Serious: Croix d'Acier Pirates, Chapter 1: Face Collage!

"I can't believe I came here so late..." -Greim spoke with a cracking voice, a nurse by his side had her hand on his shoulder as a sign of condolence.- "Why? Father... why didn't you wait for me?"

A lonely tear rolled down Greim's cheek timidly. It was the furthermost expression of sorrow that had left the swordsman's forest-colored eyes. The nurse started mumbling something that he didn't understand. He couldn't grasp anything outside the bubble of his dead father laying down on the same bed where they had played together when he was a kid.

"I am going to burry him myself."-Greim said after a long, gloomy silence that had invaded the atmosphere. A flame of guilt burnt in his chest, numbing all of his muscles and blurrying his mind. He didn't feel the effort when he strode towards the cliff near his father's house and with the spade he had taken he dug a perfectly rectangular hole on the ground. It was deep; deeper than his own height and he had to take out rocks, cracking them with incredibly powerful strikes with of the tool.

Apparently, someone had already made a gravestone to place it, only the years were missing. Greim scratched the missing data in and placed the tablet into place. Then he took his own father in his arms, as if he was a baby, and started to cry as he walked towards the burial site. He didnt feel the dead weight, he was completely numb. He placed his father gently on the ground.

"I am sure he would have wanted a natural death and burial like this one..."- he muttered. He then covered him completely with soil and then a bed of rocks. He then finished covering the pit, with tears falling to the ground. When he was done, he stabbed the sword his father had given him when he beat the bandits a long time ago. He had placed fresh cement so that it would never be stolen.

He then left the house and went to the bar. He asked for a strong bottle of vodka and sat there, not crying anymore, but with his soul pierced like walking corpse.

Emrick walked threw a town, looking, observing, a smile on his face as some ladies walked by, he ran a hand over his hair and went into a bar daggers at his sides he sat at the bar table next to a rather grizzly looking fellow," can I have a bottle of your strongest sake?" He peered over at the man next to him he looked strong.

"What's your name?"he directed to him, looking forward as the sake was sat infront of him. Grabbing the bottle he pushed the cork out with his thumb and took a swig,"you look a little down" he stated, watching a few women's bottoms as try passed behind, smiling out the corner of his mouth

Greim peeked at his side when he saw a man sitting by his side. He really didnt want to be bothered, but he didnt want to seem rude or obnoxious in any way, so he decided that he would speak to the man if he happened to start a conversation. Unfortunately for him, the guy did point out that he looked kind of down and sad.

"I am Greim, Greim Glowheart." -The swordsman said at first, taking a deep breath as a pause for his feelings. -"This is my birthplace, but I come back all the way from the Grandline, almost the New World..."

Then he looked at the man in the eyes, he didnt seem to be a bad person so he continued speaking: "Yeah... I just had a big loss. It is my father..."

[Somewhere in the island]

An awkward looking man, pretty odd and queer to anybody's taste, was standing at the outside of the town where the other characters were at. He spoke into what seemed to be a pink den den mushi.

"Everything seems to be clear, boss." -he said, with a really disgusting smile on his face.

Emrick softened,"I uh"he looked to the left and down,"I was with my father when he died, it's not easy." He sighed this man came from the grand line, almost the new world even, he held a hand out "my names Emerick Locke"he smiled a little from the corner of his mouth," ladies man and metal man"

Another thought raced threw his mind," hopefully he's not a marine, I dont want to fight in this town"

"Yes..."-Greim said. -"I knew this had to happen sooner or later... It's just that I had hoped that I would be back to the island before he died. I didnt see it coming so fast... so vicious..."

Greim sighed and looked at the man who was presenting himself, rather amusingly, both as a ladies and metal man. Greim pointed at the swords that were at his hip and moved his head a little bit from side to side.

"I am a swordsman." -he said. Then he started wondering about what he had said. "Metal man", did he mean it as he was a tinkerer or as someone who forged weapons? -"What do you mean by metal man?"

He didnt want to tell the man just yet that he was a pirate, right now he wasnt in the best situation to have a fight with a bounty hunter that was after his head worth twenty million belli, or a marine hungry for reputation and power.

Emrick smiled " metal man, as in this" he brought a hand up, his palm facing him, as a metal snake began to cool out of his palm and wrapped around his arm," I control metal substances and can create it." He looked at the snake and with a flick of his wrist it returned to liquid metal on the floor.

"So Greim, I've heard of you, a little anyway..." He turned back to the bar and took a swig of sake " about the only thing I've heard is your name" he looked at him again " you must be looking for a crew eh?"

Greim's green eyes went dwindling from side to side and his behind his eyelids for a little while. He then opened his eyes again and looked at Emrick. He was a little surprised by the metal-bending abilities of the man in front of him. Although it was logia ability like the ones he had seen in the grandline before, he was pretty sure that it wasn't as developed.

"Nice to meet you, Emrick. It's a nice ability the one you've got there. It's actually queer news for me that you have heard my name." - Greim said, his finger stroking the pommel of his sword, as if it was a pet.- "Actually I was hoping to come to the North Blue and find some rest from the pirate life."

He smiled at the guy once again, with a tired smirk. His eyesight was soothened by the notorious sorrow, but he tried to be as lively as he could.

[In the central plaza of the main town of the island, next to the one where the bar is]

People were being pushed out of their houses by who seemed to be the Major, the councellor and the other officials from the Town Hall.

"What is this Major?" -the citizens asked in unison.

"Twihihihi-"- the Major laughed strangely. -"We decided to raise the tributes in 700% yesterday, and since none of you have paid them we are taking your houses instead."

A big hustle was heard as people were forced to leave their properties and gathered in the main square. The officials were armed with guns and swords at had all of them surrounded in case anyone tried escaping. The councellor was whispering into the Major's ear:

"The plan is progressing perfectly and without any obstacles, boss."

Emrick smiled as a new snake coiled around his shoulders and down to the counter, then underneath,"ive heard of the bounty on your name also..but im not interested in that" he retracted the snake and it dropped another sake bottle into his hand he took the cork out and took a swig," im looking for a captain with more experience than floating to the next island" he smirked and stood up flipping a few coin on the counter

up until now there was nothing interesting in this village," lets take a walk...Greim" he nodded to the door and walked out lighting a cigarette

(OOC: I am really sorry for disappearing, I've been really busy lately)

Greim nodded as the guy invited him to go for a walk. Greim definitely was an experienced person, but he wasn't sure about becoming a captain. He had just come back from the pirate life expecting to find a little bit of solace, but resting hadn't been an option when he arrived to find his father to be recently dead.

Suddenly, a guy came towards them running and shouting:

"Oh Greim! I AM SO GLAD TO SEE YOU ARE HOME!" - It was Ben, a childhood friend of Greim's.

"Oh Ben, nice to see you!"

"OH WELL! There's no time for this! I dont know what is going on in Hullsvilla, the mayor is taking everyone out of their houses and "keeping them" in payment for their taxes!" -he started shouting.

"What???" -Greim couldnt believe it. The mayor used to be such a nice person...

Emrick looked at the new arrival,"so he's forcing them into slavery?" He looked towards the town hall and sneered,"we'll just see about that" he dropped his smoke and smashed it with his bit walking towards the town hall,"I'll die before I let someone else become a slave while I'm around" molten metal spiraled aroun his right shoulder and hardened into a piece I armor then another coiled around his left fist hardening to the shape

[Bringing this thread back to life...]

Alexis stood by the door. She wasn't in her usual attire, she was here to investigate, to look for something, or maybe someone would be more appropriate. She wore a long black coat that covered her whole body, a hat that hid her face from the average sight. The neck from the coat was large and hid the lower half of her face.

She was watching everything silently, she knew she looked suspicious but no one seemed to care, they were either too intoxicated with the alcohol or absorbed in their conversations. She was happy about that. Not once did a waitress come by to ask for her order, which made her realize that they were probably scared of her. She was genderless to them, probably a man, and someone dressed like she was dressed would only mean trouble.

She approached the bar and asked for a beer. Alexis made her voice deeper, a mixture of a feminine voice and a male one, trying to keep her act to not be identified as any specific gender. She grabbed the beer and headed to the farthest table in the bar so that she wouldn't be close to anyone else, but not too far to hear their conversations.

There was one specific conversation that caught her attention, two men talking about being pirates and wanting to make a crew. Well, to be specific, one wanted to make the other his captain. She wasn't sure about the other individual but he seemed to not like the idea so much. That man caught her attention more than the other. He was very tall, around 190cm Alexis guessed, he seemed to exercise a lot because his arms showed defined muscles. He had green eyes and seemed like a rather attractive man.

Hmm, maybe he's worth my time. Alexis wasn't interested in something like romance, but she wanted to join a crew, and this man seemed to be the one appropriate for it. She wanted to find someone strong but not intimidating, he wasn't intimidating to her. Or maybe it was because he seemed depressed? A vulnerable man isn't always a threat, and according to Alexis, Greim Glowheart (she heard his name when he introduced himself to Emrick) wasn't threatening at all.

Then a random person bustled in, shouting at Greim. There seemed to be a problem. Slowly, trying to not catch any attention, Alexis stood up and made her way to the group of strangers. She was going to do something she had never done before, willingly approach a guy.

"I heard there are some problems happening. I'm willing to lend a helping hand" she said hoping that they would accept. One step closer to becoming a real pirate and a part of a crew.

(So when someone gonna post?)

"Well..."- Ben started.- "It's a little bit irrational... seeing it as the Major isn't that type of person. He was loved by the people of the town... He was one of them!"

Greim was starting to think that the World Government was behind all of this... But he couldn't just spit out that kind of accusation in front of so many people at the bar. Although his father had died, he still had a duty, a moral compass, that indicated him that he needed to protect his home island from whatever was happening. Most of the people there had seen him grow up, and they had accepted him as he was.

Suddenly, a strange individual approached him. The tone of the voice seemed to be that of a female, but he couldnt really tell just by looks. Ben by his side was a little skeptical about this new character that had appeared in the scene. With what was happening in the town, doubting the intentions of strangers was just something natural.

"Well, you are welcome to come with us. We are going to go to Hullsvilla and try to figure out what's going on..."

That being said, Greim walked out of the bar, following Ben that had already started leading the way.

[At one of the tables of the bar]

The beep of a den den mushi was heard and the communication was bad, but the man was using the telephone without anyone in the bar noticing.

"Boss... we might have some problems heading your way."- he said.

Emrick was fuming with anger at the thought of people being tricked or forced into slavery, or servitude in general but he stopped and turned back to the bar seeing Greim walk out after Ben Emrick jogged back to them turning the jog to a walk when he got by them

" why would the mayor do this, is there anything to gain?" He asked," because at this rate he's gonna gain a fist in his face or a boot in his ass" Emrick added

Alexis nodded and followed the man, she was thinking about how this opportunity seemed to fit with her plans, to be able to join the crew this man was someday going to make (hopefully, although Alexis had decided to not think pessimistically). She adjusted her hood slightly so that her eyes would be visible, bright green eyes that even if they had the shade of the hood, would still stand out.

"Are you sure this man has never been mean or anything? If he has such a spotless background then maybe he's not in his right mind at the moment" Alexis said it as a random hypothesis about what could be happening to the major of this town.

To be honest, Alexis had no idea of what was going on, neither did she really care about it. Although she did seem it unfair that people were being exploited and that this man was doing such inhuman things to them. But nothing seemed to fit in. And she wanted to prove herself worthy of being in the man's crew, so she decided to help.

She seemed to notice Emrick join them and she nodded her head. "Hello, I'm joining your group to help sort things out around here, nice to meet you" She had decided to not leave out any details of her person until she would be absolutely sure that they wanted her in for the crew. So until then she would stay as a nameless, and hopefully genderless, person that just wanted to aid them and save the village.

"Well hello it's nice meet you to," he bowed formally then turned the way they were walking pointing towards the sky,"lets go kick the mayors ass!"

(Sorry for all the ridiculously small posts guys, Ill get to doing some bigger ones from now on)

((It's okay, I'm just waiting for Rodo to post ))

As Ben led the way, Greim followed. While Hullsvilla was a coastal town, Greim's hometown was up a hill. Not exactly mountainous, but further away from the sea. As they walked, they could see the people crowded up in the main plaza of Hullsvilla surrounded by some functionaries.

"Woah..." -Greim said, he didnt expect to see something as this in his island.- "This doesnt seem to be right... Not at all."

Ben nodded to Greim's words and he made signs to Alexis and Emrick. A hustle was heard from behind some trees as fallen leaves were stepped on. Suddenly, three government functionaries appeared and jumped them.

"Stop it right there. The area is closed." -One of them said, he wore rings in all of his fingers and a white top hat.- "Hullsvilla is undergoing some... changes..."

"You are no one to stop us! The country is free!" -Ben exclaimed.

"You will follow our orders by your own will..." -A guy with sunglasses and a cane said. - "Or we will have to force you."

"Then force us." -Greim said, unsheathing both of his swords. One of them with sparkling rubies and one with sparkling sapphires.

"You dont know what you are getting into..."- The third guy kneeled and springs seemed to form where his legs were. Then he suddenly bolted forward at vertigo speed in Greim's direction.

"I don't think so!" Emrick extended his arm to his side, molten metal coiling out. He brought it up and made a whip like motion, the metal assuming the shape of the whip as it traveled towards the assailant.

( I am really sorry, I was waiting for Lost to post, but I guess she can catch up )

Greim had already positioned himself to counter the attack that was heading towards him, but Emrick seemed to have it controled. The metal whip hit the guy, but it seemed to be balanced out by the sheer force of the guy's punch. Changing targets, the guy bounced off a tree and extended his leg after making his whole body word like a spring, re-directing the strenght of the kick plus the momentum against Emrick.

[Introduction box]
Name: Tom Sawdust
Ability: Bane bane no mi

At the same time, Greim produced two precise and supersonic airslashes with short slashes of his swords, one directed to each of the other opponents remaining. The guy with the cane pressed a button on it and it seemed to turn into a spear. The guy with the rings seemed to tap on the floor with his foot.

[Introduction box]
Name: "Gallstone" Heinz
Ability: Spear-wielding

[Introduction box]
Name: Jay Kroz
Ability: Martial Artist+ skin life return

Heinz rapidly lunged his spear forward in a churning motion, which couldnt be followed by the human eye. This seemed to produce a big disruption in the air and mostly countered the airslash, but pushed him back a bit.

Jay, incredibly, seemed to go barehanded and with his palm extended towards the airslash. He charged and hit the wave. The skin in his palm was completely torn, but it seemed to be some sort of thick scar tissue. The hand took all the blow and the epidermis was completely regenerated in some seconds.

"Ben, Emrick... These guys arent going down easily." -Greim was still a little bit groggy and his mind was blurry, but he could definitely keep this fight up. He had seen worse in the Grandline.

Everything was happening really fast, too fast for Alexis to comprehend what was happening, but she snapped out of the confusion she was in when Greim talked, saying how it would not be easy. Alexis scowled and cracked her knuckles, focusing on her hands and electricity starting to glow from them. "I'm taking care of the spear guy" she said darkly, tired of joking around and letting them think they would win against them. "I will give my most in this fight, even if it means dying, Greim" she said and smiled, even if it was hidden from everyone's view.

Emerick quickly moved his available arm up infront of him, molten metal spiraling out into a form of metal buckler. These guys appeared tough, but Emerick to say the leased was unphased. "That's part of the fun Greim, if they were easy to beat it wouldn't be a challenge" the spring man seemed like he would be the only one to be a concern, so far.

(OOC: Bloodwake, I'm thinking these molten metal descriptions are just part of how your metal is produced? I wanted to make sure that you know that you cannot manipulate molten metal with the Tetsu Tetsu no Mi, since there is another logia fruit in the site that focuses on moleten metal)

Tom Sawdust's kick stopped at Emrick's buckler and sprung back to take his body's normal shape. Taking advantage of the ranged attacks he could perform by the extension of his arms and legs, he seemed to be focusing strenght into his own body. He placed a leg on a tree as a support and he pushed all his body back, then both of his arms flew through the air in a piercing motion through the air, stronger than any other attack before. This produced a shockwave that surrounded his fists.

"Gallstone Heinz", the spear guy, smiled at his new opponent. He knew that he could perform attacks to attack more than one target, but he was going to focus on this girl. She seemed to be an easy job for him. He spinned in the air and at the same time he slashed the ground, sending up a shockwave of dust and rocks while he seemed to cut the air itself, sending a flutter of windslashes at Alexis and falling to the ground, prerparing for his next attack.

"Don't feel too bad honey!" -he said, making fun of her.- "You wouldn't be the only one that hasn't survived my spear!!!"

While Jay seemed to be defenseless against Greim's powerful katanas, he stepped on the ground multiple times and hastily appeared behind Greim, almost catching him off-guard. He punched the air as if he was performing some sort of fishman karate technique and a small shockwave was produced towards Greim. It seemed to be like a small rokuogan, the Rokushiki's final technique. Greim, almost instantly performed a spinning slash that countered the shockwave partially, but letting an after-math shock through, which seemed to punch him in the stomach. He paused a second, and then he kneeled, using a feinted Cheetah Rampage Slash to approach the opponent.

"Pain Empire!" -he exclaimed, and he started to perform a series of hasty slashes, spins, cross-slashes, cut, hits with the back of the sword directed to the opponent's body.