Serious; Chapter Two: Justice of the Jungle; Open to the crew currently called Unnamed Pirates

Location: Emerald Island/West Blue
{Emerald Island is a place covered in trees. The locals are human and they have built their homes in the trees to avoid the more dangerous areas down on the ground where only wild beasts roam. Ships can dock at any one of Emerald Island's five safe harbors, each of which is located on a different part of the island and they are separated from the rest of the ground floor by large walls built out of the hardest wood that can be found on the island. So beasts cannot get into the harbors. Despite its dangers, Emerald Island has become a tourist spot largely because of the amazing architecture of the tree houses, and the bridges that connect them, which span the island. The locals welcome all manner of tourists, even allowing pirates to freely roam among the trees so long as they don't cause trouble. In fact, the locals refer to pirates as 'potential customers' and will even help them evade Marines so long as the pirates behave. Not that Marines come to the island very often, but it happens.}

Takao had no idea where he was. Not that it mattered much to him at the moment. He was sitting on his longboat, the 'Razor Edge', facing towards the back of the vessel, fishing. At the moment, his line was twitching and he was watching it very intently. Suddenly, his line was pulled downward and with a cry of victory, Takao yanked back on his rod. A moment later, a large fish that was four feet long shot out of the water and landed on top of Takao, who wrapped his arms around it and laughed as the creature tried to wriggle free.

"GENSHI!" Takao shouted. "I CAUGHT LUNCH!"

((OOC: Ahhh, sweet Roleplaying release at last))

CRACK! the sound of steel exploding the bark of the tree was deafening around Nathan, his bolts damage blinding him with debris. Damn the foul beast for dodging his shot in the first place, really some prey just needed to lie down. A growl caused the man to move his crossbow back into position with a sickening thud, placing another bolt took time, and this thing wasn't giving him a lot of that.

"Get your tuts up that ladder ya nitwit!" Nathanial's voice broke slightly, making him sound much less macho than he intended. Quickly a small 'meep' behind him made it's presence known; a little boy no older than eight turned tail and ran toward a nearby tree, a rope ladder hanging down. Thinking back about this moment Nathan thought about how he had found himself in this mess, from his arrival on this island to the weeping mother and then a far too long trek into the most dangerous place he had ever been hoping to find a runaway child. His thoughts of course were immediately interrupted by the lunge of the panther, it's sleek black fur coming into his vision just before the teeth clanged against his metallic sleeve.

"Damned beast, can't you see how tired I am!" his cries came from frustration as he braced his knee's and swung the arm, panther included against a tree to his right. The crashing sound of the beasts back sounded rather painful and with a yelp it released and tried to target something a little smaller, that wasn't going to happen with Nathanial around. The kid had just started climbing the ladder when the panther took off from Nathans side and burst with adrenaline. Frowning Nathan lifted his crossbow, drawing and arming a bolt as fast as it would allow him. Looking down the sights the beast was almost on top of the kid before he got a shot off, the sound of mechanical gizmos firing and locking into place relaxed the shooter. It wasn't often he missed.

Patch was sailing on his boat beside the Razor Edge. His raft was called "Test Tube." He was sitting up right on one side of the raft and checking through his equipment.

"Hm... seems Im running out on bandages..." he said to himself as he stared at the packet of bandages which was on his left hand.

Just when he was about to slip the packet back into his pocket, he heard Takao shout out. Patch was surprised and nearly fell off his raft since it had been quite a calm trip till now. His crutches were located on the other side of the raft. Turning his head so that he was facing Takao he looked at him with a "Why'd you do that for?" look. However to his surprise was a big fish wrapped around Takao's hands.

Come to think of it.... Patch hasn't eaten for quite a while. Looking at the fish..... drool trickled down his chin.

"Takao... be a good boy and hand over that fish... I mean we wouldn't want anything happening to it... right..?" Patch said as he raised his right hand towards Takao, the drool still falling down his chin.

Genshi rode on his own rowboat. trailing behind his crewmates, one that he had commandeered from a pirate who wasn't paying attention and would certainly regret that later. The reason for his trailing behind was that the cook was currently creating a small stove-shaped object out of clay, using the sunlight to heat it up and consequently leaving him unable to row. Effectively solving the problem by tying rope between his and Takao's boat, Genshi was now free to work on his clay stove, something that could prove to be valuable in the case of the crew lacking a proper kitchen, such the case right now. The cook smiled as his captain caught a large fish, one that would certainly feed the crew well, that is to say, if Genshi could get it in his clay stove. He detached his hands from the clay sculpture and reluctantly stood up, not wanting to fall in the ocean.

"Hey Takao, let me have that fish. I'll have it ready for you guys in a matter of moments." he said, wondering which way would be the best way to prepare it.

((OOC: Woohoo Chapter Two!! Sorry for not posting sooner, I've caught the flu, and a heads up for those who don't know, Noir is Crona's pet dog.))

Crona and Noir sat side-by-side on one of the main bridges that connected the Tree Houses. They owned a small, and overpriced, souvenir shop. Tourists and residents walked by, occasionally stopping to see at the goods she was selling.

"Business has been booming lately!" she said to Noir, happily playing with her bag of Beli. Noir agreed with a bark and a wag of his tail. They have been settling on this island for a solid 6 months, and lately more tourists have been coming to the island. Crona continued to play with her bag of Beli until she heard Noir growling. "Huh? Are you hungry Noir?" He gave a sad nod and began to whine. "Aha, okay. It's lunch time anyway." they began to close up shop.

Takao took one look at Patch's greedy expression and he immediately rolled away from Patch, moving as far from him as possible, which wasn't very far considering he was on a boat. He glared at Patch, holding the fish away from the doctor.

"No way!" he said. "Glutton! I caught this fish and Genshi's going to cook it for me!" Takao sprang to his feet and, with one foot planted on the side of his ship, launched himself towards Genshi. "Here! Chef guy! Catch!" Flying towards Genshi Takao drew back his arms and threw the fish down at the cook.

It took a few minutes to comfort the child's screaming, it isn't everyday that a large feline falls limp a few seconds before eating you alive. Nathan sat across and talked to the boy about what he had seen and offered to carry him back up the ladder, back home to his mother. With a few sniffles the boy eventually complied and climbing up together he seemed to calm down entirely, his adrenaline running out. It had been a few hours and the morning sun was now high in sky above the treeline, Nathanial let out a soft sigh as they reached the platform, letting the child down from his shoulders.

"Do you know your way home from here?" His voice soft and hopefully comforting as he begun to pull the rope ladder back up, he was going to take the boy home but small talk was nice when your scared. The boy smiled and nodded, they were only a few minutes from the village, moving slowly Nathanial put his weapon into it's awaiting coffin, something he had left up here. They walked slow, the boy wanted to get home but neither of them really had the energy after the mornings activity. Arriving home was filled with some excitement, the mother had been waiting by the entrance and rushed over when she saw the two immediately scolding the child for going down in the first place. Nathan gave the kid a wink in a 'everything is going to be fine' kind of way and then moved on, ignoring the mothers offer to pay him. He was rather hungry so naturally he wandered towards the local restaurant, a breakfast kind of place sitting in a hollowed out tree-trunk. He passed a vendor on his way there, peeking inside at some silly trinkets she had sitting around but didn't see anything that interested him greatly; aside from the girl, she was kinda cute.

Settling into his chair at the restaurant ordered a local special, some kind of soup and patiently waited for his meal, arms crossed and cowboy hat tiled down to cover his face. He tilted his coffin against the wall to the right of him, somewhere out of the way.

Patch watched as Takao declined his offer and threw the fish over to Genshi, who apparently was a cook. This surprised Patch slightly. Guess he now had to wait for the fish to be cooked before eating. Patch sighed, he really did feel hungry. He began to lie down, he looked up at the clear sky and watched as a group of birds flew by.

Where would the sea take them...?

"Say... Takao, how long do you think we are gonna be sailing...?" Patch asked as he rested left hand on chest and his right hand next to him.

A sudden feeling of excitement devoured Patch's body, I guess you could call this feeling.... 'sense of adventure.'

Genshi caught the fish and fell onto his back. It was pretty heavy, but that meant there was plenty of meat to go around. Standing up, and holding the fish with all his might in a powerful grip, Genshi placed the fish in the clay stove, sealing it shut and forming a few holes on top to let the hot air escape. This manner may not have been the most effective way of cooking, but it was all he had at the moment.

"Thanks, Captain-man. This might take a while, so if you're patient, you'll get some good eats. That's a guarantee." He laughed, placing his hands by his hips and looking upwards.

He leaned down towards his burlap bag and withdrew a few spice jars, clearly diminishing in content. Mentally kicking himself for fighting rather than buying supplies, he made a mental note to make some purchases at the next island the crew would reach.

"Say, are there any islands in sight you guys? Anything in sight at all that isn't water?" Genshi asked, reminding himself of the single most boring part of pirateering being the endless and usually dull sail times.

Noir waited patiently for Crona as she locked the entrance to her store. "Alright remember we're trying to save up, so let's try to eat small today, okay?" Crona said pulling down her shirt, "What do you feel like eating Noir?" He stood up, droll already forming at his mouth. He gave an excited bark and ran to a nearby poster, it had a picture of a cow on it. "Beef?" she said hesitantly, Crona knew how expensive this island was when it came to Grade-A meat.

Noir lowered his head and began to pout, as if saying "Please?" Crona looked away from his gaze, but he began to whine until she couldn't take it anymore. "Ah, fine!" she said crossing her arms "But afterwards you have to promise to stop doing that!" she bent down and started messing with his fur. Noir licked her cheek, "Eeww, you know I don't like it when you do that!" Crona said wiping the saliva off her face. Noir barked and wagged his tail, happy that he convinced her. They began to walk towards the local restaurants.

Noir happily followed behind his master.

(OOC: Forgot to mention this in an earlier post. Takao's outfit changed slightly. Eh, I'll just put the image here this time and forget about writing up a description.)

Spoiler:

Takao dropped back into his longboat to consider Patch's question. He sat with both his arms and legs crossed in front of him, his eyes closed as he thought for a few seconds.

"Well, you see," Takao began. Looking a little bit embarrassed, he laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't have very good navigation skills. In fact, I didn't even know I was in the West Blue until about three weeks after I got here." Takao began waving his hand dismissively at his crewmates. "Ah, but don't worry about that. I always ask which direction the next island is in and sail that way. Usually I end up at my destination. Except, this time, I forgot to ask about that before we left the last island." For a moment Takao was silent, just sitting there smiling. Then, leaping to his feet he shouted, "I FORGOT TO ASK! We could be in serious trouble here!"

Following Genshi's suggestion of looking for another island, Takao leaped to the front of his ship, landing balanced on the front of his vessel. He stared out over the waves, searching for any sight of a new island. For a brief moment he thought he caught a glimpse of something way off in the distance, but before he could take a better look, something struck the front of his ship and he fell, floundering, down onto something hard. Takao sat up to find himself sitting on a tiny raft. And right there in front of him was an unconscious man who was dressed in a heavy, hooded, long coat that was open on the front revealing a chest that was rippling in muscle as well as scars. The man was also wearing a pair of tan pants and dark boots. A large, curved sword was slung across his shoulders by a leather strap that encircled his chest. The man had dirty blond hair and heavily tanned skin, which showed signs of sunburn.

"Uh…guys?" Takao said. "We may have a slight problem."

"Sir?" Nathanial sprung back to life, he had fallen asleep for a moment or two while waiting for his meal. The soup sat in front of him, steam rising into his nostrils, the scent hinted at beef and broccoli. Tilting his hat back into a normal position on his head the waitress was looking at him with a smile, she was a bit older than he, but still a rather pretty lady. Shooting her a quick smile he dipped his spoon down and brought a sample to his face, the steam suggested it was still too hot to ingest so Nathan put it back in the bowl his brow furling as he thought of a way to pass the next few minutes without falling asleep.

He looked around the restaurant, it was empty aside from him, the front door propped open to invite customers inside. The kitchen staff was chatting with the waitress, talking about some kind of sporting event that the island participated in. Rocking his chair backward Nathanial let out a sigh, his day seemed like it had just begun yet all the excitement might have run its course this thought of course continued far too long as he leaned further and further back.

It would be a shame in the next few seconds as his chair would keel over and his hat would fall off, Nathanial's body colliding with the floor with a THUMP!... Oh how embarrassing.

Patch sighed.

Typical Takao, he should've known that he had no knowledge of navigation skills. Guess it was gonna be a long journey then. Closing his eyes, he planned to rest before they arrived at an island. After all, he was still pretty injured. However before he could relax, a large THUMP! could be heard/ Quickly sitting up, he looked over at Takao's ship only to find that there was a person laying on the raft Takao was now on.

"Oi! That man looks injured! Quick, bring him over here!" Patch called out with great concern in his voice.

From a peaceful boat trip to a mysterious problem! What exactly was going on here?

Genshi looked up from the sound of the impact. He approached the bow of his rowboat and tried looking over Takao, to see the source of the sound. Apparently a man had fallen unto the captain's boat. He appeared to be out cold.

"What is it? An enemy?" Genshi kept trying to get a better look, difficult with the captain in the way.

The cook smiled, this might bring forth some adventure to spice up this dull trip. He imagined the stranger being a prince, or a diplomat who needs help saving his country, and the possibility of the rewards that they would recieve for helping this man. Although the chance of him being an assassin from a foreign region was equally possible, and the thought of him using the crew as a pawn angered the cook. But the thought was shaken off when he considered that it was only a possibility and not the reality which presented itself.

"If the man's unconscious, what possible problems could we face?" he asked, keeping an eye on his clay stove with the fish inside.

Crona turned her head left and right, trying to find the cheapest looking restaurant. Noir looked up at his master, he was getting impatient at her pondering. He started to sniff the air, the smell of beef filled his nostrils. Hunger took over him and he took off without warning, following the scent.

Crona tripped as he ran past her, "Ah, NOIR!" she looked up and saw him running full speed ahead "Noir get back here!" She picked herself up and began to chase after him.

Unfortunately, it was no use, Noir was a full grown canine. It didn't take long for Crona to lose sight of him. She let out a harsh sigh "I swear, when I get my hands on him--!"



Noir continued to follow his nose and soon found a restaurant with it's door wide open. He ran in and scanned the room, it was empty besides a few workers and a man who appeared to be sleeping on the floor. "Hey you, scram!" Noir turned his attention to another worker holding a broom, but ignored the threat. Instead, Noir ran past the man and started to make his way to an unguarded bowl of beef stew on one of the tables.

Takao hefted the unconscious man, tossing him up over one shoulder. He obediently flew over to Patch and deposited the man at the doctor's feet. Though he was curious about what Patch would do and if the man would wake up, Takao still looked back over his shoulder in the direction of the thing he thought he had seen in the distance. To his relief, it was still out there and was not a figment of his imagination. It even seemed to be drawing closer. Takao still couldn't make out exactly what it was, but more and more he thought it looked like an island. That was fortunate. Unless Patch or Genshi had some navigation skills which they had thus far kept hidden, it was doubtful that they would reach land by any other method besides complete accident.
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Unseen by Takao's crew, on the opposite side of Emerald Island, a Marine vessel was approaching the green island's shores. For the most part, the ship seemed like any other Marine vessel. Sailors were scattered across its deck, rushing about as they performed their duties. Cabin boys were cleaning the decks while a pair of officers drilled a group of new recruits near the center of the ship.

Close to the stern of the ship, on the uppermost deck, stood two figures. The first was a slim man dressed in a light blue button-up shirt, dark blue pants, and a pair of white slip-on shoes. Slung casually across his shoulders was an Marine officer's coat. He was tall, nearly seven feet in height.

Spoiler:

The second figure was also a man, although he was much larger than the first in both height and weight. He wasn't fat. No, far from it. This man was a walking stack of muscle. And considering that he was around nine feet tall, he was quite an imposing sight. He was dressed in a loose-fitting, white button-up shirt that still did little to hide his bulk, gray pants, and an enormous pair of black boots. Like the first man, this man was also wearing an officer's coat around his shoulders. However, unlike the first man, this man actually had his arms in the sleeves and wore it as a coat. Slung across his immense back was a war hammer with a hammer head on each end.

Despite the difference in size, it was obvious who was really in charge. The first man had the air of someone who expected to be obeyed while the second man hung back, waiting for his superior's commands.

A pair of ordinary Marine soldiers approached the pair and saluted them. After receiving a salute in return, one of these two Marines stepped forward to speak to the officers.

"Commodore, Captain, sorry if we are interrupting anything, but we thought you should know, we are almost to Emerald Island."

"I can see it for myself, but thank you," the first man replied, waving them off. "You've all done well. Tell the men that they can rest once we reach the island. I will only be taking a few others with me onto the island and I have already informed them of who they are."

With another salute, the two Marines started to take their leave, but they were brought to a halt when the second man boisterously proclaimed, "Maybe we can finally figure out what this is all about, eh Jacob?"

The two Marines looked back just in time to see the first man, Jacob, leap over to the second and floor him with a punch.

"IDIOT!" Jacob shouted. "This is supposed to be a secret mission! Don't go telling everyone why we are here!"

Now there were several Marines watching and each of them was thinking the same thing: "You're the one shouting…"

Jacob sighed and sat himself down on the second man, using his broad back like a chair. He crossed one leg over the other and looked in the direction of Emerald Island.

"Ah well, I suppose it doesn't matter too much," he commented.

The onlookers all sweatdropped as they thought: "Then why did you hit him? And why are you sitting on him?!?"
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Near to the restaurant where Noir and Nathanial were located, a young woman was running through the 'streets' that connected the trees. Her head was constantly whipping back and forth as she searched desperately for someone. She never called out a name, not wanting to draw attention to herself, but at long last, she came to a stop, panting as she took a moment to rest.

Spoiler:

"Where could he be?" she thought to herself. "That idiot. He probably started daydreaming and got himself totally lost again. He might even be on the next island already…" Although she was angry, her face showed concern for the one she was looking for. Then, suddenly, her visage changed as she shouted, "Stupid, moronic teacher!"

That drew a few stares from passerby. Blushing, the young woman quickly apologized for the disturbance to those looking at her and she ran on.

The roof of the restaurant was actually quite an architectural masterpiece, hollowed upward and cut too look similar to planks of wood a normal home would be made out of, a thing that would have taken much effort to produce; it was a shame it took someone falling down to really notice. While Nathanial pondered the nature of the design a 'wooshing' sound caught his ear, an animal of some kind had entered the store and guessing by the following slurping sounds, had begun to eat his soup. Some nonsensical screaming from the staff and then... wait a second.

"You dastardly dalmatian! That's my soup!" sprung to life and up to his feet with renewed vigor Nathanial got ready to challenge the beast for his meal, the nerve of some beings! As Nathan made his move toward the dish he was interrupted by a nearby cry, "Stupid, moronic teacher!" rather loud for a gesture of frustration it stuck Nathan in his tracks... What if this was a beautiful woman in need of help! Throwing down some money for the meal Nathanial reached for his coffin, sliding it onto his back and picking up his hat swiftly.

"Sall yours mutters." he closing words as he left the shop attempting to locate the cry.

Patch watched as Takao chucked the man over at his direction. Once the man had landed in front of him, he immediately began to get to work. There was quite a large cut on his chest, judging by the shape and size it was safe to say that this man was cut by something sharp. Patch continued to examine the wound. There were a few scars, this man seemed like he was a swordsman of some sort, Patch suddenly remembered he needed to close up the wound before it gets infected.. or if it was already infected, more infected. Quickly taking out his sewing kit he began to close the man's wound. Some blood trickled down his chest as he done this. Quickly taking out his bandages he began to wrap up the man's chest. After a few minutes he was done.

He wiped the sweat which grew on his forehead.

"Oi, Takao, Im done! It looks like he'll be fine for now.... I hope...." Patch said over to Takao.

Genshi took a few steps back, giving Takao more room in the case he needed it. It still amazed him how his captain had such large wings, along with the fact that his flight ability was as majestic as any bird even though he was a man. But the cook couldn't allow himself to get distracted, if the stranger on board were an enemy, he'd regret letting his guard down. He turned away and raised the clay stove over his head, yes it was hot to the touch, but it would certainly be a useful weapon.

"Has he woken up? s he an enemy?" Genshi asked, in a worried tone.

Noir wasn't intimidated by the stranger's shouts, and continued to gulp up the soup. By the time he finished the man was gone and it appeared he left some beli on the table as well.

The same worker that threatened Noir before was now holding the broom stick high over Noir's head, preparing to strike him, "I said SCRAM!" Noir grabbed the cash and dodged the broom stick in one quick motion. "What th-" the employee's words were cut short as Noir jumped over his head and ran out the same way he came in. "HEY!" the worker gave out one last, but futile, yell.


Crona wasn't searching for Noir anymore, she knew he had to come back sooner or later. She looked down as she walked, sulking "Oooh Noir, you better not cause any trouble..." she continued to look at her feet and accidentally overheard someone else's conversation.

Person A: "--really they're coming here?"

Person B: "Yep, my friend at the harbor said he saw them coming."

Person A: "But they almost never come to this island, so why now?"

Person B: "Not sure, maybe it's just a routine check. With all the craziness going on these days, there's no telling what the Navy plans on do'in."

Crona was amused at this news, "The Navy?"

"Hmmm…" Takao folded his arms across his chest and stared back down at the unconscious man. He honestly didn't know what they could do with the guy themselves. He did not seem to present much of a threat in his current state. It would probably be best if they just took him to the island with them and left him with a local doctor. Patch had already dealt with his injuries, so it wasn't like he was in any immediate danger.

Takao was about to relay his thoughts to his crewmates when he heard a groan. Looking down at the man once more, he was surprised to see the man's eyes opening.

"Hi," Takao said, crouching in front of the man and smiling at him.

The man's bleary gaze roamed over Takao's features. Then he saw Takao's wings and his eyes widened considerably.

"An angel!" he gasped. Suddenly he sat up, his eyes filling with tears while a happy grin spread across his face. "Have I been truly chosen worthy to enter through those pearly gates?"

"Uh…well…" Takao stammered, shocked by this reaction. Before he could formulate a reply, the man took hold of his hand.

"Thank you so much for coming for me!" the man said. "I never thought I would…"

"Hey," Takao interrupted. "I appreciate your gratitude, but there is one problem." With his free hand, Takao jabbed the man's recently stitched chest. With a cry of pain, the man fell on his back once more while Takao smiled down at him. "You ain't dead."

The island in the distance was drawing even closer as they spoke. There was no doubt now what it was. However, the angle at which Takao and his companions had been traveling had led them not to a safe port, but the deep jungle.
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A Marine approached Jacob, who was still using the other Marine officer as a chair. The Marine took in this sight casually, as if he had almost been expecting it.

"Yo! Com-boss!" the Marine smirked at them, not even bothering to salute. The Marine was young, maybe in his early twenties, and was handsome. He wasn’t as tall as either Commodore Jacob or the Captain, but was more average in height. He was well built with a musculature that would make athletes envious. He was dressed in a stereotypical, non-officer Marine uniform, except without the hat which showed off his short, but wild, jet black hair. Oddly enough, he carried no weapons, though perhaps this wasn't too strange considering that the Commodore did not seem to be carrying any either. That was not his most noticeable feature, however. What was most noticeable was the black star tattooed to his right cheek.

The Marine grinned down at the hapless Captain. "Hey, loser captain. Almost didn't see you there."

A moment later, the Marine's head snapped forward as someone smacked him on the back of the head.

"Show some respect!" a female Marine officer appeared from behind the younger Marine, who was now crouching on the deck, holding his aching head in his hands. The woman quickly snapped a salute to the Commodore and Captain. "Commodore Jacob and Captain Brayden, you wanted to see me?"

"There's no need to strike him," the Commodore replied, glancing down at the Marine the woman had hit. "A superior officer should not pick on her subordinates."

The woman looked down at Captain Brayden and she nodded slowly. "Yes…sir…you're absolutely right…"

"In any case, you are both already aware of why you are here," Jacob continued. "As I already told you, you will be coming with us onto the island. Oh, and we'll be bringing Tristan as well."

The woman blinked in surprise and glanced at the Marine she had struck. "Tristan? Why him?"

"He's new," Jacob told her. "We need to help him learn what it means to be a part of our division. Never mind that. Both of you go and get ready for the mission." He turned to look out at Emerald Island once more. "Today is going to be interesting, so be prepared for anything."
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The woman came to a halt again. She had not gone too far from her last stop, but she wasn't sure where else to look. She had already made several laps of the island's main pathways and asked a lot of people about the person she was looking for. If he was still on the island, he was either in a lot of danger, which she thought was unlikely considering how peaceful things had been, or maybe he had gone down below.

The woman looked over the edge of the tree platform she was standing on. She stared down toward the ground far below. Even in the gloomy light, she could make out the silhouettes of several large beasts.

She shuddered. She really did not want to go down there, but if the person she was looking for did not show up soon, she would have no other options.

She turned away from the sight and started back towards her hotel, moving at a walk now. She would have to get ready if she was going to head down to the ground floor. And she could ask a few more people if they had seen the one she was looking for. Maybe one of them would have some information for her and she could stay up in the trees where it was safe.

The woman suddenly came to a stop. A frown crossed her face and she raised hand to cup it around one of her unusually long and pointed ears. Still frowning, she moved on a moment later, wondering if the sound she had just heard was real or if it was just her imagination. She hoped with all her heart that it was the latter.

Nathanial collapsed from exhaustion, he really needed to work on his cardio, a few minutes of running had wiped his energy clean out. A stomach growl reminded him that he wasn't exactly full on carbs to begin with. It appeared as if he had lost another damsel in distress, rotten luck. Slowly he tread along the pathways toward the coast, maybe something near the harbor would be more fulfilling. 'What am I going to do about this mess, I'm almost flat broke and I don't even know how to make money aside from my old job'... a shudder crept through Nathans spine, working for the Marines again wasn't a tempting option.

He whistled as he went on, something to keep his mind off his troubles.

Patch waited for his captain's order on what to do with the body when suddenly he heard a groan. Could it be the man awakened?! Patch quickly looked at him, however before he could speak the man was staring to cry....? He heard the man's words and laughed. "Pearly gates?" it was most likely the man was confused. "Angel?" Probably confused by Takao's wing features.... wait a second... back then... when he first met Takao... Patch claimed that he was skypian. However, this man's wings were surely big, was he mistaken? He could also fly with those wings... something was off... Patch opened his mouth to speak only to see Takao poke the injured part of the man's chest.

"BAAAAKAA! You do not touch patients who haven't healed!" Patch yelled over to Takao.

As it turns out, it wasn't an enemy, but a man in need. Genshi carefully put the stove back on his boat and blew on his hands, attempting to cool them down. Genshi would allow the good doctor on board to take care of the man's wounds, had he any, and the cook would do the cooking as he was supposed to. Looking into the clay stove, he realized that the fish was going to take a long time to cook at the current conditions. He pressed his hand on the stove and formed a door, effectively opening it and pulling the fish out by it's tail. He then used his fruit abilities to create a rectangular slab of clay to rest the fish upon. With the few spices remaining, Genshi could probably make something good to eat, sea water fish were safe to eat straight from the sea. he reached into the nearly empty jar of ground peppers and began slathering the fish with the jar's remnants.

Crona continued walking, she didn't want to make it obvious that she was eavesdropping. However, she couldn't get the thought out of her mind "Why would a Navy ship be coming here?" curiosity took over her, she needed more information on the subject.

Crona began making her way to the harbors, the sailors there may know more than her.



Noir kept a fast pace while walking, he was trying to find his master. He kept the beli from the restaurant in his mouth, it was his gift. Noir walked faster happily, he imagined the proud look on Crona's face when he gave it to her.