

She giggled softly before humming and observing the place before looking at him once more. "Sorry for the unexpected presence, after recovering I made way to the New World and he offered protection into coming over to this side. He also threw the World Government off our trails and for that I am grateful," she said in a more subtle tone that showed respect while giving the cloaked figure a short bow.

"Now...would someone help me off please?"

[Outside]

Sophie sighed and waited in silence outside the tent her sister had gone through. She still found it fishy that someone unknown to them would help them out in crossing to the New World. didn't matter anymore since they were already here but still...

"Anubis's ships are here though....heh, who would've thought," she said with a smirk as she started to light up a cigarette, holding it in her silver hand as she took a drag, her brush safely secured behind her back.

[[Sophie "Crazy Kat"/"Quicksilver" Bardos]]
[[Bounty: 60,000,000 belli]]

Hibiki was polishing his staff with both his sleeves rolled up his arms. This was his a sign for when he was actually doing something, like treating a patient or fighting. But the staff that he had in his hands was something special... he had it since he started being a pirate, since he was a complete weak moron. He polished it until he could see his reflection on it. Hibiki was really bored... he was waiting for various things... and the silence that could be not only felt, but heard, it was horrible.

There was a silence of the people that were not there... Satoshi and Anubis were in the island, discussing about the territory and complicated stuff, there was another silence that was emanated by everything... the creaking of the ship, the bubbles popping out of the chemicals he had mixed. But the worst of all the silences... was his own silence. His fruit was sound based, but it had a been a long time since he had used it. His division was comformed by a giant and two men, who right now were on a solo mission, looking for some treasure for his division.

And this third silence, was broken suddenly. He had been inside his room up to now, but he heard ships moving, creaking and metal hitting other metals, producing screeches. All the silences were envolved by the sudden explosion of noise... or at least that is how it folt for Hibiki. The sound maniac Hibiki.

The doctor ran up to the deck of the Shouting Glory. He saw that multiple ships were surrounding the island, barricading it. This couldn't be good at all. The Anubis Pirates were far from the island, but he had to get in somehow. So he took a really small boat and covered his image in a buzzy sound at high speeds, causing everything seen from the outside to be blurry. Good thing that there were some low clouds in the horizon.

After analyzing the situation, having navigated precariously all around the covered zone of the island, he decided to leave the boat and into the island. He situated himself in a place where there were almost none of these unknown enemies.. at least unknown for him, and he decided to use his Song Climb technique to get to the island. He knew that his captain was with Satoshi in a tent somewhere... so he decided to look for that.

Hibiki started using his song climb towards the island: Do, Do#... and then he realized that he was making sounds. How could have he forgotten that little detail. He started to pull the sound of his own logia production towards himself, nullifying it. He though he saw someone from the enemies move his head and see him... but it was only his imagination. When he got to land he started run... run as he never had.

He covered himself in Terpsichore's Armor to increase his speed. he hid behind rocks and prevented himself from being seen from the ships until he found the famous tent. Outside of it he could recognize two people: Ariel and Satoshi. And he saw another one that he hadn't met yet.

"Satoshi-sama!" -Hibiki exclaimed, but keeping a low enough voice. -"I sneaked onto the island as soon as I could... I saw that we are completely surrounded by ships... which are obviously enemy ships, and thought my help could be needed."

He saw around and saluted the two women with the hand and an inclination of his head.

[[Hibiki C. Dokuru]]
[[8th Division Commander and Anubis Council Member]]
[[Bounty: 50, 000, 000 Belli]]